~STORY OF THE WEEK~

ATLANTA DEFEATS LOS ANGELES

If you were to boil Wednesday's Lakers-Hawks game down to a scientific analogy, complete with a cosmic touch in deference to L.A. coach Phil Jackson, Atlanta's 109-92 win revealed two teams working in parallel -- or at least very different -- universes. The Hawks are ticking steadily upward, their 48th win assuring the franchise and coach Mike Woodson of improving their shared win totals for the fifth straight season in nearly linear fashion: 13-26-30-37-47-48. Atlanta is the ninth franchise in NBA history to accomplish that, Dallas doing it most recently from 1998-'99 to 2002-'03. Only Minnesota ('92-'93 to '97-'08 ) has ever improved six straight seasons. The Lakers, competitive in the first quarter only to have the Hawks steadily grind them down, are casting about in search of an identity -- either offensive or defensive. They finished a 2-3 road trip that followed an 0-3 jaunt east earlier in the month, and lost three of four after an impressive win at San Antonio. 'Tis a time for fine-tuning, and seven Hawks scored in double figures as Atlanta (48-26) won its ninth straight home game, edging ahead of Boston (47-27) for the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference pecking order. Atlanta is 13-2 at home against teams from the West, and swept all five Pacific division teams in Philips Arena. Joe Johnson scored 16 of his team-high 25 points in the second half, and Jamal Crawford (14 points) had plenty of help off the bench. Maurice Evans scored 18, and backup center Zaza Pachulia scored 10 points with 10 rebounds on a night when the home team bullied the Lakers in the paint. "I was just telling Mo the other day how we're going to need more than six guys to help us out in the postseason," said Atlanta forward Josh Smith, who rarely dazzled yet turned in a solid 12-point, eight-rebound, six-assist night. "It was an important win for us. We're trying for that third spot." The Lakers (54-21) have all but sewed up the No. 1 seed in the West, but otherwise have nothing to hang a hat upon. Their bench, outscored 42-12 Monday in a loss at lowly New Orleans, was dreadful again Wednesday as Atlanta's reserves outscored L.A.'s 48-22. Only because Lakers starting point guard Derek Fisher's struggles continued (he scored four points on 1 of 6 shooting) did Jordan Farmar get enough playing time to score 16 points to keep that total from being even more lopsided. "Fish couldn't buy a shot," said Jackson, who said before the game that the play of his reserves has made him want to vomit. "It's hard to digest. Everybody on their team got going, basically, at some point. We're not playing really solid defense." (NBA.com)

WILL THE LOSING EVER END?

ROCKETS EXTEND WASHINGTON'S L STREAK TO 16

The Houston Rockets weren't great on Tuesday night, but pretty good was enough to beat a Washington Wizards team that hasn't won in more than a month. Rookie Chase Budinger hit a go-ahead jump shot with 28 seconds remaining and made two free throws to help the Rockets escape with a 98-94 win over the struggling Wizards. The win breaks a four-game skid for the Rockets and extends Washington's team-record losing streak to 16 games. "It was harder than we expected, but we were very short-handed," Houston's Luis Scola said. "Washington was trying to get a win to stay away from the losing streak. They played hard. They were hitting shots, so we had to dig a little bit deeper in order to get the win." In this matchup of banged-up and undermanned squads, it seemed for most of the game that neither team would pull away. The Rockets finally did, thanks to Budinger's career-high 24-points, to win their first game since Kevin Martin has been out of the lineup with a sore shoulder. Budinger's jumper made it 94-92 and he added the free throws after a missed 3-point attempt by Earl Boykins. "He bailed us out tonight," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said of Budinger. "Ran that play perfectly. I told him to bank it and he banked it." (USA Today)

RED-HOT BUFFALO DEFEATS BOSTON

The way Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres are closing out games could make them extremely tough to face a few weeks from now. Tyler Myers had a goal and set up Paul Gaustad’s score to lift the surging Sabres to their sixth win in seven games, 3-2 over the Bruins on Monday night in Boston. Miller made 40 saves, including Marco Sturm’s penalty shot in the first period and Mark Recchi’s shot from the edge of the crease as the final horn sounded, in a matchup of last month’s United States Olympic goaltenders. Tim Kennedy also scored for Buffalo, which moved to 1 point behind Pittsburgh for second in the Eastern Conference. The Sabres improved to 27-0-0 when leading after two periods but had to hold on after Dennis Seidenberg scored to make it 3-2 with 5 minutes 37 seconds to play. “It was really big for us, especially with the spot they’re in and the desperation they have,” Myers said. “It was a huge road win for us. As a team right now, we’re focused on moving forward.”

DUKE & MICHIGAN STATE ADVANCE

FINAL FOUR FINALIZED IN NORTH CAROLINA

When Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski was asked Thursday where his top-seeded team ranked among the other Blue Devils squads that he had coached, he declined to speculate. But he did emphasize that he loved this team despite the fact that the senior class had not previously advanced beyond the Round of 16. “Not more than some of the teams, but as much because they’re more of an old-time team,” Krzyzewski said. “They’ve grown up together.” Although this team is hardly among Duke’s most talented and lacks a well-known star, it has Krzyzewski back in the Final Four for the first time since 2004 after the Blue Devils outlasted No. 3 seed Baylor, 78-71, on Sunday in the N.C.A.A. tournament’s South Regional final before 47,492 fans at Reliant Stadium. It will be Krzyzewski’s 11th trip to the Final Four and keeps him in the hunt for his first national title since 2001. “They got me to a Final Four, finally,” Krzyzewski said. A day after the scrappy midmajor Butler earned its first Final Four berth and West Virginia qualified for the national semifinals for the first time since 1959, Duke (33-5) was one of two familiar teams that joined the fray in Indianapolis on Sunday. Tom Izzo, deftly rotating players to compensate for injuries, guided Michigan State to its sixth Final Four in 12 years with a 70-69 victory against Tennessee. But Duke’s victory against an athletic Baylor team that had been a popular darkhorse pick to make the Final Four was the more impressive of the day. The junior shooting guard Nolan Smith had 29 points and the senior point guard Jon Scheyer added 20 points for the Blue Devils, who overcame poor shooting (36.1 percent) from the field. They will face second-seeded West Virginia (31-6) in the national semifinals Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (NY Times)

~STORY OF THE WEEK~

AN UNSTOPPABLE TEAM

UCONN WINS 75TH CONSECUTIVE GAME

The first time Maya Moore touched the ball on offense she hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key. The second time, she hit one from the left corner. And so began another Connecticut rout. Moore scored 16 of her 25 points in the opening 9 minutes and seemingly invincible UConn took it from there to roll over Iowa State 74-36 in a regional semifinal Sunday. ''Connecticut is certainly as good as advertised,'' Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said. ''I don't think I've had a whipping like that since I was a little kid and I broke something of my mom's.'' Kelly Faris came off the bench for 16 points and Tina Charles also had 16 for the Huskies (36-0), who extended their unprecedented winning streak to 75 in a row. The Huskies have won their first three games in the tournament by a combined 148 points -- the most ever. UConn easily surpassed the previous mark of 131 it set in 2000 and 2001. A frequently overlooked strength of the Huskies -- team defense -- was evident. Iowa State came in shooting 43 percent from the field but made just 15 of 53 shots for 28 percent. The Cyclones, one the nation's pre-eminent 3-point-shooting teams, were rattled into going just 6 of 25 behind the arc, with most of the damage they did do behind the arc coming after the game was all but over. ''I know it sounds like a broken record from me, but going into today's game I wasn't really sure how we were going to keep them from making a bunch of 3s,'' UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. ''I can't tell you how well this group played defensively, how they locked into the scouting report and how well they prepared. They just played exceptionally well defensively.'' (NY Times)

TENNESSEE UPSETS OHIO STATE

Tennessee players walked onto the court Friday evening at the Edward Jones Dome to chants by Ohio State fans reminding them of 2007, when the Buckeyes bounced them from the NCAA tournament in the Sweet 16. They left the court to cheers from Volunteers fans, thrilled that Tennessee finally rewrote its history. The Volunteers are in their first Elite Eight after knocking out second-seeded Ohio State from the Sweet 16 with a 76-73 victory on Friday night. They will play the winner of the Midwest region's second semifinal between Northern Iowa and Michigan State on Sunday. Tennessee, a No. 6 seed, overcame a brilliant effort by Ohio State's Evan Turner, who scored 31 points, 21 in the second half. Brian Williams scored on a tip-in with 32 seconds left for a 74-73 Tennessee lead, answering a huge 3-pointer from Turner that had put the Buckeyes up by a point with 41.4 seconds left. Bobby Maze connected on two free throws with 12 seconds remaining. (Chicago Tribune)

PORTLAND HANGING ON TO PLAYOFF SPOT

After losing two home games by a combined six points to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Dallas Mavericks entered the Rose Garden with one goal: Returning the favor. Not so fast, my friend. The Blazers had something else in mind. Instead of relinquishing a victory to the Mavs, Portland won their third of four matchups in the season series. This time with a wider margin of victory. In a game full of runs, the Blazers saved their best spurt for the final stretch while the Mavericks fizzled in a 101-89 defeat. "(The Blazers) played well and we need to play better, I think it comes down to that," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said after the loss. "I think tonight they were more aggressive in the second half and they did a great job defensively down the stretch." "It's the bottom line, they beat us three times. For us, at this point in the season, it's not about 3-0 or 4-0. It's about us getting better for the next step, and I think we can look at this game and understand that next season this is how teams will play us. It's good that it happened now and not next season," point guard Jason Kidd said. The Blazers are seeded 8th in the conference, hanging on for dear life for a shot in the 2010 postseason. (Pegasus News)

CAPITALS SURGE TO VICTORY

WASHINGTON WINS SHOOTOUT, TRUMPS PITTSBURGH

No matter the outcome, Washington Capitals forward Mike Knuble wanted to ensure that Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury worked for it. Knuble succeeded before converting an easier- than-expected wrist shot past Fleury's stick side, capping Washington's 4-3 shootout victory Wednesday night that carried playoff and emotional implications. He also had the Capitals' first goal in regulation, knocking the deflection of Nicklas Backstrom's initial shot out of the air as the goalie searched for the puck. "To be tapped this early in the (shootout) round, you got to have something legit," Knuble said of his first career shootout goal. "I at least wanted to make him (Fleury) make a save." Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin also scored in the shootout as the Capitals scored three consecutive times after Nicklas Backstrom's initial miss to earn their third victory against the archrival Penguins this season. This one was more uneven than the previous two, a game in which they were outshot 42-32 and outplayed for the most part but still came within four minutes of winning in regulation after Semin and Eric Fehr scored 1:56 apart in the third period. The Capitals can thank goalie Jose Theodore for allowing them to recover from early sluggishness and for providing a bridge to the shootout. Despite allowing goals to Maxime Talbot and Jordan Staal while having no chance of stopping Bill Guerin's power-play score, he maintained his stellar play of late (17-0-2 since Jan. 13) while improving to 18- 4-3 lifetime against Pittsburgh. "They came on really strong in the first (period)," said Theodore, who stopped 17 shots then. "We came back in the third. Then they came back. It was a fun game to watch but a fun game to play and especially get the win." "Jose's playing great," Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau added. As is Washington, which matched last year's franchise high for points in a season (108) while moving closer toward clinching the top seed in the Eastern Conference as early as this week. For perspective, consider that other teams are still seeking to nail a playoff spot. Going further, the Capitals might have also gained some momentum for a playoff run they believe will involve a rematch with the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins, who beat Washington in the second round last spring. For now, the Capitals will settle for a win coming a day after U.S. marshals and Florida authorities questioned the club about its relationship with Virginia chiropractor Owen Nagel following his arrest on steroids charges. Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby had shootout goals for the Penguins, whose 2-1 lead after two periods dissolved into a 3-2 deficit before Staal forced overtime with his 21st goal late in the third period. "As the game went on it became more intense," Crosby said. "It would've been nice to get two points but we did a lot of good things." (USA Today)

CHICAGO IS TEAM NUMBER ONE

BLACKHAWKS DEFEAT RED-HOT COYOTES TO CLINCH #1 SEED

As if they been waiting for a game that matters, the Chicago Blackhawks grabbed control of the Western Conference with a 2-0 victory over the surging Phoenix Coyotes. The loss broke a string of nine consecutive wins for the franchise from Arizona and also marked their first defeat to the Hawks this season. Chicago rebounded from a dissapointing shootout loss in Phoenix on Saturday and emerged with a one point lead over the San Jose Sharks in a three-way race for the conference. The game featured larger implications than I was expecting when I was awarded tickets to the contest back in September through a work lottery. This was no longer a meaningless game against an ownerless group of misfits. And the Hawks continue to show they are ready for the big stage. Most importantly Tuesday night's defeat of the Coyotes was a coronation for Blackhawks goaltender Antti Niemi. The Finnish netminder was often spectacular in making 28 saves to earn his sixth shutout of the season. There will be no major announcement. No official crowning ceremony. But, make no mistake, Niemi is the goaltender for the playoffs. The Coyotes and Blackhawks may have entered the game tied in points, but their rosters are nothing alike. As will be needed in the playoffs, a few guys cashing large checks earned their salaries on Tuesday night for the Hawks. Patrick Kane infused the Hawks with a much needed boost with a wrist shot goal over Ilya Bryzgalov's glove less than two minutes into the second period. The first twenty minutes was a tightly played period that saw both clubs stay conservative. Kane's goal tilted the momentum to the Hawks and the home team dominated the rest of the middle session. After a couple of strong shifts led to consecutive Coyote's icings, Phoenix coach Dave Tippit was forced to burn his timeout. But Marian Hossa kept the Hawks rolling with a quick wrister that surprised Bryzgalov at 7:16 of the second period for a 2-0 Blackhawks lead. Hossa retrieved a Patrick Sharp pass and sent the puck along the ice and through the legs of the Coyote goalie. A trio of Blackhawks penalties aided in an 11-5 Phoenix shot advantage in the third period. But the Hawks were also content to play back on their heels instead of forcing the issue during the final twenty minutes. The Hawks defensive stylings inevitably led to some great opportunites for the Coyotes, but Niemi was up to all challenges. With a little help from the refreshed Breant Seabrook, Niemi used his feet quickness to extinguish any hopes the Coyotes had of another comeback. With the action directly in front of me from my seats in section 105, I can attest that Niemi was outstanding in the final frame. And the United Center crowd was appreciative of his efforts. I think the Coyotes are now going through a similar learning process as the Blackhawks. There is a difference between being the hunter and the hunted. The Hawks have been playing with a target on their backs all season. The Coyotes are beginning to understand what that feels like. Fortunately, the Hawks arrow hit the bullseye. We'll see how long it takes for the Coyotes to lick their wounds. (Chicago Now)

NFL APPROVES NEW RULES

The NFL passed a form of modified sudden death overtime today at the league meetings in Orlando. Owners passed the vote by a count of 28-4. The changes will apply only to the postseason, though the league may reconsider adapting them for the 2010 regular season in May. The modified sudden death rule means both teams get opportunities for possessions in overtime (fumbling away a kickoff would count as an opportunity) -- if the first possession doesn't end in a touchdown, offensive or defensive. The sudden death format would resume thereafter. Falcons president Rich McKay acknowledged this creates two sets of rules for the regular season and the playoffs. "Part of the reason we have different rules is because we have different consequences," he said. But McKay said "there was certainly sentiment in the room to discuss having this rule in the regular season." More study is needed before such a change is made, but McKay said owners might consider making the change for the regular season as early as their May meetings.

RODRIGUEZ TO MEET WITH INVESTIGATORS FOR STEROID USE

Alex Rodriguez is scheduled to meet on Friday with federal investigators who want to know about his interactions with Anthony Galea, the Canadian-based doctor whose activities are now being scrutinized by a number of federal agencies in the United States. Those authorities are seeking to establish whether Galea has distributed performance-enhancing drugs in this country. The meeting with Rodriguez is expected to take place in Buffalo, according to two people briefed on the matter who did not want to be publicly identified discussing an continuing investigation. Rodriguez, who has postponed at least one previous meeting with investigators, acknowledged three weeks ago that he had been contacted by them and told reporters then that he would cooperate. At the time, Rodriguez declined to say whether he had been treated by Galea, saying that he would provide that answer “within time.” However, Galea has since said in an interview with The Associated Press that he treated Rodriguez in 2009 for an inflamed hip, giving the third baseman anti-inflammatory drugs. Last week, Rodriguez’s lawyers met with prosecutors from the United States attorney’s office in Buffalo, which is leading the Galea investigation, according to the two people briefed on the matter. Typically, lawyers use such meetings to learn what the authorities want to ask their client and if their client is being viewed by investigators as a subject of the inquiry or a witness. The authorities told Rodriguez’s lawyers that they see him as a witness, the two people said. Galea, who has treated N.F.L. players as well as the golfer Tiger Woods and Olympic medalists, has said that he has prescribed human growth hormone and uses it himself, but he denies providing it to athletes. The federal investigation of Galea began after his assistant was stopped at a border crossing in Buffalo and was found to be carrying H.G.H. and other substances in her car. Rodriguez’s legal team is being led by James E. Sharp and Jay K. Reisinger. They have retained a third lawyer, in Buffalo, to take part in the meeting with the authorities, according to the two people, although they did not provide his name. Reisinger declined comment in an e-mail message Monday evening. Sharp, who is based in Washington, and Reisinger, who is based in Pittsburgh, represented Andy Pettitte and Sammy Sosa in connection with Congressional investigations into performance-enhancing drugs. Rodriguez’s relationship with Galea has left the Yankees and Major League Baseball in a state of uncertainty, with neither sure what that relationship entailed. Last December, the Yankees asked representatives of Rodriguez whether the player had had any dealings with Galea and were told he had not. Based on Galea’s recent statements, that answer appears to be inaccurate. In recent weeks, Rodriguez has had little to say about his pending meeting with investigators. He is hitting .320 this spring, with one home run. He, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada were given the day off on Monday by Manager Joe Girardi. (NY Times)

ST. JOHN DEFEATS PRINCETON

t. John’s came into the N.C.A.A. tournament still angry over its loss in the Big East tournament. The Red Storm took out that frustration on Princeton. Da’Shena Stevens scored 19 points and Shenneika Smith added 13 Saturday as sixth-seeded St. John’s ran away from the 11th-seeded Tigers, 65-47, in the first round of the N.C.A.A. women’s tournament in Tallahassee, Fla. St. John’s (25-6) will play Florida State in the second round on Monday night. “We played hard, we played physical, we matched their intensity and exceeded it at times,” St. John’s Coach Kim Barnes Arico said. Nadirah McKenith and Centhya Hart each scored 10 for the Red Storm, which was sharp despite a 13-day layoff after a loss to Notre Dame in the Big East quarterfinals. St. John’s outscored Princeton by 27-8 over the final 15 ½ minutes of the first half and eased home from there. “I know the big question was how we were going to come out after so much time off,” Barnes Arico said. “I think that our team really stepped up.” Princeton (26-3), the Ivy League champion, came in with the nation’s third-longest winning streak, a 21-game run that stretched from early December. The Tigers shot 28 percent. “If you told me we were going to shoot 17 for 60 from the field, I certainly would not have believed you,” Princeton Coach Courtney Banghart said.

~STORY OF THE WEEK~

NORTHERN IOWA UPSETS #1 KANSAS

Here came Kansas, suddenly playing tough defense because the Jayhawks had no other choice. They applied one last burst of full-court pressure, but Northern Iowa somehow got the ball to Ali Farokhmanesh, the guard who never seems to be bothered by much of anything. Farokhmanesh could have passed the ball, but that is not why Northern Iowa is still alive in the N.C.A.A. tournament and the Jayhawks are done. He paused, then calmly dropped in a stunning 3-point basket with 34 seconds left that boosted the Panthers to a 69-67 upset victory Saturday over top-seeded Kansas in the Midwest Region. “If you know Ali, you know that shot is going up at the end of a game like that,” said Northern Iowa guard Johnny Moran, who was open in a corner on the two-on-one break that ended with Farokhmanesh’s basket. Northern Iowa (29-4), the Missouri Valley Conference champion and the No. 9 seed, moved on to the Round of 16. Kansas (33-3) became the first No. 1 seed to be knocked out of the tournament. Kansas was also the No. 1 team over all. After a day of relative calm Friday, Saturday’s second-round games saw a return of the upsets that marked the tournament’s opening day. Besides Kansas, second-seeded Villanova — which needed overtime to win its first-round game — bowed out of the tournament’s South Region with a 75-68 loss to 10th-seeded St. Mary’s. In the East Region, third-seeded New Mexico was crushed, 82-64, by 11th-seeded Washington, a result that improved the lightly regarded Pacific-10’s record to 3-0 in the tournament. Farokhmanesh, who is from Iowa City and is the son of a former Iranian national volleyball player, scored 16 points to lead the Panthers. His last-minute 3-pointer stretched a 1-point lead to 4. “I was going to see if I could drive it,” Farokhmanesh said. “Then he backed off so far that I thought I might as well shoot this one.” (NY Times.com)

MAGIC STUN HEAT IN FLORIDA SHOWDOWN

OVERTIME THRILLER ENDS WITH CLASSIC BATTLE

Vince Carter knew it was going to happen. Carter, the veteran Orlando swingman, had been noticing when he drove the ball to the basket Miami forward Michael Beasley sagged down to the lane to help defend, leaving Magic forward Rashard Lewis wide open. And that's exactly what happened late in overtime Thursday. Carter drove. Beasley, who usually isn't on the court at so late in a close game, came over to help. So, Carter passed to Lewis, who hit a 3-pointer from in front of the Heat's bench with 28.4 seconds left to deliver Orlando a 108-102 overtime victory at AmericanAirlines Arena. "I told him, 'If you're open I'm passing you the darn ball,' " Carter said. That was despite the fact Lewis missed two similar three-pointers in regulation. "I knew if he kept leaving me in the corner I was going to make one," Lewis said. The game-winning observation and game-winning jumper were extra special considering Orlando (49-21), which was playing the second night of a back-to-back, on the road, and without forward Mickael Pietrus (ankle). The Magic, which made 11 3-pointers, used a team effort to pick up the slack. Carter had a team-high 27 points, Lewis had 24 points and 11 rebounds, guard Jameer Nelson had 15 points, forward Matt Barnes had 13 points and nine rebounds, and center Dwight Howard, who was limited to 31 minutes because of foul trouble, finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds. "It was a good game," said Barnes, who had the burden of defending Heat guard Dwyane Wade. "We needed it." The Heat (35-34) is trying to emerge from a five-team battle for the final four Eastern Conference playoff spots. Miami entered Thursday's game as the No. 7 seed and had a chance to move into a statistical tie for sixth with Charlotte (35-32, .522) with a victory. The Heat remains the No. 7 seed with the loss. Miami stayed in Thursday's game thanks to a superb effort by Wade (36 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists). But Orlando smothered Wade in the overtime, sometimes sending the 6-foot-10 Lewis over to help defend. Wade was 0-for-1 for two points in overtime. Overall, Miami was 1-for-6 for seven points in the overtime. "We battled, we competed," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "I have no problem with the way we fought. We were in the fight." (NBA.com)

SETON HALL FIRES HEAD COACH

Seton Hall dismissed Bobby Gonzalez on Wednesday, ending his tumultuous four-year tenure as men’s basketball coach a day after an ignominious first-round loss in the National Invitation Tournament and the arrest of a player who had been kicked off the team. Gonzalez was 66-59 in four seasons at Seton Hall, and his teams did not make an N.C.A.A. tournament. He received a contract extension last year, which was to run through 2015, but his future was clouded by dissatisfaction with his fiery personality. The Pirates’ loss to Texas Tech in the N.I.T. on Tuesday night was marred by the ejection of the star forward Herb Pope, who punched an opposing player in the groin. Gonzalez also received his seventh technical foul of the season. A former Pirates player, Robert Mitchell, was arrested on Tuesday in Newark and charged with kidnapping, robbery, burglary and possession of a weapon, according to a law enforcement official in Essex County, N.J. Mitchell and another person were accused of breaking into a home in South Orange, N.J., duct-taping eight people and stealing credit and debit cards, driver’s licenses, cellphones, digital cameras and about $300. The police did not identify the other person. After Mitchell fled in a vehicle that the police later recovered, at least one of the people freed himself and called the authorities.

HOUSTON TAKES TITLE

When Tom Penders was approached to become the University of Houston men’s basketball coach six years ago, he bolted to the nearest elevator. The athletic director emphatically told him that the Cougars’ once mighty powerhouse, which was nicknamed Phi Slama Jama in the early 1980s because of the dunking of Hakeem Olajuwon, Larry Micheaux and Clyde Drexler, did not have the facilities or the money to be competitive in Conference USA. Nonetheless, he wanted to know whether Penders would be interested in the job. “He said he needed somebody who didn’t care about that stuff and that wasn’t spoiled,” Penders said Monday. “He was being so negative and telling me how impossible it was.” Penders discovered that he was being tested by his potential new boss, Dave Maggard, who ended up chasing him down at the elevator. A week later, Penders was given a contract that included an interesting incentive: it would pay him $8,000 for each win from No. 15 to No. 20 in a season, and more after that. (NY Times)

TIGER WOODS SET TO MAKE RETURN

Tiger Woods will end his self-imposed "indefinite break" from golf April 8 by making his long-awaited return to the game on the hallowed grounds of Augusta National Golf Club, home of The Masters. "The Masters is where I won my first major and I view this tournament with great respect," Woods said Tuesday in a statement. "After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I'm ready to start my season at Augusta. The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it's been a while since I last played."(USA Today)

SURGING BOBCATS UPSET MAGIC

The Orlando Magic were playing to tie a franchise-record winning streak, but the Charlotte Bobcats are streaking even better. Stephen Jackson scored 11 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter and the Bobcats, playing without injured Gerald Wallace, ended the Magic's eight-game streak Sunday night, 96-89. It was the sixth straight win for the Bobcats, a streak sandwiched by victories against the defending conference champions. "Big win is an understatement," said Jackson, whose cold-blooded 16-footer from the side clinched the victory with 1:06 remaining. "Without having Gerald here, our All-Star, our sense of urgency really showed." Wallace missed the game with a sprained left ankle. The Bobcats (34-31) took Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson out of the Magic offense and won in Orlando for the first time in five years. Dwight Howard led the Magic (47-21) with 27 points and 16 rebounds, but he missed seven free throws and committed two straight offensive fouls while the game was getting away from the Magic in the fourth quarter. Howard was also whistled for his 14th technical foul, leaving him two short of a league suspension. (NBA.com)

~STORY OF THE WEEK~

KENTUCKY WILDCATS WIN TITLE

CLASSIC BATTLE ENDS WITH CELEBRATION IN LEXINGTON

The Kentucky Wildcats have rewarded their faithful by adding a Southeastern Conference tournament title to go with their regular season title. Two down, one to go? John Wall scored seven of his 15 points in overtime, and No. 2 Kentucky rallied from five down with 2:28 left in regulation to beat Mississippi State 75-74 on Sunday. It was the Wildcats' 26th Southeastern Conference tournament championship and gave them the automatic berth to the NCAA tournament they didn't need.The Wildcats (32-2) blew earlier chances with their fabulous freshmen Wall and DeMarcus Cousins missing free throws and making youthful mistakes. But they came through over the defending tourney champs as Cousins' layup off Wall's missed 3-pointer from the right corner beat the regulation buzzer to give them some extra time.Now Kentucky can celebrate its first SEC tournament title since 2004, ending an interminable drought for their fans who now expect another national championship.Mississippi State (23-11) lost for the second time to the Wildcats this season after leading late in regulation. The Bulldogs blew a seven-point lead on Feb. 16, and lost that game 81-75 in overtime.This time, the Bulldogs led 62-57 on Ravern Johnson's 3 with 2:28 left. That set up a furious finish to a game that had gone back and forth from the opening tip.Barry Stewart, a senior from nearby Shelbyville, Tenn., hit both free throws with 8.2 seconds left to push the Bulldogs 'lead to 64-61. He fouled out, sending Bledsoe to the free throw line. He hit the first, missed the second and Wall's 3-point attempt was short. But Cousins put it back, getting the shot off before the buzzer.Officials immediately signaled that the shot counted, and Wall and Cousins slammed to the court near the press table celebrating with their teammates piling on as if they had won the game. They finally went back to the bench while officials reviewed the play.As the Bulldogs slumped and Kentucky celebrated, overtime seemed destined to go the Wildcats' way. Even then, it wasn't easy.Bledsoe's jumper put them ahead to stay at 71-69 with 1:20 left, and Wall's lone 3-pointer of the game pushed it to 74-71 with 26 seconds remaining. Cousins hit two free throws with 5 seconds to go that wound up the winning margin as Riley Benock hit a 3 just before the buzzer to start the celebration fans had been waiting for since Calipari was hired last spring. It was the first time since 1952 that the SEC championship had been decided by one point. (NY Times)

WEST VIRGINIA ADVANCES TO FINAL

A day after West Virginia’s football coach suggested the university was considering leaving the Big East, another one of its teams took a step closer to winning the conference’s basketball championship. The No. 4-seeded Mountaineers outslugged Notre Dame, 53-51, on Friday night, ending the Irish’s six-game winning streak. They will play No. 8 Georgetown for the title on Saturday; the Hoyas thumped Marquette, 80-57, in the first semifinal at Madison Square Garden. West Virginia’s game against Notre Dame had a bizarre backdrop after the Mountaineers’ football coach, Bill Stewart, made controversial comments to a local television station. Stewart had made it sound like an inevitability that the Mountaineers would leave the Big East, talking expansively about the possibility. “I don’t know where we’re going to land,” Stewart told the station, WTAP. “We could land, whatever, in one of maybe three conferences, the A.C.C., the SEC, maybe the Big Ten.” In the stands at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, West Virginia’s athletic director, Ed Pastilong, spoke passionately about the university’s commitment to the Big East. “There has been no strategy on the part of West Virginia University with regard to contact with any other conference,” Pastilong said. “Let me re-emphasize: W.V.U. is committed to the Big East.”

GEORETOWN ADVANCES TO TITLE

Greg Monroe had 23 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 22 Georgetown finally got the better of Marquette in a 80-57 victory Friday night that sent the Hoyas to the Big East tournament title game for the third time in four years.Chris Wright followed his 27-point performance against top-seeded Syracuse in the quarterfinals with 15 points for Georgetown (23-9), which put the game away with a 14-1 run with under 10 minutes to go. The Hoyas will play Notre Dame or West Virginia on Saturday night, looking to extend their record to eight tournament championships.Jason Clark also had 15 points for Georgetown.Jimmy Butler scored 17 points to lead Marquette (22-11), which had won three straight against Georgetown.

STRASBURG TAKES NATIONAL STAGE

About an hour before making his Spring Training debut against the Tigers on Tuesday afternoon, Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg was getting ready to warm up in the bullpen when pitching coach Steve McCatty realized that Strasburg was nervous. There had been a lot of hype before this game because Strasburg was the 2009 Golden Spikes Award winner, the No. 1 overall pick in the '09 First-Year Player Draft and he signed a four-year, $15.1 million contract with Washington. McCatty wanted to make sure Strasburg didn't put extra pressure on himself because of all the hype he had received in the past year. "When he came out to the bullpen, we were kind of talking when he said, 'How should I go about warming up?'" Mcatty recalled. "I said, 'What you normally do. Do all this and remember to breathe.' He did it and got on the mound. [Before he went on the mound], I said, 'Are you ready?' He said, 'I'm ready to go right now.' So he had been champing at the bit for a little while." Strasburg went on the mound and pitched two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out two batters in the Nats' 9-4 loss to the Tigers. In the first inning, Strasburg retired the Tigers in order. He was mixing in his four-seam and two-seam fastballs. His pitches were clocked no lower than 96 mph. In the second inning, Strasburg faced the toughest part of the order. He threw two 81-mph curveballs to Miguel Cabrera before striking out the slugger on a 98-mph fastball. The next hitter, Carlos Guillen, grounded out to third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on a 97-mph fastball. After giving up consecutive singles to Don Kelly and Alex Avila, Strasburg regrouped and struck out Brent Dlugach looking on a 3-2 81-mph curveball. Strasburg threw 27 pitches, 15 for strikes. "I thought it was executed well enough to get him out," Strasburg said about the strikeout to Dlugach. "I felt it was down in the zone, and if he swung, hopefully he would have grounded out. I wasn't going to throw a hanger up there and I hoped that he was sitting on a fastball. I was going to throw [the curveball]. If it's a strike, it's a strike. If not, it's down in the zone and hopefully he swings." Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner attended Strasburg's outing, and the first thing he thought about was Strasburg's future with the club. "It was a taste of things to come," Lerner said. "That's the best way to describe it. It will be exciting to watch him grow, mature, learn the game and become a pro. In the next few years as he gets starts under his belt, it will be an amazing transformation."

BUTLER ON FIRE, UPSETS WRIGHT ST.
Now the Butler Bulldogs get a chance to prove themselves against the big boys. Shelvin Mack scored all 14 of his points in the first half, and Matt Howard had 14 points and nine rebounds in helping No. 12 Butler rout second-seeded Wright State 70-45 in the Horizon League title game Tuesday night. Butler, 28-4, extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 20 and heads into NCAA play as the only Division I team to complete a perfect conference season. The Bulldogs are 20-0 against league foes, including tourney games. They also won the regular-season title by a record six games. Butler tied two more records. The Bulldogs have won six tourney titles, tying Xavier for the most in league history, and win No. 28 in conference tourney play matched Detroit’s record. The Raiders, 20-12, were led by N’Gai Evans with 13 points but lost for the third time this season and seventh in a row to Butler. But Butler was on a mission Tuesday night.

UCONN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM BREAKS RECORD FOR MOST CONSECUTIVE WINS

Tina Charles, Maya Moore and the latest Connecticut Huskies dynasty now has its own place in the record books. Charles scored 16 points and Moore added 11 to help top-ranked Connecticut win an NCAA record 71st straight game - a 59-44 victory over No. 6 Notre Dame on Monday night in the semifinals of the Big East tournament. UConn surpassed its own mark set from Nov. 9, 2001, to March 11, 2003. Unlike that amazing run, which ended in a loss in the Big East conference tournament semifinals to Villanova, this Huskies team has thoroughly dominated its opponents in every game, winning all of them by double digits. Connecticut (32-0) will face either West Virginia or Rutgers on Tuesday night with a chance to win its 16th Big East conference tournament championship. In other news, the Knicks won a wild one and the Cavs won their 50th game.

MONTHS AFTER ALCS CONTROVERSY, UMPIRES FIRED WITHOUT EXPLANATION

Major League Baseball, angry over the abundance of blown umpiring calls in the 2009 postseason, has fired three of its seven ump supervisors. Marty Springstead, Rich Garcia and Jim McKean, each involved in umpiring for 40 or more years, were fired on Jan. 12. They received the news by telephone. "I was totally shocked," said Springstead, who began his umpiring career in 1960. "Fifty years, and I get a four-minute phone call to say good-bye? They didn't give us a lot of reasons." Randy Marsh and Charlie Reliford (above), two umpires who retired after last season, have been hired as replacements. Ed Montague, who retired after 34 years, also is in negotiations about a supervisor's job. "I'm sad about it, I'm going to miss it," said Garcia, who umpired in 12 postseasons during his 25-year big-league career. "It's certainly not what I wanted to happen. I can walk away proud of the work I've done." MLB did not cite a specific reason for the firings. Rob Manfred, MLB executive vice president, said, "The change in supervisors is part of our ongoing effort to make our organization as strong as possible." Yet, Springstead said it was directly related to the errant calls in last year's postseason. Crew chief Tim McClelland, along with veteran umpires Phil Cuzzi and C.B. Bucknor, each blew key calls during the American League division and championship series between the Yankees and Angels. They retained their jobs.

LOUISVILLE STUNS SYRACUSE

A reserve guard that Louisville coach Rick Pitino considers so bashful, he sounds shy even when he yells, made sure to send venerable Freedom Hall out with one more memorable game. Kyle Kuric scored all of his career-high 22 points in the second half, and the Cardinals stunned No. 1 Syracuse 78-68 on Saturday before a record-crowd of 20,135 at the 56-year-old venue. It was the final game there before Louisville moves into a new downtown arena. "It's an unbelievable moment," Kuric said. "It's what every kid dreams of." Kuric may have also assured Louisville (20-11, 11-7 Big East) a return trip to the NCAA tournament by sweeping the regular-season series from the Orange (28-3, 15-3), whose only other loss came against No. 17 Pittsburgh. (USA Today)

~STORY OF THE WEEK~DALLAS WINS TENTH IN A ROW

The Mavericks were missing injured sixth man Jason Terry on Friday night and didn't have starting center Brendan Haywood or head coach Rick Carlisle for most of the game, either. They still had too much for the Kings. Double-doubles by Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd and a breakout game by rookie Roddy Beaubois helped Dallas extend its longest winning streak in three years to 10 with a 108-100 victory. The Mavericks' 10-1 record since the All-Star break is tops in the NBA and has pulled them to within four games of the Lakers for the West's best record. Nowitzki scored 15 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and added a game-high 12 rebounds and three blocks for his 14th double-double of the season. (NBA.com)

WADE & HEAT STUN KOBE & LAKERS

Heat guard Dwyane Wade scored 27 points in Miami's 114-111 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. But that's not how he won the game for his struggling team. It was Wade's season-high 14 assists, and his ability to resist getting into a scoring match with Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, that won the game. "That shows my teammates I'm about winning," Wade said of the assists. "I'm not about, 'I need to hit this shot because Kobe hit one.' It's about making sure we all are confident and we all are good. If we do that, that's going to go a long way rather than me always being the one who has to take the shot and make it." (NBA.com)

SPRING TRAINING UNDERWAY

The Mariners are set to show off Cliff Lee, the Mets are debuting Jason Bay, and as the second and third Spring Training games are underway, buzz is everywhere. Scots, fans and reporters are filling the stands across the country as beautiful weather fills the sky from Florida to Arizona. Curtis Granderson and the Yankees, John Lackey and the Red Sox, Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers- its all there. But as scouts and die-hard fans would say, its the stories of the new guys that matters. From Cubs prospect Starlin Castro to Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg, what happens next will have everybody talking.

A HERO FORGIVEN

For Pittsburgh Penguins fans, all is forgiven. More than 17,000 fans — and more than a few wearing Sidney Crosby’s red-and-white Canadian national team jersey — crammed inside the Igloo and raucously cheered Crosby, Olympic hero and Penguins captain, before Tuesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. Team USA’s silver medal was not forgotten, either. Ryan Miller, the Sabres’ goalie and the most valuable player of the Olympic tournament, was among the Olympians, five from the Sabres and five from the Penguins, who were introduced before the game. When his name was announced thunderous cheers went up, with some fans chanting, “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” Miller, who was given the night off, acknowledged the cheers, raising his stick to salute the appreciative fans. At first, there were some mixed feelings about Crosby. When his overtime goal that gave Canada a 3-2 overtime victory over the United States was replayed on the scoreboard, it prompted boos. Then, when Crosby was announced, the boos turned to cheers. Crosby had an assist on the first goal in the Penguins’ 3-2 victory and played about four minutes less than his normal 21 a game. “I probably could have played more,” he said. “But we had all four lines going and we played a good solid team game.” Hearing his home fans cheer Miller did not bother Crosby. ”I don’t expect them to be happy to see that,” he said of Canada’s victory. “It’s an American city and proud Americans here, so, either way it’s something I understand.” (NY Times)

ON FIRE, SUNS UPSET NUGGETS

Amare Stoudemire poured in 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, as the Phoenix Suns dominated the Denver Nuggets, 101-85, at US Airways Center. Grant Hill added 19 points and eight rebounds for the Suns, who have won six of seven. Channing Frye tallied 16 points and five boards off the bench. Jason Richardson and Goran Dragic each chipped in 12 points for the victors. "I think we came out and played great defensively," Stoudemire said. "The second unit did a great job out there with the zone defense and kind of threw Denver off guard there for awhile and we just kept the momentum going. We came out and played great and I think we held those guys less than 90 points - which was a key for us, with them being the second-best scoring team in the league - so we did a great job defensively." Chauncey Billups finished with 21 points for the Nuggets, who have dropped back-to-back games for the first time since a season-high three-game skid from December 25-28. Carmelo Anthony ended with 17 points and seven rebounds, while J.R. Smith added 16 points off the bench in defeat.