NEU » Gonzaga on Saturday.---More AP college ba

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- NASCAR chairman Brian France staunchly defended Sunday the health of the sport, saying that it is in a good spot to replace Sprint as an entitlement sponsor amid television ratings and attendance declines.In his first general news conference with motorsports media since January, a feisty France also staunchly defended his commitment to diversity, a commitment that was challenged when he endorsed Donald Trump earlier this year.Nobody wants to hear my political views ... so I wont be talking about that, France said before the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. But on diversity, nobody in this company has worked harder, done more and resourced it better than me.I founded [NASCARs] diversity council. I fought for every single thing that makes sense because thats my core belief: Diversity is very, very important. I talk about it frequently. And my efforts there should never be challenged no matter what my political view. Thats a ridiculous thing to do.With all but two of the Chase for the Sprint Cup race television ratings down at least 10 percent, the track public-operating companies reporting admission revenue down 9 percent after the Daytona 500 and potentially seven of NASCARs charters (its version of franchises) changing hands as teams still have trouble finding sponsorship, France said the sport is in a better position than those numbers indicate.We are still very pleased with our position in sports, France said. The audience isnt going away at all. Its sliding to different places, consuming in different ways. ... Our digital consumption is off the charts.Multicar teams Richard Petty Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing are among well-established teams that are still seeking significant sponsorship to field one of their cars in 2017 that they fielded in 2016.You have some teams that for whatever the reasons cant compete at such a high level and they have some problems, and thats throughout history, France said. Its not abnormal at all.The other hurdle for NASCAR this year has been finding a replacement for Sprint, which will leave this year after 13 seasons of sponsoring the sport. NASCAR has not announced a new sponsor. Industry insiders have indicated Monster Energy is the leading candidate. Monster Energy sports marketing director Mitch Covington said last week he would not respond to rumors.Its taken a little longer than I thought, France said. But its also a big agreement, and its an important agreement. Its not just dollars and cents. Its a fit for us. ... Im confident were going to end up in a very good spot.France also said that NASCAR will look at rewarding the regular-season champion and that discussions continue to bring additional manufacturers into the sport.Would I like to have everything perfect? Of course I would, France said. Thats sports and thats a competitive business, and the model is changing a little bit, too. ... Were pleased with the health of the sport.Air Max France Noir . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. Nike Tn Noir Pas Cher . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. http://www.pascherbasketairmax.fr/air-vapormax-grossiste-destockage.html . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste. Vapormax Pas Cher Homme .Gather a group of friends, or find a league to join online, draft your team, set your lineup and compete in a number of different formats. Destockage Nike Air Max . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday.TUCSON, Ariz. -- Lauri Markkanen dropped a bounce pass to Dusan Ristic, setting up his fellow big man for an easy basket to open the game. The 7-footer from Finland scored his first points on a dunk , then stepped out and swished a 3-pointer.In a season of fabulous freshmen, Markkanen is already making a name for himself.Markkanen hit five 3-pointers while scoring 19 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists, helping No. 16 Arizona bounce back from its first loss of the season with an 85-63 rout of Texas Southern on Wednesday night.If hes hitting the outside shot like that, theres not much you can do about it, Texas Southern coach Mike Davis said.Arizona (6-1) had no letdown after losing to Butler last week, jumping on the Tigers (4-3) from the opening tip. The Wildcats built a 13-point lead in the opening 5 minutes and were up 19 by halftime, cruising to the 37th straight non-conference win at McKale Center.Kobi Simmons had 15 points and Kadeem Allen finished with 14 points and seven assists for Arizona.The only bad news for the Wildcats was that starting point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright did not return after spraining his right ankle in the first half. Arizona coach Sean Miller said Cartwright could be out a considerable amount of time, a big blow to a team already struggling with injuries.Someone could get hurt tomorrow, again, Miller said. Thats just the way it is.Zach Lofton led Texas Southern with 19 points and Jalan McCloud added 14.The Wildcats and Tigers met once, a 93-72 win by Arizona in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.Arizona raced to a 15-2 lead in that game and did the exact same thing to the Tigers in the rematch.We just got overwhelmed early, Davis said. It was the best team and biggest crowd weve seen this season and we played pretty tight, and they played really well.Scoring in transition , on 3-pointers and passes inside by their big men, the Wildcats made 20 of 35 shots in the first half and led 45-26. Markkanen was on the mark, hitting all three of his 3-point attempts to score 11 points by halftime.ddddddddddddArizona rolled from there, never letting the lead dip under 16 points.BIG PICTURETexas Southern stood little chance of hanging with the long, athletic Wildcats, but the experience could help them once the SWAC season starts.Arizona responded nicely to its loss to Butler last week, shooting 62 percent and hitting 8 of 14 from 3-point range to roll over an opponent it was supposed to beat.CARTWRIGHTS INJURYCartwright was injured with 12:27 left in the first half after getting tangled on a screen. He was called for a foul and limped off to the bench.Arizona twice turned to walk-on Tyler Trillo with Jackson-Cartwright out.A prolonged injury could be bad news for the already-short-handed Wildcats. Guard Allonzo Trier has yet to play this season due to unspecified reasons and forward Ray Smith ended his career after suffering a third torn ACL during an exhibition game.TIGER OF A SCHEDULETexas Southern has one of the most difficult schedules for a non-power program in the country, a move designed to improve its RPI coming out of the SWAC.The Tigers open the season with 16 straight road games and in addition to Arizona, will face No. 14 Louisville, No. 9 Baylor, Cincinnati, LSU and TCU before starting conference play on Jan. 2.We just want to get better every game, Davis said. Now they see the level that you have to be at, how hard you have to work.ALLEY-OOP TRADEAllen and Simmons took turns feeding each other with alley-oop pases in Arizonas highlight-reel-filled first half.Simmons found Allen first, then it was Allens turn to hit his teammate , both bringing the McKale Center crowd to their feet.UP NEXTTexas Southern plays at Southern Illinois on Saturday.Arizona plays at No. 9 Gonzaga on Saturday.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25.Cheap Jerseys [u Gonzaga on Saturday.---More AP college ba