Rainers Stammtisch » really taxed things to the limit. But

College Park, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - Seeking to earn their 10th win of the young season, the 19th-ranked Maryland Terrapins will close out their six-game homestand against the USC Upstate Spartans in a non-conference battle at Xfinity Center. The Spartans enter the clash with the Big Ten Conference Terps on a three-game win streak, having recently moved into the mid-major Top-25 poll. In the last two games, Upstate has taken down North Carolina A&T (65-54) and pulled an upset of the ACCs Georgia Tech (59-54) on the road. Maryland sports a 9-1 record this season coming into Saturdays contest, having only dropped a contest to Virginia (76-65). In the last two games played, the Terps have defeated Winthrop (82-62) and NC Central (67-56). This clash between USC Upstate and Maryland will represent the first all-time between the sides on the basketball court. USC Upstate and Georgia Tech went into halftime knotted at 28-28 in the Spartans most recent outing, but it was a strong second half that propelled the visitors to a road victory. The Spartans connected on just 30.8 percent of their shots in the frame, but made four 3-pointers and 11 free throws compared to one 3-pointer and three free throws for the Yellow Jackets, which made all the difference. Ty Greene netted 16 points to pace Upstate, hitting a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. ShunQuez Stephens contributed 13 points and six rebounds to the cause, and Josh Cuthbertson chipped in with 12 points off the bench. The Spartans have shown they can be effective on both ends of the court this season, netting a solid 74.4 ppg on 43.9 percent shooting, along with holding opponents to a mere 55.2 ppg on 36.4 percent from the field. Greene is at the center of the scoring for USC Upstate this season, coming into the game netting 16.4 ppg to lead the team. Fred Miller checks in behind Greene at 13.3 ppg on 46 percent shooting, adding in a 47.1 percent mark from 3-point range. Stephens comes into the contest against Maryland leading the team in rebounding at 5.8 rpg. Maryland didnt have the easiest time disposing of NC Central in Wednesday nights 11-point Terps victory, but in the end it was a strong offensive performance for the home Terrapins, who shot 48.8 percent from the floor. Richaud Pack led the way for Maryland, netting 17 points and adding in 7-of-10 from the free-throw line. Jake Layman chipped in with 15 points and four assists, while Melo Trimble added 12 points with four helpers of his own in the win. Marylands leading scorer Dez Wells (16.2 ppg in five games played) missed yet another game after undergoing surgery on his right wrist, and hell be sitting yet again for this clash with USC Upstate. The potentially good news for Maryland is that forward Evan Smotrycz is questionable to play after spraining his left ankle earlier this season. Smotrycz has played in just two games this season. Trimble is the teams active leading scorer at 16.0 ppg, followed closely by Laymans 15.2 ppg mark. Layman also leads the team in rebounding, bringing down an average of 5.4 rpg. Nike Shox Clearance Australia . A spokeswoman for the NLRB says its "a very incremental move" and does not necessarily indicate the board is close to a finding in the case. NFL owners filed an unfair labour charge against the players union in February, arguing that the union was not negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement in good faith. Nike Shox Clearance Sale . Raonic, the No. 8 seed from Thornhill, Ont., fired 11 aces and did not have a double-fault as he comfortably advanced to the third round at the Masters Series event. http://www.cheapnikeshoxaustralia.com/ . -- Pinch-runner Rajai Daviss decision to steal third base just as Oakland catcher Derek Norris was throwing the ball back to the pitcher caught most everyone by surprise -- including several of his Detroit teammates. Nike Shox Australia Online . Cleary also had two assists and Patrick Eaves added two goals for the Red Wings, who also ousted Phoenix in seven games during the first round of the 2010 postseason. Todd Bertuzzi had a goal and an assist for Detroit, which got a goal apiece from Tomas Holmstrom and Niklas Kronwall and suffered no shortage of offense despite the absences of Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen. Nike Shox Australia Sale . Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. The latest from Bob As tweeted by TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie on Monday, the Columbus Blue Jackets need to resolve their offseason plans with forward R.Despite a recent trip to Seattle, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says expansion is not currently on the horizon for the league. In a one-hour interview with TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun on Friday, Bettman discussed a variety of topics, including expansion, outdoor games and changes to the NHL draft. When asked about his recently reported trip to Seattle with deputy commissioner Bill Daly, Bettman said the visit simply coincided with being on the west coast for a playoff game in Anaheim. "We had a few hours to kill, we were in the neighborhood, so I figured Id go to Seattle to find out what the building story was," Bettman told LeBrun. "We werent there campaigning, we werent asking for anything, and thats been misreported. Based on the level of interest were getting from lots of people in Seattle and a fair amount of uncertainty and confusion about the building, we decided Lets go find out for ourselves what the story is with the building. And theres no prospect of a building right now." Investor Chris Hansen currently holds the rights with the city of Seattle to build a new arena, however Hansen will not move ahead with the building process until he has secured an NBA franchise. Hansen is not pursuing an NHL team for the arena, but would like to have an NHL team as a tenant of the arena under another owner. "The sense I get is he doesnt want to build a building just to have a tenant," Bettman said. "And since he seems to have things tied up with the city for the next three years, give or take, theres no certainty about a building." Bettmans takeaway from the Seattle tour; that "the possibility of a new arena is at best uncertain." Bettman said he is also aware of the arena being built in Quebec City, as well as the plans for an MGM Arena in Las Vegas, however expansion for his league currently remains off the table. "Things are popping up, but were not in an expansion process. Could we get to one at some point? Maybe.dddddddddddd But right now were not focused on going through an expansion process." While the league may not be expanding franchises, expanding fan bases through outdoor games will continue. The commissioner acknowledged that though the number of outdoor games will drop from the record six played last season, the league will play more than one outdoor game in 2014-15. Bettman explained that the elevated number of games this past season stemmed from various circumstances. "This year we used those games in a variety of ways. Part of it was promoting us going into the Olympics, part of it was promoting it coming out. And doing it in New York [around the Super Bowl] with two games...we had to do lots of stuff. Our people did an extraordinary job, but we really taxed things to the limit. But also, interestingly enough, the Olympic break let us set up for more games. So, itll be more than one and less than six next season." As the league continues its tradition of adding excitement with outdoor games, the discussion of adding more excitement to the draft has also come up. "The GMs have asked us whether or not more teams should be eligible for the lottery result moving up more teams and whether or not the odds should be adjusted a little bit. Thats something were looking at," Bettman said. Bettman told LeBrun it would be premature to say if the adjustments would be made in time for the 2015 Draft, but said changes are being contemplated. "We havent finished a proposal thats been circulated... I think if were going to make an adjustment, itll be that more picks are selected by the lottery and we might smooth out the odds a little. But again, thats not something were at yet." The current NHL draft process gives every non-playoff team a chance at the first overall selection, with percentages declining from 25 percent. The 2014 NHL Draft will take place on June 27-28 in Philadelphia. ' ' '