review Page 497 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Zakai Zeigler, No. 8 Tennessee look to take down Texas
Zakai Zeigler has become one of the most beloved players in Tennessee basketball history. ,On Friday, the 5-foot-9 point guard could make program history when the fourth-seeded Volunteers (25-6) take on 13th-seeded Texas (19-14) in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament in Nashv...

No. 3 Auburn aims to get back on track vs. Ole Miss
Auburn accomplished quite a bit during the regular season -- Southeastern Conference champion, top-ranked for seven straight weeks, a virtual lock as a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.,But after losing their last two regular-season games, the No. 3-ranked Tigers (27-4) feel they have impo...

No. 16 Memphis to begin next stage with clash vs. Wichita State
Memphis coach Penny Hardaway views this season as a play in two parts. ,The first act -- in which the Tigers captured the American Athletic Conference regular-season title -- was a resounding success.,"We did something special," Hardaway said.,As for the second act, well, that is about to begin.,The...

Hot sides clash as No. 7 Michigan St. opposes No. 23 Oregon
Projected as the Big Ten's fifth-best team in the preseason, Michigan State made a mockery of the official media poll by winning the regular-season title by three games.,The seventh-ranked Spartans played so well down the stretch -- beating five Top 25 opponents during their active seven-game winnin...

With Cooper Flagg ailing, UNC seeks upset of No. 1 Duke
CHARLOTTE -- North Carolina will play in a game that might largely define its season Friday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament semifinals.,Yet the Tar Heels (22-12) aren't likely to be the main storyline when going against top-ranked Duke.,The Blue Devils (23-9) might be without ACC P...

After scoring in debut, Kraken's Jani Nyman faces Utah
Seattle Kraken coach Dan Bylsma promised to give Jani Nyman a significant role in his NHL debut.,Both the coach and player delivered.,Nyman's power-play goal sparked a third-period comeback and Brandon Montour set an NHL record with a goal four seconds into overtime as the Kraken defeated the visiti...

Predators seek 5th straight win as they face Ducks
The Nashville Predators hunt for their fifth straight win when they visit the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night.,The Predators kicked off a three-game road trip with a 3-2 win at the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.,Anaheim, which has lost four of five as it works to remain in the Western Conference wi...

Spurs, Hornets on the hunt for more consistent defense
Two teams on the outside of the playoff picture, the San Antonio Spurs and visiting Charlotte Hornets, will clash on Friday as the NBA season heads into its final month.,The Spurs are in 12th in the West, 4 1/2 games behind Dallas for the final spot in the conference play-in tournament with 18 games...

Jazz desperate to end 7-game skid when Raptors come to town
It's uncertain whether Utah Jazz players will wear white headbands when they host the Toronto Raptors on Friday night in Salt Lake City, like most of them did in a coordinated decision Wednesday in Memphis.,Fashion statement aside, the Jazz will try to replicate the style of play they had while rall...

Avalanche aim to keep working on defense on trip to Calgary
An extra-time loss in which they tied the game with a late tally will not ruffle the feathers of the Colorado Avalanche as they return to action on the road to face the Calgary Flames on Friday.,The Avalanche arrive in the Stampede City after suffering a 2-1 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tu...

Top two Central teams square off as Stars visit Jets
Two of the NHL's premier squads will do battle when the Dallas Stars visit the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.,With four days rest to their name, the Stars enter the contest with five wins over their past six games, while the Jets have three wins out of their past four outings after dropping three straight...

Rockets put win streak up against defense-challenged Mavericks
With veteran point guard Fred VanVleet playing for just the second time since an ankle injury sidelined him for 16 of the previous 17 games, the Houston Rockets exercised some caution Wednesday relative to the workload they heaped upon him.,One silver lining of VanVleet's absence has been fourth-yea...

Cavaliers go for franchise-record 16th straight win in matchup vs. Grizzlies
How does anyone stop the Cleveland Cavaliers?,Minus three key players -- Donovan Mitchell, De'Andre Hunter and Ty Jerome -- in Tuesday's game against Brooklyn, the Cavaliers fell behind by 18 points. But they recovered, as they have most of this remarkable season, behind the defensive efforts of Jar...

Clippers, Hawks meet a month after trade-deadline deal
The Los Angeles Clippers will continue their quest for Western Conference playoff position on Friday when they visit the Atlanta Hawks, who are in a similar situation in the Eastern Conference.,The Clippers have won four of their last five after Wednesday's 119-104 road victory over the Miami Heat. ...

Hurricanes ride five-game win streak into rematch with Red Wings
There's less stress for the Carolina Hurricanes in some regard, and that might be a good thing going into the final month of the season.,The Detroit Red Wings might be more relaxed, as well, after finally breaking a slump and showcasing some rare offensive spark.,The teams meet for the second time t...

Heat face challenge in ending 5-game slide vs. Celtics
The Miami Heat, who are 8-23 versus teams with .500 records or better, are going through a rough stretch at the moment.,Miami is on a season-high five-game losing streak, and they will get a visit on Friday night from one of the NBA's elite teams, the Boston Celtics.,Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said "...

Pacers look to build on dramatic win, take on skidding 76ers
Fresh off one of their most exciting wins in recent memory, the Indiana Pacers will try to ride the momentum into Friday's road matchup against the scuffling Philadelphia 76ers.,Indiana had lost three games in a row entering Tuesday -- and it appeared that skid was destined to reach four games, as t...

No. 15 Kentucky looks to go on a run, starting with Oklahoma
Mark Pope's first Kentucky squad has found it difficult to go on sustained runs, having last recorded a three-game winning streak during the first half of December.,The sixth-seeded Wildcats (21-10) will look to match that streak on Thursday night when they face 14th-seeded Oklahoma (20-12) in the s...

In pursuit of first ACC tourney title, No. 10 Clemson meets SMU
Clemson is the only charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference that has never won the league tournament.,While the Tigers have gone 0-for-70 in their quest to capture an ACC banner, Duke has 22 titles and North Carolina 18. ,It's a daunting history for third-seeded Clemson (26-5) as it opens in...

Arizona aims to avoid 'selfish' play in rematch vs. Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- When Arizona was announced to be one of four teams to join the Big 12 Conference, basketball fans quickly began to visualize potential matchups between the Wildcats and Kansas in future tournament games.,Few could have anticipated that the game would be in the quarterfinals, howe...