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 for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
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.
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.
Eleven shots separated Phil and Tiger Sunday at Pebble Beach as Lefty secured his 40th Tour win. Jason Sobel had hole-by-hole reports.
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.
Getty Images fileNeed more proof? Durant is the first freshman in Big 12 history to earn player of the year honors. He had a conference-record nine 30-point games and set a record for scoring average in conference play (28.9). Durant’s combined point and rebound average is 36.5, which would be a Big 12 record and the fifth-highest total in NCAA history.
Durant ranks fifth in the nation in scoring and fourth in rebounding. Research by Sports Illustrated shows that over the past 25 years, only eight other players have finished in the top five in both categories in the same season. None of the others was an underclassman.
“Everybody talks about his 30-point games,” Barnes said. “We never talked about him averaging a (specific amount of) points. I did tell him we needed him to have a player-of-the-year type year. He needed to have that kind of year, because we were going to be one of the youngest teams in the country.
“But he doesn’t force things. Everybody talks about the points, but it’s what he has done defensively and the fact he has been a double-figure rebounder every night. He doesn’t have an ego. For what he’s done, with so many young guys around him, I think is really remarkable.”
In a conversation with Barnes after a loss at Villanova on Jan. 20, Durant questioned why he had become the focus of the Texas team. He told Barnes his teammates deserved an equal amount of attention. Durant said if he had to keep answering questions about the NBA, he didn’t want to do any more interviews.
When he does talk to reporters, he always finds a way to turn that attention away from himself.
“I just wanted to suck it up and play for my team,” Durant said of returning to the Kansas game after injuring his ankle. “They picked me up while I was out, so I just wanted to suck it up for them . ... I’m the kind of player who sucks it up.”
That’s an attitude anyone can appreciate, whether you are a Texas fan or a Texas foe.
Durant is making history. You’d better pay attention because it won’t be long before he is gone. His game is ready for the NBA, so it’s hard to believe he won’t be lured away by next season.
He’s already given us a scrapbook full of memories. But maybe — just maybe — the story has only just begun.
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.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 15 points and Evan Smotrycz added 13, helping No. 22 Michigan remain unbeaten at home with a 70-61 win over Illinois on Sunday.
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 | College hoops power rankings A look at the top teams in college basketball based on performance and potential. NBCSports.com |
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Here’s a shot you just can’t defend1 hr 43 min ago Five up, five down from college hoops’ huge day18 hr 13 min ago Michigan State sure shook up Big Ten by beating Buckeyes18 hr 58 min ago |
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 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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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.
After leading by 18 points in the first half, the Los Angeles Lakers were staring at a four-point deficit with less than two minutes to play.
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.