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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.
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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.
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The Final Four is big, really big, this year.
With Ohio State’s Greg Oden, Georgetown’s Roy Hibbert and Florida’s Joakim Noah and Al Horford convening in Atlanta this weekend, college basketball’s signature event has become a showcase for the country’s best big men.
It could result in more post action at the Final Four than anyone has seen since Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon shared the stage in 1984.
“I think it’s going to get the game back to where it used to be in having that low-post threat,” Ohio State coach Thad Matta said Wednesday. “The size of the guys (in this Final Four) is truly amazing.”
Florida (33-5) has made the most of its size advantage the past two seasons. Noah and Horford helped the defending national champions win 16 consecutive postseason games and advance to Saturday’s semifinal game against UCLA — a rematch of last year’s title game.
Although the Bruins (30-5) boast two of the best big men in the history of college basketball — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton — they are considered undersized in this year’s Final Four.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is the team’s top post player, but at 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds, he’s petite compared to Oden, Hibbert, Noah and Horford.
“We are by far the smallest team in this Final Four,” UCLA coach Ben Howland said. “But I think it’s great to see the big man in college basketball.”
He’ll see two Saturday night.
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The Florida duo came up huge in last year’s title game against UCLA, finishing with a combined 30 points, 16 rebounds and eight blocks.
“Our whole team had a problem with Florida in the title game last year,” Howland said. “They thoroughly dominated us. I don’t think there’s any secret about that.”
Noah, a 6-11 forward and the son of tennis star Yannick Noah, was the catalyst for the team’s title run in 2006, blocking a tournament-record 29 shots.
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Horford came back, too. The 6-10 center and son of former NBA player Tito Horford has improved his game significantly, developing post moves and an outside jumper — making himself Florida’s No. 1 player to try to defend.
Ohio State’s top threat also happens to be a center.
Oden, a 7-foot freshman sensation, propelled the Buckeyes (34-3) into Saturday’s semifinal match against Georgetown (30-6).
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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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.
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