SPORTS Saturday, February 28, 2015 East Oregonian College Basketball Pac-12 has several teams on NCAA bubble By JOHN MARSHALL Associated Press The Pac-12’s NCAA tournament bubble is beginning to pulsate. No. 7 Arizona and No. 13 Utah are virtual locks to make the bracket, DWWKLVSRLQW¿JKWLQJIRUKLJKHUVHHGV $IWHU WKDW WKH 3DF KDV WKUHH teams that could have a good shot ZLWK D VWURQJ ¿QLVK DQG WZR RWKHUV that will really need to make some QRLVHDWWKHHQGRIWKHVHDVRQ Once on the outside looking in, 2UHJRQ SXW LWVHOI VTXDUHO\ inside the bubble with its massive home win over Utah last Sunday. 7KH 'XFNV EHDW &DOLIRUQLD RQ WKH road Wednesday and could enhance their bracket chances by knocking RII IHOORZ EXEEOH WHDP 6WDQIRUG LQ 1RUWKHUQ&DOLIRUQLDRQ6XQGD\ The Cardinal (18-9) did not make LWHDV\RQWKHPVHOYHVZLWKIRXUORVV- HV LQ ¿YH JDPHV EXW IROORZHG WKDW up with wins over Cal and Oregon State. Sunday’s game against Ore- JRQZLOOEHKXJHIRU6WDQIRUGZKLFK closes the regular season with a road trip against the two Arizona schools. UCLA (17-12) still has some ZRUN WR GR DIWHU D WURXEOLQJ WULS WR $UL]RQD WKDW UHVXOWHG LQ D SDLU RI losses. The Bruins bounced back to EHDW :DVKLQJWRQ EXW FDQ¶W DIIRUG slipups against Washington State and rival USC to close out the reg- ular season. UCLA is 14-1 at home with its only loss to No. 3 Gonzaga, which could help. 7KHVXUSULVHRIWKHHDUO\FRQIHU- ence season, Oregon State (17-11) KDVWDNHQDWXPEOHZLWKIRXUORVVHV LQ ¿YH JDPHV 7KH %HDYHUV KDYH some ugly losses — Quinnipiac was D ELJ RQH ² DQG DQ 53, RI VR AP Photo/Ben Margot Oregon guard Casey Benson (2) lays up a shot in front of Califor- nia’s David Kravish during the second half of an NCAA college bas- ketball game Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015, in Berkeley, Calif. winning the Pac-12 tournament may be their only shot. Arizona State (15-13) is in the VDPHOLIHERDWDV2UHJRQ6WDWHOLNH- O\ QHHGLQJ WR ZLQ WKH FRQIHUHQFH tournament to get into the bracket IRU WKH VHFRQG VWUDLJKW VHDVRQ 7KH 6XQ'HYLOVNQRFNHGRIIULYDO$UL]R- na, but have too many losses and an RPI too low (82) to expect an invite at this point. $IHZPRUHWHDPVULVLQJDQGIDOO- ing on the NCAA tournament bub- ble. ——— ON THE RISE Georgia. The Bulldogs (18-9) QHHGHG D TXDOLW\ URDG ZLQ WR SDG their resume and got it Wednesday QLJKW E\ NQRFNLQJ RII IHOORZ EXE- bler Mississippi 76-72. A decent RPI DQG VWUHQJWK RI VFKHGXOH should keep Georgia in good shape LILWGRHVQ¶WWULSXSGRZQWKHVWUHWFK Davidson. The Wildcats (20-6) have won six straight and recent- ly got point guard Jack Gibbs back DIWHUKHVXIIHUHGDNQHHLQMXU\'D- YLGVRQ¶V 53, RI LV DYHUDJH DQG LWV VWUHQJWK RI VFKHGXOH LV ZHDN DW QG VR D IHZ PRUH ZLQV FRXOG strengthen its case. LSU. The Tigers (20-8) aren’t exactly on the rise, more holding steady. A loss to Texas A&M last week didn’t look good, but LSU FRPSOHWHG D VHDVRQ VZHHS RI )ORU- LGDDQGNQRFNHGRII$XEXUQRQWKH road since then. Some tough games coming up, including Ole Miss on Saturday. St. John’s. The Red Storm (19-9) picked up a huge win on Monday E\ NQRFNLQJ RII IHOORZ EXEEOH WHDP ;DYLHU E\ RQH WKHLU IRXUWK ZLQ LQ ¿YHJDPHV7KHUH¶VVWLOOVRPHWRXJK JDPHV OHIW WKRXJK LQFOXGLQJ 1R 9LOODQRYDLQWKHUHJXODUVHDVRQ¿QDOH ——— FADING HOPES Illinois. The Illini (17-11) had DJRRGRSSRUWXQLW\WREHHIXSWKHLU resume on the road against Iowa on :HGQHVGD\QLJKW,QVWHDGRISLFNLQJ XS D TXDOLW\ URDG ZLQ ,OOLQRLV ORVW 68-60, its third straight loss since NQRFNLQJ RII 0LFKLJDQ 6WDWH DQG Michigan. The Illini play North- western and Nebraska at home next, JDPHVWKDWZRQ¶WGRPXFKIRUWKHLU 1&$$FKDQFHVHYHQLIWKH\ZLQ Texas. The Longhorns (17-11) have been bouncing along the bub- EOH IRU D IHZ ZHHNV DQG VHHP WR KDYH ODQGHG RQ WKH RXWVLGH DIWHU D three-game losing streak. Texas is LQ%LJSOD\DQGKDVMXVWRQH win against RPI top-50 teams, which doesn’t look good. The Longhorns KDYHDFRXSOHRIELJFKDQFHVWRPDNH an impression coming up, though: at No. 8 Kansas on Saturday and against No. 19 Baylor next week. Temple. The Owls (20-9) stum- bled last week with two big chances to boost their resume, losing road games to No. 21 SMU and Tulsa. Temple has a rout over Kansas on its UHVXPHEXWPD\QHHGDVWURQJ¿QLVK WRJHWLQWRWKH¿HOGRI Indiana. The Hoosiers (19-10) GLGQRWGRWKHPVHOYHVDQ\IDYRUVE\ losing to Northwestern this week. Indiana closes out the season against ,RZDDQG0LFKLJDQ6WDWHEHIRUHWKH Big Ten tournament, so there are still chances to impress the selection committee. 1HZORRN:HHNVKRSHVIRUIUHVKVWDUWZLWK0¶V By JOSE M. ROMERO Associated Press PEORIA, Ariz. — The most noticeable thing is the hair. Gone are the long dreadlocks that were once a Rickie Weeks staple. He’d worn them since 2008, but said he grew tired RIWKHKDLUVW\OH ³,W¶V MXVW RQH RI WKRVH WKLQJV´:HHNVVDLG Weeks also made more PDMRU FKDQJHV $IWHU seasons in the Milwaukee organization, he signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners. And the 32-year-old vet- eran won’t be strictly be playing second base, his longtime position with the Brewers. The Mariners are trying him out in the out- ¿HOG That’s where Weeks, a VHFRQG EDVHPDQ IRU PRUH than 1,000 games with the Brewers, could make his biggest contribution this season. Weeks hasn’t played out- ¿HOG LQ WKH PDMRU OHDJXHV EXW IRU WKH SDVW IHZ GD\V KH¶V EHHQ WDNLQJ À\ EDOOV and said it comes naturally to him. “It brought me back to KLJK VFKRRO´ :HHNV VDLG “That was the last time I SOD\HGRXW¿HOGIXOO\´ Not to say Weeks won’t EH H[FOXVLYHO\ XVHG LQ OHIW ¿HOGIRUWKH0DULQHUV0DQ- ager Lloyd McClendon has said that Weeks will play second base and third base, AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File This is a 2015 file photo shows Rickie Weeks of the Seattle Mariners. Weeks has never played any position other than second base. It’s no wonder he’s spending the early days of spring training with the Seattle Mariners in the outfield, learning a new position. DQG SRVVLEO\ ¿UVW RQ RFFD- sion. That makes Weeks the Mariners’ second utility player expected to be on the opening day roster, along ZLWK :LOOLH %ORRPTXLVW :HHNVFRXOGDOVR¿QGKLP- VHOI VKDULQJ SOD\LQJ WLPH ZLWK 'XVWLQ $FNOH\ LQ OHIW ¿HOG ³7KH¿UVWZHHNRXW¿HOG and then maybe work my- VHOIEDFNWRLQ¿HOGWKHVHF- RQG ZHHN´ :HHNV VDLG RI KLVSODQIRUVSULQJWUDLQLQJ McClendon likes what KH¶VVHHQVRIDU ³,¶YHZDWFKHG5LFNLHIRU WKH ODVW WKUHH GD\V´ 0F- Clendon said Friday. “I’ve EHHQ IDLUO\ LPSUHVVHG ZLWK the way he’s moving around out there. Listen, I made WKH WUDQVLWLRQ IURP FDWFKHU WR RXW¿HOG 5LFNLH LV FHU- tainly a much better athlete than I ever was. I don’t see WKHPDMRUFRQFHUQWKDWPRVW people see. I think he’s go- LQJWRDGDSWUHDOHDVLO\´ $IWHU DQ$OO6WDU VHDVRQ in 2011, Weeks’ numbers slipped to a .230 batting av- erage in 2012 and .209 in 2013. The Brewers opted IRUDSODWRRQDWVHFRQGEDVH with Weeks and Scooter Gennett. Weeks ended up with DERXWIHZHUDWEDWVWKHQ Gennett in 2014. Weeks hit .274 with eight homers and 29 RBIs in 121 games. $ KDPVWULQJ LQMXU\ KDG cost him the last two months RIWKHVHDVRQ)ROORZ- ing the 2014 season, the Brewers decided to move on, declining his contract RSWLRQIRUWKLV\HDU There were no takers IRU :HHNV WKRXJK XQWLO the Mariners and general manager Jack Zduriencik VLJQHG KLP IRU D \HDU DQG $2 million. Zduriencik and Weeks go back a long way — Zduriencik approved WKH GUDIWLQJ DQG VLJQLQJ RI Weeks while serving as the %UHZHUV¶ GLUHFWRU RI VFRXW- ing in 2003. $IWHU \HDUV RI UHSRUWLQJ to Brewers’ camp in the nearby Maryvale neighbor- KRRG RI 3KRHQL[ :HHNV VDLGWKHUHLVQ¶WPXFKGLIIHU- HQFHVZLWFKLQJIDFLOLWLHV “When you show up VRPHZKHUH\RXMXVWGRLW´ Weeks said. “I don’t have any regrets, or how is it here compared to there. I don’t go WKURXJKDQ\WKLQJOLNHWKDW´ :HHNVFRPSDUHGKLV¿UVW Mariners workout earlier WKLV ZHHN WR D ¿UVW GD\ RI school. “New teacher, new guys LQ WKH FOXEKRXVH´ KH VDLG “You’re trying to learn names. That’s probably the KDUGHVWSDUW´ NOTES: Former Mari- ners pitcher Brandon Maur- er, traded to the San Diego 3DGUHVLQWKHRIIVHDVRQYLV- LWHG KLV IRUPHU WHDPPDWHV in the clubhouse. Maurer’s QHZ WHDP VKDUHV WKH ¿HOGV complex with Seattle. ... The Mariners will play an LQWUDVTXDG JDPH RQ 0RQ- GD\LQSUHSDUDWLRQIRUWKHLU ¿UVWVSULQJWUDLQLQJJDPHRQ Wednesday, weather per- mitting. Rain is expected in the area this weekend. ... RHP Erasmo Ramirez is be- ing worked as a starter and QRW FRPSHWLQJ IRU D EXOO- pen spot, McClendon said. 5DPLUH] LV RXW RI PLQRU OHDJXH RSWLRQV DIWHU VSHQG- ing the past three seasons shuttling between Seattle and Triple-A Tacoma. NASCAR Dude, where’s my car: NASCAR machine stolen before race By PAUL NEWBERRY Associated Press HAMPTON, Ga. — When Tra- YLV.YDSLOJRWWKHFDOO)ULGD\KH¿J- ured someone on his race team was SOD\LQJDMRNH “They said there was trouble with WKHFDU´.YDSLOVDLG³,WKRXJKWZH FRXOG ¿JXUH LW RXW ZKHQ ZH JRW LQ the garage area. They’re like, ‘No, WKHFDULVJRQH´¶ The No. 44 NASCAR Sprint Cup car owned by small-budget 7HDP ;75(0( ZDV VWROHQ IURP a hotel parking lot near Atlanta 0RWRU 6SHHGZD\ SROLFH VDLG IRUF- LQJ .YDSLO WR ZLWKGUDZ IURP WKLV ZHHNHQG¶VUDFHEHIRUHKHHYHQJRWD FKDQFHWRTXDOLI\ The $250,000 race car was still PLVVLQJ ODWH LQ WKH DIWHUQRRQ DQG police were hoping the public could DVVLVW LQ WKH VHDUFK 7KH RZQHU RI RQH1$6&$5VSRQVRURIIHUHGDSLW SDVVWRHYHU\UDFHWKHUHVWRIWKH\HDU to anyone who helped located the high-powered Chevrolet. ³,W¶V LQVDQH´ VDLG WHDP RZQ- er John Cohen, who didn’t have a backup car to run in Atlanta. )RU D IHZ KRXUV WKH WHDP KHOG RXW KRSH RI WKH FDU EHLQJ IRXQG LQ WLPHIRUTXDOLI\LQJ)ULGD\EXWLWZDV IRUFHG WR ZLWKGUDZ ZKHQ LW PLVVHG NASCAR’s mandatory inspection. The Sprint Cup race is Sunday. ³,W¶VUHDOO\EL]DUUH´.YDSLOVDLG ³