v Page 747 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

SEC superiority gets initial test as Texas faces Xavier in First Four
DAYTON, Ohio -- The team with the shortest commute to the First Four will meet the team with the second-longest when No. 11 Xavier plays No. 11 Texas Wednesday for the right to advance to the first round in the Midwest Region.,The winner of the Wednesday contest will face No. 6 Illinois on Friday in...

Obi Toppin's late-OT trey pushes Pacers past Wolves
Obi Toppin scored 34 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds remaining in overtime, while leading the Indiana Pacers to a 132-130 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday in Minneapolis.,Toppin made 7 of 10 shots and tied his season-best point total for Indiana (38-29), which ...

Northern Iowa seeks upset of SMU at NIT
The top-seeded SMU Mustangs welcome the Northern Iowa Panthers to Dallas on Wednesday night for opening-round action in the National Invitational Tournament.,SMU (23-10) fell from the NCAA Tournament picture after playing .500 basketball for the regular season's final month. The Mustangs did not win...

Jesper Bratt, Jake Allen help Devils defeat Blue Jackets
Jesper Bratt scored the eventual game-winner as the New Jersey Devils edged the host Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 on Monday night.,Timo Meier also scored for New Jersey (37-26-6, 80 points), which has won four of five and improved to 20-15-2 on the road this season.,Jake Allen made 45 saves in the vict...

Cal State Northridge visits Stanford in 1st NIT appearance
Cal State Northridge hopes to add to a historic men's basketball season when it travels to Northern California to take on Stanford in the opening round of the NIT on Tuesday night.,The Matadors (22-10) tied a school record for wins -- set 24 years ago -- when they beat Hawaii 82-73 in the Big West C...

Amid heated playoff race, Canucks face tough test vs. Jets
Aiming to maintain a high level of intensity as the playoffs approach, the Winnipeg Jets head to Vancouver to face the Canucks on Tuesday.,Just trying to stay afloat, the Canucks (31-25-11, 73 points) were dealt a 3-1 defeat on Sunday against Utah -- one of the teams they're trying to hold off in th...

Reports: Braves sign C James McCann to a minor league deal
The Atlanta Braves agreed to a minor league contract with catcher James McCann, per multiple media reports on Monday.,The 11-year veteran provides added depth behind the plate, as Braves starter Sean Murphy opens the campaign on the injured list with a cracked left rib. Outside of Murphy, Chadwick T...

Riding 18-game point streak, Leon Draisaitl's Oilers host Utah
Leon Draisaitl will try to extend his 18-game point streak when he leads the Edmonton Oilers against the visiting Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday night.,Draisaitl has 27 points (14 goals, 13 assists) during his red-hot streak, which is both the longest in the NHL this season and the lengthiest of the fo...

Blackhawks seek rare home win streak as Kraken visit
After slumping through a winless four-game road trip, the Chicago Blackhawks will aim to earn consecutive home victories for the first time in three months on Tuesday as they host the Seattle Kraken.,Chicago (20-38-9, 49 points) is set to skate at the United Center for the first time since edging th...

Wichita St. looks to capitalize on surprise NIT bid against Oklahoma St.
Paul Mills was sure the season was over for his Wichita State team. After the Shockers lost in Friday's quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference tournament, players and coaches parted ways, with a handful leaving Wichita to start spring break.,On Sunday night, though, Mills' daughter was na...

Georgia Tech not looking back as it opens NIT vs. Jacksonville State
Following a strong finish to the season, Georgia Tech finds itself in the postseason for the first time in four years.,The Yellow Jackets earned a No. 4 seed in the National Invitation Tournament, where they'll begin with a matchup against Jacksonville State on Tuesday in Atlanta.,Georgia Tech (17-1...

Clippers face major test against Cavaliers
In need of victories and yearning to test just how good they have become in recent weeks, the Los Angeles Clippers will get a chance to accomplish both when they play host to the NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.,The Clippers appear revived while winning six of their last seven games. That for...

Surging Blues aim to keep run going vs. Predators
The St. Louis Blues broke gravitational pull of .500 and climbed back into the Western Conference playoff chase with a 9-2-2 surge.,They got their offense into high gear while beating the Minnesota Wild 5-1 on the road Saturday and routing the Anaheim Ducks 7-2 at home Sunday. Jordan Kyrou had three...

Mikko Rantanen, Stars ready to move on to face Ducks
Now that the homecoming for Mikko Rantanen is over, the Dallas Stars can get back to focusing on playoff positioning.,The Stars are scheduled to host the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday evening, two days after losing 4-3 in overtime to the Colorado Avalanche.,It was Rantanen's first game back in Denver sin...

Celtics aim to complete season sweep of Nets
The Boston Celtics will look to continue their dominance over the visiting Brooklyn Nets when the teams meet Tuesday night.,Boston has won 13 of its last 14 games against Brooklyn, including a 115-113 victory at Brooklyn on Saturday. The Celtics are 3-0 against the Nets this season.,Kristaps Porzing...

Alex Ovechkin continues record climb as Capitals host Red Wings
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin enters Tuesday night's home game against the Detroit Red Wings eight goals short of becoming the most prolific scorer in NHL history.,Ovechkin has 887 career goals after a tally in Saturday's 5-1 road win over the San Jose Sharks. He is chasing Wayne Gretzky...

Penguins, Islanders still vying to keep postseason hopes alive
Impressive third periods by the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders on Saturday and Sunday ensured they'd each still remain on the fringes of the Eastern Conference wildcard race for at least another game.,On Tuesday night, the Penguins and Islanders will try to damage the other's long-shot h...

NCAA Tournament Betting Preview
When I woke up Sunday, I had this image of Rafiki, the baboon in "The Lion King," saying, "It is time!" ,In the film, he meant it was time for Simba to come back and take care of business. I took it as: It's time for March Madness, and the hundreds of betting opportunities that go with it.,With 67 g...

Senators, Canadiens have playoffs in sight ahead of latest tilt
It's been eight years since the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens made the playoffs in the same season. That could change in 2025.,Seeking a seventh consecutive victory, the surging Senators try to avoid a third loss in as many tries this season to the Canadiens, who eye a fifth straight home w...

Hawks try to shore up defense, finish season sweep of Hornets
The Atlanta Hawks took a big misstep during the weekend.,They'll try to avoid another detour against a similar type of opponent.,Atlanta visits the Charlotte Hornets, who have the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference, on Tuesday night.,The Hawks (32-36) are hanging around playoff contention...