preview Page 87 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
No. 23 BYU banks on toughness as broken Utah visits Provo
The 23rd-ranked Cougars charge into Saturday night's regular-season finale against visiting Utah in Provo as holders of a seven-game winning streak, five of them against Quad 1 opponents. ,That earned them a bye into the Big 12 Conference tournament quarterfinals, and BYU is in position to land a ve...
No. 3 Houston past Big 12 bubbly, can bump Baylor to tourney bubble
Kelvin Sampson doesn't like to talk publicly about Houston's accomplishments.,The next accolade No. 3 Houston can attain is always more important to him than pelts on the wall.,But the Houston head coach allowed a rare moment of reflection leading up to Saturday's regular-season finale against Baylo...
No. 2 Duke's one focus is second win over North Carolina
This could be the first and last all in one for Duke freshman sensation Cooper Flagg, who gets his first taste of the Tobacco Road rivalry at Chapel Hill on Saturday night. ,The final stop in the regular season for No. 2 Duke comes against streaking North Carolina in another edition of the storied r...
No. 12 Wisconsin angles for higher seed, faces lowly Penn State
Wisconsin will look to keep alive its hopes of securing a double bye in the Big Ten Conference tournament when the 12th-ranked Badgers host Penn State in the regular-season finale Saturday afternoon in Madison, Wis.,Wisconsin (23-7, 13-6) surged past a 55-53 deficit over the final seven minutes for ...
Alex Pereira takes aim at 4th title defense at UFC 313
LAS VEGAS -- Alex Pereira will seek his fourth UFC light heavyweight title defense in under a calendar year on Saturday night when he takes on Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313.,Pereira (12-2, 10 knockouts) closed 2024 with his third successful title defense, beating Khalil Rountree Jr. ...
No. 25 Miss. State, Arkansas seek consistency in season finale
Mississippi State has lost three of four games since climbing above .500 in Southeastern Conference play.,"We're not perfect players," Bulldogs guard Shawn Jones Jr. said. "We're not going to win all of them.",Still, the No. 25 Bulldogs know it would behoove them to prevail in Saturday's regular-sea...
No. 19 Kentucky looks to continue on 'uptick' vs. No. 15 Missouri
No. 19 Kentucky has had to adjust on the fly this season while overcoming myriad injuries, including guard Jaxson Robinson's season-ending wrist surgery.,Coach Mark Pope believes the Wildcats (20-10, 9-8 Southeastern Conference) will take an effective rotation into their regular-season finale Saturd...
Golden Knights bid to stay hot against scuffling Penguins
Two teams who have been busy in the trade market face off on Friday night when the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights face the last-place team from the Metropolitan Division, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in Las Vegas.,Vegas, which holds a six-point lead over the Edmonton Oilers, brings a thre...
Winless Dynamo not discouraged as they take aim at Crew
The Houston Dynamo and host Columbus Crew aim to bounce back from disheartening losses in different competitions when they play Saturday.,For the Dynamo (0-2-0, 0 points), a chance to compete with one of the best teams in MLS fizzled in a 4-1 loss to Lionel Messi-less Inter Miami last Saturday.,Yet ...
Thunder believe defense is back on track, welcome Blazers
Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault wasn't overly concerned about his team's sluggish defensive start after the All-Star break.,But heading into the Thunder's Friday home game against the Portland Trail Blazers, Daigneault hopes his side can sustain the defensive momentum it built in Wednesd...
Kings look to stay in playoff hunt as they host Spurs
The Sacramento Kings will look to get back on the winning track and move closer to solidifying a spot in the postseason when they host the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night in a late-season Western Conference matchup., ,At 32-29, the new look Kings sit in ninth place -- just 1 1/2 game out of avoidi...
Red-hot Blues look to maintain momentum in meeting with Ducks
The St. Louis Blues will continue pursuing a playoff spot on their road trip in a Friday night meeting with the Anaheim Ducks.,The Blues are coming off a comeback 3-2 shootout victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday -- their final clash before the trade deadline -- and are on a 6-1-1 run to ...
Wild look to continue road success in battle with Canucks
The NHL's top road team faces a club finally starting to make some noise on home ice when the Minnesota Wild visit the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.,Minnesota is 22-9-3 in away games this season, with an NHL-leading 47 road points. This success has kept the Wild in third place in the Central Division...
Struggling Suns need wins, Nuggets next team in way
With five weeks left in the regular season, the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets are battling for playoff positioning. While Denver is jockeying for the second overall seed in the Western Conference, Phoenix is fighting for its postseason life.,The Suns sit outside the play-in tournament with 20 game...
Atlanta tries to shake off tough loss when Red Bulls visit
Back home after last week's disappointing showing against Charlotte FC, Atlanta United will host the New York Red Bulls on Saturday in hopes of earning a win over its Eastern Conference foe.,Atlanta (1-1-0, 3 points) followed its 3-2 season-opening win over CF Montreal with a 2-0 defeat in Charlotte...
Sporting KC, DC United chase first win of '25
One shared goal draws Sporting Kansas City to D.C. United on Saturday night: Earn their first win of 2025. ,Kansas City (0-2-0, 0 points) has been the busiest of the two sides, also absorbing a 4-1 aggregate loss to Inter Miami in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, sandwiched around its MLS opener, a 1-0 ...
No. 16 Memphis primed for postseason run, but first takes on USF
No. 16 Memphis has already secured the top seed in the upcoming American Athletic Conference tournament and at least a share of the conference's regular-season title.,They will be attempting to win the latter outright when they host the South Florida Bulls on Friday night.,If the Tigers (25-5, 15-2 ...
Young players having to step up for Raptors, Jazz
The Toronto Raptors have proven they can win and learn at the same time, and they aim to continue the trend Friday night against the visiting Utah Jazz.,Rookie Ja'Kobe Walter hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 0.5 seconds left when the Raptors defeated the Orlando Magic 114-113 on Tuesday to comple...
Grizzlies, Mavericks are two teams heading in wrong direction
The Dallas Mavericks play host to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night in a game that will be a reflection of how quickly things can turn.,The Grizzlies spent most of the past two months second in the Western Conference behind runaway leader Oklahoma City. But they will enter the game against the M...
Heat turn focus to Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves
When the Heat play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, a key for host Miami will be its defensive coverage on Anthony Edwards.,The 6-foot-4 Timberwolves star is averaging career highs in points (27.5), free-throw percentage (83.7) and 3-point percentage (40.6).,Edwards, who finished second i...