Reuters U.S. Sports Schedule at 2 PM EST on Wednesday, Feb. 18

Reuters

Feb. 18 (Reuters) - Reuters U.S. sports schedule at 2 PM ET on Wednesday: - - - - The duty editor is Steve Ginsburg, 202-898-8427 - - - - NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE QB calls headline early Combine talks INDIANAPOLIS - Teams with enormous decisions at quarterback open the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine with major headlines, including a noncommittal Chicago Bears brass on the future of Jay Cutler and Lovie Smith discussing Mike Glennon as a franchise QB in Tampa Bay. (FBN-NEWS/, expect by 5 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 625 words) - - 2015 Combine: Day 1 takeaways INDIANAPOLIS - Tracking the major news and views from the opening day of the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine. (FBN-ANALYSIS/, expect by 7 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, by Rob Rang, 1,025 words) - - 49ers GM: Harbaugh 'always wanted' Michigan job INDIANAPOLIS - San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke declines to respond to Jim Harbaugh's assertion last week that his departure from the franchise was not a mutual decision but adds coaching the Wolverines was "something that he always wanted to do." (FBN-49ERS-NEWS/ (PIX), moved, The Sports Xchange, 525 words) - - Vikings Spielman expects Peterson back INDIANAPOLIS - General manager Rick Spielman became the latest Minnesota Vikings executive to declare the team's support for suspended running back Adrian Peterson. (FBN-VIKINGS-NEWS/ (PIX), moved, The Sports Xchange, 525 words) - - Broncos' Kubiak adjusting offense to Manning INDIANAPOLIS - New Denver Broncos coach Gary Kubiak says he wants Peyton Manning to return as the team's quarterback and is preparing the offense as if Manning will be leading it. (FBN-BRONCOS-NEWS/ (PIX), moved, The Sports Xchange, 415 words) - - Fitzgerald, Cardinals strike deal Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and the Arizona Cardinals reach agreement on a new contract the keeps him in the desert and saves the team cap space. (FBN-CARDINALS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 325 words) - - NFL roundup News and notes from around the league. (FBN-NOTEBOOK/, expect by 7:45 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 400 words) - - - - NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION - - Today's NBA schedule at a glance No games scheduled. - - NBA Roundup The latest moves and news from the NBA. (BKN-NOTEBOOK/, expect by 6 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 350 words) - - - - COLLEGE BASKETBALL - - TSX covers all Top 25 games. Top matchup highlighted below. - - North Carolina at Duke DURHAM, N.C. - One of college basketball's best rivalries is renewed at Cameron Indoor Stadium with No. 4 Duke entertaining 15th-ranked North Carolina. (BKC-DUKE-NORTHCAROLINA-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect ASAP after 7 PM ET tipoff, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru, The Sports Xchange) - - Wisconsin at Penn State STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Penn State draws a ranked team for the third consecutive game in No. 5 Wisconsin, which shoots for a 12-1 start in Big Ten play and a 20th win in the past 22 meetings with Penn State. (BKC-PENNSTATE-WISCONSIN-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect ASAP after 7 PM ET tipoff, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru, The Sports Xchange) - - Louisville at Syracuse SYRACUSE - Coach Rick Pitino and Louisville look to rebound after loss to Virginia and North Carolina State. The Cardinals have won 13 of the past 16 meetings. (BKC-SYRACUSE-LOUISVILLE-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect ASAP after 7 PM ET tipoff, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru, The Sports Xchange) - - Top 25 games at a glance Wisconsin at Penn State, 7 PM ET (PIX) Louisville at Syracuse, 7 PM ET (PIX) Northern Iowa at Loyola (Ill.), 8 PM ET (PIX) North Carolina at Duke, 9 PM ET (PIX) Iowa State at Oklahoma State, 9 PM ET (PIX) Missouri at Arkansas, 9 PM ET (PIX) - - - - GOLF Watson heads strong field at Riviera Country Club PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. - Masters champion Bubba Watson, who won last year's title at Riviera Country Club, fellow American Jim Furyk and Spaniard Sergio Garcia head a strong field for this week's Northern Trust Open where five players ranked in the world's top 20 will be competing. (GOLF-PGA/ (PREVIEW, PIX), expect by 8 PM ET, by Mark Lamport-Stokes, 400 words) - - Snedeker and Watson speak to media at Riviera PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. - Defending champion Bubba Watson and fellow American Brandt Snedeker, who clinched his seventh career victory on the PGA Tour at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on Sunday, hold news conferences in the build-up to Thursday's opening round of the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club. (GOLF-PGA/ (PIX), expect first story by 6 PM ET, by Mark Lamport-Stokes, 400 words) - - 'Exceptional candidate' Clarke gets top Ryder Cup job LONDON - It's official, Darren Clarke will captain defending champion Europe in the 2016 Ryder Cup match against the United States in Hazeltine, Minn. (GOLF-RYDER/CAPTAIN (UPDATE 2), moved, by Tony Jimenez, 395 words) See also: Reaction to Clarke being named Europe's Ryder Cup captain (GOLF-RYDER/CAPTAIN-REACTION) Europe's Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke (GOLF-RYDER/CLARKE (FACTBOX) - - New captain Clarke hoping Love conquers all in the U.S. LONDON - Europe's new captain Darren Clarke says it would be "wonderful" if he could go up against close friend Davis Love III in next year's Ryder Cup in Minnesota. (GOLF-RYDER/CAPTAIN-QUOTES, moved, by Tony Jimenez, 373 words) - - Be your own man, McGinley tells new Europe captain Clarke LONDON - Paul McGinley is urging his Ryder Cup successor Darren Clarke to 'be your own man' when he captains Europe at Hazeltine, Minn., next year. (GOLF-RYDER/CAPTAIN-MCGINLEY, moved, by Tony Jimenez, 386 words) - - McGinley's class act is tough for Clarke to follow LONDON - Darren Clarke could be forgiven for thinking "How do I follow THAT?" after being appointed Europe's 2016 Ryder Cup captain. The 46-year-old Northern Irishman takes over as skipper from Paul McGinley and his former friend will be a tough act to follow. (GOLF-RYDER/CAPTAIN-CLARKE (ANALYSIS), moved, by Tony Jimenez, 596 words) - - - - MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Champion Giants open spring training The new-look San Francisco Giants, missing some of their most recognizable faces, are back to work after winning a third World Series in five years. (BBO-GIANTS-NEWS/, expect by 7 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 425 words) See also: Spring training previews Cincinnati Reds (BBO-REDS-NEWS/, expect by 7 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 425 words) Cleveland Indians (BBO-INDIANS-NEWS/, expect by 7 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 425 words) Philadelphia Phillies (BBO-PHILLIES-NEWS/, expect by 7 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 425 words) Pittsburgh Pirates (BBO-PIRATES-NEWS/, expect by 7 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 425 words) - - - - NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE - - TSX covers all NHL games, highlighted matchup below - - Los Angeles at Colorado DENVER - The ninth-place Los Angeles Kings, currently on the outside looking in at a playoff spot, seek their sixth straight victory when they visit the Colorado Avalanche, a club sitting in 12th place in the Western Conference but just seven points out of a postseason position. (HKN-KINGS-AVALANCHE-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect ASAP after 10 PM ET scheduled start, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - Today's NHL schedule at a glance Montreal at Ottawa, 7 PM ET Detroit at Chicago, 7:30 PM ET Los Angeles at Colorado, 10 PM ET Boston at Edmonton, 10 PM ET Tampa Bay at Anaheim, 10 PM ET - - NHL Roundup The latest moves and news from the NHL. (HKN-NOTEBOOK/, expect by 6 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 350 words) - - - - AUTO RACING The Rainbow Warrior bids farewell to the Daytona 500 Navigating the high-stress, white-knuckle test of the grueling Daytona 500 will not be missed by Jeff Gordon, who nonetheless relishes the chance to launch his farewell NASCAR season with another Speedway triumph. (MOTOR RACING-DAYTONA/GORDON (SPORTS FEATURE), expect by 5 PM, by Larry Fine, 600 words) - - F1 drivers told to keep a lid on helmet changes LONDON - Formula One drivers are to be barred from changing helmet designs during the course of a season in a ruling aimed at helping fans identify their heroes and also pleasing traditionalists. It will be less well received by those drivers who like to change the look of their lids with some frequency. (MOTOR RACING-HELMETS/, moved, by Alan Baldwin, 403 words) - - - - JURISPRUDENCE Hernandez's attorneys question handling of evidence BOSTON - Attorneys for former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez question whether police followed their own rules when they gathered evidence being presented at the first of two murder trials he will face this year. (USA-PATRIOTS/HERNANDEZ, moved, by Elizabeth Barber, 418 words) - - - - OLYMPICS Kazakhs hope IOC impressed with Almaty winter feel Almaty 2022 winter Olympics bid officials say they are confident they have done enough to impress the International Olympic Committee, surprising them with the Kazakh city's long winter sports tradition. (OLYMPICS-ALMATY/ (INTERVIEW), moved, by Karolos Grohmann, 490 words) - - - - NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS Roundups of off-field developments in the major North American professional sports leagues. (Expect by 8 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words)