The North Platte Community College Knights look to create a little more separation atop the Region IX South sub-region standings tonight. It will take passing a tough road test to do it. The Knights are in Cheyenne, Wyoming tonight taking on Laramie County. North Platte is 8-2 in South sub-region play, giving them a half-game lead over Lamar, who plays outside the sub-region tonight. The Knights have won six straight games, and five in a row in the sub-region, a streak that started with a 64-54 win over Laramie County at McDonald-Belton Gymnasium back on January 23rd. The Golden Eagles are 7-4 in the sub-region, and have been tough to beat in Cheyenne, posting an 11-2 home record. Tip-off tonight is scheduled for 8 PM. ESPN Radio 1410 will have all the action, starting with pregame coverage at 7:45.

Darin Erstad is raring to go for his second season in the Husker dugout. The Husker skipper met the media yesterday for a season-opening press conference. Erstad says he expects a wide open Big Ten race this spring. The Huskers won’t be the trendy pick to win the league, but Erstad says he expects his team will be mentally tough enough to contend. The Huskers open their season February 15, with four games in three days in California, including two with perennial power Cal State Fullerton.

Hear Darin Erstad’s press conference by clicking here.

Seven matches and one tournament are lined up for Nebraska’s inaugural season of collegiate sand volleyball. The season will open on March 14 when the Huskers take on Florida State in Chula Vista, California. They participate in a tournament in Chula Vista the next two days and then face Grand Canyon University the 17th and Long Beach State the 19th. Matches against UC-Irvine, UCLA, USC and Hawaii follow. Many of Nebraska’s court volleyball players will compete for the sand volleyball squad.

A pair of Husker athletes earned Big Ten weekly awards. Senior gymnast Janelle Giblin took home the conference’s Specialist of the Week honor for her performance on the uneven bars in ninth-ranked Nebraska’s dual win over Illinois. Senior athlete Maria Griva was named the Big Ten’s Field Athlete of the Week. Griva took first in the long jump and second in the high jump at the Husker Invitational. Both of her distances in those events represent conference bests so far this season.

Ray Lewis will ride into retirement as a champion.

Baltimore’s standout middle linebacker began his final night on the football field with a motivational speech to his teammates. He ended it looking upward into a shower of silver streamers and purple confetti after the Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 Sunday night to win the Super Bowl.

Standing tall in the middle of a defense that survived a frenzied comeback by Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers, Lewis put a lovely bow on his 17th NFL season by earning his second Super Bowl ring — 12 years after the first.

Lewis was the MVP of the Super Bowl when Baltimore beat the Giants.

On Sunday night, Lewis and his defense played a supporting role to Joe Flacco and the offense.

Nebraska’s fourth straight win came easily. The Husker women rolled to an 80-56 win over Minnesota at the Devaney Center on Sunday afternoon. Nebraska took the lead for good on an early 6-0 run and led by as many as 28 points in the victory. Jordan Hooper poured in a game-high 27 points to lead the Huskers. She’s scored over 25 points in each of her last three games and is now just three points shy of 1,500 points for her career. Four other Huskers scored in double figures, including Tear’a Loudermill, who contributed a career-high-tying 14 points off the bench, and Lindsey Moore, who got within 11 points of the 1,500-point mark with her 12 points. The Huskers move to 16-6 and 6-3 in Big Ten Play with the win. They’re back on the road this Thursday night, traveling to Evanston to take on Northwestern.

The Husker football recruiting class of 2013 grew to 25 members this weekend with a pair of commitments. On Friday the Huskers got a pledge from junior college offensive lineman Chongo Kondolo. Kondolo comes from Fresno City College in California and will have two years of eligibility in Lincoln. The 6’4”, 290-pounder projects as either a center or a guard at the Division I level. Saturday, defensive end Dimarya Mixon flipped his commitment from Missouri to Nebraska. Mixon is a three-star prospect from Mesquite, Texas who had previously committed to Arizona State, then Mizzou. He calls Nebraska his ‘dream school’. On National Signing Day Wednesday, the Huskers will get word about the decisions of two other recruits – cornerback Jacquille Veii and offensive lineman Dwayne Johnson.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Phil Mickelson will have a sizeable lead when the first round of the Phoenix Open resumes this morning. Mickelson came within a fraction of an inch of becoming the sixth player in PGA Tour history to shoot a 59, firing a 11-under 60 that puts him four shots ahead of Jeff Maggert, Padraig Harrington, Brandt Snedeker and two others. Lefty just missed sinking a 25-foot birdie putt on his final hole.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers receiver Donald Driver says he is retiring. Driver finishes as the Packers all-time leader in yards receiving, 10,137 yards, and catches, 743. He is third behind Don Hutson and Sterling Sharpe with 61 touchdown receptions.

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a $40 million, four-year contract with Martin Prado just a week after acquiring the former All-Star infielder in a trade that sent Justin Upton to Atlanta. Prado had been headed to arbitration and could have become a free agent after this season. Prado made the All-Star team as the Braves’ second baseman in 2010 but is slated to play at third base for the Diamondbacks.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to terms on 2013 contracts with second baseman Neil Walker and right-handed pitcher James McDonald on Thursday, avoiding arbitration. Walker hit .280 with 14 home runs and 69 RBIs in 129 games last season but missed significant time due to a back injury. McDonald went 12-8 with a 4.21 ERA in 2012 but struggled for most of the second half.

DENVER (AP) — Caleb Moore, a freestyle snowmobile rider who was hurt in a crash at the Winter X Games in Colorado, died yesterday morning. He was 25. Moore was attempting a backflip last Thursday in the freestyle event when the skis on his 450-pound snowmobile caught the lip of the landing area, sending him flying over the handlebars. Moore landed face first into the snow with his snowmobile rolling over him.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Oklahoma City 106 Memphis 89
Golden State 100 Dallas 97

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Buffalo 7 Boston 4
N-Y Islanders 5 New Jersey 4 (OT)
Pittsburgh 3 N-Y Rangers 0
St. Louis 4 Columbus 1
Toronto 3 Washington 2
Florida 6 Winnipeg 3
Colorado 6 Calgary 3
San Jose 3 Edmonton 2 (OT/SO)
Nashville 2 Los Angeles 1 (OT/SO)

TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
( 7) Gonzaga 88 Loyola Marymount 43
( 8) Arizona 57 Washington 53
Saint Louis 75 ( 9) Butler 58
(13) Michigan St. 80 Illinois 75