ayers and fellow broadcasters rallied around

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Things get serious for both No. 21 Rhode Island and No. 24 Cincinnati this weekend.The ranked teams, both undefeated through their early tune-ups, square off Saturday at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn.The winner likely will draw a Sunday matchup with No. 1 Duke, which opens Saturday against Penn State -- the only unranked team of the four. The losers also meet Sunday.Rhode Island improved to 3-0 on Wednesday night, fighting off local rival Brown 79-72 in a true rivalry-type battle.Playing Brown before we go to Mohegan was a great challenge for us, coach Dan Hurley said. I have great respect for (coach) Mike Martin and his program. This was the first time we were challenged. It was the first time we were in a tight game where we had to make some plays.Were happy to survive the game. Itll be good to get two days off before the next one.Cincinnati (2-0) was ranked in the 26th spot in the first hoop poll but crawled up to No. 24 this week.The rankings dont really mean nothing to us, coach Mick Cronin said. We try to get past that. We are thankful that we are ranked, but we try not to look at that little number. Cincinnati basketball is Cincinnati basketball, ranked or not. Weve just got to come ready to play.The Bearcats routed Brown 84-55, then earned a 74-51 victory over Albany on Monday in the second of their four tournament games. The Cats used a 21-4 run in the second half to put away the Great Danes.Tonight was a great game for us, Cronin said, especially with what weve got coming this weekend. We needed some resistance, some physicality, and Albany gave it to us. They really dig in on the defensive end. Theyre extremely physical legally in the low post with their body. It took us until the second half to adjust to that. We didnt play well in the first half, and thats because Albany made us look bad.Which is what Brown did to Rhode Island. But that common-opponent angle really doesnt work when you compare Brown playing on the road at Cincinnati and then hooking up in a local rivalry.We did not want to open with them, and tonight was why, Hurley said. Can this can be a real positive for us? Yes, but some guys have to accept that some guys played a little bit out of character for us tonight.The Rams easily disposed of Dartmouth and Marist, the latter as part of the tournament, before the difficult test against the Bears.After the Brown game, Hurley, clearly not pleased, left all of his players in the locker room instead of bringing two with him when he met the media. He called the defensive play of his guards pathetic.We shot damn near 60 percent from the field (57.7 percent) and we just got outhustled, said Hurley, whose team was outrebounded and yielded 16 offensive boards. 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Longtime Turner Sports broadcaster Craig Sager has died at the age of 65, the network confirmed in a statement.Craig Sager was a beloved member of the Turner family for more than three decades and he has been a true inspiration to all of us, Turner president David Levy said in a statement. There will never be another Craig Sager. His incredible talent, tireless work ethic and commitment to his craft took him all over the world covering sports.While he will be remembered fondly for his colorful attire and the TNT sideline interviews he conducted with NBA coaches and players, its the determination, grace and will to live he displayed during his battle with cancer that will be his lasting impact. Our thoughts and prayers are with Craigs wife, Stacy, and the entire Sager family during this difficult time. We will forever be Sager Strong.Known for his colorful and distinctive suits during his more than 40-year career, the legendary sideline reporter battled acute myeloid leukemia since he was first diagnosed in 2014.Sager was admitted back into the hospital in late November 2016.In a statement, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said teams will observe a moment of silence in Sagers memory.I -- along with the entire NBA family -- am deeply saddened by the passing of Craig Sager, Silver said. Craig was as vital to the NBA as the players and coaches. A true original and an essential voice on Turner Sports NBA coverage for 26 seasons, Craig chronicled some of the most memorable moments in league history and was a ubiquitous presence with his splashy suits and equally colorful personality.Craig earned widespread respect for his insightful reporting and inspired so many, most recently with his courage. Our hearts go out to his wife, Stacy; his children, Kacy, Craig Jr., Krista, Riley and Ryan; and his friends and colleagues.After his initial diagnosis, Sager, who worked for Turner for more than 30 years, missed the 2014 and 2015 NBA playoffs and part of the 2014-15 regular season, as well as the 2015 NCAA mens basketball tournament. During the 2014 NBA playoffs, his son Craig Sager Jr. did a sideline interview with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, whose interviews with Sager had become must-watch television.You did a great job, Popovich said to the younger Sager, but Id rather have your dad standing here. Craig, we miss you, youve been an important part of all of this for a long time doing a great job. We want your fanny back on the court, and I promise Ill be nice.Popovich didnt take questions from reporters prior to Thursday nights game in Phoenix. Instead, he walked out of the visiting locker room and, with a somber tone, spoke only of Sager for close to two minutes.A day like this, basketball has to take a back seat, as we all think about somebody who was very unique, very special, Popovich said. Whether you really knew Craig or not, you got the feeling that he was a very special person in a lot of different ways, and right now I just feel for his family.Sagers passing brought out condolences from every corner of the NBA, and Hall of Famer Larry Bird expressed what many were feeling.He was as identifiable with the NBA as any player or coach, Bird said. The league will not be the same without him.Magic Johnson echoed those sentiments on Twitter.Through a partnership between Turner Sports and ESPN, Sager worked his very first NBA Finals game in June, sideline reporting with ESPNs Doris Burke for Game 6 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors, which the Cavaliers won.First of all, let me ask you a question, LeBron James said after the game. How in the hell do you go 30-plus years without getting a Finals game? That dont make no sense.But Im happy to see you, man. Much love and respect. Im happy I was able to witness it in front of these fans. We really appreciate you.Shortly after that, ESPN presented Sager with the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the 2016 ESSPYS.ddddddddddddWhatever I mightve imagined a terminal diagnosis would do to my spirit, Sager said when receiving the award, its summoned quite the opposite -- the greatest appreciation for life itself.So I will never give up. And I will never give in. I will continue to keep fighting, sucking the marrow out of life, as life sucks the marrow out of me. I will live my life full of love and full of fun. Its the only way I know how.Said ESPN president John Skipper: Our thoughts are with the Sager family and our friends at Turner Sports. Craig was a universally respected and beloved reporter and a one-of-a-kind personality. His memorable ESPYS speech demonstrated his exceptional strength and a relentlessly positive energy that inspired millions of us.Sager underwent three bone marrow transplants -- the most recent via an anonymous donor in August 2016 -- and more than 20 chemotherapy cycles, including one that lasted for two weeks, around the clock. He also was hospitalized numerous times for pneumonia, among other ailments. In March 2016, Sager said on HBOs Real Sports that hed been given three to six months to live, without treatment.I go, Well, whatever it takes, lets get doing it, Sager said. Im not going to be that three to six months. Im going to be that five years. I think were going to make medical history.Born June 29, 1951, in Illinois, Sager graduated from Northwestern University in 1973 with a degree in speech -- and with a run as the school mascot, Willie the Wildcat. He first made his name at age 22, when he interviewed Hank Aaron on his way to home plate, moments after Aaron hit his 715th home run to break Babe Ruths record.Sager was in the middle of the scrum as the world tried to congratulate Aaron. When asked years later what Sager thought would have happened if he tried to interview Aaron the same way today, he told Yahoo! Sports, Id be shot.He later worked for CNN, handling the networks first live remote report from the 1980 MLB playoffs. He co-anchored CNN Sports Tonight and anchored College Football Scoreboard in the 1980s.Although Sager covered a wide variety of events, including college football, the NFL, the World Series, the Goodwill Games, the Pan Am Games, World Cup soccer, golf, tennis and the Winter and Summer Olympics, his home was the NBA.Players and fellow broadcasters rallied around Sager during his fight. Reporters began using the hashtag #SidelineForSager and dressing in colorful outfits to show their support. In April 2016, Rockets center Dwight Howard and his D12 Foundation held a blood drive to honor Sager.I know a lot of people deal with a lot of different types of cancers and leukemia, Howard said. Craig is a close friend of mine, family. Hes part of the NBA family. You hate to see anybody who is a part of you go through anything. I just want to do whatever I can to help.The National Basketball Players Association said in a statement that Sager was a one-of-a-kind reporter who embodied the spirit of the game of basketball in a truly colorful fashion. Through his work, he was able to connect players, coaches and fans to the game we all love. The passion and fight he displayed during his battle with cancer is an inspiration to us all. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Sager family at this extremely difficult time.After a Final Four loss at the 2016 NCAA tournament, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim told Sager, Im proud of you. Im really proud of you and what youre doing. Youre a fighter. Its something we should all aspire to be, and youre setting an example that we all should be very happy to try and follow.Sager and his wife, Stacy, a former Chicago Bulls dancer, have two children together, Riley and Ryan. Sagers other three children -- Kacy, Krista and Craig Jr. -- are from a previous marriage. 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