After starting the season with 14 straight wins, Duke hit a bump in the road against their in-conference foe, North Carolina State. They bounced back with a win at home against Georgia Tech, but they dropped yet another game, this time in Miami by a margin of 27 points. With two big time scorers in Mason Plumlee and Seth Curry, the Blue Devils are no doubt a solid team, but they’ll be once again facing the one team to beat them soundly this year.

Things didn’t start off so good for the Miami Hurricanes this year as they lost their second game of the season, to a rather irrelevant team. Despite a rough start, they were able to string together a number of wins, before dropping two straight games at home. Playing stellar team defense, they’ve since gone on a winning streak that’s still active with no signs of slowing down going into the close of the regular season.

With Miami on a roll and having beaten the Blue Devils this season quite soundly, it’d seem like they’d have no trouble making it happen again. Playing at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, it’ll be a tall task to knock Duke off at home. With a chip on their shoulders, Duke will be looking to capitalize on the home-court advantage and get revenge on the outcome earlier this season. We don’t see Miami walking out with a win in this situation.

If it’s America’s team, it’s most certainly Texas’ team, and no other sports franchise in Texas has quite the fan base as the Dallas Cowboys do. So what better way to show off that Texas pride than with some sweet Dallas Cowboys gear? The New Era Dallas Cowboys NFL Turnover Snapback is the perfect item to do such, and the Dallas Cowboys Star logo screams pride for the Lone Star State.

Being a Texan is so cool, that you can even name a big leagues sports franchise after just that. The Houston Texans had a breakthrough season last year, and Texans gear is the perfect way to show your team spirit and your state pride at the same time. The Nike Houston Texans Washed Tee sports “Houston Texans” right across the chest, making it the ideal option to show how much you love your state.

Sporting the official colors of the state’s flag, it doesn’t get much more Texan than the Texas Rangers. The recognizable “T” logo on the New Era Texas Rangers MLB Snapback Hat will show everyone what state you love the most. For the ladies, the Nike Texas Rangers MLB I Love Tee does exactly what the name implies, and that’s to show everyone that you are Texan girl and proud of it!

So head on over to FinishLine.com now and pick yourself up some gear to represent the state you love the most. Oh and we almost forgot, happy 177th birthday Texas!

The Spartans weren’t considered to be a top ten ranked team when the season started, and losing their first game to the 21st ranked Uconn Huskies didn’t help the matter. However, the Spartans progressively started climbing up the rank charts after consecutive wins, two of which were against top ten ranked teams. Just last week, State fans were in exaltations to see their boys pull of the big W against their rivaled Michigan Wolverines, who were ranked number 4 at the time.

The 2nd ranked Hoosiers have not had too much trouble this season either, also beating out top ranked teams and only losing three games thus far. In fact, the Hoosiers also beat the Michigan Wolverines this season, who were ranked number 1 at the time. As good as all of this sounds, Indiana has suffered three losses this season, all of which were from the hands of unranked opponents, showing that the do in fact have weaknesses.

This will undoubtedly be a very interesting and fun game to watch given that both teams are performing very well at this point in the season. As it gets closer and closer to March, each team will be fighting harder and harder to earn their spot in the Big Dance, so we expect this game between the Spartans and Hoosiers to be a hard fought one at the very least. So who will win? Only time will tell, but we feel that the Spartans have a little more riding on this one, and they might just leave everything out on their home court by the time the final buzzer sounds. It’s going to be close, but we have a feeling that the Spartans just might pull off the upset.

Youth Foundation supporters helped to raise $1.45 million during the drive, which lasted throughout the months of November and December. Online and in-store donations really added up, giving the Foundation much-needed funds for the coming year. The top fundraising states, cities and regions include Southern Los Angeles, East Coast Florida, Minnesota, Western New York, Pittsburgh, Dallas/West Texas, Detroit, Dallas/Oklahoma, West Coast Florida and Columbus. Great job!

What does all of this money go towards? All the proceeds from the drive will benefit the many active youth organizations that the Foundation supports through grants and sponsorships, in addition to initiatives of the Special Olympics. The generous donations that the Foundation received will be put to good use this year, helping thousands of kids to get more active and achieve their dreams!

If you didn’t get a chance to donate during the Holiday Drive, don’t worry. You can make a donation to the Youth Foundation anytime of the year. Simply visit the Youth Foundation page or donate at your local Finish Line store.

Durham and Chapel Hill, both happen to be basketball hotbeds, after all, the greatest of all time, Michael Jordan, attended UNC. However, Jordan was not the only noteworthy player who dawned the Carolina Blue, the illustrious list includes NBA stars James Worthy and Sam Perkins.  Duke also boast an impressive roster of talent that has gone on to successful NBA careers such as Grant Hill and Shane Battier.

North Carolina owns the all time head-to-head record–132-102. So it’s only right that illustrious programs are supplied with apparel and shoes to match the talent that takes the court. It would not be right if Carolina did not wear the best Jordan Brand has to offer but Nike has a way to sneak into the rotation as Kobe Bryant’s Nike Zoom signatures have been seen on a few of the Tar Heels. Duke is not far away with Nike providing their top basketball equipment such as Nike’s Hyper series basketball shoes. The Nike Hyperfuse is a comfortable and lightweight shoe sure to assist in your game or practice needs.

Whether you root for Carolina or Duke this season, look no further than Finish Line for your Blue Devil or Tar Heel product.

Examples include a watch for him or her to keep up with time, heart rate or even personal fitness goals. From brands like Casio to Polar, we have you covered.

Does he or she already keep time pretty well? Then, sunglasses may be a good gift to win them over after you permanently borrowed their last pair.

Any workout would not be complete without a bag to carry your necessities. So why not try a gym sack or duffle bag? Simple and useful, sounds like a winner to anyone on the go.

If all the above doesn’t meet your gift needs then a ball cap from New Era may provide the kick you need. An official NFL, NBA, or NHL cap is a quick personal gift to prove you actually pay attention as they cheer on their favorite team.

Good luck and happy holidays!

The story behind Kevin’s signature begins with the five sides of the Pentagon in his hometown of Washington, D.C., five players united on court, and the five corners of a star. All of these elements are represented throughout the shoe, such as heel counter, tongue, outsole, and midsole. A Hyperfuse upper allows a secure fit, a forefoot Zoom unit for cushioning, an external heel counter for support, and a Nike Air unit in the heel completes the shoe. Now, KD’s equipped to complete the season as a champ, and you will be too.

The primarily black uppers of the shoes represent the night, and neon and bright colors are accented throughout the shoe to give them an extra pop, similar to all of the city lights against the darkness of the evening sky. Speckles on the midsole represent terrain activity, giving the shoes the look that they are made to wear and not just to shelve. The two-toned tech laces, similar to the ones on a boot or trail shoe, also give the Total Blackout Collection a tougher look.

Each shoe from the collection is tied together with materials, trims, and details that really sets this pack apart from others.

Wave technology actually reduces and redirects impact forces away from your foot. Much like your car’s suspension, it provides cushioning and keeps your foot centered in your shoe throughout your stride. Designers have created several wave models fit for the unique stride of each type of runner, so the technology is suited for a wide spectrum of athletes.

Not Quite There Yet: Mike D’Antoni has been known to field competitive teams, but his career has mostly been “almost-there-but-not-really”, and in LA, that’s just not good enough.

Mike Antoni: We left out the ‘D’ because that’s how Mike rolls. His negligence for emphasizing defense has long been his downfall, and frankly, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

Personnel: Speaking of old dogs, that’s mainly what this “new” Lakers team is composed of. With D’Antoni’s offense being predicated on running the floor, we just don’t see his philosophy panning out.

He’s not Phil Jackson: Put plainly, it is what it is. There’s only one man that can corral the egos and personalities that reside on LA’s roster and that’s Phil. Don’t believe us? He’s only coached the two best players to ever play the game, and has more championship rings than fingers. You do the math.