review Page 619 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

NC State, Florida State look to bounce back in ACC openers
Host North Carolina State and visiting Florida State will bid to bounce back from losses to Southeastern Conference teams on Saturday when they face off in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams in Raleigh, N.C.,NC State (5-3) is coming off a 63-59 home loss to Texas, while Florida Stat...

Karl-Anthony Towns leads streaking Knicks against struggling Pistons
The New York Knicks look for their fifth win in a row on Saturday night as the visiting Detroit Pistons make the trip to Madison Square Garden for the first time this season.,The Knicks have won their last three games by an average of 24 points after starting their streak with a 99-98 win against th...

West-leading Thunder wary of struggling Pelicans
The Oklahoma City Thunder have won six of their last seven games.,The New Orleans Pelicans have won five games all season.,Still, both teams are feeling pretty good -- albeit for different reasons -- going into their matchup Saturday night in New Orleans.,The Western Conference-leading Thunder cruis...

Wizards host Nuggets, aim to avoid franchise infamy
Washington will look to avoid a franchise-record losing streak when it hosts the Denver Nuggets on Saturday in Washington, D.C.,The Wizards have lost 16 in a row, tying a franchise record initially set in the 2009-10 season. They stand last in the Eastern Conference, but coach Brian Keefe trusts it'...

Utah HC, Sabres enduring frustrating spells
Two teams going through frustrating stretches meet Saturday afternoon in Buffalo when the host Sabres face the Utah Hockey Club.,The Sabres are mired in a season-worst five-game losing streak (0-3-2). Four of those losses were by one goal, and two occurred in overtime. However, there's more to the s...

Galaxy have sixth MLS Cup in sight; Red Bulls eye long-awaited first
The Los Angeles Galaxy will try to win their league-record sixth MLS Cup without star player Riqui Puig when they host a New York Red Bulls side looking for its first title in club history on Saturday in Carson, Calif.,The Galaxy have been by far the most dominant performers of the postseason, winni...

Arkansas defensive-minded heading into game against UTSA
Arkansas, unranked in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll, will look to continue improving on defense after winning its SEC/ACC Challenge game against Miami on Tuesday.,Coach John Calipari's Razorbacks (6-2), No. 19 in last week's rankings, will host the UTSA Roadrunners on Saturday night in a n...

No. 24 Aztecs, Toreros meet in battle of San Diego
Magoon Gwath joined some rare company Wednesday night when he went for 25 points and 10 rebounds as No. 24 San Diego State drilled Fresno State 84-62 in its Mountain West Conference opener.,The 7-foot forward became the first Aztec freshman to post a 20-10 game since Kawhi Leonard, arguably the best...

Stars end road trip with playoff rematch in Vegas
The Dallas Stars finish up a three-game Western road trip on Friday night when they face the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas.,It's the first time the two teams have met since the first round of the Western Conference playoffs last spring. Dallas rallied from a 2-0 deficit ...

Villanova seeks consistency against skidding Temple
Fresh off its biggest win of the season, Villanova hopes to ride the momentum into its matchup against Temple on Saturday in Philadelphia.,The Wildcats and Owls are meeting as part of the Big 5 Classic, which features the six Division I programs in the Philadelphia area. Villanova and Temple each fi...

Blackhawks seek fresh start under new coach vs. Jets
A new era will begin for the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday when they host the Winnipeg Jets in their first game under interim head coach Anders Sorensen.,Chicago, whose 18 points are fewest in the NHL, fired third-year coach Luke Richardson on Thursday amid another slow start for the rebuilding Bla...

St. John's makes emotional return to court vs. Kansas State
The last chance for St. John's to bolster its nonconference resume comes at an emotional time.,In their first game since Lou Carnesecca passed away, the Red Storm host Kansas State in the Big 12-Big East Battle on Saturday in New York in the small arena named for the legendary coach.,The Red Storm (...

Utah, Saint Mary's collide in early season test
Utah coach Craig Smith is preparing his players for a possibly unpleasant -- but hopefully productive -- experience when the Utes host Saint Mary's on Saturday in Salt Lake City.,"You know, it's a little bit like going to the dentist," Smith said of playing the Gaels during an ESPN700 interview. "Th...

South Carolina believes tide is turning, prepares for East Carolina
Coming off a 26-win season and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, South Carolina has struggled to regain its form from a year ago.,With wins over power-conference schools in its last two games, however, South Carolina (5-3) is on an upswing as it prepares to host East Carolina (7-2) on Saturday i...

On the rise with new coach, Bruins battle Flyers
The Boston Bruins have continued to build their game with each outing of Joe Sacco's two-week tenure as interim head coach.,After completing a midweek back-to-back and three-in-four stretch Wednesday with a 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, the Bruins return home for a Saturday matinee against an...

Providence looks to hand Rhode Island its first loss
Some serious bragging rights will be on the line Saturday afternoon when Providence and Rhode Island collide in Kingston, R.I.,Momentum in the in-state rivalry is currently the Friars' to lose, as Providence (6-3) has taken eight of its past 10 games against the Rams.,Because of the Friars' recent s...

Mark Pope, No. 4 Kentucky brace for stern test vs. No. 7 Gonzaga
Excuse new Kentucky coach Mark Pope if he'd rather the schedule he inherited didn't include Gonzaga and coach Mark Few.,The former BYU coach has endured nothing but rough times against the Bulldogs during his coaching career. He will take another swipe at a rare victory when the No. 4 Wildcats face ...

Boston College, Wake Forest seek consistency on offense
Boston College and Wake Forest hope to find rhythm on offense after they both bumbled through games earlier this week.,The teams meet in an Atlantic Coast Conference opener Saturday afternoon in Winston-Salem, N.C.,"There's some stuff we need to improve and some stuff we need to tighten up," Boston ...

Rebounding is critical for Nebraska at Michigan State
For the moment, Nebraska and Michigan State are not ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.,But both the Cornhuskers and Spartans earned votes in the latest poll and are playing stellar basketball of late, which makes Saturday's Big Ten contest in East Lansing, Mich., an intriguing one.,Nebraska...

Notre Dame staggers into ACC opener vs. Syracuse
Notre Dame is hoping there is no place like home when it takes on Syracuse in both teams' Atlantic Coast Conference opener Saturday afternoon.,The Fighting Irish (4-5) haven't played in South Bend, Ind., since a stunning loss to Elon on Nov. 22. Notre Dame has dropped its last five games, including ...