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“Coach said when I’m open, please shoot the ball,” Garcia said. “I saw a couple of open shots and I took them.”
Juan Palacios shot 6-for-11 for 14 points and Ellis Myles had eight points and 13 boards to help Louisville finish with an 11-rebound advantage in the battle between two teams, neither known much for their inside presence.
Robinson finished with eight points — 0-for-5 from 3-point range — and Simmons went 3-for-6 for 10 points.
The guards, each averaging more than 16 points this season, struggled mightily in the second half, unable to shake the effects of sitting on the bench for such a long time earlier. Williams finished with 18 points, Roy had 15 and Will Conroy had 14 points and eight assists to keep the Huskies within reach.
But neutralizing the Huskies guards was the key, and Pitino deserves a tip of the hat for that. Not only did the inside-outside strategy work, but the veteran coach with 448 career wins and four trips to the Final Four also mercilessly worked the officials over the first 9½ minutes, while the Cardinals were picking up six fouls.
Louisville only committed two more the rest of the half while both Simmons and Robinson — neither of them normally foul prone — found themselves on the bench.
“We have a normal rotation and that was disrupted tonight,” Romar said. “But give Louisville credit. They put us in positions where we had to foul.”
Thus ended a very nice run for the Huskies, who won the Pac-10 tournament and surprised pretty much everyone but themselves when they picked up their top seeding. This was their first trip to the regional semifinals since 1998, but the Huskies will have to wait to make the Final Four; they haven’t been there since 1953.
Pitino and the Cardinals, meanwhile, are regulars.
Louisville is seeking its eighth trip to the Final Four and its first since 1986, when coach Denny Crum and Pervis Ellison led the Cards to the national title. Pitino was last there in 1997, when he coached Kentucky.
His return to the Wildcats’ archrival in 2001 caused an uproar around the state, but nobody can argue with the results. After a 3½-year stint with the Boston Celtics, he returned to the Bluegrass state and turned the Cardinals into a winner in his first season.
Now, he’s got them thinking about the title.
“I like pro ball ... but it’s winning with misery,” Pitino said. “College basketball has so much to be happy about.”
Notes: The 11 3-pointers tied Louisville’s NCAA tournament record. The Cardinals hit 11 in a 2003 game against Butler. ... Washington failed in its quest to win its 30th game. The Huskies are one of only four teams with 1,500 wins who have failed to win 30 in a season.
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 4 min ago Michigan State sure shook up Big Ten by beating Buckeyes16 hr 49 min ago UNLV’s thrilling win vs. SDSU adds spice to MWC race21 hr 17 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.