preview Page 20 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Riding high, Timberwolves wary of letdown vs. Bucks
The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming off their biggest win of the season.,Now, the challenge is to avoid an emotional letdown in their follow-up performance.,Minnesota will go for back-to-back victories when it tips off against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday evening in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves ...

Braden Huff seeks suitable encore as No. 7 Gonzaga faces Oregon
Braden Huff attempts to follow up a near-perfect outing when No. 7 Gonzaga faces off with Oregon on Sunday on a neutral floor in Portland.,Huff scored a career-high 37 points on 16-of-18 shooting during Wednesday's 98-70 home rout of Campbell. He made all 12 of his first-half attempts.,Huff's output...

Penguins aim to put a stop to 7-game rut at Canadiens
The Pittsburgh Penguins are reeling going into their road game against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.,The Penguins lost their seventh straight (0-3-4), 4-0 to the host Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.,"We're going to have to grind it out," Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang said. "Try to...

Rejuvenated Iowa State has 'tremendous focus' with Long Beach in town
After a week off, a refreshed No. 4 Iowa State hosts Long Beach State on Sunday in Ames, Iowa., ,Last Sunday, the Cyclones (11-0) rolled to a 78-53 home win over Eastern Illinois then took a break for finals., ,Milan Momcilovic scored 18 points to lead a balanced scoring effort that saw four players...

No. 5 UConn seeks to defeat DePaul for 21st straight time
After playing just one true road game during nonconference play, No. 5 UConn concludes the first week of Big East play with a Sunday afternoon trip to Chicago to face DePaul.,The Huskies (11-1, 1-0 Big East) rode Solo Ball's career-high 26 points to a 79-60 Tuesday win over Butler in Hartford. It wa...

Michigan still eager for tree topper with La Salle on tap
What does one gift the team that needs as little in its stocking as No. 2 Michigan appears to have just before Christmas?, ,Ahead of Sunday's game against visiting La Salle in Ann Arbor, Wolverines coach Dusty May has an idea., ,"This is a big week for us not to let off the gas," he said. "Treat it ...

Reeling Kraken aim to get back on track vs. Macklin Celebrini, Sharks
It wasn't too long ago that the Seattle Kraken were touting their best start in franchise history.,At U.S. Thanksgiving, a traditional measuring stick for NHL teams, they were 11-6-6 and in third place in the Pacific Division.,But that has all been washed away with 10 losses in their past 11 games (...

Butler, Northwestern seek resume-building win in Indy Classic opener
Pairs of courtside seats for Saturday's Indy Classic doubleheader are going for as much as $1,400 on StubHub -- primarily due to the nightcap clash between No. 6 Purdue and No. 21 Auburn.,No matter how that game turns out, though, the Boilermakers and Tigers know they're headed to the NCAA Tournamen...

Warriors searching for answers in rematch with volatile Suns
The wildly unpredictable Dillon Brooks show heads to San Francisco on Saturday night when the Golden State Warriors get a rematch with the Phoenix Suns.,Devin Booker had 25 points and Jordan Goodwin dropped in a game-winning free throw in the final second as the Suns overcame a Warriors rally and a ...

Syracuse swears 'nothing wrong' with offense ahead of Northeastern game
Although Syracuse coach Adrian Autry insists there's nothing wrong with his team's offense, the Orange will enter Saturday's nonconference game against visiting Northeastern ranked last among ACC teams in free-throw percentage.,Syracuse (7-4) is 17th in the 18-team conference in points per game (72....

Mississippi State, Memphis working through similar struggles
Both Memphis and Mississippi State will aim to get their seasons pointed in the right direction when squaring off on Saturday in Starkville, Miss.,The Bulldogs (6-5) have won two straight games. On Tuesday they squeaked out an 87-83 home win over Long Island. ,Leading scorer Josh Hubbard (21.6 point...

Virginia Tech sharing the ball effectively with Elon on deck
Before conference play begins next week, Virginia Tech has its sights on a fourth straight double-digit win when the Hokies welcome Elon to town Saturday in Blacksburg, Va.,The Hokies (10-2) are coming off an 82-53 thumping of Maryland Eastern Shore on Sunday, when they held the Hawks to 14.8% from ...

Jaren Jackson Jr. heating up as Grizzlies welcome struggling Wizards
Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. was asked following a recent string of lackluster performances if the team's offensive approach under new coach Tuomas Iisalo was to blame.,Jackson quickly brushed the question aside and simply said it was a matter of his shots not falling.,He's been prove...

Wild seek 7th straight win as dangerous Oilers visit
The Minnesota Wild have relied on stout defense all season.,Lately, the Wild have shown glimpses of a high-powered offense to add to the mix.,Minnesota will try to stay hot when it faces off against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday afternoon in Saint Paul, Minn. The Wild are riding a six-game winning...

No. 3 Duke, No. 19 Texas Tech have areas to address before hitting NYC
No. 3 Duke has played a number of stout opponents across the first chunk of the schedule. Next up for Jon Scheyer's team is a neutral-site battle with No. 19 Texas Tech.,Scheyer doesn't want the Blue Devils sleeping on the Red Raiders when they meet Saturday night in New York.,"It's going to be as g...

Pistons get brief respite at home vs. Hornets
The Detroit Pistons get one last opportunity to play in front of their home fans this month when they host the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.,The Eastern Conference-leading Pistons will embark on a five-game road trip the remainder of December. ,Detroit has taken advantage of its home games th...

Pelicans ride rare winning streak, Pacers on downturn ahead of meeting
The host New Orleans Pelicans and the Indiana Pacers meet on Saturday riding opposite trajectories over their last three games.,The Pelicans want to build on their longest winning streak of the season, currently at three games, when they welcome the Pacers for the first matchup between the teams thi...

Craig Berube chides Leafs after listless loss; Predators lay in wait
The embattled Toronto Maple Leafs will look for a sorely needed morale boost when they visit the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.,The Maple Leafs are coming off an uninspiring 4-0 walloping at the hands of the Washington Capitals, a result that snapped their league-leading 70-game non-shutout ...

No. 6 Purdue's wish list: Better defense, revenge on No. 21 Auburn
In a big-time matchup on Saturday, No. 21 Auburn will travel to Indianapolis to face No. 6 Purdue for the neutral-site Indy Classic during a weekend of top nonconference games.,Both squads have the ability to fill up the bucket -- Auburn (8-3) scores 86.5 points per game, while Purdue (10-1) average...

Seasoned coaches collide as No. 23 Virginia renews Maryland rivalry
After they each guided three different programs to the NCAA Tournament, Buzz Williams of Maryland and Ryan Odom of No. 23 Virginia took on new challenges this year.,Which first-year coach has his team in a better position to reach the tournament this year?,The answer will start to become clearer Sat...