The Daily Fives for January 6th, 2011 from the Sports Mac

Top Five Stories from Yesterday

1. The 2011 Baseball Hall of Fame Class will start with two players, as Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven are inducted by the baseball writers.

2. The University of Michigan fires head coach Rich Rodriguez after only compiling 15 wins in three seasons and suffering the worst bowl loss in the program’s history.

3. The Spurs lose for the second straight night on the road, falling to the Celtics in Boston.

4. The Saints have a major problem in the backfield after the team places RB Pierre Thomas on season-ending injured reserve, as he joins his running mate Chris Ivory.

5. Russia comes from three goals down with five in the final frame to beat Canada and win the World Junior Hockey Championships.

Top Five Games from Yesterday

1. Bobcats 108, Timberwolves 105, overtime: Charlotte got the game-winning jumper from D.J. Augustin with 76 seconds remaining to get the road victory over Minnesota.

2. Rangers 2, Hurricanes 1, overtime: Matt Zuccarello scored his first NHL goal with less than two minutes left in overtime to give New York the home win over Carolina.

3. Nets 96, Bulls 94: Sasha Vujacic made a layup with five seconds left to lift New Jersey to an impressive home win over Chicago.

4. Thrashers 3, Panthers 2: Rich Peverley scored his second of the night early in the second period for a two-goal cushion as Atlanta hung on for the road win in Florida.

5. Yale 77, Holy Cross 76, overtime: Austin Morgan converted a three-point play with seven seconds left in the extra session to lead the Bulldogs to the road win over the Crusaders.

Top Five Performances from Yesterday

1. Kevin Love, Timberwolves PF: 35 points and 15 rebounds in Minnesota’s 108-105 overtime home loss to Charlotte.

2. Roberto Luongo, Canucks G: 43 saves on 44 shots in Vancouver’s 3-1 home win over Calgary.

3.  Charles Jenkins, Hofstra G: 32 points and eight assists in the Pride’s 87-74 win over George Mason.

4. Alex Goligoski, Penguins D: A goal and three assists in Pittsburgh’s 8-1 demolition of Tampa Bay.

5. Kevin Martin, Rockets G: 45 points and four assists in Houston’s 103-100 home loss to Portland.

Five Performances That Weren’t So Good from Yesterday

1. Duane Roloson, Lightning G: Gave up five goals on just 23 shots and was pulled from the game twice in Tampa Bay’s 8-1 loss to Pittsburgh.

2. Ersan Ilyasova, Bucks PF: Just 2-of-10 shooting and only five points in Milwaukee’s 97-87 loss to Orlando.

3. Kauri Black, Northeastern F: Just 2-of-8 shooting and only four points in the Huskies' 49-34 loss to Old Dominion.

4. Sean Bergenheim, Lightning LW: Had a minus-three and two penalty minutes in Tampa Bay’s 8-1 loss to Pittsburgh.

5. C.J. Miles, Jazz SF: Just 2-of-7 shooting and only six points in Utah’s 110-87 loss to Atlanta.

Top Five Events to Follow Today

1. NCAA BB: Xavier (8-4) at No. 25 Cincinnati (14-0), 7:00 PM, ESPN2: The intercity rivals meet with the Bearcats looking to continue their surprising start to their season.

2. NHL: Penguins (26-12-3) at Canadiens (21-16-3), 7:30 PM, NHL Network: Pittsburgh beat up the Lightning, who were playing back-to-back nights; how do Sid & Co. respond in Montreal?

3. NBA: Thunder (23-13) at Mavericks (26-8), 8:00 PM, TNT: Oklahoma City makes the trip to their regional rivals, who must adjust to life without star Caron Butler.

4. NCAA FB: GoDaddy.com Bowl: Middle Tennessee State (6-6) vs. Miami (Ohio) (9-4), 8:00 PM, ESPN: The MAC champs look to finish an impressive turnaround against the Blue Raiders.

5. NCAA BB: Northwestern (9-3) at No. 20 Illinois (12-3), 9:30 PM, ESPN2: The rivals meet for the first time this season with the Illini looking to stay perfect in Big Ten play.