By Greg Halbleib
Girls high school basketball resumed on a limited schedule on Monday. El Paso-Gridley beat Clinton 52-42, Clifton Central bested Tri-Point 53-33 and Fieldcrest topped Blue Ridge 46-31.
Many are calling it an instant classic. Number 9 Southern California beat Number 5 Penn State in the Rose Bowl game 52-49 on a 46-yard field goal by Matt Boermeester as time expired. It’s the highest-scoring Rose Bowl game ever. The Trojans scored the final 17 points to win after the Nittany Lions had scored 28 straight points.
Number 8 Wisconsin handed Number 13 Western Michigan its only loss in a 24-16 win in the Cotton Bowl.
Number 20 Florida clobbered Number 21 Iowa 30-3 in the Outback Bowl.
Number 7 Oklahoma pulled past Number 17 Auburn 35-19 in the Sugar Bowl.
The Blues broke open a 1-1 tie with two goals in under two minutes in the third period by Vladimir Tarasenko for a 4-1 win over the Blackhawks in front of more than 46,000 fans at Busch Stadium in the Winter Classic.
The Bulls beat the Charlotte Hornets 118-111 behind 52 points and 12 rebounds from Jimmy Butler.
Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzweski is scheduled for back surgery on Friday and is expected to take four weeks to recover. Coach K had four surgeries during the past offseason to replace his left knee, fix his left ankle and repair a hernia. Associate head coach Jeff Capel will handle the Blue Devils in the interim.
Alabama is replacing Lane Kiffin as offensive coordinator ahead of Monday’s national championship game against Clemson. Kiffin has accepted the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic University.
Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak says he’s resigning because of his health, saying the job demands are no longer a good fit for him.
Bears receiver Alshon Jeffrey is so confident about changes with the team that he has predicted they’ll win the Super Bowl next season. The Bears finished the campaign with a record of 3-13.
