November 17, 2008 Table Of Contents
SI Bonus Section: Golf Plus
Fighting for his card in the season-ending Tour event, a humble rookie known more for his gloves than his game pushed veteran Davis Love III all the way to the finish line
Still high from the Ryder Cup, U.S. captain Paul Azinger is waiting for the big win to have an impact on his career
More Tour cards to Nationwide pros
By Jim Gorant
By Jim Murphy
By Jim McGovern
A Bhutanese teen takes a big swing and overcomes the odds
By Rick Lipsey
SI Players: LIFE ON AND OFF THE FIELD
How the Giants—and the NFL—took Manhattan
By Mark Bechtel
Ravaged by the mortgage crisis, a team and a town try to lift each other's spirits
By Lee Jenkins
A benched Marbury ponders a return to high school
By Chris Mannix
Strange days in the beautiful game
By Mark Bechtel
What to watch and watch for
By Sarah Kwak
By Dan Patrick
SI.com
PRO FOOTBALL
Once famed for his oddball alter egos—Coach Janky Spanky? Sheriff Gonna Getcha?—the Redskins running back found new purpose following the murder of his friend and teammate Sean Taylor. Now Portis is tearing up the league and leading a football resurgence in Washington
By Damon Hack
After a disconcerting first year in Miami, the linebacker benefits from a coaching change
By Jim Trotter
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Finishing off their blocks as precisely as they complete each other's sentences, inseparable twins Maurkice and Mike Pouncey clear the way for Florida's revived rushing attack
By Albert Chen
A dramatic finish won Alabama a spot in the SEC title game, but the Tide will have to play better against Florida
PRO BASKETBALL
With two titans atop the organization and a Hall of Fame coach on the bench, the five-year-old Bobcats should be a franchise on the rise. Instead, they remain ensnared in mediocrity
HOCKEY
At 16 he was the U.S.'s Sidney Crosby. At 19 he found out he had cancer. At 20 he was benched in the playoffs. Now, at 21, the Boston Bruins' Phil Kessel has finally arrived
College Basketball Preview
Tougher shots from behind a new men's three-point line and more stay-in-school stars to cheer mark a 2008--09 season that has several schools with men's and women's teams in national contention
By Grant Wahl
Some of the brightest stars from college hoops' dual powerhouses dish on who's got game
The odyssey of Hasheem Thabeet began in one of the most remote hoops hinterlands. Soon, perhaps, it will take the UConn 7-footer to an unimaginably big stage—bigger even than the first round of the NBA draft.
By Luke Winn
Last season Connecticut forward Maya Moore put together the most magnificent freshman campaign in women's hoops history. Now the hypercompetitive Husky has set her sights on a national title
Connecticut may be the pick to win it all, but the Huskies will have to fight off a deeper field of contenders than usual in the women's top 20
Listings of the most honorable, the up-and-comers, the new hires and the next tournament upstarts
There'll Be No Stopping the Heels This Year, But the Coach Wants More Stops on D
By Seth Davis
A Beleaguered Guard, Back From Another Injury, Hopes His Fifth Try Is the Charm
By Luke Winn
The Bruins' Chances for Another Final Four Are Fab, Thanks to Five Top Recruits
By Lee Jenkins
Watch the Cards Carefully. They're Playing With a Loaded Deck
By Mark Beech
A Single-Digit Scorer Who Controls Games on D Stokes the Boilermakers
By Luke Winn
The Irish Have A Fighting Shot at a Title Thanks to a Trigger-happy Guard
By Luke Winn
The Blair Weight Project Has a Panthers Big Man Slimmer and Ready to Run
By Mark Beech
More Muscular In the Middle, The Blue Devils Are at Last Built for The Long Haul
By Seth Davis
A Versatile Star Is Thinking Big Now That He's Getting to Play Small Again
By Joe Lemire
The Vols' Backcourt Will Find Its Way By Going Through a Maze
A Rose-y Scenario Must Develop for The Tigers to Return to the Title Game
By Seth Davis
The Spartans' Floor Leader Is Speaking Up—and There's Talk of The Final Four
A Forward With Big Shoes To Fill Is Ready To Step Up and Make the Zags Contenders
A Top-Rated Recruit and An Unfettered Forward Will Keep Up Big Man U's Tradition
The Golden Eagles Lack Size, but They'll Make Up for It In Speed and Experience
By Luke Winn
The Stars—And One in Particular—Are Aligned For the Sun Devils
By Grant Wahl
A Fun-Loving Star Makes the Sooners the Coaches' Pick To Win the Big 12. No Joke
Putting Curry In the Middle Of the Mix Could Give The Wildcats A Real Lift
By Grant Wahl
Thanks to a Star Guard, The Hurricanes Have Moved Up a Category In Intensity
By Joe Lemire
The Wildcats Are Putting Their Faith in A Pious Point Guard to Deliver Again
SI predicts the 45 automatic bids and at-large picks that will round out the tournament field
By Bill Trocchi
Inside
Edging TCU in the final minute to stay unbeaten, Utah moved closer to earning a BCS berth for the Mountain West
By Mark Beech
Stewart Mandel's Three-Point Stance
In a bold trade for Allen Iverson, the Pistons picked up a player who could provide the Answer to what ails them
By Ian Thomsen
A masterly win in Phoenix all but assured Jimmie Johnson of his third Cup title heading into the season finale
The story just keeps getting stranger in Oakland, but don't expect the commissioner to step in and fix it
By Jim Trotter
Bye weeks are done. Brush away backups for players with greater upside
By David Sabino
Point After
By Phil Taylor