\tThe hometown kid who went to high school 2 \u00bd miles from the college arena where he now stars.<\/p>\n
Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He leads the nation in assist-turnover ratio and is ahead by a couple of laps. Lipsey has handed out 52 assists for the unbeaten Cyclones. He has committed only six turnovers. That\u2019s a ratio of 8.67, and second best in the country is 6.00. The sacking of Purdue was fairly typical for Lipsey \u2014 eight assists, not a single turnover. He has played 112 games at Iowa State and started them all and has been around long enough to be only the fourth Iowan to play for the Cyclones and beat Iowa three times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a pretty good way to stay beloved in your hometown.<\/p>\n
\tThe 6-11 dunkmaster who hangs around the basket waiting for good things to happen.<\/p>\n
Furman’s Cooper Bowser<\/p>\n
He\u2019s taken 85 shots this season and missed only 16. The 81.2 field goal percentage leads the nation by 10 points. He\u2019s 31 for 34 in his last four games, including making 21 in a row, and for the season has blocked only three fewer shots than he\u2019s missed.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re not exactly talking an outside threat. In 79 career games, Bowser has put up two shots from behind the 3-point arc, none this season. Missed them both. His 59.0 free throw shooting percentage this season isn\u2019t great either. But he\u2019s averaging 13 points a game for a 9-4 team, and when he\u2019s in the paint, he doesn\u2019t miss.<\/p>\n
\tThe Ivy Leaguer who is a sure bet from 15 feet.<\/p>\n
Columbia\u2019s Kenny Noland<\/p>\n
He\u2019s gone to the free throw line 36 times this season and hasn\u2019t missed yet. Matter of fact, the last one that didn\u2019t go in was way back on Feb. 8, or 41 makes ago. You don\u2019t have to be that good at math to know that his free throw percentage this season is 100 percent, the last perfect number in the nation for all those who have shot enough of them to qualify. But Noland probably wouldn\u2019t have much problem figuring out any math equation. He had a 4.1 grade point average in high school.<\/p>\n
\tBeware the beard, and the short guy wearing it.<\/p>\n
Purdue\u2019s Braden Smith.<\/p>\n
Assists to fellow Boilermakers pour through him like Big Macs at the drive-thru window at the McDonald\u2019s across the street from Mackey Arena. He\u2019s averaging 9.6 a game this season to lead the nation, and with 873 career assists, needs only 18 for the Big Ten record and 204 for the NCAA all-time mark. Purdue has had 11 games in its entire history where someone handed out 14 or more assists in a game. Smith owns seven of them. His 1,526 career points, 584 rebounds and 205 steals confirm the all-around force he has been through 122 games \u2014 all starts \u2014 for the Boilermakers. He\u2019s done everything for Purdue except shave. Given that, it\u2019s a little shocking he has no triple-double to his name, but he\u2019s come close 10 times.<\/p>\n
The irony is that at Skyscraper U. \u2014 Purdue has had a 7-foot-2 player or taller on the roster for 12 consecutive seasons \u2014 it\u2019s a 6-foot guard who is creating the current legend.<\/p>\n