(Los Angeles, CA)  --  The shorthanded UCLA Bruins fell in a wild contest to Oregon, 87-83, in double overtime at Pauley Pavilion yesterday.  The Bruins were without Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson who were suspended for violating team rules.  Bryce Alford posted 31 points as the Bruins fell to 21-and-7 overall and 10-and-5 in the Pac-12.  They host Oregon State on Sunday.

(Los Angeles, CA)  --  The losing won't stop for USC as they fell to Oregon State, 76-66, at the Galen Center.  The Trojans fell behind by 23 at halftime and couldn't complete the comeback in the second half.  USC has dropped nine in-a-row to fall to 10-and-18 overall and 1-and-14 in the Pac 12.  They host Oregon tomorrow.

(Denver, CO)  --  The Portland Trail Blazers are on a three-game winning streak after posting a 100-95 victory over the Nuggets in Denver.  Damian Lillard had 31 points and nine assists and was one of six Blazers to score in double figures.  Nicolas Batum [[ bah-TOOM ]] added 16 points and six rebounds.  Portland will be back home tonight to host the Brooklyn Nets.

Blazers back on the hardwood tonight in the mile high city of Denver to face the Nuggets.
Portland is 38-and-18 overall, but has slipped to 5th place in the Western Conference, 4 1/2 games out of first place.
 
However, the Blazers are the top scoring and rebounding team in the NBA.
The Blazers return home tomorrow night to host the Brooklyn Nets.
Tonight, Portland and Denver on KBND with the pregame show at 5pm....
 
College hoops:
Even though wichita state remains the only unbeaten men's team in college hoops at 26-and-0, the florida gators take over the top ranked spot in the country in the latest a-p poll.
 
The Gators 25-2, are the new #1 team after syracuse lost last week. The orange fall to number-4.
 
It's Florida, Wichita State, Arizona, Syracuse and Big-12 regular season champion Kansas the top-5.  UCLA and Gonzaga both drop out of the top-25 this week.
 
Just 4-games remain in the Pac-12 regular season and oregon and oregon state travel to l-a this week. The ducks meet usc thursday night at 8p with the pregame show here at 730p.  The beavers play at ucla at the same time.
 
Both Oregon and OSU are tied for 10th place.
 
Final week of the regular season of prep basketball before the play-in round and playoffs begin.
 
This evening....3rd ranked Bend plays at Redmond. Last night the Lava Bears beat Redmond, 51-35 in a make-up game.
 
Number-4 mt. View plays at Summit, while in the 4a ranks, Ridgeview hosts Crook County. And, Madras greets Estacada in the tri-valley league.
 
 
College baseball rankings
this weeks college baseball rankings by 'baseball america' sees oregon state drop to number-4 in the country after the beavers (6-2) dropped two games over the weekend in the 'big-10 vs. Pac-12 challenge.'
 
Oregon state edged washington yesterday in arizona, 3-2.
 
Virginia is still number one, followed by florida state and south carolina.
 
The Oregon Ducks move up to number-9, and are undefeated at 7-and-0 and entertain University of Portland tonight in Eugene in the home opener for Oregon, weather permitting.
 
OSU is scheduled to host wright state this weekend in Corvallis for the Beavers home opening series.
 
 

(Portland, OR)  --  The Portland Trail Blazers are on a two-game winning streak after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 108-97.  The Blazers had a second-half surge that enabled them to zip past Minnesota and improve their home record to 21-and-7.  Damian Lillard scored 32 points and dished out five assists for Portland.  The Blazers will host the Denver Nuggets tomorrow night.

(Corvallis, OR)  --  DaVonte Lacy poured in 18 points while D.J. Shelton recorded a double-double but the Cougars could not overcome the Beavers, losing 68-57.  The Cougars turned the ball over 15 times in the loss and shot under 60-percent from the charity stripe.  The loss drops Washington State to 2-and-12 in conference play and extends its losing streak to five games.  The Cougars will travel to Matthew Knight Arena on Sunday for a date with the Oregon Ducks.

(Portland, OR)  --  The Portland Trail Blazers' losing streak is now three after their 111-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.  The Blazers, who were without the services of LaMarcus Aldridge, got off to a quick start in their first game following the All-Star break, but were unable to keep San Antonio at bay after the first quarter.  Damian Lillard led all scorers with 31 points and dished out six assists for Portland.  The Blazers will host the Utah Jazz tomorrow night.

(Portland, OR)  --  The Portland Trail Blazers will be without the services of two more players tonight when they resume action following the All-Star break.  LaMarcus Aldridge is expected to be out for a week with a groin injury and backup center Meyers Leonard will miss two to three weeks with a sprained ankle.  Blazers forward/center Joel Freeland is already nursing a sprained MCL in his right knee.  Portland will host the San Antonio Spurs tonight.

(New Orleans, LA)  --  The 2014 NBA All-Star game is in the books after the East made a second-half surge to down the West, 163-155.  Kyrie Irving led the East with 31 points and Carmelo Anthony added 30.  Blake Griffin and Kevin Durant each scored 38 points for the West.  LaMarcus Aldridge came off the bench to score four points and grab five rebounds for the West, and Damian Lillard scored nine points.

(Corvallis, OR)  --  Oregon State offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh says he's staying with the Beavers.  The assistant coach sent out a message on Twitter, saying he's "looking forward to coaching the current and future Beaver offensive line."  Cavanaugh had been reported to be a strong candidate to take over a similar position at Oklahoma State.

(Portland, OR)  --  The Portland Pilots are two-and-oh this season against Loyola Marymount after earning a 71-64 win over the Lions at the Chiles Center.  The Pilots got the win without the services of leading scorer Kevin Bailey, who was out with a calf injury.  Bryce Pressley scored 14 for Portland and Bobby Sharp added 11.  The Pilots will host Pepperdine tomorrow.

(Los Angeles, CA)  --  The Portland Trail Blazers are heading into the All-Star break on a two-game losing skid after falling on the road to the Los Angeles Clippers, 122-117.  The Blazers kept it close throughout but the Clippers were able to pull away in the fourth quarter.  LaMarcus Aldridge scored 25 points and Damian Lillard added 21 as six Blazers hit double figures.  The All-Star game will be held this Sunday in New Orleans.

(Renton, WA)  --  Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett, who played a key role in his team's Super Bowl win over the Denver Broncos, says he won't give the Seahawks a "discount" to stay next season.  Bennett, who's an unrestricted free agent, told the NFL Network he wants to be compensated for helping the Seahawks win the world championship.  He played for Tampa Bay for four years before signing a one-year contract with the Seahawks for four-point-eight million dollars.  ESPN reports if the Seahawks tag Bennett as a franchise player, his salary for 2014 would increase to 12-point-six million.

The Portland Trail Blazers will have a chance tonight to go into the All-Star break on a winning note after dropping a 98-95 decision at home to Oklahoma City.  The Blazers have now lost five of their last seven contests.  Nicolas Batum led Portland with 18 points, while Robin Lopez scored 17 and collected 14 rebounds.  The Blazers will host the L.A. Clippers tonight.

(Portland, OR)  --  Jeld-Wen Field will soon become Providence Park.  The Portland Timbers have announced the change, which will name the stadium after Providence Health Services.  Timbers owner Merritt Paulson says the partnership is for 15 years and will include new signage and a new logo for the stadium.  Jeld-Wen Windows & Doors of Klamath Falls will continue to serve as one of the Timbers' Founding Partners.  

(Los Angeles, CA)  --  Seattle Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith, the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl 48, is insisting his mother share in the spoils of victory.  Smith told TMZ that Chevrolet is customizing the pickup truck he was given for being voted MVP so he can hand it over to his mom in California.  He says Mom "wants to go gun-metal with the black rims."  Smith ran back an intercepted pass for a touchdown and recovered a fumble in the Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos.

(New York, NY)  --  The Portland Trail Blazers will continue their road trip in Indiana after defeating the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, 94-90.  Nicolas Batum [[ bah-TOOM ]] led the Blazers with 20 points.  Wesley Matthews added 18 points and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 15 to help hold off a fourth-quarter rally by the Knicks.  Portland will visit the Pacers tomorrow, with the tip-off at four p.m.

(Salem, OR)  --  The Oregon Department of Education says the state's high-school graduation rate in 2013 was up slightly from the previous year.  Officials say 69 percent of students graduated, up from 68 percent in 2012, while the dropout rate fell from 21 to 20 percent.  The West Linn-Wilsonville school district topped all other districts in Oregon with a 90-percent graduation rate.  The Lake Oswego district had the second-highest graduation rate, followed by Canby, Tigard-Tualatin, and Hillsboro. 

(Vancouver, WA)  --  Three people are in custody relative to the fatal shooting of a man whose body was found near Vancouver Mall.  Police aren't releasing the name of the man believed to be one who gunned down 21-year-old Craig Moritz of Vancouver, who was found dead early Tuesday.  Two alleged accomplices, identified as 21-year-old Jonathan Hensley of East Wenatchee and 19-year-old Shawn Fortner of Bend, are being investigated for first-degree murder.  Clark County prosecutors say the shooting appears to have stemmed from a drug deal gone bad.

(Seattle, WA)  --  Officials are estimating that 700-thousand people lined the streets of downtown Seattle for the Seahawks' Super Bowl victory parade.  Many thousands were lined up for hours prior to the start of yesterday's parade, which wound its way from Seattle Center to CenturyLink Field.  Inside the stadium, each member of the Seahawks' roster sported a white team jersey and was introduced to the crowd.  Quarterback Russell Wilson was the last to be introduced and walked onto the field carrying the Lombardi Trophy, the first to be earned by the Seattle NFL franchise.

(Portland, OR)  --  The Portland Association of Teachers will decide whether to call a walkout after teachers voted in favor of authorizing a strike.  The union will be required to give the Portland school district ten working days' notice before a strike.  The teachers voted yesterday to set the walkout date for February 20th.  Contract negotiations between the union and PPS are set to resume Sunday.

(Olympia, WA)  --  A measure that would require health insurers whose plans cover maternity care to also offer abortion services is on its way to the Washington State Senate.  The bill's chief sponsor, Seattle Representative Eileen Cody, tells SeattlePI.com that the Reproductive Parity Act will likely become stalled in the GOP-controlled Senate as it did last year.  The bill passed the House on a 54-44 vote, mainly along party lines. 

(Seattle, WA)  --  Seattle-based department-store chain Nordstrom says it will close two under-performing stores in the Portland area.  Officials say one store in the Lloyd Center in Portland and one at the Vancouver Mall will be shuttered in 2015.  The company president of stores, Erik Nordstrom, says the stores haven't performed up to standard, even after renovations designed to make them more successful.  After the stores close, the Portland area will still have three Nordstrom locations and four discount Rack stores.

(Seattle, WA)  --  Hundreds of thousands of revelers are expected to be on hand today for the Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl victory parade.  Seattle police say the parade is expected to be bigger than the 1979 procession that celebrated the Seattle SuperSonics' NBA championship.  Law-enforcement officers from around the Northwest are being asked to assist with security to help ensure parade safety and smooth traffic flow.  Mayor Ed Murray is asking fans to show the same sportsmanship and discipline the Seahawks displayed during their championship season.

(Washington, DC)  --  The Portland Trail Blazers hope to get back in the win column tomorrow night in New York after dropping a 100-90 decision to the Washington Wizards.  The win allowed Washington to get above .500 for the first time in four years and handed Portland its third loss in its last four games.  Damian Lillard led all scorers with 25 points and LaMarcus Aldridge scored 20 points and collected ten rebounds.  Nicolas Batum [[ bah-TOOM ]] scored 18 points and Robin Lopez added 12.