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'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.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods both greeted Sunday with unbridled optimism. But the day would end happily only for Mickelson.
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 ImagesThabeet watched the June draft and admits to being "amazed at who got drafted." He figures his chances of getting selected early were quite good, "but at the end of the day, I thought I made a wise decision. Things are going to work out for me."
Huskies assistant coach Patrick Sellers once told the story that when Thabeet first arrived at UConn, he believed extra work after practice was reserved for punishing slackers. Thabeet had to be convinced of the need to spend extra time improving, kind of like a first-semester student who must learn it helps to pull the occasional all-nighter.
That's no longer an issue. For the second straight summer, Thabeet attended the LeBron James Skills Academy and showed evidence of an offseason spent attacking the weaknesses in his game. He admits to being nervous at the camp last summer because of "all this big exposure" in competing against eventual first-round choices Brook Lopez, his twin brother, Robin, and Jason Thompson of Rider. "This year, I came out and played basketball," Thabeet says. "I know I can do a lot of stuff that I worked on, and I came out and showed it."
ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas, who coached the college big men at the LeBron camp, is impressed by how well Thabeet accepts coaching. "He looks you in the eye," Bilas says. "And he's competitive. He never shied away from anything.
"I think he could be a better pro than a college player, and I rarely say this. They're all or mostly man-to-man in that league, so he's not going to get crowded like he does in a college game."
The biggest obstacle for Thabeet has been getting comfortable on offense when defenders are muscling him. Because he is so big, most opponents have little choice but to hope physical play will deter him. As his lower body grows stronger, as his confidence blooms, that tactic becomes less effective.
"A lot of people were saying he would go to the league, but knowing Hasheem, I never expected him to make the jump knowing he wasn't ready," Price says. "He works so hard, wants to be so good. He didn't want to go to the NBA coming off somebody's bench playing a few minutes a game.
"He wants to be great. That's what really separates him from everybody else. He's not your average 7-3 guy."
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.
 | Slideshow |
 | 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 |
Would Rick Pitino’s white suit work its magic vs. Syracuse?2 hr 55 min ago Here’s a shot you just can’t defend6 hr 2 min ago Five up, five down from college hoops’ huge day22 hr 33 min ago Michigan State sure shook up Big Ten by beating Buckeyes23 hr 18 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. |
| Slideshow |
 | NBCSports.com |
 | Slideshow |
 |
The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
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.
Paul Pierce has been around long enough to know what Rajon Rondo's performance can mean for the aging Boston Celtics.