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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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If you think one of those doesn't fit, you didn't spend the first full week of July chasing the country's best high school ballers as the NCAA's summer evaluation period began.
These are some of the important vacancies top programs will be looking to fill:
Washington
Primary need: frontcourt size. The Huskies built a fearsome perimeter arsenal and need big bodies to complement that group.
Key target: Josh Smith, 6-9, Kent, Wash. UW has done its best recruiting in keeping great players home. Smith is a 270-pound force in the low post.
Others pursuing Smith: UCLA, Texas, Louisville, UConn, Duke.
Connecticut
Primary need: wing scoring. The Huskies' lack of perimeter depth was exposed when Jerome Dyson went down last season, and he's only got another year.
Key target: Tobias Harris, 6-7, Dix Hills, N.Y. Harris excelled attacking the rim at the LeBron James Skills Academy. He is ranked No. 29 nationally by Scout.com.
Others pursuing Harris: Georgia Tech, Louisville, Syracuse, Maryland, six more.
Duke
Primary need: Program-changer. The Devils built depth in their recruiting class with three commitments. Freshmen Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly are promising bigs. They need someone to elevate all this, as Christian Laettner or Jason Williams once did.
Key target: Harrison Barnes, 6-8, Ames, Iowa. The No. 1 player in 2010, Barnes relies on strength, quickness and intelligence. "From a year ago until now, I thought I made huge strides," he said. "But I think there's still a long way to go from here."
Others pursuing Barnes: Kansas, North Carolina, Iowa State, six more.
Indiana more photos
Primary need: Guard play. IU has abundant needs as coach Tom Crean continues reconstructing from the implosion that preceded his arrival. But a great guard can make an immediate difference. 
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Key target: Kyrie Irving, 6-2, Elizabeth, N.J. Observers debate whether he's a point or a shooting guard. Irving answers: "I'm known for scoring, but I just want to be a complete point guard."
Others pursuing Irving: Duke, Kentucky, Notre Dame, six more.
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 day10 hr 19 min ago Michigan State sure shook up Big Ten by beating Buckeyes11 hr 4 min ago UNLV’s thrilling win vs. SDSU adds spice to MWC race15 hr 32 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.
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.
