Top-25 College Basketball

Freshman Gary Harris scored 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range as
eighth-ranked  Michigan  State dominated  rival No. 4  Michigan, 75-52, in the
series'  first-ever  Top-10 matchup.  Derrick Nix netted  14 points on 7-of-10
shooting  from the  field and Keith Appling added 11 points and seven rebounds
for  the Spartans  (21-4, 10-2 Big Ten),  who have won four straight and 10 of
their last 11 games overall.

Elsewhere in the Top-25:

(7) Florida 69, (25) Kentucky 52

National Basketball Association

LeBron  James has taken  the idea of "being hot" to another level. On Tuesday,
James  became the first  player in NBA history to score at least 30 points and
shoot  at least 60 percent in six straight games, as the Miami Heat downed the
Portland  Trail  Blazers, 117-104, at  American Airlines Arena. James finished
with  30  points on 11-of-15  shooting (73.3  percent), while also dishing out
nine assists.

Elsewhere in the NBA:

Toronto Raptors 109, Denver Nuggets 108
Memphis Grizzlies 108, Sacramento Kings 101
Utah Jazz 109, Oklahoma City Thunder 94
Houston Rockets 116, Golden State Warriors 107
Los Angeles Lakers 91, Phoenix Suns 85

National Hockey League

Roberto  Luongo made 25 saves to backstop the streaking Vancouver Canucks to a
2-1  win over  the visiting  Minnesota Wild.  Kevin Bieksa  and Jannik  Hansen
supplied  the goals  for the  Canucks,  winners of  six  in a  row. They  also
continued their home dominance of the Wild, who fell to 0-9-2 in their last 11
trips to Rogers Arena.

Elsewhere in the NHL:

Carolina Hurricanes 4, New Jersey Devils 2
Washington Capitals 6, Florida Panthers 5 (OT)
New York Rangers 4, Boston Bruins 3 (SO)
Ottawa Senators 2, Buffalo Sabres 0
Montreal Canadiens 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 3 (SO)
Philadelphia Flyers 3, Winnipeg Jets 2
Nashville Predators 1, San Jose Sharks 0 (OT)
Anaheim Ducks 3, Chicago Blackhawks 2 (SO)
Dallas Stars 4, Edmonton Oilers 1

BASEBALL

The  Seattle Mariners  formally announced on Tuesday that the team has reached
agreement  with  ace pitcher Felix Hernandez  on a new long-term contract that
will  reportedly  make the  2010 American  League Cy  Young winner the richest
hurler  in  MLB history.  Hernandez will  officially sign  the pact, which was
reported  by  USA Today Sports last  week to be  worth a total of $175 million
over  the  next seven seasons, during  a press conference scheduled for 5 p.m.
(et)  on  Wednesday. The two  sides had initially come  to terms on the record
contract  last  Thursday, but the  deal had been held  up over concerns by the
Mariners  over Hernandez's  elbow following a physical exam. Hernandez had two
years  and $39.5 million on a five-year extension he signed with Seattle prior
to the 2010 season. The new arrangement will pay the standout right-hander $25
million annually through 2019. The three-time All-Star has started at least 33
games  and thrown  over 230 innings in  each of the last four seasons, and has
compiled  a 98-76 record  with a 3.22 earned run average over 238 starts since
breaking into the majors as a 19-year-old with Seattle in 2005.

The  Cincinnati Reds  avoided arbitration with Mat Latos by agreeing to a two-
year  contract with  the right-hander on Tuesday. The deal is reportedly worth
$11.5  million. Latos went  14-4 with a 3.48 ERA in 33 starts last season, his
first  with the Reds. The  25-year-old is 41-33 with a  3.41 ERA in 105 career
games with the Padres and Reds.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

As  if  losing to Florida  by double-digits  wasn't bad enough, Kentucky might
have  to deal with  an even bigger loss, as freshman forward Nerlens Noel went
down  with an apparent  left knee injury around the midway point of the second
half  in the  Wildcats' 69-52 defeat Tuesday night. Noel, who leads the nation
in blocked shots with 4 1/2 per game, landed awkwardly after chasing down UF's
Mike  Rosario  on a fast  break layup  with 8:03 to  play. He blocked the shot
along the way,  but remained laying in pain  on the floor  for several minutes
before his  fellow teammates  carried him  off the court  and into  the locker
room.  Noel, who has averages of 10.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists per
contest in 23 games this  season, has been a focal point of  Kentucky's recent
success after a slow start earlier in the year.

NBA

The  Boston Celtics  will lose yet another  player for the rest of the season.
Guard  Leandro  Barbosa suffered a  torn ACL in  his left knee during Monday's
game  against the  Charlotte Bobcats.  The 30-year-old  underwent an  MRI exam
Tuesday  that confirmed the injury, though no surgery date has been scheduled.
Barbosa  becomes the  third Celtics player lost for the season. Starting point
guard  Rajon  Rondo also suffered a  torn ACL last month, while rookie forward
Jared Sullinger recently underwent back surgery.

OLYMPICS

The  Executive Board  of the International Olympic Committee said Tuesday that
it  has recommended dropping wrestling as a sport from the 2020 Olympic Games.
Wrestling,  governed  by the  International Federation of Associated Wrestling
Styles  (FILA),  will now  join  seven  other  sports  that are  fighting  for
inclusion  in the  2020 Olympics. The list includes baseball/softball, karate,
roller  sports, sport  climbing,  squash, wakeboarding  and  wushu. The  eight
sports  are scheduled  to make presentations to the IOC executive board in St.
Petersburg,  Russia, in  May. The  board will  pick which  sport or  sports to
propose for  2020 inclusion,  with the  final vote  being made  by the general
assembly  in September.  Wrestling, which  combines freestyle  and Greco-Roman
events, goes back to the inaugural modern Olympics in Athens in 1896.

NHL

The  Columbus Blue  Jackets fired executive vice president and general manager
Scott  Howson on Tuesday.  Howson was named the second GM in the Blue Jackets'
history  on  June 15, 2007. The  Blue Jackets compiled a 173-190-59 record and
made  their  lone playoff appearance  in 2009  during Howson's tenure, but the
club  finished last in the NHL with 65 points last season and currently stands
near  the bottom  of the  Western Conference  standings with  a 4-7-2  record.
Howson  also drew  significant criticism for orchestrating last summer's trade
that sent franchise cornerstone Rick Nash to the New York Rangers.