Federal prosecutors dropped their investigation of Armstrong on Friday, ending a nearly two-year effort aimed at determining whether the world’s most famous cyclist and his teammates joined in a doping program during his greatest years.

Armstrong steadfastly has denied he doped during his unparalleled career, but the possibility of criminal charges threatened to stain not only his accomplishments, but his cancer charity work as well. Instead, another attempt to prove a star athlete used performance-enhancing drugs has fallen short, despite years of evidence gathering across two continents.

“I am gratified to learn that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is closing its investigation,” Armstrong said in a statement. “It is the right decision and I commend them for reaching it. I look forward to continuing my life as a father, a competitor, and an advocate in the fight against cancer without this distraction.”

The probe, anchored in Los Angeles where a grand jury was presented evidence by federal prosecutors and heard testimony from Armstrong’s former teammates and associates, began with a separate investigation of Rock Racing, a cycling team owned by fashion entrepreneur Michael Ball.

U.S. Attorney André Birotte Jr. announced in a news release that his office “is closing an investigation into allegations of federal criminal conduct by members and associates of a professional bicycle racing team owned in part by Lance Armstrong.” He didn’t disclose the reason for the decision.

, though Birotte has used discretion in pursing high-profile criminal cases before. Last February, his office closed an investigation of mortgage giant Countrywide Financial Corp.

The pronouncement comes after a pair of less-than-successful cases against top sports figures accused of doping. Home run king Barry Bonds was found guilty of obstruction of justice and sentenced in December to 30 days’ home detention — a conviction he’s appealing — but prosecutors were unable to convince a jury he lied about using steroids. Roger Clemens’ steroid trial is slated for April 17 after a judge declared a mistrial last summer when prosecutors showed jurors inadmissible evidence.

Investigators looked at whether a doping program was established for Armstrong’s team while, at least part of the time, it received government sponsorship from the U.S. Postal Service. Authorities also examined whether Armstrong encouraged or facilitated doping on the team. He won the Tour de France every year from 1999-2005.

The hurdle for prosecutors wasn’t so much to prove whether any particular cyclist used drugs, but to determine if Armstrong and other team members violated federal conspiracy, fraud or racketeering charges.

Unlike Bonds and Clemens, who testified before a federal grand jury and Congress, respectively, and were accused of lying under oath, Armstrong was not questioned in front of the grand jury.

Betsy Andreu, who with her husband and former Armstrong teammate, Frank, accused the cycling champion of doping, said she was shocked by Birotte’s decision.

“Our legal system failed us,” she said. “This is what happens when you have a lot of money and you can buy attorneys who have people in high places in the Department of Justice.”

Led by federal agent Jeff Novitzky, who also investigated Bonds and Clemens, U.S. authorities sought assistance overseas, requesting urine samples of U.S. Postal riders from France’s anti-doping agency and also meeting with officials from Belgium, Spain and Italy.

Prosecutors also subpoenaed Armstrong supporters and ex-teammates to testify in Los Angeles. Among them were Ukrainian cyclist Yaroslav Popovych, who rode on three Armstrong teams dating back to 2005; Allen Lim, an exercise physiologist for Team Radioshack; and longtime Armstrong friend Stephanie McIlvain.

The investigation began after Novitzky was told about a cache of PEDs found by a landlord in the vacated apartment of Kyle Leogrande, a cyclist who rode for Rock Racing and had a doping ban, according to several people familiar with the case.

The case also was spurred by disgraced cyclist Floyd Landis, who claims Armstrong had a long-running doping system in place while they were teammates. Landis, who was stripped of the 2006 Tour de France title for drug use, acknowledged in 2010 he used performance-enhancing drugs after years of denying he cheated.

One of the most serious accusations came during a “60 Minutes” interview last May when former teammate Tyler Hamilton said he saw Armstrong use EPO during the 1999 Tour de France and in preparation for the 2000 and 2001 tours.

The report also said Armstrong loyalist George Hincapie, another ex-teammate, told federal authorities that he and Armstrong supplied each other with PEDs and discussed them. Hincapie released a statement after the segment aired, saying he did not speak with the show and didn’t know where it got its information.

U.S. anti-doping officials said Friday they will not be dissuaded by the government’s decision to close the Armstrong probe.

“Unlike the U.S. Attorney, USADA’s job is to protect clean sport rather than enforce specific criminal laws,” said Travis Tygart, chief executive officer of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. “Our investigation into doping in the sport of cycling is continuing.”

and we look forward to obtaining the information developed during the federal investigation.”

As the investigation progressed, Armstrong assembled a legal team, hired a spokesman and briefly created a website to address any of the allegations reported by the media.

Frustrated by a slew of news articles about the investigation, Armstrong’s attorneys filed a motion in July, asking a judge to order federal agents to testify about their contacts with reporters.

Armstrong consciously maintained a high profile throughout the investigation, raising money for his cancer charity, Livestrong, and racing in events such as off-road triathlons. He had no reason to hide, he said.

A spokeswoman for Livestrong, Katherine McLane, said the group was “very glad to hear this news.” She called Armstrong an inspiration to millions of cancer survivors.

That could have played a role in prosecutors’ decision, one expert said.

“The government always has a tremendous amount of prosecutorial discretion regarding whether or not to bring an indictment. In this case it appears that they have acted judiciously and likely considered all of the good works of Lance Armstrong and his foundation,” said Mathew Rosengart, a former federal prosecutor who is not involved in the case.

The league announced Friday how it will incorporate the schools once they leave the Big East Conference. ACC commissioner John Swofford said it’s still unclear when that will happen because Big East bylaws require a 27-month notice for a school to leave.

“This just puts us in position of being further ready to accept them competitively as soon as they can join and as soon as that’s worked out between the two schools and the Big East,” Swofford said.

The conference’s annual winter meetings marked the first time representatives from Syracuse and Pittsburgh were involved in ACC discussions. They couldn’t vote because they’re not yet full members, though Swofford said each school was “a full participant” and “they were supportive of everything that was done.”

The league will leave its division alignments in place for football. Syracuse will join the Atlantic Division and Pittsburgh will join the Coastal. The two will serve as cross-division partners for scheduling purposes, meaning they’ll play every year.

In basketball, the league assigns partners to ensure two schools play each other twice every year. Once the league expands to 14 teams, the partners will be: Boston College-Syracuse, Clemson-Georgia Tech, Duke- North Carolina, Florida State-Miami, Maryland-Pittsburgh, North Carolina State-Wake Forest and Virginia-Virginia Tech.

The league previously announced it would play an 18-game basketball schedule next season regardless of whether the schools have joined by then.

Swofford said league schools decided on the expanded conference schedules because “you want to see and play each other as much as possible.”

In Olympic sports, all teams will play each conference team at least once except in baseball, which currently doesn’t play all league opponents.

The addition of Pittsburgh will give the league four gymnastics programs, the number required to hold a conference championship event. The league held a gymnastics championship in 1984.

Volleyball will be the only league sport that won’t hold a championship event or tournament. The sport will continue to recognize its champion through regular-season play.

The Texas Rangers slugger and recovering drug addict said he had “three or four” drinks during dinner at a Dallas restaurant and bar Monday and continued drinking later that night.

“Things happened that me, personally, I’m not proud of after I drank, and they are personal and are being handled as that,” he said Friday during a news conference at the ballpark called specifically to address the incident. “Knowing this was going to get out in social media, Twitter, people get excited. There was no pictures taken of me having a beer with somebody or anything like that, but I did take pictures with people.”

Hamilton didn’t elaborate or give any real indication about what happened.

Hamilton was suspended for more than three years for drug and alcohol use while in the Tampa Bay organization. The former No. 1 overall draft pick missed the entire 2003, 2004 and 2005 seasons, but has become one of the best players in baseball on a team that has won the past two American League pennants. He was the AL MVP in 2010.

This is Hamilton’s second known alcohol-related relapse in three years. Both came during the offseason, and this one has put on hold talks with the Rangers about a contract extension.

The 30-year-old Hamilton said his latest actions “hurt a lot of people very close to me.” Without being specific, he said he had a “weak moment” that stemmed from “personal reasons” involving a family member. He said he walked to a restaurant to have dinner and ended up “ordering a drink, and probably had three or four drinks.”

Hamilton said he did not take any drugs, and had no thoughts of doing so. He said he has been tested for drugs twice since Monday, part of his normal mandated routine.

In January 2009, he drank to excess in a bar in Tempe, Ariz. He apologized for that a few months later when a dozen or so pictures were posted online showing Hamilton taking shots off the bar, and dancing and hugging several young women. He said then that he had been sober since October 2005.

Hamilton and general manager Jon Daniels said the outfielder will meet soon with Major League Baseball doctors and counselors in New York for an evaluation in his continued recovery.

“My life in general is based on making the right choices, everything as far as my recovery, as far as my baseball goes, it’s all based around my relationship with the Lord,” Hamilton said. “And I look at it like that, you all know how hard I play on the field and I give it everything I absolutely have. When I don’t do that off the field, I leave myself open for a weak moment.”

After having a few drinks with dinner, Hamilton called Ian Kinsler to come hang out with him.

Hamilton said Kinsler didn’t know he had been drinking, and that he never had a drink in front of his teammate, even when they left before the restaurant closed and went to another place nearby for a half-hour. Then Kinsler drove him back to where he was staying not far away.

Though Hamilton told Kinsler he was not going anywhere else, Hamilton said he later returned to the place they had left and had more drinks.

Daniels was asked if he was concerned that the incident was more than just Hamilton having a few drinks. The GM referred to Hamilton saying that alcohol had led the outfielder to some things he wasn’t proud of.

“I don’t know. I wasn’t there,” said Daniels, speaking on a conference call. “That’s how Josh wants to address those things right now.”

In Twitter posts Friday, Hamilton’s wife, Katie, wrote: “Truly appreciate all the encouraging & supportive tweets we’ve been getting. God is Faithful and forgives- so thankful that you all are ... Showing us such love and encouragement during this time.”

When the Rangers acquired him from the Cincinnati Reds in December 2007, they were aware of Hamilton’s off-the-field problems. He is tested for drug use three times a week and has had an accountability partner to support him in his recovery — though that job is now vacant.

Assistant hitting coach Johnny Narron’s primary role was to support the former No. 1 overall draft pick, but Narron left the Rangers in November for Milwaukee.

The Rangers announced last month that Hamilton’s father-in-law had been hired as a staff special assistant to be the accountability partner, but Michael Dean Chadwick has since decided against accepting that position because of “family considerations.”

Daniels said the team was close to hiring someone for the job, a process that was already in the final stages before the latest incident. He said an announcement could come next week.

But Daniels said such a person likely wouldn’t have been with Hamilton during the offseason when he was home with his family, as was the case this week.

Hamilton can become a free agent after this season and had been talking to the Rangers about a contract extension.

“It would be nice if it was talking about a contract but we’ll put that on the back burner for a while,” Hamilton said before walking out of the room.

General manager Jon Daniels said he had agreed with Hamilton’s agent, Mike Moye, that contract talks would be put on hold. Daniels said there was no timetable for resuming them.

While Daniels said Hamilton’s relapse created a number of emotions, including disappointment, the GM said the overriding concern was for Hamilton and his family. Hamilton and his wife have four daughters, the youngest born last summer.

“For everybody who I have hurt, for everybody — fans, kids, people who have addictions and look up to me — apologize to you,” he said. “When you’re doing this, you don’t mean to hurt anybody. You only think you’re hurting yourself, but as I know, you’re hurting a lot of people.”

With a career-high 27 points from Markeshia Grant and strong performances from the rest of the team’s guards, South Carolina beat No. 8 Tennessee 64-60 on Thursday night for its first win over the Lady Volunteers since 1980.

“I’m just glad our players got a chance to experience this experience, knowing the tradition of Tennessee,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said. “By far, this is the biggest win of my career.”

The Gamecocks (18-5, 7-3 Southeastern Conference) were down 60-55, when Ashley Bruner hit a layup with 3:18 to play. The basket launched a 9-0 South Carolina run to close out the game, and Ieasia Walker hit the go-ahead layup with 2:15 to play.

The Lady Vols had led 57-50 with 5:02 to play in the back-and-forth game, but a layup by Walker and a 3-pointer by Grant, one of seven by the senior, fired up the Gamecocks bench. Tennessee remained flat the rest of the way and missed five shots during South Carolina’s game-ending run.

In the final three minutes, the Gamecocks forced a turnover by point guard Ariel Massengale and tied the ball up twice. South Carolina gained possession on the second jumpball, preventing Tennessee a chance at a game-tying shot with 47 seconds left to play.

Tennessee outshot South Carolina 41.4 percent to 39.4 percent and held a 44-36 advantage in rebounding but had little answer for the Gamecocks guards. La’Keisha Sutton added 12 points, and Walker had 11.

“We didn’t have an answer for them the last four minutes of the game. We didn’t have an answer for their runs,” Tennessee associate head coach Holly Warlick said. “We continue to let star players put up big numbers against us, and that’s been a focal point for us, but obviously it hasn’t been good enough.”

Glory Johnson scored 13 points in 26 minutes for Tennessee (16-6, 7-2), but foul trouble kept her from being the force in the paint the Lady Vols have come to rely on. Ariel Massengale scored 12 points, and Shekinna Stricklen grabbed 10 rebounds.

The Lady Vols hadn’t dropped a SEC game at home since a loss to LSU on Feb. 14, 2008, but have struggled in the first season since coach Pat Summitt announced she’d been diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type.

“We have the fan support. We have home-court advantage. We’re sleeping in our own beds before the game. We’re having a great pregame meal. We’re completely prepared with the scouting report from our coaches, so this loss is on us. There are no excuses,” Johnson said.

It was the first victory for South Carolina in Knoxville and the Gamecocks’ first win against Tennessee since a 56-52 victory on Jan. 23, 1980, when Warlick was a point guard for Tennessee. The Lady Vols had won 40 straight meetings since then.

It was the second longest active winning streak by one opponent over another. Stanford has beaten Washington State 52 straight times.

South Carolina has been laying the foundation for one of its strongest seasons ever. It now owns the program’s best record since the 2001-02 season which saw the Gamecocks finish 20-3 and reach the NCAA regional finals.

The Gamecocks have managed the feat with the same kind of sharp focus on defense that has been the hallmark of so many Summitt-coached teams. They entered the game ranked second in the nation in limiting opponents to 47.5 points per game and top in the nation with 20.1 3-point shooting defense.

That defense frustrated the Lady Vols all over the floor. They struggled to get second-chance points, hit just one 3-pointer and turned the ball over 11 times.

The Gamecocks’ last win over a top 10 team came in a 71-52 decision over then-No. 6 Vanderbilt on Jan. 3, 2002, in Columbia. The highest ranked team the Gamecocks have defeated in Staley’s four seasons was then-No. 14 Georgia on Feb. 25, 2010, when South Carolina left Athens with a 52-42 victory.

“I really can’t put it into words because I don’t think it has hit me yet,” Sutton said. “I’m really happy for our team, coach Staley, our coaching staff for preparing us and just every player who ever put on a Gamecock uniform.”

During the team shootaround on Thursday, Staley, South Carolina assistant coach and former Lady Vol Nikki McCray and the rest of the Gamecocks presented to Summitt’s son Tyler a $20,000 check to the Alzheimer’s Association in honor of the Hall of Fame coach.

Soon after that, Staley’s own college coach, former Virginia coach Debbie Ryan, spoke to the Gamecocks about believing in themselves. With Staley as her point guard, Ryan’s Cavaliers beat Summitt’s Lady Vols in the 1990 NCAA regional finals.

“We had my college coach Debbie Ryan come talk to our team about everyone believing on one accord and being on one accord and anything is possible,” Staley said. “I think our team took that to heart.”

The Stanford quarterback said Thursday he could co-exist as Manning’s teammate even though his preference would be to play immediately.

“I think every competitor wants to play, every down, every play,” Luck said when asked about starting as an NFL rookie. “So, of course, who wouldn’t want to start?”

Luck spent less than 24 hours in Indianapolis, going through a battery of physical tests and learning the intricacies of nutrition at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute.

His next trip to the city, for the annual scouting combine, might determine whether Luck becomes a permanent fixture.

Colts owner Jim Irsay has already said he intends to take Manning’s successor with the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft, and it looks like a two-man race between Luck and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III.

But there are big questions surrounding the Colts. Indy has embarked on a major rebuilding project with Ryan Grigson, a first-time general manager, and Chuck Pagano, a first-time coach.

There are even more concerns about Manning, who missed the 2011 season after having his third neck surgery Sept. 8. The four-time league MVP has resumed throwing and has steadily increased his workout regimen. On Tuesday, Manning said doctors have told him the recovery is on schedule, and he does not plan to retire.

Irsay said he will wait until next month to decide whether to pay its franchise quarterback a $28 million roster bonus by March 8, redo the contract or risk losing him in free agency.

“We haven’t had any midnight conversations,” Irsay said Thursday with a laugh. “Nothing has changed, and we’re looking forward to talking after the Super Bowl and continuing to work toward a solution.”

If Indy keeps Manning and takes Luck, it would be the first real quarterback controversy since the pre-Manning days.

Manning’s father, Archie, created a buzz late last year when he told a radio show he didn’t think the two could be teammates. He later said what he meant was that Luck and Peyton Manning both were good enough to start in 2012.

Luck understands.

“I think to have an opportunity to play with a guy like Peyton Manning would be great,” he said.

Manning and Luck are both second-generation quarterbacks who finished second in the Heisman balloting and were regarded as the best QBs in their draft class.

Now the Colts must decide whether to release Manning and start over, keep Manning and make the draft pick wait or let Manning and his apparent heir battle for the starting job.

“You never really replace someone like that,” Luck said. “He (Manning) is such an iconic sports figure especially for this city, this area. From what I understand, he’s done so many great things outside of football and in the community. I haven’t given it too much thought. I’ve got the combine, that’s what’s important to me right now. The combine, the draft, the pro day before that, that’s what I’m focusing on.”

Two Lakers and two Clippers were voted as starters Thursday for the game, the first time in 15 years that two pairs of teammates have been voted to start for one conference.

Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant prevented a clean Los Angeles sweep of the Western Conference starting lineup by earning a forward spot for the Feb. 26 game in Orlando.

Dwight Howard of the host Magic — unless he’s traded first — was the overall leading vote-getter with 1.6 million. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are going together again from Miami, while MVP Derrick Rose of Chicago and New York’s Carmelo Anthony round out the East starters.

The Clippers and Lakers are developing a spirited rivalry this season, but they’ll have to get along for a night to give the West a second straight win in the NBA’s midseason event.

Bryant and Paul will be in the same backcourt two months after the NBA, as owners of the Hornets, killed a trade that would have sent Paul to the Lakers. Instead, he was dealt shortly after to the Clippers, and he has teamed with Griffin to make them one of the league’s most exciting and improved teams, leading the Pacific Division over their Staples Center co-tenants.

Griffin and Bynum are first-time starters, while Bryant earned his record-tying 14th consecutive nod.

It’s the first time since 1997, when Houston had Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley, and Seattle sent Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp, that two pairs of teammates have been voted to start for one conference.

Bryant joins Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West and Karl Malone — all one-time Lakers — with his 14th straight starting nod. He earned his fourth All-Star MVP award last year, equaling Bob Pettit’s NBA record.

Bynum grabbed the starting center spot that for years went to Yao Ming, who retired last summer. Griffin was chosen as a reserve forward last year, when he became the first rookie All-Star since Yao in 2003.

Starters were chosen by fan balloting, and none of the races was close. The reserves will be chosen by voting of the head coaches from each conference and will be announced next Thursday.

Bryant led all West players with nearly 1.6 million votes. Rose collected 1.5 million to finish third among all players, a year after becoming Chicago’s first starter since Michael Jordan.

“I remember not being in the All-Star game, just wanting to be in the game. It’s something you should take to heart, that I take to heart,” Rose said.

“Just want to accomplish something special while I’m in the league, and one of the accomplishments is being on the All-Star team.”

Howard will make his fifth consecutive start, and his status will provide much of the intrigue surrounding the event. He has told the Magic he wants to be traded and they have given his agent permission to talk to select teams, putting the franchise in a difficult position of deciding whether it should deal its superstar before hosting the weekend.

Even on a day the team hired four new assistant coaches for Chuck Pagano’s staff, the Manning saga was still causing a stir. With a $28 million decision looming next month, new general manager Ryan Grigson acknowledged that the Colts couldn’t afford to make a mistake based solely on sentimental reasons.

“You can’t do things to where you are going to hurt the whole franchise with other decisions that you know might hurt at the moment, but in the end they help the sum of the parts,” Grigson said. “It is a tough deal in this business, and it happens at every position, it happens with coaching, it happens with people in personnel and it is completely part of the process and the business.”

The next twist came a few hours later when ESPN reported that Manning had been "cleared to play" by the doctor who performed Sept. 8 neck surgery on the quarterback. A team spokesman said the Colts' own doctors had not yet cleared Manning, though ESPN cited an unidentified source in reporting that Dr. Hank Feuer, one of the team's neurosurgeons, was one of those checked Manning.

Manning has been throwing since at least early December and told reporters Tuesday that he threw to several receivers that day.

A team spokesman said there was nothing new in the report.

Colts owner Jim Irsay and Manning are scheduled to meet again next week.

It’s been a chaotic four weeks in Indy.

Last month, the Colts fired vice chairman Bill Polian, general manager Chris Polian, coach Jim Caldwell and most of Caldwell’s assistants. They also hired the 39-year-old Grigson and first-time head coach Chuck Pagano.

Now they’re trying to fill the remaining holes. Grigson announced Thursday that the Colts had hired Greg Manusky as defensive coordinator, Roy Anderson as the secondary coach in charge of safeties and Marwan Maalouf as special teams coach Thursday. About an hour later, Pagano told reporters that Brant Boyer will assist Maalouf with the special teams.

That’s not all. Grigson said former Colts offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen would remain on the staff probably as the quarterbacks or receivers coach.

The latest moves came two days after the Colts hired offensive coordinator Bruce Arians and fired two more coaches from Caldwell’s staff.

“I think at the same time it was important to get the coordinators settled,” Pagano said. “It’s all going to come together, and we’re going to take our time. It’s not something we’re going to rush.”

And all this comes during a week in which the city’s first Super Bowl has been upstaged by its most recognizable celebrity.

With speculation swirling about Manning’s future, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, expected to be taken by the Colts with the No. 1 pick, came to town and told reporters he wants to start immediately.

A few hours later, Grigson acknowledged that he met with Manning for 20 minutes last week, calling it a straightforward conversation between two regular guys. Pagano said he also spoke with Manning last week. Nobody provided details, though.

Manning missed the entire 2011 season after having his third neck surgery in 19 months. The Colts must pay a $28 million roster bonus by March 8 or risk losing him as a free agent.

Grigson acknowledged that decision won’t be made because of sentimentality.

“We’re in a holding pattern in that respect,” he said when asked about the Colts’ quarterback debate. “Until it is (resolved), we’re going to go about our business as usual.”

Pagano said he had spoken briefly with Manning, too, though neither provided details of their chats.

Next up for the Colts: Filling the rest of the staff and figuring out which veterans to re-sign before free agency opens March 13.

Grigson was asked about three key starters — receivers Pierre Garcon and Reggie Wayne and defensive end Robert Mathis — and said he would like all three to return.

“I know there’s tremendous affection for those guys and they are three great guys who have been so productive here,” Grigson said. “There’s such pride here. We would love to have them all back.”

Where the Colts are headed is in a more aggressive direction on defense. Manusky was San Diego’s defensive coordinator last year and the 49ers’ defensive coordinator from 2007-10. It’s not been determined yet whether the Colts will keep their 4-3 defense or switch to a 3-4.

“He’ll bring a great passion and energy to our organization and the defensive side of the ball,” Pagano said.

The Lady Bucs hit the road for Mercer on Wednesday with a 5-16 record. They’ve lost five of their last six games and are seventh in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

“This team, one on one, may be better than anybody else in the league,” said Kemp. “But we haven’t learned to play as a team. That’s what has hurt us all year.”

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The Hokies got national letters of intent from 26 players Wednesday, including three highly coveted players who waited for the fax machines to start rolling around daybreak all over the country before making their intentions to become Hokies known.

The last-minute ground included wide receivers Joel Caleb of Richmond and Joshua Stanford of Lithonia, Ga., and defensive end Ken Ekanem of Centreville, and they join running back-linebacker Trey Edmunds of Danville as incoming freshman that could play right away.

“We got three out of the four and we’re extremely excited about that,” Beamer said after the Hokies also went down to the wire with Korren Kirven, a defensive lineman from Lynchburg who signed with Alabama. “The others were committed, and you hope they stay committed. Any time you’ve got four guys out there and they’re all great players and you think they’re going to be great players, there’s a little nervousness there.”

Caleb, Stanford and Edmunds, especially, help fill immediate needs for Virginia Tech, which saw the top two receivers in program history complete their eligibility this season, and lost top tailback David Wilson, too, when he decided to make himself available for the NFL draft.

Edmunds, from the same area as Wilson, is the type of athlete some might consider playing on both sides of the ball.

“I think he is explosive,” Beamer said. “I think he could be a great tailback or a great outside linebacker. There are a lot of things this kid can do. Explosive says it all. We’re pleased to have him in our program. I think that’s a great, great catch for Virginia Tech.”

Virginia Tech signed five prospects at running back.

“That had to be a key for us. I think Trey adds something, and Chris Mangus has great speed. He can go. Drew Harris, they talk about him like he’s Kevin Jones. He’s certainly a quality player. Jerome Wright is a good player, and J.C. Coleman is here now. We’re going to give them all a shot and figure out what the best options are right now. But certainly that had to be a priority and to come away with the quality of kids we got at that position is a big plus.

Caleb, 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, was listed by some recruiting services as the top player in the state. He played quarterback in high school, and Stanford had previously committed to Virginia Tech, but was still being pursued by TCU and UCLA.

Jim Cavanaugh, the Hokies’ director of recruiting, said Jarontay Jones, a 6-2, 240-pound defensive end also from Lithonia, Ga., will be another player to watch going forward, especially on a defense that puts more of a premium on speed that size.

“He is a kid that can flat run,” Cavanaugh said. “When you see him, you think he’s about 210 pounds. But he’s 6-2, 240.”

The Hokies got national letters of intent from 26 players, adding them to the two recruits that already enrolled in January, and in keeping with Beamer’s philosophy that a program has to win the recruiting war on its own turf, 17 of the signees are from Virginia.

“I think we’ve taken another step toward reaching our goals at Virginia Tech,” he said.

Garvin, a 6-foot-4, 218-pound tight end and linebacker, officially signed with Virginia Military Institute in a 2:30 p.m. ceremony on the South campus. He was one of 16 signees announced by the Keydets.

Hayworth, a 6-4, 306-pound offensive lineman, officially signed with Wake Forest in a 3 p.m. ceremony at the Dobyns-Bennett field house. He was one of 19 signings announced by the Demon Deacons on Wednesday.

Both Garvin and Hayworth were unanimous selections to the 2011 Times-News Elite football team.

A three-year starter for the Indians, Hayworth was a first-team selection to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association Class 6A all-state team. He helped clear the way for D-B’s consecutive unbeaten regular seasons in 2010 and 2011.

Hayworth had sufficient speed and agility to start his high school career at tight end as a freshman. The massive frame he grew into outfitted him to anchor the Indians’ offensive front.

During his senior campaign, Hayworth graded out at 92 percent for the season while collecting 41 pancake blocks and 26 blocks that led directly to touchdowns. He received numerous scholarship offers, including one from Cincinnati.

“Ty is not only two large human beings, he is a very athletic young man,” said D-B coach Graham Clark.

For two years, Garvin played in the shadow of his older brother Ty Garvin, who became Sullivan South’s career tackling leader (417). After Ty graduated and moved on to play linebacker at VMI, the younger Rebel started casting some long shadows of his own.

J.C. Garvin had 156 tackles as a junior and 152 tackles as a senior. He was a two-way all-conference pick at tight end and linebacker. He served as team captain in the Northeast Tennessee-Southwest Virginia All-Star Game and also made an appearance in the Tennessee Toyota East-West All-Star Game.

Garvin was recruited as an outside linebacker for the Keydets. It looks like the Rebels’ team-spirited sibling rivalry will carry over into the college ranks.

“He told his brother he was going to come up there and beat him out of his position,” South athletic director Anthony Richardson joked.

Another notable Tri-Cities signee on Wednesday was Science Hill offensive lineman Tyler Miles, who chose to play for Austin Peay.

Miles, a 6-3, 300-pound tackle, graded out at 98 percent for the Hilltoppers during a senior season that included 28 pancake blocks. Miles was one of 12 signings announced by the Governors on Wednesday.

The highest-profile football signee from Southwest Virginia was Richlands’ Devon Johnson, a 6-2, 209-pound linebacker who signed a letter of intent to play for Marshall. He was one of 30 signings announced by the Herd.

Johnson was a three-year starter for the Blues under coach Greg Mance. He finished with 216 tackles, including 47 for loss, accumulating 16 quarterback sacks, 10 forced fumbles and an interception.

Tusculum College announced five Northeast Tennessee prospects among its list of 2012 commitments. This included quarterback McKenly Berry and offensive lineman Matt Smith of Elizabethton and Greeneville’s Ethan Malone (DL), Garrett Rambo (LB) and Taylor Shuffler (WR).

Two other veterans of the Greene Devils’ back-to-back Class 4A state championships confirmed their college choices. Jamel Hall signed with Mars Hill while Terrell Rollins signed with Tennessee Tech.

Carson-Newman’s list of 2012 commitments included two Morristown West players — wide receiver Jerima Gregg and offensive lineman Seth Fleshman — as well as Tennessee High tight end Bradley Tallman.

Among the commitments announced by Virginia-Wise on Wednesday were Sullivan East wide receiver Matthew Pendleton and Marion, Va., lineman Christian Lishen.

Conspicuously unsigned as of Wednesday was Clintwood’s Austin Dotson, a 6-2, 235-pound fullback and linebacker who helped lead the Greenwave to a Group A, Division 1 state championship. Dotson, an all-state selection and unanimous Times-News Elite choice, has been invited to walk on at Marshall and Virginia Tech, among other offers.

There was also no word of what lies in store for Southwest Virginia’s most prolific offensive player in recent years, Lee High’s Tyler Graham. The Generals’ running back rushed for 2,315 yards and 29 touchdowns over 10 regular-season games. He accumulated 6,008 career yards as a four-year starter for the Ben Hur program.

And there are plenty of candidates for Sunday’s title game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots.

“Look at a guy like Sterling Moore,” said Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich, a good candidate himself to leap from obscure to acclaimed. “If Sterling doesn’t make that play against Baltimore, we obviously would not be here. It’s the play that got us to the Super Bowl.”

Moore, a rookie free agent cut by the Raiders and picked up for New England’s practice squad in October, might have been best known for missing a tackle on Torrey Smith’s 29-yard TD reception earlier in the AFC championship game.

Then he stripped the ball in the end zone from Ravens receiver Lee Evans on what would have been a winning touchdown.

“Everybody else is tweeting me and texting me that I’m going to go down in history for that play,” Moore said. “I don’t think I understand. But we have another big game on Sunday, so if I come out here and screw this game up it means nothing.”

Nothing sets Giants fans to celebrating more than highlights of “The Catch.” Tyree’s remarkable reception — with the ball flush against his helmet — came on a desperation pass from Eli Manning on the winning drive in the 2008 Super Bowl, an upset that shattered the Patriots’ unbeaten season. Even though Tyree had an earlier touchdown catch in the 17-14 win, he was hardly a prime candidate for a central role in Big Blue lore.

He mainly was a special-teamer — a good one, too — and usually the fifth option in the passing game. That is, if he made it onto the field as a receiver at all.

“David Tyree showed that anybody can play that role, you just need the opportunity to do it,” said Devin Thomas, who, basically, is this season’s Tyree, with the same roles on special teams and offense. “For me, special teams might be the way to make that happen with a return, maybe a hit, a fumble.”

Thomas recovered the muff and the fumble on punt returns by San Francisco’s Kyle Williams in the NFC championship game. Before that, he was a bust for the Redskins after being drafted in the second round in 2008, and almost an afterthought in the Meadowlands for much of this season.

“Every play is my chance to be a hero,” he said Wednesday. “I think I always take that outlook onto the field, but it’s also something I get the opportunity to share with my teammates: Any of them can be a hero, too.”

Two relative unknowns ended up winning Super Bowl MVP honors thanks to key interceptions. Tampa Bay free safety Dexter Jackson grabbed a pair of passes from Oakland’s Rich Gannon, merely the league’s 2002 MVP, in the Bucs’ 48-21 romp that year. Dallas cornerback Larry Brown had two picks, returning one for the clinching touchdown, in the Cowboys’ 27-17 Super Bowl victory over Pittsburgh in 1996. His teammates included Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin, and in the secondary alone, Deion Sanders and Darren Woodson.

Brown parlayed that performance into a big-money free agent deal with Oakland, and faded into obscurity soon after.

Actually, players say planning a hero move is not a good idea.

“You can’t try too hard,” Patriots fullback Lousaka Polite said. “All you can do is focus on the task at hand, whether you’re at fullback, linebacker, on the line, or the quarterback. Do the best job at what you do and if you help the team win, great. Nobody is totally responsible for winning.”

But someone can be responsible for making critical plays.

“Nah, it doesn’t really come down to one play, or it shouldn’t,” said Giants middle linebacker Chase Blackburn, who spent half the season unsigned and contemplating a career as a middle school teacher. “Not even if it’s one man taking on somebody and stopping him at the goal line. You can’t say one guy won the game.”

Still, being an unsung hero has lots of appeal for Blackburn.

“Sure,” he said, “because it means we won the game.”

The Volunteers got that by signing a 2012 recruiting class of 21 on Wednesday highlighted by a last-minute commitment by wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, one of the most highly touted junior college prospects.

“As tough of a recruiting climate in the past 12 months as I’ve been through,” Dooley said Wednesday. “We gave a lot of ammunition to our competitors, and in this league it’s hard enough when you don’t give them ammunition, and we gave them plenty.”

By late afternoon, Rivals.com ranked Derek Dooley’s third signing class 17th in the nation, 247sports.com rated the class 18th and Scout.com pegged it 24th.

Dooley has been tasked with rebuilding the Tennessee program after Phillip Fulmer was fired at the end of the 2008 season and Lane Kiffin left for Southern California one year later. The Vols struggled with lack of depth because of attrition and injury in Dooley’s first two seasons, but the fans’ expectations for him to perform have risen, especially in light of the 5-7 finish to the 2011 season.

NCAA investigators reviewed recruiting practices by Kiffin and former basketball coach Bruce Pearl, though the Vols’ football program did not face any major punishment by the time the NCAA wrapped up the probe in August.

Since the end of the season, Dooley was forced to replace six assistants who left for other opportunities, including defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox.

“All l I asked our recruits to do was to be patient when it all hit,” Dooley said. “I’m going to tell you, it says a lot about their character and their commitment level to Tennessee, and the grit level they showed because they were getting barraged by some quality schools. They didn’t flinch, they stayed with it..”

The Vols did lose out on linebacker prospects Dalton Santos, who signed with Texas, and Otha Peters, who inked with Arkansas, after both had previously committed to Tennessee, but Keith Niebuhr, southeast regional recruiting analyst for Rivals.com, said the class managed to remain strong without the pair.

“All in all, It’s a good class,” Niebuhr said. “Coming off a season where they didn’t quite meet expectations, that’s significant and it’s filled with four-stars and potential difference makers.”

Patterson, who played two seasons at Hutchinson Community College and was a high school teammate of Vols freshman quarterback Justin Worley, adds depth to an already strong wide receiver corps that includes Justin Hunter and Da’Rick Rogers. The Rock Hill, S.C., native caught 61 passes for 924 yards and 15 touchdowns and averaged 11.8 yards and had six touchdowns on 32 rushing attempts in 2011.

“He might be the best possible junior college player in the nation, and he should be able to contribute right away,” Niebuhr said.

Tennessee’s signing class was without a single offensive lineman prospect. Dooley said he felt that the Vols had added so many strong offensive linemen in the past two signing classes that he had an opportunity to focus instead on skilled player positions and defensive linemen, both areas in need of additional depth.

That showed in the makeup of the class. Dooley added three more wide receivers in addition to Patterson, three running backs, a quarterback, a tight end and four defensive linemen. Among the defensive linemen were junior college transfers Darrington Sentimore, a 6-foot-2, 273-pound former Alabama Crimson Tide lineman, and Daniel McCullers, a 6-foot-6, 380-pound lineman.

Included among the running backs was defensive back Deion Bonner, who was charged with stealing items out of the Georgia locker room while on a recruiting visit in April. He entered a diversion program and underwent counseling and community service and was suspended for five games during his senior season.

Dooley said the coaches were very diligent in trying to learn more about Bonner and the situation and felt the Columbus, Ga., native was truthful and remorseful and appeared to learn from the incident.

“When I say bringing in high character, that doesn’t mean that I am never going to bring in guys that have made mistakes because I can tell you right now, I have made as many mistakes in my life as anybody,” Dooley said. “I believe that he can come in and represent Tennessee the right way, learn from his mistakes and be a great example. Certainly it is not the norm, but ... at a key position, we felt willing to take the risk.”

It was the worst incident of soccer violence in Egypt and the deadliest worldwide since 1996. One player said it was “like a war.”

State TV reported that fans also set fire to the main stadium in Cairo after a soccer game between Al-Ismaili and Zamalek teams was called off because of the violence in Port Said, but nobody was injured. Stadium employees at the Cairo stadium said some of the bleachers were set ablaze, but firefighters put it out before it caused much damage.

The melee broke out after fans of Al-Masry, the home team in Port Said, stormed the field after a rare 3-1 win against Al-Ahly, Egypt’s top team. Al-Masry supporters hurled sticks and stones as they chased players and fans from the rival team, who ran toward the exits to escape, according to witnesses.

Hesham Sheiha, a health ministry official, said most of the deaths were caused by concussions, deep cuts to the heads and suffocation from the stampede.

Mohammed Abu Trika, a player with Al-Ahly, told the team’s station criticized the police for standing by and not intervening in the violence.

“People here are dying and no one is doing a thing. It’s like a war,” he said. “Is life this cheap?”

TV footage showed Al-Ahly players rushing for their locker room as fist fights broke out among the hundreds of fans swarming on to the field. Some men had to rescue a manager from the losing team as he was being beaten. Black-clothed police officers stood by, appearing overwhelmed.

Egypt’s state prosecutor ordered an immediate investigation into the violence, and the Egypt Football Association ordered an indefinite suspension of the annual championship. The parliament said it would convene an emergency session.

State TV reported the casualty toll, citing a health ministry official. A medic in the Port Said morgue, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release the information, gave the same figures and said some of the dead in the clashes were security officers.

It was the deadliest incident of soccer violence since Oct. 16, 1996, when at least 78 people died and 180 others were injured in a stampede at a stadium in Guatemala City before a World Cup qualifying match between Guatemala and Costa Rica.

The clashes and ensuing stampede did not appear to be directly linked to the political turmoil in Egypt but the violence concerns about the ability of the state police to manage crowds in the wake of the popular uprising that forced President Hosni Mubarak to step down last year.

Essam El-Erian, a member of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm, said the military and police were responsible for the violence, accusing them of complicity in the violence in a bid to stop critics who are demanding an end to state of emergency that give security forces wide-ranging powers.

“This tragedy is a result of intentional reluctance by the military and the police,” he said.

State TV appealed to Egyptians to donate blood for the injured in Port Said, and the military sent two aircraft to evacuate serious cases to the capital, Cairo.

The Port Said game was a face-off between two teams with a long history of fierce competition, Al-Masry, the home team, and Al-Ahly, which is Cairo-based and one of Egypt’s most popular teams. Al-Ahly was runner-up for the Asian club title in 1986, its best finish.

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter said he was “shocked and saddened” by the death, sending his condolences to the families of those who died.

“This is a black day for football. Such a catastrophic situation is unimaginable and should not happen,” he said in a statement. “I am very shocked and saddened to learn this evening that a large number of football supporters have died or been injured following a match in Port Said, Egypt.”

PARTICIPANTS — New England Patriots (AFC) and New York Giants. This the seventh appearance for the Patriots (3-3) and the fifth appearance for the Giants (3-1).

SITE — Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis. This is the first Super Bowl played in Indianapolis.

SEATING CAPACITY — 63,000

DATE — Feb. 5, 2012.

KICKOFF — 6:30 p.m. EST.

NETWORK COVERAGE — By NBC-TV to more than 200 stations throughout the United States.

Westwood One Radio to 600 stations within the United States. The Armed Forces Television will also provide broadcast to 175 countries throughout the world.

The game will be distributed internationally by the NFL and NFL International to more than 185 countries and broadcast in 30 different languages.

PLAYERS SHARE — Winners: $88,000 per man. Losers: $44,000 per man.

PLAYER UNIFORMS — New England will be the home team and has its choice of wearing its colored or white jersey.

OVERTIME — At the end of regulation playing time, the referee will immediately toss a coin at the center of the field, according to rules pertaining to the usual pre-game toss. The captain of NFC team (the visiting team) will call the toss. Following a three-minute intermission after the end of the regular game, play will continue by 15-minute periods with a two-minute intermission between each such overtime period with no halftime intermission. The teams will change goals between each period, there will be a two-minute warning at the end of each period.

Both teams must have the opportunity to possess the ball once during the extra period, unless the team that receives the opening kickoff scores a touchdown on its initial possession, in which case it is the winner. If the team that possesses the ball first scores a field goal on its initial possession, the other team shall have the opportunity to possess the ball. If (that team) scores a touchdown on its possession, it is the winner. If the score is tied after (both teams have a) possession, the team next scoring by any method shall be the winner.

OFFICIAL TIME — The scoreboard clock will be official.

OFFICIALS — There will be seven officials and five alternates appointed by the Commissioner’s office.

TROPHY — The winning team receives permanent possession of the Vince Lombardi Trophy, a sterling silver trophy created by Tiffany & Company and presented annually to the winner of the Super Bowl. The trophy was named after the late coach Vince Lombardi of the two-time Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers before the 1971 Super Bowl. The trophy is a regulation-size silver football mounted in a kicking position on a pyramid-like stand of three concave sides. The trophy stands 20¾ inches tall, weighs 6.7 pounds and is valued more than $25,000. The words “Vince Lombardi” and “Super Bowl XLVI” are engraved on the base along with the NFL shield.

ATTENDANCE — To date, 3,512,727 have attended Super Bowl games. The largest crowd was 103,985 at the 14th Super Bowl at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

Not exactly challenging questions about Sunday’s Super Bowl between the New York Giants and New England Patriots. But that’s media day, the NFL’s annual version of the circus, minus the ringmaster.

With players and coaches penned into cubicles, mainstream reporters were joined Tuesday by a guy in a superhero costume, another in an old-time football uniform, kids with microphones and some women who wore dresses that left little to the imagination. They asked the Patriots and Giants anything that crossed their minds.

And we do mean anything.

“This is crazy, man. It’s crazy,” said Patriots safety Patrick Chung. “I’ve never seen anything like this ever.”

Actually, none of the players had. For the first time, the NFL let fans in on the act, too. For $25 — or more, for those who waited until the last minute to buy their tickets — fans could sit in the stands at the stadium and listen to the interviews over a headset.

“We can’t hear all of the questions, so we have to guess,” said Lee Clifford, who brought his sons, 10-year-old Ben and 8-year-old Nick. “I guess lots of people can get a pass to a media event.”

Even people who carry their own disco ball, as the camera crew from Telemundo did.

Media day has never been the stuff of Woodward and Bernstein.

But it’s gone from off-the-wall to downright goofy in recent years, the tipping point coming four years ago when a reporter from Mexico’s TV Azteca showed up in a wedding dress from a slasher movie in hopes of winning Tom Brady’s heart.

Imagine asking Vince Lombardi if he could name three Kardashians. Gronkowski actually did pretty well — he got Kim and Khloe right away, but needed a few more seconds to come up with Kourtney. Or getting John Elway to salsa dance, as New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz did with singer Ciara.

There were no brides or proposals for Brady this year, although the fashion-conscious QB did talk about having his nails painted.

“They were pretty easy on me,” Brady said when asked what it was like to grow up with three older sisters. “They dressed me up a few times in their clothes and painted my nails once, but it was nice.”

Most of the players were good sports about the whole thing, knowing what they were in for when they arrived at Lucas Oil Stadium. Even the normally dour Belichick managed a chuckle or two.

“It’s kind of catching me off guard,” Patriots cornerback Sterling Moore said. “I definitely thought he’d be a little more strict in his interviews.”

He might have been a little more cranky if he’d heard Welker when the receiver was asked if he knew how to spell Belichick’s last name.

“Tough one. B-E-L-I-C-H-I,” Welker said, and then paused. “K. Wait, that right? Is it CK?”

Told Belichick’s name ended in “CK,” Welker smacked his head.

Umenyiora fared better with the other Elis, naming Plaxico Burress’ little boy, Elijah. As for Gronkowski and Madonna, he wasn’t crazy for that question.

Silly stuff, to be sure. But the fans loved every minute of it. Parents let their kids skip school — Zane Bishop, a high school senior, had his head buried in a book during the break, cramming for his AP Government exam Wednesday — and the tickets were in such high demand people were actually scalping them.

“It’s such an intimate experience,” said Nick Lowery, a Patriots fan who drove from Columbia, Mo. “This is really cool.”

Unlike the NFL draft, when rowdy New Yorkers waste no opportunity to heckle picks and boo players, the fans were on their best behavior. Most in the crowd of 7,300 were Colts fans, with many sporting Peyton Manning’s No. 18 jersey. But the fans greeted both teams with applause when they came in, and cheered when Eli Manning, Brady and Welker talked about how much they were enjoying Indianapolis and praised Colts fans.

They even set aside their hatred for the Patriots, the Colts’ biggest rival.

“Our philosophy has been ‘Fans first.’ It’s all about Hoosier hospitality,” said Toni Meyer of Indianapolis.

Added Bill Burns, “The Patriots, we really don’t like ‘em here. But there hasn’t been any animosity.”

The only complaint was that fans wanted more. Though they could hear interviews with the head coach and four players on the headset, they were restricted to the stands. No autographs, no photographs with their favorite players.

“I kind of wish we’d been on the field, but I understand,” said Burns, who wore a hat with a “Press” card on the side and carried a toy purple microphone. “It probably would have been a bit of a madhouse.”

Too late. It passed that threshold years ago.

The senior forward set a career-high with five 3-pointers and tied his career-best with 17 points, but the Volunteers fell behind early and never mounted a rally in a 69-44 loss to top-ranked Kentucky on Tuesday night.

“He did a good job of knocking those shots down, but he has also put the time in to improving his shot and shooting consistently,” Tennessee coach Cuonzo Martin said. “He did a good job, especially in the first half, of keeping us at bay.”

It was far from enough.

Kentucky (22-1, 8-0 Southeastern Conference) got off to a sizzling start by hitting its first 11 shots over the opening 11 minutes as the Wildcats won their 14th straight overall in another dominating performance.

Freshman Anthony Davis had 18 points, eight rebounds and seven blocked shots to lead Kentucky, which has won 48 straight at home.

“They did a great job of setting the tone early,” Martin said. “They did a great job of executing their offense. Anthony did a tremendous job protecting the lane and making plays defensively. I’ve said it before, he’s the difference, probably one of the best, if not the best in the country at changing the game with his presence on the defensive side of the ball.”

Tennessee (10-12, 2-5) shot a season-low 28.1 percent and struggled with foul trouble all game.

The Vols’ main inside presence, Jeronne Maymon, scored 13 points, but picked up his fourth foul with just over 12 minutes to play. With Maymon gone, Davis feasted down low, blocking his seventh shot of the game when he rotated and swatted Kenny Hall’s attempt.

Davis has an NCAA-best 108 blocked shots this season to help Kentucky lead the nation. He made six straight free throws before hitting a 17-footer that gave Kentucky a 57-36 lead with 6:52 left.

“He is a shot changer,” Tennessee guard Josh Richardson said. “The dude is like 6-foot-10 with 7-6 arms.”

Davis scored the first two baskets of the game, then stepped out and hit another long jumper as Kentucky built a 10-2 lead at the first media timeout.

With just under 14 minutes left in the first half, Terrence Jones went hard to the basket, scored and drew a foul. With both teams congregated in the paint, pushing and shoving started before officials separated the sides.

Trae Golden and Davis were assessed technical fouls, and Davis drew an offensive foul on Hall on the ensuing possession that fired the Wildcats up even more.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was fouled on the next possession and made both free throws, Marquis Teague added another and Kidd-Gilchrist’s layup gave Kentucky a 22-5 lead with 11:39 left in the first half.

Vols freshman Jarnell Stokes picked up his second foul 25 seconds later to go to the bench and Tennessee’s best three players — Stokes, Maymon and Golden — watched the rest of the half because of foul trouble.

Darius Miller’s jumper gave Kentucky a 26-8 lead, but he missed a 3-pointer to snap the Wildcats’ perfect start with 8:57 left in the first half.

“It hurts you a little bit and your confidence,” Richardson said. “They play great defense and they come out and hit stuff you have never really seen before.”

Woolridge answered with consecutive 3-pointers that cut Kentucky’s lead to 32-22 and was 5 for 5 from 3-point range at that point, while his teammates were 3 for 19 from the field. Tennessee finished 9 of 39 from inside the arc with 11 shots blocked by the Wildcats.

Tennessee is 4-12 all-time against the nation’s top-ranked team including a win against No. 1 Kentucky in 1966. The Vols had won its last two games when facing No. 1, but this group never had a chance this time after falling 65-62 at home to the Wildcats on Jan. 14.

“You can draw up all the plays in the world, but somebody has to execute the play. That’s what it comes down to,” Martin said. “You can talk your guys through and get them ready to go, but you have to be able to make plays and get stops.”

Charlie Bayless, the nation’s longest serving high school basketball coach, will be retiring at the end of the season.

The 88-year-old Bayless, whose 60 seasons as a head coach and 59 years at Happy Valley are national records, informed school administrators of his decision two weeks ago. School officials said a search for Bayless’ replacement won’t begin until the season ends.

“It’s time,” Bayless said. “It’s like an old car where the parts start to wear out. It’s gotten hard at 88 years old to climb with the bus with a bunch of 16 years old.”

Over his career, his teams have amassed 964 wins, including nine state tournament appearances and the school’s second state championship in 1974.

To read more CLICK HERE .

He was at the top of his game when he left open wheel, and figured he’d make a smooth and successful transition to stock cars.

Instead, he suffered through a miserable five years.

Now, in what seems like a blink of an eye, it has all turned around for Allmendinger.

No driver has had a better offseason than “The ’Dinger,” who landed the ride of a lifetime right before Christmas when Penske Racing picked him to fill the seat left suddenly open when the team split with former NASCAR champion Kurt Busch.

Then Allmendinger opened the 2012 racing season with an impressive victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The anchor for Michael Shank Racing, he used a gritty final stint — he was behind the wheel almost three hours at the end — to give longtime friend Shank his first victory in nine tries in the prestigious endurance event.

It was Allmendinger’s first major racing victory since he walked away from Champ Car at the end of the 2006 season.

“It’s always cool to be me,” Allmendinger quipped when asked about the last five weeks.

Then he quickly turned serious.

“No, I’m just kidding. The last five years, it’s actually (stunk) to be me,” he said.

It was indeed a struggle. Allmendinger went from the top of one series to the bottom of another.

On paper, a deal with upstart Red Bull Racing seemed too good to pass up. The deep-pocketed team was making its entrance into NASCAR and it wanted Allmendinger to drive one of its two cars.

It was a disaster from the outset.

Red Bull wasn’t ready to race in the elite Sprint Cup Series and, even worse, it had no development plan for Allmendinger, who was brand new to stock cars. Most open-wheel drivers have been eased into NASCAR with races in either the second-tier Nationwide Series, the Camping World Truck Series or the non-NASCAR affiliated ARCA Series.

But Allmendinger was thrown right to the wolves, and it became obvious immediately that the team and the driver were in very much above their heads.

Both Allmendinger and teammate Brian Vickers struggled just to qualify for races that season, and missing out on the events further slowed Allmendinger’s development. It didn’t take long for him to wonder if he’d made a huge mistake in moving to NASCAR.

But the open-wheel leagues were in turmoil, and not even after the merger of Champ Car with the IndyCar Series did Allmendinger know for sure where he belonged.

That season, he said, was “hell.”

“Honestly, it was the worst year of my life when it came to my career,” he said.

“There were plenty of times in my bus on Friday, (after) missing a race, it was either, ‘Should I go back to IndyCar or slit my wrists?’” he said. “It sounds kind of over the top, but I knew I wanted to be in the Sprint Cup Series. That’s where the best of the best was. ...

With the two series still split, I had done what I did in Champ Car, and at the point, the IRL wasn’t appealing to me. I had a great opportunity to go to the Sprint Cup Series.

“It was just a tough couple of years. The last few years have been tough.”

Allmendinger was eventually tossed aside at Red Bull and landed with Richard Petty Motorsports, where he won a pole and led 232 laps over the last two years. He also became consistent and notched 10 top-10 finishes, winding up 13th in points when the 12-driver Chase for the Sprint Cup championship field was set.

Even so, his future was unclear.

Best Buy pulled its sponsorship from RPM, and the team didn’t have the funding to field a car for Allmendinger. Then Busch split with Penske, and team owner Richard Petty suggested Allmendinger to Roger Penske for his suddenly open seat.

“When you part with a driver with the skills that Kurt has, you don’t just pick up the phone book and find someone who fits into his shoes,” said Penske, who was familiar with Allmendinger’s work in Champ Car.

“He was a great open-wheel driver,” Penske added. “We had a couple other people we were looking at, (but) knowing what we could give him and how our sponsors were very happy to have AJ, it was a whole package.”

Now Allmendinger is with a team that won five races last year and put both Busch and Brad Keselowski into the Chase. He knows it’s the opportunity of a lifetime, and hopes the Rolex 24 win Daytona is the first of many trips to Victory Lane.

“The last few years have been tough,” he said. “I feel like the last two years I’ve at least gotten a good rhythm, and it makes me feel good to know that a guy like Roger Penske can look at my talent and say, ‘You know what? He might not have a Cup win and you have (sponsor) Shell/Pennzoil that’s used to winners and champions in their cars, but if we give him the right stuff he might be able to do that.’”

Still, Titans fans of the NFL’s only four-time MVP expecting the injured QB to be released and healthy enough to play have started an ad campaign in Indianapolis hoping to convince Manning to return to Tennessee.

“It’s kind of evident to the sports world they’re going to let Peyton go, they’re not going to pay him the money that he’s due and he’s going to be a free agent,” Todd Mayo said Monday. “All the sports talk guys are saying he could go to Arizona and Washington and every place but Tennessee. We’ve got a young quarterback here at the Titans.

“If you could upgrade your team with the caliber of Peyton, why would you not?”

Mayo said he and his brother, Griffin, spent the weekend designing the website — www.comehomepeyton.com — and recorded a couple parody songs, including one to the Eminem hit “Lose Yourself.”

The site went live Monday and had generated $700 in donations by midday. A 30-second commercial is planned for an Indianapolis radio station during the Super Bowl.

“Call it fan-vertising if you will, but kind of a concept to put the power in the fans’ hands and let Peyton know how much he’s wanted in the state of Tennessee for the Titans,” Mayo said. “Of course, he played at Tennessee. I’m from Memphis, went to school at Tennessee in Knoxville and live in Nashville ... I love Tennessee, and it’s kind of one of those things you would like to effect positive change from the power of fans coming together.”

Mayo works at a Nashville advertising agency and already has priced billboards and ads. He hopes to solicit enough donations to place eight digital billboards in Indianapolis along with ads on TV and radio and in the local newspaper. If enough money comes in, Mayo said billboards and ads in Houston where Titans owner Bud Adams lives are a possibility to help persuade him to make a move for Manning.

Manning remains very popular in Tennessee where many children are named Peyton by parents who still wear his Volunteers jersey or his Colts No. 18. He is due $28 million from the Colts on March 8 after missing the season following his third neck surgery.

The Titans signed veteran Matt Hasselbeck to a three-year contract last July. The Titans also used the eighth pick overall last April on Jake Locker.

Mayo said life and football are about risks and rewards. He sees this as a rare chance that the Titans shouldn’t pass on to team Manning with running back Chris Johnson, receiver Kenny Britt and a strong offensive line.

“He’s probably the most famous Tennessean since Davy Crockett,” Mayo said. “All of this seems to be a perfect storm, one of those Disney-type movies. I would certainly hope it would have a Disney-type ending. You never know with injuries, but why wouldn’t you do everything you can to further along as a fan ... to at least send a message.”

Four years after what many consider the best finish in Super Bowl history, the Giants and Patriots are facing off once more for the NFL championship. There are no perfect records on the line this time, but this matchup could be equally enticing.

It certainly looks that way heading into Sunday’s big game. In 2008, with New England undefeated and having beaten New York in the regular- season finale, the Patriots were 12-point favorites. The spread now is 3, and the Giants beat them during the season.

Both teams are on quite a roll, too. The Patriots (15-3) have won 10 straight — it was 18 in a row in ’08 — and the Giants (12-7) have five consecutive victories.

All of which matters not a bit, according to New England’s Bill Belichick, who will tie a record for head coaches with his fifth Super Bowl appearance.

“I’ve been asked about that game for several days now. All of the games in the past really don’t mean that much at this point,” said Belichick, 3-1 in NFL championship games. “This game is about this team this year. There aren’t really a lot of us coaches and players who were involved in that game, and very few players, in relative terms, between both teams. We are where we are now, and we’re different than where we were earlier in the season. The Giants are where they are now, and I think they’re different than where they were at different points of the season. To take it back years and years before that, I don’t think it has too much bearing on anything.”

The loss still reverberates for former Patriots linebacker Rosevelt Colvin.

“It was like getting punched in the stomach,” Colvin said. “I still can’t watch the highlights from that game because of the opportunity we missed out on was so grand.”

Having come this far before is immeasurably helpful, according to Justin Tuck, the leader of the Giants’ defense whose return to health and form has keyed New York’s resurgence. He says the experience of four years ago in the Arizona desert will benefit everyone.

“The only thing that I tell the younger guys is make football football,” Tuck said. “Don’t make this game bigger than it has to be. Everybody around you is going to make it bigger, but we have to concentrate on why we’re going out there. ...

There’s going to be a lot of parties. There’s going to be a lot of people pulling at your coattail. Listen, if you go out there and you handle your business and you win this game, you can party all you want to after that.

“For me, personally, the first time I went to a Super Bowl I approached it as such — as a once- in-a-lifetime thing.”

For Tuck, it wasn’t. And while the defense he led to Indianapolis isn’t quite as overwhelming as the unit that made life miserable for the Patriots’ Tom Brady in ’08, it has been reinvigorated as the Giants surged to the NFC championship. It also is just as deep as the group that sacked Brady five times, hit him nine more — Osi Umenyiora claimed he had that many hits alone — and unnerved the usually unflappable star quarterback.

Today, it’s Tuck, Umenyiora, All-Pro Jason Pierre-Paul, Dave Tollefson and linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka, who compare favorably with Umenyiora, Tuck, Michael Strahan, Jay Alford and linebacker Antonio Pierce in ’08.

Other than coaches Belichick and New York’s Tom Coughlin, that is the most common element between the two Super Bowls.

“It’s been a strength of their team for as long as I can remember,” Brady said. “...Michael Strahan, as great of a player as he was, I think we played them in 2003 and they were still harassing the quarterback. It seems like they always have guys who can rush the quarterback. Justin Tuck is as good as they come. Osi week in and week out, he’s a player who can ruin a game for an offense. You look at the group they have now, and they have a ton of depth at the defensive line position.”

Controversial receivers Randy Moss and Plaxico Burress have been replaced by skilled playmakers like tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez in New England, wideouts Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz in New York. Eli Manning no longer is a question as the Giants’ quarterback, and he has carried the offense much the way running backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw did in the past.

Lawrence Tynes kicked the Giants into the Super Bowl in overtime in ’08 and — incredibly — this year, too. Wes Welker led the Patriots with 112 catches that season and had 122 in this one.

Sixteen Giants remain from the 17-14 Super Bowl victory, and only seven Patriots are still around.

Similarities and differences, all juicy elements for Giants-Patriots II.

Here we go again.

Instead of talking about Peyton Manning and the franchise quarterback’s future in Indianapolis, the Colts owner quickly tossed the football to a real politician.

“When I was asked about Peyton, I was going to say why don’t you ask Mitch (Daniels) about his presidential run? Any comments Mitch?” Irsay said drawing laughter as he turned to the Indiana governor.

Irsay’s diversionary tactic didn’t work.

With the Manning-Irsay spat still dominating talk around town, Irsay tried to deflect attention away from this week’s biggest distraction and put the focus squarely back on the Super Bowl matching the New York Giants against the New England Patriots.

“I’m not talking about Peyton this week,” Irsay said to the group of reporters trailing him through the media center’s hallways. “When Peyton and I talked (last week), we both thought the focus should be on the Super Bowl. We want to focus on the Super Bowl.”

Good luck.

Yes, getting the game in Indy was a major coup for Irsay, who pushed the city to bid twice for the big game and lobbied fellow owners to give his home city its first Super Bowl.

But the Super Bowl week just happens to come at the most tumultuous time in Indy’s ongoing soap opera.

Since finishing 2-14 and earning the first pick in April’s draft, Irsay has fired the vice chairman, Bill Polian, general manager, Chris Polian, head coach Jim Caldwell and most coaching assistants. He’s hired a new GM and a new head coach.

Last week, after Manning went public with his complaints about the dour atmosphere at the team’s complex, Irsay retorted with his own public rant — calling Manning a “politician” and contending he had been “campaigning.”

The two tried to put an end to the spat Friday by issuing a joint statement that essentially said they had spoken and reconciled.

It didn’t slow the speculation about Manning’s future. The September neck surgery that forced him to miss the season was his third in 19 months.

Irsay has indicated he won’t risk Manning’s long-term future by putting an unhealthy quarterback on the field, and even Manning’s old friends seem to be concerned about his health.

“It would be hard to get healthy and prove he’s healthy before March,” former tight end Ken Dilger said, referring to the deadline for Indy to pay Manning a $28 million roster bonus or risk losing him as a free agent. “It’s going to be hard, really hard.”

Daniels and Indy Mayor Greg Ballard both got caught up in the discussion, too, though they managed to stay away from discussing Manning’s plans.

“To have Peyton Manning be the caring guy that he is, we are so have lucky to have him, and we are so lucky to have Jim Irsay as an owner,” Ballard said. “How all this plays out doesn’t really matter to me.”

And Irsay contends there’s time for discussion — after the Super Bowl.

“Peyton is everything you dream about as an owner, getting that type of player,” he said. “I have just been so blessed with all that he’s done for this franchise.”

Woods resembled the Tiger of old over the first three rounds at the Abu Dhabi Championship, stringing together a trio of rounds below par before shooting an even 72 in Sunday’s finale to finish in a tie for third place behind winner Robert Rock and U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy.

The 117th-ranked Rock shot 70 for an overall 275 to beat McIlroy (69) by a shot. Woods was a further shot back with Thomas Bjorn (68) and Graeme McDowell (68). The 18-year-old Italian Matteo Manassero (69) and George Coetzee (70) of South Africa were another shot back.

“Today I just didn’t give myself enough looks at it,” Woods said. “Most of my putts were lag putts. I didn’t drive the ball in as many fairways as I should have ... It was a day I was just a touch off the tee and consequently I couldn’t get the ball close enough.”

It marked the second straight time Woods hasn’t won with at least a share of the lead after 54 holes. He failed to win the Chevron World Challenge in 2010 after going into the final round with a four-shot lead over McDowell.

The 14-time major winner appears to have recovered from a two-year victory drought in which he was sidelined by injuries and personal turmoil. But Woods must now face the fact that, at age 36, there are plenty of players — known and unknown — who can potentially beat him.

Woods, though, was looking for the silver lining out of his third-place finish. He insisted he has been steadily improving — hitting a high percentage of fairways and greens until Sunday and putting much better.

“There’s plenty of big events to go, but I’m pleased at the progress I’ve made so far,” said Woods, who won the Chevron World Challenge last month to end his drought. “I just need to keep building, keep getting more consistent, and today was a day where I putted beautifully. Just didn’t give myself enough looks.”

Coming into Sunday, Woods was tied for the lead with the unheralded Rock and was the clear favorite to win. Rock had only one victory under his belt compared to 83 for Woods worldwide, but it was Rock — battling his nerves over playing alongside one of his golfing idols — who held it together down the stretch.

“It’s pretty hard to believe that I managed to win today. Very surprised,” the Englishman said. “I played good. So I guess I had a chance from early on, a couple of birdies made the day feel a little bit easier.”

“But it’s difficult playing with Tiger. You expect almost every shot to threaten to go in. It felt a lot of pressure and couldn’t afford any lapses in concentration at all.”

Woods started strong and it looked as though he might pull away from Rock, sinking a 40-footer on No. 2 for birdie and chipping to within a foot of the cup for a second birdie on the 3rd. But Rock didn’t blink, making birdie on two of the first three holes to keep pace.

Then Woods began to unravel.

He started spraying his drives into the thick rough and fairway bunkers, resulting in bogeys on Nos. 4 and 5. When Woods wasn’t missing the fairways, he was scrambling to save par as he did on 11 after overshooting the green. As he approached his shot in deep rough just off the 11th green, he sighed heavily and let out a stream of obscenities under his breath.

Woods managed to save par by sinking a 12-footer and Rock just missed a birdie putt. Woods pumped his fist and appeared to be regaining momentum as he pulled within one shot of Rock on No. 13 when the Englishman had one of his three bogeys. But the 34-year-old Rock birdied two of the next three holes to regain control.

Rock wobbled on the 18th when his drive landed in a pile of rocks near the water — forcing him to take a drop — but he recovered beautifully, reaching the green in four and two-putting for the win.

“I was just focusing on trying to hit fairways and then hit my iron shots as good as I have been and give myself chances at birdies,” Rock said. “Both Tiger and Peter struggled on occasions on a few holes and I managed to keep my ball in the right position and didn’t put myself under too much stress until the last, which was a relief.”

It was a storybook ending for Rock, who rose from a club pro to join the European Tour in 2003 and only got his first tour win last year at the Italian Open. The victory will elevate him into the top 60.

“It doesn’t get an awful lot harder than playing with Tiger Woods,” Rock said. “So I guess barring a major championship, I know I can handle that again. So that’s pretty nice to know.”

While most of the attention was on Rock and Woods, several players surged into contention down the stretch.

McIlroy, playing ahead of Rock and Woods, birdied No. 18 to move to 12 under and give himself a chance. But he came up short with four rounds of par or better golf being undone by several costly mistakes — the worst coming Friday when the third-ranked McIlroy was penalized two shots for brushing away sand in front of his ball in the rough of the 9th.

“You know, you’ve got to take the positives,” McIlroy said. “It’s the first week of the year, and you know, it looks like it’s going to be the second year in a row here that I’ll finish second. But still a very good start to the season and something I’ll build on.”

McDowell played the most exciting round of the tournament on Sunday, with an ace on No. 12, a chip-in on 13 and then a shot off the grandstand on the 18th that led to a birdie and a tie for third. For the 2010 U.S. Open champion, it was a good way to start the year after failing to win in 2011.

“Understand that this class is far below the standards that we have here and what we’ll need here in the future,” Kiffin said.

Who knew then just how precise he would be?

Kiffin and his staff of relentless recruiters had two months to scramble and assemble a class, and they were praised for compiling a crop that was strengthened with the late additions of safety Janzen Jackson, all-purpose back David Oku and tailback Bryce Brown, the nation’s No. 1 prospect. Rivals.com ranked Tennessee’s 23 signees 10th in the country, but only eight from that class are still with the program following a string of arrests and academic shortcomings.

Read the full story on the Chattanooga Times Free Press website.

The Miami Dolphins wide receiver had a touchdown catch in each quarter, including an early 74-yarder and a 3-yarder in the fourth, in a game filled with highlight-reel catches. He was selected the game’s MVP and his four TD catches set a Pro Bowl record.

The 59 points by the AFC set a Pro Bowl mark, and the 100 points scored by the two teams combined was the second highest, a touchdown shy of the 107 scored in 2004.

But it was clear from the start it was Marshall’s day. He hauled in a deflected, go-ahead 47-yard TD pass from Andy Dalton, while on his back, to give the AFC a 38-35 lead late in the third quarter. It was Marshall’s third TD catch of the game, tying Jimmy Smith’s Pro Bowl record set in 2004.

Marshall, making his third Pro Bowl appearance, then nabbed a 3-yard TD pass from Dalton that gave the AFC a 52-35 lead with 8:25 left and put the game away.

The game featured 36 first-timers, including rookie quarterbacks Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers and Dalton of the Cincinnati Bengals, who replaced Super Bowl quarterbacks Eli Manning and Tom Brady. Their selection made this Pro Bowl the first to feature two rookie signal callers.

While Dalton looked composed, Newton played horribly — struggling to move the ball, stay in the pocket and find his targets, which drew some boos from the sun-splashed, sellout crowd of 48,423.

Newton finished 9 of 27 for 186 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Dalton, meanwhile, was 7 of 9 for 99 yards and two TDs.

On his first series, Newton overthrew a wide-open Tony Gonzalez over the middle, with the ball sailing into Eric Weddle’s hands. The San Diego Chargers safety popped up to his feet and returned it 63 yards to the NFC 23, leading to a 37-yard FG by Sebastian Janikowski, which gave the AFC its first lead of the game at 31-28.

Newton recovered on the next series, airing out a 55-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to Panthers teammate Steve Smith, making it 34-31. But he was intercepted again on the next series.

With the Pro Bowlers unable to get out of third gear — particularly on the offensive and defensive lines — and hitting each other as though they were having a pillow fight, the Pro Bowl featured some good, bad and real ugly — sometimes on the same play. For example, Aaron Rodgers caught a pass from himself. His throw was deflected at the line and he leaped to catch the ball and backpedaled for a 15-yard loss.

Rodgers was 13 of 17 for 141 yards and two TDs, giving him a quarterback rating of 139.6, higher than his NFL record 122.5 rating during the season. But he was watching late in the game as Newton struggled.

The NFC had three players with 100-yard yard receiving: Gonzalez (seven for 114), Larry Fitzgerald (6 for 111) and Smith (5 for 118).

The AFC and NFC traded score after score, and turnover after turnover in the first half.

Rodgers and Fitzgerald connected for a pair of scores on back-to-back plays to put the NFC up 14-0 early in the game.

After stopping the AFC on fourth down at midfield, Rodgers drove the NFC down the field and threw a 10-yard TD toss to Fitzgerald. Six seconds later, Rodgers aired a 44-yard rainbow in the end zone to Fitzgerald for another score after the NFC got the ball back with a surprise onside kick.

The reception was Fitzgerald’s sixth career TD catch in the Pro Bowl, tying Gonzalez’s record.

The AFC came right back and tied it up on two deep TD passes on the right side by Ben Roethlisberger. He threw a 34-yarder to rookie A.J. Green, and then connected with Marshall on a 74-yarder.

But Drew Brees and the NFC kept the scoring going. Just like in the regular season, Brees and Saints teammate Jimmy Graham hooked up to give the NFC a 21-14 lead in the second quarter. On fourth-and-goal, Brees zipped a pass to Graham for a 6-yard score and would later find Brandon Jennings for an 11-yard TD.

Antonio Gates pulled in a 27-yard TD from Chargers teammate Rivers as time expired in the half to tie it at 28.

Each AFC player earned a record $50,000 for the win, while the NFC players received $25,000.

It was an especially effective strategy when Georgia fell flat after halftime.

Stricklen had 24 points, including six in Tennessee’s 11-0 run to open the second half, and the No. 7 Lady Vols beat No. 17 Georgia 67-50 on Sunday for their second win over the Lady Bulldogs this month.

Stricklen helped Tennessee (16-5, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) pull away after leading by only one point at halftime.

The Lady Vols talked at halftime about a strong start to the second half.

“Come out with energy,” Stricklen said. “We’ve got to push the ball. Get it and go. Don’t waste it. If we get it, everybody run the floor hard.”

Meighan Simmons opened the second half with a 3-pointer to spark the Lady Vols’ 11-0 run. Stricklen followed the 3-pointer by scoring on a drive and had a steal and basket later in the 11-0 run.

Georgia missed its first five shots from the field in the half.

“It seemed like we went back out all of a sudden with no energy,” said Georgia coach Andy Landers.

“Defensively, I thought we stood around for the first two minutes of the second half. I didn’t see the intensity that I would have liked to have seen. We broke down and they got some driving, wide-open layups.”

Ariel Massengale had 16 points, including 13 in the second half, for the Lady Vols.

Meredith Mitchell had 13 points and Jasmine Hassell had 11 for Georgia (16-6, 5-4), which has lost consecutive games and three of its last four.

Following a lopsided 72-44 loss at No. 2 Notre Dame on Monday, Tennessee coach Pat Summitt juggled her lineup in Thursday’s 86-56 win at Alabama. Stricklen, who had a streak of 121 consecutive starts, the longest in the nation, end earlier this month due to an injury, didn’t start against Alabama even though she was available.

Stricklen said she understood the message from Summitt and her staff.

“It was a challenge,” said Stricklen, a senior who started against Georgia. “I think it was a good decision by the coaches. I haven’t been playing to my ability and if I’m not playing to my ability I shouldn’t start. That’s what they did and I agreed with them.

“I wasn’t mad. I stayed positive and I was cheering on my team. This is not about me. It’s whatever best for the team.”

The surprise was Stricklen started at the power forward position instead of at shooting guard or small forward. Stricklen said she liked playing closer to the basket.

“I feel like it’s a good spot,” Stricklen said. “My outside shooting is not working at all right now. It just feels good to be inside, working around the basket.”

Tennessee associate head coach Holly Warlick said the Lady Vols recovered from the loss at Notre Dame.

“We had a tough week,” Warlick said. “We played three games in seven days. They responded. We pushed them in practice and I’m proud of the way they responded.”

Forward Glory Johnson, who 22 points and 13 rebounds in Tennessee’s 80-51 home win over Georgia on Jan. 5, had five points and a team-leading eight rebounds as the Lady Vols completed the sweep of the regular-season series.

Georgia made only 2 of 11 3-pointers in the first half but trailed only 29-28 at the break. The Lady Vols led 19-11 after a 3-pointer by Taber Spani midway through the half. Georgia answered with six straight points, including back-to-back baskets by Hassell.

Tennessee, which committed a season-low eight turnovers against Alabama, had 19 turnovers, including 12 in the first half.

The Lady Vols led 53-37 before Georgia pulled to within 10 at 53-43. Massengale answered with a 3-pointer.

Georgia battled foul problems late in the game. Mitchell was called for her fifth with 1:19 remaining.

Attendance was 10,523, Georgia’s fifth sellout in school history and first since Jan. 14, 2007 against Tennessee.

Jasmine James, a preseason All-SEC pick and Georgia’s point guard, missed her fourth straight game with a sprained right knee.

Landers said James is “very close” to returning.

“We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do to get her well,” Landers said. “We need her. She’s important.”

Georgia made only 5 of 25 shots (20 percent) from the field in the second half and made a season-low 28.8 percent of its shots (17 of 59) for the game.