Silva: 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 NFC teams.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
Ryan Callahan scored three goals as the New York Rangers beat Philadelphia 5-2 on Saturday for their seventh straight win over the Flyers.
Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
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.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
Move over, Hollywood and NFL types, golf's two real A-listers take center stage Sunday at Pebble Beach, both in need of a win.
The United States swept favored Switzerland out of the Davis Cup on Saturday when Mardy Fish and Mike Bryan beat Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Luis Suarez's refusal to shake hands with Patrice Evra overshadowed Manchester United's 2-1 win over rival Liverpool that lifted the defending champions to first place in the Premier League on Saturday.
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.
THE GAINESVILLE SUN - AP
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Florida coach Billy Donovan passed the national championship trophy to his players, then stepped to the back of the stage.
He wanted this night to be all about them.
No doubt, it was.
Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer — three sophomores who had been projected as first-round NBA draft picks this summer — disclosed in a choreographed skit that they intend to return for another season.
“We’re back baby,” Noah screamed into a microphone during the team’s hourlong celebration Friday night at a packed O’Connell Center.
Donovan confirmed the news, saying he met with the three players Friday afternoon and they told him they wanted to try to repeat.
“I think they’re having a lot of fun here. They’re a different type of kids,” Donovan said. “I think it’s all about them getting themselves prepared to make the next step, and I think right now they’re not prepared to do that. They want to be here. They want to play.
“They want to stay together as a group and they want to play together as a team.”
No team has won consecutive championships since Duke in 1991 and 1992.
The Gators want to give it a shot.
Horford started the production by saying the three had pretty much done everything they could in two years, winning two Southeastern Conference tournament titles and then beating UCLA 73-57 in the championship game Monday night.
But Noah grabbed the microphone in mid-sentence and asked the crowd, “You want us to play here next year?”
The fans responded with chants of “two more years, two more years.”
The Gators didn’t commit to anything more than one more season. But for Donovan and Florida’s faithful, that was more than anyone was expecting.
“It was their decision,” Donovan said. “It wasn’t any influence from me or me telling them what to do or anything else like that. ... The three of them kind of came over together and we talked, and they just said that’s what they wanted to do, that they really wanted to stay together. They wanted to play. They’re having a great time.
“I’m happy that they have peace of heart and peace of mind and they feel good about being back here.”
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Noah, who became the face of the team with his impressive play, wore a Bob Marley T-shirt and beat his chest several times when his name was called. He then did the “Gator Chomp” as he started down the stairs.
Horford followed, carrying the national championship trophy over his head.
The Gators also unveiled a new court — the same one on which they won it all. Florida purchased the floor from the NCAA for $70,000 and planned to refinish it before next season. The school’s previous floor was 12 years old, and officials said they already had budgeted money for a new one.
But this one was special.
“It feels great,” Brewer said. “We’ve got our fans here, we’ve got a new court and we’re the national champions. What more could you ask for?”
Not much considering the week the Gators had.
They stayed up all night reveling in their victory, then were greeted by more than 6,000 fans when they returned home from Indianapolis on Tuesday.
Adrian Moss, the team’s lone senior, said the players were treated like “rock stars” when they returned to school Wednesday, with classmates asking for autographs and people staring everywhere they went.
The next day, the Gators toured the White House and met President Bush.
But the real fun came Friday night.
“The last three or four days have been an incredible ride, but nothing like this,” Donovan said.
The players sat on the new court to watch a highlight video of the season. Fittingly, it was filled with dunks, blocked shots and 3-pointers — the things that carried the Gators through the tournament.
Then, after the big announcement, players, coaches, managers and trainers gathered one more time at midcourt and were showered with orange and blue confetti. Several of them dropped to the floor and made “confetti angels.”
“We’ve been partying for five days and we’re not done yet,” Noah said.
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Nope. With the three sophomores returning, it could last much longer.
“There’ll be a different set of challenges with (next year’s) team,” Donovan said. “It’s not the same team as this year. It’ll be different. We’ll have to deal with possibly being ranked 1, 2 or 3 in the country.
“We’ll have to deal with different things, but these are the type of kids I’d love to be able to deal with those challenges with.”
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.
Beyond the Arc: No. 11 Michigan State ends No. 3 Ohio State's 39-game home winning streak with a 58-48 victory.
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 | College hoops power rankings A look at the top teams in college basketball based on performance and potential. NBCSports.com |
Latest from Beyond the Arc |
Five up, five down from college hoops’ huge day11 hr 12 min ago Michigan State sure shook up Big Ten by beating Buckeyes11 hr 57 min ago UNLV’s thrilling win vs. SDSU adds spice to MWC race16 hr 25 min ago |
 | College basketball videos |
 Getty Images Highlights: No. 14 UNLV 65, No. 13 SDSU 63 Mike Moser scored 19 points, and UNLV forced three turnovers in the final 42 seconds to win. |
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 | NBCSports.com |
Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
Doron Lamb hit a 3-pointer with 3:18 left to put No. 1 Kentucky ahead to stay, and the Wildcats took a big step toward a Southeastern Conference regular-season title by beating Vanderbilt 69-63 Saturday night for their 17th straight win.
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.
