Sean Deveney assesses
the deadline potential
for Celtics star, Page 30
BEN MARGOT / AP
Giants P Tim Lincecum
Who dat in MLB?
Five teams that could end a
championship drought to rival the
Saints, and why:
1. Giants. Nobody pitches better.
2. Cubs. 83 wins in ‘09—even with Milton Bradley.
3. Rangers. Game’s best set of 21-year-olds, SS Elvis Andrus
and righthander Neftali Feliz.
4. Mariners. 1-2 (Ichiro-Figgins) plus 1-2 (Hernandez-Lee)
equal big trouble for opponents.
5. Brewers. Improved pitching to support already-potent
offense.
TUESDAY
FEBRUARY 9, 2010
SEE A DIFFERENT GAME
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 202
Before Drew Brees could head back
to the Big Easy, he paraded through
Disney World. For more from the
Super Bowl MVP, Page 9.
NO. 1 KANSAS 80, NO. 14 TEXAS 68
Look out for No. 1
Jayhawks tighten grip
on top-ranked status
—Stan McNeal
More on Series droughts, Page 26
Scoreboard
College Basketball
Men’s Top 25
No. 1 Kansas 80, No. 14 Texas 68
No. 4 Villanova 82, No. 5 West Virginia 75
No. 18 Butler 62, Loyola, Chicago 47
No. 25 Pittsburgh 77, Robert Morris 53
NBA
Orlando 123, New Orleans 117
Dallas 127, Golden State 117
L. A. Lakers 101, San Antonio 89
NHL
San Jose 3, Toronto 2
Philadelphia 3, New Jersey 2
Colorado 5, St. Louis 2
Phoenix 6, Edmonton 1
Anaheim 4, Los Angeles 2
AUS TIN, TEXAS—Nobody wants to
be No. 1. There is no dominant
team. This will be the most
wide-open NCAA Tournament in
years.
You’ve heard all this, no doubt,
and so have the Kansas Jayhawks.
Top-ranked
KU ( 23-1) played
The Jayhawks surged from an
early deficit with 22 consecutive
points that turned around the
game and led to an 80-68
victory. They dominated Texas
on the boards, held the Long-
horns to 37 percent shooting and
Mike DeCourcy
COLLEGE BASKE TBALL
blocked 10 shots.
Not great?
“I don’t think there is any
dominant team,” forward Marcus
Morris said, modestly. “But I
think we came out real aggressive
against them guys and we took
the first punch, and we never let
up.”
What makes Kansas special?
Beyond the obvious elements of
talent and coaching, the Jayhawks
are displaying several qualities
that potentially could separate
them from the pack.
Toughness. After KU lost at
Tennessee in early January, coach
Bill Self lamented that no one on
his team but star guard Sherron
Collins had ever experienced real
adversity. Apparently the Tennessee loss was all the hardship they
were interested in experiencing.
They’ve won eight in a row since.
They consistently won loose-ball
battles against the Longhorns.
“When we play good defense as
a team, nobody can score on us,”
freshman Xavier Henry said.
“And they definitely can’t keep
up.”
HARRY CABLUCK / AP
Xavier Henry scored 15 points on Monday night, but the
freshman star was most pleased with Kansas’ defense.
MIAMI—With Super Bowl 44 in the
books, the NFL offseason officially
has begun. Will the Saints or Colts get
back to the Super Bowl next season?
A look at an important personnel
decision facing each team:
COLTS
What to do with MLB
Gary Brackett?
The Colts will not
be hit hard by free agency, but
Brackett is their best unrestricted
free agent. Brackett turns 30 in
May but is a team leader and one
of their leading tacklers. The Colts
might put the franchise tag on
Brackett if they cannot agree to a
long-term deal.
SAINTS
What to do with S
Darren Sharper?
At 34, he was an
All-Pro player this year. As an
unrestricted free agent, though, he
will get more than the $1.7 million
he made in ‘09, including incentives. The Saints need Sharper, but
will someone else outbid them, the
way the Broncos threw big cash at
Brian Dawkins last year?
— Clifton Brown
Saints, Colts face
hurdles to repeat
