CS&T/AllsportsAmerica Monday Sports News Update, 11/23/2015.

Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica

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

We offer: Select opportunities, For your convenience, At "Very Rare but Super Fair" pricing.

Because it's all about you!!!

"Sports Quote of the Day"

"Every great player has learned the two Cs: how to concentrate and how to maintain composure." ~ Byron Nelson, One Of The Great PGA Golfers.

Trending: 76 days until Super Bowl 50. Who will be in? You can't win it if you aren't in it.

Trending: Blackhawks trying to get past 'bumpy' start. (See hockey section for Blackhawks updates). 

Trending: Kyle Busch completes comeback to win 1st Cup title. (See NASCAR section for details).

Trending: Northern Iowa stuns No. 1 North Carolina 71-67. (See college basketball section for details).

NFL Scoreboard 11/15/2015.

Tennessee Titans 13
Jacksonville Jaguars 19

Oakland Raiders 13
Detroit Lions 18

Indianapolis Colts 24
Atlanta Falcons 21

New York Jets 17
Houston Texans 24

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 45
Philadelphia Eagles 17

Denver Broncos 17
Chicago Bears 15

St. Louis Rams 13

Baltimore Ravens 16

Dallas Cowboys 24

Miami Dolphins 14

Washington Redskins 16

Carolina Panthers 44

Kansas City Chiefs 33

San Diego Chargers 3

Green Bay Packers 30

Minnesota Vikings 13

San Francisco 49ers 13

Seattle Seahawks 29

Cincinnati Bengals 31

Arizona Cardinals 34

Buffalo Bills                    Monday Night's Game
New England Patriots    11/23/2015 

Red denotes winning team

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! Cutler, Bears come up just short against Osweiler, Broncos. 

By Tony Andracki

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

For most of the Bears-Broncos game at Soldier Field Sunday, it wasn't obvious which team was 7-2 and which team was 4-5. 

In the end, the Bears just didn't make enough plays to win, as the Broncos walked away with a 17-15 victory.

Both teams were playing without several top players (Peyton Manning, DeMarcus Ware, Emmanuel Sanders out for the Broncos; Alshon Jeffery, Matt Forte, Antrel Rolle out for the Bears) and with Brock Osweiler making his first career start at quarterback for Denver and the Bears without top offensive options, both teams resigned to a conservative approach on offense.

That conservative approach reared its head with the Bears going for a game-tying two-point conversion with 24 seconds left, as offensive coordinator Adam Gase called a run with Jeremy Langford out of the shotgun. He was denied and the Bears couldn't recover the onside kick, resulting in a heartbreaking two-point loss after an inspired effort.

The Broncos scored a touchdown on the first drive of the game as poor coverage left Demaryius Thomas wide open and poor tackling helped the All-Pro receiver find the end zone for a 48-yard score.

But the Bears defense stiffened after that, containing the Broncos offense and allowing just a field goal until Osweiler hit Cody Latimer for a 10-yard TD with just under 12 minutes left in the game.

The problem for the Bears was a lack of punch on offense, where they were forced to settle for three field goals on their first six possessions inside Broncos territory.

Jay Cutler and Co. responded to the Broncos' fourth-quarter TD by marching downfield more than 70 yards on two plays, thanks in large part to a 15-yard personal foul by Denver safety T.J. Ward for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Cutler after an 18-yard scramble. But the Bears failed to punch it in the end zone, turning the ball over on downs after three straight incomplete passes by Cutler.

After the Bears defense held and forced a punt, Cutler marched the offense downfield again before Broncos star rusher Von Miller hit the ball out of Cutler's hand. The ball then bounced off Bears guard Patrick Omameh and into the hands of Broncos defensive lineman Malik Jackson.

The Bears defense held again, sacking Osweiler on third down to force another punt. 
Cutler led the offense down the field one more time, before punching it in the end zone on a Langford carry and coming up short on the two-point conversion.

Considering he was without his top options on offense, Cutler turned in a gutsy effort, using his legs and feet to dance around in the pocket and buy time for an overmatched receiving corps.

Cutler finished the day with a 70.4 passer rating against the NFL's top defense, completing 18 of his 32 passes for 265 yards and one interception (and the fumble).

The Bears moved to 4-6 on the season and will head to Green Bay for a Thanksgiving night matchup with the Packers.

Loss to Broncos leaves a bitter sting as Bears repeat deadly pattern.

By John Mullin

The NFL cliché is that all games are must-win and there is no such thing as a bad win.

But there are indeed “bad” losses and Sunday’s 17-15 loss to the Denver Broncos was very much one of those, a strangely inept performance, at home, after two road games, and “this one really stings,” said guard Patrick Omameh.

The sting was intensified because it came on a day when the Bears’ two primary rivals – Green Bay and Minnesota – were playing each other, meaning that either way, if the Bears won, they were going to gain ground on one and keep pace with the other.

It stings because since starting 0-3 with losses to good teams while they were still in a molten state themselves, the Bears have now lost three games that were theirs for taking with a play in a fourth quarter – which they failed to make against Detroit, Minnesota and now Denver. A team that had begun to pride itself on its identity as fighters and finishers did not do enough of either on Sunday.

“[The Broncos] are a good team but we let it get away from us,” said quarterback Jay Cutler, who checked out of the initial call to the run play that failed to punch in the tying two-point conversion with 24 seconds to play. “There have been a few games where we lost the fourth quarter and we have felt like we were right there.

“We put this game in the same box as those.”

Instead, the Bears are in a box now, despite sacking five times an opposing quarterback in Brock Osweiler making his first NFL start, and not being flagged for a single penalty, while being given 118 yards in walk-off’s by the Broncos.

Instead of putting themselves back at .500 and possibly even a game within Green Bay (the Packers and Vikings played after the Bears), they effectively took a giant step toward rendering extinct any real chance of winning their division and a playoff berth with it.

“We got a game in four days,” tackle Kyle Long said of playoff chances now. “Talk to me after that.”

Some focus will be on the decision of coach John Fox to eschew a field goal at fourth-and-goal from the Denver 4-yard line with 10 minutes to play. The play missed when running back Jeremy Langford was unable to get his feet under him for a leap at a high Cutler pass.

Some focus will be on Cutler checking out of that initial call on the two-point conversion, with tight end Martellus Bennett appearing to run a pass route while safety T.J. Ward streaked around the Bears’ left side to bring down Langford short of the goal line. Some will be on a Bears defense giving up 170 rushing yards to a team averaging 86 coming in.

All of the second-guess’able specifics, however, don’t obscure the bigger, more dire reality.

“We needed to win today,” Tracy Porter said. “That just heightens the game for Thursday.

We have to win that one as well just to keep our name in the hat. We're gonna need some help, but we can only take it one game at a time.

“This was one game that we didn't do the things that we needed to do."

Bears defense starts slow again: 'That s--t will make you mad'.

By Tony Andracki

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

If you take out the first drive of each game, the Bears defense would have to be among the best in the NFL.

The Bears let the Broncos carve right through them on their first drive of the game for an easy touchdown. That makes it four of the last five games in which the Bears defense has allowed a touchdown on the opening drive.

It took just over 90 seconds and four plays for the Broncos to march 74 yards into the end zone in Sunday's 17-15 win over the Bears. What made matters worse was it was also Denver quarterback Brock Osweiler's first career start.

"That s--t will make you mad, man," Bears linebacker Pernell McPhee said after the game.

Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas - clearly Denver's top threat in the passing game, especially with fellow receiver Emmanuel Sanders sidelined with an injury - found himself absolutely wide open in the middle of the field and broke a tackle from Bears safety Chris Prosinski en route to a 48-yard TD.

After the game, Bears head coach John Fox said he didn't want to play "the blame game," but admitted they left Thomas uncovered and the defense just didn't execute.

"We lost our minds for a second," Bears linebacker Shea McClellin said. "Sometimes that happens. Sometimes we get confused. We have to clean that up.

"We have to start faster than that. We haven't done a very good job the last three or four weeks. We just have to correct it. It's that simple."

Fox, McPhee and the rest of the Bears defense admitted they needed to make adjustments on the sideline and felt as if they were able to following the initial touchdown.

After that drive, the Bears allowed just 10 points and also stopped the Broncos on a fourth-and-1 inside their own two-yard line.

The Bears have allowed 28 points in the last five opening drives. But in 52 other drives over the past five games, the defense has allowed just 74 points (an average of 14.8 points per game).

That means roughly a quarter of the points the Bears have allowed the last five games have come on the opening drives. Considering the Bears lost three games by a grand total of eight points in that span, those opening drive TDs are a killer.

"You don't want to say 'settled in' because when that ball's kicked off, it's game on. Period," Prosinski said. "We've just got to get off to a faster start, really lock in and stay focused."

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks trying to get past 'bumpy' start.

By Tracey Myers

Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford allows a goal to Vancouver Canucks' Jannik Hansen during the first period. (Photo/Darryl Dyck/AP)

Coach Joel Quenneville was talking about the Blackhawks early season, looking for the right word to describe how the “ride,” so to speak, has been.

“Bumpy,” he said prior to Saturday’s game, a 6-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. “Certainly had some good stretches. This trip, it looked like we had two real good games coming into the start, picking up three of four points could be flattering. But we’re going to have to play better; [need a] little more balance in our team.”

The Blackhawks played better to a degree on Saturday but the Canucks – well, mainly the Sedins – handed them a loss.

The first three games of this Circus Trip have been a microcosm of the Blackhawks’ first portion of the season: some good games, some bad games, some opportunities capitalized upon and some squandered.

“Ups and downs,” Patrick Kane summarized following Saturday’s game. “I think we’ve had good games, beat some good teams and we’ve had some tough games as well. Up and down right now. We’re still trying to find our groove. But it seems like some other players are starting to get into it a little bit and get themselves going. That’ll be a good thing moving forward.”

Kane’s been part of a second line, with Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin, that’s accounted for a bulk of the scoring. The trio has combined for 68 points so far this season; the rest of the Blackhawks have combined for 85 points. As Kane said, others have started getting on the score sheet lately, but the Blackhawks need more. They need more consistency, be it on offense, defense or goaltending.

General manager Stan Bowman would’ve liked a stronger start but he’s not worried that the Blackhawks didn’t get it.

“If you were to line up the 30 GMs or coaches and ask them, other than maybe two or three teams – maybe Montreal, Washington and New York – everyone would probably say it’s been a bit bumpy,” he said on Saturday. “It’s just a really tight league. You’re a three-game winning streak (away) from being in the top five in the league, and you’re a three-game losing streak from being in the bottom third. It’s all really compacted.

"I think we didn’t have the start we did a couple years ago when we went 24 games without a loss, but that’s not going to happen anymore. That was a pretty spectacular year.”

The Blackhawks didn’t get out to a spectacular start this season. It’s not a complete surprise given the changes. If there is a surprise it’s the fact that one line has been doing so well for so long and the other three have struggled to find anything resembling consistency. But the Blackhawks will work through it and try to figure things out. It’s early, but they don’t want to wait too long to get things going, get more consistency throughout the lineup and get more needed points.

“We can be better. For sure, we can be better. We’ve had some good elements in the start, but I don’t think we’ve played our best hockey consistently. I think we’ve had spurts of it and I think that’s part of some changes and you have some new faces and they have to sort of learn their roles and learn where they fit,” Bowman said. “But I think we’re probably like 25 other teams in the league in the same way. There are a couple teams that have been really good from the beginning. And there’s still three-quarter of the year to go, so we’ve got to find that consistency.”

Sedins power Canucks past Blackhawks. (Saturday night's game, 11/21/2015).

By Tracey Myers

The Vancouver Canucks’ roster has changed a lot in the past few years. Gone are many of the players who gave the Blackhawks fits when the rivalry was more heated between these two.

Daniel and Henrik Sedin remain, however, and they reminded the Blackhawks on Saturday night that they’re still big threats on the ice.

Patrick Kane’s career-high point streak is now at 16 games, but the Sedins combined for four goals and five assists, including Daniel’s hat trick, as the Canucks beat the Blackhawks 6-3 on Saturday. The Blackhawks head into a mini break in this trip with one point in their last two games, although they liked their team game much more on Saturday.

Corey Crawford had a forgettable evening, allowing five goals on 18 shots. The Sedins were everywhere on Saturday, with Daniel scoring two of his three goals in the final five minutes of regulation.

“We gave up half the chances we did in the last two games but the wrong guys got the chances tonight,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “[The Sedins] have always been pretty effective, dangerous. Tonight was one of those nights they had a magic touch. They were good.”

Ryan Garbutt scored his first goal with the Blackhawks and Jonathan Toews added his seventh of the year. Artem Anisimov scored his ninth goal of the season, which tied the game 3-3 at the time. Quenneville was fine with the Blackhawks’ game to that point but as far as those final five minutes, “throw it in the garbage can.”

“I thought we played pretty well for most of the game. You get yourself back 3-3 and then a couple of shifts later you’re down 4-3 and then 5-3 real quick,” said Kane, whose secondary assist on Anisimov’s goal extended his point streak. “It’s frustrating but those guys made some good plays tonight.”

The Blackhawks will get away from hockey for a few days. They’ve had their good outings, their bad outings, the games where they got points despite playing so-so hockey and the games where they came up empty despite playing better. One thing they haven’t had is consistency, and it’s something they hope to find starting in California.

“It’s definitely frustrating, especially tonight when you get yourself back in the game, you’re playing well on the road, it’s 3-3 and then you give up two quick ones and you’re out of the game. That’s what’s frustrating,” Kane said. “Even though we got points in our last two games, I thought tonight was a better effort.”

Blackhawks gain a point but fall to Flames in overtime. (Friday night's game, 11/20/2015). 

By Tracey Myers

There’s something about the way the Blackhawks’ backup goaltenders play in the Saddledome that always gives the team a chance.

On Friday, however, even Scott Darling’s great outing wasn’t enough to salvage two points out of the Blackhawks’ otherwise lackluster performance.

Darling stopped 35 of 37 shots and Patrick Kane extended his point streak to a career-high 15 games. But the Blackhawks lost to the Calgary Flames 2-1 in overtime. The Blackhawks have gotten points in four consecutive games and five of their last six.

Artem Anisimov scored his eighth goal of the season. Kane’s secondary assist on that goal gave him points in 15 consecutive games.

After stopping all 14 of Calgary’s shots in the third period it looked like Darling may steal another point for the Blackhawks in overtime. But Johnny Gaudreau stole the puck from Brent Seabrook and scored for the Flames, who outplayed the Blackhawks most of the night.

“We had a couple of memorable ones, Ray Emery sticks out,” coach Joel Quenneville said of backup goaltenders up here. “The third we started off all right but then they had some great rush chances late in the game. We gave the puck away four times in a short amount of time in overtime. You can’t give it away once, let alone four [times].”

Despite another slow start and the Flames getting out to a 1-0 lead on Sean Monahan’s goal, the Blackhawks finished the first in a 1-1 tie. Anisimov’s equalizer came 13 seconds into the Blackhawks’ first power play of the night. The Flames, however, had a lot more shots – 37 to the Blackhawks’ 19 – and a lot more quality scoring opportunities.

“I don’t think we played our best game,” Duncan Keith said. “Give them credit: they came out hard and they did what they had to do to win. But, you know, we can be better.”

If not for Darling, the Blackhawks probably lose this game in regulation. From the third period on the Blackhawks were outshot 20-4; they didn’t record any shots in overtime.

“He was a big reason why we got the one point, the biggest reason why we got that one point,” Keith said. “He played great and kept us in the game.”

The Blackhawks didn’t play their best hockey in their last two games. Still, they managed three out of four points.

“It’s definitely not frustrating to get three out of four,” Darling said. “We didn’t have our best game so we can definitely improve off this game and the last game. I think we’ll be fine.”

Perhaps, but there’s no doubt the Blackhawks need to play better. The competition is going to be tougher as they go on this trip and throughout the season. Pretty good won’t be good enough.

“Coming off a win, and I didn’t like the way we played [in Edmonton],” Quenneville said. “Today’s game, I thought we were better than we were the other night but it’s still not good enough to get it done.”

Stan Bowman: Patrick Kane 'absolutely' in Blackhawks' long-term plans.

By Tracey Myers

The Blackhawks decided back in mid-September that Patrick Kane, who was part of a rape investigation at the time, was going to be a part of this team from the start this season.

He’ll also be a part of their future for a long time to come.

Kane is “absolutely” part of the Blackhawks’ long-term plans, general manager Stan Bowman said prior to the Blackhawks’ game against the Vancouver Canucks. Bowman spoke to the media on several topics, including Kane for the first time since training camp, on Saturday night.

“You can’t find talent like that,” Bowman said. “You look at what he’s done over the course of his career, whether it’s this season, last season or since he was a rookie, he won rookie of the year. He’s been a game changer. He’s one of those guys that’s, I’ve said it a lot over the years. He’s able to elevate his game in pressure moments. Not too many guys are able to do that. Sometimes when the pressure gets on, they have a hard time performing, but he’s sort of the opposite. He seems to raise his game.”

Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita III announced earlier this month that the investigation was closed on Kane; no charges would be brought against him. However the situation affected Kane off the ice, it didn’t show in his on-ice performances. Kane once again got off to a strong start to the season and entered Saturday night’s game riding a career-high 15-game point streak.

Bowman was asked if he felt vindicated about the team’s decision to have Kane here from the start, considering how the investigation turned out and how Kane is playing.

“I don’t if I look at it as vindication. It’s not about that for me or for us. It’s really about just moving forward with things,” Bowman said. “Patrick has been the best player in the league. The first 20 games, he’s certainly been our best player and he’s had a lot of good starts over the years. He tends to start well. Last year, he had a really strong year up until he got injured. He sort of picked up where he left off, really and that’s the only way I would look at that. I wouldn’t characterize it as anything other than I’m happy to see the way he’s playing.”

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session... Derrick Rose aiming to play Tuesday vs. Trail Blazers.

By Vincent Goodwill

After going through a practice Sunday, it appears Derrick Rose will be available for Tuesday’s game in Portland after missing the last two with a left ankle sprain, saying “that’s what we’re aiming for”.

Rose went through a full practice at the Golden State Warriors practice facility in Oakland and aside from general fatigue, feels the ankle is recovering the way it should.

“The ankle feels alright. Just working on my game every day,” Rose said. “My body’s a little fatigued from sitting out so long but thank God we got today and tomorrow I think we’re gonna go pretty hard.”

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said Rose looked good in practice and with Aaron Brooks out with a hamstring injury, Rose’s presence will be that much more crucial. Had Rose been healthy enough to play Friday against the Warriors, they very well could’ve ended the champs’ undefeated streak to start the season but came up short in the final five minutes.

“Well, today was a step in the right direction for sure,” Hoiberg said. “He got a good workout in [Saturday]. Still had a little soreness, but he wanted to try and push through, get through a full workout, and it was good to see him back out there again.’’

The Bulls left the Bay Area for Portland Sunday afternoon where they’ll practice again Monday before Tuesday’s game. Rose assumes going a full week without playing won’t be long enough to accumulate real rust.

“I can keep (rhythm) for a little bit,” Rose said. “I’m loving the way I work out. Loving the way I’ve been running in practice, just my conditioning. The pace I’m playing with, the workout sessions. Everything’s going well.”

Rose had been chasing a good performance and finally caught it in the last game he played, their last-second win against the Indiana Pacers where he missed the last half of the fourth quarter with the ankle injury.

Hoiberg believes games like his 23-point, six-assist showings will become more the norm than exception.

“Well hopefully,” Hoiberg said. “Again, his last game was a really good one. He was in a great rhythm, played a very good game, so hopefully he can pick up where he left off.’’

Bulls stay close but fall late to unbeaten Warriors. (Friday night's game, 11/20/2015).

By Vincent Goodwill

Klay Thompson and Jimmy Butler hit the floor for a long loose ball after a Stephen Curry missed triple, a sign the champion Warriors had no design on ending their season-starting 13-game winning streak.

Thompson cooly pitched it to Curry, who drained a triple, blowing the top off the fanatical Oracle Arena with five minutes remaining — a sign for the visitors an upset would require more than just effort.

It would require more than just keeping the MVP to an off-night and have him commit more turnovers than usual.

Beating the NBA champs means playing a damn near perfect game at this stage and even without Derrick Rose, the Bulls put up a valiant effort but even weary and off their game, the Bulls were just another victim to the Warriors’ march to validation, falling, 106-94, Friday night.

“We gotta always win the 50-50 balls, can’t leak out for shots,” said Butler, the best player on the floor for the second straight night with 28 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. “They hit a lot of threes off offensive rebounds. I’m not gonna say that’s why where we lost the game, but it had something to do with it.”

Butler did all he could on the big stage, but aside from early play from Nikola Mirotic and Pau Gasol, he didn’t have enough help.

Joakim Noah continues to be lost within the offense, going scoreless in 17 minutes with seven rebounds and four turnovers, as it appears he can’t find his place when one more playmaker is all it would’ve taken for the Bulls to pull off an improbable upset.

“I have to be more aggressive offensively and look for my opportunities,” Noah said. “Right now I’m not sure where I can get them but when they come I have to be ready.”

Through 42 minutes it was hard to tell which was the better team, at least until Golden State’s deadly lineup finished the night by not allowing the Bulls to get anything going offensively in the last half of the fourth.

But the Warriors’ offensive rebounding was an Achilles’ heel, giving up 15 as Draymond Green came up with more than his share of loose balls, producing an effect that went beyond his nine-point, nine-rebound night.

“Yeah, loose balls,” Hoiberg said. “Draymond Green, he’s a horse in there. He does a great job watching his body, getting in there for extra ones. Those loose balls, you’ve got to find a way to come up with those.”

They harassed Curry into six turnovers, as Kirk Hinrich gamely put up 17 before fouling out, including eight in the fourth and a triple to tie the game at 89. Hinrich’s scoring was necessary considering the bench, aside from E’Twaun Moore’s nine points, couldn’t produce much offense, placing a lot of pressure on Butler, Mirotic (18 points) and Gasol (14 points, 10 rebounds).

Meanwhile Andre Iguodala scored 12 off the bench to accompany Harrison Barnes scoring 20, a sharp contrast to the Bulls’ production at small forward, with Tony Snell scoring two and Doug McDermott hitting one of his four triples.

Despite that, the Bulls held leads in the second half and had the Oracle Arena crowd sitting on their hands and knees before things got away late.

“I thought we battled, we really competed,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “We wanted to hold them to 10 threes or under.”

Then Curry re-entered the fourth midway through hitting just two of his eight triple attempts, then that one fell to break an 89-all game.

Waiting on the inevitable knockout punch that always comes wasn’t part of the plans, as the Bulls kept Curry and Thompson relatively in check, holding them to a 42-point night total.

They controlled tempo, didn’t turn the ball over and refused to be seduced into Golden State’s addictive style of play. It allowed them to shoot just 40 percent from the field to the Warriors’ 49, yet they had a real chance to steal one on the road like the last team that beat them in their building — themselves, last January.

“Nobody’s perfect, man,” Butler said. “I think we had to play really well. I think we did alright. We got away from their shooters at times and they made big shots, that’s what players in this league do.”

But the Warriors’ small ball lineup more than made up for their sluggishness, as Barnes’ two late triples made it a 10-point game with 1:02 left, leaving the Bulls a bit dazed, confused and added to the lot of Golden State victims to start the season.

Does a Starlin Castro trade make sense for Cubs and Yankees?

By Patrick Mooney

Starlin Castro’s name figures to be in trade rumors throughout the offseason, and the New York Daily News delivered Friday morning by reporting the Yankees had discussed a Brett Gardner trade with the Cubs as part of their wide-ranging talks involving the All-Star outfielder.

The Daily News adjusted its reporting hours later, spiking the idea of a Castro-for-Gardner deal.

If the Yankees move Gardner, an industry source said, the belief is they will want a lower-cost player to create more financial flexibility as part of an overall youth movement within the final years of the Alex Rodriguez/Mark Teixeira/CC Sabathia megadeals.

Castro, who has notched 991 career hits before his 26th birthday, is guaranteed $38 million across the next four seasons and coming off a strong finish to this year, helping the Cubs advance to the National League Championship Series.

Never say never when you’re talking about potential deals, but another source said the Cubs have scenarios where Castro sticks around next season as their primary second baseman.

Theo Epstein’s front office and Joe Maddon’s coaching staff appreciated the way Castro handled Addison Russell taking over at shortstop in August, how a three-time All-Star didn’t complain and remade himself at a new position. 

A third source predicted the Cubs will find their next centerfielder by either making a small trade or signing a free agent. The assumption being Dexter Fowler will get paid somewhere else, with most of the available resources poured into the pitching staff this winter.

The Yankees didn’t bite when the Cubs shopped Castro at the July 31 trade deadline, but they are said to at least be open-minded about a player who sometimes has a perception problem, given his uneven performance and concentration issues in the past.

Jim Hendry – the former Cubs general manager who promoted Castro to the big leagues from Double-A Tennessee in 2010 – is now a special assistant to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman.

There’s a lot to like about Gardner, a self-made player who – as the story goes – got cut from the College of Charleston team before making it as a walk-on and ultimately developing into a World Series champion in 2009.

Gardner has 34 playoff games on his resume, a career .346 on-base percentage and a reputation for being a good leader. But he’s 32 years old and reportedly owed $38 million across the next three seasons.

In terms of a more realistic match, Fox Sports identified Atlanta’s controllable starting pitchers (Julio Teheran, Shelby Miller) as targets for the Cubs. In trying to build a World Series contender for 2016, the sense is the Cubs will try to use their dollars and trade chips to address the pitching deficit.

Cubs make moves to shape roster, adding Willson Contreras to 40-man.

By Patrick Mooney

The Cubs just graduated a rookie class that smashed all expectations for this year – forcing everyone to remember that it’s not supposed to be this easy – but the organization will still need another wave of talent coming to become a perennial contender. 

The Cubs added four players to their 40-man by Friday’s deadline – with catcher Willson Contreras being the headliner – and protected them from the Rule 5 draft in December.

Contreras – the organization’s minor league player of the year – won a Southern League batting title. The converted infielder is 23 years old and expected to develop his defensive game behind the plate at Triple-A Iowa in 2016.

The Cubs also added right-hander Pierce Johnson, infielder Jeimer Candelario and first baseman Dan Vogelbach from Double-A Tennessee, bringing their 40-man roster to 37 players.

Johnson – the 43rd overall pick in the 2012 draft out of Missouri State University – has struggled with injuries and inconsistency throughout his career so far.

Candelario, who’s about to turn 22, recently played in the Arizona Fall League’s Fall Stars Game. Realistically, Vogelbach is probably a trade chip for an American League team that might need a future designated hitter. 

The Cubs also acquired right-hander Spencer Patton from the Texas Rangers for minor-league infielder Frandy Delarosa, trying to build out their bullpen with volume.  

Trayce Thompson excited to show White Sox he's 'that player'.

By Dan Hayes

Workouts and Golden State Warriors games have kept him plenty busy, but Trayce Thompson looks forward to getting back on the field.

The outfielder — who was at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Thursday to watch his brother’s team rally from 23 down to beat the Los Angeles Clippers — is excited to try and back up the performance that put him squarely on the White Sox radar in 2015. Thompson hit .295/.363/.533 with five home runs and 16 RBIs in 135 plate appearances.

While the outstanding defense wasn’t much of a surprise, nobody expected Thompson would hit the way he did. Thompson said Friday he likes how he managed himself and is eager he can do it again.

“When it was all happening I didn’t let any moment of it get to me and I was proud of that,” Thompson said. “It was motivating for me.

“But it was a small sample size. I still have a lot to prove this offseason, this spring, this season. I have to be ready from Day One and show them I’m that player.”

Thompson said he rested his sore left arm — he hyperextended it against Oakland on Sept. 14 — for two weeks after the season ended. Though he felt fine over the season’s final 2 1/ 2 weeks, Thompson said his arm bothered him more once he rested it until he followed the advice of White Sox player development director Nick Capra, who suggested swimming. Thompson has been working out and even has hit a few times, though he won’t begin his hitting program full time for another few weeks.

In the meantime, Thompson has played golf and attended several Warriors games. The most memorable were the season opener, when he saw his brother Klay receive his championship ring, and Thursday’s comeback. Even though the Warriors fell behind early, Thompson thought a comeback was still possible.

“That’s probably the best game I’ve seen,” Thompson said.

White Sox prospect Adam Engel wins Arizona Fall League MVP.

By John Paschall

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

While the MLB Hot Stove begins to heat up, White Sox prospect Adam Engel was already lighting the diamond in Arizona on fire.

On Saturday, the outfielder was named the Arizona Fall League MVP after leading the league in batting (.403), on-base percentage (.523) and slugging (.642). He was also second in the league in doubles (9) and stolen bases (10).

Engel, who was drafted in the 19th round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the South Siders credited his pregame approach when explaining his recent success. 

White Sox director of player personnel Nick Capra said earlier in the week Engel would start 2016 in Double-A Birmingham. 

Engel joins some good company with his AFL MVP award. Check out some of the most notable recent winners here: 

2014 - Greg Bird, Yankees

2013 - Kris Bryant, Cubs

2011 - Nolan Arenado, Rockies

Golf: I got a club for that..... Kisner captures PGA win after near-miss year.

AFP

Kevin Kisner celebrates on the 18th green of the Seaside Course after winning The RSM Classic on November 22, 2015 in St Simons Island, Georgia (AFP Photo/Todd Warshaw)

American Kevin Kisner, a runner-up four times this year, captured his first US PGA Tour title Sunday, firing a six-under par 64 to win the RSM Classic by six strokes.

Kisner's second 64 in a row left him on 22-under 260 for 72 holes with countryman Kevin Chappell second on 266 and Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell third on 267.

"To have my name on that trophy is spectacular," Kisner said. "It shows all that hard work I've done has paid off."

The 31-year-old who grew up just down the road from Augusta, Georgia, earned a berth in his first Masters and put a year of near-misses behind him.

In addition to a second place behind Scotsman Russell Knox earlier this month at the World Golf Championships event in Shanghai, Kisner lost playoffs to Jim Furyk at the Heritage last April, Rickie Fowler at the Players Championship last May and New Zealand's Danny Lee last July at the Greenbrier Classic.

Kisner led Chappell by three shots when the day began and while McDowell and Chappell went two-under on their front nines, Kisner fired five birdies without a bogey to seize command.

"I was just playing so well all year, I knew one day I was going to make all those putts and that's what I did on the front nine," Kisner said. "It let me coast on the back nine."

Kisner sank a six-foot birdie at the second and added back-to-back birdies at the fourth and fifth and to close the front side. He hit a 10-foot birdie putt at the fourth, a 15-footer at five, a seven-footer at eight and a 30-footer to close the front nine. He followed with eight pars and a tap-in birdie at the par-5 15th on the back nine.

Kisner said he hoped the breakthrough for the win would see "the floodgate start to come open".

"You have got to believe you can win on Thursday and hopefully this helps me to do it every week," he said.

American Jon Curran was fourth on 269, one stroke ahead of Sweden's Freddie Jacobson with Germany's Alex Cejka and Americans Jeff Overton and Russell Henley on 271.

McIlroy reaps massive payday after Dubai double.

AFP; By Josh Charles

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland poses with his trophy after winning the DP World Tour Golf Championship in Dubai, on November 22, 2015 (AFP Photo/Marwan Naamani)

Rory McIlroy completed a lucrative double when he won the DP World Tour Championship and retained his Race to Dubai crown on Sunday following a thrilling victory that was built around a final-round of six-under 66.

The world number three had to battle hard and then get over a errant tee shot on the 17th hole that ended in the water to beat overnight leader Andy Sullivan of England, who fought tooth and nail and forced McIlroy to dig deep.

The win was worth $3.208 million (3.02m euros for McIlroy - $1.33 million for winning the DP World Tour Championship and $1.875 million bonus for winning the Race to Dubai.

McIlroy, who will remain the world number three behind Jason Day and Jordan Spieth despite the win, finished on 21-under par 267 for the tournament.

That was one shot better than Sullivan, who added a second successive 68 over the weekend to finish on 20-under par 268.

By winning the tournament, the Northern Irish star made sure none of the permutations needed to be worked against the six other players in the reckoning for the Race to Dubai crown could work.

England's Danny Willett (70) gave it his all, but ran out of the holes towards the end and two late bogeys meant he finished tied for the fourth place at 13-under par 275.

South Africa's Branden Grace made a five-under par 67 to finish alone in third place at 15-under par 273.

After trailing Sullivan for most part of the day, McIlroy built a two-shot lead over the world number 53, who was looking for his fourth win of the season on the European Tour, with back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th holes.

But after the leading group was made to wait on the 17th hole, McIlroy failed to draw his tee shot and splashed into the water.

He pitched to nearly 40 feet from the cup and with Sullivan making a regulation par, a two-shot swing looked imminent.

However, McIlroy made what he called the 'best bogey of his life' to limit the damage to one shot, and secured the win with a par on the 18th.

"It's definitely probably the longest putt I've ever made for a bogey. I don't think there's been one that's come at a better time. So, yeah, definitely the best bogey of my career," said McIlroy, who won his third Race to Dubai honor in last four years.

"To be European number one, yeah, that was a goal of mine at the start of the year. It was a goal of mine in the middle of the year and it was definitely a goal coming into these last few weeks.

"Obviously grateful to the European Tour for letting me be a part of The Race to Dubai and letting me play here this week even though I didn’t quite play the required minimum events.

"It was a great way to finish this year and I'm looking forward to playing a full European Tour schedule next year with no hiccups."

The deficit was down to one after eight holes and McIlroy could have made the turn tied for the lead if not for a stunning chip-in for par from behind the ninth green by Sullivan.

On the back nine, McIlroy finally caught up with Sullivan with back-to-back birdies on the 11th and 12th holes.

Korea's Byeong-hun An won the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award on the European Tour by finishing ahead of his closest challenger Matthew Fitzpatrick of England in the Race to Dubai.

The BMW PGA Championship winner however closed with a 71 and finished tied with the British Masters champion at 13-under par 275 and joint fourth.

Englishman Justin Rose, the world number five, went 12 shots better than his third-round 78 to close the year with a 66 that improved him to seven-under par 281.

Sweden's world number six Henrik Stenson, the champion in Dubai for the last two years, could not make a move and finished tied for last at three-over par 291 after a round of 73.

NASCAR: Kyle Busch completes comeback to win 1st Cup title.

By Jenna Fryer

Kyle Busch (18) celebrates after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race and the season title Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla. (AP Photo/Darryl Graham)

Kyle Busch opened the season in a hospital bed and ended it in victory lane with the championship trophy.

Busch completed the ultimate comeback Sunday night by winning his first career Sprint Cup title just nine months after a serious crash at Daytona nearly ended his season. He crashed into a concrete wall the day before the Daytona 500 and broke his right leg and left foot.

Despite multiple surgeries and grueling rehabilitation, Busch missed only 11 races and was back in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in late May. NASCAR granted him a waiver to race for the championship if he earned a berth in the playoffs, and Busch was off and running.

''I don't know if I quite understand life yet, but there's something to be said about this year,'' an emotional Busch said on his team radio.

He won the season finale Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway to claim the title, and knocked Kevin Harvick from his perch as reigning champion. Busch also denied Jeff Gordon a fifth crown in his final race. Gordon said before the season started he'd retire after this race.

Harvick finished a distant second, Gordon was a mediocre sixth and Martin Truex Jr., the fourth driver in the championship field, finished 12th.

''You always want to win, but I've learned not to be greedy,'' Harvick said after his 12th second-place finish of the year cost him the championship.

There was a strong sentimental push for Gordon to go out on top in his final race. But he was only average all season, and that didn't change Sunday night in front of a huge contingent of friends and family that included Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton and Mario Andretti, who both sat atop his pit box at the start of the race.

Gordon led nine laps early in the race and was third for an early restart but he bobbled it and plummeted to eighth. That was about as good as he'd be the rest of the race as he struggled mightily with the handling of his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

''Gosh, I'm a little disappointed, I'll be honest,'' Gordon said. ''I thought going into the race we had something for them.''

Gordon eventually made his way to victory lane to congratulate Busch, who began his career as Gordon's teammate at Hendrick Motorsports. Temper tantrums and wrecked race cars led to his release before the 2008 season, and Busch has been chasing a Cup championship ever since.

''All he's been through this year, nobody's more deserving than him,'' Gordon said of the new champion.

Truex, the underdog driving for single-car team Furniture Row Racing, also didn't have enough in his Chevrolet to contend despite a handful of gutsy pit calls the team used out of desperation.

''We really felt like without trying something really different, we weren't going to get there,'' Truex said. ''We felt like we had to take a really big swing at it.''

That made the championship race a two-car battle between Busch and Harvick, and the outgoing champion simply didn't have enough for Busch.

Busch was headed toward the title via a second or third-place finish in the race when NASCAR called a caution for debris with 11 laps remaining. Team owner Joe Gibbs pumped his fists in frustration, but Busch remained calm in the car. The field headed to pit road, Busch asked for an adjustment, and was second on the restart with seven laps remaining.

He worked his way past leader Brad Keselowski to claim the lead, then Busch pulled away and handily beat Harvick to the finish line by 1.553 seconds.

''This is pretty unbelievable. The dream of a lifetime, a dream come true,'' Busch said.

The title is a sweet reward for Busch, who has made huge personal and professional gains over the last several years. Known as one of most talented drivers in the sport, his temperament often got in his own way. But he has mellowed with marriage, gained perspective after the Daytona wreck, and was determined to be on his feet in the delivery room when wife Samantha delivered their first baby, a boy born in May - right after Busch returned to the race car and celebrated his 30th birthday.

''I just can't believe it, with everything that happened this year, all the turmoil, everything I went through, my wife went through,'' Busch said. ''I said back then, I'll say it again, the rehab and then getting back and getting focused was the hardest part, the hardest thing I've ever gone through.

''To put it all together here tonight, this night wasn't all that hard.''

His title is the first for Toyota, which joined the Sprint Cup Series in 2007 and had shots at championships but came up empty again and again. It was also fitting because Joe Gibbs Racing dominated a huge portion of this season and was the overwhelming favorite to win the title with one of its four drivers.

Busch also joins older brother, Kurt, as a NASCAR champion. Kurt Busch won the title in 2004, the inaugural season of NASCAR's Chase format. The system has been tweaked several times and is in the second year of an elimination format that sends four drivers to Homestead to race for the title. The first driver to the finish line hoists the Cup, and Busch won it by winning the race, the same way Harvick did a year ago.

The title is the fourth NASCAR crown for Joe Gibbs, a three-time Super Bowl winning coach, but first Cup title since 2005.

SOCCER: Fire's Nelson Rodriguez gains support from peers.

CSN Staff

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Fire's MLS-worst 8-20-6 record in 2015 spurred plenty of change within the organization.

The club's biggest move to date came two months ago when it hired Nelson Rodriguez as general manager. And while he's yet to hire a replacement for Frank Yallop, he recently received vocal support from two of Chicago's former presidents.

John Guppy, the club's president from 2005 to 2008, expressed the importance of hiring the right person to manage the roster.

"Half the job has already been done by hiring a competent general manager. Nelson Rodriguez is organized, respected, hardworking, well connected and has experience in several areas important to his current position," Guppy told MLSSoccer.com's Shane Murray. "He needs to execute well in a couple of key areas that he doesn't have much experience; hiring the right head coach, recruiting the right international players and acquiring domestic players that the coach can build into a team."

Peter Wilt, whoa acted as general manager from 1997 to 2005 and was the president for four seasons before Guppy, said the Fire aren't too far away from contending again, something they didn't do in recording 30 points this past season.

"Like the NFL, the salary cap and other mechanisms that force parity make MLS a difficult league to maintain success over long periods of time. For the same reason, it's a difficult league to stay at the bottom for long as well," Wilt told Murray.

SOCCER: MLS Review: Timbers, Crew claim first-leg wins.

Omnisport.com

The Columbus Crew and Portland Timbers claimed two-goal wins in the MLS conference finals on Sunday.

The Portland Timbers took a huge step towards the MLS Cup with a 3-1 win over Dallas in the first leg of their Western Conference Final.

Goals from Liam Ridgewell, Dairon Asprilla and Nat Borchers helped Caleb Porter's men to their home win at Providence Park.

David Texeira had pulled a goal back for the visitors just past the hour-mark to reduce the deficit to one goal, but they conceded late on.

It leaves Dallas with work to do in the second leg on November 29 as the Timbers closed in on their first appearance in the MLS Cup decider.

Ridgewell opened the scoring midway through the first half for Portland, scrambling in a corner to make it 1-0.

Asprilla doubled the lead in style in the 53rd minute.

The Colombian collected a loose ball 25 yards from goal, beat his marker with a touch to his right before scoring with a brilliant curling effort.

Dallas got on the scoresheet through Texeira, who side-footed in a key away goal after a Je-Vaughn Watson cutback.

But Borchers would ensure a two-goal Timbers win as he scrambled in from close range after another corner.

Earlier, the Columbus Crew recorded a 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference Final.

The hosts scored straight from kick-off as Justin Meram volleyed in after just nine seconds for the fastest goal in MLS play-off history.

Kei Kamara scored the Crew's second in the 85th minute after nice work from substitute Cedrick Mabwati.

NCAAFB: Top 25 Ranking, 11/22/2015.

AP

Rank	Team	Record	Points	PV Rank
1	Clemson (55)	11-0	1,518	1
2	Alabama (6)	10-1	1,469	3
3	Iowa	11-0	1,325	6
4	Notre Dame	10-1	1,317	5
5	Oklahoma	10-1	1,295	7
6	Michigan State	10-1	1,286	9
7	Baylor	9-1	1,161	10
8	Ohio State	10-1	1,051	2
9	Oklahoma State	10-1	995	4
10	Florida	10-1	926	8
11	North Carolina	10-1	900	12
12	Michigan	9-2	855	14
13	Stanford	9-2	816	15
14	Florida State	9-2	680	16
15	TCU	9-2	652	11
16	Navy	9-1	647	19
17	Northwestern	9-2	593	20
18	Oregon	8-3	470	23
19	Mississippi	8-3	358	25
20	Washington State	8-3	354	24
21	Houston	10-1	275	13
22	UCLA	8-3	230	30
23	Mississippi State	8-3	132	29
24	Toledo	9-1	123	26
25	Temple	9-2	107	32

Ohio State's loss opens door to new champion.

By RALPH D. RUSSO

Unless something really strange happens over the last two weeks of the season, the second College Football Playoff will crown a new champion.

Ohio State had its 23-game winning streak snapped 17-14 on a last-second field goal by Michigan State, putting the Spartans on the road to the Big Ten championship game and leaving the Buckeyes with only pride to play for next week at Michigan.

Even Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer was not talking playoffs after his first regular-season loss to a Big Ten team in his four years at Ohio State.

''No disrespect, but that's certainly not any conversation - you're right, a lot of things happen, but we've got to fix some obvious problems,'' Meyer said.

The Buckeyes had been third in the last playoff ranking.

Who will take their spot Tuesday?

It might be unbeaten Iowa (11-0). The Hawkeyes, who clinched the Big Ten West, were ranked fifth last week. Only Nebraska stands between them and entry to the conference title game as an undefeated team. If they get there, they have a playoff spot right in their grasp.

Michigan State might not crack the top four this week, but the Spartans (10-1) have to like where they stand. They already have wins against Oregon - maybe the best team in the Pac-12 over the last month of the season - Michigan and now Ohio State. Add Iowa to that resume and the Spartans would have to get strong consideration.

Even with the Buckeyes out of the mix, the Big Ten championship looks like it could be the only de facto playoff quarterfinal of all the conference title games. Win and go on to the playoff.

The Southeastern Conference could have that, too, though SEC East champion Florida doesn't look like a team capable of beating Alabama, if that's the matchup in Atlanta two weeks from now.

The Gators beat Florida Atlantic 20-14 in overtime. They play Florida State next week, and if they lose that, there is a good chance that the best they can do in the title game is knock the SEC out of the playoff picture entirely.

BEDLAM

Baylor bounced back. Oklahoma survived without its quarterback. The Big 12 will need two games to decide one champion next week.

The Bears (9-1) crept back into the playoff race by handing Oklahoma State (10-1) its first loss of the season, 45-35 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Sooners (10-1) beat TCU 30-29, batting down a 2-point conversion pass in the final minute when the Horned Frogs went for the lead after a touchdown instead of a tying PAT.

So it will be Baylor at TCU on Friday night and Oklahoma at Oklahoma State on Saturday, with championship implications in both. The Sooners win the Big 12 with a victory. The Big 12 has the tiebreaker it lacked last season, so OU's win against Baylor would give it the title no matter what Baylor does.

Just as important as the result in Norman, Oklahoma, on Saturday night was the status of Sooners star quarterback Baker Mayfield, who sat out the second half with an apparent head injury. Oklahoma is a different team without its Heisman Trophy contender quarterback.

If Baylor wins and Oklahoma loses, the Bears would be champs if they beat Texas on championship weekend. If that happens, coach Art Briles will put his team's playoff fate in the selection committee's hands and hope for better than last year.

IRISH

Notre Dame trudged its way to a 19-16 victory against Boston College at Fenway Park that won't help keep the Irish fourth in the rankings, where they've held steady the last couple weeks.

Having Ohio State out of the mix could aid the Irish in the long run. Before the Buckeyes lost, Ohio State, Clemson and Alabama had three of the four spots all but locked up if they won out. The Ohio State loss puts two spots in play down the stretch.

Of course, the Fighting Irish (10-1) still have to win at Stanford (9-2) next week in what amounts to a playoff elimination game. The loser is done.

GROUP OF FIVE

The American Athletic Conference championship is likely to decide the team from the Group of Five conferences that will play in a New Year's Six bowl.

Houston (10-1) lost for the first time this season, on the road at Connecticut, but the Cougars and Navy (9-1) will still play next week for the AAC West title and a spot in the league title game. Temple (9-2) will be the East representative if it beats UConn next week.

One potential problem for the AAC: If UConn upsets Temple, USF would win the East with a victory against winless UCF. The Bulls have been the best team in the conference late in the season, but with four losses already, if they win the AAC championship it would open the door for other G5 champions.

So if you're a fan of teams such as Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Air Force and Western Kentucky, root hard for UConn and USF.

PROJECTING THE FINAL FOUR

Clemson, Alabama, Michigan State, Oklahoma.

NCAABKB: Northern Iowa stuns No. 1 North Carolina 71-67.

AP - Sports

Northern Iowa guard Wes Washpun reacts after making a three-point basket as the end of the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against North Carolina, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

North Carolina only scheduled a trip to Northern Iowa as a homecoming for Marcus Paige.

The Tar Heels could've used their injured senior star against the Panthers.

Wes Washpun scored 21 points and Northern Iowa stunned top-ranked North Carolina 71-67 on Saturday - just a week after losing to Colorado State at home.

The Panthers used a 29-8 stretch over 12 minutes of the second half to turn a 50-34 deficit into a 63-58 lead, and held on for the upset.

''Very disappointed in me, more so than my team. We acted like a team that had not been coached very well out there,'' North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. We ''made a lot of mistakes.''

Northern Iowa also got 19 points from Matt Bohannon - whose 3-pointer with 2:51 left gave Northern Iowa the lead for good - and 14 points from Paul Jesperson.

Justin Jackson had 25 points for the Tar Heels (3-1), who didn't force a single turnover in the second half.

Paige didn't play because of a broken bone in his right hand. The Tar Heels missed him badly, as Paige's replacement, Joel Berry, had just five points on 2-of-7 shooting.

''He's our best player offensively and defensively and as fine a young man as I've ever been around in my life, so I'd like to have him on the court,'' Williams said. ''But North Carolina still plays.''

The Panthers (2-1) also beat the Tar Heels in the paint, 24-22, after Kennedy Meeks scored the first eight points for UNC.

Meeks finished with just 10 points, a total matched by Brice Johnson. The 6-foot-10 and 6-foot-9 forwards never established the inside game for UNC, and the Panthers were able to exploit that the rest of the way.

North Carolina appeared to be in control in the first half. But Washpun made a half-court 3 at the buzzer to pull the Panthers within 41-32, and Jeremy Morgan's 3 cut it to 52-48.

Wyatt Lohaus gave Northern Iowa the lead with 9:21 left, and the Panthers were able to finish off one of the biggest upsets of the young season.

It was the biggest win for Northern Iowa since 2010, when it stunned top-seeded Kansas to reach the Sweet Sixteen.

''They had to play their tails off in that second half. The game was just about over with 15 minutes left and our guys hung in there and made a couple shots,'' Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson said. ''That last 10 minutes, I couldn't ask any more from our guys.''

TIP-INS

North Carolina: The Tar Heels committed 12 turnovers ... Nate Britt was just 1 of 6 shooting and finished with only four points ... It was the first meeting between the schools and the first for North Carolina in Iowa since losing to the Hawkeyes in 1989.

Northern Iowa: The Panthers were hosting a top-10 opponent for just the third time. Northern Iowa beat No. 10 Iowa 84-78 in 1997 and lost to fourth-ranked Wichita State 82-73 two years ago...The Panthers made a 3 for the 498th straight game, the longest current streak among Missouri Valley schools.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

''How about waiting just a second?'' Williams said as a reporter interjected with a question before he had finished his opening remarks at the postgame news conference.

''Shouldn't snap at you. I should go in there and let the kids snap at me.''

ON THE RISE

Despite the loss, North Carolina has to feel good about what Jackson, a sophomore, did Saturday. He had only scored 20 points in three games before his outburst in Cedar Falls.

WHAT'S NEXT

Northern Iowa plays at North Dakota on Nov. 28.

North Carolina faces Northwestern on Monday.

Warriors match best start in NBA's history, Heat's 27 straight in reach.

By Ananth Pandian

Steph and the Warriors have started the season a perfect 15-0. (Photo/USATSI)

In case you haven't heard, the Golden State Warriors came out to play this season.

By taking down the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night 118-105, the Warriors pushed their record to 15-0, tying the 1993-94 Houston Rockets and the 1948-49 Washington Capitols for the best start to a season in NBA history. Already the only defending NBA champion to start out 15-0, Golden State will go for the outright record Tuesday night back at Oracle Arena against the Los Angeles Lakers. Call it a hunch, but I'm thinking they have a pretty decent chance of squeaking that one out.

In fact, you really have to ask yourself how long this winning streak is going to go. Can the Warriors catch the 2007-08 Rockets, who won 22 in a row? What about the 2012-13 Miami Heat led by LeBron James, who won 27 straight? Heck, what about the 1971-72 Lakers, who own the longest winning streak in NBA history at 33 games? Is that in reach? Before you say no, take a look at the Warriors' next 13 games: Lakers, Suns, Kings, Jazz, Hornets, Raptors, Nets, Pacers, Celtics, Bucks, Suns, Bucks, Jazz.

You see a loss in there?

If Golden State gets through that stretch, during which they'll likely be double-digit favorites in nearly every game, that will put them at 28-0 heading into a Finals rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas Day. That game will clearly test them, but as you can well see, that Lakers mark is not as out of reach as it might seem.

Does everything have to go right for Golden State to even get within striking distance of these marks? Sure. But at the same time, the Warriors have not been shy about telling anyone who asks that they want these records. They're not doing the politically correct thing and saying they don't matter, that it's all about the end goal of a championship. They're coming out to play every night. They were down 23 to the Clippers Thursday night and stormed all the way back to not just win, but cover the 6.5-point spread just for fun. They didn't have to do that. They were already 12-0 at that point. It would've been very easy, if not entirely understandable, for them to fold the tent and call it a good run. But they didn't. Then they turned around the next night and beat a game Chicago Bulls team by double digits on a tough back to back. These are the games that are supposed to trip even a great team up.

Even Denver tried to test them Sunday, trimming the Warriors' lead to six at halftime and pretty much bottling up Stephen Curry, who had just nine points through the first 24 minutes. But whatever hope the Nuggets had of an upset ended quickly in the third quarter, when Curry scored 10 of his 19 points (he also tallied seven assists, four rebounds and three steals in 27 minutes) -- two of which came on this pretty unfair cat-and-mouse step-back over poor Danilo Gallinari.

Incidentally, this was first game this season that Curry, who didn't play in the fourth quarter, has failed to score 20 points. Not that it mattered. Golden State was typically balanced, piling up 35 assists while getting double-digit scoring contributions from five players, including Klay Thompson's team-high 21 and Harrison Barnes' 17.

"This is special. To get to 15-0 and tie a record that's been standing for a long time is a huge accomplishment," Curry told ESPN's J.A. Adande after the game. "We want to take it to the next level on Tuesday back at home. But to come here and get this win with what it all meant, was a huge accomplishment for us."

At this rate, you have to think there are a few more accomplishments in store for this Warriors team.

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Monday, November 23, 2015.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1968 - The Milwaukee Bucks made their first NBA trade. They traded Bob Love and Bob Weiss to the Chicago Bulls for Flynn Robinson.

1971 - The Washington Senators announced that they would now use the name Texas Rangers after their move to Arlington, TX.

1984 - Boston College defeated Miami 47-45 on quarterback Doug Flutie's last-second 64-yard pass.

1988 - The New York Yankees signed free agent Steve Sax to a 3-year contract.

1988 - Wayne Gretzky scored his 600th National Hockey League goal.

1991 - The Sacramento Kings ended the NBA's longest road losing streak at 43 games.

2001 - A crowd of 87,555 people watched the Texas Longhorns beat the Texas A&M Aggies 21-7. The crowd was the largest to see a football game in Texas.

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

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.