CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Friday Sports News Update and What's Your Take? 09/18/2015.

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Sports Quote of the Day:

"Each person holds so much power within themselves that needs to be let out. Sometimes they just need a little nudge, a little direction, a little support, a little coaching, and the greatest things can happen." Pete Carroll, Head Coach and Executive Vice President of the Seattle Seahawks

Trending: Cubs win, magic number is now 9. Today the Cubs play the Cardinals, can't wait... Let's go Cubs.

Trending: Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky) wins WNBA MVP. (See the last section on this blog for details).

Trending: Blackhawks Training camp starts today... The beginning of another journey for "The Stanley Cup". Let's go Hawks.

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Cardinals-Bears Preview.

By CHRIS ALTRUDA

It's been a long time since the Arizona Cardinals have had a consistent running game, and though feature back Andre Ellington may not play Sunday against the Chicago Bears, coach Bruce Arians is confident his team can keep that momentum going.

Arizona rushed for 120 yards in its season-opening 31-19 victory over New Orleans, averaging 4.8 yards in the process. While it's only a one-game sample, it's substantially better than the Cardinals' 2014 averages of an NFC-low 81.8 yards per game and NFL-worst 3.3 per carry.

Arians felt his team left yards on the field, noting "it should have easily been 150 yards,'' but that may have been because Ellington left early in the fourth quarter with a sprained knee after gaining a team-high 69 yards on just 12 attempts.

That injury has left Ellington uncertain for this game, though Chris Johnson picked up the slack with 30 yards on seven fourth-quarter carries to help keep the Saints at bay.

''I'm getting there,'' Johnson said Monday. ''Just working, just having to learn the playbook and not having to think about the plays, just going out there and playing. The more and more I practice and I know the more and more I play, I'll get there.''

Another option for Arians is rookie David Johnson, whose two touches resulted in a 43-yard kickoff return and a victory-sealing 55-yard touchdown catch with 1:33 to play. The coach, though, wants to make sure he doesn't overwhelm the third-round pick from Northern Iowa.

''I don't want to put too much pressure or take rookies and give them too much a piece of the pie too early,'' Arians said. ''It's not healthy to put them in the situation too much.''

While Arizona's running game found its legs, Carson Palmer's surgically repaired knee fared equally well. He threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns and spread the ball around by finding eight receivers.

Palmer is 17-6 with the Cardinals since joining them in 2013, winning his last seven starts while throwing for 1,933 yards and 14 TDs with only three interceptions.

"You love being offensive on offense," said Palmer, referring to Arians' aggressive play-calling in the fourth quarter. "It's easy to not and sit back with the way our defense plays out there. It's great, an attacking mentality. Everybody in the huddle knows it and everyone on the sideline knows it."

While the 31-23 score line in last Sunday's home loss to Green Bay fell in line with expectations the Bears are in a rebuilding mode, they played cohesively for most of the game and gave themselves a chance to win late.

Jay Cutler's lone interception late in the fourth quarter thwarted that potential rally, but there were positives. Chicago committed itself to the run and was rewarded as Matt Forte racked up 141 yards on 24 carries, a number he reached only once last season.

''Nobody had that stupid look on their face,'' said Forte, who added 25 yards on five receptions and occasionally lined up in the slot. ''Like before, when something would happen saying like the game is lost already when there was time left. I was glad we didn't have that and that we came out and kept fighting.''

Though the Bears outgained the Packers 402-322, their defense is a concern. They failed to sack Aaron Rodgers, who had three TD passes and only five incompletions, allowed 6.1 yards per play and were unable to generate any turnovers.

''We kept fighting,'' safety Antrel Rolle said. ''We kept pushing. We were looking for the victory. We were seeking, we were trying to find it, trying to find it, we just came up short.''

Rolle and the Bears secondary will have to do better containing the Cardinals wide outs after allowing Rodgers to go 13 for 17 targeting his receivers. Palmer connected 12 times in 17 attempts with five wide receivers for 159 yards and a touchdown against the Saints.

Oddly, a game-plan tendency from last season may help the Bears in this game. Forte is one of the league's best pass catchers coming out of the backfield - he had a career-high 102 receptions in 2014 - and could very easily exploit Arizona's issues on the perimeter against quick passes and screens.

''I think Matt Forte is the best at it when it comes to the screen game,'' Cardinals safety Rashad Johnson said. ''He's an elite back. He can do it all.''

The Cardinals allowed Drew Brees to go 11 for 18 for 183 yards and a touchdown in three-wide-receiver formations, which the Bears utilized a majority of the time last week and gained 306 yards on 41 such plays.

This is the first game between the teams since the Bears scored two defensive touchdowns in a 28-13 road victory in 2012. The Cardinals are making their first trip to Soldier Field since overcoming Cutler's 369 yards and three TD tosses in a 41-21 win in 2009.

Arians could have been on the Chicago side of the field for this matchup after interviewing with the organization following the 2012 season. The Bears, though, gave the job to Marc Trestman, who went 13-19 before being replaced by John Fox. Arians is 22-11 with Arizona.

"They went through a thorough interview process and decided to go in a different direction," Arians said Wednesday. "I don't know what else I could have done. I've never been told anything, don't really care, I'm just happy they said no."

'State of Jay Cutler' still a question for Bears going into Week 2.

By John Mullin

Jay Cutler (Photo/geeksandcleats.com)

It rarely serves to spend excessive energy or time looking at the past (“cowards and losers” notwithstanding). But sometimes the past indeed holds foreshadowing's of what’s to come.

So it may be with Jay Cutler, whose bosses have changed far more and more often than he has over the past six seasons as a Bear and the three before that in Denver.

Improvements have occurred, but almost unfailingly have been followed by regressions to the mean. Meaning: Cutler has returned to his base course of excessive reliance on supposed physical talents, innate aggressiveness and, unfortunately shaking decision-making under pressure.

When Bears coordinator Adam Gase arrived, much background-checking was done to ascertain what made Cutler tick, or stop ticking. The result was a strategy, not of truncating game plans or plays, but what Cutler was going to be needed to do, beyond the obvious No. 1 of making winning plays the way a $126-million quarterback is required to do.

Against that backdrop came the first game for Cutler under the new scheme – and mindset – for the offense, and for him. With time to assess, the overall reveals some major progress in the development of Cutler, yet at the same time a sign of steps still needed to be taken.

The case study:

Gase stepped forward and took responsibility for the play call made last Sunday that resulted in the interception of Cutler by Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews.

“The interception, that was a bad call into that defense,” Gase said on Thursday. "[Cutler] did what was asked of him and Clay made a good play.”

The only question would be whether the “bad call” was Cutler’s going to the Plan B he’d been given if the original play wasn’t there. But Gase was not ostensibly pointing the finger at his quarterback, who took his own responsibility for not seeing the back-side coverage coming in the person of Matthews.

Gase did not mention absolving Cutler of that mistake, nor of perhaps not getting the football out of his hands sooner. A Cutler fault-line over his career has a tendency to wait for receivers to be fully open before making throws. If it is Brandon Marshall in the open field against defensive backs, that’s one thing; trying to jam the football through traffic to Martellus Bennett, and not seeing the traffic (Matthews), is something else.

One thought is that Cutler is still thinking through all situations and has not reached the requisite instant-reaction point.

“I would say we're still thinking a little bit,” Cutler acknowledged. “I don't think it would be fair to say that all 11 guys including myself have everything hammered completely home. So we're still thinking a little bit.

“I think Adam does a great job during the week of really going through the plays that we like and going through everything that for the most part we're going to call. There's a few things that we'll talk about on the sideline that he does a good job with, if we do want to mix it up, of talking on the sideline and making sure everyone is on board.”

Bears forming an identity, but what exactly is it?

By John Mullin

The mid-1980’s Bears had their identity; very, very good, and they annihilated people physically. The early 1970’s Bears theirs; not very good at all and seemed at times to play for the annihilation as much as the scoreboard, although there wasn’t always a lot of point playing for the latter. The 1940’s Bears were the Monsters of the Midway.

The 2015 Bears? Not so sure yet.

Coach John Fox was tasked in part with changing the culture within the team, which is clearly in the early stages of happening, based on things said publicly and privately, and what has shown up on the field, although “we still have a pretty significant body of work ahead of us,” Fox said. “I don’t like seeing who wins the race when we’ve barely gotten out of the blocks yet.”

What occurred in the loss to Green Bay does not make an identity, particularly for a team on which so many members were playing their first minutes ever in a Bears uniform.

But to one of those outsiders, one with experience with identity formation with an Arizona Cardinals team that reached a Super Bowl and with a New York Giants that won a Super Bowl, signs are there.

By way of perspective, “[the Cardinals] weren't always the most athletic team, we weren't always the most talented team, but we played together and we played fast,” said safety Antrel Rolle. “And we fought, we fought with every inch of our body.

“And this [Bears] team is going to get to that. I'm pretty sure of that.”

Identity, like leadership and other intangibles, can’t be installed or voted in. Whether accurate or not, the Bears after the Green Bay game felt that they had shown character in not only folding against Aaron Rodgers, but also in coming back for a touchdown after the disastrous Clay Matthews interception.

Not quitting is not necessarily a positive, however. That’s what is being paid for. But getting back on the rails and expecting to come back and win was seldom part of the identity of the past two years.

“Right now it's just a team that I think we're still figuring it out but right now it's a team that doesn't quit and a team that continues to fight,” Rolle said. “Just like any person, it takes a long time any kid or anyone to develop an identity within themselves and I think we're still trying to learn who we are and what we're about. There are just some characteristics we know that we have that we want to continue to build on.”

Bears Re-Sign QB David Fales To Their Practice Squad.

NFLTradeRumors.com

The Chicago Bears announced Thursday that they’ve re-signed QB David Fales to their practice squad.

Fales, 24, was taken in the sixth-round of last year’s NFL draft, even though the Bears said there was no way they would select a quarterback in the later rounds.

He has two years remaining on his four-year, $1.53 rookie contract, which includes base salaries of $510,000 and $600,000 when the Bears cut him loose just a few days ago.

Fales was able to make the final 53-man roster coming out of the preseason, but there’s a chance he could be added to the Bears practice squad in the coming days. 

Chicago Bears sign defensive end Lavar Edwards.

AP Sports

The Chicago Bears have signed defensive end Lavar Edwards.

The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Edwards appeared in 11 games over two seasons with Tennessee (2013) and Dallas (2014), recording 10 tackles and one pass break-up. He was a fifth-round draft pick by the Titans out of LSU in 2013.

The Bears announced the move Wednesday.

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks' Patrick Kane: 'I will be absolved' of any wrongdoing.

CSN Staff

Patrick Kane (Photo/csnchicago.com)

Blackhawks star forward Patrick Kane addressed the media during Thursday's training camp press conference at Notre Dame University for the first time since his involvement in an alleged sexual assault case in his hometown of Buffalo earlier this summer.

Kane expressed confidence that he is innocent, but wouldn't get into many details. 

“This has been an incredibly difficult time for many people,” Kane said. “I cannot apologize enough for the distraction this has caused my family, my teammates, this incredible organization and, of course, our fans.

“While I have too much respect for the legal process to comment on an ongoing matter, I am confident that once all the facts are brought to light, I will be absolved (of any wrongdoing)."

Following his statement, Kane declined to answer any questions that didn't pertain to hockey.

"I wish I could answer (your) questions right now, but I can't due to legal process," Kane said.

Blackhawks President John McDonough also issued a statement regarding Kane

"The Chicago Blackhawks organization prides itself on trying to make calculated and deliberate decisions. Based on information we have at the present time ,we recognize that Patrick Kane is dealing with a very serious situation. Based on our discussions with his legal representatives who are very close to this matter we have decided to have Patrick join us for training camp here at the University of Notre Dame. Furthermore, we have the utmost respect for the legal process and will have no further comment on this issue at this time."

Blackhawks: Daniel Carcillo announces retirement from NHL.

By C. Roumeliotis

Daniel Carcillo (Photo/csnchicago.com)

After nine seasons in the NHL, Blackhawks forward Daniel Carcillo officially announced his retirement Thursday in an article published in The Players' Tribune.

Carcillo, 30, called it a "Bittersweet Day," walking away from the game he loves, but is ready to focus full-time on something much bigger off the ice.

In honor of his former teammate and close friend Steve Montador, who died in February and suffered from depression, Carcillo created a not-for-profit organization called Chapter 5, which helps former and current players transition to life after hockey.

“Today, I’m retiring from the National Hockey League,” Carcillo wrote. “My immediate goal is to help athletes transition to the next phase of their life — whether it’s continuing education, finding internships with companies, or networking with other athletes who are dealing with the same issues. My mission is to help guys who are dealing with anxiety, depression, and uncertainty about their future. Not down the line, not next week, but right now.”

Earlier this month, Carcillo spent his day with the Stanley Cup raising money for Chapter 5, which helped kick start the organization and also helped spread awareness.

After devoting the majority of his time this offseason to Chapter 5 and looking for ways to carry on Montador's legacy, Carcillo says he's ready to take the next step.

"Thanks to the people of Chicago who came out to get their picture taken with Lord Stanley and who bid on gear donated by my Blackhawks teammates, we raised the first funds to get Chapter 5 off the ground," Carcillo wrote. "The next step is to hire our first full-time staffer and get to work on talking with the leagues and players’ associations across all sports to plan out how we can provide immediate help — how we can connect what’s really going on in locker rooms and behind closed doors with what’s being talked about in conference rooms."

Carcillo played on five different teams throughout his nine-year NHL career, winning two Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015. He compiled 100 points (48 goals, 52 assists) and logged 1,233 penalty minutes in 429 career regular-season games.

In his three seasons with the Blackhawks, Carcillo compiled 23 points in 91 regular-season games.

Carcillo was a third-round draft pick (No. 73 overall) in the 2003 NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Gasol steers Spain into Euro final, seals Olympic berth.

Reuters; By Zoran Milosavljevic; Editing by Toby Davis)

Spain's Pau Gasol (L) goes up for a basket over France's Rudy Gobert during their EuroBasket 2015 semi-final game at the Pierre Mauroy stadium in Villeneuve d'Ascq, near Lille, France, September 17, 2015. (Photo/REUTERS/Juan Carlos Hidalgo/Pool)

A resilient Spain beat holders and hosts France 80-75 after overtime to reach the European championship final and clinch an Olympic berth thanks to a breathtaking performance from their captain Pau Gasol on Thursday.

The Chicago Bulls center scored 40 points and collected 11 rebounds to set up a showdown with either Serbia or Lithuania, who meet in the other semi-final on Friday.

The top two teams from the 24-nation tournament will advance to next year's games in Rio de Janeiro and the next five enter three intercontinental qualifying tournaments for an extra three spots.

Spain trailed by 11 points in the third quarter but turned the tide to lead 66-63 before France forced the additional five minutes with an audacious three-pointer by Nicolas Batum.

The Charlotte Hornets guard then faltered in the final minute, showing nerves when he missed three free throws with Spain 78-75 ahead.

The effervescent Gasol, who has carried injury-hit Spain throughout the competition, put the icing on the cake with a dunk on the buzzer to silence a raucous home crowd.

Roared on by their fans in Lille's soccer stadium, which has been adapted for the event, France appeared to be in the driving seat after stifling Spain's back-court shooters.

The home side also dominated the boards in the first half, collecting a barrage of offensive rebounds as Gasol often had to battle several rivals in the paint.

But the 35-year old from Barcelona, a double NBA champion with his previous team Los Angeles Lakers, was unstoppable in attack as Spain finished off their opponents with an 8-0 run.

France's San Antonio Spurs playmaker Tony Parker looked tired and the quadruple former NBA champion was confined to 10 points after hitting only four of 17 shots from the field.

The final and the bronze medal game will be played on Sunday.

Running with the Bulls: Training camp deal for Jordan Crawford.

By Ben Standig

(Photo/Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

Jordan Crawford played in the Las Vegas Summer League this year with the hopes of landing another NBA shot. The ex-Wizard received his wish, at least the opportunity part.

Crawford will join the Chicago Bulls for training camp, Yahoo Sports reported Thursday morning. 

The scoring guard, who played with the Dallas Mavericks in Las Vegas, will enter camp with a non-guaranteed deal.

Crawford spent last season playing professionally in China plus six games in the D-League following four seasons in the NBA. That includes 133 games over parts of three seasons with the Wizards. Crawford played with the Warriors and Celtics during the 2013-14 campaign.

The odds of the volume shooter making the Bulls' opening night roster aren't great considering Chicago's depth in the backcourt. Jimmy Butler, Tony Snell, E'Twaun Moore are the wing guard option with Derrick Rose, Kirk Hinrich and Aaron Brooks on the point.

NBA preseason primer: Potential new playoff teams.

By Vincent Goodwill and Mark Strotman

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Mark Strotman: Even in the lowly Eastern Conference it was difficult to imagine the Bucks making last year's playoffs, let alone earning the No. 5 seed. They topped their Vegas win total (24.5) before February and won 41 games despite losing No. 2 pick Jabari Parker to an ACL tear in mid-December and learning a new system under Jason Kidd. In the West, Anthony Davis's Pelicans team got an early start on their resurgence and reached the postseason over Russell Westbrook's one-man show in Oklahoma City - Westbrook's stretch from February to April was as much fun as I've had watching a player since LeBron's 2012-13 campaign. Boston returned to the playoffs in another surprise, while Cleveland's ridiculous offseason made them a shoo-in for the postseason.

Four new teams reached the postseason in 2015, and I could see that happening again in 2016. Which fresh teams could pop up in this year's postseason, and who are they replacing?

Vincent Goodwill: Every year teams break out from the lottery to playoff contention, but rarely will a team go from the doldrums to the penthouse. That’s where the Oklahoma City Thunder come in, as long as all the pieces that have been masterfully put together alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook stay healthy.

They were decimated by injuries last year, especially the scary foot injuries suffered by Durant. While the NBA world was treated to a triple-double fest from Westbrook, it didn’t amount to a playoff appearance. They finally realized Scott Brooks had maxed out with this team and brought in Florida coach Billy Donovan, who’s highly regarded as an NBA-ready coach. Durant and Westbrook will have to re-adjust to one another, given Westbrook’s development and desire to be on the same billing as the 2014 MVP. Whether the deepest roster finds a way to develop enough chemistry to get on the same level as Golden State or San Antonio remains to be seen, but it’s clear that with any kind of relative health, they’ll be in the thick of the title chase.

Durant missed 55 games last year, Westbrook 17. Serge Ibaka missed 18 and the Thunder went through a bit of upheaval before the deadline yet they still had a record good enough to be fifth in the East if they played there. Either way, the most compelling story in the NBA sans LeBron James this season.

MS: I can't wait to see what Durant does this season. The question will always linger about how Westbrook and he play together, and I'm intrigued to see if the progression the former made last season playing "alone" will translate with a healthy Durant back on the floor. If it does, it's pretty clear there's not a better 1-2 punch in the game.

I'll stay in the Western Conference and swap out the Mavericks for the Utah Jazz. Quinn Snyder's group went 21-11 to finish the season, including an impressive 8-8 mark in that span against eventual playoff teams. That stretch, which began on Feb. 7 with a win over the Kings, saw Utah post the league's best defense by nearly FOUR points per 100 possessions (95.3). They were one of the league's best rebounding teams in that span, and had the fifth best net rating in the NBA. The four teams ahead of them? San Antonio, Golden State, the Clippers and Cleveland. Not bad company, huh?

They return their entire young core (minus the raw yet talented Dante Exum, who tore his ACL this summer) led by the impressive frontcourt tandem of Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert. The latter really took off after the Jazz dealt Enes Kanter at the trade deadline, and paired with Gordon Hayward that duo is going to be good enough to sneak into the No. 8 seed. Their duo of young shooters on the perimeter in Rodney Hood and Alec Burks should make a jump, and rookie Trey Lyles could help right away giving teams a different inside-out look than Favors/Gobert give. That being said, I'm far from sold on Trey Burke as an everyday point guard, and their depth there is really shaky. Still, last year's finish was more than just a sample size; these guys are for real, and while I don't think Steve Kerr will stay up at night wondering how to stop them, the Jazz are headed for the postseason.

VG: I would be with you on Utah but losing Exum is too big to assume this young team will overcome it without bumps and bruises. Trey Burke has yet to prove much of anything in his first two years, so they’re on the bubble for me.

A team I can believe in, though, that can at least sneak into the bottom two playoff spots in the East is the Indiana Pacers. They traded away Roy Hibbert and David West surprisingly opted out of the last year of his deal to go to San Antonio, but they have some pieces after losing on a tiebreaker for the 8^th seed this past April.

Paul George is back and healthy, as many have forgotten he was on the doorstep to superstardom 18 months ago, on the same plane as a Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler, and perhaps a step ahead of both before his leg unfortunately met the basket stanchion at the USA Basketball showcase in July 2014. Rodney Stuckey and Monta Ellis are pretty interchangeable, and make up a pretty dynamic backcourt from a talent standpoint. I’ve always been a fan of Frank Vogel as a coach, despite his semi-arrogance. He knows what he’s doing as far as in-game adjustments, and crafted a very stout defense around a center in Hibbert, who wasn’t very mobile.

If the Pacers play more small ball with George playing the four at times, things can get very interesting in the Midwest. Lest we forget, George averaged nearly 22 points per game with 6.8 rebounds in 2013-14, and went toe-to-toe with LeBron James in the Eastern Conference Finals two years in a row. If he’s relatively healthy…Katy Bar the door.

MS: You didn't even mention Myles Turner, my favorite prospect in the 2015 rookie class, who will help with the loss of Hibbert and West inside. I'm still not sure if their depth is good enough, but it's the Eastern Conference we're talking about. Having a better season than the Brooklyn Nets isn't a major accomplishment. And speaking of George, I'm expecting a monster year from him. You're not wrong about him being on the cusp of the NBA's next great young star before his injury. Hopefully he can get back there this season.

My second favorite draft prospect was Devin Booker, and he goes to a Suns team that has been this close from the postseason the last two years. They underwent a big change in 2015, dealing Goran Dragic to Miami and winding up with Brandon Knight after the dust settled, and then they paid Knight $70 million. He and Eric Bledsoe form a supremely talented backcourt (not sure how they'll co-exist long-term, but it'll be fun to see) while Booker and Archie Goodwin, a pair of former Kentucky Wildcats, will add good two-way depth.

I also loved the addition of Tyson Chandler after they swung and missed on LaMarcus Aldridge. The Suns were 17th in defensive efficiency a year ago, and Chandler could vault them into the top-10 conversation. If the Markieff Morris situation remedies itself and he somehow stays in Phoenix, I really like the versatility of this roster. I'm not as high on them as I am the Jazz, but considering they were 6 games out of the final playoff spot after losing 10 of their last 11, I believe they'll improve greatly on their 39-win mark and have a chance to sneak in as a No. 7 or 8 seed.

Takeout slide on Kang shows Cubs play with hard edge against Pirates. What's Your Take?

By Patrick Mooney

If the Cubs needed a moment to really ignite their rivalry with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chris Coghlan might have delivered it by crashing into Jung Ho Kang with a hard slide that could echo into October.   

The Cubs are playing with an edge now, positioning themselves as a dangerous team to face in the postseason with Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester fronting the rotation and a deep lineup that generated 17 hits during Thursday afternoon’s 9-6 victory at PNC Park. 

"I don’t think we’re necessarily thinking about making a statement,” Coghlan said after the Cubs cut their playoff magic number down to nine. “I think our whole year has made a statement.”

Depending on your perspective, Coghlan’s wipeout slide would either be the exclamation point – or the middle finger – to the Cubs winning three of these four hard-fought games in Pittsburgh.

The Pirates didn’t immediately release any details about how severe Kang’s injury will be, sending him to a hospital for an MRI on his left knee. But it didn’t look good when Coghlan barreled into the South Korean shortstop, who will reportedly have season-ending surgery.

“I hate that he’s hurt,” said Coghlan, who sent a note over to Pittsburgh’s clubhouse. “He’s a great player and you never want to injury anybody. We’re a small fraternity as major-league players. You never want to see somebody hurt. But at the same time, you got to play the game hard.”

Manager Joe Maddon has been preaching “The Cubs Way” and sending his “Respect 90” message since spring training, when playing deep into October sounded like winning the lottery. The Cubs now trail the Pirates by only two games for home-field advantage in the Oct. 7 wild-card game.

The Pirates got the double play with the bases loaded in the first inning, but it came at a huge cost. Kang buckled when Coghlan’s right leg hammered his left leg, leaving him writhing in the dirt and clutching his knee.

“Absolute baseball,” Maddon said. “That is a good baseball play that’s been going on for the last hundred years. There’s no intent to hurt anybody. And sometimes you do get messed up. I’ve been on the side where my guy’s gotten hurt and sometimes the other guy gets hurt. But it’s just a good, hard baseball play.”

Kang's agent, Alan Nero, who also represents Maddon, released a statement to reporters on behalf of his client:

"It is unfortunate that what would be considered heads-up baseball would cause such a serious injury. That said, Coghlan was playing the game the way it should be played. I'm confident he meant me no harm. I appreciate everyone's support."

Kyle Schwarber had already delivered a knee-to-knee shot on the previous play, when Kang dropped another potential double-play ball. This time, Kang needed help walking off the field and down into the dugout, wrapping his arms around a trainer and his interpreter.

“I’ve been injured,” Coghlan said. “I’ve hurt my knee. I’ve played infield. I know what it’s like to turn a double play.”

Kang has been a worthy challenger to Kris Bryant in the National League’s Rookie of the Year race, a middle-of-the-order force (15 homers, 58 RBI, .816 OPS) and a versatile defender who can play shortstop and third base.

Where Maddon framed it as a matter of Kang’s technique, Coghlan also accounted for the speed of the hitter – “(Anthony) Rizzo’s not a blazer” – and a ball slowly rolling toward second base. Change a variable and the split-second decision could be the shortstop holding onto the ball and stepping out of the way.

"I don’t go out of line,” Coghlan said. “I’m completely within the rules. It just stinks because he didn’t have enough time to jump over top of me.

“So then the collision looks bad because there’s no give, there’s no take. Usually, you flip it, you jump over top, and if you clip him, you clip him. He falls down, but it’s not a direct hit.”

The Cubs now return home to Wrigley Field for another marquee series against the St. Louis Cardinals after going 7-4 on this 11-games-in-11-days road trip. Matt Holliday taking out Starlin Castro had once been a snapshot for this rivalry, but the Cubs aren’t conceding anything now, trailing the Cardinals by 6.5 games heading into Thursday night.

“All of us feel in here that we’re totally capable of catching them,” Coghlan said. "But that’s why you play the game. There’s a lot of variables. We can’t let our guard down. We have to beat the teams that we need to beat.” 

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: The Cubs are playing terrific baseball right now. The core of young energetic players with a mixture of savvy veterans and an experienced coaching staff is making all of the difference in the world. How far they go in the playoffs remains to be seen, (And I am presuming that they will get into the playoffs). This weekend's series with the St. Louis Cardinals will tell the tale of the tape. We'll see how hungry they really are. We think that they're going to perform well. We didn't think they had a chance to win it all this year but as we all know, anything is possible. A little wishful thinking on our part but this drought is destined to end soon. Come on, 107 years without a championship is enough already. Let's strike while the iron is hot. Seriously, we really don't know how far they'll really go in the playoffs, but they are fun to watch and you can bet your sweet A$$ that we will be rooting for them.

As always, now that you know how we feel, we'd love to hear your thoughts on the Cubs and what's your take? Please go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and tell us how you really feel. We love hearing from you and we respect your opinion (even though we might not agree with you in some instances).

The Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff.

David Robertson's blown save denies Jose Quintana win No. 10.

By JJ Stankevitz

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Despite his consistent, durable pitching, Jose Quintana still hasn’t won 10 games in a season. On Thursday, that baffling statistic had everything to do with David Robertson’s blown save and nothing to do with how the 26-year-old left-hander threw.

Oakland Athletics designated hitter Billy Butler’s go-ahead three-run home run off Robertson in the top of the ninth dealt the White Sox a 4-2 loss in front of 12,406 fans at U.S. Cellular Field. Quintana was in line for what would’ve been his 10th win of the season before Robertson blew his seventh save in 36 tries this year.

“I’m just furious with myself,” Robertson said. “I just screwed up another win for one our starters who pitched his (expletive) off. And I keep (expletive) doing it.”

Quintana turned in his 23rd quality start of the season — the second-highest total for an American League starter, only behind Houston’s Dallas Keuchel — by limiting Oakland to one run on four hits with one walk and six strikeouts over seven innings of work. He’s never won more than nine games in a season despite a career 3.51 ERA in 720 innings entering Thursday.

Instead, Quintana’s major league tenure has been defined by the 50 no-decisions he’s been saddled with, including Thursday’s.

“I never feel (like I have) bad luck,” Quintana said. “It’s part of the game, it happens. (You) try to continue. Sometime that’ll change.”

Quintana’s lack of wins, for the most part, isn’t his fault. The White Sox are averaging 3.63 runs of support for him this year, slightly lower than 2014’s average (3.84) and 2013’s (3.73).

“We know he's a good pitcher,” manager Robin Ventura said. “You don't question that at all. Whether he's going to get some run support, that's the other question. Going out there, he's the same every day, he brings it every day. He's just very consistent about how he goes about his work, how he pitches, attitude, all that stuff that you'd like to see he does that every day. He doesn't hang his head on things like this, he knows guys are out there trying.”

Robertson’s disastrous ninth inning began with Brett Lawrie’s one-out double and an ensuing Danny Valencia single. Butler — who entered Thursday with the fifth-worst WAR among qualified hitters — then served an 0-1 cutter deep to right, with Avisail Garcia leaping to near robbing it. Garcia caught the ball in the webbing of his glove, but it was dislodged into the right field bullpen when he slammed into the fence.

Over the last three seasons, Quintana has the 10th-most fWAR, racking about 13 WAR through consistent effectiveness over 200-inning seasons (Quintana is 10 innings away from reaching the 200-inning mark for the third straight year). But for whatever tough-luck reason, he hasn’t had the same success racking up wins in the old-school baseball sense.

“Q deserved that one, this team deserved this one,” Robertson said. “I did a terrible job. … He’s one of the hardest workers on this team. He gets a quality start almost every time he takes the ball. You can’t say enough about the guy.

“His record should be better. I can think of a couple of occasions and now I’ve messed one up for him again. It’s frustrating for me. I’ve got to be better.”

Golf: I got a club for that..... Day dominates at BMW Championship with Round 1 suspended.

By STATS Staff

Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Jason Day draw a big crowd in Lake Forest. (Photo/USATSI)

Only the weather could stop Jason Day at the BMW Championship on Thursday.

Day began his latest quest to reach No. 1 in the world by holing out from a fairway bunker for eagle and powering his way to nine birdies. The PGA champion was 10-under par through 17 holes when the first round at Conway Farms was halted because of approaching storms.

Day had just hammered a tee shot 346 yards with the wind at his back, leaving him 44 yards to the hole at No. 9. He needed to hole that shot for a 59, and he had to wait until Friday morning for that. The round was to resume at 7:30 a.m.

He was four shots ahead of PGA Tour rookie Daniel Berger, who had a 6-under 65. Day was walking to the sixth green when someone said in an exchange of greetings, ''How are you doing, Jason?'' This caused Jordan Spieth to turn around and say with a smile, ''Really? You're asking him that?''

Spieth had a hole-in-one and followed with a chip-in from 80 feet for birdie to get his game on track. He was at 5 under. But as he walked to the fourth tee, he pointed behind him and said of Day, ''He's still the clinic. I've barely got the (honors on the) tee.''

The 27-year-old Australian was as sharp as he has been all year.

It was the best show of the PGA Tour's postseason, even for a Thursday that was interrupted by a dark and stormy sky north of Chicago. The group of Day, Spieth and Rickie Fowler - Nos. 1-2-3 in the FedEx Cup - attracted an enormous gallery and the players delivered one great shot after another.

Fowler, coming off his third win of the year at the TPC Boston two weeks ago, must have felt like a third-wheel at the end, though he produced four straight birdies on his front nine. When they made the turn, the hits kept coming.

Day's shot from 79 yards in a fairway bunker on No. 1 landed beyond the hole and spun back a few feet for eagle to get him to 6 under. On the par-3 second, Spieth's tee shot just covered the bunker, hopped once in the first cut and rolled into the cup for an ace, the second of his PGA Tour career. Day holed a 20-foot birdie putt.

Both made birdie on No. 3, Spieth with his long chip-in and Day with a wedge to 5 feet. Spieth found his groove with a shot into 4 feet on No. 3 for another birdie.

Day's power was evident on the 600-yard eighth, into a strengthening wind. He hit his tee shot 305 yards, and then hit 3-wood high and into the wind just over a bunker to the collar of the green. His chip for eagle narrowly missed.

Jason Day, Jordan Spieth are huge favorites to win FedEx Cup.

By Kyle Porter

Bubba Watson and Jason Day are two of the favorites. (Photo/USATSI)

We talked last week about the real contenders for the FedEx Cup and $10 million bonus prize. But that was my opinion. What does Vegas think? Well, Vegas largely agrees with me.

Jordan Spieth and Jason Day are the huge favorites. And they should be. Those two are Nos. 1 and 2 in the FedEx Cup standings right now and both have played very well at East Lake which is where the Tour Championship is held.

Additionally, both will almost certainly be inside the top five going into that final event which means all they have to do is win it to claim the $10 million.

Here's a look at the odds of all the contenders with just the BMW Championship and Tour Championship left to play (all odds via Westgate Las Vegas Superbook).

Favorites

Jason Day: 2-1
Jordan Spieth: 3-1

Not much to say here. One of these two should win it, but I still don't think there's much value, especially compared to our next few guys.

Other favorites

Rickie Fowler: 8-1
Henrik Stenson: 8-1
Rory McIlroy: 12-1
Bubba Watson: 12-1
Dustin Johnson: 12-1

How scared is Vegas of McIlroy? He's barely in the top 20 right now but has the same odds as somebody (Watson) in the top five. I love Johnson at 12-1.

Fringe favorites

Jim Furyk: 20-1
Zach Johnson: 20-1
Justin Rose: 25-1

At these numbers, I love all three of these guys. I especially love Johnson as he's played Conway Farms (BMW Championship) very well in past years.

Longshots

Patrick Reed: 40-1
Jimmy Walker: 60-1
Matt Kuchar: 60-1
Hideki Matsuyama: 60-1

I don't love anyone here. Reed probably bet himself down from 60-1.

Really longshots

Brandt Snedeker: 100-1
Webb Simpson: 250-1
Hunter Mahan: 250-1
Sergio Garcia: 500-1
Phil Mickelson: 500-1
Billy Horschel: 500-1

Question: if these last two tournaments are played out 500 times, is Sergio Garcia going to win both of them once? Answer: yes.

NASCAR: Harvick ready to "pound" Joe Gibbs Racing in title chase.

By JENNA FRYER

(Back row L-R) Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Dollar General Toyota, Ryan Newman, driver of the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, Carl Edwards, driver of the #19 ARRIS Toyota, Paul Menard, driver of the #27 Libman/Menards Chevrolet, Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, Jeff Gordon, driver of the #24 3M Chevrolet, Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, (front row L-R) Jamie McMurray, driver of the #1 Cessna Chevrolet, Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Haas Automation Chevrolet, Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet, Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Crispy/American Heritage Chocolate Toyota, Clint Bowyer, driver of the #15 5-hour Energy Toyota, and Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, pose for a photo after making the Chase for the Sprint Cup. 

It didn't take Kevin Harvick long to start needling the drivers standing in his way of a second consecutive title.

The reigning Sprint Cup champion has heard all the hype surrounding Joe Gibbs Racing, which closed out the regular season with eight wins in the final 11 races. Harvick, with 10 second-place finishes this year, isn't at all concerned with the JGR group.

As the 16 drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship gathered Thursday to discuss the upcoming playoffs, Harvick dismissed any notion that he's got some work to do to catch up to the Gibbs group.

''I wouldn't consider us behind the Gibbs cars,'' Harvick said. ''I think we are going to pound them into the ground. That's what I think.''

Harvick has never backed away from a challenge, and he's always used his confidence to his advantage. He loves to poke at his rivals in an attempt to rattle them and get them off their game.

His attempt Thursday didn't rattle JGR driver Kyle Busch, who is tied with teammate Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson for the top seed in the Chase, which begins Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway.

''I thought (trash talk) was supposed to be (said on) the Media Day before Homestead, not the Media Day before the Chase starts,'' Busch said.

He also said Harvick doesn't do his trash-talking directly.

''He won't do it to our faces; he'll just do it through you guys,'' Busch said. ''I'd really hate to see him blow a motor here the first week. That would be really, really bad.''

Harvick, though, isn't backing down from the Gibbs drivers.

He noticed how all four Gibbs drivers raced each other hard during last weekend's race at Richmond when Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards stormed to the front of the field. Should they keep that intensity up, even when racing each other, Harvick thinks JGR could be in trouble.

''Hopefully, they can beat themselves,'' he said.

JGR has done a good job of unraveling come championship time, and the organization has not won a Cup title since Tony Stewart won his second one in 2005. Denny Hamlin made it to the final round last year, but lost to Harvick in the finale.

He acknowledged the Gibbs group is strong right now, perhaps a tick better than Stewart-Haas Racing, but his experience over this 10-race format gives him the edge.

''I don't know that we're better than them. I think for us, it's all about having the experience,'' Harvick said. ''It's really not all about the fastest car. It's about having the experience to go out and handle the emotions of 10 weeks and I think as you go into these 10 weeks, you have to put it all together and there's a lot more than racing to handle.''
---

RESTART WOES: There's not a driver in the Chase field who doesn't have questions about the way NASCAR is currently handling restarts, and the topic has been debated for more than a month.

It flared again after Saturday night's race at Richmond when team owner Roger Penske was irked that NASCAR didn't penalize race-winner Matt Kenseth for a restart against Joey Logano that Penske believed was illegal.

''I'm not comfortable one bit with how they're officiating it,'' Kyle Busch said of NASCAR. ''I think they need to step in. I think it's gone too long. It's really stupid the way some of these restarts are being handled by the drivers.''

Jeff Gordon said he didn't see Kenseth's restart, but suggested Kenseth wouldn't be shy to jump the start because NASCAR doesn't seem to take any action against the drivers.

''He knows they're not going to call it, and until they call it, guys are going to continue to push,'' Gordon said. ''It's mainly because the restart box isn't big enough. If you make the restart box bigger, they're not going to have to worry about calling that because now you can (go) anywhere in that box and get that edge you deserve (as the leader).''

Kenseth agreed that the onus is on NASCAR.

''I think that they need to probably make some calls, and then we'll get everybody more honest,'' Kenseth said. ''When the second-place guy jumps the first-place car and it's obvious, I think they need to make that call and then it won't happen anymore. I think you make that call one time, two times, three times - whatever it may be - and it will stop.''
---

LOOK WHO'S 40: Jimmie Johnson planned to start his first day as a 40 year old with a run along Chicago's waterfront.

Instead, he got talked into an impromptu celebration Wednesday night that had him feeling very much his age on Thursday.

Johnson was feted by the other 15 Chase drivers during the traditional gathering of championship contenders and NASCAR executive. He was feeling the aftereffects Thursday, his actual birthday.

''I feel 80 right now, not 40,'' he joked.

Johnson put the blame on Clint Bowyer and Matt Kenseth for kicking off the birthday celebration.

''I thought I was going to bow out early and go to bed, and had plans to go for a nice run or something on the boardwalk this morning, and between Bowyer and Kenseth, they talked me into my first drink, and with all 16 there, the energy kept going and a lot of fun was had,'' he said.

Bowyer, for his part, had a fuzzy memory of the evening. He had to be reminded Thursday that it was Johnson's birthday, even though he'd been the ringleader the previous evening.

''I didn't even know it was his birthday, and we were celebrating him,'' Bowyer said. ''I sang 'Happy Birthday' to him!''

SOCCER: Europa League preview: Liverpool, Tottenham begin quest for glory.

By Joe Prince-Wright

Both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur kick off their Europa League campaigns on Thursday’s as the Premier League’s representatives in UEFA’s second-tier continental competition.

Brendan Rodgers and Mauricio Pochettino will both be eyeing an opportunity to enter the backdoor of next season’s UEFA Champions League, as the winner of the Europa League is handed a spot in the UCL for the following season. Both Liverpool (1973, ’76, ’01) and Spurs (1971, ’84) have won this competition in the past in its old format of straight knockout.

Liverpool and Spurs both exited the competition at the Last 32 stage last time out, but in terms of boosting England’s UEFA co-efficient and making sure the PL retains its four PL spots and two automatic Europa League spots, there will be a lot of pressure on both clubs to succeed not only from within but from their PL competitors. Southampton and West Ham both fell in the Europa League qualifying rounds, further hurting the chances of boosting that all-important co-efficient, so Liverpool and Spurs will be flying the flag for the PL on a Thursday night throughout this season.

However, Rodgers has upset plenty of people with his decision to rest six first team regulars — Lovren, Skrtel, Clyne, Benteke, Milner, Lucas — for Liverpool’s trip to Bordeaux in their Group B opener, while Pochettino is also likely to leave out plenty of Spurs’ regular starters when Qarabag come to town for the Group J clash.

Below is a list of the games taking place on Thursday, while you can click on the link above to follow all the games live via our scoreboard.

Europa League schedule

Bordeaux vs. Liverpool – 1 p.m. ET
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Qarabag – 3:05 p.m. ET
Ajax vs. Celtic
Fenerbache vs. Molde
Anderlecht vs. Monaco
APOEL vs. Schalke
Asteras Tripolis vs. Sparta Prague
Atheltic Bilbao vs. FC Augsburg
Partizan Belgrade vs. AZ Alkmaar
FC Sion vs. Rubin Kazan
Borussia Dortmund vs. FK Krasnodar
FK Qabala vs. PAOK Salonika
FC Midtjylland vs. Legia Warsaw
Napoli vs. Club Brugge
SK Rapid Vienna vs. Villarreal
Viktoria Pilzen vs. Dinamo Minsk
FC Groningen vs. Marseille
Slovan Liberec vs. Sporting Braga
Dnipro vs. Lazio
St Etienne vs. Rosenborg
Skenderbreu Korce vs. Besiktas
Sporting Lisbon vs. Lokomotiv Moscow
Fiorentina vs. FC Basel
Lech Poznan vs. Belenenses

'Up to 1 billion' bet on each Premier League game.

By David Harding

As much as one billion euros is gambled globally on every English Premier League game, the vast majority in illegal bets, the head of a sports integrity watchdog says (AFP Photo/Leon Neal)

As much as one billion euros is gambled globally on every English Premier League game, the vast majority in illegal bets, the head of a sports integrity watchdog told AFP Wednesday.

Chris Eaton, the executive director of the Qatar-based International Centre for Sport Security, said the huge sums could be placed on results, regardless of which two teams are playing.

"Up to one billion euros is bet on each Premier League game," said Eaton. "Absolutely nothing is immune."

Eaton estimated that up to 80 per cent of the amount gambled on each English game is through illegal betting.

He said people would bet mostly on half-time and full-time scores and that was where the "big money" could be made.

The illegal betting occurs in countries, or administrative regions within countries, where sports gambling is outlawed.

There is no suggestion that the bets affected the outcome of any Premier League matches.

Eaton, a former FIFA head of security, was speaking in Doha on the sidelines of a joint UNESCO-ICSS meeting to follow up on measures designed to combat match-fixing adopted by 121 countries in 2013 at a conference in Berlin.

Some 60 experts from around the world are attending the two-day event in Qatar, examining progress made around the world in combatting match-fixing and sports manipulation.

Eaton said the problem of match-fixing was so great that the future of sport was in question and urged governments around the world to use their legislative powers.

"Sport will not survive 10 more years of this," he warned.

"If governments don't intervene in a collective, global and universal way on the issue of betting fraud-based match-fixing, then sport will continue to suffer significant credibility problems."

He continued: "Governments are not reacting. Governments are still looking for sport to cure its own problem or some miraculous silver bullet."

Eaton, a former policeman, estimated that the illegal sports gambling market -- fuelled primarily by organized crime gangs in eastern Europe and betting syndicates in Asia -- was worth around $1.5 trillion annually (1.3 trillion euros).

The vast majority of that is spent on football, with cricket and tennis also popular sports for illegal gambling, he said.

The $1.5-trillion figure may even be a conservative estimate. One sports analyst earlier this year said the global gambling market could be worth up to $3-trillion annually.

"It's getting worse because its continuing and therefore it's becoming entrenched," said Eaton.

He said there were four main areas where match-fixing could occur in football: international friendlies, including club friendlies, dead rubbers in competitive qualifying matches, junior competitions and lower league games.

NCAAFB: N. Illinois-Ohio St. Preview

AP - Sports

Cardale Jones will start. J.T. Barrett will play.

That has not changed at Ohio State after neither quarterback was particularly impressive during one of the more uninspiring 38-point victories a team can have.

''We just weren't - we didn't play very well,'' coach Urban Meyer said Monday.

This is the world in which No. 1 Ohio State lives: a 38-0 victory against Hawaii just a few days after a rousing Monday night road win at Virginia Tech gets the locals jumpy. And the focus inevitably ends up on the quarterbacks.

Jones went 12 for 18 for 111 yards against the Rainbow Warriors on Saturday. Barrett went 8 for 15 for 70 yards. Neither threw a touchdown pass. So fans online and on talk radio already are wondering if the right player is starting.

''The approach I've taken is Cardale started,'' Meyer said. ''He's the starting quarterback. I met with him yesterday. J.T. has not beat him out yet. He's going to continue to have opportunities to do that because J.T. is a very good player and Cardale's got to perform.''

The Buckeyes (2-0) face defending Mid-American Conference champion Northern Illinois (2-0) on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

While Meyer was not thrilled with his quarterbacks, he seemed more perturbed by the play of his offensive line. The Buckeyes were billed as having one of the top lines in college football, led by tackle Taylor Decker and guard Pat Elflein, two of the nation's best at their positions.

''We are an offensive-line driven - absolute offensive-line driven program,'' Meyer said. ''Our success over the last three years and two games is because of our offensive line, and with that comes a lot of responsibility. We expect them to play much better.''

Decker said Hawaii's defensive fronts and blitzes gave the line problems. Having a short week to prepare and going from playing Virginia Tech's 4-3 to the Rainbow Warriors' 3-4 alignment did not help.

''There's all the excuses there you could use. We're not going to use those. We expect a high level of execution regardless of a short work week and a quick turnaround from a Bear defense to an odd defense,'' Decker said. ''We just got to get better. I didn't necessarily expect it to be a finished product this early in the season. I did think we played a lot better against Virginia Tech than against Hawaii.''

Meyer said he refused to allow his players to get down after a victory, but it was apparent the Buckeyes can use the sluggish outing as a teachable moment.

''We definitely were flat,'' Decker said. ''I'm not going to name names across the team in general, but I just think some guys weren't as ready to play as they should have been.''

Meyer made it clear last week after getting back to Columbus in the wee hours of last Tuesday morning, he was not happy about having to get his team ready for a Saturday afternoon game. Getting back to a normal routine should help the Buckeyes.

''So happy about that,'' linebacker Darron Lee said.

There was also plenty to be pleased about from the Hawaii game. The defense dominated, especially the secondary. Meyer liked the way Ezekiel Elliott ran.

Still, after eight months of talking about Ohio State's quarterbacks, that conversation is not going to just go away.

''I think we have two excellent quarterbacks, and I expect them to play very well,'' Meyer said. ''Neither of them played very well Saturday. Disappointment, I don't like that word. We've just got to better prepare them.''

Northern Illinois pounded Murray State 57-26 last week, gaining 643 yards of offense. Drew Hare was 29 of 38 for 358 yards and four touchdowns, while Kenny Golladay caught two scores and finished with 144 yards receiving.

NIU scored 37 points in the second half.

"I wish we could get a faster start, but we'll work on that," coach Rod Carey said. "We'll go back to work, we're not perfect, believe me, but we responded at the right time and made some plays."

Ohio State and NIU have met once, a 35-12 Buckeyes home victory in 2006. Ohio State is 30-1 all-time against MAC opponents and has won 67 of its last 68 regular-season home games against unranked nonconference opponents.

NCAAFB: Northwestern-Duke capsule.

By The Associated Press

No. 23 Northwestern (2-0) at Duke (2-0), 12:30 p.m. (ACC Network)

Line: Duke by 3 1/2

Series Record: Tied 8-8

WHAT'S AT STAKE

Northwestern wants to hold on to its first national ranking since October 2013 and perhaps deny the Blue Devils a spot in next week's Top 25. Both teams want to prove their hot starts aren't flukes. The Wildcats, 18-2 in September games since 2010, haven't started 3-0 since '13.

KEY MATCHUP

Northwestern's defense against Duke's offense. The Wildcats have yet to allow a touchdown and are coming off their first shutout since 2007, a 41-0 romp over Eastern Illinois. Duke has put up 37 and 55 points in its first two games, ranking ninth nationally in total offense. Wildcats DE Ifeadi Odenigbo said his team expects another shutout this week, prompting a few tweets from perturbed Duke RB Shaun Wilson - who called that statement ''a gamble.''

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Northwestern: Odenigbo has 2 1/2 sacks this season and 11 in his career, and will be going up against a retooled Duke offensive line that allowed the fewest sacks among ACC teams last year and has given up just one through two games.

Duke: KR DeVon Edwards hasn't gotten much work - the Blue Devils have only received three kickoffs all season - but he's taken one of them 95 yards for a touchdown. Only one active player - UTEP's Autrey Golden (six) - has brought back more kickoffs for TDs in his career than Edwards, who has four.

FACTS & FIGURES

Northwestern has won six of seven recent meetings between the private, academically elite, major-conference programs. ... That lone Duke win was a big one - a 20-14 win in Evanston, Illinois, in 2007 that snapped a 22-game losing streak and prompted the students back in Durham to storm empty Wallace Wade Stadium and tear down a goal post. ... Duke hasn't beaten a ranked nonconference team since beating then-No. 10 Stanford in 1971. ... Both defenses have been tough on third downs. Duke ranks second nationally (10.7 percent conversion rate). Northwestern is third (11.5 percent).

NCAABKB; The United States of College Basketball: Top program in each state.

By Matt Norlander

Today, right here, we're introducing a new atlas for college hoops.

It's a proud country, a diversified realm, one almost as cool -- and battle-beaten -- as Westeros. Behold below: The United States of College Basketball.

We're in the midst of a three-part end-of-summer series that's looking at the state of the union, where all college basketball programs are right now -- and where they're headed. The major factors in this equation ...

Is the coaching situation solid?

What kind of young players are enrolled now?

Is recruiting headed in the right direction or not?

Throw in facilities, which schools are putting money into bettering their athletic compounds, and we've been able to identify and project the programs with the most impetus heading into the next five years. My colleagues -- Gary Parrish, Chip Patterson and Sam Vecenie -- and I discussed our lists in detail. In all, we're determining out three things this week:

1. The 15 programs best positioned to succeed over the next five years.
2. The program best positioned to succeed in each state over the next five years.
3. The 10 states best positioned to have the best basketball over the next five years.

Now, the map. A beautiful, colorful country of college basketball.

One nation. Under basketball. With tournaments and madness for all.

Now, how we came to each program representing its respective state.

Alabama: Auburn Tigers

Outlook: Auburn beats out the only real in-state challenger in Alabama. Behind Bruce Pearl, the Tigers' program is clearly undergoing a rejuvenation. The tricky part here that made us pause: If Auburn is NCAA Tournament-good for the next two seasons, would Pearl take a job somewhere else? It's certainly possible, and if that happened, Alabama would presumably have the leg up. But by a narrow margin, we think Auburn is best-positioned for the next five seasons.

Alaska: Alaska Anchorage Seawolves

Outlook: Well, here's the one program on this list with an asterisk. Alaska is the only state without a D-I hoops program. (Anchorage is Division II, so we didn't include it on our map.) But it gets a mention here, as it's easily the most important men's basketball program in the Frontier State. It also has among the best logos in all of college athletics. Hey, why can't we get the Seawolves into the Big Sky? Alaska Anchorage has also long been the host for the annual Great Alaska Shootout.

Arizona: Arizona Wildcats

Outlook: Obvious pick here, as Sean Miller is sitting at the table with Coach K and Calipari when it comes to recruiting on the national level. Arizona State could become something of a power in the state in the next three years under Bobby Hurley, but we've gotta see it develop. Arizona finished fourth in our top 15 programs overall for the next five years.

Arkansas: Arkansas Razorbacks

Outlook: You'll notice with about half of these states, if not a little more, that the representative is quite clear. There's simply no other school in Arkansas that's anywhere near where the Razorbacks are at -- and that's even during a time when Arkansas isn't near the peak of its powers. Still, Mike Anderson's program is No. 1 with a bullet in the Natural State.

California: UCLA Bruins

Outlook: California is an interesting one. Yes, Steve Alford's been to the NCAA Tournament in both his years at UCLA, and the recruiting is going very well. But there's no guarantee the Bruins are the best program in the Golden State by 2020. What Cuonzo Martin is doing at Cal is worth monitoring. (Cal will almost surely be better than UCLA in 2015-16.) Elsewhere, Stanford, San Diego State (uh, we'll see?) and St. Mary's have decent outlooks but nothing on the level of Cal and UCLA.

Colorado: Colorado Buffaloes

Outlook: Tad Boyle is a tremendous coach, and the Buffs' only real in-state contender here is Colorado State. CSU has done well under Larry Eustachy, but it's hard to pick against a Pac-12 school with a well-rounded coach who will probably make more NCAA Tournaments than not.

Connecticut: UConn Huskies

Outlook: You know it. UConn outpaces all in-state schools by miles. The recruiting has been very good as of late, too. Will UConn be able to climb and stay atop the American for the next few years? The biggest Connecticut competition here is the school's women's team, which in many pockets of the Nutmeg State has more frenzied supporters than the men. Kevin Ollie's tenure as head coach is one to keep an eye on. Will he be there in two years, let alone five? At this stage of his life, the NBA is still/always a looming possibility.

Delaware: Delaware Blue Hens

Outlook: It's between the Blue Hens and the Hornets of Delaware State, who have gone more than a decade since their last NCAA Tournament. Delaware has been coached by Monte Ross since 2006-07. Fun fact: Delaware has the lowest highest point, geologically speaking, in the United States.

District of Columbia: Georgetown Hoyas

Outlook: Our nation's capital is home to four Division I schools: Georgetown, George Washington, American and Howard. The Hoyas are the simple pick here, though it's fair to note that GW's been an undeniable improvement under Mike Lonergan in the past four seasons.

Florida: Florida Gators

Outlook: The fight for Florida is among the closest calls in the 50 states. Of our four writers, one took Miami, one took Florida State and two narrowly took UF, which hired Mike White this offseason. Given the optimism behind White, the fact Florida is considered a top-20 job nationally (even post-Billy Donovan) and the Gators getting upgrades to campus facilities, they narrowly beat out the other two regimes. In-state battles for talent could get crazy in the next five years, as the staffs at all of these schools are very good.

Georgia: Georgia Bulldogs

Outlook: Given the talent that comes out of this state, Georgia's schools should clearly be doing better. Brian Gregory's Yellow Jackets at Georgia Tech were beat out by Mark Fox's Bulldog program, but it wasn't exactly a rousing defeat. Heck, Georgia State just had the best year for any Georgia-based hoops program in a while, but we think the Dawgs stand to prosper the best by 2020.

Hawaii: Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

Outlook: Hawaii: One of five states on this list with just one Division I team eligible for consideration. Given there are 351 teams in D-I, it's amazing six states (including Alaska) only offer up 1.4 percent of the field.

Idaho: Boise State Broncos

Outlook: We think Leon Rice will follow in the path of one of his best friends, Mark Few, and permanently make his mark with the Broncos. Boise State is one of the most entertaining teams to watch these days, too.

Illinois: Illinois Fighting Illinois

Outlook: Not an automatic here. If Illinois stumbles -- and this is certainly possible -- in the season ahead, how long will John Groce's leash be? If Groce is no longer with the Illini by 2017, and Chris Collins is coming into his own at Northwestern ... maybe? But ultimately Illinois, at its best, can be a top-20 program in the nation. It's just not there right now. We're playing the odds and going with the most powerful program in the state. Side note: Bradley and Illinois State could flash nationally in the coming three seasons.

Indiana: Indiana Hoosiers

Outlook: Notre Dame has consistently been relevant under Mike Brey, who will almost certainly retire as the Irish's head coach one day. But Indiana has to be the pick. Either Tom Crean gets it rolling again, or he's pushed out -- and then it's the Indiana job. It won't be facing sanctions, like it was when Crean took it, and so if anyone is to replace Crean, it will be a big-time name. Basically the only time you could've ever done this kind of 50-programs-in-50-states project and not clearly had IU as Indiana's delegate would've been in 2009/2010 ... and even then it would've been tough not to pick the Hoosiers. Butler and Purdue are both on the upswing too. Good times for Indiana basketball -- as it should always be.

Iowa: Iowa State Cyclones

Outlook: The Hawkeye State has four programs: ISU, Iowa, Northern Iowa and Drake. Drake wasn't up for discussion, but the other three made for a hard choice. At its best, Iowa State is better than Iowa, and UNI -- while very good right now -- maybe it loses Ben Jacobson to a bigger job next season, or the one after that. That's why it's so hard for schools outside of consistent multi-bid conferences to really vie for plenipotentiary duty. Given the state of ISU's program right now, and how good we think Steve Prohm is, the Cyclones win out a close race.

Kansas: Kansas Jayhawks

Outlook: Somehow, the state of Kansas has only produced three Division I programs. This is among the five or six absolute no-brainers on the map, but what's undeniable: Wichita State is second-in-command. Kansas State is a decided third at the moment. So long as Gregg Marshall is coaching in Wichita, the KU-->WSU-->K-State power rankings are likely to stay. My question: If I put the number of Big 12 regular-season titles Bill Self wins in the next five seasons at 4.5, are you taking the over or the under?

Kentucky: Kentucky Wildcats

Outlook: Louisville is one heck of a rival for the Wildcats, but you know this is Kentucky all the way. John Calipari, as I've said/written myriad times in the past three years, is the perfect coach for the perfect program at the perfect time. There has never been a better marriage in the history of college basketball than the timing of Cal to Kentucky. As for the smaller schools, Northern Kentucky, Murray State and Western Kentucky are all strong candidates to make multiple NCAA Tournaments in the next five seasons.

Louisiana: LSU Tigers

Outlook: There are a dozen D-I programs nesting in Louisiana, but LSU is the best of them right now. As it should be. The belief in college hoops circles is that LSU arguably the most underachieving program of the past 30 years. For many, especially those well-versed in SEC territory, LSU should be making the NCAA Tournament four out of every five years. Just hasn't been the case. But now LSU has Ben Simmons on campus, and he could be the No. 1 pick in next June's draft. Johnny Jones, this is your moment.

Maine: Maine Black Bears

Outlook: Originating from the hamlet of Orono, the Black Bears are much more known for hockey than hoops, but don't be shocked if Bob Walsh, who won three games last season, his first at Maine, reaches the NCAA Tournament by 2018. Maine has never played in a Big Dance.

Maryland: Maryland Terrapins

Outlook: Mark Turgeon is now coaching and recruiting at the level many believed he was capable of when Maryland hired him in 2011. The Terps finished No. 12 in our projection of the 15 best programs from now through 2020.

Massachusetts: UMass Minutemen

Outlook: The Codfish State (yes, the Codfish State), offers up a few schools who could wrangle for official logo duties. UMass, Harvard's been so good as of late. Boston College when it's really going is probably the best in the state. And of course there's Holy Cross, baby! We opt for Derek Kellogg's outlook with the Minutemen, but are quick to say that this state is among the foggiest to project of any.

Michigan: Michigan State Spartans

Outlook: Yes, Michigan State beating out Michigan. Was there a tighter race between two powerhouses? Nope. Wolverines fans won't love it, but in the end we think Tom Izzo's a little bit better than John Beilein as a coach (different styles, for sure, and Beilein is great, absolutely) and we think Izzo will land just a few bigger recruits over the next five seasons. The Spartans landing 2016 five-star power forward Miles Bridges would be a biggie ... if it happens.

Minnesota: Minnesota Golden Gophers

Outlook: Amazing that a state as big as Minnesota only has one school in Division I for basketball. So the Golden Gophers win by default here, though we'll add that Richard Pitino could turn Minnesota into a top-30 program in the next three years.

Mississippi: Mississippi State Bulldogs

Outlook: Andy Kennedy has done more at Ole Miss than was ever expected. And now the school is finally getting one of the doddering arenas in major-conference basketball a total makeover/rebuild. But: Ben Howland. Within two months of him being on campus, MSU landed 2015 five-star guard Malik Newman. This state belongs to Howland until he disproves the fact he's a terrific tactician and feared recruiter.

Missouri: Missouri Tigers

Outlook: As a state, Missouri is not that strong on college hoops programs. And the Kim Anderson era is not inspiring Tigers fans, no not at all. But the Tigers have to be the pick by default here. Though Missouri State and Southeast Missouri State are prime contenders to be players in their respective leagues. The state of Saint Louis hoops is interesting. Feels like the program is at a crossroads right now. Will it trend back up in the next two years under Jim Crews? The Billikens won 11 games last season.

Montana: Montana Grizzlies

Outlook: I've visited, I don't know, maybe 30 of the 50 states? The one place I haven't been to that I want to see most: Montana. It's Spanish for mountain! State slogan: The Last Best Place. Modestly arrogant! It is the fourth-largest state by land mass in the country. Just a huge slab of territory. Fascinating. Oh, right: The Grizzlies are the pick here.

Nebraska: Nebraska Cornhuskers

Outlook: I'll come out and say it: Creighton was my choice. But I was out-voted here by my colleagues. It's a close call, but given the terrific facilities at Nebraska, and the recent turnaround, it's reasonable to go with Tim Miles' program. Miles has won everywhere he's been, though last season was a trainwreck. Let's see how he recovers. Ultimately, will Nebraska be better-positioned in the Big Ten than Creighton in the Big East? Definitely a lot of room for debate.

Nevada: UNLV Runnin' Rebels

Outlook: It would take about 72 things to fall into place to have a world where Nevada earned an upper hand on UNLV. The Runnin' Rebels, due to location, history, occasional talent right there in the conurbation, are the clear-cut pick here.

New Hampshire: New Hampshire Wildcats

Outlook: New Hampshire basketball: It's basically Matt Bonner and nothing else. UNH has never made the NCAAs, and the last time Dartmouth went, Eisenhower was in the White House. Looking at the state of the Ivy League, we determined UNH has a better shot at more success through 2020 than the Big Green.

New Jersey: Seton Hall Pirates

Outlook: Going to be painfully blunt here: New Jersey and its college basketball situation is in much worse shape than it has any business being, especially given the talent the state produces. Seton Hall was our pick, and we made it with our eyes closed. Princeton isn't on the precipice of an Ivy overthrow; Rutgers is outclassed in a major way in Big Ten hoops; NJIT finally just joined a league; St. Peter's, Fairleigh Dickinson, Rider and Monmouth don't have the pedigree to be atop the Garden State pedestal. So we go with Seton Hall, which could realistically fire its head coach come March.

New Mexico: New Mexico Lobos

Outlook: UNM and New Mexico State are the only two D-I schools in play here, and it's a close call. We picked the Lobos because the staff is really good, it's the better school in a better conference, and it has the capability of recruiting an NBA-level player every so often. We aren't sleeping on NMSU at all; Marvin Menzies has practically become governor of the WAC. Lobos are a narrow victor here.

New York: Syracuse Orange

Outlook: Because Syracuse has its coach-in-waiting, and because we don't know what St. John's will become under Chris Mullin, the Orange make for the natural delegate here. The state of New York has so many programs, many of the small but proud schools. Syracuse has spent who knows how much in marketing over the past decade billing itself as "New York's College Team." In college hoops, yes, it was and is and will remain to be true.

North Carolina: Duke Blue Devils

Outlook: The battle in North Carolina is going to get interesting once Mike Krzyzewski decides to retire -- whenever that is. We don't think it happens by 2020, but it will almost certainly happen within the five years after that. Alas, we're on a five-year window here, and Duke has to be the pick. UNC could be pummeled with NCAA sanctions. NC State is not on Duke's level, and neither is Wake, though expect Wake Forest to make big strides in the next three seasons under Danny Manning. By the way, Davidson is also well-positioned to remain very good. This is such a strong state for hoops.

North Dakota: North Dakota State Bison

Outlook: Say it with me: Bye-zun! Yes, NDSU beats out the currently moniker-less University of North Dakota. (Come on, Nodaks! Roughriders, Sundogs and North Stars are all OK; do not go with Fighting Hawks, please. Still forever partial to the Snow Dogs or Badlanders. Where was I ... oh, right ... ) Given what NDSU has achieved, we project them more likely to succeed in the next five years than the to-be-renamed UND.

Ohio: Ohio State Buckeyes

Outlook: Xavier and Cincy put up a good fight, but Thad Matta's probably due to cycle back in as an elite recruiter. Ohio State is one of the 15 best jobs in the country, for sure. The Buckeyes will have many years ahead under Matta. There can be no other choice here but tOSU.

Oklahoma: Oklahoma Sooners

Outlook: Lon Kruger isn't an elite recruiter, but he gets enough to the point where Oklahoma is now entering the 2015-16 season as a Final Four contender. Kruger has had success everywhere he's gone, has taken more programs to the NCAA Tournament than any coach ever, so yeah, Oklahoma is definitely in better shape right now than Oklahoma State, which is a program whose fans would argue is the better one historically. Did you catch how a former OSU player is suing the coach over alleged psychotropic drug use, among other things?

Oregon: Oregon Ducks

Outlook: I think this one is going to be wind up being very close come 2019. Some believe Dana Altman shouldn't even be coaching at Oregon after the rape scandal of 2014. Nevertheless, Altman, who's won more than 530 games in his career (that number surprise you, by chance?) still has Oregon moving forward. Wayne Tinkle could get Oregon State back on track, I do believe that, given Nike ties and what Altman's set the program up to do on the court, the Ducks are the pick.

Pennsylvania: Villanova Wildcats

Outlook: In sum: Villanova has a better chance to succeed in the Big East than Pittsburgh does in the ACC and/or Temple does in the American. It's also feeling like Jay Wright is settled in for the long haul with the program. He is Villanova basketball now, and college hoops overall feels better when you see Nova doing well. Pennsylvania, though: A very good state for college hoops. It goes beyond the Big 5 in Philly. Robert Morris has ascended under Andy Toole, and Bucknell is almost always near the Patriot League's ceiling.

Rhode Island: Providence Friars

Outlook: Ed Cooley is commanding PC to a resurgence. Rhode Island has a very promising year ahead, but will Dan Hurley leave URI in the next one or two years for a bigger job? We think that's very possible, while Cooley's seemingly set in for many years ahead at PC. The Friars are the biggest program in the smallest state.

South Carolina: South Carolina Gamecocks

Outlook: In theory we could've gone with Wofford here. But we're trusting Frank Martin to find third, and then fourth, gear with the Gamecocks over the next two seasons. Clemson is by no means commanding us to pick them in this spot, though it's certainly plausible the Tigers, Gamecocks and Terriers (yep, Wofford! Mike Young is a great mid-major coach) bob in and out of the top spot over the next five years.

South Dakota: South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Outlook: Scott Nagy will have the Jackrabbits dancing again very soon, perhaps as early as March 2016. The University of South Dakota is still lagging behind SDSU in the D-I chase.

Tennessee: Vanderbilt Commodores

Outlook: Here's the reality of this situation: I wanted to go with Belmont, but there was no shot my colleagues were agreeing with me here. Yet Rick Byrd's Belmont program is the most stable of any Tennessee-based one at the moment. Vandy is the pick because Kevin Stallings, after a couple of rocky seasons, could be headed toward some bright times. Memphis is year-to-year at this point with Pastner, and let's see what Rick Barnes does at Tennessee in the autumn of his career. That Vols job has been hexed since about 2009.

Texas: Texas Longhorns

Outlook: Shaka Smart to Texas? The easy answer is Texas. And now he'll presumably be getting an athletic director who knows how to do the job. What the Longhorns men's basketball program becomes in the next five years under Smart will be really alluring to track.

Utah: BYU Cougars

Outlook: If Michigan vs. Michigan State was the closest call between two clear-cut alphas at the top in one state, then BYU-Utah was second-hardest. Utah isn't winning for two reasons: Larry Krystkowiak, who has NBA ties, is no sure thing to be at Utah come 2020. We're pretty confident Dave Rose isn't leaving BYU anytime soon, so there's a smidge more stability there. Plus, Utah's in the tougher league, and odds are BYU is able to navigate its way -- with older players -- to the NCAAs than the Utes. But it's really close. Really, really close.

Vermont: Vermont Catamounts

Outlook: One of the best nicknames in the game. Vermont's only D-I team is right there in the state's biggest city, Burlington, which also happens to be one of the best small-town college towns (if you get what I mean) in the country.

Virginia: Virginia Cavaliers

Outlook: Fairly obvious pick here, but what's kind of incredible is this would not have been the case whatsoever five years ago. Tony Bennett has assembled a program that's distinctly his own and near-impossible to duplicate at any other level. As for the rest of the state: Va. Tech, VCU, Richmond and George Mason are very unpredictable over the next five seasons.

Washington: Gonzaga Bulldogs

Outlook: It kills Washington fans to know that this isn't even close. Gonzaga is an auto 25-win team every season, and if this program ever fails to reach the Big Dance under Mark Few, know that someone has broken the mainframe of the Matrix. On the flip side: Does Ernie Kent take Washington State to an NCAA Tournament?

West Virginia: West Virginia Mountaineers

Outlook: West Virginia is better than Marshall. You know it, I know it, Bob Huggins knows it, and Dan D'Antoni absolutely knows it, too.

Wisconsin: Wisconsin Badgers

Outlook: If Bo Ryan retires after this season (I don't think that's happening), is Wisconsin for sure a better program through 2020 than Marquette? I can't promise it will be, but we're taking the "Baaa-jers" here because we think Ryan sticks it out a few more years, and if Greg Gard takes over, then Wisconsin could conceivably still outpace the Golden Eagles.

Wyoming: Wyoming Cowboys

Outlook: The final state and school stands all alone, as the Pokes are the only ones playing D-I hoops in the Equality State. Their arena is also the highest one above sea level, you might have heard.

Elena Delle Donne wins WNBA MVP.

Mechelle Voepel

Elena Delle Donne won the WNBA MVP on Wednesday, making her the first Chicago player and just the fourth from the Eastern Conference to receive the honor. (Photo/David Sherman/NBAE/Getty Images)

Chicago's Elena Delle Donne has proven in her three seasons in the WNBA that as long as she's healthy, she's going to be a major handful for opponents to try to stop. That's been the case this year, and Wednesday, Delle Donne was named the league's MVP as she prepares to lead the Sky into the playoffs.

Delle Donne, 26, is the first Chicago player to receive the honor, and just the fourth from the Eastern Conference. (That includes Cynthia Cooper's first MVP in 1997, when Houston was in the East. The Comets moved to the West in 1998, when Cooper won it a second time.) The other two East winners were Indiana's Tamika Catchings in 2011, and Tina Charles, then of Connecticut, in 2012.

Delle Donne, who was chosen No. 2 in the 2013 draft behind Brittney Griner, was rookie of year that season and led the Sky to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Last year, she played in just 16 games during the regular season because of the lingering effects of Lyme disease, which she has battled since her college days at Delaware.

Yet Delle Donne was back at least closer to full strength by the 2014 postseason, and she had a monster performance with 34 points in the Sky's series-clinching first-round win over Atlanta. The Sky then beat Indiana to advance to WNBA Finals, but once there, back issues limited Delle Donne's effectiveness as the Sky were swept by Phoenix.

This year, though, pretty much nothing has gotten in her way. She opened the season with a 31-point, eight-rebound performance against Indiana, followed by 40 and nine against Tulsa. That set the tone for what kind of season it was going to be for Delle Donne, a 6-foot-5 guard/forward.

She finished the regular season averaging a league-best 23.4 points, and also has the WNBA's top free-throw accuracy at 95 percent (207 of 218).

Delle Donne's player efficiency rating of 32.72 this season is the best in the league since Lauren Jackson's 2006 (34.91) and 2007 (35.04) seasons in Seattle.

She received 38 of the 39 first-place votes from a national media panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Minnesota's Maya Moore, who won the award last year, received the other first-place vote.

New York's Charles finished third. Phoenix's Griner was fourth and LA's Candace Parker was fifth.

Despite the individual accolades, Delle Donne remains focused on what she hopes to help the Sky achieve.

"A WNBA championship is by far the biggest goal," she said during a live interview on SportsCenter on Wednesday. "That would by far be the most amazing thing to bring home to Chicago."

LeBron James tweeted congratulations to Delle Donne after the announcement.

There's never been a question that Delle Donne would be an elite scorer at the pro level, but Sky coach Pokey Chatman wanted her to increase her rebounding production this season, too. Mission accomplished, as Delle Donne doubled her 2014 average of 4.0 rebounds to 8.4 in 2015. Delle Donne also has averaged 1.4 assists and 2.0 blocks this year.

Delle Donne is also very active off the court, as for the second year in a row, she won the Dawn Staley Community Leadership award for her work with the Special Olympics and Lyme disease awareness and research.

Delle Donne and the Sky finished second in the Eastern Conference at 21-13, and they'll face Indiana in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Thursday (ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET) in Chicago.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Friday, September 18, 2015.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1915 - The first asphalt covered automobile race track was opened in Cranston, RI.

1956 - Mickey Mantle hit his 50th home run.

1962 - Charlie Finley was denied permission to move the Athletics to Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX.

1965 - Mickey Mantle played in his 2,000th game.

1972 - Art Williams became the first black umpire in National League history.

1993 - The Anaheim Mighty Ducks played the Pittsburg Penguins in their first NHL pre-season game.

1997 - Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo were elected to World Golf Hall of Fame.

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