preview Page 179 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Vanderbilt faces lowly New Orleans in final tuneup for SEC
Vanderbilt aims to conclude its nonconference schedule with a sixth straight win when it hosts New Orleans on Monday in Nashville, Tenn.,Since losing to Drake 81-70 in the Charleston Classic title game on Nov. 24, the Commodores (11-1) have jumped to 37th in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ranking. T...

Missouri aims to cap perfect nonconference home slate vs. Alabama State
Missouri will try to finish its nonconference home schedule unbeaten when it hosts Alabama State on Monday night in Columbia, Mo.,The Tigers (10-2) have won all 10 games on their home court so far, with their only losses coming at Memphis, 83-75, in the season opener and against Illinois, 80-77, in ...

Kenny Atkinson's hot-shooting Cavs take on middling Warriors
Former Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson returns to San Francisco on Monday, leading the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers, owners of the NBA's best record, into a showdown with the host Warriors.,Atkinson, in his first season at the helm for Cleveland, spent three seasons working alongside Golden Sta...

Kraken riding high after major comeback, take aim at Utah
Trailing by three goals with less than five minutes remaining on Saturday in Vancouver, the Seattle Kraken were about to match a franchise record with their sixth consecutive defeat.,Instead, they crafted one of the best comebacks in NHL history.,The Kraken became just the third team ever to rally f...

After another close loss, No. 14 Gonzaga opens WCC play at Pepperdine
If there was one thing No. 14 Gonzaga failed to do in nonconference play, it was learn how to finish.,And the Bulldogs may not get many chances to play close games in West Coast Conference play, which they'll open Monday against Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif.,Sure, the Bulldogs (9-4) trounced then-No....

Iowa offense ready to excel against New Hampshire
For Iowa, it's a chance to tune up going into the bulk of its Big Ten Conference schedule. For New Hampshire, it's an opportunity to collect a nice paycheck and perhaps even pull off a memorable upset.,The Hawkeyes and Wildcats will finish their nonconference schedules Monday night when they meet in...

Jazz shoot for more 'cohesion,' face Nuggets' struggling defense
The Utah Jazz have gone from contender to rebuilding in just four seasons, but there is hope for the young team trying to find its footing. The Denver Nuggets, on the other hand, won the title two seasons ago and are still in their championship window.,The two rivals meet for the third time this sea...

Streaking Knicks aim for better defensive effort vs. Wizards
Perhaps it was the late-night flight from Orlando, but the New York Knicks admitted they were a step slow Saturday night before Jalen Brunson engineered an overtime victory over the host Washington Wizards.,With a day of rest in between, the Knicks attempt to get off to a better start and stretch th...

After halting skid, Bulls out to extend Hornets' woes
The Chicago Bulls have shown the ability to bounce back following a rough patch. Their opponent on Monday, the host Charlotte Hornets, will try to respond from an even bigger slump.,The Bulls notched a 116-111 home victory against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, with Nikola Vucevic and Josh Giddey ...

Clippers, Pelicans seeing different results despite stars' absence
Kawhi Leonard is close to returning for the Los Angeles Clippers.,Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram are further away from returning to the New Orleans Pelicans.,Both teams will continue without key players when they meet Monday night in New Orleans.,Leonard hasn't played this season because of knee...

Jets take high-octane offense into contest with Predators
The Winnipeg Jets, owners of the highest point total (53) and the most wins (26) in the NHL, will host the struggling Nashville Predators on Monday.,Winners of three straight, the Jets trailed the visiting Ottawa Senators 2-0 early in the second period on Saturday night before scoring four straight ...

Floundering Rangers try to end frustrations on visit to Panthers
The New York Rangers are still desperately seeking answers following their blockbuster trade of captain Jacob Trouba earlier this month.,They'll try to regain some stability when they visit the Florida Panthers on Monday evening in Sunrise, Fla.,New York is 3-8-0 since trading Trouba to the Anaheim ...

Rutgers tries to avoid another Ivy loss when Columbia visits
In a season of raised expectations due to the arrivals of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, Rutgers is experiencing some underwhelming moments.,Off to a mediocre start through 12 games, Rutgers faces a tough test in its final nonconference game Monday night when it hosts Columbia in Piscataway, N.J.,Rutg...

Following quality win, No. 19 Mississippi St. faces Bethune-Cookman
Mississippi State is back in the AP Top 25.,The No. 19 Bulldogs (11-1) jumped into the rankings last week as they were preparing to face Bethune-Cookman on Monday night in Starkville, Miss.,Mississippi State was unranked in the preseason poll and stayed in the rankings for just one week in both of i...

John Calipari faces familiar foe as No. 23 Arkansas hosts Oakland
No. 23 Arkansas will close its nonconference schedule Monday night by hosting Oakland in Fayetteville, Ark., in the final tune-up before beginning Southeastern Conference play.,With Arkansas (10-2) rotating just nine players due to injuries, coach John Calipari wants Jonas Aidoo, a second-team All-S...

No. 15 Houston rides balanced offense into league opener at Oklahoma St.
Having concluded the nonconference portion of its schedule with four consecutive wins, No. 15 Houston will open Big 12 play with something of a clean slate.,The Cougars (8-3) resemble the squad that claimed the regular-season Big 12 title in their first year in the league last season as they head to...

No. 2 Auburn not taking Monmouth lightly
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl is cautioning his team not to overlook visiting Monmouth when they clash on Monday night, in what will be the Tigers' final nonconference game of the regular season.,The No. 2 Tigers (11-1) have won four in a row following their lone setback against host Duke on Dec. 4. They...

No. 17 Cincinnati kicks off Big 12 play vs. struggling Kansas State
Big 12 Conference play begins Monday as No. 17 Cincinnati travels to Manhattan, Kan., to face Kansas State, and neither team resides where most people thought they'd be at this point.,Cincinnati (10-1), which was picked sixth in the preseason coaches' poll, is tied with No. 3 Iowa State for the best...

UNC closes nonconference schedule vs. in-state foe Campbell
With something significant from which to build, North Carolina will see if it can sustain the momentum following a holiday break.,The Tar Heels are back in action for their final nonconference game Sunday night when in-state opponent Campbell visits Chapel Hill, N.C.,This will be the first meeting b...

Western Kentucky, Michigan each eye 10th win of season
Reaching 10 victories before the New Year is an achievement worth aiming for, and both Western Kentucky and Michigan will have a chance at it when they meet Sunday night in Ann Arbor.,Western Kentucky (9-3) earned a 91-71 home win over Division II Kentucky Wesleyan on Dec. 21 and comes in averaging ...