After a lackluster season on the World Cup circuit, the Schenectady native and Lake Placid resident was very excited following his sixth-place finish with brakeman Chris Fogt on Sunday in the two-man at the world championships at Mount Van Hoevenberg. Napier, 25, and Fogt failed to crack the top 10 in any of their World Cup races in Europe, but improved their performances on Napier's home track. In his Olympic debut he finished 10th in the two-man and withdrew from the four-man with an injury after crashing in the second run. [...] some of the premier push athletes in the U.S. program retired or took a break following the Olympic season. Darrin Steele, CEO of the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation and a former athlete, said Napier's two-man finish sets him up for this weekend and for next season, the lead-in to the Sochi Olympics.

AMERICA'S LINE NBA Favorite Points Underdog RAPTORS Pistons Celtics CAVALIERS Hornets Pacers BOBCATS WIZARDS KNICKS Hawks Magic NETS ROCKETS BULLS Bucks College Basketball NOTRE DAME Old Dominion AIR FORCE VANDERBILT LSU Southern Miss Texas Tech Home team in CAPS

The highest remaining seed gets to host the league championship game next month. Vermont's Matt Glass missed a go-ahead 3-pointer with 6 seconds left and Binghamton's Jimmy Gray made two foul shots with 4 seconds left to provide the final margin. Missouri trailed by 4 with 2:21 left, but the Wildcats built a cushion from the foul line in the final minute. ... Jordan Theodore scored a career-high 29 points to lead Seton Hall to the signature win it needed for its NCAA Tournament resume, a 73-55 victory over No. 9 Georgetown. The Gators eventually settled down and a 26-4 run turned a one-point deficit into a double-digit lead. ...

Frans Nielsen scored with 5:08 left to snap the Islanders' goal drought at 106 minutes, 51 seconds, a day after New York lost 6-0 at home to Ottawa. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 27 shots to tie Tom Barrasso's franchise record for career shutouts and carry Pittsburgh past the New York Rangers 2-0. Evgeni Malkin scored his 33rd goal of the season and added an assist on Steve Sullivan's tally to help the Penguins bounce back from a listless loss in Buffalo on Sunday and handle the Eastern Conference's top team with relative ease. ... Jeff Carter had three goals — two on the power play during Columbus' four-goal first period — and the last-place Blue Jackets handed San Jose its season-high fourth straight loss, 6-3. ... Radim Vrbata scored his second goal late in regulation and Phoenix rallied from a three-goal deficit to beat the Los Angeles Kings 5-4 in a shootout. ...

The judge in Syracuse heard arguments Tuesday on a motion to change the venue for the defamation lawsuit bought by Bobby Davis and Michael Lang The pair claims Boeheim defamed them by saying they were out for money after their abuse allegations against former assistant coach Bernie Fine surfaced in November. Lawyers for plaintiffs claim the two men can't get a fair trial in Syracuse because Boeheim and his program are so popular locally. First place is worth $60,000. Boxing: WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko says he wants to fight British boxer Dereck Chisora again — so he can knock him out. In unveiling their season ticket-price plan Tuesday, the Bills announced they will not play what was supposed to be their third and final preseason game at Toronto's Rogers Centre.

ALBANY — It seemed only fitting that with a chance to clinch a victory Tuesday night, Bishop Maginn junior guard Demere Hannah misfired on the first of two foul shots with 1.7 seconds remaining. Hannah scored 19 points on 7-for-7 shooting in the second quarter, yet it was a feed from him to Jay-R Briceeus and subsequent baseline conversion by the senior center to beat a double-team that helped propel Bishop Maginn to a thrilling 73-69 victory over Columbia in the opening round of the Section II Class AA sectionals. Bishop Maginn (10-9) survived a horrible start to collect its fifth straight victory and earn a quarterfinal date Saturday night at Hudson Valley Community College against Suburban Council No. 1 seed Guilderland (15-4). The Golden Griffins were clinging to a 65-63 lead and had missed four straight shots until Briceeus caught a post-feed from Hannah, spun toward the baseline and put in just his second basket of the game with 1:16 remaining. Columbia (10-9) threatened to blow the Golden Griffins off their home court in the opening quarter, hitting six of eight shots to open up a 15-3 cushion. In the second quarter, Hannah proved to be molten-lava hot: he hit five 3-pointers ranging from 20 to 28 feet in length and made his seventh straight shot with 25 seconds left on a steal and dunk to provide the Golden Griffins a 39-28 lead at halftime. The Blue Devils, led by the strong floor game of senior guard Tyler Hart (24 points, five assists, five steals) stormed back late in the third quarter to trail just 54-51 entering the final eight minutes.

MIAMI — Dwyane Wade scored 30 points and added 10 assists, Mario Chalmers and Chris Bosh each scored 20 points and the NBA-leading Miami Heat stretched their winning streak to seven games with a 120-108 win over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. Antawn Jamison scored 32 points and rookie Kyrie Irving led Cleveland's comeback from a 17-point deficit with 17 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Cavaliers to a 101-100 win over Detroit. Roy Hibbert had a career-high 30 points and 13 rebounds to lead Indiana to a 117-108 overtime win over New Orleans.

Suburban Council top-seed Guilderland outscored Saratoga Springs, 17-7, in the final quarter to rally past the eighth-seeded Blue Streaks and win 63-58 in a Class AA boys' basketball first-round contest on Tuesday. Robert Sprague scored his 1,000th career point as Fort Ann coasted to a 66-30 victory over Northville in a Class D first-round game. J'Vanay Santos scored a career-high 36 points and 15 rebounds in leading No. 6 Albany Academy over No. 11 Waterford, 70-38, in a Class C first-round game.

Collins was optimistic about the Mets' chances despite the loss of shortstop Jose Reyes and outfielder Carlos Beltran in free agency. The Cubs are sending right-handed reliever Chris Carpenter and a player to be named later to the Red Sox for a player to be named. Don Mattingly leaned back in his clubhouse chair admittedly much more relaxed his second time around as Dodgers manager. Mattingly wasted no time Tuesday choosing reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw as the opening day starter for Los Angeles come April 5 at San Diego — even if it's a no-brainer to slot the 21-game winner at No. 1 in the rotation.

Staff writers Mark Singelais and Pete Iorizzo agree Siena has played better than many expected and UAlbany's chances in the postseason remain a mystery [...] with the Saints doing better than most expected, Siena fans will be able to show appreciation to Kyle Downey, Owen Wignot, Brandon Walters, and of course, the always popular Conner Fenlon. I admit that I was among those who doubted his ability to be an impact player, but I always loved his no-nonsense approach to the game. Though I thought they gave a pretty gutsy effort against Vermont last week without three key players, they still scored a mere 47 points at home in their sixth loss to a team ahead of them in the standings. The Great Danes dodged a bullet on Tuesday night when Binghamton, the last winless team in Division I, upset Vermont 57-53.

The Knicks are a sub.-500 team in the year since Anthony's celebrated trade from Denver, and the New York Post even wrote Tuesday that the Knicks should try to deal him to the Lakers for Pau Gasol. Fans appreciate his talents but question whether they translate to victories, writing on Twitter they feared he'd mess things up once he returned from injury to play with Lin. [...] Lin has led the Knicks to an 8-2 record since earning his first meaningful minutes in a victory over the Nets on Feb. 4.

[...] that the pressure is off, UAlbany has a chance to finish the regular season with 18 wins and head to the America East tournament feeling good about their chances.

Safety measures since Dale Earnhardt's death in 2001 have gone a long way toward preventing head injuries, and NASCAR officials have taken steps to improve the way they identify and treat concussions. The 48-year-old Waltrip gets uneasy when he hears stories about NFL players and other athletes who are having serious neurological problems after they retire, issues that research indicates may have been caused by repetitive brain injuries. Because I can go back and look at the races and count up times I was knocked unconscious that I can't count on both hands. Earnhardt's death in the 2001 Daytona 500 — which came after drivers Kenny Irwin, Adam Petty and Tony Roper all were killed from similar head injuries — forced NASCAR to get serious about safety. Today, drivers must wear a head and neck restraint, while impact-absorbing SAFER barriers have been installed on racetrack walls and NASCAR completely redesigned race cars to reduce the risk of injury. [...] while there have been some drivers who experienced long-term effects from traumatic head injuries over the years — including Bobby Allison, Ernie Irvan, Jerry Nadeau and Steve Park — Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR's senior vice president of racing operations, says NASCAR doesn't see any evidence of widespread health issues related to multiple head injuries, as the NFL and other sports are.

Schalmont wrestler latest in a family of achievers Since girls' soccer season ended Nick Gallo has dealt with his older sister. Allie, a junior on the Schalmont girls' soccer team, helped win the first state championship in school history in November. Gallo's older brother, Vince, was a state wrestling finalist in 2009 at 171 pounds and finished fourth in 2010 at 189 pounds. Gallo's father, John, is the athletic director at Schalmont and a former sectional wrestling champion and state place-finisher. Nick Gallo probably has a few more shots at a state title beyond this season, but he already knows there is only one way to get his sister off his back.

The University at Albany men's team captured its seventh straight America East Conference indoor track championship last weekend in Boston. Senior Nick Santos of Albany (Colonie) finished third in the 800 (1:52.34) and helped the 3,200 relay finish second (7:42.50), both earning IC4A spots. Sophomore Alfonzo Scannapieco of Mohegan Lake won the pole vault and the heptathlon for the Great Danes while senior Chris Burke of Tully captured the 1,000, freshman Alexander Bowen of Beacon won the high jump and senior Kadeem Howell of Great Neck took the long jump. Sophomore Brianne Bellon of Greenfield Center (Saratoga Springs High) helped the 3,200 and distance medley relays finish second. Junior Patricia McNich of Great Neck was a double winner (long jump and triple jump) for Albany. The Liberty League Tournament, both men and women, opens Wednesday with the winners earning a berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Sage women's basketball team ended its season with a 9-15 record including a 5-9 mark in the Skyline Conference after a 54-40 victory over Mt. Senior guard Sarah Carciobolo of Niskayuna (Colonie) finished her college career with 1,130 points, including 441 in her two seasons at Sage.