CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Tyrese Rice came through with another big game against North Carolina, one that ended all the talk of a perfect season for the top-ranked Tar Heels. Rice scored 25 points and Rakim Sanders added 22 to help Boston College stun North Carolina 85-78 on Sunday, likely ending the Tar Heels` run atop the early season polls with a surprisingly one-sided road victory. Reggie Jackson had 17 points -- including seven in the decisive second-half run -- for the Eagles (13-2, 1-0), who led by six points at halftime and pushed the lead to as many as 15 before holding off a frant... More>>

LOS ANGELES -- Allen Iverson was having one of his worst shooting games, so the last thing the Los Angeles Clippers wanted to do was help him out. Iverson got some timely assistance from Al Thornton, who was called for goaltending by referee Tommy Nunez Jr. after swatting away a driving scoop shot with 4.9 seconds on the clock. The ruling gave the Detroit Pistons the deciding points in an 88-87 victory on Sunday. "You know you`re having a bad-shooting game when you get the game-winner -- and that don`t even go in," Iverson said after going 7-for-22 from the field and finishing with 18 ... More>>

NEW YORK -- It`s definitely a slump now. The Boston Celtics can`t even beat the New York Knicks anymore. Wilson Chandler scored a career-high 31 points and the Knicks snapped an eight-game losing streak against the sputtering Celtics with a 100-88 victory Sunday night. Harrington added 30 for the Knicks, who hadn`t beaten Boston at Madison Square Garden since March 23, 2005, dropping the last six meetings. Capitalizing on a quiet night for Kevin Garnett, they seized control in the third quarter, never let it get too close in the fourth and added to the defending champions` worst stretch ... More>>

Bill Cowher will not be in the running for the New York Jets` head coach vacancy. A high-ranking Jets official told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen that the Jets reached out to Cowher on Tuesday about the job, but Cowher`s agent called back to tell the Jets that his client had no interest in the opening. "After reaching out to coach Cowher`s representatives, we were informed tonight that he is not a candidate for the position," Jets spokesman Bruce Speight told The Associated Press on Tuesday night. Initially, ESPN.com`s John Clayton reported that Cowher told the Jets he ... More>>

NEW YORK -- Peyton Manning took a different approach to earning a record-tying third Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player award. The Indianapolis Colts quarterback got hurt, struggled when he came back, then lost a bunch of games. Hardly vintage Manning. But when he rediscovered the touch that has made him one of football`s dominant players for a decade, Manning and the Colts were virtually unstoppable. Now Manning can tell Brett Favre to move over and make room for him atop the roster of MVPs. "I really feel like it`s a team award," Manning said Friday. "Just what our team we... More>>

NEW YORK -- Mike Smith and Tony Sparano performed so brilliantly as rookie head coaches it was almost impossible to separate them. Atlanta`s Smith edged Miami`s Sparano by one vote Sunday for The Associated Press 2008 NFL Coach of the Year award. Both coaches oversaw sensational turnarounds, leading their teams from last-place finishes in 2007 to playoff berths this year. Their achievements were reflected by the closeness of the balloting, with Smith getting 23½ votes and Sparano 22½ from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL. After improving fro... More>>

MINNEAPOLIS -- Above the Metrodome`s deafening noise, Donovan McNabb stayed poised. Completing passes precisely when the Eagles needed him to, McNabb repeatedly sidestepped the Minnesota rush and sent Philadelphia to a 26-14 playoff win Sunday after being all but forgotten as a postseason contender just one month earlier. Next up: the Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Brian Westbrook caught a short pass out of the backfield and zigzagged for a devastating 71-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, and the Eagles spoiled the Vikings` first home playoff game in eight years.... More>>

Picking up 15 wins this season and his fifth straight NHRA POWERade Series world championship has earned Tony Schumacher the Driver of the Year Award. He becomes just the third NHRA driver to claim the prize, presented by the Driver of the Year Foundation, based in Sarasota, Fla. Past winners include Mario Andretti, who was the first winner in 1967, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Darrell Waltrip. "What an honor it is to be singled out as the Driver of the Year for 2008," Schumacher said. "I`m happy that the NHRA is front and center again with this award. It`s b... More>>

SYDNEY, Australia -- John Daly smashed a spectator`s camera into a tree while shooting a 6-over 78 in the first round of the Australian Open on Thursday, making it likely he will miss the cut for the third consecutive week Down Under. After pushing his tee shot wide on the ninth hole -- his last -- Daly walked into a clump of trees, where spectator Brad Clegg tried to take a picture at close range. Daly snatched the camera and smashed it against the nearest tree, telling the man, "You want it back, I`ll buy you a new one." He later released a statement via tournament organizers saying... More>>

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- In her last start, Annika Sorenstam shot a 2-under 70 Thursday and was four strokes off the lead after the opening round of the Dubai Ladies Masters. The defending champion closed with back-to-back bogeys at Emirates Golf Club after starting from the 10th tee. She double-bogeyed the 18th, but had seven birdies at the season-ending tournament on the Ladies European Tour. Johanna Head of England had a bogey-free 66 to lead Anja Monke of Germany by two shots. England`s Katharina Schallenberg, Sweden`s Maria Boden and Italy`s Veronica Zorzi each shot 69s. So... More>>

NAPLES, Fla. -- For the better part of the past three months, since the U.S. Ryder Cup team celebrated on the balcony at Valhalla, Paul Azinger had us believing the captain really did matter -- that his pulling of strings and stroking of egos made a difference. Azinger didn`t have to sell us on the notion. The results spoke for themselves with a 16½-11½ victory over Europe as the U.S. won for the first time since 1999. On Thursday, while Azinger played in the pro-am preceding the annual Merrill Lynch Shootout at Tiburon Golf Club, his successor, Corey Pavin, was officially being name... More>>

LUBBOCK, Texas -- Graham Harrell won`t be at the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York on Saturday. He`s taken it relatively well. His coach, Mike Leach, hasn`t. The Heisman committee, for its part, says it`s no different from how invitees were determined in the past. Harrell said perennially strong programs hold the edge. "Those things are going to get the benefit of the doubt when all things are equal," Harrell said from Orlando, Fla., where he was attending The Home Depot/ESPNU College Football Awards on Thursday night. "Sometimes you`re going to get recognition, sometimes you`re no... More>>

CHICAGO -- Robbie Gould and the Chicago Bears handed Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints another devastating loss at Soldier Field. Gould kicked the tying field goal at the end of regulation and booted a 35-yarder in overtime to lift the Chicago Bears to a 27-24 victory on Thursday night, giving their playoff hopes a boost. After leaving Chicago with season-ending losses the past two years, the Saints looked as if they were ready to end that trend. Instead, their slim playoff hopes took another blow. Brees hit Marques Colston for an 11-yard touchdown pass with just over 3 minutes le... More>>

DALLAS -- Dallas coach Rick Carlisle warned his team that the trade-depleted Charlotte Bobcats were still dangerous. The Mavericks got the message just in time. Dirk Nowitzki hit a key 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds to play and finished with 23 points, 13 rebounds and five assists to help the Mavericks hold off the pesky Bobcats 95-90 on Thursday night. "We escaped," Carlisle said. "All these teams are capable. They are really hungry for a win." Jason Terry had 26 points, 11 in the fourth quarter, to help the Mavericks improve to 10-0 against the Bobcats. The Mavericks bounced ba... More>>

WASHINGTON -- At 21-2, the Boston Celtics of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are off to the best start in the franchise`s storied history. Even Bill Russell, Larry Bird and Bob Cousy never were this good this early. Allen and Pierce scored 22 points apiece, Garnett nearly had a triple-double, and the Celtics beat the Washington Wizards 122-88 on Thursday night for the NBA champions` 13th consecutive victory. "I`ve been a big fan of history," Garnett said. "To establish ourselves in that history that`s so enriched with culture and prestige and tradition is a great thing." He... More>>

GREENBURGH, N.Y. — It was never hard to gauge Chris Duhon’s relative value to the Chicago Bulls over the last four seasons. The box scores and the transaction wire told the story. While Duhon bounced like a pinball between the lineup and the bench, the Bulls signed guards (Jannero Pargo), drafted guards (Thabo Sefolosha) and traded for guards (Larry Hughes). Ben Gordon had more flash. Kirk Hinrich had more polish. Duhon was just a steady, lightly regarded second-round pick, lost in a crowd of Thabo-come-latelies. It is hard to lose sight of him now. Duhon returns to Chicago on Tu... More>>

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After a week of defending its reputation and fighting off the relentless Texas spin, Oklahoma had plenty of motivation entering Saturday night’s Big 12 championship game. “We have to go out there and prove something to everyone,” Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford told reporters during a Tuesday news conference. With its 62-21 trouncing of No. 19 Missouri on a frigid night before an announced crowd of 71,004 at Arrowhead Stadium, No. 4 Oklahoma proved plenty and probably clinched a berth in the national championship game Jan. 8 against No. 2 Florida (12-1) when t... More>>

ATLANTA — Not having an opportunity to reach the Big 12 title game because of an obscure tie breaker has been like a stake deep to the heart of Texas fans. But with Florida and Oklahoma putting on scintillating performances in their conference title games Saturday, college football has moved on. With little suspense, the final Bowl Championship Series standings were released Sunday night. The Sooners finished No. 1 and the Gators No. 2, setting up a national championship matchup at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Jan. 8 that will highlight two of college football’s dominant ... More>>

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — During his brief stop by the Jets’ locker room Monday, center Nick Mangold insisted to a group of reporters that he was not worried — not by the team’s second defeat in a row and not by the standings. The Jets, he repeated, still control their own destiny. Mangold struck all the usual notes of athlete-speak, but in the bubble of New York sports, they sounded eerily familiar. And if the reference was not on Mangold’s mind, it was certainly on his head. He was wearing a black Mets cap. Just over two months ago, the Mets squandered a playoff berth as the Phil... More>>

The gold-and-black sign flapping in the wind like a gigantic Terrible Towel on Sunday night at Heinz Field might have been the final indignity for the Dallas Cowboys. It read: “America’s Real Team.” Ouch. How many more slaps to the face can the Cowboys possibly take? From the look and sound of their pin-drop silent locker room after their 20-13 defeat to the Steelers, not many more. Coach Wade Phillips called the loss, in which the Cowboys blew a 10-point fourth quarter lead, the toughest he has had with the Cowboys, which is saying something considering that he has lost enough game... More>>

LAS VEGAS — The Yankees are seeking a long-term union with C. C. Sabathia, and conveniently, there is a wedding chapel in the Bellagio Hotel, the site of baseball’s winter meetings. After two sit-downs with Sabathia, the Yankees are more smitten than ever, although Sabathia left town Monday without a commitment. That is fine with the Yankees, who also met Monday with Sabathia’s Milwaukee Brewers teammate, Ben Sheets, and planned to meet with the agent Scott Boras about Derek Lowe. The Yankees like Sheets, who started the All-Star Game in New York last July but finished the season with... More>>

LAS VEGAS — The Mets and Francisco Rodríguez have reached an agreement on a three-year, $37 million deal that will make him the team’s new closer and provide a significant upgrade to a bullpen that was one of the worst in baseball in 2008. The deal will not be official until Rodríguez, who set the record for single-season saves in 2008, completes a physical, according to a person in baseball with knowledge of the negotiations. Once that is done, the Mets will have a 26-year-old pitcher whose capabilities and demonstrativeness will quickly capture the attention of fans in New York. ... More>>

Twenty years? Jerry Sloan worried he wouldn`t last even 20 days. He took over the conductor`s baton of the Utah Jazz from the popular Frank Layden on Dec. 9, 1988, and commenced his career with a loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Nine games in, he was 3-6, coming off a road trip that ended with a loss to the expansion Miami Heat, who had lost 21 of their first 22 games. Next up for Sloan was a home game against the back-to-back champion Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day. "And I thought that`d be as far as I`d get," Sloan says. The Jazz won that game and, of course, Sloan kept h... More>>

NEW ORLEANS -- Falcons linebacker Curtis Lofton pounded his fist into the Louisiana Superdome turf after Pierre Thomas bowled over him for a first down. The game-sealing carry provided the perfect punctuation for the Saints` undrafted, second-year running back following the most important performance of his young career. Thomas rushed for 102 yards and scored two touchdowns, helping New Orleans keep alive slim playoff hopes with a 29-25 victory over division rival Atlanta on Sunday. "He`s a great young talent. He comes up big for us when need be," Saints fullback Mike Karney said. "He ha... More>>

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook and the desperate Philadelphia Eagles proved more of a headache for the New York Giants than all the chaos surrounding Plaxico Burress. Westbrook ran 30 yards for a touchdown, caught another 40-yarder from McNabb, and the Eagles defense limited the Giants to 211 total yards in a 20-14 victory Sunday that ended the Super Bowl champions` seven-game winning streak and prevented them from clinching the NFC East -- at least for a few hours. The Giants (11-2) still won the division title when Pittsburgh beat Dallas 20-13 later Sunday. ... More>>

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Matt Schaub certainly didn`t look like a guy whose knee wasn`t healthy enough for him to play just six days ago. Schaub returned from a four-game absence to throw for a career-high 414 yards in the Houston Texans` 24-21 victory over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday. He also led a final drive to set up Kris Brown`s 40-yard field goal on the last play of the game. Schaub`s knee even held up under the intense celebration afterward. "Kris jumped on me and just held on and I said, `Come on, we`ve got more guys to celebrate with,`" Schaub said. "It was just... More>>

CHICAGO -- Danieal Manning saw the opening and made his move, setting the tone for a win the Chicago Bears desperately needed. It`s too early to say if he also sparked a playoff push in the process. Manning started a strong defensive effort with an early interception, Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen caught touchdown passes, and the Bears rolled to a 23-10 victory over the reeling Jacksonville Jaguars on a bone-chilling Sunday afternoon. "We can finish up 10-6," coach Lovie Smith said. "Most teams that finish up 10-6 end up going to the playoffs. We`re just looking straight ahead." Robbie... More>>

NEW ORLEANS -- Byron Scott tried to convince his players that games against struggling, but talented young teams like Memphis scare him more than matchups with the NBA`s contenders. "You`ve got to be a little scared of a team like this," Scott insisted. "They have nothing to lose and come and out and play loose and we have to guard against a letdown as far as not respecting them." Apparently, the Hornets bought it. Chris Paul had 21 points and 11 assists in only 30 minutes, and the New Orleans made 11 3-pointers in a 106-87 victory over the Grizzlies on Saturday night. Peja Stojako... More>>

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- LeBron James sat in front of his locker an hour before tipoff and joked that if Zydrunas Ilgauskas was closing in on Cleveland`s career rebounding record against Charlotte he`d "take one from him." James added that if he was a steal away from breaking the Cavaliers` career franchise record he`d "let one go." James wanted both marks set at home Tuesday night -- and another record-tying rout made it possible. James scored 25 points before he and Ilgauskas got to sit out the fourth quarter and put their celebrations on hold as the Cavaliers cruised past the Bobcats 9... More>>

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- By the time Mossis Madu sprinted into the end zone in a half-empty stadium, Oklahoma was done making its point. Here`s what Sam Bradford and the high-scoring Sooners wanted to drive home: They belong in the BCS championship game. The No. 2 Sooners did that with a 62-21 blowout of No. 20 Missouri for the Big 12 title Saturday night. Taking advantage of an opportunity many felt it didn`t deserve, the highest-scoring team in major college football history romped to a third straight conference crown and became the first to reach 60 points in five consecutive games in 8... More>>

ATLANTA -- When Florida needed a big run, Tim Tebow tucked the ball under his arm and took off. When the Gators needed to complete a pass, he threw it right where it had to be. That`s not all. He was motivator and cheerleader too. Before the clinching drive he gathered the offense around him and shouted, "Let`s go win it here!" After the Southeastern Conference title was Florida`s -- and, in all likelihood, a spot in the national championship game -- he ran nearly three-quarters around the edge of the Georgia Dome, slapping hands with the Gator faithful in the stands. "That was practic... More>>

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Two nights after getting embarrassed, Minnesota got back to its kind of hockey with strong defense and an opportunistic offense. Niklas Backstrom made 22 saves for his third shutout of the season and the Wild beat the St. Louis Blues 4-0 on Wednesday night. Andrew Brunette and marek Zidlicky scored power-play goals to help Minnesota take the Northwest Division lead with its third victory in four games. Brunette`s goal was his 200th in the NHL. Eric Belanger added his 100th NHL goal, and Antti Miettinen was credited with an empty-net goal. Minnesota lost 6-5 at ho... More>>

NEW YORK -- Petr Prucha`s clutch goal was a month in the making. Banished to the role of Broadway extra, Prucha returned to the Rangers` lineup in a big way Wednesday night by scoring late in the third period in New York`s 3-2 shootout victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Prucha had been a healthy scratch for the previous 10 games -- dating to Nov. 8 at Washington -- and turned down the Rangers` request over the weekend to go down to the AHL on a conditioning assignment. Confident he was fit enough to play, New York coach Tom Renney put him in and got rewarded. "I felt pretty nervous... More>>

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Sooner or later, Syracuse`s penchant for poor starts is bound to come back and haunt. Two days after manhandling upstate New York foe Colgate 86-51 with a solid performance from start to finish, the Orange reverted to their rallying ways, coming from 16 points behind to beat hot-shooting Ryan Wittman and Cornell 88-78 on Wednesday night. It was biggest deficit Syracuse (8-0) has overcome since rallying to beat Rutgers 86-84 on the road after trailing by 20 in January 2005. The Orange defeated both Kansas and Virginia this season after trailing by 13. "This was the wo... More>>

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Ishmael Smith lobbed the alley-oop pass toward the rim, and two Wake Forest teammates tried to outjump each other for the easy dunk. "You never know who the ball`s going to," eventual dunker L.D. Williams said. Or who`s going to score with it. With Indiana`s defense focusing on top scorer Jeff Teague, James Johnson wound up scoring 15 of his 21 points in the first half, and that was plenty to lead the Demon Deacons to an 83-58 win over the Hoosiers on Wednesday night. "It all revolved around Jeff, and yet he still had a great game -- moved the ball, wasn`t self... More>>

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tyler Smith kept looking up at the scoreboard in Thompson-Boling Arena. He knew he was close. The Vols (No. 13 ESPN/USA Today, No. 10 AP) were romping to an 87-69 win over UNC-Asheville, and Smith was nearing the first triple-double in school history. When the junior forward made an assist on Scotty Hopson`s 3-pointer with 7:47 remaining Wednesday night, Smith could finally relax. His spot in the Tennessee record book was secure. "It`s an honor to be the first player to do that with all the great players who have come through this university," Smith said. "That new... More>>