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.
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.
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.
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.
Reuters
AUSTIN, Texas - Andrew Bogut cussed at himself, punched the air and crinkled his nose. None of it could get him going.
Stymied by a pair of 7-foot backups and pestered by smaller guys, Utah’s All-America center had his worst game of the season and the Kentucky Wildcats shot a season-best 62 percent in beating the Utes 62-52 Friday night in an Austin Regional semifinal.
“They banged me around,” said Bogut, who missed eight of his first 10 shots, more than he missed in the first two rounds combined. “It wasn’t my day shooting the basketball.”
The Wildcats (28-5) are headed to the regional finals for the second time in three years, and they’ll certainly be fresh when they play Michigan State on Sunday. Showing off their superb depth, no player went more than 27 minutes.
It’s also pretty impressive that their most pivotal defenders were 7-foot-3 Shagari Alleyne and 7-foot Lukasz Obrzut, a duo that coach Tubby Smith didn’t turn to in a total of 11 games this season.
They were forced into action this time when starting center Randolph Morris got his second foul just 90 seconds in. They ended up doing such a good job of staying between Bogut and the basket, with teammates helping making life miserable when he did get the ball, that the Utes (29-6) were playing catch-up once the game was 5 minutes old.
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Bogut finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds, but it wasn’t as good as it sounded. He made just 8 of 19 shots — matching the most misses of his career — and went a career-worst 4-of-11 from the line, opening with two misses and seeing another rim out when he could’ve put Utah within two with 12:28 left.
While he shot better in the second half, his rebounding fell off. And, unlike the previous game when he offset 10 points with a career-high seven assists, he didn’t have any this time.
“It was a great advantage having three 7-footers who can run the floor, defend and block shots,” said Alleyne, who blocked the first shot Bogut tried against him and appeared to bother Bogut the most with his massive wingspan. “I’m 7-3. I’m not going to be intimidated by a guy who’s 7-foot.”
The disappointment goes deep for Bogut. The sophomore is widely expected to turn pro, so this probably was his last college game — and it was his first with his mom, Anne, in the stands. She arrived from Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday and waved a small Aussie flag, the green and gold standing out amid the red across the Utah section.
Bogut declined to say whether he’s decided about going to the NBA, but coach Ray Giacoletti said he’d tell him to if he’ll be a top-three pick, which is likely.
“Bogut is definitely gone, you can see it in his eyes,” teammate Bryant Markson said. “He’s pretty upset with this game.”
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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 | 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 day11 hr 10 min ago Michigan State sure shook up Big Ten by beating Buckeyes11 hr 55 min ago UNLV’s thrilling win vs. SDSU adds spice to MWC race16 hr 23 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.
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.
