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.
Getty Images“I saw them on film once, they made 19 passes to get the shot they wanted,” North Carolina coach Roy Williams said.
Not that the Tar Heels coach, seeking the national title that has eluded him for the last 16 seasons, would trade what he’s got.
He is in only the second year of rebuilding a program that went from great under Dean Smith to 8-20 under Matt Doherty. When Roy Williams arrived at his alma mater, he looked at the roster and saw what he had. He called the players in and said they had the talent to make the NCAA tournament in Year One, and to be right where they’re at in Year Two.
“I believed it not because of my coaching,” he said. “I believed it because of the kids.”
The Tar Heels finished the season ranked second behind Illinois in The Associated Press poll. Their meeting in the final is the first between Nos. 1 and 2 since 1975, when UCLA’s John Wooden coached his last game against Kentucky.
North Carolina is a 2½-point favorite.
“We’re not surprised,” Head said. “I mean, people have been saying North Carolina was the better team all year.”
McCants, who averages 16 points a game and is never short on confidence, certainly thinks the Illini are stoppable.
“I feel Dee Brown, being as quick as he is, our length will be able to bother him a lot,” he said. “And Deron (Williams), as quick as he is, I think Raymond will be able to contain him. Luther Head, as high as he can jump, as fast as he can run, I think I’ll be able to defend him.”
If the Tar Heels come out ahead on all those one-on-one matchups, certainly they’ll win, which would give Roy Williams the national title — the only thing missing on his otherwise stellar resume.
And if the abundance of talent furthers the perception that all Williams had to do was roll a ball out to make this team win, he’s fine with that. The coach, an avid golf nut, likens it to the only hole-in-one he’s ever made — an easy little shot on a 118-yard hole.
“I took my wife out there to show her where it was,” Williams said. “She said, ‘Well, that’s so close, that shouldn’t even count.’ If we win the daggum thing and somebody says something about that to me, that’s going to be fine, too.”
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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Slide show: Final Four showdown See images from the North Carolina win over Michigan State and the Illinois win over Louisville. |
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 | 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 |
Five up, five down from college hoops’ huge day16 hr 10 min ago Michigan State sure shook up Big Ten by beating Buckeyes16 hr 55 min ago UNLV’s thrilling win vs. SDSU adds spice to MWC race21 hr 23 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. |
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 | NBCSports.com |
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.