Chicago on Monday and beat the Bulls,

North Carolina coach Roy Williams denied allegations of academic wrongdoing Friday by former player Rashad McCants connected to the schools long-running academic scandal. In an interview with ESPNs "Outside the Lines" to air Friday, McCants -- the second-leading scorer on Williams first NCAA championship team in 2005 -- said tutors wrote papers for him and that Williams knew about no-show classes popular with athletes. "I thought it was a part of the college experience, just like watching it on a movie from He Got Game or Blue Chips," McCants said. "... When you get to college, you dont go to class, you dont do nothing, you just show up and play. Thats exactly how it was, you know, and I think that was the tradition of college basketball, or college, period, any sport. Youre not there to get an education, though they tell you that. "Youre there to make revenue for the college. Youre there to put fans in the seats. Youre there to bring prestige to the university by winning games." McCants also said Williams told him he could swap a failing grade from one class with a passing one from another to stay eligible during the 2004-05 season, according to the report. He entered the NBA draft as a junior after that season. "I strongly disagree with what Rashad has said," Williams said in a statement Friday. "In no way did I know about or do anything close to what he says and I think the players whom I have coached over the years will agree with me. "I have spent 63 years on this earth trying to do things the right way and the picture he portrays is not fair to the University or me." McCants comments are the latest allegations levied against UNC in an academic fraud scandal that began as an offshoot of an NCAA investigation into the football program beginning in summer 2010. Those findings centred on the formerly named Department of African and Afro-American Studies, most notably with lecture classes featuring significant athlete enrollments that did not meet and were instead treated as independent study courses requiring only a research paper at semesters end. Former UNC learning specialist Mary Willingham, who has questioned the literacy of Tar Heel athletes, has said "paper classes" were designed to keep players eligible despite many reading at below-grade levels. The fraud findings also unauthorized grade changes and possibly forged signatures on grade rolls. By 2012, an investigation led by former Gov. Jim Martin found the problems in the AFAM department ran back at least to the late 1990s. That probe found no evidence of athletic department involvement, though another probe led by former U.S. Justice Department official Kenneth Wainstein is underway. Chris Owings Jersey . You can watch the game on TSN at 7pm et/4pm pt and listen to the game on TSN Radio 690 in Montreal. After starting the month of November on an 0-3-1 slide, the Canadiens have recorded wins in three of their last five outings (3-1-1). Paul Goldschmidt Jersey .com) - Carmelo Anthony tallied 31 points to help the New York Knicks continue their improved play of late with a 100-92 victory over a short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder squad. http://www.diamondbacksteamshop.com/Diamondbacks-Deven-Marrero-Kids-Jersey/ . Andrews, Scotland - Oliver Wilson fired a final- round, 2-under 70 on Sunday and he held on to win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship by one shot. Archie Bradley Jersey . Browns advice worked. Irving scored 20 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, and Cleveland defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 88-82 Saturday night. Irving made his first shot of the night on a layup a little over three minutes into the game. Brad Boxberger Jersey . -- The Chicago Bears have agreed to terms with safety Brock Vereen and QB David Fales on four-year contracts.(SportsNetwork.com) - Is it too late for the Detroit Pistons to throw a going away party for Josh Smith, who was surprisingly released by the team on Dec. 22. The Pistons were 5-23 at the time, but they have been one of the hottest teams in the league since they cut the 10-year veteran, winning nine of their next 10 games, including a seven-game winning streak following Smiths departure. Highlighting the run were road wins against the Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors, with the victories over the Spurs and Mavericks coming in back-to-back games. Since the Pistons made that somewhat shocking move of dumping Smith, theyve seen massive jumps in the games of Brandon Jennings, Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond. Heres a detailed look at how each of them fared while playing with Smith and since he was given his walking papers: BRANDON JENNINGS With Josh Smith / Without Josh Smith Games - 25 / 10 Minutes Per Game - 28.8 / 27.9 Points Per Game - 12.6 / 20.3 Field Goal Pct. - 36.8 / 46.9 3-PT FG Pct. - 32.7 / 42.1 Assists - 6.4 / 7.0 Turnovers - 2.3 / 1.7 Rebounds - 1.1 / 2.9 Steals - 0.96 / 1.4 GREG MONROE With Josh Smith / Without Josh Smith Games - 26 / 10 Minutes Per Game - 28.9 / 30.3 Points Per Game - 14.6 / 16.1 Field Goal Pct. - 48.1 / 50.4 Rebounds - 8.8 / 11.9 Assists - 1.6 / 2.3 Steals - 0.61 / 1.3 ANDRE DRUMMOND With Josh Smith / Without Josh Smith Games - 28 / 10 Minutes Per Game - 29.8 / 29.3 Points Per Game - 12.9 / 12.3 Field Goal Pct. - 48.2 / 54.5 Rebounds - 12.5 / 14.3 Steals / 0.92 / 1.6 During his tenure with the Pistons, Smith handled the ball a lot and often initiated the offense. As it turns out, that probably stunted the growth of Jennings as a point guard, as he now relishes the responsibility given to him by coach Stan Van Gundy to be the leader and to be held accountable. And the coach is obviously thrilled with the early results. Hes really been terrific here lately, Van Gundy said. He plays with great aggressiveness and great confidence, and sometimes youre (wincing) about some of his shots. Im not trying to put a leash on him, because hes playing great. Youve got to let those guys play. And hes playing as well as Ive seen him play since he came into the league. In a matter of three weeks, the Pistons have gone from a sure-fire lottery team to one that should be able to compete for a playoff spot with so many subpar teams in the Eastern Conference fighting for the lower seeds. And while the Pistons are on a roll, the two marquee teams in their ddivision are struggling.dddddddddddd LeBron James was back in the lineup on Tuesday night after missing eight games with back and knee injuries, but that didnt stop the Cavaliers from dropping their sixth straight game as they lost at the Phoenix Suns, 107-100. The Cavs were 1-7 during James absence and have lost nine of 10 overall to fall to 19-20. For those who dont check the standings on a daily basis, you might be shocked to find out that Cleveland is one game back of a Milwaukee Bucks team that won just 15 games last season and lost its standout rookie Jabari Parker for the season with a torn ACL on Dec. 15. With more than half the season still left, the clock hasnt run out on the Cavs righting the ship. But if we dont see a significant improvement over the next month, it would be hard to imagine theyll come close to living up to the preseason expectations. Keep in mind in James first season in Miami, the Heat stumbled to a 9-8 start, but quickly turned things around in a big way, and were 30-9 after their first 39 games. As for the division-leading Chicago Bulls, they dont have quite as many as concerns as the Cavs, but there have been some troubling signs lately. Over the past two weeks, Tom Thibodeaus team has suffered three embarrassing home losses. The Bulls dropped a 96-82 decision to the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 30. The Utah Jazz won 97-77 on Jan. 7, and the Orlando Magic, minus Tobias Harris and Evan Fournier, went into Chicago on Monday and beat the Bulls, 121-114. You can make an excuse every night in this league if thats what you choose to do, whether its new players, the schedule, the start, whos out, whos in, an angry Thibodeau said after the loss to the Magic. Theres an excuse every night. You cant do that. We have to make good. Either youre in the circle or youre out of the circle. You want to be in? Lets go. You dont want to be in? Thats fine, too. Lets go. Thibodeau also should be concerned with the play of Derrick Rose, who hasnt come close to resembling the player he was prior to all his injuries. The Bulls point guard is averaging 17 points, 4.9 assists and 3.3 turnovers this season, and is shooting 40.2 percent from the floor and hitting 25.4 percent from 3-point range. Those numbers are a far cry from his MVP season in 2010-11, when he averaged 25 points, 7.7 assists and 3.4 turnovers, and shot 44.5 percent from the field and hit 33.2 percent of his 3s. Rose recently said the Bulls are good enough to win a championship this season, but I dont see that happening unless his play increases dramatically. ' ' '