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Tuesday's Results
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Top-25 College Basketball
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Villanova used 15 points from Ryan Arcidiacono and a stifling overall defensive effort to hand reeling Louisville a 73-64 loss in a Big East matchup from the Wells Fargo Center. JayVaughn Pinkston added 11 points and six rebounds for the Wildcats (12-7, 3-3 Big East), who outscored the fifth-ranked Cardinals 20-11 over the final four minutes to end a streak of three straight conference losses. After falling out of the top spot in the polls following Saturday's narrow home loss to Syracuse, Louisville (16-3, 4-2) was held to just 39.7 percent shooting from the field and committed 17 turnovers to receive a second straight setback following an 11-game win streak.
Elsewhere in the Top-25:
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(3) Kansas 59, (11) Kansas State 55
(13) Michigan State 49, Wisconsin 47
(14) Ohio State 72, Iowa 63
Wake Forest 86, (18) North Carolina State 84
(22) Missouri 71, South Carolina 65
National Hockey League
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The San Jose Sharks scored six goals in the first period and continued their road success against the Edmonton Oilers with a 6-3 victory Tuesday night. Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture each registered two goals and an assist in the Sharks' opening-frame barrage. Antti Niemi made 26 saves for San Jose, which set a franchise record for most goals scored in one period on the road. The Sharks improved to 9-1-2 in their last 12 games at Rexall Place.
Elsewhere in the NHL:
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Winnipeg Jets 4, Washington Capitals 2
Tampa Bay Lightning 4, Carolina Hurricanes 1
Montreal Canadiens 4, Florida Panthers 1
New Jersey Devils 3, Philadelphia Flyers 0
Dallas Stars 2, Detroit Red Wings 1
Nashville Predators 3, Minnesota Wild 1
Chicago Blackhawks 3, St. Louis Blues 2
Colorado Avalanche 3, Los Angeles Kings 1
National Basketball Association
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Kevin Durant scored 13 of his game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 109-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday in a battle of the NBA's elite. Durant was seemingly unconscious in the final frame, converting 5-of-6 field goal attempts and 3-of-3 from behind the arc over the final 12 minutes. The reigning three-time scoring champion also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out seven assists for the Thunder, who improved to an NBA-best 33-9 with the win.
Elsewhere in the NBA:
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Cleveland Cavaliers 95, Boston Celtics 90
Detroit Pistons 105, Orlando Magic 90
Milwaukee Bucks 110, Philadelphia 76ers 102
=== As of 7:35 a.m. (et) ===
=== TENNIS ===
Four-time champion Roger Federer and two-time runner-up Andy Murray won their respective quarterfinal matches on Wednesday at the Australian Open. The second-seeded former world No. 1 Federer outlasted Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-3. The third-seeded Murray thoroughly dominated Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 triumph at Rod Laver Arena. Murray, who has yet to drop a set at this fortnight, raced out to a 4-0 lead in the opening set. Chardy earned a break while winning the next three games before Murray regained control. The 25-year-old Murray committed just three unforced errors while taking the second set in 32 minutes. He needed only 35 more minutes to reach his 12th Grand Slam semifinal.
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Sloane Stephens outlasted an injured Serena Williams in the Australian Open quarterfinals on Wednesday to set up a semifinal matchup with World No. 1 and defending champion Victoria Azarenka. The 29th-seeded Sloane Stephens reached her first career major semifinal with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory over her American compatriot. Williams suffered back spasms during the second set that clearly affected her play. Azarenka, meanwhile, cruised to a 7-5, 6-1 victory over two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.
=== NBA ===
The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired a trio of players and a draft pick from Memphis as part of a trade that will help the Grizzlies avoid paying the luxury tax this season. Memphis sent forward Marreese Speights, guards Wayne Ellington and Josh Selby and a future first-round draft pick to Cleveland in exchange for forward Jon Leuer. The swap will free up some $6 million to keep the Grizzlies under the luxury tax threshold. Memphis would have had to pay $4 million for being over the line. Cleveland also needed front court help after it was revealed Monday that center Anderson Varejao will be lost for the season because of a blood clot.
=== NHL ===
Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom made it official, announcing his retirement after a 15-year NHL career during a Tuesday press conference. The native of Sweden, who will turn 40 on Wednesday, recorded just 11 goals and 24 points in 74 games a season ago. A left-handed shooter and less than strong skater, Holmstrom made his reputation by disrupting goaltenders, often standing atop the crease providing screens. He participated in 1,026 regular- season games -- sixth- most in franchise history behind Gordie Howe (1,687), Nicklas Lidstrom (1,564), Alex Delvecchio (1,549), Steve Yzerman (1,514) and Kris Draper (1,137) -- while recording 243 goals and 530 points, while adding 46 goals and 97 points in 180 postseason appearances. He hangs up the skates as the last remaining player of five who won all four Cups in recent club
history, alongside Lidstrom, Draper, Kirk Maltby and Darren McCarty.
=== NFL ===
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has reinstated New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, effective immediately. Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 season for his role in the Saints' bounty scandal, but can now attend the Super Bowl in the Superdome next week and can resume all duties with the Saints. Goodell and Payton met Monday in New York, and the commissioner said Tuesday in a statement that Payton "fully complied with all the requirements imposed on him during his suspension" and "accepts his responsibilities as a head coach and the vital role that coaches play in promoting player safety and setting an example for how the game should be played at all levels." Without Payton this season, the Saints struggled to a 7-9 record under interim coaches Joe Vitt and Aaron Kromer.
=== BASEBALL ===
The Boston Red Sox signed catcher/first baseman Mike Napoli to a one-year contract on Tuesday. The deal is worth $5 million, with incentives that can bring it up to $13 million. Napoli hit just .227 with 24 home runs and 56 RBI in 108 games for the Texas Rangers last season, his second with the franchise, and earned his first career All-Star selection. He split time between catcher (69 starts), first base (24 starts) and designated hitter (9 starts). Over a seven-year career with the Angels and Texas, the 31-year-old South Florida native is a .259 hitter who has slugged 146 homers and driven in 380 runs in 727 games.
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The Cincinnati Reds will reportedly host the 2015 All-Star Game. According to a Cincinnati newspaper, baseball commissioner Bud Selig will be in the Queen City to make the announcement on Wednesday. Cincinnati has not hosted the All- Star Game since 1988 at Riverfront Stadium. It will be the fifth Mid-Summer Classic for Cincinnati and the first at Great American Ball Park, which opened in 2003. Riverfront Stadium was also the site of the 1970 All-Star Game, while Crosley Field also welcomed the contest in 1938 and 1953. This year's All-Star Game will be at Citi Field in New York, while the 2014 game will be held at Minnesota's Target Field.
=== COLLEGE ===
The Mountain West Conference announced on Tuesday the formation of two football divisions and a conference championship game, which will begin in the 2013-14 season. Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, New Mexico, Utah State and Wyoming will play in the Mountain Division and Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, San Diego State, San Jose State and UNLV will play in the West Division. Each team will play five divisional games and three cross-divisional contests annually. There will not be divisions for Mountain West men's and women's basketball. Each team will play an 18-game conference schedule that will include home and home games with eight opponents and single-play games against a rotation of two remaining teams in the conference.
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