Notre Dame researchers want to turn your house into a power plant. Their vision for producing electricity is a bit different than the coal plants already in the City...it involves some very high-tech paint... more ›

It's never too early for folks in South Bend to start considering a replacement for Irish head coach Brian Kelly. more ›

It was a full day of action yesterday. The Bulls and Blackhawks wrapped up their "circus trips;" Northwestern stood in the way on a Wisconsin trip to the Rose Bowl; Notre Dame resumed its rivalry with Southern Cal; and Illinois basketball is back in full swing. more ›

College Football more ›

Cubs Trip Up Cards more ›

The Sox take a step forward one night and then the next they take a step back. After picking up a game on the Twins on Friday, the Sox got routed by the Royals last night 8-2 and subsequently lost that game back to Minnesota. Edwin Jackson struggled on the hill for the Sox, giving up 13 hits and 6 runs to Kansas City while the Sox offense didn't produce much of anything in the way of offense, hitting only 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position and leaving nine men on base. Said A.J. Pierzynski, "Just one of those things. It goes up and down, and we had eight hits tonight, scored a couple of runs. We had some chances, and we just didn't get it done." The Sox hope to bounce back and get it done in the series finale today before the Twins come calling - the Sox last chance to make a run at the division - later this week (1:05 p.m., CSN). more ›

White Sox Sweep Double-Header With Red Sox more ›

Since the Big Ten announced it was considering expansion in December, there have been a lot of rumors and speculation but not much in the way of firm movement toward adding to the conference's roster of schools. That may change this week. Having originally laid out a 12-18 month plan toward expansion, Big Ten officlals acknowledged that they now plan to speed things up. Or, more accurately, the Big 12 is forcing them to speed things up. more ›

Reports surfaced Monday afternoon, originating from a Kansas City radio station, that the Big Ten Conference has extended invitations to four schools to join the conference. The Big Ten quickly denied these reports, with commissioner Jim Delany stated that the conference remains committed to the 12-18 month process outlined earlier this year. more ›

It's been a rough week for the Blackhawks: they've lost three games in a row and had two defensemen knocked out of games by some shady hits. And while they're now without Campbell until at least the second round of the playoffs and there's still no word on Seabrook's condition, the 'Hawks did manage to end the losing streak with a 3-0 win over the LA Kings. After a scoreless first, Troy Brouwer delivered the first goal of the game to put Chicago up 1-0. Early in the third, Tomas Kopecky scored from far out on the left wing side to give the 'Hawks a 2-0 lead and a little over three minutes later would put in a rebound for his second goal of the game. The 'Hawks overwhelmed the Kings, outshooting them 37-17; Antti Niemi had the shutout win in goal. Chicago has one more game on the road trip, Saturday night in Phoenix (8 p.m., CSN). more ›

Blackhawks Lose Game, Campbell more ›

• Illinois may have managed to slip into the NCAA Tournament thanks to yesterday's 58-54 victory over No. 18 Wisconsin in the Big 10 tournament quarterfinals. Mike Tisdale led the Illini with 21 points as Illinois held off a Badger rally. With Illinois leading by 16 with less than seven minutes to go, Wisconsin managed to trim the lead to just two with 30 seconds left but Illinois hung on for the win. Next up for the Illini is No. 7 Ohio State in the semifinals (12:40 p.m., CBS).
• Northwestern's odds at reaching the NCAA Tournament took a big hit with last night's 69-61 Big 10 quarterfinal loss to No. 5 Purdue. At 20-13, the Wildcats are likely looking at an NIT invite. John Shurna had 16 and Drew Crawford scored 15 for the Wildcats.
• Notre Dame missed a last-second shot and fell to No. 6 West Virginia 53-51 in the Big East semifinals. Ben Hansbrough scored 17 for the Irish and Luke Harangody scored 10. In spite of the loss, the Irish figure to make it into the Field of 65 for next week.

The Bulls' free-fall continues and now - adding injury to insult - they may be without star Derrick Rose for a spell. The Orlando Magic had little trouble handing the Bulls their sixth-straight loss 111-82. With Luol Deng and Joakim Noah already out with injuries, Derrick Rose hurt his left wrist late in the first quarter after a collision with Orlando's Dwight Howard; he'll have an MRI on the wrist today to determine how serious the injury is. With their top three players hurt, then, James Johnson led the Bulls with 13 points, though they didn't put up much of a fight, down 65-33 at the half. The Bulls try to regroup tonight in Miami (6:30 p.m., WGN). more ›

The Blackhawks got a much-needed 3-2 OT win over the L.A. Kings last night thanks to a pair of Patrick Sharp goals. The 'Hawks jumped out in front in the opening minutes of the first period on Sharp's first goal of the night. The Kings would rally for a pair of goals early in the second period to take a 2-1 lead but Kris Versteeg managed to put a second chance shot past L.A. goalie Jonathan Quick to tie the game at 2-2. A scoreless third gave way to overtime when the 'Hawks took advantage of an L.A. turnover and Sharp made a nifty move to beat Quick for the game-winner. The 'Hawks are now 3-2 since the Olympic break ended and are once more tied with San Jose atop the Western Conference. Next up is a Saturday afternoon affair in Philadelphia (12 p.m., WGN). more ›

Northwestern's ongoing efforts to land a game at Wrigley Field aren't the only major college football efforts going on for the city. Notre Dame is apparently looking into using Soldier Field for a 2012 game, the Tribune is reporting. With a game this upcoming season slated for Yankee Stadium (against Army), one in 2011 at Washington D.C.'s FedEx Field (against Maryland), and future games against Syracuse slated for the new Meadowlands stadium, a game at Soldier Field makes sense for the school's plans to play on some of the biggest stages available. more ›

The Bulls couldn't shake the losing bug, extending their current losing streak to four games after falling to the Dallas Mavericks 122-116. Even as they played from behind, the Bulls kept things close for most of the first half until Dallas used a 12-4 run at the end of the first half to build an 11-point halftime lead. The Mavs would keep a comfortable lead throughout the remainder of the second half despite a late Bulls attempt to battle back, cutting the lead to as little as six late in the fourth, but to no avail. Derrick Rose was a bright spot for the Bulls in the loss, scoring 34 points; Brad Miller added 17. The Bulls, having fallen to the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, try to get things going again Tuesday when Utah comes to town (7 p.m., CSN). more ›

The Blackhawks finally shook off the rust and, after a sluggish start, got the fire going again, scorching the Edmonton Oilers 5-2. After a scoreless first period and falling behind 2-1 in the second period (Marian Hossa opened scoring with a goal), the 'Hawks scored four straight to secure their first post-Olympics victory. Dave Bolland took a nice pass from Hossa to tie the game at 2-2. The 'Hawks then took complete control in the third period as Niklas Hjalmarsson scored his second goal of the year, Dustin Byfuglien scored on a power-play, and the 'Hawks gold medal captain Jonathan Toews got in on the scoring, too. Speaking of the gold medal, the 'Hawks also honored their six Olympians in a pregame ceremony. And, hey, here comes Olympic host Vancouver to town for the 'Hawks next game Friday night (7:30 p.m., CSN). more ›

The Bulls didn't have quite enough gas to get by the Pacers last night, falling 100-90 in Indianapolis. It was a close game early, but the Pacers used a 12-3 run in the second quarter to stretch out their lead to seven at the half and never looked back. Derrick Rose had 27 points to lead the Bulls (31-28) while Luol Deng scored 13 points and pulled down 18 rebounds. The Bulls get tonight off before welcoming the Atlanta Hawks to town tomorrow night (7 p.m., WGN). more ›

All six Olympic Blackhawks advanced to tomorrow's semifinal round of the men's ice hockey tournament. First up, Patrick Kane and Team USA topped Switzerland 2-0 to advance to tomorrow's semifinals where they'll take on Finland (2 p.m., NBC 5). Next up, a still-ticked off Team Canada crushed Russia 7-3. Both Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith were credited with two assists each while Brent Seabrook made the box score thanks to two minutes in the penalty box. That trio of 'Hawks advance to the semis to take on Tomas Kopecky, Marian Hossa and the rest of Team Slovokia after they upset Sweden 4-3. Kopecky netted what would be the winning goal and Hossa contributed three assists in the big win. It'll be the Battle of the Blackhawks (8:30 p.m., CNBC) for a shot at the gold medal. more ›

It was a bad night for Notre Dame basketball as the Irish were upset by Seton Hall 90-87. Down by 10 at the half, the Irish worked their way back into the game and several times cut the Seton Hall lead to one late in the second half. But the Irish were never able to overcome the Pirates, missing several three point shots over the final minute. Not helping their cause was their leading scorer Luke Harangody leaving the game mid-way through the second half with a knee injury. Tory Jackson led Notre Dame with 25 points while Tim Abromaitis scored 18. more ›

• Notre Dame got a huge performance out of Luke Harangody (37 points, 14 rebounds) as they cruised past Big East foe Cincinnati 83-65. Tim Abromaitis added 22 points.
• It took some extra basketball but Loyola pushed past Youngstown State 92-85. Geoff McCammon led all scorers with 25 points.
• UIC's losing streak reached nine games as Cleveland State upended the Flames 74-63. Jeremy Buttell and Zavion Neely both scored 17 points.

The Blackhawks wrapped up their Disney-On-Ice road trip last night but found themselves having less success than their United Center counterparts as they fell to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2. The 'Canes took the lead with a goal in the waning seconds of the first period and Chicago answered with a Marian Hossa goal a few minutes into the second. Carolina answered late in the second to take a 2-1 edge and the 'Hawks once again tied the game up as Andrew Ladd scored a few minutes in to the third period. But the 'Canes scored twice in a 26 second span at the midway point of the third to take a two-goal lead they wouldn't relinquish. Huet got 20 saves but allowed all four goals while the 'Hawks out-shot the 'Canes 41-24 but still wound up with the loss. The 'Hawks still lead the division comfortably and are in second place in the Western Conference, just 3 points behind San Jose. The team also gets 4 of the next 6 games at home before the two-week Olympic break. Next up is a return to the UC to face St. Louis on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., CSN). more ›

Who would have thought the Bulls would come away from a four game stretch against Phoenix, Houston, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City at 4-0? Not us, but we're happy to be wrong. The Bulls thumped the Thunder 96-86 to win their fourth straight game - all on the road - and move back to .500 for the first time since mid-November. Derrick Rose led the way with 26 points and 7 assists, Luol Deng added 17, and Brad Miller scored 14 off the bench. Even Rose admitted mild surprise at the current winning streak: "Yeah I don't think anyone would have thought we'd have a four-game winning streak going after playing in the places we have the last few days. We're definitely confident right now and hopefully we can keep it going." The Bulls hope to keep it going as they wrap up the road trip tomorrow night in New Orleans against the Hornets (7 p.m., CSN). more ›

With Joakim Noah hurt, Brad Miller made the most of his start at center, scoring 25 points to lead the Bulls to a 104-97 victory over Houston. The Bulls have now won two straight road games, a great improvement for a team that's struggled mightily on the road all season. All five Bulls starters scored in double-figures including 20 from Derrick Rose and a 16-14 from Taj Gibson as the team shot over 50 percent from the floor for another night. The Bulls hope their trip to Texas continues on a winning note as they take on the Spurs tomorrow night (7:30 p.m., CSN). more ›

The Bulls win streak came to an end at the start of their road trip as the Golden State Warriors thumped the Bulls 114-97. The Bulls hung tough, a back-and-forth affair at times, and only trailed by two early in the fourth quarter. But poor shooting hurt the Bulls down the stretch; the Warriors pulled away as the Bulls went almost four full minutes without making a shot from the floor, sinking only a pair of free throws in that stretch. Overall, the Bulls shot less than 37 percent from the floor and only hit 66 percent of their free throws. John Salmons led the Bulls with 25 points, Luol Deng had 20, and Derrick Rose had 19. The Bulls try to get back in the win column tomorrow night in L.A. against the Clippers (9:30 p.m., WGN). more ›

'Hawks Clip Columbus more ›

Bulls Thump T-Wolves more ›

The Blackhawks threw a lot of money at an injured Marian Hossa this past off-season, but now that he's back at full-strength, it's starting to pay off. Hossa got two goals for the second straight game to help push the Blackhawks past the Minnesota Wild 4-1. The Wild struck first just over midway through the first period, but John Madden tied it up for the 'Hawks. Hossa scored the eventual game-winner halfway through the second period, and then Patrick Kane scored a power play goal early in the third followed by Hossa's second goal of the game to extend the lead. Huet had 19 saves in goal and the 'Hawks out-shot the Wild 33-20. The win puts the 'Hawks in sole possession of first place in the Western Conference and they'll try to extend their winning streak to five games when they visit the Bruins on Thursday (6 p.m., CSN). more ›

Illinois toppled Northwestern 89-83 in overtime last night, snapping a two-game losing streak and handing Northwestern a loss in their first game as a top 25 team after a 40+ year absence from the polls. The Illini trailed by nine at the half but a big run to open the second half put them in a back-and-forth game with the Wildcats and forced overtime. The teams continued the close battle until Illinois sank five of seven free throws in the final minute of play to clinch the game. John Shurna led the Wildcats with 27 points but Mike Tisdale's 31 point, 11 rebound performance - with 20 more points from Mike Davis - paced the Illini to the big win. The two teams square off again January 23. more ›

Break up the Bulls! Led by Derrick Rose, the Bulls overcame a 40 point night by Atlanta star Joe Johnson and came away winners 101-98 in overtime. The Hawks led for much of the first half but the Bulls fought back in the second, including a 10-1 run early in the fourth and another late push to even up the game at 92-92 at the end of regulation. Atlanta took an early lead in overtime but the Bulls quickly caught up and took a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Rose had 32 points to lead the Bulls while Luol Deng scored 21 and pulled down 11 rebounds. The Bulls try to roll a turkey when the Kings come calling on Monday (7 p.m., CSN). more ›