preview Page 215 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Iowa, Michigan out to build on close conference wins
The Michigan Wolverines welcome the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday afternoon, with both teams coming off close wins on the first night of Big Ten play., ,Coach Dusty May's Wolverines (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) took down the No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers 67-64 on Tuesday in Michigan's first ranked road game of the sea...

Arizona in rare losing streak facing Southern Utah
Southern Utah and Arizona have reversed roles entering their game Saturday at Tucson, Ariz.,The Thunderbirds (8-2) are the team with the better record.,Arizona (3-4) is off to its worst start under fourth-year coach Tommy Lloyd. The Wildcats have not started 3-4 since former coach Sean Miller's firs...

Clemson rolling, Miami slumping ahead of ACC opener
With a win over host Miami on Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams, Clemson will likely vault into the AP Top 25 poll.,Clemson (8-1) has won five straight, including a 70-66 home victory over No. 4 Kentucky on Tuesday.,"We're under the shadow of (Clemson) football for sure...

Canes again can add to Isles' misery after recent playoff exits
The New York Islanders have been eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.,On Saturday afternoon, the Hurricanes can nudge the Islanders another step toward making it less likely they'll have to worry about the playoffs next spring.,The free-falling Islan...

SMU feeling good heading into ACC opener against Virginia
An energized SMU squad will carry a three-game winning streak against up-and-down Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for each team on Saturday in Dallas.,The game is the first for the Mustangs' basketball team as a member of one of the nation's perennial powerhouse leagues, but don't e...

Karl-Anthony Towns leads streaking Knicks against struggling Pistons
The New York Knicks look for their fifth win in a row on Saturday night as the visiting Detroit Pistons make the trip to Madison Square Garden for the first time this season.,The Knicks have won their last three games by an average of 24 points after starting their streak with a 99-98 win against th...

Wizards host Nuggets, aim to avoid franchise infamy
Washington will look to avoid a franchise-record losing streak when it hosts the Denver Nuggets on Saturday in Washington, D.C.,The Wizards have lost 16 in a row, tying a franchise record initially set in the 2009-10 season. They stand last in the Eastern Conference, but coach Brian Keefe trusts it'...

Utah HC, Sabres enduring frustrating spells
Two teams going through frustrating stretches meet Saturday afternoon in Buffalo when the host Sabres face the Utah Hockey Club.,The Sabres are mired in a season-worst five-game losing streak (0-3-2). Four of those losses were by one goal, and two occurred in overtime. However, there's more to the s...

Stars end road trip with playoff rematch in Vegas
The Dallas Stars finish up a three-game Western road trip on Friday night when they face the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas.,It's the first time the two teams have met since the first round of the Western Conference playoffs last spring. Dallas rallied from a 2-0 deficit ...

Villanova seeks consistency against skidding Temple
Fresh off its biggest win of the season, Villanova hopes to ride the momentum into its matchup against Temple on Saturday in Philadelphia.,The Wildcats and Owls are meeting as part of the Big 5 Classic, which features the six Division I programs in the Philadelphia area. Villanova and Temple each fi...

St. John's makes emotional return to court vs. Kansas State
The last chance for St. John's to bolster its nonconference resume comes at an emotional time.,In their first game since Lou Carnesecca passed away, the Red Storm host Kansas State in the Big 12-Big East Battle on Saturday in New York in the small arena named for the legendary coach.,The Red Storm (...

Utah, Saint Mary's collide in early season test
Utah coach Craig Smith is preparing his players for a possibly unpleasant -- but hopefully productive -- experience when the Utes host Saint Mary's on Saturday in Salt Lake City.,"You know, it's a little bit like going to the dentist," Smith said of playing the Gaels during an ESPN700 interview. "Th...

South Carolina believes tide is turning, prepares for East Carolina
Coming off a 26-win season and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, South Carolina has struggled to regain its form from a year ago.,With wins over power-conference schools in its last two games, however, South Carolina (5-3) is on an upswing as it prepares to host East Carolina (7-2) on Saturday i...

On the rise with new coach, Bruins battle Flyers
The Boston Bruins have continued to build their game with each outing of Joe Sacco's two-week tenure as interim head coach.,After completing a midweek back-to-back and three-in-four stretch Wednesday with a 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, the Bruins return home for a Saturday matinee against an...

Boston College, Wake Forest seek consistency on offense
Boston College and Wake Forest hope to find rhythm on offense after they both bumbled through games earlier this week.,The teams meet in an Atlantic Coast Conference opener Saturday afternoon in Winston-Salem, N.C.,"There's some stuff we need to improve and some stuff we need to tighten up," Boston ...

Rebounding is critical for Nebraska at Michigan State
For the moment, Nebraska and Michigan State are not ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.,But both the Cornhuskers and Spartans earned votes in the latest poll and are playing stellar basketball of late, which makes Saturday's Big Ten contest in East Lansing, Mich., an intriguing one.,Nebraska...

Notre Dame staggers into ACC opener vs. Syracuse
Notre Dame is hoping there is no place like home when it takes on Syracuse in both teams' Atlantic Coast Conference opener Saturday afternoon.,The Fighting Irish (4-5) haven't played in South Bend, Ind., since a stunning loss to Elon on Nov. 22. Notre Dame has dropped its last five games, including ...

Ohio State tries to recover from blowout, hosts Rutgers
Ohio State coach Jake Diebler expects a better start when the Buckeyes return home to play Rutgers on Saturday in Columbus.,After all, the Buckeyes (5-3, 0-1 Big Ten) couldn't play any worse than they did in Wednesday's 83-59 loss at Maryland that doesn't come close to showing how dominant the Terra...

No. 23 Ole Miss hosts Lindenwood as SEC preparation continues
No. 23 Ole Miss has plenty of capable scorers.,The Rebels (7-1) are using their pre-Southeastern Conference schedule to figure out their best lineup and rotation before they begin conference play. And they'll have another chance to experiment on Saturday when they host Lindenwood in Oxford, Miss.,Ol...

Cavs, working on new win streak, face stumbling Hornets
The Cleveland Cavaliers have begun what they hope is another extended winning streak.,They'll try to stretch it to four wins in a row against a team in a rut when the Cavaliers visit the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday afternoon.,The Cavaliers see this as a time in the season to keep finding ways to b...