Chris Haynes, Joe Vardon and Chris Fedor assessed Tyronn Lue's first game as head coach and whether the changes he is trying to implement will work. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers lost Tyronn Lue's head coaching debut on Saturday, 96-83, against the Chicago Bulls. 

Following the game, Chris Haynes, Joe Vardon and I assessed Lue's first game, whether his decision to play with more pace will work and early examples of already holding LeBron James accountable in a way former head coach David Blatt couldn't. 

Watch the video above.

"It was a really good visit, I like it there a lot," Burns said. "There was never any bragging or anything like that, but they take you around and show you what the players do and how the players coach. It was a good time."

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Three-star cornerback Rodjay Burns of Louisville (Ky.) Trinity officially visited Ohio State this weekend as a Louisville commit. 

His visit is over and he's still committed to the Cardinals, but that doesn't mean much.

Why? Because Burns said he has to make a decision between Louisville and Ohio State. 

"Right now," Burns told told Scout.com recruiting analyst Jody Demling, "they are pretty equal." 

Rated the No. 73 cornerback in the 2016 recruiting class in the 247Sports composite rankings, Burns has been committed to Louisville since March. The Buckeyes didn't offer him a scholarship until Dec. 4. 

Ohio State cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs has led the charge in Burns' recruitment, and now the cornerback feels familiar with the Buckeyes following a positive official visit to Columbus. 

"It was a really good visit, I like it there a lot," Burns said. "There was never any bragging or anything like that, but they take you around and show you what the players do and how the players coach. It was a good time."

Ohio State is also recruiting four-star cornerback Damar Hamlin of Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic and four-star athlete Jordan Fuller of Westwood (N.J.) Old Tappan. Hamlin took an official visit to Penn State this weekend, while Fuller was at Michigan for his official. 

To read Scout.com's full interview with Burns, click here. 

The Denver Broncos advance to the Super Bowl by beating the New England Patriots, 20-18, in the AFC Championship game.

DENVER -- The Denver Broncos are heading to the Super Bowl after beating the New England Patriots, 20-18, Sunday in the AFC Championship.

The Patriots made it close, but couldn't complete the comeback. Needing a two-point conversion to force overtime, the Patriots couldn't complete the pass, and the Broncos recovered the onside kick to send Denver to the Super Bowl and Tom Brady and the Patriots packing.

Denver (14-4) will face Arizona or Carolina for the title on Feb. 7.

New England had to go for 2 after Brady's 4-yard touchdown to Rob Gronkowski because Stephen Gostkowski missed an extra point in the first quarter, snapping a string of 523 straight makes.

Peyton Manning threw two touchdowns but the 39-year-old QB's best play may have very well been his 12-yard scramble on third down in the third quarter -- his longest playoff run since he was a rookie.

If this 17th matchup with Brady was indeed the final one, Manning got the last laugh -- thanks to Von Miller.

The star of Denver's dominant defense had 21/2 sacks, an interception and a pass breakup.

DeMarcus Ware and Derek Wolfe also applied plenty of pressure, helping a "No Fly Zone" secondary that was missing safeties T.J. Ward (ankle) and Darian Stewart (knee) by the end.

Denver, which led the league in defense for the first time in franchise history, held on fourth down inside the 20 on consecutive drives before allowing Gronkowski to haul in a 4-yard TD pass with 12 seconds left.

When the bruised and battered Brady tried to hit Julian Edelman over the middle for the tying 2-point conversion, Aqib Talib batted the pass into the air and cornerback Bradley Roby grabbed it.

The Broncos needed one last big play to secure their spot in the Super Bowl and they got it from the unlikeliest of places -- safety Shiloh Keo, a free agent who joined the team last month, smothered the onside kick.

Manning, who suffered through the worst season of his career and dealt with a tear in the plantar fascia near the heel of his left foot that cost him seven starts, took a knee to clinch the win.

Manning improved to 6-11 against his rival with half of those wins coming in AFC championship games.

One was in Indianapolis the year he won his only Super Bowl ring and now he's beaten Brady twice in Denver for the Lamar Hunt Trophy.

So, two months shy of 40, Manning is going to Super Bowl 50 with the chance to become the first starting QB to win Lombardi Trophies for two different franchises.

MassLive.com contributed to this report.

Watch New England Patriots fail on game-tying pass attempt. Denver Broncos advance to Super Bowl 50.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Denver Broncos earned their spot in Super Bowl 50 after stopping a late score at home on Sunday against last year's champion New England Patriots.

With 12 seconds left in the AFC Championship, a pass attempt on a two-point conversion was ruled incomplete by Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady to receiver Julian Edelman.

The Broncos defense needed one stop on a 2-point conversion attempt. They got it. #NEvsDEN #BroncosCountryPlayoffs https://t.co/DJ2NDlT5Et

-- NFL (@NFL) January 24, 2016

The Patriots cut the Broncos' 20-12 lead after Brady connected with tight end Rob Gronkowski for a four-yard touchdown reception leaving 12 seconds left on the game clock. Gronkowski, who finished the game with eight receptions for 144 yards and touchdown, put the Patriots in the redzone after a 40-yard catch thrown by Brady.

Rob Gronkowski makes an absolutely incredible TD catch on 4th down. #NEvsDEN https://t.co/ZoEPSaoBQV

-- NFL (@NFL) January 24, 2016

The Broncos won 20-18 after recovering an onside kick by the Patriots.

Watch Ted Ginn Jr.'s TD catch in NFC Championship between the Carolina Panthers vs. Arizona Cardinals.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland native Ted Ginn Jr. helped the Carolina Panthers jump out to a 10-0 lead on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals to open the NFC Championship.

The receiver reeled in a 22-yard touchdown run following a reverse from quarterback Cam Newton early in the first quarter. This came after Ginn returned Arizona's punt for 32 yards.

Watch Ted Ginn Jr. literally cover 90.97 yards while putting out all the moves on this 22-yard TD run #KeepPounding https://t.co/BMC1qcFWZs

-- NFL (@NFL) January 25, 2016

Ginn entered into the NFL Draft in 2007 after his junior season at Ohio State. He was drafted in the first round, ninth overall by the Miami Dolphins. He also spent time playing with San Francisco and Arizona before signing as a free agent with Carolina in March.

Ginn played for Glenville in Cleveland where his father Ted Ginn Sr. is the coach.

Ohio State flipped three-star cornerback Rodjay Burns of Louisville (Ky.) Trinity from Louisville after his official visit this weekend.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Three-star cornerback Rodjay Burns of Louisville (Ky.) Trinity came into his Ohio State official visit this weekend as a Louisville commit. 

He'll begin this week as an Ohio State commit. 

Rated the No. 73 cornerback in the 2016 recruiting class in the 247Sports composite rankings, Burns has been committed to Louisville since March. The Buckeyes didn't offer him a scholarship until Dec. 4. 

Ohio State cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs was leading the charge in Burns' recruitment, and Urban Meyer does what he does so well late in the recruiting process: Closed. 

Though Ohio State got Burns, who also played wide receiver in high school, as a cornerback, the Buckeyes are still recruiting two other defensive backs in four-star Damar Hamlin of Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic and four-star Jordan Fuller of Westwood (N.J.) Old Tappan. 

Hamlin took an official visit to Penn State this weekend, while Fuller was at Michigan for his official. 

I have decided to de-committ from UofL and i will be playing for The Ohio State University [?] [?][?]

-- RoddyB__ (@NextBig_Thing10) January 25, 2016

Below are Burns' highlights: 

Cam Newton threw for two touchdowns and ran for two others, and Carolina's big-play defense stifled the league's top-ranked offense in a 49-15 romp Sunday for the NFC championship. It was the most points for a winner of an NFC title game.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Superman is headed for the Super Bowl.

He's taking the Carolina Panthers with him.

Cam Newton threw for two touchdowns and ran for two others, and Carolina's big-play defense stifled the league's top-ranked offense in a 49-15 romp Sunday for the NFC championship. It was the most points for a winner of an NFC title game.

The NFL's new top man at quarterback -- Newton is an All-Pro this season -- will lead the Panthers against five-time MVP Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in two weeks. Carolina is favored by four points.

"Playing the sheriff," Newton said of Manning. "We're going to live in the moment right now. We're going to be excited."

It will be Newton's first trip to the Super Bowl and the second trip to the big game for the Panthers (17-1), who lost to New England 12 years ago. Denver, of course, has made a habit of going to Super Bowls, reaching it for a record-tying eighth time.

"We won as a team," Newton said. "We came out here and fought our tails off and we did what a lot of people said we couldn't do. It's not over yet. We'll be ready to go in two weeks."

And while the Broncos' defense carried it past New England 20-18 for the AFC crown, Carolina's D was just as destructive. It picked off Carson Palmer four times, forced two fumbles by him, and never let up the assault.

Special teams also had a takeaway, and when Carolina grabbed a 24-7 halftime lead this time, it didn't back off, as it did in nearly blowing a 31-point margin a week ago vs. Seattle.

When Newton flew into the end zone for a 12-yard third-quarter touchdown -- no, he didn't have a cape on -- he posed like a superhero, dabbed a bit, and pointed the Panthers toward the Bay Area and Super Bowl 50.

Newton finished with 335 yards passing and 47 rushing as Carolina won its 13th straight home game, including three in the playoffs.

One of his biggest helpers was Ted Ginn Jr., who was dumped by the Cardinals after last season. Ginn had a 32-yard punt return to set up his weaving 22-yard TD run, and chased down All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson to prevent a second-quarter touchdown. He also had 52 yards on two receptions.

Carolina's defense did the rest, most notably making Palmer uncomfortable in the pocket and turning Larry Fitzgerald, the star of last week's overtime victory against Green Bay, into a virtual non-entity. It led the league with 39 takeaways, and at times it made an Arizona team that gained more yards than anyone look amateurish.

"We wanted to come out and play a complete game and I think the guys up front played exceptional," linebacker Luke Kuechly said. "There was pressure all day."

Capping the barrage was Kuechly, who returned an interception 22 yards for a score. The 49 points were the most this season for Carolina, which led the NFL with 500 points. The last time a team scored as many as 49 in a conference title game was 1990, when Buffalo beat the Los Angeles Raiders 51-3 in the AFC.

The scoring started quickly, as it did for the Panthers against the Seahawks. Newton hit four passes for 35 yards on their opening drive and Graham Gano hit from 45 yards for a 3-0 lead.

Criticized for being too conservative in the passing game in the overtime victory against Green Bay a week ago, Palmer let it fly from the outset. He just connected too many times with the Panthers.

Ginn's 32-yard punt return set up the Panthers at the Arizona 49. Six plays later, he took a pitch from Newton, headed left and broke a tackle by Justin Bethel. Just as quickly as he was surrounded by red shirts, the swift Ginn emerged to cut across the field into the end zone for a 10-0 lead.

Nearly as swiftly, it was 17-0. On third down from his 14, Newton fired a dart to Philly Brown. Another botched tackle, this one at the Carolina 47 by Rashad Johnson, left Brown with nothing but unprotected turf.

It didn't get any better even when Arizona finally moved the ball into Carolina territory, only to see Kawann Short sack Palmer and strip the ball.

The Cardinals kept trying, and put together a 79-yard scoring drive on which David Johnson starred after an ignominious start. He was plastered by All-Pro linebacker Thomas Davis for a 6-yard loss on the first play of the series, then came back to gain 25 yards, including a 1-yard TD dive.

Davis, who already had six tackles, left for good with a broken right forearm during that drive.

"I will do whatever it takes (to play)," he said of the Super Bowl.

Peterson made a huge muff trying to field a punt later in the second period. Jonathan Stewart ran for 17 and 23 yards -- more missed tackles by the Arizona defense -- and Newton leaped to extend the ball over the goal line from the 1.

He followed with a dab or two, handed the ball to a fan in the end zone, and ran to the sideline to chants of "MVP! MVP!"

There were plenty more of those during the trophy celebration, and fans danced in the stands as the loudspeaker played "Shout."

Newton's counterpart, Palmer, was performing like anything but a Most Valuable Player. On Arizona's first play after Peterson's muff, Palmer was sacked by Charles Johnson and fumbled. Newton gave it back when Peterson picked him off and ran 72 yards to the Carolina 23 -- and Palmer gave that one back with a weak throw that Kurt Coleman intercepted in the end zone.

At one point, the Cardinals had turnovers on three consecutive plays: the muff, Palmer's fumble, and Coleman's first of two picks.

Bates-Diop had his second scoreless game in Big Ten in last Thursday's loss to Purdue. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Thad Matta was a man in a hurry. With a Starbucks coffee cup in hand, Matta went through his obligatory session with the media on Saturday afternoon with something else on his mind.

He had to get in his pre-practice warmup on the elliptical machine before heading into Ohio State's practice facility. Matta had a list of things he wanted to hit with the Buckeyes coming off another road loss, this one at Purdue on Thursday night.

One of the things on that list: Light a fire under sophomore wing Keita Bates-Diop before Monday night's game against Penn State.

Matta and Bates-Diop had a meeting earlier Saturday morning, the gist of which was making sure Bates-Diop knew he had to come into games more prepared and more energetic. He was coming off a scoreless performance against the Boilermakers.

It was the second time in Big Ten play that Bates-Diop, who earned a starting job coming into this season, finished with a zero in the points column. Matta wants more out of Bates-Diop. Ohio State needs more.

"We're not good enough to not have everybody playing well in the Big Ten," Matta said.

It's not all Bates-Diop's fault that Ohio State (12-8, 4-3 Big Ten) has lost its last three road games and is in the middle of season that's been uncommon during Matta's tenure. Far from it, and that's not what Matta's meeting with Bates-Diop was about.

The Buckeyes are in a precarious situation where they need to be clicking in all facets to win games against the Big Ten's best teams. Bates-Diop, despite having some off games this season, might be Ohio State's most talented player when you break it all down. The Buckeyes need his best every night.

He can shoot the 3-pointer and he can score inside. At 6-foot-7, Matta said Bates-Diop might be the longest player he's ever coached, and that's a good thing on the defensive end of the floor. Bates-Diop has NBA traits, as crazy as that might sound right now. Don't forget he was the 29th-ranked prospect in the 2014 recruiting class, just a few spots behind D'Angelo Russell.

The difficulty has been getting Bates-Diop to maximize that potential on a nightly basis.

Ohio State forward Keita Bates-Diop had his second scoreless game of the Big Ten season on Thursday. The Buckeyes need more.Michael Conroy, Associated Press 

"He has to get his mind ready to play, to compete," Matta said. "I think from the offensive standpoint we need him to be more ready to see things before they happen. He's got some opportunities, that in showing him I don't think he's taking full advantage of. That's something that we gotta get him playing better, and he wants to."

Matta spoke of trying to get Bates-Diop more aggressive during the nonconference. At times that came out and there were games when it looked like nobody could stop him when he was determined to get his shot.

In the two games he's gone scoreless -- at Northwestern and at Purdue -- it's not a matter of Bates-Diop having an off night as much as it is him not trying to make some shots. He was a combined 0 for 5 from the field in those games.

His numbers are down during Big Ten play, though. Bates-Diop is averaging 8.4 points per game after averaging 13 points per game in the nonconference. The key is to find that aggressive player that surfaced a few times in December, and bring him out now when the Buckeyes are trying to win some tough games.

That aggressive player and the person Bates-Diop appears to be off the floor seem to run counter to each other. Bates-Diop is soft spoken. He often covers his mouth with his hand when speaking, and is a man of very few words. There's nothing wrong with being that guy off the floor, but Ohio State needs that guy to go away when the game starts.

"Keita is a pretty calm guy off the court," sophomore guard Kam Williams said. "I just tell him, in Big Ten you can't be calm on the court, you gotta stay aggressive because we need you scoring the basketball."

Williams is a guy who's having his best season in an Ohio State uniform right now, and is never shy about his confidence in his game. Maybe Bates-Diop could use a little more Williams in his game.

This is Bates-Diop's first full season starting after not really playing much as a true freshman. Maybe he just needs more time. He wouldn't be the first player to need a year's worth of grooming as a starter before realizing his potential.

But if Matta can somehow bring out that killer instinct to match the ability that's clearly there now, then he knows Ohio State will be in a better position moving forward. That's why Matta was in such a hurry to get to practice on Saturday.

"I'm going to go get it out of him now," Matta said.

Then he snatched up his coffee cup and headed for the elliptical.

See details on new contest to recognize winter sports athletes.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Time is running out for coaches to submit nominations for a new weekly Winter Sports Game Balls contest, which replaces Players of the Week. The nomination deadline each week is Monday at noon (see details and a link to the nomination form below).

Starting this week, we will have a Game Balls contest for all winter sports instead of Players of the Week. We will accept Game Balls nominations until Monday at noon. Then cleveland.com reporters will add their nominees and select the finalists.

The Game Balls finalists will be posted online Tuesday, along with a poll asking which athlete had the most impressive week. All Game Balls finalists win a free SAT or ACT class with College Review (216-831-2557 and collegereview.org).

Here are instructions on the Game Balls nomination process for all sports:

Online nominations must be submitted by coaches. Coaches can nominate an athlete anytime between the end of all that week’s games and Monday at noon.

Click here to access the Game Balls nomination form, or go to cleveland.com/gameballs online. Fill in all the blanks, especially the part on what the athlete did last week.

Winter Sports Game Balls will be awarded every week of the season, including the playoffs.

For more high school sports news, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

The Buckeyes host the Nittany Lions on Monday night. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio State basketball team hosts Penn State on Monday night.

Who: Penn State Nittany Lions (11-9, 2-5 Big Ten) at Ohio State Buckeyes (12-8, 4-3)

When: Monday, 7 p.m.

Where: Value City Arena

TV: Big Ten Network, with Dave Revsine and Stephen Bardo on the call

Penn State projected starters: G Shep Garner (Soph., 6-1, 14.1 ppg); F Payton Banks (Soph., 6-6, 10.8 ppg); F Brandon Taylor (Sr., 6-6, 16.2 ppg); F Julian Moore (Soph., 6-10, 4.7 ppg); C Jordan Dickerson (Sr., 7-1, 3 ppg)

Ohio State projected starters: G JaQuan Lyle (Fr., 6-5, 10.6 ppg); F Jae'Sean Tate (Soph., 6-4, 10.6 ppg); F Marc Loving (Jr., 6-7, 14.6 ppg); F Keita Bates-Diop (Soph., 6-7, 11.8 ppg); C Trevor Thompson (Soph., 6-11, 6.2 ppg)

Breaking down the Nittany Lions: Penn State is coming off a 66-60 loss to Wisconsin on Thursday night. It was the Lions third loss in their last four games ... The Lions are without freshman guard Josh Reaves, who started 14 of the first 17 games, but is out with mono. He was averaging 6.4 points per game and second on the team in steals and blocks ... Forward Brandon Taylor is seventh in the Big Ten in points per game (16.2), while guard Shep Garner is tied for 12th (14.1) ... Penn State is last in the Big Ten in scoring offense (66.7 ppg), and 13th out of 14 teams in field goal percentage (41.7 percent) ... Penn State is 11th in the conference in scoring defense (68.6 ppg allowed), and seventh in field goal percentage defense (41.9 percent) ... Penn State lost both games to Ohio State last year ... This will be the only meeting between the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes this season ... Penn State is ranked No. 138 in Ken Pomeroy's efficiency ratings.

Breaking down the Buckeyes: Ohio State is coming off a 75-64 loss to Purdue on Thursday night. Ohio State has also lost three of its last four ... The Buckeyes are 7-3 at Value City Arena this season, and 3-0 in Big Ten home games ... Monday's game will be Thad Matta's 200th Big Ten regular season game as Ohio State's head coach. The Buckeyes are 136-63 in Big Ten regular season games under Matta ... Sophomore forward Jae'Sean Tate had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the loss to Purdue, his third double-double of the season ... Freshman point guard A.J. Harris had a career-high 11 points off the bench against Purdue ... Sophomore guard Kam Williams is averaging 11.4 points per game off the bench during Big Ten play ... Ohio State is 10th in the Big Ten in scoring offense (71.6 ppg) and 9th in field goal percentage (44.9 percent) ... The Buckeyes are 7th in the conference in scoring defense (66.9 ppg) and 3rd in field goal percentage defense (39.4 percent) ... The Buckeyes have lost every game in which they've been outrebounded, and are 8th in the Big Ten in rebounding margin at +2.6 ... The Buckeyes are 76th in the KenPom ratings.

Bill's prediction: Ohio State 73, Penn State 63

From the last game: Ohio State plays better on the road, but still loses at No. 22 Purdue

* Did A.J. Harris make a case for a starting job against Purdue?

Tyronn Lue will bring on defensive-minded assistant Mike Longabardi, a league source told cleveland.com. The two worked together under Doc Rivers while in Boston.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - New Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue is in the process of adding to his coaching staff. Lue will bring on defensive-minded assistant Mike Longabardi, a league source told cleveland.com. The two worked together under Doc Rivers while in Boston.

Longabardi is well respected throughout the league and is expected to take over defensive-coordinator duties. He's a straight shooter who doesn't mince words and is viewed as a perfect addition for a veteran team. He was one of two assistants let go by Phoenix at the end of last month.

I'm told he will sit next to Lue on the bench. He has been an assistant in the league for 10 straight seasons. He's had three stints, with Houston being his first stop.

Jim Boylan, Bret Brielmaier, Larry Drew, James Posey, Phil Handy and Vitaly Potapenko round out the coaching staff.

See the AP state poll for the week of Jan. 25, 2016.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Here's how a state panel of sports writers and broadcasters rates Ohio high school boys basketball teams in the third weekly Associated Press poll of 2015-16. With won-lost record and total points (first-place votes in parentheses).

DIVISION I

1. Huber Hts. Wayne (12) 14-0 219

2. Lima Sr. (8) 12-0 217

3. Cin. Moeller (2) 15-1 186

4. Garfield Heights 13-3 136

5. Gahanna Lincoln 16-1 112

6. Wilmington 14-1 110

7. Westerville S. 13-3 86

8. Cin. Elder 14-2 51

9. Warren Harding (2) 12-1 31

10. Cols. Northland 14-1 25

(tie).Dublin Coffman 14-2 25

Others receiving 12 or more points: 12. Cols. St, Charles 21, 13. St. Ignatius 16, 13. Mason 16.

DIVISION II

1. New Concord John Glenn (21) 15-1 224

2. Chillicothe Unioto (1) 13-0 182

3. Lexington 16-1 168

4. St. Vincent-St. Mary 11-3 145

5. Defiance 13-3 103

6. McArthur Vinton County 13-1 95

7. Napoleon 10-2 52

8. Franklin 12-2 51

9. Upper Sandusky 15-0 47

10. Trotwood-Madison 14-1 27

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11. Poland Seminary (2) 25, 12. Central Catholic 21, 13. Byesville Meadowbrook 19, 13. Ottawa-Glandorf 19, 15. Johnstown-Monroe 18, 16. Alliance 13, 16. McConnelsville Morgan 13.

DIVISION III

1. Lima Cent. Cath. (22) 15-0 230

2. Massillon Tuslaw (1) 15-0 201

3. Casstown Miami E. 13-1 150

4. Berlin Hiland 15-2 141

5. Day. Northridge 15-1 118

6. Worthington Christian 13-3 94

7. Beachwood 13-2 83

8. Villa Angela-St. Joseph 10-4 74

9. Cin. Purcell Marian (1) 13-3 42

10. Van Buren 11-1 24

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11. Milan Edison 20, 12. Proctorville Fairland 17, 12. Cols. Grandview Hts. 17.

DIVISION IV

1. Van Wert Lincolnview (23) 16-0 237

2. Defiance Ayersville 12-1 176

3. Sandusky St. Mary 13-1 169

4. New Madison Tri-Village 14-2 123

5. Gorham Fayette 14-0 113

6. Jackson Center 14-2 103

7. Mogadore 11-1 101

8. Waterford 9-2  49

9. Glouster Trimble 11-2 47

10. Cols. Africentric 10-5 40

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11. Cols. Wellington 30, 12. Ft. Recovery 19, 13. Russia 16, 14. Lutheran East 14, 15. McDonald 13, 16. S. Charleston SE 12.

Bruce was seemingly on the fence about flipping to Ohio State -- his Twitter was really entertaining the last week -- but he announced his intention to stay a Hurricane on Monday evening.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Four-star wide receiver Sam Bruce of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas was being recruited heavily by Ohio State despite his commitment to Miami (Fla.). 

Bruce was seemingly on the fence about flipping to Ohio State -- his Twitter was really entertaining the last week -- but he announced his intention to stay a Hurricane on Monday evening. 

Rated the No. 11 wide receiver in the 2016 class in the 247Sports composite rankings, Bruce had been committed to Miami since the summer of 2014. He was also considering Florida before announcing his decision. 

Ohio State earned a commitment from four-star wide receiver Binjimen Victor of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Coconut Creek last Monday, but the Buckeyes would have found room for a playmaker like the 5-foot-8, 180-pound Bruce. 

Bruce, a small speedster, was the perfect fit for Urban Meyer's H-Back position. He officially visited Ohio State and mid-October, and Meyer and receivers coach Zach Smith stopped in on him in Florida twice in the time since. 

The wide receiver's final official visit was to Miami over this past weekend the the Hurricanes sold him on staying home. 

I thank God[?] [?] [?] pic.twitter.com/Lat4XeXNMA

-- $am BruceVI (@_QUICK6) January 26, 2016

The Buckeyes snapped a two-game losing skid with a win over Penn State on Monday night.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Thad Matta ended his media sessions on Saturday afternoon by saying he was going to try to get more out of Keita Bates-Diop.

For one night at least, it appears Matta's message landed. Bates-Diop had a game-high 22 points to lead the Ohio State basketball team to a 66-46 win over Penn State on Monday night at Value City Arena.

The win snapped a two-game skid for the Buckeyes (13-8, 5-3 Big Ten), who had lost three of four coming into Monday.

The point total was a high during Big Ten play for Bates-Diop, who had two scoreless conference games under his belt coming into Monday. For Matta it was all about getting Bates-Diop to be more aggressive on both ends of the floor. He was, leading Ohio State in field goal attempts and finishing 8 for 14 for the game.

Bates-Diop finished with eight rebounds and four blocked shots.

His play helped the Buckeyes overcome what was an otherwise sloppy nigh on offense. Ohio State turned the ball over 15 times, five of those coming from junior forward Loving.

Jae'Sean Tate finished with 15 points, while Loving added 11.

Matta also shook up the starting lineup, using A.J. Harris at point guard and Daniel Giddens at center. Harris finished with four points and four assists in 20 minutes. JaQuan Lyle, in his first game off the bench, scored six points in 18 minutes.

Penn State missed its first 13 3-point attempts, but made two during a 12-4 run to close the first half. That run cut Ohio State's lead to 33-26 at the break.

The Buckeyes were the better offensive team for much of the half from a shooting standpoint, but struggled with Penn State's zone defense. Ohio State turned the ball over 10 times in the first half, leading 10 points off turnovers for the Lions.

Ohio State was helped by a 6 for 12 first half from 3, including three deep ones from Bates-Diop. The Buckeyes led by as much as 15 in the first half.

When it was over

When the Buckeyes put together a 7-0 run midway through the second half to pull ahead 54-35. At the time it was the largest lead for Ohio State. It put Penn State into a deep hole it was never going to get out of.

The Nittany Lions were cold all night (33 percent), particularly from 3-point range, where it finished 4 for 25. The Lions had one finished 1 of its last 10 over the final seven-plus minutes of the game.

New lineup

Matta has held of on tinkering with the starting lineup since the beginning of December. It was the first career start for Harris, and the first start for Giddens since Dec. 1 against Virginia.

What it means

That Ohio State continues to win the games its supposed to in the Big Ten, but the Buckeyes are still trying to find a way to beat the best teams. That Matta shuffled the starting lineup on Monday shows that he's willing to get a little creative with Ohio State looking for improvements on both ends of the floor.

What's next

Ohio State plays its second game of the week on Thursday night when the Buckeyes travel to Illinois. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. on Big Ten Network.

Monday night's game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves was watched by many in Matthew Dellavedova's native country for Australia Day.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Monday night's game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves was watched by many in Matthew Dellavedova's native country for Australia Day.

Dellavedova gave his fans plenty to cheer about, especially late in the third quarter. 

Following a steal, Dellavedova started to push the ball down court. Timofey Mozgov hustled alongside and caught what appeared to be an off-target lob, converting on a thunderous alley-oop. The crowd erupted, as the Cavs pushed their lead to nine points against the pesky Timberwolves. 

The squad is GOING OFF to grab the 83-73 lead after 3 on @FoxSportsOH! #CavsTWolves BOX: https://t.co/z31SsGxNsi https://t.co/AEkIiTf0cT

-- Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) January 26, 2016

Israelis compare LeBron James to Hamas, won't air Cavaliers games in wake of David Blatt firing.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Israelis have apparently gone bonkers over the Cavaliers' firing of David Blatt, to the point of comparing LeBron James to a terrorist organization while blaming him for running Blatt out of town.

According to a report of Jerusalem by Agence France-Presse, Israeli sports journalist Sharon Davidovitch said "LeBron James is now the most hated person in Israel.

"It's a little bit joking and a little bit true: These days I can only compare the Israeli hate for LeBron James to the hate for Hamas," Davidovitch told AFP.

Hamas is an Islamic Palestinian organization which: A.) Seeks the total destruction of Israel; B.) Fires mortars into Israel from Gaza; C.) Is a recognized terrorist organization by the United States.

And James is on par with them because he wasn't always nice to Blatt, the former Maccabi Tel Aviv coach?

James scored 25 points to go with nine assists Monday in Cleveland's 114-107 in over Minnesota -- the first win for Blatt's replacement, Tyronn Lue. His Instagram account is littered with harsh words in Hebrew and English.

Also, former University of Michigan basketball player Stu Douglass, now playing for Hapoel Gilboa Galil in Israel, tweeted on Monday that "Israeli TV won't put the Cavs games on now since Blatt got fired and now everyone hates Lebron (sic)."

Israeli TV won't put the Cavs games on now since Blatt got fired and now everyone hates Lebron. Really messing with my Bron viewing.

-- Stuart Douglass (@SWD_317) January 25, 2016

There were anecdotes of thousands of Israelis watching the Cavs on TV last season, especially during the Finals.

For a brief review, Blatt has dual citizenship in the U.S. (where he was born) and Israel, where his family still lives and where he spent most his pro career as a player and coach.

Before the Finals started last season, Blatt spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom Blatt considers a friend. Netanyahu told Blatt "all of Israel is behind the Cavaliers."

Not anymore.

As for James, it is probably true that had the Cavaliers star been supportive of Blatt, he'd still have a job in Cleveland.

Piles of copy has been written about James' iciness toward Blatt, his refusal at times to engage him and his tendency to ignore him at others.

And yet the two compiled an 83-40 record over two seasons together and were in first in the East this season after reaching the Finals a year ago.

While James' public criticisms of Blatt had greatly decreased this season, he was not consulted by Cavs management in the hours leading up to Blatt's firing. Also, feelings of discontent toward Blatt from other players in the locker room continued to grow, according to numerous reports.

Some of that resentment stemmed from Blatt's refusal to criticize James, which had the dual effect of weakening James' own leadership because he was perceived to be above reproach for mistakes.

Emails from cleveland.com to Netanyahu's press office and to Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer to discuss the country's reaction to Blatt's firing were not immediately answered.

According to AFP, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro and Israeli Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev both commented on Blatt's firing, with Shapiro questioning Facebook: "I don't really understand the Cavs' decision to fire David Blatt after all his success." 

In June, a spokesman for Netanyahu said in an email that "the Prime Minister congratulated David (on reaching the Finals) and invited him to pay him a visit the next time he is in Israel."

The spokesman said Netanyahu also "invited the Cavs to come to Israel to play against the Prime Minister's Office basketball team."

Blatt, meanwhile, will be paid for the rest of this season and all of next season on the contract he signed when he was hired in 2014, which was worth up to $5 million a year for four years, sources said.

NOTE: A previous version of this story included translation of a Hebrew phrase on James' Instagram account. The phrase was translated to English via three Hebrew-English translation websites and appeared to be a Biblical reference, but the apparent working definition of the phrase is profane and was removed from this post.

You can see where this is going: It's Jim Harbaugh vs. Urban Meyer for one of the top remaining uncommitted prospects in the 2016 recruiting class.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State hosted four-star athlete Jordan Fuller of Westwood (N.J.) Old Tappan for an official visit the weekend of Jan. 15. 

This past weekend, Fuller took an official to Michigan. 

So you can see where this is going: It's Jim Harbaugh vs. Urban Meyer for one of the top remaining uncommitted prospects in the 2016 recruiting class. 

We'll find out the winner in a week. 

That's because Fuller posted on his public Twitter account Monday evening that he'll be announcing his decision Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. 

Rated the No. 8 athlete in the 247Sports composite rankings, Fuller is listed as an athlete but both Ohio State and Michigan are recruiting him as a defensive back.

He's arguably Ohio State's top remaining target in the 2016 recruiting class. 

It's almost decision time[?]Monday February 1st at 7pm my commitment video will be released via Twitter[?][?] #Blessed pic.twitter.com/JQNV7zfauN

-- Jordan Fuller (@j__fuller1) January 26, 2016

See statewide girls basketball scores from Monday, Jan. 25, 2016

Akr. North 61, Atwater Waterloo 45

Akr. Springfield 43, Akr. Garfield 28

Ashville Teays Valley 49, Cols. Upper Arlington 42

Baltimore Liberty Union 43, Cols. Hartley 39

Barnesville 60, Bridgeport 57

Belpre 67, Glouster Trimble 57

Beverly Ft. Frye 46, Sarahsville Shenandoah 23

Camden Preble Shawnee 54, New Paris National Trail 37

Coldwater 57, Pitsburg Franklin-Monroe 30

Cols. Eastmoor 49, Chillicothe 37

Cols. Ready 58, Fairfield Christian 44

Day. Miami Valley 53, Troy Christian 34

Delaware Christian 38, New Hope Christian 34

Gorham Fayette 60, Metamora Evergreen 59

Greenfield McClain 69, Chillicothe Zane Trace 37

Hillsboro 59, Bainbridge Paint Valley 46

Hudson WRA 53, Hartville Lake Center Christian 46

Jackson 53, Reedsville Eastern 49, OT

Leesburg Fairfield 56, Mowrystown Whiteoak 46

Lima Sr. 72, Fremont Ross 61

Louisville Aquinas 73, Rootstown 40

Mantua Crestwood 69, Mogadore 40

McArthur Vinton County 52, Pomeroy Meigs 36

N. Lewisburg Triad 52, Spring. Cath. Cent. 19

Nelsonville-York 56, Wellston 24

New Boston Glenwood 62, Portsmouth Sciotoville 53

Newark 71, Grove City 48

Newark Licking Valley 39, Newark Cath. 38, OT

Oak Glen, W.Va. 43, Lisbon Beaver 28

Orrville 65, Can. Cent. Cath. 46

Paulding 55, Van Wert 50

Peninsula Woodridge 49, Akr. Ellet 43

Portsmouth Notre Dame 76, Manchester 47

Proctorville Fairland 73, Portsmouth W. 31

Salem 58, Lisbon David Anderson 54

Southeastern 70, Portsmouth Clay 51

Spencerville 48, Rockford Parkway 44

Steubenville 67, Cadiz Harrison Cent. 63

Vincent Warren 77, Gallipolis Gallia 49

Washington C.H. 53, Seaman N. Adams 49

Waterford 56, Racine Southern 49

Wellington 33, Sullivan Black River 20

Zoarville Tuscarawas Valley 57, Magnolia Sandy Valley 34

Athens vs. Bidwell River Valley, ppd. to Jan 27.

Latham Western vs. Willow Wood Symmes Valley, ppd. to Feb 3.

Wahama, W.Va. vs. Crown City S. Gallia, ppd. to Feb 2.

Wheelersburg vs. Ironton, ppd. to Feb 3.

Matta started A.J. Harris and Daniel Giddens on Monday, a rare shakeup of the starting lineup during Big Ten play. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A.J. Harris sat on a stool outside of Ohio State's basketball practice facility on Saturday, and he couldn't help but smile when the topic of "Gray Squad" came up.

Gray Squad is the name of the Buckeyes bench players: Harris, Kam Williams, Mickey Mitchell, Daniel Giddens and David Bell. They go head to head with the starters in practice, often beating them according to Harris and Williams.

Before you get up in arms about the backups beating the starters regularly, know that there wasn't a member of the starting five there to refute Harris' and Williams' claim. The point is that Gray Squad had been playing well in practice. That forced Thad Matta to make a change.

Harris and Giddens started in Monday night's 66-46 win over Penn State. It was an interesting move for a coach who's more known for shortening his rotation around this time of the year.

The Buckeyes don't really have that luxury, because they clearly had things to figure out after losing three of four games coming into Monday night. Two of those were embarrassing blowouts. So Matta shook things up against Penn State, putting JaQuan Lyle and Trevor Thompson on the bench.

"You're constantly trying to send a message to your team," Matta said. "I want these guys to understand where this team is right now. Thursday night we'll turn the halfway point of the Big Ten. You've got to step out of your comfort zone every day. That's something that this team needs. This team can't ever feel comfortable. We can't feel good about what we've just done because it's so hard moving forward."

What was most surprising about Harris starting is that Lyle didn't start with him.

Harris and Giddens took the floor with normal starters Jae'Sean Tate, Marc Loving and Keita Bates-Diop. Bates-Diop scored a game-high 22 points, the most he's scored in a Big Ten game. He looked to benefit the most from Harris being on the floor. There were more openings for Bates-Diop to score.

Ohio State's offense is different with Harris, because he's more of a true point guard than Lyle. Harris is pass first, shoot second. He's fast and pushes the pace of the game. Lyle is more methodical.

Harris is also a generous 5-foot-9, and Lyle is 6-foot-5. You got the feeling that part of what was keeping Matta from deploying Harris more at the point was his size. Anyone would feel more comfortable with a 6-foot-5 guy on the ball. Penn State doesn't have the biggest backcourt, so that allowed Matta to make this change now.

This doesn't mean that Ohio State is moving forward with Harris at the point. Matta was clear that this change was based off results from practice leading up to Monday. So don't be surprised if the lineup changes again even as soon as Thursday's game at Illinois.

And that shouldn't worry you, because it shows Matta was willing to tinker with something that wasn't working. Maybe he'll settle on a starting lineup that includes Harris and Lyle at some point in the future. This was about avoiding complacency for a team that's still trying to show it can take the floor against a good team and not get blown out.

"In practice it's still a business, so that competitive nature is still there for spots," Tate said. "That makes us work even harder, push each other even harder."

That's what Matta wants.

Ultimately the best version of this Ohio State team features Lyle playing more than 18 minutes, which is what he played Monday night. He finished with six points, but only took two shots. He wasn't as aggressive as he's been in other Big Ten games, and definitely not as involved in the offense.

Maybe Lyle took the initial news of not starting as a shock, though Matta said Lyle was fine. A move like this is meant to light a spark under a player like Lyle, who has struggled at times when Ohio State has needed him at his best. Matta did admit that Lyle needs to practice better.

He made his point hit a little harder with Thompson, who only played 11 minutes. That was his lowest total since Nov. 27 against Memphis. Giddens played a season-high 28 minutes, finishing with five points and nine rebounds.

Playing 20 minutes for the first time this year, Harris finished with four points and four assists. He wasn't perfect. He had one turnover where he basically just dribbled out of bounds, but he protected the ball well on a night when the Buckeyes had 15 turnovers as a team.

Mostly, though, Harris did what Matta had hoped. He played good on-ball defense and ran the offense. The Buckeyes got the kind of start they were hoping for with energy guys like Harris and Giddens starting, and had a nine-point lead by the midway point of the first half.

This is a fluid thing, but consider this a little bit of Matta throwing down the gauntlet. He's talked all year about trying to get the best out of his players. This was one way of trying to do that.

"I want to see them fight," Matta said. "I want to see them come back and play a little harder in practice, a little bit better. Hopefully not only those two (Lyle and Thompson), but everybody says this practice thing is for real. We're not gonna come in wasting time, we're gonna compete and get after it. I think with that said, hopefully we're moving in the right direction."

 

Two continents watched Cavs reserve guard Matthew Dellavedova play well as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 114-107, Monday night.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- LeBron James had 25 points and nine assists, Tristan Thompson 19 points and 12 rebounds and reserve guard Matthew Dellavedova 18 points and seven assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 114-107, Monday on Australia Night at The Q. Rookie Karl-Anthony Towns scored 26 for the Timberwolves.

Here is a capsule look at the game, which was televised by Fox Sports Ohio:

On the board: Tyronn Lue earned his first victory as an NBA head coach. He lost his debut Saturday night against the Bulls at The Q.

They all count: The Cavs (31-12 overall, 17-3 at home) have won three of four.

Cooled: The Timberwolves (14-32 overall, 7-15 away) were coming off a home victory over Memphis on Saturday.

Uneven path: The Cavs played well enough offensively, though not at the sustained faster pace Lue envisioned when replacing fired David Blatt. On balance, their spacing, ball reversal, cutting and shot selection were good.

The Cavs shot 50.6 percent (45-of-89) and notched 30 assists.

Then again, they were playing the Timberwolves.

Defense was another matter entirely. The Timberwolves feature raw talent that is  eager to learn, but they should not be able to run with the seasoned, NBA Finals-or-bust Cavs. It happened Monday because the Cavs were sloppy with the ball (15 turnovers that cost 19 points) and too easily flummoxed by Minnesota's high-screen action.

The Timberwolves capitalized on switches and/or Cleveland tardiness in order to make mid-range jumper after short jumper after mid-range jumper. They finished at  48.8 percent (41-of-84) from the field.

Minnesota players had read the scouting report that every Cavs opponent gets: Screen doors will be open.

Late in the second quarter, Fox Sports Ohio analyst Austin Carr said of the Cavs: "They're switching when they don't need to switch. It's a tough way to defend when you switch everything. You've got to have certain principles on defense (in order) to switch.''

Can't happen: The Cavs led, 90-75, with 10:25 remaining in the fourth quarter when Minnesota called timeout. A blowout finally should have materialized, but the Timberwolves rallied to within 94-91 midway though the fourth.

Carr said: "Bad habits starting to seep back in again. When they got the 15-point lead, they thought they had it won.''

Timberwolves reserve Zach LaVine missed a 3-pointer that would have tied it with 5:28 left.

The Cavs scored the next 10 to create more space, but the Timberwolves reeled them in with an 11-2 run to make it 106-102 with one minute left.

Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving drew a blocking foul against former Cavs No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins with 42 seconds left. Minnesota coach Sam Mitchell was convinced Irving should have been called for the foul because of a high elbow. Two free throws gave the Cavs enough wiggle room to close successfully.

Carr said: "This is an important win because the Cavaliers needed to do something positive to get themselves going again. They really had fallen into what I thought was a lethargic way of playing the game.''

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie: The star of the night from LeBron's supporting cast was Australian born and raised Dellavedova. He put on a show for his fans in Cleveland and for those watching on television in his homeland, where it was Tuesday and Australia Day was being celebrated.

Delly shot 6-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range, and 2-of-2 from the line. He had four rebounds and one steal and posted a game-best +16 in 25 minutes.

Delly was at his best in the final minute of the first quarter. With the Cavs trailing, 27-24, he used a Kevin Love screen to get open for a 3-pointer with 48.2 seconds remaining.

After a Minnesota miss, reserve center Timofey Mozgov's dunk from Mo Williams gave the Cavs a 29-27 lead with 25 seconds left.

Gorgui Dieng's jumper tied it, but Delly used a screen from Mozgov to get open for a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left.

From Australia to Russia with authority: Delly and Mozgov combined for the play of the game.

With 55 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Dieng made a soft entry pass intended for small forward Shabazz Muhammad. Delly cleanly reached around Muhammad and stole the ball. Delly hustled up the court and fed Mozgov, who slammed with the left hand to make it 80-71.

Fox Sports Ohio play-by-play voice Fred McLeod said: "Matthew Dellavedova could hear the thundering Russian footsteps.''

Don't forget about me: Irving is another Australian native, though he was raised in New Jersey. His amassed 17 points (on 7-of-18 shooting), nine rebounds, four assists and four turnovers in 28 minutes. He posted a -9.

Irving put on dribbling clinics that led to baskets for him or his teammates ... but he also dribbled into trouble on more than one occasion. His defense was a mixed bag.

Lue saw enough inconsistency from Irving that, with 6:27 remaining in the fourth, Lue subbed in Delly. A five-point lead had become 11 when, with 2:31 left, Irving returned for Love.

Quite the turnaround: Starting center Thompson was coming off a one-point, five-rebound, four-foul debacle against the Bulls. He repeatedly scored in the restricted area en route to shooting 8-of-10 and exploited Minnesota's inexperience when pursuing rebounds.

King does his thing: LeBron shot 11-of-15 and facilitated, but he committed five turnovers. The Timberwolves simply have no one who can stay in front of him.