UConn Ends Stanford's 82-Game Home Winning Streak

Very little went well for Mikaela Ruef and the Stanford women, who were demolished by UConn, 61-35. (Sean Havey)

The University of Connecticut's women's basketball team knows about having long win streaks snapped. They had their NCAA-record 90 consecutive victories end when they lost to Stanford. The Huskies hoped to get revenge on the Cardinal when they faced the two squared off at Maples Pavilion on Saturday.

The Stanford women came into the game on a 82-game home winning streak. The top-ranked Cardinal knew they would get all they could handle from No. 2 Connecticut. The Huskies used tenacious defense to take the game over in the first half.

With the score tied 5-5 early on in the first half, the Connecticut women used their defense to go on a run. Over the next 14 minutes, they scored 24 points and only gave up four points. At halftime, the Huskies' lead was 31-13. The Cardinal struggled to find a way to get anything going offensively.

The second half was better for Stanford, but Connecticut refused to let them back into the game. The Cardinal were never able to get closer than 15 points in the second half. The final margin of defeat was 26. This loss was the worst defeat of Tara VanDerveer's 26 years as the Stanford women's head coach.

Connecticut's defense held Stanford to record lows for field goal percentage (19.3) and total field goals (11). The Cardinal's top player, Chiney Ogwumike entered the game shooting 62 percent from the field, but she missed eight of her first nine shots and finished just 6-for-22 from the field.

Connecticut will undoubtedly become the new No. 1 when the next polls are released. They showed that suffocating defense can significantly change the outcome of a game. The Huskies will definitely be a championship contender come March. The hammering exposed Stanford in many ways. However, this is a talented team with a resume that includes a win over Baylor. The Cardinal will learn from this defeat and be better as a result.

Backup QB Driphus Jackson Leads Rice to Bowl Victory

Backup quarterback Driphus Jackson was called into duty and lead Rice to a 33-14 victory over Air Force. (Cooper Neill)

Adversity can sometimes be the spark that is needed. Trailing Air Force 14-7 late in the second quarter, Rice's starting quarterback Taylor McHargue suffered a head injury after being hit by the Falcons' Steffon Batts. Redshirt freshman Driphus Jackson was called into duty.

With just a few seconds left in the half, the Owls were looking to tie the score up. However, on first-and-goal at the two-yard line, Jackson was pressured and fumbled the option pass. Air Force's Chris Miller was there to recover the football.

Nothing appeared to be going Rice's way. With McHargue ruled out for the remainer of the game, Jackson was going to have to lead the Owls offense. Despite his limited experience, he came out in the second half looking like a seasoned veteran. Nothing was going to rattle him in the pocket.

On their opening drive of the second half, Jackson drove the Rice offense 87 yards in eight plays. He found six-foot-five Jordan Taylor for the 22-yard touchdown strike to tie the game up 14-14. During the Owls’ go-ahead drive, Jackson was particularly impressive with six straight completions. Junior tailback Charles Ross punched it in from two yards out to give Rice the lead.

The Owls added two more field goals to extend their lead to 27-14. With 1:38 left in the game, Jackson put the icing on the cake. On fourth-and-eight, he looked deep and hooked up with Taylor again for a 34-yard touchdown score.

Jackson completed 15 of 21 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns. Being a superb athlete, he was a dual threat for the Air Force defense and added 32 rushing yards. His performance earned him the honors of Armed Forces Bowl Player of the Game.

Jackson certainly did not do it all by himself. His favorite target, Jordan Taylor, had a huge game as well. With nine catches for 153 yards and three touchdowns, he was too much for the Falcons undersized defense to handle. The rushing attack did their share of the work as well.

Junior tailback Turner Petersen led the way on the ground. He had 81 yards on just nine carries. Petersen broke a big run of 48 yards that helped setup a Rice field goal. Ross added 57 yards and a touchdown of his own. Overall, the Owls totaled 208 rushing yards, which helped them win the time of possession battle with nearly 38 minutes of offense.

The Rice defense was outstanding as well. Air Force entered the game averaging 435.9 yards of offense per game, but were held to a season-low 214 yards in the loss. The Falcons had the second-best rushing attack in the nation, averaging 328.8 yards per game, but were held to only 166 yards by the Owls defense. Rice also registered 24 first downs to Air Force's 12. The Falcons had just two first downs in the second half.

Rice has faced its share of adversity this season, but overcame it all to win their second bowl game since 1953. After a 1-5 start to the season, the Owls won six out of seven to have a winning season. Jackson came into the game and played superbly. With a young football team, there is much to look forward to down the road in Houston.

Duke is Just Happy to Play in the Belk Bowl

Duke head coach David Cutcliffe has led his team to their first bowl game appearance in almost 18 years. (Mark Dolejs)

Most teams would be disappointed by losing their last four games of the season and finished 6-6. However, that is exactly what Duke did, and they couldn't be happier about how it ended. A 6-6 season may not be special for most schools, but it is viewed as significant progress at basketball-mad Duke. The football team has suffered through 17 consecutive losing seasons. The Blue Devils went 37-158 (.190) from 1995-2011, including winless campaigns in 1996, 2000, 2001 and 2006.

The 6-6 record is significant because it means Duke will play a postseason game for the first time in almost 18 years. They were rewarded with a bid in the Belk Bowl, played in nearby Charlotte, where they will play a Cincinnati team that's going through another coaching change.

Duke began the season 5-1 and knew that they would need just one win to accomplish a big goal for their program. Following a loss at Virginia Tech, they got a second shot at home against their archrival North Carolina on October 20. Trailing 30-26 late in the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils were in need of a miracle. Senior quarterback Sean Renfree completed a fourth-down touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Jamison Crowder on with 13 seconds left in the game to push Duke to the emotional win that made the Blue Devils bowl eligible for the first time since 1994.

"This is certainly one of the goals, was to reach this bowl eligibility, but it's just the beginning," Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said.

Duke did finish the season with four consecutive losses, but the season was considered an accomplishment around the country. The Atlantic Coast Conference named Cutcliffe their coach of the year. The Blue Devils also rewarded him with a contract extension through the 2018 season. This is viewed as a significant step in the right direction.

"You've got to take this step to take the next one, particularly when you've been where we've been for so long, said Cutcliffe. "I'm very appreciative that our players have bought in so strongly to the program, and they're very committed to what we're trying to accomplish."

2012 NBA Christmas Day Preview

James Harden singing Jingle Bells is just one of the joys of five NBA games on Christmas Day. (TotalProSports.com)

Christmas Day has almost arrived, which means a great day of NBA matchups will be on ABC and ESPN. I will preview what to watch for in each game. Merry Christmas to all!

Boston Celtics at Brooklyn Nets  - 12:00 PM EST, ESPN
The Celtics will travel to Brooklyn to take on the Nets in a budding Atlantic Division rivalry. The premier matchup of this game will be the point guards, Rajon Rondo of the Celtics and Deron Williams of the Nets. Rondo is averaging 14.3 points and 11.1 assists in December while shooting 52 percent from the field. Meanwhile, Williams is having a down year as he tries to find his role with his newly formed team. He is shooting just 40 percent from the field and 30 percent from behind the arc. Williams is still averaging 16.8 points and 8.1 assists a game. There's also a player on each team who is capable of taking the game over. The Celtics' Paul Pierce has been superb lately and is averaging 23.8 points per game in December. Joe Johnson has emerged as the go to guy for the Nets. He scored 22 points in their win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.

New York Knicks at Los Angeles Lakers - 3:00 PM EST, ABC
Both teams have been two of the NBA's biggest surprises. The Knicks have emerged as of the league's top teams behind great three-point shooting. The Lakers have struggled to come together as a team, but they will benefit from Steve Nash's return from injury. This game features some great matchups. The Knicks' Carmelo Anthony and the Lakers' Kobe Bryant are two of the league's top scorers. Anthony is scoring 33.7 points and shooting 50 percent from the field in his last 10 games. Meanwhile, Bryant is averaging 33.8 points per game since the start of December. Another intriguing matchup will be two of the league's top centers. Dwight Howard is in his first season with the Lakers, while Tyson Chandler anchors the Knicks' defense. Howard has struggled a bit recently, averaging just 15.1 points per game in his past five games. As the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Chandler will look to shut him down.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Miami Heat - 5:30 PM EST, ABC
This is probably the most anticipated matchup of any of the Christmas Day games, featuring a rematch of last season's NBA Finals. This is the first meeting between these two teams this season, and the Thunder will be looking for revenge. As if you couldn't figure it on your own, the premier matchup in this game is obviously the NBA's top two players Kevin Durant of the Thunder and LeBron James of the Heat. Durant is averaging 27.9 points and 8.4 rebounds this season, while James is putting up 25.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists a game. The defensive matchup between the two will be intriguing as well. They will most likely be guarding one another for the majority of the game. The Heat will have the home crowd at their back, but the Thunder experienced what that was like last summer.

Houston Rockets at Chicago Bulls - 8:00 PM EST, ESPN
These two teams may not appear to be two of the NBA's top teams, but both have played surprisingly well given their circumstances. The Rockets weren't expected to compete for a spot in the playoffs at all. However, a preseason trade has changed everything. James Harden, the centerpiece of the trade with the Thunder, has averaged 25.6 points and 5.6 assists a game as a starter in Houston. He has emerged as one of the league's top shooting guards right now. Meanwhile, the Bulls have kept winning, even without one of the NBA's top players. A number of players have stepped up in Derrick Rose's absence. Joakim Noah is averaging 13.5 points and 10.6 seen rebounds while Luol Deng leads the team in scoring with 17.8 points per game. They have helped the Bulls remain competitive while they wait for their superstar to return.

Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers - 10:30 PM EST, ESPN
The Clippers are one of the NBA's hottest teams right now. The Clippers' offense is led by Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Paul runs the show with 16.1 points and 9.6 assists per game. In the post, Griffin is averaging 18.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. The Clippers also have an elite defense that allows opponents to score just 91.6 points per game, which is fourth best in the NBA. The Nuggets are one of the most balanced teams in the league. Ty Lawson is one of the fastest players in the NBA and pushes the tempo of the offense. He loves to facilitate the ball to his teammates, such as Danilo Gallinari, Andre Iguodala and Corey Brewer. Lawson did strain his left Achilles in Sunday's game and is listed as questionable for tomorrow's game. If he is indeed out or not 100 percent, it would be a huge blow to the Nuggets' chances.

Colts Make Playoffs One Season After Going 2-14

Rookie quarterback Andrew Luck has helped lead the Colts turnaround from 2-14 to a playoff berth. (AP Photo)

Last season, the Indianapolis Colts went a league worst 2-14 and were compensated with the first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. With highly acclaimed Andrew Luck in the draft, they made the difficult decision to cut ties with the face of the franchise, veteran quarterback Peyton Manning. Expectations were high for the young quarterback, but no one knew for sure how much the Colts could accomplish with all of the changes that took place during a turbulent offseason.

Having to fill the shoes of a legend like Peyton Manning is not an easy task to say the least. However, I am sure that Luck and this season's Colts exceeded whatever expectations people had for them this season. They have even managed to accomplish everything without their head coach on the sidelines for the majority of the season. Coach Chuck Pagano has been undergoing treatment for leukemia.

The Colts entered Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs with much on the line. Luck took care of the first step late in the second quarter when he broke Cam Newton's single-season rookie passing record with a 23-yard pass to fellow rookie T.Y. Hilton. Luck has now thrown for 4,183 yards this season, but my guess is he didn't even realize it because he was focused on what he does best, winning football games.

The Colts needed him to do exactly that late in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. Luck took care of business. He drove down the field and completed a 7-yard touchdown pass to veteran wide receiver Reggie Wayne with 4:08 remaining in the game. The touchdown lifted the Colts to the win, 20-13. In doing so, Luck extended his own rookie record for fourth-quarter or overtime comebacks to seven.

The win improved the Colts record to 10-5 and clinched their spot in the playoffs. They join the 2008 Miami Dolphins as the only teams to win at least 10 games after losing 14 or more the previous season. The Colts have won four out of their last five games and currently hold the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs.

The Colts get to celebrate with Coach Pagano, who is expected to return to coaching on Monday. They will prepare to play an angry Houston Texans team in the regular season finale. The Texans had a chance to lock up home-field advantage in the playoffs, but lost today to the Minnesota Vikings. Instead of resting next week, they will be playing  to try and secure a first-round bye. The Colts will be playing under no such pressure. They are just happy to be winning once again and to be back in the playoffs.