Iowa State tops Gophers in Insight Bowl (AP)
Iowa State made its two-win 2008 season seem like a long time ago. With a 14-13 victory against Minnesota in the Insight Bowl on Thursday night, the Cyclones locked up their first winning season since 2005. Then they partied on New Year's Eve with a band of followers in Sun Devil Stadium. "By finishing with a winning record, you go into the offseason with a program that certainly is on its…
A Minute With: Bryce Dallas Howard in "Teardrop" (Reuters)
Reuters – After starring opposite giant robots in the action movie “Terminator: Salvation,” Bryce Dallas Howard plays a debutante in 1920s Memphis in the film drama “The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond.”
Helm’s 2 SH goals help Wings beat Avs (AP)
Ville Leino, Darren Helm and the Detroit Red Wings breathed a sigh of relief. Leino's goal with 3:52 left broke a tie, and Helm scored two short-handed goals to lift Detroit to a 4-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. Pavel Datsyuk also scored for the Red Wings, who had been shut out in three of four games.
Predators extend dominance of Jackets (AP)
So dominant are the Predators whenever they play the Columbus Blue Jackets that Nashville coach Barry Trotz has come to expect his team to come through. "I knew we were going to be able to get one (goal) at some point if we just stayed with it long enough," he said. David Legwand scored 28 seconds into overtime to give the Predators a 2-1 victory on Thursday night over the team they…
Vols dominate Memphis inside, win 66-59 (AP)
Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl was impressed with how his team performed in the amped up atmosphere of the instate rivalry. Wayne Chism had 15 points and nine rebounds, and 14th-ranked Tennessee dominated inside for a 66-59 victory over Memphis on Thursday. "It was a great game from the standpoint that it was intense," Pearl said.
Varnado’s 23 and 17 power Miss. St. (AP)
Jarvis Varnado scored a season-high 23 points and tied his career-best 17 rebounds as Mississippi State won its ninth straight with a 77-68 victory over San Diego on Thursday. Mississippi State (12-2) used its superior inside game to take control of the game late in the first half and maintained its lead throughout the game.
Meyer wanted to keep chest pain private (AP)
Wanting to protect his children and football team, Florida coach Urban Meyer was "very careful" about releasing information regarding his hospital stay following the Southeastern Conference championship game. He hoped to keep private his chest pain, ambulance ride and diagnostic tests — at least until he had a chance to tell those closest to him.
Bulls end 8-game road skid, beat Pistons (AP)
When the Chicago Bulls won at Sacramento on Nov. 17, they were hoping they'd get their next road victory before Thanksgiving. Instead, it took until New Year's Eve. "I wasn't thinking about the streak — I just wanted to get a win," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "This was just a nice, solid win for us." Derrick Rose scored 22 points, and Joakim Noah added 15 points…
No. 7 Duke routs winless Penn 114-55 (AP)
Duke looks ready to start Atlantic Coast Conference play. Nolan Smith scored 23 points to help the seventh-ranked Blue Devils beat Pennsylvania 114-55 on Thursday night in their final tuneup before opening the league schedule here against Clemson this weekend. Kyle Singler added 20 points for the Blue Devils (11-1), who took control of the game early en route to their fifth straight victory.
USC wins seventh straight over Arizona (AP)
Marcus Johnson and Dwight Lewis had 14 points each to lead USC past Arizona 56-50 in the teams' Pac-10 opener on Thursday. The Trojans (9-4) have won six of the last eight meetings against the Wildcats and seven straight. Derrick Williams had 15 points and eight rebounds and Jamelle Horne added 13 points for Arizona (6-7), which was coming off a 99-69 loss to BYU.