The World of Sports

New on Sports Illustrated: Real Salt Lake-Orlando City Preview

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/game/2206212">
Will this be the year Orlando City finally makes the playoffs? The club brought in MLS veteran boss Oscar Pareja to make sure it happens.
Pareja and Orlando begin that quest Saturday against a visiting Real Salt Lake squad looking to build on last season's strong effort.
After five seasons in MLS, Orlando is still without a playoff appearance, and perhaps more concerning, seems to have regressed from its early years of finishing seventh and eighth, respectively, in the Eastern Conference over the first two seasons. Since, City has finished no better than 10th, and 11th each of the last two years.
After recording just 28 points in 2018, Orlando improved by nine points last year, but struggled to consistently score while posting 44 goals. Enter Pareja, who guided FC Dallas to a Supporters' Shield and U.S. Open Cup title in 2016.
"We're excited to get going," midfielder Chris Mueller, who had five assists last season, told Orlando's official website. "We've worked really hard. It's just time to get going."
While midfielders Will Johnson and Sacha Kljestan are gone, Colombian midfielder Andres Perea offers some potential excitement. Nani and Tesho Akindele, who combined for 22 goals, and fellow veteran Dom Dwyer (seven goals in 2019) are all back looking to add more consistency to the attack.
It's on the attack where RSL also would like to be more potent.
Albert Rusnak (10 goals), Sam Johnson (nine goals) Damir Kreilach (seven goals) and Corey Baird (five goals) are all capable scorers, but Salt Lake managed just 46 goals in 2019. That's why RSL went out and signed Italian forward Giuseppe Rossi (128 goals in 336 career matches).
Still, Salt Lake's backbone is its defense. The club allowed 41 goals while finishing third in the Western Conference. RSL won its first playoff game before falling 2-0 to eventual champion Seattle. It does have to replace retired MLS legendary keeper Nick Rimando, but league veteran Zac MacMath appears to be guy stepping in.
Despite the rather early exit, it proved to be a resilient season for the RSL, which endured the firings of coach Mike Petke and general manager Craig Waibel. Freddy Juarez had the interim tag shed and looks forward to a full season running the touchline for Real Salt Lake.
"The strength of this team is the collective," Juarez told RSL's official website. "It's all about the team. No one is bigger than anyone else. We have to work at that every single day. That includes everybody - the players, the coaches, the backroom staff … everybody is shooting for the same goal."
RSL ended an 0-2-2 rut against Orlando with a 2-1 home victory on April 13. Johnson and Kreilach scored for Salt Lake while Nani made things interesting in the 81st minute with Orlando's lone goal.
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New on Sports Illustrated: Real Salt Lake-Orlando City Preview

Will this be the year Orlando City finally makes the playoffs? The club brought in MLS veteran boss Oscar Pareja to make sure it happens. Pareja and Orlando begin that quest Saturday against a visiti…

29 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Union-FC Dallas Preview

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/game/2206209">
Following the most successful regular season in club history, the Philadelphia Union are poised to be even better in 2020.
With expectations high, the Union are likely in store for a stiff opening test on Saturday against host FC Dallas, which looks to do more than squeak into the playoffs this season.
In its celebratory 10th MLS season, Philadelphia set a club record with 16 wins and 55 points. The Union finished third in the Eastern Conference, but actually led the East for a good portion of the campaign. They also won their first playoff game before falling to Atlanta United FC.
All that is still worthy of praise, but it also raised the bar for what the Union are potentially capable of accomplishing going forward.
"We have to rely on each other and we believe in the cohesiveness of the group, and that our 11 together can beat any group of superstars, or whatever you like to call them," coach Jim Curtain told the Union's official website."We are a true team in that sense … We have to believe in everything that we do and that group mindset and mentality."
Curtain has plenty of talent to back that approach.
Kacper Przybylko broke out for 15 goals in his first MLS season while Alejandro Bedoya and Jamiro Monteiro make for a consistent due. Andre Blake, meanwhile, is turning into one of the top keepers in MLS.
One player who should be on the pitch Saturday in suburban Dallas is Fafa Picault, but just not in a Union kit he sported for his first three MLS seasons. Picault, who recorded 22 goals in those three years with Philadelphia, is now plying his trade for FCD, which grabbed the seventh and final playoff spot in the Western Conference last season.
Picault looks to stabilize an inconsistent left-wing position for Dallas, which has some of the league's best young talent in 19-year-old Jesus Ferreira (eight goals in 2019) and 20-year-old up-and-coming Unites State men's national team prospect Paxton Pomykal. Michael Barrios (five goals) also provides a solid presence in the FCD midfield.
"We're excited and building for this week," coach Luchi Gonzalez told Dallas' official website. "We love each other and we'll support each other to give everything for Saturday.
"Now, we need to be confident in how we work and bring it on Saturday."
Dallas went undefeated in its first nine all-time matches against Philadelphia (5-0-4), but has dropped two of the last three meetings. Including last season in suburban Philly, where FCD held a 1-0 lead before Corey Burke equalized in the 85th minute and Bedoya scored the go-ahead winner in the second minute of stoppage time to cap a rather improbable 2-1 comeback victory on April 6.
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New on Sports Illustrated: Union-FC Dallas Preview

Following the most successful regular season in club history, the Philadelphia Union are poised to be even better in 2020. With expectations high, the Union are likely in store for a stiff opening te…

29 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Chelsea-Bournemouth Preview

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/game/2146775">
Out to regroup from a disheartening loss, Chelsea attempt to strengthen their top-four position Saturday when they face relegation-threatened Bournemouth at Dean Court.
The scope of the rebuild under first-year coach Frank Lampard took on a different perspective Tuesday at home in the first leg of their round of 16 Champions League tie versus German powerhouse Bayern Munich. Outclassed and outfoxed by Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski, it all went pear-shaped for the Pensioners (13-5-9) in a 25-minute span of the second half in a 3-0 defeat.
Lewandowski set up a pair of goals by Serge Gnabry shortly after the restart and then provided the gloss on the scoreline with his 39th goal in all competitions in the 76th minute. While Lewandowski is expected to miss the second leg in Munich on March 18 due to injury, Chelsea will play that match without defender Marcos Alonso, who was sent off late, and midfielder Jorginho, whose yellow card for dissent ruled him out of that contest.
"It was a difficult night," striker Olivier Giroud admitted to Chelsea's official website. "They were too strong. It's hard to say but they deserved to win. At half-time the feeling was we were matching them. We had a few good opportunities also. ... But they accelerated on the counter-attack in the second half. When they scored early, two goals in three minutes, psychologically it was hard.
"For now we need to focus on the Premier League first and finish in the top four. We need to put things right on Saturday and bounce back as soon as possible."
Giroud likely will get the call to lead the line for a third straight contest since Tammy Abraham appeared to tweak a hamstring injury during Tuesday's loss. The 22-year-old Abraham is tied for seventh in the Premier League with 13 goals but has gone five matches without one since striking versus Burnley on Jan. 11 and had been dealing with an ankle injury.
While Abraham may be sidelined again, Christian Pulisic may be among the 18 after missing two months with an adductor injury. The U.S. international has six goals and three assists in 22 matches across all competitions, and his absence has caused Mason Mount to play out of position on the wing as opposed to a more central role.
The questions at the other end of the pitch also persist as Willy Caballero again did little to distinguish himself. The Argentina international has conceded eight goals in four starts since supplanting Kepa Arrizabalaga, with Chelsea going 1-1-2 in those contests and failing to register a clean sheet.
All told, the Blues have recorded just seven shutouts in 39 matches in all competitions.
Bournemouth (7-5-15) will try to expose those defensive frailties, but a side known for their flowing offence in recent seasons have seen the goal spigot turned off this term. The Cherries have just 26 goals, only two better than the quartet of clubs tied for the Premier League low, and the paucity in attack is a key reason they enter this contest on 26 points, just two above the drop in 16th place.
Bournemouth are entering a rough patch of schedule - they also travel to champions-elect Liverpool and Wolverhampton among their next four matches starting with this contest -- and did themselves no favours last weekend with a 3-0 defeat at Burnley.
Eddie Howe could feel aggrieved considering the match turned against them in diabolical fashion via VAR in the second half when Harry Wilson had an equaliser chalked off for offsides and then hit with a penalty when it was ruled left back Adam Smith handled the ball prior to the counterattack that led to Wilson's goal.
Aaron Ramsdale was unable to stop Jay Rodriguez's penalty and Bournemouth were consigned to their 12th defeat in 16 league matches (3-1-12).
"It hinged on the first one," Howe said, referring to a first-half goal by Josh King that was also disallowed by VAR, when asked about the match changing on the second-half decisions. "I think the first one dictates the referee, whatever you call the VAR decision-maker, I think that decides the second one. The first one for me was a clear goal, it comes off Phil's shoulder.
"I don't know what to say because I don't want to get myself in trouble but it's a bitterly, bitterly disappointing day because we played really well in the first half and I think we tailed off mentally because of what happened in the game."
Bournemouth do at least have positive home form entering this match with back-to-back wins at Dean Court, but they are 2-1-4 in their seven meetings with the Big Six this term. Howe could draft Steve Cook back into his defence, while Jefferson Lerma could join him provided he has recovered from a back injury.
The Cherries are seeking their first top-flight double over Chelsea and a third straight win in this rivalry after recording a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge on Dec. 14. Dan Gosling's goal on 84 minutes proved decisive for Bournemouth, who were rampant in a 4-0 rout in last season's corresponding fixture.
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New on Sports Illustrated: Chelsea-Bournemouth Preview

Out to regroup from a disheartening loss, Chelsea attempt to strengthen their top-four position Saturday when they face relegation-threatened Bournemouth at Dean Court. The scope of the rebuild under…

29 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Burnley-Newcastle United Preview

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/game/2146810">
Burnley's most productive run of the season has them residing within the top-half of the Premier League table.
The visiting Clarets look to remain there, and possibly move up the table, when they try to do the double over offensively-challenged Newcastle United on Saturday.
From Dec. 26-Jan. 11, Burnley (11-4-12) scored one goal whilst conceding eight during a four-game Premier League losing streak. Since then within the league, they've outscored their opponents 9-2 during a 4-1-0 stretch.
Their most resounding result of that span came with last weekend's 3-0 home win over Bournemouth. With star Chris Wood nursing an injury, Matej Vydra scored in his second straight contest and Dwight McNeil added a goal with an assist as the Clarets won their second consecutive match to sit 10th in the table.
"The main job for us is to stay in the Premier League, and then you never know what could happen," McNeil told Burnley's official website.
The good times kept coming this week when the club announced Wood, the team leader with 10 goals, will be available for this contest after sitting out last weekend with a hamstring issue.
"He's looking good," Burnley manager Sean Dyche said. "He's fit, so he comes back into the thinking. (Vydra) and (Jay Rodriguez) in the last couple of games have laid down a marker as well."
With all that up-front talent at the moment, Dyche might have a bit of a lineup dilemma for this match, but perhaps that's a good problem to have. Wood was the lone goal-scorer in a 1-0 home victory over Newcastle on Dec. 14.
Burnley, however, are 0-2-1 at Newcastle during the premier League era.
The Magpies (8-7-12), however, have had trouble scoring no matter where they've played of late. Their most recent Premier League goals came via Florian Lejeune, one minute apart in extra time to earn a 2-2 draw at Everton on Jan. 21.
Since then, Newcastle have been outscored 5-0 whilst going 0-1-2 over a three-game stretch - the last two being road defeats at Arsenal and Crystal Palace. The Magpies, 14th in the table, last won on Jan. 18, over Chelsea - their only league victory over a nine-game stretch.
"All season we've worked hard for the club, for the manager, for the fans - and we're going to keep doing that," captain Jamaal Lascelles told Newcastle's official website.
Newcastle last went four straight Premier League games without a goal early during the 2015-16 season.
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New on Sports Illustrated: Burnley-Newcastle United Preview

Burnley's most productive run of the season has them residing within the top-half of the Premier League table. The visiting Clarets look to remain there, and possibly move up the table, when they try…

29 Feb 2020

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29 Feb 2020

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29 Feb 2020

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29 Feb 2020

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29 Feb 2020

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29 Feb 2020

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29 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Golden Knights' streak on line vs. Sabres

<a href="https://www.si.com/nhl/game/2155423">
The Vegas Golden Knights can tie the record for the longest winning streak in team history as they go for their eighth consecutive victory on Friday night against the visiting Buffalo Sabres in Las Vegas.
The Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights improved to 11-3-2 since Peter DeBoer replaced Gerard Gallant as head coach on Jan. 15 with a 3-0 shutout of the visiting Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night. The seventh straight win matched the second-longest streak in team history.
The team-record eight-game winning streak took place in the Golden Knights' memorable inaugural season -- Dec. 14, 2017 to Jan. 2, 2018 -- when they reached the Stanley Cup Final.
Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 29 saves for his fifth shutout of the season, moving into a tie with Columbus' Elvis Merzlikins for the league lead. It was the 61st career shutout for Fleury, who also moved into a tie for 17th place on the all-time shutouts list with Walter "Turk" Broda.
"Tonight, I got a little lucky with two goals that didn't go in," said Fleury, referring to a first-period Connor McDavid shot that went off the crossbar and a third-period shot from the right circle by Leon Draisaitl that clanged off the far-left post. "I think the way our team has been playing has been more consistent. We're not giving up as many scoring chances and I think that makes me look better."
Fleury improved to 5-0-0 with a 1.60 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage in his last five starts.
"As a team we went through ups and downs for the first part of the season," Fleury said. "We hung in there to be in a playoff spot. I feel now we're playing more consistent night after night."
Max Pacioretty scored his 30th goal of the season -- the sixth time he's reach the 30-goal mark -- and Nick Cousins, acquired from Montreal at Monday's trade deadline for a fourth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, and Shea Theodore also scored for the Golden Knights.
Cousins played despite not arriving from Montreal on a flight until 11 a.m. on Wednesday morning and missing the team's morning skate. He became the sixth Vegas newcomer to score a goal in their debut this season.
"That was fun," Cousins said. "It's been a crazy couple of days here with all the travel and stuff like that but there's no better way to be thrown into the fire than to play a game at home."
Buffalo, 5-2 over its last seven games, began a four-game western road trip with a hard-fought 3-2 loss at Colorado on Wednesday.
J.T. Compher scored the game-winner for the Avalanche with 8:06 to play. Buffalo nearly tied it in the final minute after pulling goalie Carter Hutton but Victor Olofsson hit the post with one shot and Colorado goalie Paval Francouz robbed him on another attempt.
"It was a really good hockey game," Buffalo coach Ralph Krueger said. "If this was the fifth game of the season you'd be quite happy right now. It's just that all that matters to us are results. It really hurts but there's a lot to take with us here for how we need to play on the road. Right now, all that's at the surface is the pain."
Forward Dominik Kahun, acquired by Buffalo at the trade deadline from the Pittsburgh Penguins, told the Buffalo News he hopes to make his Sabres debut on Friday after taking part in the team's morning skate on Wednesday. Kahun missed his last two games with the Penguins with a lower-body injury.
--Field Level Media
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New on Sports Illustrated: Golden Knights' streak on line vs. Sabres

The Vegas Golden Knights can tie the record for the longest winning streak in team history as they go for their eighth consecutive victory on Friday night against the visiting Buffalo Sabres in Las V…

29 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Blue Jackets look to avenge loss to Wild

<a href="https://www.si.com/nhl/game/2155421">
It's been a relatively rough three-week stretch for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but they can end the month on a positive note by avenging their most recent defeat.
With No. 1 goalie Joonas Korpisalo possibly ready to make his first start of 2020, the Blue Jackets aim to keep the surging Minnesota Wild from a fifth consecutive road victory on Friday night.
Currently sitting in the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, Columbus is mired in a 1-4-5 stretch. That lone victory came 4-3 in overtime versus Ottawa on Monday, but the Blue Jackets were unable to build on it while losing 5-4 at Minnesota one night later. Columbus scored three third-period goals to nearly erase the Wild's 4-1 advantage, but left frustrated with the way things unfolded.
"It's a disappointing effort in a lot of guys (Tuesday) that normally are giving us the minutes," captain Nick Foligno, who has four goals with an assist in the last four games.
"I'm not trying to be negative -- I like the way we found ourselves -- but man, we're not in a position with the people we have in this room to be spotting teams leads and expect to win."
While the Blue Jackets have been hit hard by injuries, including to star defenseman Seth Jones, they need to improve defensively after yielding 32 goals over the last eight games. It doesn't help that goalie Elvis Merzlikins (12-9-7, 2.44 goals-against average as a starter) exited Monday following a collision with Ottawa's Anthony Duclair.
However, Korpisalo, the team's No. 1 netminder with 17 wins and a 2.49 goals-against average as a starter, could be set to make his first start since Dec. 29. Korpisalo missed 24 games with a torn meniscus before stopping 14 of 15 shots in relief on Monday. Rookie Matiss Kivlenieks saved 35 shots at Minnesota this week.
The Wild, three points out of the final wild-card spot in the crowded West, kept the offense coming during a 7-1 road rout over lowly Detroit on Thursday. It was the fourth win in five games for Minnesota, which is amid an 8-3-1 stretch.
"This is fun when we're all going like this," Wild defenseman Matt Dumba, who had two goals with an assist Thursday, told KFAN-FM 100.3. "Winning is fun. Guys don't like to lose, especially with this race in the West. We've got to win every game we can.
"We know we've got to be sharp (Friday). (Columbus) is a team that is going to be hungry and looking for a little revenge."
Alex Stalock made 25 saves against the Red Wings to post his third consecutive victory. He stopped 24 shots versus Columbus this week, but Devan Dubnyk could get the start for the Wild in this back-to-back scenario. Dubnyk has yielded at least three goals in three straight starts.
Mikko Koivu has just four goals on the season for Minnesota, but two came against Columbus on Tuesday, and he recorded two assists Thursday. Ryan Donato, meanwhile, has two goals and two assists in the last two games, and Matt Fiala has recorded nine goals and eight assists over his last 12 contests.
Columbus' Pierre-Luc Dubois, two shy of a third straight 20-goal season, has one goal and three assists in his last four contests versus Minnesota.
--Field Level Media
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New on Sports Illustrated: Blue Jackets look to avenge loss to Wild

It's been a relatively rough three-week stretch for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but they can end the month on a positive note by avenging their most recent defeat. With No. 1 goalie Joonas Korpisalo p…

29 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: New acquisitions galore as Penguins visit Ducks

<a href="https://www.si.com/nhl/game/2155424">
The Pittsburgh Penguins hoped three forwards acquired at the NHL's trade deadline would make an immediate impact.
The Anaheim Ducks, sellers on Monday, had no such expectations.
The teams, who will meet Friday night in Southern California, got surprising results in their first games since the trades.
The Penguins lost 2-1 on Thursday at the Los Angeles Kings, the last-place team in the Western Conference. Pittsburgh newcomers Patrick Marleau, Conor Sheary and Evan Rodrigues were kept off the score sheet.
It was the fourth straight regulation defeat for the Penguins, matching the total they had in 22 previous games since Christmas.
"We know that points are important, and we want to be playing well this time of year," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. "You don't want to drop four in a row, but it's the reality we face. I feel like we probably deserved a little better the last few games, but you don't get points for that, so we've got to find ways to win games."
Marleau, 40, who arrived in a deal with San Jose, had one shot on 19 shifts in his debut for the Penguins.
"It's good to shut the brain off as soon as you get on the ice," Marleau said. "I was racing before that. But yeah, felt pretty good on the ice, and the guys are all easy to play with, so it makes it easy."
Sheary, who spent his first three seasons with the Penguins and helped them win Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, and Rodrigues were acquired in a deal with Buffalo. Sheary played on the top line with Crosby and Jason Zucker, who joined Pittsburgh a couple of weeks ago from Minnesota. Rodrigues centered the fourth line.
Despite the loss, the trio earned praise from their new teammates.
"Those guys were great. I think you can see what makes them successful players in the league," said forward Bryan Rust, who scored the Penguins' lone goal. "Obviously a lot of us are familiar with Conor and even playing against (Marleau) in the playoffs, I think we know how good he's been for so long.
Rodrigues came in, (and) you could see how hard he works and his wheels and just the team game."
The Ducks, with five new players, defeated visiting Edmonton 4-3 in overtime Tuesday to snap a four-game losing streak. Sonny Milano tallied twice and became the 10th player in NHL history to score an overtime goal in their first game with a franchise.
Milano, acquired from Columbus, drew a tripping penalty on the Oilers' Connor McDavid at 1:09 of OT and scored on the power play at 2:05.
"It was definitely a lot of fun," Milano told NHL.com. "Good opportunity to be out there in overtime and capitalizing."
Danton Heinen, who came over in a deal with Boston, as well as left wing Andrew Agozzino and defensemen Christian Djoos and Matt Irwin also made their Ducks' debuts.
"All those guys coming in, I'm sure it was an exciting day for them, but you never know what you're going to get when you plug five guys into a lineup," Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. "Obviously, Sonny coming in and scoring early certainly bodes well for his confidence, that's for sure."
--Field Level Media
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New on Sports Illustrated: New acquisitions galore as Penguins visit Ducks

The Pittsburgh Penguins hoped three forwards acquired at the NHL's trade deadline would make an immediate impact. The Anaheim Ducks, sellers on Monday, had no such expectations. The teams, who will m…

29 Feb 2020

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29 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Islanders bid to snap home losing streak vs. Bruins

<a href="https://www.si.com/nhl/game/2155425">
The New York Islanders have had a hard time winning games of late, and that's certainly been the case against the Boston Bruins in recent seasons.
Looking to avoid a third consecutive loss, the Islanders also will aim to end a nine-game home losing streak against the NHL-leading Bruins on Saturday afternoon in Uniondale, N.Y.
New York is on solid ground in terms of playoff position in the Eastern Conference and has earned at least one point in four straight games, but it is amid a 2-4-2 stretch entering this matinee.
After falling in overtime to the rival New York Rangers on Tuesday, the Islanders failed to hold a late one-goal lead at St. Louis on Thursday and ended up falling 3-2 in overtime.
"We'll take the point, but we have another level," coach Barry Trotz told the Islanders' official website.
"We'll see at the end of the whole process if this is the one that got away or if this is the one that got us in (the playoffs)."
For the most part, New York has shown that other level by scoring 28 goals while going 5-0-2 at home this month. However, the Islanders also have yielded 19 goals in those games.
The Islanders have been outscored 38-15 while going 0-8-1 at home against the Bruins since last beating them there on Nov. 2, 2013. They fell in overtime 3-2 on Jan. 11. New York also is in the midst of a 1-6-2 overall rut against Bruins, but that victory came 3-2 in a shootout at Boston on Dec. 19.
The Bruins avoided a third straight loss by holding on for a 4-3 home win over Dallas on Thursday. David Pastrnak scored his league-leading 46th goal and added an assist while Brad Marchand also posted one of each to help raise Boston's point total to 92.
"We correct the mistakes and we believe in each other, we believe we have a good team," Bruins forward David Krejci told NHL.com. "We work hard."
The hard work put in by former Islander Jaroslav Halak appears to be paying off. He made 31 saves Thursday, and has a 1.83 goals-against average while winning six straight starts. Halak last faced New York in January 2014, before joining the team the next season.
Teammate Tuukka Rask has allowed 10 goals while losing his past two starts, but he has a stellar 1.11 goals-against average during a 6-0-1 stretch versus New York.
Pastrnak has 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in his past 10 games overall, but just one assist in his past three games against the Islanders.
Marchand, meanwhile, has three goals with nine assists during an eight-game point streak. He has failed to dent the scoresheet in three straight versus New York, however.
New York's Mathew Barzal, who leads the team with 56 points, has eight assists in his past five contests. He's totaled two goals with five assists in eight career games versus Boston.
Teammate Jordan Eberle has recorded five goals with two assists in the past five contests overall and Jean-Gabriel Pageau has two goals in as many games since the Islanders acquired him from Ottawa.
Semyon Varlamov has a 2.39 goals-against average while going 4-0-1 at home this month for New York. He has a 2.37 goals-against average in the two meetings with Boston this season.
Backup Thomas Greiss, who stopped 29 shots Thursday, has allowed at least three goals in five consecutive starts.
--Field Level Media
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New on Sports Illustrated: Islanders bid to snap home losing streak vs. Bruins

The New York Islanders have had a hard time winning games of late, and that's certainly been the case against the Boston Bruins in recent seasons. Looking to avoid a third consecutive loss, the Islan…

29 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Panthers aim to regain confidence against Blackhawks

<a href="https://www.si.com/nhl/game/2155428">
The disheartened Florida Panthers will host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night in Sunrise, Fla.
Florida squandered an early two-goal lead and dropped a 5-3 decision to Toronto in a crucial home game on Thursday night. The Panthers trail the Maple Leafs by four points in the battle for the third playoff berth in the Atlantic Division.
"Let's try to recapture some confidence here at home," Florida coach Joel Quenneville said when asked about the game versus the Blackhawks. "Let's find a way to get two points."
Quenneville said his top line of captain Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Evgenii Dadonov didn't have enough puck possession. The trio was held without a point and combined for a minus-six rating.
"Everybody needs to play better, and that starts with me," said Barkov, who is second on the Panthers with 62 points. "We couldn't get a lot going (against Toronto)."
Hoffman scored his team-high 26th goal of the season against Toronto. Huberdeau tops the team with 77 points, but he has no goals and just one assist in his past three games.
Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has alternated a win with a loss for his past four games. The two-time Vezina Trophy recipient is 23-19-5 with a 3.26 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage.
Meanwhile, the Blackhawks -- who are in a rebuilding season and likely to miss the playoffs for the third straight year -- are coming off an impressive 5-2 win over the host Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.
Veteran goalie Corey Crawford, 35, made 36 saves for just his second win in his past eight starts. He is 12-18-3 this season with a 2.88 GAA and a .914 SP.
Dominik Kubalik scored three goals -- all in the third period -- on Thursday.
Kubalik, a 24-year-old winger from the Czech Republic, leads all NHL rookies with 29 goals. He also leads all Blackhawks players in goals and has scored seven in his past seven games.
"I have no idea what's clicking -- I would like to know as well," said Kubalik, a seventh-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2013.
"I've just been around the net."
Besides Kubalik, Chicago's stars are veterans Patrick Kane (28 goals, 78 points) and captain Jonathan Toews (16 goals, 54 points). Kane scored 44 goals last season, and Toews had 35.
The coaching matchup features Quenneville, who was fired by Chicago on Nov. 6, 2018, and 35-year-old Jeremy Colliton, who replaced him on the Blackhawks bench.
Quenneville, who led the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup titles as their head coach, directed the Panthers to a 4-3 win in Chicago on Jan. 21 in their previous meeting this season. The Panthers received a hat trick from Frank Vatrano, and Quenneville got an ovation from Chicago's fans.
"That was a memorable event," Quenneville said of his reception and the win. "I'm thankful."
--Field Level Media
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New on Sports Illustrated: Panthers aim to regain confidence against Blackhawks

The disheartened Florida Panthers will host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night in Sunrise, Fla. Florida squandered an early two-goal lead and dropped a 5-3 decision to Toronto in a crucial home…

29 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: No title

New on Sports Illustrated: No title

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29 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Southampton-West Ham United Preview

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/game/2146832">
Whilst frustration might be at an all-time high for West Ham United this season, they are doing their best to remain positive with the belief times will get better before it's really too late.
Sitting atop the Premier League relegation zone and winless since New Year's Day, West Ham again try to taste victory and do the double over Southampton, one of the few teams they've actually beat this term, on Saturday at London Stadium.
One of the most storied teams in all of English football, West Ham (6-6-15) have been living with the reality of relegation for some time now. They've conceded 16 goals during an 0-2-5 rut since beating Bournemouth 4-0 on Jan. 1.
The Hammers gave a spirited effort and led 2-1 at Anfield over runaway leaders Liverpool well over the hour mark before the Reds' big guns of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane scored to pull out a 3-2 victory for the hosts.
Whilst the result moved Liverpool further toward their first Premier League title, it left West Ham at the top of the drop with 24 points, but only one point from safety.
"Performances like (against Liverpool) are what we need to get out of trouble," midfielder Robert Snodgrass told West Ham's official website. "We need to stop conceding goals. It's not rocket science, it's the basics of football. If you don't make mistakes, you give yourself a better chance to win the game.
"We know ourselves, as footballers, that if we keep playing that way, we will get points on the board … There's definitely belief there."
Perhaps a visit from Southampton (10-4-13) will increase that level of belief. The Saints managed to turn their own season around and currently sit 12th in the table, but they also lost 1-0 to the Hammers at home on Dec. 14. Sebastien Haller scored in the 37th minute for West Ham for their most recent road triumph.
Haller has six Premier League goals, but only one in nine games since facing Southampton.
The Saints, meanwhile, are 6-1-3 since that loss, but avoided a third consecutive defeat with last weekend's 2-0 home victory over Aston Villa. Shane Long scored early and Stuart Armstrong late for Southampton, who had totaled one goal in their previous two contests.
"In games like (that) it's always important to take your chances and make sure you put the game to bed as quickly as you can," Armstrong told Southampton's official website. "You know it's the Premier League, and teams can come back at you - we've seen that before. It's about being patient and seeing it through."
Whilst Southampton will be without key midfielder Nathan Redmond for the time being due to a muscle injury, defender Kyle Walker-Peters is back training and could be available for selection.
Southampton's Danny Ings ranks among the Premier League leaders with 15 goals, but has just one over a five-game stretch.
</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Southampton-West Ham United Preview

Whilst frustration might be at an all-time high for West Ham United this season, they are doing their best to remain positive with the belief times will get better before it's really too late. Sittin…

29 Feb 2020

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New on Sports Illustrated: No title

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29 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Liverpool-Watford Preview

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/game/2146827">
After arguably the biggest threat to their unbeaten Premier League season, Liverpool look to right themselves and continue chasing history Saturday when they face relegation-threatened Watford at Vicarage Road in search of a record-setting 19th consecutive victory.
Perhaps it was the hangover from their midweek Champions League loss at Atletico Madrid, perhaps the pressure from trying to join Arsenal and Preston North End as the only unbeaten top-flight sides in English football history, but Monday's match against West Ham was one of the few times this season Liverpool (26-1-0) were involved in a slog.
The Merseysiders rallied for a 3-2 victory on second-half goals by Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, with right back Trent Alexander-Arnold playing a key role in the fightback with assists on Giorginio Wijnaldum's first-half goal and Mane's match-winner on 80 minutes. The 21-year-old has 12 assists - second only to Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne in the Premier League - while doing so as a defender.
"I think we passed the moment where we treat him like a young boy, he is just a proper member of the squad," Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp told the club's official website regarding Alexander-Arnold. "Everybody has to contribute, everybody has to bring on the pitch what he is able to do - and the boys do a lot to bring him or Robbo (Andrew Robertson) in the position and save them there.
"I don't want to make the performance more than it is, I am completely happy with it, but that's how football works on the highest level. (There were) super moments of Gini, for example, where he just wins that decisive battle, Sadio really (good), Bobby chasing back and wins the ball. Thank God in our stadium (it is like) nearly scoring a goal (with) the celebration after Bobby wins a really important ball back."
The 18 straight victories since their only blemish - a 1-1 draw at Manchester United on Oct. 20 - are equal with Manchester City's record-setting run set from August to December 2017 and bettered their club mark of 17 set bridging this season and last season prior to the stalemate at Old Trafford. Liverpool have won eight straight road matches since their draw at United, conceding just three goals in that span.
Liverpool have won 35 of their last 36 league matches while going unbeaten in their last 44 (39-5-0) such contests, which is the fifth-longest among clubs in Europe's top five leagues.
"I really believe that the better you defend, the easier it is to attack," Liverpool assistant Pepijn Linders said. "The last game, we didn't attack - or we were not protected in the way we should be protected - so we didn't attack in the right way and that's why we had to run back and stop these counters much deeper than we are normally used to. The better we attack, the easier it is to defend. It's really related to each other.
"If you want to win, if you want to go far, you have to dominate everything. Each phase in the best way possible. We don't speak about perfection, but the best way possible. Be dominant in each phase and that's something we are good at. If we have to defend, we defend. If we have to attack, we attack."
Talisman and midfielder Jordan Henderson is expected to miss this contest with a hamstring injury as Klopp has an eye for him to return for Liverpool's second-leg round of 16 tie at home versus Atletico Madrid on March 11. This match also kicks off a busy stretch for the Reds, who also have a fifth-round FA Cup clash with Chelsea on Tuesday.
Much like West Ham on Monday, Watford (5-9-13) are in a similar plight with relation to the relegation scrap. The Hornets are second-bottom on 24 points, trailing West Ham on goal difference but also two points from safety.
The new manager bounce Nigel Pearson brought with his arrival has ebbed during a challenging stretch of fixtures, with the Hornets winless in their last five matches (0-2-3) after a 3-0 drubbing administered by Manchester United on Sunday.
Watford had trouble containing United's attack and failed to generate much offence themselves, often second-best while putting only two shots on target and taking seven overall - two fewer than United had on target.
"It's going to be a scrap to the end of the season," keeper Ben Foster told Watford's official website. "We gave them too much time and respect. We have to keep our heads up and keep fighting.
"Team spirit is going to be a huge part of this," said the goalkeeper. "Results in other games were kind to us this weekend. We know we've got plenty of quality in the dressing room, so we can't let things affect us emotionally."
Ismalia Sarr should be available for this match after a successful 20-minute runout versus United after missing the previous three games through injury, and right back Daryl Janmaat has returned to first-team training. This contest, though, may come too soon for Kiko Femenia as he continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury.
Liverpool ran out 2-0 winners in the reverse fixture at Anfield on a brace by Salah on either side of halftime. They have won four on the trot versus Watford - all by shutout - and are 7-1-0 in the last eight meetings since the Hornets' lone top-flight home win in the series, a 3-0 victory in December 2015.
</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Liverpool-Watford Preview

After arguably the biggest threat to their unbeaten Premier League season, Liverpool look to right themselves and continue chasing history Saturday when they face relegation-threatened Watford at Vic…

29 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Crystal Palace-Brighton & Hove Albion Preview

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/game/2146789">
Whilst Crystal Palace managed to end their lengthy Premier League winless spell last week, Brighton & Hove Albion are still stuck in one of their own.
Palace can win consecutive league games for the first time in almost three months by extending the Seagulls' top-flight winless stretch to eight matches on Saturday at the Amex.
There was a much-needed sigh of relief when time went full on Crystal Palace's 1-0 home victory over Newcastle United last Saturday. Patrick van Aanholt's goal at the end of the first half was enough for the Eagles (8-9-10) to snap a three-game losing streak and end their 0-4-3 league rut.
The result left Palace with a club-record 33 points through 27 Premier League matches, and 13th in the table. The triumph should also give them some momentum to look ahead confidently whilst trying to win back-to-back top-flight matches for the first time since Nov. 30 and Dec. 3.
"Look at what's in front of you and look at what you can get to," veteran defender Gary Cahill told Crystal Palace's official website. "Obviously, we realise we've had three not-so-good results, but along the way through we've had some good performances. (Last Saturday), I thought we deserved the win."
Palace had to work much harder just to earn a point through a 1-1 draw with Brighton at home on Dec. 16. Wilfried Zaha scored the equaliser in the 76th minute after Neal Maupay opened the scoring for the Seagulls on 54 minutes.
Brighton (6-10-11), 15th in the table and five points back of Palace, are all too familiar with the draw. They've recorded one in each of their last three Premier League games and are 0-5-2 since beating Bournemouth 2-0 at home on Dec. 28.
It was Maupay again who came through to help earn his team a point via last Saturday's 1-1 draw versus Sheffield United. His team-leading eighth goal of the season equalised on the half-hour mark.
"We'll look at the Sheffield United match to see what we did well and where we can improve. We'll (continue) to work hard this week and be ready on Saturday to get a win," Maupay, who snapped an eight-game league goal drought, told Brighton's official website.
Whilst Maupay ended his own scoring rut, Palace leading scorer Jordan Ayew (six league goals) has gone five straight top-flight games without a goal. Ayew does not have a goal in three career matches versus Brighton.
</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Crystal Palace-Brighton & Hove Albion Preview

Whilst Crystal Palace managed to end their lengthy Premier League winless spell last week, Brighton & Hove Albion are still stuck in one of their own. Palace can win consecutive league games for the …

29 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: No title

New on Sports Illustrated: No title

…

29 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: No title

New on Sports Illustrated: No title

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29 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Lakers roll into Bay Area to face Warriors

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/game/2177002">
Two teams moving at full speed, but in different directions, cross paths Thursday night when the surging Los Angeles Lakers visit the plodding Golden State Warriors.
In a matchup of the Western Conference's best and worst teams, the Lakers will take the court riding the momentum of a six-game winning streak, while the Warriors will be attempting to end a seven-game losing skid.
The downside for the Lakers is that they will be without the services of LeBron James, who is nursing a sore left groin. Los Angeles forward Anthony Davis is listed as probable despite a sore left elbow.
Last season, James sustained a left groin tear during a Christmas Day game against the Warriors, and he missed 17 games.
The Lakers haven't won a season series from their Northern California rivals since 2012-13, but they have a chance to clinch this year's four-game set after having won 120-94 at home in November and 125-120 in San Francisco earlier this month.
Davis, who sat out the first head-to-head, contributed 27 points and 10 rebounds to Los Angeles' road win 19 days ago in his first San Francisco Bay Area regular-season game as a member of the Lakers.
James also recorded a double-double (22 points, 11 assists) in the win, giving him two in as many games against the Warriors this season.
James exploded for 40 points in Zion Williamson's first-ever NBA game in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, and the Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 118-109.
"We love when he's aggressive," Davis assured reporters after the game, referring to his fired-up superstar teammate. "One, he's able to score at will. Two, he's a willing passer and it's our job to make shots for him. We feel good when he kicks it to us, and we're able to make shots. Because we know it's just going to open it up for him."
The Thursday game opens a three-game trip for the Lakers, all against teams they beat during their current winning streak. After San Francisco, they will move on to Memphis on Saturday to face the Grizzlies, whom they beat 117-105 last week, and then to New Orleans on Sunday for a rematch with Williamson and the Pelicans.
The Warriors, meanwhile, will be seeking to prevent their current losing streak from becoming their second-longest of the season. They had a 10-gamer earlier.
Another potential issue for Golden State is a possible look-ahead to the weekend, when Stephen Curry is expected to return from a hand injury suffered in the fourth game of the season.
Curry has not played a game with newcomer Andrew Wiggins, who began his Warriors career strong, but has since received the bulk of the defensive attention on his offensively challenged team.
Wiggins has been harassed into 9-for-30 shooting in Golden State's last two games, totaling just 24 points.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr left the arena after Tuesday's 112-94 loss to Sacramento looking forward to the day when he can surround his new small forward with better players.
"He knows our plays, so that's not an issue," Kerr responded to the media when asked to explain Wiggins' issues the past two games. "I think it will be a big deal when Steph comes back just so he can feel what it's like to play next to Steph and Draymond (Green) together.
"I think that's the bigger thing, playing next to the guys that will be in the lineup with him next year. I think he will fit in nicely with those guys. He's doing a good job of executing the offense, and he knows what he is doing out there. We are short-handed right now. As we get healthier, I think we will see him fit better because he'll be able to fit into his role."
--Field Level Media
</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Lakers roll into Bay Area to face Warriors

Two teams moving at full speed, but in different directions, cross paths Thursday night when the surging Los Angeles Lakers visit the plodding Golden State Warriors. In a matchup of the Western Confe…

28 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: LAFC Fans Pay Tribute to Kobe, Gianna Bryant With Tifo

<a href="https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/02/28/lafc-kobe-bryant-gianna-tifo-tribute">
The image was displayed during the club's home leg of the Concacaf Champions League.
LAFC fans
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2020/02/25/kobe-bryant-death-memorial-staples-center">paid tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant</a> on Thursday by unveiling a tifo with both of their faces on it.
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The image was displayed during the club's home leg, and second leg overall, against Club Léon in the last-16 of the Concacaf Champions League.
Since <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2020/01/27/kobe-bryant-will-be-missed-dearly">Kobe, Gianna and seven others died in a tragic helicopter crash on Jan. 26</a>, tributes have come in all different forms from those within the sports world.
<a href="https://tempest.saymedia.com/#/content-items/cs024f19a9100026ae/ContentArticle/view/ci025e6f9e30002506">Buy SI's Special Kobe Bryant Tribute Issue</a>
Among other recent gestures include a <a href="https://www.si.com/racing/2020/02/26/hendrick-axalta-honor-kobe-nascar-auto-club-400">special one-race-only No. 24 Chevrolet car featuring a purple-and-gold paint scheme</a> that is running this Sunday in the Auto Club 400 in Southern California.
On Monday, Staples Center hosted a <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2020/02/24/kobe-bryant-memorial-staples-center">public memorial for the Bryants. </a>Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Sabrina Ionescu and Diana Taurasi were just some of the people who spoke about what both Kobe and Gianna meant to them.
LAFC is looking to advance to the tournament's quarterfinal, but entered the second leg having lost 2-0 to Léon last week in the round-of-16 opener.

New on Sports Illustrated: LAFC Fans Pay Tribute to Kobe, Gianna Bryant With Tifo

The image was displayed during the club's home leg of the Concacaf Champions League. LAFC fans paid tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant on Thursday by unveiling a tifo with both of their faces on it. T…

28 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Sharks look to snap 5-game skid as Devils visit

<a href="https://www.si.com/nhl/game/2155418">
Just one win could be the difference in restoring Cory Schneider's confidence for the New Jersey Devils.
It isn't worth a red cent when looking at the Devils' chances at making the playoffs, but it's a boost for the 33-year-old goaltender nonetheless.
The Devils continue their five-game road trip with a Thursday game against the San Jose Sharks.
Schneider made 27 saves in the Devils' 4-1 road win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday after spending most of the NHL season with the club's AHL affiliate in Binghamton, N.Y.
Schneider, a one-time All-Star, was recalled last week, and with Louis Domingue traded to the Vancouver Canucks on Monday, he could start to see increased playing time.
"It's a sense of relief a little bit," Schneider said of his first win of the season Tuesday after his 0-6-1 start. "It's just one game, so obviously I'd like to have had a lot more here."
Schneider still figures to back up goalie Mackenzie Blackwood. Even so, it's possible he could get another shot during the trip that continues with three games in California before a visit to Las Vegas.
"I'm excited," Schneider said. "We've got a long trip here, and the first (game) is important. ... My objective is to play well and help this team, help Mackenzie and do whatever I can. I felt good about my game in Binghamton, had a rough start in the fall, but things are feeling better."
New Jersey's Dakota Mermis, who had an assist in the victory in Detroit, noted that Schneider is a big reason for the Binghamton Devils' AHL playoff push.
"Schneids is such a great guy," Mermis said. "He was a big part in what was going on in Binghamton, (and he) invested in himself to do better."
The Sharks also got a player back on Tuesday, this one from injury. Team captain Logan Couture, who had 36 points before sustaining a broken ankle Jan. 7, returned for the Sharks' 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.
It was San Jose's fifth consecutive defeat.
Couture was held pointless in 18:05 of ice time with two shots on goal and one blocked shot.
He left the ice briefly in the second period after blocking the shot, but returned to start the third.
"I wish I played a little bit better, but I'm OK," Couture said.
Sharks interim coach Bob Boughner said Couture should be fine after he gets a little more ice time.
"It was nice to see his name on the board," Boughner said, noting that Couture didn't get a chance to practice before the game. "Obviously, he's still getting his feet underneath him. His game speed is off. He's still saying that he had two or three chances to score goals tonight, so it was good to see him back."
One member of the Devils will arrive in San Jose with his wallet a little lighter.
On Wednesday, the NHL fined forward John Hayden $2,016.13 for cross-checking Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi on Tuesday.
The fine is the maximum allowable under the league's collective bargaining agreement. Hayden was assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct on the play, which led to a small brawl.
--Field Level Media
</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Sharks look to snap 5-game skid as Devils visit

Just one win could be the difference in restoring Cory Schneider's confidence for the New Jersey Devils. It isn't worth a red cent when looking at the Devils' chances at making the playoffs, but it's…

28 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: No. 21 Colorado looks to get back on track at Cal

<a href="https://www.si.com/college/college-basketball/game/2188388">
California will seek its first victory over a ranked team this season when the Golden Bears play host to 21st-ranked Colorado in a Pac-12 Conference matchup Thursday night.
The game is a rematch of a 71-65 Buffaloes victory at home Feb. 6, a contest in which Cal outshot Colorado 55.6 percent to 48 percent.
The difference that night came on the boards, where the Buffaloes earned a 32-23 advantage, and at the free-throw line, where the hosts had seven more attempts and converted eight more.
Colorado (21-7, 10-5 Pac-12) will take the court tied with Oregon and UCLA for second place in the conference, with all three a half-game behind Arizona State (10-4).
The Buffaloes completed their conference home schedule Saturday with a 70-63 loss to UCLA. They finish conference play at Cal on Thursday, at Stanford on Sunday and at Utah on March 7.
Cal (11-16, 5-9) will face Colorado on Thursday and then Utah on Saturday to complete their regular-season home schedule. They wrap up Pac-12 play at Oregon and Oregon State next week.
Cal has designated Thursday's contest as a Pete Newell Classic game. The Golden Bears will honor former standout Shareef Abdur-Rahim with a Pete Newell Lifetime Achievement Award.
A Georgia native, Abdur-Rahim played just one season at Cal, but it was impressive. He earned Pac-12 Player of the Year honors, which he used as a springboard into the 1996 NBA draft, where he was chosen with the third overall pick by the Vancouver Grizzlies.
Abdur-Rahim currently serves as president of the NBA G League.
He will get an opportunity to see a Colorado team that has won five of its past seven to put itself in a position to possibly win the Pac-12 regular-season title. The team's 21 wins are three shy of the school record, set in 2011 and matched in 2012.
The Buffaloes, who haven't been to the NCAA Tournament since 2016, have beaten Cal five straight times.
Colorado coach Tad Boyle observed after the earlier win over Cal that his team hadn't played its best game, which he turned into a positive.
"It reminded me of wins we had in November and December, when we weren't very good, but we found a way to win the game," he said. "The sign of a somber locker room after a league win tells us that we have pretty high expectations of ourselves."
Cal played competitively in a 77-72 loss to Oregon in its only previous home game against a ranked opponent. The Golden Bears are 0-4 overall against ranked foes.
They are 10-5 in Berkeley this season, although their past two home games -- against Arizona and Arizona State -- resulted in losses.
The Golden Bears, who have lost five of six, are coming off an 87-52 road shellacking at the hands of Washington. It was Cal's biggest margin of defeat ever against the Huskies, and a potential rallying point for his team, coach Mark Fox suggested.
"We haven't made very many stinkers this year. We've had some defeats. Today was a stinker," Fox said to the media after the game. "We still have a lot to learn."
--Field Level Media
</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: No. 21 Colorado looks to get back on track at Cal

California will seek its first victory over a ranked team this season when the Golden Bears play host to 21st-ranked Colorado in a Pac-12 Conference matchup Thursday night. The game is a rematch of a…

28 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: No. 23 Ohio State walking tall into Nebraska

<a href="https://www.si.com/college/college-basketball/game/2181090">
Nebraska's downward spiral has reached an historic low, but the Cornhuskers can restore some dignity if they can pull off the Big Ten Conference upset of visiting No. 23 Ohio State on Thursday.
A 71-59 defeat at Illinois on Monday not only extended Nebraska's losing streak to 12 games but marked the first time in the 123-year history of the program that the Huskers have lost 20 games in a season (7-20, 2-14 Big Ten). It came with four regular-season games left to play.
"I'm proud of the guys for continuing to come out every time we step on the floor and battle," Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. "When you go on a streak like we're on right now, the easy thing to do is shut down. But our guys continue to come in and work and try to get things corrected.
"That's what it's all about, to try and create some habits and hopefully get a little momentum going into next year with the way that we're playing with effort."
The Buckeyes (18-9, 8-8) can thank the Cornhuskers in part for helping them rebound after their own skid.
Ohio State was ranked No. 2 in the country on Dec. 29, but it entered a Jan. 14 home game vs. Nebraska with a four-game losing streak and defeats in five of seven games.
The Buckeyes won 80-68, and although they lost the next two games, they since have reeled off six wins in the past eight games.
A 79-72 victory Sunday over Maryland, ranked No. 7 at the time, was Ohio State's fourth over a top-10 team this season, the others coming against Villanova, North Carolina and Kentucky.
Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann knows the competitive Big Ten doesn't allow teams to exhale, so he's worried about going on the road, where the Buckeyes are 3-6 overall. Their 2-6 away record in conference play includes a 70-57 loss to Wisconsin on Feb. 9 and an 85-76 defeat against Iowa on Feb. 20.
"I think the real question will be how do we respond to this going on the road where we've not performed the last couple games, and what's going to be our response," Holtmann said. "Are we going to somehow be complacent with (the Maryland game)? I think that's really going to test the maturity of our group."
Both teams faced adversity in their most recent games. Nebraska point guard Cam Mack did not play vs. Illinois because of illness, and the Cornhuskers' offense was stagnant without him.
"Obviously, we could have executed better, but when you're missing a guy who plays 35, 38 minutes every game, you're going to struggle with possessions," Hoiberg said. "Without Cam in the lineup, we got a little disorganized at times on the offensive end."
Mack's status for the Thursday game was unknown.
Ohio State starting forward Kyle Young, who averages 7.5 points and 5.8 rebounds, sustained an ankle sprain during the Maryland game. Holtmann said that Young's status would be determined after the shootaround Thursday morning.
--Field Level Media
</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: No. 23 Ohio State walking tall into Nebraska

Nebraska's downward spiral has reached an historic low, but the Cornhuskers can restore some dignity if they can pull off the Big Ten Conference upset of visiting No. 23 Ohio State on Thursday. A 71-…

28 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Punter Michael Turk Stars at Combine Bench Press

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2020/02/28/michael-turk-punter-nfl-draft-combine">
Punter Michael Turk's combine bench press totals were better than multiple offense linemen at the NFL 2020 combine.
Former Arizona State punter Michael Turk might only weigh 226 pounds, but he was able to set a modern punter record with 25 reps during the NFL combine's 225-pound bench press. 
Turk's performance on Thursday was the most by a punter since 2003,
</a><a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001103857/article/punter-michael-turk-thrills-at-nfl-combine-with-25-bench-reps">per NFL Research.</a> It was also better than more than a dozen offensive linemen at the 2020 combine and better than all but one tight end who took part in the event on Thursday.
Historically, Turk's total is also greater than what Jadeveon Clowney, Frank Clark and DeMarcus Lawrence recorded during their recent combine appearances.
The Sun Devils punter joined ASU after transferring from Lafayette. Last season he averaged 46.0 yards per punt on 59 punts, which ranked 11th in the FBS and led the Pac-12.
Turk's uncle, Matt, was an NFL punter for 17 seasons with the Texans, Redskins, Dolphins, Jaguars, Jets and Rams.
He is near the top of most punter Big Board rankings.

New on Sports Illustrated: Punter Michael Turk Stars at Combine Bench Press

Punter Michael Turk's combine bench press totals were better than multiple offense linemen at the NFL 2020 combine. Former Arizona State punter Michael Turk might only weigh 226 pounds, but he was ab…

28 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Pacers look to extend Blazers' road struggles

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/game/2176655">
The Indiana Pacers answered their worst loss in 33 years with their largest margin of victory of the season.
Now the Pacers aim to record their fourth win in five outings and snap a five-game losing skid in the series with the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday when the clubs meet in Indianapolis.
All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis helped Indiana recover following a 127-81 shellacking at Toronto on Sunday, recording 21 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists two nights later in a 119-80 romp over Charlotte.
"From the first possession, we just made them feel us (defensively)," Sabonis said via FOX Sports Indiana. "We were on every catch pursuing them and that kind of set the tone for everybody else then the second unit followed. It just went smoothly."
Sabonis, whose father Arvydas played for the Trail Blazers, registered his second career triple-double with 27 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in the Pacers' 139-129 setback in Portland on Jan. 26. The younger Sabonis has since notched two more triple-doubles before nearly collecting his fifth on Tuesday.
Indiana, which had six players post double-digit point totals, shot 57.0 percent from the floor and led the Hornets by as many as 43 points in the fourth quarter to put the rout by the Raptors in its rear-view mirror.
"I didn't see the Toronto game coming, where we never really established ourselves," Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. "I really felt that we were going to go up there and win that game. I felt we could beat that team, but they totally smacked us.
"But I loved our response (Tuesday). We were all about business and we put together a really solid 48-minute game and I thought we were connected out there at both ends of the floor and it looked like they were having some fun but without trying to embarrass anyone."
The Trail Blazers haven't been having much fun on the road, losing four straight away from the Rose City and 20 of 30 on the season entering the opener of a three-game trek on Thursday.
Portland fell for the fourth time in its last five outings overall with a 118-106 setback to Boston on Tuesday.
"It's our reality, so we've got to figure out how to get as many wins as possible, starting in Indiana and progressing forward," guard CJ McCollum said.
McCollum has stepped up in the absence of injured All-Star Damian Lillard (groin), averaging 32.0 points, 10.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds in his last three games -- including 28, 10 and four against the Celtics.
The 28-year-old McCollum had 28 points in the previous encounter with the Pacers while Hassan Whiteside had 21 and 14 rebounds. Whiteside had 18 and 19, respectively, versus Boston for his seventh straight double-double.
Lillard's availability for the team's three-game road trip has yet to be decided, according to coach Terry Stotts. He is not expected to play Thursday.
"At this point, I'm not sure. I think we're discussing that," Stotts said of the 29-year-old Lillard, who averages team-best totals in points (29.5) and assists (7.9).
--Field Level Media
</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Pacers look to extend Blazers' road struggles

The Indiana Pacers answered their worst loss in 33 years with their largest margin of victory of the season. Now the Pacers aim to record their fourth win in five outings and snap a five-game losing …

28 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Thunder, Kings to put solid runs to the test

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/game/2176942">
The Oklahoma City Thunder are trying to bolster their position in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.
The Sacramento Kings have been doing their best to get back into the playoff mix.
On Thursday night, the two meet in Oklahoma City trying to continue their upward trajectories.
The Thunder have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA over the last month-plus, winning 13 of their last 16 games. Oklahoma City comes into Thursday's game having won four consecutive, including all three after the All-Star break.
Sacramento comes in on a hot streak of its own, having won three consecutive games and six of its last eight.
The Kings have started their four-game road trip - in a span where they'll play six of seven away from Sacramento - with back-to-back wins.
Oklahoma City hasn't made it easy on themselves but keeps figuring out ways to win, including in Tuesday night's victory in Chicago. The Thunder led that game by as many as 24 points, but that lead was wiped out by the time the fourth quarter started. Oklahoma City had to fight back to hold off the Bulls 124-122.
Thunder coach Billy Donovan said his team is at a point where he's making minor tweaks rather than overhauls to try to pull out their best.
"I think what we've got to do is we've got to make small, incremental changes toward getting better," Donovan said.
One of those changes could be the re-emergence of guard Terrance Ferguson.
In the first seven games after he returned from an eight-game absence due to personal reasons, Ferguson had scored just four points combined, making 1 of 10 from the field before Tuesday.
Against the Bulls, he had 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting.
"I think it took him awhile to get back into the flow," Donovan said. "His timing was off. I think he was fouling a little too much. I think his shot really wasn't there.
"Terrance has always been a really, really good catch-and-shoot player, especially from the corners. ... Hopefully he'll be able to consistently keep getting better."
That would add depth with the continued emergence of rookie Luguentz Dort, who remains on a two-way contract but who has become a fixture in the starting lineup since Ferguson was out.
Sacramento's success recently has been at least in part to its quickened tempo. After the Kings were near the top of the league in pace a year ago, they had slowed considerably under Luke Walton this season dropping to No. 24.
But over their last five games, Sacramento was tied for seventh in the league in pace, heading into play Wednesday.
"With these final 28 games coming out of the break, pushing the pace was one of those things that we want to make sure, no matter how the season ends, we go into the offseason with that in mind," Walton said. "We're continuing to stress our transition defense and some other key points as well."
Sacramento point guard De'Aaron Fox scored 21 points in Tuesday's 112-94 road win over the Golden State Warriors for his third straight 20-point effort.
Fox temporarily left the contest with groin tightness before returning, and he is continuing to deal with a sore left shoulder.
"It's motivating," veteran swingman Kent Bazemore said of Fox playing through the ailments. "You can see him wincing out there, but he's pushing through. It means a lot that he's bought in. We have his back and he is still demanding a lot of attention, and dominating the game."
Thursday's game is the final one between the teams this season. The Kings and Thunder have split their first two games, with both of those meetings coming in Sacramento.
--Field Level Media
</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Thunder, Kings to put solid runs to the test

The Oklahoma City Thunder are trying to bolster their position in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. The Sacramento Kings have been doing their best to get back into the playoff mix. O…

28 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Flames, Predators to meet while in playoff fight

<a href="https://www.si.com/nhl/game/2155415">
The Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators are in similar situations.
They're battling for wild-card playoff berths in the Western Conference and incorporating different players into their lineup -- both old and new.
That's paying off for both teams entering Thursday night's matchup in Nashville.
As for the new, the Flames welcomed defensemen Erik Gustafsson and Derek Forbort, acquired at Monday's trade deadline from the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings, respectively. Gustafsson had an assist Tuesday in a 5-2 victory at the Boston Bruins.
"I liked them. It takes a little while obviously for them to get used to not only each other but to their new teammates, systems and stuff," Flames coach Geoff Ward said. "But I thought they played well. I like the fact that they got better as the game went on. I think both guys played to their strengths."
Mikael Backlund had two goals and an assist, Sean Monahan scored twice, and goaltender David Rittich made 26 saves for the Flames, who have won three of four and are 6-3-0 in their past nine games.
The victory against the league-leading Bruins put Calgary atop the West's wild-card race.
"This shows not just ourselves, the whole league, that we're a really solid team," Backlund said. "And we've known that all year. It's been a lot of ups and downs ... we know we have to be more consistent. But when we play the right way, we're really, really a dangerous group."
As for the old, the Predators' Ryan Ellis had a goal and an assist Tuesday in Nashville's 3-2 home victory against the Ottawa Senators. The goal was Ellis' first in three games since returning from an upper-body injury that caused him to miss 20 games.
Juuse Saros made 33 saves for the Predators, who are 5-1-1 in their past seven games. The win moved them into a three-way tie for the West's final wild-card berth with Winnipeg and Arizona, although they have three games in hand on the Jets and four on the Coyotes.
"More or less, (it's) win and get in," Ellis said. "We've just got to keep winning our games in hand, just trust the process and keep working and doing our part. We control our own destiny for the most part, and it's a lot better feeling when you control your destiny versus you hope someone loses."
Predators coach John Hynes praised Ellis for the way he's settled back into the lineup.
"It's been pretty quick. He was off for a long time, but he's also a guy that's in great shape. He really takes care of himself," Hynes said. "And as we said, I think he knows the game very well, but he's a student of the game. He's been in all the meetings. He's watched practices. He was able to practice prior to coming back. He's a veteran player that's been around, played for different coaches, played different systems. I think the big thing for him even when he spoke with me prior to coming back was 'It'll probably take a few shifts or maybe a first period and I'll be back up to speed.' And he's been back up to speed pretty quick."
Key players from both teams are questionable for Thursday's matchup.
Flames defenseman Mark Giordano, the reigning Norris Trophy winner, was considered a game-time decision Tuesday but didn't play, missing his 10th consecutive contest with a lower-body injury.
Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne was scratched from Tuesday's lineup and is listed as day-to-day with an illness.
--Field Level Media
</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Flames, Predators to meet while in playoff fight

The Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators are in similar situations. They're battling for wild-card playoff berths in the Western Conference and incorporating different players into their lineup -- …

28 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Blues take win streak into matchup with Islanders

<a href="https://www.si.com/nhl/game/2155413">
The St. Louis Blues will try to build on their five-game winning streak when they play host to the New York Islanders Thursday night.
After allowing just two goals in their previous four victories, the Blues had to rally from 3-1 and 5-4 deficits to defeat the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 6-5 at home Tuesday night.
"You've got to win games a lot of different ways throughout the season and this is one of them," Blues coach Craig Berube said afterward.
"Crazy game," Blues center Robert Thomas said. "Obviously not our style of play. We have to tighten it up a little bit but happy we got the two points. A lot of run-and-gun, a lot of transition chances, and it's not our game, but we're happy we got the two points."
The Islanders have hit a rough patch, going 2-4-1 in their last seven games. Since winning 4-3 in overtime Jan. 7 at New Jersey, they are just 8-8-4.
Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello explored multiple trades before the deadline while seeking to give his team a jolt. He acquired center Jean-Gabriel Pageau from the Ottawa Senators Monday for first- and second-round draft picks, plus a potential third-rounder.
Pageau quickly signed a six-year contract with the Islanders to bypass free agency. He scored in his Islanders' debut, a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.
He also instigated a fight with Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba after Trouba knocked forward Michael Dal Colle out of the game with a big hit.
"We wanted him, we got him for six years, he's impactful and he changes our team in so many ways," Islanders coach Barry Trotz said of Pageau. "You saw how he stepped up. What a great pickup by Lou. The (traded draft) picks are nothing. A lot of picks never play and we have a solid guy and he fits right into our team. You saw his character, how he plays, his smarts and all that. He's going to be impactful for us. I'm glad he's on our side."
The Blues will look to get back to their tight-checking game against the Islanders, particularly on the penalty kill. They killed all 16 power plays they faced during a five-game span before allowing the Blackhawks to score three times with the man advantage.
"We know that was an issue tonight," center Ryan O'Reilly said. "We're usually better than that on the penalty kill. We gave up way too much. We left (goaltender Jordan Binnington) out to dry there. We're usually better and we shut it down, keep it to the outside and not give them that many point-blank opportunities. It's an adjustment that we have to make, and I think we will."
Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov is 10-10-3 in his career against the Blues with a 2.32 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.
Varlamov was not in goal Oct. 14 when the Islanders won the previous meeting between these teams 3-2 in overtime at home. Thomas Griess made 21 saves that day. Binnington took the loss for the Blues.
Also, St. Louis defenseman Jay Bouwmeester said Wednesday that he will miss the rest of the season due to the cardiac incident he suffered earlier this month. The 36-year-old collapsed during a road game against the Anaheim Ducks on Feb. 11, and doctors used a defibrillator to revive him before transporting him to a nearby hospital.
Dal Colle and defenseman Andy Greene are questionable to play for the Islanders on Thursday after sustaining upper-body injuries Tuesday.
--Field Level Media
</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Blues take win streak into matchup with Islanders

The St. Louis Blues will try to build on their five-game winning streak when they play host to the New York Islanders Thursday night. After allowing just two goals in their previous four victories, t…

28 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Ex-LSU TE Thaddeus Moss Found to Have Broken Foot at Combine

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2020/02/28/thaddeus-moss-foot-surgery-lsu-nfl-combine">
Thaddeus Moss, the son of Randy Moss, will need surgery after discovering a broken bone in his foot.
Former
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/college/lsu/">LSU</a> tight end Thaddeus Moss's medical exam at the 2020 NFL combine revealed the tight end had a fracture in his right foot that will require surgery, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/28795801/sources-lsu-te-thaddeus-moss-found-broken-foot">according to ESPN's Jeff Legwold. </a>
Moss, son of legendary NFL WR Randy Moss, went through the NFL combine's medical examination on Tuesday where doctors discovered he had a fracture to his fifth metatarsal bone. The recovery time for the expected procedure usually lasts between six to eight weeks, meaning Moss should be ready for the start of his rookie season.
The former Tiger is the No. 7 overall TE on <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2020/02/13/nfl-draft-2020-tight-end-rankings-best-prospects">Sports Illustrated's Kevin Hanson's latest Big Board</a>.
Moss started his NCAA career at NC State where he had just six receptions for 49 yards as a freshman in 2016.
He then sat out 2017 due to transfer rules and missed the 2018 season due after needing multiples surgeries to repair a fracture in his left foot. Moss recorded 47 catches for 570 yards and four touchdowns last year. He shined during <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2020/01/14/lsu-thaddeus-moss-shining-vs-clemson-national-championship">LSU's national title win over Clemson,</a> hauling in five catches for 36 yards and two scores.
Despite the injury, Moss took part in the measurement portion of the combine. His combine measurable are as followed.
<ul>
<li>Height: 6'1 7/8''</li>
<li>Weight: 250 lbs.</li>
<li>Hand Size: 9 7/8''</li>
<li>Arm: 31 7/8''</li>
<li>Wingspan 78 2/8''</li>
</ul>
Per Legwold, Moss was at Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday night, but will leave Indianapolis on Friday.

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Ex-LSU TE Thaddeus Moss Found to Have Broken Foot at Combine

Thaddeus Moss, the son of Randy Moss, will need surgery after discovering a broken bone in his foot. Former LSU tight end Thaddeus Moss's medical exam at the 2020 NFL combine revealed the tight end h…

28 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Olympic Hopefuls Not Yet Concerned About Tokyo Cancellation Due to Coronavirus

<a href="https://www.si.com/olympics/2020/02/28/us-olympic-marathon-trials-tokyo-coronavirus-cancellation-concerns">
Some of the top competitors at the Olympics Marathon trials are not yet concerned about a possible Summer Games cancellation due to the coronavirus.
ATLANTA – Nothing is guaranteed with the marathon. You can train for months to be dealt with bad weather or an injury on race day. Although Saturday’s U.S. Olympic marathon trials determine the six Olympians to compete in Tokyo this summer, what if that next race never happens?
The coronavirus has ravaged China and spread to at least 47 countries to infect more than 80,000 people globally and killed over 2,700. The Olympics, which hosts more than 10,000 athletes and thousands of spectators and media members, are set to begin on July 24.
Tokyo organizers and members of the International Olympic Committee remain confident that the show will go on “as planned.”
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/olympics/2020/02/25/tokyo-2020-olympics-coronavirus-outbreak-concern-dick-pound">Senior IOC member Dick Pound cast doubt</a> on postponing, cancelling or moving the Olympics when he told the Associated Press that the fate of the Olympics should be determined by May.
Pound's comments went viral on social media but it is important to remember that he is just one of many members of the International Olympic Committee, and president Thomas Bach is far from making a final decision on the cancellation. He <a href="https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/02/3a448bfadb88-breaking-news-ioc-president-fully-committed-to-july-24-tokyo-olympics-opening.html">told Kyodo News</a>, “I'll not add fuel to the flames of speculation."
Finishing in the top three in the biggest Olympic marathon trials field has been the main focus for the professional runners who have put months of training for this race. But when push alerts on cellphones or news stations are dedicating around-the-clock coverage to the outbreak, it's hard to ignore.
Scott Fauble, last year's top American at the Boston Marathon in 2:09:09, is considered among the favorites to make the team. It would be his first Olympic team but until he secures that berth, the Olympic cancellation due to the coronavirus is not yet a concern.
"It (crossed my mind) just very quickly and then I was like, 'It doesn't really matter.' It will matter then," Fauble says. "It doesn't matter for this weekend so I haven't thought about it too much."
Jake Riley, a contender for the team with his 2:10:36 personal best from the Chicago Marathon, admits that he would be "crushed" if his Olympics were cancelled.
"It could also be like the boycott year and then I get kind of an Olympian title with an asterisk next to my name," Riley says. "That would be really depressing and frustrating. There would probably be a lot of resentment about it that I would probably carry with me for a long time. Let's hope it doesn't happen."
The public outcry brings to mind calls to pull the plug on the Rio Olympics in 2016 due to the Zika virus or the swine flu before the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The IOC stood firm and the show went on. The only Olympic cancellation in history happened in 1944 Summer Games, which were also set to take place in Tokyo.
Many sporting events in Asia and Europe have already been cancelled due to the virus. World Athletics postponed next month's World Indoor Track and Field Championships that were scheduled to be held in Nanjing, China to 2021. The Tokyo Marathon cancelled its mass participation race for more than 30,000 runners and will be run for just a few dozen elites next Sunday.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe asked all Japanese schools to close for the month of March to contain the spread of the virus. There have been more than 180 coronavirus cases in Japan and four deaths. The Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama has seen more than 700 cases and four deaths.
President Trump has downplayed the severity of the disease and tabbed Vice President Mike Pence to head the United States’ efforts to combat the spread of infection. There are at least 60 known cases in America (40 of them linked to the Diamond Princess cruise ship) and federal health officials warned on Tuesday that hospitals, businesses and schools need to make preparations for an inevitable threat.
For now, the U.S. Olympic marathon trials will be run but a race like the Boston Marathon sees more than 30,000 competitors from around the world. If cases continue to soar, we could see more intensity in the race for treatment than for medals.

New on Sports Illustrated: Olympic Hopefuls Not Yet Concerned About Tokyo Cancellation Due to Coronavirus

Some of the top competitors at the Olympics Marathon trials are not yet concerned about a possible Summer Games cancellation due to the coronavirus. ATLANTA – Nothing is guaranteed with the marathon.…

28 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Wild aim to improve road record in visit to Red Wings

<a href="https://www.si.com/nhl/game/2155411">
Entering a stretch in which they play five of seven games away from Xcel Energy Center, the Minnesota Wild know they'll need to improve on the road to continue their playoff push.
A visit to the league's worst team should help that cause.
Minnesota, which has the 11th-best record in the Western Conference, has won three of its last four games. The Wild play the first contest of a back-to-back at Detroit on Thursday before visiting Columbus the following night.
The Wild have won 12 road games, tied for second-fewest in the conference.
Team captain Mikko Koivu notched his first two-goal performance in three years on Tuesday as the Wild skated to a 5-4 victory over the Blue Jackets.
"It's rewarding if we make the playoffs. If we don't, I don't think anyone will remember if I had two goals or not," Koivu told reporters. "With one game, if you can help the team to get the win, for sure, it's a good feeling. That's about it, then I'd move on to the next one and like we talked before, that's kind of the situation we are in and we've got to get ourselves out of it and make sure that we keep playing better and better and get some more points."
Koivu, who is skating on the team's fourth line, hadn't scored in his previous 30 games. His outburst came after he refused to waive his no-trade clause prior to Monday's deadline.
"Every line, individual and as a line, you need to be able to help," Koivu said. "Some nights, if you don't have it, you've got make sure you're doing the things that still help the team. That's what we have to do, from the goalies, to defense and to us forwards. It's a team effort, it has to be that."
That's how Minnesota produced a 4-2 home victory over Detroit in the teams' first meeting this season on Jan. 22. Four different players scored, with Eric Staal and Mats Zuccarello each delivering a goal and an assist.
The Red Wings traded away speedy forward Andreas Athanasiou and defenseman Mike Green on Monday, then dropped a 4-1 decision at home to New Jersey the following night. Detroit has lost seven of its last eight games.
All but one of the Devils' goals came on their power play.
"We've just got to make sure that as a penalty kill we're working together as a unit of five out there," forward Justin Abdelkader told NHL.com. "We can't give them easy goals, or easy back-door goals. We've got to make sure we're taking away the middle of the ice as much as possible. I thought we gave them some chances there in the middle."
The Red Wings allowed 17 shots on goal in the first period and generally looked like a team beaten down by a miserable season. Detroit has won just 15 games.
"It's very disappointing," center Dylan Larkin said. "I don't know for what reason we didn't come out and execute enough in the first and spotted them a goal. We just couldn't find a rhythm on the penalty kill and keep it out of our net."
Larkin has perked up offensively with two goals and four assists on his four-game point streak.
--Field Level Media
</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Wild aim to improve road record in visit to Red Wings

Entering a stretch in which they play five of seven games away from Xcel Energy Center, the Minnesota Wild know they'll need to improve on the road to continue their playoff push. A visit to the leag…

28 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Bruins bid to get back on track vs. Stars

<a href="https://www.si.com/nhl/game/2155404">
The Boston Bruins look to snap out of their first regulation losing streak in over two months when they host the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.
The Bruins dropped their second straight regulation setback on Tuesday with a 5-2 loss to the Calgary Flames. The defeat snapped a seven-game home winning streak and gave Boston its first run of regulation losses since Dec. 7-12.
The Stars have won seven of their last nine (7-1-1) and six of their last eight road games (6-0-2). Dallas kicked off a three-game trip with a 4-1 victory at the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.
Thursday's meeting marks the conclusion of the regular-season series for the Bruins and Stars. The clubs opened the season against each other on Oct. 3 in Dallas, with Boston eking out a 2-1 victory behind 28 saves from goaltender Tuukka Rask.
The Stars have come a long way since then, putting a 1-7-1 start behind them to trail only the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference standings.
Dallas elected to stand pat at Monday's trade deadline, opting to stick with its current roster.
"We like where we're at. We like our depth," general manager Jim Nill told reporters. "I like where the young kids are at, what they've added to the team. And I like how the veterans are starting to play."
Former Bruin Tyler Seguin leads the way for the Stars with 48 points after scoring his 16th goal of the season to kick off a three-goal first period in Tuesday's win over the Hurricanes. Youngsters Roope Hintz (23 years old), Jason Dickinson (24) and Denis Gurianov (22) further chipped in with three, two and two points, respectively, in the contest.
"They're learning, and they're becoming more reliable," Stars interim coach Rick Bowness said of Hintz and Gurianov, who are now tied with captain Jamie Benn for the team lead with 18 goals.
"We know what they're going to do with the puck. We know what they're going to do with their speed, and they're becoming much more reliable."
The Bruins similarly are relying on their current roster, acquiring forwards Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase in smaller moves ahead of the trade deadline instead of making a splash. Ritchie made his team debut in Tuesday's loss, while Kase is a possibility to play Thursday after being held out since Feb. 7 -- when he was still with the Anaheim Ducks -- with an illness.
"I think he'd like to get a few more reps here with us," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy of Kase on Monday. "That deal is as much for the playoffs and moving forward."
Boston's offense fell flat against the Flames on Tuesday in its return home from a four-game road trip. Brad Marchand scored his 25th goal of the season to tie the game midway through the second period before Calgary tacked on four goals in the final 30 minutes.
"We weren't at our best, for sure," Marchand said. "We didn't have it all the way through the game. We were a little sleepy, I guess, at times."
--Field Level Media
</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Bruins bid to get back on track vs. Stars

The Boston Bruins look to snap out of their first regulation losing streak in over two months when they host the Dallas Stars on Thursday night. The Bruins dropped their second straight regulation se…

28 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Canucks look to further Senators' slump

<a href="https://www.si.com/nhl/game/2155410">
After opening a four-game trip on a positive note, the Vancouver Canucks look to continue their recent run of overall success.
The Canucks aim for a third consecutive victory while trying to hand the host Ottawa Senators a fifth straight loss on Thursday night.
In the mix for the Pacific Division title, Vancouver is playing like a squad poised to end a four-year playoff drought. The Canucks showed their mettle by overcoming an early 2-0 deficit to win 4-3 in overtime at Montreal on Tuesday.
Tyler Toffoli scored his third goal in three games with the Canucks at 1:35 into overtime against the Canadiens to end a three-game road skid and get a key eastern stretch off on the right foot.
Vancouver also scored twice on the power-play to increase its total to 53 such goals on the season -- among the most in the league.
"We pulled together as a group and just kind of chipped away," Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko, who made 37 saves Tuesday, told NHL.com. "A good way to start the road trip, hopefully we can have some better starts."
Demko (11-6-2, 2.93 goals-against average as a starter) likely will get more time in net with starter Jacob Markstrom out with a lower-body injury. However, recently acquired veteran netminder Louis Domingue, 3-8-2 with a 3.94 goals-against average as a starter for New Jersey this season, could make his debut Thursday.
Demko stopped 40 shots and Vancouver used four first-period goals to win its fourth straight over Ottawa, 5-2 on Dec. 3. Tyler Ennis and Jean-Gabriel Pageau each scored for the Senators in that contest, but both were traded away prior to Monday's deadline.
Those remaining on the Ottawa roster failed to hold a 2-1 first-period lead in Tuesday's 3-2 loss at Nashville, dropping the team to 0-3-1 over the last four games. Veteran netminder Craig Anderson made 33 saves but allowed at least three goals for a fifth straight start.
Teammate Marcus Hogberg, who has a 4.61 goals-against average during his current 0-2-1 stretch, allowed a goal on 14 shots in relief at Vancouver in December.
While the Senators said goodbye to some key contributors on Monday, they welcomed back veteran forward Bobby Ryan a day later. In his first action since Nov. 16, Ryan, who was in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, recorded four shots in over 15 minutes against the Predators.
"Really nice to be back in competition mode," Ryan told NHL.com.
"A win would've been really nice, but there were some highs and lows in the game for me."
Ryan has just one goal with three assists in 17 games this season, but owns 32 points in 31 career contests against Vancouver. Teammate Brady Tkachuk has gone four games without a point since totaling seven over the previous four.
Vancouver's Bo Horvat, who secured his fourth straight season with at least 20 goals, has one with an assist in each of the last two games. Rookie teammate Quinn Hughes, meanwhile, recorded his 50th point on Tuesday. The star defenseman has 23 points over his last 23 games.
--Field Level Media
</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Canucks look to further Senators' slump

After opening a four-game trip on a positive note, the Vancouver Canucks look to continue their recent run of overall success. The Canucks aim for a third consecutive victory while trying to hand the…

28 Feb 2020

New on Sports Illustrated: Being Scott Drew: How College Basketball's Mr. Rogers Turned Baylor Into a Powerhouse

<a href="https://www.si.com/college/2020/02/28/scott-drew-baylor-basketball">
Scott Drew took over Baylor after the darkest scandal in college basketball history. Here's how Drew turned the Bears into one of the year's best teams.
WACO, Texas — Scott Drew doesn’t want to be doing this. He’d rather not have a sitdown interview in his office right now, less than an hour after
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2020/02/23/kansas-investigation-basketball-ncaa-tournament">his Baylor basketball team’s first loss in 105 days</a>, in the biggest home game in program history. The timing is all wrong.
On the table in front of him is the box score from Kansas 64, Baylor 61. There are a few handwritten notes on the paper, the feedback from a quick postgame meeting with his staff. Drew is still wearing his gray suit from the game, tie still cinched tight around his neck, missed free throws and Jayhawks lob dunks still crowding his brain.
He hasn’t let go, and he won’t let go until he’s watched the video at least once, at home, alone, examining the errors that left No. 1 Baylor three points in arrears of No. 3 Kansas. That’s what he’d rather be doing right now.
“I watch it soon as I can after games, especially losses,” Drew said. “Winning’s a little easier. You can put that one off and go get a meal. Losing, it’s usually ride home, shower, then watch it.
“Close games for coaches are the worst. The coach goes over every possession—what could I have done better?”
That self-examination and self-flagellation can wait, though. Today there are a few guests to attend to after hosting the biggest game of the 2019-20 college season nationally, and Drew will do it with a torrent of enthusiasm.
A big part of being Scott Drew is appearing absolutely overjoyed to be doing this interview that he really doesn’t want to be doing. He greets the reporter with a hug—not a half-assed bro hug, but a two-armed, long-lost-relative embrace. He proudly introduces the reporter to former Bear standout Curtis Jerrells, now playing professionally in Italy but back in town for this game. The internal postgame angst has been coated over with a thick veneer of charm.
If it weren’t for the occasional pursed lips and furrowed brow, you’d think Scott Drew is having the time of his life doing this interview he doesn’t want to do after a gut-churning loss. If the interview lasts all day, he’s there for it. There were so many days—months, years—when nobody much cared about his Baylor basketball program, and now the world wants in.
So he’s got the door wide open.
His entire coaching life, Drew has sold hope like it’s a miracle drug. He’s sold it like a true believer, trying to convert the masses into believing in Baylor. He is so over-the-top positive that it’s seen as a negative by some. Is he real or is he a fake?
He comes across as the Mr. Rogers of college basketball, and Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood is not the college hoops neighborhood. It is considerably less neighborly. It is a cutthroat, cynical neighborhood that is at odds with Drew’s public countenance.
“He has an optimism, a sense of faith and a sense of family and togetherness that is real,” said ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla, a Texas resident who knows the Big 12 better than anyone. “People said early on he’s a phony, he’s a charlatan. But the more you see it, you know it’s real stuff. He’s like that Sunday school preacher, but he believes what he’s preaching. Optimism, with him, is like breathing.”
***
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He had a role model, of course. Scott Drew is Homer Drew all over again, a font of positivity on a bigger stage.
“I get it from my dad,” Scott says. “I’m a glass-half-full guy.”
Homer was an assistant coach at LSU from 1972-76, then unplugged himself from the high end of college hoops to become the head coach at NAIA school Bethel College in Indiana. The move was at least in part driven by wanting to spend more time with his young family. After 11 straight winning seasons there, Homer moved to Indiana University-South Bend for one season and then got the head-coaching job at Division I Valparaiso, which also is in northwest Indiana.
Homer Drew was a largely unknown coach at Valpo, a guy who kept his job through five losing seasons to start that tenure in part because he was too nice to fire. Then the program took off in the mid-1990s, an ascendance that coincided with Scott coming to work for Homer as an assistant and younger son Bryce enrolling as a player.
Scott’s playing career is virtually nonexistent, despite being the son of a coach and the oldest sibling to two stars, Bryce and sister Dana. Scott stopped playing basketball after his sophomore season at Valparaiso High School and focused on tennis, hoping to earn a college scholarship in that sport, but it didn’t happen. He played tennis for a couple seasons at Butler but did not earn a varsity letter.
“People ask me if I’m jealous of my brother’s coaching success, having the No. 1 team in the country,” said Bryce Drew, who coached at Valpo and Vanderbilt until being fired in 2019. “He probably got some of those same questions growing up as my brother. But he was always happy for my success as a player, always pushing me to get to the NBA and be as good as I could be.”
Coaching was in Scott’s veins. He worked with Bryce and Dana on some of their youth league teams, and became a student manager for Barry Collier at Butler.
Homer pushed law school. Scott went into the family business instead.
Shortly after Homer, Scott and Bryce came together at Valpo, the program took off. With Scott spearheading an overseas recruiting movement, there were nine straight winning seasons and six NCAA tournament appearances. That run was highlighted by Homer drawing up one of the most famous plays in March Madness lore, resulting in Bryce sinking a game-winning shot at the buzzer to beat Mississippi in the 1998 first round. That Valpo team made the only Sweet 16 appearance in school history.
Along the way, Homer charmed everyone with his pleasant personality. Scott learned more from his dad than just Xs and Os.
“My dad always treated everybody like family,” Scott said. “I think he’s a great man, and I try to emulate that.”
When Homer retired in 2002, Scott was the no-brainer choice to succeed him. It looked like the Drew dynasty would continue at Valpo for many more years, and it did—just not the way anyone envisioned.
***
One year into his Valpo tenure, Scott Drew and assistant Matthew Driscoll were at the annual coaches gathering hosted by David and Dana Pump, college basketball networkers of some renown and notoriety. (There are few clean connections in the sport, and the Pumps have their critics in and around the game.) It was August 2003, and Valpo was coming off a 20-11 season and NIT appearance.
The darkest scandal in NCAA basketball history was simultaneously blowing up at Baylor. On Aug. 8, Dave Bliss was forced to resign as coach of the Bears in the wake of one player (Carlton Dotson) murdering another (Patrick Dennehy). In order to cover up NCAA violations, Bliss concocted a story that smeared Dennehy after his death—alleging that Dennehy was a drug dealer who used the money from those transactions to pay his college tuition, when in fact Bliss had paid him under the table.
Bliss resigned during the Pump outing. Driscoll, in talking to then-NBA coach Tim Floyd at the gathering, found out that Floyd had a connection at Baylor. After a few phone calls, Scott Drew was in play to become the next coach of the Bears.
Driscoll told his boss: “You’re young, you’re Christian and you’re full of energy. And it’s so bad there, you can be bad and still look good because you’re so positive.”
Sounded good in theory, but it would be quite difficult in practice. Bryce Drew attended his brother’s introductory press conference at Baylor and was worried about what Scott had gotten into.
“It wasn’t at ground level,” Bryce said. “It was way below ground level. But I don’t think he ever looked back or had a doubt.”
Scott’s sudden departure freed up Homer to come out of retirement and coach Valpo for another eight seasons. For the first two seasons, at least, Homer had the better team at the mid-major level than Scott had in the Big 12.
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Leaving a consistently successful, mom-and-pop operation at Valpo for the cesspool of Baylor looked like career suicide. Scott Drew didn’t see it that way.
“When he left Valpo to go there it looked like a ridiculous move,” Fraschilla said. “Scott inherited one of the worst messes in NCAA history. But he came in with an optimism that was almost naive.”
The naivety was real. Drew came to Waco talking about going to the Final Four and one day winning a national championship. He barely had a program.
“There’s not been a worse situation in college athletics,” said Driscoll, now the head coach at North Florida. “Ever.”
Said Kelly Drew, Scott’s wife: “There were some years going into the season you were just hoping to get a win in the Big 12. One win.”
Their first Baylor team had six scholarship players. Taking over a program in August, just a couple of months before the season started, they were so desperate for bodies that they held an open tryout on campus. Turnout was surprisingly robust.
“I was so excited,” Drew said. “Our staff and I walked in and there are a lot of good-looking athletes.”
The only problem—many of them weren’t Baylor students. They heard about a tryout and came to campus thinking they could join the team without being enrolled.
The search for players even extended to a Fazoli’s one day. Drew and Driscoll were there for lunch when they saw a 6-foot-7, athletic-looking young man, so they asked him if he was a Baylor student. The guy said he was a sophomore at the school, and the coaches told him to come by their offices and talk to them about joining the team.
They never saw him again. After scouring the dorms looking for him, Drew and Driscoll figured out he wasn’t a student after all.
Baylor not only had no players and a major NCAA investigation ongoing, there were few other trappings of a big-time basketball program. The locker room was archaic, the transportation was modest, the budget was small.
“We took charters to Lubbock,” Driscoll quipped. “But they were buses, not a plane.”
The job got tougher two years in, when the NCAA hammered Baylor for Bliss’ sins. Among the penalties: the Bears couldn’t play any non-conference games in the 2005-06 season. Their first game was Jan. 11, and they went 4-13 against a Big 12-only schedule.
Drew was undaunted. Playing from way behind and unwilling to take as long to rebuild as most people expected, he embarked on a two-pronged recruiting strategy: players and donors. He relentlessly attacked both, speaking to every Baylor alumni group he could find and chasing on-court talent everywhere.
Donations were raised to buy a golf cart for whisking recruits around campus. More money was raised for a smoked-glass door in the locker room, in hopes of trying to make it look better. (“We had nothing else to sell,” Driscoll said.) Finally, a donor was lined up to remodel the whole locker room, which freed up the staff to get more creative in other areas.
Baylor arranged an elaborate and intricately video presentation for recruits when they came into Drew’s office. Once the lights were flipped on, a 17-second timer starter that gave coaches the chance to get a recruit to the couch. Then the lights would dim, a screen would raise up and a highlight reel would play, tailored to that specific recruit.
“Everything was recruiting,” Driscoll said. “Coach always said, ‘We can be the best coaches in the world but we’re not going to win without talent.’ “
Drew tried everything to make Baylor trendy. He asked the car dealer that supplied the staff’s cars to put tricked-up rims on Driscoll’s car. Driscoll, 43 years old at the time, protested.
“He said, ‘Drisc, kids love rims. Get the rims,’“ Driscoll recalled. “I got the rims. The were pretty nice."
After four straight losing seasons, Drew finally had his breakthrough. In 2007-08, the Bears won 20 games in a season for the first time in 20 years and Drew scheduled a Selection Sunday watch party for the team and fans. CBS sent a film crew to the party in anticipation of an NCAA tournament bid.
As the selection show unfolded, Baylor’s excitement turned to dread. Pairing after pairing was revealed, and there was no sign of the Bears. Finally, as the last pairing was about to be revealed, Driscoll saw the CBS camera man go to flip on the light on his camera and knew—Baylor was in.
“My heart and my adrenaline went straight uphill,” Driscoll said. “I don’t know if I ever cried so quickly or so long.”
***
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Baylor’s success did not come without side effects. Drew recruited aggressively against the other powers in the state, taking some shots that were not well received. He sent a flier to recruits that featured a picture of Drew standing between then-Texas Tech coach Bob Knight and then-Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie, with the caption: “Which of these Big 12 coaches has signed a McDonald’s All-American?” There were red Xs covering the pictures of Knight and Gillispie.
Knight got in Drew’s face about that at Big 12 media days, and then-Texas coach Rick Barnes also fired publicly at Drew. “There’s a long line that he knows he can’t cross with me,” Barnes said. Coaches around the country rolled their eyes when Drew hired AAU coach Dwon Clifton in an unconcealed attempt to land superstar John Wall. (It didn’t work, he went to Kentucky.)
Drew wound up apologizing for the flier, but not for his overall approach. He was going to keep mixing it up.
The aggressive approach soon begat a new tag: cheater. The more big-time recruits Drew landed, the more people in his profession were sure he was cutting corners. In 2012, the NCAA caught up to Drew and Baylor women’s coach Kim Mulkey, sanctioning them for impermissible phone calls to recruits. Drew was suspended for the first two Big 12 games of the 2012-13 season, and the program was put on three years’ probation.
The NCAA hit was all the proof some critics needed to label Drew a phony—an outspoken Christian in public and a guy cutting corners in private. But there have been no major NCAA issues since then, and the success has continued.
“He overdid it with the relentless recruiting,” Fraschilla said. “He did some things that rubbed people the wrong way. No question, he’s matured over his 17 years (at Baylor).”
Those who didn’t like Drew could at least take solace in one thing: even with all the talent he was bringing in, the Bears weren’t getting to the Final Four. He made regional finals in 2010 and ’12, but lost both times to the eventual national champion (Duke in ’10 and Kentucky in ’12). There were some other early tourney flameouts.
Thus the storyline was altered again—Scott Drew could recruit, but he couldn’t coach. He was a lightweight on the sidelines with a gimmick zone defense who would get exposed in the caldron of tournament pressure.
Eventually, Drew altered his recruiting approach—he chased fewer five-stars and more developmental prospects who competed with a hunger that helped compensate for any lack of talent. He combed the transfer market for players who would fit his program. He embraced the new roster management mantra for college basketball success in the one-and-done era: get old and stay old.
“It’s not quite Villanova, but it’s Villanova-esque,” Fraschilla said. “They’ve done a tremendous job of player development, and identifying guys who fit what they do.
“I was one of those guys early on who wasn’t sure how good a coach he was. But the Scott Drew Can’t Coach Crew has left the station. They’re gone. There’s absolutely a healthy respect for him in the league as a coach. I don’t even think it’s grudging respect anymore.”
This year’s team is Drew’s coaching masterpiece. A roster that features a Division III transfer (big man Freddie Gillespie), a transfer from UNC-Asheville (MaCio Teague), a transfer from Auburn (Davion Mitchell) and a couple of steals from the state of Louisiana (Mark Vital and Jared Butler) pieced together a 23-game winning streak and took Baylor to the top of the polls for several weeks.
Along the way, a guy known for his zone defense threw that out and has played man-to-man almost the entire season. Drew simply believed his current personnel—shorter, more athletic—is better suited to man than zone. The decision has proved prescient; this is the best defensive team Drew has ever had.
The regular season built to a crescendo last Saturday in Waco. ESPN’s College GameDay show came to town. So did a dozen former Bears players. Baylor super fans Chip and Joanna Gaines, the husband-and-wife power couple behind the Magnolia home decor franchise, were in the house as well.
It was the biggest show ever to hit Baylor basketball. It fell just short of perfect when Kansas beat the Bears. And now Scott Drew is sitting in his office entertaining visitors, when all he really wants to do is go home and watch game film.
***
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There will be pressure this March. More pressure than Drew and Baylor have ever experienced. The Bears <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2020/02/24/march-madness-1-seeds-sdsu-duke-maryland-dayton">are a near-lock for their first-ever No. 1 seed</a>, and expectations of their first Final Four in 70 years will be justifiably high.
If Drew accomplishes that career-validating milestone, you’d think a more basketball-centric school might throw a massive payday at a 49-year-old who is just now hitting his coaching prime. But even after 17 years, this might be the only job Scott Drew needs. An outspoken Christian at a Baptist school, in charge of a program he personally raised from the rubble.
“Scott fits like a glove,” Fraschilla said. “I’m not sure he can wear his faith on his sleeve like he does if he’s at Michigan or Maryland or some other places. He fits Central Texas like Chip and Joanna. It’s perfect.”
The postgame office interview is finally over, but Scott Drew still doesn’t want to rush his visitor out. Anything else he can do? How about a Baylor basketball T-shirt?
It's time for a goodbye hug. Both arms. The Mr. Rogers of college basketball hopes you enjoyed the visit to his neighborhood.

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