preview Page 44 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

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...

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-...