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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.
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Eleven shots separated Phil and Tiger Sunday at Pebble Beach as Lefty secured his 40th Tour win. Jason Sobel had 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.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
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.
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More than 23,000 fans filled Rupp Arena on Friday night for Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness, the party that signals the start of college basketball practice.
The turnout by Kentucky fans meant the university set an attendance record for one these events. The previous record was held by North Carolina, which drew more than 21,700 fans to the Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C., in October 2003 for the Tar Heels’ first practice under coach Roy Williams.
“If we would build a bigger building, we would get more people, and I think we would sell it out, even if it was 50,000,” Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said. “We have a great audience, we have a great product and we have a great tradition here at Kentucky.”
That opinion was seconded by one of Smith’s predecessors, Joe B. Hall, who proposed using an even larger venue — the Wildcats’ football field.
“This is fantastic,” Hall told the crowd. “Next year, I suggest we go to Commonwealth Stadium.”
Since the inception of Big Blue Madness in 1982, it had been held in on-campus Memorial Coliseum, where the Wildcats played their home games during the tenure of legendary coach Adolph Rupp. That facility has about 8,700 seats, but its capacity now is limited to 5,600 because of ongoing construction of an adjacent practice facility.
The move to Rupp Arena — where Kentucky plays its home games — coincides with the 30th anniversary of the downtown facility.
Kentucky began distributing the free tickets for Big Blue Madness on Oct. 1, and about 20,000 tickets were claimed during the first 35 minutes of availability. It took a little more than 48 hours to distribute the rest of the tickets, athletic department spokesman Scott Stricklin said.
Kentucky has drawn as many as 24,459 fans to Rupp Arena for a game, but Stricklin said the university wanted to limit the number of tickets distributed to the arena’s official capacity, which is 23,000.
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A number of Division I programs held similar events, although they all had a head start. The NCAA passed a rule this year that allowed the festivities to get under way a few hours earlier than the traditional midnight start for the sake of fans.
Kentucky, which spends the vast majority of its men’s basketball marketing budget on the event, included touches like a propane torch that shot fireballs 30 feet into the air during player introductions. The school also brought in Jon Mason, the public address announcer for the NBA’s Detroit Pistons, to handle the introductions. (Former Kentucky standout Tayshaun Prince plays for the Pistons.)
Smith called it more of an “opening ceremony” than a practice but acknowledged a little bit of anxiousness. Asked if his new players were ready for the event, Smith quipped, “I don’t know if I’m ready.”
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Stricklin said it hasn’t been decided whether to keep the event at Rupp Arena, but “it’s being talked about. We’ll probably do whatever the fans want. It’s the ultimate fan event. You don’t charge for tickets and there’s not a whole lot accomplished other than showing the fans a good time.”
—Louisville, which reached the Final Four last season didn’t have lights or pyrotechnics, for its first practice. The Cardinals held their first workout in Cardinal Arena, the team’s 850-seat practice facility.
Coach Rick Pitino warned those in attendance that the event was a practice, not a show, and that he might use some words that might not be suitable for young children.
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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