Still Hurt, Amar’e Stoudemire Is Itching to Help Knicks

GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The Knicks' Amar'e Stoudemire could play for the first time this season on Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers. Although his injured knee is not healed, he said, he is ready to do what he can.

"We're pretty banged up as a team, so we need bodies on the court right now," Stoudemire said Sunday after practicing with teammates for the first time since he had surgery on his left knee Oct. 31. He added, "If I have to sacrifice my health a little bit for the betterment of the team, then I will."

Stoudemire scrimmaged and did conditioning work. With several players injured, only about half the team was present at the training center. Stoudemire, who ran the floor and did a number of low-post moves against Kurt Thomas, said he felt better than he did a week ago when he practiced with the Erie BayHawks, the Knicks' Development League team. He said he would decide after Monday's practice whether he would try to play against Portland at Madison Square Garden.

"If the next two days go well, and I continue to improve, that will be a great day to start playing," Stoudemire said.

Of his knee, he said, "Hopefully I get a good reaction out of it tomorrow after a long, hard day."

Stoudemire said that he was still not as explosive as he would like to be and that he felt pain in his knee at certain points.

"I can do pretty much do anything, but it just feels sore when I do certain moves," he said. "I don't want to have that feeling because it forces me to overcompensate. I don't want to have that problem."

Stoudemire might have to deal with that issue regardless of how healthy he is. Coach Mike Woodson said Stoudemire, a six-time All-Star who has had three knee operations, might not get back to 100 percent.

"Just having him back in uniform is a plus when that time comes," Woodson said. "He gives us another big that's capable of scoring points and that can rebound the ball."

Stoudemire will be asked to try to mesh with several of his teammates without the benefit of having practiced with some of them.

"I'll try to put him in positions where he can find chemistry with his teammates," Woodson said. "It might not come in practice. It might have to come in games, based on our schedule."

REBOUNDS

Carmelo Anthony (hyperextended left knee) did not practice Sunday but did spend time shooting. The Knicks are listing him as day to day. ... Tyson Chandler (sprained right ankle) did not practice but was expected to play against the Trail Blazers. "I'm sure I'll have Tyson for that game," Mike Woodson said. ... Rasheed Wallace (stress fracture in his left foot) did not practice and was listed as day to day. Woodson said he was not sure if Wallace would practice Monday. ... Chris Copeland (bruised right hand) practiced, and iman Shumpert (left knee) did conditioning work. "He had a lot of pop in his step, but he couldn't do any contact work yet," Woodson said of Shumpert, who had surgery in May.

CLIPPERS 107, JAZZ 96 Jamal Crawford scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and host Los Angeles beat Utah for its 17th straight win, becoming the third team in N.B.A. history to record a perfect month. The Clippers went 16-0 in December to join the 1995-96 San Antonio Spurs and 1971-72 Lakers as the only teams to go undefeated over a month. Caron Butler led the Clippers with 29 points. Al Jefferson scored 30 points to lead Utah. (AP)

SPURS 111, MAVERICKS 86 Tony Parker had 21 points and 9 assists, Manu Ginobili added 20 points and San Antonio handed host Dallas its sixth straight loss. Dirk Nowitzki had 8 points and was 3 of 9 from the field. Tim Duncan finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks for the Spurs. Darren Collison scored 18 points to lead Dallas. (AP)

IN OTHER GAMES Isaiah Thomas scored 27 points as the Sacramento Kings handed the Boston Celtics their third straight lopsided loss on a California road swing, 118-96. Jason Terry and Paul Pierce scored 20 points each to lead the Celtics. ... Tayshaun Prince made two free throws with 10.9 seconds left to give Detroit a 96-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks after the Pistons squandered a 14-point lead at home. Prince finished with 20 points. Monta Ellis had 30 points and 9 assists for the Bucks. (AP)

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Women’s Roundup: Basketball — Duke Women Hold Monmouth to 3 Points at Half

Duke's defense was too quick, too tall and too strong for overmatched Monmouth, and it added up to a share of an N.C.A.A. record.

The fourth-ranked Blue Devils held Monmouth to 3 points in the first half, tying a Division I record, on the way to a 73-32 rout Sunday in Durham, N.C.

The Hawks managed one field goal in the opening 20 minutes against the Blue Devils (11-0), who led by 29-3 at the half. Monmouth matched the N.C.A.A.'s mark for least points at halftime set in 2003 by Savannah State against Florida State and equaled by Tennessee State two years ago against Georgia Tech.

"You're not necessarily trying to do that, per se, but we were trying to be very focused on things that we were trying to accomplish defensively," Duke Coach Joanne P. McCallie said.

Tricia Liston scored 15 points, Chelsea Gray had 13 points and Haley Peters added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Devils. Duke held a 55-28 rebounding advantage and forced 29 turnovers, turning them into 28 points.

Monmouth (3-8) shot just 4 percent in the first half. The Hawks' only basket of the half came on Shira Shecht's jumper with a little more than 10 minutes left.

"We played a little intimidated in the first half, and I don't think we did in the second," Monmouth Coach Jenny Palmateer said.

Chevannah Paalvast had 13 of her 15 points in the second half for Monmouth.

Alysha Womack, Monmouth's leading scorer, missed her second straight game with a hyperextended knee.

KENTUCKY 78, MARIST 56 Jennifer O'Neill scored a career-high 21 points for No. 7 Kentucky (12-1), which trailed just twice at home but did not put the game away until late. O'Neill, a sophomore guard, shot 7 of 11, including 4 of 7 on 3-point attempts, and had 4 steals, also a career high.

Elizabeth Beynnon scored 15 points for Marist (5-6).

TENNESSEE 66, RUTGERS 47 No. 13 Tennessee (9-3), playing at home, led by 33-13 at halftime and cruised to its ninth consecutive victory in its series with Rutgers. Isabelle Harrison led the Volunteers with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Kahleah Copper scored 13 for the Scarlet Knights (8-4), who shot 34.6 percent (18 of 52).

BOWLING GREEN 65, DAYTON 40 Alexis Rogers scored 20 points as host Bowling Green (9-3) handed 15th-ranked Dayton its first defeat after 12 victories.

U.N.C. 65, CLEMSON 58 Xylina McDaniel had 19 points and 6 steals for No. 16 North Carolina (13-1) in an Atlantic Coast Conference opener at Clemson (4-8).

CENTRAL MICH. 73, TEXAS 65 Niki DiGuilio scored 21 points to help Central Michigan (6-6) upset No. 20 Texas (7-4) in the consolation game of the Maggie Dixon Surf 'N Slam Classic in San Diego.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sports Briefing | Horse Racing: Bird House Pulls Upset at Aqueduct

Bird House, making her first start since February, pulled a 24-1 upset in the $54,000 allowance feature for New York-bred fillies and mares at Aqueduct. Irad Ortiz Jr. was aboard for the trainer Gary Gullo as the 3-year-old Bird House beat Cape Cod Carol by three and a quarter lengths. The time was 1 minute 12.92 seconds for the six furlongs.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bills 28, Jets 9: Jets End With a Thud, and More Jolts May Be Coming

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

Quarterback Mark Sanchez, trying to fend off Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams, completed 17 of 35 passes for 205 yards. He threw an interception and lost a fumble. More Photos »

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — A Jets season that was so poor as to be unforgettable ended perhaps the only way it could have, with a dreadful loss Sunday.

With quarterback Mark Sanchez guilty of two more turnovers, including linebacker Bryan Scott's 20-yard interception return for a score, the Jets fell to Buffalo, 28-9, at Ralph Wilson Stadium for their first loss to the lowly Bills since Oct. 18, 2009.

The Jets closed a season in which their ineptitude reached laughable proportions at 6-10. Woody Johnson, the team owner, was conspicuous in his absence as the Jets staggered into what looms as a turbulent off-season expected to bring sweeping changes to the front office and coaching staff.

Although Rex Ryan took the team to the A.F.C. championship game in his first two seasons before a tailspin that has brought 13 losses in the last 19 games, he was grim-faced when asked if he had received assurances that he would be back.

"Nope, sure haven't," he said. "We'll see."

With last year's 8-8 record, the Jets finished with consecutive nonwinning seasons for the first time since they stumbled to 3-13 and 1-15 marks under Rich Kotite in 1995-96.

Ryan may survive, but it appears unlikely the same can be said for Tony Sparano, in his first year as offensive coordinator. The Jets entered the finale ranked 30th in total offense; the last game only underscored how inept they are. Buffalo (6-10) kept them out of the end zone on three trips into the red zone. This represented the third game in which they failed to produce a touchdown, and the seventh time they did not score more than 10 points. Their production against the Bills amounted to Nick Folk field goals of 47, 23 and 28 yards, all in a first half they left trailing, 14-9.

The final blow in the final game was fitting. Brad Smith, a former quarterback who was once effective in the Wildcat formation for the Jets, took a direct snap and charged 4 yards up the middle to cap a seven-play, 80-yard drive with 10 minutes 52 seconds remaining. That helped create a 21-9 advantage for a foundering Buffalo team that missed the playoffs for the 13th straight year.

Tim Tebow, the Jets' celebrated acquisition last off-season who was expected to play a dynamic role in the Wildcat formation under Sparano, spent much of the frigid afternoon huddled next to a heater.

"If I thought Tebow would have helped us win the game playing quarterback or defensive tackle, I would have played him," Ryan said.

Tebow, limited to 32 rushes and 8 passes in all when he was not serving as a punt protector, dodged questions about his future.

"I'm going to have to take a few days and look at the season and take it all in," he said. "Obviously, there were a lot of ups and downs."

Tebow took the Denver Broncos to the playoffs last year despite his scattershot passing. When asked if the Jets treated him fairly, he replied: "I'm not going to worry about whether I was treated fair. You just try to worry about what situation you're in and handle it the best you can with the most character and integrity."

The only firm answer Tebow provided came when he was asked if he wants the opportunity to compete to be a starting quarterback, whether with the Jets or elsewhere. "Yes, sir," he said.

Despite a season in which he was guilty of 26 turnovers, matching his total of the year before, Sanchez emphasized his desire to return. "I'm contracted to be here; I want to be here," he said. "That's all I know is a Jets uniform." The Jets owe him $8.25 million for 2013.

Cornerback Antonio Cromartie pointed to issues that have nothing to do with Sanchez or General Manager Mike Tannenbaum. "I think the biggest thing is, if guys want to be here, they need to come out and work harder during the off-season to make sure guys are getting ready," Cromartie said.

As Sanchez's struggles mounted — wide receiver Santonio Holmes joined top cornerback Darrelle Revis on injured reserve after he sustained an injury to his left foot in the fourth game — criticism often turned to ridicule.

His worst moment occurred during a 49-19 demolition at the hands of the visiting Patriots on Thanksgiving night when he fumbled after crashing into the buttocks of guard Brandon Moore. But there also was the low snap Sanchez could not handle for his fifth turnover, a fumble at the start of a last-ditch drive in a 14-10 loss at Tennessee on Dec. 17 that extinguished the Jets' playoff hopes, among other foibles.

Edwin Anzalone, a season ticket-holder since 1976 and the team's most recognizable fan as Fireman Ed, became so weary of the abuse he received for wearing a Sanchez jersey that he turned in his helmet after the Thanksgiving night debacle. He still sits in Section 124 but no longer leads chants of "J-E-T-S, Jets! Jets! Jets!"

Not that there was ever much to cheer.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

2012: A Look Back at the Year in Sports and Beyond

Ray Stubblebine/Reuters

The height of Linsanity: Jeremy Lin's 38 points against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in February.

Every day until Dec. 31, reporters and editors from The New York Times will recall the people, teams and moments that made the last year memorable, and in some cases look ahead to 2013.

* * *

A Star Out Of Nowhere, Then Gone

By Harvey Araton

Players both boisterous and bewildered left the court. Excited fans rushed the exits. Workers began the chore of cleaning up the aisles. All that remained at courtside of a night that straddled the line between highly improbable and unbelievable were the evidence on the scoreboard and an old man leaning precariously on a cane.

"I've been coming here since high school in 1955," he said, standing in the runway where the visiting Los Angeles Lakers had fled the unheralded phenomenon known as Linsanity. "I've never seen anything like this in my life."

The man, Cal Ramsey, had seen and experienced so much across the decades at Madison Square Garden. He was a collegiate star at New York University, but the Knicks cut him after seven games in 1959 because to keep him, a fourth black player, would have been taboo. But he hung around the building in whatever capacity would keep him there, becoming a broadcaster, a community relations representative, a friend to the stars, Knick or not.

A forever fan of the game, he watched the great players of the 20th century come and go, and stuck with the home team through a miserable opening decade of the 21st. And now — "just out of nowhere," Ramsey marveled — here was this Asian-American, Jeremy Lin of Harvard and N.B.A. waiver lists, making Midtown Manhattan again feel like the center of the basketball universe.

A season-saving sensation at the snap of Coach Mike D'Antoni's fingers, Lin had just dropped 38 points on the glamorous Lakers of Kobe Bryant in a 92-85 victory; scored and assisted every which way and carried a team that was missing its brand one-name players, Melo and Amar'e.

"I didn't think it would last, to tell you the truth," Ramsey said, as if he had seen enough after a fifth consecutive victory with Lin at point guard to convince him that Lin, 23, would continue to galvanize a team that for too long had been plagued by what Pat Riley once called "the disease of me."

There was no way for Ramsey, or anyone else, to foresee the plot twists to come, including Lin's unceremonious departure from the Knicks in July and his December return as a Houston Rocket. But that night, Feb. 10, there was magic and amazement at the Garden. There was, with Lin of the Knicks, the power and beauty of sports on display, spreading surprise and joy from the East Coast to the Far East, all of it reflected in the eyes of an old man who had long believed he had already seen it all. What remains to be seen is how much, if at all, Knicks fans will rue Lin's story continuing elsewhere.

* * *

What Next, a Lockout of Roary and Sir Purr?

By Sam Borden

Given the disaster that was the N.F.L.'s use of replacement officials and the numbing sideshow that is the N.H.L.'s lockout, one can only imagine how tired sports fans are of labor disputes. Unfortunately, 2013 will bring little respite.

Barton Silverman/The New York Times

In mascot collective bargaining, Mr. Met's perpetual smile might be expected to eventually grate on the owners.

The next business-side battleground is furry, plush and anthropomorphic, as the collective bargaining agreement between the four major sports leagues and the Mascots and Oversized-animals Organization, known in professional circles as M.O.O., is set to expire at 11:59 p.m. Jan. 21, a date chosen by the mascots as a tribute to the longtime mascot supporter George Orwell, who died on that day in 1950.

Negotiations between the sides have not gone well. One early session was derailed when the Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner stormed out because he was enraged over what he described as Mr. Met's "perpetually snide" smile. Another blew up after the Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was overheard asking a colleague, "Why is Chewbacca here today?" with Gorilla, the Phoenix Suns' fuzzy cheerleader, in earshot. Gorilla then jumped onto the table, did a double-flip dismount and dunked his copy of the agenda in the trash as he stalked away.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

4 Are Within 0.02 Seconds, in Closest Finish in a World Cup Race

Carlo Ferraro/European Pressphoto Agency

Hannes Reichelt of Austria, left, and Dominik Paris of Italy shared victory Saturday in Bormio, Italy.

Even in a sport in which races are often decided by hundredths of seconds, the results of Saturday's downhill in Bormio, Italy, were so tight that even the most experienced skiers were left stunned.

Hannes Reichelt of Austria and Dominik Paris of Italy shared victory with the same time on the Stelvio course — usually considered the circuit's most physically demanding — and the top four finishers were separated by a mere two-hundredths of a second in one of the closest finishes ever.

"On a hill as tough as this to have a race that close, that's surprising," said the overall World Cup leader Aksel Lund Svindal, who finished third. "The crazy thing is we were fast in different sections."

Paris took the early lead by clocking 1 minute 58.62 seconds for his first career win, and Reichelt matched him to give Austria its first speed win of the season.

Svindal finished 0.01 behind — the smallest possible margin — and Klaus Kroell of Austria was fourth, missing out on a podium finish despite being just 0.02 behind the winners.

"It's for sure the tightest race I've ever been in," Svindal said.

It was the ninth time two men tied for victory on the World Cup circuit, but the first time four racers finished within 0.02 of each other — among men or women.

FIRST WIN FOR AUSTRIAN Veronika Velez Zuzulova of Slovakia upset the favorites to win a World Cup night slalom in Semmering, Austria, for her first career victory.

She trailed the overall World Cup leader Tina Maze by 0.55 of a second after the opening leg but overtook her with a near-flawless final run. Velez Zuzulova finished in a combined time of 1 minute 37.28 seconds. Kathrin Zettel of Austria was 0.10 back. Maze, a Slovenian, was third, 0.20 behind.

The teenager Mikeala Shiffrin of the United States, who led the slalom standings going into the race, straddled a gate and did not finish her second run. The defending overall champion Lindsey Vonn missed the race while recovering from an intestinal illness.

RANDALL FIRST IN GERMANY Kikkan Randall of the United States claimed her second cross-country World Cup victory of the season when she won the prologue event of the Tour de Ski in Oberhof, Germany.

Randall clinched the 3.1-kilometer sprint by leaving Charlotte Kalla of Sweden 4.4 seconds behind. The World Cup leader Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland was third.

The tour consists of seven events over nine days in Germany, Switzerland and Italy.

Randall finished last season's series in 10th place and was second in the sprint prologue.

Petter Northug of Norway won the men's 4-kilometer prologue to extend his World Cup lead. Northug beat Marcus Hellner of Sweden by 6.1 seconds, while Alexander Legkov of Russia was 7.2 seconds behind.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bowl Roundup: Sloshing and Churning, Syracuse Routs West Virginia in Pinstripe Bowl

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Syracuse running back Prince-Tyson Gulley had 265 total yards and 3 touchdowns in a 38-14 win at snowy Yankee Stadium.

A few years ago, a matchup between Syracuse and West Virginia would have constituted a typical Saturday afternoon Big East game, maybe on a crisp day in October. For 56 years, from 1955 to 2011, they battled that way, always in the regular season.

These are different times, and Saturday's third annual Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium represented a clash of programs in transition. The Mountaineers just finished their first year in the Big 12; the Orange will move to the Atlantic Coast Conference next season.

Syracuse gave the rivalry a parting shot. With 369 yards on the ground, the Orange manhandled the Mountaineers, 38-14, amid a mix of snow and sleet, to earn their second Pinstripe Bowl victory in three years.

"Winning the second one," Coach Doug Marrone said, "this has become a special place for all of us."

The Orange — accustomed to living in raw conditions howling off Lake Ontario this time of year — played like a team comfortable in the icy slop. Prince-Tyson Gulley collected 264 total yards and 3 touchdowns, and Jerome Smith added 157 yards rushing.

But Syracuse's defense, facing the nation's seventh-highest scoring offense, turned in the afternoon's most impressive performance. In the ballroom at the team hotel Friday night, Marrone challenged the defensive players in particular, telling them they would need a spectacular effort to beat West Virginia for a third time in three years. Their previous two meetings came in regular-season matchups.

"I couldn't be prouder," the defensive coordinator Scott Shafer said. "They answered the bell three years in a row against a very talented, well-coached football team."

Shafer said 80 percent of Syracuse's defensive game plan was carried over from the regular season, meaning there were not many wrinkles added to defend the star quarterback Geno Smith and the speedy receiving tandem of Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin.

Syracuse (8-5) could put up numbers, too — its 473.4 yards a game were the highest in the Big East — not that it was evident early on Saturday. The football field, stretching from left-center field toward home plate, was speckled with white, the wind swirling the snow inside Yankee Stadium.

With the weather appearing to disrupt routes and chill hands, there were 11 penalties combined in the first half and nearly a dozen dropped passes.

The Syracuse senior quarterback Ryan Nassib connected on 5 of his first 6 passes on the opening drive, but he missed a wide-open Marcus Sales in the back of the end zone on third down. The Orange settled for a 25-yard field goal. After that, Marrone opted to keep the yardage churning on the ground. "It was a part of our game that was able to take over," Marrone said.

Ahead at halftime, 12-7, the Orange broke through in the third quarter. Nassib threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Beckett Wales on the opening drive. After Smith fumbled the ball away two possessions later, Gulley broke free for a 67-yard run to push the lead to 26-7.

"Our linemen came out to play," Gulley said. "They opened up a lot of good holes, and they made it very easy for us to pick where we were going."

Gulley added a 10-yard touchdown reception with three minutes left in the third, effectively pushing the game out of reach.

West Virginia's 14 points were its lowest total since 2008. Coach Dana Holgorsen sounded frustrated more than anything by missed chances in the first half, although the second half was no better.

"They offensively in the second half did what we expected to do," Holgorsen said of the Mountaineers' vaunted offense being shut down. It was a nightmarish game for Smith, projected by some to be the top selection in this spring's N.F.L. draft. He passed for 187 yards and was sacked for two safeties. Smith fell to 0-3 in his career as a starter against Syracuse.

"We're playing in a baseball stadium," Shafer said. "Three strikes and you're out; that was our theme."

West Virginia's athletic director, Oliver Luck, and Syracuse's athletic director, Daryl Gross, said they would be interested in continuing the annual matchup, in nonconference games, although neither gave a firm commitment.

Now, with three wins in a row, Syracuse might be content with leaving the rivalry in the past.

TEXAS 31, OREGON STATE 27 David Ash threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, the last a 36-yard strike to Marquise Goodman with 2 minutes 24 seconds left, to give Texas (9-4) a comeback victory over No. 15 Oregon State (9-4) in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. (AP)

RICE 33, AIR FORCE 14 The freshman quarterback Driphus Jackson threw for 264 yards in relief of Rice's hurt starter, including two touchdown passes to Jordan Taylor, and the Owls (7-6) beat Air Force (6-7) in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth.

Jackson took over for Taylor McHargue, who left with an apparent head injury after a helmet-to-helmet collision in the first half. (AP)

ARIZONA STATE 62, NAVY 28 Taylor Kelly threw four touchdown passes and ran for a fifth score to lead Arizona State (8-5) to its first bowl win in seven years, with a victory over Navy (8-5) in the Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco. (AP)

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Women’s Roundup: UConn Snaps Stanford’s 82-Game Home Win Streak

STANFORD, Calif. — For the viewing public, this was a matchup between the nation's top-ranked teams. For Connecticut, there was also the small matter of revenge.

Two years ago, almost to the day, Stanford ended Connecticut's winning streak at 90 games. On Saturday, the No. 2 Huskies returned the favor, with their 61-35 victory at Maples Pavilion making them the first visitor to win on Stanford's court since 2007, a span of 82 games.

Ultimately, the game was even more lopsided than the score indicated.

Connecticut (11-0) held No. 1 Stanford (11-1) to 19.3 percent shooting, including 14.3 percent from 3-point range. Many of Stanford's shots seemed driven by desperation, with the Cardinal unable to penetrate, and even those shots that Stanford got off cleanly were often off target. The Huskies racked up 15 points off turnovers, compared with Stanford's 4, and the Cardinal had only three assists.

"Connecticut came in here on a mission," Stanford Coach Tara VanDerveer said. "Mission accomplished."

During the first half, Connecticut smothered the Cardinal as the Huskies contested almost every shot and forced Stanford into a frantic series of poor decisions and awkward attempts. In the rare moments in which the Cardinal had a numbers advantage in transition, they frequently paused to reset rather than attack the basket, allowing the defense to recover.

The sophomore forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis led Connecticut with 19 points, and the junior center Stefanie Dolson had 10 points and 14 rebounds while playing a prime role in limiting Stanford's Chiney Ogwumike. Although Ogwumike, a preseason all-American, led the Cardinal with 18 points, she did so on 6-of-22 shooting.

"Chiney is a little quicker than me," Dolson said, "but I was able to keep her in front of me and make her take hard shots — shots she didn't want to take."

The rest of Stanford's starters combined to score 8 points.

"You're not going to be a very good team, like Connecticut is, when you have two starters who don't even score," VanDerveer said.

Bria Hartley and Kelly Faris each contributed 10 points for Connecticut.

In building a 31-13 halftime lead, Connecticut limited the Cardinal to five field goals on 15.2 percent shooting. Stanford reacted to Connecticut's relentless pressure with tentative play.

For a span of nearly six minutes in the first half, Connecticut held Stanford scoreless and extended its lead to 22-7, from 10-7. At that point, the game was effectively over. When Ogwumike hit a jumper in the paint to end the run, the home crowd erupted more in relief than with any sort of joy.

"That Connecticut team was the standard," Ogwumike said after the game. "Now we've experienced the standard."

This was the fourth time that Connecticut and Stanford had squared off as the nation's top-ranked teams; the previous three meetings occurred between April 5, 2009, and April 6, 2010. The Huskies won those games, two of them in Final Fours.

"When we played them two years ago, it was a national event," Huskies Coach Geno Auriemma said. "This time, I don't think it was. I didn't get so excited about us winning 90, so I'm not going to get too worked up over them winning 82 in a row at home."

It was the Cardinal's worst defeat at home since a 96-51 loss to Long Beach State in 1983.

BAYLOR 106, SE LOUISIANA 41 Jordan Madden scored all 13 of her points in the first half and third-ranked Baylor thumped visiting Southeastern Louisiana. The Lady Bears (10-1) have won 46 consecutive games at home, now the longest active streak in women's college basketball. Brandi Simmons had 12 points to lead Southeastern Louisiana (7-4). (AP)

NOTRE DAME 74, PURDUE 47 Kayla McBride scored 18 points and Skylar Diggins shook off early foul trouble to finish with 16 points to help No. 5 Notre Dame (10-1) rout visiting Purdue. Courtney Moses led the Boilermakers (11-2) with 13 points. (AP)

MARYLAND 72, HARTFORD 40 Alyssa Thomas had 22 points and 11 rebounds, helping No. 9 Maryland (10-2) cruise to a victory over visiting Hartford (9-4) in the championship game of the Terrapin Classic. Daphne Elliott had 9 points for Hartford in the first meeting between the teams since December 1997. (AP)

OKLA. 79, CAL ST. NORTHRIDGE 57 Aaryn Ellenberg scored 24 points to lift No. 18 Oklahoma (10-2) over Cal State Northridge at home (6-5). Janae Sharpe and Jianni Jackson scored 12 points each for the Matadors. (AP)

S. CAROLINA 66, W. CAROLINA 44 Tiffany Mitchell scored 12 points to lead No. 19 South Carolina (12-2) to a win over visiting Western Carolina. Ieasia Walker had 9 points for South Carolina (12-2). Makensey Campbell and Lindsay Simpson scored 9 points each for the Catamounts (3-9). (AP)

COLORADO 84, NEW MEXICO 39 Lexy Kresl scored 20 points to lead No. 23 Colorado (11-0) over visiting New Mexico. Antiesha Brown led New Mexico (8-5) with 10 points. (AP)

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Men's Roundup: North Carolina, Missing a Key Player, Edges U.N.L.V.

North Carolina finally delivered the kind of tough-minded performance its coach had been waiting to see.

The sophomore P. J. Hairston scored 15 points Saturday in his first start, and the host Tar Heels beat No. 20 Nevada-Las Vegas, 79-73, earning a marquee victory after falling short in three big games.

Dexter Strickland added 16 points for North Carolina (10-3), which led by 15 points in the first half and by 9 at halftime. The Tar Heels held off a second-half surge by the Runnin' Rebels (11-2) to earn the university's 63rd straight home win against nonconference opponents.

"I'd like to think they grew up 100 times, but who knows?" Coach Roy Williams said. "They're 17-, 18-, 19-year-old kids. Who knows what they're going to do tomorrow? We've been practicing 47 practices and played 13 games, and that's the first time we've really been able to feel good about what we did."

Hairston started in place of North Carolina's second-leading scorer, Reggie Bullock, who sat out with a mild concussion sustained in practice Thursday.

DUKE 90, SANTA CLARA 77 Seth Curry scored a season-high 31 points, including 12 during a late run that helped No. 1 Duke pull away from Santa Clara.

Mason Plumlee added 22 points and 13 rebounds for the host Blue Devils (12-0). The Broncos (11-3) were led by Kevin Foster, who scored 18 of his 29 points in the first half.

MICHIGAN 88, C. MICHIGAN 73 Trey Burke had 22 points and 11 assists as No. 2 Michigan finished its nonconference schedule with a victory over Central Michigan.

The host Wolverines (13-0) played without the junior Tim Hardaway Jr., who had an ankle injury. Olivier Mbaigoto led the Chippewas (7-6) with 14 points.

LOUISVILLE 80, KENTUCKY 77 Russ Smith scored 21 points and Chane Behanan had 20, helping No. 4 Louisville (12-1) end a four-game losing streak against its rival Kentucky (8-4).

KANSAS 89, AMERICAN 57 No. 6 Kansas (11-1) made 15 of 24 3-point shots, rolling to a home win over American (4-9).

SYRACUSE 57, ALCORN STATE 36 C. J. Fair scored 13 points, Trevor Cooney added 12, and No. 9 Syracuse beat Alcorn State in the final game of the Gotham Classic.

Syracuse (11-1) increased its home winning streak to 31 games. Alcorn State (2-13) dropped to 0-9 on the road.

OHIO ST. 87, CHICAGO ST. 44 Deshaun Thomas scored 17 points as No. 10 Ohio State (10-2) routed Chicago State (3-12) at home.

ILLINOIS 81, AUBURN 79 Tracy Abrams scored a career-high 27 points, leading No. 12 Illinois past Auburn.

The Illini (13-1) prevailed in Chicago after Auburn (5-7) cut their 11-point lead to 1 late in the second half.

FLORIDA 78, AIR FORCE 61 Kenny Boynton ended a shooting slump with three 3-pointers in the second half, and No. 14 Florida (9-2) pulled away to beat Air Force (8-3) in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic in Sunrise, Fla.

CREIGHTON 87, EVANSVILLE 70 Doug McDermott scored 29 points, leading No. 16 Creighton (12-1, 1-0 Missouri Valley Conference) past visiting Evansville (7-6, 0-1).

BUTLER 68, VANDERBILT 49 Rotnei Clarke hit six 3-pointers and finished with 22 points, and No. 18 Butler (10-2) beat host Vanderbilt (5-6).

N.C. STATE 84, W. MICHIGAN 68 C. J. Leslie scored 19 points to lead No. 23 North Carolina State (10-2) to a home victory over Western Michigan (8-5).

KANSAS ST. 52, MISSOURI-K.C. 44 Rodney McGruder scored 17 points as No. 25 Kansas State (10-2) struggled to a home win over Missouri-Kansas City (4-9).

UCONN 61, WASHINGTON 53 Shabazz Napier scored 13 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, helping Connecticut beat Washington.

The win in Hartford was UConn's fourth consecutive victory. Omar Calhoun led Connecticut (10-2) with 14 points. Scott Suggs had 15 to lead Washington (8-5), which lost for the first time in five games.

UCONN COACH GETS NEW DEAL Connecticut has given Coach Kevin Ollie a new contract that runs through the 2017-18 season. The deal is worth nearly $7 million and begins Jan. 1. When Ollie was hired in September, he was signed for one season.

COACH REJOINS RUTGERS Rutgers Coach Mike Rice returned to the court after a three-game, 16-day suspension for inappropriate behavior and language.

Rice held a walk-through session with the Scarlet Knights in his first work since he was suspended without pay and fined $50,000 on Dec. 13. Rutgers (9-2) will open its Big East schedule Wednesday at No. 9 Syracuse.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

2012: A Look Back at the Year in Sports and Beyond

Elizabeth Kreutz/Reuters

Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour titles as part of the fallout from Usada's doping case.

Every day until Dec. 31, reporters and editors from The New York Times will recall the people, teams and moments that made the last year memorable, and in some cases look ahead to 2013.

* * *

A Free Fall That Has Yet to Reach Rock Bottom

By Juliet Macur

This year began so well for Lance Armstrong.

A month into 2012, after nearly two years of his wondering and worrying, federal prosecutors said they were no longer investigating Armstrong for possible doping-related crimes, including fraud, money laundering and drug trafficking. The United States attorney leading the inquiry had dismissed the case.

For Armstrong, a weight had been lifted.

"It is the right decision, and I commend them for reaching it," he said in a statement that day, Feb. 3. "I look forward to continuing my life as a father, a competitor, and an advocate in the fight against cancer without this distraction."

But in fact, his year was not on an upswing. Quite the opposite. Armstrong was about to have one of the most precipitous, unceremonious downfalls in the history of sports.

By the end of October, he was stripped of his record seven Tour de France titles and was barred for life from competing in Olympic sports. His sponsors, even the longtime supporters Nike and Oakley, abandoned him. He closed out 2012 pegged as a liar and a cheat who had to step down from his own cancer charity, Livestrong, to keep it from drowning alongside him.

All that misfortune came at the hands of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which did not back down from its fight with Armstrong, even when the federal criminal investigation fell apart.

In June, the agency announced that it had opened a doping case against Armstrong, who later chose not to fight the charges. But it was too late for him to save his reputation as a cancer-surviving hero to millions.

By mid-October, the agency had made public a 202-page report that said Armstrong was at the heart of the most sophisticated, well-organized doping program in sports. In that report, 11 of his former teammates said they had doped and that doping on Armstrong's teams was widespread and expected if riders wanted to succeed at the sport's highest level.

Riders who had been Armstrong's closest friends and confidants had pointed their fingers at him. And while his lawyers called the report "a one-sided hatchet job," Armstrong did something many did not expect: he did not fight back.

Within weeks, he retreated from his hometown, Austin, Tex., to Hawaii, away from the stares and the vocal criticisms. There, he rode out the initial tumult.

Now back in Austin, Armstrong awaits a new year. It could not be worse than the last. Yet it is likely to be rocky.

The Department of Justice is still considering joining a federal whistle-blower case filed by Floyd Landis, one of Armstrong's former teammates. Landis has claimed Armstrong and management of the United States Postal Service team defrauded the government by using taxpayer dollars to finance the squad's doping program.

Also, a Dallas-based insurance company that awarded Armstrong bonuses for winning several Tours is looking for its money back. Armstrong owes it at least $7.5 million, a lawyer for the company said.

What Armstrong, a father of five, will do next is anybody's guess. One thing that is not likely on his to-do list to ring in the new year: celebrate his good fortune.

* * *

For U.S. Track Team, Strides in Right Direction

By Tom Connelly

You know your sport is in ratings trouble when the stunning performances of your current Olympians in London finish a distant second to the extracurricular exploits of a stunning former Olympian in Las Vegas. Or when its most recognizable face belongs not to the chiseled Mr. Bolt but to the whittled Mr. Kardashian.

Or maybe not.

For failures organic and self-inflicted, track and field in the United States long ago ceded the first tier of the sporting hierarchy to the broadcast friendly Big Three. It now ricochets like a wayward atom in the vast chasm between the poles of women's gymnastics and curling. Its popularity is roughly equivalent to that of domestic soccer, which bid farewell to Beckham this year and awaits Messi in 2025, and the dysfunction that is professional boxing, which will never again care about universal popularity as long as there is a pay-per-view cash cow to milk.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

4 Are Within 0.02 Seconds, in Closest Finish in a World Cup Race

Carlo Ferraro/European Pressphoto Agency

Hannes Reichelt of Austria, left, and Dominik Paris of Italy shared victory Saturday in Bormio, Italy.

Even in a sport in which races are often decided by hundredths of seconds, the results of Saturday's downhill in Bormio, Italy, were so tight that even the most experienced skiers were left stunned.

Hannes Reichelt of Austria and Dominik Paris of Italy shared victory with the same time on the Stelvio course — usually considered the circuit's most physically demanding — and the top four finishers were separated by a mere two-hundredths of a second in one of the closest finishes ever.

"On a hill as tough as this to have a race that close, that's surprising," said the overall World Cup leader Aksel Lund Svindal, who finished third. "The crazy thing is we were fast in different sections."

Paris took the early lead by clocking 1 minute 58.62 seconds for his first career win, and Reichelt matched him to give Austria its first speed win of the season.

Svindal finished 0.01 behind — the smallest possible margin — and Klaus Kroell of Austria was fourth, missing out on a podium finish despite being just 0.02 behind the winners.

"It's for sure the tightest race I've ever been in," Svindal said.

It was the ninth time two men tied for victory on the World Cup circuit, but the first time four racers finished within 0.02 of each other — among men or women.

FIRST WIN FOR AUSTRIAN Veronika Velez Zuzulova of Slovakia upset the favorites to win a World Cup night slalom in Semmering, Austria, for her first career victory.

She trailed the overall World Cup leader Tina Maze by 0.55 of a second after the opening leg but overtook her with a near-flawless final run. Velez Zuzulova finished in a combined time of 1 minute 37.28 seconds. Kathrin Zettel of Austria was 0.10 back. Maze, a Slovenian, was third, 0.20 behind.

The teenager Mikeala Shiffrin of the United States, who led the slalom standings going into the race, straddled a gate and did not finish her second run. The defending overall champion Lindsey Vonn missed the race while recovering from an intestinal illness.

RANDALL FIRST IN GERMANY Kikkan Randall of the United States claimed her second cross-country World Cup victory of the season when she won the prologue event of the Tour de Ski in Oberhof, Germany.

Randall clinched the 3.1-kilometer sprint by leaving Charlotte Kalla of Sweden 4.4 seconds behind. The World Cup leader Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland was third.

The tour consists of seven events over nine days in Germany, Switzerland and Italy.

Randall finished last season's series in 10th place and was second in the sprint prologue.

Petter Northug of Norway won the men's 4-kilometer prologue to extend his World Cup lead. Northug beat Marcus Hellner of Sweden by 6.1 seconds, while Alexander Legkov of Russia was 7.2 seconds behind.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bowl Roundup: Sloshing and Churning, Syracuse Routs West Virginia in Pinstripe Bowl

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Syracuse running back Prince-Tyson Gulley had 265 total yards and 3 touchdowns in a 38-14 win at snowy Yankee Stadium.

A few years ago, a matchup between Syracuse and West Virginia would have constituted a typical Saturday afternoon Big East game, maybe on a crisp day in October. For 56 years, from 1955 to 2011, they battled that way, always in the regular season.

These are different times, and Saturday's third annual Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium represented a clash of programs in transition. The Mountaineers just finished their first year in the Big 12; the Orange will move to the Atlantic Coast Conference next season.

Syracuse gave the rivalry a parting shot. With 369 yards on the ground, the Orange manhandled the Mountaineers, 38-14, amid a mix of snow and sleet, to earn their second Pinstripe Bowl victory in three years.

"Winning the second one," Coach Doug Marrone said, "this has become a special place for all of us."

The Orange — accustomed to living in raw conditions howling off Lake Ontario this time of year — played like a team comfortable in the icy slop. Prince-Tyson Gulley collected 264 total yards and 3 touchdowns, and Jerome Smith added 157 yards rushing.

But Syracuse's defense, facing the nation's seventh-highest scoring offense, turned in the afternoon's most impressive performance. In the ballroom at the team hotel Friday night, Marrone challenged the defensive players in particular, telling them they would need a spectacular effort to beat West Virginia for a third time in three years. Their previous two meetings came in regular-season matchups.

"I couldn't be prouder," the defensive coordinator Scott Shafer said. "They answered the bell three years in a row against a very talented, well-coached football team."

Shafer said 80 percent of Syracuse's defensive game plan was carried over from the regular season, meaning there were not many wrinkles added to defend the star quarterback Geno Smith and the speedy receiving tandem of Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin.

Syracuse (8-5) could put up numbers, too — its 473.4 yards a game were the highest in the Big East — not that it was evident early on Saturday. The football field, stretching from left-center field toward home plate, was speckled with white, the wind swirling the snow inside Yankee Stadium.

With the weather appearing to disrupt routes and chill hands, there were 11 penalties combined in the first half and nearly a dozen dropped passes.

The Syracuse senior quarterback Ryan Nassib connected on 5 of his first 6 passes on the opening drive, but he missed a wide-open Marcus Sales in the back of the end zone on third down. The Orange settled for a 25-yard field goal. After that, Marrone opted to keep the yardage churning on the ground. "It was a part of our game that was able to take over," Marrone said.

Ahead at halftime, 12-7, the Orange broke through in the third quarter. Nassib threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Beckett Wales on the opening drive. After Smith fumbled the ball away two possessions later, Gulley broke free for a 67-yard run to push the lead to 26-7.

"Our linemen came out to play," Gulley said. "They opened up a lot of good holes, and they made it very easy for us to pick where we were going."

Gulley added a 10-yard touchdown reception with three minutes left in the third, effectively pushing the game out of reach.

West Virginia's 14 points were its lowest total since 2008. Coach Dana Holgorsen sounded frustrated more than anything by missed chances in the first half, although the second half was no better.

"They offensively in the second half did what we expected to do," Holgorsen said of the Mountaineers' vaunted offense being shut down. It was a nightmarish game for Smith, projected by some to be the top selection in this spring's N.F.L. draft. He passed for 187 yards and was sacked for two safeties. Smith fell to 0-3 in his career as a starter against Syracuse.

"We're playing in a baseball stadium," Shafer said. "Three strikes and you're out; that was our theme."

West Virginia's athletic director, Oliver Luck, and Syracuse's athletic director, Daryl Gross, said they would be interested in continuing the annual matchup, in nonconference games, although neither gave a firm commitment.

Now, with three wins in a row, Syracuse might be content with leaving the rivalry in the past.

TEXAS 31, OREGON STATE 27 David Ash threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, the last a 36-yard strike to Marquise Goodman with 2 minutes 24 seconds left, to give Texas (9-4) a comeback victory over No. 15 Oregon State (9-4) in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. (AP)

RICE 33, AIR FORCE 14 The freshman quarterback Driphus Jackson threw for 264 yards in relief of Rice's hurt starter, including two touchdown passes to Jordan Taylor, and the Owls (7-6) beat Air Force (6-7) in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth.

Jackson took over for Taylor McHargue, who left with an apparent head injury after a helmet-to-helmet collision in the first half. (AP)

ARIZONA STATE 62, NAVY 28 Taylor Kelly threw four touchdown passes and ran for a fifth score to lead Arizona State (8-5) to its first bowl win in seven years, with a victory over Navy (8-5) in the Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco. (AP)

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Women’s Roundup: UConn Snaps Stanford’s 82-Game Home Win Streak

STANFORD, Calif. — For the viewing public, this was a matchup between the nation's top-ranked teams. For Connecticut, there was also the small matter of revenge.

Two years ago, almost to the day, Stanford ended Connecticut's winning streak at 90 games. On Saturday, the No. 2 Huskies returned the favor, with their 61-35 victory at Maples Pavilion making them the first visitor to win on Stanford's court since 2007, a span of 82 games.

Ultimately, the game was even more lopsided than the score indicated.

Connecticut (11-0) held No. 1 Stanford (11-1) to 19.3 percent shooting, including 14.3 percent from 3-point range. Many of Stanford's shots seemed driven by desperation, with the Cardinal unable to penetrate, and even those shots that Stanford got off cleanly were often off target. The Huskies racked up 15 points off turnovers, compared with Stanford's 4, and the Cardinal had only three assists.

"Connecticut came in here on a mission," Stanford Coach Tara VanDerveer said. "Mission accomplished."

During the first half, Connecticut smothered the Cardinal as the Huskies contested almost every shot and forced Stanford into a frantic series of poor decisions and awkward attempts. In the rare moments in which the Cardinal had a numbers advantage in transition, they frequently paused to reset rather than attack the basket, allowing the defense to recover.

The sophomore forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis led Connecticut with 19 points, and the junior center Stefanie Dolson had 10 points and 14 rebounds while playing a prime role in limiting Stanford's Chiney Ogwumike. Although Ogwumike, a preseason all-American, led the Cardinal with 18 points, she did so on 6-of-22 shooting.

"Chiney is a little quicker than me," Dolson said, "but I was able to keep her in front of me and make her take hard shots — shots she didn't want to take."

The rest of Stanford's starters combined to score 8 points.

"You're not going to be a very good team, like Connecticut is, when you have two starters who don't even score," VanDerveer said.

Bria Hartley and Kelly Faris each contributed 10 points for Connecticut.

In building a 31-13 halftime lead, Connecticut limited the Cardinal to five field goals on 15.2 percent shooting. Stanford reacted to Connecticut's relentless pressure with tentative play.

For a span of nearly six minutes in the first half, Connecticut held Stanford scoreless and extended its lead to 22-7, from 10-7. At that point, the game was effectively over. When Ogwumike hit a jumper in the paint to end the run, the home crowd erupted more in relief than with any sort of joy.

"That Connecticut team was the standard," Ogwumike said after the game. "Now we've experienced the standard."

This was the fourth time that Connecticut and Stanford had squared off as the nation's top-ranked teams; the previous three meetings occurred between April 5, 2009, and April 6, 2010. The Huskies won those games, two of them in Final Fours.

"When we played them two years ago, it was a national event," Huskies Coach Geno Auriemma said. "This time, I don't think it was. I didn't get so excited about us winning 90, so I'm not going to get too worked up over them winning 82 in a row at home."

It was the Cardinal's worst defeat at home since a 96-51 loss to Long Beach State in 1983.

BAYLOR 106, SE LOUISIANA 41 Jordan Madden scored all 13 of her points in the first half and third-ranked Baylor thumped visiting Southeastern Louisiana. The Lady Bears (10-1) have won 46 consecutive games at home, now the longest active streak in women's college basketball. Brandi Simmons had 12 points to lead Southeastern Louisiana (7-4). (AP)

NOTRE DAME 74, PURDUE 47 Kayla McBride scored 18 points and Skylar Diggins shook off early foul trouble to finish with 16 points to help No. 5 Notre Dame (10-1) rout visiting Purdue. Courtney Moses led the Boilermakers (11-2) with 13 points. (AP)

MARYLAND 72, HARTFORD 40 Alyssa Thomas had 22 points and 11 rebounds, helping No. 9 Maryland (10-2) cruise to a victory over visiting Hartford (9-4) in the championship game of the Terrapin Classic. Daphne Elliott had 9 points for Hartford in the first meeting between the teams since December 1997. (AP)

OKLA. 79, CAL ST. NORTHRIDGE 57 Aaryn Ellenberg scored 24 points to lift No. 18 Oklahoma (10-2) over Cal State Northridge at home (6-5). Janae Sharpe and Jianni Jackson scored 12 points each for the Matadors. (AP)

S. CAROLINA 66, W. CAROLINA 44 Tiffany Mitchell scored 12 points to lead No. 19 South Carolina (12-2) to a win over visiting Western Carolina. Ieasia Walker had 9 points for South Carolina (12-2). Makensey Campbell and Lindsay Simpson scored 9 points each for the Catamounts (3-9). (AP)

COLORADO 84, NEW MEXICO 39 Lexy Kresl scored 20 points to lead No. 23 Colorado (11-0) over visiting New Mexico. Antiesha Brown led New Mexico (8-5) with 10 points. (AP)

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Men's Roundup: North Carolina, Missing a Key Player, Edges U.N.L.V.

North Carolina finally delivered the kind of tough-minded performance its coach had been waiting to see.

The sophomore P. J. Hairston scored 15 points Saturday in his first start, and the host Tar Heels beat No. 20 Nevada-Las Vegas, 79-73, earning a marquee victory after falling short in three big games.

Dexter Strickland added 16 points for North Carolina (10-3), which led by 15 points in the first half and by 9 at halftime. The Tar Heels held off a second-half surge by the Runnin' Rebels (11-2) to earn the university's 63rd straight home win against nonconference opponents.

"I'd like to think they grew up 100 times, but who knows?" Coach Roy Williams said. "They're 17-, 18-, 19-year-old kids. Who knows what they're going to do tomorrow? We've been practicing 47 practices and played 13 games, and that's the first time we've really been able to feel good about what we did."

Hairston started in place of North Carolina's second-leading scorer, Reggie Bullock, who sat out with a mild concussion sustained in practice Thursday.

DUKE 90, SANTA CLARA 77 Seth Curry scored a season-high 31 points, including 12 during a late run that helped No. 1 Duke pull away from Santa Clara.

Mason Plumlee added 22 points and 13 rebounds for the host Blue Devils (12-0). The Broncos (11-3) were led by Kevin Foster, who scored 18 of his 29 points in the first half.

MICHIGAN 88, C. MICHIGAN 73 Trey Burke had 22 points and 11 assists as No. 2 Michigan finished its nonconference schedule with a victory over Central Michigan.

The host Wolverines (13-0) played without the junior Tim Hardaway Jr., who had an ankle injury. Olivier Mbaigoto led the Chippewas (7-6) with 14 points.

LOUISVILLE 80, KENTUCKY 77 Russ Smith scored 21 points and Chane Behanan had 20, helping No. 4 Louisville (12-1) end a four-game losing streak against its rival Kentucky (8-4).

KANSAS 89, AMERICAN 57 No. 6 Kansas (11-1) made 15 of 24 3-point shots, rolling to a home win over American (4-9).

SYRACUSE 57, ALCORN STATE 36 C. J. Fair scored 13 points, Trevor Cooney added 12, and No. 9 Syracuse beat Alcorn State in the final game of the Gotham Classic.

Syracuse (11-1) increased its home winning streak to 31 games. Alcorn State (2-13) dropped to 0-9 on the road.

OHIO ST. 87, CHICAGO ST. 44 Deshaun Thomas scored 17 points as No. 10 Ohio State (10-2) routed Chicago State (3-12) at home.

ILLINOIS 81, AUBURN 79 Tracy Abrams scored a career-high 27 points, leading No. 12 Illinois past Auburn.

The Illini (13-1) prevailed in Chicago after Auburn (5-7) cut their 11-point lead to 1 late in the second half.

FLORIDA 78, AIR FORCE 61 Kenny Boynton ended a shooting slump with three 3-pointers in the second half, and No. 14 Florida (9-2) pulled away to beat Air Force (8-3) in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic in Sunrise, Fla.

CREIGHTON 87, EVANSVILLE 70 Doug McDermott scored 29 points, leading No. 16 Creighton (12-1, 1-0 Missouri Valley Conference) past visiting Evansville (7-6, 0-1).

BUTLER 68, VANDERBILT 49 Rotnei Clarke hit six 3-pointers and finished with 22 points, and No. 18 Butler (10-2) beat host Vanderbilt (5-6).

N.C. STATE 84, W. MICHIGAN 68 C. J. Leslie scored 19 points to lead No. 23 North Carolina State (10-2) to a home victory over Western Michigan (8-5).

KANSAS ST. 52, MISSOURI-K.C. 44 Rodney McGruder scored 17 points as No. 25 Kansas State (10-2) struggled to a home win over Missouri-Kansas City (4-9).

UCONN 61, WASHINGTON 53 Shabazz Napier scored 13 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, helping Connecticut beat Washington.

The win in Hartford was UConn's fourth consecutive victory. Omar Calhoun led Connecticut (10-2) with 14 points. Scott Suggs had 15 to lead Washington (8-5), which lost for the first time in five games.

UCONN COACH GETS NEW DEAL Connecticut has given Coach Kevin Ollie a new contract that runs through the 2017-18 season. The deal is worth nearly $7 million and begins Jan. 1. When Ollie was hired in September, he was signed for one season.

COACH REJOINS RUTGERS Rutgers Coach Mike Rice returned to the court after a three-game, 16-day suspension for inappropriate behavior and language.

Rice held a walk-through session with the Scarlet Knights in his first work since he was suspended without pay and fined $50,000 on Dec. 13. Rutgers (9-2) will open its Big East schedule Wednesday at No. 9 Syracuse.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

2012: A Look Back at the Year in Sports and Beyond

Elizabeth Kreutz/Reuters

Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour titles as part of the fallout from Usada's doping case.

Every day until Dec. 31, reporters and editors from The New York Times will recall the people, teams and moments that made the last year memorable, and in some cases look ahead to 2013.

* * *

A Free Fall That Has Yet to Reach Rock Bottom

By Juliet Macur

This year began so well for Lance Armstrong.

A month into 2012, after nearly two years of his wondering and worrying, federal prosecutors said they were no longer investigating Armstrong for possible doping-related crimes, including fraud, money laundering and drug trafficking. The United States attorney leading the inquiry had dismissed the case.

For Armstrong, a weight had been lifted.

"It is the right decision, and I commend them for reaching it," he said in a statement that day, Feb. 3. "I look forward to continuing my life as a father, a competitor, and an advocate in the fight against cancer without this distraction."

But in fact, his year was not on an upswing. Quite the opposite. Armstrong was about to have one of the most precipitous, unceremonious downfalls in the history of sports.

By the end of October, he was stripped of his record seven Tour de France titles and was barred for life from competing in Olympic sports. His sponsors, even the longtime supporters Nike and Oakley, abandoned him. He closed out 2012 pegged as a liar and a cheat who had to step down from his own cancer charity, Livestrong, to keep it from drowning alongside him.

All that misfortune came at the hands of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which did not back down from its fight with Armstrong, even when the federal criminal investigation fell apart.

In June, the agency announced that it had opened a doping case against Armstrong, who later chose not to fight the charges. But it was too late for him to save his reputation as a cancer-surviving hero to millions.

By mid-October, the agency had made public a 202-page report that said Armstrong was at the heart of the most sophisticated, well-organized doping program in sports. In that report, 11 of his former teammates said they had doped and that doping on Armstrong's teams was widespread and expected if riders wanted to succeed at the sport's highest level.

Riders who had been Armstrong's closest friends and confidants had pointed their fingers at him. And while his lawyers called the report "a one-sided hatchet job," Armstrong did something many did not expect: he did not fight back.

Within weeks, he retreated from his hometown, Austin, Tex., to Hawaii, away from the stares and the vocal criticisms. There, he rode out the initial tumult.

Now back in Austin, Armstrong awaits a new year. It could not be worse than the last. Yet it is likely to be rocky.

The Department of Justice is still considering joining a federal whistle-blower case filed by Floyd Landis, one of Armstrong's former teammates. Landis has claimed Armstrong and management of the United States Postal Service team defrauded the government by using taxpayer dollars to finance the squad's doping program.

Also, a Dallas-based insurance company that awarded Armstrong bonuses for winning several Tours is looking for its money back. Armstrong owes it at least $7.5 million, a lawyer for the company said.

What Armstrong, a father of five, will do next is anybody's guess. One thing that is not likely on his to-do list to ring in the new year: celebrate his good fortune.

* * *

For U.S. Track Team, Strides in Right Direction

By Tom Connelly

You know your sport is in ratings trouble when the stunning performances of your current Olympians in London finish a distant second to the extracurricular exploits of a stunning former Olympian in Las Vegas. Or when its most recognizable face belongs not to the chiseled Mr. Bolt but to the whittled Mr. Kardashian.

Or maybe not.

For failures organic and self-inflicted, track and field in the United States long ago ceded the first tier of the sporting hierarchy to the broadcast friendly Big Three. It now ricochets like a wayward atom in the vast chasm between the poles of women's gymnastics and curling. Its popularity is roughly equivalent to that of domestic soccer, which bid farewell to Beckham this year and awaits Messi in 2025, and the dysfunction that is professional boxing, which will never again care about universal popularity as long as there is a pay-per-view cash cow to milk.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Q&A: Covering J. R. Smith: A Knick Talks About His Tattoos

Knicks guard J.R. Smith broke for the baseline Wednesday night, caught the ball and went airborne in one sweeping motion, split his legs in the course of his leap, and drained the game-winner against the Phoenix Suns with a flick of his right wrist while falling into the stands. It was, for sure, a certain kind of body art. 

Todd Heisler/The New York Times

J. R. Smith has covered the majority of his body with tattoos, many of which have personal meaning to him. More Photos »

Smith, in his erratic N.B.A. career, has become known for another kind of body art: tattoos. He may be the most decorated player in the league. 

Smith spent some time with The New York Times this month, talking about his art's history.

Q. What was the first tattoo?

A. A picture of me dunking. I was 15. Me and my sister both got one.

Q. Do you keep track of how many tattoos you have?

A. I lost count.

Q. How many did you have before you think you lost count?

A. It was around 70-something.

Q. What does it mean to you to have your family members be a part of your body art?

A. It means everything. That's why I have them.

Q. Do you have one guy do all the work, or is it different people?

A. It's different people.

Q. Do you have a general thought process in deciding what to get next?

A. No, I never know what I'm going to get until I get to the tattoo parlor.

Q. How many tattoo parlors do you think you have been in?

A. Probably a thousand. I've been to so many where I didn't get a tattoo. Sometimes I watch or go in to see what's new. It really depends on how I feel.

Q. Which tattoo took the longest?

A. My back.

Q. How long was that?

A. It took a day to do the outlining. I didn't finish it until a few years later.

Q. Were you excited when it was done?

A. I wasn't really excited. I was actually kind of mad because I wanted to do so much more stuff to it, but I had no more space.

Q. Is there one tattoo that you wish you could remove?

A. I love all of my tattoos.

Q. Were you always fascinated with tattoos? When did it start?

A. I actually hated tattoos. I told myself I would never get like this.

Q. When did it all change?

A. Once I got one, I was addicted.

Q. Was the first tattoo painful?

A. No. It's never been an issue until I went to my legs. There is no fat on my legs, so it hurts more.

Q. What was the best reaction you had from someone about a particular tattoo?

A. My mom cried when she saw her face on my chest.

Q. What does the "Through the Fire" tattoo mean?

A. I've been through hell.

Q. What are the dates on your wrists?

A. They are my grandparents' births and deaths.

Q. What do you remember most about your grandparents?

A. Hard-working. Disciplinarians.

Q. Do you think you have a bigger, or different, fan base compared with most N.B.A. players' because of your tattoos?

A. Yeah, I think they like the way I look. It's kind of like a fashion statement now to some people, but it's a lifestyle to others.

Q. What is it for you?

A. For me, it's a lifestyle.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Players’ Union and N.H.L. to Discuss New Offer

Mary Altaffer/Associated Press

N.H.L. Commissioner Gary Bettman, right, and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly haven't met with the players' union since Dec. 13.

After owners made an extensive new proposal, the N.H.L. and the players union agreed Friday to resume bargaining this weekend in a bid to end the 104-day lockout and salvage the 2012-13 season.

Representatives from the league and union will talk during a conference call Saturday, with the union seeking clarification on a number of matters in the proposal. The two sides are expected to meet in face-to-face in New York on Sunday.

The talks are the first significant contact between the two sides in two weeks. They come only about two weeks before what many consider the deadline for canceling the regular season.

Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed that the league extended an offer for a new collective bargaining agreement Thursday.

"In light of media reports this morning, I can confirm that we delivered to the union a new, comprehensive proposal for a successor C.B.A. late yesterday afternoon," Daly said in a statement distributed Friday by the N.H.L. He did not reveal details of the proposal.

"We want to be back on the ice as soon as possible," Daly said.

According to numerous reports, the owners moved in a few key areas in their latest proposal.

The owners dropped previous demands to make free agency and salary arbitration more difficult to achieve. In the new offer, those procedures would remain unchanged from the collective bargaining agreement that expired in September.

The owners' previous demand that individual player contracts be limited to five years — termed "the hill we will die on" by Daly earlier this month — was altered to a six-year limit. For players re-signing with their current teams, the owners left unchanged their proposed limit of seven years.

The year-to-year salary variance in individual contracts changed to a maximum of 10 percent from the previously proposed 5 percent.

For the first time in the negotiations, the owners offered to allow each team to make one "compliance buyout" of a player's contract before 2013-14, to help the team get under the $60 million cap. The buyout would not count against the salary cap.

The owners did not change their offer regarding the term of the proposed collective bargaining agreement. It remains at 10 years, with an opt-out clause for either side after eight years.

The last bargaining session between the N.H.L. and the union took place Dec. 13. Since then, the league has filed a pre-emptive motion in federal court and with the National Labor Relations Board to uphold the legality of the lockout. Meanwhile, players authorized the union's executive board to disclaim interest, which could lead to individual players filing antitrust suits against the league.

But the N.H.L.'s new offer could signal an effort to settle the lockout within the next two weeks. Daly indicated this month that the lockout would have to be settled by mid-January to stage a 48-game schedule.

Should the lockout extend beyond mid-January, the season could be canceled.

The lockout is the third since Gary Bettman became commissioner in 1993. Bettman announced a settlement of the 1994-95 lockout on Jan. 11, with play resuming on Jan. 20. During the 2004-5 lockout, Bettman canceled the season in mid-February.

Since Bettman took office, the N.H.L. has canceled 2,323 regular-season games because of lockouts, more than 10 percent of its scheduled contests during his tenure.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Vikings Maintain Their Trust in Christian Ponder

Andy King/Associated Press

Christian Ponder has the N.F.C.'s lowest quarterback rating, but the Vikings, at 9-6, are on the verge of making the playoffs.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The details sound like a folk song. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder married on a Monday two weeks ago, just across the state line in Hudson, Wis., with no witnesses besides his bride — the ESPN broadcaster Samantha Steele — and the St. Croix County commissioner who presided.

The reaction, however, was not sweet. Vikings fans and N.F.L. pundits debated Ponder's timing, six days before a game with the Houston Texans critical to the team's playoff hopes. Twitter speculation that Steele might be pregnant brought a gracious and clever social-media denial from Steele.

The question is, if Ponder had been having a better season, would anyone have cared?

Perhaps not. Though Ponder's inconsistency in his first full season as a starter has provided plenty of fan angst in Minnesota, it has not deterred the team's unexpected run at the playoffs.

Boosted by Adrian Peterson's pursuit of 2,000 yards and the N.F.L. single-season rushing record, the Vikings (9-6) are already six victories ahead of last year's 3-13 finish. After beating Houston last Sunday, Minnesota can clinch an N.F.C. wild card by beating Green Bay on Sunday at the Metrodome, or sneak in with a loss should the Giants and the Dallas Cowboys lose or tie and the Chicago Bears lose.

And that's with Ponder, a second-year pro and the No. 12 overall pick in the 2011 draft, posting the worst quarterback rating in the N.F.C. at 78.8, marginally better than that of Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (67.9).

The Vikings rank last in the N.F.L. in net yards passing per game and second worst in yards per pass play. In a year when eight quarterbacks have thrown for more than 4,000 yards, Ponder needs 299 on Sunday just to reach 3,000. If he gets that many, it will be his first 200-yard performance since Nov. 11 against Detroit.

"I'm not going to put extra pressure on myself," Ponder said. "I figure everyone judges me a lot every Sunday. We'll see what happens on this Sunday. But obviously this is a big game for this organization, and my career."

It has been a meandering path to this point. Ponder started 10 games as a rookie last season after the Vikings benched the veteran Donovan McNabb. Three weeks into this season, Ponder ranked second in the N.F.L. with a 70.1 percent completion rate and fifth with a quarterback rating of 104.9. He did not throw his first interception until Week 5, on his 145th attempt.

But Ponder regressed after losing his best wideout, Percy Harvin, to a season-ending left ankle sprain on Nov. 4 in Seattle. After a credible effort the following week against Detroit (221 yards and 2 touchdown passes), Ponder completed 51 percent and 48 percent of his passes in consecutive road losses to the N.F.C. North rivals Chicago and Green Bay.

The performance against Green Bay was particularly frightful. At one point, Ponder went almost 39 minutes without a completion, and he did not complete a pass to a wide receiver until the final three minutes. Two third-quarter interceptions deep in Packers territory, one in the end zone, helped Minnesota squander a 14-10 halftime lead and lose, 23-14, wasting a 210-yard rushing performance by Peterson. Eighty-three of Ponder's meager 119 passing yards came in the final 3 minutes 32 seconds.

"Obviously I learned some things in that game," Ponder said, "but the flight home was not fun."

Through it all, Coach Leslie Frazier and the offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave disregarded fans' clamoring for Ponder to be benched in favor of his backup, Joe Webb. Frazier prefers letting a young starter play through mistakes, whether it be a quarterback or an offensive tackle.

"In my mind, in those games even when he struggled, I was still looking at the bigger picture," Frazier said. "It's not about just this moment. We're trying to get him to the point where he can lead us to a championship. If there was ever a moment when I doubted that would be the case, then we would have made some changes. But I felt all along he has the ability to do that."

Teammates have noticed a difference in Ponder the last three weeks — determination in practice, poise in the huddle, and better footwork and decision-making. The Vikings scored touchdowns on their opening drives in each game and won all three. Ponder has been more efficient than spectacular, throwing only one interception and losing one fumble. Against Houston, 8 of his 16 completions came on third down. But with Peterson running so well — he needs 102 yards to reach 2,000 for the season, and 207 to tie Eric Dickerson's N.F.L. record of 2,105 from 1984 — efficiency works.

"He looks composed," center John Sullivan said of Ponder. "We're not turning the ball over on offense. He's been a big part of that. He's completing a bunch of timely passes on third downs for big conversions to keep drives alive, and we've ended up scoring on those drives. He's just playing well and not making mistakes."

In last Sunday's 23-6 victory in Houston, Ponder went 3 for 3 on the opening drive for 62 yards, the last completion a 3-yard scoring pass to tight end Kyle Rudolph. And in the fourth quarter, his 29-yard scramble on a third-and-2 set up the final touchdown.

"There is so much that goes into people wanting immediate gratification and immediate results," Rudolph said. "He's still a young quarterback. The only way he's going to get better is through learning. For us just to take him out of the game when things don't go our way, he'll never learn."

This Sunday, Ponder must be precise and productive against a Green Bay team that has already clinched the N.F.C. North but needs a victory for a first-round bye.

"To see him bounce back like he has in this month of December is a good sign," Frazier said. "That means we did the right things early on."

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More

Virginia Tech 13, Rutgers 10 (OT): Bowl Game Mirrors Season as Rutgers’s Hope Peters Out

ORLANDO, Fla. — It was not the type of game that deserved extra plays, but the Russell Athletic Bowl provided them anyway Friday night, going to overtime to produce a 13-10 victory for Virginia Tech against Rutgers, decided by Cody Journell's 22-yard field goal.

The Scarlet Knights (9-4) had a chance to tie in overtime, but Nick Borgese's 42-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide right.

The game set two Russell Athletic Bowl records, neither of which makes for exciting football — most punts (21) and fewest points (23).

The game did start with excitement, though, even if it was of the blooper-film variety.

On the second play from scrimmage, Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas settled into the shotgun. But even with his 6-foot-6 frame, Thomas could not corral a snap that surprised him, skipped past his left arm and skittered 22 yards behind him into the Hokies' end zone. By the time Thomas got the ball in his hands, it was too late, and the ball was knocked loose by Rutgers linebacker Khaseem Greene.

Greene, thinking he had recorded a sack that would double as a safety, began celebrating by making the overhead signal of a safety. But then he saw the ball on the ground in the end zone and scooped it up, this time raising his arms in a touchdown signal.

Just like that, 17 seconds into the game, Rutgers had an unexpected 7 points. What was not expected was that the Scarlet Knights' offense would fail the entire game to score anything but a field goal, that also coming in the first quarter.

Punctuating Rutgers's poor offensive showing was the play of the sophomore quarterback Gary Nova, who completed 17 of 40 passes for 130 yards and threw a fourth-quarter interception that directly led to Virginia Tech's only touchdown.

Afterward, Nova answered questions blankly, often refusing to elaborate or evaluate his play.

"It's a bad pass; that's it," he said of the interception that changed the game.

Rutgers Coach Kyle Flood defended sticking with Nova even as he struggled all night, perhaps aware that the Scarlet Knights' previous coach, Greg Schiano, often employed a quick hook.

"I don't believe in throwing things away," Flood said. "With the reps we'd invested in him, I felt he was going to get better during the game. Did he? I'm not sure. I think there's blame everywhere. But it's the quarterback who is out there. He's the first reason for success, and he's the first reason for failure."

Failure seemed to be the way Rutgers stumbled to the finish this season. After racing to a 9-1 start and looking as if they would become the first team in program history to earn a berth in a Bowl Championship Series game, the Scarlet Knights lost their final two regular-season games, to Pittsburgh and Louisville.

Rutgers had to settle for the consolation prize of playing an old Big East foe, even while it prepares its own departure from the conference, to join the 14-team Big Ten in 2014. Like Rutgers, Virginia Tech (7-6) joined the Big East in 1991, before bolting for the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004 and becoming part of the early trend of conference jumping.

With the loss Friday, the Scarlet Knights missed an opportunity to become the university's third team to record double-digit wins. The others were in 1976 and 2006.

After the sudden touchdown that started the game, the game plodded through a steady stream of punts. Finally, Virginia Tech punched through for the game's lone offensive touchdown, on a 21-yard, fourth-quarter pass from Thomas to Corey Fuller.

The Scarlet Knights' only score besides Greene's recovery came when Borgese connected on a 36-yard, first-quarter field goal.

It was not so much that the Hokies finally started playing better in the fourth quarter, but rather that they benefited from Rutgers's poor play, particularly from Nova. He might have had more than one interception had Hokies defenders not dropped several of his errant passes.

Similarly, Virginia Tech was often crippled by the inefficient play of Thomas, who was 15 of 39 for 192 yards.

"Nothing comes easy for us," Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer said. "It's work. A lot of it is just hanging in there."

And they did, until they finally scored twice in the fourth quarter and then once in overtime to eventually bring a game devoid of much offensive excitement to an end.

15.03 | 0 komentar | Read More