preview Page 14 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Xavier still in feeling-out mode ahead of tilt with unbeaten Georgia
With 13 new players on Xavier's roster, this season was destined to be filled with growing pains for the Musketeers.,First-year head coach Richard Pitino hopes a tough nonconference schedule will have the Musketeers ready for Big East play -- and they're guaranteed two games against high-major foes ...

SMU's balanced, high-scoring attack awaits Arkansas State
SMU looks to continue its perfect start to the season and build on a dominant win Friday when Arkansas State visits Dallas for the schools' first meeting.,The Mustangs (5-0) rarely have been challenged during their season-opening seven-game homestand -- with their latest triumph being Tuesday's 106-...

Mike Nwoko enjoying breakout start as LSU pivots to Omaha
Mike Nwoko is turning heads with the start to his first LSU season.,The 6-foot-10 forward averages 20.3 points per game and six rebounds per game for the Tigers. Nwoko has hit 32 of 41 (78%) shots from the field and developed into the Tigers' go-to player inside.,Nwoko and the Tigers (4-0) will try ...

Streaking Raptors look to clinch NBA Cup group vs. struggling Wizards
The Toronto Raptors aim to remain undefeated in NBA Cup group play Friday night when they host the struggling Washington Wizards.,The Raptors are 2-0 in their NBA Cup games and riding a hot streak overall. After a 121-112 road win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, they have won a season-best...

Texas A&M back at it vs. Manhattan following close call
Texas A&M will strive to build on a gritty win when it hosts Manhattan on Friday in College Station, Texas.,The Aggies head back to the court after an 86-81 home win over Montana on Tuesday that snapped a two-game losing streak. Texas A&M got 17 points from Rylan Griffen and 12 from Ruben Dominguez ...

Self-critical Jaylen Brown, Celtics go for another win vs. Nets
Jaylen Brown is hoping to rebound from a 29-point performance in his last game when the Boston Celtics complete a home-and-home series against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.,Yes, you read that correctly. Brown wasn't too happy with his effort on Tuesday despite leading his team in scoring for the 12th...

Pacers take 'Why not?' attitude into playoff rematch with Cavaliers
The Indiana Pacers haven't had many opportunities to celebrate this season, but they are heading to Cleveland on a high after winning for just the second time.,Bennedict Mathurin had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Pascal Siakam scored 22 points for Indiana in a 127-118 victory over the visiting Char...

West Virginia gets first test away from home vs. Clemson in Charleston
West Virginia needs to see what it can do when stepping out of its comfort zone, while Clemson is anxious for another shot at a fellow power-conference opponent.,The two teams will learn how their efforts pan out when they meet in the Charleston Classic's Palmetto Bracket on Friday night in Charlest...

Hurricanes see plenty to build on as they head north to face Jets
Two of the NHL's perennial regular-season juggernauts are set to clash on Friday, and the Carolina Hurricanes will be searching for consistency when they head to Winnipeg to battle the Jets.,The Hurricanes have seen mixed results since their four-game win streak finished on Nov. 9, carrying a 2-1-2 ...

Rutgers on upset alert vs. high-achieving Central Connecticut
After 27 years as a well-travelled high school coach and college assistant, Patrick Sellers took on a challenging assignment at his alma mater, Central Connecticut State, a program that had amassed 10 straight losing seasons when he arrived in 2021.,Talk about a home run hire. The Blue Devils have i...

No. 12 Kentucky expects better results ahead with Loyola (Md.) next up
The nonconference schedule for No. 12 Kentucky has not gone as planned through five games, but coach Mark Pope and his squad get another shot Friday night when the Wildcats host Loyola (Maryland) in Lexington, Ken.,High expectations exist around a Kentucky roster that reportedly checks in at $20 mil...

Wild ready to put point streak on line vs. Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins returned home from Sweden this week after splitting the NHL Global Series and will try to cool off Matt Boldy and the visiting Minnesota Wild on Friday night.,Pittsburgh shut out the Nashville Predators 4-0 in Stockholm on Sunday; they lost the opener 2-1 in overtime after gi...

No. 10 Gators to work on 3-point shooting as Merrimack visits
When No. 10 Florida hosts Merrimack College on Friday night in Gainesville, Fla., it will be seeking improvement in what's been one glaring deficiency so far this season.,The Gators (3-1), coming off back-to-back wins over state rivals Miami and Florida State, have prevailed despite shooting 23.7% f...

No. 17 Michigan State out to build off 2nd marquee win vs. Detroit Mercy
There is one big question facing No. 17 Michigan State as it prepares to take on Detroit Mercy on Friday in East Lansing, Mich.,Can the Spartans avoid a letdown?,One certainly appears possible, given how impressive Michigan State looked in one of its most important nonconference games of the season,...

Florida State brings defensive 'urgency' into Georgia Southern tilt
Luke Loucks made it clear he was bringing a fast tempo and a bunch of 3-point shooting to the Florida State basketball team.,The defensive chaos the Seminoles have created early in his coaching tenure is a bit more of a surprise.,Florida State forced 26 turnovers in Tuesday's 87-73 win over UT Marti...

No. 6 Louisville rafts into Ohio River rival territory to tackle Cincinnati
A long-time rivalry between Ohio River rivals renews Friday night when No. 6 Louisville visits Cincinnati. , ,The Cardinals (4-0) are among the fastest risers in the polls since the start of the season, jumping six spots to No. 6 after rolling past another rival -- Kentucky 96-88 -- behind star fres...

Inconsistent Washington eyes get-right opportunity vs. struggling UCLA
Longtime Pac-12 Conference counterparts meet under the Big Ten banner on Saturday when UCLA welcomes Washington to Pasadena, Calif. for the 78th all-time matchup between the programs. ,Washington (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) makes its first visit to Rose Bowl Stadium since September 2022, playing the first of...

Cal, Stanford set for 128th edition of the Big Game rivalry
Highly decorated coach Frank Reich would love nothing more than to add to his impressive resume when he leads Stanford up against visiting Cal in the annual Big Game rivalry Saturday.,A two-time former NFL head coach who won a Super Bowl ring as offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles in 20...

LSU might be without Garrett Nussmeier again as it faces W. Kentucky
LSU's Southeastern Conference title hopes ended a while ago., ,Western Kentucky is still in the thick of the Conference USA championship race., ,The Tigers (6-4, 3-4 SEC) and the Hilltoppers (8-2, 6-1 C-USA) meet in a nonconference game Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La., before finishing their conf...

Bret Bielema returns to Wisconsin as Illinois eyes 3rd straight win
Illinois will be looking for its third consecutive victory when it travels to face reeling Wisconsin in a Big Ten matchup Saturday in Madison, Wis.,No. 21 Illinois (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) is coming off a 24-6 win at home over Maryland behind two touchdown passes by Luke Altmyer. The Illini have won two s...