John Clay's Sidelines

Hoops links for Friday:

• John Gasaway at Basketall Prospectus gives his all-underrated team, which includes Patrick Patterson. Gasaway: “The justifiable fuss over Jodie Meeks in Lexington this season has obscured what Patterson is doing: making his shots at an incredible rate. Meeks is so prominent in this offense that unless you look a little closer you might think Patterson’s a mere supporting player. In fact his role in the offense would be that of a featured player on any “normal” team without Meeks. In that role Patterson is incomparably efficient, taking care of the ball and making two out of every three shots from the field. A fair defensive rebounder and shot-blocker, Patterson is also a 78 percent free-throw shooter.” (Hat tip to A Sea of Blue.)

• The Herald-Leader’s Mike Fields talked to legendary girls’ basketball coach Roy Bowling on that 100-0 game in Texas. Fields: ““The first thing I told my wife was that that coach ought to be fired on the spot,” Bowling said. “You can beat somebody, but there’s no reason to rub their face in it.” Covenant Coach Micah Grimes was fired, but only after he refused to apologize. He said he saw no reason for remorse because his team played with “honor and integrity.” Bowling couldn’t believe that statement. “How much honor and integrity do you get out of winning a game like that?” he said. “All you’ve done is make a fool out of yourself.””

• Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis-Star Tribute writes on Minnesota’s amazing defensive effort in win over Illinois. Souhan: “Illinois came into the night with a 20-game winning streak over Minnesota, ranked 19th in the country and rising in the Big Ten. The Illini left wondering how they got beat by a group as deep, anonymous and defensive as the CIA, having scored fewer points than ever before in their history against the Gophers.”

• Terry Bannon of the Chicago Tribune has the loss from the Illinois’ point of view. Bannon: “Of more importance, the loss dropped the 19th-ranked Illini (17-4, 5-3) into a tie for fourth place in the Big Ten with Penn State while the Gophers (18-3, 6-3) completed the first half of their Big Ten schedule in third place.”

• ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach asks if Georgia will truly think big in its coaching search. Schlabach: ” For too long, SEC schools have short-changed their basketball programs in terms of coaching salaries and facilities. Want evidence? Tennessee’s football program recently hired Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, the father of new Volunteers coach Lane Kiffin. Tennessee will pay the elder Kiffin $1.2 million to direct its defense. Monte Kiffin’s salary is more than what eight of the SEC’s 12 basketball coaches are being paid this season. Only Florida’s Billy Donovan ($3.25 million per season), Kentucky’s Billy Gillispie ($2.36 million), Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl ($1.6 million) and Vanderbilt’s Kevin Stallings ($1.3 million) are being paid more than UT’s defensive coordinator will make this year.”

• Zach Berman of the Washington Post reports on Virginia Tech’s second-half meltdown against Clemson. Berman: “With seconds remaining in Thursday night’s game against Clemson, Virginia Tech Coach Seth Greenberg prepared to kick a spot on the scorer’s table that had become a frequent target for his right foot, but he restrained himself. It would be a pointless gesture, as the Hokies’ fate was all but sealed and impulsive anger would quickly give way to abject analysis.”

• Sports Illustrated’s Seth Davis opens up his mailbag and discusses the ACC. Davis: “Duke is officially going through a crisis in the middle. You can call Brian Zoubek the incredibly shrinking center. The Blue Devils’ 7-1 junior has been a pleasant surprise for most of the season, but he has been a non-factor in ACC play, averaging 4.6 points and 5.0 rebounds in 16.4 minutes. He played just five minutes in Duke’s win over Georgetown on Jan. 17.”

• At CBS Sportsline, Clark Kellogg gives a little love to little men with big games. Kellogg: ” Last week I highlighted some “Low-Pub/High-Production” power forward types. And after watching Oklahoma’s Austin Johnson continue his stellar conference play in a road win at Oklahoma State on Monday, I feel inclined to put the spotlight on some of the “little” fellas who fit that bill. Actually, not all are small, but they all would be considered guards.”

• Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel writes on Pat Summitt’s impact. Wetzel: “Summitt, 56, said she never has been much for numbers or records or things like that. She likes NCAA championships, and the record eight she’s won at UT through the years is the ultimate goal. She’s more concerned with getting the most out of her current team, which after consecutive NCAA titles is young and, by UT standards, rebuilding. The Lady Vols are 16-4.”

• Luke DeCock of the Raleigh News and Observer writes that the N.C. State women are fighting with heavy hearts after the death of Kay Yow. DeCock: “However, the members of her final team might like to grieve — and there may not be anything as uniquely personal as that decision — they have had no option but to do it in a very public way. Before the State men’s game Tuesday night, the members of the women’s team took the floor after a video tribute to Yow, many wiping away tears. Wednesday, they attended a gathering in Yow’s honor at Reynolds Coliseum.”