SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- A day after learning what it felt like to be humbled,
No.
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Virginia Commonwealth learned how to benefit from the experience. After being
virtually beaten at its own fast-paced style in a loss to Florida State, the
10th-ranked Rams found a way to win with their late-game toughness in a 73-67
victory over Long Beach State in the consolation bracket of the Puerto Rico
Tip-Off. Rob Brandenberg scored 19 points and helped ignite a rally that proved
to be too much for a 49ers team that lost its fifth straight game. The Rams
(4-1) trailed by eight early in the second half before reeling off that 13-0 run
to take back control. "I was just trying to stay aggressive and just try and
help my team any way I can," Brandenberg said of the spurt. "I realize that we
had to play with some urgency at that time. It worked out." The victory earned
the Rams a matchup Sunday with Georgetown, the team it beat in the second round
of the 2011 NCAA tournament to first land VCUs program on the national stage.
VCU had four players in double figures, including Juvonte Reddic with17 points
and 10 rebounds, and Briante Webber with 15 points. Rams coach Shaka Smart
called it a "hard-fought win." "I thought we responded well," Smart said. "Last
night was a humbling game. And thats a good thing. Losing not a good thing, but
its good to be humbled because it reminds you that you have a long way to go and
we have to get better. " Long Beach State handled VCUs pressure well at times,
committing only 10 turnovers. But it shot just 7 of 19 on 3-pointers. It was the
first of VCUs five opponents this season that didnt have at least 20 giveaways.
Branford Jones led Long Beach State (1-5) with 19 points and Mike Caffey added
15. But where VCUS defensive pressure failed it in the first half, the Rams
began to succeed in speeding up the 49ers in the final 20 minutes of the game.
It didnt always produce turnovers, but it did force Long Beach State into quick
shots. A string of misses triggered the 13-0 spurt that put the Rams up 55-50
with under 12 minutes to play. Long Beach State coach Dan Monson said it was a
run they didnt have an answer for. "I thought we controlled the tempo and were
able to dictate the tempo for 35 minutes," Monson said. "Thats all it took, just
that two or three minutes against a team that dangerous, that explosive. Our
margin for error was very small and we used it in that three-minute thing and we
couldnt get a rebound or that next play to get us back in it." Long Beach State
got the lead back at 58-57 on a 3-pointer by A.J. Spencer, but another quick
burst by the Rams put them back in front 68-60 with 2:45 remaining. A 3-pointer
from the wing by Jones and another 3 by Caffey with 16.5 seconds left cut it to
72-67. Long Beach State was aggressive in the opening 20 minutes and led 36-35
at the break. Both teams were up and down the floor in a half that featured nine
ties and eight lead changes. The 49ers werent intimidated by the Rams pressure
and turned it over only three times. VCU was shakier with the ball with six
giveaways. The Rams were just 14 for 31 from the field, but had five 3s to keep
pace. Smart said he likes the direction his team is trending in during its stay
in San Juan. "Our guys are only human and theres been a lot of things said about
them the last couple of months. Then they get that little number next to their
name," he said. "But theres a process that goes into winning and theres a
process into getting better. And I think last night reminded us of that. "The
way we responded tonight was pretty good."
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Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan
State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way
to the locker room.
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Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer,
which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner.
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. On Mar. 16, coming off a "fight of the year" performance at UFC 154 the
previous November, St-Pierre faced Nick Diaz at UFC 158 in what would be his
eighth defence of the welterweight title. Using his superior athleticism,
St-Pierre cruised to a five round, unanimous decision victory setting up a
much-anticipated title defence against number one contender Johny Hendricks.With
Serie A kicking off on Saturday, TSN.ca asks five burning questions heading into
a season that will see the new signings at Napoli and Fiorentina try to prevent
Juventus from hanging on to the Scudetto. How will Carlos Tevez fare at the Old
Lady? Title holders Juventus begin their title defence with a new look first
choice strike pairing to head their offence, one now very deep at forward.
Spanish international Fernando Llorente comes over from Athletic Bilbao after
signing a pre-contract agreement in January. Partnering him will be Argentine
international Carlos Tevez. In the past few seasons, Tevez has found his name in
the headlines just as often for actions off the pitch as he has on. The
notoriously mercurial former West Ham and Manchester United man comes to Italy
after an acrimonious four-year spell with Manchester City that saw a falling out
with manager Roberto Mancini lead to a decreased role with the first team. For
their part, the Bianconeri and manager Antonio Conte dont foresee previous
attitude issues rearing their heads in Torino, going so far as to handing Tevez
Alessandro Del Pieros iconic No. 10 shirt. Make no mistake, Carlos Tevez is not
anticipated to cut anything close to the talismanic figure of the legendary Del
Piero, but the Argentine must understand quickly the significance of the shirt
and conduct himself in a manner befitting of it. If Tevez were to misfire, the
likes of the in-form Mirko Vucinic, Sebastian Giovinco, Fabio Quagliarella and
Alessandro Matri (if the latter two arent sold) will be chomping at the bit for
more playing time. The quality of Carlos Tevez has never been in doubt. The
question has always been and still remains whether or not that quality outweighs
the headaches that come along with it. Goals will be expected from Tevez, but so
will be proper comportment. This enfant terrible will need to become a man. Is
Napoli ready to take the next step? Napolis summer began with departures, but
since then, its been all about additions. For the second straight offseason,
Napoli sold the man perceived to be its best player to moneybags Paris
St-Germain. Last years runners-up sold Serie As Capocannoniere winner (leading
goal scorer) Uruguayan international Edinson Cavani to PSG, who will join former
teammate Ezequiel Lavezzi in the French capital. Manager Walter Mazzarri also
left the club to take the reins to the rebuilding project going on at Inter. But
then Napoli opened the doors, first installing Champions League and Europa
League-winning manager Rafael Benitez at the helm of the club and then making a
triple swoop from Real Madrid, bringing in strikers Gonzalo Higuain and Jose
Callejon, as well as defender Raul Albiol. The club also turned to the
Eridivisie to add to its attacking contingent through PSV Eindhovens pacey
Belgian international winger Dries Martens. Benitez then secured a familiar face
in goaltender Pepe Reina on loan from Liverpool. The club also wrapped up an
extension for star midfielder Marek Hamsik, locking the Slovakian international
up until 2018. Expectations will be high for Napoli this season both
domestically and in Europe with a Champions League appearance on the horizon.
With increased depth almost across the board, the club should have no trouble
spearheading both campaigns and look to be the biggest obstacle in Juves way of
a third-consecutive Scudetto. Which new coach will have the greatest impact?
This was the summer of coaching turnover across Europe with giants like
Manchester United (David Moyes,) Barcelona (Gerardo Martino) and Bayern Munich
(Pep Guardiola) all featuring new gaffers manning their respective touchline.
All in all, there are 21 new managers in the big four European leagues with five
of them in Serie A including Benitez at Napoli. Elsewhere, former Palermo
manager Giuseppe Sannino takes over at Chievo. Fabio Liverani became the first
player of African-descent to play for the national team in 2001 and he is now
the first African manager in Serie A at Genoa. Hoping to replicate the success
he had at Lille, including winning the Ligue 1 title in 2011, Rudi Garcia makes
his Italian bow at Roma. The highest profile appointment, though, is Walter
Mazzarri heading to the San Siro to take over from Andrea Stramaccioni at Inter
after four seasons at Napoli, where he brought the club back to relevance.
Mazzarri will have his hands full with the Nerazzurri, a team coming off a
horribly disappointing ninth-place finish in a season ravaged by injury. Diego
Milito, Rodrigo Palacio and Dejan Stankovic headed the list of players missing
significant time in a season that saw Inter lose 16 matches and cost
Stramacccioni his job.
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Massimo Morrattis trigger finger is notoriously itchy with this now Inters
seventh managerial hire in only five seasons, meaning that Mazzarri will need to
hit the ground running. The transition could be a bumpy one, though, as he
likely attempts to institute a 3-5-2 to a side that has had little success with
that formation in recent years. But Mazzarri - having never been fired in his
Serie A managerial career - has a track record that speaks for itself and should
be able to put his mark on the 18-time Italian champions, led by burgeoning star
Mateo Kovacic, if given the time. Can two former Azzurri stars replicate past
success with new clubs? Everyone loves a good comeback story and there are a
couple of fascinating narratives to watch out for in Serie A with two former
national team players looking to reestablish themselves in time for next summers
World Cup in Brazil. The fact that Antonio Cassano is about to embark on his
15th professional season is a small miracle in itself. Less than two years
removed from heart surgery, the diminutive forward finds himself playing for his
fourth team in five years as he joins Parma after a season at Inter. Cassano has
cut a controversial figure over the course of his career, including high profile
clashes with coaches both at the club and international level, but his skill and
ability to finish are undeniable. Left off Italys Confederations Cup roster
earlier this summer, Cassano hopes that a solid showing on a side looking to
break out of the mid-table will put him back in the Azzurri conversation.
Roberto Donadonis Parma might be the perfect situation for Cassano to reassert
himself. Parma scored only 45 goals last season with just Amauri reaching double
figures. Not only could Parma sorely use Cassanos nose for the net, but Cassano
will want to prove to Donadoni - the man who named Cassano to the Azzurris 2008
Euro team, but left him off of the 2010 World Cup team - that he still has
plenty left in the tank. Fiorentinas Giuseppe Rossi is also looking for a fresh
start, having lost the better part of the last two seasons with ACL injuries.
Signing a pre-contract agreement with the Viola in January and coming over from
Villarreal, the American-born Italian international will be making his first
appearance in Serie A since playing 19 games for Parma in 2007 while on loan
from Manchester United. Rossi tallied 32 goals in 56 matches for Villarreal in
2010-11 before getting hurt and hopes that a return to full fitness will mean a
return to bulging the twine for Fiorentinas new look forward contingent. Last
years leading scorer, Stefan Jovetic, is now plying his trade for Manchester
City and second-leading scorer Adem Llajics long term future is up in the air
with Milan sniffing around the Serbian international all summer. Rossi joins
German international Mario Gomez up front, as Vincenzo Montellas side looks to
build on last seasons fourth-place finish and push for the Scudetto. How will
Mario Balotelli react to being the man? Mario Balotelli finally has the chance
to be the man for AC Milan. For the first time in his career, Balotelli will be
an out-and-out first choice player, no longer having to fight for playing time
and grouse about being left on the bench. Its not unfair to suggest that much of
Milans title contention hopes are riding squarely on the back of the enigmatic
Italian international and Balotelli wouldnt have it any other way. Balotelli,
along with Stephan El-Shawaary and the newly signed Andrea Poli, is among the
young core of Massimiliano Allegris third-place finishers last season who, like
their eternal rivals Inter, are in the midst of a transitional period. With
stalwart captain Massimo Ambrosini now with the Viola, Allegri would like
nothing more than his young players to display maturity beyond their years under
new captain Riccardo Montolivo. Just as capable of flashes of sheer brilliance
as he as sheer stupidity, the full scope of the 23-year-olds talents has yet to
be put on full display and with the Rossoneris quiet summer and relative lack of
transfer activity, there would be no better time for them to emerge. As
Balotelli goes, so does Milan. A strong year for the Palermo native entering his
first full season at Milan and the Rossoneri can expect to be fighting for a
Champions League spot in the spring. If Balotelli falls back into his old habits
of petulance and selfishness, the gap between Milan and the likes of Juve,
Napoli and Fiorentina might just be too great without Super Marios full,
concerted effort. Predicted finish: 1. Juventus 2. Napoli 3. Fiorentina 4. AC
Milan
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