See Ohio high school girls basketball statewide scores from Dec. 5, 2014.

See Ohio high school girls basketball statewide scores from Dec. 5, 2014.

The Lake Erie Monsters beat the Chicago Wolves for the second time in three nights, this time 2-1.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Lake Erie Monsters scored two goals in the first period then held on to defeat the Chicago Wolves, 2-1, Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

With the win, the Monsters improved to 9-8-2-2, going over the .500 mark for the first time since the second day of the season. It was their third straight win and they improved to 5-1-1-0 over the last seven games, while beating the Wolves (13-8-3-0) for the second time in three nights.

Calvin Pickard, playing his second game since his return from the Colorado Avalanche, stopped 34 of 35 shots to get the win. Philip McRae scored for Chicago at 7:32 of the third period, but Pickard and the Monsters held the Wolves at bay the rest of the way.

The Monsters jumped ahead with two goals in just over 2 1/2 minutes of the first period. Center Colin Smith got it started, scoring an unassisted short-handed goal at 13:05, his sixth goal of the season. Smith scored the game-winning goal when the Monsters beat Chicago on Wednesday, 3-2.

Stefan Elliott scored his fifth goal of the season at 15:26, with assists by Michael Schumacher and Borna Redulic.

The Monsters play at Rockford, Illinois on Sunday at 4.

LeBron James played quaterback and Tristan Thompson played garbage man in leading the Cavaliers over the Raptors 105-91.

TORONTO, Canada – Cleveland got a little payback after losing by 17 at home to the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 22. Friday night at a hostile Air Canada Centre, the Cavaliers evened the series at one game apiece with a 105-91 victory.

Cleveland (11-7) extended its winning streak to six games.

LeBron James picked his spots throughout. He felt out the defense as he stuffed the stat sheet. James ended the game with 24 points, seven rebounds, a game-high 12 assists and three steals.

Tristan Thompson was big for Cleveland off the bench. The Toronto native cleaned up the glass and converted around the basket. In 33 minutes he tallied a season-high 21 points and a season-high 14 boards.

Kevin Love registered his fourth consecutive double-double by providing 15 points and 13 rebounds. It was his team-high 10th double-double of the year. Kyrie Irving chipped in with 15 points, four rebounds and six assists.

James Jones was the first small forward to get subbed in, not rookie Joe Harris. With Mike Miller out with a concussion, coach David Blatt chose to go with another veteran to fill his void.

Jones entered the game having played a grand total of 15 minutes this season. As soon as he came in he didn't waste any time making a contribution. It took him a little over a minute to nail a three, and 38 seconds later he drained another one. He finished with eight points.

Amir Johnson went for 17 of his 27 points in the first half to lead Toronto (15-5). Kyle Lowry scored 22 points and handed out nine assists.

Play of the game

In the second quarter Cavs guard Dion Waiters drove baseline and drew a slew of defenders his way in the paint. James immediately cut to the basket and Waiters saw him, giving him a one-handed pass and James slammed it home amongst the Raptors' big men.

Bench report

In Cleveland's first meeting with Toronto, the Raptors' bench players outscored their counterparts 51-19. Tonight the Cavaliers won the bench battle, 33-25.

King of Africa

During breaks in the game, the Raptors honored the life of South African's first black president Nelson Mandela on the one-year anniversary of his death. NBA legends Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley and Dikembe Mutombo showed their support by attending tonight's game.

Who's on deck?

The Cavaliers will have a few days off before they conclude this three-game road trip on Monday against the 8-10 Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are on a three-game winning streak.

According to a report from Sports Illustrated, the Big Ten will move its men's basketball tournament to New York's Madison Square Garden in 2018.

INDIANAPOLIS — Big Ten basketball is moving to The World's Most Famous Arena.

Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel reported on Saturday that the conference will move its men's basketball tournament to New York's Madison Square Garden in 2018.

Citing multiple sources, Thamel said the Big Ten is expected to have a news conference announcing the move on Tuesday.

To accommodate the Big East tournament, which will also be played at MSG in 2018, the Big Ten will move its tournament up one week, with the championship game being played a week before Selection Sunday.

The tournament has been held at either the United Center in Chicago or Bankers Life Field House in Indianapolis every year since its inception in 1998. It will return to Chicago this year, and Indianapolis in 2017.

It will move to the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. in 2017 before making the move to New York in 2018. The move doesn't come as that much of a surprise since the Big Ten expanded its footprint by adding Rutgers and Maryland as full members this year.

Brian Hoyer has performed well under pressure all season, coming from behind when all seems lost. Can he do it again Sunday against the 8-4 Colts?

BEREA, Ohio -- On three occasions this season, Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer has had his back firmly against the wall and come out fighting. Can he do it again Sunday against the Colts with his job and the playoffs on the line?

The first three times, he shocked the NFL with improbable comebacks: erasing a 24-point deficit in Pittsburgh and almost beating the Steelers, scoring 26 unanswered points in Tennessee to engineer the biggest come-from-behind victory on the road in NFL history and beating the Falcons on a walk-off field goal  after throwing three interceptions.

Does Hoyer have another Houdini act in him with the stakes so much higher now? He was benched last week in favor of Johnny Manziel and almost lost his job this week to the No. 22 overall pick.

With his contract up after this season, one more bad game could be his last start in a Browns' uniform. If they turn the team over to Manziel -- and rest assured they came close this week -- they're likely not returning to Hoyer and he might decide to seek a starting job elsewhere. The Browns have stressed that Manziel is their quarterback of the future and it's only a matter of time.

In addition, the Browns are 7-5 and in the thick of the tight-as-spandex AFC North playoff race. A loss in any of these four remaining games could cost them the postseason.

On top of that, Hoyer will be opposing the reigning AFC Player of the Month in Andrew Luck, who operates the No. 1 offense in the NFL, scores the most points per game at 31.8 and is coming off a 49-27 victory over the Redskins in which he threw a career-high five touchdown passes and earned a ridiculous 137.0 rating.

Does Hoyer --- who's thrown six interceptions against only one TD pass the last three games -- have another down-for-the-count comeback in him?

"He's a resilient competitor, and that says everything you need to know about him,'' said left tackle Joe Thomas. "He's not the type of guy that will feel sorry for himself. He's not going to lay down. He's going to prepare even harder, and he'll be ready for the game on Sunday. We've got a lot of confidence in him.''

Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has watched Hoyer struggle the past few weeks, but he's also seen errant routes, holding calls, fumbles and dropped passes.

"I'd be surprised if Brian doesn't play well (Sunday),'' said Shanahan. "lt's not going to be just about him though. We've got to play good around him. We've got to coach good around him, and hopefully, we can get a win this week."

It won't be any easier on Hoyer without clutch receiver Miles Austin (injured reserver, kidney injury) and tight end Gary Barnidge, who suffered a rib injury in  Buffalo. Thirty-four of Austin's 47 catches have gone for first downs, and Hoyer is struggling enough as it on third down, ranking last in the NFL with a 65.0 rating.

He might have tight end Jordan Cameron back, but after missing five straight games with a concussion, it remains to be seen how much he'll be abel to  contribute.

With his pass-catchers in flux, he must improve his chemistry with All-Pro receiver Josh Gordon, who will make his third straight start coming off the 10-game suspension. Gordon admitted this week that he doesn't know the offense as well as he should and it's not second-nature. Three of Hoyer's last four interceptions have come on passes intended for Gordon, and the two worked hard all week to correct their mistakes.

"We definitely have to get better in sync,'' said Hoyer. "We stay after practice and talk through things, and we're trying to work through it. It's tough when you're not around for 10 weeks. You can't put that all on Josh. It's a tough situation. We're definitely working to get it better, especially with Miles (Austin) not being able to play. Josh becomes an even bigger option.''

One thing that should work in Hoyer's favor Sunday is that the Colts will be without premier starting cornerback Vontae Davis (concussion), who's second on the team to former Browns safety Mike Adams with three interceptions. Davis also leads the club with 18 pass breakups. With him sidelined, Hoyer should be able to exploit the matchup of Gordon against whoever's covering him at the moment.

"We're expecting big things from (Gordon) this weekend,'' said coach Mike Pettine.

If Hoyer continues to struggle, the Browns will either yank him again in favor of Manziel, or use the rookie for spot duty, such as in the red zone. Hoyer has gone 1-for-9 in the red zone the past two games, and has thrown only one touchdown pass in his last 15 quarters -- none in his last nine. Manziel, meanwhile, marched 80 yards on the Bill's prevent defense, and dove into the end zone for a 10-yard TD that resuscitated the Browns in the midst of their 26-10 loss.

"He did stuff in the game that made me excited,'' said coach Kyle Shanahan. "I liked what I saw from him. He did a good job, but when you decide on the starter – and Coach decided on it I think on Tuesday – once that happens, it's business as usual. You rep it that way, and you always try to prepare the starter to have the best chance to win."

Safety Donte Whitner remains confident in Hoyer, but is growing weary of the turnovers. The Browns' defense has a league-high 17 takeaways the past seven weeks, but the offense has converted only three into touchdowns. Conversely, the offense has given the ball away 14 times in that span, including eight interceptions by Hoyer.

"I feel like he can put us in the right situations and make the plays,'' Whitner said. "We just can't turn the football over. I'm not going to say 'excited' (about Hoyer starting). I'm not going to say I felt any way or the other. I wasn't excited or disappointed. I just want the best guy out there to win football games, control the offense and not turn the football over.''

Nevertheless, he's seen Hoyer orchestrate four fourth-quarter come-from-behind victories and has a good feeling about Sunday.

 "I believe he'll bounce back,'' said Whitner. "This is a game where you have to have a short memory. Hopefully we can get that running game going and make it a lot easier and he'll bounce back.''

Hoyer knows he'll have to keep pace with the high-flying Colts, who have scored 40 or more points on four occasions this season.

"Anytime you have a high-powered offense like that you're going against, for our offense, we've got to stay on the field,'' he said. "We can't have three-and-outs and give them a ton of opportunities. When you know that you're going against one of the top offenses in the league, we've got to do whatever we can to stay on the field and keep their offense off the field.''

That might be tricky considering the Colts are second in the NFL in third down defense, right behind the Bills -- who limited the Browns to only 3-of-12 last week for 25%. From weeks four to seven, the Colts allowed only one third-down conversion in each of the four games, and had 15 straight third-down stops in weeks six and seven. The Browns, meanwhile, are 31st in the NFL in converting them.

 "They have some unique pressures,'' said Hoyer. "They're very well-coached. They have a smart defensive coordinator. Then, obviously we know (LB) D'Qwell (Jackson) very well, a very smart guy who gets those guys lined up, gets them going in the right spot. It's definitely something that'll be a challenge for us.''

Jackson didn't even have to turn on the tape from this season to know the Browns made the right decision in sticking with Hoyer.

"When I was there last year, I thought Brian was the guy for the job without a doubt,'' he said. "I think everyone knew that last year, and obviously this year he's proving it. He's a winner. Guys follow him. He's a great student of the game. He understands his strengths. He moves the ball around. I'm pretty sure it's been a tough road for him trying to block out all the noise and just play football. In my opinion, I think he's done a phenomenal job with just playing football and making the best out of his opportunity."

Especially when his back's against the wall.

Nordonia football coach Jeff Fox confirmed that freshman Tye Evans is at home and doing fine after being carted off the field at Ohio Stadium during Friday's Division II state title game.

Nordonia football coach Jeff Fox confirmed that freshman Tye Evans is at home and doing fine after being carted off the field at Ohio Stadium during Friday's Division II state title game.

Freshman Kam Williams gave Ohio State 11 points off the bench on Saturday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With 50 of its 70 points scored by freshmen and sophomores on Saturday, No. 14 Ohio State basketball continues to show that the future and present is in the underclassmen.

In the 70-50 win against Colgate, freshman D'Angelo Russell led the way again with 19 points, while sophomore Marc Loving had 17 points and freshman Kam Williams scored 11 points.

In the last two games, the Buckeyes have kept their younger players on the floor for the big moments.

"When we made a run at Louisville, I think there were four freshmen on the court," said assistant coach Jeff Boals, who replaced coach Thad Matta in the press conference because of Matta's back problems. "I think what those guys do is bring energy."

While Russell and Loving did their part on Saturday, it was Williams who was a real difference-maker. Boals described him as "instant offense," and against Colgate, the freshman scored in double figures for the first time since Nov. 18.

"[Kam] is an instant threat on the court every time he touches the ball," Boals said. "He'll be the first to tell you, he likes to be shot ready and be prepared. In the second half, he gave us a big lift."

In a night like tonight when the three senior starters (Shannon Scott, Amir Williams and Sam Thompson) combine for 14 points, it's even more important for the underclassmen to play well.

"Some people need to get picked up, and you need your teammates to pick you up when you're in a slump, and I think that's what we have going for us right now," Williams said.

Beyond scoring, the trio of Loving, Russell and Kam Williams are playing smart basketball too. The three players combined for just four turnovers on Saturday despite playing 86 minutes between them.

The underclassmen weren't the only story on Saturday. Here's what else you need to know:

Ohio State excels in the second half

Despite leading 31-21 at halftime, it wasn't a half to exactly be proud of for the Buckeyes. The team shot just 35.5 percent from the field and had six turnovers compared to four assists.

Things changed after halftime, though. The Buckeyes were 16-for-27 from the field in the second half and had just three turnovers compared to eight assists.

"I think we just needed to calm down," Boals said. "We weren't playing our game, and Coach Matta said coming out of the timeout that we just needed to relax and get into the flow of the game."

Colgate compares Ohio State defense with Syracuse zone

The Raiders traditionally play in-state opponent Syracuse each season and will meet them on Dec. 22. Because of that, Colgate coach Matt Langel was able to compare Ohio State's zone defense to Syracuse's.

"The zone is very similar," Langel said. "To be honest with you, the Syracuse zone is even a little bit longer than the Ohio State zone."

Deep struggles

Ohio State allowed an opponent to make 10 or more 3-pointers in back-to-back games for the first time in nearly five years. Louisville made 10 shots from deep on Tuesday, and Colgate made 11 3-pointers on Saturday.

The Raiders, though, only took 24 field goals inside the arc, and the Buckeyes held them to 36.7 percent from deep for the game.

West Virginia and Iowa both hit 10 3-points in consecutive games against the Buckeyes in January of 2010.

Light stretch ahead

The Buckeyes have a chance to do some serious damage heading into conference play. With five mid-major home games on the schedule and a game against struggling North Carolina before Big Ten play opens on Dec. 30, Ohio State could be looking at 13-1 start if everything breaks right.

The Eagles got big plays from some unexpected places in Saturday's Division I state championship game.

The Eagles got big plays from some unexpected places in Saturday's Division I state championship game.

Blake Sims deserves kudos, TCU did what it could and Oregon sat back and enjoyed it all.

What we learned during the afternoon games of championship Saturday:

1. Sims is more than just a game manager: It's time to treat Alabama senior Blake Sims as more than just a one-year, "system" quarterback.

Sims was brilliant in No. 1 Alabama's 42-13 rout of Missouri, completing 23 of 27 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He frequently targeted his go-to receiver, Amari Cooper, for 12 receptions for 83 yards, but he also made plays spreading the ball around to other receivers.

Most notably, DeAndrew White caught four passes for 101 yards and a 55-yard touchdown.

Sure, he benefited from an early ejection of Missouri star defensive Shane Ray, who was flagged for targeting Sims' head on a roughing the passer call early in the second quarter, a flag that brings an automatic ejection. And sure, he leaned on Alabama's reliable running game, led by Derrick Henry's 141 yards and two touchdowns.

But let's face it. Sims' success is not just because he has a great receiver and not because he got a break.

As the night progressed, Sims became the school's all-time, single-season passing yards leader with 3,250 yards on the year. Sure, he has a Heisman candidate in Cooper to lean on, but we're well past the time where he should still be treated as a "system" quarterback.

2. TCU did what it could: No primary contender seemed to control its destiny less than No. 3 TCU.

The Horned Frogs could not clinch a conference title, like all the other contenders. And regardless of what they did, they knew they might be passed in the rankings by Baylor, Ohio State and Florida State if those three won their conference titles later Saturday night.

Given the limits of what TCU could accomplish, it did everything it could do in a 55-3 rout of Iowa State.

Trevone Boykin passed for 460 yards and four touchdowns and added a 55-yard touchdown reception to solidify his invitation to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist. The TCU defense reminded people that, despite its struggles in the 61-58 loss to Baylor, it's still a top 20 defense nationally in points allowed.

In short, TCU looked very much like a playoff team.

3. Oregon is the weekend's big winner: Even before Saturday started, the big winner of the weekend was already determined.

No. 2 Oregon's 51-13 rout of No. 7 Arizona Friday night really made the Ducks impressive in ways the rest of the country could not be.

First of all, Arizona was the highest-ranked opponent of one of the primary contenders for the College Football Playoffs. That the Ducks dominated so much (Arizona's final touchdown was scored as time expired) makes their performance one nobody could subsequently top.

It left one wondering if the Ducks might pass Alabama as the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

If the team accomplishment wasn't enough, a five-touchdown performance by Marcus Mariota may have pretty much sealed the Heisman Trophy for the Oregon quarterback.

After a Friday like that, watching championship Saturday unfold had to be a pleasure if you are a Duck.

4. Expect Bedlam in rivalries: The first big upset of Saturday wasn't in a championship game, but in a rivalry game as Oklahoma State rallied from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to beat arch-rival, No . 20 Oklahoma, 38-35.

How unlikely was it? Oklahoma (8-4) entered the game have won three of four and playing pretty good football. Plus, the game was at Norman. Oklahoma State (6-6) entered having lost five straight by an average of 22.2 points per game.

But OSU's Tyreek Hill returned a punt 92 yards for a touchdown with 45 seconds left in the game to tie it, then Ben Grogan's 21-yard field goal in overtime decided it.

It made no sense that the Cowboys would win this one, but that's what happens in rivalry games.

See pictures from St. Edward football winning the 2014 Division I state title.

See pictures from St. Edward football winning the 2014 Division I state title.

Central Catholic girls basketball defeats St. Martin De Porres.

Central Catholic girls basketball defeats St. Martin De Porres.

St. Edward will have many new faces playing big roles in 2015.

St. Edward will have many new faces playing big roles in 2015.

How will the Browns stop Andrew Luck, who's putting up a league-high 31.8 points per game? Will Josh Cribbs take one to the Pound? And jump in? Will Joe Haden shut down T.Y. Hilton. These are some of the five things to watch.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Can the Browns overcome the near-benching of Brian Hoyer this week to beat the 8-4 Colts?

With the AFC North race hotter than a jalapeño, they'll likely have to win out to try to try to make the playoffs. At 7-5, they're tied with Baltimore and Pittsburgh for second place in the division, but are fourth in terms of the tiebreakers. The Bengals, meanwhile, are 1 1/2 games in front at 8-3-1.

The Bengals host the Steelers Sunday while the Ravens visit the Dolphins. The Colts can clinch the AFC South with a victory over the Browns and a Texans' loss.

The Browns are coming off a 26-10 loss in Buffalo in which Hoyer was benched for the final 12:01 in favor of Johnny Manziel, and he narrowly held on to his job midweek. The Colts are coming off a 49-27 route of the Redskins in which Andrew Luck threw a career-high five TD passes.

The game marks a homecoming for former Browns D'Qwell Jackson, Trent Richardson, Josh Cribbs, Rob Chudzinksi and Mike Adams, who leads the Colts with six takeaways.

With Luck red-hot over the last month, I picked the Colts to win 30-20. Here are five things to watch:

1. Good Luck

Luck was named AFC Player of the Month for his November to remember. En route to a 3-1 record, he threw 12 touchdown passes against only two interceptions and earned a 112.0 rating. Last week against the Redskins, he earned a 137.0 rating for his five-TD performance. He presides over the No. 1 offense in the NFL, and they're averaging a league-high 31.8 points per game.

"His escape ability is among the best in the league,'' said coach Mike Pettine. "So many of his plays are made by being off schedule. He can make the read, make the throw with the best of them, but he has a (Ben) Roethlisberger-type element to him where he can make guys miss. Then, the other thing, to me, that it amazing when you watch him is he's not afraid to get hit. He takes some big shots during games. He'll go ahead and deliver a throw and follow through and he's getting blasted where some quarterbacks are looking to avoid that. A lot of their big plays have come as a result of that."

Luck is second in the NFL with 34 TD passes against 11 interceptions and is fourth in the NFL with a 103.0 rating. But the Browns are first in the NFL with 17 picks, and Donte Whitner is convinced the Browns can increase that lead on Sunday.

 "He has every tool that a quarterback needs,'' Whitner said. "From the arm strength to the accuracy to the courage to escapability. He's actually a 4.5 guy. Once he escapes the pocket, he can do it with legs, his arm, he can improvise and do the Aaron Rodgers impersonation. He can do it all.

"But at the same time, a lot of those things -- sitting in the pocket and taking those hits, trying to thread it in the small holes -- it can go against you also. He has 11 interceptions. But if you watch the film, there's about another 11 to 15 that guys had in their hands and they dropped it. So we have to understand he's not perfect. He's a really good football player. He's one of the top quarterbacks in the National Football League, but he will make some mistakes, and if he does make the mistakes, we have to take advantage of them."

2. Cribbsy's back

Josh Cribbs has always been at his best with a little edge to him, and he'll certainly have that on Sunday. He sat around waiting for the Browns and their return-challenged team to dial him up, but they never did. Finally, he signed with the Colts two games ago, and he'll surely want to make the Browns sorry for the slight.

"Just the fact that I had exhausted all my resources to try to and get back on the team,'' he said. "There was some hope that maybe they would take me later on in the year because I would be worth less....I was available and not to get a phone call to say, 'We want you, but we can't...' I didn't get anything. I didn't know where that came from. It was hard for me to even turn on the TV to watch football without being on the field, and that ate me up.''

In his first game with the Colts, he returned a kickoff 46 yards and had a punt return for a touchdown called back by a penalty.

"Obviously he's still got some juice,'' said safety Jim Leonhard. "Look at the numbers he's put up. He's fresh right now, he's feeling good and he's going to have some extra motivation coming in with his former team. We have to be on high alert. We've got great coverage teams and we have to be us, but you have to know what type of returner he is and what kind of home-run ability he has.''

Cribbs is still waffling on whether or not he'll jump into the Dawg Pound if he scores. First it was yes, then no, now maybe.

"I don't know what I'm going to do once I score,'' he said. "They might be telling me to come jump in there and I might have to leap in there for old time's sake. Who says I'm going to get in there anyway? They have a great special teams unit and I want to focus on just trying to get as much yards as I can for the offense, period."

3. No Vontae Davis

The Colts head into this game without their premier cornerback Vontae Davis, who's sidelined with a concussion. It's a huge break for Hoyer, who should be abel to hit some big plays to Josh Gordon and other receivers with Davis out. Davis is second on the team to with three interceptions (Adams has four) and is first with 18 pass breakups, which ranks second in the NFL.  What's more, he hasn't surrendered a touchdown in 942 snaps.

"We've been there before," said coach Chuck Pagano said. "We have capable guys who have practiced well this week. They can go in and play and play at a high level. We don't have a choice right now."

If the Colts have to use four cornerbacks, it sets up a possible matchup between Josh Gordon and Josh Gordy.

But even without Davis, the Colts are surely salivating over Hoyer's six picks in his last three games and eight in the last five.

4. Dwayne Who?

Browns safety Donte Whitner seemed more concerned about Colts tight end Coby Fleener than his cohort Dwayne Allen, but the Browns should be fretting about both. Allen, who missed the past two games with a sprained ankle, leads the Colts with seven touchdown catches among his 26 receptions. He's also a great run-blocker, which should benefit Trent Richardson and Daniel "Boom'' Herron.  didn't seem too concerned about Colts right at first said "didn't seem too

"Dwayne Allen, I'm not worried about him,'' said Whitner. "We're worried about Coby Fleener. I don't know. Dwayne Allen, he's just coming back from an injury or whatever, but Fleener is looking like one of the top tight ends in the National Football League."

Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton knows the value of having both on the field.

 "(Allen) is a tremendous asset for our offense because of his ability to play without the ball,'' he said. "He's a physical football player and having Dwayne available in all situations, but in particular in the short yardage, goal line, four-minute and down in the red zone, is something that we rely on and it gives us an opportunity to be successful in those situations."

5. Joe Haden vs. T.Y. Hilton and friends

Haden has been so dominant the past five games or so that defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil christened him the best cornerback in the NFL. He's been shutting down the likes of Sammy Watkins, A.J. Green, Julio Jones and Andre Johnson.

Now, he'll get a crack at Hilton, who ranks fifth in the NFL with 1,145 receiving yards and 11th with 68 receptions.

"He's a flyer,'' said Haden. "He can run like a Mike Wallace type. With his speed, his main thing is getting deep, being a deep threat.''

Receiver Reggie Wayne knows the Colts will get a battle from Haden and the Browns' opportunistic secondary, which is responsible for most of the Browns' league-leading 17 interceptions.

"(Haden's) one of the premier corners in the league,'' he said. "Their whole secondary's pretty feisty. You watch them on the film, they all are scrappy guys. They all like to play man coverage. They all like to press at the line of scrimmage. It's what you see. It's basically a one-on-one game kind of. It's going to be a challenge for us but we definitely accept that challenge. We feel like we've got enough guys in this locker room that can rise to the occasion. They're a tough team defensively. We know that we've got to put our best foot forward or else it's going to be an ugly game in the Dawg Pound."

Special teams are an important part of football, and they were especially big in the St. Edward and Huber Heights Wayne Division I state championship.

Special teams are an important part of football, and they were especially big in the St. Edward and Huber Heights Wayne Division I state championship.

Wadsworth girls basketball beat Revere, 56-45, in both team's second game of the season.

Wadsworth girls basketball beat Revere, 56-45, in both team's second game of the season.

See Ohio high school boys basketball statewide scores for December 6, 2014

See Ohio high school boys basketball statewide scores for December 6, 2014

See Ohio high school girls basketball statewide scores for Dec. 6, 2014.

See Ohio high school girls basketball statewide scores for Dec. 6, 2014.

Matt Fields, Josh Heil pick up titles for Brunswick at Solon Comet Classic.

Matt Fields, Josh Heil pick up titles for Brunswick at Solon Comet Classic.

St. Edward won the second football state title in school history on Saturday.

St. Edward won the second football state title in school history on Saturday.

Here are a few things to ponder and monitor to get you ready for tonight's game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets.

NEW YORK – The Cavaliers are hot and the Brooklyn Nets want to change that beginning at 7:30 p.m. this evening at Barclay Center.

Brooklyn will try to impose a grind-it-out approach to limit Cleveland from getting out in transition. These are two teams with totally different plans of attacks. Star power galore should make for an interesting contest.

Here are a few things to monitor to get you geared up for tonight's affair:

1. Brooklyn still dangerous

Even though the Nets are without Paul Pierce, LeBron James said as long they have Kevin Garnett on the roster, they're a force. Cleveland is in the midst of a six-game winning streak, but James continues to harp "not to let up." Brooklyn lacks continuity, but with the weapons they have, they could click on any given night.

2. Is Irving developing his PG skills?

With LeBron James taking over the bulk of the playmaking duties, Kyrie Irving has turned into an Allen Iverson 2.0. Obviously, this is for the betterment of the team, as the Cavs are playing their best ball of the young season. But is this good for Irving's development as a point guard? He's only 22. Shouldn't this be the time where he is learning how to get guys involved, learning how to a run a team? Or is he learning from observing James?

3. Time for a D-League stint?

No, Not Alex Kirk. He has gone and come back around 20 times already. This might be the right time for Joe Harris to make his debut with the Canton Charge. His minutes have plummeted of late. He's borderline out of the rotation, having played under a minute in Friday's win over Toronto. His confidence could be shaken. Getting the opportunity to play a significant role and put up college-like numbers might be in order. Before the season, the team had planned to send Harris to Canton on occasion, but then Harris carved out a spot in the rotation. This is a good time as any.

4. Might we see Delly?

David Blatt had said it was possible Matthew Dellavedova (MCL sprain) could return to action during this three-game road trip. Well, there are two games down and one to go. Cleveland practiced on Sunday at Baruch College. Before practice Blatt was unsure how much work they would get done due to the court condition. With no shootaround this morning, Blatt's decision to bring his backup point guard back into the fold will rest on yesterday's practice.

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Probable starting lineups

Brooklyn Nets (8-10)

F Joe Johnson

F Kevin Garnett

C Mason Plumlee

G Bojan Bogdanovic

G Deron Williams

*Injuries: Brook Lopez out with a strained back

Cleveland Cavaliers (11-7)

F LeBron James

F Kevin Love

C Anderson Varejao

G Shawn Marion

G Kyrie Irving

*Injuries: Mike Miller out with a concussion