Jordan Bachynski had been in this situation before. Cowboys #54 Jersey . In fact, hes been there on more than one occasion. The NCAAs leader in blocked shots has saved three games for Arizona State this season blocking shots at the buzzer. This time, in his first NCAA tournament game, Bachynski challenged Texas centre Cameron Ridleys lay-up, which narrowly escaped the Calgary, Alberta natives 74 wingspan with milliseconds left on the clock. The ball bounced off the backboard and into the net for an 87-85 buzzer-beater win. Arizona State was sent home after falling short of a hard fought first round upset, ending a season which saw them in the tournament for the first time in five years. It also capped a standout collegiate career for Bachynski, who in his senior year bettered his individual stats each season as his teams record improved as well. TSN.ca spoke with the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year prior to the NCAA Tournament about his goals, his game and whats next. What goals did you set for yourself as a team and individually this year? As a team, it was to make it to the NCAA Tournament. Most of the guys on our team havent ever been to the tournament - me included. So thats a huge goal, and to be able to do that and we felt we had a really strong team and guys that can help us get there. My main goal this year was to lead the nation in blocked shots because thats something I knew I would be able to excel at and so I was able to meet that goal. What is your approach or technique to blocking shots? Its not something I really think about; its something that comes naturally to me. Our defense is set up for me to help the guys on D. Coach Sendek actually completely changed the defensive strategy when I started to show that I had a knack for blocking shots. There were two games where I had a bunch of blocked shots and so the coaches saw that as such a huge asset for us and changed what we play to more help side man-to-man and Ive loved it. I love playing help side where a man is coming down the pike and I just get to step up and block his shot. How does it feel to be recognized as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year? Its a huge honour, especially with the tradition of the Pac-12 and how it has produced such great players and such great big men. Some of the best big men ever to play the game came for the Pac-10/Pac-12. Its just an honour to be recognized as a defensive presence in such a great conference. Its an interesting time for Canadians in the NCAA. What does that say about the growth of Canadian basketball? Canadian basketball is on its way up. This summer I had a great opportunity to play with Team Canadas Development Team and there are some great players. Especially Melvin Ejim, who is doing amazing things. He just got named Player of the Year in his conference and me and him still keep in touch. Watching Brady Heslip knock shots down at Baylor and Kevin Pangos at Gonzaga and playing against Dwight Powell at Stanford, Canada basketball has really stepped up in college this year. Its crazy. Whats next for you after you graduate? Is the NBA in the cards for you? Thats definitely in the cards for me. Im working as hard as I can to get there. The NCAA Tournament would be huge for me. The national exposure and playing on that big stage and showing what type of player that I am, the defensive stopper that I am and the scorer that I am, and to play with my team is the main thing. Right now I want to get to the NBA, but the most important thing to me is that my team wins and thats what Im working for. So if that means that I have to take one less shot to pass it up to someone who has a better shot Im willing to do that because I want to win. Not a lot of guys realize that you can be a great player on a bad team and no one is going to notice you, so you need to make those guys around you better if you want to get noticed. Coaches and scouts are going to notice that and by helping your team win, by doing the right thing and playing the right way, you actually are giving yourself a better look at the next level. Cowboys #38 Jersey . The win moved the Jets to within four points of Phoenix (Coyotes home to Florida Thursday) and two points of ninth-place Dallas (Dallas in Philadelphia Thursday). Jets next play Saturday at home to Carolina (TSN 1290), before heading out of a five-game road trip that starts in Dallas Monday (TSN Jets, TSN 1290). DeMarco Murray Cowboys Jersey . Price pitched a five-hitter for his third complete game of the season, Wil Myers had a two-run single, and the surging Tampa Bay Rays won for the 19th time in 22 games by beating the Boston Red Sox 5-1 on Wednesday night. LONDON -- The IOC formally opened an investigation Thursday that could result in Lance Armstrong being stripped of his Olympic bronze medal. The IOC is looking into the Olympic involvement of Armstrong, other riders and officials implicated in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency report detailing "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen." Cyclings governing body, the UCI, last week formally stripped Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles from 1999-2005. Armstrong could now also lose the bronze medal he won in the road time trial at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. "The IOC will now immediately start the process concerning the involvement of Lance Armstrong, other riders and particularly their entourages with respect to the Olympic Games and their future involvement with the games," the International Olympic Committee said in a statement. Levi Leipheimer, a former Armstrong teammate who won the time-trial bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games, could also have his medal revoked. One of the key witnesses in the USADAs case against Armstrong, the American confessed to doping. The medals could come up for review at the IOCs executive board meeting next month in Lausanne, Switzerland. Meantime, the IOC is also monitoring the UCIs plans for an independent investigation to examine allegations about the federations own conduct and relations with Armstrong raised by the USADA report. "The IOC has taken note of the UCIs decision and welcomes all measures that will shed light on the full exttent of this episode and allow the sport to reform and to move forward," the IOC said. Travis Frederick Cowboys Jersey. . "We await the findings of the independent commission which will look into the UCIs role, and the recommendations they will make to ensure a healthy future for cycling." In the case of Armstrongs medal, the IOC will have to study whether the eight-year statute for revising Olympic results applies or not. IOC vice-president Thomas Bach recently told The Associated Press that the USADA report took an "intriguing approach" that leaves the eight-year period open to discussion. "What we would have to check is whether this would also work under Swiss law or whether we find a way to apply U.S. law," Bach said. Armstrong finished behind winner and U.S. Postal Service teammate Vyacheslav Ekimov of Russia and Jan Ullrich of Germany. Fourth place went to Abraham Olano Manzano of Spain, who stands to move up to bronze if Armstrong is stripped of the medal. Finishing fourth behind Leipheimer in 2008 was Alberto Contador, the Spaniard who was stripped of the 2010 Tour de France title after testing positive for clenbuterol. Leipheimer is currently serving a reduced, six-month suspension after co-operating with the USADA probe. He was fired by the Belgium-based Quick Step team last week "in light of the disclosures." In August, the IOC stripped Tyler Hamilton -- a former Armstrong teammate -- of his gold medal from the 2004 Athens Olympics after he admitted to doping. Ekimov was upgraded to the gold. ' ' '
