SAN JOSE — The biggest player in college basketball will be playing at HP Pavilion. He is New Mexico State center Sim Bhullar, a redshirt freshman of Indian descent from Canada who measures 7-foot-5, 355 pounds.
He’s now 60 pounds lighter than he was in high school, the result of getting serious about his diet and taking yoga. The added endurance, combined with soft hands and surprisingly nimble feet, have turned Bhullar into a force on the court.
He was named MVP of the Western Athletic Conference tournament last week after scoring 16 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and blocking five shots in a victory over UT Arlington in the championship game.
New Mexico State, the No. 13 seed in the Midwest, plays No. 4 Saint Louis on Thursday.
“He has phenomenal hands, and he’s very coordinated,” NMSU associate head coach Paul Weir said. “It was a question of his weight. … His nutrition was horrible, and Sim worked his (butt) off.”
Bhullar committed to Xavier two years ago. But eligibility issues prompted Bhullar to sign with New Mexico State.
The Oakland native and senior point guard for Montana, which plays Syracuse at HP Pavilion, never forgets his McClymonds High roots. “I always got these on me and I look down just to remind me where I came from,” said Cherry, who only takes off the bracelets about 10 minutes before each game.
“It’s been Jason Kidd, Dwyane Wade — those two players,” the Oklahoma State freshman point guard said. “With my size, my ability to pass the ball and my IQ of the game, a lot of people mention that.”
Smart and the Cowboys (24-8) face Pac-12 tournament champion Oregon (26-8) in an NCAA tournament opener 20 years after Kidd, as a freshman point guard, led Cal to an upset of defending national champion Duke and into the Sweet 16.
“I just feel honored even to be mentioned in the same category as those type of players,” Smart said. “Jason Kidd is one of the greatest point guards who ever played the game.”
Physically, they are similar. Kidd was 6-foot-4, 210 pounds as a freshman at Cal. Smart is 6-4, 225. Their freshman stats are comparable: Kidd averaged 13.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 3.8 steals. Smart averages 15.4 points, 5.7 rebounds. 4.2 assists and 2.9 steals.
“Body-wise, how they approach the game, I’d say that’s a pretty good comparison,” Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said. “They both play with a reckless abandon. In those aspects, they’re very similar.”
“It’s real exciting for me to play in front of my family,” said Artis.
Artis missed nine games this season for the Ducks with a stress fracture in his foot.
Staff writers Jon Wilner, Jimmy Durkin and Jeff Faraudo contributed to this report.
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