Steelers cut sacks leader Harrison
The Pittsburgh Steelers released five-time Pro Bowl linebacker and 2008 NFL defensive player of the year James Harrison on Saturday to make room for right tackle Marcus Gilbert. Gilbert is returning from a suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy.
The 39-year-old Harrison is the franchise’s all-time leader in sacks, piling up 80.5 during his 14 seasons with the Steelers and 82.5 during his career. Harrison briefly retired in September 2014 following a forgettable 2013 season in Cincinnati but returned when the Steelers ran into injury trouble.
Harrison has been active in just five of Pittsburgh’s 14 games despite being injuryfree.
Broncos: Injured wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders (sprained ankle) and Cody Latimer (bruised thigh) didn’t make the trip to Washington and will miss today’s game against the Redskins. TOP 25
■ No. 5 North Carolina 86, Ohio State
72: Joel Berry II and Theo Pinson each scored 19 points, and the Tar Heels (11-2) bounced back from a home loss to Wofford with a convincing win over the Buckeyes (10-4) at the CBS Sports Classic in New Orleans. Keita Bates-Diop had 26 points — one point shy of his career high — for Ohio State and C.J. Jackson added 19.
■ No. 6 Miami 75, (at) Hawaii 57: Ja’Quan Newton and Dewan Huell scored 16 points apiece and the Hurricanes (100) outscored the Rainbow Warriors (7-3) 42-24 in the second half for a first-round victory at the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu. The game, which ended about 3 a.m. EST Saturday, was tied 33-33 at halftime. Sheriff Drammeh had 17 points to lead Hawaii.
■ No. 6 Miami vs. New Mexico State at Honolulu: Late
■ UCLA 83, No. 7 Kentucky 75: Aaron Holiday capped a 20-point performance with a pivotal driving scoop and two free throws in the final 33 seconds, and the Bruins (9-3) surprised the Wildcats (9-2) at the CBS Sports Classic in New Orleans. Kris Wilkes also scored 20 points, and Thomas Welsh added 13 points and 11 rebounds for UCLA, which won for the seventh time in 15 meetings between these historical college basketball powerhouses. Hamidou Diallo scored 18 points and Wenyen Gabriel added a season-high 16 points for Kentucky.
■ (At) No. 10 West Virginia 86, Fordham 69: Sagaba Konate had 12 points and 11 rebounds, Jevon Carter had 10 points and 12 assists, and the Mountaineers (111) rolled by the Rams (5-7) for their 11th straight win. Daxter Miles Jr. led West Virginia with 21 points and Lamont West added 15; Will Tavares led Fordham with 18 points.
■ No. 21 Tennessee 79, (at) Wake Forest 60: Jordan Bowden scored 17 points and the Volunteers (9-2) shot 59 percent after halftime to beat the Demon Deacons (7-5). Keyshawn Woods scored 18 points for Wake.
■ (At) No. 23 Seton Hall 74, Manhattan 62: Angel Delgado scored 15 points and grabbed 18 rebounds to lead the Pirates (11-2) over the Jaspers (5-7). It was the ninth time this season and the 59th time in his career that Delgado reached double figures in both points and rebounds. Zane Waterman scored 18 points for Manhattan. ACC
■ (At) Louisville 74, Grand Canyon 56: Ray Spalding had career highs of 21 points and 16 rebounds, and the Cardinals (102) used a 21-3 second-half run to defeat the Antelopes (9-4). Oscar Frayer had 14 points to lead Grand Canyon.
■ (At) Boston College 78, Richmond 73 (OT): Jordan Chatman (7 of 10 on 3-pointers) hit a big 3-pointer in overtime and matched his career high with 30 points, Ky Bowman added 17 points, and the Eagles (10-3) held off the Spiders (2-10) for their fifth straight win.
SEC
■ (At) Auburn 89, UConn 64: Desean Murray and Mustapha Heron each scored 13 points and the Tigers (11-1) routed the Huskies (7-5) for their ninth consecutive victory.
■ Mississippi State 70, Southern Miss 64: Xavian Stapleton led a balanced attack with 12 points as the Bulldogs (11-1) held off the Golden Eagles (7-6) in Jackson, Miss.
■ Illinois 70, Missouri 64: Trent Frazier scored 22 points off the bench, Leon Black added 20 and the Fighting Illini (9-5) upset the Tigers (10-3) in St. Louis.
Friday’s Games Saturday’s Games
(At) Bruins 3, Red Wings 1: Patrice Bergeron scored twice in the third period, breaking a 1-1 tie.
(At) Islanders 5, Jets 2: Rookie Mathew Barzal scored three goals and Jaroslav Halak made 38 saves for New York.
Ducks 4, (at) Penguins 0: John Gibson made 29 saves and beat his hometown team with his 13th career shutout.
(At) Devils 4, Blackhawks 1: Cory Schneider made 39 saves, and goals from Brian Boyle, Kyle Palmieri and Pavel Zacha staked New Jersey to a 3-0 first-period lead. Patrick Kane scored his 300th career goal for Chicago.
(At) Lightning 3, Wild 0: Dan Girardi, Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov scored in the final 2:52, and Andrei Vasilevskiy had 22 saves for his fourth shutout of the season.
(At) Hurricanes 4, Sabres 2: Carolina defenseman Justin Faulk scored twice to snap a two-month scoring drought.
(At) Oilers 4, Canadiens 1: Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist as Edmonton won its fourth in a row. He left late in the game after blocking a shot with his skate, but coach Todd McLellan said X-rays were negative.
(At) Panthers 1, Senators 0: Jonathan Huberdeau scored early in the second period and James Reimer made 18 of his 38 saves in the third for his first shutout of the season.
Maple Leafs 3, (at) Rangers 2: Auston Matthews had a goal and an assist after missing six games with a concussion, and Frederik Anderson stopped 30 shots for Toronto.
(At) Blue Jackets 2, Flyers 1 (SO): Pierre-Luc Dubois had the only shootout goal in his first career attempt.
(At) Golden Knights 3, Capitals 0: Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 26 shots for his first shutout of the season in his eighth game with expansion Vegas.
Avalanche 6, (at) Coyotes 2: Carl Soderberg scored twice, with his first starting a four-goal burst in a 3:46 span of the second period for Colorado. Derek Stepan had two shorthanded goals for Arizona.
(At) Stars 4, Predators 3 (SO): Alexander Radulov and Tyler Seguin scored in the shootout for Dallas.
Kings at Sharks: Late
Blues at Canucks: Late