Miami makes NCAA return with 78-49 win vs Pacific

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Shane Larkin is sharing a special season with all those Miami seniors.

Larkin, the sophomore who is the only non-senior starter for the Hurricanes and the ACC player of the year, had 10 points and matched his career high with nine assists as No. 2 seed Miami beat Pacific 78-49 in the East Regional on Friday.

Playing their first NCAA tourney game in five years, the Hurricanes (28-6) took control with a 14-0 run midway through the first half. They went on to their most-lopsided victory ever in the tournament.

Durand Scott had 21 points with five 3-pointers for the Hurricanes, who already have four wins more than they ever had before. Reggie Johnson had seven points and 10 rebounds.

Second-year Miami coach Jim Larranaga took mid-major George Mason to the NCAA Final Four in 2006. That makes him the only ACC coach not at Duke or North Carolina to take a program that far - and he might be able to do it again, with his own ACC team.

The Hurricanes will play Sunday against Colorado or Illinois.

Pacific (22-13), the California team that played its last game for retiring longtime coach Bob Thomason, was no match for the Atlantic Coast Conference's regular season and tournament champions.

Thomason had said last year that his 25th season at his alma mater would be his last. The Tigers gave Thomason a 20-point win over Big West Conference regular-season champion Long Beach State in his final home game, then won the league tournament for his fifth NCAA appearance.

Travis Fulton had 18 points on six 3s for the Tigers, while Khalil Kelley had 11 points and nine rebounds.

After Kelley's three-point play with 14:35 left in the first half got the Tigers within 8-7, they went more than 7 minutes before scoring again.

Even though Larkin had a tough shooting day (2 of 8), he was in the middle of everything the Hurricanes did.

After a shot-clock violation that was one of only three turnovers by Miami before halftime, Larkin got the Hurricanes on a roll.

Larkin hit two free throws to start the Miami run, then had an alley-oop pass to Tonye Jekiri before scoring on a driving layup off the glass while being fouled and making another free throw.

Miami stretched the lead to 22-7 before Kelley's dunk with 7:19 left finally ended the run.

On consecutive possessions in the second half, Larkin made passes and was already holding up three fingers before Scott's 3-pointers had cleared the rim. The second around the 12-minute mark made it 59-29.

The Hurricanes were up by as much as 40-16 when Erik Swoope made two free throws with 6 seconds to go in the half. He was fouled while going up in the air in traffic trying to catch another alley-oop pass from Larkin.

Markus Duran swished a 3-pointer at the buzzer for Pacific, but the game was already well out of reach.

Thomason finished at Pacific with a 437-321 record.

Colorado takes on Illinois in NCAA tournament opener

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- For 50 years, Colorado could usually be dismissed as a program floating around the backwaters of college basketball.

Since coach Tad Boyle arrived in 2010, Colorado sure looks like a program on the rise.

Boyle has led Colorado to the NCAA tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1962-63, and the No. 10-seed Buffs (21-11) are a trendy early-round upset pick when they face No. 7 seed Illinois (22-12) on Friday in the East Regional.

''We're the pretty girl right now,'' Colorado forward Spencer Dinwiddie said Thursday. ''Everybody wants to pick us.''

Colorado wouldn't have been anyone's pick until Boyle arrived from Northern Colorado. Since then, the Buffaloes have averaged 23 wins. Last season they stormed through the Pac-12 tournament to win an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, then snagged an opening-round win over UNLV. Energized by that experience, Colorado earned an at-large bid to this season's NCAA tournament after a solid 10-8 finish in the Pac-12.

Everything, Dinwiddie said, is going just like Boyle promised.

''When coach was recruiting me, he talked about wanting to build Colorado into a perennial Top 25 program. I think you see the strides that we're making toward that,'' Dinwiddie said. ''And we are just going to get better.''

Boyle, a former Kansas player, is building Colorado's foundation on players like Dinwiddie, a forward from California who led the team in scoring, and Texan Andre Roberson, the Pac-12 defensive player of the year who ranks second nationally in rebounds with 11.3 per game.

Roberson grew up in San Antonio, about 75 miles south of Austin, and was passed over by the major programs in the Lone Star State until he had already decided to take his game to the Rocky Mountains.

''I was kind of a late bloomer. The Texas schools didn't come in until late,'' Roberson said. ''I took it as a sign of disrespect.''

For Boyle, attracting talent like Roberson and Dinwiddie took making a hard sell on what Colorado could be, not what it had been. Colorado had been to the NCAA tournament just 10 times between 1940 and 2011.

''We sell the opportunity to come and make your mark on a program and leave your stamp on a program and build a legacy,'' Boyle said.

Comparing basketball pedigrees with Illinois isn't even close. The Illini have been to the NCAA tournament 30 times, 11 since 2000. Illinois missed last season's tournament but returns with a senior-laden lineup under first-year coach John Groce.

The Illini burst through a 12-0 start that included winning the Maui Invitational and a win over Gonzaga, the team that entered the NCAA tournament at the top seed in the West Region and ranked No. 1.

The schedule got much tougher when the Big Ten season started in January. After a 2-7 start in league play, Illinois rallied to an 8-10 finish and enter the NCAA tournament having lost three of their last four games.

The mid-season slide brought out a lot of ''doubters and haters,'' Groce said. ''They stayed the course. I appreciate the way they fought.''

With that kind of up-and-down season, Illinois players displayed little of the positive energy Colorado did during the teams' pregame NCAA news conferences Thursday.

Dinwiddie talked about the momentum surrounding the Colorado program and the chase to ''win it all.'' Illinois guard D.J. Richardson noted Friday's game ''could possibly be our last'' and the team wants to ''come out and fight and have fun.''

While that could come across as a sense of doom from Illini players, it could also be a quiet confidence from a team that had to slug its way through the nation's toughest conference to get here.

''We know we can play with anybody in this tournament,'' Illinois forward Tyler Griffey said. ''We have had some big moments and big games and big wins, but we have had some low points too. I think we have learned from all of those experiences and we are going to use them to our advantage.''

U.S. Men Play World Cup Qualifier

The United Stats Men's National Team plays Costa Rica at Dick's Sporting Goods Park tonight in a World Cup qualifying match. The U.S. lost 2-1 in its first qualifying game for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The Americans are currently last out of six nations in the table with zero points through one game. Honduras is the only team with three points. The top three teams in the fourth round advance to Brazil, while the fourth team advances to a intercontinental playoff for a chance to play on soccer's biggest stage.

Rockies Rip Giants

Wilin Rosario lifted a two-run homer to help the Rockies roll the Giants, 10-4. Charlie Culberson added a pair of RBI for Colorado. Drew Pomeranz gave up three runs in five innings for the win. The Rockies host the Giants and are at the Rangers today in a pair of split squad contests.

Buffs Battle Illinois

The Colorado Buffaloes battle the Illinois Fighting Illini today in Austin, Texas for a second round matchup in the NCAA Tournament. The Buffaloes are 21-and-11, while the Illini are 22-and-12. The winner moves on to play second-seeded Miami-Florida or 15th-seeded Pacific.

Rams Roll Tigers

Dorian Green posted 28 points as the eighth-seeded Colorado State Rams rolled the ninth-seeded Missouri Tigers 84-72 in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament. Greg Smith and Jon Octeus each had 12 points for Colorado State, which outrebounded Mizzou 36-to-18. The Rams will play top-seeded Louisville on Saturday.

Nuggets Continue Win Streak Against 76ers

Anthony Randolph blocked Damien Wilkins' jumper as time expired to help the Nuggets win their 14th straight game with a 101-100 victory over the 76ers. The win clinches a postseason spot for Denver. Corey Brewer hit three free throws to put Denver ahead with two seconds left and finished with 29 points and five steals. Andre Miller added 21 points and eight assists in place of the injured Ty Lawson. Lawson missed the game with a heel injury. The Nuggets improved to 48-and-22. Philadelphia blew an eight-point lead with 1:52 left in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets host the Kings on Saturday.

Ravens Offer DE Dumervil Contract

The Ravens are offering defensive end Elvis Dumervil a contract. The Denver Post reports the Super Bowl champions sent the deal to the free agent. The 29-year-old was cut by the Broncos last week after he did not fax his restructured deal to Denver by Friday's deadline. He was expected to take a four-million-dollar salary cut to eight-million this year. The Broncos paid Dumervil 14-million-dollars each of the last two seasons. The Louisville product registered 11 sacks and 54 tackles in 16 games last season.

Nuggets go for 14th straight win

While the reigning NBA champs continue to dominate the headlines, the Denver Nuggets are putting together a remarkable run of their own.

The Nuggets go for a 14th consecutive victory and 16th in a row at home Thursday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, losers of 14 straight on the road.

One night after escaping with a 119-118 overtime win at Chicago, Denver (47-22) made an even bigger statement with Tuesday's 114-104 victory at Oklahoma City. Ty Lawson led the way with 25 points and Andre Miller added 20, nine assists and seven rebounds off the bench as the Nuggets snapped the Thunder's 20-game home winning streak against Western Conference teams.

"It's cool. I'm sure a lot of people didn't think we would get this game, but we talked about having some pride, working hard and practicing," said Miller, who celebrated his 37th birthday Tuesday. "We put in a lot of work to get to this point, so at least we came out and gave a good effort and it paid off."

The Nuggets' winning streak is their longest since joining the NBA in 1976-77, and the third-longest by any team this season behind Miami's current 24-game run and the Los Angeles Clippers' 17-game streak. Denver won a franchise-record 15 straight in the ABA in 1969-70.

"I don't know where it ranks in NBA history, but it's a good run," said coach George Karl, whose team is in the mix with Memphis and the Clippers for third place in the West. "I don't want to get too happy about it because we have a job to do and we have a challenge. It's to move in to get home court. There's no question that the brand of basketball that we're playing is growing and maturing, and our confidence is growing with it."

Tied with Miami for the NBA's best home record at 30-3, Denver has to like its chances of keeping things going against the 76ers (26-41), who have been limited to an average of 87.6 points during their current road skid.

The Nuggets, meanwhile, are averaging 110.8 points during their 15-game home win streak.

Philadelphia's current road slide is its longest since dropping a franchise-worst 20 straight in 1987-88. It is a league-worst 2-22 on the road since Dec. 1.

The 76ers, though, have taken four of five in the series, including a season-opening 84-75 home win. The Sixers, who sent Andre Iguodala to Denver as part of a four-team trade in August, held him to 11 points on 5-of-13 shooting that night.

Philadelphia had posted back-to-back wins before getting blown out 101-72 by the Clippers in the opener of a four-game trip Wednesday. The 76ers shot just 36.7 percent and turned the ball over 20 times.

"We were hanging around for a while, but turnovers were really the deciding factor,'' 76ers coach Doug Collins said.

Averaging a team-best 18.6 points, Jrue Holiday finished with a season-low two on 1-of-8 from the field. He had averaged 25.0 on 50.0 percent shooting over the previous three games.

The 76ers will likely need to contain the Nuggets in the lane if they hope to keep up Thursday. Denver is averaging a league-leading 58.0 points in the paint, 19.6 more than Philadelphia's mark.

"That's what they do. They get up and down the court," Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant said. "Those guys run off of makes, misses of course and turnovers, but they continually run and pass the ball well and they score a lot in the paint."

NFL Owners Approve Helmet Rule, Eliminate Tuck Rule

(Phoenix, AZ) -- NFL owners are approving a pair of noteworthy rule changes. It will now be a penalty if an offensive player leads with the crown of his helmet when outside the tackle box. The league is also getting rid of the infamous tuck rule. According to NFL Network, both rule changes passed by an overwhelming margin.

CSU begins title quest tonight, CU starts tomorrow

The madness truly begins now.

Colorado State has its first game in the men's NCAA Tournament tonight at 7:20. The Rams have the eighth seed in the Midwest Region. They play ninth-seeded Missouri at Rupp Arena in Lexington.

For CU, the anxiety that comes with anticipation continues. The Buffaloes hold the tenth seed in the East Region. They play seventh-seeded Illinois in Austin at 2:40 tomorrow.

CU's women's team must wait even longer to begin play in the NCAA Tournament. The Buffaloes have the fifth seed in the Norfolk Region. They host twelfth-seeded Kansas on Saturday at 4:40.

Meanwhile, Denver's men's basketball team has a big game tonight. The Pioneers visit Maryland in the second round of the NIT at 5 p.m.

Ostrow powers Eagles past Aces

Kyle Ostrow scored twice to lead the Colorado Eagles over the Alaska Aces last night at Budweiser Events Center four to two. Michael Forney and Chad Costello each had a pair of assists and Adam Brown made twenty-four saves for the Eagles. The teams play again tomorrow and Saturday in Loveland.

Avs edge Stars

Chuck Kobasew scored the go-ahead goal with 3:29 left in regulation as the Avalanche edged the Dallas Stars 4-3 at Pepsi Center last night. Mark Olver had a goal and two assists, and Ryan O'Reilly and Gabriel Landeskog also lit the lamp for the Avs. They snapped a four-game losing streak. Semyon Varlamov made 28 saves in the win.

Lawson, Wilson have minor injuries

Currently the hottest team in the NBA this side of South Beach, the Denver Nuggets may be undermanned in coming days as Ty Lawson and Wilson Chandler deal with minor injuries. Riding a 13-game win streak, the team announced the news Wednesday.

Lawson suffered a bruised heel in Tuesday night's game against Oklahoma City Thunder, while a recent MRI revealed Chandler has first-degree joint separation in his left shoulder. X-rays came back negative on Chandler, a positive sign on the severity of the injury.

Both players are officially listed as day-to-day.

Arguably Denver's most important player, Lawson has missed just one game this season as he's led the team to contention. The Nuggets beat the Clippers by 14 points on New Year's Day despite his absence, which was the result of a sore Achilles tendon.

With the Nuggets still embroiled in a competitive race for seeding in the West, detailed by Denver Stiffs, SB Nation's Nuggets blog, getting healthy will be of major importance.

Denver's next game is Thursday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sacramento Kings will visit the Pepsi Center on Saturday.

Avs host Stars tonight

The Dallas Stars ended an ugly losing streak - and a severe offensive slump - their last time out, earning a crucial win in their battle to make the playoffs.

They may have a good chance to make it two in a row Wednesday night when they visit the sliding and defensively challenged Colorado Avalanche, losers of three straight at home.

Dallas (13-12-3) defeated Calgary 4-3 on Monday, ending a four-game skid in which it was outscored 16-3. The Stars were coming off an 8-1 home defeat to Chicago on Saturday.

"It was a big win. I thought we clawed our way a little bit to the surface here, we still got a few feet to go," coach Glen Gulutzan said. "We were doing simple things to win the game, our leadership was real good throughout. We have to continue with that mindset."

Gulutzan's team is just outside the extremely crowded playoff picture in the Western Conference, in which every spot from third through eighth is very much in play.

Loui Eriksson scored twice for the Stars and Kari Lehtonen, making his eighth straight start, made 16 saves. Lehtonen did enough to hold off the Flames, who nearly erased the Stars' 3-0 lead after the first period with two goals in the second.

"Every game is huge right now, the race is so tight," Lehtonen said. "It's an exciting time to be a hockey player and we just have to build on this."

Facing the Avalanche (10-14-4) may provide the perfect opportunity to do so. Dallas has struggled to maintain offensive consistency, but Colorado has dropped a season-high four straight while allowing 20 goals.

The Avalanche lost 5-2 to the Blackhawks on Monday to fall into last place in the West, two points behind the Flames.

"It's been a tough week no doubt. But we're the guys that dug ourselves this hole," said captain Gabriel Landeskog, who scored the first short-handed goal of his career in the opening period. "We've got to dig ourselves out of it. We win together and we lose together. That's the way it is."

Colorado had allowed 11 goals in the five games prior to the losing streak.

"Tonight was a pretty good display of one team playing with lots of confidence and the other team didn't. ... Somehow we need to get it back," forward Milan Hejduk said. "We are in the hole right now and we have to get out of it. Next chance Wednesday night against Dallas."

Landeskog has scored one goal in each of his last three games. Leading scorer Matt Duchene extended his point streak to four Monday and has five goals and seven assists in his past seven contests.

Dallas took the first meeting of the season with Colorado 3-2 on Feb. 4 for its second straight road victory in the series. Jamie Benn had two goals and an assist while Lehtonen made 29 saves.

Lehtonen has given up two goals in five of his last six starts against the Avalanche, going 4-2-0.

The Feb. 4 win began a 6-2-1 road stretch for the Stars. The Avs have allowed 15 goals during their three-game home skid.

DU men's basketball nets first-ever playoff win

They exited the WAC Tournament abruptly and didn't get an invite to dance in March Madness. However, the DU Pioneers plan to keep playing through the postseason in another tournament.

DU's sophomore guard Cam Griffin recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds on Tuesday night, as the Pioneers defeated Ohio 61-57 in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament at Magness Arena.

The victory was DU's first-ever in the postseason, and the Pioneers (22-9) will now advance to take on Maryland in the NIT Second Round in College Park, Md., on Thursday at 5 p.m. MT.

Former Highlands Ranch star Brett Olson had 15 points and three steals, 10 of which came in the second half, and junior Chris Udofia scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, and blocked three shots, including one with a one-point lead with 21 seconds remaining.

"I thought it was a very good college basketball game, a great postseason game with two good teams," head coach Joe Scott said. "Ohio has such a veteran team, which is something I kept stressing to our guys. We tried to use that as a positive for us, instead of shying away from it. We told our guys, they have been here and done it, we need that experience they have. We were in a fight with them all night, and I thought our guys responded really well."

CU women keep working towards tourney opener Saturday

Colorado's women's basketball team continues preparing for its N-C-Double-A Tournament opener. The Buffaloes have the fifth seed in the Norfolk Region. They play twelfth-seeded Kansas at the Coors Events Center on Saturday at four-forty. The winner of this game plays in Boulder on Monday against either fourth-seeded South Carolina or thirteenth-seeded South Dakota State.

Eagles take on Aces tonight

In the E-C-H-L tonight, the Eagles host the Alaska Aces at Budweiser Events Center at seven-oh-five. This marks the first of three straight games between the two teams in Colorado.

Rockies Hold Down Royals

(Surprise, AZ) -- Juan Nicasio allowed one run over five innings as the Rockies dropped the Royals, 7-2. Corey Dickerson had a pair of doubles and two RBI for Colorado. Nolan Arenado went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs. The Rox have today off. They face the Giants in Scottsdale tomorrow night.

Rapids Prepare For Galaxy

(Commerce City, CO) -- The Rapids continue to train this week for Saturday night's road match with the LA Galaxy. Colorado is seeking its first win of the season after grabbing its first point last week with a 1-1 draw against Real Salt Lake. The Rapids are 0-2-and-1 on the campaign. Saturday's match starts at 8:30.

Buffs Prepare For Illinois

(Austin, TX) -- Colorado is getting set for its first NCAA Tournament game against Illinois. The tenth-seeded Buffaloes battle the seventh-seeded Fighting Illini on Friday from Austin, Texas at 2:40. The winner advances to play either second-seeded Miami-Florida or 15th-seeded Pacific in the next round on Sunday.

Avs Host Stars Tonight

(Denver, CO) -- The Avalanche host the Dallas Stars at Pepsi Center this evening. Colorado dropped its fourth straight on Monday night with a loss to the Blackhawks. The Avs are now 10-14-and-4 and sit last in the West, six points out of the eighth and final playoff spot. The Stars are 13-12-and-3 this year. Tonight's game starts at 7:30.

Wilson Chandler Hurt As Nuggets Win

(Oklahoma City, OK) -- The Nuggets' 13th straight win could have come at a price. ESPN reports that swingman Wilson Chandler suffered a separated left shoulder in the fourth quarter. Chandler scored nine points in 23 minutes before departing, one night after dropping a career-high 35 points against the Bulls. His status is currently up in the air.

Nuggets Roll Thunder, Run Streak To 13 Games

Ty Lawson posted 25 points as the Nuggets grabbed a 114-104 win over the Thunder in Oklahoma City. Kenneth Faried added 13 points and 15 rebounds for Denver, which handed OKC just its fifth home loss of the season in 35 games. The Nuggs moved to 47-and-22 with their 13th straight win. Denver hosts the 76ers tomorrow night.

Broncos, Ravens Both In On Dumervil

Broncos EVP John Elway says the team has made a contract offer to defensive end Elvis Dumervil. Elway would not go into details about the proposal. The 29-year-old Dumervil was released last week due to a clerical error and is now a free-agent. The "Denver Post" reports that the Baltimore Ravens are also negotiating a deal with Dumervil.