CA&T/AllsportsAmerica Wednesday Sports News Update, 02/01/2017.

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"Sports Quote of the Day"

"The further you go in life, the more you realize what you're going to leave this Earth. It's not going to be, 'It was a great platform. It was great to win the Super Bowl,' but really and truly what you're going to leave on this Earth is the influence on others." ~ Joe Gibbs, Former NFL Football Coach, Current NASCAR Championship Team Owner, and Former NHRA Team Owner.

TRENDING: Blackhawks losing streak hits three with loss to Sharks. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).

TRENDING: For Bears, Super Bowl teams provide templates for multiple franchise quarterback decisions.  (See the football section for Bears News an NFL updates).

TRENDING: Will the Bulls be active before the NBA trade deadline? (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).

TRENDING: Chicago’s Soldier Field to Host 2017 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target. (See the soccer section for MLS news and team updates)

TRENDING: 10 key storylines for college basketball's stretch run. (See the NCAABKB section for NCAA basketball news and team updates). 

How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Blackhawks losing streak hits three with loss to Sharks.

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The Blackhawks had hoped the weekend break would have its desired effect, that they would get back to playing the way they did earlier this season. Instead, it was another game lost in the waning minutes.

Dennis Rasmussen scored his fourth goal of the season but Tomas Hertl scored the game-winning goal with 2:03 remaining in regulation as the San Jose Sharks beat the Blackhawks 3-1 on Tuesday night.

The Blackhawks, now on a three-game losing streak, remain in second in the Western Conference, six points behind the Minnesota Wild. The Wild also still have three games in hand. In the Central Division the Blackhawks still have a nine-point edge over the Nashville Predators, who lost to Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

But this was the latest opportunity the Blackhawks had to get some points, any points, only to come up empty. 

"Two minutes to go there, you just want to get it to overtime and look for the extra point there. Three games in a row we've given up some points, whether it's one, two, three, four, five or six. But you get zero it's a tough pill to swallow," coach Joel Quenneville said. "You have to make sure you're not scored upon at any time, particularly that time of the game."

There were a few odd bounces in this one, and the Sharks capitalized on one late. The puck bounced off the back boards, off Corey Crawford and to Hertl, who scored for a 2-1 Sharks lead.

"I don't know. I don't think we want to chalk it up to a fluky bounce. But it was a bounce and they ended up getting it in," Duncan Keith said. "Tough way to lose the game, last two minutes."

We've talked plenty about what the Blackhawks have given up in third periods – they lost leads and games to both the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Winnipeg Jets prior to the All-Star break. But it's also what they haven't done on their end. The Blackhawks' offense has gone quiet, not scoring a third-period goal since it had two against the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 22.

"I don't know how much we really gave up but I think we can generate more offense and obviously going into the third period we gotta bear down and keep it simple and just find a way to get it done," Keith said.

Patrick Marleau gave the Sharks a second-period lead with his power-play goal, the 499th goal of his career. Marleau had been denied a goal earlier in the game when the Blackhawks reviewed for offside. About three minutes after Marleau's good goal, Rasmussen scored his fourth of the season.

"Yeah, I feel like we had a good play there, Seabs [Brent Seabrook] and [Richard] Panik were good in the defensive zone. I got an opportunity and it was lucky to go in," Rasmussen said. "It still feels really tough when we end up losing. That's all that matters."

Yes, the Blackhawks are struggling to get any points right now. The third periods, so good for them for so long, are now becoming an issue. What their giving up is one thing. What they're producing – or in this case, not – is just as problematic.

"I didn't mind our games prior to the break except the third periods in both of those games," Quenneville said. "Tonight, we weren't bad. But we need to be better."

Five Things from Blackhawks-Sharks: Third periods strike again.

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

So much for the break helping the Blackhawks.

They were fine through most of Tuesday's game but the usual issues appeared late in their 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks. It's late, so let's just get to the Five Things to take from the Blackhawks' loss to the Sharks.

1. Third periods strike again. The Blackhawks didn't have a lead to lose on Tuesday but they had a chance to get to overtime and get a point or two. They didn't, as another late-regulation goal doomed them. We'll probably get into this more on Wednesday but what the Blackhawks are generating in the third period (zero goals the last three games) is as much of a concern as what they're giving up.

2. Quiet second line. The trio of Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov and Patrick Kane made little impact on Tuesday night. Whether it's the opposition focusing on them more or they're just in a rut – that's been a rarity for them over the last one and a half seasons – that line is struggling. Coach Joel Quenneville changed things up in the third period, switching Nick Schmaltz and Panarin. Of the original trio Quenneville said, "three games [ago], they generated a ton with no finish. Last game not much, tonight not good."

3. Clearing the puck. The Blackhawks had some trouble with this on Tuesday night, and it was part of the reason the Sharks ended up getting the go-ahead goal late. Quenneville said, "we had a couple of shifts where we weren't very good at getting the puck out, even though we weren't even looking to make a play. Those have to be sure outs. That's something we talk about a lot."

4. Patrick Marleau gets No. 499. The longtime Sharks forward celebrated getting that 499th goal twice – the first was erased by an offside review. But Marleau would get it back later in the second period, a power-play goal that gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead at the time. Marleau was getting hot as the all-star break approached (five goals in three games) and on Tuesday he picked up where he left off.

5. Points squandered. As we said above, the Blackhawks going three games without getting at least one point is something we haven't seen in some time. It's not about catching the Minnesota Wild – they still have three games in hand. But it's about keeping pace, and the Blackhawks have missed out on some opportunities lately.

Stan Bowman doesn't expect Blackhawks to make 'big' move at trade deadline.

By Tracey Myers

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Stan Bowman characterized the current trade talk as, "still pretty slow." It wasn't surprising to hear. With just over a month until the trade deadline (March 1), it's another season of many teams still hoping to grab a playoff spot and therefore hesitant to part with anyone.

But for Bowman, regardless of whether the trade chatter increases as the deadline approaches, he may not be doing much come March 1.

"I'm not expecting to make a deal this year, unlike previous years," Bowman said on Tuesday, prior to the Blackhawks' game against the San Jose Sharks. "I suppose anything can happen but I've said this from the beginning of the year and I mean it: we have a different dynamic this year because we have a lot more young players who have been with our team this year from the beginning. We've already seen it with a few of them: they're better now than they were in October. And if they keep on that trend, we should be a better team even if we have the exact same lineup."

Bowman likes what he's seen from the team's youth. He expected Ryan Hartman and Vinnie Hinostroza to have a smoother transition this season with their Rockford experience, and they have. He said Nick Schmaltz is, "a totally different player since he came back" from spending about a month with the Rockford IceHogs.

There's also the question of what's going to be available come March 1.

"You'd have to think that other than a couple teams, everybody's thinking they're going to get in, so most of the time when there's movement, it's when there's a pool of players that are available. Right now, there really aren't," Bowman said. "The way the standings are going I don't know if teams are going to fall out of the race. There may be fewer players than ever on the market, relative to other years just because of the way the standings are."

If there aren't many options, the cost for those who are available could get ridiculous. The Blackhawks have given up some good picks and prospects over the last few seasons. Sometimes it's resulted in a Cup (please see 2015).

Last season, however, it failed.

Marko Dano was part of the Andrew Ladd deal and Phillip Danault was part of the Tomas Fleischmann/Dale Weise trade. For what they gave up, the Blackhawks ultimately got nothing in return.

This is written with the usual disclaimer at this time of the year: things could change. Bowman said that himself. At the start of his media session on Tuesday he said he didn't foresee a deal. By the end of that talk he said he didn't foresee "a big addition." Adding another depth forward would certainly help but it sounds like the Blackhawks are going to be very careful in what they do, and what they give up. 

"There's something to be said for chemistry and keeping your guys together and not having someone come in externally, swoop in and try to find a role for him," Bowman said. "We'll see. Things change quickly. But as we look at it today, I'm not expecting a big addition like that."

Bear Down Chicago Bears!!!!! For Bears, Super Bowl teams provide templates for multiple franchise quarterback decisions.

By John Mullin

(Photo/USA TODAY)

The tagline for the Bears going into the 2017 offseason has been evident for some time, ever since Jay Cutler made it painfully clear with his injuries and performances that he is not the quarterback answer for the Bears. The natural storyline became: “The Bears have to get a quarterback.”

That’s not exactly right. In point of fact, the line confronting GM Ryan Pace and staff, coach John Fox and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains is more specific than that.

The Bears have to get THE quarterback.

The reason for the refinement to the mandate is right there in Super Bowl LI. Reasons, plural, actually.

It is beyond obvious that the quarterback situation involves several layers, with increasing levels of importance. First is the decision on Cutler, which, as Fox and coaches everywhere hold to, is a decision the player makes himself. Cutler has.

After that is the “bridge” quarterback decision, which may have been between Matt Barkley and Brian Hoyer at one time, but, again, Barkley made that decision for the Bears. Camp competition with Connor Shaw, maybe, but anything beyond that will be a surprise.

After that it becomes more interesting, which is where the object lessons provided by the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots come in.

The Bears hold the No. 3 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. That was the slot the Falcons owned in 2008 when Matt Ryan was in the draft pool. Selecting Ryan was not a terribly difficult call for the Falcons, since the Boston College standout graded out as worthy of the spot. (Then again, so did Blake Bortles in 2014, Joey Harrington in 2002, Akili Smith in 1999, Heath Shuler in 1994, and… you get the idea).

The 2008 draft also included Joe Flacco, who the Baltimore Ravens took at No. 18, which actually netted the Ravens a Super Bowl and playoff success faster than Ryan has gotten the Falcons.

But that draft also featured Chad Henne and Brian Brohm, who both went in the second round, the only quarterbacks taken before Kevin O’Connell went late in the third to the Patriots.

Point being: The No. 3 pick is where true elites live — Joe Thomas, Gerald McCoy, Larry Fitzgerald, Cortez Kennedy. The temptation may be to take best-available, always a sound, reasonable philosophy, and get a quarterback in the second round. Except that it didn’t work for the Miami Dolphins (Henne) or Green Bay Packers (Brohm).

No, it has to be THE quarterback, and if Deshaun Watson has a Russell Wilson (third round) or Flacco (mid-first) grade on him, and he is THE quarterback, should be an easy decision.

Which then turns to the final decision in the process. The “When.”

The Patriots had Drew Bledsoe in place when they drafted Tom Brady in 2000, and Bledsoe was still in place to start 2001. Then he suffered a serious chest injury in game two, whereupon the Brady legend commenced.

But there was a fork in the road, and Bill Belichick took the right fork, for the organization and history.

I was covering the Patriots-Pittsburgh Steelers AFC Championship game in 2001 when Brady was injured and Bledsoe came off the bench to get the Patriots through the Steelers and into the Super Bowl.

During Super Bowl week, THE question was whether Belichick would stay with Bledsoe, who’d been given a 10-year, $103-million contract just the previous March. Belichick matter-of-factly announced that Brady was his quarterback. Period. Bledsoe, who’d gotten the Patriots to the 1996 Super Bowl, was done in New England after that, playing five more years between Buffalo and Dallas.

But the final piece was the decision to go Brady, which just as easily could’ve gone back to Bledsoe, who’d just played well in the AFC Championship game. Just as it was this season with the Dallas Cowboys to stay with Dak Prescott over owner-favorite Tony Romo.

At some point, assuming it falls something like this, Fox and the Bears will need to make a choice between Hoyer (hopefully not involving any injury situation) and “The Kid.” That decision projects to be the pivotal last call in a decision process that the Bears can only hope turns out as well as that one did for the Patriots.

NFL prospects praise Bears coaches.

By Larry Mayer

Bears defensive line coach Jay Rodgers chats with Michigan defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow. (Photo/www.chicagobears.com)

Pittsburgh quarterback Nate Peterman enjoyed spending Senior Bowl week working with the Bears coaching staff, most notably offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains and quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone.

Ragone was back at the Senior Bowl after playing in the game in 2013 when he was a quarterback entering the NFL Draft out of Louisville.

"[Loggains] was great," Peterman said. "You could tell he was really detailed. He's in the back of the room and he comes up and he knows what he wants and he demands it. Coach Rags gave us a lot of wisdom; just how to carry yourself and what to do at the next level."

Bears coaches challenged the North team to learn their plays in a short period of time.

"They installed from 8:30 to 10:30 [Monday night]," Peterman said. "I had about two hours that night until about 1:30 to study them a little bit more, and then we were on the practice field the next day. It was fun, though. I think they were definitely trying to test us and hopefully I passed it all right."

Peterman completed 16 of 23 passes for 153 yards and one touchdown in the North's 16-15 loss to the South.

Toledo running back Kareem Hunt led the North in rushing with 118 yards on 15 carries.

"The Bears have got some great coaches," Hunt said. "They definitely showed me some great knowledge, especially in the pass pro game. They taught me a new way how to keep my head up and just be strong in there."

Michigan defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow, who grew up in Aurora and attended Marmion Academy, worked with Bears defensive line coach Jay Rodgers.

"It was really cool," Glasgow said. "Growing up a Bears fan, being able to be coached by their staff was something special. I think coach Rodgers is a great guy, a great coach. So overall it was pretty surreal the whole week. I really appreciate how encouraging he was, how understanding."

Inside linebacker Connor Harris, a Division II prospect from Lindenwood, picked up valuable tips from Bears assistant coach Glenn Pires.

"He's awesome," Harris said. "Since Day 1 we've been in the meeting rooms watching film and he's one of the best coaches as far as teaching goes. He's improved my game a lot just learning little technique things and knowing more about different coverages, different fronts we're running, and why we run them.

"Especially being a small school guy like myself, to come down here to compete with these guys and to work with a great group of coaches that are very knowledgeable and improve my game a lot just in one week, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Difficult to find common thread in departures of multiple Bears assistant coaches.

By John Mullin

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

NFL rosters undergo upheavals and turnover on an annual basis. NFL coaching staffs undergo their own changes, obviously when a fire-hire happens at the head-coach level, but also in some surprising situations – in this case, the Bears.

The Bears have seen five assistant coaches exit John Fox's staff since the end of the disastrous 3-13 season, the latest being wide receivers coach Curtis Johnson this week, as first reported by the Chicago Tribune. This follows departures of the team's running backs, outside linebackers, assistant DB's and offensive line staffers.

A 3-13 season creates different types of internal goings-on. But while once the hot topics were whether Fox and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio would return for a year three, those two have remained in place while others under them have split.

If there is a common thread through it all, that thread is difficult to find. "Jumping ship" may be the convenient thought but not the accurate one, since O-line coach Dave Magazu and safeties coach Sam Garnes were not tendered contract extensions. And Stan Drayton wants to become a college head coach, so left the Bears to become associate head coach and run-game coordinator for the University of Texas.

Johnson, who was widely praised for his developmental work with Cam Meredith and Kevin White, had signed just a one-year contract with the Bears in what appeared to be a step to get back into the NFL from a disappointing stint as a college head coach (Tulane). Assistants typically sign two-year contracts but Johnson left himself an out to explore other options in the NFL.

The situation does raise questions of continuity as Fox heads into a pivotal third year after consecutive losing seasons for the first time in his career. What it really does, however, is keep the personnel work under GM Ryan Pace at a premium: Because of what they had in place player-wise, the Bears lost defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan after the 1985 season, replaced him with Vince Tobin and a different mindset, and proceeded to set the NFL record for fewest points allowed.

Just Another Chicago Bulls Session..... Chicago Bulls Vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Preview, 02/01/2017.

SPORTSNET

No team in the NBA has as many drama birds circling over their heads as do the Chicago Bulls. For a week, they were the poster child for discontent in the league.

From Rajon Rondo to Dwyane Wade to Jimmy Butler, the Bulls were embroiled in controversy and dueling back and forth in the media and in the locker rooms.

It's obviously not the environment Wade signed up for when he left the Miami Heat in the offseason after 13 years.

But Chicago is hoping to put all of that behind and capitalize on what continues to be a somewhat weak Eastern Conference. Despite all of the turmoil, the Bulls are still one of the more talented teams in the conference.

"If you go out and give honest effort every single night, you are going to give yourselves a chance," Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg told NBA.com. "Not to say we are going to win every game, but we're going to be there and that's what this group has to do."

After a week of sniping and players calling out teammates, the Bulls (24-25) ended a two-game losing streak on Sunday by defeating the surging Philadelphia 76ers 121-108.

"Nothing needs to be repaired," Wade told NBA.com. "Yeah, we're fine. We come in to play basketball and compete, and we've done a good job of that the last few days, with the exception of the Heat game when we laid a dud. But the last few days have been great competition, so we move on from there."

The Bulls kick off February with a six-game road trip. It starts in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night where they face a player in the midst of an historic season. Russell Westbrook ended January averaging 30.8 points, 10.6 rebounds and 10.2 assists per night.

"We're obviously going to have to do a much better job of finding them in transition," Hoiberg told NBA.com. "They killed us in the paint the last game. A guy having an historic NBA season averaging a triple-double; we are going to have our hands full."

While the Bulls are just starting a long road trip, the Thunder (28-21) ended what seemed like a month full of games away from home. Their loss in San Antonio on Tuesday night was their 12th game outside of Oklahoma City. They finished the month with a 7-8 record.

Two of the losses came in their last two outings of the month in Cleveland and in San Antonio. Both were also without center Enes Kanter, who has a fractured right arm and will be out a few weeks at the least.

Oklahoma City could also be without Alex Abrines, who left Tuesday night's game with back spasms.

Thunder coach Billy Donovan now has to fight the temptation to play Westbrook more to make up for the losses to his bench.

"Obviously with a guy like Russell Westbrook, the best thing for him and our team is for him to play 40 minutes," Donovan joked. "But that's not fair to him, it's not fair to his career. It's not even fair to our team if we're trying to evolve into being a very good team."

NBA Buzz: Will the Bulls be active before the NBA trade deadline?

By Mark Schanowski

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The current six-game road trip could determine which direction the Bulls' front office decides to go before the Feb. 23 trade deadline. Will they consider adding a veteran shooter to improve their playoff chances, or is it time to accelerate the rebuild by selling off players who don't figure to be a part of the team going forward?

With 49 games in the books, it seems unlikely John Paxson and Gar Forman feel strong enough about the Bulls' playoff prospects to give up anything of value for a short-term boost. The roster is headed towards another significant overhaul this summer, so why not get a jump start by cashing in players like Taj Gibson, Nikola Mirotic and Michael Carter-Williams, who are likely to leave in free agency?

It's no secret the Bulls have been shopping Mirotic, who's struggling badly in his third NBA season, shooting just 39 percent from the field and 30 percent from 3-point range. Mirotic was hoping to cash in big this summer as a restricted free agent, but poor play seems to have cratered his market. The Bulls' front office will have to decide whether to trade Mirotic for 25 cents on the dollar or hang onto him with a short-term, modest contract offer, hoping the soon-to-be 26-year-old can bounce back in 2017-18.

Gibson's situation is a lot different considering the popular veteran turns 32 in June and is hoping to land one more big contract in free agency. As solid and productive as Gibson has been during his eight seasons in Chicago, the Bulls should not be the team to get locked into a long-term contract with a declining player as they try to build back up to contending status. Maybe a team like Toronto, Boston or Golden State would offer a late first-round pick to add a dependable frontcourt player like Gibson for the stretch run.

It's amazing how quickly Carter-Williams has fallen out of favor in his first season with the Bulls. The front office and coaching staff were thrilled to get the former Rookie of the Year from Milwaukee in the preseason trade for Tony Snell, but after suffering serious wrist and knee injuries in the third game of the regular season, Carter-Williams had to sit out for nearly two months. He was quickly promoted to the starting lineup after his return but is now languishing at the end of the bench behind both Jerian Grant and Rajon Rondo. Carter-Williams has already been traded twice in his three and a half seasons in the NBA, and don't be surprised if he's on the move again this month.

Of course, trading Carter-Williams, Gibson or Mirotic really won't make a big difference in the direction of the franchise. The next big decision for the front office is likely to come before the June draft, when Jimmy Butler's name again figures to come up in trade rumors. Look for Boston to make another run for Butler this summer, this time holding an expected top-three pick from Brooklyn as the major piece in a potential deal. The 2017 Draft could be one of the best in the last 15 years, headlined by three elite point-guard prospects: Washington's Markelle Fultz, UCLA's Lonzo Ball and North Carolina State's Dennis Smith Jr.

It won't be easy to get equal value for a 27-year-old All-Star starter who is now considered to be among the top 10 to 15 players in the league. But with the new collective bargaining agreement increasing the incentives for free agents to remain with their current teams, trading for a high lottery pick and other assets might be the best course of action to jump-start a rebuild.

Speaking of lottery picks, last summer's No. 1 selection Denzel Valentine has been assigned to the Windy City Bulls for the rest of the week to play in three road games out east. Valentine made eight 3-pointers in a D-League game last Saturday, and Fred Hoiberg told reporters the rookie will be given a lot of ball-handling responsibility during his time with Windy City. Could Valentine return as the Bulls' starting point guard? In this strange season, anything is possible.

Here are a few stories from around the Association that have caught my attention.

King James vs. Sir Charles

Another great drama going on in the NBA this week. TNT analyst and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley criticized LeBron James on "Inside the NBA," saying James was being "whiny" for asking Cavaliers management to add another playmaker to the roster.

Barkley said on the show: "The Cleveland Cavaliers, they have given him everything he wanted. They have the highest payroll in NBA history. He wanted J.R. Smith last summer, they paid him. He wanted Iman Shumpert last summer. They brought in Kyle Korver. He's the best player in the world. Does he want all of the good players? He don't want to compete? He is an amazing player. They're the defending champs."

James finally responded Monday night after another surprising loss in Dallas, telling ESPN, "I'm not going to let him disrespect my legacy like that.

"I'm not the one who threw somebody through a window. I never spit on a kid. I never had unpaid debt in Las Vegas. I never said, 'I'm not a role model.' I never showed up to All-Star weekend on Sunday because I was in Vegas all weekend partying.

"All I've done for my entire career is represent the NBA the right way. Fourteen years, never got in trouble. Respected the game. Print that."

And, when you take on one member of the banana boat gang (James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul), you can probably expect to hear from the other three. Here's Wade on Barkley's comments after Bulls practice Tuesday afternoon at the Advocate Center.

"Thank God (James) finally said something. LeBron, a lot of guys take a lot of shots at him, for whatever reason. He's always been (a focal point like) all of the great players in the game. He just has kept his mouth closed, continued to focus on what he need to. But it's about time he said something. Guys ride him, especially ex-players. When you got a history, when you can go and Google your history, you need to be a little careful with what you say. Sometimes when guys get on a microphone in front of their face they just talk and talk and talk and forget about their history. We all make that mistake, but especially that guy on TV, he acts like he just walked on water. I like the fact that Bron called him out and told him about it himself a little bit. Humble yourself. LeBron is who he is. We all have flaws, but when your flaws are a little bit more, then you should shut up. So I'm glad LJ finally said something and stood up for himself from that standpoint. He said there's a new sheriff in town, so I'm excited to see what's next."

Appearing on ESPN 1000’s Waddle and Silvy show Tuesday afternoon, Barkley had this response to Wade’s comments, "He's humbled playing for that team (the Bulls)."

For years now, Barkley has used his television pulpit to complain about the state of the NBA and the lack of quality teams in the league. Seems like Charles has fallen into the trap of so many ex-athletes, believing their sport will never be as good as the days when they were stars. TNT's postgame show used to be must-see TV, but unfortunately it's deteriorated into Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal trading insults across the set, talking nonsense while Ernie Johnson tries to go through highlights and offering little insight into what's happening on the court. Good for James for finally calling Barkley out.

The latest on the Melo-drama

Meanwhile, another member of the Fantastic Four met with reporters after shootaround Tuesday in Washington. Carmelo Anthony said he hasn't had any discussions with Knicks management about possible trades and that if he's approached about waiving his no-trade clause, the decision will be made based on what's best for his family.

Anthony also conceded the prospect of joining a good friend like Paul in Los Angeles or James in Cleveland is something he has thought about.

"Those considerations and thoughts will always be," Anthony told Newsday. "That's something we all think about as athletes, try to play with another. We talk about it from high school and college. These are conversations that we've had years before any of this ever came up."

Will Celtics make a big move?

Reportedly, the Celtics are also interested in acquiring Anthony, but it's much less likely he would accept a deal to Boston. The Trib's K.C. Johnson reports some league executives expect the Celtics to re-engage the Bulls on trade talks for Butler, but as mentioned above, that type of deal centering on draft picks is much more likely to happen in the offseason.

Still, you can't blame Danny Ainge for looking to add another star right away. With the Cavs and Raptors both suffering through January slumps, Boston has moved into second place in the East and could give Cleveland a battle in the Conference Finals with the right addition. Isaiah Thomas is coming off a sensational month, averaging almost 33 points a game, while continuing to lead the league in fourth-quarter scoring. If Ainge can add a dynamic wing scorer before the deadline, the Celtics will be a team to watch come playoff time.

Stats of the week

With the Bulls out of town on the annual "Ice Show" trip, here's a look at how they've done in recent years, courtesy of our stats cruncher Chris Kamka.



Until last season, the Bulls had done well on the trip, finishing with at least a .500 record. Hoiberg's first Bulls team went 2-5 during the annual January/February journey out West. Hopefully, that's not a sign of things to come over the next two weeks.   
      
And here's another example of why the Bulls have been hovering around the .500 mark all season. The Bulls are a combined 5-2 against the Spurs, Cavs, Clippers, Jazz and Raptors — five of the top seven teams in the league. They're a combined 5-5 against the Timberwolves, Heat, Mavericks, Lakers and Nets — five of the worst six teams in the league.

Quote of the week

Yes, the Bulls lost both of their meetings with Dallas, even though the Mavericks were missing key players because of injuries at the time. Veteran coach Rick Carlisle led Dallas to an NBA title back in 2011, and he's known around the league as a no-nonsense guy not afraid to say what's on his mind.

Check out this beauty after his Mavs knocked off the defending NBA champion Cavs on Monday night.

"We're a s--t team, but we're an underrated s--t team. That's about as accurately as I can put it."

Thanks for the honesty coach.

Could Bulls, Celtics revisit Jimmy Butler trade discussions?

By Tony Andracki

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

As the Bulls attempt to move on after one of the craziest weeks in franchise history, the future of the team is still murky.

The biggest question that still needs to be answered is what the Bulls intend to do with Jimmy Butler.

A report from K.C. Johnson at the Chicago Tribune suggests the Bulls and Boston Celtics may revisit their trade talks with Butler as the central figure.

The two teams spoke over the summer and could pick up where they left off before the Feb. 23 trade deadline, Johnson writes.

The Celtics own the Brooklyn Nets' first-round picks in both 2017 and 2018 plus players like Jae Crowder, Butler's former college teammate at Marquette.

Butler still has two years left under team control after the 2016-17 season and a player option of $19.8 million for the 2019-20 season.

The Celtics woke up Tuesday morning second in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games behind the sinking Cleveland Cavaliers and one game up on the Toronto Raptors.

The Bulls, meanwhile, sit at the No. 7 seed with a 24-25 record, only a half-game above the eight-seed Charlotte Hornets. The Milwaukee Bucks are just two games behind the Bulls and forcing Fred Hoiberg and Co. out of the playoffs altogether.

The Bulls are about to embark on a big test — a six-game road trip beginning Wednesday night against Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Bulls and Celtics play Feb. 16 in the final game before the NBA trade deadline.

Elena Delle Donne traded to the Washington Mystics in blockbuster WNBA move.

By Matt Ellentuck

(Photo/Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

The WNBA offseason is off to an early start.

Elena Delle Donne is headed to the Washington Mystics, according to the New York Times' Howard Megdal.

A Monday trade between the Chicago Sky and Mystics sent the 2015 MVP to D.C. in exchange for All-Star center Stefanie Dolson, last year's No. 7 pick Kahleah Copper, and the No. 2 pick in the 2017 Draft. It's a steep price to pay, but it's for one of the league's best all-around players.

Delle Donne's move closer to her home in Delaware comes as no real shock, as rumors have leaked over the past few months that she was unhappy in Chicago. She was a restricted free agent and the Sky would have no reason to trade her unless she wanted out.

Earlier on Monday, Washington sent Bria Hartley and Kia Vaughn to the New York Liberty as part of a three-team trade for the Seattle Storm's No. 6 and No. 18 picks to set up the subsequent blockbuster deal. The Storm received Liberty center Carolyn Swords and Washington's No. 15 pick.

Delle Donne's move is a big one, and one that rarely happens with players of her superstar caliber. The most recent came two seasons ago when her former teammate Sylvia Fowles forced her team's hand as she sat out until she was traded to the Minnesota Lynx.

Delle Donne didn't rule that option out, saying on Megdal's “Locked on Women's Basketball” podcast from two months ago:

"For me, obviously I always want to play. I don't want to sit out. I want to play the game I love and the game I work so hard on. So hopefully that doesn't have to occur in my future."

Luckily for Delle Donne and the league, that's a decision she'll never have to make.

"[The Mystics] have a ton of potential," Delle Donne said on Megdal's podcast. "A lot of young talent. I've always had a great relationship with Coach Thibault. He does a great job with the team and is always adding pieces to the puzzle. He's a coach that wins and he's going to get that team headed in the right direction."

Delle Donne will pair up with Emma Meesseman to form one of the league's toughest frontcourts.

Why this trade makes sense for the Sky

Chicago was forced into a trade it never wanted to make for the second time now. Fowles sat for half of the 2014 season and it looks like Delle Donne would have done the same. Matching any offer sheet she signed as a restricted free agent would have been pointless, and letting her walk for nothing would have been worse.

Instead, the Sky get a fresh start. After letting former head coach Pokey Chatman go, they’ll start with a new coach in Amber Stocks, a first round pick from a year ago in Copper, the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft and a rising star in Dolson. The Sky are setting themselves up for the future while remaining competitive.

Why this makes sense for the Mystics

Washington has lacked a superstar talent and Thibault’s been calling for it for years. If Delle Donne wants in, you make room for her to come and that’s exactly what the Mystics did.

The WNBA is run by a collection of stars on top-heavy teams. Fowles demanded her way to Minnesota to team up with Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus, Lindsay Whalen and Rebekkah Brunson. That team has been dominant, making it to five straight WNBA Finals.

The team which brought them down, the L.A. Sparks, is stacked with a two-headed beast in MVPs Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike and supplemented by former All-Stars Alana Beard and Kristi Toliver and Sixth Woman of the Year Jantel Lavender. Star talent collects, and Delle Donne hopes to attract more.

The Washington Post’s Gene Wang reported that the Mystics “aren’t done.”

Meesseman and Delle Donne already make this roster a playoff one and Monday morning’s trade gives the team a chance to find an immediate impact player at No. 6 in the draft or deal it for a proven piece.

This is the year Washington breaks out of the .500 range.

Why this makes sense for Delle Donne

A title wasn’t looking likely in Chicago and the personnel has changed a few times surrounding Delle Donne. Mystics’ coach Thibault, the winningest coach in WNBA history, isn’t going anywhere, and Delle Donne has spoken of her relationship with him.

But also important to Delle Donne is her life outside of basketball. She’s recently engaged to her long-time girlfriend and looking to start a family.

“Wherever I am, I want it to be a great place for me and Amanda to live and then to also raise children hopefully some day in the future,” Delle Donne said on the podcast. “You have to think about your family and where you want to be living and where you want them to grow up and make some traditions.”

She has family nearby in Delaware, where she played college ball, and with no team there, this was her closest move.

WNBA free agency officially begins on Feb. 1, and playoff teams will surely make moves reflective of this blockbuster one.

CUBS: 'Superhuman' Schwarber ready to roll with the punches in 2017.

By Tony Andracki

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

It was about this time last year when "The Legend of Kyle Schwarber" really started to pick up steam.

Schwarber was hot off the heels of setting the Cubs franchise mark with five postseason homers — including a monster shot onto the top of the right-field video board — and kicked off spring training by smashing a fan's windshield with another blast during batting practice.

A year ago, it seemed hard to believe Schwarber's legend could grow.

But, of course, it did.

Schwarber's return to the Cubs' lineup in the World Series last fall after six months off seemed more like something out of a Disney movie than real life.

"What Schwarber did is the stuff of legend," Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said, before calling the slugger "superhuman" in the next breath during a session at Cubs Convention.

"As much as we even talk about it," Cubs VP of player development and scouting Jason McLeod said, "it might even be years from now until we can fully even appreciate it."

So what will Schwarber do for his encore in 2017?

For starters, he's ready to become the "fastest leadoff man in the league," (which he promptly followed with a fart noise to convey the sarcasm).

With Dexter Fowler now wearing Cardinal red, Joe Maddon is looking for a new "you go, we go" leadoff man and has thrown Schwarber's name into the ring this winter.

Schwarber is not what anybody would think of as a "typical" leadoff man — he only has 10 steals in 232 career professional games (including playoffs) — but he does have a .353 career on-base percentage in the big leagues and a .429 mark in the minors.

"Whatever works, man," he said. "I just want to play. It's just another spot in the lineup.

"It doesn't change my approach at all. I'm gonna take it the same way every time."

Schwarber has started just two big-league games in the leadoff spot, spending almost all of his time in the two-hole (51 games).

But while Schwarber isn't a traditional leadoff hitter, don't count out his extreme competitiveness. Even after missing six months with a devastating knee injury and still not cleared to even play the outfield, Schwarber stole second base in the World Series and tried to stretch a single into a double.

He was still rehabbing that knee over the winter and admitted he doesn't know what the future holds for him defensively. He's always been outspoken about his desire to catch, but he also understands that already-difficult path just got even tougher when he shredded his knee in Arizona last April.

"We'll see. It's a daily process and whatever they want me to do, I'll do," he said. "I want to catch, obviously, but given the circumstances, you gotta be able to be flexible and work with some things. 

"I want to do it still. I'm not gonna give up on it. But if they want to go a different direction, I want to do what's best for the team."

Theo Epstein's front office feels a strong link with Schwarber and they understand he's not a typical case in any facet.

So nobody on the Cubs has ruled out Schwarber catching in 2017 or beyond. Not publicly, at least.

"Kyle is one of the most confident young men I've ever been around," McLeod said. "We've told the story in the past about how when Theo and I interviewed him in 2014 — February of that spring season — this kid comes up to the office in Mesa so confident, so comfortable in his abilities. It was unlike any interview that I've ever had with a player.

"And then doing what he did last year, it's freak of nature stuff. You can't be away for six months and step into the World Series against Cy Young caliber pitching and do what he did.

"... He's a very special player. He's a special person."

The Cubs are selling off Wrigley Field seats.

By Tony Andracki

After giving Wrigley Field sod away the last couple winters, the Cubs are now selling off another piece of "The Friendly Confines."

As the Wrigley renovation project continues, the Cubs have removed and replaced some sections of sets from around the stadium.

They're now putting the old seats up for grabs with a sale starting Friday, Feb. 3.

You can own a piece of the historic ballpark for roughly $1000 — seat sets that were removed in 2015 will cost $799 and 2016 seat sets will run $899, with $132.99 shipping.



The seats will be complete with MLB's seal of authenticity and have been removed from the Terrace Reserved, Terrace Box and Field Box sections from around Wrigley.

For more information, head to Cubs.com/SeatSale.

Improved command, approach key to Hendricks' 2016 success.

By Carrie Muskat

Statcast data bears out Cubs right-hander's ability to get called strikes.

When Kyle Hendricks arrived in Spring Training last February, he wasn't sure if he had a spot in the Cubs rotation. The right-hander showed he belonged, finishing 2016 as the Major Leagues' ERA leader.

What was the difference? According to Statcast™, among Major League pitchers who threw a minimum of 1,000 pitches, Hendricks had the highest number of pitches that were called strikes outside of the zone (253 out of 2,888 pitches, or 8.76 percent of his total). Teammate Jon Lester was fifth (215 pitches out of 3,161, or 6.80 percent).

In 2015, Hendricks was fourth in the Majors with 236 pitches called strikes out of the zone (8.45 percent), while Lester was second (256 of 3,208 pitches, or 7.98 percent). The Astros' Dallas Keuchel led MLB in 2015 (286 pitches, 8.19 percent).

Called strikes outside zone, by pitch type (2015)

The reason Hendricks moved up in 2016? He said his mechanics and approach were better.

"I really felt [in 2016] I had a stretch where I was really locked in and hitting spots," Hendricks said. "I could dial in, I could hit a spot down and away, up and away, all four quadrants of the strike zone really. You know how umpires get, you keep hitting a spot and they give you a little more.

Called strikes outside zone, by pitch type (2016)

"I think my command was much better and my mechanics were more solid [in 2016]," he said. "In '15, the middle of the year, my mechanics were terrible and I felt I was throwing pitches over the middle of the plate. I think I was more dialed in [in 2016]."

What's interesting is the types of pitches Hendricks was effective with. He threw more changeups for called strikes in 2016 (26 compared to 11 in 2015), more cutters (48 compared to 29 in 2015) and more curveballs (36 compared to eight in 2015). Hendricks was not surprised when told about those numbers.

Called strikes outside zone vs. righties/lefties (2016)

"I used to throw a cutter when I first came up, like in '14," he said. "I had a cutter, but I noticed it wasn't being effective, so I kind of ditched it. This past year, I realized I needed something straighter that doesn't really cut, so I started throwing a four-seamer again, but it'll cut once in a while."

Mike Borzello, the Cubs' catching and strategy coach, saw the difference in the right-hander.

"I've never been more proud of one pitcher than I was of him," Borzello said.

The key? Good mechanics plus confidence. Hendricks relied on a two-seam fastball and changeup in 2015, and knew he was predictable in certain counts.

"As a starter in the big leagues, having two pitches, you can't survive like that," he said. "I knew a change had to be done. It took the mechanics and being comfortable and being able to actually execute and have the confidence to do it; it came along."

In 2016, when Hendricks had two strikes against a batter, he went to his changeup more than any other pitch (345 times compared to 281 in 2015), but he also relied on his cutter (92 times compared to 36 in 2015).

When the right-hander was in a two-strike count and wanted to get an out, he threw his changeup 80 times (compared to 50 in 2015).

What will Hendricks, 27, do this season?

"Going into this year, you don't go into it looking to change or not to change," Hendricks said. "I know what I had and what I felt like. I like the pitches I'm using and that mix. I really liked my four-seam and using my curveball more. I really got to the point last year where I just felt I had to be present and be aware and see what the hitters are giving you. That's just reading the game, reading the swings, that kind of thing. That's all it comes down to -- the game is changing, hitters are changing, their approach.

"Going into this year, that's my goal again is to see what the hitters are giving me, see how they're reacting to these pitches," he said. "If I'm still getting away with four-seam, curveball, these things, then run with it, but just feel the game out as it goes and see what you need to work on."

WHITE SOX: Rick Hahn sees importance in transparency as White Sox rebuild.

By Dan Hayes

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

The White Sox know exactly where they want to head and Rick Hahn spent much of SoxFest weekend laying it out for the team's fans.

With a focus on transparency, the White Sox general manager tried to map out the team's direction as it enters the first phase of what he admits could be a painful rebuild. While the plan doesn't have 100 percent backing from the fanbase after the trades of star players Chris Sale and Adam Eaton in December, the mood at this weekend's event was mostly upbeat as fans fawned over many of the team's new top prospects. 

Still, Hahn knows it won't be easy to sell the idea that the White Sox, who haven't reached the postseason since 2008, expect to get worse before they will improve. But as the team embarks on its first rebuild since 1997, he also thinks the current path is overdue and the most direct to sustained success. 

"We want to compete," Hahn said. "Look, we feel that. We feel that very deeply. And not just from out interactions this weekend or this past week from talking to Sox fans or conversations we haven't had. I feel it in my own home. I had an 11-year old when the Cubs were up [5-1] in Game 2 couldn't go to sleep he was so excited and all he wanted to talk to me about was, ‘When are the White Sox going to be back in the playoffs and how?'"

"There's still going to be entertaining elements of the 2017 season, even if it doesn't wind up that we're competing. But I do feel it's important for us to be as transparent as we can be about what we're trying to accomplish and the timeline it may well take."

Hahn touched on several elements of that timeline over the weekend. Through their two December trades and a strong 2016 draft, the White Sox have vastly improved their farm system. Over the weekend, MLB Pipeline issued its Top 100 rankings with the White Sox boasting six players, including three in the Top 16 in Yoan Moncada (No. 2), Lucas Giolito (No. 12) and Michael Kopech (No. 16).

The White Sox hope to add plenty more talent whether through the upcoming draft or more trades. But the latter, Hahn promised, will only come when the White Sox think they're receiving appropriate value. Only Todd Frazier, Melky Cabrera, Miguel Gonzalez and Derek Holland aren't under team control past this season. 

"There's really no urgency, there's no deadline, there's no financial pressure to make a move," Hahn said. "The only reason to be motivated to make a move is based upon receiving what we feel is appropriate value and helps advance what we're trying to accomplish over the long term."

Hahn also touched on when the long-term plan could begin to take shape when he was asked about the possibility of dipping into free agency by as early as 2018. The 2019 class is expected to include Bryce Harper and Manny Machado.

"The 2018 and 2019 free-agent classes are stacked," Hahn said. "A number of players will command nine-figure contracts. …

"We know spending is the final piece of all this. When we get there, we expect the resources to be there."

First-year manager Rick Renteria thought Hahn's message went over well. The two shared the stage for town hall sessions on Friday and Saturday. Beyond that, Renteria's interactions over the weekend — including Sunday's ceviche cook off — went well, he said. 

"The new direction, the things that were done over the winter, (fans have) embraced," Renteria said. "I think Rick did a really nice job kind of articulating the direction of the organization the whole fest. That makes it easier for a manager, everybody involved in the process. I know everybody wants us to try and compete on a daily basis, which is what we're going to try and do. All in all, I think everybody had a great time."

Todd Frazier ready to set a positive example for young White Sox clubhouse. 

By JJ Stankevitz

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

Todd Frazier experienced baseball's biggest stage with the Cincinnati Reds, from a gripping five-game National League Division Series loss to the San Francisco Giants in his rookie year of 2012 to that memorable 2013 Wild Card game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh that ended with the Pirates earning their first playoff victory in over two decades. 

But Frazier has also been on the other side of things, with the Reds slipping to 76 wins in 2014 and 64 in 2015. Between the end of the 2014 season and the 2015 trade deadline, the Reds dealt away veteran starters Mat Latos, Alfredo Simon, Mike Leake and, most notably, Johnny Cueto, to inject some youth into a team that had rapidly fallen behind the Pirates, Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central. 

As the Reds dealt away plenty of important pieces, Frazier was able to observe how the remaining veterans in the Reds clubhouse handled that swift pivot from contender to rebuilder. After the 2015 season, Frazier was dealt to the White Sox in a three-team deal, and about two weeks later, closer Aroldis Chapman was shipped off to the New York Yankees. 

So with the 30-year-old third baseman only having one year left on his contract and the White Sox focusing on acquiring and developing young talent, Frazier knows the drill. He's among the players the White Sox will likely attempt to trade between now and the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline, but he has good sense of how to go about his business with his immediate future in limbo. 

"(It's) not awkward," Frazier said Friday at the Hilton Chicago for SoxFest. "I've been in that situation before. We know the business how it is, and it is what it is. I talked with Rick (Hahn) yesterday, everything looks pretty good. I probably still could get traded, you never know, that's just the way it goes. But my focus, right now, is on spring training and building relationships right now with the team."

Frazier is one of the most widely-respected clubhouse presences in baseball, which was part of the reason why the White Sox were so keen on bringing him into the fold a year ago (the 40 home runs he hit in 2016 were, of course, also important). As long as Frazier is still in the clubhouse at Camelback Ranch and Guaranteed Rate Field, he'll be tasked with leading — both vocally and by example — a team full of inexperienced players who will be expected to contend down the road, but not immediately. 

"Don't try too much, don't try too hard," Frazier said of how he'll handle leading a young group of teammates. "If they've got questions, they'll usually come up and ask you and if you see a problem, nip it at the bud right there and we'll go from there. But I don't see any problems. These guys are great right now, I see a lot of focus.

"I saw some videos on some guys — I think (Michael) Kopech threw 110 on a crow hop, so I'd like to face him in spring training and see what he's got, a little challenge yourself kind of thing. Then we go from there." 

Frazier's approach is exactly what manager Rick Renteria wants out of his veterans, a group that includes outfielder Melky Cabrera (who has one year left on his contract) and closer David Robertson (who has two years left). While Hahn said it's hard to try to win while going through an organizational overhaul, Renteria doesn't expect that line to thinking to infiltrate the clubhouse on 35th and Shields. 

"Those guys are professionals because they're going to come out and play the game to win, to perform, to do what they're supposed to do on a daily basis," Renteria said. "Performance is the name of the game. But they have an understanding of the process that it takes to go ahead and have some of the successes they've had over the course of their career. Them just by example are going to be pieces for us for the younger players and you're hoping that sooner rather than later they become more acclimated to the big league level."

For Frazier, his teammates and plenty of White Sox coaches and front office personnel, SoxFest was a first opportunity to get to meet some of the players who could become franchise cornerstones in the future. Frazier came away impressed with his interactions with the likes of Kopech, Lucas Giolito and Yoan Moncada, and was upbeat about the potential that could be tapped from those players. 

"I think we got really good guys back from the trades, really mature guys," Frazier said. "I talked to a bunch of them already and told them, you might have to fill in a role right away. You gotta take the good with the bad, don't get down because you're going to get hit around, you're going to strike out, but you're going to be here for a long time. That's what spring training's for. I know (Don) Cooper's got the pitchers and (Todd Steverson's) got the hitters. We'll have a lot of meetings and show them the right way to play Chicago White Sox baseball."

Golf: I got a club for that..... You Oughta Know: Spieth returns to WMPO.

By Golf Channel Digital

Plenty of big names are in the desert this week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Here's what You Oughta Know heading into one of the loudest weeks on Tour.

Jordan Spieth

• Second career start in this event (T-7 in 2015)

• Finished sixth or better in each of last four worldwide starts

• Has nine straight top-25s worldwide since The Open

Starts: 9

Wins: 1

Top 10s: 6

Top 25s: 9

Scoring average: 68.8

• Has eight PGA Tour wins, all since the beginning of 2013. Only Jason Day has more victories during that span:

Jason Day: 9

Jordan Spieth: 8

Rory McIlroy: 7

Dustin Johnson: 6

Jimmy Walker: 6

Phil Mickelson

• Has 50 career rounds in the 60s at TPC Scottsdale, three shy of Mark Calcavecchia for most all-time:

Mark Calcavecchia: 53

Phil Mickelson: 50

Lee Janzen: 41

Kenny Perry: 39

Vijay Singh: 39

• One of four players in this tournament’s history to win it three times - Arnold Palmer, Gene Littler, Calcavecchia

• Has recorded six runner-up finishes around the world since his last victory, the 2013 Open

Hideki Matsuyama

• Defending champion has had an amazing run in three starts at this event:

2014: T-4 (14 under)

2015: T-2 (14 under)v 2016: Win (14 under)

Jon Rahm

• Needed only 17 PGA Tour starts, as an amateur and professional combined, to win his first event. A look at how that number compares to some other luminaries:

Jon Rahm: 17

Jordan Spieth: 24

Justin Thomas: 43

Rickie Fowler: 72

Tiger Woods: 16

Phil Mickelson: 6

(Rory McIlroy won in 46th European Tour start)

• Excluding the inaugural edition, the only players to win their debut in the Farmers Insurance Open are Jon Rahm and Arnold Palmer

• First player to get his first PGA Tour win in the Farmers Insurance Open since 1991

Bubba Watson

• Since making his debut in this event in 2007, no player has a better scoring average than Watson with at least 20 rounds played:

Bubba Watson: 68.3

Brendan Steele: 68.5

Harris English: 68.9

Brandt Snedeker: 68.9

Spieth, Fowler, Rahm highlight WMPO featured groups.

By Jason Crook

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

The PGA Tour’s biggest party of the year is upon us, and several big names have made their way to Arizona for the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Here are four star-studded groupings to keep an eye on during the first two rounds at TPC Scottsdale (all times ET):

9:57 a.m. Thursday off 10 tee, 2:07 p.m. Friday off 1 tee: Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Jon Rahm

Fowler has been on the PGA Tour since 2009, and he will be the elder statesman of this marquee grouping. He lost in a playoff last year at this event and has one other runner-up finish (2010). The 28-year-old will be paired with his buddy Spieth, who has found his form of late, finishing his last three tournaments T-6, T-3, solo third. Rounding out the trio is Rahm. He comes in with plenty of momentum after last week at Torrey Pines, where the 22-year-old, former No. 1-ranked amateur in the world shot a final-round 65 to claim his first Tour Victory.

2:07 p.m. Thursday off 1 tee, 9:57 a.m. Friday off 10 tee: Justin Thomas, Phil Mickelson, Adam Hadwin

Justin Thomas took a well-deserved break after completing the "Aloha Slam" and joining the 59 club earlier this month. He is grouped with Mickelson and Hadwin for the first two days at TPC Scottsdale. Mickelson is still looking to break a winless drought that dates back to the 2013 Open Championship, but he could be finding a groove after finishing T-14 last week at the Farmers Insurance Open. Hadwin has also been on a tear of late, carding a 59 one week after Thomas did it, eventually finishing second at the CareerBuilder Challenge and following it up with a 66 in the first round last week at Torrey Pines before fading on the weekend.

2:16 p.m. Thursday off 1 tee, 10:06 a.m. Friday off 10 tee: Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Matt Kuchar

A couple of winning U.S. Ryder Cup players and their assistant captain in this group. Reed has shown flashes so far this year, finishing T-6 at the SBS Tournament of Champions and T-12 at the CareerBuilder Challenge. Watson has finished runner-up in this event twice (2014, 2015), losing in a playoff both times. We've only seen him once in 2017, however, when he finished T-25 at the TOC. Meanwhile, Kuchar is making his PGA Tour debut in the new year, but he did combine with Harris English to win the Franklin Templeton Shootout the last time we saw him in December.

10:06 a.m. Thursday off 10 tee, 2:16 p.m. Friday off 1 tee: Hideki Matsuyama, Daniel Berger, Brooks Koepka

Last year's winner here and hottest player in the world until Thomas tore up Hawaii, Matsuyama, will get his title defense started alongside Koepka, who won this event in 2015 for his lone PGA Tour title. Berger, who also has a title under his belt, and Koepka both missed the cut last week at Torrey Pines. 

Stock Watch: U.S. women on the rise early.

By Ryan Lavner

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

Each week on GolfChannel.com, we’ll examine which players’ stocks and trends are rising and falling in the world of golf.

RISING

Jon Rahm (+9%): In only a dozen Tour starts as a pro, the fearless 22-year-old has a victory and a pair of top-4s. Now inside the top 50, he’ll be a top-10 player (and European Ryder Cup stalwart) in no time.

U.S. women (+5%): Only half of the Rolex top 10 entered the season opener, but after a two-win 2016, the Americans will take all the help they can get during a tone-setting week in the Bahamas.

CH3 (+4%): That’s six consecutive top-15s for Howell, who, at No. 64 in the world, is now squarely on the Masters watch list. Again.

Lexi (+3%): The Americans’ best hope to challenge for world No. 1, Thompson’s improved putting led to the second-best round in tour history, a 12-under 61. If that continues, look out.

Jeunghun Wang (+2%): Only Tiger (12 events) has won three European Tour titles quicker than Wang (27). He now has our attention.

FALLING

Sneds (-1%): Trying to join Tiger and Phil as the only three-time winners at Torrey, Snedeker on Sunday shot the only over-par round of those who finished in the top 20. 

J-Day’s putting (-2%): The best putter on Tour a year ago, Day has yet to find his stroke so far in 2017 and looked frustrated on the greens at Torrey (strokes gained on the South Course: -3.388). Pebble doesn’t have the easiest greens on which to putt, either. 

Tiger’s swing (-3%): Not to go all Brandel here, but when every swing analyst identifies the same issue – body line left, swing path right, crunched right side, two-way miss – it doesn’t inspire much hope for the immediate future.

Bob Parsons (-4%): The next generation of PXG irons will reportedly cost “a lot more” – they already go for $5,000 a set – which now means that golfers will have to decide whether to buy new clubs or a car.

Woods teeing off Wed. night (ET) in Dubai event.

By Jay Coffin

(Photo/Golf Channel Digital)

Danny Willett will finally get his chance to meet Tiger Woods when the two join Matthew Fitzpatrick for the first two rounds of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

“I’ve not actually met him properly,” Willett said Tuesday at Emirates Golf Club. “You know, Ryder Cup was brief walking past but before that, you know, you see him to say ‘hello' but nothing really.”

The threesome tees off on the 10^th hole Thursday at 8:15 a.m. local time (11:15 p.m. ET Wednesday) and will go off the first hole Friday at 12:35 p.m. local time (3:25 a.m. ET).

Willett won here last year before going on the win the Masters, but is coming off a missed cut last week in Abu Dhabi. Woods is coming off a missed cut at the Farmers Insurance Open last week. He will take next week off, then play the Genesis Open and Honda Classic in consecutive weeks.

“My first memories of him are chipping in at 16 on Augusta (in the 2005 Masters),” Willett said. “It was almost like the perfect advert for that tournament. I remember that shot that he played over millions and millions of times, him and Stevie (Williams) going crazy and the cameras shaking and the ball just dropping in.

“It’s them moments I think he created for guys that are my kind of age. That really spurred them on to train harder and to practice harder and to try and accomplish even a miniscule amount of what he has.”

Golf Channel will air the first round of the event, beginning at 11 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Round 2 coverage can be seen at 2:30 a.m. on Friday.

NASCAR: Could Dodge be ready to return to NASCAR by 2018? Doug Yates believes so.

By Nate Ryan

(Photo/Sarah Crabill/Getty Images)

A top NASCAR engine builder said Tuesday morning on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that Dodge could race the Daytona 500 in 2018 “if they really wanted to be there.”

In an interview on “The Morning Drive” with hosts Pete Pistone and Lee Spencer, Roush Yates Engines CEO and president Doug Yates said Dodge retains a relevant for blueprint for a Cup Series engine from five years ago. The manufacturer exited NASCAR after winning the 2012 championship with Brad Keselowski.

“Obviously, I’m not as close on the car and other aspects, but from an engine perspective, the engine they had in 2012, we had the same FR9 engines racing then,” Yates said. “Obviously, there (have) been many years of development in between, and they would have some catching up to do, but the base engine is probably OK.”

In December at Daytona International Speedway, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne told reporters he thought the Dodge brand (owned by Chrysler) possibly could return to NASCAR. Marchionne said he had dinner with NASCAR vice chairman Jim France and International Speedway Corp. CEO Lesa France Kennedy. The Drive reported that NASCAR and Dodge executives met at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this month.

“We are in a different place now,” Marchionne said in December. “I think it is possible we can come back to NASCAR. I think we need to find the right way to come back in, but I agreed with both Jim and Lesa we would come back to the issue.”

There are major hurdles to clear for Dodge to return. Fiat Chrysler could face EPA sanctions for diesel emissions and accompanying massive fines, and its year-over-year U.S. sales for light cars and trucks fell 10 percent in December.

The manufacturer also would need to either find a new or existing team partner and shoulder some massive startup costs.

Yates said his company will build about 750 Cup engines this year and employs 200 (including 30 added this year with the addition of Stewart-Haas Racing to Ford Performance). Its machine shop is certified to build parts on par with aerospace-level technology.

“If you were to start anew, it would take two to three years to design, manufacture, develop and release an engine” for Cup, Yates said. “To build the infrastructure that you need, such as what we have here. Obviously, we have lots of teams and a new manufacturer may not have as many teams. But there are a lot of processes and things you go through to build an engine and engine company.

“But if you’re someone like Dodge that has an engine already, I think that you can get to the track pretty fast.”

Yates said he welcome the addition of a new manufacturer in NASCAR’s premier series, which currently has Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota.

“We may lose some customers over that, but from an overall sports perspective, I think another manufacturer would be very healthy,” he said. “Obviously I care deeply about NASCAR and the success of the sport is success for all of us, and that’s what we all want.”

Kligerman: NASCAR is Uncool, Which Makes It So Cool.

By Parker Kligerman

(Photo/Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

NASCAR also is not cool.

How do I know this? No sport would be making the monumental news as we saw Monday, if everything was as cool as the backside of Pluto.

These are the signs of something feeling seemingly uncool.

And to be honest  —  I love that.

Many of you will start hitting your screens at this point, sending your misspelled death threats and attempting to throw me out of this sport. The fact is if NASCAR was actually “cool,” none of the 2017 enhancements would have happened (which would delight many of the longtime fans).

Over the last three years alone, we have seen changes in how NASCAR crowns a champion, how the cars are driven, set up and built … and now, how NASCAR conducts the simple matter of a race.

We are no different than the young man leaving middle school who is more interested in some fantasy role-playing game than girls. He enters high school realizing he has very few friends. So he decides to smoke cigarettes, wear a hoodie and buys overpriced sneakers.

Most of the “cool” kids will see through that, so he will remain where he started – uncool.

And that’s good.

The thing is, when you think back to your high school days, the most uncool people go on to do simply the coolest things.

NASCAR can be uncool, but revolutionizing its approach to racing could be the coolest thing yet.

As Hoffman’s character also said in Cameron Crowe’s cult classic about the price of fame and success in 1970s rock and roll: “The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you’re uncool.”

Which is exactly where NASCAR is as a sport. We are sharing the asocial actions together, witnessing some truly cool times.

Who’s cooler? Kim Kardashian? Or the anonymous man, three whiskeys deep at Pianos on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, playing acoustic sets on Wednesdays with a voice made of gravel and tobacco tar?

Sure, the man is not as “cool” as a reality TV show star on Instagram.

But give him two hours, as you sip on your cocktail or Pabst Blue Ribbon of choice. He will weave you through the ups and downs of a lost soul searching for what Kim Kardashian has. He will lament his past chances and the gig that made him a star for a week.

It’s his mysterious, dark and depressing reality that makes him so uncool.

His set will end, and you’ll walk up and say it was incredible. He’ll toss a glance, say, “Thanks” than go back to his phone to check a text. He’ll fish around his pocket for his Metrocard, look back at you and remind you that you can now find him on iTunes. Although there have been millions before him in the same position, even he sees a need to change with the times.

He can remain uncool even while striving for a relevance that keeps him earnestly and genuinely appealing.

With Kim Kardashian, her life is supposed to be the coolest, but you know everything about it. We all can figure out what it’s like to be uber-rich, as you can just look at one of the million shows dedicated to their lifestyles. There really isn’t a big difference between partying with Kanye West and your best friends, aside from a possibly nicer setting.

Over time her reign as the coolest thing on the Internet will fade like the gloss on Kanye’s Lamborghini.

But the man at Pianos still will be playing on Wednesdays. And still entertaining.

It’s much the same with NASCAR.

For many years before and after the new millennium, we raced our way into the position of the fastest-growing sport in the land of the free. Many thought when they saw pop-culture stars at a race, that they would all become fans, and NASCAR would be cool.

It didn’t happen, and in my view, we are better for it.

We are not the coolest kids on the block.

We don’t find our stars on Page Six, or splashed in Internet scandals. Our races don’t draw the courtside celebrity appearances often seen at games that strive for the validation of a culture built around reality TV tastemakers such as Kardashian.

But who cares?

We have stars such as Jimmie Johnson, who is as real as any guy you might find sipping a Corona on a summer night in a tropical bar.

He also wields a beard so perfect, scientists will study it to help create lifelike robots. His athleticism, determination and simple grit have made him   a legend.

Or on the younger scale, we have stars who seem to represent the very definition of individuality. Such as Ryan Blaney, whose flowing locks my sister describes as “hot.” He is a Star Wars geek with a growing penchant for New York City who, if asked, could drive his car to Mars.

Or Chris Buescher, who represents the next generation of farmer. Doing your farming (whatever that might entail) while making sure it’s all on Snapchat and Instagram. He found a way to become a rising star by sleeping on a man’s couch.

Even Daniel Suarez, who calmly has carried the weight of an entire nation on his shoulders. Through that, he has found a way to win and become a champion. Now he has a chance at becoming a star that could be a bonafide hero in his home country.

We may have lost the chance at being cool, like the man singing at Pianos.

But the fact is our uncoolness is producing enhancements that 20 years ago would have been described as lunacy. Our stars are more real and interesting than any of the supposed “cool” ones out there.

No matter which way the sport heads, I think it’s going to be an unsterilized, chaotic, glorious, hell of a time.

That’s what makes it so damn cool.

Join me.

For we are not cool.

SOCCER: Chicago’s Soldier Field to Host 2017 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target.

Chicago Fire Communications

On the brink of its milestone 20th Season in Major League Soccer, the Chicago Fire Soccer Club announced in partnership with MLS today that Chicago’s Soldier Field will be the site of the 2017 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target, set for Wednesday, Aug. 2. The league’s 22nd annual mid-summer celebration will feature several days of festivities in downtown Chicago, culminating in a match that showcases top MLS performers against an international superclub.

The announcement came Tuesday in a news conference at Soldier Field featuring MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Chicago Fire Soccer Club Owner and Chairman Andrew Hauptman, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

“The Chicago Fire is honored to join Major League Soccer and the City of Chicago in hosting the 2017 All-Star Game presented by Target," Chicago Fire owner and chairman Andrew Hauptman said. "The game is a great opportunity to bring international attention to our city, league and soccer club and we are excited for the spotlight to be on historic Soldier Field this August for an amazing match between MLS’s best players and a prestigious international club. As the Chicago Fire marks its 20th anniversary season, we are pleased to count this marquee event as part of our season-long celebration of soccer in the Windy City and I am personally grateful to our host committee for joining us in welcoming the All-Star Game to Chicago.”

“Chicago is one of the great sports cities in America, and Soldier Field is one of the most historic venues in this country and around the world,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “The MLS All-Star Game is an opportunity to take the best of our league and put them up against one of the best clubs while broadcasting it around the globe.”

“I want to thank the Chicago Fire for being invested in all parts of the City of Chicago,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “Over the last four or five years, we’ve added about 40 to 50 soccer fields across the City of Chicago. The Chicago Fire has been a great partner in providing resources and helping with the activities.”

As the host club for the 2017 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target, the Chicago Fire stands at the center of burgeoning soccer market boasting 3.4 million soccer fans and nearly a million participants. The club is directly affiliated with more than 150 regional soccer organizations, interacts with more than 70,000 individuals annually through community soccer outreach programs, and manages a youth club with more than 16,000 players and the city’s largest adult recreational league, with more than 14,000 participants.

As head coach of the MLS All-Star Game’s host club, the Chicago Fire’s Veljko Paunovic will have the distinction of serving as head coach of the MLS All-Stars.

The 2017 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target marks the second time Chicago has hosted the event. The previous occurrence came at Toyota Park in the stadium’s inaugural year of 2006, when the MLS All-Stars defeated English side Chelsea FC, 1-0.

Soldier Field, with a capacity of 61,500, has played host to some of the most exciting sporting and entertainment events in the world including CONCACAF Gold Cup matches, World Cup Qualifiers, 1994 FIFA World Cup matches, and last summer’s Copa America Centenario. Not only has Soldier Field hosted a wealth of international soccer events, the venerable Chicago landmark also has a rich MLS legacy, as it was home to the Chicago Fire for the club's first four seasons, from 1998-2001, then again from 2003-2005. The Fire owned a 62-23-10 record (.705 winning percentage) in their home games played at Soldier Field, a span which also includes the club's three appearances in MLS Cup.

The 2017 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target will be broadcast live on the ESPN, Univision, TSN, and RDS family of networks, as well as to more than 100 countries worldwide via MLS’ international broadcast partners.

A host committee of senior leaders across Chicago is currently in formation.  The committee members will serve as ambassadors for the city and for the sport of soccer leading up to the All-Star Game.

Chicago All-Star Game Host Committee **in formation**

Ellen Bronfman Hauptman and Andrew Hauptman, chairs

Michael Alter                           President, The Alter GroupKara Bachman                        Executive Director, Chicago Sports Commission
Philip J. Bedella                       Vice President-General Manager, CSN Chicago
Hebru Brantley                        Artist
Kam Buckner                          Executive Director, World Sport Chicago
Steve Crown                           Partner, Henry Crown & Company
Patrick Donelly                        General Manager, Hyatt Regency Chicago
Aaron Erter                             Senior Vice President, Valspar
Dan Flynn                               CEO & Secretary General, U.S. Soccer
Matthew Gibson                      Partner, Goldman Sachs
Jim Gordon                             Founder & Managing Partner, The Edgewater Funds
Lori Healey                              CEO, Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority
Mellody Hobson                      President, Ariel Investments
Michael P. Kelly                       General Superintendent & CEO, Chicago Park District
Frank Klopas                          Former Chicago Fire Player & Coach; Current TV Broadcaster
Steve Koch                             Deputy Mayor of Chicago
Tim LeFevour                         General Manager, Soldier Field
J Jeffry Louis                          Chairman, Gannett Company, Inc.
Brian McBride                         Former Chicago Fire Soccer Club player & member US Soccer Hall of Fame
Theresa E. Mintle                    President & CEO, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
Martin Nesbitt                          Co-Founder & Co-CEO, The Vistria Group
Hank Paulson                         Chairman, Paulson Institute
Gigi Pritzker                            Chair & CEO, Madison Wells Media; President, Pritzker Foundation
Penny Pritzker                        Founder & Chairman, PSP Capital Partners, LLC
Michael Pucker                       Chairman & CEO, DNS Capital; Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP
Steve Quazzo                         CEO, Pearlmark Real Estate Partners
Jerry Reinsdorf                       Chairman, Chicago White Sox & Chicago Bulls
Michael Reinsdorf                   President & COO, Chicago Bulls
Nancy Reinsdorf                    President, Chicago Bulls Charities
Larry Richman                        President & CEO, PrivateBancorp, Inc.
Tom Ricketts                          Chairman, Incapital LLC
Robbie Robinson                    Managing Director, BDT Capital Partners, LLC
Desiree Rogers                      CEO, Johnson Publishing
Jesse Ruiz                              Partner, Drinker Biddle
Michael J. Sacks                    Chairman & CEO, GCM Grosvenor
Sharene Shariatzadeh            Executive Director, Chicago Cultural Mile
David Simas                            CEO, Obama Foundation
Sarah Spain                            Radio Host & Columnist, ESPN
Dr. Bryan Traubert                 Chairman, The Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation
Ben Weprin                             Principal, AJ Capital Partners
Larry Wert                               President, Broadcast Media, Tribune Media
Rocky Wirtz                            Chairman, Chicago Blackhawk Hockey Team, Inc.

ALL-TIME MLS ALL-STAR GAMES

1996: East 3, West 2 (E. Rutherford, N.J.)
1997: East 5, West 4 (E. Rutherford, N.J.)
1998: MLS USA 6, MLS World 1 (Orlando, Fla.)
1999: West 6, East 4 (San Diego, Calif.)
2000: East 9, West 4 (Columbus, Ohio)
2001: East 6, West 6 (San Jose, Calif.)
2002: MLS 3, U.S. National Team 2 (Washington, D.C.)
2003: MLS 3, CD Guadalajara 1 (Carson, Calif.)
2004: East 3, West 2 (Washington, D.C.)
2005: MLS 4, Fulham FC 1 (Columbus, Ohio)
2006: MLS 1, Chelsea FC 0 (Bridgeview, Ill.)
2007: MLS 2, Celtic FC 0 (Commerce City, Colo.)
2008: MLS 3, West Ham United FC 2 (Toronto, Ont., Canada)
2009: MLS 1, Everton FC 1 (Everton 4-3 pen) (Sandy, Utah)
2010: Manchester United FC 5, MLS 2 (Houston, Texas)
2011: Manchester United FC 4, MLS 0 (Harrison, N.J.)
2012: MLS 3, Chelsea FC 2 (Chester, Pa.)
2013: A.S. Roma 3, MLS 1 (Kansas City, Kan.) 
2014: MLS 2, FC Bayern Munich 1 (Portland, Ore.)
2015: MLS 2 Tottenham Hotspur FC 1 (Denver, Colo.)
2016: Arsenal FC 2, MLS 1 (San Jose, Calif.)
2017: MLS vs. TBD

Fire officially sign top two picks, Daniel Johnson and Stefan Cleveland.

By Dan Santaromita

(Photo/csnchicago.com)

It didn't take long for the Chicago Fire to wrap up the signings of the club's top two 2017 draft picks.

The club announced the signings of first-round pick Daniel Johnson and second-rounder Stefan Cleveland on Monday. Both contracts are one-year guaranteed deals with club options through 2020.

Johnson was taken No. 11 overall and became the Fire's first pick after the No. 3 overall pick was traded away for general allocation money. Johnson is a wide midfielder who began his collegiate career at Maryland before finishing up with two years at Louisville.

Cleveland, a 6-foot-2 goalkeeper, also transferred to Louisville to finish his college ball. Cleveland spent four years at Dartmouth, starting three of them. The Ivy League does not grant redshirt years so Cleveland, who did not play his first year on campus in 2012, transferred to Louisville for his final year of eligibility. Cleveland then became a teammate of Johnson.

Cleveland is likely to be the team's No. 3 goalkeeper behind Jorge Bava and Matt Lampson. He would be a logical candidate to spent time on loan in 2017 to get playing time.

With these two officially signed, the Fire have 24 players under contract. Three more draft picks, second-rounder Guillermo Delgado, third-rounder Brondt Bronico and fourth-round pick Matej Dekovic remain unsigned.

Premier League Wednesday preview: Manchester rising?

By Nicholas Mendola

(Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)

It’d be too dramatic to call Wednesday something snappy like “Manchester’s Last Stand”, but it’s difficult to ignore how important the day could be for the fortunes of the city’s two Premier League giants.

With Chelsea drawing Liverpool, Arsenal losing to Watford, and Spurs drawing Sunderland, the Premier League’s Top Four collected a total of three points, waving Manchester United and Manchester City toward the open door that leads to the Top Four.

While neither side can finish the day any higher than fifth — City could pass Liverpool if it beat West Ham by 10 — creeping to the precipice would feel just fine for managers Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho.

West Ham United vs. Manchester City — 2:45 p.m. EDT

City starts 15 minutes before its crosstown rivals, and faces a side it blasted 5-0 in the FA Cup last month. But Slaven Bilic‘s Irons aren’t pushovers, and have been making moves up the table since a dreadful start to the season.

The visitors will be within a point of second if they can manage to beat West Ham, maybe even scrounging up a bit of title hope considering Chelsea remains on its schedule. But it all starts with the Hammers, who will likely hand debuts to Jose Fonte and Robert Snodgrass.

Manchester United vs. Hull City  — 3 p.m. EDT

The red side of Manchester can move to within a win of second and two points of fourth by besting the Tigers, who barely resemble the club that begin the Premier League campaign. Full marks to Marco Silva, but he’ll only be thinking that the three teams above him in the relegation battle all snared at least a point on Tuesday.

Stoke City vs. Everton — 3 p.m. EDT

Another big debut is coming at the Britannia Stadium, where Saido Berahino will pull on the red and white for the first time. Stoke and Everton both would like to shake the midtable label at some point, and showing superiority in this one would be a good start. Seventh place Everton opens the day with a eight-point advantage over 10th place Stoke.

Premier League roundup: Big boys all drop points.

By Nicholas Mendola

(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The Top Four teams in the Premier League table picked up a total of three points on Tuesday, opening the door for Manchester United and Manchester City to make the race a bit more snug.

Man City is off to West Ham United on Wednesday, while Manchester United hosts a Hull City side which saw its three closest competitors gain points in the race to avoid relegation on Tuesday.

All that, and more, below…

Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea — RECAP

David Luiz netted a free kick early, catching Simon Mignolet by surprise, but Georginio Wijnaldum provided an equalizer before Mignolet stopped a late Diego Costa penalty kick to save a point for the Reds.

Arsenal 1-2 Watford — RECAP

Younes Kaboul and Troy Deeney put their names on the score sheet before the match was 20 minutes old at the Emirates Stadium, and the out-of-sorts Gunners could only find a 58th minute goal from Alex Iwobi in failing to take advantage of Chelsea’s draw with Liverpool. Speaking of Chelsea, a trip to Stamford Bridge is next for the Gunners.

Burnley 1-0 Leicester City — RECAP

The Clarets dominated this one, though their game-winner came via a goal that shouldn’t have counted on the scoreboard. Sam Vokes handled the ball off a corner kick before slotting it home, but Mike Dean didn’t see the offense.

Sunderland 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur — RECAP

Spurs could’ve moved to within seven points of Chelsea, but couldn’t find finish against a Black Cats side which had the hatches battened down at the Stadium of Light.

Bournemouth 0-2 Crystal Palace — RECAP

The Eagles came out lively, and took the lead through Scott Dann before Christian Benteke‘s first Premier League goal since Dec. 10 lifted Sam Allardyce to his first win as Palace boss. The Eagles, however, remain in the drop zone because…

Swansea City 2-1 Southampton — RECAP

…Alfie Mawson! The oft-maligned center back summer signing gave Paul Clement‘s side another Premier League lead, and Gylfi Sigurdsson made sure Swans didn’t die when Shane Long briefly equalized at the Liberty Stadium. Swansea remains two points clear of the drop zone, and its 21 points are level with 15th place Middlesbrough and 16th place Leicester City.

Middlesbrough 1-1 West Bromwich Albion — RECAP

James Morrison scored against his former team, only to see Alvaro Negredo put the hosts on level terms. There wasn’t much to like in the final 70 minutes.

NCAABKB: 2017 NCAA Associated Press Basketball Rankings, 01/30/2017.

AP

RANK	SCHOOL	POINTS	RECORD	PREVIOUS
1	Gonzaga (46)	1594	22-0	3
2	Baylor (6)	1504	20-1	5
3	Kansas (9)	1503	19-2	2
4	Villanova (4)	1479	20-2	1
5	Arizona	1387	20-2	7
6	Louisville	1237	18-4	13
7	West Virginia	1101	17-4	18
8	Kentucky	1083	17-4	2
9	Virginia	1061	16-4	12
10	Wisconsin	1058	18-3	15
11	UCLA	993	19-3	8
12	North Carolina	965	19-4	9
13	Oregon	863	19-3	10
14	Cincinnati	756	19-2	19
15	Florida State	727	18-4	6
16	Butler	717	18-4	11
17	Maryland	518	19-2	22
18	St. Mary's	409	19-2	21
19	South Carolina	384	17-4	23
20	Notre Dame	363	17-5	14
21	Duke	339	16-5	17
22	Creighton	307	19-3	16
23	Purdue	264	17-5	20
24	Florida	213	16-5	25
25	Northwestern	106	18-4	NR

Others receiving votes: SMU 69, Xavier 67, Southern Cal 29, Wichita State 8, Akron 5, Middle Tennessee 5, VCU 3, Illinois State 2, New Mexico State 2, Virginia Tech 2, Iowa State 1, Utah 1

Forde Minutes: 10 key storylines for college basketball's stretch run.

By Pat Forde

John Calipari and Kentucky have lost their last two games. (Photo/Getty)

The Minutes makes its triumphant return, full of accrued wisdom from watching hoops incessantly since the college football season ended. On Tuesday night, we’ll say goodbye to everyone’s favorite gambler, Brent Musburger. On Wednesday, we’ll say hello to the sprint toward Selection Sunday. Here’s what you need to know to be ready for it.

STRETCH RUN STORYLINES

Is the freshman class (1) overrated? There was a lot of frothing in October and November about the recruiting class of 2017, how it was one of the best ever and would have an immediate impact on the game before quickly moving on to the NBA. With 40 days until Selection Sunday, the hype has far exceeded the reality.

The vast majority of teams currently considered title contenders are doing it with freshmen as role players, if at all.

Of the top 10 teams in the AP rankings, only four have a freshman among their top five in average minutes per game: Kansas, Villanova, Arizona and Kentucky. Of that group, only Arizona (three) and Kentucky (four) have multiple freshmen earning top-five minutes.

By acclamation, the top two recruiting classes heading into the season belonged to Duke and Kentucky. Not coincidentally, they also started the year 1-2 in the rankings. Ask those fan bases today if they’re happy how things are going.

Injury-riddled, controversy-dogged, chemistry-challenged Duke has plummeted from No. 1 in the nation to tied for sixth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Kentucky is coming off consecutive losses to Tennessee and Kansas, and for the fourth time in the last five winters its fans are expending a lot of energy wondering whether a program built on freshmen is the smartest strategy.

Elsewhere in Freshman America: Washington’s Markelle Fultz is this year’s Ben Simmons, performing superbly for a team that is going nowhere; Michigan State’s record with the celebrated Miles Bridges in the lineup is 7-8, without him the Spartans are 6-1; North Carolina State is No. 78 in the Pomeroy Ratings with the touted Dennis Smith Jr., and was No. 66 last year at this point without him.

Some freshmen are playing extremely well and could be part of deep tournament runs: Josh Jackson at Kansas; Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf at UCLA; all the guys at Arizona; and it’s too early to count out the light switch turning on at Kentucky and Duke. But as it stands right now, veteran teams have moved to the forefront heading into February.

Duke drama (2). Mike Krzyzewski is missing from the bench after back surgery, but that didn’t stop him from holding a team meeting at his house last week to strip the Blue Devils of their practice gear and locker-room privileges. Tripping bandit Grayson Allen is the most controversial college basketball player in years. The freshmen and veterans still haven’t figured out how to play together. Just two players have appeared in every Duke game. All that, and the Devils still haven’t played North Carolina once. The putative model program has become Melodrama Central. Will they chill out and coalesce in time for March?

The nightly brawl that is the Atlantic Coast Conference (3). “It’s a crazy conference,” Louisville coach Rick Pitino said Sunday. “It just really is.” This looks like a possible 10-bid league, maybe even 11 when all is said and done, which would tie the NCAA tournament record. That ridiculous depth was evident Saturday, when ranked Florida State, Notre Dame and North Carolina all lost to unranked opponents – two of them badly. The pecking order could change half a dozen times between now and March 12, but this week the red-hot team is Louisville. The Cardinals won their last two games (Pittsburgh, North Carolina State) by a combined 80 points, the biggest margin in consecutive league contests for any power-six school in the nation this season.

The Kansas cloud (4). The Jayhawks are coming off a big win at Kentucky and are 19-2 on the season, but all is not well in Lawrence. An investigation of a reported rape of a 16-year-old in the basketball dorm has been ongoing for weeks, with no charges yet but also no escaping the speculation and scrutiny. As an offshoot of that, big man Carlton Bragg was suspended last week and charged this week with possession of marijuana paraphernalia that was confiscated in a search of the dorm. And then the Kansas City Star reported this on Monday night. When and how this ends, nobody knows at this point.

The NCAA tournament selection committee sneak peek (5). Stealing a page from the College Football Playoff playbook, the NCAA will give a preliminary look at his top 16 seeds on Feb. 11, a month ahead of Selection Sunday. Like the football version, this reveal figures to create a lot of hyperventilating about standings that can and likely will change dramatically when it’s time for the real thing. The purpose is to start the attention clock on casual fans who don’t pay much attention until March and pump some more interest into the regular season as it plays out. It can’t hurt. Not sure it will help.

Is Villanova (6) on track for a repeat? The Wildcats are 20-2 and sixth in the Pomeroy Ratings. Of the six previous defending champions, only one ranked higher with KenPom heading into February (Duke 2011 was fourth). Only one other defending champ (Louisville ’14) was in the Pomeroy Top 10 at this point. Average ranking of the previous six defending titlists at this stage of the season was 25^th. So if you’re into stats, Villanova is a very viable repeat possibility. And if you’re into watching games you’d say so as well. Even with unsung Final Four hero Phil Booth sidelined since November, Jay Wright has the requisite veteran cast for a deep run. Perhaps even a repeat run.

Has the West Coast (7) become the best coast? Probably not, but at least it’s a quality coast. This is good news for a sport that has been out of balance regionally for several years. Gonzaga is ranked No. 1 for the second time in school history and is the last unbeaten team, with a solid chance of being 30-0 heading into the postseason (which is where the Zags must finally prove themselves). The Pac-12 is good at the top, with Arizona now rolling after the return of Allonzo Trier from a 19-game suspension for PED use. Oregon and UCLA are quality teams as well. The missing piece is the diminished Mountain West, which looks like a one-bid conference for the second straight season.

Indiana (8) on the brink. The injury-riddled and defensively indifferent Hoosiers are in free fall toward the bubble after a promising start to the season. The same team that beat Kansas and North Carolina has lost to Fort Wayne, Nebraska and Michigan by 30. Indiana lost starting guard Collin Hartman before the season to a torn ACL, probable first-round NBA pick O.G. Anunoby earlier in January to a torn ACL, and has guard and leading scorer James Blackmon out indefinitely with a leg injury. But even with Anunoby and Blackmon in the lineup, things were amiss with Indiana. Can Tom Crean circle the wagons and shore up the defense well enough to avoid missing the Big Dance for the second time in the last four years?

Northwestern (9) on the brink of something far more exciting. The only major-conference school that has never been part of the NCAA tournament is in the field for now. The Wildcats have won six straight Big Ten games, advancing to 18-4 overall and just a half-game out of first place in a league that has annually squashed them. It would take a complete collapse not to make the tourney – but when it comes to Northwestern basketball, take nothing for granted. In his fourth season on the job, Chris Collins is about to become the most accomplished coach in school history.

Is there a changing of the guard in the Missouri Valley (10)? Wichita State has ruled this conference for years. It has won the last three regular-season titles, going 51-3 during that stretch, and four years ago it made a memorable run to the Final Four. But at present the Shockers are a game behind Illinois State (18-4, 10-0 in the MVC). The brassy Redbirds beat Wichita State by 14 at home Jan. 14, and if they can sweep the Shockers on Saturday on the road, that might lock up their first Valley title since 1998. But ISU will be challenged going forward if forward MiKyle McIntosh remains sidelined – he missed the Redbirds’ last game, at Evansville, with a knee injury and his availability is uncertain this week.

BUBBLE TEAMS IN NEED OF A SOLID STRETCH RUN

Five schools that are .500 or worse in league play but have opportunities to play their way into the tournament in the coming weeks:

Michigan (11). The Wolverines (14-8, 4-5 in Big Ten) are 0-6 in true road games this season, and their losing record in conference negates the November victories over SMU and Marquette in New York. There is no way the committee is taking a team that is winless on the road, so upcoming trips to Indiana, Minnesota, Rutgers, Northwestern and Nebraska are very important. Home games against Big Ten co-leader Wisconsin and Purdue loom large as well.

Georgia (12). At present, there are four SEC teams in most mock brackets: Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina and Arkansas. The idea of adding a fifth seems about as smart as adding more bowl games, but the Bulldogs (13-8, 4-4) are hanging around the bubble and have some opportunities for big wins upcoming. Georgia plays Kentucky twice (first time is Tuesday in Lexington), Florida, South Carolina and Arkansas once more, plus a trip to Tennessee. Winning two or three of those would give the ‘Dogs a chance – and also enhance Mark Fox’s job security.

Clemson (13). The Tigers (12-8, 2-6) have no bad losses, but they also have a lot of them. Still, the remaining slate offers some get-well opportunities for the team that has played the toughest ACC schedule to date, according to Ken Pomeroy. Clemson has six remaining home games, all of them winnable (Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Wake Forest, Florida State, North Carolina State, Boston College). Go 6-0 in those games, swipe one on the road (perhaps at Virginia Tech on Feb. 21), and Clemson is 19-11, 9-9 heading into the ACC tourney.

Texas Tech (14). Like Michigan, the Red Raiders (15-6, 3-5) have a road problem – they’re 0-4 there in Big 12 play, and in non-conference action only played one true road game (a good win, at Richmond). In order to play their way into the bracket, Chris Beard’s team needs to win a couple away from Lubbock and perhaps score a big upset at home (Kansas and Baylor visit Feb. 11 and 13).

Seton Hall (15). The Pirates (13-7, 3-5) certainly did not spend November and December sitting at home and playing it safe – seven of their first 10 games were on the road or at neutral sites. Along the way they picked up good wins over South Carolina, California and Iowa. But in Big East play they’ve done little since beating Marquette in the final minute at home on Jan. 1. Seton Hall has three games left against depleted teams (Xavier twice and Creighton), plus five against lower-division Big East opponents (Georgetown twice, Providence, DePaul, St. John’s). If the Pirates can replicate their 6-1 February from last year, they’d be in good shape.

NEW FACES, NEW PLACES, NICE RESULTS

Five coaches making an instant impact in their new jobs:

Jamie Dixon (16), TCU. The Horned Frogs have never been better than 4-14 in Big 12 play. In year one under Dixon they’re 3-5, and their 14 overall wins already has surpassed last year’s season total by two. The Frogs’ win at Texas on Jan. 11 was just their second Big 12 road victory in five seasons in the league. Dixon has brought a couple of his program staples from Pittsburgh: ball movement for quality shots, and vigorous crashing of the offensive glass. Reality has arrived in the way of a current four-game losing streak, but TCU already is better off under Dixon than at any point under Trent Johnson.

Josh Pastner (17), Georgia Tech. The leading candidate for ACC Coach of the Year? Yeah, it’s the guy Memphis paid seven figures to go away after last season. After taking over a team that lost 76 percent of its scoring from 2015-16 and seemed destined for the league basement, Pastner has engineered upsets of North Carolina, Florida State and Notre Dame. Combine those wins with a victory at VCU, and Tech (13-8, 5-4) is starting to cobble together an NCAA tourney résumé – something the Yellow Jackets last visited in 2010. Pastner made a savvy move when he hired former Portland head coach Eric Reveno to give him an experienced sounding board, and he’s done some sharp in-game coaching by mixing up defenses. By ACC standards, the remaining schedule is not that tough – Tech could pile up more wins in the coming weeks.

Johnny Dawkins (18), UCF.  Heading into February, the Knights are 70^th in the Pomeroy Ratings. Heading into February last year, they were 173^rd. After being fired at Stanford, Dawkins landed in a job with both potential and a solid handful of returning players. He’s improved their production and improved the overall product. At 14-7, UCF already has more victories than in any season since 2013.

Steve Pikiell (19) Rutgers. The last viewing of the Scarlet Knights was painful: up nine points on Wisconsin with 3:20 to play, Rutgers staggered to the end of regulation in missing four of their final five shots, four of six free throws and committing two turnovers. The Knights then lost in overtime. But here’s the bigger picture: Last-place Rutgers had the Big Ten leader on the ropes for 45 minutes. Under Pikiell, the Knights have moved up nearly 150 spots year-over-year in the Pomeroy Ratings, from 275 to 129, and are playing defense so much better that it’s virtually unrecognizable from last year.

Brad Underwood (20), Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are playing at a tempo neither Hank Iba nor Eddie Sutton would recognize, with the average offensive and defensive possessions both lasting fewer than 16.5 seconds. They entered Monday as the No. 2 offensive efficiency team in the country, but it was more a case of sheer tenacity and will that carried the Cowboys to a frantic, 68-66 win at Oklahoma – their first win in Norman since 2004. That’s four straight victories for Oklahoma State, which will keep them on the right side of the bubble heading into February.

NEW FACES, NEW PLACES, NOT-SO-NICE RESULTS

Five coaches who have not exactly set their new world on fire:

Kevin Stallings (21), Pittsburgh. Bizarre hire that has played out disastrously to date. The Panthers (12-9, 1-7) are last in the ACC and riding a six-game losing streak that includes losses by 26 and 55 points at home. And here’s the really scary thing: that’s with four seniors in the starting lineup. Suffice to say, there seems to be a lack of a buy-in by the veteran holdovers, and next year could be nuclear winter. All the Pitt fans who didn’t think Jamie Dixon was good enough, how are you feeling now?

LaVall Jordan (22), Milwaukee. Rob Jeter had five 20-win seasons in 11 years at Milwaukee, including 2015-16 – after which he was surprisingly fired. Jordan was the replacement, coming over from John Beilein’s bench at Michigan, and the result has been an 8-15 struggle that includes a 23-point loss to South Dakota State and a 16-point home loss to Western Illinois. That Panthers have managed to win three of their last four, but the Pomeroy Rating is down 155 spots year-over-year.

Travis Ford (23), Saint Louis. Next year, everything will be better – Ford has pulled off a couple of huge high school recruiting coups and landed a couple of high-level transfers. But the current product is ugly. The Billikens are 6-15 overall, 2-7 and tied for last in the Atlantic-10, and ranked 304^th out of 351 teams by Pomeroy. No A-10 team has finished the year in the 300s since Fordham went 2-26 in 2010.

Mike Dunleavy (24), Tulane. Landing the former NBA coach at a lower-level American Athletic Conference school seemed like a major coup at the time, and perhaps it still will be. For now, however, the team is a mess. The Green Wave is 4-17 and needs to find one win (home against South Florida on Feb. 18, perhaps) to avoid tying the 1989-90 team for the fewest wins in the last half century. Of course, that team had an excuse: it was the first season back after Tulane dropped the sport for five years.

Rick Stansbury (25), Western Kentucky. Ray Harper resigned abruptly last year for off-court reasons, giving Kentucky native Stansbury a chance to revive his career. He’s added a couple of shocking recruiting scores that could vault WKU to the top of Conference USA, but they’re not around to help this season. Even with four seniors starting, the Hilltoppers (11-11) could be headed for their worst record since 1999-2000, when they went 11-18.

KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE AND YOUR REALTOR CLOSER

The hottest seats in college basketball:

Kim Anderson (26), Missouri. There is no curiosity here, no drama, no uncertainty. Anderson is done, his third season on the job a 5-15 nightmare that includes home losses to Lipscomb, Eastern Illinois and North Carolina Central, and an 0-8 record in the Southeastern Conference. This will be Anderson’s third straight season of 20-plus losses and quite likely his third straight last-place SEC finish. The Norm Stewart old guard pushed for his hire because they wanted a “Mizzou Man” on the job, and it was a failure of epic proportion. Look for Cuonzo Martin of California and Kevin Keatts of North Carolina-Wilmington to be among Mizzou’s first options when it’s time to hire the next guy.

Johnny Jones (27), LSU. Thank goodness for Missouri, because it’s the only SEC team Jones has been able to beat this season. Joe Alleva’s misguided decision to bring back Jones for a fifth year after busting with Ben Simmons last season has yielded predictable results: the Tigers are 9-11 overall, 1-7 in the SEC and riding a seven-game losing streak. They’ve lost four times by 30 or more points, which should embarrass all involved parties.

Lorenzo Romar (28), Washington. He’s presiding over this year’s Ben Simmons – Markelle Fultz has a chance to be the first pick in the NBA draft, but he’s part of the sixth straight Romar-coached Huskies team that will miss the NCAA tournament. Washington is 9-12, 2-7 in the Pac-12, and has nothing remotely resembling a quality win. If the school keeps him because he signed the Rivals.com 2017 No. 1 prospect Michael Porter Jr., it’s the biggest sucker play in the sport.

John Groce (29), Illinois. Took Bruce Weber’s players to the NCAA tournament his first season in 2013, and he hasn’t been back since. Groce’s Big Ten record is 32-49, and he’s 3-6 this season. A tourney berth could change things, but this team is a long way from that at present.

Craig Neal (30), New Mexico. Neal went 27-7 his first season with Steve Alford’s leftovers, and it’s been a muddle of mediocrity ever since. He’s 45-40 since then, 23-23 in a down Mountain West. A recent four-game winning streak was emphatically halted in a 17-point loss to Nevada.

John Thompson III (31), Georgetown. Can you fire the son of the program patriarch? We might be a few weeks from finding out. It’s been a decade since JTIII took the Hoyas to the Final Four, and a decade since they even made the Sweet 16. There have been some quality wins this season – Oregon, at Syracuse, at Butler – but at 12-10, 3-6 in the Big East, this looks like a third missed NCAA tournament in four years, and a second in a row.

Tim Floyd (32), UTEP. The Miners have won four of their last five in an attempt to salvage the season after an epically bad, 2-14 start that included home losses to Maryland Eastern Shore, Northern Arizona, Northwestern State and Southeastern Louisiana. This is the former NBA coach’s seventh season at UTEP and there still are no NCAA bids to show for it.

Jeff Lebo (33), East Carolina. This is year 19 as a Division I head coach. He’s taken none of the previous 18 teams to the NCAA tournament, and this year’s 10-12 squad, his seventh at ECU, surely isn’t going either. At what point does that become a fireable offense?

FIVE QUESTIONS WITH A COACH

The Minutes spent five probing the mind of one of the top coaches in the game. This week’s subject: West Virginia’s Bob Huggins (34). This week’s topic: being willing to change philosophies.

FM: What led you to embrace the “Press Virginia” style four seasons ago, cranking up the tempo and pressing full-court?

BH: I though we would try something different. I didn’t think we could win in the Big 12 playing the way everyone else did. I asked Kevin Mackey (the former Cleveland State coach), “Can I do this?” He said yeah. My biggest concern was how long it would take. It took an enormous amount of time.

FM: But it’s working extremely well now. Has this been fun to coach?

BH: The players like it. It’s a fun way to play. You’re not giving up any of the court now, where we used to give up half the court. Thirty-two percent of our offense comes from our defense (the highest percentage in the nation of points off turnovers).

FM: The one constant with all your teams has been great effort, regardless of style. That’s never changed.

BH: It changed the year we won 13 (in 2012-13). You hear about relating to players, kinder and gentler, that kind of stuff – we didn’t have guys who were very tough that year.

FM: You’ve recruited a lot of toughness since then. Are you trying to get guys to fit your style, or getting the best players you can and fitting the style to them?

BH: I’ve never had the opportunity to be at a blue-blood and recruit those guys. We just get the best guys we can possibly get and figure it out from there. I get good guys who play hard. When we don’t throw it around, we’re pretty good.

FM: You don’t seem like a blue-blood guy, though. Would you feel comfortable at North Carolina or Kentucky?

BH: I’d like to try it once, just to see. … This is a good place. Everybody ought to come to Morgantown one time.

LITERARY CORNER

If you need basketball reading material, The Minutes strongly recommends the new book by Dana O’Neil (35) of ESPN.com, “Long Shots: Jay Wright, Villanova, and College Basketball’s Most Unlikely Champion.” This chronicling of the Wildcats’ national championship is a perfect marriage of subject matter and author.

“After I decompressed from the chaos of the championship game and really thought about how Villanova got to the top of the college basketball world, I realized this was more than the culmination of one season of work,” O’Neil said. “As a former Villanova beat writer at the Philadelphia Daily News and a national writer at ESPN.com, I lived through the construction, deconstruction and reconstruction of the program under Jay Wright as well as the construction, deconstruction and reconstruction of the Big East, and felt that history was as much a part of the championship story as Kris Jenkins’ buzzer beater.” 

UNDER THE RADAR LOVE

Each week The Minutes shines a some light on a player doing good work at a program off the beaten path. This week: Marcus Keene (36), Central Michigan.

He’s the nation’s leading scorer at 30.3 points per game and is coming off his fourth game of 40 or more points. The 50 he dropped on Miami (Ohio) Jan. 21 is the high game in the nation this season. But as much as Keene loves to shoot (he’s averaging 21 attempts per game in Keno Davis’ run-and-chuck system), he’s also a willing passer, averaging 5.2 assists per game.

The most interesting fact about the guy who migrated north from San Antonio? He shrank two inches after transferring from Youngstown State. Previously listed at 5-foot-11, Keene now is listed at a more accurate 5-9 at CMU.

COACH WHO EARNED HIS COMP CAR THIS WEEK

Paul Weir (37), New Mexico State. The Aggies lost Pascal Siakam early to the NBA and coach Marvin Menzies to UNLV – and yet they appear to be better in Weir’s debut season as a college head coach. They’re 21-2 and on a 19-game winning streak, undefeated in the Western Athletic Conference.

And Weir has one of the more interesting backgrounds in the game – the 37-year-old Canadian holds masters degrees from three schools (Northwestern State, Iowa and New Mexico State) and is enrolled in the Educational Leadership doctoral program at NMSU. Which means Weir has the most degrees among active coaches in Division I, and the greatest career winning percentage (.913).

COACH WHO SHOULD TAKE THE BUS TO WORK

Mark Gottfried (38), North Carolina State. Six days after winning at Duke, the Wolfpack did what they tend to do: slack off and shut down. They were mauled 85-60 by Louisville, in a game where NCSU trailed by more than 30. Illustrative of the Wolfpack’s effort was a play where Louisville center Anas Mahmoud caught the ball at the top of the key, watched his man leave him, took one dribble and two steps and slammed the ball home completely unmolested.

Mahmoud said later that the man guarding him literally said, “Oh, we’re playing zone,” and relocated to leave the lane wide open. “We never get a lane that wide open in practice,” Mahmoud said. That’s because Rick Pitino would lose his mind if it happened. Gottfried? Eh, things happen.

BUZZER BEATER

When thirsty in the basketball bedrock of Lexington, Ky., The Minutes recommends a short jaunt from Rupp Arena to the Village Idiot (39) – where the food is good and the beer is better. Get a locally brewed West Sixth IPA (40) on draft and thank The Minutes later.

NCAAFB: CFT Previews: National Signing Day.

By Zach Barnett

(Photo/nbcsports.com)

National Signing Day is upon us once again. Or, as it might as well be known now, the day Nick Saban and Urban Meyer bash everyone’s head together one more time. The next class of All-Americans, of Heisman Trophy winners, of future stars and wacky headlines becomes official on Wednesday, and no one truly knows which players will ultimately belong where. And that’s the magic of it all.

Let’s dive right into some storylines.

– Nick or Urban? Urban or Nick? Heading into Wednesday’s festivities, Alabama and Ohio State are in a neck-and-neck duel for the best class according to the 247Sports composite rankings. Alabama holds a slight lead with 310.26 total points to Ohio State’s 308.78, but Ohio State (94.62) holds the edge over the Tide (93.01) in per-player average. Alabama owns five 5-stars and 14 4-stars among its 24 commitments, while Ohio State has landed five 5-stars and 13 4-stars among its 20 pledges.

– A Smart blueprint. The harbinger of Saban’s ultimate dominance came on Signing Day in 2008 when, after a 7-6 debut, Alabama inked a No. 1 class in its first full cycle under the new staff. Kirby Smart was there for that rise, and now he’s repeating the script in Athens. After an 8-5 debut campaign, Smart’s first full class has leaped from No. 8 to No. 3 nationally, per 247 composite. With two 5-stars and 18 4-stars among its 23 pledges, Georgia won’t likely catch Alabama or Ohio State but is a safe distance away from Michigan for the No. 3 ranking.

– Texas becomes the No Star State. In a year that should give longtime observers flash backs to the dark days of the 1990’s, only four of the top 20 players in the state of Texas are committed to in-state schools. In fact, Ohio State may sign as many Texas blue-chippers as the in-state schools combined, with No. 1 defensive back Jeffrey Okudah, No. 1 linebacker Baron Browning and No. 1 running back J.K. Dobbins already in the fold and an outside shot at landing No. 1 overall player Marvin Wilson. At present, only linebacker Anthony Hines (Texas A&M) and offensive lineman Jack Anderson (Texas Tech) are committed to in-state schools among the state’s top-10 players.

– Is Signing Day going to be… boring? Only 17 of the national top 100 players of the 247 composite ranking are uncommitted as of this writing. Among the top 25, only Wilson (an LSU lean) and Georgia linebacker Aubrey Solomon (Michigan or Alabama) remain uncommitted. Though the headliners may not offer much in the way of suspense, there are still plenty of second- and third-tier players lining up for our entertainment on Wednesday. If we’re lucky, perhaps one will announce his school choice while riding on the back of a dolphin.

Dana White on ex-UFC champ Ronda Rousey's future: I 'think she's probably done'.

By Dann Stupp

The big-ticket fight between former UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and incumbent champ Amanda Nunes, right, at UFC 207 in Las Vegas on Dec. 30, 2016 ended in Rousey's shocking 48-second defeat. (Photo/John Locher/AP Images)

We may have seen the last of former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey in the cage.

Rousey (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC), who posted six consecutive title defenses from 2013-2015, lost her title to Holly Holm in November 2015, and then she returned from a yearlong layoff and suffered another TKO defeat after facing reigning champ Amanda Nunes (14-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC) in December at UFC 207.

Aside from a statement released after the loss, Rousey, who’s No. 5 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA women’s bantamweight rankings, has been relatively quiet. And according to UFC President Dana White, who said he recently spoke to the 29-year-old fighter, it could stay that way.

“In the conversation I had with her, if I had to say right here right now – again I don’t like saying right here right now because it’s up to her – but I wouldn't say she fights again,” White told UFC.com’s “UFC Unfiltered” podcast. “I think she’s probably done.”

White said Rousey’s “spirits are good” and that she’s “in a real good place” mentally and emotionally, but the Olympic medalist, who was the sport’s most visible star during her dominant UFC title reign, is likely to move on from MMA, White said.

“She’s going to ride off into the sunset and start living her life outside of fighting,” he said.

White said that’s possible because Rousey is good with her money – and because she’s made plenty of it. He suggested “Rowdy” may even be looking to “move to a desolate place and do her thing” with more privacy.

“She’s so competitive that, her career and record meant everything to her,” he said. “And then once she lost, she started to say to herself, ‘What the (expletive) am I doing? This is my whole life. This is it? I want to experience and start doing other things.’ And I think that’s what she started to do, and she’s got a lot of money. She’s never going to need money again.”

As for her legacy, White said Rousey is clearly one of the most pivotal figures in the sport’s short history and helped blaze the path for today’s current female fighters.

“I’m happy for her,” he said. “She came in and changed the world. She put female fighting on the map. She’s been part of the biggest fights in the history of women’s fighting, and I hope those records can be broken. I don’t know if they can, but I hope they do.”

On This Date in Sports History: Today is Wednesday, February 01, 2017.

Memoriesofhistory.com

1913 - Jim Thorpe signed a contract to play baseball with the New York Giants.

1929 - Weightlifter Charles Rigoulet of France achieved the first 400 pound ‘clean and jerk’ as he lifted 402-1/2 pounds.

1962 - The National League released its first 162-game schedule.

1968 - Vince Lombardi resigned as the coach of the Green Bay Packers.

1970 - Terry Sawchuck got the last shutout of his career and set the career record at 103.

1992 - Barry Bonds signed the highest single season contract. It was for $4.7 million.

1992 - Dennis Potvin's #5 became the first number to be retired by the New York Islanders.

1995 - John Stockton (Utah Jazz) became the NBA's career assist leader when he scored his 9,922nd assist to move past Magic Johnson.

2015 - Tom Brady (New England Patriots) set a Super Bowl record with 37 completions. Brady also increased his career Super Bowl touchdown passes to 13 setting a new record.

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