Indiana Pulls Off Another Upset, This Time OSU

APEX Sports Newswires

Second ranked Ohio State was defeated by No. 15 Indiana, 74-70. This is the Hoosiers' second win versus a Top-2 team this season. Earlier in the young season Indiana beat top ranked Kentucky. Both wins came on the homecourt of the Hoosiers. 

Eric Lindros Shines In Return To Philadelphia, Leads Flyers Alumni Team To Victory

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Eric Lindros stepped out of the dugout and pointed his stick toward the stands.

Big E had his standing O.

With a packed Philadelphia crowd standing and roaring in appreciation, Lindros made a triumphant return to the city in a Philadelphia Flyers jersey, a bitter parting more than a decade ago forgotten from the moment No. 88 hit the ice for warmups.

The red reserved for the Phillies at Citizens Bank park gave way to 40,000 fans in Flyers orange - so many who paid just to see Lindros play in the alumni showcase, a prelude to Monday's Winter Classic between the Flyers and New York Rangers.

Lindros assisted on the first goal of the game, connecting with former Legion of Doom linemate John LeClair, to help the former Flyers beat the old-time Rangers 3-1 Saturday. STORY....

Related articles

• Lindros plays well for Philly in Winter Classic Alumni Game (cbssports.com)
• Lindros thrills crowd of 40,000 in Philly return (thestar.com)
• Lindros, Parent thrill in Classic alumni game (cbc.ca)

Jon Gruden Says 'I'll Be Back At ESPN' Next Year

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By Josh Katzowitz - CBSSports.com

Rumors have been swirling the past few weeks that Jon Gruden will leave ESPN’s Monday Night Football set and return to the sidelines to coach in 2012.

Two of Mike Freeman’s sources told him recently that Gruden is indeed leaning toward coaching next season. As Freeman wrote, “Some of this might be semantics. I'm told Gruden wants to see what positions he could possibly get before making a 100 percent final decision and that he hasn't officially made one yet because of the uncertainty … And while I fully expect Gruden to issue a statement with some sort of non-denial/denial saying he's happy at ESPN, he's eyeing a return.” MORE....

Related articles

• Jon Gruden denies returning the the NFL sidelines in 2012 (ballhyped.com)
• Jon Gruden Reportedly Wants To Coach In 2012; ESPN Says Otherwise (sbnation.com)

Utah Scores Late, Wins Sun Bowl In Overtime

The Associated Press

EL PASO, Texas -- John White plowed into the end zone from 8 yards out to give Utah a 30-27 overtime victory against Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl.

Justin Moore kicked a 34-yard field goal in Georgia Tech's overtime possession to take a three-point lead, but White finished a 115-yard rushing day with the game-winning score on his 26th carry.

The Utes (8-5) tied it in regulation when Jon Hays hit DeVonte Christopher with a 28-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-14 with 1:32 left in the fourth quarter. CONTINUE....

Related articles

• Utah comes back, beats GaTech 30-27 in OT Sun Bowl (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Sun Bowl 2011 Final Score: Utah Claims Comeback Victory In Overtime, 30-27 (sbnation.com)

Cincinnati Defeats Vanderbilt In The Liberty Bowl

APEX Sports Newswires

Cincinnati defeated Vanderbilt, 31-24, in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Isaiah Pead had 150 rushing yards and one touchdown.

Illinois Wins The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl

APEX Sports Newswires

Illinois defeated UCLA, 20-14, in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

Texas A&M Holds On To Win Car Care Bowl

APEX Sports Newswires

Texas A&M defeated Northwestern, 33-22, in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas played at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

ManUpset: United Loses To Blackburn

APEX Sports Newswires

Manchester United was upset Saturday by the Blackburn Rovers, 3-2, in the English Premier League. The Rovers entered the game in 19th place.

Sooners Win Insight Bowl

APEX Sports Newswires

The 14th ranked Oklahoma Sooners defeated Iowa, 31-14, in the Insight Bowl. Oklahoma's Blake Bell rushed for 3 touchdowns.

Mississippi State Wins In Nashville

APEX Sports Newswires

Mississippi State defeated Wake Forest, 23-17, in the Music City Bowl played in Nashville. Vick Ballard had 180 rushing yards and scored 2 touchdowns.

Rutgers Wins Pinstripe Bowl At Yankee Stadium

APEX Sports Newswires

Rutgers defeated Iowa State, 27-13, in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl played at Yankee Stadium. Jawan Jamison had 134 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns.

BYU Slips Past Tulsa To Win The Armed Forces Bowl

APEX Sports Newswires

BYU defeated Tulsa, 24-21, in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Cody Hoffman caught the winning 2-yard touchdown catch with 11 seconds left in the game.

UVA Gives Football Coach London New Contract

APEX Sports Newswires

The University of Virginia has rewarded 2011 ACC Coach of the Year Mike London with a new 5-year contract. London will lead the Cavaliers to their best season in recent years.

Baylor-Washington Play Record-Setting Alamo Bowl

APEX Sports Newswires

The Baylor Bears defeated the Washington Huskies, 67-56, in the Valero Alamo Bowl. The two teams scored 123 combined points two points shy of the all-time bowl record.

Baylor's Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Robert Griffin III passed for 295 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 55 yards and a touchdown. 

Baylor running back Terrance Ganaway rushed for 200 yards and ran for 5 touchdowns. The Bears'other running back Jarred Salubi ran for 100 yards and scored 2 touchdowns.

Washington quarterback Keith Price had 438 passing yards, 39 rushing yards and 7 total touchdowns.

Washington-Baylor set the all-time bowl records for points in regulation (123) and total offense (1,377 yards).

Seminoles Overcome Double-Digit Deficit To Win Champs Sports Bowl

APEX Sports Newswires

Florida State defeated Notre Dame, 18-14, in the Champs Sports Bowl played in Orlando, Florida at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium. The Seminoles erased a 14-point deficit to win the game.

Longhorns Win Holiday Bowl

APEX Sports Newswires

The 24th ranked Texas Longhorns defeated the California Golden Bears, 21-10, in the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl. The win gives Texas a 8-5 record.

Toledo Wins Shootout In The Military Bowl

APEX Sports Newswires

Toledo defeated the Air Force Academy, 42-41, in the Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman. The game was played in Washington DC at RFK Stadium.

Pac-12, Big Ten Announce Schedule Deal

Big Ten/Pac-12 Release

Park Ridge, Ill./Walnut Creek, Calif. -- With a history of Rose Bowl competition dating back more than a century, the Pac-12 Conference and Big Ten Conference announced Wednesday a collaborative effort to enhance long-term scheduling commitments between the two conferences across all sports amongst the 24 institutions.

The new Pac-12-Big Ten collaboration will feature more games between the two conferences in an effort to enhance the experiences for all student-athletes, fans and alumni while broadening the national scope of both conferences. Details of the new effort will continue to unfold as administrators and conference staff members meet in the coming year.

“As other conferences continue to grow through expansion, we believe there is great merit in deepening the historic relationship between the Big Ten and Pac-12,” said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. “We believe that both conferences can preserve that sense of collegiality and still grow nationally by leveraging our commonalities in a way that benefits student-athletes, fans and alumni. This collaboration can and will touch many institutional undertakings, and will complement our academic and athletic missions.”

“Through numerous conversations over the past several months with stakeholders from the Big Ten and Pac-12, we decided there would be great value in building upon the history and collegiality that exists between our member institutions, by initially committing to an increased frequency of play between our schools in all sports,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott

In football, the objective is to create an annual 12 inter-conference game schedule between the two conferences by the 2017 season. The plan calls for each school to play an opponent from the other conference every year with some flexibility built into the process to respect existing post-2017 FBS non-conference match-ups. Additionally, more inter-conference games are expected to appear sooner based on schedule openings. Many sports, including men’s and women’s basketball, could see an increased level of inter-conference competition in the near term, possibly as early as the 2012-13 academic year. Over the coming months there will be a series of detailed scheduling planning meetings among administrators of both conferences to work out exact details.

The Big Ten and Pac-12 share culture, tradition, values and a rich history of intercollegiate competition, dating back to the inaugural Rose Bowl Game in 1902. The two conferences have met in Pasadena on 62 occasions, including 55 consecutive meetings from 1947-2001. Both the Big Ten and Pac-12 have strong commitments to diversity, gender equity and the sponsorship of broad-based programs, with over 17,000 student-athletes competing on more than 550 teams between the two conferences.

In addition, the Big Ten created the first national conference-owned television network, the Big Ten Network (BTN), which was launched in 2007 and is now in its fifth year of operation. The Pac-12 will be launching its own television network in August 2012. Both networks will be able to provide national coverage to a number of the inter-conference competitions.

Sidney Crosby Still Having Concussion Symptoms

APEX Sports Newswires

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review is reporting that Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma says that Sidney Crosby is still "having (concussion) symptoms".

Alex Rodriguez Received Treatment In Germany

APEX Sports Newswires

The New York Yankees confirm that 3rd baseman Alex Rodriguez went to Germany for treatment on his right knee and left shoulder.

'Bama-LSU To Meet In Baton Rouge In November '12

APEX Sports Newswires

The SEC unveiled the league's 2012 schedule on Wednesday. The Bowl Championship Series title game teams Alabama and LSU will play at Baton Rouge on November 3rd.

Missouri And Texas A&M's First Home SEC Games Set

APEX Sports Newswires

Missouri is set to play their first Southeastern Conference game at home versus Georgia. Texas A&M's first SEC game at home will be versus Florida. Both games will be played on September 8, 2012.

Munchak Tells Penn State He's Not Interested In Job

APEX Sports Newswires

Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak tells Penn State that he is not interested in his alma mater's coaching job. It is thought that Munchak is the school's top choice to replace Joe Paterno who was fired during the season.

NC State Defeats Louisville In The Belk Bowl

APEX Sports Newswires

North Carolina State defeated Louisville, 31-24, in the Belk Bowl played in Charlotte, North Carolina at Bank of America Stadium the home of the Carolina Panthers. NC State's quarterback Mike Glennon threw 3 touchdown passes in the game.

Purdue Defeats Western Michigan In Little Caesars Bowl

APEX Sports Newswires

The Purdue Boilermakers defeated Western Michigan, 37-32, in the Little Caesars Bowl played in Detroit at Ford Field.

2012 Pro Bowl Rosters

Rosters by position

* Asterisk denotes starter

AFC Offense Position Player(s) Quarterback * Tom Brady, New England Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Philip Rivers, San Diego Running back * Ray Rice, Baltimore Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Arian Foster, Houston Fullback * Vonta Leach, Baltimore Wide receiver * Wes Welker, New England * Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh A.J. Green, Cincinnati Brandon Marshall, Miami Tight end * Rob Gronkowski, New England Antonio Gates, San Diego Tackle * Joe Thomas, Cleveland * Jake Long, Miami D'Brickashaw Ferguson, N.Y. Jets Guard * Logan Mankins, New England * Brian Waters, New England Marshal Yanda, Baltimore Center * Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh Nick Mangold, N.Y. Jets Defense Position Player(s) Defensive end * Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis * Andre Carter, New England Elvis Dumervil, Denver Interior linemen * Haloti Ngata, Baltimore * Vince Wilfork, New England Richard Seymour, Oakland Outside linebacker * Terrell Suggs, Baltimore * Von Miller, Denver Tamba Hali, Kansas City Inside/midde linebacker * Ray Lewis, Baltimore Derrick Johnson, Kansas City Cornerback * Darrelle Revis, N.Y. Jets * Champ Bailey, Denver Johnathan Joseph, Houston Free safety * Ed Reed, Baltimore Eric Weddle, San Diego Strong safety * Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Special teams Position Player(s) Punter Shane Lechler, Oakland Placekicker Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland Kick returner Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Special teamer Matthew Slater, New England

NFC Offense Position Player(s) Quarterback * Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Drew Brees, New Orleans Eli Manning, N.Y. Giants Running back * LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Matt Forte, Chicago Frank Gore, San Francisco Fullback * John Kuhn, Green Bay Wide receiver * Calvin Johnson, Detroit * Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Steve Smith, Carolina Greg Jennings, Green Bay Tight end * Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Tackle * Jason Peters, Philadelphia * Joe Staley, San Francisco Jermon Bushrod, New Orleans Guard * Jahri Evans, New Orleans * Carl Nicks, New Orleans Davin Joseph, Tampa Bay Center * Ryan Kalil, Carolina Scott Wells, Green Bay Defense Position Player(s) Defensive end * Jared Allen, Minnesota * Jason Babin, Philadelphia Jason Pierre-Paul, N.Y. Giants Interior linemen * Justin Smith, San Francisco * Jay Ratliff, Dallas B.J. Raji, Green Bay Outside linebacker * DeMarcus Ware, Dallas * Clay Matthews, Green Bay Lance Briggs, Chicago Inside/midde linebacker * Patrick Willis, San Francisco Brian Urlacher, Chicago Cornerback * Charles Woodson, Green Bay * Carlos Rogers, San Francisco Charles Tillman, Chicago Free safety * Earl Thomas, Seattle Dashon Goldson, San Francisco Strong safety * Adrian Wilson, Arizona Special teams Position Player(s) Punter Andy Lee, San Francisco Placekicker David Akers, San Francisco Kick returner Patrick Peterson, Arizona Special teamer Corey Graham, Chicago

 

Rosters by team

* Asterisk denotes starter

AFC Team Player(s) Balimore (7) * Vonta Leach, fullback * Ray Lewis, inside/middle linebacker * Haloti Ngata, interior lineman * Ed Reed, free safety * Ray Rice, running back * Terrell Suggs, outside linebacker Marshal Yanda, guard Cincinnati (1) A.J. Green, wide receiver Cleveland (1) * Joe Thomas, tackle Denver (3) * Champ Bailey, cornerback Elvis Dumervil, defensive end * Von Miller, outside linebacker Houston (2) Arian Foster, running back Johnathan Joseph, cornerback Indianapolis (1) * Dwight Freeney, defensive end Jacksonville (1) Maurice Jones-Drew, running back Kansas City (2) Tamba Hali, outside linebacker Derrick Johnson, inside/middle linebacker Miami (2) * Jake Long, tackle Brandon Marshall, wide receiver New England (8) * Tom Brady, quarterback * Andre Carter, defensive end * Rob Gronkowski, tight end * Logan Mankins, guard Matthew Slater, special teamer * Brian Waters, guard * Wes Welker, wide receiver * Vince Wilfork, interior lineman N.Y. Jets (3) D'Brickashaw Ferguson, tackle Nick Mangold, center * Darrelle Revis, cornerback Oakland (3) Sebastian Janikowski, placekicker Shane Lechler, punter Richard Seymour, interior lineman Pittsburgh (5) Antonio Brown, kick returner * Troy Polamalu, strong safety * Maurkice Pouncey, center Ben Roethlisberger, quarterback * Mike Wallace, wide receiver San Diego (3) Antonio Gates, tight end Philip Rivers, quarterback Eric Weddle, free safety

NFC Team Player(s) Arizona (3) * Larry Fitzgerald, wide receiver Patrick Peterson, kick returner * Adrian Wilson, strong safety Atlanta (1) Tony Gonzalez, tight end Carolina (2) * Ryan Kalil, center Steve Smith, wide receiver Chicago (5) Lance Briggs, outside linebacker Matt Forte, running back Corey Graham, special teamer Charles Tillman, cornerback Brian Urlacher, inside/middle linebacker Dallas (2) * Jay Ratliff, interior lineman * DeMarcus Ware, outside linebacker Detroit (1) * Calvin Johnson, wide receiver Green Bay (7) Greg Jennings, wide receiver * John Kuhn, fullback * Clay Matthews, outside linebacker B.J. Raji, interior lineman * Aaron Rodgers, quarterback Scott Wells, center * Charles Woodson, cornerback Minnesota (1) * Jared Allen, defensive end New Orleans (5) Drew Brees, quarterback Jermon Bushrod, tackle * Jahri Evans, guard * Jimmy Graham, tight end * Carl Nicks, guard N.Y. Giants (2) Eli Manning, quarterback Jason Pierre-Paul, defensive end Philadelphia (3) * Jason Babin, defensive end * LeSean McCoy, running back * Jason Peters, tackle San Francisco (8) David Akers, placekicker Dashon Goldson, free safety Frank Gore, running back Andy Lee, punter * Carlos Rogers, cornerback * Justin Smith, interior lineman * Joe Staley, tackle * Patrick Willis, inside/middle linebacker Seattle (1) * Earl Thomas, free safety Tampa Bay (1) Davin Joseph, guard

Notre Dame's Skylar Diggins A Star, On And Off The Court

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The Associated Press

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- When Skylar Diggins was younger, stepfather Maurice Scott used to tell her about Michael Jordan’s famous “Be Like Mike” commercial. One day, he’d joke, she’d have her own ad like that.

“I want to be like Sky. Sky’s the limit,” Scott said, recalling his suggested tag lines. “We’d laugh about it.”

Funny thing is, he wasn’t too far off.

Diggins is the biggest thing going in women’s basketball these days, maybe in all of women’s sports. Her smooth shot and uncanny floor vision carried Notre Dame to the national title game last year, and she’s got the third-ranked Irish poised to make another deep run. Her engaging personality and cover-girl looks have made her a crossover hit, with 130,000-plus followers on Twitter and megastar rapper Lil Wayne, one of her biggest fans, rocking her jersey at a concert last spring.

All this, and she’s only 21. MORE....

Analysis: To Rest Or Not To Rest? The Question For Green Bay Packers

Image via Wikipedia

By Simon Evans

(Reuters) - Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy has a big decision to make ahead of the defending Super Bowl champions' final game of the regular season: should he stick with a winning combination or rest his key players ahead of the playoffs?

The Packers (14-1) have already secured home field advantage throughout the playoffs after clinching the NFC's top seed with a 35-21 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. STORY....

Related articles

• NFL Playoff Picture: Why Green Bay Packers Won't Make It Back to Super Bowl (bleacherreport.com)
• NFL Playoff Scenarios: Teams the Green Bay Packers Should Be Scared to Face (bleacherreport.com)
• Green Bay Packers Shouldn't Rest Their Starters Down the Stretch (bleacherreport.com)

USA Today / ESPN Women's College Basketball Coaches Poll - December 26, 2011 (ESPN.com)

RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Baylor (30)	12-0	774
2	Connecticut (1)	10-1	741
3	Notre Dame	11-1	715
4	Stanford	9-1	683
5	Maryland	11-0	648
6	Kentucky	11-1	605
7	Duke	8-2	568
8	Tennessee	7-3	561
9	Texas A&M	8-2	512
10	Miami (FL)	9-2	468
11	Rutgers	10-2	465
12	Ohio State	13-0	429
13	Louisville	11-2	413
14	Green Bay	10-0	355
15	Georgia	10-2	317
16	Georgetown	10-2	311
17	Penn State	10-2	286
18	Texas Tech	10-0	259
19	DePaul	12-2	207
20	Delaware	9-0	179
21	Vanderbilt	11-1	134
21	Purdue	10-3	134
23	North Carolina	8-2	81
24	Gonzaga	10-2	74
25	Texas	9-2	72

• Others receiving votes: Nebraska 32, Kansas 15, Georgia Tech 13, California 10, Michigan 8, South Carolina 3, Villanova 1, Duquesne 1, Brigham Young 1