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: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
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 greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
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.
AP
PITTSBURGH - Just before the opening tip, Pittsburgh’s punishing center DeJuan Blair jumped and performed a two-handed pullup on the rim.
The Panthers seem to like lofty views.
Blair scored 23 points with 18 rebounds and Jermaine Dixon added 17 points as Pittsburgh, playing for the first time as the nation’s top-ranked hoop team, ran away from St. John’s in the second half for a 90-67 win on Sunday over one of the few Big East Conference members not among the Top 25.
Leading by just five points at halftime, Pitt (15-0, 3-0 Big East) clamped down on defense and found its shooting range, knocking down three 3-pointers in a 17-4 spurt in the first seven minutes of the second half. By the time Blair came out for a rest with 8:47 left, the Panthers were up by 23 and putting on a show.
Game No. 1 as No. 1 went just fine.
“I thought we handled it well,” coach Jamie Dixon said. “But we weren’t as good as we could have been.”
Levance Fields had 13 points and nine assists for the Panthers, who forced 24 turnovers, shot 58 percent after halftime, and after shaking off some early rustiness from an eight-day layoff, looked worthy of their newfound status as college basketball’s team du jour.
“It’s history, us being No. 1 for the first time,” said Fields, Pitt’s senior guard and floor leader. “But that’s really all that it is. Just a little more scrutiny.”
After a 60-year wait, and nearly more than a month since their last home game, the Panthers took the court at Petersen Events Center sitting atop The Associated Press poll. They intend to stay there as long as possible, but that will be easier said than done as a Big East minefield lies ahead.
The conference had nine teams ranked in the Top 25 last week, and after hosting unranked South Florida on Wednesday, Pitt will face Louisville, Syracuse, West Virginia, Villanova and Notre Dame — all currently in the poll — in succession before the month ends. Two more matchups with Connecticut will follow.
D.J. Kennedy, who won a Pennsylvania state high school title as Blair’s teammate, scored 18 for the Red Storm (10-5, 1-2), who didn’t have enough to withstand Pitt’s second-half blitz.
“That’s the Big East,” St. John’s coach Norm Roberts said. “You forget it and get ready to play the No. 5 team in America (Connecticut) next. That’s our conference.”
The Panthers, who ascended to the top of the rankings last Monday, were sloppy with the ball in the first half. They committed nine turnovers, missed eight free throws and looked tight. Pitt only led 41-36 at the break, and when Sean Evans hit a layup, St. John’s was within 43-40 and an upset seemed brewing.
That’s when Pitt went to work.
Dixon made a 3-pointer, Blair muscled inside for a rebound and putback and Fields and Sam Young hit consecutive 3-pointers as Pitt built a 56-42 lead.
When Blair went out for a breather, it was 73-50 and Pitt’s 6-foot-7, 235-pound enforcer flapped his arms urging the Panthers faithful to cheer.
Moments later, Pitt’s students tried out a new chant: “We’re No. 1.”
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
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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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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