NCAA:
In college football, Michigan has fired football coach Brady Hoke after the Wolverines stumbled to a 5-7 record and missed the postseason in his fourth year at the helm. He went 31-20 with the Wolverines, and the team declined steadily after an 11-2 mark in his first season. Athletic director Jim Hackett called the dismissal a tough decision, saying Hoke earned respect as a values-centered coach.
Meanwhile the University of Alabama at Birmingham is shutting down its football program after one of the Blazers' stronger seasons because it was losing too much money off of the sport. UAB said it subsidizes $20 million of the athletic department's operating budget of some $30 million annually, and said both those numbers rank fifth in Conference USA.
Florida State quarterback Jameis (JAY'-mihs) Winston and the woman who has accused him of sexual assault spent nearly five hours in separate rooms at a closed-door hearing recounting what happened nearly two years ago. The university hearing adjourned apparently with no resolution and is scheduled to resume Wednesday.
In men's college basketball, Josh Gray scored a season-high 25 points as LSU defeated Massachusetts 82-60 in a non-conference game last night. UMass trailed by at least 10 points for the last 13 minutes of the game. Cady Lalanne led the Minutemen with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Maxie Esho added 14 points, while Trey Davis picked up 11 points and Derrick Gordon had 10.
In top 25 men’s college basketball, No. 17 Michigan beat Syracuse 68-65.
NBA:
In the NBA, Atlanta bested Boston 109-105, Brooklyn topped New York 98-93, Cleveland beat Milwaukee 111-108, the Lakers defeated Detroit 106-96, Toronto beat Sacramento 117-109, Golden State edged Orlando 98-97, New Orleans trumped Oklahoma City 112-104, Phoenix defeated Indiana 116-99, Portland beat Denver 105-103, and it was Dallas over Chicago in overtime 132-129.
NHL:
Over on the ice, the Islanders edged Ottawa in overtime 3-2, Los Angeles shut out Boston 2-0, Buffalo won against Tampa Bay in a shootout 2-1, Pittsburgh blanked New Jersey 1-0, Carolina skated past Nashville 2-1, Vancouver beat Washington 4-3, Florida defeated Detroit 4-3, Calgary bested Arizona 5-2, San Jose beat Philadelphia 2-1, and it was Toronto over Dallas 5-3.
Former Montreal Canadiens captain and Hall of Fame center Jean Beliveau (BEH'-lih-voh) has died at 83.The team confirmed the death of one of the most beloved players in Canadiens history.
Beliveau spent 18 full seasons and parts of two others with Montreal, scoring 507 goals and 1,219 points in 1,125 games. The 13-time All-Star won 10 Stanley Cups, two Hart trophies and a scoring title before retiring in 1971.
Beliveau was also a popular ambassador for the sport.
MLB:
Torii Hunter is coming back to the Minnesota Twins, seven years after leaving via free agency.
A person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press that the 40-year-old Hunter has accepted a one-year, $10.5 million contract. The five-time All-Star outfielder hit .286 with 17 homers and 83 RBIs for the Tigers last season.
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