As the world waits for Derrick Rose‘s return — particularly after Adidas’ extensive promotional campaign surrounding it, which started six months ago — every bit of news seems vital. Rose and the Bulls have been exceptionally vague (even for them, and in general they’re about as transparent as coal) about his return date. In a recent interview with USA Today, Rose put a damper on expectations he could be back relatively soon, after many estimates had him back mid-season or after the All-Star break.

“I don’t have a set date,” Rose told USA TODAY Sports on Monday in his first extensive interview since the 2012-13 NBA season began. “I’m not coming back until I’m 110%. Who knows when that can be? It can be within a couple of weeks. It could be next year. It could be any day. It could be any time. It’s just that I’m not coming back until I’m ready.”

How close is Rose to 110%?

“Right now, probably in the high 80s,” he said. “Far away. Far away.”

via Derrick Rose: ‘I’m not coming back until I’m 110%’.

It’s good that both the Bulls and Rose are taking the long-term approach with this. Get him back when he’s in the best possible position to return, not when he’s still struggling to find his feet. The Bulls without him have a definitive ceiling, but the Bulls with him at less than 100 percent carry the risk of him re-injuring the knee after ACL surgery.However, this does have to be considered when we look at the Bulls’ season. There are less than two and a half months left. The Bulls are still firmly in the playoff race, but if they want to hold on to homecourt, they need to get healthy, and get Rose back. There’s a very small window of opportunity for them to sneak into a possible Eastern Conference Finals spot with Rose healthy, but they have to improve to get there, particularly by nabbing a top-three seed.At the same time, much longer and you have to wonder if it might be better just to sit back and let Rose have the full year. He’s got a long career, focus on that. But the odds are Rose will return just in time for the Bulls to make the playoff push. After that, we’ll see what happens.For now, though, probably time to quit holding your breath for the first game of Rose’s return, despite his recent return to practice.

MILWAUKEE—Paris Gulley scored 21 points despite making only four field goals, and Milwaukee snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 71-53 victory over Loyola on Tuesday night.Gulley was just 4 of 13 from the floor but went 13 of 16 from the free-throw line for the Panthers (6-20, 2-10 Horizon League), who also got 16 points from Jordan Aaron and a school-record seven blocked shots from J.J. Panoske.Jordan Hicks had 12 points for the Ramblers (13-12, 3-9), who lost their third straight.Loyola led 27-22 at halftime, but Milwaukee came alive in the second half, outscoring Loyola 49-26 and taking the lead for good on Austin Arians’ fast-break dunk with 15:43 to play. The Ramblers were within 56-50 with 5:40 left, but the Panthers closed the game on a 15-3 run.Milwaukee avenged its 76-65 loss to Loyola at Gentile Arena on Jan. 30.

The “Dow Jones” Bulls keep winning some you would not expect,and losing the same way, and their first agme back in the United Center since January 25th was a big time dud! Kawhi Leonard had a career-high 26 points and Danny Green scored 18 on Monday night, helping the short-handed San Antonio Spurs beat the Bulls 103-89 without their three biggest stars.Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili were all out with injuries, and swingman Stephen Jackson also missed the game due to “personal business,” according to the team. And the NBA-best Spurs still had enough talent to beat one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams in its building.Gary Neal and Tiago Splitter had 16 points apiece for San Antonio, which improved the league’s best road record to 19-10. Nando De Colo, subbing for Parker, had nine points and seven assists in his second career start.Nate Robinson scored 20 points and Richard Hamilton had 16 for the Bulls, who were coming off a 3-3 road trip — their longest of the season. Carlos Boozer added 14 points and All-Star Joakim Noah pulled down 15 rebounds despite a nagging right foot injury.San Antonio led by 14 at three different points in the third quarter, but Robinson led the Bulls right back. The streaky point guard converted a twisting reverse layup to trim the Spurs’ lead to 73-69 with 56 seconds left in the period.The Bulls pulled within one in the fourth before the Spurs began to pull away. Boris Diaw had a three-point play and Leonard converted a layup in a 7-0 surge that made it 89-78 with 5:55 to go.Parker had 29 points and 11 assists in the Spurs’ 111-86 victory at Brooklyn on Sunday night, but coach Gregg Popovich said his right knee became swollen during the game. Parker is having an MVP-type of season, averaging 20.7 points and 7.7 assists per game.

“I’m not going to chance it with three [games] in four nights and a back-to-back and what he’s been doing for us,” Popovich said. “It’s kind of ignorant to say `That’s OK, go out there anyway.”‘

Duncan missed his fourth straight game due to a sore left knee. Ginobili was out for the fifth consecutive game with tightness in his left hamstring.The injuries for All-Stars Parker and Duncan, plus key scorer Ginobili, meant San Antonio’s three best players were reduced to a cheerleading role for the night, but their teammates gave them plenty of reasons to stand and applaud.Marco Belinelli had a steal and dunk during a 7-0 run that gave the Bulls a 27-20 lead early in the second quarter, but the Spurs controlled the rest of the half. San Antonio put together a 10-0 spurt to grab a 38-32 advantage with 4:51 left. Matt Bonner sparked the surge with a long jumper and Neal also had four points in the run.The Spurs converted 11 Bulls turnovers into 22 points and led by as many as 12 before settling for a 51-42 lead at halftime. Neal had 13 points at the break.

NOTES—Tom Thibodeau said he thinks Kirk Hinrich (right elbow) will travel with the team to Boston for Wednesday’s game against the Celtics. Hinrich hasn’t appeared in a game since Jan. 30 at Milwaukee. … Luol Deng addressed the crowd before the game and said he is looking forward to representing the Bulls at Sunday’s All-Star game in Houston. … Diaw and Splitter are the only players to appear in all 53 games for the Spurs this season. … Splitter landed awkwardly in the first quarter and was favoring his left leg when he got up. The Spurs called timeout, and he ended up playing 33 minutes.

WASHINGTON—Georgetown coach John Thompson III was so focused on the details of the game that he claimed not to notice a momentum swing when Marquette counterpart Buzz Williams was called for a technical foul in the second half.But his point guard felt it.

“Yeah, absolutely,” the Hoyas’ Markel Starks said. “Absolutely.”

The 18th-ranked Golden Eagles were making a run at No. 15 Georgetown, having closed a 10-point deficit to three when Williams got T’d up for arguing an out-of-bounds call along the baseline with 12:13 to play.The Hoyas responded with an 8-1 run immediately after the call, and Marquette didn’t get closer than eight points the rest of the way in Georgetown’s 63-55 victory Monday night.

“I was just hollering at somebody that would respond,” Williams said. “We can make a big deal out of it if you want. I got a technical. I’m sorry. I may get a technical again next year — that’s my average — and it’ll probably be on the road.”

Otto Porter scored 11 of his 21 points after the technical, Starks finished with 16 points, and Georgetown scored 24 points off 19 turnovers to move into a tie with the Golden Eagles for second place in the Big East.The Hoyas (18-4, 8-3 Big East) won their sixth straight and avenged a 49-48 loss at Marquette on Jan. 5.Jamil Wilson scored 13 points to lead the Golden Eagles (17-6, 8-3), who fell out of a first-place tie with Syracuse (8-2). Chris Otule scored eight of Marquette’s first 11 points but had only three the rest of the game.Williams indeed has five technical fouls in his five seasons at Marquette, according to the school, but this was a case of using up his reservoir of goodwill long before the call that cost him. He pushed the envelope repeatedly in the first half with his now-familiar strolls outside the coach’s box, twice venturing close to the midcourt circle with play under way. Georgetown fans began serenading him with chants of “Off the court!” in the second half.Williams finally got the technical for disputing a call that could have gone either way. Porter made both free throws and then hit a floater on the ensuing possession to complete a four-point series that pushed the lead to 41-34.

NASHVILLE—The Blackhawks are so very ready to be back in Chicago, and they only want to make themselves as at home at the United Center as they have everywhere else during their season-high six-game road trip.Marcus Kruger and Jonathan Toews each scored 66 seconds apart in the second period, and the Hawks remained the NHL’s lone undefeated team in regulation by beating the Nashville Predators 3-0 Sunday night.

“We’ve done some good things on this road trip,” defenseman Duncan Keith said. “We want to carry that momentum back home. It’s going to be difficult to be back home, so we’re excited now to get home and play as hard and take that energy back we have on the road back home.”

Patrick Kane also added a goal in the third as the Blackhawks wrapped up this trip with their fourth straight win and improved to 10-0-2 overall and 8-0-2 away from Home. The Blackhawks now get to play just their third game at home Tuesday night against Anaheim when they start a seven-game homestand.

“I think we’re all excited to get home and sleep in our own beds,” Keith said. “It’s going to be good. It’s going to be exciting to play in front of our fans and play hard for them.”

Joel Quenneville said they’ve talked about not wanting to change anything.

“We don’t want to feel like we’re at home now and let the air out,” he said.

Goalie Corey Crawford got Hawks first shutout of the season and the sixth of his career making 17 saves. The shutout ended a long drought for Chicago and especially Crawford whose last shutout in the regular season was March 23, 2011.

“However long, it was too long, and it was nice to get that for sure,” Keith said.

With his teammates blocking 14 shots, Crawford had plenty of time to drift, especially for about a 21-minute span over the final half of the first period and midway to the second when he didn’t face a single shot. Asked when he was aware of how close he was to a shutout, Crawford said he knew with about five minutes left.

“I didn’t want to think about it too much, but I knew about it,” Crawford said.

Nashville lost a 2-1 overtime game at Minnesota on Saturday night. Back home to start a four-game homestand, the Predators had their 17th consecutive sold-out crowd. But the Predators reverted back to their early offensive woes struggling to shoot the puck at the net. Coach Barry Trotz said his Predators were a little tired, but didn’t work hard enough to get pucks up to the net. They missed their best chance at scoring when Nick Spaling’s backhander sent the puck sliding across the crease before hitting off the far post at 10:02 of the first period. Nashville managed only three shots on goal in the first.

“We didn’t really challenge them very well,” Nashville forward Mike Fisher said. “It wasn’t our A-game no question. They run and gun a little bit more and they bury them when they can like they did tonight.”

The Hawks had the advantage of a couple days off after a 6-2 win at Phoenix on Thursday night, and the Blackhawks had plenty of fans on hand as they took the first of five games between these Central Division rivals this shortened season. They got some nice payback after going 2-4-0 against Nashville in losing last season’s series for the first time since 2006-07. The Predators outscored the Hawks 25-16 last season and had won four of the previous six games between these teams in Nashville. The rest showed in the second as the Blackhawks almost camped out in front of Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne. Rinne had won four straight starts and hadn’t allowed an even-strength goal since Jan. 28. But that streak ended at 316 minutes, 40 seconds when Nashville defenseman Roman Josi kicked the puck, trying to clear it, right to Kruger near the high slot. Kruger snapped a shot over Rinne’s stick for his second goal of the season at 6:14.Trotz credited a “comedy of errors” by the Predators on helping the Blackhawks score that goal with three turnovers and then Josi kicking it to Kruger.

“I mean just put a tent over that circus,” Trotz said. “You make five, six mistakes like that, it’s going to end up in your net. It wasn’t a classic goal or anything.”

The Hawks also got a bit of luck as Keith’s shot from the right circle deflected off Toews’ chest in front of Rinne and went up and over the Nashville goalie into the net at 7:20 for a 2-0 lead. It was Toews’ sixth goal of the season and the 150th of his career.The Blackhawks wound up with 27 shots, including Kane’s ninth goal this season. He scored at 4:27 of the third after skating up the left boards and shooting at the net, sneaking the puck past Rinne for the 3-0 lead and yet another Hawk win.

NOTES—The Blackhawks will play their third home game Tuesday night when they host Anaheim at the United Center to start a seven-game homestand…..These teams won’t play again until April 1 for the first of four games in 19 days….The Hawks went 18-18-5 on the road last season…..The Blackhawks came in with a league-best 33 goals on the road…..Kane came in with 17 points in nine road games, best in the NHL. He now has eight goals and 10 assists.

MINNEAPOLIS—Illinois nearly ruined a strong nonconference start by losing seven of its first nine Big Ten games to tumble out of the Top 25. In this loaded league, though, the Fighting Illini still have time to catch up. They might’ve salvaged their season with this terrific week. Tyler Griffey scored 16 points, and Illinois went 11 for 23 from 3-point range to beat No. 18 Minnesota 57-53 on Sunday night.

“We feel like we can compete with anybody and we can win any game we play,” said Brandon Paul, who had 10 points. “The Big Ten is so crazy. It’s tough anywhere you go, especially on the road. So you find a way to tough it out.”

Three days after Griffey’s buzzer-beating layup gave Illinois (17-8, 4-7) a 74-72 victory over No. 1 Indiana, Tracy Abrams swished a step-back 3-pointer with 18 seconds left to stretch the lead over Minnesota to four. Abrams came off the bench for the first time this season after failing to score against the Hoosiers.D.J. Richardson added 13 points for the Illini, who ended a 10-game losing streak on the road against ranked Big Ten teams. Their last such win was three years ago at Wisconsin.

“One thing that is happening now is that people trust each other,” coach John Groce said. “They trust the system more. They’re sticking with the game plan even when they’re behind.”

Austin Hollins had 16 points and four steals for the Golden Gophers (17-7, 5-6), who lost for the sixth time in eight games and could find themselves out of the Top 25 when the new rankings are released on Monday.

“Just another blown opportunity for us,” said coach Tubby Smith, who again sat at a podium lamenting the turnovers. They had 13, none more costly than with 50 seconds left with Illinois leading 54-53.

Sixth-year senior Trevor Mbakwe, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds, tried to pivot out of a double team down low and threw a two-handed pass across the court that sailed out of bounds. Abrams scored on the next trip up the court, and Hollins air-balled a 3-pointer after that. The Gophers played without senior forward Rodney Williams, whose shoulder injury kept him out of a game for the first time in nearly three years. That forced Smith into some awkward lineup combinations, and the reserves again struggled to establish a rhythm or avoid stagnant, sloppy possessions. Elliott Eliason, who filled many of Williams’ minutes, had 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks and swished a mid-range jumper with 2:22 left to pull the Gophers within one point. But the Gophers didn’t get enough help. Andre Hollins and Joe Coleman combined to shoot 3 for 18 from the floor.The Gophers, who won at Assembly Hall 84-67 last month while holding the Illini to 3-for-24 shooting from 3-point range, were trying to beat Illinois twice in the regular season for the first time since 1996. They led by as much as 13-2 and 26-14 in the first half. The Illini didn’t make a shot from the field until 9 ½ minutes were gone in the game, when Nnanna Egwu’s baseline jumper bounced off the rim and dropped in. But the Gophers found themselves trailing 31-30 at the break after a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Richardson, his third in the final four minutes of the half. That fueled a 20-4 run by the Illini that didn’t end until a dunk by Mbakwe well into the second stanza, ending a skid of more than 7 ½ minutes without a basket. The Gophers knew the sharp-shooting Illini would find their stroke, that their tough defense early wouldn’t be enough.

“That’s how they beat Indiana. They’re a tough team. They needed that win just like we did,” Mbakwe said.

As the only team in the nation with three wins over opponents ranked in the top 10 of the most recent Associated Press poll, the Illini hadn’t yet proven they can play consistent enough defense to pull out gritty victories when the performance isn’t so pretty. This was their lowest point total in any of their wins this season.

YOUNGSTOWN—Gary Talton led five players in double figures with 23 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out eight assists in UIC 88-83 triple overtime win against Horizon League foe Youngstown State on Sunday.Daniel Barnes added 20 points, Josh Crittle tallied 18 points and 12 rebounds, Marc Brown came off the bench for 12 points and Hayden Humes chipped in 10 for UIC.Talton’s jumper with 2 seconds left in regulation sent the game into overtime; Kendrick Perry, who had 29 points for Youngstown State (14-11, 6-6), hit a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left to force a second OT, and Humes’ trey with 48 seconds showing produced the final extra frame.In the third OT, Illinois-Chicago (15-10, 6-6) led by four before Perry cut it to 78-77 with a three-point play at the 1:06 mark. But Barnes answered with a 3 and Tralton hit two free throws to seal it.

SOUTH BEND—Notre Dame watched a video of great boxing knockouts knowing their game against Louisville would probably be bruising.It turned out to be the longest game in Big East regular-season history.

“I talked about it being a 15-rounder and taking punches and being put on the mat,” coach Mike Brey said. “At the fourth or fifth timeout I said, `Has there ever been a 20-rounder?”

If so, it couldn’t have been any more thrilling than the No. 25 Fighting Irish’s five-overtime victory over the 11th-ranked Cardinals on Saturday night, a 104-101 decision in which the two teams traded great plays and missed shots.Afterward, even Louisville coach Rick Pitino forgot how long the game was, referring to it as a four-overtime game.The previous record for the conference in the regular season was a four-overtime game that happened 11 years ago to the day and also involved Notre Dame. The Irish beat Georgetown 116-11 in 4 OTs on Feb. 9, 2002.Jack Cooley, who fouled out in regulation, said the Irish players scoffed at Brey when he talked about a 15-round boxing match.

“We’re like, 15 round matches, that doesn’t happen. And then we played five overtimes. So that’s how it went,” he said.

There was no knockout punch in Saturday night’s game – just some body blows.Cameron Biedscheid scored on a layup with 1:19 left in the fifth overtime, and Eric Atkins and Pat Connaugton added free throws in the final 19 seconds as the Fighting Irish overcame an eight-point deficit in regulation to win.Russ Smith had a chance to tie it at the end of the fifth overtime, but his 3-point attempt missed before Notre Dame students flooded the court to celebrate. It marked the sixth time in the last eight meetings that a game between the Fighting Irish (19-5, 7-6 Big East) and the Cardinals (19-5, 7-4) went into overtime.

“It’s always overtime,” said Chane Behanan, who led the Cardinals with a career-high 30 points and 15 rebounds. “The strongest will survive. They were a great team tonight and made a lot of big shots.”

Pitino, who didn’t take questions after the game, credited the Irish.

“They made some just incredible shots,” he said. “I can’t fault our defense. We were on them.”

Both teams missed crucial free throws in the final minute. Atkins missed two with 37 seconds left and Montrezi Harrell did the same for Louisville with 24 seconds left. The lead changed hands 26 times and there were 16 ties.

“We missed some big free throws and we missed some shots and we never really hung our head,” Brey said

Pitino said the Cardinals made a few mental mistakes down the stretch when they had the lead by trying to force the issue.

“But sometimes when you’re a bad foul shooting team at times it’s not the worst thing in the world to get two points,” he said.

Jerian Grant, who fouled out with 1:57 left in the first overtime, led the Irish with 19 points. Garrick Sherman, playing because Cooley and Tom Knight fouled out, added 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting in overtime as the Notre Dame bench outscored Louisville’s 39-31. Connaughton added 16 points and 14 rebounds, Atkins added 14 points, and Cooley, who fouled out 6:54 left in regulation, finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.Luke Hancock added 22 points for Louisville, Smith had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Gorgui Dieng had 17 points and 13 rebounds.Both teams needed big shots to force the extra periods. In the fourth overtime, Atkins and Zach Auguste missed shots for the Irish, but Garrick Sherman tipped in the rebound to tie the score at 93 with 5 seconds left. Russ Smith had a last-second shot for the Cardinals but missed.In the third overtime, Chane Behanan scored inside with 16 seconds left to tie the score at 83. With 16 seconds left in the second overtime, Cameron Biedscheid hit a 3-pointer to force another period. Both teams missed chances to win in the first overtime. Behanan blocked a shot inside by Notre Dame’s Eric Atkins with 15 seconds left, and Smith missed from 3-point range in the closing seconds for the Cardinals.It didn’t look as if the Cardinals were going to need overtime when Behanan made a free throw with 51 seconds left in regulation to make it 56-48. But Grant led the Irish on a 12-4 comeback, hitting three straight 3-pointers and then tying it on a three-point play with 16 seconds left.

“I’ve never seen anything like that because I was about to strangle him for his play up until that point,” Brey said. “What he did there was amazing. Because people were going up the aisles. People were beginning to leave.”

The Cardinals had a chance to win, but they never got a shot off as Siva lost control of the ball under the basket in the closing seconds.

“I’m not surprised we won,” Atkins said. “I’m surprised it took that long.”

Brey said it was one of the most exciting games he’s ever been a part of.

“Unbelievable. I’m really proud of my team because many times we were down in the overtimes and kept fighting back,” he said. “Everybody was part of it tonight. It’s one of those magical nights.”

OMAHA—After a rough start, Tyler Brown had a fantastic finish.Brown, who missed four of five shots in the first half, scored 23 of his 27 points in the second and Illinois State took advantage of Creighton’s dismal shooting to beat the 16th-ranked Bluejays 75-72 Saturday night.The Redbirds (15-10, 6-7 Missouri Valley) won their first true road game over a ranked opponent since 1985 and have won six of their last seven after starting 0-6 in conference play.

“We’re moving up,” Brown said. “Every day, whether it’s in practice or in the weight room, we’re getting better and taking it step by step. When March comes, we’re going to be at the top of our game.”

The Bluejays (20-5, 9-4) seemed headed in the other direction. They lost their second straight, falling into a three-way tie for first in the league.

“Our team competed tonight,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. “I don’t fault their effort. Without question we had a few mental mistakes at times that led to some easy baskets. We made a few too many mistakes on a night when we didn’t shoot the ball well at all from the 3-point line.”

Illinois State made things interesting at the end. After Creighton’s Grant Gibbs hit two free throws to make it 75-72, Illinois State’s John Wilkins was called for double dribbling just before the buzzer. One second was put back on the clock, and Wragge’s long pass to Doug McDermott at mid-court was bobbled as time ran out.Johnny Hill had 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists against just one turnover, and Jackie Carmichael added 16 points for the Redbirds.McDermott scored 24 points and had 13 rebounds to lead the Bluejays, who shot 38 percent and shot just 4 of 23 from 3-point range. Gibbs added 16 points and Jahenns Manigat had 11.ISU, which lost 79-72 to the Bluejays at home on Jan. 2, beat Creighton for the first time in seven games.Creighton outrebounded Illinois State 48-29 and held a 23-11 advantage in offensive rebounds. But the Redbirds shot 49 percent and committed only six turnovers.The Bluejays came in as the nation’s top 3-point shooting team but missed 16 of their first 18 attempts. Their four 3s were a season low.Creighton seemed flummoxed when the Redbirds switched to a zone defense after taking the lead.

“It threw our rhythm off,” Gibbs said. “We didn’t execute the sets we put in for a zone offense. Give them credit. We didn’t attack it.”

Brown finished 10 of 18 from the field, including 3 of 8 on 3s, and he had a team-high five assists.Brown put Illinois State ahead 48-44 with a layup and back-to-back 3s early in the second. Then Creighton’s Nevin Johnson went on a personal 6-0 run that he finished with a transition layup off a McDermott pass for a 50-48 lead.Brown scored every which way to keep Creighton from gaining control. On nine of 10 ISU baskets over a 12-minute stretch of the second half, Brown was the player who put the ball in the hole. He converted a lob from Johnny Hill into an easy basket for a 60-57 lead, and his 3-pointer made it 65-60 with just over 6 minutes to play.

“He’s really hard to guard right now because he’s driving it and he can make shots,” Illinois State coach Dan Muller said. “He made some really tough shots. He was a little down the first half. He missed some shots he thought he should make. He kept playing. His attitude has been so good, and when you do that, things like this can happen. He’s one of the best players in the league, and he played like it tonight.”

McDermott and Gibbs pulled the Bluejays to 65-64, but then Hill hit only his second 3-pointer of the season to make it a four-point game.The Bluejays had their chances to come back. But Wragge shot an airball from long range, then fumbled a pass from Gibbs underneath the basket on the next possession.

IOWA CITY—Devyn Marble broke a lengthy slump with 21 points and Iowa beat Northwestern 71-57 on Saturday to snap a two-game losing streak.Josh Oglesby added 10 for the Hawkeyes (15-9, 4-7 Big Ten), who won for just the second time in six games.Marble, Iowa’s second-leading scorer, put together his best scoring night in nearly two months as the Hawkeyes bounced back from a double-overtime loss at Wisconsin on Wednesday. Marble entered play in a staggering spiral, with just 21 baskets on 83 tries in Big Ten play and just two points in his last two games.Reggie Hearn had 13 to lead Northwestern, which let the Hawkeyes take control with a 10-0 run midway through the second half.The Wildcats (13-11, 4-7) lost for the third time in four games.