preview Page 21 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Indiana chasing bounce-back effort vs. Chicago State
The priorities for Indiana coach Darian DeVries seemed clear ahead of Saturday's home game against Chicago State at Bloomington, Ind.,The Hoosiers (8-3) are coming off a 72-60 loss to Kentucky on Dec. 13 in the first regular season meeting between the teams in 14 years. Indiana had 18 turnovers that...

Hot-shooting Georgia Tech looks to take down Lafayette
Georgia Tech will look to ride the hot shooting of Kowacie Reeves Jr. and continue its recent success from the perimeter on Saturday when they host Lafayette in a nonconference game in Atlanta.,The Yellow Jackets (7-4) fell just shy of a single-game school record in Tuesday's 87-76 win over Marist, ...

No. 14 Arkansas meets No. 8 Houston as freshman flashes elite talent
Arkansas freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. is playing like the one-and-done he was projected to be. Fifth-year senior forward Trevon Brazile seemingly has saved his best for last.,Acuff and Brazile have been the main drivers in the No. 14 Razorbacks' fast start as they prepare to meet No. 8 Houston in...

Rockets return to Denver five days after frustrating OT loss
The last time the Houston Rockets were in Denver, they left angry and defeated. Five days later they have a chance to rewrite the ending when they return to face the Nuggets on Saturday afternoon.,Following Denver's 128-125 overtime win on Monday night, Houston head coach Ime Udoka was critical of t...

Kansas State to put revamped approach up against South Dakota
Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang believes his Wildcats have things figured out with Big 12 Conference play set to arrive at the start of the new year.,The Wildcats (7-4) will test his theory Saturday when they host South Dakota (7-6) in Manhattan, Kan. It is one of two nonconference games remaini...

Hot-shooting UCLA wary of Cal Poly's visit
UCLA aims to follow up its top shooting spree of the season when it faces Cal Poly on Friday night in Los Angeles.,The Bruins buried 14 3-pointers in 26 attempts during Wednesday's 90-77 home victory over Arizona State. Skyy Clark matched his season best of six treys to lead the long-range assault.,...

Devils hope to continue 'progress' at Mammoth
The New Jersey Devils will try to complete a sweep of their two-game road trip on Friday when they face the Utah Mammoth in Salt Lake City.,The Devils opened the trip with a 2-1 shootout victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas on Wednesday as goaltender Jake Allen turned in a sparkling pe...

Jets face tall order in trying to slow Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche will try to build on the best start in franchise history when they battle the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night in Denver.,Colorado leads the NHL with 55 points in just 33 games, has lost just twice in regulation and is 13-0-2 on home ice. The Avalanche carry an 11-game home winni...

Wisconsin searching for stronger defense vs. Villanova
Wisconsin will be looking for renewed defensive commitment when it takes on Villanova in a nonconference game Friday night as part of the Milwaukee Hoops Showdown.,Wisconsin (7-3) has been idle since a lopsided 90-60 Big Ten road loss at No. 15 Nebraska last Wednesday, when it allowed the Cornhusker...

Islanders aim to continue surge vs. rebuilding Canucks
Bo Horvat is one of three key New York Islanders who won't suit up Friday night against the Vancouver Canucks, with whom Horvat spent the first eight-plus seasons of his career.,But the Islanders, even in their banged-up state, are faring far better than Horvat's former club.,The Islanders will look...

Cavaliers eye split with Bulls in finale of home-and-home set
The Bulls held serve in Chicago, winning the first half of their home-and-home set against the Cleveland Cavaliers behind a triple-double from Josh Giddey.,Cleveland will attempt to return the favor Friday, along with stopping its slide down the Eastern Conference standings.,Giddey moved into 23rd p...

Seton Hall's staunch defense faces Providence's potent offense
Shaheen Holloway and Seton Hall are finding their groove with stout defense after already surpassing their win total from last season.,Meanwhile, Providence has struggled against Power Five talent, but is set on turning things around behind a high-octane offense.,The teams have a key confidence boos...

Commanders set on spoiling Philly's playoff party
Philadelphia is on the brink of becoming the NFC East's first repeat champion since the Eagles won the division four straight years from 2001-04.,More than two decades later, the Eagles (9-5) only need to win one of the three regular-season games left on their schedule or have the Dallas Cowboys (6-...

Defenses present challenges for young Vikings, Giants QBs
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart knows that he is in for a challenge Sunday against the visiting Minnesota Vikings and their aggressive defensive coordinator, Brian Flores.,What does Dart see when he studies film of Flores' defense?,"Just chaos," Dart said. "Chaos -- just trying to disguise d...

Rookie QBs in spotlight for Jets-Saints Week 16 meeting
The New Orleans Saints have gotten a lift since turning to rookie quarterback Tyler Shough as a starter., ,The New York Jets (3-11) are hoping to get a lift from rookie quarterback Brady Cook when he makes his second start against the Saints on Sunday in New Orleans., ,The Saints (4-10) have won two...

Playoff berth within Bills' grasp in matchup vs. hapless Browns
The Buffalo Bills look to clinch a playoff berth for the seventh consecutive season on Sunday when they visit the Cleveland Browns.,The Bills (10-4) also have an eye on first place in the AFC East after overcoming a 21-point deficit in a 35-31 victory over the New England Patriots (11-3) last Sunday...

Sharks out to extend win streak, avenge recent loss to Stars
The Dallas Stars are off to one of the NHL's hottest starts, but forward Matt Duchene still sees room for improvement heading into a road game against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night.,"We win a lot of games by a goal, or even two goals, but I think we can do a better job of continuing to end g...

Thriving despite key injuries, Magic and Nuggets face off
The Orlando Magic have dealt with significant injuries, yet still sit tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. They will have to continue without key players when they open a tough four-game road trip against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night.,Orlando's Paolo Banchero recently returned fr...

Spurs can bring momentum from NBA Cup into clash with Wizards
The San Antonio Spurs will look to parlay the momentum from a runner-up finish in the NBA Cup and a healthy roster into continued success when they host the Washington Wizards on Thursday.,The Spurs head home for a brief respite after a 124-113 loss to New York on Tuesday in the NBA Cup final in Las...

Pelicans enjoying rare rise with defensive-minded Rockets on horizon
The New Orleans Pelicans, last in the Western Conference, seek their first three-game winning streak of the season when they host the Houston Rockets on Thursday.,The Pelicans snapped a seven-game losing skid -- their third stretch with at least six consecutive losses -- with a 143-120 home rout of ...