Tiger Woods records first eagle since last year’s Masters

As Tiger Woods has been saying for the last couple of months, his swing is still a work in progress. With the Masters only two weeks away, Woods is doing all he can this week at Bay Hill to make sure he leaves his final tuneup with some positives before he departs for the first major of the year.

He got just that early in his round on Saturday, as he eagled the par 5 6th hole at Bay Hill to record his first eagle of the week. After ripping a drive to just inside 200 yards, Woods stuck his approach to 12 feet and calmly rolled in the putt.

But the craziest thing about the eagle wasn't that it was his first of the week ... it was also his first on the PGA Tour since last year's Masters. In that span of time, we've witnessed an oil disaster in the Gulf; the Lakers win another championship; and watched as a group of Chilean miners were rescued.

Hard to believe, huh? Hopefully Tiger doesn't go that long between eagles again.

Related: Tiger Woods

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First Glance: Central Michigan loses its grip on the MAC for good

An absurdly premature assessment of the 2011 Chippewas.

• Previously On…
There are two kinds of tough coaching jobs in college football: The ones that leave you gasping in an atmosphere of hopelessness, and the ones that erect pillars of false hope. When Dan Enos accepted the Central Michigan job last January, he was pretty clearly stepping into the latter, and not for nothing. The Chippewas had just taken three MAC championships in four years from 2006-09 on the strength of five eventual NFL draft picks, two competent head coaches (Brian Kelly and Butch Jones), and one dynamic quarterback, Dan LeFevour, a four-year starter who left as the owner of every conceivable school record and the NCAA record for total touchdowns in a career. Enos inherited the cream of the conference, and found an almost empty dish.

Still, no one expected his first go-round to be quite as bad as it was — 3-9, with easy early wins over Hampton and Eastern Michigan followed by a single win in the last nine — and in some ways it wasn't: The offense was a little above average by MAC standards, the defense just mediocre. But the 2010 Chippewas were bad in the very specific ways that make kind-of bad teams truly awful. They finished dead last in the conference in turnover margin. They blew five games decided by a touchdown or less, four of them as the direct result of a woeful kicking game. They lost because the offense couldn't score; they lost because the defense couldn't stop the run; they lost because the defense couldn't stop the pass. They lost in the final seconds both by giving up the winning points and failing to score the winning points themselves. Obviously, it didn't take long to lose whatever shreds of momentum carried over from the triumph of 2009, too.

• The Big Change. Five Chippewas showed up as first or second-team all-conference picks last December, and four of them are gone. The first-teamers, linebackers Matt Berning and Nick Bellore, leave with 782 career tackles between them in 87 combined starts; Bellore alone started 52 of 53 games over four years, racked up 100-plus total stops in all four and was voted first-team All-MAC each of the last three. (He ended his career with more tackles than any other active player in the country; opposing offensive coordinators still mutter his name in their sleep.) On the other side, offensive linemen Colin Miller and Jeff Maddux go out with 93 career starts, most of them as members of the most prolific offense in the league.

The Least You Should Know About...
Central Michigan3-9 (2-6 MAC); Lost eight of last nine.2006-10: 41-26 (32-10 MAC); MAC championships in 2006, '07 and '09.•• Five-Year Recruiting Rankings*2007-11: N/A (No classes ranked in Rivals' top 50 nationally.).Wide receiver Cody Wilson's numbers last year stood in inverse proportion to his size: At 5-10, 186 pounds (probably recorded immediately after a huge meal, while dripping wet), Wilson came up big as a sophomore with a team-high 83 catches for 1,137 yards — 35 of those grabs coming in the last three games alone. His consistency earned Wilson a second-team All-MAC nod from league coaches, a team MVP nod from teammates and an Academic All-MAC nod for his 3.9 GPA in marketing.His 21st Century successors probably know Gary Hogeboom better from Survivor: Guatemala, but before his turn with the Yaxha Tribe — not to mention four different NFL teams over a 10-year career — he honed his survival skills as quarterback of the 1979 Chippewas: CMU won three different games by one or two points and dueled Toledo to a 7-7 tie, a loss in any of which would have cost the Chips their first MAC title. Instead, they finished unblemished, 10-0-1, for the first (and still only) time since joining the conference in 1972. And while Hogeboom starred as the MAC Offensive Player of the Year, the defense led the charge by pitching four shutouts over the course of the season. Radcliff and Wilson connect for the MAC's most high-octane passing game while cutting the turnovers; the kicking game finds some consistency; the defense holds its ground in the middle of the pack. 7-5, Humanitarian Bowl. See 2010: Nonexistent running game, turnover-prone passing game, vulnerable run defense, inconsistent kicking. 4-8, Dan Enos enters 2012 fighting for his job.* Based on Rivals' national rankings (top 50 only)

All of the veterans — eight outgoing senior starters in all — will be missed for their experience, but not only because of the quantity: With the vets go the strongest remaining connections to the championship teams of the LeFevour years, the part of the team most accustomed to thinking of themselves as champions and most likely to know what it takes to get back. Only a handful of regular starters from the '09 team remain (five, by my count), all of them role players.

• Big Men On Campus. The only aspect of last year's team that seemed more or less functional (interception issues notwithstanding; see below) was the passing game, which successfully deployed a brand new quarterback (Ryan Radcliff) and go-to receiver (Cody Wilson) with no discernible drop-off in overall explosiveness. Radcliff went over 300 yards in six different games, and connected on multiple touchdown passes in six.

He also put the ball in the air about 39 times per game, more than any other MAC QB, which cast the impressive numbers in a much less favorable light, efficiency-wise: Radcliff served up multiple interceptions in five different games, and wound up deadlocked at 17 TDs, 17 INTs for the year. With no discernible running threat, scoring plummeted by almost 10 points per game.

As a first-year sophomore starter, though, Radcliff at least demonstrated that he has the arm and the brain to do everything the offense needs him to do in any given situation — i.e. complete a high percentage of the easy throws and occasionally threaten the secondary downfield. He also finished strong. With a full season under his belt to iron out some of the consistency/decision-making issues a respected new coach focused almost exclusively on his game, Radcliff and Wilson shouldn't have much competition as the most productive pass-catch combo in the conference.

• Open Casting. The kicking game featured a three-man rotation comprised entirely of freshmen, which would have been funny if it weren't so tragic. The vast majority of the reps went to David Harman, who earned them by being generally accurate on field goals (9 of 12 for the year). Those three misses, though, happened to come in a three-point loss against Bowling Green; a one-point loss against Navy; and a five-point loss against Northwestern, which blocked three separate Harman kicks — a field goal and two extra points — to provide the final margin of victory.

But Harman was still much better than his cohorts, Paul Mudgett and Richie Hogan, who combined to make just one of eight field goals, including a miss by Mudgett in an eventual three-point loss at Temple in September. Throw in the exit of punter Brett Hartman, right leg behind the worst net punting average in the MAC, and there is much opportunity for growth.

• Overly optimistic spring narrative. Radcliff and Wilson give the offense a clear identity in the passing game, which really began to blossom down the stretch. The other problems (aside from the nonexistent running game) were almost intangible, and therefore bound to improve: Simply, there's no way the Chippewas can be bad or unlucky enough again to suffer so many untimely kicking gaffes and finish at the bottom of the MAC in turnover margin two years in a row. Those are correctable issues that can immediately lead to more wins even with no improvement in the down-to-down, blocking and tackling aspects.

• The Big Question. Can they stop the run at all? Last year's run D was spotty, alternating a few respectable afternoons with some gore feasts: Ball State rolled up 306 on the ground, Northern Illinois ran for 282, Navy for 437 and five touchdowns. (Virginia Tech also ground out 230 and four touchdowns on 8.2 yards per carry on Oct. 9, but that's probably to be expected from Virginia Tech against a MAC also-ran.) That left CMU ranked 81st nationally/10th in the MAC against the run, and that's with two senior linebackers, Berning and Bellore, who cleaned up every other tackle. More straight-ahead attacks may find it unusually easy going between the tackles, and if they do, the Chippewas' own attack will spend most of its time (again) trying to gun its way out of catch-up mode.

- - -
Other premature assessments (in alphabetical order): Iowa State. … Marshall. … Nebraska. … Nevada. … South Florida. … Syracuse.
Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

Related: Ball State Cardinals, Bowling Green Falcons, Central Michigan Chippewas, Navy Midshipmen, Northern Illinois Huskies, Northwestern Wildcats, Temple Owls, Toledo Rockets, Virginia Tech Hokies

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Court Report: First Impressions

It sure is good to be back! The Court Report will appear regularly throughout the season, so this link is one you'll want to keep handy. We've got lots to talk about in the wake of the first full day on the NBA calendar (13 games), so let's get to the game news and notes.

• Detroit (98) at New Jersey (101)

New Jersey got most of what it wanted in the 101-98 win over the Pistons. Brook Lopez(notes) (25 points, 9 boards, 3 blocks) and Devin Harris(notes) (22 points, 9 assists, 2 steals) were excellent and Anthony Morrow(notes) (13 points, 3 threes), Terrence Williams(notes) (10 points, 6 boards, 4 assists), Derrick Favors(notes) (8 points, 10 boards, 1 foul), and Jordan Farmar(notes) (10 points, 2 threes, 2 steals) all contributed. Joe Smith(notes) started at power forward but wasn't needed (5 minutes).

The standout poor line belonged to Travis Outlaw(notes) (21 minutes, 5 points, 1-7 FG, 5 fouls), and he's also coming off a lackluster preseason. Avery Johnson likes Terrence Williams off the bench for now, but that could change if Outlaw can't up his level of play. The Yahoo! community is more heavily-invested in Williams as it is (67% owned to Outlaw's 18%), so this is more notable for those that nabbed Outlaw as a late flier. Troy Murphy(notes) is probable for Sunday and Austin Daye(notes) is a favorable matchup for most NBA power forwards, so I'm not going to read much into Favors' numbers, although his lack of fouls was clearly a positive.

The Pistons had eight players with at least 20 minutes played and none played more than Richard Hamilton's(notes) 32 (13 points, 3 assists). Austin Daye didn't shoot well (2 of 8, 4 points) and will be a much better fit at small forward once Tayshaun Prince(notes) is no longer on the roster. He won't always be this bad, but like most young players he's bound to show some inconsistency and his playing out of position isn't likely to help in that regard.

The DNP-CD for Greg Monroe(notes) was a disappointment and is a trickle-down from the decision to start Daye. Charlie Villanueva(notes) (23 minutes, 14 points, 4 threes) and Jason Maxiell(notes) (21 minutes, 11 points, 6 boards) saw the backup FC minutes, while Tracy McGrady(notes) played his requisite 15 minutes off the bench. Sure it's only one game, but it's hard to see much other than jumbled minutes and lines going forward for these Pistons until at least one vet is traded (likely Prince and possibly Maxiell).

• New York (98) at Toronto (93)

Amar'e Stoudemire(notes) turned the ball over a whopping nine times but was good elsewhere (19 points, 10 boards, 2 blocks) and Raymond Felton(notes) delivered a solid performance after a shaky preseason (15 points, 6 boards, 6 assists, 1 steal). Wilson Chandler(notes) was excellent as the sixth man (29 minutes, 22 points, 8 boards, 2 blocks) and could be a very good fit for D'Antoni in the role, given his ability to defend multiple positions.

Two rookies were in the starting five for the Knicks: Timofey Mozgov(notes) was at center while Landry Fields(notes) drew the start at shooting guard. Mozgov is on a few rosters to start the season (8% owned) by virtue of his starting gig, but he had four fouls in seven minutes Wednesday, averaged 3.9 fouls in 20 minutes during the preseason, and is likely to foul his way into a reserve role behind Ronny Turiaf(notes) before long. Turiaf turned in a solid line (23 minutes, 8 points, 4 boards, 2 steals, 4 blocks) before leaving with a back injury that is not considered serious.

Fields (30 minutes, 11 points, 3 treys) is looking at a great opportunity to stick at shooting guard. He made 43 percent of his threes in the preseason, was solid in the summer league, and was impressive as a college senior. He's got good size (6-7, 215) and can play some defense, so you can bet Mike D'Antoni would like this to work out. In that scenario, Toney Douglas(notes) can back up both guard spots and Bill Walker(notes) and Roger Mason(notes) will get the scraps.

Anthony Randolph(notes) missed Wednesday's game because of a left ankle sprain and is expected to be out through the weekend. He'll have to fight his way into regular minutes after struggling through the preseason, particularly now that Chandler is also coming off the bench - the entire series of events adds up to one worst-case scenario.

Andrea Bargnani(notes), as expected, had the best numbers for the Raptors (22 points, 1 three, 6 boards, 2 blocks). Jarrett Jack(notes) was solid (16 points, 6 assists, 3 steals) and played 31 minutes to Jose Calderon's(notes) 18 (4 points, 7 assists), a split that could become familiar. Reggie Evans(notes) grabbed 16 boards and added two steals and a block in his 33 minutes and should be a pickup for all managers employing the mythical 'punt points' strategy. The fact that Amir Johnson(notes) had four fouls in his 13 minutes is precisely the reason why it's nearly impossible for fantasy owners (and the Raptors) to count on him for consistent production, and why Evans will likely stick at power forward.

Leandro Barbosa(notes) scored 13 points in 24 minutes but his wrist injury has him likely just playing on borrowed time. He injured the same wrist Friday that limited him to 44 games last season and said surgery is a necessity yet again, although he's going to try to play through pain for now. Sonny Weems(notes) and Calderon would benefit if he does struggle and has to shut it down.

• Miami (97) at Philadelphia (87)

The Heat looked less open for ridicule in their second game, and Dwyane Wade(notes) in particular had a much better game (30 points, 7 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks). LeBron James(notes) had some numbers (16 points, 6 boards, 7 assists, 2 steals, 1 block) but is now averaging 8.5 turnovers after two games. Chris Bosh(notes) made half of his 12 shots and was serviceable (15 points, 7 boards, 1 steal, 1 block).

James Jones(notes) was the "other" player of note for the Heat, exactly what they need him to be with Mike Miller(notes) sidelined. Jones made six of his nine threes and finished with 20 points, while also adding a steal and a block. He's a career 39-percent shooter from long-range, and the only thing he'll need to do to keep getting those shots is to keep making a reasonable amount of them. Think about an add if you need threes and not many other supporting stats.

A few of the Sixers' starters looked lifeless in this one, evidenced by Jrue Holiday(notes), Spencer Hawes(notes), and Jason Kapono(notes) combining for eight points on three-of-16 shooting in 48 minutes. Andre Iguodala(notes) posted fine overall numbers (10 points, 7 boards, 5 assists, 2 steals) and Elton Brand(notes) was excellent (12 points, 9 boards, 3 steals, 2 blocks), but the Sixers' reserves were who made this game even remotely close.

Louis Williams(notes) scored 15 and had seven assists in 34 minutes, Evan Turner(notes) came off the bench for 16 points, seven boards, and four assists in 31 minutes, and Thaddeus Young(notes) added 15 and two steals in 26 minutes. Doug Collins is hoping that Kapono's three-point ability (career 44%) can help the first unit with spacing, but he's a huge defensive liability and is very questionable as a starter in general. Don't be surprised if Young is in the lineup in his place before long. Nocioni is a dark-horse because of his shooting range (career 38% 3PM), but Turner seems more likely to remain a reserve.

• Boston (87) at Cleveland (95)

Cleveland was up for this one and Boston was a bit sluggish after the much ballyhooed matchup with the Heat on Tuesday. The Cavs got contributions from a number of players: J.J. Hickson(notes) (21 points, 6 boards), Daniel Gibson(notes) (16 points, 8 assists), Ramon Sessions(notes) (14 points, 2 steals), Anthony Parker(notes) (10 points, 2 threes, 6 assists), Anderson Varejao(notes) (8 points, 10 boards, 4 assists), and Jamario Moon(notes) (10 points, 2 threes, 1 steal, 1 block).

Sessions got the start for Mo Williams(notes), with whom the Cavs were being overly cautious after he was limited in the preseason by a groin injury and away from the team for the past few days. Gibson may struggle to find enough minutes to make an impact when both Williams and Sessions are available, so don't get too excited after one game. Antawn Jamison(notes) was a non-factor in his first game as a reserve (21 minutes, 4 points, 2-6 FG) and we're going to have to wait and see how his role is defined moving forward.

Rajon Rondo(notes) posted another fine line for the Celtics (18 points, 9 assists, 3 steals), but the Big Three combined for 34 points on 12-of-30 shooting in the loss. Glen Davis(notes) had 14 points in 33 minutes and is looking sharp offensively thus far.

• Chicago (95) at Oklahoma City (106)

The Thunder got what they needed from Kevin Durant(notes) (30 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals), Russell Westbrook(notes) (28 points, 10 boards, 6 assists, 2 steals), and Jeff Green(notes) (21 points, 2 threes, 1 steal, 1 block) to put away the Bulls. Serge Ibaka(notes) also posted something of an ideal line for all involved parties (32 minutes, 8 points, 9 boards, 4 blocks) - Nenad Krstic(notes) may be - and stay - the starter at center, but Ibaka is going to make an impact this season.

Thabo Sefolosha(notes) started at shooting guard and did what he often does, scoring just one point in 25 minutes but filling it up elsewhere (4 boards, 4 assists, 0 turnovers, 2 steals, 4 blocks). James Harden(notes) scored six points and had two steals in 20 minutes, but didn't see extensive time because Daequan Cook(notes) (18 minutes) and Eric Maynor(notes) (13) also got some run.

Derrick Rose(notes) attempted a whopping 31 shots and made 12 (0-for-4 3PT), finishing with 28 points and six assists in 31 minutes. Joakim Noah(notes) (18 points, 19 boards, 2 steals, 2 blocks) and Taj Gibson(notes) (16 points, 11 boards) both posted double-doubles, with Noah logging 39 minutes. While there are no complaints about that level of production, you wonder about the possibility of too many minutes after last season's battle with plantar fasciitis.

• Sacramento (117) at Minnesota (116)

There are going to be a number of good fantasy lines any time teams combine to score 133 points. Nothing to complain about from the Kings, including a stellar effort from Francisco Garcia(notes) (22 points, 2 threes, 3 steals, 1 block) as he filled in for Tyreke Evans(notes) (suspension). DeMarcus Cousins(notes) had a solid NBA debut (14 points, 8 boards, 5 assists), although he did struggle with fouls (27 minutes, 5 fouls). Cousins and Jason Thompson's(notes) fantasy owners should note that Samuel Dalembert(notes) could return to the active roster by the end of the week, so minutes will be adjusted that point.

The T-Wolves had six players in double figures, including Kevin Love(notes) (11 points, 2 threes, 10 boards), but the kicker is that he totaled only 24 minutes because Anthony Tolliver(notes) was delivering the energy and defense that Kurt Rambis preferred. Tolliver did post a nice line (28 minutes, 14 points, 2 threes, 7 boards, 4 blocks) and was a plus-6, but Love left the locker room quickly after the game and this sets up internal friction one game into an 82-game season.

• Atlanta (119) at Memphis (104)

The Hawks' new offense got off to a spiffy start, thanks in part to Marc Gasol's(notes) absence because of an ankle sprain. The Hawks shot 53 percent for the field, 50 percent from three, and 87 percent from the line. The team had six players in double figures, with a notable absence being Al Horford(notes), who scored just two points on one-of-five shooting and was kept on the bench (18 minutes, 3 fouls) while Zaza Pachulia(notes) was doing his thing (30 minutes, 17 points, 11 boards, 2 blocks).

Also of note for the Hawks were strong offensive performances by Mike Bibby(notes) (19 points, 4 threes) and Marvin Williams(notes) (15 points). Jeff Teague(notes) played 16 minutes and scored five points, but Bibby will have to regress for at least a few games before talk of a switch begins to resurface.

Gasol could be out through the weekend for the Grizzlies, but his status won't be determined until Friday. Zach Randolph(notes) left Wednesday's game with a bruised tailbone and will be evaluated on Thursday. Mike Conley(notes) (23 points, 8 assists), Rudy Gay(notes) (21 points, 10 boards), Darrell Arthur(notes) (19 points), and Sam Young(notes) (17 points) were the main contributors for the Grizzlies in the loss.

• Milwaukee (91) at New Orleans (95)

It was a mixed fantasy bag for the Hornets in the win. Chris Paul(notes) was excellent (17 points, 16 assists), as was David West(notes) (22 points, 7 boards), and Marco Belinelli(notes) was decent (18 points, 6-15 FG), as was Trevor Ariza(notes) (11 points, 4-13 FG, 4 steals). Emeka Okafor(notes) somehow managed to not attempt a shot or free throw in 26 minutes, and Marcus Thornton(notes) played just 11 minutes off the bench, although he did score eight points in those limited minutes.

Notables for the Bucks included Carlos Delfino(notes), who made five threes and had 19 points in 39 minutes, and Andrew Bogut(notes), who posted 15 points, 15 boards, and one block in his 36 minutes. After the game, Bogut said that both his hand and his endurance were OK. John Salmons(notes) couldn't find his groove (32 minutes, 5 points, 2-8 FG), while Corey Maggette(notes) came off the bench for 16 points (8-of-8 FT) in 20 minutes.

• Indiana (109) at San Antonio (122)

Both teams shot well in this game (IND 53%, SAS 51%) but the final score came down to assists-to-turnovers (SAS 29:14, IND 20:23). The Spurs' veteran trio all turned in excellent lines and they also received good support from Richard Jefferson(notes) (16 points), George Hill(notes) (16 points, 2 steals), and James Anderson(notes) (10 points, 2 threes). DeJuan Blair(notes) was underwhelming as the starting center (20 minutes, 9 points, 3 boards) but is going to have a long leash with Tiago Splitter(notes) still limited by his calf strain.

The Pacers also got good numbers from what is now their own Big Three. Roy Hibbert(notes) scored a career-high 28 points and added nine boards and three blocks, Danny Granger(notes) went for 26 points, hit three treys, and had two steals, and Darren Collison(notes) had 19 points and seven assists. Josh McRoberts(notes) was limited by foul trouble (24 minutes, 4 fouls) but still turned in a respectable line (11 points, 1 three, 6 boards, 1 steal, 2 blocks). McRoberts definitely deserves a bit more of a look from fantasy owners (10% owned) given his range of skills and the job security afforded him by Tyler Hansbrough's(notes) continuing struggles to return to game condition.

• Charlotte (86) at Dallas (101)

This final score certainly could have been a lot different, considering the Mavs started the game with a 16-0 run and started the third quarter with a 21-10 run. Only one Mavs starter finished the game with less than a plus-25. The team got great initial games from Dirk Nowitzki(notes) (28 points, 11-13 FG, 13 boards), Jason Kidd(notes) (12 points, 2 threes, 18 assists, 1 turnover, 3 steals), and Jason Terry(notes) (22 points, 2 threes, 6 assists, 4 steals), although Caron Butler's(notes) line could use some work (13 points, 5-16 FG, 2 boards).

Tyson Chandler(notes) (23 minutes, 8 points, 8 boards, 2 blocks) was something of a surprise starter for the Mavs over Brendan Haywood(notes) (20 minutes, 2 points, 3 boards, 1 block), with Rick Carlisle saying that he likes the way Chandler fits with the first team but that "you could flip a coin" in terms of their expected impact for the team. This arrangement likely means that Haywood was a bit overdrafted (113.9 ADP) and Chandler deserves a bit more love (27% owned), but Chandler of course will need to stay healthy for that to actually be the case and we've seen Haywood produce in a strict platoon before.

Tyrus Thomas(notes) played plenty and was very solid off the bench (30 minutes, 22 points, 6 boards, 1 steal). D.J. Augustin(notes) didn't do a lot with his 41 minutes (8 points, 2-10 FG, 5 assists, 1 steal) but he's going to get run, as the team has nobody else to turn to for major minutes. Friday's matchup with Indiana will be a good opportunity for Augustin to post better offensive numbers.

• Utah (88) at Denver (110)

Utah couldn't match Denver's energy in this blowout. The Nuggets were led by Carmelo Anthony(notes) (23 points) and the emerging Arron Afflalo(notes) (22 points, 3 treys, 2 steals), while Shelden Williams(notes) grabbed 16 boards (7 offensive) in his 28 minutes. Nene Hilario(notes) picked up a few fouls early and then wasn't needed much during the easy win (23 minutes, 13 points, 4 boards). Afflalo's refinement of his offensive game should allow Chauncey Billups(notes) to concentrate more on distributing and could also serve to limit J.R. Smith's(notes) role. The current disparity in Smith (80%) and Afflalo's percent-owned numbers (25%) doesn't reflect their probable fantasy impacts.

The Jazz's portion of the box score doesn't figure to be typical going forward. Gordon Hayward(notes) led the team in shot attempts (21 minutes, 9 points, 4-11 FG), Al Jefferson(notes) scored only six points on six shots in a team-high 31 minutes, and Andrei Kirilenko(notes) played only 19 minutes (2 points, 4 turnovers, 4 fouls) as Jerry Sloan went 12 deep in his rotation and only gave four players more 21 minutes. The Jazz get the opportunity to clean up their season averages Thursday, when they host the Suns for their home opener.

• Portland (98) at LA Clippers (88)

All eyes were on Blake Griffin(notes) and he did not disappoint, despite his team's loss. In his first 'real' NBA game, Griffin scored 20 points, grabbed 14 boards (9 offensive), and added four assists and a steal in 39 minutes. Eric Gordon(notes) also started strong (22 points, 2 steals, 2 blocks), but the same can't be said for the rest of the Clippers' starters (Baron Davis(notes), Chris Kaman(notes), Ryan Gomes(notes)), who combined for 18 points on eight-of-35 shooting in 97 minutes. Rasual Butler(notes) made four of his six threes in 30 minutes and could push Gomes for the starting small forward gig in short order.

None of Portland's starters had any problems in this one. All five scored in double figures and played at least 32 minutes. Three had at least 10 boards and they also totaled eight steals and six blocks. After two games, Nicolas Batum(notes) is averaging 17 points on 58-percent shooting, 3 treys, 8.5 boards, 1.5 steals, and 1 block in 30 minutes.

• Houston (128) at Golden State (132)

The major fireworks for the evening were saved for the late game. Golden State looked very… Golden Statey en route to 132 points, with Monta Ellis(notes) making 18 of his 24 shot attempts (46 points, 2 steals), Stephen Curry(notes) picking up where he left off (25 points, 3 threes, 11 assists), David Lee(notes) getting it done (17 points, 15 boards, 6 assists, 1 block), Andris Biedrins(notes) turning in a vintage line (8 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks), and Dorell Wright(notes) looking like a legit starter (15 points, 3 threes, 2 steals, 1 block). For the game, the Warriors shot 55 percent from the field, 40 percent from three, and 85 percent from the line.

Houston kept pace with the Warriors for the most part, with Luis Scola(notes) (36 points, 16 boards) and Kevin Martin(notes) (28 points, 17-17 FT) doing the major damage. Chuck Hayes(notes) got the start at center and posted a tremendous line (16 points, 8 boards, 6 assists, 1 steal). Yao sat because it was the second of a back-to-back - Hayes' 39 minutes were a bit of a surprise compared to Brad Miller's(notes) grand total of three minutes, but Rick Adelman felt from the outset that Hayes would be more apt to handle the expected pace of the game.

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Photos via Getty Images

Related: Fantasy Basketball

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Box Scorin': Don't be alarmed, but explosive Baylor is in first place

Weird, wild and prolific stats from the weekend's action.

• Baylor set a school record for total offense for the second time this month in a 47-42 win over Kansas State, exploding for 683 yards just a few weeks after hanging 678 on Kansas in a blowout win on Oct. 2. Quarterback Robert Griffin delivered a career-high 404 yards passing with four touchdowns against the Wildcats, aided by 250 yards rushing and two more scores by running back Jay Finley to push the Bears to 6-2 for the season – bowl-eligible for the first time since 1995.

Oh, and Oklahoma's loss at Missouri moved Baylor into first place in the Big 12 South. Yes, in late October. The Bears' 3-1 mark in conference play has already matched the 2005 team (which finished 3-5) for most Big 12 wins in a season since the league formed in 1996. With Saturday's outburst, the offense ranks fifth nationally at 511 yards per game, and gives the Bears an even shot of opening as a road favorite next week at Texas.

You might want to read that last paragraph again. Maybe you should be a little alarmed.

• Alabama's "Big Three," Trent Richardson, Mark Ingram and Julio Jones, combined for 428 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-10 romp at Tennessee, the Crimson Tide's most lopsided win ever in Neyland Stadium.

• Ole Miss quarterback Jeremiah Masoli passed for 327 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another 98 yards against Arkansas, good for the highest single-game total at Ole Miss since Archie Manning's legendary 540-yard effort against Alabama in 1969. Alas, like Manning, Masoli's Rebels lost, 37-24.

• A week after being shredded for more than 400 yards and 42 points in the first half of a humiliating flop at USC, Cal held Arizona State to a single field goal over the first three quarters of a 50-17 blowout in Berkeley. The Sun Devils finished with a paltry 234 yards, by far their worst output of the season.

• Virginia Tech rang up 491 yards total offense in a 44-7 rout over Duke, the third straight ACC games the Hokies have gone over 40 points on at least 440 yards.

• Nebraska and Oklahoma State combined for 995 total yards, 47 first downs, 11 touchdowns, five field goals and, somehow, eight punts in a 51-41 Cornhusker win to break up OSU's undefeated season.

• Kentucky lost three fumbles and failed to convert a 4th-and-1 inside its own 40-yard line in the first half of a 44-31 loss to Georgia, setting up short Bulldog touchdown drives of 23, 39 and 5 yards in the first 25 minutes.

• Clemson held Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt, the ACC's leading rusher at the start of the day, to a career-low two yards rushing – 90 yards below his season average – in a 27-13 Tiger win.

• Ohio State scored twice as many touchdowns (6) as Purdue had first downs (3) in the first half of a 49-0 laugher in Columbus, and rolled up well over 400 total yards en route to a 42-0 lead at the break.

• Indiana outgained Illinois by 100 yards, gained 21 first downs to the Illini's 14 and lost by 30 points, 43-13. The Hoosiers turned the ball over five times, including two interceptions returned for touchdowns, and had a punt blocked for a safety.

• South Florida quarterback B.j. Daniels hit a 64-yard strike to Dontavia Bogan to set up one touchdown and a 70-yarder to Faron Hornes for another score on consecutive attempts in the Bulls' 38-30 upset at Cincinnati, Daniels' two longest completions of the year.

• UConn missed a chip-shot field goal the first time it touched the ball and didn't cross midfield again until well into the fourth quarter of a 26-0 loss at Louisville.

• With hyped freshman running back Marcus Lattimore still on the sideline, South Carolina receivers Alshon Jeffery and Tory Gurley combined for 267 yards and two touchdowns on 22 catches at Vanderbilt, part of a 355-yard passing night for quarterback Stephen Garcia in a 21-7 Gamecock win.

• A 16-yard first quarter run by quarterback Tim Jefferson made Air Force the first team to score a touchdown against TCU since Sept. 24, but the Falcons didn't score again in a 38-7 loss. Including that score, the Horned Frogs have yielded 10 points in four games in the month of October, with two shutouts and one more game to go before Halloween, at UNLV.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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