CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Monday Sports News Update, 02/16/2015.

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica

"America's Finest Sports Fan Travel Club, May We Plan An Event Or Sports Travel For You?"

Sports Quote of the Day:

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” ~ Jane Goodall, Primatologist, Ethologist, Anthropologist and UN Messenger of Peace 

Trending: Ryan Pace, Bears turn to NFL Combine with clear No. 1 need.

By John Mullin

Ryan Pace was hired as Bears general manager to put an end to this sort of thing:

For only the second time in the last 10 drafts, the Bears will be picking before any of their NFC North rivals, the sort of thing that happens for 5-11 teams. The Bears owned the fourth-overall pick of the 2005 draft by virtue of their last 5-11 season, Lovie Smith’s first as Bears coach. But since then, only in 2008 were the Bears on the clock ahead of Detroit, Green Bay and Minnesota.

Three lackluster drafts under Phil Emery helped doom his regime. More than any single position, the Bears need Pace, his scouts and coaching staff to not simply improve on that, but in fact reverse it.

Pace, despite beginning his NFL career on the pro-scouting side of New Orleans Saints operations, is under no illusions as to his mission statement:

“This is a strong division and that’s the competitive part of me that’s fired up and getting ready to go,” Pace said at his hiring. “Those [NFC North] teams have a done a successful job of building their teams through the draft. So that’s where we got to get to. We got to build our team strong through the draft to have sustained success.

“Honestly, I respect what Green Bay’s done. I respect what Ted Thompson’s done. I respect what Detroit’s done. They built through the draft and they are sustaining success because of that.”

Much of this offseason has been focused on assembling a coaching staff. But Pace did not shake up the scouting staff, and he and that group this week take a significant step in the process of moving toward drafting better than the rest of the NFC North.

That step in the annual NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, which will include both Pace and coach John Fox speaking at length on Wednesday for the first time publicly since Fox’s hiring one month ago.

The event begins with first player arrivals – consisting of offensive linemen, kickers, tight ends and special-teamers – on Tuesday. A total of 323 players are expected to attend and go through the requisite physical exams, open media sessions, intelligence testing and a series of position-related on-field workouts.

Live coverage of on-field work begins Friday at 8 a.m. on NFL Network.

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Sharp nets shootout winner as Blackhawks defeat Penguins 2-1 (SO).

By Tracey Myers

Patrick Sharp had no explanation as to why the shootout, on which the Blackhawks struggled last season, is working so well during this one.

“It’s really a coin flip. It’s a 50-50 chance it’s going in,” he said. “You try to go down there and make your best move.”

Whatever the reason, the Blackhawks’ best moves have been winning a lot more of those coin-flip situations this season.

Niklas Hjalmarsson scored his second goal of the season and Sharp’s wrist shot won it in the shootout as the Blackhawks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 on Sunday afternoon. The Blackhawks have collected points on each game of this homestand thus far. They now have 74 points but remain four points behind second-place St. Louis (78), which beat Florida in a shootout today, in the Central Division.

The Blackhawks got tough news just prior to the game. Former defenseman Steve Montador was found dead in his Ontario home early Sunday morning. He was just 35 years old. For a team that’s had its share of tragic news this season, it was another trying day.

“It’s tough when you get that news right before the game. Teammate, good friends and guy who wasn’t here too long ago,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “It’s always sad when you hear something like that.”

The Blackhawks then went out and played a solid defensive game, led by Corey Crawford’s 36 stops on 37 shots through regulation and overtime. There weren’t a ton of great scoring opportunities for either team in this one, which was reflected in the low score through the first 65 minutes.

Hjalmarsson broke through first, as his shot from the blue line got through unimpeded past Marc-Andre Fleury for a 1-0 Blackhawks lead early in the second period. It was Hjalmarsson’s first goal since Nov. 9 (against the San Jose Sharks).

“I just had an open lane there so I was just trying to get a shot on net and was really glad to see it go in. It was a long time ago that I scored,” Hjalmarsson said. “It’s always fun when I can chip in. There hasn’t been enough of that this year so far.”

The Penguins tied it early in the third period when Nick Spaling scored on a Beau Bennett rebound. Otherwise Crawford was strong once again.

“Strength, quickness and agility all part of it. He’s back to where he was at the start of the year, the way we expect him to be: on top of his game and one of the top goalies in the game,” Quenneville said.

After struggling to score through 65 minutes, however, the shootout provided plenty of “goals.” The Blackhawks and Penguins canceled each other out through the first two rounds, with David Perron and Sidney Crosby capitalizing for Pittsburgh but Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane answering with slick shots of their own. After Crawford stopped Kris Letang, Sharp closed it out with the winner.

“It felt good to put that one in,” said Sharp, whose last regulation/overtime goal came on Jan. 28 against the Los Angeles Kings. “It’s good to hear the cheer and contribute at home for a big win. Hopefully that’s a sign of things to come.”

The Blackhawks haven’t gone to the shootout a ton this season but they’ve been successful when they have. The coin flips, so to speak, have been coming up on their side.

“Up and down the lineup there are great players everywhere capable of providing offense,” Sharp said of both teams’ shootout contestants. “It was a pretty well-checked game out there, then you see the skill take over in the shootout.”

Marian Hossa, Blackhawks come back to deny Devils. (Friday night's game, 02/13/2015).

By Tracey Myers

Marian Hossa #81 of the Chicago Blackhawks (middle) celebrates after scoring against the New Jersey Devils in the third period during the NHL game at the United Center on February 13, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bill Smith/NHLI via Getty Images)

Marian Hossa thought quickly about the last time he was on a scoring streak like this, one that might have come remotely close to the run he’s on currently.

“Um, juniors in Portland?” Hossa said, referring to his Winter Hawks days.

All joking aside, Hossa’s latest scoring stretch is incredible. And on Friday night he was once again helping the Blackhawks get critical points.

Hossa scored his seventh goal in his last four games, and Jonathan Toews added the game-winner as the Blackhawks came back to beat the New Jersey Devils, 3-1, at the United Center. It was the Blackhawks’ first victory on this homestand. They remain in third place in the Central Division with 72 points, still trailing St. Louis (76) and Nashville (80), both of which were idle Friday night.

West Dundee native Ryan Hartman wasted no time making his presence known in his NHL debut. Hartman nailed Dainius Zubrus, knocking the 6-foot-5, 225-pound forward’s helmet off his head.

“I jumped on the ice for a second there and saw him come through the middle,” Hartman said. “It was a good way to start. I got the nerves all out.”

It was another great evening for Hossa, who now has 17 goals on the season. He also added an assist. Brent Seabrook had two assists, and Corey Crawford stopped 25 of 26 shots for the victory.

“I think everyone’s just kind of leaving him alone, letting him do his thing,” Crawford said with a laugh. “He’s on fire right now. It’s just fun to watch him play that way and for stuff to go in like that.”

Nothing, however, was going in for the Blackhawks through the first 40 minutes again. They weren’t as sloppy as they were on Wednesday night against the Vancouver Canucks, but they were still struggling with passes, still not getting enough traffic in front of the opposing goaltender. The Devils took the 1-0 lead in the first period when Peter Harrold’s shot hit off Patrick Sharp, off Crawford’s leg pad and off the post before settling behind Crawford.

“It seemed like in the first period the play was going left, I was going right,” Crawford said of that goal. “There were a couple of plays like that where I just wasn’t following the play right. I was able to settle in and felt better as the game went on.”

So did the Blackhawks. And when they resumed the third period with ample time left on Michael Ryder’s interference, they capitalized. Hossa fluttered one past Cory Schneider with 30 seconds remaining on that power play, tying the game 1-1. About three minutes later Schneider stopped a charging Hossa’s shot, but Toews scored on the rebound for a 2-1 lead. Kris Versteeg scored an empty-net goal with 46 seconds remaining in regulation. 

The Blackhawks needed these points. They needed to get something going on this homestand. It should come as no surprise as that the hottest player on the team got them going again.

“When he scored the first one tonight almost like the tying one the other night. He came through the neutral zone with speed the last couple of games,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “On fire. He’s got it going. He’s got that touch.” 

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… Westbrook, Harden lead West to All-Star win in New York.

By Steven J. Gaither

West All-Stars 163, East All-Stars 158

Early on the West looked like it would surge to a big lead, going up 47-36 in the first quarter. But the game remained close for much of the last three quarters.

In the end, there was just too much firepower on the West as seven players finished with double figures in scoring, highlighted by Russell Westbrook's 41 points and 29 from former Thunder teammate James Harden.

Star of the Game: Russell Westbrook, Thunder

Westbrook didn’t start the game, but he came out firing from the bench, scoring 27 of his 41 points in the first half, an NBA record. But it was his gravity-defying catch and finish of an alley-oop in the third quarter that will likely remain as the most memorable moment from the game. He went 16 of 29 from the field, earning MVP honors. 

Goat of the Game: Carmelo Anthony, Knicks

As the lone All-Star representative from the NBA’s two New York-area teams, Anthony was the unofficial host player for the Big Apple’s All-Star game. The Knicks star scored 14 points, hitting just 6-of-18 shots from the field and going 2-for-12 on three-point attempts.

Milestones:

Westbrook’s 27-point first half outbreak broke Glen Rice and Kyrie Irving’s previous record of 24 points in an All-Star Game. His 41 points were one shy of Wilt Chaimberlain's all-time record. 

LeBron James' 30 points moved him into second place on the all-time All-Star game scoring list, passing Michael Jordan. He now only trails Kobe Bryant (280).

Stephen Curry wins his first 3-point shootout championship.

By Kelly Dwyer

It has become popular, considering the NBA’s marked improvement in 3-point marksmanship, to call the 3-point shootout the marquee event of not only the All-Star Saturday night lineup, but the entire weekend. This year’s competition didn’t bust any records, and it did have some NBA-influenced mitigating factors, but the contest did follow through on its promise. Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry hit for 27 points in the final round in a fantastic display to win his first Shootout trophy.

With a lineup featuring the NBA’s leading scorer, last year’s All-Star Game MVP, a player who recently set a record for points in a single quarter, last year’s champion, two MVP candidates, and perhaps the greatest 3-point shooter ever, the shootout figured to be a sound draw.

By nature of the talent behind this group, however, James Harden (the league’s leading scorer and an MVP candidate), the defending champion Marco Belinelli, Los Angeles Clippers sharpshooter J.J. Redick (who in a rare instance had two makes waved off after he stepped on the 3-point line, costing him three points), and even Kyle Korver (on pace to shatter the NBA record for 3-point percentage) were out in the first round. Portland’s Wesley Matthews scored 22 points in his first round, enough to usually win the shootout in some years, and he was still knocked out after his first go-round.

It was fellow Warrior Klay Thompson (24 points in the first round), former shootout champion and 2014 All-Star Game MVP Kyrie Irving (23) and Curry (23) who would gear up for the final round. Irving managed just 18 points in his last turn, Curry caught fire to the tune of scoring 27 out of a possible 34 points (including 13 straight makes) just after, and Thompson disappointed by only hitting for 14 points as his fellow Splash Brother watched from the sidelines.

Curry leads the NBA in 3-point makes this season, and he led the league in both makes and attempts in 2013 and 2014, but oddly his current 3-point percentage would rank as the worst of his career if it sustains. At 39.9 percent, Stephen’s mark would rank him as a lights-out sharpshooter in any other context, but after entering the season shooting a white-hot 44 percent from long range on his career, he’s actually taking a small step back.

The Warriors don’t mind. Not only is Curry the go-to scorer on what at times has ranked as the NBA’s best offense, his all-around game has pushed him into the MVP discussion. Golden State entered the All-Star break with a fantastic 42-9 record, league-best mark that puts the team on pace for 68 wins. It should also be noted that Stephen Curry is also a really great guy.

One drawback during an otherwise fun time out was the NBA’s move to run the TNT commentary of Kenny Smith and Reggie Miller into the Barclays Center’s public address feed. Not only did their insipid back and forth reek of pointless radio-chat-show yammering, but the league did the festivities one step worse – there was actual canned crowd noise, obviously fake applause, being fed into the speakers and/or TNT broadcast feed after every make.

The 3-point shootout is just fine where it is. It will never inspire the sort of immediate cheers and gusto reserved for even the lamest of dunk contests, but that’s just fine. The NBA doesn’t need to create a spectacle out of the event, especially when helmed by some of the league’s least-loved in-game commentators. The fake splash of applause on top of it all was just embarrassing.

 

The NBA’s 3-point shooting is as good as it has ever been, as evidenced by a shootout-high 27 points being saved for the final round by the best player on the NBA’s best team. The only change we’d ask, beyond the PA commentary nonsense and obvious fake crowd noise, would be to add a few more rounds – because it is so damn fun to watch this bunch let fly from 24 feet.

Zach LaVine steals the show in dunk contest victory.

By Christian Arnold

The slam dunk competition returned with bang Saturday night in Brooklyn.

Minnesota’s Zach LaVine and Orlando’s Victor Oladipo put on a clinic for the packed house at Barclays Center, but in the end 19-year-old LaVine came away with the hardware and the right to be called 2015's slam dunk champion.

“I’m honestly on cloud nine right now,” said LaVine, the second youngest player to ever win the dunk contest. “I feel like I’m dreaming. Seeing all those dunk contests and people hoisting the trophy. Then I just saw myself do it and I lived it. So it’s a dream come true.

“I’m glad my family was here to witness it and go through it with me.”

The two put on quite the show in both the dunks they did and their entrance onto the court for the event. Oladipo took the floor wearing a tuxedo shirt while singing Frank Sinatra’s hit song, “New York, New York.” He then proceeded to complete a 540 dunk to the amazement of the crowd.

LaVine countered by entering to the Space Jam theme song and wearing a Michael Jordan Tune Squad jersey. He then proceeded to complete a through-the-legs reverse dunk to erupt the crowd.

The move was appropriately named "The Space Jam."

“It’s kind of weird to say, but I came up with [the dunks] in high school,” LaVine explained. “I was practicing them in high school. I just wanted to come out with a bang. I was trying to get a 50 on every dunk, it didn’t happen, but I was close on all of them.

“That was the main thing. I just wanted to show everyone what I got.”

The Timberwolves' first round pick in 2014 finished the first round with a perfect 100 score and Lavine continued to dazzle the crowd and the judges.

Oladipo was in good spirits after the competition and applauded the performance of LaVine.

“I think I went out there and gave a solid effort,” he said. “Some things didn’t go my way, buy credit Zach; he did a good job.”

He added later about LaVine’s dunks: “It’s no secret he can jump off the building, so they were very impressive.”

Oladipo’s first dunk first dunk whipped the crowd into a frenzy, as he became the first player to complete a 540 in the contest’s history.

“I knew I could do a 360,” he explained. “So I just had to keep going and maybe next year if I come back I’ll keep doing it more.”

Nikola Mirotic helps lead World Team to Rising Stars win.

CSN Staff

Chicago Bull's Nikola Mirotic

There won't be any Bulls in the Slam Dunk Contest or the Three-Point Contest.

But All-Star Weekend wasn't completely devoid of Bulls in the All-Star Game's accompanying events.

Nikola Mirotic participated in Friday night's Rising Stars Challenge and helped lead his World Team to a 121-112 win over the United States Team.

Mirotic had 16 points and knocked down a handful of 3-pointers in the contest.

Minnesota's Andrew Wiggins — the Canadian who led the World Team with 22 points — was named the event's MVP.

Korver, Butler not surprised by Rose's performance vs. Cavs, (Thursday night's game, 02/12/2015).

By Christian Arnold

Derrick Rose drives to the hoop in the second half. (Photo/Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Former Bulls shooting guard Kyle Korver seemed unsurprised by Derrick Rose’s 30-point game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.

Rose's performance during the Bulls' 113-98 victory also included four rebounds, seven assists and one steal in Chicago's final game before the All-Star break.

The Bulls star has been on a roll heading into the break, averaging 21.8 points, 5.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds in his last 15 games. The 26-year-old point guard has been working his way back to his pre-injury level.

Korver is pulling for Rose to play his best once again.

“I want that for him just because…he works so hard,” he said during the All-Star Game media availability at the Sheraton Hotel in Time Square. “He’s such a good guy and he’s handed the adversity so well. He’s been criticized and all that stuff, but Derrick loves basketball. He loves to play basketball.

“He’s such hard worker and a unique superstar. You always root for him.”

The current Atlanta Hawk isn’t hopping Rose goes off on his team in the playoffs, “but I’ll always cheer for Derrick,” he said.

Jimmy Butler — sitting across the room from Korver — was also impressed, but not surprised, by Rose’s performance on Thursday night.

“It was,” Butler responded when asked if that was a vintage Rose performance. “I think he brings that to the table a lot. When he’s playing like that and we’re clicking on all cylinders we’re a hard team to beat.”

Butler, whose status for Sunday’s All-Star Game is still uncertain, also applauded Rose’s ability work the ball around to other players and his leadership.

“Knowing that he has other people to help, he’s being a big leader right now,” he explained. “For myself, for the young guys and he’s showing what it takes to win in this league. He’s teaching along the way.”

Butler added: “He was always telling me to be more aggressive and look to score more. He’s doing the same thing now. He’s always telling me ‘shoot this, you gotta shoot that.’ It’s great having a point guard like him on our team.”

Pau Gasol and Butler are in New York to take part in the All-Star festivities, while the rest of the Bulls relax over the break. The Bulls first game back after the is in Los Angeles against the Clippers.

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! The 5 Greatest Chicago Bears of All Time. Do You Agree?

By Kofi Bofah

The Chicago Bears represent one of the most iconic franchises in football history. Dating back to 1920, the Bears have come to embody the characteristics of a blue-collar town that embraced defense, mental toughness, bitter cold, and the will to win. Beyond this foundation, the classic Chicago-Green Bay rivalry formed the nucleus of the Black and Blue Division and ushered the game of football into the modern era. In all, the Chicago Bears have had 27 players enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame and have claimed nine total championships (8 NFL titles and 1 Super Bowl).

The top five Chicago Bears of all-time will be forever synonymous with the team, but we would be remiss to ignore Red Grange bursting to the outside, Sid Luckman running the T formation, and Devin Hester for taking kicks back to the house. Consider them the Honorable Mentions.

1. Gayle Sayers 

2. Dick Butkus

In 1965, the Bears hit the jackpot, after selecting Dick Butkus (left) and Gale Sayers (right) as the respective third and fourth overall picks. Sayers went on to immediately take the League by storm, in racking up a then rookie record 2,272 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns, over the course of 14 games. That year, he scored six touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers at a muddied Wrigley Field. For this 61-20 blowout, he hit the end zone on four runs, one pass reception, and one punt return, in what football historians have billed as the greatest individual performance of all time. 

The Kansas Comet won the NFL rushing title in 1966 and 1969 with respective 1,231 and 1,032-yard performances on the ground. In all, Sayers averaged 5 yards-per-carry through his seven-year career, walking away at 28 after enduring two severe knee injuries. Butkus, meanwhile, was named to the Pro Bowl for eight consecutive seasons, between 1965 and 1972. Like Sayers, Butkus’s career was cut short by injuries. NFL commentators have made claims that Butkus played out his final games as a Bear on “no knees,” but the man with the crew cut and a permanently affixed scowl would be lauded as “the most feared tackler” of all time before he hung up his helmet.
 

3. Mike Ditka

Michael Dyczko, the son of Ukrainian immigrants, was the perfect embodiment of Bear football. Before arriving in Chicago, Dyczko changed his name to Ditka, while he rose through the ranks as a schoolboy legend out of hardscrabble Western Pennsylvania. 

In the NFL, Iron Mike ran roughshod over the competition between 1961 and 1966. At tight end, Ditka was too fast for linebacker single coverage, and yet too physical for defensive backs to contain. As a rookie, Ditka hauled in 56 catches for 1,076 yards (19.2 YPC) and 12 touchdowns. In all, Ditka racked up 316 receptions for 4,503 yards and 34 touchdowns through six seasons as a Bear. 

In 1982, George Halas handpicked Ditka to coach the Bears, his final act as team owner. In Ditka’s fourth season as head coach, the 1985 Bears went 15-1 en route to dominating the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX. The ’85 Bears are often referenced as the greatest defense of all-time, as this unit held opponents to a meager average of 12.4 points per game.  

 

4. Walton Payton
 

 Out of Jackson State, Walter Payton apparently lacked the pedigree and raw athleticism set for NFL stardom. Instead, Sweetness picked up chunks of yardage through sheer will power, vision, and body control. Never one to duck out of bounds, Payton would finish off his runs by lowering the boom at the point of attack and fighting for every last yard. As a lunch pail worker, Payton only missed one game over the course of his 13-year career as a Chicago Bear.

In all, Sweetness racked up 16,726 rushing yards, 125 total touchdowns, and one Lombardi Trophy — as the ringleader for the 1985 Bears Super Bowl Shuffle. Payton will always be mentioned alongside the likes of Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, and Emmitt Smith in any “greatest running back of all-time” conversation.

Vintage Payton would make one sharp cut before hitting the hole hard at the line of scrimmage. From there, Payton would drop his pads low and fight through arm tackles, before bouncing the football to the outside. Out on the edge, it would be off to the races, where Sweetness would shift into an extra gear and plunge into the end zone for six.

 

5. George Halas

George S. Halas was the architect behind it all. Over the course of his life, “Mr. Everything” bought, owned, played for, coached, and managed Bears business operations. In 1920, the storybook legend began in Decatur, IL, where Halas was hired as the recreational director of Staley Starch Works and tasked with assembling a football team. That year, Halas also held court to organize the American Football Association, which was the predecessor to the NFL

.

By 1922, the Decatur Staleys had run into financial troubles, and Halas assumed full control of the young club. Halas promptly moved the franchise to Chicago, negotiated a lease to play games at Wrigley Field, and rechristened the team as the Bears, out of respect for the North Side Cubs. In 1925, Papa Bear signed Red Grange out of the University of Illinois and led a barnstorming tour across the country. With Grange as the main draw, the Chicago Bears began entertaining crowds that would rival baseball as America’s pastime. Today, NFL Football is by far and away the most popular sport in the country, largely due in part to George Halas.
 

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica opinion: We all know that D-E-F-E-N-S-E wins championships, let's do what has to be done to make it happen!!!

Bears' Fox, Fangio know what top-10 pick can do for defense.

By John Mullin 

   

Chicago Bears Head Coach John Fox 

Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio

The decision on what the Bears will do with the No. 7 pick of this year’s draft will end up in the hands of general manager Ryan Pace. But Pace believes in input and agreement, and the experiences of his two top coaches on defense — head coach John Fox and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio — project to point first in one clear direction.

 

It is one that served Fox and Fangio very well in building top-tier defenses: an edge pass-rushing terror.

 

Fox began his successful tenure in Carolina with the Panthers selecting Julius Peppers with the No. 2 pick. More recently and more relevant, and coincidentally, both began their 2011 defensive makeovers in Denver and San Francisco with the same prototype player, Fox with rush linebacker Von Miller for the Broncos at No. 2, Fangio with rush linebacker Aldon Smith by the 49ers at No. 7.

 

Interestingly perhaps, Miller was acquired for Fox’s 4-3 scheme. Smith was inserted into Fangio’s 3-4. Both defenses improved significantly from 2010 to 2011, the first year’s for Fox and Fangio:

 

	Yards per game (rank)	Points per game (rank)
Broncos
2010	390 (32nd)	29.4 (32nd)
2011	358 (20th)	24.4 (24th)
49ers
2010	328 (13th)	21.6 (16th)
2011	308 (fourth)	14.3 (second)

 

The improvements didn’t owe to just the additions of Miller and Smith. The Broncos had the likes of Elvis Dumervil in place, and San Francisco had Justin Smith.

 

The Bears have neither, but the template for securing it was followed by Fox and Fangio.

 

Bears need to follow Dent’s 'Rule of 3' for building defense.

 

By John Mullin

 

Few players, Bears or otherwise, were ever more apt students of his craft than Richard Dent was of defense and pass rushing. The Bears’ Hall of Fame defensive end once laid out for me his “Rule of 3” that applies to defenses becoming great.

“Definitely need ‘The Three’ if you’re going to have a nickname,” Dent said, laughing.

The Colonel’s point was that all great defenses have three pass-rush threats; not necessarily all linemen and not even necessarily all the same three individuals. It could even be two individuals and a “committee” swarm for the third.

Like a true student, Dent easily ticked off some examples and their key three’s:

1960’s Los Angeles Rams “Fearsome Foursome”: Deacon Jones, Lamar Lundy, Merlin Olsen

1970’s Dallas Cowboys “Doomsday Defense”: Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Harvey Martin, Randy White

1970’s Pittsburgh Steelers “Steel Curtain”: Mean Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Dwight White

1980’s Bears: Dent, Dan Hampton, Steve McMichael

1990’s Baltimore Ravens: Peter Boulware, Rob Burnett, Michael McCrary

2010’s Seattle Seahawks, fronting for “Legion of Boom”: Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, Bruce Irvin

The Bears as currently constituted don’t comply with The Colonel’s “Rule of 3.” Willie Young played his way into one slot before his Achilles tear; Jared Allen and Lamarr Houston were supposed to be the others.

White Sox hope news faces will take them to new places.

By Daryl Van Schouwen

A look across the bleak February landscape, gray and cold, suggests no relief anytime soon from a frosty Chicago sports scene — from the Blackhawks’ blahs the last two weeks to the internal drama of the Bulls to the buzz chill of the Jackie Robinson West Little League scandal.

But look who’s promising to put a sudden end to the bleakest Groundhog’s Day sports story in Chicago the last few years: The Cubs and Sox, who aggressively transformed their 73-89 rosters the last few months into competitive-looking teams that have stirred the most baseball excitement in years on both sides of town.

They introduce the Arizona sun, along with countless new faces and boundless new hope, when pitchers and catchers report to spring training Thursday in Mesa (for the Cubs) and Friday in Glendale (for the Sox).

A few things that might be worth getting excited about for the White Sox over the next six weeks:

1. Leading the way

The many new faces on the roster make the Sox look better on paper. It also means some get-acquainted time will be required, with perhaps only nine players from the 25-man Opening Day roster last season making the 25-man Opening Day roster this season.

The void created by captain Paul Konerko’s retirement won’t present a leadership issue with character guys such as Chris Sale, John Danks, Jeff Samardzija, Jose Abreu, Adam LaRoche and Adam Eaton around. Manager Robin Ventura won’t name a new captain because there should be plenty of positive influence from all corners of the clubhouse.

2. Who’s on second?

Barring a trade, the lineup is pretty much set except for second base, where Carlos Sanchez and Micah Johnson — who hasn’t played a major-league inning — are pegged for a spring-training competition to determine the starter. The free-agent signings of utility player Emilio Bonifacio and Gordon Beckham (back as the best of the bunch defensively) added needed protection and depth.

The Sox would prefer to see Johnson, a speedster (87 stolen bases in the minors in 2013) slowed by hamstring problems last season, be healthy and good enough defensively to win the job. He left for Arizona after SoxFest to begin taking ground balls, which was a good idea. Some think Sanchez, who hit .250 in 28 games with the Sox last season, projects more as a backup infielder.

3. About that defense

The Sox were horrible on defense in 2013. They improved somewhat in ’14, but they were anything but a pitcher’s dream. Melky Cabrera for Dayan Viciedo in left field and LaRoche for Abreu occasionally at first base make them better, but will it be enough? The SABR Defensive Index ranked Abreu last among American League first basemen and Conor Gillaspie 12th among 14 AL third basemen.

When Beckham is playing second, the Sox are fine up the middle with Gold Glove finalist Alexei Ramirez at shortstop. But when he’s not, three-fourths of the infield might be below average.

4. Carlos Rodon

With Sale, Samardzija, Jose Quintana, Hector Noesi and Danks slotted for the April starting rotation, there’s no rush to push left-hander Carlos Rodon, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft last season, into the mix, especially with service-time issues at play.

With the exception of Sale, every pitcher in camp will envy Rodon’s slider, but he might need some time in the bullpen — or perhaps in the minors — to tighten up his fastball command. Whatever the case, watching his talent and tracking his progress as he works with pitching coach Don Cooper will be a worthy spring-training pastime.

5. Adapting to the heat

This will be Ventura’s fourth season at the helm but his first with a team that’s built to win, so his way of doing business will be scrutinized more closely by fans, media, players and the front office.

For everyone from the unruffled Ventura to the 64th man in major-league camp, preparing for the 2015 season in the hot Arizona sun should be slightly less comfortable because of the glare that shines on self-proclaimed contenders. It might feel odd and take some getting used to, but that’s just one of the things spring training is for.

Golf: I got a club for that; Snedeker breaks own record and wins Pebble Beach.

By DOUG FERGUSON (AP Golf Writer)

Brandt Snedeker poses with his trophy on the 18th green of the Pebble Beach Golf Links after winning the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Brandt Snedeker broke his own scoring record and won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am for the second time in three years.

Snedeker played bogey-free in the final round Sunday and left the mistakes to everyone else. He closed with a 5-under 67 and a three-shot victory over Nick Watney, and the timing could not have been better.

Snedeker fell out of the top 50 at the end of last year for the first time since 2011 and was guaranteed of playing only one major and no World Golf Championships unless he turned his game around. One great week at one of his favorite spots in golf changed everything.

The victory assures him a spot in the Masters and PGA Championship (he already was eligible for the U.S. Open). And he moves to No. 31 in the world ranking, which most likely gets him into all the WGCs, starting with Doral in three weeks.

''I'm just so excited about what's next,'' Snedeker said.

He made only one bogey in 72 holes of glorious weather, as good as it gets at Pebble Beach. And when he finally took the lead after Watney made his worst swing of the week - a 4-iron right of the sixth fairway and into Stillwater Cove - Snedeker pulled away, taking all the drama out of the final hour.

A conservative par on the final hole gave him a 22-under 265, breaking the scoring record by two shots that he set in 2013. He also broke by two shots the score to par previously held by Phil Mickelson (2007) and Mark O'Meara (1997) when the par-72 Poppy Hills was still in the rotation.

Watney opened with four straight birdies, but it was three bogeys in a five-hole stretch at the turn that cost him. He rallied with a pair of birdies for a 69 to secure second place alone, a good step for him getting his game back in order.

Charlie Beljan closed with a 66 and finished third. 

Jim Furyk, the 54-hole leader, didn't make his first birdie until the 11th hole. He missed three birdie putts inside 10 feet on the front nine, went out in 38, and was out of the hunt halfway through the final round. It was the ninth time Furyk failed to convert when he had at least a share of the 54-hole lead since his last victory at the 2010 Tour Championship. Then again, this was his first competition in five months. 

''I only made two birdies today and I hit the ball way better than that,'' Furyk said. He tied for seventh, six shots behind, along with Jordan Spieth and Matt Jones.

With a big crowd celebrating one of the most beautiful weeks ever at Pebble, the final round quickly turned into a battle between Snedeker and Watney.

Watney, thrilled at the chance to play with San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey, opened with four straight birdies to build a two-shot lead. But on the par-3 fifth, a photographer shot his camera at the top of Watney's swing and he flinched, coming up well short and in a bunker. Watney made bogey, and Snedeker rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt for a two-shot swing to tie for the lead.

It was a big putt for Snedeker, and it was evident by the abrupt fist pump when it dropped. He took the lead on the next hole when Watney pushed his approach over the edge of the cliff and made bogey.

Watney never caught up. They matched birdies on the seventh and 11th holes, and then Snedeker pulled away with pars. Watney made bogey from a fairway bunker on the 13th, and from behind the green on the 14th to fall four shots behind.

''I thought Brandt handled himself really, really well,'' Watney said. ''Maybe in trouble one time, but very solid. So that's what I need to be like next time.''

Torrey Pines winner Jason Day, who opened with a 72 at Pebble Beach in great scoring conditions, got within two shots of the lead until the putts stopped falling. He closed with a 67 and tied for fourth with Pat Perez (68) and Dustin Johnson, who closed with a 66. It was the second tournament for Johnson since he returned from a six-month leave of absence for what he described only as a personal challenge.

Perez and Michael Lund, the co-founder of Pandora Jewelry, won the pro-am competition at 42 under.

Jeff Gordon wins pole for final Daytona 500 of his career.

By JENNA FRYER (AP Auto Racing Writer)

Jeff Gordon smiles with members of his team in the garage after a practice session for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Friday, Feb. 13, 2015, in Daytona Beach, Fla. Gordon had the quickest lap for the session. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson outsmarted the field Sunday to sweep the front row for the Daytona 500, with Gordon earning the pole in what will be his final start in ''The Great American Race.''

Gordon announced last month this will be his final full-time season as driver of the famed No. 24 Chevrolet, and he's been adamant next Sunday's season-opening Daytona 500 will be the last of his storied career. The four-time NASCAR champion is a three-time 500 winner.

''That feels good. That's awesome,'' Gordon said.

Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Johnson locked down the front row in Sunday's qualifying session, which was done in knockout rounds for the first time in 57 years.

The qualifying was blasted by most of the drivers.

Clint Bowyer called it a ''cute show'' after he wrecked in the first round. Reigning champion Kevin Harvick grumbled Daytona's tradition had been ruined, while three-time champion Tony Stewart called it ''a complete embarrassment for our series.''
 

The group qualifying was messy from the very start, when the first 25 drivers all jockeyed for position before they even left pit road. Some even drove through the grass to get through the traffic jam.

It stuck Bowyer behind Reed Sorenson, a driver who needed a big run Sunday to lock himself into the field.

So Sorenson tried to block Bowyer in a desperation attempt to advance through the knockout rounds and it triggered a five-car pileup. Both Bowyer and Sorenson ended up with a pair of wrecked Toyotas. It was Sorenson's only car of Speedweeks, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to locate another car before Thursday's qualifying races.
 

''I didn't mean to wreck anybody or anything like that,'' Sorenson said. ''Just a product of this qualifying, trying to get that one lap. I didn't want it to end that way, that's for sure.''

Bowyer, who angrily gestured inside Sorenson's window after the wreck, was seething. He placed the blame squarely on NASCAR for scrapping single-car qualifying runs in favor of the more exciting knockout rounds.

''It's NASCAR's fault for putting us out in the middle of this crap for nothing,'' Bowyer fumed. ''We used to come down here and worry about who would sit on the front row in the biggest race of the year. Now all we do is come down here and worry about how a start-and-park like this out of desperation is going to knock us out of the Daytona 500.

''We've been in meetings for 45 minutes just trying to figure out what in the hell everybody is going to do just so we can make the race. It's stupid.''

The knockout rounds whittled it down to one final 12-car session in which the drivers had five minutes to make a qualifying run.

Only all 12 idled on pit road, as none of them wanted to be first out on the track.
 

Finally, Martin Truex Jr. pulled onto the track and the others slowly followed. It was apparent as they raced to cross the starting line in the allotted time that they'd all been timing their move to make their lap just under the wire.

It worked to perfection for Gordon and Johnson, who gave Hendrick Motorsports a sweep of the front row for the fourth time in history.

''This is one of the more gratifying poles here at Daytona that I've ever had, not just because it's my final Daytona 500, but because you've got to try and plan it out and play that chess match and play it really, really well,'' Gordon said.

Gordon called the three rounds ''nerve-racking'' and said it wasn't his plan to sit that long on pit road.

''I really wanted to go sooner than that,'' he said.

Also locking themselves into the field was Aric Almirola, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Jamie McMurray and Carl Edwards. It was a huge relief for Edwards, who moved to Joe Gibbs Racing in the offseason, and his new fourth car was not guaranteed a spot in the field.

Drivers blast NASCAR's use of group qualifying for Daytona 500.

By Dustin Long

Oral-B USA 500 - Practice

Competitors had plenty to say Sunday about using group qualifying for the first time for the Daytona 500. Most of their comments weren’t positive.

Drivers and owners raised questions and concerns about group qualifying at restrictor-plate events last season but the chorus grew louder at Daytona International Speedway after a session that featured a crash, confusion and, in the words of many, chaos.

Here’s what they said:

Ryan Newman: “The frustrating part is dealing with this whole system which makes no sense whatsoever. It’s hard to stand behind NASCAR when everybody I talk to up and down pit road doesn’t understand why we’re doing this. Maybe I need to be sat down and educated a little bit.’’

Denny Hamlin: “Mayhem. There’s no other word to describe it.’’

Clint Bowyer: “There’s no reason to be out here. These guys have spent six months working on these cars, busting their butts on these cars. … It’s NASCAR’s fault for putting us out in the middle of this crap for nothing. We used to come down here and worry about who would set on the front pole in the biggest race of the year. Now all we do is come down here and worry about how a start‑and‑park like this out of desperation is going to knock us out of the Daytona 500.”

Jeff Gordon: “When it turns out like the way it did for me, you like it. When it turns out like the way it did for Bowyer, you hate it.’’

Kyle Larson: “I think they need to go back to single-car qualifying. I think that’s about it for superspeedways anyway because this is pathetic. They just tore up a ton of cars in the first qualifying (session). I don’t see how it’s exciting. I don’t think the drivers think it’s exciting. This race has always been made off of how hard your team works to get the pole. I think they should go back to single car qualifying at superspeedways.”

David Gilliland: “It’s definitely chaotic. It’s just too circumstantial on a deal like this. To me, it’s not very good. It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever done. It needs to be fine-tuned a little bit.”

Kurt Busch: “We’re a lot of smart people here. There’s drivers, owners, NASCAR.  We got to find a better system. Too much hard work goes into these cars, then you have this roulette wheel for qualifying. It doesn’t seem the proper system.”

Brad Keselowski: “I think it’s about exactly what we expected.’’

David Ragan: “This session is real gimmicky and it all depends on who you get paired up with and a lot of it is luck and chance. That is just the way it is though. There are some really good cars that didn’t have good speed, and some really bad cars that did have good speed just because of situations. I would be very frustrated if this was it. I am not a fan of this format but it is what it is.”

Denny Hamlin: “There’s going to be a lot of unfavorable talk about it for sure. It can get dangerous when different cars are on different agendas and speeds. We’re either going to have to get better and smarter or it will have to change to make it a little bit safer. Other than that, we all knew for months that this was going to be the case. You tried to do the best you could.”

Richard Childress: “It has to have some adjustments. Definitely got to be adjusted. You can’t be wrecking people. You can’t depend on making the race the way we’re doing it here. We’ll let them figure it out.’’

AJ Allmendinger: “Honestly, I could have cared less how I qualified. I just didn’t want to wreck. So, I just kind of went along with the plan and that was it. Didn’t care.’’

Austin Dillon: “It ain’t right. I think we should go back to single-car (qualifying) myself. That is all I can say.”

Martin Truex Jr.: “My thoughts are they need to do something different. I don’t know, it’s just doesn’t seem like it’s a good show. It’s not fun. It’s kind of chaos. I don’t know, seeing cars get tore up and other stuff. I’m not a fan of it, but hey it is what it is.’’

FA Cup Roundup: Villa and Arsenal move on, Bradford City shocks again.

By Kyle Bonn

(Getty Images)

We saw another big upset as one of the few lower league teams remaining in the competition kept rolling. Here’s the action from today’s FA Cup schedule:

Aston Villa 2-1 Leicester City

Tim Sherwood got his first win with his new club…kind of. He watched from the stands, but got to see Villa go through to the quarterfinals on goals from Leandro Bacuna and Scott Sinclair. The first half was a complete dud, with just one big save by Shay Given and a goal for Christian Benteke ruled out correctly for offsides. Bacuna brought the game some life with a curling effort, and Sinclair scored off the bench in the 89th minute thanks to some poor goalkeeping by 42-year-old “leaner than ever” Mark Schwarzer.

The goal from Sinclair was a big one, because new Foxes signing Andrej Kramaric scored in added time, but the deficit was too great as Villa goes one win away from an appearance at Wembley.

Bradford City 2-0 Sunderland

An own-goal in just the third minute by Black Cats defender John O’Shea off a Billy Clarke shot meant League One minnows Bradford City went ahead early. They’d hold to halftime, and then double that lead in the second half when Adam Johnson painfully gave the ball away right in front of his own penalty area, and Jonathan Stead pounced and scored.

The goal for Stead means he’s scored in every single round of the FA Cup for Bradford, with five total goals. Bradford City held on to win, defeating their second Premier League side in a row to move to the quarterfinals of the competition for the first time since 1976.

Arsenal 2-0 Middlesbrough

Olivier Giroud scored a first-half brace, and it allowed Arsenal to cruise the rest of the way owning possession and holding off their lower-league opponents. Gabriel Paulista earned his full Arsenal debut, earning a yellow card in the 55th minute in the process.

There wasn’t much else to report, as Arsenal held nearly 70% of the possession and sailed into the quarterfinals of the competition. It was good for Gunner fans to see Alexis Sanchez on the field, as Arsene Wenger speculated before the match that he would be unable to go thanks to a swollen knee suffered in their Premier League fixture midweek. Sanchez played 72 minutes before being replaced by Tomas Rosicky.

Van Gaal says Rooney is playing midfield "because there is no one else".

By Kyle Lynch

(Getty Images)

Over the past few weeks, Louis van Gaal has been constantly hounded with questions over why he chooses to play Wayne Rooney in the midfield rather than at striker.

Today, he offered his reasoning as a veteran manager.

“Because there is no one else.”

Speaking ahead of Manchester United’s FA Cup match against Preston North End tomorrow, van Gaal admitted that Rooney is simply filling the holes that the lineup has, but has been a consummate professional throughout.

"Wayne is playing in midfield because there is no one else. He’s happy to do so otherwise he should come to me and say he’s not, but he never does. He’s always friendly to me and wants to perform. 

But of course when the whole world is writing that he has to be in the striker’s position then he will be thinking ‘hey, maybe’. He’s human.”

The Dutchman went on to say that his top priority is signing a midfielder over the summer, specifically one to balance out the creativity that United already has.

Van Gaal spoke about the need for balance in his side, using Angel Di Maria and Adnan Januzaj as examples of creative players that would benefit from having some added solidarity in the midfield.

The Red Devils have long been linked with Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman, who has experience playing under van Gaal with the Dutch national team. Nicknamed “The Dutch Roy Keane,” he is exactly the type of player Manchester United is looking for.

Could freshmen become ineligible to play again?

By Nick Bromberg

The NCAA logo is shown on the field where the Maryland Terrapins played against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2013 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship at Villanova Stadium on May 26, 2013 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)

Freshmen have been eligible to play in NCAA sports since 1972. But could the rule change again, barring freshman from participating in varsity-level sports?

It's a possible consideration, according to CBS Sports. As NCAA reform starts to happen following the vote to give the Power Five conferences greater power to set rules and structure, the Pac-12 sent the following suggestion to fellow Power Five conferences.

7. Address the “one and done” phenomenon in men's basketball. If the National Basketball Association and its Players Association are unable to agree on raising the age limit for players, consider restoring the freshman ineligibility rule in men's basketball.

Yes, the point specifically addresses basketball. But the CBS report raises these important questions.

There are many unanswered questions, of course. Would scholarships have to be added and increase costs? Would all freshmen have to sit, or only those who do not reach an academic benchmark? Would this only be for basketball, or for other sports as well? Would athletic skills become rusty without competition? Is the idea only to better prepare athletes academically or is it to also integrate them socially? Does freshman ineligibility even accomplish one or both of those goals? Could this idea help repair the widening cracks in the NCAA's model, which is being threatened by many sides?

The whole report is a must-read if you're a big fan of college sports or simply interested in the landscape of NCAA reforms. Our guess here is that there are too many of those questions above to make sweeping rule changes that affect the eligibility of freshmen playing football.

The academic concerns of many recruits coming into universities are an incredibly valid point and we don't intend to belittle it. Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, however, has already mentioned a desire for more scholarships beyond the current limit of 85. If freshmen couldn't play, how much would scholarships need to increase by? 25? How would an increase affect Title IX and other sports?

NFL teams may not be too happy about it either. While its three-year rule is currently a model for any potential age-limits in the NBA, making freshmen ineligible would mean that early entries into the NFL draft would have a maximum of two years of playing time before declaring. How vital is the third season of participation, even if it's spot-duty, to a player's pedigree?

Freshman team games could exist, but those would then be an extra set of expenses for schools, even if they were piggybacked onto existing game weekends.

NCAA reform is going to be messy and complicated; the cost-of-attendance reforms previously passed probably aren't going to be an indicator for how everything else will go. Many things will be suggested and discussed before they ultimately aren't implemented. For football, we're thinking freshman ineligibility is one that won't get further than the discussion phase if it's even considered at all.

Night Court: Northwestern upsets Iowa; Wisconsin wins 8th straight.

By Matt Norlander

Everything you ought to know from college basketball on Sunday … 

Game of the Day: Northwestern 66, Iowa 61, in overtime.

Northwestern almost had one of its classic (and how many of those have there been over the years?) heartbreaking home losses. The game in its control and leading much of the way in the final five minutes, Northwestern opted not to foul on the game's penultimate possession.

So Iowa's Jarrod Uthoff (who scored a game-high 25) then did this. Yes, it's improbable. But that's the point. That's why you foul when up three and with less than six seconds remaining.

Previous to this, Northwestern got a huge boost when role player Nate Taphorn buried a 3 from the top of the key with 46 seconds remaining, giving NU a 50-48 lead. Uthoff actually misfired on a 3 from the wing on the next possession, and then Alex Olah banged in two foul shots.

Uthoff hits a 3 with 12 second to go, gets it to a one-point game, and after Bryant McIntosh made another to foul shots, that happened.

BUT! Northwestern got the win. Fortunate for them, and for Chris Collins' father, legend Doug Collins, who was seen burying his face in his hands as McIntosh was taking the free throws.

Northwestern is 11-14 and just trying to build toward a better tomorrow.

Iowa can't escape its past. Last season this team was streaking toward a solid seed, only to blow out three tires and lose seven of its final eight, the last being in the First Four against Tennessee.

Now Iowa -- a respectable 13-5 only a few weeks ago -- is 15-10, 6-6 in the Big Ten, and facing a season in the NIT if it can't manage to stay above .500 in Big Ten play. Our Jerry Palm had the Hawkeyes as a No. 8 seed on Friday. They're now a No. 11 at best, right?

Hey, that's a good win: Wisconsin, as it does, pulls away and beats up on a league opponent.

The 193rd meeting in the history of Wisconsin and Illinois' rivalry went to the Badgers, 68-49. Illinois started off with a good few punches, coming back from a 9-2 deficit to tie the game at 22. But with the way Bucky plays, and especially at home, if you let Frank Kaminsky get out of hand, you're done.

The man who many believe is leading the chase for national player of the year finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes. The Badgers had just four turnovers (no shock; UW is No. 1 in the nation in turnover percentage) and shot 51 percent from the floor.

Just another win, and one that matters, because if you considering Kentucky and Virginia to be in a comfortable lead for two of the No. 1 seeds, Wisconsin is battling with Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas for the other two spots. Home losses to fringe tourney teams will boot you from the top line in a hurry.

And this was the first game for Wisconsin since it was announced that Bo Ryan, who for a long time dominated at the Division III level (Wisconsin-Platteville), is a finalist for the Naismith Hall of Fame. He received a standing ovation prior to the game and was emotional in his response to the honor after it.

Oh, that's a bad loss: Stanford is bubbly as can be after falling at Colorado.

The Cardinal lost 64-58 at Colorado, a team that's among the most disappointing in all of college hoops, and in doing so dropped to 7-6 in the Pac-12 and entered the danger zone. For a team that prides itself on offense, failing to crack 60 points in consecutive games is worrisome.

Stanford has dropped four of five. Its best wins are at Texas, at Washington, vs. UConn and vs. ... Wofford.

At least three home games are up next. Just get right in Maples, Stanford, and you'll ensure yourself to be team No. 3 from the Pac-12 getting called out on Selection Sunday. (Which, by the by, is one month from today.)

Start keeping track of Purdue.

The Boilermakers were never threatened throughout their home game against Nebraska. A 66-54 final, and amazingly enough Purdue is currently in a neckhold with Maryland for second place in the Big Ten. It's a really weird year in this league.

Purdue is now 17-9 overall and keeping chase at 9-4. Consider: three weeks of regular season remaining, and Purdue has already won more games this season than last. Matt Painter, you're a fine coach, and this is a testament to that.

Purdue wasn't in Palm's bracket on Friday, but have to think they'll break on through when he updates it Monday morning.

Nebraska (13-12) is going through a weird year. It wasn't supposed to be like this, but you can't help but feel that program and coaching staff are going to wind up winning one or two games they shouldn't, and they'll create more disorder in the standings and/or Big Ten tourney before this is done. Earlier this week, star Terran Petteway held a press conference to announce his mother is fighting cancer, and it's essentially thrown his season off track as a result. That program's been surrounded by health problems, and only the best wishes to improved news in the coming weeks.

TODAY'S TOP PLAYERS

1. Kahlil Felder, Oakland starting point guard, is the high scorer for Sunday so far. Felder had 29 points, eight assists and three rebounds in his team's win, which is detailed below.

2. Dap to Northwestern's Alex Olah, who had the game of his life with 11 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks.

3. Eleven points, seven assists, five steals. It's these kind of games from UNI's player -- in this case, Deon Mitchell -- that make the Panthers (now 24-2!) a second-weekend threat this season. UNI handled Missouri State on the road, 68-57.

4. This is the second time this season I've put Ousmane Drame in the top-players category despite a loss. For whatever reason, I've got this rule where, if you get 18 boards or more in a game, you're getting a nod. And Drame's done it again, albeit in Quinnipiac's loss to Iona. He had 16 points, 18 snares and four blocks. MAAC preseason player of the year next season? If only. Drame's a senior.

Numbers to figure

1.38: Wisconsin's points per possession on Sunday.

1.27: Wisconsin's ... well, get a load of this:

****************************************

                               
Jordan Sperber                                                                                       Follow
@hoopvision68
    

Wisconsin scoring 1.27 ppp thru 12 conference games. Only 1 team has finished over 1.20 in Big 10 play during KP era (2005 Illinois - 1.21)

 

3:26 PM - 15 Feb 2015

                     

1 favorite 
                                                       

****************************************

    

10: The number of consecutive games Northwestern lost in the Big Ten prior to its win over Iowa.

12: The number of blocks Northwestern had today. Bonkers.

Other outcomes blipping the radar:

• With its 76-61 win over Cal, Utah moves to 20-4. Utes still within striking distance of ...
• Arizona, which got a win on Sunday as well. Wildcats 86, Washington State 59. Wildcats are 22-3 and still in the race for a No. 1 seed.
• Indiana is still grooving, now 8-8, after getting a 90-71 win at home over Minnesota. The Hoosiers were on fire from deep: 18 for 32 from 3-point range. IU shot 59 percent from the field for the game and got 24 points from James Blackmon, Jr.
• Washington. Man. Started off 11-0. Then made it to 14-4. Then Robert Upshaw, who will play in the NBA, was kicked off the team. And now the Huskies have pulled an Oklahoma State of 2014 (read: have dropped seven in a row). The difference? OSU made last year's NCAA tournament. U-Dub won't be doing that. Arizona State won in Seattle on Sunday, 78-68.
• Iona headed back to the NCAAs? This is the MAAC's best team this season, now 14-2 after winning at Quinnipiac 60-57. Tim Cluess has gotten the Gaels to the tournament in two of the past three seasons.
• Oakland's 83-78 win over Detroit has the Grizzlies at 8-4 in the Horizon and very much in the thick of a solid mid-major race for the No. 1 seed. Fun conference.
• Cleveland State is 10-3 in the Horizon after beating UIC 67-59.
• Best of all? Valpo. An 11-2 Horizon team after winning 62-55 at Milwaukee.

Miscellanea, etc. ...

Weather conditions prompted Boston College to postpone its Sunday home game vs. Miami to Monday.

Penn State's Pat Chambers went all in on the (bad) officiating in his team's loss.

Via Reddit, nine teams have started 25-0 since 1982. Kentucky is team No. 9. The previous eight, all of 'em, failed to win a national title.

Dean Smith's obituary -- as penned by Smith's family.

And if you missed it, a great move by Pittsburgh students on Saturday.

                                                   

 

Oakland Zoo                                                                                     Follow

@OaklandZoo

   

We presented Roy Williams with a card signed by the Zoo honoring Dean Smith. Our thoughts are with the UNC community.

 

1:33 PM - 14 Feb 2015

                      

475 Retweets 667 favorites  

 

  ****************************************  

Former Blackhawks defenseman Steve Montador dies at 35

By Tracey Myers

Steve Montador, who spent several seasons with the Blackhawks, died on Sunday, the Mississauga News reported. He was 35 years old.

Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports in Montreal was the first to report the news this morning.

According to the Peel Regional Police, cited in the Mississauga (Ontario) report, a female friend awoke at 2 a.m. to find Montador dead at his home. Const. Fiona Thivierge, a Peel police spokesperson, said in the report that “foul play is not suspected, pending the outcome of an autopsy.” She added that Montador’s case is being treated as a sudden-death investigation, not a criminal investigation.

The Blackhawks released a statement regarding Montador early Sunday afternoon.

“With deep sadness we mourn the unfortunate loss of former Blackhawk Steve Montador,” the statement read. “We join the many others throughout the NHL in keeping Steve's family and friends in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

Montador played with several NHL teams, including the Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres. He signed a four-year contract with the Blackhawks in the summer of 2011. But Montador suffered a concussion in the spring of 2012, costing him the rest of that season. He dealt with post-concussion issues through the rest of his time with the Blackhawks and the team bought out his contract in late June of 2013.

In March of 2013, as he was trying to come back from a concussion, Montador talked of beating depression and the “blessing” of finally recovering.

“I can see why people have a hard time with a number of different things and being taken away from something they love to do and not sure if you’d ever get back the chance. There’s a lot of uncertainty, a lot of fear, a lot of anxiety and depression that comes with that,” said Montador. “I’ve had a lot of help to work through that and I feel like I’ve taken the right steps.”

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, February 16, 2015

Memoriesofhistory.com

1962 - Jimmy Bostwick defeated his brother, Pete, to win the U.S. Open Court-Tennis championships for the third time.

1969 - Alex Delvecchio (Detroit Red Wings) scored his 1,000th NHL point.

1970 - Joe Frazier began his reign as the undefeated heavyweight world champion when he knocked out Jimmy Ellis in five rounds. He lost the title on January 22, 1973, when he lost for the first time in his professional career to George Foreman.

1972 - Los Angeles Laker Wilt Chamberlain topped the 30,000-point mark in his career during a game against the Phoenix Suns. He was the first NBA player to reach 30,000 points.

1989 - Roger Clemens (Boston Red Sox) signed a three year contract worth $7,500,000.

1992 - The Los Angeles Lakers officially retired Magic Johnson's #32 jersey. Johnson was the fifth Laker player to have his jersey retired. The other players were Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

1992 - Michel Goulet (Chicago Black Hawks) became the 17th player to score 500 career goals.

1997 - Jeff Gordon became the youngest driver to win the Daytona 500.

1997 - Mitch Richmond (Sacramento Kings) scored his 15,000th career point in a game against the Golden State Warriors.

1999 - O.J. Simpson's 1968 Heisman Trophy was sold for $230,000. A court judgment ordered the trophy to be sold to help settle a $33.5 million civil judgment against Simpson for the deaths of his ex-wife and her friend.

2004 - The Pittsburgh Penguins lost their NHL-record 12th consecutive home game.

2004 - Baseball commissioner Bud Selig approved the swap of Alex Rodriguez (Texas Rangers) and Alfonso Soriano (New York Yankees). The Rangers would also get a minor league player in the deal.

2005 - The NHL announced the cancellation of the 2004-2005 season due to a labor dispute. It was the first time a major sports league in North America lost an entire season to a labor dispute.

*****************************************************************

Please let us hear your opinion on the above articles and pass them on to any other diehard fans that you think might be interested. But most of all, remember, Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica wants you!!!!!