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Sports Quote of the Day:

"If you have ability in a certain area, why not capitalize on it and improve it and use it?" ~ Wilt Chamberlain, Professional Basketball Player

Trending: Do you think Kentucky will go all the way or does an upset await them?

No. 1 Kentucky looks to avoid recent finishes by unbeatens.

By GARY B. GRAVES (AP Sports Writer)

Top-ranked Kentucky is the fifth team to finish the regular season undefeated since Indiana ran the table in the 1975-76 season. The Wildcats are also trying not to come up short like the others did in their quest to duplicate the Hoosiers' perfect championship campaign.

The Wildcats knocked off Florida 67-50 Saturday in a Southeastern Conference matchup and Kentucky wrapped up the season 31-0, 18-0 in the SEC.

''We all knew that we would make some noise and do something special,'' Kentucky forward Trey Lyles said after Saturday's victory. ''We just have to go out there and if it's our day to win, then we're going to win.''

It needs to be Kentucky's day nine more times for the Wildcats to become the next undefeated team to win the national title. 

A look at teams since Indiana's memorable title run to go undefeated during the regular season but stumbled either in their conference tournament or the NCAA tournament:
 

WICHITA STATE, 2013-14: The Shockers rolled to a 31-0 record, then became the Midwest Region's No. 1 seed after winning the Missouri Valley conference tournament. Wichita State won its second-round game in the tournament and then faced No. 8 seed Kentucky, which began the season ranked No. 1 but struggled with inconsistency and fell out of the poll by the end of the regular season. The Wildcats pulled off a 78-76 upset that was preserved when Fred VanVleet's last-ditch 3-pointer bounced off the rim and ended the Shockers' dream season. The Shockers ended the season 35-1.

ST. JOSEPH'S, 2003-04: Jameer Nelson and Delonte West led the Philadelphia school to a 27-0 regular-season record, No. 1 ranking and eventual No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. But Xavier quashed the Hawks' unbeaten hopes with a 20-point blowout - 87-67 - in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament. St. Joe's won its next three games in the NCAA before falling 64-62 to No. 2 Oklahoma State in the regional final to finish 30-2.

UNLV, 1990-91: This group of Runnin' Rebels were a dominant, entertaining group of characters, including Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony. They were strong favorites to repeat as NCAA champions, especially after rolling through the regular season 27-0 and capturing the Big West tournament crown. But their run ended in a Final Four rematch with Duke - they had shellacked the Blue Devils 103-73 in the previous year's title game. With Grant Hill, Bobby Hurley and Christian Laettner leading the way, Duke upset the Rebels 79-77. UNLV finished the season 34-1.

INDIANA STATE, 1978-79: National player of the year Larry Bird, a Hoosier for about a minute, almost single-handedly led Indiana State to 26-0 regular-season record and a No. 1 ranking just three years after Indiana's run. Bird and the Sycamores won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament en route to an epic NCAA final matchup against a Michigan State squad with Magic Johnson and Greg Kelser. The Spartans won 75-64 in the most-watched college basketball game in history, which spawned one of the most memorable basketball rivalries of all time. Bird and the Sycamores finished that year 33-1.

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks: Lack of power play production 'slows us down'.  

By Tracey Myers

The puck had barely crossed into the Rangers’ zone when it was sent right back out again. It happened a few more times on that power play, as well as the ensuing one.

Not long ago, if the Blackhawks’ power play wasn’t working, it meant the Blackhawks were passing more than shooting while on the advantage. Now they can’t even get set up on the advantage. And on Sunday, once again, the Blackhawks’ inability to get anything going on their power play had a bad ripple effect on their entire game.

“It slows our team game down,” said coach Joel Quenneville after the Blackhawks’ 1-0 overtime loss to the Rangers. “The guys who are out there, they don’t get the production and then they get the hesitation to their game and it slows us down. In the last 10 games it’s happened too many times.”

The Blackhawks’ last power-play goal came on Feb. 24, when Alex Petrovic crosschecked Patrick Kane in the first period. Jonathan Toews scored to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead at the time. They’ve gone 0-for-15 since then (0-for-2 the rest of the Florida game, and 0-for-13 in the next five games).

The set-up problems haven’t always been an issue; they’ve just been more evident the last two games. Some of it is an opponent putting up that first wall of defense near the blue line. Still, the Blackhawks have to break through that.

“We had a tough time getting set up today, no question about that,” Patrick Sharp said. “They pressured us up ice, did a good job of that. But we’re not making any excuses. That’s on the guys on the power play not getting it done.”

Sure, the Blackhawks are missing Kane on that power play. But outside of a few games when Kane was on the power plays the entire time, the Blackhawks’ success level still wasn’t that great on them. This is also not the first time the Blackhawks have been without Kane or Toews or Sharp or whoever; they’ve still been able to do something on advantages.

“We’re used to having Kaner out there. Not to take away from him but we have quality players out there as well who have played the power play as well,” Sharp said. “It’s a focus of ours to be better.”

Power-play issues are not new to the Blackhawks. As Quenneville has said often, even if it doesn’t score, as long as the advantage doesn’t take away from the team game or take away momentum they can live with it. They’ve long had the 5-on-5 offensive production to offset a lackluster power play. But with the team struggling to score goals of any kind right now, the Blackhawks need that power play to convert.

They at least need it to get set up to try and be a threat.

“We realize how fortunate we are when you have Kane on the power play, be it entries, loose pucks, play recognition,” Quenneville said. “There’s a void there and opportunity. Someone has to seize it and grab it. When we do that it’ll be a big difference to our team game.”

Message received: Blackhawks' Bickell back in lineup.

By Tracey Myers

Bryan Bickell was back in his familiar third-line role during Tuesday’s practice, two days after he was a healthy scratch for the first time this season.

Message received?

"I think it does spark me,” said Bickell, who skated with Brad Richards and Patrick Sharp on Tuesday. “I don’t want to say I wish [coach Joel Quenneville] scratched me earlier, but it seems like it happens every year and it gets me fired up and [doing] what I need to do late in the season. It’s happened, it’s sparked me and it gets me going.”

The Blackhawks will find out if the scratch does spark Bickell on Thursday when they face the Arizona Coyotes. Indeed, Bickell’s been through this a few times over the past several seasons. This time of year, however, he usually doesn’t need much sparking. It’s the end of the regular season and almost time for the postseason, the two segments of the year in which Bickell is usually playing at his best.

He knows he needs to bring that more playoff-type of game now.

“I just need to go back to my head and remember what really works for me: be on the forecheck, be physical, open space up,” Bickell said. “It’s important for me to do that.”

Quenneville said it’s about simplifying with Bickell.

“Get on the body, get pucks to the net, get the puck moving forward,” he said. “I think he’s more efficient being as simple as you can make the game. Nailing it is something we want him … where every game you bring it. We’re trying to do the same thing – get him to do it and he’s trying to do it as well. It’s a work in progress.”

UPDATES

• Marian Hossa did not practice on Tuesday. The Blackhawks’ lines were their usual makeup, with Andrew Desjardins filling in for Hossa on the top line.
• Johnny Oduya practiced again and is expected to play against the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night.

New Blackhawks Vermette, Desjardins and Timonen getting familiar.

By Tracey Myers

Blackhawks center Antoine Vermette (80) has been getting comfortable with his new team. (Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune)

Kimmo Timonen talked about getting used to a new team, something he's done a few times in the past.

For some players, it's just minor adjustments. But for Timonen, who hadn't played all season before he was traded to the Blackhawks, this time around it's not that simple.

"To me, [it's] a lot of things," Timonen said. "Usually it's just a new team, new players and a new system. But to me it was everything. I hadn't played, practiced. It was a weird feeling but guys were welcoming me really well. It's been easy. I just need to play more games."

The Blackhawks are integrating three new players following the trade deadline: Timonen, Antoine Vermette and Andrew Desjardins. Vermette has been the Blackhawks' second-line center since he joined them. Timonen, who has been trying to work his way back after missing most of the season with blood clots, has played mostly with Brent Seabrook. Desjardins played his first game against Edmonton on Friday.

For all three, the goal is to adjust to a new team in a very short amount of time. Vermette, who's gone through this a few times (with Columbus and Arizona prior to Chicago), is getting more comfortable but knows there's no set date when he'll be completely acclimated.

"It depends on the situation. I've been saying that from the get-go," he said. "I don't want to put a time frame or really think about that. I just go out there and, as quick as I can, try to fit in."

Adjusting to the Blackhawks' system can be the biggest hurdle. Those who have been here for a while said they can do their part.

"It's probably different from guy to guy but for us, it's getting to know everyone and for them, learning the system," Marcus Kruger said. "It goes pretty fast. The three new guys we have here, they're great guys and they fit into the group right away. After that it's learning the system, and guys who have been here a while can help out with that."

And the adjustments aren't just for those players coming to the Blackhawks. Seabrook mainly remembers Timonen from when the veteran played for the Nashville Predators from 1998-2007. He didn't see Timonen as much when he played for the Flyers, so when he and Timonen started playing together last week it took some getting used to.

"It's a learning curve," Seabrook said. "When you see players play you can pick up on some of their tendencies but we haven't seen him a lot over the last couple of years. It's been a work in progress. The first game was good; I thought we played fine. It's just one of those things where it takes a couple of days. It's nice to have some practices with him; you definitely pick up a lot in practice. You get the foundation of what you're doing out there in practice and go from there."

The newest Blackhawks will get adjusted. They're playing in more games and they're participating in more practices. It won't be long before what's new seems familiar.

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session… Bulls-76ers Preview.

By JORDAN GARRETSON (STATS Writer)

The Chicago Bulls hardly resemble a team vying for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference with three of their top five scorers out.

It could be a struggle for them to continue to hold their ground in the standings with the likes of Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler sidelined, so they'll try to capitalize on Wednesday night's matchup with the lowly Philadelphia 76ers.

Chicago (39-26) trails Cleveland in the Central Division and is struggling to make up ground with Butler (20.2 points per game), Rose (18.4) and Taj Gibson (10.6) all out. Butler, who has missed five straight games, is expected to sit out two to five more weeks, while Gibson is day to day with an ankle injury after missing six games.

Rose met with the media prior to a 101-91 loss to Memphis on Monday for the first time since undergoing surgery on a torn meniscus Feb. 27 and said he plans to return this season, though there's no timetable.

Without them, Chicago has dropped three straight by at least 10 points for the first time since March 2010. The Bulls, who are 2 1/2 games ahead of Washington for fourth place in the East, have been held to 91 points or fewer twice in that span and committed 39 turnovers over the last two.

"I thought the fight was strong. We're short-handed. Fourth game in five nights, bouncing all over the place," coach Tom Thibodeau said of Monday's loss. "We came up short but I thought they played with great effort."

Chicago is shooting 41.3 percent over the last six games with Nikola Mirotic and Pau Gasol the only players averaging more than 13.8 points in that span at 20.8 and 16.5. Mirotic isn't 100 percent either, as he's listed as probable with a sprained right thumb.

 

The injuries have come at a particularly inopportune time with the last six games coming against teams currently in playoff position, including matchups with San Antonio, which had won four in a row prior to playing the Bulls on Sunday, and Indiana, which entered Friday's meeting having won nine of 11.

"We're working hard, giving ourselves a chance in these three tough games we've had," Gasol told the team's official website. "We keep coming back, keep working and give ourselves a chance. But you make a couple of mistakes, have a couple of rough minutes and all of a sudden you are back down and the teams we are playing are pretty good." 

A meeting with the 76ers, who have lost nine of 10 in the series and nine of 11 overall, figures to provide a temporary break - though they knocked off East-leading Atlanta 92-84 on Saturday. 

Hollis Thompson and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute each scored 19 to help Philadelphia take advantage of a Hawks team resting three starters. 

"I get to a stage where I don't even care," coach Brett Brown said. "Teams have come in and sat this guy or that guy. We're at a stage that we're just hungry to compete.  

Maybe there's an additional motivation, but it's not the first time we've experienced it. And the bottom line for us is we saw the best team in the East."

The Bulls have dropped six of eight on the road after a 17-6 start away from home that was the third best in the NBA. 

Mike Dunleavy scored a season-high 27 in a 118-115 win at Philadelphia on Nov. 7.

Bulls' Derrick Rose: the 'plan' is to return this season.

By Vincent Goodwill

In his first public statements to the media since undergoing surgery on his meniscus 10 days ago, Bulls guard Derrick Rose said “the plan” is to get back on the floor in the original timetable set out by the Bulls and team doctors, in 4-6 weeks.

“I think so. That’s the plan. Whenever I feel right, that’s when I’m going to step back (on the floor),” Rose said. “I feel good. I’m in a positive place right now. Just trying to keep it positive and get the most out of these days.’’

He’s rehabbing with the expectation of getting back this season. If the original prognosis of 4-6 weeks holds true, he’ll be back with nine regular-season games left at the latest.

But the one thing he won’t do is back himself into a corner with any guarantees of a return this season, even with all the championship aspirations that surround the franchise.

“Whenever I’m ready to come back, I’m going to come back,” said Rose, who did some light shooting but doesn’t know when he’ll be able to start full basketball activities.

Clearly, the point guard is the key to the Bulls’ championship hopes this season, but he doesn’t feel it’s all on his shoulders because of the depth of the club, with Jimmy Butler’s emergence and the addition of Pau Gasol.

There isn’t any doubt about Butler’s potential return, and valuable reserve Taj Gibson’s left ankle is improving daily. Given past history, Rose is walking a delicate tightrope when talking about a return.

“The year that the Dallas Mavericks (in 2011), nobody had them making it that far in the playoffs, let alone win the championship,” Rose said. “I think that we’re talented like they were that year. It’s all about just getting us all out on the court together, playing with (each other). Who knows, when we’re put up against that wall, we may show something special.”

But even with his injury history, he feels it would be a mistake for the organization to stop looking for pieces that would be best served around him for the foreseeable future.

“If they feel like they need to do that, this is a business too,” said Rose, who has two years on his contract after this season. “I know the business side. I know they’d be making a totally wrong mistake, but I’m not the owner, I’m the GM or the president. I’m the player.

“My job is to come out, go out there and try to play as hard as I can every night and try to win games. And if they decide to do something different or go another way, I can’t get mad at them.”

He still kept a positive outlook, even from the standpoint of the procedure that removed his meniscus as opposed to repairing it. It allows him to return to the floor quicker—albeit with the possible price to pay later in his career with knee pain.

“It was all about just getting back on the court,” Rose said. “It was something that they have to take out, and at the time I really didn’t care. I wasn’t worried about the future. I didn’t think that far ahead. I just wanted it out, be able to walk right and get to rehab right away.”

He’s not sure when he hurt his knee originally, although he estimates it could’ve been at Golden State in late January, the game where he hit a step-back jumper in overtime to win it—and after a few hard swallows, he was thankful it wasn’t the dreaded ACL injury—the one that started this downward spiral in 2012 that he’s trying to climb out of.

“It does feel great. I would say, just walking again, I mean walking and not feeling that pinch anymore,” Rose said. “I'm trying to take all this in. Like I said, this could be a blessing in disguise.”

With the way he was playing before the injury occurred—or at least before the All-Star break—he looked to be back to his old self, racking up 25-point games, turning the ball over less and playing with his old quickness and aggressiveness.

And there’s certainly the question of whether he’ll ease himself back into play—even though the closer the time comes to the playoffs, the more intense the regular-season games will be.

“Oh there’s no pace, there’s no pacing. Whenever I come back, I think I’m going to be ready to play the way I normally play,” Rose said. “That’s the smartest thing about patient with everything that I’m doing – paying attention to my body, paying attention to details every day. Even on the days I have setbacks, just learn from them and see how it can make me a better athlete.”

Late energy surge not enough in wild Bulls loss vs. Grizzlies 101-91.

By Vincent Goodwill

In the blink of an eye, the United Center went from dormant to devastating, courtesy of another unlikely Bull run.

But just as quick as the Bulls scratched and clawed themselves out of the abyss, the Chicago Bulls of the West, the Memphis Grizzlies, put them right back there in the waning moments of the fourth quarter.

The weary Bulls dropped their third straight game, a 101-91 decision Monday, in their fourth game in five nights, as the result was somewhat predictable but the circumstances couldn’t have been drawn up.

Tony Snell leading the team in scoring with consecutive, momentum-building triples.

One Gasol working the other’s last nerve, to the point of a brotherly shove with a little extra mustard on it.

And six players on the floor coming out of a timeout—an unfortunate situation considering it was the Bulls’ final timeout as they tried to stop the bleeding with 2:05 left and the Bulls trailing by six.

E’Twaun Moore looked to be the guilty party, as the officials caught the mishap after play started, resulting in loss of possession and a technical foul, likely killing whatever momentum the Bulls had in reserve after a furious comeback after being down double-digits.

“I was subbing (Joakim) and wanted to move Niko (Mirotic) to the 3, then we had a timeout,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “That was my fault.”

All seemed to be headed the Bulls’ way when Snell (21 points) and Nikola Mirotic (18 points, 12 rebounds) set the stadium afire with some fire of their own, erasing a 78-65 deficit, taking an 88-84 lead by scoring every point with the exception of a Kirk Hinrich triple.

“It was good to see Tony play tonight," Thibodeau said. "He’s having a tough batch right now, but I thought he responded great tonight. Niko, I thought he played tough, shot the ball well and played very effective.”

But their emotion could only carry them so far, as the healthy and focused Grizzlies did what the Bulls usually do in such adverse situations—respond with poise and execution.

“We didn’t run out of gas, they’re just a tough defensive team,” Bulls forward Pau Gasol said. “We made some shots, Tony made some big shots, Kirk made a big three that got us the lead. We kept working.”

Jeff Green and Mike Conley took over, with Green hitting a triple to tie the game at 88 and Conley directing traffic despite his three-for-13 shooting night to help put the Bulls away.

The little things, coming up with multiple offensive rebounds with the Bulls trailing by four and a little over two minutes remaining resulted in a Conley layup—moments before the technical foul.

“The second shot hurt us, the loose balls hurt us down the stretch,” Thibodeau said. “Even though we were short handed, the fight was strong but we came up short. With four games in five nights, I thought they put in a great effort.”

Other little things like 17 turnovers, one night after giving the ball away 22 times certainly didn’t help matters, either, again enabling the Grizzlies to get easy baskets when they had too much offensive rhythm anyways.

“Sometimes (our passing ability) is a double-edged sword,” Gasol said.

The Bulls’ defense sprung a leak in the third, allowing 32 points on 60 percent shooting after holding the Grizzlies to 43 percent by the half. If ever fatigue began to set in, it was then—right before their energy surge.

“We started slowly and worked our way back,” Thibodeau said. “In the third, they got a run and made some jump shots. Even though we responded to that, we still could not stop the ball.”

Marc Gasol scored 15 in the third, putting all his energy into scoring and irritating his brother, twice getting away from questionable contact and not drawing fouls, leading Pau to giving his brother a hard whack in frustration on his way back downcourt, a rarity for the soft-spoken Spaniard.

Pau scored 13 with 11 rebounds for another double-double. Ten triples helped keep the Bulls close, but the Grizzlies kept the pressure on the Bulls’ defense, shooting 50 percent and refusing to turn the ball over, escaping United Center with a hard-fought, playoff-style victory.

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!! So the Bears Are Stuck with QB Jay Cutler, Now What?

By Zach Kruse

Jay Cutler (AP Images)

Maybe the Chicago Bears actively tried to trade quarterback Jay Cutler over the last few weeks, only to find the task impossible enough that a spin campaign is already in the works. 

 

Or maybe the Bears did no active shopping, but instead took their time in evaluating the entire situation at quarterback before deciding Cutler would remain on the roster through 2015. 

Either way, the Bears are likely stuck with Cutler as the team's starting quarterback—a reality reported by ESPN's Chris Mortensen early Tuesday.

According to Mortensen's sources, the Bears "fully expect" Cutler will be the starting quarterback in Chicago next season. He also refuted reports of Cutler being on the trade block. In fact, Mortensen reports new offensive coordinator Adam Gase has been "enthusiastically" creating an offense tailor-made for Cutler and his strengths and weaknesses.  

Either the Bears are covering their tracks in an attempt to keep harmony between staff and quarterback, or the team genuinely never gave credence to the idea of moving Cutler. It's also possible the truth lies somewhere in the middle. 

It's even within the realm of possibility that a desperate team will come along at some point in the future and give general manager Ryan Pace an offer just good enough for him to take. 

For now, the Bears locking Cutler in as the starter in 2015 should come as no surprise. His contract is borderline unmovable, but just as importantly, the free-agent quarterback market is a barren landscape with precious few options, and the draft might only be two-deep in legitimate long-term starters. 

Another $10 million in 2016 will be guaranteed on Cutler's contract if he's on the roster Thursday, adding to the $15.5 million he's already guaranteed in 2015. But given the massive cap hit and the empty quarterback market, there was little chance Chicago would release Cutler before March 12. 

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, the Bears are being forced to stick with the status quo. 

At some point, the Bears staff will need to make a public statement on the future of the team's quarterback position. It's certainly needed after both Pace and head coach John Fox dodged opportunities to commit to Cutler at the NFL Scouting Combine. 

Once that happens, the real work begins. Fox, Gase and the offensive coaches need to find some way to get the most out of a quarterback dripping in talent but equally soaked in disappointment. 

The first order of business for Gase should be simple. His job will be to implement a working system for Cutler, likely one based on the run game with Matt Forte and the downfield passing game with big targets such as Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett and Marquess Wilson. 

Gase then needs to go alpha dog on Cutler and ensure his offense is run exactly how he wants it run.

According to Michael C. Wright of ESPN Chicago, former teammates and coaches of Cutler called him a "divisive figure," who was more "renegade" than good soldier in terms of playing within the confines of the offense. A sense of detrimental catering to Cutler from coaches emanated from the scathing review. 

Time will tell how this new staff treats Cutler. Per Wright, Cutler and his new offensive coordinator had a working relationship prior to the Bears hiring Gase. And Cutler is still very close with new quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains, a personal friend who he had hoped the Bears would hire in the past. 

Early indications are the two won't be bending over backward to coddle their new quarterback. 

According to John Mullin of CSN Chicago, Gase and his staff are preparing to "shrink the game" for Cutler, taking a less-is-more approach. This will include stripping Cutler's ability to audible at the line of scrimmage, while also reducing his decision-making processes after the snap. 

Under Marc Trestman, Cutler was given run-pass options at the line. That power backfired in a major way.
 

Jay Cutler: 2014 Season Ranks  

 

Total

NFL Rank

Comp. %	66.0	8th
Yards/Attempt	6.8	29th
Passing Yards	3,812	13th
Touchdowns	28	10th
Interceptions	18	Last
Total Turnovers	24	Last
Passer Rating	88.6	17th

 Bears: 5-10 in Cutler's 15 starts

Late in the season, an anonymous source told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport that the Bears were suffering from "buyer's remorse" on Cutler, in part due to the quarterback's inability to check out of bad plays before the snap. The source turned out to be offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer. 

It was an awkward turn during the most disappointing of seasons for the Bears, who were widely expected to make a run at the postseason in 2014. Instead, Cutler produced a league-high 18 interceptions and 24 total turnovers, and the Bears limped to a 5-11 finish. Trestman benched Cutler in Week 16, only to return him to the starting lineup for the season finale after backup Jimmy Clausen suffered a concussion. 

Eliminating his propensity for turnovers is probably not realistic at this stage in his career, but it is worth noting that Cutler played some of his safest football under the strict hand of former offensive coordinator Mike Martz in 2011. Gase possesses the personality and confidence necessary to replicate some of what Martz was able to accomplish.

The situation certainly isn't a perfect one. Trade rumors swirling around a starting quarterback isn't good for anyone involved. The Bears are denying those reports, but it'd be crazy to think Pace wasn't at least entertaining the thought of moving the polarizing, overpaid quarterback he inherited from former general manager Phil Emery. 

And it's still not ridiculous to think Pace could field an offer for Cutler at some point later this spring or summer and jump at the opportunity. He'd be off his rocker if a chance to offload a huge salary and start over fresh at the quarterback position was ignored. 

Then again, the Bears have surrounded Cutler with two coaches he's familiar with, and moving him now—or at any point in the next few months—would leave Chicago with a sad state of affairs at the quarterback position. There's simply no viable replacement for Cutler available at this point. 

The Bears are stuck. But being in this difficult position doesn't preclude Chicago from making the very best of the situation, which is likely only possible if Cutler the renegade is finally tamed by a capable staff.

NFL offseason moves already register impact on Bears ’15 schedule.

By John Mullin

The actual lineup of games in the 2015 season won’t be out for a few more weeks. But the Bears’ 2015 schedule already is being affected by a number of impact signings and transactions around the portion of the NFL slated to face the Bears this season:

NFC North

One tectonic plate shifted in the division when defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh left the Detroit Lions for the Miami Dolphins, who don’t reappear on the Bears’ schedule until 2017. The loss of one of the NFL’s elite defensive players flies opposite the direction GM Martin Mayhew thought the Lions’ were going with Suh, and no team this offseason has taken a hit of this magnitude. The Lions helped absorb the loss of Suh by trading for Baltimore Ravens All-Pro defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.

The Green Bay Packers took care of their own and most important loose parts by, first, re-signing Randall Cobb for less money than the wide receiver was offered elsewhere, and then securing tackle Bryan Bulaga. The secondary will miss No. 3 cornerback Davon House (Jacksonville) but the front-liners on offense were critical pieces.

The most significant development in Minnesota is yet to come, in the form of the disposition of Adrian Peterson’s situation. The Vikings have made low-level probes on other players in free agency.

But for a team that has been fashioned by the draft in recent years – consider them “Packers-lite” – their fate rides on Teddy Bridgewater and potentially Peterson.

NFC West

San Francisco has been sent reeling by a variety of blows, topped by the retirement of All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis and possible retirement of Pro Bowl defensive lineman Justin Smith.

Already with a coaching change from Jim Harbaugh to Jim Tomsula (and without Vic Fangio), the 49ers took a hit on the offensive line with the loss of Pro Bowl guard Mike Iupati. That didn’t necessarily ease the overall task of the Bears defense, since Iupati simply moved from the Bay Area to Arizona, and the Cardinals - like the 49ers - also come to Soldier Field this season.

Losing receiver Michael Crabtree was something, but not something big. Running back Frank Gore left for Philadelphia, then redirected to Indianapolis, while Dan Skuta, a quality fill-in last season for injured 49ers ‘backers, now is a Jaguar.

The Seattle Seahawks settled one issue with a contract extension that secures Marshawn Lynch for another two years. But the Super Bowl’ers of the past two years lost starting left guard James Carpenter, a 2011 No. 1 pick, to the New York Jets.

NFC “others”

The Bears lost defensive tackle Stephen Paea to the Washington Redskins under a four-year deal after the Bears gave no strong sign that they wanted to re-commit to their 2011 second-rounder. Paea posted a career-best six sacks in 2014 but that was both his most productive and healthiest year, the only one in which he was able to play 16 games.

Lovie Smith as Bears coach had a strong hand in the Bears trading up to draft Paea. But as Buccaneers head coach, his focus has been on Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, the Bucs’ presumed pick with the No. 1-overall pick in this year’s draft.

AFC West

The Denver Broncos already accommodated the Bears by parting company with coach John Fox and offensive coordinator Adam Gase. Denver’s offense took significant on-field hits with the loss of tight end Julius Thomas to Jacksonville and right tackle Orlando Franklin to division-rival San Diego.

The Kansas City Chiefs let go of wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, the Chiefs’ final No. 1 pick (2011) with Phil Emery as college scouting director, and gambled on instant upgrade from Jeremy Maclin from the Philadelphia Eagles, signed to a five-year deal averaging a reported $11 million per season.

The Oakland Raiders signed center Rodney Hudson away from the division-rival Chiefs. Their bigger issue is where they will end up playing.

Cubs hit 3 HRs in a row vs. Indians, but remain winless.

By GARY SCHATZ (Associated Press)

Jorge Soler, Javier Baez and Kris Bryant hit consecutive home runs for the Chicago Cubs and yet they still became the only winless team in the majors this spring, falling to the Cleveland Indians 10-6 Tuesday.

The Cubs, full of expectations this season under new manager Joe Maddon, dropped to 0-6. Milwaukee posted its first exhibition win earlier in the day.

Soler, Baez and Bryant connected in the fourth inning off Trevor Bauer. Baez got his first hit of the spring.

Welington Castro singled after the three homers. Castro homered later in the day.

The Cubs made four errors. 

Michael Bourn had three hits and Tyler Holt, celebrating his 26th birthday, drove in two runs for the Indians. 

Chicago starter Travis Wood gave up four runs, two of them earned, and seven hits in three innings.

No nerves for White Sox prospect Tyler Danish in first start.

By Dan Hayes

                                                                                    

Tyler Danish thinks pitching as a starter on Tuesday afternoon allowed him to quickly find his comfort zone.

Rather than work out of the bullpen as he did last week, the White Sox prospect was on a normal gameday schedule. He said it helped him make a big situation more routine as he earned the victory in a 6-2 White Sox victory over the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium.

Invited to big league camp after only one full pro season, the 2013 draft pick said he didn’t have as many butterflies as he did last Wednesday when he pitched out of the bullpen. Danish surrendered a first-inning home run Tuesday to Jarrod Dyson and allowed two earned runs and three hits in 2 1/3 innings, striking out one.

His biggest takeaway is that he didn’t issue a walk.

“I was down in the zone a lot,” Danish said. “That’s the big thing me and (pitching coach Don Cooper) talked about even in the offseason in the four or five phone calls we had, throw the fastball to both sides of the plate. Then we move on to the offspeed in the zone, with all four. Today I broke out that new slider. Struck (Alex) Rios out on it and got a swing and miss from (Lorenzo) Cain. Couldn’t be happier with that.

“Slider or cutter, couldn’t tell you the difference but it’s way faster, about 4 or 5 miles per hour faster than the slurve with a harder break. Coop calls it a cutter, we’re not worried about the names.”

Danish faced a Royals lineup featuring mostly starters in the first six spots in the lineup. How he handled himself after he gave up the homer to Dyson is a plus in manager Robin Ventura’s book.

“He was down in the zone so it’s good for him to kind of bounce back,” Ventura said. “That was a good lineup they had over there today so, a lot of regulars in there. For him to keep it down was nice.”

NOTES

— Micah Johnson has hit in six straight at-bats to raise his spring average to .500. The second baseman went 4-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. He also had a nice diving play up the middle.

“He’s getting in the middle of everything,” Ventura said. “He had some nice turns defensively, I thought he showed some of the range. …

“He just continues to play hard and play with purpose.”

— John Danks threw 50-55 pitches in a four-inning simulated game Tuesday. He faced Conor Gillaspie and Adam LaRoche, among others, and is working on his changeup.

“Changeup is not quite to where I want it to be just yet,” Danks said. “It’s a feel pitch. It’s a pitch that will come along. It’s not uncommon for it to be a little behind. I’m doing a lot of work on that, and keep going. Breaking ball feels good. I’m throwing the ball, the fastball down to both sides of the plate. I feel good about that.”

— Scott Carroll and Eric Surkamp each struck out three batters in the victory. Carroll gave up two hits in 2 2/3 scoreless inning and Surkamp allowed one in 1 1/3 innings.

White Sox: Spring is more fun for Jose Abreu in Year 2.

By Dan Hayes 

                                                                                                 

                      

It’s a kinder, gentler spring for Jose Abreu.

There have been a few more belly laughs, too.

The White Sox slugger said Tuesday morning that having gone through a full spring training before has made his second go-round more enjoyable.

Not only does he have a better feel for the daily routine, Abreu, the reigning American League Rookie of the Year, knows his teammates better and has been able to enjoy the lighter moments of spring.

While Melky Cabrera and Emilio Bonifacio are usually the instigators, rookie Carlos Sanchez took the reins Tuesday and made faces and lifted his shirt up behind the crowd while Abreu spoke to reporters.

“They are incredible,” Abreu said of his teammates to an interpreter. “They are two great kids. It’s good to be around them, but sometimes it’s crazy stuff. They do too many jokes, but that’s good.”

Last spring, Abreu was focused on getting up to speed after he signed a six-year, $68-million deal with the White Sox the previous offseason. Not only did he have to physically prepare for a season nearly double of any he previously played, he had to familiarize himself with the daily routine, meet new teammates and adjust to living in a new culture. Known for his tremendous work ethic, the White Sox had to slow Abreu down for his own good. But Abreu, who battled sore ankles last spring, has a better idea how to handle himself for the long haul this time around.

“I have more knowledge about this is run,” Abreu said. “I feel good. For me, it has been easy and that’s good.

“It’s just about being healthy. That’s the most important thing. That’s the biggest adjustment I did this year.”

Though he said the results don’t matter, Abreu, who went 2-for-3 Tuesday and is hitting .429 this spring, still wants to “do his best,” he said. That includes retaliation for some of the pranks his teammates have pulled.

“Sometimes I have to defend myself to them,” Abreu said with a smile.

Golf: I got a club for that; Finchem: PGA Tour preparing for a future without Tiger.

By Ryan Ballengee

                                                                                                                   
The day is inevitable. There will one day be a PGA Tour without Tiger Woods. When that will be is anyone's guess, but Tour commissioner Tim Finchem isn't all that worried about it.

Why? The Tour has already faced long stretches without Woods, including for nine months after the 2008 U.S. Open, the first quarter of 2010, three months in 2011 and much of 2014.

Finchem sees Woods walking away as a double-edged proposition.

“So it’s good news, bad news. I mean, it’s more bad news than good news because it’s like Michael Jordan stepping away to play baseball that year," Finchem said Sunday at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. "He’s your No. 1 player. He’s the player that on balance fans want to watch play more than any other."

Finchem believes Woods will continue to be the Tour's top draw for "a long time." However, he knows from experience that the sport eventually moves on to the next big thing.

"I remember how long it took for all of us, fans, media, to come to grips with Jack (Nicklaus) stepping away. It took years," Finchem said. "Nobody wanted to let Jack go and finally he started playing some on the Champions Tour."

If the Tour can develop new stars -- the likes of Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day and Brooks Koepka come to mind -- then Finchem believes any long-lasting decline in Woods' game won't be that big of a detriment.

“The PGA Tour is going to be fine," Finchem said. "But when you lose your No. 1 player, in a time when he’s still at an age where he can really play -- if he can get back to that level -- it’s not going to let you perform at the same level as you would with him."

Power rankings: Valspar Championship.

Ryan Ballengee

The PGA Tour's Florida Swing enters the Snake Pit this week as Innisbrook Resort hosts the Valspar Championship.

John Senden is defending champion at the Tampa-area event, with Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson and Jordan Spieth among the headlining names this week.

Innisbrook's Copperhead Course is not as difficult as Trump Doral's Blue Monster bomber's paradise from last week, but ballstriking is a must to get the job done.

Here are our top five picks for the week.

1. Luke Donald — Luke Donald won here in 2012 around the peak of his powers and has been T-4 here in the last two years. Looked good in a T-7 effort at Honda, but was simply outmatched by Doral’s length.

2. Jim Furyk — I can see the comments now about Jim Furyk and closing tournaments, so save them. The 2010 champion was part of the four-man playoff in 2012 and was T-7 in 2013. He’s a horse for this course.

3. Jordan Spieth — Spieth looked very good in stretches at Doral but slipped to a T-17 finish. He was in the top 10 in two West Coast starts and was T-7 here two years ago.

4. Adam Scott — How can you not like Adam Scott most any week he plays? This week, with his tee-to-green game, he’s a green light. If he can repeat his first positive week in the switch to a short putter, he’s a huge threat to win.

5. Matt Kuchar — Gotta like Kooch this week. He was T-23 at Doral, which was too long for his game. However, Innisbrook is the right length. In three of his last four Tampa starts, Kuchar has finished in the top 15.

Power Rankings: Kevin Harvick swoops in for the top spot.

By Nick Bromberg

1. Kevin Harvick (LW: 2): Harvick has started the season with three-straight top-two finishes. He ended 2014 with three-straight top-two finishes. Not terrible, eh? In any circumstance, six-straight finishes of that magnitude is an impressive achievement, but Harvick and company have done this with two distinct rules packages. It's not like they've been able to roll with the same formulas for all six weeks. However, it does give credence to the thought that the good teams will always be the first (and best) to adapt to rules changes.

2. Joey Logano (LW: 1): If this was the Chase, Logano's performance to scrap for a top-10 finish would be lauded as an achievement worthy of a title contender. After starting second, he survived two speeding penalties and came back for a top 10. Now, with the way that this Chase format is set up, the effort is almost an afterthought. Logano's in the Chase. All he needs to do is remain in the top 30 to make it. Of course, that's the simplistic view, but it also serves as an example of how not to overlook teams making chicken salad out of chicken you-know-what early in the year.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 4): Why wasn't the Chase format seen as the primary catalyst for the decision to put two tires on Junior's car on the final pit stop to steal track position and perhaps a win? Because people are learning from the ridiculousness of last year at Vegas? The decision for the No. 88 crew to go for two tires was an easy one. Without it, they didn't have a shot to win, and the worst-case scenario from the pit stop wasn't very bad. After leading four laps, Junior ended up fourth.

4. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 5): A start like this is making Truex lose "Chase sleeper" status pretty quickly. If he doesn't win a race this year, the speed he's showing -- provided it continues, of course -- should be more than enough for a Chase berth. And even if he gets the crazy speed and bad luck combination that plagued Kurt Busch in the No. 78 in 2013, Truex should still be in good shape. Busch made the Chase that season despite eight finishes worse than 25th in the first 26 races.

5. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 2): Oh no, Johnson followed up a win with a tire issue. How will he be a championship contender? While Johnson had a fast car -- he was leading at the time he first started having issues -- his Vegas results show the ridiculousness of trying to figure out a "car to beat" after two races of the season. Was the No. 48 team the best team at Atlanta? Duh. But let's just all be aware of small sample sizes, OK?

6. AJ Allmendinger (LW: 11): Speaking of small sample sizes, it's funny that the two highest RCR cars in the points standings aren't actually RCR cars (in name). After finishing seventh and sixth at Atlanta and Las Vegas, Allmendinger is fifth in the points standings. Will this continue? With another good run at Auto Club, the evidence pointing to an intriguing season will keep mounting.

7. Denny Hamlin (LW: 9): How close was the kerfuffle between Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne from ruining Hamlin's day? We'll let him explain about the impact Edwards' car had with the right rear of Hamlin's car.

"It actually probably made my car a little bit better with the damage," Hamlin said. "It could have a millimeter worse and it would have been catastrophic for our car."

Plus, he also had a slice in the left headlight (decal) from contact on pit road. Not a bad day when you've got a car that's been dented on both sides and you still finish fifth at an intermediate track.

8. Matt Kenseth (LW: 10): Sunday was Kenseth's first race in a DeWalt-sponsored car since the final race of the 2009 season. Since then, Kenseth has had ... way too many sponsors to count, including sunglasses, multiple types of alcoholic beverages, sunglasses, Affliction clothing and even a bargain outlet. Because nothing says Matt Kenseth than buying your Affliction clothing at a bargain outlet.

9. Kasey Kahne (LW: 7): If you're ever looking to crash someone and not get caught up in it yourself, look to what Kahne did to Edwards. He cut his entry into turn one early and hit Edwards hard enough to get him to slide as he stayed away from the action. Of course, the penalties for Kahne's car wouldn't be incredibly severe had he been caught up in the accident anyway. Because of the previous contact with Edwards, he had a car that was smashed in on both sides. Still, he ended up 17th.

10. Ryan Newman (LW: NR): Newman's car resembled the one he had at Homestead over the final laps as he was charging to a third-place finish. Now he returns to Phoenix, where we all remember what happened the last time he was there. How many times will we see the replay of that throughout the race weekend? And if he's racing with Kyle Larson at any point on Sunday, how soon will it take for the incident to be mentioned?

11. Casey Mears (LW: 6): Mears hangs on to a spot in the top 12 after finishing 25th. One more finish like that and Casey won't be here next week. But he's still ahead of the three "real" RCR cars in the standings, so that's an accomplishment, even three races in. Will it happen for a fourth straight week? There's only five points separating Mears and Paul Menard.

12. Brad Keselowski (LW: NR): It was crazy how loose Keselowski's car was at times on Sunday, but the team kept working on it during every opportunity. And somehow Keselowski came home with a seventh-place finish. Not bad, eh? With the second-straight top 10, Keselowski is 17th in the standings, which speaks to how debilitating a bad finish is and how good Kevin Harvick has been.

Lucky Dog: Brian Scott finished 13th after having a hellacious Xfinity Series weekend.

The DNF: Alex Bowman suffered an engine failure 28 laps in.

Dropped Out: Clint Bowyer, Brett Moffitt

MLS expansion update: Decision to come in "45-60 days" as St. Louis, Sacramento, San Antonio, Minneapolis wait.

By Joe Prince-Wright

After seeing the success of Orlando City’s arrival in Major League Soccer, MLS Commissioner Don Garber has already confirmed that the next MLS expansion team will be announced in the next “45-60 days.”

MLS is currently at 20 teams for the 2015 season, with teams in LA and Atlanta set to arrive in 2017 to take the number to 22 and David Beckham’s franchise in Miami TBD as their struggles with finding a suitable stadium option continues.

All of that means that one spot is currently open as MLS aims to reach its goal of being a 24-team league by 2020.

Speaking to ESPN following Orlando’s 1-1 draw with fellow expansion outfit New York City FC which saw over 62,500 fans cram into the Citrus Browl in Orlando, Garber confirmed that representatives from Sacramento, St. Louis and San Antonio were in attendance in central Florida, while it is believed reps from both ownership groups vying for a franchise in Minneapolis were also in attendance.

More from Garber, here:

“In the next 45 to 60 days, without a doubt, the next round will be announced,” Garber said. “There’s so much interest in expanding in our league, we’ve got to go about it carefully. We’ve got to think about putting a plan together that ultimately is going to allow us capture this enormous momentum that we’ve been able to achieve.”

Given the fact that Las Vegas is out of the expansion race for 2020 but not out of the picture altogether, is it conceivable that all four of these cities are granted expansion franchises to take the number to 27 by 2020 and then maybe Vegas coming just after to make it 28 by 2022?

That would seem highly unlikely, but if the crowds keep flocking and investor groups are willing to stump up the ever increasing expansion fees, then perhaps MLS could expand faster than it had previously anticipated.

With Sacramento, Minneapolis and San Antonio all home to successful lower-league franchises in both the USL and NASL, it’s easy to see why they could make the step up to MLS. As for St. Louis, it has always been one of the major conundrums as the somewhat mythical ‘hotbed of American soccer’ hasn’t had an MLS side.

Let’s see what the next 45-60 days brings…

UEFA Champions League preview: Shakhtar, PSG look to upset recent champs.

By Nicholas Mendola

There are two potential upsets on the docket for Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League second legs, as Paris Saint-Germain and Shakhtar Donetsk attempt to make history at 3:45 pm ET.

One would be much bigger, as PSG’s high-flying roster has as many big names as you’d like (though not as many as Wednesday’s hosts in Chelsea).

As for the other? It would be seismic.

Tournament-leading scorer Luiz Adriano has nine goals in this year’s UCL — including five in one match — and his next one could set the tone for mayhem in Germany. Shakhtar Donetsk drew Bayern Munich 0-0 in Ukraine last month, and could advance with a win or scoring draw.

But Bayern are the 2013 champs, and no team is going to be overlooked at this stage of the competition. And Bavarians boss Pep Guardiola knows a loss would be “a major problem.” Not for Shakhtar, of course, which could lift up the spirits of war-torn Ukraine, at least for a bit.

PSG is tasked with taking down Jose Mourinho’s Blues, and the Chelsea manager is disappointed with the French side’s physical approach to their Round of 16 tie.

The Blues do have their road goal in hand, but PSG has the firepower to pull off a straight-up win at Stamford Bridge, crushing the Premier League leaders’ chance at a treble.

FA Cup draw results: Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa learn their semifinal fates.

By Andy Edwards

The semifinals draw for the 2014-15 FA Cup has been made, and the final-four matchups the weekend of April 18 and 19 at Wembley Stadium have been announced.

The winner of Reading and Bradford City’s quarterfinal replay (Monday, March 16) will face 11-time winners and current FA Cup holders Arsenal.

Aston Villa will face the winner of Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool’s quarterfinal replay (Wednesday, March 18).

The semifinals draw sets up the potential for a mouth-watering finals matchup between Arsenal and Liverpool, which would be Steven Gerrard‘s final game for Liverpool, the only club he’s ever played for during his legendary 17-year career, before joining the LA Galaxy in the summer.

FA Cup QF replays schedule

Reading vs. Bradford City (Monday, March 16, 4 pm ET)
Blackburn Rovers vs. Liverpool (Wednesday, March 18, 3:45 pm ET)

FA Cup semifinals schedule

Reading/Bradford City vs. Arsenal
Aston Villa vs. Blackburn Rovers/Liverpool

Kentucky still No. 1, more changes hit top 10 of AP poll.

By JOHN MARSHALL (AP Basketball Writer)

Kentucky is on the cusp of making history in The Associated Press poll.

An undefeated season, which would be the first since 1976, is still on the table for the Wildcats, but that's still three weeks and nine games from coming to fruition.
 

More immediate is a chance at becoming the first team to go wire to wire in The Associated Press Top 25 since the Runnin' Rebels of UNLV did it in 1990-91.

The Wildcats (31-0) were the unanimous No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 for the sixth straight week on Monday, when they received all 65 first-place votes from a media panel after completing the first undefeated regular season in program history. 

Kentucky was the preseason No. 1 and if it can stay there in next week's final poll, it will become the eighth team to go wire to wire in the AP poll. 

Before the Wildcats can get there, they have a tough week ahead in the Southeastern Conference tournament, which starts Wednesday in Nashville. 

Kentucky has a double bye into the quarterfinals and has beaten every team in the conference, but still figures to face some challenges getting through the bracket.

The Wildcats will open the tournament against the winner between Alabama and Florida on Friday. The closest game against those two teams was a seven-point victory over the Gators, so that one figures to be easy.

Get through that and Kentucky will likely face either Texas A&M or LSU. The Wildcats needed double overtime to beat the Aggies on Jan. 10 and clipped the Tigers by two on Feb. 10. 

Kentucky's potential championship game opponents include No. 21 Arkansas or Georgia, which had a nine-point second-half lead over the Wildcats before losing 72-64 Tuesday night. 

The Wildcats have taken every team's best shot all season and it figures to ramp up during the SEC tournament, where most of the teams they'll face are fighting for NCAA Tournament berths. 

''Every game seems to be an event,'' Kentucky coach John Calipari said.
 

TOP 10 SHAKEUP: The top 10 of the poll had a shakeup for the second straight week.

Duke climbed a spot to No. 2 after beating Wake Forest and No. 19 North Carolina. The Blue Devils moved ahead of Virginia, which dropped to No. 3 after losing to No. 14 Louisville.

Villanova, Arizona, Wisconsin and Gonzaga all remained in place, but Wichita State dropped four spots to No. 12 after losing to Illinois State in the Missouri Valley Conference semifinals.

No. 10. Northern Iowa, which beat Illinois State in the title game, was back in the top 10 after dropping out last week. Maryland moved up two spots to No. 8 and Kansas dropped one to No. 9 after losing to No. 15 Oklahoma.

BUSTING BRONCOS: Boise State's surprising run in the Mountain West Conference has the Broncos in new territory: The AP poll.

Boise State debuted in the poll at No. 25 this week after closing out the Mountain West regular-season title with a 71-52 win over Fresno State on Saturday.

The Broncos were picked to finish fourth in conference and started 0-3 in league play, but won 14 of their final 15 games to earn the No. 1 seed in this week's conference tournament.

RISING AND FALLING: Iowa State had the biggest climb in this week's poll, up four spots to No. 13.

Wichita State and Utah, which dropped to No. 17, had the biggest falls, dropping four places each.

IN AND OUT: Georgetown moved back into the poll at No. 23 this week and Davidson is No. 24, its first time in the poll since 2008.

Providence, Murray State and Ohio State all dropped out after losses last week.

Associated Press Top 25   1. Kentucky 2. Duke 3. Virginia 4. Villanova 5. Arizona 6. Wisconsin 7. Gonzaga 8. Maryland 9. Kansas 10. Northern Iowa 11. Notre Dame 12. Wichita State 13. Iowa State 14. Louisville 15. Oklahoma 16. Baylor 17. Utah 18. West Virginia 19. North Carolina 20. SMU 21. Arkansas 22. Butler 23. Georgetown 24. Davidson 25. Boise State

Coaches Poll   1. Kentucky 2. Duke 3. Villanova 4. Virginia 5. Wisconsin 6. Arizona 7. Gonzaga 8. Maryland 9. Notre Dame 10. Kansas 11. Northern Iowa 12. Wichita State 13. Louisville 14. Oklahoma 15. Iowa State 16. Baylor 17. Utah 18. West Virginia 19. North Carolina 20. Arkansas 21. SMU 22. Butler 23. Georgetown 24. Davidson 25. San Diego State

Buckeyes open spring workouts with Cardale Jones back at QB.

By RUSTY MILLER (AP Sports Writer)

There's a three-headed quarterback controversy brewing at Ohio State.

For now, however, Urban Meyer doesn't want to even think about it.

''When you say, 'How does it play out?' I don't know,'' he said Tuesday after the national champion Buckeyes' first of 15 spring practices. ''It's day to day, player by player. That's the focus - not what's going to happen and what we foresee.'' 

With only one of Ohio State's three star quarterbacks healthy right now, the volume has been muted about who will end up under center for the Sept. 7 opener at Virginia Tech. 

Cardale Jones, who quarterbacked the three stirring wins to close out a 14-1 campaign, was taking first-team snaps Tuesday. Braxton Miller, the three-year starter heading into last season, is limited by shoulder surgery in August. J.T. Barrett, who led the way through last year's regular season, was in uniform but is still recovering from a broken ankle. 

The rest of the Buckeyes aren't taking sides. 

''I know we've got three good quarterbacks who can all play,'' offensive tackle Taylor Decker said. ''And whoever they throw in there, I know we'll be fine. That's for the coaches to figure out. I'll just do my job.'' 

Miller did some stretching and lower-body conditioning, but didn't throw. While Jones is clearly the No. 1 guy this spring, Miller and Barrett remained nearby and involved.
 

There was speculation after the season that Jones - coming off a big postseason as a third-year sophomore - would make himself available for the NFL draft. There was also talk that Miller, a two-time Big Ten player of the year and now a graduate student, would transfer to avoid the logjam at the position.

But none of those scenarios panned out. So the quarterback question figures to be an ongoing, and perhaps unwelcome, specter hovering over the Buckeyes.

Meyer said he has never discussed the possibility with Miller of playing another position. Same goes for Jones and Barrett, last year's first-team All-Big Ten quarterback as a redshirt freshman.

''At some point there'll be some (stress) because of the respect I have for those three guys,'' Meyer said. ''If I disliked one or two of them, it would not be that hard. That's the only dilemma that I can see happening. But not right now.''

Currently, Meyer and his staff are most concerned with finding replacements for four graduated starters on each side of the ball. And also with maintaining the momentum from last season's remarkable 13-game winning streak which culminated in a 42-20 victory over Oregon in major college football's first playoff finale.

Last year's success left its mark around the team's practice facility.

There's a giant picture of the 2014 squad in the team meeting room. Then there's a huge image of the national championship trophy on a banner on the side of the indoor field. Also, a massive sign on the one end of the practice field that used to say ''The Chase'' has been replaced by one Meyer had made that says, ''The Grind.''

'''It's what our program's about,'' linebacker Joshua Perry said of that motto. ''You sharpen, you shape, you pulverize - it's a lot of friction. So, we like that. That's how you develop players and that's how you get the best out of people.''

About 75 reporters and cameramen watched the first 45 minutes of the workout. All-American defensive end Joey Bosa sprinted from one drill to the next, his arms spread wide as if he were pretending he was flying down the field.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott, who rushed for 696 yards in the last three games, wore a pink cast on his left wrist after postseason surgery.

Several other Buckeyes are still recovering from injuries: center Jacoby Boren (ankle), H-back Dontre Wilson (foot) and safety Tyvis Powell (wrist). An acclaimed recruit, defensive end Dre'Mont Jones, injured his knee last week while playing basketball for St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland.

Meyer's biggest worry is complacency. He's been through this twice before, winning BCS titles at Florida after the 2006 and 2008 seasons.

''We're human beings, man,'' said Meyer, 38-3 in three seasons at Ohio State. ''I don't think last year we had that sense around here at all. This year I'm watching it. I don't feel it. If I do, we'd dive right into it.''

Beckman says Illini enter spring football with momentum.

By DAVID MERCER (Associated Press)

Illinois head coach Tim Beckman stands on the sidelines during an NCAA college football game against Purdue in Champaign, Ill. Beckman believes last season's 6-7 bowl team provided the kind of momentum the Illini can build on as they start spring football on Saturday, March 14, 2015. (AP Photo/Andrew A. Nelles, File)

Coach Tim Beckman believes last season's 6-7 bowl team provided the kind of momentum the Illini can build on as the start spring football on Saturday.

Illinois lost in the Heart of Dallas Bowl to Louisiana Tech, but getting there was a big improvement for a team that had won just six games total in Beckman's first two seasons on campus.

''We really had an outstanding second half of the season,'' Beckman said Tuesday. The Illini had three wins in their last five games.
 

Beckman believes he'll have better depth to work with this year. That doesn't mean the Illini will be deep - he said Tuesday that with injuries he won't have much depth at offensive line this spring. 

But he sees good position battles for playing time at key spots where last year the team struggled to put players on the field.
 

Cornerback, he said, should be much deeper. And linebacker should be, too, with the return of Mike Svetina from a broken foot that cost him all of the 2014 season. Svetina started 11 games as a sophomore. 

Some other things to watch from Illinois' practices between Saturday and the April 18 spring game:
 

BEHIND LUNT?

Starting quarterback Wes Lunt has missed major pieces of both his seasons as a college quarterback with injuries. Last season senior Reilly O'Toole served as an experienced backup, and wound up the starter late in the season. But this fall Lunt's backup is a redshirt freshman, Chayce Crouch. And behind him are two true freshmen, Jimmy Fitzgerald and Jeff George Jr., who Beckman says will compete for the No. 3 spot.

''We're looking for a lot of the leadership capabilities of being a starting quarterback in the Big Ten (from Crouch),'' Beckman said.

DEFENSIVE RESET

Illinois' defense has been among the conference's worst during Beckman's time in Champaign. In the offseason he added former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears assistant coach Mike Phair as a co-defensive coordinator alongside coordinator Tim Banks.

Phair will work with the defensive linemen, but it isn't clear who will call the plays on game day or how Banks' job will change.

''We'll see,'' Beckman said.

BACKFIELD QUESTIONS

Illinois returns starter Josh Ferguson, who had 735 yards on 146 carries (5 yards a carry) and eight touchdowns as a junior.

But none of the four players listed behind him has carried the ball in Division I college football. They include one junior college transfer, Enyenihi Henry from Sacramento City College, and promising 5-11, 200-pound freshman Dre Brown.

Finding a backup from that group plus the two more freshmen backs due to enroll this fall is a priority, Beckman said.

Charles Barkley thinks paying NCAA athletes is crazy.
 
By Dane Carbaugh

Charles Barkley on TNT. (YouTube)

Charles Barkley, who is always good for a few misinformed quotes, doesn't think that paying college athletes is a good idea. 

Speaking at CBS and Turner Sports' NCAA Tournament Media Day, the Chuckster went by the old adage that a free education is enough.

"First of all, there’s not that many good college players. Less than one percent are going to pay in the NBA. What about the other 99 percent that are getting a free education? Think about it," Barkley said, according to USA Today.

And, of course, Barkley went straight into what is usually the second argument against paying players — the issue of paying athletes in non-revenue producing sports.

"There’s only a couple of players on the college team that can play in every sport so sometimes you have to look at the big picture," said Barkley. "All of those kids are getting a free education. But let’s say we do it your way — we don’t pay all college players — we have to pay the diving team, the swimming team. That’s crazy."

This is an issue that has ground away for far too long as the NCAA tries to fight it.
The organization has already lost a landmark case against Ed O'Bannon, and additional change is sure to come.

Whether it's stipends or payment only for players in revenue-generating sports, there will eventually be a scale that will be worked out, be it between the NCAA and conferences or even individual schools. 

Players on the collegiate level are often exploited beyond the benefit they bring to their schools in the form of revenue. Especially in those revenue-generating sports, scholarships are not fair compensation. Saying "regular students would love to have free school" is not a basis for arguing against the fair compensation of certain athletes. 

As expected, the media availability with Barkley seemed to go off the rails a bit at the end.

"Let’s say hypothetically the quarterbacks do endorsements," Barkley said, per USA Today. "He can’t do anything without a running back or an offensive line. So that’d be like only playing the good player on the NBA team.

“So if I’m an offensive lineman, why should I let Johnny Manziel get a big contract and I’m blocking for him? It doesn’t help me. If you a great running back, why would I let my running back get the endorsement and do all the work?”

Sure. Because offensive linemen making less than their quarterbacks in pro leagues do that all the time, so why wouldn't college athletes?

I assume the reason it's been so hard to get athletes paid in the NCAA is because the people against it can't get the dinosaurs they're riding to walk toward the sunset fast enough.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, March 11, 2015.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1882 - The Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association was formed in Princeton, NJ.

1892 - The first organized women's basketball game was played. The game was at Smith College between students and faculty members.

1909 - The first gold medal to a perfect-score bowler was awarded to A.C. Jellison by the American Bowling Congress.

1930 - Babe Ruth signed a two-year contract with the New York Yankees for the sum of $80,000.

1948 - Reginald Weir became the first black tennis player to participate in a U.S. Indoor Lawn Tennis Association tournament.

1978 - Bobby Hull (Winnipeg Jets) joined Gordie Howe by getting his 1,000th career goal.

1979 - Randy Holt (Los Angeles Kings) was penalized nine times for 67 minutes in the first period of a game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

1990 - Jennifer Capriati, 13 years old, played her first professional tennis match.

1990 - Denis Savard (Chicago Blackhawks) scored his 1,000th point.

2004 - Todd Bertuzzi (Vancouver Canucks) was suspended by the NHL for hitting Steve Moore (Colorado Avalanche) in the side of the head from behind and driving his head into the ice in a game on March 8. Moore landed face-first with Bertuzzi on top of him. Moore suffered a broken neck, a concussion and deep cuts on his face. The NHL suspended Bertuzzi for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs and announced that his eligibility would be assessed the following season and would take into account Moore's health and the progression of his recovery. The Canucks organization was also fined $250,000.

2004 - Major league baseball banned THG. The health policy advisory committee of management and the players' association unanimously determined that THG builds muscle mass.  

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