If you dropped UCLAs squad at a random pickup game on a Saturday, TJ Leaf might get picked last.He doesnt look like a baller. And he doesnt rise above the rim like some of his teammates or steer college basketballs new Showtime act on fast breaks. Thats Lonzo Balls job.Leafs only sin is playing efficient, productive basketball without the flair others on the UCLA roster boast.And thats why the potential lottery pick is also one of the games most overlooked players.Ball, arguably the front-runner for the Wooden Award, turns every player on the court into Ethan Hawke in Training Day, an overshadowed best supporting actor. Ball has a presence now. Hell always speak on the postgame dais. Win or lose, observers will scrutinize his statistics. College basketball fans want to know what hes thinking or plotting.Hes not a player. Hes the player right now.So within the games annals, Leafs contributions might get lost if this UCLA revival continues. He is, however, a critical element in Steve Alfords operation.He has made 48.8 percent of his jump shots, per hoop-math.com. The Bruins have made 45.6 percent of their shots inside the arc with Leaf on the floor, compared with 37.5 percent when hes on the bench, according to hooplens.com. Hes ranked 41st with a 134.2 offensive rating on KenPom.com. And Leaf was two assists shy of a triple-double in a win over UC Santa Barbara (25 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists) last week, a good day for the freshman.Hes certainly on the NBAs radar.Hes skilled, knows how to play and has a feel for the game, said one NBA scout. Plays with urgency. Limited athletic ability but good enough to rebound and finish. ... His stock is on the rise because of his overall production.Added another NBA scout: I think hes good. Should be a solid NBA player.With 16 minutes, 44 seconds to play in his teams win over Ohio State on Saturday, Leaf stood on the left block, called for the ball, caught the pass, turned and scored on a hook shot in a seamless sequence straight from the Kevin McHale handbook. Nothing fancy about it.But it was an effective move.The?Lonzo Ball shadow, however, is wide. And if the most gifted collegiate passer since Chris Paul at Wake Forest continues to evolve, well hear even more about Ball and maybe less about his peers.But dont forget about Leaf.Pay attention to these overlooked players, too.Charlie Moore, California Golden Bears: Ranked 61st in the 2016 class by ESPN.com, the Chicagoan is averaging 17.1 PPG and shooting 80 percent from the free throw line and 45 percent from the 3-point line. Hes a tough defender (1.5 steals per game) who leads Cuonzo Martins most impressive defense at Cal (No. 8 in KenPom.coms adjusted defensive efficiency ratings). He picked off a pass and finished a smooth fast break in the first half of his teams win over Cal Poly on Saturday. Early in the second, Moore trailed on a fast break, found space in the corner where Grant Mullins found him for the 3-pointer. Hes versatile, and hes evolving. Hes a young talent, but hes also a building block for a program that will likely lose Ivan Rabb after this season. Hes also a young leader of a team that leaned on his production as Rabb and Jabari Bird dealt with injuries earlier this season.Ethan Happ, Wisconsin Badgers: Wisconsin, Purdue and Indiana seem destined for a three-way fight in the Big Ten race, which will start soon. To win the conference title, Greg Gard will need Bronson Koenig, Nigel Hayes and Happ to battle every night. He has maintained the momentum he accrued with his 24-point, 13-rebound effort in his teams win over Syracuse in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The 6-foot-10 sophomore keeps it simple. He uses his size and underrated strength to muscle into the post and get easy buckets. Nearly 90 percent of Happs shots have been attempted at the rim, per hoop-math.com. He has made 72.2 percent of them.Justin Patton, Creighton Bluejays: Greg McDermott has a team with the talent to reach heights that the squads his son Doug once led did not achieve. Marcus Foster anchors one of the nations strongest backcourts. He has veterans around him. Patton is 7 feet tall, but hes agile and fluid, which allows his guards to run a lot of pick-and-roll action with the big man and create matchup problems for any team that overcommits, which Oral Roberts did multiple times in its recent loss to Creighton. Patton has made 79.7 percent of his shots inside the arc, the fifth-best mark in America. Lineups that feature Patton allow just .91 points per possession on defense. Creighton has better athletes and more refined talents. By seasons end, however, Patton could mature into the most significant player on the Bluejays roster.Jordan Mathews, Gonzaga Bulldogs: Mathews deserved a spot on this list last season when he played next to Jaylen Brown, Ivan Rabb and Tyrone Wallace at Cal. Now, hes assisting a Gonzaga squad with as much potential as any team Mark Few has assembled in recent years. Hes not putting up SportsCenter-worthy numbers, but hes avoiding the mistakes and errors that could hurt his team. Yes, he has made just 25 percent of his shots inside the arc, but he has connected on 86 percent of his free throws and 39.7 percent of his 3-pointers. He has recorded nine assists and committed just two turnovers in the past five games. Hes the perfect veteran for this West Coast Conference powerhouse.Jordan McLaughlin, USC Trojans: After Andy Enfield led USC to the 2016 NCAA tournament, the schools first berth since 2011, everything seemed to crumble. Julian Jacobs and Nikola Jovanovic turned pro. Four other players transferred. But Enfield kept McLaughlin, who has improved from last season in every category but 3-point shooting (numbers through Sunday night), including offensive rating (125.4 on KenPom.com), assist rate (26.1 percent), free throws (77 percent) and shots inside the arc (66 percent). Enfield asked McLaughlin to lead after this offseasons turmoil. He has answered that call and helped a USC team that should enter Pac-12 play undefeated.Yante Maten, Georgia Bulldogs: The biggest issue right now for Matens hype is he plays for a Georgia squad that looks like a team that will again struggle to reach the NCAA tournament. Still, the 6-8 forward dropped 30 points and snatched 13 rebounds against Kansas. He had 24 points and four blocks against Marquette. According to hooplens.com, lineups that feature Maten average 1.12 points per possession. When hes off the floor, Georgia records just 0.96 PPP. Thats a dramatic decline that showcases Matens importance.Historic game organized by Frank Martin and Orlando Antigua for second consecutive seasonMartin and Antigua have faced challenges this season. Antigua leads a South Florida squad thats 5-4 and recently parted with the coachs brother and assistant after an NCAA investigation surrounding allegations of academic fraud. Martins South Carolina squad hasnt had the same fire since the coach suspended star Sindarius Thornwell, who was arrested in May.But their troubles were secondary to the significance of their matchup in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday. The game featured two of Division Is three Hispanic-American coaches (Miamis Jim Larranaga is the third). Both coaches have worked hard to enhance the pipeline and help other Hispanic coaches emerge and find a path in college basketball.And Saturdays game, much like last seasons matchup, is a pivotal component of that effort.20th anniversary of a perfect season at the free throw lineDuring the 1996-97 season, Division II star Paul Cluxton established an NCAA mark that might last forever. The Northern Kentucky standout made all 94 of his free throw attempts, an NCAA record at all levels. How hard is that? Oklahoma States Phil Forte made 42 of his first 43 free throws this season. Appalachian States Donald Sims missed just eight of his 170 free throw attempts during the 2009-10 season. But perfection? Seems impossible. Cluxton, however, shattered that idea two decades ago. Cheap Curry Shoes For Sale .C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. Clearance Curry Shoes . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. http://www.curryshoescheap.com/ . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Cheap Stephen Curry Shoes . -- Eastern Kentucky thrives off creating havoc for others. Discount Curry Shoes . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. DURHAM, N.C. -- Grayson Allen scored 16 points and No. 1 Duke opened its season by routing Marist 94-49 on Friday night.Freshman Frank Jackson had 18 points in his debut with the Blue Devils while Luke Kennard added 16 points.Duke shot 44 percent and had an easy time against the Red Foxes despite playing without three big men from a freshman class widely considered the nations best.Chase Jeter finished with 11 points in his first career start and Matt Jones also had 11 for Duke, which pushed its lead into double figures for good before Marist managed its first defensive stop.Khallid Hart had 13 points to lead Marist, which was just 3 of 25 from 3-point range.---No. 2 KENTUCKY 87, STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 64LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Isaiah Briscoe scored 17 points and Derek Willis added 15 in Kentuckys season-opener.Briscoe and Willis combined to make 11 of 18 from the field while their experience offset the newcomers early shooting troubles. Seven-foot sophomore Isaac Humphries had nine and eight rebounds) filled a big inside void with 6-10 freshman Bam Adebayo (five points) hampered by foul trouble.Isaiah Traylor scored 15 points and Leon Gilmore III had 12 for Stephen F. Austin, which lost the debut of coach Kyle Keller.---No. 4 VILLANOVA 88, LAFAYETTE 48VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Jalen Brunson scored 17 points and Kris Jenkins had 16 as Villanova opened defense of its national championship.Jenkins opened his season the same way he ended the last one -- with a 3-pointer. Jenkins hit a buzzer-beating 3 in the title game to lift the Wildcats to a 77-74 win over North Carolina. With a national championship banner hanging in the rafters, Jenkins scored Villanovas first basket of the season on a 3-pointer.Jenkins scored 13 points in the first half and the Wildcats stormed to a 49-17 lead.Nick Lindner led the Leopards with 10 points.---No. 6 NORTH CAROLINA 95, TULANE 75NEW ORLEANS -- Justin Jackson scored a career-high 27 points and No. 6 North Carolina never trailed.Joel Berry II had a career-high 23 points, Isaiah Hicks scored 16, and Kennedy Meeks grabbed 15 rebounds -- including seven on the offensive end -- for the Tar Heels, who led by as many as 21 points.The game marked the college coaching debut for former NBA player and coach Mike Dunleavy.Cameron Reynolds scored a career-high 21 points for Tulane, hitting five of six from 3-point range.---No. 7 XAVIER 84, LEHIGH 81CINCINNATI -- Trevon Bluiett scored a career-high 25 points and led a second-half surge for Xavier.Edmond Sumner set a career high with 24 points as Xavier -- playing with the highest preseason ranking in school history -- rallied after letting a double-digit lead slip away. Lehigh got the ball back with 17.7 seconds left on Sumners offensive foul and missed two 3-point shots.Tim Kempton, the Patriot Leagues two-time player of the year, scored 25 points for the Mountain Hawks.---No. 8 VIRGINIA 76, UNC GREENSBORO 51GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Marial Shayok scored 15 points and Virginia used a 22-0 run to take control.Darius Thompson added 12 points for the Cavaliers, who shot 52 percent from the field and made 8 of 16 3-point attempts. Meanwhile the defense -- the bedrock of Tony Bennetts program -- held the Spartans scoreless for more than 11 minutes spanning halftime as the game turned into a methodical rout.Francis Alonso scored 14 points for UNCG.---No. 9 WISCONSIN 79, CENT. ARKANSAS 47MADISON, Wis. -- Bronson Koenig had 16 points and Nigel Hayes scored 10 of his 14 in the second half for Wisconsin.The Badgers were never seriously threatened after building a 20-point lead with 15:46 left following an 8-0 run. Hayes did all the scoring with two 3s and a layup.Central Arkansas shot 28 percent (15 of 52) from the field and was led by Derreck Brooks 12 points and eight rebounds.---No. 10 ARIZONA 65, No. 12 MICHIGAN ST. 63HONOLULU -- Kadeem Allen took the ball the length of the court and scored with 1.3 seconds left for Arizona in the Armed Forces Classic.Kobi Simmons led the Wildcats with 18 points while Lauri Markkanen scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds. Allen finished with 10 points.The Wildcats won despite playing without guard Allonzo Trier, who is out for unspecified reasons. Trier was Arizonas third-leading scorer last season at 14.8 points per game.Michigan State freshman Miles Bridges wowed the crowd with some impressive dunks and he finished with 21 points and seven rebounds.---No. 13 LOUISVILLE 78, EVANSVILLE 47LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Jaylen Johnson had 17 points and 14 rebounds while Donovan Mitchell added 15 points and five rebounds to lead Louisville.Mangok Mathiang added 11 points and eight rebounds as the Cardinals played 14 players with 10 scoring. The Cardinals stared slow but got rolling late in the first half, holding the PPurple Aces without a field goal over the last 9:05 of the half to take a 43-27 halftime lead.ddddddddddddSenior Jaylon Brown led the Aces with 19 points.---No. 14 GONZAGA 92, UTAH VALLEY 69SPOKANE, Wash. -- Silas Melson scored 17 points and Jordan Mathews had 16 for Gonzaga.Nigel Williams-Goss added 14 points for Gonzaga.Conner Toolson scored 19 points and Kenneth Ogbe added 13 for Utah Valley.Gonzaga outshot the Wolverines 52 percent to 36 percent and dominated the rebounding 52-30.---No. 15 PURDUE 109, McNEESE ST. 65WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Caleb Swanigan had 23 points and 20 rebounds, and Vince Edwards added 19 points and 11 rebounds for Purdue.The Cowboys led 19-14 with 10:16 remaining in the first half when Swanigan and Edwards fueled a 22-3 run that turned a five-point deficit into a 36-22 lead.Seven-foot-2 center Isaac Haas finished with 22 points and six rebounds for Purdue.Richard Laku scored 16 points for McNeese State.---No. 16 UCLA 119, PACIFIC 80LOS ANGELES -- Bryce Alford scored 30 points and led a 3-point barrage with six of the Bruins school-record 18.Four starters scored in double figures for UCLA, including highly touted freshmen Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf. Ball finished with 19 points and 11 assists, while Leaf had 22 points and a game-high 15 rebounds in their college debuts.Aaron Holiday added 18 points, including four 3-pointers, and Isaac Hamilton had 17 points in UCLAs run-and-gun offense.Pacific was led by T.J. Wallace with 21 points. Former NBA player Damon Stoudamire lost his college coaching debut.---WAGNER 67, No. 18 UCONN. 58STORRS, Conn. -- Mike Aaman and Romone Saunders scored 15 points each to lead Wagner to the upset.Corey Henson added 10 points for the Seahawks, who handed the Huskies their first loss in a home opener on campus. UConn came in 27-0 in such games.Transfer Terry Larrier had 19 points and freshman Alterique Gilbert had 14 to lead the Huskies.---No. 19 SYRACUSE 83, COLGATE 55SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Tyler Roberson scored 18 points, fifth-year transfers Andrew White and John Gillon had 17 and 13, respectively, for Syracuse.Frank Howard added 11 points and a career-high nine assists for Syracuse, which shot 55 percent from the field.Malcolm Regisford led Colgate with 10 points.---No. 20 WEST VIRGINIA 87, MOUNT ST. MARYS 59MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Nathan Adrian scored 13 points to lead West Virginia which cruised to its fourth straight season-opening victory.Freshman Sagaba Konate finished with 11 points and six rebounds during his 12 minutes on the court for West Virginia.Greg Alexander led Mount St. Marys with 15 points.---No. 21 Texas 78, INCARNATE WORD 73AUSTIN, Texas -- Kendal Yancy made two late free throws, then followed with a tough layup in the final minute for Texas.Texas led by 16 points early in the second half before Incarnate Word rallied to lead 67-66 on Sam Burmeisters 3-pointer with 2:30 to play.Yancy got to the line for the lead, then made it 70-67 with a twisting layup around two defenders with 49 seconds left. He finished with 19 points.Freshman Jarrett Allen added 16 points and 12 rebounds for Texas.Shawn Johnson scored 24 points for Incarnate Word.---No. 22 CREIGHTON 89, UMKC 82OMAHA, Neb. -- Marcus Foster scored 19 points and Maurice Watson Jr. added 17 for Creighton, which withstood UMKCs late run.The Bluejays led by double digits less than 4 minutes in and by 28 midway through the second half. The Kangaroos cut that lead to single digits before Creighton secured its 19th win in the past 20 season openers.Martez Harrison had 15 of his 17 points in the second half for the Kangaroos.---No. 23 RHODE ISLAND 84, DARTMOUTH 60KINGSTON, R.I. -- E.C. Matthews scored 21 points while Hassan Martin and Jared Terrell added 12 points each for Rhode Island.Matthews missed all but the first 10 minutes of last season because of a torn ACL in his right knee.Evan Boudreax scored 14 points for the Big Green.---No. 24 IOWA ST. 113, SAVANNAH ST. 71AMES, Iowa -- Monte Morris had his seventh career double-double with 21 points and 11 assists for Iowa State.Naz Mitrou-Long had 18 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists in his debut following a redshirt season for the Cyclones, who won their opener for the 19th year in a row.Joshua Young had 12 points to lead Savannah State.---No. 25 MARYLAND 62, AMERICAN 56COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Melo Trimble scored 22 points and freshman Anthony Cowan added 12 for Maryland.American led 47-43 with 7:34 remaining before Maryland finally played to form. Trimble -- the lone returning starter -- made two baskets in the lane to spark a 7-0 run.Mark Gasperini scored 14 points for the Eagles. ' ' '