review Page 489 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Amid three-game skid, Predators out for revenge on Ducks
The last 15 games of a lost NHL season can seem like a lifetime, but the Nashville Predators still hope they can generate some momentum heading into a long offseason.,The Predators will get their next chance to end their latest skid when they host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.,Nashville (25-3...

Canucks' critical road trip begins against defensive-minded Blues
The Vancouver Canucks' postseason hopes hang in the balance as they head out for a pivotal six-game road trip.,The Canucks (32-25-11, 75 points) will start that journey Thursday night in St. Louis to play the Blues (34-28-7, 75 points).,Vancouver has gone 6-7-0 since the break for the 4 Nations Face...

Cruising Capitals host offensively-challenged Flyers
The Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals will play host to the floundering Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.,The Capitals (45-15-8, 98 points) have won seven of their past eight contests, with their latest win coming on Tuesday when they took down the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 on the road.,Loga...

Both playoff chases in focus when Devils, Flames meet
The New Jersey Devils have created space ahead of their closest pursuers with the Stanley Cup playoffs coming into sight, and look to solidify their position further when they play host to the Calgary Flames on Thursday.,The Devils (37-26-6, 80 points) have won four of five games and own an eight-po...

Panthers in search of speed in visit to Blue Jackets
The Florida Panthers find themselves scrambling to shore up their defense as they continue their six-game road trip against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.,Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is deemed week-to-week after sustaining an apparent right arm injury in the first period of Florida's 4-2 setba...

Peter Malnati faces strong field in defense of Valspar title
Xander Schauffele headlines a surprisingly strong field at the Valspar Championship, the last leg of the PGA Tour's Florida swing that tees off Thursday in Palm Harbor, Fla.,Schauffele is the No. 3 player in the Official World Golf Ranking, one of seven top-20 players at Innisbrook Resort's Copperhe...

Vanderbilt takes aim at stingy Saint Mary's defense
East Region opponents Saint Mary's and Vanderbilt meet in the first round Friday in Cleveland, bringing squads of considerably different makeup but with a similar goal: reaching the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in more than a decade.,Seventh-seeded Saint Mary's (28-5) has...

Tom Izzo preps Michigan St. for late-night date with Bryant
Michigan State opens as the NCAA Tournament late show with no designs on going home early. ,The Spartans (27-6) won the Big Ten regular-season title and extended the program's streak to 27 consecutive appearances in the tournament. They were given the No. 2 seed in the South Region in Cleveland. The...

North Carolina battles Ole Miss after rout in First Four
MILWAUKEE -- The question of which team sixth-seeded Ole Miss would face in the first round of the NCAA Tournament South Region on Friday was emphatically answered by North Carolina.,The 11th-seeded Tar Heels (23-13), whose spot in the tournament was roundly questioned, advanced with a 95-68 rout of...

Kentucky vies to clear upset-prone tag; underdog asks 'Why not Troy?'
MILWAUKEE -- First-year Kentucky coach Mark Pope is extremely familiar with the Wildcats' NCAA Tournament legacy, but he's also well aware of the recent history of opening-weekend upsets.,The No. 3-seeded Wildcats face No. 14 seed Troy in the opening round of the Midwest Region on Friday in Milwauke...

Keeshawn Barthelemy, Oregon keeping Liberty in sight
Oregon and Liberty have never met on the basketball court and Ducks guard Keeshawn Barthelemy isn't buying into talk his team holds the advantage in the first-round matchup.,No. 5 seed Oregon raced to get up to speed on the 12th-seeded Flames, the Ducks' opponent in the East Region on Friday at Seat...

After 'heavy year,' reigning champ UConn takes aim at Oklahoma
RALEIGH, N.C. -- UConn openly embraces the opportunity for another chance to make something of the 2024-25 season.,Looking for a third consecutive national championship, UConn pushed its way into the NCAA Tournament and the eight-seeded Huskies (23-10) drew No. 9 seed Oklahoma (20-13) on Friday nigh...

Trey Townsend, Arizona keeping guard up vs. Akron
Trey Townsend is the perfect player to alert his Arizona teammates about what can happen if they don't fully prepare for first-round opponent Akron.,Townsend was one of the stars of the 14th-seeded Oakland team that took down No. 3 Kentucky in last year's first round of the NCAA Tournament.,After tr...

Seniors carry Marquette into matchup with New Mexico
Marquette spent the entire season in the Top 25, used the same starting five for all 33 games, and will journey to Cleveland for the first round of the NCAA Tournament with the same goal the team had in October: End the season in San Antonio to prolong the end of the season as long as possible. ,The...

Shuffling from underdog to favorite, Florida ready for Norfolk State
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Florida coach Todd Golden said his team embraced an underdog mentality while navigating its way through the power-laden Southeastern Conference.,The Gators (30-4) won't have that angle to use in their NCAA Tournament opener against Norfolk State (24-10) on Friday night.,Florida, the...

Derik Queen, Maryland face tourney-tested Grand Canyon
Bryce Drew knows all about shining moments in the NCAA Tournament. His task now is to create more.,Drew's buzzer-beating 3-pointer lifted No. 13 seed Valparaiso to a 70-69 victory over No. 4 seed Ole Miss in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament, and Valpo rode that wave to the Sweet Sixteen.,...

No. 12 Colorado State looks to make statement vs. Memphis
Nique Clifford kept receipts.,The Colorado State star made sure everyone knew he knew how badly underrated his team was on Saturday when it won the Mountain West Conference tournament after it was rated seventh in the league's preseason poll.,Clifford and the 12th-seeded Rams have a chance to prove ...

Kings, minus Domantas Sabonis, look to extend Cavs' mini skid
The Sacramento Kings hope to turn a single success into a much-needed home winning streak when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.,The Kings (34-33) fell to .500 and into ninth place in the Western Conference over the weekend following a four-game losing streak that included 29-, 2...

Kraken aim to continue strong play against Wild
The Seattle Kraken will ride a four-game point streak into their Wednesday matchup against the Minnesota Wild in Saint Paul, Minn.,The Kraken (30-34-5, 65 points) defeated the host Chicago Blackhawks 6-2 on Tuesday, rallying from a 2-0 first-period deficit to improve to 3-0-1 over the past week.,Sha...

Alabama may be without key piece vs. 15 seed Robert Morris
Alabama begins its push to reach its second straight Final Four as it prepares to face Robert Morris in a first-round game of the East Region of the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon at Cleveland.,The Crimson Tide (25-8), who drew a No. 2 seed in the region following a loss to Florida in the SEC t...