w Page 84 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

No. 8 Houston focused solely on Middle Tennessee
No. 8 Houston wraps up nonconference play against Middle Tennessee on Monday night and coach Kelvin Sampson isn't much interested in dissecting his team's early season performance.,The Cougars (11-1) have one blemish and bring a five-game winning streak into the contest but Sampson wants no part of ...

Cole Hutson released from hospital after taking a puck to the helmet
Defenseman Cole Hutson is listed as day-to-day for the U.S. World Junior hockey team after he left the ice on a stretcher Saturday night in a preliminary-round game in the IIHF World Junior Championship.,With the United States leading Switzerland 1-0 in the second period of the game in St. Paul, Min...
Why Michigan Is Betting on Kyle Whittingham at the Most Dangerous Time
Michigan’s hire of Kyle Whittingham looks risky at first glance, but the Wolverines may have made the smartest bet of the coaching carousel....

49ers TE George Kittle (ankle) likely out against Bears
The San Francisco 49ers are planning to play without star tight end George Kittle in a key NFC game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday night at Santa Clara, Calif.,ESPN reported Kittle, who has been fighting an ankle injury, is not expected to play, while NFL Network said he will work out before th...
Ravens Keep Playoff Hopes Alive, Now Need Browns to Save Their Season
The Ravens crushed the Packers, but their playoff hopes now rest with the Browns in a dramatic AFC North Week 17 scenario....
Kyle Whittingham Isn’t Michigan’s Curt Cignetti
Indiana nailed its Curt Cignetti hire. Michigan hopes Kyle Whittingham can do the same — but his ceiling may be much lower....

No. 9 Michigan State wary of 3-point launching Cornell
Ninth-ranked Michigan State is looking for improvement when it faces long-distance heaving Cornell on Monday night at East Lansing, Mich.,The Spartans (11-1) have a stellar record, but coach Tom Izzo would like to see an upgrade to his team's caliber of play.,"We've just got to play better," Izzo sa...

No. 11 Vanderbilt ready to close out perfect nonconference slate vs. New Haven
The Vanderbilt Commodores return to the court for the first time in eight days Monday when they host the New Haven Chargers in Nashville. However, the 11th-ranked Commodores will enter their final nonconference game of the regular season without a key playmaker.,Frankie Collins, a reserve guard, rec...

Alvaro Folgueiras learning role for No. 25 Iowa with UMass Lowell up next
If Iowa's final game before Christmas was any indication, junior transfer Alvaro Folgueiras might be about to play up to the form that earned the forward the Horizon League Player of the Year honors a season ago at Robert Morris.,During the Haweyes' 94-39 blowout of Bucknell on Dec. 20 in Des Moines...

Blackhawks may remain short-handed vs. slumping Pens
A season-high six-game losing streak may be in the rearview, but the Chicago Blackhawks still have the trouble of skating without injured forwards Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar for a bit longer.,Some subtle line shuffling helped the Blackhawks during Saturday's 4-3 shootout victory in Dallas, and th...

Minus key piece, Lakers out to shore up defense vs. Kings
One team eager to show off a new weapon and another beginning a stretch without one of its big guns go head-to-head Sunday night when the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers duel in Southern California.,The Kings and Lakers met once earlier this season, but a whole lot has changed since Los Ange...

Surging Canadiens return from break to face Lightning
With their return from holiday break not occurring until Sunday's game at the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Montreal Canadiens find themselves in one of their best standings positions.,The Habs entered the break solely in second place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division, but they are now tied f...

Leafs looking way up at Wings in Atlantic Division race
The Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs enter their matchup on Sunday at the opposite ends of the Atlantic Division spectrum.,Host Detroit holds a tenuous lead in the division, while Toronto resides in the cellar. Both teams will come into the contest on short rest.,The Red Wings lost 5-2 on t...

David Rittich, Isles eye 3rd straight win in visit to Jackets
One of the most popular cliches in football is that any team with two starting quarterbacks really has none.,The New York Islanders are learning the same is not true when it comes to a hockey team and goaltenders.,The Islanders will look to continue their strong play without injured No. 1 netminder ...

Conner Weigman (4 TDs), No. 21 Houston top LSU in Texas Bowl
Conner Weigman set a program bowl record with four touchdown passes, leading No. 21 Houston to a 38-35 victory over LSU in the Texas Bowl in Houston on Saturday evening.,After Houston took the lead on a 25-yard Ethan Sanchez field goal with 7:42 left, the Cougars (10-3) extended the lead to 38-28 on...

ECHL, players reach tentative deal to end strike; unclear when play will resume
One day after ECHL players initiated a midseason strike, the league and the Professional Hockey Players' Association agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement Saturday to halt the strike.,The tentative deal, which requires ratification from the league's board of governors and full player membe...

Cam Thomas' 30-point return boosts Nets over Wolves
Cam Thomas scored 30 points off the bench in an impressive return from a hamstring injury and the surging Brooklyn Nets earned a 123-107 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night in Minneapolis.,Thomas was the first reserve to enter the game after being out since the first quarter of...

Blackhawks score 2 shootout goals to defeat Stars
Nick Lardis and Ryan Donato scored in the shootout to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 4-3 win over the host Dallas Stars on Saturday night.,Tyler Bertuzzi had two goals and Jason Dickinson scored for the Blackhawks, who snapped their six-game losing streak. Defenseman Alex Vlasic had two assists and A...

Knicks extend hot stretch, sneak past free-falling Hawks
OG Anunoby scored 15 points and hit four free throws in the final 30 seconds to help the visiting New York Knicks hang on for a 128-125 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.,Atlanta erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and took the lead on a 3-pointer by Onyeka Okongwu with 2:01 remaining. Aft...

Giannis Antetokounmpo returns to lead Bucks past Bulls
In a return from injury, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 29 points to help the visiting Milwaukee Bucks earn a 112-103 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.,Antetokounmpo had missed eight straight games with a right calf strain for Milwaukee, which had dropped four of its last five ga...