preview Page 24 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Marquette, Providence bid to climb out of Big East basement
Looking to end another three-game losing skid, Marquette welcomes Providence to Milwaukee on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in a battle of two teams in the bottom four of the Big East standings.,It was a short trip south to Chicago for the Golden Eagles (6-13, 1-7 Big East) on Friday, where after a prom...

Spurs gear up for Jazz after narrowly averting collapse
It says a lot about the San Antonio Spurs' progress this season that recent postgame criticism centered not on winning and losing but on how their latest victory was accomplished.,The Spurs understand there are issues that need to be addressed entering their home game against the Utah Jazz on Monday...

Their 'juice' back, Rockets out to keep Pelicans reeling
The Houston Rockets were in no position to take the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves lightly on Friday, even with Anthony Edwards unavailable while managing a lingering foot injury.,The Rockets needed every bit of their usual blend of efficient offense and defensive tenacity to outlast the Timber...

Nets making strides ahead of rematch with Bulls
The Brooklyn Nets edged the visiting Chicago Bulls on Friday to stop a five-game skid.,On Sunday, the Nets will try to win consecutive games for just the third time this season as they enter a rematch against the Bulls in Chicago.,Brooklyn squandered a 20-point, fourth-quarter lead Friday before rec...

Coach tells Oklahoma St. to 'look in the mirror' before K-State clash
Oklahoma State coach Steve Lutz has been preaching defense all season, and the Cowboys finally seemed to have listened last week when they held UCF and Iowa State below their season averages.,That all went out the window in a 94-79 loss to Baylor Tuesday.,Oklahoma State (13-4, 1-3 Big 12) will try t...

Texas hosts rival Texas A&M in early SEC showdown
Expect the fur to fly when rivals Texas and Texas A&M square off on Saturday in a Southeastern Conference clash in Austin, Texas.,The Longhorns (11-6, 2-2 SEC) are playing their best basketball of the season as of late, having defeated two ranked conference opponents over a five-day stretch. Texas' ...

Florida State hopes to address defense in time to face Wake Forest
Florida State and Wake Forest are both striving to end losing streaks as the teams prepare to meet Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla.,It's been a rough first season for coach Luke Loucks at Florida State (7-10, 0-4 Atlantic Coast Conference). The Seminoles are 2-9 over their past 11 games, including a fo...

No. 9 Gonzaga forges on minus Braden Huff as Seattle seeks revenge
The past few days have been rough for No. 9 Gonzaga after losing star player Braden Huff to injury, but the Bulldogs will try to keep trudging on as they visit Seattle University on Saturday night in a West Coast Conference tilt.,Huff -- who had been enjoying a career year, averaging 17.8 points and...

No. 20 Louisville tries to stop the bleeding at Pitt
It's been a tough start to the new year for Louisville, and coach Pat Kelsey vows that will change. The No. 20 Cardinals will get a chance to prove that when they visit Pitt for an Atlantic Coast Conference game Saturday night.,Louisville (12-5, 2-3 ACC) is coming off a 79-70 loss at home to No. 16 ...

Spotlight on LaMelo Ball, Stephen Curry as Hornets visit Warriors
Two point guards who know how to put on a show will have to share the stage Saturday night when LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets duel Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco.,Curry had 26 points and Ball 27 when the Warriors went to Charlotte and pulled out an entertaining ...

Bruins out to continue hot stretch in clash vs. Blackhawks
After sweeping a five-game homestand, the Boston Bruins will look to continue their recent winning ways when they hit the road to clash with the Original Six rival Chicago Blackhawks for the second time this season on Saturday night.,A 4-2 Thursday win over the Seattle Kraken wrapped up the perfect ...

Streaking Thunder focused on themselves as they visit Heat
After two straight losses earlier this month, the Oklahoma City Thunder seem to be back on track.,The Thunder, the defending NBA champions and league leaders at 35-7, take their deep and talented roster to Miami to face the Heat on Saturday night.,Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was happy t...

No. 11 BYU-No. 15 Texas Tech a clash of Big 12 powers
Every game on a conference schedule counts the same at its core. Once in a while, though, there is a little more pizzazz attached, and that will be the case Saturday night in Lubbock, Texas.,Two of the top teams in the powerful Big 12 Conference get together when No. 11 BYU tangles with No. 15 Texas...

New-look Hawks return to Atlanta to welcome Celtics
Atlanta fans will get their first glimpse at the new-look Hawks on Saturday when the club returns home to entertain the Boston Celtics.,The Hawks have been on a four-game West Coast road trip since the team traded away all-star point guard Trae Young on Jan. 7. Atlanta went 2-2 on the trip and lost ...

Indiana's Tucker DeVries hopes to break out of slump vs. Iowa
Indiana coach Darian DeVries has helped plenty of players navigate their way through slumps.,This time, the player happens to be his son.,Tucker DeVries will try to break out of a recent funk when Indiana (12-5, 3-3 Big Ten Conference) tips off against Iowa (12-5, 2-4) on Saturday afternoon in Bloom...

Trending upward, Jets aim to hand Leafs 3rd straight loss
The Winnipeg Jets will hope to continue their steady ascent when they host the frazzled Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.,The Jets are coming off a commanding 6-2 win over the Minnesota Wild, posting their fourth consecutive victory. Mark Scheifele tallied a goal and three assists, while Jonath...

Mammoth point streak is snowballing as Kraken wrap road trip
Coach Andre Tourigny suggested things are starting to snowball for the Utah Mammoth -- in a positive way.,The Mammoth improved to 4-0-1 on their season-long, seven-game homestand with a 2-1 victory against the Dallas Stars, who are second in the NHL's overall standings. They will try to extend that ...

LSU, last winless team in SEC play, takes aim at Missouri
While Missouri may be ascending with three notable conference wins so far, LSU is struggling to make timely plays and remains the only winless team in the SEC.,Missouri attempts to stay at the top of the SEC Saturday afternoon when it visits struggling LSU in Baton Rouge, La.,Missouri (13-4, 3-1 SEC...

Syracuse, leaning on Donnie Freeman, takes on Boston College
Donnie Freeman will try to lead Syracuse to its fourth straight victory when the Orange visit Boston College in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup Saturday in Chestnut Hill, Mass.,Freeman, a 6-foot-9 forward, has scored at least 18 points in each of the four games he's played since returning after...

Wisconsin showing toughness on Big Ten win streak; Rutgers up next
While his play and his team's form lately might imply otherwise, Wisconsin guard John Blackwell says that not everything is perfect.,"It's not always going to be sunshine and rainbows," Blackwell said. "You pray about things and you imagine things, and it's not always going to be the case.",However,...