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.
Marlies Schild of Austria won her sixth World Cup slalom of the season Saturday after overall leader Lindsey Vonn and defending champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch crashed out in the opening run on the windy Pyrenees course.
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.
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South Region breakdown March 16: Tiffany Simons and John Walters break down the South Regional. Expect Texas and Stanford to make noise. |
Who wins, who's overrated and what's the best game? NBCSports.com has the answers for each region. For other regional analysis, click here: East | Midwest | West.
Under-rated
Pitt is not going to get much attention because of the presence of Texas and Memphis, but the Panthers won the Big East Tournament and are riding a five-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament. The return of guard Levance Fields in mid-February after an injury has added some spark. The Panthers are a 4 seed who should get a crack at Memphis in the Sweet 16.
Over-rated
Michigan State. The Spartans can shoot the ball, but they never seem to get enough shots. They plod with the ball and they also turn it over. It’s the Big Ten. It needs some juice.
Stanford, as usual. How many times have the Cardinal come into the NCAA Tournament and made a sudden exit? In 2005 and 2007, the Cardinal lost first-round games. They never get any traction and here they are as a No. 3 seed. Cornell won’t beat them and Marquette might not be big enough, but two wins is it for Stanford.
Most likely first round upset
It would probably have to be Saint Mary’s over Miami. The Hurricanes rely a lot on guard Jack McClinton and the Gaels might be able to outscore him and win. Of course, Miami plays stingy defense and can take away Saint Mary’s transition game. There isn’t another suitable upset special, though No. 9 Oregon should blow past No. 8 Mississippi State, which did not play smart basketball in the SEC Tournament.
Best matchup
Memphis vs. Oregon: This won’t be basketball, it will be a track meet. Memphis likes to yak and so does Oregon and they will race up and down the floor with the ball jawing all the way. Memphis will be too strong inside with Joey Dorsey and win the game, but it could be 80-74 and entertaining.
Impact player
D.J. Augustin of Texas is the best player in the regional. He scores and makes assists. Texas never bogs down on offense because he is there making a basket on the drive or with the jump shot, or making a teammate better with a pass.
Jamont Gordon of Mississippi State can be dominant, but he is inconsistent and Derrick Rose of Memphis is going to be a very good NBA point when he is with four other NBA players. Augustin is quality all the time and he is right now, not two or three years down the road. The second best player in the region is probably Pitt’s Sam Young.
Who wins regional
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Texas is going to blow through the bottom half of the bracket and get to the regional final where it will run into Memphis.
The Tigers are finally due to get to a Final Four. They have a lot of depth and have some players who can moderately contend with D.J. Augustin and keep him from 25 points. Memphis will have to score on its own with jumpers because Texas is not going to turn the ball over and allow the Tigers fastbreaks the other way for layups.
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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Five up, five down from college hoops’ huge day7 hr 41 min ago Michigan State sure shook up Big Ten by beating Buckeyes8 hr 26 min ago UNLV’s thrilling win vs. SDSU adds spice to MWC race12 hr 54 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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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.
