Indiana might have lost the best point guard in the Big 10 Conference to graduation in Yogi Ferrell, but if the seasons first two games are any indication, it has regained perhaps the conferences most explosive scorer.Back from a torn right ACL he suffered last December, 6-foot-4 junior guard James Blackmon Jr. has scored 26 and 23 points in wins over Kansas and UMass Lowell, respectively. Blackmon is canning 55.2 percent of his field goal tries, including an impressive 9-of-17 on 3-pointers.Whats more, Blackmon has enjoyed 20-point halves in both games. He victimized Kansas in the second half and extra period of a 103-99 overtime win at the Armed Forces Classic in Honolulu, then picked up where he left off in the first half of Wednesdays 100-78 pounding of UMass Lowell with another 20 points.So Blackmon, Jr. will be in the spotlight again Saturday night when the sixth-ranked Hoosiers continue the Indiana Classic at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., against Liberty.I think theres a confidence when they look at him, Hoosiers coach Tom Crean said of Blackmon. James is a lot more explosive than what he was. Hes playing with more force. Hes playing downhill more. Hes covering more ground.I think the fact that hes moving the ball, that hes getting better defensively, thats a really good thing. To come back from an injury like that and to be a better athlete than he even was and be stronger like he is, that takes a little time for him to get used to.Blackmons presence forces opponents to respect him from 25 feet and in, leading to more scoring opportunities for teammates like 6-10 center Thomas Bryant (14 points per game, 7.5 rebounds), 6-8 forward OG Anunoby (14 points, 5.5 rebounds) and 6-3 point guard Robert Johnson (13 points, 3.5 assists).Indianas offense has been clicking on nearly all cylinders so far, canning 50 percent of its field goal attempts and nearly 45 percent on 3-pointers (26-of-58). Its ability to either get to the rim or create open 3s can test any defense.Liberty (1-1) will counter with a defense the Hoosiers have battled before -- the pack line scheme created by Dick Bennett and still run by the likes of Wisconsin and Virginia. Fourth-year coach Ritchie McKays squad held up-tempo VCU to 64 points in a five-point home loss Tuesday night.I thought everyone came in and battled, and you have to play well on the defensive end to have a chance, McKay said to the Lynchburg (Va.) News & Advance. And we had a chance.The Flames are expected to challenge Winthrop for the Big South Conference title with the return of four starters, plus the arrival of 6-7 freshman forward Brock Gardner. McKay, in his second stint as Liberty coach, said Gardner is the best player he has landed there since signing Seth Curry in 2008.Former Marquette guard John Dawson, a 6-2 senior, is the teams leading scorer at 14.5 points per game. Libertys tallest starter is 6-5, 255-pound forward Myo Baxter-Bell, which will put it at a serious disadvantage inside against the likes of Bryant and Anunoby.It is Indianas second game in the Indiana Classic and Libertys first. The Flames will host UMass Lowell, Mississippi Valley State and Central Penn in their other games in the event. The Hoosiers visit Fort Wayne and host Mississippi Valley State next week to finish their games in the event. Fjällräven Mini Kånken Rea . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. Fjällräven Kånken Ryggsäck Rea . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. http://www.fjallravenkankensverige.com/kanken-mini-ryggsack/fjallraven-kanken-rosa.html . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. Kånken Big Sverige . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. Kånken Ryggsäck Stor . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers pass rush has suddenly come alive -- and so too have the defending NFC champions.The Panthers have 12 sacks in their last two games leading to a pair of victories over the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams to improve to 3-5 on the season.It remains to be seen whether the Panthers have changed the course of their season. Theyll find out soon enough. Carolina hosts Kansas City (6-2) on Sunday, the start of an eight-game stretch that includes six games against teams with a winning record and three division leaders.We definitely feel like we still control our own destiny, said linebacker Thomas Davis, who had 10 tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble in Carolinas 13-10 win over the Rams . Its a really good feeling. You dont want to be at the mercy of anyone else. As long as we continue to string wins together and come away with the victory, thats all that matters.The Panthers have the leagues third-best run defense, allowing just 77.5 yards per game and a league-low 3.3 yards per carry. But their pass defense was a huge issue the first six weeks of the season, contributing to a 1-5 start.Carolina managed just 12 sacks in its first six games combined, but had eight against the Cardinals two weeks ago and four on Sunday.The Panthers 24 sacks are now third-most in the NFL.Carolinas defensive ends, which have struggled to get to the quarterback all season, accounted for three of those sacks on Sunday, two by pass rush specialist Mario Addison.Since the bye week, the Panthers have been rotating defensive ends more frequently trying to keep players fresh.The strategy seems to be working.We do a ton of rotation, coach Ron Rivera said. We liked what we did. We thought the guys up front gave us the perfect push and surge we needed.Rivera also said it helps that the Pantherss have gotten a lead in both games, allowing their defense to establish the pass rush.ddddddddddddPanthers linebacker Luke Kuechly called it a group effort on defense, saying the defensive linemen are getting a better push and the teams secondary -- which includes three rookie cornerbacks -- are improving in coverage. Rookie cornerback James Bradberry was able to play after missing the last three games with a turf toe injury. And veteran nickel cornerback Leonard Johnson, who is 2-0 since being activated from injury list, has provided a boost on passing downs.Our guys up front have done an excellent job these last few weeks, and a lot of credit goes to those guys, Kuechly said after Sundays win. A lot of the credit goes to the coaches for putting us in positions to be successful. Everybody tackles. Its fun to see those (rookie cornerbacks) really growing.Rams quarterback Case Keenum said the Panthers were good, but he made some mistakes that didnt help his team.There were a couple of times where I didnt move well enough in the pocket and it wasnt even pressure, I didnt have the pocket presence and didnt have a clear view on a few third-downs to pull the trigger, Rams quarterback Case Keenum said after the game.While Carolinas defense has improved, big games remain on the schedule including one more trip through the NFC South.Carolina was victimized early in the season by Atlantas Matt Ryan and New Orleans Drew Brees, who threw for a combined 968 yards and eight touchdowns. The Panthers host the Saints a week from Thursday in a rematch.The Panthers believe these two wins can help change the course of the season after a 1-5 start.---AP NFL website: http://pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '