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"Sports Quote of the Day"

"You can't play sports without losing sometimes and, in losing, you learn something about grace and how to act under pressure.” ~ John F. Kerry, Secretary of State for the United States of America

Trending: Blackhawks extend point streak to 11 games with win over Canadiens. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).

Trending: Turnovers prove costly as Bears get routed by Buccaneers. (See the football section for Bears News an NFL updates).

Trending: Jimmy Butler wakes up Bulls in time for win over shorthanded Wizards. (Saturday night's game, 11/12/2016). (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).

Trending: Anthony Rizzo, Jake Arrieta win Silver Slugger Award. (See the baseball section for Cubs and White Sox updates).

Trending: Joey Logano wins at Phoenix, advances to Championship 4 along with Kyle Busch. (See the NASCAR section for racing news and Chase updates).

Trending: Making sense after the College Football Playoff's wildest weekend ever. (See the college football section for NCAA football news, scores and updates).

NFL SCORES, Sunday 11/13/2016.

Cleveland Browns 7

Baltimore Ravens 28 

Green Bay Packers 25

Tennessee Titans 47

Minnesota Vikings 20 

Washington Redskins 26

Chicago Bears 10

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 36

Kansas City Chiefs 20

Carolina Panthers 17

Atlanta Falcons 15

Philadelphia Eagles 24

Los Angeles Rams 9

New York Jets 6 

Denver Broncos 25

New Orleans Saints 23

Houston Texans 24

Jacksonville Jaguars 21

Miami Dolphins 31

San Diego Chargers 24

Dallas Cowboys 35

Pittsburgh Steelers 30

San Francisco 49ers 20 

Arizona Cardinals 23

Seattle Seahawks 31 

New England Patriots 24

Cincinnati Bengals   Monday Night Game

New York Giants       11/14/2016

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks extend point streak to 11 games with win over Canadiens.

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The night started with the Blackhawks welcoming back Andrew Shaw to Chicago. It ended with the Blackhawks gaining one more big victory before bidding Chicago goodbye for a few weeks.

Patrick Kane’s dazzling goal proved to be the game-winner and Corey Crawford stopped 21 of 23 shots, including some critical ones at the end, as the Blackhawks held off the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Sunday night. The Blackhawks ran their unbeaten streak to 11 games (9-0-2) and were happy with their all-around game.

“I think with everything on the line, we’ve gotten better,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “These four or five games were probably the best as far as generating and not having to defend as much.”

Gustav Forsling scored his first career NHL goal and Marian Hossa scored his fourth in as many games. Chicago product Al Montoya had a strong game for Montreal, stopping 32 of 35 shots.

If there was any team that was hotter than the Blackhawks right now it was the Canadiens, who were 13-1-1 entering this contest. That included a convincing 5-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings the previous night in Montreal. But outside of a few messy minutes to start the second period, during which the Canadiens got goals from Shea Weber (power play) and Andrei Markov, the Blackhawks were the better team on Sunday.

Hossa was in front of the net to score off Nick Schmaltz’s shot from the blue line for a 2-2 game 11:29 into the second period. Just five minutes later came Kane’s eye-popping goal, one on which he got around Jeff Petry and, while falling, scored his sixth of the season.

“I just tried to make a play, got tripped up, at that point you’re just throwing the net hoping something happens,” Kane said. “I got lucky there. Nice to see it go in.”

The Blackhawks probably could’ve gotten more if not for Montoya, who stopped several Grade-A opportunities. Crawford was doing the same at the end, his biggest stop coming against Alex Galchenyuk with about 20 seconds remaining in regulation. He also stopped Shaw, who led all players with six shots on goal, at critical times.

“We’re progressing in a good way, a lot of quality chances tonight and timely saves at the right time by Crow,” Quenneville said. “Good, almost like a penalty kill at the end. Good two points.”

The Blackhawks have sometimes looked to the Circus Trip to get the cohesiveness they may lack in the first month or so of the season. Right now, they’re rounding into form before they even pack their bags.

“We talked about it: be strong toward the end because we’re coming up on two weeks on the road,” Hossa said. “We did a lot of good things tonight.”

Five Things from Blackhawks-Canadiens: Next up on the top line...

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Most of Sunday night centered around seeing old friends, more on the ice than off because time didn’t allow for the latter.

It was also about keeping a good thing rolling, which the Blackhawks did in terms of their now 11-game point streak (9-0-2). The Blackhawks saw former teammate Andrew Shaw on the ice, weathered a great Montreal Canadiens team and are certainly in good shape heading into their annual Circus Trip.

So before we head home and make sure everything’s packed, here are the Five Things to take from the Blackhawks’ 3-2 victory to the Canadiens.

1. A split second period. The Blackhawks got a little turnover happy to start the second, Shea Weber got a power-play goal when his shot caromed off Michal Kempny’s stick and Corey Crawford didn’t seem to see the second goal that got past him. But they recovered nicely in the second half, with Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane scoring goals. They returned to the great puck possession they had in the first period, too.

2. The rotating left-wing spot on the top line. Different year, same situation. Ryan Hartman started with Jonathan Toews and Kane but early in the second period Vinnie Hinostroza was up there. Kane spoke highly of Hinostroza, as did coach Joel Quenneville. Both said he added some energy and spark to that line. So is it his turn now, and how long does that last? Getting a consistent trio may help a bit.

3. A better night for Al Montoya. The last time the Chicago native was in net for the Canadiens, it was a rough one – a 10-0 loss to Columbus. On Sunday night, Montoya’s third-period work, in particular, kept the Canadiens in this one. The Canadiens were likely feeling the effects of their back-to-back – they beat Detroit on Saturday night. Montoya more than gave them a chance in the third.

4. Hossa’s scoring continues. Another game, another goal for Hossa, who got his fourth in as many games in the second period on Sunday night. Hossa now has nine goals in 15 games this season; he had 13 in 64 games in 2015-16. Listen, we get that Hossa isn’t a young guy in this league anymore. But any thoughts that he was done were certainly premature.

5. Hello again, Andrew Shaw. Toews talked prior to the game of former Blackhawks who, “seem to have their way with us” when they come back to the United Center. We’re sure Shaw got into the Blackhawks’ faces with his on-ice chirping. Despite his best efforts, however – six shots on goal – he didn’t get on the scoresheet.

Blackhawks seven-game winning streak snapped with OT loss to Capitals. (Friday night's game, 11/11/2016).

By Tracey Myers 

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

There have been a lot of positives during the Blackhawks’ unbeaten streak.

First, getting points in 10 games is always a bonus. As coach Joel Quenneville always says (in various forms), any points you get early in the season saves you from desperately chasing to get them at the end.

At the same time, the word, “fortunate,” has come up a few times regarding these victories. It probably could’ve been uttered again on Friday night.

Marian Hossa scored with 22.3 seconds remaining in regulation but Marcus Johansson scored in overtime as the Washington Capitals beat the Blackhawks 3-2. The Blackhawks’ seven-game winning streak ended but their unbeaten streak did not.

They haven’t lost a game in regulation since Oct. 21 (against the Columbus Blue Jackets).

Brian Campbell scored a power-play goal for the Blackhawks and Jay Beagle scored twice for the Capitals. World Cup teammates Braden Holtby and Corey Crawford both had solid outings; Holtby stopped 32 of 34 in the victory and Crawford stopped 25 of 28 in the loss.

It was another game in which the Blackhawks eked out a point with some late-game work.

“We’ve been in this stretch for a while now and we’ve been extremely fortunate a lot of nights. But with the goalie out [empty net late in the third period], coming back that late, you’ve gotta get some breaks and we’ve been getting a lot of breaks in a lot of ways,” Quenneville said. “We’ve scored some timely goals this year that have put us in the spot we’re in right now. We can be better in ways, but we’ll take it.”

Missing Artem Anisimov, the Blackhawks had to make more line changes again. Some worked pretty well – Marcus Kruger, Hossa and Artemi Panarin made up the Blackhawks’ best line of the night. The top line, however, struggled to get something going. Hossa, who’s been sizzling lately, had the game-tying goal off Panarin’s rebound to force overtime.

Hey, a point is a point.

“Well, obviously good considering we were losing with a couple seconds left in the game. So we got at least the one point. But I think it’s one of those games, we have to be better because those guys play extremely well in the neutral zone, they’re waiting for you,” Hossa said. “We tried to beat them individually and they were just waiting for turnovers. Sometimes we have to play the ugly hockey and just chip and support.”

Great goaltending and fantastic finishes have been reasons for a bulk of these points lately. The Blackhawks will take those critical points. They’d just like to have more all-around games, more convincing performances with them.

“At that point it would be nice to find a way,” Toews said. “When you come up short you’re always going to look at the things you didn’t do. I think the start getting behind against a team like that, the way they play defensively. You can’t continue to rely on scoring goals late in the game like that. We just have to focus on trying to play ahead of a team like that.”

Blackhawks reveal roster for Winter Classic Alumni Game.

By Paul Roumeliotis

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Blackhawks revealed their roster on Friday for the Winter Classic Alumni Game.

The Alumni Game will take place at 1:30 p.m. CT on Dec. 31, just two days before the Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues square off for their Winter Classic matchup at Busch Stadium.

Tony Esposito and Cliff Koroll will be behind the Blackhawks bench as coaches.

Check out the full rosters below.

Blackhawks

Adrian Aucoin

Murray Bannerman

Adam Burish

Kyle Calder

Daniel Carcillo

Jim Cummins

Eric Daze

Ben Eager

Reggie Kerr

Steve Konroyd

Dave Mackey

Jamal Mayers

Grant Mulvey

Troy Murray

Brian Noonan

Jack O'Callahan

Darren Pang

Steve Poapst

Reid Simpson

Brent Sopel

Gary Suter

Jimmy Waite

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Turnovers prove costly as Bears get routed by Buccaneers.

By Associated Press

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Jameis Winston kept retreating toward his own goal line, seemingly in disregard for the best interests of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The second-year quarterback often is at his best when he's improvising, though, and the first overall pick from the 2015 draft kept scrambling into the end zone and back out before heaving a 38-yard completion to Mike Evans.

The play started at his own 23 and ended at the Chicago 38, where Evans made a leaping catch. On the next play, Winston threw his second TD pass in a 36-10 rout of the Bears on Sunday.

"That's Jameis making plays," Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said, though that hardly crossed the coach's mind while Winston was heading the wrong way with the Bucs clinging to a seven-point lead early in the third quarter.

"Throw it away. Throw it away. Do anything. Don't take a safety," Koetter recalled himself thinking.

"But, the thing about Jameis, Jameis is going to do some things that we don't plan for and he's going to do some things that sometimes I don't like," the coach added. "But Jameis is going to make some plays. That's who he is. ... You can't coach that out of him. He's a special player in that respect."

Winston finished 23 of 33 for 312 yards with one interception, helping the Bucs (4-5) win at home for the first time this season. The Bears (2-7) are winless in five road games.

"That was a great play by him. ... He retreated. I tried to get him again and he stepped up in the pocket and let it rip," Bears linebacker Leonard Floyd said. "Great play by him."

Winston threw for TDs of 10 yards to Cameron Brate and 43 yards to Freddie Martino, a former practice squad player with two career receptions.

Two weeks after returning from injury and helping the Bears (2-7) beat NFC North leader Minnesota, Jay Cutler threw two interceptions and fumbled twice, one resulting in a third-quarter safety that put the Bucs up 29-10.

The Bucs forced four turnovers overall and sacked Cutler four times. Even though the Bears are last in the league in scoring, it was a confidence-building performance for a defense that yielded 73 points and 1,087 yards - including 857 passing - in home losses to Oakland and Atlanta the previous two weeks.

Cutler missed five games with a sprained right thumb before playing well and not turning the ball over against the Vikings. The Bears had a bye last week, but the momentum they built against Minnesota didn't carry over to the trip to Tampa.

The Bears scored on Cameron Meredith's 50-yard TD reception on the final play of the first half. Cutler finished 16 of 30 for 182 yards, and Tampa Bay's Chris Conte returned a first-quarter interception 20 yards to give the Bucs a 7-0 lead.

"Any given week, you can win, you can lose. It depends on how you execute," Cutler said. "Obviously, we didn't get the job done today."

Bears continue disturbing pattern of playing their worst when stakes are highest.

By John Mullin

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

An undercurrent last week, even amid all the positives generated by the pre-bye win over the Minnesota Vikings, was that if the Bears did not take down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it would render the win over Minnesota all but meaningless.

Well, the win over Minnesota was in fact rendered all but meaningless in a 36-10 rout at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whose 29th-ranked defense limited the Bears to exactly one touchdown and that on a Hail Mary to end the first half.

Most disturbing, the Bears simply unraveled, not once, but over and over. And they did it know two weeks after the Minnesota game showed them what they can be.

Presented with a platinum opportunity to rejoin the NFC North division race, and with their healthiest lineups in months, the Bears (again) delivered a game that evoked memories of slaughters in Philadelphia, New England and Green Bay under the previous regime. The Bears (2-7) for the second straight year failed to build any forward momentum out of an upset win over an NFC North rival (Green Bay last season). When the playoffs were within reach in 2013, the Bears melted down. At 5-6 last season they melted down against then also-rans San Francisco and Washington. They did again on Sunday.

The only, largely academic, question amid the aftershocks Sunday was which of the seemingly endless Bears foul-ups was the fatal self-destruct, an ominous situation that there were so many choices.

“Our whole team was off today. I don’t want to put it all on one guy,” said coach John Fox in an effort deflect some blame from quarterback Jay Cutler, who lost the football four times (two interceptions, two fumbles) that directly accounted for nine Tampa Bay points.

It was a game with a great deal suddenly at stake given that Minnesota and Green Bay were both losing (again) and no one in the NFC North has fewer than four losses. If the Bears wanted a character test, they have one now that they need to address, because they failed miserably with the one in front of them on Sunday.

“It’s all about how you handle adversity,” said linebacker Willie Young, leaving out the fact that the Bears do not appear to be able to handle prosperity when it comes in the form of an opportunity game.

The problems were everywhere and immediate.

The Bears had the football in Tampa Bay’s end on four of their first five possessions and came away with just three points, and those on a 54-yard field goal. The reason: Cutler threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, and running back Jordan Howard lost a fumble, all in the span of six possessions.

Yet the inescapable feeling at the time was that this game, and possibly more, had gotten completely away from the Bears in the span of two plays. A statement of…something. Something not good, because these were defensive catastrophes.

The first was Leonard Floyd coming free up the middle and missing a sack of Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winton. Then Willie Young missed the sack chance. Winston wound up and heaved the football in the general direction of wideout Mike Evans, who caught the ball behind cornerback Tracy Porter at the Chicago 38.

One play and a penalty later, Winston found third-string receiver Freddie Martino loose behind cornerback Cre’Von LeBlanc for a 43-yard touchdown.

Instead of field position (and possibly a safety) against a wobbling Tampa Bay team, one that had been given four turnovers, one a pick-6 by ex-Bear Chris Conte, and that managed just a 17-10 halftime lead on the Bears, the Bears were behind 24-10 – this to a Tampa Bay team that hadn’t won at home this season and was 3-17 at home in its last 20 games at Raymond James Stadium.

The offense couldn’t stay on the field and, once again when that happens, the defense couldn’t get off it as the game dragged on.

“[Tampa Bay] put up 30-something points on us, man,” said linebacker Jerrell Freeman. “All that game-planning, watching film, we’ve got to go out there and do what we’ve got to do as a squad. [Coach is] making some great calls out there. I get the [defensive-signal call] in my [headset], I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s going to work.’ Boys have to go out there and execute. To a man, everybody has to go out there and do their thing.

“It’s just what it is.”

If Sunday is what the Bears is ….

Bears Grades: Offense degenerates with turnovers, inept execution vs. bottom-feeder Buccaneers defense.

By John Mullin

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Any positives that may have been taken from the 20-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings were swept away in less than the first half of Sunday’s Bears 36-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Positives surrounding quarterback Jay Cutler suffered a similar fate.

Two weeks ago Cutler was being credited with leadership and a level of performance that galvanized a shaky team and inspired the collective to an upset win. On Sunday the exact opposite occurred, with dire consequences.

(And with something of an odd Cutler comment. The Bears rushed for 122 yards, a rate of 6.1 per carry. They had 102 rushing yards in the first half. Yet Cutler began an answer as to why they didn’t play as well as in their previous game with, “We didn’t play well,” before adding, “I didn’t play well.” The roots of Sunday’s debacle lay in the passing game, period.)

The Cutler credited with rallying the entire team with his return in the Minnesota game was nowhere to be found as he lost the football three times in four possessions in the first half, four times overall, including throwing an interception returned for a touchdown and losing a fumble out of the end zone for a safety. Tampa Bay came into Sunday with just 14 takeaways through eight games and were given five by the Bears in less than three quarters.

The problems indeed were more than simply Cutler. A question for coaches will be why the offense stayed so much in Cutler’s hands when those hands were having major issues and he simply was not playing well from the outset. The Bears ran just nine total plays in the first 24 minutes in the second half as the offense that couldn’t hold onto the football in the first half collapsed completely in the second. Needing to regain momentum, the offense managed a total of two yards in three third-quarter possessions and seven on a fourth, all while going three-and-out on all four of those “drives.”

Quarterback: F

After a turnover-free game against a good Vikings defense, the story of this game was Cutler turnovers against a Tampa Bay defense that was among the NFL’s worst in multiple categories. The apparent progress in ball security that Cutler made last season and in the Minnesota game unspooled with three turnovers in barely the first quarter, with a fourth coming on a strip-sack in the third quarter on which the football went out of the end zone for a safety.

“Too many turnovers,” Cutler said. “When you have that many turnovers, it is going to be hard to win.”

Cutler turned the football over those three first-half times in the span of four possessions, all in critical situations and field positions. He gave the Buccaneers seven points with a sloppy toss toward tight end Logan Paulsen that was intercepted for a TD by Chris Conte, then costing his offense points with a fumble at the Tampa Bay 4 on a strip-sack in the second quarter.

Cutler never appeared to get in synch, either with his own game or with teammates. He started slowly with a couple of poor throws early, incompletions to end a promising opening drive, but ones that were in no danger of interception. But his play began to really spiral down with an interception thrown toward Alshon Jeffery into coverage on the second possession, followed by the Conte interception one snap later.

“I talked to Al [Jeffery] about it,” Cutler said. “We’re on the same page. I hope it doesn’t happen again.”

Running back: B-

Jordan Howard was again a force with 89 yards on 13 first-half carries (6.8 ypc). The rookie repeatedly showed great burst to reach the second level and post three runs of 10-plus yards in just the first quarter. He lost a fumble at the Chicago 20 to set up a Tampa Bay touchdown in the second quarter.

“I was going to the ground and [defensive lineman William Gholstron] punched it out,” Howard said.

Jeremy Langford picked up 13 yards on his one first-half carry. But killed a second-half drive when he dropped a basic screen pass with blockers in front of him, then came back two snaps later to be brought down by a single tackler in the open field when a breakaway was desperately needed.

Ka’Deem Carey caught one pass for 16 yards but was stopped on his two rushing attempts for minus-1 yard.

Receivers: D

Bears receivers were non-factors throughout, with the exception of Cam Meredith ending the first half with a catch for a 50-yard Hail Mary TD, the Bears’ only touchdown of the game.

“I was running down the sideline, I did a one-on-one with the corner and he came off on Alshon,” Meredith said. “So when he went up with Alshon, they both kind of tipped it and I was at the right place at the right time.”

It was the only catch of the game for Meredith. Jeffery tied for team high with four catches but needed nine targets to get those. Jeffery was flagged once for a false start and once for holding and had no catch for longer than 16 yards.

Zach Miller caught four passes for 32 yards, no catch longer than 12. No other receiver had more than one reception.

Offensive line: C-

The line began Sunday with Pro Bowl guards Kyle Long and Josh Sitton back in the lineup together for the first since Oct. 16 but suffered the loss of Long in the first half with an ankle injury that saw his right leg placed in a blow-up cast and him carted off the field. That was followed by right tackle Bobby Massie leaving with a concussion, as the Bears finished the day with Mike Adams at right tackle and Ted Larsen at right guard and no other offensive linemen available.

“It didn’t affect us too much because we’ve got guys like Ted and Mike to step in,” said left tackle Charles Leno.

The blocking overall was strong early in the run game as Bears backs averaged 7.3 yards per first-half carry. The overall play level declined with the backups against Pro Bowl three-technique Gerald McCoy and facing a deteriorating game situation in which the Bears were too far behind to do anything but pass.

Coaching: F

None of the coaches turned the football over but the overall collapse of a team on the brink of restarting their season starts at the top. The Bears were never in any kind of control of a game against what should have been a weak opponent, yet were unable to exploit opportunities on any side of the football. Discipline gradually broke down as the Bears were penalized nine times in the game, eight of those coming in the second half and five in the fourth quarter.

The commitment to the run that was key in the win over Minnesota appeared to be in place again early. But then whatever game plan there was disappeared in the turnovers by Cutler, who was clearly ineffective even when he wasn’t losing the football. The Bears called nine runs and 10 pass plays in the first quarter but then dialed up just five runs vs. nine passes in the second.

The defense was against stout against the run but inconsistent in pass rush. Jameis Winston was sacked four times but hit on just one other occasion (other than Pernell McPhee’s roughing-the-passer in the second half).

Special teams made mental errors as well as physical, putting the offense in holes on a day when it was beyond incapable of digging out of them.

Bears Grades: Defense lets momentum, Bucs QB Jameis Winston slip away in loss.

By John Mullin 

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

A game in which an opponent scores 36 points should have reflected a defensive disaster but the Bears were not one, save for a small handful of cataclysmic plays. Two, actually, the missed sack by rookie Leonard Floyd and Willie Young on the third play of the second half, and a coverage slip-up one play later for a 43-yard touchdown. Both occurred when the Bears had game momentum within their reach.

“We come back out [in the second half] and they go right down and score on us,” said coach John Fox.

The Bears limited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to 2.6 per rushing attempt, with no carry longer than 10 yards. They sacked quarterback Jameis Winston four times, and the Bears held Tampa Bay to just 164 yards in the first half.

But breakdowns were inevitable with the offense running just nine plays for a total of five yards in the third quarter and sustaining none of its final 12 possessions (out of 13) longer than 2:52 and turning the football over to the Buccaneers on five different occasions. By game’s end seven different Bucs had pass receptions of 10 yards or longer.

“I’ve got go and watch the film and see what happened defense-wise,” said linebacker Pernell McPhee, although he didn’t need to see any replays to raise the bar for how the defense prepares in practices.

“You’ve just got to get pissed off and study film more,” McPhee said. “We gotta take out there on the practice field and dominate practice. When we go against the scout team, they shouldn’t complete a pass or gain a yard. That’s got to be the focus.”

Defensive line: C-

The defensive line was generally stout and got some pocket push on Winston while shutting down Tampa Bay’s run game. Eddie Goldman marked his return from an ankle injury with a sack of Winston in the third quarter. Goldman was reported to have an ankle issue after the game but “it felt pretty good, and it felt real good just to be back out there,” said Goldman, who finished with four tackles, one for loss.

Goldman was active for the first time since the Philadelphia game but Will Sutton remained the starter and was credited with four tackles. With Mitch Unrein down with a back injury, rookie Jonathan Bullard got his first NFL start but contributed just one tackle.

Defensive end Akiem Hicks was strong against the run, with three tackles, one for loss.

Linebacker: C

Floyd batted down a pass and got a hit on Winston that won’t show up in the stats because the play was nullified by a Tampa Bay penalty. That was in the first quarter; Floyd then sacked Winston in the second when Young got excellent outside pressure to flush Winston into Floyd.

But those were overshadowed by Floyd and Young failing to get a scrambling Winston down on the third play of the second half, allowing Winston to get free enough to throw a desperation pass that swung the tide of the game irrevocably in favor of Tampa Bay. "[Winston] just made a good move, got me off balance,” said Floyd, whose 1.5 sacks give him 4.5 in the last three games. “Then he kept repeating, I kept after him but he just stepped up and let it ride” for a 39-yard completion that was a decisive momentum-turner for the game.

“We just gotta get him on the ground, that’s all,” Young added.

Secondary: D

The pass rush was too inconsistent to help the secondary lock down on Tampa Bay receivers, who had too many open catches and too many significant gains on breakdowns.

Adrian Amos was beaten cleanly across the middle by tight end Cameron Brate for Tampa Bay’s second-quarter touchdown. Tracy Porter lost track of wideout Mike Evans on a broken play that resulted in a 39-yard completion on a desperation heave by Winston. One play later Cre’Von LeBlanc let wide receiver Freddie Martino break behind him for what was a clinching 43-yard TD in the third quarter.

If there was any irony to the situation it was that Evans, Tampa Bay’s leading receiver and TD producer, managed no scores and 27 total yards on his other three receptions. And Martino’s was his only catch of the game.

“It was a route from the other side and I just recognized it late,” said LeBlanc, who had three tackles for the game.

Harold Jones-Quartey gathered in a pass off the hands of wideout Cecil Shorts for a first-quarter interception inside the Tampa Bay 25. The takeaway produced nothing as Jay Cutler lost the football on a strip-sack at the Tampa Bay 4.

Special teams: D

Connor Barth gave the entire team a much-needed boost with a 54-yard field goal late in the first quarter after Tampa Bay’s defensive touchdown. Pat O’Donnell had another effective game, averaging 42.6 yards net on five punts, two down inside the 20.

Deonte Thompson made a dubious decision to run back a kickoff late in the second quarter, fielding the ball in the end zone while some blockers appeared to assume Thompson would take the touchback.

Eddie Royal returned punts but fielded one inside the Chicago 5 and was nearly taken down in the end zone before leaving the offense at the 2. That series resulted in a strip-sack on which the football went out of the back of he end zone for a safety.

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Jimmy Butler wakes up Bulls in time for win over shorthanded Wizards. (Saturday night's game, 11/12/2016).

By Vincent Goodwill

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Taj Gibson put his head into his hands in frustration, as a simple pass to Doug McDermott went into the hands of the expensive season-ticket holders, another unforced turnover.

A couple possessions earlier, Robin Lopez and Jimmy Butler couldn’t connect on a simple no-pressure connection, giving the appearance the Bulls just weren’t take the night seriously.

That was the case for the better part of 24 minutes. The next 12 minutes of hard work or perhaps competence pushed the Bulls to a 106-95 win over the shorthanded Washington Wizards Saturday night.

Even though a game is 48 minutes, 12 efficient ones from the Bulls sufficed to give them their second straight victory, pushing their record to 6-4 before heading out west.

They held the Wizards to 24 percent shooting and gave up just 14 points after allowing nearly 60 in one half of basketball.

“That’s the one thing we need to keep building on,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “I thought we fell out of our defense a little bit, but then we got it back.”

“The third quarter defense is what won us the game. We came out with a great mentality and got some stops.”

Butler, a viewer of this Bulls’ horror movie more times than he’d care to admit over the last year, games where his team had inexcusable losses against teams who had no business being in the same gym as them, changed the narrative for a night.

He was perfect from the field in the third, scoring 14 of his game-high 37 points to go along with nine assists and eight rebounds. For a period in the second half, he was buzzing on defense, getting deflections against Wizards guard Trey Burke on his way to three steals.

“If he has it going on, we find a way to put the ball in his hands,” Hoiberg said.

And when the fourth quarter saw the Bulls get a little bit tight, Butler re-entered at the 8:23 mark and a once 15-point lead was whittled to seven.

So Butler went to work with a three-point play, a steal and then another bucket in a one-minute span to help give the Bulls necessary breathing room.

“He is leading us,” said Dwyane Wade, who scored 14 on 5 of 17 shooting, as the Bulls shot 40 percent. “He’s doing what me and (Rajon) Rondo came for him to do, to really turn him into a premier player in this league. He really guides us.”

The Wizards were without John Wall and Bradley Beal, their starting backcourt, putting unknowns in their place named Sheldon McClellan and Tomas Satoransky, who barely had 10 minutes of playing experience between them, let alone anything else.

Satoransky helped the Wizards get off to a good start and helped Markieff Morris get off, as the Bulls couldn’t contain him for the first half. Morris scored 24 with 15 boards as Satoransky scored 12 with nine assists, with a team-high plus-13.

The stage was set for a Bulls letdown and they nearly lived up to it, in their last game before their six-game circus trip begins next week in Portland.

Marcin Gortat began moving Robin Lopez around and scoring inside, finishing with 18 points and 14 rebounds on nine of 12 shooting.

The Wizards actually led 56-46 with a minute to go in the first half before a quick Butler surge pulled the Bulls to within three, with him hitting a buzzer-beating jumper to give him 21.

Nikola Mirotic, someone who needed a game in the worst way, came up big with 17 points and 11 rebounds, hitting three triples and in the absence of Doug McDermott, who left in the third due to entering concussion protocol, will be needed even more for the foreseeable future.

“You can see the stress in his face,” Hoiberg said. “I told him to just go out there and have gun. He did that, he hit a big three for us.”

No matter if it was a team looked like it was playing three games in four nights, the Bulls looked like the bunch that gave away games it shouldn’t have with a sluggish performance last year, and barely shot over 40 percent for the night.

Without Wall and Beal the Wizards were missing 38 percent of their scoring, and considering the Wizards are 25th in that department, one would think it meant good news for the Bulls.

But they allowed Morris to run wild on them early, hitting six of his first seven shots before their bench gave up the lead.

The Bulls came out like a determined team in the third, outscoring the Wizards 28-14 and kept pace for the final 12 to give themselves some good enough vibes before heading out west for the next two weeks.

Windy City Bulls win by 29 in inaugural game.

By CSN Staff

 

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Things are off to a stellar start for the Windy City Bulls as the Chicago Bulls' new NBA D-League affiliate cruised to a 123-94 win over the Long Island Nets on Friday night.

Playing its home games at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates this season, Windy City jumped out to a 55-21 first-half lead and never looked back as forward J.J. Avila paced the team with 21 points. The former Colorado State product, who played for the Chicago Bulls during the preseason, also added nine rebounds and six assists. 

Seven Bulls finished in double-figures for the night, including all five starters, as Spencer Dinwiddie and Alec Brown each had 17 points. Dinwiddie also added a team-leading 11 assists while forward Alfonso McKinnie also had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Thomas Walkup played a solid overall floor game as he finished with 13 points, seven assists, six steals and five rebounds. R.J. Hunter and Wesley Saunders each finished with 10. Hunter, who is under NBA contract with the Chicago Bulls, struggled to a 3-for-13 night from the field as he was 2-for-9 from three-point range.

An aggressive and up-tempo Bulls offensive attack saw them shoot 55 percent (51-for-92) from the field for the night while the team's defense held the Nets to 41 percent (34-for-82) shooting. 

The Nets, also playing their first ever game in the NBA D-League, were led by Beau Beech with 20 points.

Windy City's home opener also marked the debut of the team's mascot, Gus T. Bull, who the team says is a cousin of Chicago Bulls mascot Benny the Bull. Bulls front office members like Gar Foreman, John Paxon and Michael Reinsdorf were also in attendance at the Sears Centre to catch the team's first game. 

(Photo/Twitter.com)

CUBS: Anthony Rizzo, Jake Arrieta win Silver Slugger Award.

By CSN Staff

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The postseason hardware continued for the Cubs on Thursday as first baseman Anthony Rizzo and starting pitcher Jake Arrieta were named National League Sliver Sluggers.

Rizzo is the first Cubs first baseman to earn Silver Slugger honors since Derrek Lee's monsterous 2005 season. This is the second award that Rizzo has earned this week, as he previously received Gold Glove honors at first base as well. During the season, Rizzo hit .292 with 32 home runs, 109 RBI and a .928 OPS. The MVP candidate earning both honors solidifies Rizzo as one of the game's elite two-way players.

Arrieta also picked up a Silver Slugger award at pitcher after hitting .262 with two home runs and 7 RBI during the season. He becomes the second Cubs pitcher to win the award after Carlos Zambrano won it three times during his tenure with the team. 

The Silver Slugger awards are given to each position in both the American and National League as they're voted upon by coaches and managers.

Now that the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards have been announced, Cubs fans will wait to see if anyone from the team can win MVP, Manager of the Year or Cy Young honors. Those awards -- from the Baseball Writers Association of America -- will be announced next week. 

'Embrace The Hangover' might become new slogan for Cubs team enjoying long World Series victory lap.

By Patrick Mooney

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Almost 20 years have passed since the New York Yankees captured the first of three straight World Series titles, continuing a dynasty that began in 1996 and won it all again in 1998, 1999 and 2000 before making it to an emotional Game 7 in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

The Cubs now believe they have a homegrown core – to go along with big-money free agents and a future Hall of Fame manager – that could approach what Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada once did in The Bronx.

But there are reasons why no team has repeated since those Yankees. The biggest challenge for T-shirt designer/zookeeper Joe Maddon might be making sure the Cubs stay as hungry, driven and focused as they did while chasing the franchise’s holy grail.

“Joe will do a great job of that,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “I think that ‘Embrace The Target’ was in hindsight really brilliant. He looked at it like: ‘We’re going to be the favorites. We have to embrace it.’ I think he’s going to figure out the right tone to ‘Embrace The Hangover.’”

Hoyer paused for a moment and came up with another possible T-shirt: “‘Hydrate The Hangover?’”

The Cubs have been everywhere, from the cover of Sports Illustrated to team president Theo Epstein promising to go on a bender and ordering some goat from their friends at Girl & the Goat and eating it with Hoyer in the Wrigley Field bleachers.

Anthony Rizzo, David Ross and Dexter Fowler joined Bill Murray on “Saturday Night Live.” Ben Zobrist, Addison Russell and Javier Baez went to Disney World.

Rizzo, Zobrist and Fowler did “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon while Kris Bryant brought a goat onto the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” set.

On "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Bryant got a Cubs tuxedo for his upcoming wedding while Ross received a walker to help him ease into retirement.

Kyle Schwarber did “Live with Kelly,” where guest co-host Alex Rodriguez watched Kelly Ripa touch his goatee. Zobrist told Conan O’Brien he “lost consciousness” after delivering the key 10th-inning double during that Game 7 win over the Cleveland Indians.

“Right now, these guys should be doing everything they’re doing,” Hoyer said during the GM meetings that ended Thursday at the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa in Arizona. “They should have a blast. Lord knows they wouldn’t be working out right now.

“But kind of like us coming to these meetings – there’s a time to get down to business. You enjoy it. Have a great time, sort of accept your rewards for being a champion. But then you got to get back to work.”

The young Cubs should also get the benefit of the doubt after winning 200 games and five playoff rounds across the last two years, deftly handling the enormous expectations and off-the-field distractions.

“Our guys are really focused,” Hoyer said. “You heard Rizzo kind of talking about repeating with champagne all over him the other night. I think that’s a good thing. But right now, just enjoy it. You get into December, these guys usually start their workouts, and I think they’ll do that.

“But, listen, every team that’s ever won talks about the challenges of winning again. You got the awards circuit. You got all sorts of things being presented to you that you haven’t been presented in the past.

“And I think that – especially in Chicago – you no longer have that incredible 108-year goal. It’s a different goal – it’s the same goal everyone else has, which is to be a champion. And I think we have to address that.”

Jon Lester or Kyle Hendricks might win the National League Cy Young Award next week – and both pitchers can be Cubs through at least the 2020 season. Jake Arrieta will be motivated, pitching for his megadeal in free agency next winter.

Zobrist didn’t stop after transforming the Kansas City Royals’ lineup last year and earning a championship ring, becoming the World Series MVP for a Cubs team that needed his ability to stay calm under pressure. Rizzo is an All-Star/Silver Slugger/Gold Glove first baseman who put up back-to-back 30-homer, 100-RBI seasons – before his 28th birthday.

Bryant studied Jeter’s public persona and admired the consistency and professionalism. All Bryant has done since his junior year at the University of San Diego is become: the national college player of the year; the 2013 Arizona Fall League MVP; the consensus minor league player of the year in 2014; last season’s NL Rookie of the Year; a Hank Aaron Award winner and probable MVP this year.

Schwarber and Willson Contreras are big personalities who love the leadership responsibilities that come with catching and still haven’t spent an entire season in The Show yet. Russell (23 next season) and Baez (24 next season) should be a dynamic middle-infield combination for years to come.

“The sky’s the limit,” said Yankees GM Brian Cashman, who helped the Cubs become champions by making that blockbuster Aroldis Chapman trade. “They got a lot of good, young talent under control that’s obviously now postseason-proven. Obviously, you got to stay healthy. You got to perform. But they’ve positioned themselves rather well.”

How Mario Kart helped power-up Cubs, Dexter Fowler prior to World Series.

By #CubsTalk

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

"You go, we go!"

A phrase leadoff man Dexter Fowler heard from his Cubs teammates game after game during the team's World Series run. 

So when Fowler was the first player to step into the batter's box in Game 7 of the World Series, it probably shouldn't have been a huge surprise he would deliver. Only he went above and beyond, clobbering a home run over the centerfield field wall to start the Cubs off on the right foot.

What is it about Fowler that leads to setting the table for the rest of the lineup?

Believe it or not, the popular Nintendo racing video game Mario Kart may have played some part in fueling Fowler and his teammates prior to the biggest game of their lives.

In a recent submission to The Players' Tribune, Fowler explained the team's pre-game-ing session.

"An hour or so before the first pitch — in what would be the biggest game of all our lives — my teammates and I were back in the clubhouse … all huddled together … Playing Mario Kart. At first it just started out with a few guys. But before long everyone was in on it. No one wanted to lose, because it was one of those things like, you lose … you’re out. Next guy steps in for you. And the crazy thing was, it seemed like each guy had the best Mario Kart races of his life that night. Riz, Tommy La Stella, everyone was at their career-best level. It was impressive. In retrospect, maybe that was a good omen. I’m not saying that Mario Kart was the key to our trophy or anything. But, you know, a few hours later we were world champs."

Although the team came across more than a few banana peels throughout the game, Rajai Davi's two-run, game-tying home run in the bottom of the eighth being one of them. Ultimately the Cubbies got star power at just the right time in extra innings to claim the organization's first title in 108 years.

If you love video games and Chicago sports you'll likely recall a similar Mario Kart pregame ritual that helped fuel the Blackhawks to winning the 2010 Stanley Cup.

WHITE SOX: No 'untouchable' players offers endless offseason possibilities for White Sox.

By Dan Hayes

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

A few years back, White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf suggested that NBA legend Michael Jordan is the only player he’d never trade.

Given the direction the White Sox appear to be headed this offseason, the franchise’s philosophy could lead to a world of potential trade possibilities, including a deal for five-time All-Star Chris Sale.

While the White Sox have always honored an open-door policy and entertained other teams’ interest in their players, this time Rick Hahn may be more receptive. In the past, it was believed that to acquire Sale — on pace to be the best pitcher in franchise history — the White Sox would need to receive at least the baseball equivalent of the NFL’s Herschel Walker 13-for-5 trade.

Asked this week about the availability of his players, the White Sox general manager indicated his willingness has perhaps increased if the club decides to endure its first rebuild since making the White Flag trade in 1997.

“We’ve said over the years that none of our players are untouchable, and we have an obligation to listen to everybody, and in the end, it’s going to be about feeling like we got fair value back in exchange and did something that made sense for the long-term benefit of the organization,” Hahn said from the GM meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz. “That hasn’t changed. Perhaps there may be a heightened anticipation in the market that this time there may be a greater likelihood of a deal than in years past.”

The White Sox could find teams’ potential offers to be too good to bypass this winter.

One National League executive said earlier this week that the White Sox would find a “perfect market” if they entertained offers for Sale or fellow All-Star Jose Quintana because of a weak free agent class. New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said teams with superfluous starting pitching would “be the hunted” this offseason.

A shortage of dependable closers after a postseason dominated by bullpens could also increase the value of White Sox reliever David Robertson, who received little trade interest last July.

If the White Sox were so inclined, they might also be overwhelmed with interest for outfielder Adam Eaton. The two-time Gold Glove award finalist has a .362 on-base percentage and produced 12.8 f-WAR over the past three seasons. Eaton is also owed only $38.4 million through 2021 if his two team options are exercised.

Teams hungry for a middle-of-the-order threat could try to encourage the White Sox to part with Jose Abreu, who has three years left on his current deal. The White Sox potentially could also find takers for Todd Frazier, Melky Cabrera, Brett Lawrie and Miguel Gonzalez, all of whom are free agents in 2018.

No matter what, Hahn said he’ll continue to hear other clubs out this offseason and then determine what’s best for the franchise.

“Our approach hasn’t changed in that regard,” Hahn said. “We’ve always listened and we’ve always evaluated our options.”

White Sox slugger Jose Abreu could opt out of current deal, into arbitration.

By Dan Hayes

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Jose Abreu could opt out of his guaranteed contract and into arbitration eligibility sometime next week.

Whether the slugger does or not would make no difference to White Sox fans -- Abreu is still the team’s property for the next three seasons either way. Unless the White Sox trade Abreu, he’s set to earn $34 million from them over the next three seasons. White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said Abreu had a 10-day window to make the choice after the conclusion of the World Series, which ended Nov. 2.

Abreu -- who had a late season offensive surge and hit .293/.353/.468 with 25 home runs and 100 RBIs -- has a base $10.5 million salary next season. He would earn $11.5 million in 2018 and $12 million in 2019.

“That’s the choice he has to make: Do I want the guaranteed money or do I want to go year-to-year through arbitration?” Hahn said Wednesday at the GM meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The Cuban product received a six-year, $68-million contract from the White Sox ahead of the 2014 season -- the largest-ever for an international free agent. The deal included a $10 million signing bonus that could impact arbitration figures, MLBTradeRumors.com argued earlier this offseason. The site expects Abreu would opt out of his current deal.

Abreu has been an offensive force during his first three seasons in the league, blasting 91 homers and producing an .875 career OPS. He was a unanimous selection for American League Rookie of the Year in 2014 when he hit .317/.383/.564 with 36 homers and 107 RBIs.

Despite that production, Abreu potentially could take a loss in salary this season. If he opts into arbitration, Abreu is banking on continued production and increased salaries in the fifth and sixth years of his deal.

The risks of opting out include poor performance, which could lead to the White Sox later deciding to non-tender Abreu a contract and make him a free agent.

“He’s controlled for the next three years regardless,” Hahn said. “It’s whether he’s going to maintain the final three years of his contract or go year to year through arbitration. From a control standpoint, it’s no different. From a compensation standpoint, it could fluctuate.”

Golf: I got a club for that..... Perez takes Mayakoba title for second career win.

By Al Tays

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

Pat Perez punctuated his comeback from shoulder surgery by winning the OHL Classic at Mayakoba for his long-awaited second career victory. Here's how things played out at Mexico's Mayakoba Resort:

Final leaderboard: Perez (-21), Gary Woodland (-19), Russell Knox (-18), Scott Piercy (-17), Chez Reavie (-17), Kevin Streelman (-17)

What it means: Perez, 40, underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder in March and sat out the rest of the 2015-16 season. While he was rehabbing he made a major equipment change - to a TaylorMade driver, Titleist ball and PXG irons and claimed that he picked up 30 yards off the tee. He also adopted a more aggressive attitude on the course. The combination worked, as he is a combined 44 under par for three events this season. At Mayakoba, he had talked all week about the scoring opportunities on holes 1-7, and on Sunday, he played them in 4 under. He added another birdie on the front, then cruised home on the back with eight pars and a bogey for a 67. His second career win came almost eight years after his first.

Round of the day: Brian Gay shot a bogey-free, 7-under 64 that featured five birdies on the front and two on the back. He vaulted 35 spots up the leaderboard, to a tie for 28th place.

Best of the rest: Kevin Streelman's 65 boosted him 10 spots to a tie for fourth. He could have improved that finish by one place had he not bogeyed the final hole.

Biggest disappointment: Gary Woodland started the final round with a one-shot lead over Perez, but he couldn't get anything going until it was too late. Two closing birdies gave him a 1-under 70 and a second-place finish. It was the fifth time in six occasions that Woodland has failed to convert a 54-hole lead or co-lead.

Shot of the day: The 10th hole, a 200-yard par-3, has vexed many players, but Russell Knox had no problem with it on Sunday, hitting a 7-iron to 6 inches for a tap-in birdie.

Quote of the day: ''I guess I'm just one of those late-maturers. I know I was sort of a punk and all that early on, but I think I learned a lot about myself in the last nine, 10 months and it just paid off this week. I couldn't be more excited about what's going on.'' - Perez

Alex Noren wins Nedbank Challenge for fourth Euro Tour win of the season.

By Ryan Ballengee

Alex Noren wins for the fourth time in the European Tour season. (Photo/Getty Images)

Alex Noren has been in a groove all season, winning three times on the European Tour before this week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa. He popped out of that groove on Saturday at Gary Player Country Club, shooting a 3-over 75 that left him six shots back of the 54-hole lead.

Well, Noren found that groove again, and he did it quickly.

Noren shot 9-under 63 on Sunday to turn a six-shot deficit into a six-shot win, pulling away from South Korea’s Jeunghun Wang, who closed with 3-over 75 in search of a third European Tour win this season.

The 30-year-old made up ground quickly, deftly placing his approach shots in positions to give himself makeable birdie and eagle bids.

“All I was trying to do was hit the right shots at the right pieces of the green and putt uphill, and then not make too many bogeys,” Noren said. “Because around here, I think you’ve got a few birdie chances.”

He converted early and often, getting to 8 under par on the round with an eagle at the 10th hole. From there, he played the rest of the way in 1 over par, as Wang stumbled further.

Now Noren is third in the tour’s Race to Dubai points standings with one final event, the DP World Tour Championship, left. He trails points leader Henrik Stenson by approximately 633,000 points, a margin that the younger Swede could make up over the Swedish-born Open champion.

With just 60 players in the season-ending tournament, Noren will struggle to pace himself apart from Stenson, second-ranked Danny Willett and fourth-ranked Rory McIlroy to make win the season-long points race. Stenson and McIlroy, in particular, have tremendous records in the European Tour’s season finale.

Goydos wins Champions finale, Langer takes season title.

By Associated Press

Paul Goydos and Bernhard Langer got the big trophies and checks Sunday in the PGA Tour Champions' season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Goydos completed a wire-to-wire victory in the tournament, and Langer finished second to win his third straight season points title and fourth overall.

"Wire-to-wire, baby!" Goydos said.

Goydos shot a 4-under 66 to finish at 15-under 195 on Desert Mountain's Cochise Course. He opened with a 62 in windy conditions and shot a 67 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead over Colin Montgomerie and four-shot advantage over Langer into the final round.

"You start out and really, the best place you could be is way ahead, especially with Montgomerie and Langer, Langer four shots," Goydos said. "If we played a match, he'd have to give me like two a side, so I thought it was a pretty even spot to be in. Montgomerie probably the same thing, I was lucky to get past him. These guys are Hall of Famers."

The 52-year-old Goydos earned $440,000. He also won the Dick's Sporting Goods Open in July in New York and has four victories on the 50-and-over tour. He won twice on the PGA Tour and shot a 59 in the 2010 John Deere Classic.

"You've got to hit the ball in play here," Goydos said. "You've got to hit greens. It's not a scrambling type golf course. At least if you do you've got to miss it in the right place, which I thought I did a very good job of all week for the most part."

Langer had a 64. Recovering from a left knee injury that forced him to withdraw from the playoff opener at Sherwood, the 59-year-old German star won the $1 million annuity as the Charles Schwab Cup season champion and topped the tour with four victories and $3,016,959.

"The guy's a super hero. I don't get it," Goydos said. "Seems like he should get older. ... I mean, he's getting better. It's his best year and he's 59. He's amazing."

In 21 tournaments this year, his worst finish was a tie for 13th.

"It's incredible," Langer said. "Finishing all the tournaments throughout the year in the top 13, it's extremely tough to do. So it's difficult to put it all into words, how consistent it's been, how good it's been, but very blessed, very fortunate."

Montgomerie had a 68 to finish third at 11 under. The Scot was second in the standings, earning a $500,000 annuity.

Goydos finished third in the Charles Schwab Cup standings and earned a $300,000 annuity.

Woody Austin (64) and 62-year-old Jay Haas (68) tied for fourth at 7 under.

Spain's Ciganda grabs second LPGA title of 2016.

AFP

Carlota Ciganda of Spain celebrates after winning the tournament on November 13, 2016 (AFP Photo/Vaughn Ridley)

Carlota Ciganda parlayed a hot start to a four-under par 68 on Sunday and a two-shot triumph in the LPGA Lorena Ochoa Invitational, her second victory in two months.

An eagle at the par-five second hole was followed by four birdies with two bogeys as Ciganda built a 13-under par total of 275.

That put her two clear of England's Jodie Ewart Shadoff, France's Karine Icher, Australian Sarah Jane Smith and Americans Austin Ernst and Angela Stanford.

Ernst, who took a one-shot lead into the final round in pursuit of a second career crown, carded a one-under par 71.

Smith, a Queenslander seeking her first title, had shared the first-round lead with Ciganda and led outright at the halfway stage. She closed with a two-under 70, while Shadoff seized her slice of second with a 67 and Stanford and Icher both signed for 69s.

Ciganda started the day one stroke behind Ernst. That was nothing like the five-shot deficit she made up in October to capture her first LPGA title in the Korea LPGA Championship in Incheon with a playoff victory over American Alison Lee.

That made the 26-year-old from Pamplona, a three-time winner on the Ladies European Tour, the third European winner on the LPGA tour this year, following Sweden's Anna Nordqvist and Germany's Caroline Masson.

This week's tournament at Club de Golf Mexico is the penultimate event of a season that concludes next week with the Tour Championship in Naples, Florida.

NASCAR: Joey Logano wins at Phoenix, advances to Championship 4 along with Kyle Busch.

By Jerry Bonkowski

Joey Logano and Kyle Busch are joining Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards in Homestead. (Photo/Getty)

Joey Logano and Kyle Busch were both winners in Sunday’s Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Logano won his 17th career Sprint Cup race while Busch finished second, advancing both drivers into the Ford EcoBoost 400 championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Logano will be seeking his first Sprint Cup championship, while Busch will be going for his second consecutive title.

Also in the Championship 4 will be Jimmie Johnson, who is seeking his seventh Sprint Cup crown — which would tie him with NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt — as well Carl Edwards. Edwards, like Logano, will be seeking his first championship.

“I’ve never felt this good about a win before,” Logano said of his first career Sprint Cup win at Phoenix. “There was so much on the line and everyone brings their A-game when it comes to winning championships and this team did it. Man, this feels so good.

“I had a good restart there at the end and holding off Kyle (Busch) to try to get this thing into Miami. We’re racing for a championship now. We did exactly what we had to do. We’ve got to go to Homestead and do the same thing. I couldn’t be more proud of this team.”

Kyle Larson finished third followed by Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch.

Just when it appeared that Matt Kenseth would win the race on Lap 318, he made contact with Alex Bowman, causing Kenseth to spin into the wall and see his championship hope come to an abrupt end.

Bowman had been tapped from behind by Kyle Busch, which caused Bowman’s car to wiggle, but it appeared Kenseth came down too soon in front of Bowman and the duo made contact.

Logano was scored as the leader at the previous scoring loop when the caution came out and would hold on during the ensuing restart.

Harvick, who won the first Sprint Cup championship under the new elimination format in 2014 and also reached the final round last season, fell short of his third consecutive appearance in the final round.

“That’s all you can ask, to go down swinging and that’s what we did,” Harvick told NBCSN.

Also falling short of reaching the championship round were Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch. As a result, only two of the four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers will be in the final round, while Stewart-Haas Racing will have no representatives.

Sunday’s race was scheduled for 312 laps, but due to a caution on Lap 311 when Michael McDowell crashed, as well as Kenseth’s wreck on Lap 318, the event went an extra 12 laps of overtime for a total of 324 laps.

Substituting for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr., pole-sitter Alex Bowman led the first 92 laps. That was quite a contrast as Bowman had led a total of just nine laps overall in his first 79 Sprint Cup career starts. Bowman eventually led a race-high 194 laps in the race.

After being at the front of the field from the green flag, Bowman finally yielded the lead on Lap 93 to Logano. Johnson then took the lead on Lap 120, Bowman regained it for one lap on Lap 133, and then Logano went back ahead when he beat all other cars off pit road during caution on Lap 134.

HOW LOGANO WON: When Matt Kenseth spun on Lap 318, Logano was declared the leader. Logano then held on through the ensuing restart on Lap 323 all the way to the checkered flag to reach the Championship 4 round for the second time in three years.

WHO ELSE HAD A GOOD RACE? Runner-up Kyle Busch did what he needed to do to hold off Kevin Harvick and advance to defend last year’s championship. Also, kudos to Alex Bowman for his effort and Kyle Larson for their strong runs.

WHO HAD A BAD RACE? Kenseth saw his championship bid go up in smoke with his wreck on Lap 316. He finished 20th … Austin Dillon finished 39th, while Martin Truex Jr. finished last.

NOTABLE: Greg Biffle finished 16th in his 500th consecutive Sprint Cup race … Canadian driver D.J. Kennington finished 35th in his first career Sprint Cup race … Tony Stewart finished 15th in the second-to-last race of his Sprint Cup career.

QUOTE OF THE DAY No. 1: “I’m speechless right now.  I feel like I just won the Daytona 500 again. What a special day.” — Race winner Joey Logano.

QUOTE OF THE DAY No. 2: “We have to put our arms around Matt and let him know how much we care for him.” – Team owner Joe Gibbs on Matt Kenseth’s late wreck that eliminated him from the last round of the Chase.

WHAT’S NEXT: The season championship will be decided Sunday, Nov. 20, at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Green flag is slated to drop shortly after 2:30 pm ET.

Sprint Cup points, Championship 4 standings after Phoenix.

By Kelly Crandall

(Photo/Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

With a win at Phoenix International Raceway, Joey Logano became the third driver advancing to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Logano also leads the Sprint Cup point standings.

Kyle Busch earned the final of the two transfer spots in the Can-Am 500 with a second-place finish. Logano and Busch join Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards as the four drivers who will compete for the 2016 championship.

Both drivers entered Phoenix looking to hold onto transfer spots.

Click here to see the full Sprint Cup Series point standings.

Stats and results for Sprint Cup race at Phoenix won by Joey Logano.

By Daniel McFadin

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Joey Logano won the Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway in overtime to clinch a spot in the Championship 4 of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Filling out the top five was Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch.

Pole-sitter Alex Bowman led 194 laps and finished sixth.

The championship round will consist of Logano, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards.

Click here for the full race results.

SOCCER: Mexico stuns U.S. in World Cup qualifier on Marquez's late winner.

By Eric Adelson

Rafa Marquez’s goal set off a wild celebration for Mexico. (Photo/USA TODAY Sports)

This time, Mexico got a dos of revenge against the United States men’s national team.
After a seemingly unending string of 2-0 losses here, the Mexicans struck back with a match-winner in the waning minutes to stun the jubilant Mapfre Stadium home crowd and send the U.S. into an early hole in World Cup qualifying after a 2-1 El Tri victory on Friday night.

The difference was 37-year-old Rafa Marquez’s nifty header past backup goalkeeper Brad Guzan in the 89th minute.

The goal was a shocker, especially after Bobby Wood equalized at 1-1 early in the second half and sent the U.S. supporters into a tizzy. It seemed like Jurgen Klinsmann’s team had all the momentum in the latter stages after a discombobulated first 45. That momentum evaporated with one well-executed corner kick.

Making matters worse for the Americans was the loss of starting goalkeeper Tim Howard in the first half to a groin injury. It’s not immediately clear how serious it is, but his health is one of many questions Klinsmann will be dealing with as his team travels to Costa Rica for its next World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.

There is a considerable bright side for the USA in that it played with a breathless and fast-paced vibe from start to finish. Although the Americans were unorganized with a new 3-5-2 formation that failed to get anything going early, they had frequent run-of-play setups. Wood, Jozy Altidore, Jermaine Jones and Christian Pulisic all seemed quite comfortable in their roles, as the U.S. was fun to watch even though the visitors stole all the fun out of the outcome.

The reason for hope in U.S.'s World Cup qualifying loss to Mexico.

By Eric Adelson

Giving Christian Pulisic more freedom was the impetus for the U.S.’s formation change. (AP Photo)

The Dos a cero era finally came to an end on Friday. What may have begun, however, could be even better for the United States men’s national team.

Rafa Marquez’s 89th-minute goal stunned the Americans and their home crowd in a 2-1 Mexico victory, finally ceasing El Tri’s long streak of 2-0 losses to the U.S. here in World Cup qualifiers. On their way out of a frigid MAPFRE Stadium, Mexican fans chanted “Dos a uno!” as a way to punctuate the payback.

“It was a special opportunity to change history,” said the 37-year-old Marquez after the match.

The U.S. has a special opportunity as well. It was foreshadowed before the game on a huge banner in the raucous north end, where fans unveiled a tifo of rising star Christian Pulisic holding up two fingers in one hand and making a zero with the other. It was a shot at the Mexico side but also a hopeful sign of things to come.

The primary reason for the end of dos a cero was the ill-advised attempt at a new formation in which the Americans trotted out three central defenders in the back. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann called it a 3-4-3 and it didn’t work at all. Mexico squashed the U.S. attack and countered spritely, taking a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute and forcing the U.S. to rethink.

“We were surprised,” Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio said. “But we were ready.”

The reason behind Klinsmann’s formation change is significant, though. The coach said he wanted to “focus on Pulisic having the freedom to roam,” adding that it “worked really well in training.”

This is the development American fans have been waiting for – to have a young player emerge as the engine for a dynamic U.S. attack. Klinsmann is known (and in some cases reviled) for tinkering constantly with personnel to fit his vision. This was a clear sign that he’s tailoring a system to fit a budding star.

Klinsmann will get plenty of blame for his risky decision, but he didn’t back down from his initial game plan in the aftermath of the loss. Instead, he blamed midfielders Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones for failing to win one-on-one battles. To some, that’s a sign of stubbornness. But it also may be a sign that the coach’s vision – and the 18-year-old Pulisic – is evolving faster than some thought.

And say this for the losing group: The Americans were fun to watch. There were several scoring opportunities throughout the evening – in both the failed formation and in the return to a 4-4-2 – and Pulisic seemed comfortable as other key cogs in attack worked their way into the game.

The singular highlight came early in the second half when John Brooks fed Jozy Altidore, who then turned and set up Bobby Wood for a 49th-minute equalizer. It was a fabulous team goal, and the Americans followed it up with more pressing as the closing minutes arrived.

“It just took us some time to get in the game,” Pulisic said. “We were really good, strong in the second half.”

There was certainly some sloppiness in midfield, and the back line was hardly airtight. In fact, Marquez’s game-winning header off a corner kick happened because “we lost him,” according to Klinsmann, but the attack was undeniably strong.

“It was a lot of fun to play in an intense game like that,” Pulisic said. “I hope to be in plenty more of them. It was a good time.”

It wasn’t long ago that Wood and Pulisic were unknowns to American fans. On Friday night, they were the stalwarts for a U.S. side starting the final round of World Cup qualifying without veteran Clint Dempsey, who is dealing with an irregular heartbeat. Wood (who turns 24 next week) has a knack for scoring key goals – he now has four dating back to matches against Netherlands, Germany, and Mexico in 2015 – and Pulisic seems unperturbed even with extra physical play from opponents.

“We want to find new talent, new players, kick out the old players if they’re not good enough,” Klinsmann said in his pre-match press conference on Thursday.

The problem is that patience is not aplenty. The U.S. team is now in a hole after losing its opener at home. Goalkeeper Tim Howard pulled a muscle on Friday and had to leave the game, and he is unlikely to make the trip to Costa Rica for the next World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. A loss to the Ticos would spell trouble not only for the U.S.’s bid to qualify for Russia but also for Klinsmann. He’s already been the subject of heavy criticism for inscrutable tactical moves, and Friday’s was just the latest example.

No matter what Klinsmann’s fate, though, it’s becoming clearer that the U.S. has found its best chance at a next-generation star in Pulisic. The tifo had the score wrong, but the messenger right.

“[He is a] kid that’s fearless [with] all the ability in the world,” Altidore said. “I thought he was terrific tonight. It’s not an easy game to come in and start, especially at that age.”

The scenarios are clear for USMNT: secure a result in Costa Rica or else.

By Kyle Bonn

(Photo/Getty Images)

If there’s one thing the USMNT knows following a late 2-1 loss to Mexico in Columbus to start the Hex, it’s that only a win on Tuesday will ease up on the pressure.

Unfortunately, that’s much easier said than done.

Winning in Costa Rica has been literally impossible for the United States – they have lost eight World Cup qualifiers in a row in Costa Rica, earning just a single point which came back in 1985. Add in that Los Ticos are on a five-match winning streak including a win over Columbia to finish their Copa America this summer and a friendly triumph over Russia, and the task is daunting.

Now, the Stars & Stripes travel to the Central American nation needing victory in the worst way. All three matches in round one of the Hex finished with a winner, leaving the United States three points adrift of anyone else above them in the group. The most devastating result was Panama’s win over Honduras, and while Panama isn’t expected to be a favorite in any other match except the reverse of that fixture, the U.S. still has ground to make up.

According to ESPN’s Soccer Power Index, the loss to Mexico alone slammed the U.S. chances of qualifying for Russia 2018 by over 20%, dropping them from 86% favorites down to an uneasy 69%. A loss Tuesday would likely compound that into a full on free-fall, unless both other fixtures ended in a draw.

Despite all this pressure, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann isn’t afraid. In fact, quite the opposite: he guaranteed the USMNT would come away from San Jose with points. “The message is very simple, we’ve got to go down there and get a result, which we will do.”

They better. While making up a four or six-point deficit with eight matches to go is hardly unheard of, it’s most definitely a position the United States does not wish to see itself in by any stretch. While next international break serves up a relative respite with games against Honduras and Panama, nothing is for certain in the Hexagonal, and any unnecessary pressure during those matches would be counter-productive to otherwise straightforward games.

But they’ve been here before. Just in the last Hexagonal, they suffered a significantly more damaging defeat to Honduras to begin the round. A home win over Costa Rica just days later – the famous snow game in Denver – righted the ship.

With Mexico and Trinidad & Tobago both clear favorites in their matches against Honduras and Panama, the United States could fall significantly behind if they drop points in San Jose, and hand any points to the opponents in the process, as Los Ticos already sit on three after an impressive first-match victory over the Soca Warriors.

Right now, the wound from a last-second loss to a bitter rival is surely fresh, but the actual danger is still relatively minimal. However, the bottom line for Tuesday is clear: a loss against Costa Rica – or even a draw – would add legitimate pressure to the already building uneasiness among fans. Only three points can appease the masses.

UEFA World Cup qualifying roundup: Depay double lifts Dutch vs. Luxembourg. (Sunday 11/13/2016).

By Matt Reed

(Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

The Netherlands managed to keep France in sight in UEFA World Cup qualifying action following Sunday’s win over Luxembourg, while Belgium and Portugal were also among the day’s winners.

Luxembourg 1-3 Netherlands

Memphis Depay stole the show for the Dutch, scoring twice after halftime to lift the Oranje past Luxembourg at the Stade Josy Barthel. Arjen Robben gave the visitors the lead in the 36th minute after slotting the ball past goalkeeper Ralph Schon, however, New York City FC defender Maxine Chanot equalized for Luxembourg a minute before halftime from the penalty spot. From there, Depay took over the match, netting a header in the 58th minute and then adding insurance for the Dutch off of a free kick with six minutes remaining in regulation.

Belgium 8-1 Estonia

Estonia was always going to be the underdog, but a quick start from Belgium made it impossible for the visitors to even sniff a result against the Red Devils. Thomas Meunier started the Belgian rout in the eighth minute, while Dries Mertens, Eden Hazard, Yannick Carrasco and Romelu Lukaku also got in on the scoring for the home side. Ragnar Klavan‘s own goal just beyond the hour mark made it six for Belgium, with Estonia’s only lifeline coming via Henri Anier in the 29th minute. The Belgians remain perfect in WCQ with 12 points in four matches following Sunday’s win.

Portugal 4-1 Latvia

Cristiano Ronaldo almost always shows up in big games for his country, and Sunday was no different. The Real Madrid star bagged a brace for Portugal, helping guide his team past a tricky Latvia side. Ronaldo gave the hosts the lead in the 28th minute from the penalty spot, before putting the game to bed with a late finish in the 85th minute. Arturs Zjuznis equalized for Latvia in the 67th minute, however, William Carvalho quickly responded for the Portuguese two minutes later. Bruno Alves also scored in stoppage time after heading home a Raphael Guerreiro cross. The win pushes Portugal up to second in Group B, which currently has Switzerland leading the pack.

Elsewhere

Bulgaria 1-0 Belarus
Hungary 4-0 Andorra
Switzerland 2-0 Faroe Islands
Cyprus 3-1 Gibraltar
Greece 1-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina

UEFA World Cup qualifying wrap: Serbia nets late to cancel Bale tally. (Saturday, 11/12/2016).

By Matt Reed

(Photo/Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Wales, Italy and Spain all picked up important victories on Saturday as UEFA World Cup qualifying continued throughout Europe.

Wales 1-1 Serbia

Gareth Bale blasted the hosts into the lead on a half hour played, and from there it was enough for Wales to hold off Serbia. The Real Madrid attacker received the ball at the top of the box in the 30th minute, before blasting a shot into the net to give Wales the advantage. However, Aleksandar Mitrovic spoiled the party for the home side with five minutes remaining to keep Serbia in second place in D, while Wales holds third.

Liechtenstein 0-4 Italy

Italy had a field day on Saturday as the Azzurri asserted themselves in the opening 45 minutes and simply cruised from that point forward. A first-half brace for Andrea Belotti and tallies from Ciro Immobile and Antonio Candreva gave the Italians a 4-0 lead going into halftime, and from there the visitors held onto the victory.

Spain 4-0 Macedonia

It took a little while to get the Spanish going against one of Group G’s weakest sides, but the second half definitely woke up the hosts. Spain took a first-half lead in the 34th minute when Darko Velkovski netted an own goal. Vitolo, Nacho Monreal and Aritz Aduriz then took over in the second stanza to provide the Group G leaders with another important three points.

Elsewhere

Ukraine 1-0 Finland
Albania 0-3 Israel

NCAAFB: 2016 NCAA Associated Press Football Rankings, 11/13/2016.

AP

RANK	SCHOOL	POINTS	RECORD	PREVIOUS
1	Alabama	1,525	10-0	1
2	Ohio State	1,455	9-1	6
3	Louisville	1,357	9-1	5
4	Michigan	1,323	9-1	2
5	Clemson	1,304	9-1	3
6	Wisconsin	1,214	8-2	7
7	Washington	1,150	9-1	4
8	Oklahoma	1,064	8-2	9
9	Penn State	961	8-2	12
10	West Virginia	920	8-1	11
11	Utah	807	8-2	13
12	Colorado	797	8-2	16
13	Oklahoma State	659	8-2	17
14	Western Michigan	634	10-0	14
15	USC	584	7-3	NR
16	LSU	582	6-3	19
17	Florida State	560	7-3	20
18	Auburn	543	7-3	8
19	Nebraska	504	8-2	21
20	Washington State	501	8-2	23
21	Florida	435	7-2	22
22	Boise State	315	9-1	24
23	Texas A&M	238	7-3	10
24	San Diego State	97	9-1	NR
25	Troy	63	8-1	NR

Others receiving votes: Houston 49, North Carolina 40, Virginia Tech 36, Tennessee 21, Navy 20, Stanford 16, W. Kentucky 11, Pittsburgh 9, South Florida 8, Arkansas 7, Iowa 4, Mississippi 2, Minnesota 1

Forde's Fab Four: Making sense after the College Football Playoff's wildest weekend ever.

By Pat Forde

Alabama’s ArDarius Stewart had eight catches for 156 yards and three touchdowns against Mississippi State. (Photo/Getty)

Each week of the season, I will be a one-man College Football Playoff selection committee, picking the four teams that should be in the bracket if Selection Sunday were today. Call it Forde’s Fab Four, and call it an invitation to debate and discuss. Feel free to disagree.

After the wildest week at the top in the brief history of the playoff, it’s time to question everything we thought we knew and held dear. Well, maybe not everything, because Alabama is still head and shoulder pads above the competition at this juncture.

While that hasn’t changed, just about everything else has.

The losses by Nos. 2-3-4 in the playoff rankings – Clemson, Michigan and Washington – have opened up the bracket to more teams. At the very least, those three teams lost any margin for error they previously enjoyed – and it’s quite likely that at least one of the three lost more than that.

Instead of having four undefeated teams to ponder, we now have one unbeaten and five one-loss teams, with a pair of two-loss teams (Wisconsin and Penn State) circling and waiting for an opening.

We still do not have a Big 12 team worth discussing. The end of that.

In an effort to apply some quantitative analysis of those five one-loss teams, I ranked all their victories according to the Sagarin Ratings. (See below.) The results put Clemson, Ohio State and Michigan solidly ahead of Louisville and Washington.

The AP and USA Today polls disagree with that, and the selection committee might as well come Tuesday. I tried to add a smidge of qualitative analysis to the arithmetic, and this is what I came up with:T

PEACH BOWL: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Clemson

The Crimson Tide (10-0, 7-0 in the SEC) destroyed another opponent, this time Mississippi State, 51-3. In the process Alabama ended its 14-year streak of not scoring a first-quarter touchdown in the game after playing LSU, putting one on the board against the Bulldogs and plenty more thereafter. The nation’s No. 1 defense in yards allowed per play (4.0) has surrendered just three points in November, and now has a streak of nine straight quarters without allowing a touchdown. On the other side of the ball, freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts might have had his best game, throwing for 347 yards and running for 100 while producing five touchdowns. It was his third 100-yard rushing game in the past four. Next for Alabama: Glorified scrimmage against Chattanooga, an opportunity to play the backups and show Nov. 26 opponent Auburn next-to-nothing on film.

Clemson (9-1, 6-1 in the ACC) barely stays in the Fab Four, with its head-to-head victory over Louisville being the biggest differentiation point. The Tigers’ year of living dangerously finally cost them Saturday, when Pittsburgh kicked a field goal in the final seconds for a 43-42 shocker in Death Valley. Quarterback Deshaun Watson’s three interceptions in that game gave him 13 for the year, tied for second-most in the nation, a stat that underscores the cavalier nature in which Clemson has played much of this season. The Tigers’ string of close escapes was due to end sometime, and it finally did in front of a stunned home crowd Saturday night. Next for Clemson: at Wake Forest (6-4, 3-3 in the ACC) Saturday night.

FIESTA BOWL: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Michigan

Ohio State (9-1, 6-1 in the Big Ten) is not messing around. The Buckeyes now have won consecutive games 62-3 and may have flipped the switch like their past two teams did late in the season. In 2014, Ohio State smashed Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big Ten championship game to make the playoff, then upset Alabama and dominated Oregon to win the title. Last year the Buckeyes staggered out of a stunning loss to Michigan State and followed it up with a 29-point walloping of Michigan and a 16-point beating of Notre Dame. With the narrow road loss to Penn State looking more excusable by the week and the biggest wins still holding up, Ohio State has a very solid résumé – but it will have to sweat out a potentially disadvantageous Big Ten East tiebreaker scenario with the Nittany Lions. Next for Ohio State: at Michigan State (3-7, 1-6), which finally ended a nightmarish seven-game losing streak by blasting Rutgers.

Like Clemson, Michigan (9-1, 6-1) lost on a last-second field goal. Like Clemson, it was not a fatal blow to the Wolverines’ playoff chances. They simply fall back to the pack of one-loss teams and still manage to have a résumé that keeps them in the bracket – victories over Wisconsin, Colorado and Penn State continue to age well, for instance. But Michigan’s offensive weaknesses were exposed against Iowa, as the Wolverines managed just 201 yards – lowest total of the Harbaugh Era. Michigan still controls its own path; if it beats Indiana, Ohio State and the Big Ten West champion, it will make the playoff. But the previous safety-net scenario of a close loss to Ohio State being survivable from a playoff standpoint may well be out the window now. Next for Michigan: Indiana (5-5, 3-4) comes to the Big House, where the Hoosiers have not won since 1967.

Dropped out: Washington.

Also considered: Louisville, Washington, Wisconsin, Penn State.

RANKING THE WINS OF THE TOP FIVE ONE-LOSS TEAMS:

1. Clemson over Louisville
2. Ohio State at Wisconsin
3. Michigan over Wisconsin
4. Clemson at Auburn
5. Ohio State at Oklahoma
6. Michigan over Colorado
7. Louisville over Florida State
8. Clemson at Florida State
9. Washington over Stanford
10. Michigan over Penn State
11. Washington at Utah
12. Ohio State over Nebraska
13. Ohio State over Northwestern
14. Louisville over NC State
15. Clemson over NC State
16. Clemson over Georgia Tech
17. Ohio State over Tulsa
18. Michigan over UCF
19. Washington at Oregon
20. Michigan at Michigan State
21. Clemson over Troy
22. Louisville over Duke
23. Washington at California
24. Ohio State over Indiana
25. Louisville over Wake Forest
26. Washington over Oregon State
27. Ohio State at Maryland
28. Michigan over Maryland
29. Louisville at Syracuse
30. Clemson over Syracuse
31. Louisville at Virginia
32. Washington at Arizona
33. Michigan over Illinois
34. Clemson at Boston College
35. Louisville at Boston College
36. Washington over Idaho
37. Louisville at Marshall
38. Michigan at Rutgers
39. Ohio State over Rutgers
40. Washington over Rutgers
41. Michigan over Hawaii
42. Ohio State over Bowling Green
43. Louisville over Charlotte
44. Washington over Portland State
45. Clemson over S.C. State

Troy becomes first Sun Belt team ever in AP Top 25.

By Zach Barnett

(Photo/Getty Images)

Sunday’s AP Top 25 wasn’t just a momentous occasion for a program, but for an entire conference.

Troy’s No. 25 ranking in the latest AP poll was the first-ever appearance for the Trojans’ program, but for the entire conference. The Trojans’ 63 points edged out Houston’s 49 to earn the final spot in this week’s poll.

The Trojans have sponsored football since 1909 but didn’t join FBS until 2001, at the formation of the Sun Belt Conference.

Troy earned the ranking after defeating Appalachian State 28-24 on Saturday in Troy; the Mountaineers came in undefeated in Sun Belt play. Next week’s opponent — Arkansas State — is also a perfect 5-0 in SBC play after stumbling to an 0-4 mark out of conference.

Win that game and the Trojans would need to win just one of their final two against Texas State and Georgia Southern to win their first Sun Belt championship since 2010.

Of course, Neal Brown‘s Trojans have bigger distinctions than a simple conference championship on their minds at this point.

NCAABKB: Recapping College Basketball's Opening Day, 11/11/2016.

By Rob Dauster

(Photo/Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)

GAMES OF THE NIGHT: No. 11 Indiana 103, No. 3 Kansas 99 OT

The Hoosiers picked up a massive win on Friday night over No. 3 Kansas, a win that is going to look better and better as the season moves along.

No. 10 Arizona 65, No. 12 Michigan State 63

In the opening game out in Hawaii, the Wildcats picked off Michigan State and Miles Bridges thanks to a game-winning layup from Kadeem Allen with 1.9 seconds left on the clock. Tom Izzo is not going to be happy when he sees his team’s final defensive possession.

IMPORTANT OUTCOMES

Wagner 67, No. 18 UConn 58: The Huskies were the only team in the top 25 to lose to an unranked opponent on Friday night as they fell to Wagner. UConn was outrebounded, shot just 31 percent from three and got a 4-for-15 performance from Jalen Adams.

No. 17 Saint Mary’s 81, Nevada 63: The Gaels kicked off their season with a dominating, never-in-doubt win over Nevada, who looks like they might actually be one of the top three teams in the Mountain West. Jock Landale led the way with 33 points and nine boards on 15-for-20 shooting.

Clemson 74, Georgia 64: Believe it or not, this was actually a bubble relevant outcome because … both of these teams are going to be on the bubble. Marquise Reed led the way with 19 points.

Chattanooga 82, Tennessee 69: The Mocs picked up where they left off last season, by beating their fourth high-major team on the road in the last two years. They play at UNC on Sunday.

Marquette 95, Vanderbilt 71: It was not a banner day in the SEC. Vandy actually led this game at halftime.

STARRED

Justin Jackson, North Carolina: Jackson went for a career-high 27 points as the Tar Heels cruised past Tulane in New Orleans. Jackson becoming one of the ACC’s best wing scorers is critical for the Tar Heels this season.

Caleb Swanigan, Purdue: Swanigan had 23 points, 20 boards and six assists in a 109-65 win over McNeese State. He joined Ben Simmons and Blake Griffin as the only players to post a 20-20-5 game in the last decade.

Lonzo Ball, UCLA: No. 16 UCLA put up 119 points on Pacific, and while Bryce Alford – 30 points, six threes – was the high-scorer, it was Ball’s 19 points, 11 assists, eight boards and two steals that had everyone talking.

Ethan Telfair, Idaho State: He had 25 points, 12 boards, 10 assists and six steals. The Bengals still lost.

STRUGGLED

Penn State: Pat Chambers needs a big year to save his job. Getting mollywhopped at home by Albany is not the best way to start that season off.

Boston College: The Eagles actually lost to Nicholls State coming off a year where they went 0-19 in the ACC.

Dennis Smith Jr., N.C. State: In his first collegiate game, Smith had 11 points and five assists on 3-for-13 shooting while leaving during the second half with a thigh issue. The Wolfpack won by two over Georgia Southern.

TOP 25

• Playing without their three star freshmen, No. 1 Duke still steamrolled Marist.
• No. 2 Kentucky blew out Stephen F. Austin, but one thing to note: Their three guards went 13-for-34 from the floor and 2-for-11 from three.
• Jalen Brunson’s 17 points paced No. 4 Villanova in a blowout win over Lafayette.
• Tyler Dorsey led six Ducks in double-figures with 21 points as No. 5 Oregon knocked off Army, 91-77.
• Edmond Sumner and Trevon Bluiett combined for 49 points, 15 boards and nine assists as No. 7 Xavier avoided an upset against Lehigh.
• No. 8 Virginia blew out UNC Greensboro and no one on the team scored more than 15 points. That’s so UVA.
• Bronson Koenig had 16 points and Nigel Hayes had 14 points and five assists in a win over Central Arkansas for No. 9 Wisconsin.
• It took a while to wake up, but No. 13 Louisville eventually beat down Evansville at the Yum! Center.
• Silas Melson led the way with 17 points for No. 14 Gonzaga in a win over Utah Valley.
• No. 19 Syracuse answered our questions about their point guard play with Franklin Howard and John Gillon combining for 24 points and 15 assists in a blowout win over Colgate.
• No. 20 West Virginia opened their season with a 28-point win over Mount St. Mary’s.
• Kendall Yancy led five players in double-figures, but No. 21 Texas needed every minute to knock off Incarnate Word.
• Marcus Foster and Mo Watson combined for 36 points and 11 assists as No. 22 Creighton beat UMKC.
• 21 points, three assists, three steals. I think No. 23 Rhode Island‘s E.C. Matthews is healthy.
• Monte’ Morris had 21 points and 11 assists while Naz Long added 18 points, 10 boards and seven assists for No. 24 Iowa State.
• Terps fans should get used to this: Melo Trimble had 22 points and provided the heroics as No. 25 Maryland won a close game.

Fifteen snap judgments from college basketball's opening weekend.

By Jeff Eisenberg

Jalen Adams and UConn suffered a stunning loss on Friday night (Photo/AP)

Snap judgments from season openers often turn out to be wrong a few months later, but it’s all we have to go on right now. Here are some first impressions from college basketball’s busy opening weekend:

1. This is how every college basketball season should start

For a sport that has typically started with a whimper instead of a roar, Friday night was a huge step in the right direction. The Armed Forces Classic in Honolulu featured four name-brand programs, a slew of NBA prospects and two dramatic finishes. In a battle of shorthanded top 15 teams, Arizona edged Michigan State by two on a coast-to-coast drive by senior guard Kadeem Allen. Then James Blackmon scored 22 of his 26 points after halftime to lead Indiana to a 103-99 overtime victory over third-ranked Kansas.  Two great games to whet our appetites for what should be a fun season. Hopefully marquee opening night events like this become an annual tradition rather than a rarity.

2. Point guard play could be a season-long problem for Vanderbilt

There’s a reason Bryce Drew has been busy recruiting point guards since he took the Vanderbilt job. The Commodores don’t really have one on their roster after Wade Baldwin left early for the NBA last spring. The lack of a true point guard was a major issue in Vanderbilt’s 95-71 loss to a Marquette team projected to finish in the bottom half of the Big East. The Commodores committed 19 turnovers, which led to a whopping 35 points off turnovers for the Golden Eagles. That starting point guard Riley LaChance finished with only one of the 19 turnovers is part of the problem. His inability to get by his man and create off the dribble too often forces other guys to be playmakers.

3. Another bleak season lies ahead for Boston College

Boston College made an early statement in the race to be crowned college basketball’s worst power-conference team. The Eagles opened the season with a 79-73 home loss to a Nicholls State team that finished 11-23 last season, failed to crack the RPI top 300 and lost its four matchups with power-conference programs by an average of 33 points. Yes, Boston College is coming off a winless season in the ACC. Yes, Boston College features seven newcomers this season. But still, trailing from start to finish against a program like Nicholls State is inexcusably bad for an ACC program. If Boston College doesn’t improve dramatically over the next six weeks, the Eagles could be headed for a second straight winless season in the powerful ACC.

4. The Miles Bridges show will be all kinds of fun

Miles Bridges, SportsCenter. SportsCenter, Miles Bridges. It’s good these two are getting acquainted early because they’ll spend a lot of time together this season. While 12th-ranked Michigan State was surely disappointed with its 65-63 loss to 10th-ranked Arizona, the Spartans should take solace in the All-American-caliber performance of their prized freshman. Bridges looked impossible to stay in front of off the dribble in scoring 21 points, four of which came on maybe opening night’s two best dunks.

5. The evolution of Chase Jeter bodes well for Duke

The absence of Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum and Marques Bolden created an opportunity for another Duke big man to step forward. Sophomore Chase Jeter delivered 11 points and eight rebounds in a blowout of Marist. If those numbers don’t sound like a big deal against such an overmatched opponent, consider Jeter’s shaky performance as a freshman. The highly touted 6-foot-10 forward never scored in double figures the entire season and often looked tentative and scared in what little playing time he did receive. On Friday, he played with more confidence and assertiveness and defended without fouling — a major issue a year ago.

6. Saint Mary’s has found another weapon

With all four double-digit scorers back from a 29-win team that put up points with ruthless efficiency last season, Saint Mary’s already figured to be among the nation’s best offensive teams this season. The Gaels became even tougher to stop on Friday night when they uncovered another scoring threat. Jock Landale, a 6-foot-11 Australian big man who averaged 7.9 points off the bench last season, erupted for 33 points and 9 rebounds in a 81-63 rout of a promising Nevada team. Starting in place of Dane Pineau, Landale sank 15 of 20 field goal attempts, doing most of his damage with his back to the basket. Landale should have plenty of one-on-one opportunities on the low block considering how well Saint Mary’s shoots from the perimeter. If he’s as effective as he was Friday night, that will only make the Gaels better.

7. Controlling the tempo is key to beating UConn

Not only did Wagner stun 18th-ranked UConn on Friday night, the Seahawks may have also revealed the season-long formula for giving the Huskies fits. By slowing the tempo to a crawl, taking care of the ball and keeping UConn out of transition, Wagner was able to hold a lead from nearly start to finish en route to a 67-58 victory. UConn’s array of quick, athletic perimeter players excel in transition, but on Friday they struggled to score against a set defense. The Huskies shot just 37.8 percent from the field, hit only 6 of 19 threes and dished out just nine assists, too often resorting to hurried jump shots in their quest to cut into the deficit. It’s way too early for UConn to panic, but half-court offense is clearly an area in need of improvement. After all, there are a lot tougher opponents than Wagner ahead on the schedule.

8. Chattanooga has giant killer potential in March

When Chattanooga defeated Tennessee 82-69 in Knoxville on Friday night, it was an upset in pedigree only. By the end of the season, it will be clear that the Mocs are better than a rebuilding Vols team with eight newcomers on its roster. With four starters back from a 29-win Southern Conference Championship team, Chattanooga has a realistic chance of exceeding last year’s achievements. Forwards Justin Tuoyo and Tre McLean combined for 43 points on Friday, while guard Greg Pryor tallied 14 points and four assists. The Mocs also got more good news Friday as 6-foot-10 Xavier transfer Makinde London was cleared to play this season. He came off the bench to score two points and grab four rebounds.

9. Victory could be costly for UAB

A key injury cast a pall over Robert Ehsan’s UAB coach Robert Ehsan’s first victory as head coach of the Blazers. Point guard Nick Norton had to be helped off the court with an apparent right knee injury suffered in the first half of UAB’s 86-66 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Losing Norton would be a huge loss for UAB, which is favored to win Conference USA this season. The junior has been UAB’s starter at the position for his entire career and tallied 8.9 points and 5.1 assists per game last season. Norton will undergo an MRI on the knee on Saturday in hopes of determining the extent of the injury.

10. Semi Ojeleye will be worth the wait for SMU

In his first college game since he left Duke in search of more playing time 23 months ago, Semi Ojeleye showed he’ll be worth the wait. The SMU forward scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead SMU to a rout of Gardner-Webb. The strong performance from Ojeleye is welcome news for a Mustangs team counting on him to play a big role this season. With SMU graduating three-time all-league point guard Nic Moore and standout forwards Markus Kennedy and Jordan Tolbert, the Mustangs need Ojeleye to emerge as a focal point if they are going to challenge Cincinnati and UConn in the American Athletic Conference.

11. Syracuse point guards off to a good start

If point guard play is Syracuse’s biggest question entering the season, then the Orange have to be encouraged by Friday season-opening 83-55 victory over Colgate. Sophomore Franklin Howard shined in his first career start, scoring 11 points, dishing out nine assists and committing only three turnovers in 22 minutes. Not to be outdone, Colorado State transfer John Gillon came off the bench to tally 13 points, six assists and zero turnover. It’s only Colgate, so take those performances for what they’re worth. But if Howard and Gillon can perform like that against tougher competition and Tyler Lydon can regain his shooting stroke, Syracuse has Final Four potential.

12. The Big 12 has some All-American candidates at point guard

Kansas point guard Frank Mason scored 30 points in an overtime loss to Indiana on Friday night. Somehow, he may have produced only the third best stat line among Big 12 point guards. Iowa State’s Monte Morris lived up to his preseason All-American hype on Friday, tallying 21 points and 11 assists on 9-for-11 shooting in a 113-71 thrashing of Savannah State. Not to be outdone, Oklahoma State’s Juwan Evans scorched Campbell for 34 points and 3 assists on 11-for-18 shooting. Granted better competition awaits both Morris and Evans, however, both looked formidable on Friday night. In other words, there should be some fun point guard duels in the Big 12 this season.

13. Marvin Menzies’ debut season at UNLV will be rough

Even though UNLV missed the NCAA tournament each of the past three seasons, the Rebels will likely get worse before they get better. New coach Marvin Menzies inherited just two returning scholarship players from last year’s 18-win team, neither of whom were among UNLV’s seven leading scorers. The extent of the challenge facing UNLV became clearer during the Rebels’ 76-68 home loss to South Alabama on Friday night. UNLV tallied more turnovers than assists, shot 36.8 percent from the field and was outscored off the bench 29-3. Are the Rebels ready for a non-league schedule that includes Duke, Kansas and Oregon? Uh, no. Could they mesh in time for a middle-of-the-pack Mountain West finish? That’s the best-case scenario.

14. Reid Travis won’t be a forgotten man much longer

The stress fractures that have sidelined Reid Travis for most of the past two seasons make it easy to forget how big an addition he was for Stanford in 2014. The top 40 prospect chose the Cardinal over national power Duke and hometown Minnesota. Travis offered a glimpse of what he can do when he’s healthy Friday night when overpowered Harvard’s frontcourt. He scored 24 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and would have posted even more impressive stats had he made more than 10 of 19 free throws. With Stanford lacking outside shooting or proven point guard play this season, it will rely heavily on its talented frontcourt. Look for Travis to be at the forefront of that.

15. Clemson is not a one-man team

All the talk about potential first-round draft pick Jaron Blossomgame sometimes makes it seem as though he’s all Clemson has. On Friday, the Tigers proved that’s far from accurate. Blossomgame managed a modest 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting in Clemson’s impressive win over Georgia, however, Robert Morris transfer Marquise Reed and junior guard Gabe DeVoe picked up the slack. Reed scored 19 points in his Clemson debut and DeVoe added 15, helping the Tigers pick up a quality win that could help them in March. Making the NCAA tournament out of the loaded ACC will not be easy this season, but Clemson has a chance, especially with Texas A&M transfer Elijah Thomas eligible to bolster the frontcourt next month.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, November 14, 2016.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1943 - Sid Luckman (Chicago Bears) became the first to throw for more than 400 yards. He threw for 433 yards and seven touchdowns against the New York Giants.

1970 - The plane carrying the Marshall University football team crashed. Thirty-seven were killed.

1993 - Don Shula (Miami Dolphins) set a new NFL record with his 325th victory.

1995 - ESPN Radio acquired the exclusive rights to broadcast NBA games.

1998 - Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman were married in Las Vegas, NV. 

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