review Page 501 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Thunder visit Celtics in potential Finals preview
Two of the favorites to win this year's NBA championship will meet Wednesday night when the Boston Celtics close out a seven-game homestand against the Oklahoma City Thunder.,Boston will enter the game as the No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference behind Cleveland. The Celtics have won five in a row a...

Iowa, Ohio State embrace 'fresh start' in Big Ten tourney
Iowa begins the Big Ten tournament against Ohio State on Wednesday in Indianapolis looking to use the experience from having already played an elimination game.,The No. 15 seed Hawkeyes (16-15) defeated host Nebraska 83-68 on Sunday to claim the final tourney berth over the Cornhuskers.,"It's good i...

Texas faces uphill climb in SEC first-round game vs. Vanderbilt
No. 13 Texas will be playing for its NCAA Tournament life when it squares off against No. 12 Vanderbilt on Wednesday afternoon in a first-round game in the Southeastern Conference tournament in Nashville, Tenn.,The winner of that game plays fifth-seeded Texas A&M in the second round on Thursday afte...

Northwestern opens Big Ten tourney vs. well-matched Minnesota
Minnesota and Northwestern both ended the Big Ten regular season on two-game losing streaks.,The 12th-seeded Golden Gophers and 13th-seeded Wildcats realize wiggle room will be out the window on Wednesday when they meet in the opening round of the conference tournament in Indianapolis.,"Yeah, I thin...

Georgia Tech, Virginia aim to start ACC tournament run
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Georgia Tech and Virginia have pieced together enough stretches during the season to provide doses of encouragement.,They'll need to show the ability for sustained batches in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, beginning with their meeting in a second-round game on Wednesday...

Bucks, Pacers aim to end short losing streaks
Rivals jockeying for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference will match up when the Indiana Pacers host the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night in Indianapolis. ,It will be the second night of a back-to-back set for the Pacers, who lost their third game in a row Monday night, 121-103 to the host ...

No. 19 Saint Mary's looks to take down Gonzaga in WCC title game
Saint Mary's is locked into a berth in the NCAA Tournament but the No. 19 Gaels badly want to add the West Coast Conference tournament championship to their regular-season title.,Not to forget that top-seeded Saint Mary's is the defending tournament champion as it goes into Tuesday's title contest a...

Wild aim to bounce back in clash with streaking Avs
If the Minnesota Wild want a strong finish to the regular season, they need to find a way to have a strong finish near the net. ,That's the message from Wild veteran forward Marcus Foligno. He and his teammates will try to snap a two-game skid when they take on the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday nigh...

Senators aim to stay hot vs. reeling Flyers
The resurgent Ottawa Senators will aim for their fourth straight victory on Tuesday when they visit the scuffling Philadelphia Flyers.,Ottawa improved to 4-0-1 in its past five games when it notched a 2-1 home victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday. The Senators had lost five consecutive conte...

Pistons aim to avoid letdown ahead of two games vs. Wizards
A four-game road trip produced mixed results for the Detroit Pistons. But they're still very much in the mix for a top-five seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.,Detroit defeated the Utah Jazz at the start of the trip on March 3 and survived a late rally by the Portland Trail Blazers at the end o...

Cavaliers host Nets, look to seal another 15-game win streak
Looking to match their franchise-record 15-game winning streak that began the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.,Cleveland, which picked up its 14th consecutive win Sunday in Milwaukee, hasn't lost since Feb. 4. ,In a 112-100 victory over the Bucks, Clevela...

Surging Kings, Islanders battle for playoff position
The New York Islanders and Los Angeles Kings both desperately needed a day off Monday.,But the Kings probably enjoyed it much more than the Islanders.,The Kings will look to extend their winning streak to three games, and the Islanders will attempt to win the rubber game of a three-game road trip Tu...

UCF, Utah collide in Big 12 tourney not long after first meeting
UCF and Utah are approximately 2,300 miles apart, about as far apart as any two schools in the Big 12 Conference. They've only played once in basketball this season, on the UCF campus in Orlando, Fla.,The rematch will be played in Kansas City, Mo., which serves as a nice halfway point between the tw...

Predators shift focus to league-worst Sharks amid forgettable season
A three-game winning streak is too little, too late for the Nashville Predators, who will try to remain on a roll when they kick off a three-game California road trip against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.,The Predators -- 15 points outside of a playoff spot with 19 games remaining in what has been...

Canadiens, Canucks square off with both teams longing for points
Two teams outside the playoff picture and desperately looking in will meet on Tuesday night when the Montreal Canadiens visit the Vancouver Canucks.,Both clubs are positioned just below the wild-card slots in their respective conferences, and the margin for error is minimal considering the number of...

Alex Ovechkin sits 8 goals shy of Wayne Gretzky as Capitals visit Ducks
Alex Ovechkin takes his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL goals record to the West Coast this week as the Washington Capitals begin a three-game road trip Tuesday night against the Anaheim Ducks.,Ovechkin scored for the 886th time on Sunday with his empty-netter that secured a 4-2 win over the...

Last chance for Kansas State, Arizona State to meet expectations
With both teams winning on the other team's home court during the regular season, Kansas State and Arizona State are glad their final meeting is on a neutral court.,The 15th-seeded Sun Devils (13-18) face the 10th-seeded Wildcats (15-16) meet in the third game of the Big 12 tournament Tuesday in Kan...

Last ACC tourney for Leonard Hamilton as FSU scraps with Syracuse
While Florida State announced a new head coach this week, Syracuse declared it will stick with its current coach as the two programs square off in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament Tuesday night in Charlotte, N.C.,The 11th-seeded Seminoles (17-14) introduced Sacramento King...

Rangers desperate for win in visit to West-leading Jets
With plenty at stake for both teams, crucial on-ice details will be top of mind for the New York Rangers and the host Winnipeg Jets when they meet Tuesday night.,Only one of the two, however, is desperate for points.,The New York Rangers are nursing a three-game winless skid (0-1-2) that includes a ...

Colorado goes for second win in four days over TCU
One season ago, Colorado coach Tad Boyle entered the Pac-12 tournament as the No. 3 seed brandishing a roster featuring three future NBA draft picks.,But heading into this week's Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, Mo., the Buffaloes are the 16th seed just looking to play one day more. The Buffaloes (...