SAN DIEGO -- Arizona avoided becoming the latest and biggest upset victim in an NCAA tournament thats been filled with them. Reggie White Packers Jersey . The Wildcats will have to play a little better if they want to keep going in the bracket. Nick Johnson scored 18 points, Aaron Gordon added 16 and top-seeded Arizona overcame a shaky start and a late run by Weber State to beat the Wildcats 68-59 in the West Regional on Friday. The first full day of the tournament was a wild one filled with upsets, and the bracket-busting trend continued early Friday, when Mercer, a No. 14 seed, knocked off mighty Duke. Arizona (31-4) appeared to be next in line, falling into an 8-point hole in the opening 6 minutes. Arizona closed in around Weber State (19-12), shutting down the Wildcats during two big first-half runs, seemingly putting the fairytale to bed. Comfortably ahead, Arizona let off the gas late, allowing Weber State to trim a 21-point lead down to nine before pulling it out. Solid, but not great, particularly since the next game -- against Gonzaga or Oklahoma State on Sunday -- is the spot the Wildcats have been picked to go down. Weber State put up a fight in its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007, clearly not intimidated by Arizona and its cast of future NBA players. The Wildcats just didnt have the manpower to keep up with the long, athletic Cats during their big runs and nor did they have enough left climb all the way back after clawing back in the second half. Davion Berry scored 24 points and Richaud Gittens added 12 for Weber State. Arizona had been in this spot before, facing a quick-trigger 3-point shooting team in the opening round. A year ago, Belmont was a popular bracket buster pick against the Wildcats because of its ability to shoot the 3, but Arizona turned the slight into motivation and ran over the Bruins. Even after an opening day of upsets in the bracket, there were no calls for an upset against Arizona this year. But just as Mercer was busy taking down Duke, Weber State gave the 16-over-a-1-seed miracle a glimpse of life, holding Arizona without a field for nearly 5 minutes during a game-opening 10-2 run. The dream popped with a flurry of blocked shots, steals and runouts the other direction. After falling into the early hole, one of the nations best defences flexed its muscles against the Big Sky-champion Wildcats, jumping into passing lanes, swatting shots, turning nearly every possession into a fight against the shot clock. Weber State missed 12 of 13 shots as Arizona went on two big runs and shot 6 of 24 in the first half with nine turnovers that Arizona turned into 12 points. The desert Wildcats shook off their early offensive funk with an array of dunks and 3-pointers, racing past Weber State with runs of 14-2 and 13-3 to go up 32-20 at halftime. Arizona looked as if it was going to run away with it early in the second half, only to watch Weber State scratch a huge lead to under double digits with 4 1-2 minutes left. Arizona turned back every attempt Weber State made after that to pull out the victory, but will likely face more upset predictions in the next round after this one. Johnny Jolly Packers Jersey . And they needed every bit of scoring they could muster. Malkin had a hat trick and the Penguins almost blew a four-goal lead before holding off the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 on Monday night to clinch their first-round playoff series in six games. Brad Jones Womens Jersey . Scott Cullen has notes on Brassard, Pouliot, Crosby, Kane, Bickell, Hossa and more. RANGERS TAKE OT WIN Derick Brassard scored at 3:06 of overtime to give the New York Rangers a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game One.BEIJING -- Four-time world champion and six-time national champion Randy Ferbey was inducted into the World Curling Hall of Fame on Tuesday. Joining him in this years class were Switzerlands Patrick Huerlimann and Norways Eigil Ramsfjell. The announcement was made at the world mens curling championship at Capital Indoor Stadium in China. "We are delighted to announce that Randy Ferbey, Patrick Huerlimann and Eigil Ramsfjell are being inducted into the World Curling Hall of Fame," said World Curling Federation president Kate Caithness. "All of these athletes have been ambassadors of our game, both on and off the ice. "Their dedication to our sport has inspired generations of curlers the world over and this honour recognizes their achievements." Ferbey won world titles in 1989, 2002, 2003, 2005 and was a silver medallist in 1988. He won national titles in each of those years and in 2001. Ferbey, 54, will be honoured at next years world championship in Halifax. "This came out of nowhere for me -- Im blown away to be honest," said Ferbey. "Im really appreciative to the Canadian Curling Association for their support, as well as to the World Curling Federation. I never played the game to earn accolades like this. "I always considered it a team game and I really want to share this with all the great teammates I had over the years. I could not have done it without them." Huerlimann won Olympic gold at the 1998 Nagano Games. He won world silver in 1989 and bronze in 1996 and 1999. He also guided Switzerland to a silver medal at the 2003 world playdowns. Huerlimann was a WCF executive board member for seven years and served as vice-president from 2010 through 2012. "This great news came out of the blue," he said. "I am delighted to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and very thankful to the World Curling Federation. For the past 40 years, curling has been a major part of my life on and off the ice. "Curling means so much to me and I am truly honoured with this nomination and to be part of the great ones of ouur much loved game. Davante Adams Jersey. ." Ramsfjell, from Norway, played in 15 world championships and won gold in 1979, 1984 and 1988. He took silver in 1978 and 1980 and won bronze on four occasions (1983, 1987, 1989 and 1991). Ramsfjell won the gold medal when curling was a demonstration sport at the 1988 Calgary Olympics and earned bronze at the Nagano Games 10 years later. "My curling career has given me many highlights and I have been grateful for every one of those experiences," he said. "However, this recognition is truly outstanding. I am deeply honoured to be joining some of the greats of previous generations and must thank the Norwegian Curling Association for nominating me and the World Curling Federation for inducting me into the Hall of Fame." Ferbey won his first two national titles as a third for Pat Ryans team. His next four Brier wins came as skip of the "Ferbey Four" rink, which included Dave Nedohin, Scott Pfeifer and Marcel Rocque. Ferbey, who threw third rocks for that team, shares the record for most Brier wins as a skip (four) with Ernie Richardson and Kevin Martin. "Randys achievements on the ice over the years speak for themselves," said CCA chief executive officer Greg Stremlaw. "Equally important, Randy was always accessible to our great curling fans, and made a lot of friends for the sport with his outgoing nature. "The Canadian Curling Association is thrilled to see him recognized with induction into the World Curling Hall of Fame." Last year, Canadas Ron Northcott and Don Duguid were the inductees. Prior to 2012, the WCF awarded the World Curling Freytag Award. It was named after the late Elmer Freytag of the U.S. Curling Association, who was a founding member of the International Curling Federation (now the WCF). Previous Freytag honourees from Canada include Ray Kingsmith (2011), Sandra Schmirler (2009), Shirley Morash (2001), Richardson (2000), Colin Campbell (1990), Bob Picken (1987), Don McLeod (1985), Mabel Deware (1983), Doug Maxwell (1981) and Ken Watson (1978). ' ' '
