From left field: Rivalry buzzer-beater, Will Ferrell NBA intros

SALT LAKE CITY — In one of the most exciting rivalries in college basketball, the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Devils never fail to produce riveting entertainment. And Wednesday night's game between the two teams ranked in the top 10 did not disappoint.

With a 31-game home winning streak on the line — a school record — and a 10-point lead with 2 minutes left in the game, the Tar Heels looked to be sealing up the game. But Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers' freshman son Austin Rivers had other plans.

Trailing by two points, with time quickly running down, Rivers, who scored a season high 29 points and hit six 3s, launched a 3-pointer over 7-footer Tyler Zeller. Time expired as the ball sailed through the air and swished through the net for the game-winning shot, earning him a place forever in the rivalry highlight reels.

Will Ferrell introductions:

The red-hot Chicago Bulls traveled to New Orleans to take on the dreadful Hornets Wednesday night, with the Bulls completely taking over the game, winning 90-67. But it was the pre-game introductions that brought a little excitement to the New Orleans Arena.

Actor Will Ferrell brought a little comedy into the traditional approach of announcing each team's starting lineups. Ferrell announced each player, but told a unique "fact" about each player.

For the opposing Chicago Bulls:

• "He still lives with his mother — Carlos Boozer."
• "He collect rare birds and has a pet dolphin name Chachi — Luol Deng."
• "He's a Scorpio and a horrible dancer — Joakim Noah."
• "He once ate 20 hot dogs in an hour — Ronnie Brewer."
• "His favorite movie is the Notebook — Derrick Rose."

For the New Orleans Hornets:

• "From Mexico, he doesn't speak a lick of English, but we still love him — Gustavo Ayon."
• "He still loves to listen to Bill Biv Devoe — Trevor Ariza."
• "From Connecticut, where he majored in econ, but he minored in love — Emeka Okafor."
• "From Italy, ironically, he hates Italian food — Marco Belinelli."
• "After basketball, his dream is to become a rodeo clown — Jarrett Jack."

Jeremy Lin crossover:

On Monday, the Utah Jazz experienced a rising threat in the NBA: Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks. With Amare Stoudemire missing the game to attend to family matters, Lin scored a career-high 28 points in his first career start, leading the team in scores as the Knicks went on to win 99-88.

Lin's big game seemed to be a phenomenon for most viewers, who expected little from the once Harvard point guard. But Lin has had an amazing week, with his newest performance coming Wednesday night against the Washington Wizards. Lin had 23 points and a career-high 10 assists, including a crossover move on John Wall for an easy dunk. Many are now calling Lin's amazing week "Lin-sanity."

Is Lin the NBA's newest sensation or is he just the flavor of the week?

Tallest high school basketball player?

Playing on a 7-foot hoop is awesome, especially for a person under 6 feet, who can dunk it like Blake Griffin or LeBron James. With such a low hoop, even an average basketball player looks like a star.

That is what it looked like when 7-footer Mamadou Ndiaye played in a recent high school basketball game. Ndiaye scored 30 points as teammates easily fed the ball to him as he effortlessly dunked the ball. The scene looked like a bunch of 5-year-old boys playing against a high school student.

The opposing team likely wanted to forfeit when they saw Ndiaye walk into the gym.

BYU "Real Cougar" commercial:

Brigham Young University has released its second commercial spot involving a real-life Cougar. The spot is designed to air during basketball games, with BYU President Cecil Samuelson cheering with the Cougar and men's basketball head coach Dave Rose showing the cougar around campus. However, much like the first commercial, the Cougar gets "Jimmered."

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