review Page 18 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Auburn leans on defense heading into SEC tourney matchup with No. 25 Tennessee
NASHVILLE -- Auburn hopes to bolster its NCAA Tournament resume when it meets No. 25-ranked Tennessee in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Thursday afternoon.,The 12th-seeded Tigers (17-15) trailed by 10 points in the first half but rallied to beat 13th-seeded Mississippi...

No. 2 Arizona rides considerable scoring depth into clash vs. UCF
Arizona captured the regular-season title in the Big 12, perhaps the toughest conference in the country, and Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd knows what that means.,Expectations that No. 2-ranked Arizona still will be playing basketball in April when the Final Four is held in Indianapolis.,The top-seeded ...

Miami stresses 'urgency' in rematch vs. No. 24 Louisville
CHARLOTTE -- Miami and No. 24-ranked Louisville will meet for the second time in six days on Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.,The third-seeded Hurricanes (24-7) tied the school record for most victories in a regular season. But they will look to wi...

Wisconsin, in familiar No. 5 Big Ten seed, seeks rerun vs. Washington
Wisconsin was the fifth seed in the Big Ten tournament in each of the past two seasons, and it reached the title game both times.,The 23rd-ranked Badgers (22-9) will look to make it three in a row out of the No. 5 post as they open tournament play with a third-round matchup against 12th-seeded Washi...

Missouri pursues potentially pivotal win over Kentucky
NASHVILLE -- Kentucky, fresh off an opening-round win over LSU, meets a rested Missouri squad in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Wednesday.,The Wildcats got 23 points and eight rebounds from Otega Oweh (18.3 ppg) in an 87-82 win over LSU on Wednesday.,"I thought O was g...

Providence draws tough task of shutting down Zuby Ejiofor, No. 13 St. John's
Providence has at least one more game under Kim English. And that game could not feature a juicier opponent.,The ninth-seeded Friars rode a historic game from freshman Stefan Vaaks to a Big East tournament win over eighth-seeded Butler on Wednesday, setting up a second-round showdown with top-seeded...

After historic rout, No. 7 Iowa State gears up for No. 16 Texas Tech
Iowa State steamrolled Arizona State by a Big 12 tournament-record 49 points on Wednesday.,Its reward? A date with well-rested Texas Tech.,The fifth-seeded Cyclones lost at home to the fourth-seeded Red Raiders on the final day of last month and now get another shot at Texas Tech in Thursday's quart...

No. 10 Virginia chases 3-game season sweep of NC State
Now might be a good time for North Carolina State to become a bit greedy.,The seventh-ranked Wolfpack snapped out of a funk to capture a victory in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament on Wednesday in Charlotte, putting them in a Thursday afternoon quarterfinal against second-seeded and 10th-ran...

Predators in hot playoff pursuit against hapless Canucks
The Nashville Predators will look to keep their playoff hopes alive when they visit the last-place Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.,The Predators gave their late-season playoff push a boost Tuesday night with a 4-2 come-from-behind victory over Seattle, which is just one point above them in the battle...

Contending Mammoth out to avoid sweep by Blackhawks
For the third time in less than two weeks, the Utah Mammoth will face the Blackhawks, with Chicago aiming to complete a four-game season sweep on Thursday in Salt Lake City.,While the Mammoth are in firm possession of a playoff spot and the Blackhawks are playing the final month with an eye toward n...

Lakers executing at both ends sans LeBron James; Bulls up next
On a charge up the Western Conference standings, the Los Angeles Lakers will be out to continue their momentum with a visit from the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.,The Lakers have won six of their past seven games and are unbeaten through three games of their current homestand after a 120-106 victory ov...

Vegas looks to snap out of post-break rut with Penguins in town
The Vegas Golden Knights held a seemingly comfortable four-point lead in the Pacific Division going into the three-week Winter Olympics break last month. But heading into Thursday's contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the opener of a key four-game homestand, Vegas now finds itself in third plac...

NHL-leading Avs aim to dent Kraken's wild-card aspirations
So, there is a way to defeat the Colorado Avalanche.,Make them play with just 10 forwards.,That's what happened to Colorado on Tuesday night against visiting Edmonton and the result was a 4-3 defeat that snapped the NHL-leading Avalanche's five-game winning streak.,The Avs will look to start a new r...

Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pursuing record vs. restored Celtics
Coming off one of the best games of his career, Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will try to make history when the Thunder host the Boston Celtics on Thursday in a matchup of two of the top teams in the NBA.,With 20 or more points, Gilgeous-Alexander would break Wilt Chamberlain's ...

Grizzlies go for season sweep over Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks find themselves in a tailspin.,Entering Thursday's road game against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Mavericks have dropped eight straight and 18 of their past 20, including Tuesday's 124-112 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.,But Dallas coach Jason Kidd isn't overly concerned. He understand...

Jets hoping to re-take flight vs. rejuvenated Rangers
The Jets will be looking for redemption, while the New York Rangers will try to win their third straight for the first time since November when they visit Winnipeg on Thursday night.,The Rangers are coming off a 4-0 shutout win over Calgary on Tuesday at home, following a 6-2 victory in Philadelphia...

Streaking Stars host Oilers in potential offensive showcase
The red-hot Dallas Stars look to extend their points' streak to 14 games when they host the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.,Dallas is 12-0-1 in its last 13 games, tied for the second-longest points streak in club history. The 1998-99 Stars -- the franchise's only Stanley Cup-winning squad -- are first ...

Will Heat's Bam Adebayo produce a worthy encore vs. Bucks?
Bucks coach Doc Rivers started his postgame press conference on Tuesday night with a question., "Is it true a human being had 83 points tonight?" Rivers asked.,The answer, of course, is yes. Miami's Bam Adebayo scored 83 on Tuesday night in a win over Washington, giving the Heat center the second-hi...

Hawks continue push for guaranteed playoff spot vs. Nets
A month ago, the Atlanta Hawks looked destined to make their fifth straight trip to the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. While the team remains in the ninth spot of the conference standings, a seven-game winning streak has Atlanta searching for a top-six finish.,Enjoying a stretch that will se...

Lightning, Red Wings each licking wounds entering clash
The Detroit Red Wings and host Tampa Bay Lightning limp into their third matchup this season coming off bad losses on Tuesday night in Florida. ,Holding the top wild-card spot, the Red Wings had another terrible-looking injury to a forward, this time Andrew Copp, in a 4-3 setback against the Florida...