Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
AP
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Thad Matta insists he wants to stay at Ohio State, trying to quiet speculation he is a candidate for the Indiana coaching job.
Matta, in his second year as coach of the Buckeyes, has an $11 million, eight-year contract that runs through 2012. Hoosiers coach Mike Davis announced last week he will resign at the end of the season.
“I’ve said this before, I’m as happy as I’ve ever been, at Ohio State,” said Matta, who has lured one of the top recruiting classes to Ohio State for next season. “Our goal coming in here was to build this program into a top-20 program and we’re on the verge of doing that.”
Ohio State (20-4) is ahead of schedule. The Buckeyes are ranked No. 13 and share the Big Ten lead with Iowa with three games left. Ohio State hosts Michigan on Saturday.
Matta said his contract prevents him from discussing any other jobs before the end of the season. He was hired in 2004 after Jim O’Brien was fired. He went 20-12 in his first season with the Buckeyes.
Matta said he spoke with athletic director Gene Smith last week.
“All I can say is that Gene and I are on the same page,” Matta said. “I love that about him, the communication and the openness. It’s amazing how he came to me and we talked and we know exactly where both guys are.”
Smith said Friday he is as pleased with Matta’s performance as the coach seems to be with his situation.
“There’s no question that Thad is just what you want in a coach,” Smith said in a phone interview. “He’s done a marvelous job in the two years he’s been here. I’m fortunate to work with lots of great coaches and Thad is one of the best. We want him to be a Buckeye forever.”
After Davis announced his resignation, Iowa coach Steve Alford — a former Hoosiers star — and Matta were mentioned as a possible successors. In Matta’s lone season at Butler in 2000-01, the team went 24-8. He then had three 20-plus win seasons at Xavier.
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This season, the Buckeyes have climbed in the polls and have been one of the major surprises in the Big Ten.
“He’d be crazy to take another job right now, especially with the class he’s got coming in next year and how bright the future is,” center Terence Dials said. “He has everything he wants here at Ohio State. I can’t picture him going anywhere else.”
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
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Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
The Red Wings have finally started to embrace a record they've been chasing.
