MYRON'S SHORT TAKES

George Mason is ready to crash the Big Dance again, but this time the program won't sneak up on anyone the way it did during its 2006 Final Four run. The Patriots (22-5) have won 12 games in a row and own a No. 20 RPI heading into Saturday's road game against 2010 NCAA tournament darling Northern Iowa. Cam Long leads George Mason scorers at 15.3 points per game.

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Blake Griffin will enjoy the spoils of NBA All-Star weekend. Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel probably wishes he would have stayed all four years. Griffin would be a senior right now, and Oklahoma could certainly use his skills. Two years after Griffin led the Sooners to the Elite Eight, they are at the bottom of the Big 12 standings with a 4-7 conference record.

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It took time for its talented players to build chemistry, but now that they have it, North Carolina is in a solid position to make a run at a high seed in the NCAA tournament. The No. 19 Tar Heels are the top rebounding team in America (42.4 per game). Harrison Barnes looks like NBA material after a slow start (13.6 points per game). And three of their past five conference games are at home, where they haven't lost in league play this season.