.Hitting the ball out of the ballpark 25 straight (games), i

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The trip to Hawaii was booked before the coaches were hired, but Wisconsins Greg Gard and Tennessees Rick Barnes will accept the challenge that comes with playing in the Maui Invitational.Ninth-ranked Wisconsin (2-1) will meet Tennessee (1-1) in the opening game of the eight-team tournament on Monday afternoon.The Badgers will likely fall in the rankings after a 79-67 loss to Creighton last week, but they bounced back to defeat Chicago State 69-51 before heading to the islands.Vito Brown scored 12 points in the uneven showing. Brown and Ethan Happ were a combined 9-of-13 from the field while Nigel Hayes, Bronson Koenig and Zak Showalter shot 4-of-22.We will continue to work and the guys will get better, Gard said. We got a little experience and now we have something to draw back on. We will practice in Maui and we are better based on our experiences this season. What we look for is taking a step forward each day.After 14 seasons as an assistant at the school, Gard was named interim head coach last December when Bo Ryan retired in the middle of the season. The 45-year old led the Badgers to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament to earn the job on a full-time basis.Wisconsin is one of three ranked teams in the tournament along with fourth-ranked Oregon and No. 5 North Carolina.The Badgers are led by Koenig with 15.7 points per game Hayes averages 11.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Hayes is shooting 38.7 percent after shooting 36.8 percent last season while Koenig is clicking at 42.5 percent.Tennessee was upset 82-69 in its opener against Chattanooga before bouncing back to defeat Appalachian State 103-94 to start off Barnes second season at the school.Robert Hubbs III scored 16 points and six players reached double figures as the Volunteers scored 21 straight points in the first half and avoided their first 0-2 start since 1965-66.I thought we were much more aggressive offensively taking the shots that we want to take, Barnes said. I thought that part was good. We still made so many young mistakes that you cant make.Tennessee has a tough path as one of five unranked teams in Maui. If it beats Wisconsin, it could face No. 4 Oregon in the second round to possibly meet No. 5 North Carolina in the title game.Its always good to get your feet .. going and playing against teams like that, theyre all well coached and theyre all talented, so were looking forward to those games, Tennessee freshman guard Jordan Bone said.Bone is one of five players scoring in double figured with a team-high 14 points per game. Freshman guard Lamonte Turner and Hubbs III are each averaging 13.5 points per game.Freshman forward Grant Williams is at 10.5 points while sophomore forward Kyle Alexander is at 10.0.We have to get better on the defensive side. But I feel like we can score the ball really well, Bone said. Cheap Chiefs Jerseys Authentic . The 18-year-old American had five birdies in her bogey-free round for a 17-under total of 196. Lee held the overnight lead but mixed three birdies with two bogeys for a 70. Wholesale Chiefs Jerseys .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. http://www.wholesalekansascitychiefsjerseys.com/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Cheap Chiefs Jerseys . With their top three point guards and Kobe Bryant all sidelined by injury, the Lakers signed Marshall out of the D-League on Friday before their home game against Minnesota. Cheap Chiefs Jerseys For Sale . Bjorn, who had a 36-hole total of 8-under 134, made a testing six-foot putt to save par on the 16th and a birdie on the 17th before bogeying the final ..................... after a misjudged approach shot. American Kevin Streelman was in second place after shooting a 69. SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres look to continue their home run spree when opening a nine-game homestand against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday at Petco Park.Or should the Padres downtown digs be christened Muscle Beach?While little has gone right for rebuilding San Diego (44-58) this season, it has blasted home runs in 25 straight games. Slugging San Diego joins the 1998 Atlanta Braves (25), and four American League clubs, as the only clubs to reach that mark in major-league history.If the Padres go yard on Friday in the first of a three-game series with the Reds, they will set the NL record and inch closer to the 2002 Texas Rangers standard of homers in 27 straight games.San Diegos lineup is matched against a Reds starter whos been torched by big flies. Southpaw Brandon Finnegan (5-8, 4.93 ERA) has absorbed 22 home runs in 20 games.The Padres are coming off Wednesdays 8-4 win against the Toronto Blue Jays in which Adam Rosales and Brett Wallace went deep and Alex Dickerson, among the organizations top prospects, stroked a homer for the fourth consecutive game.Thats a nifty personal feat but it pales to what the Padres are accomplishing.What gives for a team which is shedding veterans and trying to construct a brighter future as it careens toward its sixth straight losing season?Our chase percentages are down outside the strike zone, and were forcing guys into the zone more often, (and) were walking more than we were early in the season, Padres rookie manager Andy Green told the San Diego Union-Tribune. Those things you can control.Hitting the ball out of the ballpark 25 straight (games), its borderline fluke. Its just one of those thinggs that happen.dddddddddddd We dont think about it much.The Padres brawn will likely occupy Finnegans thoughts. He has surrendered a home run in six straight starts and 10 blasts in his last four.San Diego hands the ball to veteran Edwin Jackson (1-1, 4.30 overall), hoping he can duplicate his last outing at Petco. He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Giants in his Padres debut on July 17 before settling for the win. Jackson has been keen in two starts after taking Drew Pomeranzs rotation spot when Pomeranz was peddled to the Boston Red Sox.With Mondays trading deadline approaching, the Reds continue to field offers for Jay Bruce. The All-Star right fielder has been on a tear, tying a club record with a homer in five straight games; he has six homers in five games. Its possible the All-Star is playing his final games with the Reds.I would expect things to probably over the weekend get a little more engaged, Walt Jocketty, the Reds director of baseball operations, told mlb.com. There are clubs that have been engaged in Jay for a while. Its basically the same clubs but no one has really come up and been really aggressive.It figures scouts from three West Coast contenting teams, the Giants, Dodgers and Mariners, will be evaluating the left-hand hitting veteran corner outfielder who fills a need.Like the Padres, the Reds (40-61) are trying to flip their roster and collect young talent with upside. Surprisingly, San Diego is doing it while hitting the ball outside the ballpark at an historic rate. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '