Cavs beat Mavs on Irving’s late layup
February 5, 2012
CLEVELAND (AP)—One spectacular late-game layup in a week wasn’t enough forrookie Kyrie Irving.
So, the cool-as-ice kid dropped in another.
Irving made a driving layup in traffic with 15.8 seconds left—one similarto the shot he made last Sunday in Boston—to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a91-88 win Saturday night over the Dallas Mavericks, who were unable to stop the19-year-old sensation when it mattered most.
“Big players make big plays,” said Mavericks guard Delonte West. “Irvingmade some big plays down the stretch.”
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Irving, who has shown a knack for last-second drama in his first season,finished with 20 points, 7 assists and just one turnover in 36 minutes. AndersonVarejao added 17 points and 17 rebounds for the Cavs, who outscored theMavericks 10-3 over the final 4:13.
After thrilling a crowd of 17,443 and helping the Cavs get their first winover a team with an above .500 record this season, Irving was brought back onthe floor to be interviewed over the loudspeakers in Quicken Loans Arena.
“I have one thing to say, Kyrie,” the arena’s in-game host said. “Welcometo Cleveland.”
Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points for Dallas and passed Elgin Baylor for 22ndplace on the NBA’s scoring list. But the Mavericks didn’t score a field goal inthe final 4:13, missing five shots and making one turnover. They won’t get achance to redeem themselves until Wednesday at Denver.
“It’s ugly, especially since we have to sit on this one for a couple ofdays,” Nowitzki said. “We’ll enjoy our day off, the best we can, and come backto work.”
Irving, who is averaging 22.8 points in his last four games, took over inthe final minutes. There was no hesitation in any move. Irving knew what hewanted to do, and he did it.
“I just feel my teammates’ confidence going down the stretch,” heexplained. “They continue to give me the ball and they have the confidence inme to make the right play for myself and for them. Once you have thatconfidence, it’s easy going into the fourth quarter.
“Being a rookie and having the ball in your hands, most people would benervous, but I’m really not. I feed off my teammates’ confidence, it feelsgood.”
So, when does he get nervous?
“I get nervous before almost every game,” he said, chuckling. “Once I getin the game, nerves go out the window. If you play nervous you’re most likelyunprepared.”
After Irving’s twisting layup, Jason Terry missed an off-balance 3-pointerwith 2.2 seconds left for Dallas. After a replay review gave the Mavericks afinal chance, Brandan Wright missed a desperation shot at the horn.
Before hitting his late layup, Irving made a similar one—after Varejao’sseventh offensive rebound—with 2:36 left to give the Cavs an 87-86 lead.
The Mavericks, who were so efficient on the way to their title last season,seemed lost on offense in the closing minutes. Terry missed with 2:14 to go andhe made a bad pass in the lane to a cutting Nowitzki, who then had his own misswith one minute left.
Varejao dropped a runner in the lane to put the Cavaliers ahead 89-86 with41.4 seconds left. Terry’s two free throws got the Mavericks within one, andthat’s when Irving, Cleveland’s young star, put the game in his hands.
He drove the left side, created some space near the basket and flipped inhis shot right-handed off the glass.
“He’s a very good young player, but we didn’t guard him very well,”Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’ll be a foundation piece for more thana decade for sure.”
Cavs coach Byron Scott was more than willing to let Irving take control.
“”We put the ball in his hands and let him make decisions,” Scott said.“He has a unique ability to get to the basket. When he gets there, he has a wayof finishing. Once he gets around guys, he is just a great finisher and he canfinish with either hand.”
Down by eight at halftime and playing ragged offensive, the Cavaliers reeledoff 13 straight points in the third quarter, in which they outscored theMavericks 27-13 and somehow took a 70-64 lead into the fourth.
Last spring, the Mavericks were adopted by Cleveland as the city rooted hardfor them in the NBA finals when they denied LeBron James and the Miami Heat achampionship.
“I heard some things about it,” Carlisle said. “Last year was great forus. We know people were pulling for us and that was one of the special thingsabout it.”
The Mavericks, who played their fifth game without point guard Jason Kidd(calf) were cheered during pregame introductions by Cavaliers fans, who wereespecially noisy for Nowitzki, the finals MVP last season.
But the loudest ovations came later for Irving. He’s not only proving to beworthy of the No. 1 overall pick but showing superstar qualities.
And he’s only getting started.
NOTES: Nowitzki needs 23 points to tie Adrian Dantley (23,177) for 21stplace. … Varejao has 51 rebounds in his last four games. He is the first Cavsplayer to get 15 in three straight since Brad Daugherty in 1994. … Mavericksowner Mark Cuban, fined $75,000 &earlier this week for criticizing officials,was not with the team and spending more money. He was in Indianapolis hosting aSuper Bowl party. … Scott didn’t hesitate when asked to predict the SuperBowl. “Giants 27 to 21,” said the former Lakers guard. “You guys should knowthat I don’t like anything from Boston—Celtics, Red Sox or Patriots.” … TheCavs were still without G Daniel Gibson (neck), G Anthony Parker (back) androokie F Tristan Thompson (ankle). Gibson was hospitalized earlier this week inBoston and Scott said the team’s doctors want to re-evaluate him before decidingwhen he can return.
Magic go without hotel but beat Pacers
February 5, 2012
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Shut out of a hotel by the Super Bowl, the Orlando Magichad to fly in from Cincinnati on Saturday before the game.
It didn’t produce much in the way of attractive basketball, though the Magiccould have done worse. Their ugly win could have been an ugly loss.
Dwight Howard had 27 points and eight rebounds to lead the Orlando Magic toan 85-81 win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.
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“It’s not a game day I’ve ever had before,” Magic coach Stan Van Gundysaid. “Our original plan was just to stay at home last night and fly in herethe day of the game, which would have been a lot easier on us, but the NBAwouldn’t allow that. So instead they made us do the double flight. It would havebeen easier the other way, but what was easier was not what the NBA wasinterested in.”
Danny Granger had 19 points and seven rebounds and Tyler Hansbrough had 17points and seven rebounds for the Pacers, who have lost two of three to theMagic in less than two weeks.
“This is one of the games where shots didn’t fall,” Hansbrough said. “Ithink the defense was pretty good and I’m not worried about my shooting. I thinkit will come.”
Jason Richardson scored 17 points and Ryan Anderson scored 12 for the Magic,who have won three straight.
Granger made a 3-pointer to make it 83-81, but Granger was called for a foulon the Magic’s next trip down the floor and Anderson went to the line with 4.2seconds left.
The Pacers had the chance to tie the game earlier. Granger scored to make it80-77, then the Magic missed a shot and Granger missed a 3-pointer that wouldhave tied the game.
On the rebound, Granger fouled Hedo Turkoglu and Turkoglu was then calledfor a technical when he tossed the ball down the floor and into the stands.Granger made his shot, but Turkoglu made one of his two to make it 81-78.
The Magic climbed to a 12-point lead midway through the third quarter, butnearly gave it all back.
“We have to talk on Monday,” Van Gundy said. “We did some mentally dumbthings and we have to change that.”
A slight scuffle broke out late in the third quarter. Granger was gettingready to inbound the ball in front of the Magic’s bench when Quentin Richardson,who was in the game at the time, appeared to confront Granger.
It escalated when Richardson shoved Granger and Hansbrough and Clarkexchanged shoves. Technicals were called on Granger and Richardson, then a twomore on Hansbrough and Clark.
Richardson was then ejected from the game after picking up a secondtechnical
“Yeah, it was a really physical game,” Howard said. “Both teams playedhard end to end. It was a good battle with a good time.”
The Magic played without Jameer Nelson for the fifth straight game. Nelsondidn’t travel with the team to Indianapolis and is listed day-to-day withconcussion-like symptoms.
NOTES: Pacers C Jeff Foster didn’t play for the eleventh straight gamebecause of a sore lower back. Pacers G George Hill was out with a chip fractureon his left ankle. With the Super Bowl in Indianapolis this weekend, actor AdamSandler and rapper 50 Cent were in attendance Saturday night. . The OrlandoMagic couldn’t book any rooms in Indianapolis this weekend because of the SuperBowl. The team was forced to stay just outside of Cincinnati, in Covington Ky.and then flew to Indianapolis Saturday afternoon.
Griffin’s near triple-double lifts Clips
February 5, 2012
WASHINGTON (AP)—Blake Griffin fell two assists shy of a triple-double, andhe didn’t even play in the fourth quarter.
It was that kind of dominating night for the Los Angeles Clippers, whorebounded from a disappointing loss in a big way, jumping on the WashingtonWizards early and cruising to a 107-81 win.
Griffin had 21 points, 11 rebounds and tied a season-high with eight assiststo lead Los Angeles, but he was hardly the only Clippers player to pile up bignumbers.
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DeAndre Jordan shot 9 for 11 from the field for 18 points and had 11rebounds. Mo Williams had 17 points and eight assists. The Clippers outreboundedWashington 53-32 and had a 32-17 advantage in assists.
Los Angeles lost to the Nuggets on Thursday and started a six-game road tripat Washington, so this was exactly the type of win the Clippers were lookingfor.
“We were all disappointed in our performance the other day againstDenver,” Jordan said. “We really wanted to jump out on them early and set thetone.”
John Wall and Nick Young each scored 14 points for the Wizards, which werealso coming off an even-more-disappointing-than-usual game, a 106-89 loss atToronto on Friday night. Unlike Los Angeles, Washington was unable to get amomentum boost, instead losing for the fourth straight time and falling to 4-20this season.
“It was pitiful,” Wall said. “They could do whatever they wanted—whenever they wanted—all night.”
Los Angeles never trailed and opened up a double-digit lead midway throughthe first quarter after a 13-2 run. The Clippers led 28-17 after the firstquarter and removed any doubt about the outcome by scoring the final nine pointsof the first half, taking a 58-34 lead into halftime.
The Wizards weren’t able to regroup after the break, scoring just fourpoints in the first 6 1/2 minutes of the third quarter as Los Angeles opened up a36-point lead, the largest advantage the Clippers have had in any game thisseason.
“We came out in the third quarter and kind of put it on them there prettyquickly,” Griffin said. “Guys were hitting shots and we were getting stops andgetting out in the open court—I think that’s when you feel like we can keep itgoing.”
Griffin had a number of his usual crowd-pleasing dunks, saving his best forlast. With a minute to play in the third quarter, Griffin soared high for analley-oop dunk from Williams.
The monster slam gave Los Angeles a 81-50 lead and earned the biggest cheerof the night from the Verizon Center crowd of 19,419. It was Washington’slargest crowd of the season.
“We all should have been embarrassed. We were on our home court—and theycame out and did what they wanted,” said Wizards forward Rashard Lewis, who hadtwo points. “As a unit, none of us came to play tonight.”
Jordan followed Griffin a few seconds later with an electrifying dunk of hisown, flying in after Griffin missed a free throw to slam the ball home.
The Clippers were playing so well it hardly mattered that Chris Paul had anoff night on the offensive end, scoring a season-low two points on 1 of 9shooting. Paul did have seven assists and said he was pleased by the team’sdefensive effort.
“From the tip to the end of the game, we controlled the game,” Paul said.“When we get stops, we’re tough to guard in transition. We’ve got the shooters,we’ve got the high fliers and all that. When we defend teams, we’re tough tobeat.”
NOTES: Wizards F Trevor Booker was in the starting lineup for the sixth timethis season, and the first since Jan. 16. He replaced Jan Vesely, who hadstarted the previous five games. … Washington scored fewer than 20 points ineach of the first three quarters for the first time this season. … Clipperscoach Vinny Del Negro said F Kenyon Martin, who signed with Los Angeles Friday,will join the team Sunday in Orlando. Del Negro said he didn’t know what roleMartin would play until they met and Del Negro assessed Martin’s conditioning.… Caron Butler was facing Washington for the first time since the Wizardstraded him to Dallas in 2010. … Griffin was 1 for 7 from the free throw line,missing his first five. Including the Clippers’ previous game against Denver,Griffin missed seven free throws in a row, which tied a career long droughtaccording to STATS LLC.
No. 10 Murray State improves to 23-0
February 5, 2012
MARTIN, Tenn. (AP)—Go ahead. Pack the gym and pump up the noise. TheMurray State Racers are doing just fine at handling all the attention that comeswith being the lone undefeated men’s team in Division I.
Isaiah Canaan, Latreze Mushatt and Jewuan Long each scored 11 points and10th-ranked Murray State beat Tennessee-Martin 65-58 Saturday night.
The Racers (23-0, 11-0 Ohio Valley Conference) brought plenty of fans tocheer the school’s longest winning streak. Combined with a “We Back Pat” nightdedicated to alum Pat Summitt helping raise money for Alzheimer’s, a sold-outcrowd of 4,700 packed the Elam Center with fans lining the upper walkway.
They didn’t shoot near as well as they usually do. And they couldn’t closeout Tennessee-Martin.
They did win yet again, and Murray State coach Steve Prohm was happy withthat.
“What these guys are getting faced with every single night, and this iswhat people need to understand,” Prohm said. “They’re playing in front ofsellout crowds every night on the road every time since Memphis. So you’regetting every best shot whether you’re at Tennessee-Martin or you’re at AustinPeay or you’re at SEMO or Memphis, whichever it may be. So very proud of ourguys.”
Tennessee Martin (3-22, 0-12) lost its 13th straight, and coach Jason Jamespraisd his Skyhawks for playing hard throughout. They held Murray State to 3 of17 (17.6 percent) from 3-point range, well below its usual 41.9 percent. TheRacers also shot 42.4 percent from the floor when they average 47.7 percent.
“We didn’t let them blow us out,” James said. “We kept fighting. We keptcompeting.”
Prohm said it felt like a high school Friday night with all the fans packedinto the muggy gym. As the final seconds ticked off, those Racers fans chanted,“Un-de-feat-ed.”
James said they expected plenty of Racers fans with Murray State about anhour’s drive away. They had an impact, too. With six seconds on the shot clock,the Racers fans chanted a quick count and got Tennessee-Martin’s Omari Minor tohurry a 3 that hit nothing but air.
“Our guys are impressionable. So impressionable when you say the clock’srunning down, we’re probably going to shoot it. That’s just how we are,” Jamessaid with a wry smile. “We’re all right with that.”
Murray State improved to 40-3 all-time against the Skyhawks and 18-3 inMartin.
Dane Smith led the Skyhawks with 24 points, and Myles Taylor added 14.
The Skyhawks outrebounded Murray State 47-39, but the Racers outscored themin the paint (38-30), off turnovers (11-3) and had a big edge off the bench(24-8). Zay Jackson had a team-high nine points off the bench followed by IvanAska as the senior works his way back from a broken hand. Aska had eight points,three rebounds and two blocks.
“They had jumped on us early, but we kept our composure,” Aska said. “Wedid what we had to do and stuff like that. We didn’t get rattled too much.
Prohm called it a great team win a game after Canaan scored 24 of 32 in thesecond half to rally the Racers from an 11-point deficit.
“Today he went 4 for 12, wasn’t able to make shots,” Prohm said. “He was0 for 4 today from the 3, but Zay made big plays. Jewuan got the basket, madesome layups. … I’m proud of our guys.”
Tennessee-Martin kept it close in the first half with five ties and fourlead changes after Murray State looked ready to blow the Skyhawks off the courtin the opening minutes by scoring the first seven points, the last on a layup byMushatt.
Mike Liabo answered finally with a 3-pointer for the Skyhawks, and thatstarted a 13-2 spurt keyed by six points from Taylor, and his jumper with 13:50left gave Tennessee-Martin a 13-9 lead that would be its biggest of the game.
Troy King hit a jumper that pulled the Skyhawks into their final tie at 19.Mushatt came back with another layup with 7:23 left to put Murray State ahead tostay.
Neither team could hit from beyond the arc early, but the Skyhawks pulled upfar too often for 3-pointers that clanked off the rim in going 1 of 10 in thefirst half. Murray State wasn’t much better (2 of 12). The Racers did manage tohave a 13-6 edge in points on second chances.
One of their best came when Canaan stole the ball and tried to finish off afast break with a layup only to miss. Poole got the rebound and put it back upfor a 30-21 lead with 3:15 left in the first in helping the Racers to a 37-28halftime lead.
Tennessee-Martin never got closer than five in the second half onconsecutive buckets by Taylor, then Smith that got the Skyhawks within 41-36with 14:13 to go. Jackson hit a 3, Aska scored, then Canaan finished off athree-point play for a 49-36 lead.
The Skyhawks pulled within six twice late, the last on a bucket by CorderioMaclin with 4:04 left to give the home fans hope of an upset. Donte Poole andAska each hit a pair of free throws to push the lead back out and finish off thewin.
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Sixers avoid back-to-back losses again
February 5, 2012
ATLANTA (AP)—The Sixers are making the NBA’s lockout-induced compressedschedule a vehicle to show off their superior depth and resiliency.
Playing without Elton Brand and facing one of the Eastern Conference’s topfive teams for the second straight night, Philadelphia had double figures fromeach of its four bench players to overwhelm the Atlanta Hawks 98-87 Saturdaynight.
Rookie Nikola Vucevic set a career high with 15 points to lead sixPhiladelphia scorers in double figures. The Sixers dodged back-to-back lossesonce again one night after Friday night’s disappointing 99-79 home loss toMiami.
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“Tonight was one of those games where somebody was going to lose two in arow, and it wasn’t going to be us,” Philadelphia’s Lou Williams said.
The Sixers and the Hawks began the night tied for the fourth-best record inthe Eastern Conference. Philadelphia played like an elite team while Atlanta had15 turnovers in its second straight home loss.
Brand sprained his right thumb when it was caught in a jersey in the loss toMiami. Rookie Lavoy Allen of Temple made his first career start and had fourpoints and four rebounds as the fill-in for Brand.
Vucevic, one of the high-scoring reserves, made 7 of 10 shots from thefield. Thaddeus Young and Williams each had 14 points and Evan Turner added 11off the bench.
“What a difference keeping our big guys fresh,” Sixers coach Doug Collinssaid. “This was our fourth game in six nights and with the emotional game withMiami last night, I can’t tell you how proud I am of the guys.”
More good news for Philadelphia was the return of center Spencer Hawes, whohad 14 points after missing 10 games with a left Achilles’ strain.
“This season is going to be weird like that,” Hawes said. “There’s goingto be different guys every night.”
Hawes applauded the play of Allen and Vucevic in Brand’s absence.
“That’s what you’ve got to have,” Hawes said. “That’s the measure ofteams that are able to thrive in this kind of setup.”
Jeff Teague had 21 points to lead Atlanta.
The Sixers led by 20 in the third period and kept the lead in double figuresuntil the Hawks staged a final comeback attempt. Joe Johnson’s basket with 1:45remaining cut Philadelphia’s lead to 94-85. Williams, returning to his Atlantahome, answered with back-to-back baskets.
Andre Iguodala had nine points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for theSixers.
The Sixers dominated the second period to lead by 16 points at halftime andstretched the lead to 20 points in the third period.
Undrafted rookie Ivan Johnson, who recorded his first career double-doublewith 14 points and 13 rebounds, tried to keep Atlanta close. Johnson started thesecond half ahead of Zaza Pachulia after he had eight rebounds and six points inless than 9 minutes in the first half.
“What I was trying to do in the second half was find some guys who couldbring the energy,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “I started Ivan because hebrings the energy. … If he keeps providing that, he’s going to play moreminutes.”
Johnson had three straight baskets for Atlanta late in the third period asthe Hawks pulled to within 12 points. The Hawks couldn’t take advantage ofopportunities to cut the lead to 10, and the Sixers closed the period with a 7-0run to stretch the lead back to 19 at 81-62.
A 3-pointer by Vladimir Radmanovic helped Atlanta open the final period witha 13-4 run to close to within 10 at 85-75, but they couldn’t trim the deficit tosingle figures.
Josh Smith missed his first eight shots before scoring on a drive midwaythrough the third period. Smith had nine points and 10 rebounds. Joe Johnson had16 points.
The Hawks have lost back-to-back home games to Memphis and Philadelphiaafter winning the final three games of a 4-1 road trip.
The Hawks said backup center Jason Collins, who sprained his left elbow inThursday’s loss to Memphis, will miss at least two weeks. Collins said thesprain was “moderate.”
Collins had assumed a more prominent role as the primary backup to Pachuliawith All-Star center Al Horford was lost for three months with a torn leftpectoral muscle.
“We haven’t been having a post player since Al left,” Smith said. “That’snot an excuse we’re going to make.”
NOTES: The Sixers, who took a 90-76 win over Atlanta in Philadelphia on Jan.20, have won four straight over the Hawks for the first time since Feb. 4, 2005through Dec. 14, 2005. … Smith blocked seven shots, three shy of his careerhigh. … The Sixers had 17 points off Atlanta’s 15 turnovers. … The Hawks hada 47-37 edge in rebounds.
No. 1 Kentucky romps over South Carolina
February 5, 2012
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)—Anthony Davis couldn’t believe all the Kentucky bluehe saw around South Carolina’s home court, so he and the No. 1 Wildcats put on aperformance that would’ve drawn several standing ovations at Rupp Arena.
Davis had 22 points, eight rebounds and eight blocks to lead top-rankedKentucky to its 15th straight victory, 86-52, over the Gamecocks on Saturdaynight.
Doron Lamb had 18 points, Terrence Jones 16 and the Wildcats (23-1) shot51.6 percent as they moved to 9-0 in the Southeastern Conference for the firsttime in seven years in what coach John Calipari said was his team’s bestperformance this season.
Kentucky's Doron Lamb (20)… AP – Feb 4, 9:15 pm EST Kentucky forward Anthony Davis… AP – Feb 4, 9:05 pm EST
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“It didn’t matter who we played, somebody was losing by 30,” Caliparisaid.
Davis, the 6-foot-10 freshman, was a big reason why. He finished severalalley-oops in the first half as Kentucky opened 52-25 lead and was there to swataway several shots by the Gamecocks, who made only nine field goals in theopening period.
Davis said the Wildcats got a fast boost by Kentucky’s fans, who made up atleast half the 16,527 who turned out at the Colonial Life Arena.
“I’m not used to this,” Davis said. “I thought, `It feels like a homegame in here.”’
If Kentucky keeps playing like this, expect the team’s fans to turn out onthe road even more than they already do.
Davis made his first nine shots, finishing 9 of 10, and added two steals.
Davis, who sat for long stretches of the second half, got back in the gamewith about 6 minutes to go and looked as though he might have a chance at theprogram’s second-ever triple double. But when he took a hard spill on acollision with Anthony Gill, Calipari took his prized freshman out for good tothe applause of several thousand Wildcats fans.
Calipari was talked into putting his star back in to try and match ChrisMills’ feat—he had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Austin Peayin 1988—and did not hesitate yanking Davis when he crash landed.
“Do you care about that?” Calipari asked Davis about a triple-double. Thefreshman shook his head no.
“Yes he does,” Calipari cracked to the media.
It might be harder for Davis to get one down the stretch, though. Five ofKentucky’s remaining seven league games are against Florida, Vanderbilt andMississippi State—the SEC’s other ranked teams.
Damien Leonard scored a career-high 19 points for South Carolina (9-13,1-7).
Davis and the 6-9 Jones did most of the damage as Kentucky got things inhand early on. The two combined for eight dunks in the first half, includingfour straight during one stretch of the period as Kentucky moved in front 23-10with 13:12 remaining before the break.
“I just think everybody began the game with a lot of energy,” Jones said.
South Carolina made one last drive to get back in it when Leonard hit a pairof 3s that cut the lead to 25-18.
The Wildcats then took off on a 17-2 run the next six minutes—Jones scorednine of the points and Davis five—to take control.
Davis didn’t stop with a big lead, either. He grabbed a rebound from about18 feet out as the shot-clock buzzer sounded and glided in for his fifth jam ofthe period to increase Kentucky’s margin to 52-25 at the break.
The Gamecocks, who have just one senior on the roster, appearedshell-shocked through most the period. The team’s best inside presence in 6-9Damontre Harris played only seven minutes after getting three fouls. Malik Cookeand Bruce Ellington, South Carolina’s top two scorers, were a combined 1 of 10from the floor for 3 points. They ended with eight points, 16 fewer than theircombined averages coming in.
Kentucky kept it going with an 11-4 run to open the second half andeventually grew the lead to 41 points as the large Wildcat contingent of fansshouted, “Go Big Blue!” in the final minutes.
The Wildcats have rolled since their only loss of the season, 73-72 atIndiana back on Dec. 10, with 14 straight wins. That’s included a dominant firsthalf run through the SEC, winning seven of their nine league games by 13 pointsor more.
The Gamecocks who opened league play 0-4 for the first time since 2007seemed to find some confidence in their play last week with their first leaguewin, 56-54 over Alabama, and a last-second, 66-62, loss at Ole Miss. They put ona strong showing but fell again two days ago at No. 12 Florida, 74-66.
Instead, it was the worst home loss of coach Darrin Horn’s four seasons anda vast difference from the last time No. 1 Kentucky showed up here.
In 2010, Gamecocks point guard Devan Downey scored 30 points in a stunning,68-62 victory that quickly ended the Wildcats first time atop the rankings inseven seasons.
The basketball Gamecocks began a trend of toppling No. 1s that swept throughthe athletic department in 2010. The baseball team defeated No. 1 Arizona Stateon the way to a College World Series crown. And the football team beat No. 1Alabama that fall as it won the SEC Eastern Division.
None of that mattered to these Wildcats, who won their fifth in a row overSouth Carolina. Horn said Kentucky had improved dramatically over the past monthsince the Gamecocks 79-64 loss at Rupp when South Carolina outscored theWildcats in the second half.
“They played outstanding,” Horn said. “They looked like the No. 1 team inthe country.”
49ers’ Harbaugh named Coach of the Year
February 5, 2012
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—San Francisco’s Jim Harbaugh has won the 2011 AssociatedPress NFL Coach of the Year award for leading the 49ers back to the playoffs.
In his first season as an NFL coach, Harbaugh guided the 49ers to a 13-3mark and the NFC West title and the conference championship game. They beat NewOrleans in the first round of the playoffs before losing the conference titlegame to the Giants.
“I think it was an amazing season,” Harbaugh said. “In a lot of ways,beyond description. Incredible”
A former NFL quarterback and successful coach at Stanford, Harbaugh earned45 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover theNFL. He easily outdistanced Green Bay’s Mike McCarthy, who received three votes,and Denver’s John Fox, who got two.
“I’ve said so often how proud I was of this team. I thought they playedtheir hearts out,” Harbaugh said. “I thought we were a well-coached team. Theystand toe-to-toe and fight every time they go out onto the field.”
Harbaugh said his only regret about his rookie year in the NFL was how theseason ended, in a 20-17 overtime loss to the New York Giants in the NFC titlegame.
“It didn’t have the ending that we wanted,” he said. “The football godshad a different ending in mind.”
Atlanta’s Mike Smith was the last man to win the award in his initial seasonas an NFL coach, in 2008.
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N. Iowa beats buzzer, stuns Creighton
February 5, 2012
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP)—Creighton’s Antoine Young did everything he coulddo to keep the Bluejays hopes alive, making a gutsy, tying 3-pointer with 4.6seconds on the clock.
Northern Iowa’s Anthony James did Young one better, stunning 13th-rankedCreighton with a 3 of his own at the buzzer.
James buried the thrilling game-winner as time expired and Northern Iowaupset the Bluejays 65-62 on Saturday to snap their 11-game winning streak.
Northern Iowa fans storm the c… AP – Feb 4, 7:58 pm EST Northern Iowa 's Anthony J… AP – Feb 4, 7:42 pm EST
Northern Iowa head coach Ben J… AP – Feb 4, 6:11 pm EST 1 of 3 Crei-UNI Gallery
James, who missed Tuesday’s win over Southern Illinois to rest his achingbody, scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and Seth Tuttle added 13points for the Panthers (16-9, 6-7 MVC), who handed visiting Creighton (21-3,11-2) its first loss since late December.
“He makes them from a lot of places,” Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobsonsaid about James. “He got himself to a spot where he was closer to the basketand just felt more comfortable. That was a big play.”
The first big play of an unforgettable finale came from Young, who saw histeammates heavily guarded and pulled up from the top of the key to tie it at62-all.
James dribbled the length of the court, stepped back from the wing and kepthis shooting hand in the air after the winner, which sent Panthers fansstreaming onto their court.
“Young made a great shot to tie the ball game up, and I just took a quickglance at the clock and seen that we had time to dribble the ball up the courtand get a decent shot,” James said. “The shot went down.”
Young scored 23 points and Doug McDermott, who originally committed toNorthern Iowa, had 18 points and 12 rebounds for Creighton.
“We hit a big shot to give ourselves a chance. They hit a big shot to winthe game,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said.
The end was a fitting caper to this back-and-forth contest between theseheated Valley rivals.
Northern Iowa opened up a 51-45 lead with 5:21 left. The Panthers reeled offan 11-2 run capped by a Deon Mitchell layup and a 3 from Chip Rank, andMcDermott picked up his fourth foul on a charge near the basket.
Young stopped the UNI surge with a three-point play, pulling the Bluejayswithin a possession with 3:55 left, but Jake Koch’s 3 with 1:11 left gave thePanthers a 58-54 lead.
James buried a huge 3 from the corner with 23 seconds left to put NorthernIowa ahead 61-56. Creighton’s Jahenns Manigat made it 61-59 on a 3 with 15seconds left.
James missed a free throw that allowed Young’s 3 to tie it and shot just 6of 14 from the floor. But he hit the one that mattered at the end.
“I’m still in awe of that game. It was so much fun to play,” Koch said.
Northern Iowa’s Johnny Moran buried a 3 and Rank scooped through heavytraffic, putting the Panthers ahead 39-34 with 14:40 left. They could’ve goneahead by seven, which would have been the biggest lead yet for either team, butYoung smartly stripped Matt Morrison at the rim.
Ethan Wragge’s rushed 3 and bank shot at the end of two sloppy possessionsbrought Creighton back even at 40-all. McDermott then tipped a loose ball tohimself over four Panthers in the paint, converting a three-point play to givethe Bluejays a 43-40 lead with 11:02 left.
Creighton finished just 5 of 16 from 3-point range, and nobody but Young andMcDermott scored more than eight points.
“We just needed some offense from somewhere else. Antoine and Doug weregood,” Greg McDermott said. “It was just one of those nights. You play (24)games and they’re not all going to be perfect.”
Northern Iowa rolled into Valley play with a realistic shot at yet anotherNCAA tournament berth after wins over Old Dominion, Providence, Iowa and IowaState in nonconference play. But the Panthers have struggled in Valley play,uncharacteristically struggling to knock down shots.
That probably wouldn’t have been an issue if McDermott had stuck around.
Jacobson graciously let McDermott leave when his father Greg left Iowa Statefor Creighton before Greg’s freshman year.
No one could have imagined he would blossom into one of the nation’s bestplayers—and Northern Iowa’s student section showed their bitterness by booingMcDermott when he touched the ball.
McDermott was as good as ever, shooting 7 of 11 from the floor, but thePanthers hit 11 of their 21 tries from 3—including James’s dramatic finale.
“It felt good as soon as I let it go,” James said. “I used my legs likecoach (Jacobson) told me too.”
Utah St.’s Smith runs for 124 in Classic
February 5, 2012
LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (AP)—Utah State’s Michael Smith ran for 124 yards andone touchdown to lead the North to a 24-19 victory over the South in the PlayersAll-Star Classic at War Memorial Stadium.
Smith’s 80-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave the North at 17-16lead.
“I’m just grateful that was I was out here for this,” Smith said.“There’s not always an opportunity, and I was glad I got mine.
“Coaches kept telling us to stretch (the play) outside a couple more yardsthe tight end, and if they over play, just cut back and go. That happened, and Ijust used my speed to get to the end zone.”
Smith has 12 carries and returned four kickoffs for 105 yards.
“There’s a lot of new plays and a few scouts here to see what we can do,”Smith said. “All we want to do is try and move our stock up, no matter if it’sthe NFL or CFL or anywhere. We’ll take the opportunity if we can.”
LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson led the South on two scoring drive, one hecapped with a 7-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
The North trimmed the margin to 13-10 at halftime on a 17-yard pass fromWisconsin-Whitewater’s Matt Blanchard to Buffalo’s Marcus Rivers with 31 secondsleft in the half.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Phillip Payne, who caught five passes for110 yards, grabbed a 31-yard touchdown pass from Boston College’s DominiqueDavis.
Norwich University kicker Long Ding’s made four field goals for the South.
RB Martin, 4 linemen make Hall of Fame
February 5, 2012
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Curtis Martin has gone from the mean streets ofPittsburgh to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The star running back with the Patriots and Jets for 11 seasons was one ofsix players elected Saturday to the shrine. Martin once disliked playing thegame, but used it to escape a neighborhood where his grandmother was murdered.
“When I get awarded something like the Hall of Fame, it’s almost foreign tome,” said Martin, the NFL’s No. 4 career rusher. “This wasn’t something Iplanned on doing. Football is something I did so I didn’t end up jailed or dead.
“If you make up your mind to just do the right thing no matter what … andyou stick to it, which I did, this is how things can turn around. I feel as ifmy life turned around from what it used to be, and I think anyone has achance.”
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Curtis Martin finished his NFL career with 14,101 yards rushing.(Getty Images)
Martin and four linemen were elected to the hall, along with one seniorcommittee choice. He is joined by Chris Doleman, Cortez Kennedy, Willie Roaf,Dermontti Dawson, and senior selection Jack Butler.
Jerome Bettis, Cris Carter and Bill Parcells were among the finalists whodidn’t make it.
“I’m not even close to this position, I actually don’t think I’d play morethan four or five years without Bill Parcells,” Martin said, indicating he willhave his former coach present him for induction on Aug. 4 in Canton, Ohio.
A panel of 44 media members voted.
Martin made it for his consistency and durability, rushing for 14,101 and 90touchdowns. He rushed for at least 1,000 yards in each of his first 10 seasons,the first three with New England and the others with the Jets. The 1995Offensive Rookie of the Year, Martin won the NFL rushing title in 2004 with1,697 yards.
Doleman and Kennedy were sackmasters from the defensive line, Doleman at endand Kennedy at tackle.
Doleman had 150 1/2 sacks in his 15 seasons, mostly with Minnesota, and wasone of the prototype agile yet powerful pass rushers who dominate the gametoday. He made the Pro Bowl eight times and was fourth on the sacks list when heretired.
“I am totally blown away by this and humbled by it,” Doleman said, addinghis son, Evan, would present him for induction. “When they call your name,you’re absolutely numb.”
Kennedy was a force inside, both as a run stopper and in threateningquarterbacks. The 1992 Defensive Player of the Year made eight Pro Bowls, had 58sacks—an unusually high total for a tackle—and spent his entire 11-seasoncareer with Seattle.
He waited by his phone to hear whether he’d made it after a six-year wait,and was happy he had the television on when the announcement was made.
“I thought I was supposed to get a call. I didn’t get a call. I had towatch it on TV,” Kennedy said.
“I am very excited right now.”
Roaf spent enough time in his 13 seasons with New Orleans and Kansas Cityblocking the likes of Doleman and Kennedy. He played one season at right tackle,then the rest of his career on the left side, making 11 Pro Bowls. He made theAll-Decade team for the 1990s.
“He possessed exceptional physical talent and a great work ethic,” saidJim Mora, who coached in New Orleans for 11 seasons. “He was blessed with highquality character and a team-oriented attitude. He was a team leader, alwayspositive, upbeat, and a fun guy to coach and have on the team. Without questionWillie was one of my best and favorite players ever.”
Dawson made seven Pro Bowls as the Steelers’ center, that rare snapper whoalso could block defensive players one on one. He replaced a Hall of Famer, MikeWebster, and started for Pittsburgh for most of his 13 pro seasons.
“You never know what your career is going to turn out to be,” Dawson said.“I knew I had big shoes to fill `cause it was my first year playing center. Inever would have thought I would be in this position after my career.”
“It is a great honor and because of being selected today, my phone hasblown up.”
Butler also played for the Steelers as a cornerback from 1951-59, pickingoff 52 passes, at the time second most in NFL history. But he was best known forhis tackling skills.
“They told me I was good. I didn’t know I was good,” Butler said. “Inever, ever, ever thought I would be here.”
Guard Will Shields didn’t get in—the only first-year eligible player tomake the 15-man finals. Shields started all but one of the 224 games in his 14seasons in Kansas City.
Bettis also fell short. He was the 1993 Offensive Rookie of the Year withthe Rams who retired in 2006 after winning his only Super Bowl with theSteelers. He is the NFL’s No. 5 career rusher.
Parcells coached the Giants to Super Bowl titles in the 1987 and 1991 gamesand also lost the 1997 Super Bowl with New England. He coached the New York Jetsand Dallas Cowboys, too.
Carter is the No. 4 career receiver with 1,101 in 16 seasons with threeteams.
Others not voted in were receivers Tim Brown and Andre Reed, defensiveend/linebackers Kevin Greene and Charles Haley, defensive back Aeneas Williams,and former 49ers owner Ed DeBartolo Jr.
The other senior finalist, guard Dick Stanfel, was not chosen, either.
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