Chase Budinger will get to play in front of his hometown fans in the McDonald's All-American boys basketball game on March 29.

Budinger, from La Costa Canyon High in suburban Encinitas, was named to the West team for the game at San Diego State's Cox Arena.

Other top boys selected for the game include two pairs of teammates and two brothers.

Playing for the East will be center Greg Oden and point guard Mike Conley of Lawrence North High in Indianapolis, and guard Wayne Ellington and forward Gerald Henderson of The Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pa.

On the West team are twin 7-footers Brook and Robin Lopez of San Joaquin Memorial High in Fresno.

Tyrus Thomas? camp has actually been trying to get out the message all year long that he is not ready by any means to enter the NBA draft and will need at least another season or two of polish before he even considers doing so.

And after watching him closely over the past three games, it?s pretty tough to argue with that. His lack of strength has really become a hindrance to his game, being outmuscled badly in the post both defensively and on the glass, struggling to establish any type of rhythm for himself offensively as he?s constantly pushed off the block, and looking very frustrated with himself and a lot more raw than most people initially thought he was.

He?s still a top prospect for any draft he decides to enter because of his incredibly high ceiling, but it might be wise to take a step back and let him fulfill his wishes as well as those of his family of becoming a truly dominant NCAA player before he makes the leap to the next level.

Leon Powe played possibly his best game in his two seasons at Cal, and Stanford could do little about it.

Powe scored a career-high 32 points and couldn't be stopped in the paint, but there were other reasons the Bears were able to hold off the Cardinal 65-62 Thursday night in a wild finish before 11,877 fans at Haas Pavilion. Ayinde Ubaka ran the offense well and hit some key free throws in the final moments and former Newark Memorial star and fellow draft prospect, DeVon Hardin, was strong on defense and the boards.

Rudy Gay was terrific in UConn's 80-76 victory over Pittsburgh.

He soared through the air for transition dunks that are highlight material for years to come (the one-handed windmill flush on the break). But, better yet, he took over the game when needed with his scoring (10 of the first 14 points). He finished with 22 points, making 9-of-16 shots. Yes, he took the most shots, something that has been implored of him by the staff at times. He came up with four key steals and a block. Sure, he didn't rebound as well (three) but he was the standout guy on a team that has had a rotation in the spotlight all season.

"I would say so," Gay said of agreeing that this was his most complete game of the season. "I felt like I could be the player I could be [Tuesday night]."

UConn coach Jim Calhoun said Gay made the tough plays down the stretch, something he would need to do for them throughout the course of the season. The Panther players were just as complimentary, almost expecting that Gay would play this way. Still, according to the UConn staff, Gay hasn't played this well since scoring 28 points, going 11-of-19 and picking up four steals in a Maui Invitational quarterfinal win over Arkansas -- in late November.

"He was more aggressive," UConn senior guard Rashad Anderson said. "Other than that Arkansas game this was his best."