MINNEAPOLIS - Even with a 51-point game and a Slam Dunk Contest title on his resume - two dunk titles, depending on whether or not you took this years contest seriously - Terrence Ross is still taking people by surprise, even his own teammates. Randal Grichuk Blue Jays Jersey . The Raptors second-year forward has been one of the primary beneficiaries of the early-season trade, breaking out and becoming a vital part of his teams success on both ends of the floor. Around the league, teams are starting to take notice and feature Ross more predominately in their pre-game scouting reports but its not just the opposition that hes impressing. After missing his first game of the season with an ankle sprain last week, Ross returned to action on Friday, knocking down six of eight attempts from three-point range while scoring 18 points in 26 minutes. Following the win over Sacramento, Patrick Patterson - acquired in that deal with the Kings in December - was asked who has surprised him the most since coming to Toronto. "Terrence," he responded immediately. "Terrence by far. I had no idea he could shoot like that. I always knew about his athleticism, I watched him in college. I knew about his scoring ability, his ability to attack the rim. Hes a solid defender as well. Hes got some good hands on him as well, but for him to be able to knock down that three at such a consistent rate, come off screen and rolls and hit that midrange jump shot, I had no idea he was such a great shooter." "Terrence is definitely the guy that has caught my eye since being here." A year ago, Ross - a 22-year-old rookie out of Washington - showed flashes of what he could become. His athleticism stood out, more than anything else, but he lacked consistency and, at times, confidence and focus. Selected with the eighth-overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, Ross was an unknown commodity. If you ask other players, coaches, front office execs or people around the league what they knew about him at that time, most would admit they were aware of one, maybe two facets of his game. Maybe they knew he could shoot or how athletic he was. Few realized how diverse his game could become. Now, with 132 NBA games under his belt and an opportunity to start and log consistent minutes in coach Dwane Caseys rotation, hes looking like a completely different player. Hes looking like a two-way player. Ross has connected on 17 of his last 27 three-point tries, scoring in double-figures in five straight games, matching a career-high he set back in January. "At times it seems effortless to him," Patterson added. "When hes on the perimeter, just one or two dribbles and he just shoots it with great confidence, such great arc, perfect follow-through and it goes in, nothing but net." Like Patterson, John Salmons has also been pleasantly surprised with Rosss arsenal since exchanging Kings purple for Raptors red. "Man, were sitting on the bench, when he shoots, we think its good," said the veteran Salmons, 11 years Rosss senior. "Hes automatic. Every time he shoots, we think its good. You dont think that about too many people." Those that have been around Ross long enough, working with him from day one - namely DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry - say they could see this coming, raving about what theyve seen from the 23-year-old in practice. For everyone else, its taken a bit longer. Ross had his coming-out party at All-Star Weekend in Houston last year when he won the Slam Dunk Contest. He began to turn heads again after exploding for 51 points in a loss to the Clippers on Jan. 25. "I think the whole league was surprised [after that game]," said former teammate Rudy Gay. "Hes one of those guys that when hes making shots, there aint no one in the whole league that can stop him. He has so much potential. Now that people are starting to see it, hes getting more attention. Its nothing we didnt know." After Gay was traded Ross seized his spot in the Raptors starting lineup. Since, hes playing just under 30 minutes a night - up from 18 - taking twice as many shots (10.6) and averaging double the points (12.7). Since the trade, he ranks eighth in the NBA in three-pointers made - just above teammate Lowry - shooting the long-ball at a 43 per cent clip, up from 33 per cent in his rookie year. Hes been especially proficient from the corners, where hes drained 39 of his treys since Dec. 8, tied for second-most in the league behind Atlantas Kyle Korver. However, its been his defence thats kept him on the floor long enough to knock down all those threes. Ross has earned Caseys trust with his effort, focus and natural ability on the defensive end, routinely tasked with guarding the oppositions best perimeter player. "Hes grown into that role," Casey said. "Hes earned it, he enjoys it, he does a good job with it with his speed and quickness. Hes not totally there yet. I dont want to anoint him as a defensive stopper but hes growing into that role, doing a good job with it, learning each and every [game]." Ross has raised the bar for himself, now the expectations - even internally - have increased. At this point, on this team, Casey is happy with Ross harnessing his efforts on defence and spotting up for open looks but knows hes capable of growing into a more well rounded player. "We want him to be more of a pick-and-roll guy, thats his next step of growth," said Casey. "Making plays for other people will help him a lot. Thats probably where he needs to grow most." How good can he be? Salmons joked that even Ross, himself, is unaware of his full potential. "He dont know," Salmons said with a laugh. "He dont realize how athletic he is." “I hope he [knows how good he is]," Patterson said. "The sky is the limit for Terrence. Hes getting better every single game. His confidence is getting higher and higher and hes believing in himself more. I hope he realizes how good he is right now and how great he can be." Clay Buchholz Jersey . "It feels good, Ive never had one before, not even in College," Hagelin said after the Rangers outgunned the Jets 4-2, behind some solid goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist following a pretty wide open first period. George Bell Jersey .com) - The Winnipeg Jets placed defenceman Paul Postma on injured reserve Tuesday.CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Nobody on the current Villanova roster had even been born the last time the Wildcats stood alone atop the Big East. The 32-year drought ended Thursday night when Darrun Hilliard scored 19 points and No. 6 Villanova clinched the outright Big East championship for the first time since the 1981-82 season by holding off undermanned Xavier 77-70. The Wildcats, playing before a hostile standing-room only crowd of 10,340 in their first visit to Cintas Center, overcame a determined Musketeers team in what Villanova coach Jay Wright described as a "great, intense college basketball environment." "Youre not going to win championships unless you win on the road," Wright said. "We have great respect for this league. To win this league is a hell of an accomplishment." JayVaughn Pinkston added 15 points -- eight in the last 3:20 -- James Bell finished with 12 and Ryan Arcidiacono chipped in 11 as the Wildcats (27-3, 15-2 Big East) extended their school record for regular-season wins with their fifth straight and 11th in their last 12 games. They also clinched the top seed in the Big East tournament, which starts Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in New York. "This is a big accomplishment," Bell said. "Its a testament to how hard weve worked, but we cant stop there." The Wildcats went into the night with a 1 1-2 game lead over No. 13 Creighton in the Big East and two games remaining. The Bluejays have one game to play. Villanova, which last shared the title in a co-championship with Syracuse in 2005-06, wraps up its regular season Saturday at home against Georgetown. Justin Martin had 20 points for Xavier (20-11, 10-8) while Semaj Christon added 18 points and Isaiah Philmore finished with 15. The Musketeers ended the regular season with consecutive losses. Paul Molitor Blue Jays Jersey. Xavier struggled from 3-point range finishing 6 of 23, while Villanova was 9 for 23. The game was Xaviers first without 6-foot-10 junior centre Matt Stainbrook, who started each of the Musketeers previous 30 before straining the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in their 71-62 loss at Seton Hall on Monday. Stainbrook watched the game from the bench wearing a tan suit and bow tie. "Us not having Matt was tough, but I think we learned more about each other," Philmore said. "It didnt turn out the way we wanted it to, obviously, but we stuck together. It just wasnt enough. Sometimes, its not always enough." Xaviers regular-season finale was its second consecutive home game against a Top 10 team and the second straight to attract a standing-room only crowd. The Wildcats never trailed after Arcidiacono made two free throws for a 29-28 lead with 5:11 left in the first half. Villanova, which beat Xavier 81-58 on Feb. 3 for the Musketeers worst loss of the season, led by as many as 12 points. The lead dwindled to three before Josh Hart and Bell made two free throws each in the final 19.4 seconds. "We knew they wouldnt go away," Wright said. "They played without one of their best players. We caught a break there." The Wildcats had no surprises, Musketeers coach Chris Mack said. "They were what we saw on film," he said. "This was our first game without Matt, so that was a little bit different, but we competed. We didnt quite have enough to beat Villanova." Hilliard, averaging 14.1 points per game, had 15 to help the Wildcats take a 41-36 halftime lead. Martin, who went into the game averaging 11.2 points, scored 12 in the first half for Xavier. ' ' '
