Who is Jeremy Evans?

The NBA All-Star Weekend festivities kicked off tonight with the Slam Dunk Competition, 3-Point Shootout, and the Skills Challenge.

The 2012 Slam Dunk Contest lacked any really famous players this year. In fact, three of the four players come of the bench for their teams. For the first time ever, the winner was chosen by fan voting. The winner they chose was Jeremy Evans. Evans only got into the competition because Iman Shumpert had to withdraw due to injury. During the competition, Evans dunked with a camera on his head, slammed two basketballs while jumping over teammate Gordon Haywood, and donned a Karl Malone jersey to dunk over mailman-dressed comedian Kevin Hart. I wasn't even sure who Evans was, so I looked it up. Evans is a small forward for the Utah Jazz. He is a second-year player out of Western Kentucky University. He has only played in 16 games, averaging 5.6 minutes per contest and 1.7 points per game.

Minnesota Timerwolves star Kevin Love knows a thing or two about dunking, but this year, he decided to show off his touch in this year's 3-Point Shootout. Love held on to beat Kevin Durant in a tiebreaker to secure the title. In the Skills Challenge, San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker raced to victory in under 33 seconds. His time fell short of the record set by Deron Williams (25 seconds) in 2008.

Rematches Highlight a Busy Saturday in College Basketball

5. Drake @ #19 Wichita State - 1:30 PM EST

Wichita State has already clinched the #1 seed for the Missouri Valley Conference tournament. However, that does not mean they won't be pumped for this one. The Shockers only loss in 2012 came in triple overtime at Drake. This one has thriller potential written all over it yet again.

4. #7 North Carolina @ Virginia - 4:00 PM EST, ESPN/ESPN3

North Carolina and Duke are both tied for the ACC lead for best record. Both teams are looking forward to the big regular season finale. However, both need to be careful to not overlook their games before that. On Saturday, UNC plays Virginia. The Tar Heels beat the Cavaliers by 18 in the previous matchup. The Cavaliers are still looking for that signature win to help their resume. A win in this one would provide just that.

3. #2 Syracuse @ Connecticut - 9:00 PM EST, ESPN/ESPN3

Syracuse has dominated Big East play like no other team has. Connecticut, on the other hand, has disappointed all season. They have simply struggled to win conference games. Syracuse just keeps rolling along. In order to have even a remote chance of advancing, UConn will need Shabazz Napier to have another great game. The crowd should be pumped up for this one.

2. Vanderbilt @ #1 Kentucky - 12:00 PM EST, CBS

When these two teams met earlier this year, Kentucky escaped with a six point win. Vanderbilt made a push late, but it was to little to late. Little has seemed to change since then. Both teams are undefeated since their first matchup. Vanderbilt would have to play amazingly well in order to pull the improbable upset.

1. #3 Missouri @ #5 Kansas - 4:00 PM EST, CBS

This is the last regular season matchup of these two historic rivals for the foreseeable future. Big 12 supremacy and bragging rights are on the line. Additionally, it is likely that the winner of the Big 12 will get a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Missouri won by three in these teams' first matchup. This game should be just as excellent as the first.

Night of Shootouts Reminds Us How Important They Are

When the regular season draws to a close, there is usually only a few points difference between playoff positioning and even making or missing them all together. These few points can often be made or lost in one simple thing. Shootouts. Every team plays them multiple times each season. If you win, you get two points. If you lose, you only get one. If you win enough of them, those additional points can start to add up nicely. Amazingly, five of the nine NHL games played tonight ended in a shootout. I will take a look at each one and give a breakdown of its importance.

Minnesota Wild 3 Florida Panthers 2

The Minnesota Wild have slid farther out of the playoff picture, but their steady goalkeeping came through for them again in this game. The Panthers are in the hunt to win the Southeast Division (currently only 1 point behind Winnipeg for the lead). If they win the division, they will likely get the #3 seed in the playoffs. If they don't, they are barely clinging onto the eight and final playoff spot. Ideally, they obviously want to win the division. However, this is yet another disappointing shootout loss. This now puts their shootout record for the season at 3-7. That is the most losses of any team currently in the playoffs. If the Panthers don't fix this soon, it might be the difference between the #3 seed and missing the playoffs all together.

Anaheim Ducks 3 Carolina Hurricanes 2

Both of these teams are considerably far out of their respective playoff pictures, so the importance is rather minimal. The Ducks have played better as of late. They are 7-1-2 in their last ten games. It is interesting to note that the Hurricanes are now 0-5 in shootout games. They are the only winless team in that regard.

Vancouver Canucks 4 Detroit Red Wings 3

This is the granddaddy of them all. The Red Wings came in with their NHL-record 23-game home winning streak. The Canucks came in with the NHL's best road record. As you might have imagined, these are the two teams with the most points in the Western Conference. With time running down in the third period, the Red Wings were clinging to a 3-2 lead. The Canucks pulled goalkeeper Roberto Luongo to get the extra attacker. With 16 seconds remaining in the game, Henrik Sedin found his brother Daniel, who blistered home the tying goal. In the shootout, Luongo shut down all three Red Wings shots. On the third shot for the Canucks, Alexandre Burrows netted the game winner. He reacted by pretending to snap his stick to signify the record steak being snapped. This game was a great one and could be a preview of the Western Conference finals further down the road.

St. Louis Blues 3 Nashville Predators 2

These two teams currently seem destined for a #4 vs. #5 playoff matchup in the Western Conference. With how evenly matched these teams appear to be, it could be very valuable to finish ahead of the other to secure the home ice for the matchup. By winning the game, the Blues increased their lead over the Predators to four points. There is still a lot of hockey to be played, but every point between these two could end up making the difference.

Phoenix Coyotes 4 Calgary Flames 3

The Coyotes are currently the #7 seed in the Western Conference playoff picture. They currently hold a five point lead over the hotly contested #8 seed (currently six teams within 4 points of that spot). The Coyotes should do all they can to keep winning to avoid getting involved in that mess. That is just what they accomplished by winning the shootout tonight. The Flames are one of those six teams currently in the hunt for that final playoff spot. Every point matters to those teams right now, so they didn't do themselves any favors by losing this shootout. They are now 3-5 in shootout games, which isn't terrible, but at this point, every point matters in these teams' pursuit of a playoff berth.

Red Wings Motorting Their to the Top of the NHL

The NHL season is quickly approaching the trade deadline of next Monday. It remains to be seen which teams make the big deadline move to propel them into a playoff run. I will take a look at something we do know for now. That is the three best teams in the NHL.

1. Detroit Red Wings - 41-17-2
When you win 23 straight games at home, it kind of helps you to get to the top spot. They did find out some bad news though. Pavel Datsyuk is expected to miss two weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to remove fragments from his right knee. This team should be fine in the meanwhile. This team is built for the playoffs, especially if they get home ice for the entirety of it.

2. New York Rangers - 38-15-5
The Rangers have hit a bit of a rough patch of ice. They have lost two of their last three, with the only win coming over the lowly Blue Jackets in overtime. The big rumors surrounding this team is around their supposed interest in Rick Nash. Could the couple of losses make them pull the trigger on a deal? It remains to be seen. Nash could make a huge difference for this team down the stretch.

3. Vancouver Canucks - 38-16-6
If anyone can beat the Red Wings at home, it might be the red hot Canucks. Entering tonight's game, they hadn't lost in over a month (10-0-3). Tonight, they fell in Nashville 3-1. The streak is still impressive to say the least. The Canucks will get their shot at the Red Wings on Thursday night as they travel to Joe Louis Arena to try and snap the streak. The game could definitely be a preview of the Western Conference final.

Seton Hall and Kansas State are Bubbling With Excitement

Seton Hall hasn't been to the NCAA tournament since 2006. That means that this season is the last chance for seniors, such as star Jordan Theodore to make it to the Big Dance. The Pirates are team sitting squarely on the bubble. Tonight, they played their last big opponent of the regular season, #8 Georgetown. Theodore knew of the importance of this game. He said, "We just needed this one so bad. I was jacked up for this game. I didn't want to blow another opportunity like we did my sophomore year when we were on the bubble. I have a little experience in being on the bubble. I want to dance so bad. I can taste it we're so close." Seton Hall took a big step closer tonight with their convincing 73-55 win over the Hoyas. The Pirates shot 61% from the field as a team. They were led by Theodore, who poured in 29 points on 8-11 shooting, including a perfect 5-5 from three. Seton Hall stands at 19-9 overall and 8-8 in the Big East. Their last two regular season games, against Rutgers at home and at Depaul, are certainly winnable. This team has positioned itself to finish strong.

Kansas State's tournament resume is looking better and better, following two straight wins at Top Ten opponents. On Saturday, the Wildcats won at Baylor 57-56. Tonight, they upset Missouri 78-68. Following Saturday's win their RPI shot up 11 spots (from #59 to #48), so you can only expect to move even more now. These wins now give the Wildcats a 3-3 record against the RPI top 25, 5-5 record against the top 50, and 7-6 record against the top 100. With this second marquee road upset, any doubt of the Wildcats making the tournament should be greatly diminished. They now just have to finish well. Kansas State has three more regular season Big 12 matchups. If the Wildcats take care of business, they should be dancing come March.

Rose Blooms in Return

The Chicago Bulls are a deep team, but it was evident they needed star Derrick Rose when they lost to the lowly Nets two days ago. Rose had missed five straight games with a nagging back injury. This afternoon he returned the court against the Atlanta Hawks. Rose scored 23 points and dished out six assists. He refrained from caution and could be seen pulling his usual showstopping crossovers and fearless drives to the hoop. Rose stated that "Today was just trying to play the way I normally play. Play aggressive." Play aggressive is what he did. Rose showed no signs of holding back.

While other Bulls players, such as Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, are certainly capable of stepping up to help fill the void when Rose doesn't play, they are the first to tell you they absolutely need him to compete against the best. Noah, who had 16 rebounds in the win over the Hawks, told reporters, "We're not going anywhere without Derrick's play. It was good to have him out there. He looked pretty healthy out there. I'm sure he's sore. Taking two weeks off and coming back to play an NBA game is not something that is easy." Rose did struggle when it came to finishing and shooting, even simply free throws. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau agreed stating, "His explosion was there, his drives were there, but conditioning-wise, he was not where he normally is, but that's to be expected."

Rose returned and played fairly well, but the question becomes whether or not is he fully healthy. Should a player return before they are? In a shortened NBA season, is it wise to rest stars, like Rose, with nagging injuries, in order to get them healthy for the playoffs? The NBA is full of debate over questions such as these. I don't think you can give a definite answer to this, but I like what Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers had to say when asked about it. He shared, "An NBA player for the most part, the competitive ones, they don't want to sit. And it really upsets their rhythm. So you've got to be careful how you do it ... I think it's up to each individual player and each individual coach. Derrick Rose is a competitor. He wants to play as much as anybody. But is his health more important? We will have to wait and see. In the meanwhile, we should just enjoy watching Rose because he is something special.

If you haven't watched this Rose highlight video, you should check it out. Trust me it is worth your while: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOtxJrzp6ls.

Fab Five Performances from the NBA Sunday

5. Phoenix Suns PG Steve Nash - 8 points and 14 assists

On Friday night, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns by 12 at home. The Lakers' return road trip Sunday didn't go nearly as well. The Suns grew the lead to as much as 27 points in the third quarter. Nash was a main reason why. The aging star is still a magician on the court. It doesn't matter who is playing with him. He makes them look even better.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves PF Kevin Love - 20 points and 15 rebounds

This is not the Minnesota Timberwolves teams of past years that would melt in the fourth quarter. This team has shown all year that they know how to win late. This game was another example. Love scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. With his team down by one, Love drove to the basket. He was fouled with 0.1 second left. He made both free throws to clinch the win.

3. New York Knicks PG Jeremy Lin - 28 points, 14 assists, and 5 steals

The Dallas Mavericks are the reigning champions, but Jeremy Lin wasn't intimidated coming off the Knicks' loss to the Hornets. Dirk Nowitzki may have scored 34 points, but it was Lin who orchestrated the winning effort. Lin's turnover rate was still high, but in retrospect his play has been incredible. Another impressive performance for the youngster from Harvard.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder PG Russell Westbrook - 40 points and 9 assists

1. Oklahoma City Thunder SF Kevin Durant - 51 points and 8 rebounds

These two guys have to be mentioned together after their combined performance Sunday. All they did was scored a combined 91 points. That was more points then six NBA teams scored in their respective games. Durant's 51 was a career-high. Everyone knows these two guys like to score. There has been more debate as to whether or not they can co-exist on one team. They seemed to do just fine on Sunday. I think any NBA team executive would be more than happy with that type of dynamic performance.

Honorable Mention - Oklahoma City Thunder PF Serge Ibaka - 14 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 blocks

The triple-double was the first of Ibaka's young career. The Congolese big man continues show great potential.