蜜柚直播

So sometimes it falls to UA coach Tommy Lloyd to loosen him up just a bit. Like just before 蜜柚直播鈥檚 ESPN-hyped game with Oregon on Saturday.

鈥淚 told Benn right after the national anthem, 鈥楤enn, smile. Smile today. Have fun. Enjoy this moment. There鈥檚 no pressure on you,鈥� 鈥� Lloyd said. 鈥淚 think he鈥檚 just kind of found the joy in the game again. Nothing great in life can be accomplished without enthusiasm and joy. So that鈥檚 been my message to him.鈥�

The Wildcats鈥� Canadian wing responded with 24 points, seven rebounds, five assists 鈥� and no turnovers against the swipe-happy Ducks 鈥� to lead the Wildcats to an 84-81 win. Combined with a 20-point, five-rebound effort two days earlier against OSU, Mathurin picked up his third Pac-12 Player of the Week award Monday.

Mathurin also might have reestablished himself as a frontrunner for the conference鈥檚 player of the year award. Averaging 17.5 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 47.2% in conference games, Mathurin has been returning to his December dominance.

During six games in December, he averaged 22.7 points, winning the Pac-12 Player of the Week award on Dec. 6, after scoring 29 points in UA鈥檚 90-65 win at OSU, and on Dec. 13, after scoring 30 in the Wildcats鈥� 83-79 win at Illinois.

Mathurin鈥檚 shooting and scoring numbers dipped somewhat after a 27-point explosion against Washington on Jan. 3, with Mathurin shooting 2 of 16 at UCLA and combining for just 19 total points in home games the next week against UCLA and USC.

But Mathurin has scored 18 or more points in the Wildcats鈥� last five games, averaging 21.4 points over that span. With the Wildcats locked in a tight game against Oregon on Saturday, Lloyd said he didn鈥檛 have to tell Mathurin to take over, that he just told Mathurin to 鈥減lay within the framework of the team.鈥�

At the same time, Mathurin started seeing ways to cut the Ducks apart.

鈥淚 feel like the defense started playing me a little bit differently, so I knew what to do,鈥� Mathurin said, adding that the UA coaches suggested some ways to score.

Not only did it work out pretty well for the Wildcats, but also Lloyd said there were some lessons that could help make Mathurin even more effective.

鈥淭here鈥檚 also some great (video) clips ... of those penetration things where he鈥檚 getting a little bit deep and kind of pushed off the angle,鈥� Lloyd said. 鈥淏ut Benn鈥檚 a really good player and when he鈥檚 locked in like he has been.

鈥淗e鈥檚 special. He鈥檚 a joy to coach and I鈥檓 happy that he鈥檚 having this success that he is.鈥�

Among other candidates Mathurin beat out for the weekly Pac-12 honors included Colorado鈥檚 Jabari Walker, who averaged 17.7 points and 11.0 rebounds over three road wins; and UCLA鈥檚 Jaylen Clark, who averaged 21.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals in the Bruins鈥� home wins over WSU and Washington.

Gonzaga, 蜜柚直播 Nos. 1-2

蜜柚直播 moved up one spot to No. 2 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll Monday, while Gonzaga became a unanimous No. 1 pick, meaning Lloyd鈥檚 old program and new old one are 1-2 atop the college basketball world.

After then-second-ranked Auburn lost at Florida on Saturday, Lloyd was asked if that possibility might feel weird, cool or funny.

鈥淧robably all those things,鈥� Lloyd said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 weird, cool, awesome. I鈥檓 proud of those guys. They鈥檝e got a great team. They鈥檙e family and I think they鈥檙e happy for us. So we鈥檝e just got to take care of business as they got to take care of business and we鈥檒l see how long it plays out.鈥�

The Wildcats haven鈥檛 been ranked No. 2 since Nov. 20, 2017, the poll released before they lost three games in the Battle 4 Atlantis event. They haven鈥檛 been No. 1 since they held the top spot for eight weeks during the 2013-14 season, when they started 21-0 before losing 60-58 at Cal in a game when standout forward Brandon Ashley suffered a season-ending foot injury.

Meanwhile, UCLA (to No. 12) and USC (to No. 16) each moved up one spot after both teams swept the Washington schools at home.

Slight slippage at the line

After making just 11 of 19 free throws Saturday against Oregon, gaining only one more point from free throws than the Ducks despite shooting eight more times, the Wildcats are shooting 67.1% from the line in the month of February.

As a result, 蜜柚直播鈥檚 season free-throw shooting has dipped from 73.3% to a 71.7% mark that is roughly in the middle of all Division I teams.

Asked after Saturday鈥檚 game if that was a concern, Lloyd shook it off.

鈥淵ou guys drill this down way too simple for me,鈥� Lloyd said. 鈥淟isten, there鈥檚 a lot of concerns. I wouldn鈥檛 say free throws. I trust the guys making free throws and we鈥檝e just got to step up and make them. Our percentage overall is pretty good all year.鈥�