Die Allianz T-D-P » Tribe managed just two against Loui

LOS ANGELES -- Stanford coach David Shaw only needed a few words to epitomize why his Cardinal are the Pac-12 football favorites this fall -- and also why that distinction doesnt mean much.I think we have a chance to be a good team, but were a team in flux, Shaw said after learning his Cardinal had won the preseason media poll.The West Coasts top league is wide open heading into the fall, with a half-dozen legitimate title contenders and no overwhelming favorite. Every team has major questions at key positions, but nobody seems better prepared to answer them than the ever-resourceful Cardinal.Stanford is the defending champion of the conference and the Rose Bowl, and running back Christian McCaffrey might be the nations top player. Its still not enough to make them prohibitive favorites to repeat in a conference that could end up without a playoff representative again despite several quality teams.Parity is the enemy of excellence, and the Pac-12 is full of teams with big positives and big question marks. Two-thirds of the league began training camps with uncertainty at quarterback, and the league doesnt appear to possess any dominant defenses.It could be a recipe for tight division races, memorable Saturday finishes and a crackerjack conference title game.THE FAVORITESNORTH: Stanford has McCaffrey, but less than 10 other returning starters, including no tested quarterbacks. The Cardinal also must fight through a brutal schedule while fending off challenges from Oregon and Washington, who both could contend with just a few breaks. The Huskies are the popular pick to surge in their third season under Chris Petersen, while the Ducks always have enough talent despite no clear starting quarterback.SOUTH: Although Utah is a serious contender, the division race could come down to the annual crosstown showdown between UCLA and USC at the Rose Bowl on Nov. 19. The Bruins had too many injuries on defense to contend last season, but quarterback Josh Rosen is ready to blossom into a national star. They could be ready to knock off the talented Trojans, who must play Alabama, Stanford and Utah away from home in September.TOP PLAYERSStanford RB Christian McCaffrey. After one of the most spectacular individual seasons in conference history, the do-everything Heisman Trophy finalist is back to doing everything again.UCLA QB Jake Rosen. A new offensive scheme should mean bigger plays and more chances for Chosen Rosen to shine.USC WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. The Trojans annual turmoil has obscured the career of the next brilliant pass-catcher in USCs long lineage, but he has a chance to get everybodys attention this fall.Oregon RB Royce Freeman. After setting the Ducks single-season rushing record last year, he will shoulder a heavy load during a possible transition season.Utah DL Lowell Lotulelei. The consummate space-eating lineman from a powerful football family is back to clog lanes on one of the nations top defensive fronts.Washington QB Jake Browning. The Huskies preseason popularity hinges partly on the gifted sophomore, who appears poised to break out with an improved offense.Washington State QB Luke Falk. The big-armed passer might be the man who can lead coach Mike Leachs offense into title contention.NEW FACESOregon QB Dakota Prukop. The Montana State transfer is the favorite to follow Marcus Mariota and Vernon Adams, but he has two capable competitors for the job at the controls of the Ducks remarkable offense.Arizona defensive coordinator Marcel Yates. Rich Rodriguez is rebuilding his defense with the former Boise State coordinator, but he could need more than one season to fix everything.USC coach Clay Helton. Hes far from new, but the veteran assistant is in his first full season in charge of the Trojans, with a roster in flux and a sadistic schedule.ON THE HOT SEATSonny Dykes, California. No coach in the Pac-12 is in imminent trouble as the season begins, but Dykes certainly could use a strong year after Jared Goffs departure to solidify his rebuilding program with the Golden Bears.Mike MacIntyre, Colorado. Likewise, the Buffaloes coachs rebuilding project probably would benefit greatly from a .500 season -- or heck, even three Pac-12 victories in the same season for the first time since 2007.PICKSNorth: Stanford. South: UCLA. League champion: Stanford. MacKenzie Weegar Jersey . They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation. Mike Hoffman Panthers Jersey . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. http://www.hockeypanthersofficialonline.com/aleksander-barkov-hockey-jersey/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Evgenii Dadonov Panthers Jersey . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss. Aleksander Barkov Panthers Jersey . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Louisville is looking to develop some take-charge guys early this season, and several candidates are emerging.Freshman forward V.J. King scored 17 points and Deng Adel added 16, including eight during Louisvilles 10-0 run to close the first half, to help the 12th-ranked Cardinals pull away from William & Mary for a 91-58 victory Monday night.Louisville (2-0) initially struggled against the Tribes up-tempo style, going scoreless for 3:06 and allowing William & Mary to pull to 34-31 with 2:13 remaining in the first half. Adel took charge over the final 1:31 with five free throws and a 3-pointer just before the break during the spurt that gave the Cardinals some space.Coach (Rick Pitino) kept telling me to keep shooting it because once you get out of the slump, the shots are going to fall, said Adel, who went 4 of 9 from the field and made all seven free throws after scoring just six points in Louisvilles opener.Once you see the ball go in the basket, it helps your confidence.Louisville then outscored William & Mary 10-2 over the first 4 1/2 minutes of the second half to open a 54-33 lead, and held the Tribe without a basket for nearly 6 minutes.William & Mary coach Tony Shaver pointed to Louisvilles late first-half run as the turning point for his team.Our execution those last 2 minutes of the half was terrible and we paid the price for that, Shaver said. We hadnt played that well the first 18 minutes and its a three-point game, so you have to feel good about that. But that spurt there really changed the complexion of the game.King helped the Cardinals cruise home by hitting a couple of 3-pointers down the stretch.If we just all play together and find each other, we all get easy shots and open shots like we did tonight, said King, who also had just six points on Friday. All of us can score, so (opponents) have to pick and choose who they have to defend.Quentin Snider and Jaylen Johnson, who scored a team-high 19 points in Louisvilles opener, each added 13 for the Cardinals, who held William & Mary (1-1) to 23 percent shooting in the seconnd half and 31 percent overall.dddddddddddd Mangok Mathiang had 10 rebounds and Johnson nine as the Cardinals topped the Tribe 49-42 on the boards.We played terrific defense tonight, Pitino said. We did a really good job of putting the pressure on and not fouling.Omar Prewitt and Nathan Knight had 14 points apiece for the Tribe, who shot 6 of 29 from 3-point range in losing their first meeting with Louisville in 64 years.THE BIG PICTUREWilliam & Mary: One game after making a school-record 22 steals against Bridgewater, the Tribe managed just two against Louisville. More importantly, they committed 16 turnovers that led to 22 points.Louisville: The Cardinals shot 46 percent and saw some bright spots in their perimeter shooting. They went 6 of 12 from beyond the arc in the second half after going 4 of 16 in the first 20 minutes, which followed a 3-of-15 showing in the opener.RIM PROTECTORSMathiang, playing his second game since December because of a foot injury, had five of Louisvilles 11 blocks to match a career high set Feb. 14, 2015, against North Carolina State. Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell had four blocks.ROUGH HOMECOMINGWilliam & Mary had two players from Kentucky in guard/forward and team captain Prewitt and forward Jack Whitman. Their returns began with promise before Louisville took over and left them with 17 combined points. We just didnt execute, and that was probably more us than them, Prewitt said. I wanted to come out and play well with a lot of family here, and I knew a lot of Louisville players. It was exciting to play here.POLL IMPLICATIONSThursdays home game against Long Beach State might have a bigger impact on Louisvilles ranking next week.UP NEXTWilliam & Mary: Hosts Presbyterian on Saturday.Louisville: Hosts Long Beach State on Thursday. The Cardinals lead the series 2-0, with their most recent win over the 49ers coming on Dec. 30, 2014 (63-48).---The APs College Basketball page: collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '