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Top-25 College Basketball
Deshaun Thomas had 18 points and the 14th- ranked Ohio State Buckeyes
prevented the second-ranked Indiana Hoosiers from clinching the outright Big
Ten Conference regular-season title with a 67-58 decision on Tuesday. Aaron
Craft added 15 points and four steals for the Buckeyes (22-7, 12-5 Big Ten),
who now sit one game behind Indiana and can still claim a share of the
conference crown. Cody Zeller ended with 17 points for the Hoosiers (25-5,
13-4), who were trying to claim their first outright title since 1993.
Christian Watford donated 12 points.
Elsewhere in the top-25:
(3) Duke 85, Wirginia Tech 57
(9) Kansas State 79, TCU 68
(15) Marquette 60, Rutgers 54
(24) Notre Dame 66, St. John's 40
(25) Memphis 56, UTEP 54
National Basketball Association
Kevin Durant is usually the Lakers' biggest problem, but Tuesday they couldn't
contain Russell Westbrook either. And the Oklahoma City Thunder matched an
all-time mark in efficiency. Westbrook had 37 points, 10 rebounds and five
assists in the Oklahoma City Thunder's wire-to-wire 122-105 win over the
Lakers. Durant, who came in averaging 37.7 points per game in the three
meetings with Los Angeles this season, netted 20 of his 26 points in the first
half for the Thunder, who have won five of their last six games on the heels
of a three-game slide. The Thunder turned the ball over just twice, which tied
them with the 2006 Milwaukee Bucks and 2009 Cleveland Cavaliers for the fewest
giveaways in a game -- the stat only dates back to 1985.
Elsewhere in the NBA:
Boston Celtics 109, Philadelphia 76ers 101
Denver Nuggets 120, Sacramento Kings 113
National Hockey League
Bryan Bickell scored twice in a four-goal first period and Patrick Kane added
an insurance goal in the third, as the Chicago Blackhawks stretched their
streak to 23 games with at least a point in a 5-3 decision over Minnesota at
United Center. Brandon Saad added a score and two assists, while Marian Hossa
lit the lamp for the Blackhawks (20-0-3), who also set a new franchise record
with their 10th consecutive win. Chicago's previous mark was nine, set from
Dec. 7-28, 2008.
Elsewhere in the NHL:
Tampa Bay Lightning 5, New Jersey Devils 2
New York Islanders 6, Montreal Canadiens 3
Washington Capitals 4, Boston Bruins 3 (OT)
Carolina Hurricanes 4, Buffalo Sabres 3
Columbus Blue Jackets 4, Edmonton Oilers 3 (SO)
New York Rangers 4, Philadelphia Flyers 2
Florida Panthers 4, Winnipeg Jets 1
Detroit Red Wings 2, Colorado Avalanche 1
San Jose Sharks 3, Vancouver Canucks 2 (SO)
Los Angeles Kings 6, St. Louis Blues 4
NFL
Former Buffalo Bills defensive end Shawne Merriman has announced his
retirement on his personal website, thanking friends and family and saying he
wanted to leave the game knowing he could still play. Merriman was selected
12th overall by the San Diego Chargers in the 2005 NFL Draft. He earned NFL
Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in his first season after recording 57
tackles and 10 sacks. The Maryland product racked up 39 1/2 sacks over his
first three years in the NFL. He was hampered by injuries the following three
seasons, and the Buffalo Bills claimed him off waivers from the Chargers in
the middle of the 2010 season. Merriman's career with the Bills was also
plagued by injuries. He was released by the club prior to the 2012 season but
Buffalo brought him back in October. Merriman had 17 tackles and one sack in
10 games last season. In 75 career games with San Diego and Buffalo, Merriman
recorded 257 tackles, 45 1/2 sacks and one interception.
The Minnesota Vikings have released veteran wide receiver Michael Jenkins. A
former first-round pick in 2004, Jenkins was due a $2.4 million roster bonus
on March 16. He had 40 catches for 449 yards and two touchdowns in 2012, his
ninth NFL season. The Ohio State product spent the first seven years of his
career in Atlanta and has 354 career receptions for 4,427 yards and 25 TDs.
The Cleveland Browns hired Ray Farmer as assistant General Manager on Tuesday
and named Vice President-Player Personnel Michael Lombardi the team's General
Manager. Farmer will work closely with Lombardi in helping manage both the
professional and college scouting departments. Farmer spent the last seven
seasons in Kansas City, where he was the Chiefs' Director of Pro Personnel.
Prior to joining the Chiefs, Farmer was a pro scout for the Atlanta Falcons
from 2002-05. Farmer played three seasons at linebacker for the Philadelphia
Eagles (1996-98) and appeared in just 32 games, including 16 starts, before a
knee injury ended his career.
NBA
The Houston Rockets have brought back guard Aaron Brooks, who spent the first
3 1/2 years of his career with the club and was the NBA's Most Improved Player
during his first go-round. Brooks became a free agent on March 1 after being
waived by Sacramento. He averaged 8.0 points and 2.3 assists in 46 games,
including 20 starts, for the Kings. Selected by the Rockets with the 26th
overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft, Brooks averaged 12.8 points and 3.6
assists in 247 games with the franchise. He won the Most Improved Player award
in 2009-10 after averaging career highs of 19.6 points and 5.3 assists in 82
starts.
The New York Knicks announced that forward Carmelo Anthony is questionable
for Wednesday's road tilt against the Detroit Pistons with a stiff/sore
right knee. Anthony left New York's 102-97 victory over the Cleveland
Cavaliers on Monday in the second quarter when he tripped over his own feet
and bent his knee awkwardly as he fell to the floor. He got up under his own
power, but immediately went to the locker room and did not return.
NHL
Florida Panthers center Stephen Weiss will miss the remainder of the season
because of wrist surgery. Weiss has just one goal and three assists in 17
games this season. It had already been a difficult year for the 29-year-old
veteran, who was benched briefly and missed time recently to attend the
funeral of his grandmother. Selected by Florida with the fourth overall pick
of the 2001 draft, Weiss has 145 goals and 394 points in 654 NHL games -- all
with the Panthers. He is a four-time 20-goal scorer and can become an
unrestricted free agent this summer.
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