Just a dozen days remain before the NCAA tournament selection, and the Pac-12 still remains a puzzle with too many pieces not yet in place to know exactly what the picture is. Lets take a look at that and the rest of the country as we edge closer to tournament time.Oregon remains in the huntThere are still five teams that mathematically could win or share the Pac-12 conference title. Among them is Oregon, which has a big weekend ahead in Los Angeles.On Friday, the Ducks are at UCLA, and Saturday they face USC. The Bruins are tied with Washington atop the league at 12-4, although theyll play Oregon State first this week, on Wednesday.Oregon is 18-7 overall and tied for third with Stanford at 11-5 in the Pac-12, with Utah in fifth at 10-6. The Ducks lead the league in hitting percentage (.274) and assists per set (13.57), with sophomore outside hitter Lindsey Vander Weide among the conference leaders with 316 kills thus far.Oregon made it to the national championship match back in 2012, when the Ducks fell to Texas. In the past three years, theyve lost in the NCAA second round (2013), the Sweet 16 (2014) and the first round (2015).The Ducks started this season hosting the VERT Challenge, where they fell 3-1 to both Texas and Florida. When Oregon hosted UCLA and USC in mid-October, the Ducks lost both matches, and it seemed their odds of even contending for the Pac-12 title were slim.But theyve won six of eight since, and theyre 7-0 this season on the road. Which is where theyll play their last four regular-season matches.Texas tumbles on road againThe Longhorns have found the trip to Ames, Iowa, treacherous before, and it got them again last week. Texas fell 3-2 at Iowa State on Saturday. The Cyclones took the fifth set 15-11, securing that with a 6-1 run.That dropped Texas to 11-2 in the Big 12, which means Kansas moves into the drivers seat in the conference at 12-1. The Jayhawks beat Texas 3-2 on Oct. 29 in Lawrence, Kansas, and they finish the regular season at West Virginia (Wednesday), at home against Iowa State (Saturday) and at Baylor (Nov. 26).Texas will close the season with three matches at home -- vs. Texas Tech (Wednesday), Kansas State (Saturday), and West Virginia (Nov. 26).In last weeks NCAA top-10 reveal, the Longhorns were No. 4 and Kansas was No. 6. Though they split their meetings, Texas has an overall better strength of schedule. But well have to see how the teams are evaluated for real if the Jayhawks are the outright winners of the league.No surprise at 1-2-3The NCAA had Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin as its top three teams. In the Big Ten standings, however, theyre in this order: Nebraska (15-1), Wisconsin (14-2) and Minnesota (13-3). But there remain three real blockbuster matches in the Big Ten. Two of them involve Nebraska: The Huskers are host to seven-time NCAA champ Penn State (Wednesday) and then play at Minnesota (Nov. 23). The Huskers finish their season at home against Michigan (Nov. 26). The Wolverines are tough, too, sitting in sixth place in the Big Ten at 10-6.The Huskers and Nittany Lions went five sets on Nov. 4 at Penn State, with Nebraska winning 15-11 in the finale. Nebraska also beat Minnesota 3-2 on Oct. 23; that final set was 15-8.And then its only fitting that Wisconsin and Minnesota get another shot at each other. They meet Nov. 26 in Minneapolis.Buckeyes move into rankingsThe final four is in Columbus, Ohio, and admittedly its a long shot that the hometown team will be there. But Ohio State is now ranked No. 24 in the American Volleyball Association Coaches poll after the Buckeyes prevailed 3-2 over Penn State this past Saturday.Ohio State is 17-11 overall and 7-9 in the Big Ten. Having a losing record in conference play doesnt preclude an NCAA berth in a league as strong as the Big Ten. That said, the Buckeyes would like to secure their postseason position over the next two weeks. They play Friday at Northwestern -- which put a scare into Wisconsin last week before falling 3-2 -- and Saturday at Illinois.SEC showdownMissouri was upset by South Carolina last week, which means Florida is now alone in first place in the SEC at 14-1. Then Kentucky is 13-2, with Missouri and Texas A&M at 12-2.Whats the biggest obstacle between the Gators and the SEC title? Missouri, which is host to Florida on Sunday and will be trying to atone for slipping up against the Gamecocks. The Gators are unbeaten on the road in SEC play this year. Also on Sunday, Kentucky is host to Texas A&M. White Sox Jerseys China .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. Cheap White Sox Jerseys . After a replay, the winner will meet Sunderland in the quarterfinals. Sagbo did well to control Sone Alukos right cross and fire past Brighton goalkeeper Peter Brezovan. Aluko was making his first start in four months after recovering from an Achilles injury. https://www.cheapwhitesox.com/ . Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. White Sox Jerseys 2020 .J. -- Josh Cribbs was in the Pro Bowl in February and out of a job six months later. Chicago White Sox Gear . It says Pocklingtons lawyer filed the appeal Friday in a California court. CTV Edmonton also says Pocklington gave a $100,000 cash deposit as part of the conditions of his bail, and that he will be out on bail until his appeal is heard. MEXICO CITY -- Mexican fans welcomed the NFL in raucous fashion, and it probably wont be the last time Azteca Stadium hosts American futbol.Next time, however, theyll try to ban laser pointers.Nearly 80,000 fans came to see the Raiders defeat the Houston Texans in a 27-20 win Monday night in what felt like a Raiders home game.The crowd harassed the Texans and supported the Raiders , one of the most popular NFL teams in Mexico.The success of the game and the full weekend of events could entice the league to bring more games to the Mexican capital.WILD FANSThe NFL says 76,473 fans were at the game, and the atmosphere was very different from the more neutral crowd for games in London. Thousands of other football fans attended a weekend-long fan fest.Although many wore silver and black, it was clear that the Cowboys, Texans, Steelers and Broncos also have fans south of the border.Besides the game, we had an excellent trip here, great experience for our players. Unbelievable crowd. Just a really cool atmosphere for both teams, Texans coach Bill OBrien said. It was a great trip as far as thats concerned.Before the game, there was concern that Mexican fans could boo the U.S. national anthem because of the political tension since Donald Trump was elected president, but the crowd did not .A SOCCER CROWDThe fans behavior was similar to the atmosphere when the Mexican national team or local club America play their soccer matches in Azteca Stadium.I was able to play at Wembley Stadium in my rookie year, and then being able to play here, I mean it was amazing, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said. Theres so much history and so much rowdiness. I love soccer, so it gave me kind of a soccer feel.Throughout the game, the crowd chanted a gay slur that is common in soccer matches when the opposing goalkeeper clears the ball.This year, FIFA has fined Mexico three times for the chant. The NFL did not comment about the slur.Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler was targeted by a green laser on several plays, something that is common against visiting soccer teams playing at Azteca.Certainly, having a laser zoomeed in on your eyeball definitely affects how you play, Osweiler said.ddddddddddddTHE MEXICO RAIDERS?The Raiders are exploring a move to Las Vegas, but in the meantime, they could consider another trip back to Mexico, where they clearly have a devoted fan base.According to the NFL office in Mexico, the Raiders are the fifth-most popular team in the country. They were clearly more popular Monday night than the Texans.Yon de Luisa, sporting vice president of the Televisa media company which owns Azteca Stadium, has said the deal with the NFL could include two future games in the venue.THE AZTECA RENOVATIONSAzteca Stadium, famous for hosting two World Cup finals, was renovated with a $12 million investment for its 50th anniversary and to celebrate club Americas 100th year. As part of the deal to bring the NFL back, Televisa had to comply with several upgrade requests by the league.Azteca built new football-only locker rooms, installed new seats and boxes that reduced its capacity from over 100,000, and added a new wireless internet network. The stadium still needs major renovations in other areas: the parking lot is insufficient, there are no escalators and the stadium lights and most of the ramps are 50 years old.ALTITUDEBefore the game, Mexico Citys altitude of 7,380 feet above sea level played was a cause for concern for both teams, who arrived a day earlier to avoid the effects as recommended by the NFL Mexico office.Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree had trouble breathing, and the Raiders called a timeout for their players to catch a break late in the game.I mean you talk about the elements is always a factor, but at the same time you talk about resiliency and the coaches having us prepared, Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack said. ... It was a weight that we could fight through and youve seen that throughout the finishing of the game and especially in the fourth quarter.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '
