WPPA / T-102 SPORTS / Tuesday

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Thaddeus Young scored 24 points, Elton Brand
had 22 points and nine rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the
Phoenix Suns 105-95 on Monday night. The Sixers won their 14th home
game, two more than last season. Coach Doug Collins and the rest of
the team are openly talking about catching New York for the sixth
seed in the Eastern Conference.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pittsburgh Steelers, with a record six
Super Bowl titles, a 14-4 record and a veteran roster on the verge
of three championships in the past six seasons, are three-point
underdogs by Las Vegas oddsmakers for this year's Super Bowl. For a
team that wasn't picked by many to win its division, being the
underdog is a role the Steelers are embracing.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - B.J. Raji wasn't one of the Green Bay
Packers' players who wore cowboy hats to a kickoff luncheon, but he
liked his teammates' subtle show of swagger. And with Packers
players now preparing to face the Pittsburgh Steelers, Raji says
the defensive linemen might be planning a motivational gimmick of
their own going into the matchup at Cowboys Stadium.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - A Wisconsin towel maker is smack-dab in the
middle of the Green Bay Packer-Pittsburgh Steeler Super Bowl
matchup. McArthur Towel and Sports has been producing officially
licensed sports towels for years, including the Steeler fans'
beloved Terrible Towel. Now the company is busy creating a Super
Bowl version for both teams.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The words that describe the Pittsburgh
Steelers - proud, tough and resilient - could also apply to their
large, loyal fan base. Older fans speak about passing their
Steelers loyalty to their children, or swaddling newborns in
Terrible Towels. The Steelers are a big mom-and-pop operation,
owned by three generations of the Rooney family.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - The retractable roof at $1.3 billion
Cowboys Stadium will be closed for the Super Bowl. NFL spokesman
Brian McCarthy said Monday the decision was made well in advance of
the February 6 game. The weather could be good enough for an
open-air game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay
Packers, but there's also a risk of freezing temperatures.

IMPERIAL, Pa. (AP) - Delta Air Lines is adding nonstop flights
between Pittsburgh International Airport and Dallas/Fort Worth
International Airport for fans who want to attend the Super Bowl.
Delta announced the new flights on Monday, just hours after the
Pittsburgh Steelers advanced to the Super Bowl by beating the New
York Jets Sunday night.

NEW YORK (AP) - The NFL and Fox announced Monday that Christina
Aguilera will sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl in Texas
on February 6. The five-time Grammy award winning singer will be
making an encore at the NFL championship. She was part of the
halftime show during the 2000 Super Bowl.

Ohio State is again the runaway No. 1 in The Associated Press
Top 25 men's college basketball poll, receiving all but two
first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel.
Pittsburgh jumps from fifth to second and Duke moves up one place
to third. Both received one first-place vote Monday. San Diego
State moves from sixth to fourth and Connecticut jumps three spots
to fifth.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Ben Hansbrough scored 19 points, Carleton
Scott had 16 and No. 15 Notre Dame upset No. 2 Pittsburgh 56-51 on
Monday night. Scott went 5 for 6 from 3-point range as Notre Dame
earned its first road win of the season. Reserve Scott Martin made
three 3s and finished with 10 points.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Drexel pulled away from cold-shooting
Georgia State for a 57-33 Colonial Athletic Association victory
Monday night. The Panthers, who lost their fifth straight game,
were held to the lowest score in program history, five points fewer
than in a 46-38 loss to Utah on November 17, 2003. They shot just
29.2 percent from the field.