ANN ARBOR—Caris LeVert had 18 points, six rebounds and seven assists, Derrick Walton, Jr. chipped in 14 points, and Michigan escaped with a 56-54 win over Northwestern on Saturday night.Freshman Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman nailed a 3-pointer with less than a minute to go, giving Michigan (11-7, 4-2 Big Ten) a 56-52 lead.Alex Olah’s layup pulled Northwestern (10-8, 1-4) within two with 42 seconds left and the Wildcats had a chance to tie or win after LeVert’s missed jumper with 17 seconds left. But Bryant McIntosh missed a floater in the final seconds that would have tied the game.Michigan took the lead for good at 50-49 on LeVert’s layup with 5:04 left and stretched its lead to four on Zak Irvin’s 3-pointer just over a minute later.After 2 1/2 scoreless minutes Scottie Lindsey’s 3-pointer cut Northwestern’s deficit to 53-52.In his first career start, Abdur-Rahkman finished with nine points, nearly doubling his career total (10) before the game.Olah had 22 points, one off his career high, and JerShon Cobb added 13 points for the Wildcats.Both teams entered the game with struggling offenses. Michigan was No. 11 in the Big Ten in scoring offense (66.1 points per game) and Northwestern (65.2 ppg) was tied with Nebraska at No. 12.But the Wolverines came out hot, nailing their first four 3-point attempts, building a 25-11 lead with an 18-0 run midway through the first half while the Wildcats missed seven consecutive shots.NU refocused on working the ball inside, which led to Olah scoring 11 straight and 16 total during a 20-7 run that spanned both halves and gave the Wildcats a 39-34 lead with 15 minutes to go.The Wolverines eventually slowed him down, crashing the paint with multiple defenders down the stretch. Olah scored just four points in the final 17:40.

NOTES—The Wildcats are riding a four-game losing streak in Big Ten play, after knocking off Rutgers 51-47 in the conference opener. . Northwestern has lost seven straight to Michigan since a 74-60 win on Jan. 18, 2011. … The two teams meet again in Evanston, Illinois on March 3.

NORMAL—Daishon Knight scored 20 points – including five 3-pointers – and three others joined in double-figure scoring as Illinois State defeated Bradley 82-72 on Saturday.Bobby Hunter added 14 points and five assists for the he Redbirds (11-7, 3-3 Missouri Valley) and Tony Willis and Paris Lee added 12 points each.ISU shot 51 percent from the field (26-51) and drained 13 3-pointers. The Redbirds scored 17 of 23 at the foul line to Bradley’s 10 of 16.Bradley (6-13, 1-5) also shot well from the field (25 of 50), making a season-best 12 of 27 from 3-point range and placing four shooters in double figures. Warren Jones led with 19 points with five 3-pointers, freshman Josh Cunningham added a career-best 17, and Tramique Sutherland and Auston Barnes added 12 each.The Redbirds jumped out 8-2 and led 46-31 at the break, cruising through the second half.

EVANSTON—Illinois has been on the road for much of the past six weeks, so coach John Groce took it easy on his team for a couple days.A little rest went a long way.Kendrick Nunn had a career-high 25 points, including four straight free throws in the final 7.5 seconds, and Illinois held off Northwestern for a 72-67 victory on Wednesday night.

”I’ve been building up confidence throughout the season,” Nunn said.
Groce said the Illini had very little physical practice the past two days, and he noticed a big difference at the end of a difficult stretch of 10 road dates in 14 games.

”We rolled the dice a little bit, but I thought our guys played tonight, I mean they really did,” he said

Aaron Cosby added a season-high 19 points for the Illini (12-6, 2-3 Big Ten), which had lost three of four. Malcolm Hill and reserve Ahmad Starks finished with 10 points apiece. Northwestern (10-7, 1-3) shot 46 percent, compared to 42 percent for Illinois, and also enjoyed a 35-30 rebounding advantage. But the Wildcats still dropped their third consecutive game.Illinois turned Northwestern’s 11 turnovers into 14 points, and the Wildcats did not score off the Illini’s three turnovers.

”For us, I didn’t like our activity defensively,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. ”I thought we were in the right spots, but we have to be a lot more active. We need to be getting some more deflections.”

Bryant McIntosh had 16 points for NU, and Alex Olah finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots.

”I wasn’t as aggressive the past couple games and I wanted to change that,” Olah said. ”From now on, I need to be as aggressive – or more aggressive – than I was today.”

Nunn had a hand in two of the game’s flashiest plays on consecutive Illinois possessions in the second half. The Chicago native fed Nnanna Egwu for a big dunk, and then showed off his athleticism when he slammed home an alley-oop from Jaylon Tate for a 43-35 lead with 16:58 remaining.Nunn’s fourth 3-pointer made it 60-50 with 6:16 left, but the Illini were unable to put the Wildcats away. JerShon Cobb made two foul shots with 29 seconds left to get Northwestern within three.The Illini then called timeout and just managed to get the ball in to Cosby, who was short on the front end of a one-and-one. Tre Demps’ spinning layup trimmed Illinois’ lead to 66-65 with 12.2 seconds remaining, but Nunn made two free throws to make it a three-point game once again.

”That’s habits, practicing free throws. At the end of the game that was clutch,” Nunn said.

After McIntosh made two foul shots for Northwestern, Illinois threw the ball ahead to Nunn, who made two more free throws to make it 70-67 with 1.2 to go. The Wildcats then turned the ball over on the ensuing inbounds pass and Hill closed it out with two more foul shots.Cosby was 7 for 15 from the field, including a 4-for-8 performance from 3-point range. The junior transfer from Seton Hall had just 23 points on 7-for-33 shooting in his previous four games.

”The coaches and my teammates know what I’m capable of and I do, too,” Cosby said. ”I stayed confident through it all. I kind of worked on it. Tonight they fell.”

NOTES—Egwu blocked a shot in the first half to run his career total to 174, putting the 6-foot-11 senior in a tie with Derek Holcomb for third on the school list. The Illini record is 177 by Deon Thomas from 1991-94. … The Illini went 12 for 14 at the line…..It was Olah’s first double-double since he had 17 points and 10 rebounds in a 101-49 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 14. The 7-foot junior has four double-doubles for the season.

For all the talk about LeBron James going home and Derrick Rose returning, the Washington Wizards were easy to overlook at the start of the season.Not anymore.Paul Pierce had 22 points and the Washington Wizards beat the Bulls 105-99 on Wednesday night, despite Derrick Rose’s season-high 32.John Wall scored 10 of his 21 in the fourth quarter. Bradley Beal added 17, and the Wizards knocked off the Central division leaders for the second time in six days.They did it on the road this time after winning at home last week. And the latest victory over the Bulls comes after the Wizards knocked off defending champion San Antonio at home the previous night.Those are two impressive wins by a team that’s demanding attention after the Bulls and Cleveland got most of it in the Eastern Conference at the start of the season.The Bulls have lost 4 of 5.

”It was important for us,” Beal said. ”We say we want to be this elite team. We say we want to be one of the best teams in the East. You have to be able to beat a team that is also elite on the back-to-back, and that really speaks a lot for your team.”

Washington trailed by as much as 11 in the first half but outscored the Bulls 32-19 in the third to take a seven-point lead to the fourth. The Wizards hung on after the Bulls pulled within one, handing the Bulls their fourth loss in five games.Rose was at his best right from the start, scoring 17 in the first quarter and nailing a half-court heave at the end of the period. He hit a season-high six 3-pointers. But the Bulls were shaky on defense again and played the second half without Joakim Noah after he injured his right ankle.

”It is basketball. You can’t play this sport and be perfect,” Rose said. ”We’re just going through a little bit of adversity right now. But it seems like guys are trying their hardest and it’s just not going our way right now.”

Taj Gibson had just dunked to pull the Bulls within 83-82 when Kris Humphries put back a vicious one-hander off a miss by Rasual Butler to start a 12-3 run that bumped the lead back up to 10.Pierce capped that run with a 3-pointer to make it 95-85 with just over four minutes remaining.The Bulls were within six after Aaron Brooks nailed one from long range. Wall answered with a 3 of his own to make it 100-91 with 2:29 left. With the win, the Wizards took out another top team after ending a 17-game losing streak to the Spurs the previous night.

”That was a professional win,” coach Randy Wittman said. ”That’s being professional.”

Rose nailed three 3-pointers and hit 7 of 9 shots in a scorching first quarter as the Bulls built a 32-26 lead, and he ended it in spectacular fashion.He raced up the left side after Washington’s Kris Humphries hit two free throws and swished a heave from just inside the half-court line, the crowd roaring as the ball fell through the net.The Bulls lost Noah at the end of the half when he rolled his right ankle going for an offensive rebound. He came out for warmups, but Gibson started the third quarter in his place.
Coach Tom Thibodeau had no update on him after the game.”Tomorrow, we’ll see where he is,” Thibodeau said.

NOTES—Wizards Coach Randy Wittman wasn’t putting much stock in the Wizards beating the Bulls in the playoffs last season. After all, the Bulls did not have the injured Rose. Pau Gasol was still with the Lakers, and Nikola Mirotic was in Europe. ”It’s not the same cast of characters that’s we’ve played the last couple of years,” Wittman said…..Doug McDermott appears close to returning after being sidelined for six weeks by a right knee injury. A first-round draft pick, he has not played since Nov. 30. But Thibodeau said he could be back in ”three or four days, maybe something like that hopefully.” The Bulls visit Boston on Friday and host Atlanta on Saturday. … Mike Dunleavy Jr. missed his seventh straight game because of a sore right ankle.

Jarod Williams hit a pair of free throws with 2 seconds left after Detroit forced two turnovers, completing a late rally for a 69-68 win over UIC on Wednesday night.The Titans (9-9, 3-1 Horizon) erased a 13-point, second-half deficit, chipping away to tie the game at 63 after a layup by Chris Jenkins.Jay Harris answered with a 3-pointer for the Flames (5-14, 1-3) and Lance Whitaker sank two free throws for a 68-64 lead with 51 seconds left.Jenkins came up with a steal and dunked to make it 68-67 with 3 seconds remaining. UIC attempted a long inbounds pass, but turned it over and fouled in the process, setting up Williams for his go-ahead free throws.Paris Bass led Detroit with 19 points, Juwan Howard Jr. added 14 and Jenkins 13.Harris paced the Flames with 22 points and Jake Wiegand had 14.

Christian Thomas scored 16 points to lead Loyola to a 50-47 win over Drake on Wednesday night.Devon Turk had 12 points and Milton Doyle finished with seven assists for the Ramblers (13-4, 3-2 Missouri Valley). Thomas finished 7-of-11 shooting and Loyola made 21 of 41 from the field (51.2 percent), as Drake shot a mere 38.3 percent from the field.Gary Ricks Jr. finished with 24 points, including seven 3-pointers for the Bulldogs (3-14, 0-5). Drake out-rebounded the Ramblers 28-24.After Jacob Enevold Jensen’s layup gave Drake the one-point advantage with 4:24 to go, Christian Thomas and Milton Doyle connected on consecutive jumpers to put the Ramblers up 48-45 at the 2:29 mark.A jumper by Jordan Daniels about 30 seconds later cut Drake’s deficit to one, but Thomas converted a layup with 1:32 left and Loyola held on.Ricks missed a potential tying 3 with 2 seconds left.

ROSEMONT—D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera scored 25 points, including 6 of 8 free throws in the final minute, and Georgetown surged in the second half to beat DePaul 78-72 on Tuesday.The Hoyas (11-5, 3-2 Big East Conference) also got 11 points from Jabril Trawick and made 26 of 32 free throws.Myke Henry led DePaul (9-9, 3-2) with 17, Billy Garrett Jr. had 16, Jamee Crockett 12, and Aaron Simpson 11.Georgetown led 44-39 at halftime, but DePaul used a 14-5 second-half run to pull ahead 49-47.The Hoyas, after the 12th lead change and 12th tie, made seven straight free throws and Smith-Rivera added a layup and jumper to lead 70-60 with 3:42 left. Simpson pulled the Blue Demons within 72-68 with a long 3 with 17 seconds left, but Smith-Rivera iced it.Georgetown only made one field goal in the final four minutes, but went 8 of 12 from the line.

ARLINGTON—Ohio State can add the newest version of the national championship trophy to a case that already has a bunch of the old ones.The Buckeyes’ third-stringer matched Oregon’s Heisman winner as Cardale Jones led Ohio State past Marcus Mariota and the Ducks 42-20 in the first College Football Playoff national championship game Monday night at the $1.2 billion home of the Dallas Cowboys.Behind their bullish backup quarterback and the relentless running of Ezekiel Elliott, the Buckeyes (14-1) completed a remarkable in-season turnaround with a dominating performance against the Ducks (13-2).Ohio State earned its sixth national title since the start of the poll era in 1936, gaining ground on leaders Alabama, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and USC.

“The chase is complete,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said. “It’s done. It’s over. They accepted their final mission, their final assignment and their final directive, and they did it. That was our whole mantra this last couple of weeks. A job well done, and we’re very grateful.”

Ohio State began the first major college football playoff as the fourth and final seed, and as a team that faced questions about whether it belonged at all. It was a team that never would have had a chance to win a title under the old postseason system.No question about it now: Ohio State is the truest champion big-time football has ever crowned, showered by golden confetti as its band played “Hang on Sloopy” when the clock hit 0:00.Meyer’s Buckeyes overcame two injured Heisman contenders and one awful early season loss at home to Virginia Tech to win their first national title since 2002. Back then, the Bowl Championship Series decided the top team at the end of the season — usually.Before that, it was up to The Associated Press and coaches’ polls to sort out which team was best, with a little help from the bowls. The Buckeyes have three of those championships, too.And Meyer now has three, adding this one for his home state team to the two he won for Florida. He matches Alabama’s Nick Saban as the only coaches to win national championship at two schools. It’s taken just three seasons in Columbus for Meyer to put the Buckeyes — and the Big Ten — back on top, with a team that looks built to last.Elliott, a sophomore, was the offensive MVP and ran for 246 yards and four touchdowns on 36 carries. In the last three games against Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon, Elliott had 696 yards rushing.

“It was our dream. It came true,” Elliott said. “With all the stuff we went through to get here, it’s just crazy. It doesn’t feel real.”

Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott was the key to Ohio State’s national title win Monday night, putting up one of the best performances in a championship game since the start of the BCS era in 1998.Jones, who took over three games ago for the injured J.T. Barrett (who had taken over at the start of the season for the injured Braxton Miller), passed for 242 yards and a touchdown and ran for score. The 250-pound third-year sophomore proved he could keep up with Mariota — at least on this night.Mariota passed for 333 yards and two touchdowns, but the Ducks’ warp-speed spread offense missed too many red-zone opportunities and couldn’t unleash its running game against linebacker Darron Lee and an Ohio State front seven stacked with future NFL draft picks.

“We fought through a lot of stuff,” Mariota said. “We ended up short tonight, but that shouldn’t take away from what we were able to do this year.”

Even with the benefit of four Ohio State turnovers, the Ducks were held to their lowest point total of the season, four touchdowns below their average coming in.Oregon has done just about everything as it has blossomed into a national power over the last two decades, but it will likely continue the search for its first national championship without Mariota. Barring a major surprise, the junior is likely to turn pro — though he wouldn’t talk about his upcoming draft decision after the game.Elliott scored the game’s last three touchdowns, finishing off the rout with a 1-yarder with 28 seconds left.While Elliott slipped and darted through the Ducks, Jones pushed them around and shook them off.When Jones surged and spun his way into the end zone with 4:49 left in the second quarter it was 21-7 Ohio State and the O! H! I! O! chant made the dome in North Texas sound like the horseshoe in Columbus. The Ducks were facing their largest deficit of the season.If there was any concern that fans wouldn’t travel to the championship game in the new postseason system, the packed house at the home of the Dallas Cowboys, awash in Buckeyes’ scarlet and Ducks’ yellow, put that to rest. The crowd of 85,689 was as charged as any BCS national championship game.The Ducks’ fans awoke early in the third quarter.Ohio State was driving on the first possession of the second half toward more points when Jones’ pass bounced off Jalin Marshall’s chest and into the arms of Danny Mattingly for Ohio State’s third turnover. Unlike the first two Oregon takeaways, the Ducks turned this one into points in a hurry. Mariota hit Byron Marshall on a slant and he streaked 70 yards for a touchdown, barely breaking the goal line before nonchalantly dropping the ball.Moments later, another Ohio State turnover. Jones looked a little bit like Florida State’s Jameis Winston in the Rose Bowl as the ball just slipped from his hands trying to throw under pressure. Oregon recovered in deep in Ohio State deep territory.The Buckeyes held and this time the Ducks sent Aidan Schneider out to kick a 23-yard field goal to make it 21-20.In the first half Oregon, which goes on fourth down — especially near the goal line — more than most teams, passed on the field-goal attempt on fourth-and-goal from the 3 and Thomas Tyner was stopped a yard short of the goal line.Suddenly, an extra three points looked as if it could come in handy for the Ducks.But by the time Elliott went in from 2 yards out with 9:44 left in the fourth to make it 35-20, it was moot.The rest of the night turned into a Buckeyes Bash.

The Orlando Magic used their offense to earn a sorely needed win. Nikola Vucevic and Victor Oladipo each played a big role.Vucevic had 33 points and 11 rebounds, and the Magic snapped a six-game losing streak with a 121-114 victory over the Bulls on Monday night.Orlando (14-27) shot a season-high 59 percent from the field in its first win in the United Center since an 83-82 victory on Dec. 16, 2013. The Magic had lost three in a row and 12 of 15 against the Bulls since the start of the 2010-11 season.Oladipo also scored 33 points in Orlando’s highest scoring game of the season, and rookie Elfrid Payton added 10 points and seven assists.

”I guess the worm turned,” said Magic coach Jacque Vaughn, whose team failed to score more than 98 points in any game during the losing streak.We were very aggressive with our approach. Our pace was great.”
Vucevic was 16 for 24 from the field in his NBA-best 23rd double-double of the season. The terrific performance for the 7-foot center included a drive and left-handed dunk over forward Pau Gasol late in third period.

”I just wanted to get to the rim and finish strong,” Vucevic said. ”I got up high enough and I wanted to dunk it. I don’t do it very often, so I’m sure they were surprised.”

The Bulls (26-13) lost for the seventh time against teams currently with sub-500 records. Five of those losses were at home.

”Part of it is concentration, playing with a sense of urgency and an edge, just allowing teams to take off early in the game and having to fight back,” Gasol said.

While the Bulls have displayed a more efficient offense this season, coach Tom Thibodeau thinks they often lose sight of what makes them a playoff contender.

”If we’re just going to try to outscore people, we’re not going anywhere,” Thibodeau said. ”I know what doesn’t work. We’re going to have to bring a lot of intensity, and the only way to bring more intensity is to work harder. It’s really that simple.”

Gasol paced the Bulls with 28 points and 14 rebounds, and Derrick Rose had 18 points and seven assists. Jimmy Butler finished with 17 points.Rose was 8 for 15 from the field in his return to the lineup after missing Saturday night’s 95-87 victory over Milwaukee with left knee soreness.

”You can tell (Thibodeau) is frustrated, which he has every right to be,” Rose said. ”I wouldn’t say the guys are frustrated, but it’s irritating to lose these games and make these games harder than they (should be).”

Orlando carried a 93-78 lead into the fourth quarter, but managed only one free throw in the next 3 1/2 minutes. Reserves Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic led a comeback that got the Bulls within three with 2:16 to play. But Joakim Noah missed two free throws and Oladipo followed with a layup.The Magic jumped to a 63-55 halftime lead. They shot 61 percent in each of the first two quarters against the usually stout Bulls, who had ranked fourth in the NBA in field-goal percentage defense.The Bulls had no answer for Vucevic, who had 12 points, six rebounds and three assists in the first half. Orlando received a considerable boost from its bench, which scored 25 points in that span.It was Rose’s best shooting game since he was 7 for 14 from the field in a 113-93 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas. He shot 28 percent (36 for 129) in his previous seven games.”I got a new haircut, so who knows?” he said when asked about the turnaround. ”I’ve just been missing shots. It got nothin’ to do with (health). No excuses. I just been missing shots.”

NOTES—Ex-Bull Ben Gordon returned to Chicago, where he spent the first five seasons of his career. ”Played in some big games, hit some big shots,” said Gordon, who still has friends and family in the area. ”I’ve got a lot more good memories here than bad ones.” …..Mike Dunleavy reported improvement in his sore right ankle but still had not resumed running exercises. He isn’t likely to return until this weekend at the earliest. Tony Snell started in his place for the second consecutive game. … Rookie forward Doug McDermott (right knee surgery) also was inactive.

Playing on the eve of his 36th birthday, Marian Hossa looked like a much younger forward. Just call it his usual solid performance.Hossa, Bryan Bickell and Brad Richards each had a goal and an assist, leading the Blackhawks to a 4-1 victory over the sliding Minnesota Wild on Sunday night.Defenseman Johnny Oduya also scored and Corey Crawford had 36 saves as the Hawks rebounded from an ugly 5-2 loss at Edmonton on Friday night. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane added two assists apiece in the opener of a four-game homestand.Hossa’s tap-in goal in the first period was his ninth of the season and No. 473 for his career, moving him into a tie with former Blackhawks great Denis Savard and Alexander Mogilny for 50th on the NHL list. It was a nice way to celebrate another birthday for a winger who appears to be embracing his age in his 17th season.

”Maybe the number is higher, but I still feel good,” he said. ”That’s how I look at it.”

The weary Wild dropped their fifth consecutive game, including a 3-1 home loss to Nashville on Saturday night. Matt Cooke scored his third goal in the third period, and Niklas Backstrom had 31 saves in his third consecutive start.

”It just seems like everything that could go wrong is going wrong,” defenseman Ryan Suter said.

The Wild dropped to 18-18-5 and are 12th in the loaded 14-team Western Conference, but coach Mike Yeo is certain they can turn it around.

”I’m confident in what we’re capable of, but we have to better,” he said. ”So I’m not going to just sit around and hope that things are going to be better. We have to find a way to be better. We have to find a way to bring more to the rink every day.”

Trailing 2-0 in the second, Minnesota had a chance to get back in the game, but defenseman Nate Prosser’s shot went off the outside of the left post at 8:04. The Blackhawks then caught a break when Kane’s shot went off Prosser’s left skate and right to Richards, who beat Backstrom from the left side for his ninth goal.Wild forward Jason Zucker made a great move to draw a penalty shot with 3:43 left in the second, but he sent a backhand wide of the net and a trailing Oduya made it 4-0 at 18:25 when he jumped on a loose puck for his second goal.The Blackhawks (28-13-2) improved to 3-0 against the Wild this season with their second win over Minnesota in four days. Kane had a goal and two assists and Crawford made 42 saves in the Hawks 4-2 road win on Thursday night.Now the Blackhawks have four days off before they host Winnipeg on Friday night. Sunday’s win capped a stretch of five games in eight days.

”With the four days off here, at least we’re going away feeling better about ourselves than our recent couple of games,” coach Joel Quenneville said. ”I think we had such a busy stretch, it will be nice to get a breather here and get excited about our nice, busy stretch going into the All-Star break.”

Just like in its most recent matchup with Minnesota, the Blackhawks had a strong start.Brandon Saad made a nice cross-ice pass to an open Toews, who then played it across the goalmouth to Hossa for the easy score at 4:17 of the first. Kane then made a nifty dash through the Minnesota zone to set up Bickell for a 2-0 lead at 7:53.It was Bickell’s fifth goal in his last seven games and No. 9 on the season.

”As of late, it’s good. I need to stick with it,” he said. ”I need to repeat in my head what I’m doing to be successful and hopefully I can stick with it.”

NOTES—The Blackhawks improved to 15-0 when leading after two periods. … Wild D Marco Scandella missed his third consecutive game with an upper-body injury. Minnesota also scratched C Jordan Schroeder and D Justin Falk. … Blackhawks C Joakim Nordstrom was a healthy scratch after playing in the previous four games. F Kris Versteeg missed his fifth consecutive game with a left hand injury, and D Tim Erixon was a healthy scratch for the Hawks.