David Butler II/US PresswireDid you miss an incredible day of basketball because you were you out of town for the long weekend on MLK Day? No problem, we watched them all and have the worn-out remote to prove it.
Men's college basketball: And then there were three: undefeated teams in college basketball, that is. No. 4 Pitt beat previously unbeaten No. 3 Syracuse, 74-66, in a great game at Pittsburgh. It's the Panthers' first 6-0 Big East start in school history. ... What a game in Storrs, as Villanova's Corey Fischer and UConn's Kemba Walker put on a show. Walker eventually stole the show when he hit the game-winner floater with 2.5 seconds left in No. 8 UConn's thrilling 61-59 win over No. 7 Villanova, handing the Wildcats their first Big East loss of the season. ... Missouri handled visiting Kansas State, 74-59, closing the game on a 17-4 run. ... Finally, No. 2 Kansas did manage to stay unbeaten with an 85-65 win at Baylor.
Women's college basketball: Behind 29 points from Tiffany Hayes and 26 from Maya Moore, No. 2 UConn (17-1) rolled over No. 11 North Carolina (16-2) at Chapel Hill, 83-57. The Huskies have dominated the Tar Heels, winning four straight meetings, the last three by a combined 97 points.
NBA: Russell Westbrook put on a clinic (32 points, 12 assists), but it wasn't enough as the Lakers beat the Thunder 101-94, in a Western Conference showdown. ...The Blake Griffin show continued as the Clippers' rookie scored an NBA season high 47 points in a 114-107 win over the Pacers. ... Despite Amar'e Stoudemire's season-high 41 points for the Knicks, Phoenix snapped a six-game road losing streak in NY with a 129-121 win. ... Kevin Garnett rejoined the Celtics in a big way, scoring 19 in Boston's 109-106 win over the Magic.
Australian Open: Top seed Rafael Nadal easily advanced after his opponent retired in the second set....Others to advance were (5) Andy Murray, (5) Samantha Stosur and (20) John Isner. I am a night owl, but even I could not stay up for the 3 a.m. matches.
