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 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.
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.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has hole-by-hole reports.
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.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
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
LEXINGTON, Ky. - While Kentucky officials have done little to silence the rampant speculation about Billy Gillispie’s future at the school, alumni and close associates of the Wildcats program say the coach must change some things before he is brought back next year.
Former Kentucky star Kenny Walker has been critical of how Gillispie has handled himself in the media and in other roles as the university’s basketball ambassador. Walker said he isn’t rooting for him to be fired but is hopeful there can be changes for the good of the program.
“I’m always going to support him as long as he’s the coach at the University of Kentucky, but what I do hope happens is after the season, we can figure out what went wrong,” Walker said before Kentucky’s appearance in the National Invitation Tuesday. “If coach can admit that, ’maybe I could have done some things better,’ and air those concerns to the fans and administration, I’ll be all for that.
“But if he’s not going to change and the same things are going to continue to happen, then obviously (athletics director) Mitch Barnhart has got a tough decision to make.”
After a disappointing season in which Kentucky failed to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1991, Gillispie’s job could be in danger after just two seasons.
Adolph Rupp Jr., son of the legendary Kentucky coach, said he also has been disappointed this year — both by the product on the court and occasionally how Gillispie has handled himself off it.
“Certain things are expected of a UK coach,” Rupp said. “It goes with the position. When people around the world speak of a coach, there’s certain expectations for that person. Apparently that hasn’t happened so far.”
Winning, even if not a cure for every problem, can provide excellent medicine. And Tuesday Kentucky’s players turned in one of their most impressive showings of the year in their first-round victory in NIT against UNLV at Memorial Coliseum — where the team hadn’t played for more than three decades. The Wildcats play at Creighton in round two Monday.
University president Lee Todd, who attended the Wildcats’ victory over UNLV, declined to talk about Gillispie’s situation.
“We always evaluate at the end of the year,” Todd said. “That’s all I’m going to say about it.”
Former Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall said he has no doubt that the program will bounce back, but he did not say whether he thinks Gillispie will be — or should be — the man to lead them back.
“I don’t know his situation,” Hall said. “I’m not privy to what all is going on with his contract. Don’t want to know.”
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“Kentucky basketball, thank goodness, has a great foundation,” Hall said. “It’s not going to crumble. It’s going to come back, and it won’t take long.”
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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 | College hoops power rankings A look at the top teams in college basketball based on performance and potential. NBCSports.com |
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Five up, five down from college hoops’ huge day16 hr 9 min ago Michigan State sure shook up Big Ten by beating Buckeyes16 hr 54 min ago UNLV’s thrilling win vs. SDSU adds spice to MWC race21 hr 22 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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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.
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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.
