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.
He executed a sweet pick-and-roll play with Vermont star Taylor Coppenrath. He picked Roberson clean when pressuring in the backcourt, then made a quick move into a beautiful finger-roll basket. He left Roberson behind with a blazing cut through the lane, moving so fast it seemed not to matter as much that he forced up a missed layup.
Then, almost quietly, Brown caught his foot in an awkward fashion on the court at Moody Bible Institute's Solheim Center. He was obviously hurt, but it looked to spectators like Brown had only tweaked his ankle. He tried not to leave, but after running briefly he took himself out of the game. Afterward, he was taken for X-rays and learned of the break.
He'll miss up to two months of basketball activity. He'll not be able to compete as a Nike All-American Camp counselor or with the U.S. under-21 national team in the world championships. But if Brown heals well, he will have the opportunity to take command of the Illinois 2005-06 team.
He will have the ball. He will not have backcourt partners Williams and Luther Head, but that will be good for the growth of his game. He will need to create opportunities for himself and his teammates, instead of feasting from those Williams generated.
Scouts already know Brown has NBA range as a 3-point shooter. They want to see him in this role, in charge of a team. What Brown cannot afford, what would be patently unfair, is any sort of judgment that would connect the program's inevitable decline to his decision to return.
Illinois will be stepping backward this season. That's as easy a prediction as any of us ever will make. The Illini won 37 games last season. If that total drops by 15, they will have enjoyed spectacular success. What everyone will need to remember is that if Brown plays as he is capable, Illinois will be dramatically better than it would have been if he had remained in the draft.
Brown's negative comments toward coach Bruce Weber this week, about a perceived lack of support in his NBA pursuit, should be easily overcome. That's not to say things couldn't be better, but forward Roger Powell's abortive entry into the 2004 NBA draft led to a similar schism with Weber, and Powell returned to become the soul of the Illini, a leader whose Final Four brilliance led Illinois past Louisville and into the title game.
It would be unreasonable to expect Brown to be back in the Final Four next spring in Indianapolis. But here's what he can be: a leader, a point guard and a coveted NBA prospect.
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 day15 hr 48 min ago Michigan State sure shook up Big Ten by beating Buckeyes16 hr 33 min ago UNLV’s thrilling win vs. SDSU adds spice to MWC race21 hr 1 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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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.