Super Bowl XLVI
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.
Adreian Payne scored 15 points, Draymond Green added 12 and No. 11 Michigan State beat No. 3 Ohio State 58-48 Saturday night, ending the Buckeyes' 39-game home winning streak.
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.
AP
INDIANAPOLIS - Cleveland State is heading to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 23 years and coach Gary Waters is finally getting a new ring.
Cedric Jackson scored 19 points and the Vikings used a flurry of 3-pointers to beat No. 16 Butler 57-54 Tuesday night, winning the Horizon League tourney championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA tourney.
“Everytime I’ve been to the NCAA tournament, I get a ring,” said Waters, who also took Kent State to the NCAAs in 2001.
“See this ring?” he said, pushing his fist in the air in celebration. “I’ve had this ring too long. This is my Kent ring. Now I’m going to get a Cleveland State ring, and I’ve been dying to do that.”
It’s the first conference tourney title in Waters’ three seasons at Cleveland State and its first berth in the NCAA since 1986. That year, as a No. 14 seed the Vikings knocked off Bob Knight’s Indiana Hoosiers and made the regional semifinals.
“It feels so good. I’ve waited four years, five years, it’s so amazing, just to get this championship,” said Jackson, who was voted tourney most valuable player. “It means the world to me. This team has stuck together day in and day out.”
Six of Cleveland State’s first seven field goals in the second half were 3-pointers, helping the Vikings (25-10) erase an 8-point lead by the Bulldogs (26-5).
“It really wasn’t the game plan. It was about being aggressive and knowing when to step up and make plays,” Jackson said. “We started out slow and Butler was sagging off me, so I had to step up and just count on that shot to go in. I took a few bad shots, but my teammates helped me out on the defensive end, and that was the most important part.”
Butler’s last lead was 48-47 midway through the period, then Jackson hit a 3-pointer and a floater in the lane to put the Vikings in front for good. Butler had two chances to tie in the closing seconds, but Shelvin Mack and Gordon Hayward missed 3-pointers.
“I was trying to get the best shot possible,” said Mack, a freshman who led Butler with 18 points and a career-high nine rebounds.
Cleveland State lost to Butler in the Horizon championship game last year and twice again to the Bulldogs this regular season. Butler, ranked in the Top 25 most of the season, is expected to receive an at-large NCAA tourney bid Sunday.
|
“You’ve got to do a lot of little things to win a tournament championship, and obviously when you win your league in the regular season there’s a lot to be proud of,” Butler coach Brad Stevens said. “Our guys really wanted to win this game, they played as hard as they could. They played great.
“I’m looking at the stats — Cleveland State goes 10-of-19 from 3. Cedric Jackson was unbelievable, and he’s been unbelievable the entire tournament.”
The Bulldogs led most of the first half, although a late rally helped Cleveland State close within 32-28 at halftime.
Butler regained an 8-point lead at 39-31 on a dunk by Matt Howard, but a 3-pointer by J’Nathan Bullock started the Vikings’ comeback.
They pulled within 42-40 on consecutive 3-pointers by Jeremy Montgomery and tied the game at 42 on a basket by Bullock. There was one more tie and one more Butler lead before the 3-pointer by Jackson put the Vikings on top for good.
Cleveland State’s biggest lead was at 56-50 on the final basket by Jackson.
Montgomery finished with 11 points and Bullock added 10 for the Vikings. Howard, the league’s MVP for the season, added 14 for the Bulldogs.
Adreian Payne scored 15 points, Draymond Green added 12 and No. 11 Michigan State beat No. 3 Ohio State 58-48 Saturday night, ending the Buckeyes' 39-game home winning streak.
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.
 | 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 |
UNLV’s thrilling win vs. SDSU adds spice to MWC race4 hr 27 min ago Running out of reasons to doubt Missouri as a contender6 hr 30 min ago Credit Jardine’s reemergence for Syracuse’s KO of UConn7 hr 16 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 |
Adreian Payne scored 15 points, Draymond Green added 12 and defense-minded No. 11 Michigan State beat No. 3 Ohio State 58-48 Saturday night, ending the Buckeyes' 39-game home winning streak.
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.
Trae Golden scored 17 points, Jeronne Maymon added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Tennessee upset No. 8 Florida 75-70 Saturday, ending the Gators' home-winning streak at 19.
