Brandon Knight

TAMPA, Fla. - It's not taking Brandon Knight long to build an impressive resume in the NCAA tournament. A game-winning shot in the closing seconds of his debut. A career-best 30 points in his next game, helping Kentucky back into the round of 16. Less than 48 hours after his only basket helped the fourth-seeded Wildcats survive their tourney opener against Princeton, Knight led an 11-0 run coming out of halftime and made six free throws in the final minute to close out a 71-63 victory over fifth-seeded West Virginia.

The Nets' Brook Lopez had 26 points, including consecutive baskets during the game's decisive stretch, as Brooklyn shut down the visiting Los Angeles Clippers in the fourth quarter for an 86-76 victory Friday night. Brooklyn outscored the Clippers, 23-13, during a final period in which Chris Paul had no points, two assists, and six fouls. Deron Williams didn't have a great game either, but he improved to 14-4 in the longtime rivalry between two of the NBA's top point guards. Joe Johnson added 19 points for the Nets, who limited the Clippers to 29 points in the second half and got back on track after losing the final two games of a six-game road trip.

Four match points had just slipped away from Andy Murray. Frustration was starting to build. The nearly 100-degree temperatures on the court were getting to him, too. Was he going to let a chance for his first Masters championship melt away like this? Showing a newfound concentration, Britain's top player regained his bearings and took the set to another tiebreaker. Then he took control with the best shot of the match, an in-the-corner winner that set up a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5)

TRENTON - Jeff Karstens and two Trenton relievers combined on a four-hitter in a 4-1 Eastern League win over the Harrisburg Senators last night. The victory was the 12th in the last 16 games for the Thunder. Karstens worked through six innings for the win, scattering four hits with two walks and five strikeouts. He allowed a home run by Prentice Redman in the sixth. J.B. Cox followed with two scoreless innings of relief. Justin Pope worked the ninth to record his league-leading 18th save.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Back at Rupp Arena for the first time since the 2007 NCAA tournament, Penn's basketball team looked to open 2011 with a monumental upset of the No. 11 Kentucky Wildcats. And for the first 15 minutes of the game, Penn appeared capable of pulling it off, taking a double-digit lead. However, John Calipari's Wildcats came alive with a 16-3 run to end the first half and went on to an 86-62 victory. Penn (5-6) stayed ahead of Kentucky for all but one minute of the first half, as senior Tyler Bernardini put on a lights-out performance from beyond the arc. "They were just doing whatever they wanted," Calipari said.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Back at Rupp Arena for the first time since the 2007 NCAA Tournament, Penn's men's basketball team looked to open 2011 with a monumental upset of the No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats. And for the first 15 minutes of the game last night, the Quakers appeared capable of just that, but they couldn't hold on to a double-digit lead, losing, 86-62. Penn (5-6) stayed ahead of Kentucky for all but 1 minute of the first half, as senior Tyler Bernardini put on a lights-out three-point performance.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Freshman Marquis Teague is taking Kentucky to the South Regional semifinals in Atlanta. And maybe a lot farther than that. Teague scored a career-high 24 points and top seed Kentucky put together another complete performance with a dominating second-half run in an 87-71 victory over Iowa State in the third round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday night. Freshman Anthony Davis had 15 points and 12 rebounds, senior Darius Miller added 19 points and Doron Lamb finished with 16. The Wildcats (34-2)

HAD A call the other day from a reader asking about Chuck Bednarik. The guy, who didn't identify himself, just wanted to pass along a note to Bednarik, who had a recent hospital stay after experiencing shortness of breath and feeling faint. Bednarik has much of his strength back, says son-in-law Ken Safarowic, and appreciates all the well-wishes he's received. If you'd like to pass along a note to Bednarik, send it to us here at the Daily News and we'll make sure he gets it. Our address: Daily News Sports Dept., c/o Chuck Bednarik, 400 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19130.

When LeBron James learned he was Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year, the Miami Heat star was surprised. Not because he thought his achievements in 2012 weren't worthy, but because he figured what happened in 2010 was still holding him back. Apparently, that's no longer the case. The magazine announced its annual choice Monday, with James becoming the first NBA player to win since 2006. "I remember just like yesterday when I signed here and basically, like the roof caved in," James said, referring to the fallout from his infamous "Decision" to leave Cleveland for Miami in 2010.

The parents of a college football player have sued the policeman who shot and killed him, calling the shooting an "unconscionable use of force. " In a complaint filed yesterday in federal court, Danroy Henry Sr. and Angella Henry , of Easton, Mass., said the officer violated the civil and constitutional rights of their son, Danroy Henry Jr. They demanded compensation for their son's death and their suffering. The Pleasantville, N.Y., officer, Aaron Hess, was cleared of wrongdoing by a grand jury in February.

DRIVING TO the basket in crunch time, Raymond Felton slipped and lost the basketball. All he could do was lunge back at it and bat it toward J.R. Smith as the shot clock ticked closer to zero. For the second straight possession, Smith beat the buzzer - this time with a three-pointer - and the visiting Knicks closed out a 125-120 victory Sunday over Oklahoma City. "He makes plays like that. He makes tough shots. Sometimes I think he likes to take the tougher shot than the easier shot.

When LeBron James learned he was Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year, the Miami Heat star was surprised. Not because he thought his achievements in 2012 weren't worthy, but because he figured what happened in 2010 was still holding him back. Apparently, that's no longer the case. The magazine announced its annual choice Monday, with James becoming the first NBA player to win since 2006. "I remember just like yesterday when I signed here and basically, like the roof caved in," James said, referring to the fallout from his infamous "Decision" to leave Cleveland for Miami in 2010.

THE NETS WON the crowd - and the game. Things sure looked and sounded different for them in their first matchup against the New York Knicks in Brooklyn. The Nets pulled out a 96-89 overtime victory on Monday night, tying the Knicks for first place on a breakthrough night for their franchise. With their fans outnumbering and at times outchanting the Knicks' counterparts for a change, the Nets improved to 7-1 in their new home, sending this new-look rivalry off to a stirring start before a sellout crowd of 17,732.

The Nets' Brook Lopez had 26 points, including consecutive baskets during the game's decisive stretch, as Brooklyn shut down the visiting Los Angeles Clippers in the fourth quarter for an 86-76 victory Friday night. Brooklyn outscored the Clippers, 23-13, during a final period in which Chris Paul had no points, two assists, and six fouls. Deron Williams didn't have a great game either, but he improved to 14-4 in the longtime rivalry between two of the NBA's top point guards. Joe Johnson added 19 points for the Nets, who limited the Clippers to 29 points in the second half and got back on track after losing the final two games of a six-game road trip.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Freshman Marquis Teague is taking Kentucky to the South Regional semifinals in Atlanta. And maybe a lot farther than that. Teague scored a career-high 24 points and top seed Kentucky put together another complete performance with a dominating second-half run in an 87-71 victory over Iowa State in the third round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday night. Freshman Anthony Davis had 15 points and 12 rebounds, senior Darius Miller added 19 points and Doron Lamb finished with 16. The Wildcats (34-2)

RAMON Galloway's father sits behind the La Salle bench for every home game, surrounded by Ramon's mother and her father. The father's eyes are hidden by sunglasses, the grandfather's yellowed by disease, the mother the eyes for the father, the family the reason why Ramon returned home from South Carolina to play at 20th and Olney. "He is an inspiration for me," Gerald Galloway Jr. says of Ramon. That goes both ways. Ramon's father was blinded when he was shot after "a dispute with an older gentleman.

Four-time winner A.J. Foyt accepted an invitation yesterday to step in for Donald Trump as the celebrity pace-car driver of the Indianapolis 500, ending a controversy before the May 29 race. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Foyt's first win at Indy. Trump, who has aspirations to run for president in 2012, was chosen as the pace-car driver last month, but backed out after opponents called him too divisive and too much of a distraction. Pro Football Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook was found not guilty of pulling a gun on a neighbor in Virginia.

HAD A call the other day from a reader asking about Chuck Bednarik. The guy, who didn't identify himself, just wanted to pass along a note to Bednarik, who had a recent hospital stay after experiencing shortness of breath and feeling faint. Bednarik has much of his strength back, says son-in-law Ken Safarowic, and appreciates all the well-wishes he's received. If you'd like to pass along a note to Bednarik, send it to us here at the Daily News and we'll make sure he gets it. Our address: Daily News Sports Dept., c/o Chuck Bednarik, 400 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19130.

The parents of a college football player have sued the policeman who shot and killed him, calling the shooting an "unconscionable use of force. " In a complaint filed yesterday in federal court, Danroy Henry Sr. and Angella Henry , of Easton, Mass., said the officer violated the civil and constitutional rights of their son, Danroy Henry Jr. They demanded compensation for their son's death and their suffering. The Pleasantville, N.Y., officer, Aaron Hess, was cleared of wrongdoing by a grand jury in February.

NEWARK, N.J. - Amid all the star power of Kentucky and North Carolina, a pair of freshman point guards could tip the outcome in favor of their respective teams Sunday in the NCAA East Regional final. The Wildcats feature 6-foot-3 Brandon Knight , who has hit the game-winning shot in two of Kentucky's three NCAA victories. The Tar Heels point guard, 6-3 Kendall Marshall , hasn't drawn the national publicity of Knight but has done a marvelous job since taking over the starting job 19 games ago. "Brandon is a talented, special player," Marshall said.