SPORTS
Friday, January 1, 2016
East Oregonian
Page 3B
NFL
Wilson eager to return to site of Super Bowl loss
Seattle plays at
Arizona in regular
season finale
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
RENTON, Wash. — The
Seattle Seahawks’ last trip
to Glendale, Arizona, is not
a popular conversation topic
inside the locker room.
Understandably
so
considering the outcome.
For the ¿rst time since the
heartbreak of the Super Bowl
in February, the Seahawks
will return to University of
Phoenix Stadium on Sunday
to take on the Arizona Cardi-
nals. But the Seahawks are
downplaying any Àashbacks
or thoughts of February’s
loss to New England.
“That’s in the past. I
don’t think anybody on the
team thinks about that,”
said cornerback DeShawn
Shead. “We’re playing a
whole different team, it’s
a whole other atmosphere.
This is what is right here in
front of us and this is the next
opportunity”
Quarterback
Russell
Wilson, who made the
fateful throw from the 1-yard
line that was intercepted
by Malcolm Butler in the
closing seconds and clinched
the Patriots’ victory, is the
only one who has been open
about looking forward to
being back there this week.
In the midst of his postgame
availability after losing to St.
Louis last Sunday, Wilson
dropped a little nugget
regarding the season ¿nale
against the Cardinals.
“Going to Arizona, the
last time we were there, it
didn’t work out our way. I
know for me, I’m looking
forward to being on that turf
again,” Wilson said.
Asked about that comment
on Thursday, Wilson again
brought up the challenge
of getting past a dif¿cult
moment in his career.
“I think it builds you
up. I think it helps you
understand the ball doesn’t
always bounce your way.
AP Photo/John Froschauer
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson walks on
the ield against the St. Louis Rams in the irst half of
an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015, in Seattle.
We’ve had it bounce our
way a lot and hopefully we
can keep that going,” Wilson
said. “But I think this game
is so much bigger than just
a game. Winning is what
it’s all about. We all come
here to win. .... But when it
doesn’t work out, how can
you use that? How can you
use that for encouragement
for others? How can you use
that for yourself? How can
you continue to build and
evolve and progress? It’s
been a constant progression,
this journey.”
During training camp and
leading into the season, how
Seattle would get past the
Super Bowl disappointment
was the main topic of conver-
sation. But as the season
progressed, there were other
issues that surfaced so any
Super Bowl hangover took
a backseat. Whether it was
Kam Chancellor’s holdout
to begin the regular season,
to starting 2-4, to the injury
problems of Marshawn
Lynch, it’s been a newsy
enough season for Seattle
that the Super Bowl was
somewhat forgotten.
It’s been brought up on
various occasions. Offensive
coordinator Darrell Bevell —
who called the famous slant
pass that went horribly wrong
for Seattle — spoke earlier in
December about still having
that play in the back of his
mind but understanding the
team had to move on.
“There’s really not time
that doesn’t go by where you
still think about it. I know
how I feel about it and I know
the feelings that it conjures
up inside of me when I think
about it,” Bevell said. “But it’s
one play, and I have to look at
it that way, and I was able to
put it behind me. That doesn’t
mean that it didn’t happen.
That doesn’t mean that I don’t
still have a reaction to it.”
The topic of returning
to Glendale popped up this
week in part because of
Wilson’s initial comment.
There is very little for the
Seahawks to play for. They
are already in the playoffs
as a wild card and the
only remaining question is
whether they are the No. 5 or
No. 6 seed and if they’ll open
the postseason at Green Bay,
Washington or Minnesota.
Jermaine Kearse, who
made one of the most memo-
rable catches in Super Bowl
history that almost immedi-
ately became an afterthought,
said the Super Bowl won’t
cross his mind when he
walks in the stadium. And
coach Pete Carroll dismissed
the idea that going back to
that stadium was any sort of
issue.
“Just that it’s not a big
deal. It’s not a big deal for
us going back,” Carroll said.
“That’s where we’re playing,
that’s all.”
Mariota con¿dent Kelly will win again
Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. —
Quarterback Marcus Mariota
is focused only on the Titans’
season ¿nale, not a reunion
in Tennessee with his former
Oregon coach Chip Kelly.
Mariota said Thursday he
obviously has a connection
to Kelly who recruited him
AP Photo/Michael Perez
This Dec. 26, 2015 shows Philadelphia head to Oregon where he was the
quarterback’s coach for two
coach Chip Kelly watching from the sidelines.
seasons. The Eagles ¿red
Kelly on Tuesday night, and
the Titans (3-12) must hire a
permanent coach after ¿ring
Ken Whisenhunt on Nov. 3.
“It’s unfortunate that coach
Kelly is in this situation, but
I’m sure whatever team he ends
up going to he’ll ¿nd success,”
Mariota said.
Mariota already has been
declared out of Sunday’s season
¿nale at Indianapolis because
of a sprained right knee. Mike
Mularkey is 2-6 as the Titans’
interim coach. A new coach
would be the quarterback’s
third before starting his second
NFL season, which Mariota
conceded is a bit daunting.
“It’s part of the business,
and you got to do your best
to handle it and whatever
happens, you only control
certain things,” Mariota said.
“You have to do the best to
handle whatever’s thrown at
you and always take everything
with a grain of salt.”
Mariota credited Kelly for
a lot of his development at
Oregon and said his former
coach proved he could win in
the NFL, especially with his
¿rst two seasons.
“To win 10 games his ¿rst
two years says a lot about what
he’s able to do and a lot about
his coaching,” Mariota said.
College Basketball
Pac-12 deeper, more balanced than previous seasons
Arizona
guard
Kadeem
Allen (5)
muscles his
way around
Long Beach
State guard
Branford
Jones (14)
during the
second half
of an NCAA
college
basketball
game Tues-
day, Dec.
22, 2015, in
Tucson, Ariz.
By JOHN MARSHALL
Associated Press
PHOENIX — Arizona has
been the runaway favorite to
win the Pac-12 the past two
seasons and lived up to those
expectations by winning the
conference by three games
each year.
The Wildcats are again the
team to beat this season, but
the gap has closed.
The teams at the top end
of the conference have gotten
better and so have the ones at
the bottom, making it one of
the deepest in the country.
“From top to bottom, the
depth of our league from
all 12 teams with so many
having improved from a
year or two ago, this is the
deepest conference we have
competed in as a coaching
staff,” Arizona coach Sean
Miller said. “”It is strong at
the top and equally strong
in the middle and whoever
¿nishes at the bottom, I think
will be among the better
bottom teams in the Pac-12
in recent seasons.”
Despite
losing
four
starters from a year ago,
Arizona (12-1) is the Pac-12’s
top-ranked team at No. 8 in
The Associated Press poll.
The Wildcats’ only loss was
to No. 12 Providence and
Kelly Presnell/
Arizona Daily Star
via AP
they’ve played the past eight
games without 7-foot center
Kaleb Tarczewski, who’s
recovering from a stress
reaction in his foot.
After that are four 11-2
teams: No. 21 Utah, Colo-
rado, Oregon and surprising
Southern California.
Oregon State is 9-2,
Arizona State, another
surprising team, is 10-3
with California. UCLA (9-4)
moved back into the poll at
No. 25 this week.
The Pac-12 has 10 teams
in the NCAA RPI Top 100,
tying the Big Ten and ACC
for most in the nation, and
conference teams have
combined for seven wins
over Top 25 opponents.
“There is not an easy team
on the schedule,” Utah coach
Larry Krystowiak said. “I
talked to some folks out east
who know college basketball
and they all thought that top
to bottom, this is as strong of
a league as there was in the
country.”
A few more things to look
for as the Pac-12 season gets
ready to start:
TROJANS RISE: One
of the season’s biggest
early surprises has been
the rebound by USC. The
Trojans went 3-15 in the
Pac-12, 12-20 overall last
season and were picked
10th in the preseason poll.
USC hasn’t exactly played
the most dif¿cult schedule
in the nation, but did knock
off Wichita State and has the
kind of talent on its roster —
particularly in the backcourt
— to be competitive most
nights in the Pac-12.
POELTL SHINES: The
Pac-12 is loaded with talented
players. Utah’s Jacob Poeltl
may the best of the bunch.
The 7-foot sophomore was
a nightmare matchup last
season and has been even
more dif¿cult to defend so
far this year. Poeltl was a
preseason
All-American
and played like it through
the Utes’ nonconference
schedule, averaging 17.8
points and 9.7 rebounds
while shooting 71 percent
from the ¿eld.
CAL’S TALENT: Cal
opened the season at No.
14 in the AP Top 25, thanks
to a talent-laden roster that
included All-Pac-12 point
guard Tyrone Wallace and
¿ve-star recruits Ivan Rabb
and Jaylen Brown. The Bears
didn’t live up to expectations
early, losing consecutive
games in Las Vegas to San
Diego State and Richmond.
With coach Cuonzo Martin
emphasizing toughness and
defense, the Bears played
better as they headed into
conference play, their only loss
in overtime to No. 5 Virginia.
INJURED
DUCKS:
Though Oregon has gotten
off to an impressive start,
coach Dana Altman spent
most of the preseason
juggling lineups as the Ducks
dealt with injuries to key
players. Senior guard Dylan
Ennis, a graduate transfer
from Villanova, suffered a
preseason foot injury and
forward Jordan Bell took a
while to get back from his
offseason foot injury. The
Ducks had a healthy lineup
for the ¿rst time in a win over
Western Oregon on Tuesday
and should be a team that
gets better as the conference
schedule continues.
BRUINS’ SCHEDULE:
UCLA moved back into the
Top 25 this week after beating
a team it was expected to
beat, McNeese State. The
Bruins’ schedule may have
had something to do with
it. UCLA’s resume includes
wins over Kentucky and
Gonzaga, while it has losses
to North Carolina, Kansas
and Wake Forest. There’s
a lot of talent in Westwood,
so don’t be surprised to ¿nd
them battling for the top spot
by season’s end.
SUN DEVILS RISING:
Arizona State was expected
to undergo a transition
in its ¿rst season under
Bobby Hurley. So far, the
excitement on the court has
matched the buzz that came
with the hiring of the former
Duke point guard. The Sun
Devils play hard and fast, just
like Hurley, and have picked
up some solid wins since
opening the season with a
home loss to Sacramento
State. Expect them to make
some noise during the Pac-12
season.
Outback Bowl
Northwestern (10-2) vs. Tennessee (8-4),
9 a.m. (ESPN2)
Citrus Bowl
Michigan (9-3) vs. Florida (10-3), 10 a.m.
(ABC)
Fiesta Bowl
Notre Dame (10-2) vs. Ohio State (11-1),
10 a.m. (ESPN)
Rose Bowl
Iowa (12-1) vs. Stanford (11-2), 2 p.m.
(ESPN)
Sugar Bowl (New Orleans)
Oklahoma State (10-2) vs. Mississippi
(9-3), 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Saturday’s Games
TaxSlayer Bowl
Penn St. (7-5) vs. Georgia (9-3), 9 a.m.
(ESPN)
Liberty Bowl
Kansas St. (6-6) vs. Arkansas (7-5), 12:20
p.m. (ESPN)
Alamo Bowl
Oregon (9-3) vs. TCU (10-2), 3:45 p.m.
(ESPN)
Cactus Bowl
West Virginia (7-5) vs. Arizona State (6-6),
7:15 p.m. (ESPN)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Southwest Division
W
L
Pct GB
San Antonio
28
6 .824
—
Dallas
19
13 .594
8
Memphis
18
16 .529 10
Houston
16
18 .471 12
New Orleans
10
22 .313 17
Northwest Division
W
L
Pct GB
Oklahoma City
23
10 .697
—
Utah
14
17 .452
8
Portland
14
21 .400 10
Denver
12
21 .364
11
Minnesota
12
21 .364
11
Paciic Division
W
L
Pct GB
Golden State
30
2 .938
—
L.A. Clippers
21
13 .618 10
Sacramento
12
20 .375 18
Phoenix
12
23 .343 19½
L.A. Lakers
6
27 .182 24½
———
Thursday’s Games
Milwaukee 120, Indiana 116
Detroit 115, Minnesota 90
Golden State 114, Houston 110
L.A. Clippers 95, New Orleans 89
Oklahoma City 110, Phoenix 106
Utah 109, Portland 96
Today’s Games
Orlando at Washington, 4 p.m.
Charlotte at Toronto, 4:30 p.m.
Dallas at Miami, 4:30 p.m.
New York at Chicago, 5 p.m.
Philadelphia at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m.
SCOREBOARD
W-M
Pilot Rock
Local slate
PREP BOYS BASKETBALL
Saturday
Riverside at Mac-Hi, 12:30 p.m.
Pilot Rock at Echo, 1 p.m.
Dayton vs. Irrigon (at The Dalles), 2 p.m.
Ione at Helix, 5:30 p.m.
Kennewick (WA) at Hermiston, 7:30 p.m.
PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL
Saturday
Pilot Rock at Echo, 1 p.m.
Riverside at Mac-Hi, 2 p.m.
Ione at Helix, 4 p.m.
Kennewick (WA) at Hermiston, 5:45 p.m.
PREP WRESTLING
Today
Hermiston at The Clash (Rochester, MN),
TBD
Saturday
Hermiston at The Clash (Rochester, MN),
TBD
Prep Standings
BOYS BASKETBALL
Columbia River Conference (5A)
Conf. Ovr. PS PA Rnk
Hermiston 0-0
5-5 614 643
24
Pendleton 0-0
4-5 463 493
8
The Dalles 0-0
2-8 540 793
26
Hood River 0-0
1-9 572 679
33
Greater Oregon League (4A)
Ovr. Conf. PS
Baker
0-0
5-6 584
Mac-Hi
0-0
4-7 456
Ontario
0-0
3-7 553
La Grande 0-0
2-2 221
Eastern Oregon League (3A)
Conf. Ovr. PS
Umatilla
1-0
6-7 683
Nyssa
0-0
4-7 544
Riverside
0-0
3-7 427
Vale
0-0
2-8 417
PA Rnk
637
27
503
29
655
13
194
30
PA Rnk
722
17
554
12
35
547
33
Columbia Basin Conference (2A)
Conf. Ovr. PS PA Rnk
0-0 10-1 612 484
5
0-0
8-2 554 424
4
0-0
6-1 430 345
16
0-0
4-6 430 469
37
Hepner
Irrigon
Stanield
Culver
0-0
0-1
3-4 340 392
5-8 538 562
Big Sky League (1A)
Conf. Ovr.
Arlington
0-0
6-5
So. Wasco 0-0
5-1
Mitch/Spray 0-0
5-3
Sherman
0-0
5-4
C/W
0-0
4-5
Dufur
0-0
3-5
Horiz. Christ. 0-0
2-4
Ione
0-0
0-6
36
28
PS
510
331
311
554
391
414
259
141
PA Rnk
446
44
188
8
325
27
522
12
420
32
418
31
312
10
378
54
Old Oregon League (1A)
Conf. Ovr. PS
Powder Val. 2-0
7-2 493
Echo
2-0
4-7 482
Nixyaawii
1-0 11-1 888
Wallowa
1-1
2-8 310
Joseph
0-1
4-5 375
Helix
0-2
2-8 317
Pine Eagle 0-2
1-7 287
PA Rnk
334
6
492
38
606
2
495
35
425
22
460
63
476
50
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Columbia River Conference (5A)
Conf. Ovr. PS PA Rnk
Hermiston 0-0
9-3 652 535
7
The Dalles 0-0
6-4 457 401
11
Pendleton 0-0
3-7 451 516
26
Hood River 0-0
1-7 278 412
33
Greater Oregon League (4A)
Conf. Ovr. PS
La Grande 0-0
7-3 602
Mac-Hi
0-0
6-4 389
Baker
0-0
5-5 426
Ontario
0-0
1-7 234
Eastern Oregon League (3A)
Conf. Ovr. PS
Umatilla
0-0
9-4 632
Nyssa
0-0
8-4 515
Vale
0-0
7-4 476
Riverside
0-0
2-7 294
PA Rnk
469
4
410
15
435
13
387
29
PA Rnk
461
16
447
15
461
12
383
36
Columbia Basin Conference (2A)
Conf. Ovr. PS PA Rnk
Pilot Rock 0-0
8-5 583 497
6
Culver
0-0
6-4 403 319
32
Stanield
0-0
4-3 299 244
19
W-M
0-0
3-5 334 323
26
Irrigon
0-0
3-7 354 399
25
Heppner
0-0
2-9 306 464
31
Big Sky League (1A)
Conf. Ovr.
C/W
0-0
9-1
Arlington
0-0
7-4
Horiz. Christ. 0-0
3-3
So. Wasco 0-0
3-3
Ione
0-0
3-3
Mitch/Spray 0-0
3-5
Dufur
0-0
1-7
Sherman
0-0
0-7
PS
432
474
195
195
261
244
240
168
Old Oregon League (1A)
Conf. Ovr. PS
Helix
2-0
8-2 417
Powder Val. 2-0
5-5 473
Nixyaawii
1-0 11-1 636
Echo
1-1
6-5 423
Joseph
0-1
4-5 422
Wallowa
0-2 1-10 171
Pine Eagle 0-2
0-8 128
PA Rnk
312
5
322
29
265
15
246
20
259
37
254
49
387
47
397
59
PA Rnk
327
10
356
27
362
12
364
21
363
33
536
40
427
52
Football
NFL
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
East
W L T Pct
y-New England 12 3 0 .800
N.Y. Jets
10 5 0 .667
Buffalo
7 8 0 .467
Miami
5 10 0 .333
South
W L T Pct
Houston
8 7 0 .533
Indianapolis
7 8 0 .467
Jacksonville
5 10 0 .333
Tennessee
3 12 0 .200
North
W L T Pct
y-Cincinnati 11 4 0 .733
Pittsburgh
9 6 0 .600
Baltimore
5 10 0 .333
Cleveland
3 12 0 .200
West
W L T Pct
x-Denver
11 4 0 .733
x-Kansas City 10 5 0 .667
Oakland
7 8 0 .467
San Diego
4 11 0 .267
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
East
W L T Pct
y-Washington 8 7 0 .533
PF
455
370
357
290
PA
295
292
342
379
PF PA
309 307
303 384
370 418
275 393
PF
395
395
312
266
PA
263
307
377
404
PF PA
328 276
382 270
342 376
300 371
PF PA
354 356
Philadelphia
N.Y. Giants
Dallas
South
6 9
6 9
4 11
L
1
7
9
9
T
0
0
0
0
Pct
.933
.533
.400
.400
PF
462
322
332
388
PA
298
325
379
459
W L
x-Green Bay 10 5
x-Minnesota 10 5
Detroit
6 9
Chicago
6 9
West
W L
y-Arizona
13 2
x-Seattle
9 6
St. Louis
7 8
San Francisco 4 11
T
0
0
0
0
Pct
.667
.667
.400
.400
PF
355
345
334
315
PA
303
289
380
373
T
0
0
0
0
Pct
.867
.600
.467
.267
PF PA
483 277
387 271
264 311
219 371
y-Carolina
Atlanta
Tampa Bay
New Orleans
North
W
14
8
6
6
0 .400 342 400
0 .400 390 407
0 .267 252 340
x-clinched playoff spot
y-clinched division
———
Sunday’s Games
Jacksonville (+6) at Houston, 10 a.m.
Washington (+3.5) at Dallas, 10 a.m.
Detroit (+1) at Chicago, 10 a.m.
N.Y. Jets (-3) at Buffalo, 10 a.m.
New England (-10.5) at Miami, 10 a.m.
New Orleans (+4) at Atlanta, 10 a.m.
Baltimore (+9) at Cincinnati, 10 a.m.
Pittsburgh (-10.5) at Cleveland, 10 a.m.
Tennessee (+6) at Indianapolis, 10 a.m.
Philadelphia (+3.5) at N.Y. Giants, 10 a.m.
St. Louis (-3.5) at San Francisco, 1:25 p.m.
San Diego (+9) at Denver, 1:25 p.m.
Seattle (+6.5) at Arizona, 1:25 p.m.
Oakland (+6.5) at Kansas City, 1:25 p.m.
Tampa Bay (+10.5) at Carolina, 1:25 p.m.
Minnesota (+3) at Green Bay, 5:30 p.m.
NCAA Bowl Games
Thursday’s Games
Peach Bowl
Houston 38, Florida State 24
Orange Bowl (Playoff Semiinal)
Clemson 37, Oklahoma 17
Cotton Bowl Classic (Playoff Semiinal)
Alabama (12-1) vs. Michigan State (12-1),
8 p.m. (ESPN)
Today’s Games
Basketball
NBA
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division
W
L
Toronto
20
13
Boston
18
14
New York
15
18
Brooklyn
9
23
Philadelphia
3
31
Southeast Division
W
L
Atlanta
21
13
Orlando
19
13
Miami
18
13
Charlotte
17
14
Washington
14
16
Central Division
W
L
Cleveland
21
9
Chicago
18
12
Indiana
18
14
Detroit
18
15
Milwaukee
13
21
Pct GB
.606 —
.563 1½
.455
5
.281 10½
.088 17½
Pct
.618
.594
.581
.548
.467
GB
—
1
1½
2½
5
Pct
.700
.600
.563
.545
.382
GB
—
3
4
4½
10
Hockey
NHL
Thursday’s Games
N.Y. Islanders 2, Buffalo 1
Pittsburgh 5, Detroit 2
Carolina 4, Washington 2
Minnesota 3, St. Louis 1
Chicago 4, Colorado 3, OT
Dallas 5, Nashville 1
Los Angeles 4, Calgary 1
Anaheim 1, Edmonton 0
Arizona 4, Winnipeg 2
Today’s Games
Montreal vs. Boston at Foxborough, MA,
10 a.m.
Anaheim at Vancouver, 7 p.m.