MIAMI—In its new role as a warmup to the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl became a series of wind sprints.Long gains were the rule and hard hitting was the exception as the AFC beat the NFC 41-34 on Sunday night.Light showers fell for much of the game, stirring memories of a rainy Super Bowl in Miami three years ago. But uniforms remained mostly spotless, with more pushing and shoving than tackling. The Bears Jonny Knox got to return four kicks for a total of 103 yards.Matt Schaub of the Houston Texans threw for 189 yards and two AFC scores, and was chosen the most valuable player.Aaron Rodgers also threw two touchdown passes, and NFC teammate DeSean Jackson had two scoring catches. From the standpoint of ticket sales, this year’s new venue and slot on the league calendar was a success. The crowd of 70,697 was the largest for a Pro Bowl since 1959 in Los Angeles. Spectators included Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and other Pro Bowl players from the Super Bowl teams. Manning and the Indianapolis Colts will face Brees and the New Orleans Saints on the same field next Sunday in the biggest game of the season. The NFL sought to transform the Pro Bowl into a bigger game by playing it before the Super Bowl for the first time. In a one-year experiment, the league also moved the game from Honolulu, its home since 1980.The stadium was half empty by the third quarter, perhaps partly because of the rain and temperatures in the 60s. It was sunny and 82 in Honolulu at game time. Eager to host more big events, the Dolphins have proposed adding a roof that would cover fans as part of stadium improvements that could cost $250 million or more. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says the upgrades are needed if South Florida is to remain competitive in bidding for future Super Bowls.Nearly 40 percent of the players originally selected for the game didn’t play. One of the AFC replacements, David Garrard, threw for 183 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown to Vincent Jackson. Vincent Jackson made seven catches for 122 yards. Chad Ochocinco had a 40-yard reception but didn’t do any kicking after practicing placements and punts for the AFC during the week.DeSean Jackson scored on a 7-yard pass from Rodgers and a 58-yard pass from Donovan McNabb, his regular quarterback with the Eagles. There were plenty of other big plays. Joshua Cribbs caught a punt at the goal line and returned it 65 yards. A penalty negated LaMarr Woodley’s 64-interception return for a touchdown. The AFC totaled 517 yards and the NFC 470. Both teams threw for more than 400 yards.Redskins linebacker London Fletcher, a 12-year veteran playing in his first Pro Bowl, found the AFC’s offensive approach exhausting.The game will return to Honolulu in 2011 and 2012, but the league hasn’t decided whether to hold those games before or after the Super Bowl. The Pro Bowl site for 2013 and beyond hasn’t been determined.

RALEIGH—The Blackhawks might have Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith.But the Carolina Hurricanes have Cam Ward.And that was enough for one of the NHL’s cellar-dwellers to knock off one the league’s best Saturday night.Ward made 39 saves, and Brandon Sutter and Matt Cullen scored in a 26-second span to help the Hurricanes beat the Blackhawks 4-2.Only 6,896 fans attended the game after snow and ice blanketed the area.Former Hawk Sergei Samsonov and Jussi Jokinen also scored for the Hurricanes, who have won five of their last six. Ward has stopped 129 of 134 shots in his last four games.Hossa and Andrew Ladd scored for the Hawks and Cristobal Huet made 20 saves. Ladd, who beat Ward with a wrist shot in the third period, helped Carolina win the Stanley Cup in 2006 before he was traded to the Hawks for Tuomo Ruutu last season.Thw Blackhawks were 5-3 on its season-high, eight-game trip.Ward repeatedly foiled one of the NHL’s most dangerous offenses to negate a 41-24 Hawk shot advantage.After Ladd tied it at 2, LaRose took a slap hot from the left boards that Sutter deflected past Huet with 10:52 remaining.On the next shift, Tom Kostopoulos rushed up the right side and centered the puck to Cullen, who tipped it past Huet’s blocker.The Blackhawks’ exhausting trip — they beat San Jose on Thursday night — combined with the Hurricanes’ recent surge, made for an entertaining game.Near the end of a fast-paced opening period, Samsonov scored on a rebound.After Andrew Alberts took a slap shot from close to the blue line, Kostopoulos tipped the puck to Samsonov in the crease. Samsonov had no trouble smacking the puck in the open net for his third goal in three games.The Blackhawks tied it when Hossa took a pass from Patrick Sharp and cut to center of slot before backhanding the puck through Ward’s legs.The Hurricanes got a boost late when Jokinen one-timed a cross ice pass from Eric Staal past a sprawling Huet. Huet originally stopped the shot, but the puck dribbled over the goal line, giving the Hurricanes a goal that survived video review.Carolina is 11-1-3 when Jokinen scores.Alberts and Kostopoulos finished with two assists.

NOTES—It was the Blackhawks first trip to Raleigh since December 2005. The Blackhawks haven’t won in Raleigh since Jan. 14, 1998. … Staal had his five-game goals streak snapped.

ROSEMONT—The way Jim Boeheim saw it, Syracuse had no business winning this one.Wes Johnson scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and No. 4 Syracuse rallied from 18 down to beat DePaul 59-57 Saturday afternoon for its eighth straight win.The Orange scored 16 straight to cut their deficit to two late in the first half, then took the lead with a 16-2 run in the second, escaping with a win after DePaul’s Will Walker missed a 3-pointer in the closing seconds.Kris Joseph added 15 points for Syracuse (21-1, 8-1 Big East), including a 3-pointer that started the decisive rally. Rick Jackson scored 10.Walker poured in 21 for DePaul (8-13, 1-8), which has lost nine of 10 and three straight since a win over Marquette that stopped a 24-game conference regular-season losing streak.Trailing 52-43 with about seven minutes left, Joseph buried a 3-pointer to start the go-ahead run. Andy Rautins connected from the outside after DePaul’s Michael Bizoukas threw the ball away, and the Orange kept coming after the Blue Demons’ Mike Stovall hit two free throws.
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EAST LANSING—Michigan State missed enough shots in the first half to let Northwestern stick around.Then, the fifth-ranked Spartans started making shots.Durrell Summers had a season-high 24 points and 10 rebounds, leading Michigan State to a 79-70 win over Northwestern on Saturday night.Kalin Lucas scored 23 points, had four assists and no turnovers, Draymond Green had nine points, 11 rebounds and four assists, and Delvon Roe scored 13.The Spartans opened the second half with an 18-4 run that included Chris Allen’s spectacular slam dunk.Michigan State led by just two at halftime following six lead changes and four ties after shooting 38 percent and missing 10 of 11 3-pointers.The Spartans (19-3) are off to their first 9-0 start in Big Ten play, but their streak will be put to a test Tuesday night on the road against No. 16 Wisconsin.John Shurna made six 3-pointers and scored a career-high 31 points for the Wildcats (14-7, 3-6).Shurna’s teammates made that tough. He had 20 points midway through the second half; the rest of the Wildcats combined for just 19 at that point. Michael Thompson made just two shots and finished with seven points — half his average.
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CHAMPAIGN—Demetri McCamey scored 19 points, including the game-winner at the buzzer, to lead Illinois to a 72-70 comeback win over Indiana on Saturday.The victory put Illinois (14-8, 6-3) into a tie for second in the Big Ten with Wisconsin. It also kept the Illini’s NCAA tournament hopes alive.McCamey hit the winner on a running jumper at the buzzer. He took a pass from Bill Cole and drove the right side of the lane before launching the shot.Mike Tisdale added 12 points. That included four key free throws in the final two minutes.Indiana (9-11, 3-5) was led by Champaign native Verdell Jones, who scored 22. They included eight points in a late-first-half run that turned a 32-20 Illini lead into a 36-36 tie at the half.
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NORMAL—Dinma Odiakosa scored a career-high 25 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Illinois State to a 66-47 victory over Bradley on Saturday.Odiakosa had eight of his rebounds on the offensive glass for the Redbirds (15-7, 6-5 Missouri Valley). Lloyd Phillips and Osiris Eldridge had 13 points each and Tony Lewis had 13 rebounds for Illinois State, which outrebounded Bradley 50-28 and held a 34-10 advantage in points in the paint.Andrew Warren was the only Bradley player in double figures with 11 points. The Braves (10-11, 5-6) shot just 29 percent from the field in their lowest-scoring game of the season.The score was tied late in the first half before Illinois State went on a 14-5 run for a 35-26 halftime lead. The Redbirds opened the second half with a 13-3 burst to take a 48-29 lead.

NEW ORLEANS—Luol Deng scored a 26 points, including a putback with 0.2 left in regulation to force overtime, and the Bulls outlasted the New Orleans Hornets 108-106 on Friday night.Derrick Rose added 18 points for the Bulls, including two free throws that put the visitors ahead for good in overtime. The Bulls finished a season-long, seven-game road trip with their fifth consecutive victory and host the Clippers Tuesday night.David West led New Orleans with 29 points. Chris Paul added 18 points and 12 assists, but he hurt his left leg trying to save a loose ball near the end of regulation and was ineffective in overtime. He had to give up the ball to rookie point guard Darren Collison on the final play, and Collison committed a turnover in the lane as time ran out.

***Hard to believe it’s been twelve years since the Bulls had ANYONE in the NBA All Star Game,but that streak at last ends in February 14th when Derrick Rose will play for the Eastern Conference at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington,Texas. Rose hads been named to participate in the Rookie Challenge,but now gets to perform in the “big boys” game instead, The last Bull in the All Star Game was Michael Jordan in 1998 at Madison Square Garden. MJ was that game’s MVP.

***After two bad losses(at Golden State and Los Angeles(against the Clippers)to start tjheir current seven game Ice Show road trip,the Bulls have won four straight against Phoenix,Houston,San Antonio and Oklahoma City–all better teams than the Warriors and Clippers. Now they face the Hornets in New Orleans Friday night before returning to the United Center against the Clippers.

***The Blackhawks got past the San Jose Sharks Thursday night,but the fact that they blew a 3-0 lead and had to go to overtime before winning 3-2, cost them a chance to tie the Sharks for the most points in the NHL. San Jose got a point just for getting into OT.

***Now the amazingly stupid schedule had the Hawks at Carolina Saturday evening after flying coast to coast.

***The Cubs have done the right thing in agreeing to keep their Spring Training facility in Mesa,Az rather than relocate it to Naples Florida. #1, the Cubs always outdraw everyone else in spring training attendance, #2 there are much more ex Chicagoans living in the Valley of the Suns, and #3 There would be many longer bus trips in Florida while in Arizona, most training camps are within an hour of one another,especially since the Diamondbacks and Rockies are leaving Tuscon after this spring, and will sharpe a new spring training facility in the Phoenix area.

LES

SAN JOSE—Troy Brouwer scored his second goal of the game 1:37 into overtime to lead the Blackhawks to a 4-3 victory Thursday night over the San Jose Sharks in a matchup between the NHL’s top two teams.Brouwer scored one of three first-period goals for the Hawks, who took a 3-0 lead before the midway point of the frame but needed overtime to beat the Sharks for the third time in four meetings.The Sharks managed to stay one point ahead of the Blackhawks for the most points in the NHL. This was the final regular-season matchup between the teams. If the standings remain this way, the next time the teams could meet would be in the Western Conference finals.This game had the intensity of a playoff matchup, especially in the third period when San Jose tied the game and then fought off a late charge from the Hawks to send the game into overtime. Brouwer ended it there, as he faked a shot after skating into the offensive zone, moved to the middle and beat Evgeni Nabokov with a wrist shot.Nabokov was brilliant in the third period, making 19 saves and killing off a late power play that went into the opening minute of overtime.Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd also scored for the Blackhawks, who have won four straight games in San Jose. Cristobal Huet made 34 saves to earn the win.Joe Pavelski scored the first two goals for San Jose and Manny Malhotra tied it when he tipped in Rob Blake’s shot from the point less than five minutes into the third period. San Jose had its five-game winning streak snapped.The Blackhawks took control early by scoring three goals in a span of 3:21 in the first period. It was reminiscent of the teams’ first meeting here when the Blackhawks broke out to a 7-0 lead before allowing two-late goals. The Hawks scored two goals before San Jose managed to put a shot on net, even though the Sharks had an early power play.Byfuglien got it started when he one-timed a pass to the slot from Patrick Kane past Nabokov for the first goal. Just 48 seconds later, Joe Thornton lost the puck at center ice to set up a goal by Brouwer. That prompted Sharks coach Todd McLellan to call his timeout but it did nothing to slow the Blackhawks.Ladd knocked a rebound past Nabokov just over two minutes later to finish the quick barrage and give the visitors a 3-0 lead. Pavelski made sure this wouldn’t be another blowout. He tipped in a centering pass from Marc-Edouard Vlasic to make it 3-1 midway through the first and then beat Huet with a knuckler from the point on the power play with 2:20 remaining in the second to make it a one-goal game.

NOTES—Dany Heatley’s assist on Pavelski’s second goal was the 600th point of his career. … Former Shark Brian Campbell was booed almost every time he touched the puck for the Blackhawks. … The Blackhawks finish up an eight-game road trip Saturday in Carolina. … San Francisco Giants slugger Pablo Sandoval, wearing a black Sharks jersey, dropped the ceremonial first puck. … The Hawks didn’t score on their two power-play chances and finished the season 0-for-13 with the man advantage against San Jose.

DETROIT—Chase Simon scored 30 points to lead Detroit to an 83-63 victory over Loyola Thursday night.Simon was 10-for-20 from the field and made all seven of his free-throw attempts.Eli Holman contributed 16 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots for the Titans (13-8, 6-4 Horizon). Thomas Kennedy added 14 points and Xavier Keeling 13.Detroit led 51-50 midway through the second half before breaking the game open. The Titans shot 52 percent from the field in the second half compared to 32 percent for Loyola. For the game, Detroit made 46 percent of its shots, while Loyola made 40 percent.Terrance Hill led the Ramblers (12-8, 3-7) with 20 points. Andy Polka had 12 points and nine rebounds for Loyola, which led 37-35 at halftime.

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DAYTON—Vaughn Duggins and Troy Tabler scored 14 points apiece, leading five players in double figures as Wright State crushed UIC 79-43 on Thursday night.Cory Cooperwood added 13 points and Todd Brown had 11 for the Raiders (13-8, 6-4 Horizon League), who have won back-to-back games.Tabler sank three 3-pointers and Duggins hit two for the Raiders, who finished 8-for-21 from beyond the arc. The Flames were just 4-for-20 (20 percent).Wright State shot 51 percent from the floor (26-for-51), while the Flames were at just 20 percent (10-for-50).The Raiders led by 10 points at halftime, held a 51-38 advantage midway through the second and sealed the win on a late 12-0 run.Robo Kreps scored 16 points to lead the Flames (5-15, 1-9), who have dropped seven straight games and sit in last place in the conference.

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TERRE HAUTE—Harry Marshall scored 13 points and tied his season-high of seven rebounds to lead Indiana State to a 68-65 win over Southern Illinois on Thursday night. Marshall also went 7-for-8 from the free throw line as the Sycamores (12-9, 4-6 Missouri Valley) snapped a four-game slide.The Sycamores went into the second half leading 32-26 and never lost the advantage. Rashad Reed helped out with 12 points and Carl Richard with 11.The Salukis (12-8, 4-6) came within a point, 65-66, with 3.5 seconds left on a layup by Justin Bocot, who finished with 15 points.But Indiana State’s Aaron Carter was fouled on the next play and made a pair of shots from the free-throw line to hang on to the win.SIUs’ Kevin Dillard led the game in scoring with 16 points. Gene Teague added 11 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, while Anthony Booker scored 10.

Derrick Rose will be the first Bulls player to get selected to play in an NBA All Star since Michael started and was the game’s MVP at Madison Square Garden in 1998. The second year guard,who was picked #1 overall by the Bulls in 2008, was last season’s NBA Rookie of the Year. Rose got off to a slow start this season due to an ankle sprain,but has been going on all cylinders of late. Rose,who led Simeon High School to back to back IHSA State Titles before helping Memphis to the NCAA Title game in 2008 where they lost in overtime to Kansas and fellow Public Leaguer Sharron Collins.

Rose had been chosen to play in the Rookie Challenge on February 13 in which this season’s top first year players will square off with the best second year players. Obviously he will not be in that event,although teammate Taj Gibson will.

The NBA All Star Game is Sunday February 14 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington,Texas.

LES

OKLAHOMA CITY — Joakim Noah considers Derrick Rose the biggest reason the Chicago Bulls have made a sudden rise back to .500.But even Rose himself didn’t see it coming, especially at the expense of four Western Conference teams with winning records.Rose scored 26 points, Noah added 13 points and 11 rebounds and the Bulls held the Oklahoma City without a field goal for the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter on their way to a 96-86 victory on Wednesday night.It was the Bulls fourth straight win — all on the road — after starting the season 4-15 away from the United Center.The Bulls — fresh off wins at Phoenix, Houston and San Antonio — improved to 22-22, returning to .500 for the first time since they were 6-6 on Nov. 21.Rose is averaging 26.3 points during the Bulls’ current surge, the culmination of a turnaround that started around Christmas when Chicago blew a 35-point lead against Sacramento and one report even had coach Vinny Del Negro on his way out the door.His team has won 12 of 17 since that 10-17 start, and now has its first four-game winning streak of the season.The Bulls current run on the road is their longest win streak since a seven-game stretch in March and April 2006.Luol Deng had 17 points, Brad Miller scored 14 and Tyrus Thomas had 13 points for the Bulls. Taj Gibson had 15 rebounds as Chicago – the NBA’s top rebounding team – held a 53-40 advantage on the boards.After Oklahoma City took its only lead of the second half late in the third quarter, Chicago went on a 25-7 run to go up 89-73 on Rose’s right-handed flip in the lane with 4:57 remaining. Kevin Durant ended a run of 16 straight missed shots for Oklahoma City with a 16-footer from the right baseline with 3:59 to play. He finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds and Jeff Green added 24 points and nine rebounds.The Thunder lost their third straight game, matching their longest skid of the season. Their previous four losses had been by a total of five points.The Thunder wiped away a nine-point halftime deficit by holding the Bulls to six points and forcing seven turnovers in the first nine minutes of the third quarter. James Harden put Oklahoma City ahead 66-64 with his jumper from the right side with 1:39 remaining, but the lead ended up being short-lived.Thomas had an emphatic right-handed putback jam of John Salmons’ missed jumper and Miller hit two free throws to give the Bulls a 68-66 lead entering the fourth quarter, and they wouldn’t trail again.Oklahoma City missed its first 14 shots in the fourth quarter.

NOTES—Brooks declined to reveal his selections for the All-Star reserves, who will be announced Thursday. “Too many guys would be against me. I’m no dummy,” Brooks said. “I like guards. There’s a lot of good guards that are having good years, and I see the game through a guard’s eyes, there’s no doubt.” …It was Oklahoma City’s second straight home game against an opponent playing the sixth game of a road trip, having hosted Miami on Jan. 16. The Thunder had their own four-game road trip in between……Mark Clayton of the Baltimore Ravens and Tommie Harris of the Bears, former college teammates at Oklahoma, sat courtside and each threw an autographed football into the crowd of 17,562. 

OKLAHOMA CITY — Joakim Noah considers Derrick Rose the biggest reason the Chicago Bulls have made a sudden rise back to .500.But even Rose himself didn’t see it coming, especially at the expense of four Western Conference teams with winning records.Rose scored 26 points, Noah added 13 points and 11 rebounds and the Bulls held the Oklahoma City without a field goal for the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter on their way to a 96-86 victory on Wednesday night.It was the Bulls fourth straight win — all on the road — after starting the season 4-15 away from the United Center.The Bulls — fresh off wins at Phoenix, Houston and San Antonio — improved to 22-22, returning to .500 for the first time since they were 6-6 on Nov. 21.Rose is averaging 26.3 points during the Bulls’ current surge, the culmination of a turnaround that started around Christmas when Chicago blew a 35-point lead against Sacramento and one report even had coach Vinny Del Negro on his way out the door.His team has won 12 of 17 since that 10-17 start, and now has its first four-game winning streak of the season.The Bulls current run on the road is their longest win streak since a seven-game stretch in March and April 2006.Luol Deng had 17 points, Brad Miller scored 14 and Tyrus Thomas had 13 points for the Bulls. Taj Gibson had 15 rebounds as Chicago – the NBA’s top rebounding team – held a 53-40 advantage on the boards.After Oklahoma City took its only lead of the second half late in the third quarter, Chicago went on a 25-7 run to go up 89-73 on Rose’s right-handed flip in the lane with 4:57 remaining. Kevin Durant ended a run of 16 straight missed shots for Oklahoma City with a 16-footer from the right baseline with 3:59 to play. He finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds and Jeff Green added 24 points and nine rebounds.The Thunder lost their third straight game, matching their longest skid of the season. Their previous four losses had been by a total of five points.The Thunder wiped away a nine-point halftime deficit by holding the Bulls to six points and forcing seven turnovers in the first nine minutes of the third quarter. James Harden put Oklahoma City ahead 66-64 with his jumper from the right side with 1:39 remaining, but the lead ended up being short-lived.Thomas had an emphatic right-handed putback jam of John Salmons’ missed jumper and Miller hit two free throws to give the Bulls a 68-66 lead entering the fourth quarter, and they wouldn’t trail again.Oklahoma City missed its first 14 shots in the fourth quarter.

NOTES—

Brooks declined to reveal his selections for the All-Star reserves, who will be announced Thursday. “Too many guys would be against me. I’m no dummy,” Brooks said. “I like guards. There’s a lot of good guards that are having good years, and I see the game through a guard’s eyes, there’s no doubt.” …It was Oklahoma City’s second straight home game against an opponent playing the sixth game of a road trip, having hosted Miami on Jan. 16. The Thunder had their own four-game road trip in between……Mark Clayton of the Baltimore Ravens and Tommie Harris of the Bears, former college teammates at Oklahoma, sat courtside and each threw an autographed football into the crowd of 17,562.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Joakim Noah considers Derrick Rose the biggest reason the Chicago Bulls have made a sudden rise back to .500.But even Rose himself didn’t see it coming, especially at the expense of four Western Conference teams with winning records.Rose scored 26 points, Noah added 13 points and 11 rebounds and the Bulls held the Oklahoma City without a field goal for the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter on their way to a 96-86 victory on Wednesday night.It was the Bulls fourth straight win — all on the road — after starting the season 4-15 away from the United Center.The Bulls — fresh off wins at Phoenix, Houston and San Antonio — improved to 22-22, returning to .500 for the first time since they were 6-6 on Nov. 21.Rose is averaging 26.3 points during the Bulls’ current surge, the culmination of a turnaround that started around Christmas when Chicago blew a 35-point lead against Sacramento and one report even had coach Vinny Del Negro on his way out the door.His team has won 12 of 17 since that 10-17 start, and now has its first four-game winning streak of the season.The Bulls current run on the road is their longest win streak since a seven-game stretch in March and April 2006.Luol Deng had 17 points, Brad Miller scored 14 and Tyrus Thomas had 13 points for the Bulls. Taj Gibson had 15 rebounds as Chicago – the NBA’s top rebounding team – held a 53-40 advantage on the boards.After Oklahoma City took its only lead of the second half late in the third quarter, Chicago went on a 25-7 run to go up 89-73 on Rose’s right-handed flip in the lane with 4:57 remaining. Kevin Durant ended a run of 16 straight missed shots for Oklahoma City with a 16-footer from the right baseline with 3:59 to play. He finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds and Jeff Green added 24 points and nine rebounds.The Thunder lost their third straight game, matching their longest skid of the season. Their previous four losses had been by a total of five points.The Thunder wiped away a nine-point halftime deficit by holding the Bulls to six points and forcing seven turnovers in the first nine minutes of the third quarter. James Harden put Oklahoma City ahead 66-64 with his jumper from the right side with 1:39 remaining, but the lead ended up being short-lived.Thomas had an emphatic right-handed putback jam of John Salmons’ missed jumper and Miller hit two free throws to give the Bulls a 68-66 lead entering the fourth quarter, and they wouldn’t trail again.Oklahoma City missed its first 14 shots in the fourth quarter.

NOTES—Brooks declined to reveal his selections for the All-Star reserves, who will be announced Thursday. “Too many guys would be against me. I’m no dummy,” Brooks said. “I like guards. There’s a lot of good guards that are having good years, and I see the game through a guard’s eyes, there’s no doubt.” …It was Oklahoma City’s second straight home game against an opponent playing the sixth game of a road trip, having hosted Miami on Jan. 16. The Thunder had their own four-game road trip in between……Mark Clayton of the Baltimore Ravens and Tommie Harris of the Bears, former college teammates at Oklahoma, sat courtside and each threw an autographed football into the crowd of 17,562.

STATE COLLEGE—D.J. Richardson scored 20 points and Illinois staved off a Penn State rally from a double-digit deficit in a 77-67 win Wednesday night to snap the Illini’s three-game losing streak.Down 10 early, the Nittany Lions took a 46-42 lead with 15:06 left after David Jackson’s layup capped a 12-0 run. Jackson finished with 13 points, while Talor Battle had a team-high 20.But a nearly 5-minute Penn State scoring drought gave Illinois (13-8, 5-3 Big Ten) another opening. Despite some choppy play, Mike Davis’ jumper and Dominique Keller’s buzzer-beating fall-away gave the Illini a 59-53 lead with 4:03 left.Demetri McCamey’s 3 from 20 feet with the shot clock winding down extended the lead to 10 with 2 minutes to go.It was another crushing loss for the Nittany Lions (8-12, 0-8). Their winless streak in conference play is the school’s worst Big Ten start since 2003.

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PHILADELPHIA—Villanova is 19-1 for the first time in school history.Maybe reaching its first Final Four in 24 years last season was only a starting point for Wright’s talented team.Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher each scored 17 points to help No. 3 Villanova beat Notre Dame 90-72 on Wednesday night.The Wildcats are 19-1 for the first time and are the only Big East team unbeaten in conference play (8-0). Led by Reynolds, Fisher, Antonio Pena and Co., Villanova has won 10 straight games and is in the mix for the top spot next week in the Associated Press poll.South Carolina’s 68-62 win over No. 1 Kentucky a night earlier could knock the Wildcats from the top spot. No. 2 Kansas might ascend to No. 1 if it wins at No. 11 Kansas State on Saturday.If Kentucky loses-, well, reserve a spot for Villanova. Losing focus seems unlikely for the Wildcats, especially with the meat of the Big East schedule ahead. They have back-to-back road games against top-10 teams Georgetown (Feb. 6) and West Virginia (Feb. 8) and a showdown with No. 4 Syracuse.Reynolds and Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody were expected to state their cases for Big East Player of the Year. Harangody delivered on his end for the Irish (15-6, 4-4) with 21 points and nine rebounds in 37 minutes. Harangody played hard until the end and kept alive Notre Dame’s early bid for its first win over a top-10 team on the road since 2001.

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DE KALB—D. J. Cooper scored a career-high 29 points and Armon Bassett had 25 to lead Ohio to a 99-84 victory over Northern Illinois Wednesday night.Three other Bobcats scored in double figures. Reggie Keely had 14 points, Tommy Freeman 13 and Kenneth Van Kempen had 11 points and nine rebounds.Ohio (11-9, 2-4 Mid-American) broke away from a 63-63 game midway through the second half, scoring 36 points in the game’s final 9 1/2 minutes. The final margin of 15 was the Bobcats’ largest lead.Xavier Silas’ 31 points led all scorers for Northern Illinois (8-10, 4-2). Silas scored the first 15 points for the Huskies. Mike Dinunno scored 16 and Lee Fisher had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Huskies, who lost despite owning a 48-38 rebounding edge in the game.