Sports: Michigan wins BB game; fires FB coach

College Basketball

The 17th-ranked Michigan Wolverines held on to beat Syracuse 68-65 last night at Crisler Center in an ACC/Big Ten Challenge match-up.  Zak Irvin led all scorers with 18 points, Ricky Doyle and Caris LeVert each had 12 and Spike Albrecht had 11 points and nine assists. The Wolverines improved their record to 6-1 on the year and will next play the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Ann Arbor on Saturday.

MSU travels to Notre Dame tonight in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.  It's the first meeting between the two teams since the 1970's.

Red Wings

The Red Wings lost to the Florida Panthers 4-3.  Tomas Tatar put the Wings ahead 1-0 in the first with a power play goal, but the Panthers then scored four times. Detroit climbed back into it as Pavel Datsyuk and Gustav Nyquist lit the lamp in the third. Jimmy Howard stopped 27 shots on goal in the loss.    Detroit hosts the Dallas Stars tomorrow night.

Detroit Pistons

The Pistons lost their 9^th in a row, 106-96 to the Lakers last night at the Palace.    Josh Smith paced Detroit with 18 points and 10 rebounds, D.J. Augustin had 13 points and Caron Butler added 11. The Pistons will try to break the streak in Boston tonight against the Celtics.

Girls Basketball

Battle Creek Central 46, Jackson 43  KaLeah Ryan had 19 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Stevensville-Lakeshore 70, Lakeview 37

St. Joseph 58, Harper Creek 38

Pennfield 52, Comstock 46.  England Bennett had 14 points and 7 rebounds.

Factoryville 25, Calhoun Christian 23

Allegan 37, Delton Kellogg 34.

Union City 32, Colon 14.  Rachel Grinnel led Union City with nine points, nine rebounds and three blocks.

Tonight….Athens vs. St. Philip, Maple Valley vs. Dansville

College Football

The search is on for the next head football coach at the University of Michigan after Brady Hoke was fired from the position. During a press conference yesterday, interim athletic director Jim Hackett said the decision to make a change in leadership in the football program was not easy, given the level of respect he has for Hoke. During his four seasons at Michigan, Hoke compiled a 31-20 record and led the Wolverines to an 11-2 season and a victory in the Sugar Bowl in 2011.  The team also made appearances in the 2012 Outback Bowl and the 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.  This year, U of M finished 5-7 and is not eligible to play in a bowl game. Hackett said he will begin the search to replace Hoke immediately.

College Rankings
In the latest College Football Playoff Rankings, its Alabama, Oregon, TCU and Florida State. Ohio State, Baylor, Arizona, and Michigan State are next, but out of contention for the national playoff, barring a loss by one of the top 4 this weekend.

Hunter Back with the Twins

Former Tigers outfielder Torii Hunter has signed a one-year, 10.5-million-dollar contract with the Twins.  Hunter spent his first 11 seasons in Minnesota, five years with the and the last two with the Tigers.

Hockey Legend Dies

NHL legend and Hall of Famer Jean Beliveau has passed away.  The former forward spent his entire career with the Montreal Canadiens. From 1950-71, and helped lead Montreal to 10 Stanley Cup championships.  Beliveau was 83 years old.

Lions Preview

The 8-4 Lions host Tampa Bay this Sunday. Tampa Bay lost 14-13 to the Bengals yesterday to slip to 2-and-10, after a penalty for having too many men on the field cost the Bucs a chance for a win.

Athlete of the Week

This week's WBCK/Meijer Athlete of the Week is England Bennett of the Pennfield Panthers, who led the Lady Panthers Tuesday night with 14 points and seven rebounds in a 52-46 victory over Comstock. Bennett stepped up and scored nine of her points in the fourth quarter, as she helped give the Panthers some cushion in the closing minutes.

Go on line today to nominate our WBCK/Meijer Athlete of the Week!   It’s easy to nominate someone you think is deserving of an award.  The winner will get mentioned on WBCK and at wbckfm.com and also get a trophy from Recognition Inc. in Battle Creek. We’ll announce a new WBCK/Meijer Athlete of the Week each Wednesday.