review Page 224 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

West Virginia gets first test away from home vs. Clemson in Charleston
West Virginia needs to see what it can do when stepping out of its comfort zone, while Clemson is anxious for another shot at a fellow power-conference opponent.,The two teams will learn how their efforts pan out when they meet in the Charleston Classic's Palmetto Bracket on Friday night in Charlest...

Hurricanes see plenty to build on as they head north to face Jets
Two of the NHL's perennial regular-season juggernauts are set to clash on Friday, and the Carolina Hurricanes will be searching for consistency when they head to Winnipeg to battle the Jets.,The Hurricanes have seen mixed results since their four-game win streak finished on Nov. 9, carrying a 2-1-2 ...

Rutgers on upset alert vs. high-achieving Central Connecticut
After 27 years as a well-travelled high school coach and college assistant, Patrick Sellers took on a challenging assignment at his alma mater, Central Connecticut State, a program that had amassed 10 straight losing seasons when he arrived in 2021.,Talk about a home run hire. The Blue Devils have i...

No. 12 Kentucky expects better results ahead with Loyola (Md.) next up
The nonconference schedule for No. 12 Kentucky has not gone as planned through five games, but coach Mark Pope and his squad get another shot Friday night when the Wildcats host Loyola (Maryland) in Lexington, Ken.,High expectations exist around a Kentucky roster that reportedly checks in at $20 mil...

Wild ready to put point streak on line vs. Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins returned home from Sweden this week after splitting the NHL Global Series and will try to cool off Matt Boldy and the visiting Minnesota Wild on Friday night.,Pittsburgh shut out the Nashville Predators 4-0 in Stockholm on Sunday; they lost the opener 2-1 in overtime after gi...

No. 10 Gators to work on 3-point shooting as Merrimack visits
When No. 10 Florida hosts Merrimack College on Friday night in Gainesville, Fla., it will be seeking improvement in what's been one glaring deficiency so far this season.,The Gators (3-1), coming off back-to-back wins over state rivals Miami and Florida State, have prevailed despite shooting 23.7% f...

No. 17 Michigan State out to build off 2nd marquee win vs. Detroit Mercy
There is one big question facing No. 17 Michigan State as it prepares to take on Detroit Mercy on Friday in East Lansing, Mich.,Can the Spartans avoid a letdown?,One certainly appears possible, given how impressive Michigan State looked in one of its most important nonconference games of the season,...

Florida State brings defensive 'urgency' into Georgia Southern tilt
Luke Loucks made it clear he was bringing a fast tempo and a bunch of 3-point shooting to the Florida State basketball team.,The defensive chaos the Seminoles have created early in his coaching tenure is a bit more of a surprise.,Florida State forced 26 turnovers in Tuesday's 87-73 win over UT Marti...

No. 6 Louisville rafts into Ohio River rival territory to tackle Cincinnati
A long-time rivalry between Ohio River rivals renews Friday night when No. 6 Louisville visits Cincinnati. , ,The Cardinals (4-0) are among the fastest risers in the polls since the start of the season, jumping six spots to No. 6 after rolling past another rival -- Kentucky 96-88 -- behind star fres...

Inconsistent Washington eyes get-right opportunity vs. struggling UCLA
Longtime Pac-12 Conference counterparts meet under the Big Ten banner on Saturday when UCLA welcomes Washington to Pasadena, Calif. for the 78th all-time matchup between the programs. ,Washington (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) makes its first visit to Rose Bowl Stadium since September 2022, playing the first of...

Cal, Stanford set for 128th edition of the Big Game rivalry
Highly decorated coach Frank Reich would love nothing more than to add to his impressive resume when he leads Stanford up against visiting Cal in the annual Big Game rivalry Saturday.,A two-time former NFL head coach who won a Super Bowl ring as offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles in 20...

LSU might be without Garrett Nussmeier again as it faces W. Kentucky
LSU's Southeastern Conference title hopes ended a while ago., ,Western Kentucky is still in the thick of the Conference USA championship race., ,The Tigers (6-4, 3-4 SEC) and the Hilltoppers (8-2, 6-1 C-USA) meet in a nonconference game Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La., before finishing their conf...

Lando Norris hopes to exorcise Las Vegas Grand Prix demons, preserve WDC lead
LAS VEGAS - An undecided World Drivers' Championship with three races remaining gives the third Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix a level of intrigue the previous editions lacked, but the spectacle-driven circuit on the Strip still hasn't become a favorite among the sport's drivers.,In 2023, the first-...

Bret Bielema returns to Wisconsin as Illinois eyes 3rd straight win
Illinois will be looking for its third consecutive victory when it travels to face reeling Wisconsin in a Big Ten matchup Saturday in Madison, Wis.,No. 21 Illinois (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) is coming off a 24-6 win at home over Maryland behind two touchdown passes by Luke Altmyer. The Illini have won two s...

Clemson eyes bowl eligibility vs. FCS opponent Furman
Consecutive wins over Florida State and then-No. 20 Louisville have Clemson, the preseason fourth-ranked team, in position to become bowl eligible when the Tigers host FCS opponent Furman on Saturday.,The Tigers (5-5, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) avoided a losing conference record with a 20-19 win...

South Carolina out to snap 5-game skid vs. Coastal Carolina
South Carolina went back to work this week after a gut-wrenching 31-30 loss to third-ranked Texas A&M.,The Gamecocks (3-7) led 30-3 at the half before a second-half collapse led to their demise.,Now, they will aim to bounce back Saturday at home against a Coastal Carolina (6-4) team that had been on...

Lowly UCF, Oklahoma State eager to snap losing streaks
In the past eight weeks, UCF and Oklahoma State have combined for just one win.,This week may be both teams' last chance for a victory this season when they clash in Orlando on Saturday. ,The Cowboys (1-9, 0-7 Big 12) haven't done much good this season as they fired long-time coach Mike Gundy in Sep...

Virginia expecting test from Northwestern in West Virginia
Arrinten Page continues to impress Northwestern coach Chris Collins since his transfer from Cincinnati.,Page capably has slotted in alongside returning Big Ten leading scorer Nick Martinelli, averaging 16 points after contributing a career-best 22 during an 81-79 home win against DePaul last Friday....

Bill Belichick debuts in Duke rivalry as UNC clings to bowl hopes
Losses left Duke and North Carolina looking for something to square their attention on the task at hand this week.,So they have each other.,The neighboring rivals meet Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C., playing for the Victory Bell, which goes to the winner of this annual matchup.,"The great thing about...

Davidson's perfect start on the line vs. Boston College
Davidson has the ability to put up big scoring numbers, a point proven since the season began two weeks ago. Boston College cannot make the same claim.,The teams meet Friday afternoon in the opening round of the Charleston Classic in Charleston, S.C.,Davidson (4-0) has won three home games and preva...