ADELBODEN, Switzerland -- Ted Ligety and Marcel Hirschers latest World Cup giant slalom duel is set to go ahead Saturday despite unseasonably warm weather in the Swiss mountains. Anquan Boldin Jersey . Adelboden race chief Hans Pieren said Friday that temperatures reached 20 C (68 F) on the course the previous day, as Europe experiences warmth while North America freezes. "It will be like spring, with water splashing up from the snow on your legs," Ligety, who won the GS race here last year, told The Associated Press. Team coaches were told Friday that Adelboden had recorded its hottest January temperature since it was a venue in the debut World Cup season of 1967. "We have tried everything we can and we have enough snow," Pieren said. Sunshine and temperatures of at least 6 C (43 F) are forecast Saturday for the two-run race, staged over fields which are cow pasture in summer. Ligety, the world champion and World Cup title holder in giant slalom, and Hirscher, the Austrian two-time defending overall World Cup winner, have combined to win all four races in the discipline this season. They have been joined on the podium by Alexis Pinturault of France in five of the past seven World Cup GS races, since Ligetys victory here one year ago. Austrian head coach Mathias Berthold suggested the soft conditions could open up the race beyond the dominant trio. "It might be a little easier for the others to catch up," Berthold said. "Its kind of hard to predict." Tramaine Brock Jersey . Gretzky was asked if he believes Montreal Canadiens defenceman PK Subban should be on Canadas blueline in February at the Sochi Olympics. "Im not going to get in the middle of that controversy because Stevie Yzerman obviously knows what hes doing, he won a gold medal in 2010," said Gretzky. Kendall Hunter Jersey . Even after the late injury dramas within the All Blacks squad, with captain Richie McCaw, Dan Carter and Mils Muliaina dropping out of the match, they were still far too superior to a second-string Japan.PHILADELPHIA -- Strong defence makes St. Johns a tough opponent, even if the Red Storm dont get a win to show for it. Darrun Hilliard scored 18 points, Ryan Arcidiacono had 12 and No. 9 Villanova beat St. Johns 57-54 on Saturday. It was the second straight win for Villanova (24-3, 12-2 Big East) since its second loss of the season to No. 11 Creighton. "That was old-school, Big East basketball," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "Ugly. Great defence. Physical. You had to be physically and mentally tough to play that game. It was the Big East. Im glad to see our conference at that level. It was just the kind of game in the 80s when I was an assistant here." DAngelo Harrison had 15 points for St. Johns (18-10, 8-7), Rysheed Jordan scored 13 and JaKarr Sampson had 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Red Storms six-game winning streak ended. "It was a Big East battle right to the end," Red Storm coach Steve Lavin said. "We punched and counter-punched right until the end in a hostile environment." Though moral victories dont show up in the standings, games like this increase St. Johns NCAA tournament chances. "If you know basketball, our team is coming together," Lavin said. "Now its up to us how we play the last two weeks." Wright thinks the Red Storm should get an invitation to the field of 68. "I think we can get five teams in on a year when our conference is down," Wright said. "Rivalries are getting interesting. Im getting excited about this league." Arcidiacono banked a three-pointer from the top of the circle to give Villanova a 53-50 lead with 3:43 left. After the Red Storm missed a shot, JayVaughn Pinkston grabbed two key offensive rebounds for the Wildcats and Hilliard made a free throw. St. Johns went 3:36 without a point before Sampsons free throw with 1:14 remainingg. Aldon Smith Jersey. Arcidiacono then threw away the inbound pass following a timeout, and Harrison made a driving layup to cut it to 54-53. Daniel Ochefu made one of two free throws to give Villanova a two-point lead with 34 seconds left. With a chance to tie or give the Red Storm a lead, Phil Greene IV was called for travelling with 14 seconds to go. Arcidiaconos free throw made it 56-53. But the Red Storm couldnt get a three-point shot off and Harrison was fouled going for a layup with 1.5 seconds left. He made the first free throw and purposely missed the second, but a lane violation gave the ball to Villanova. "We were trying to get a three, but just couldnt do it," Harrison said. Josh Hart made one free throw and the Red Storm missed a desperation three-point shot at the buzzer. "Its frustrating," Sampson said. "We knew it was a big game. We just have to look forward to the next one." St. Johns came in allowing the second-fewest points in the nation (68.0). They also had the top field goal percentage defence and three-point percentage defence. It showed as the Red Storm forced 15 turnovers and held the Wildcats 23 points below their average (80.7). The Wildcats tied for the fewest points they have scored in a win this season. James Bell hit a three-pointer to give Villanova its biggest lead, 44-38, in the second half. But the Red Storm answered with a 9-3 run capped by SirDominic Pointers driving layup that tied it at 47. After both teams traded misses and turnovers for two minutes, Bell drained another three for a 50-47 with 5:52 left. Villanova, which beat St. Johns 74-67 at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 11, jumped to an 8-0 lead behind two threes by Hilliard. The Red Storm scored the next nine points and the teams played a tight, defensive first half that ended with Villanova leading 28-27. wholesale nfl jerseys ' ' '
