humbled to receive this award, Barrett said. Its a team game and I accept it on behalf of the team.Earlier in the night, Englands Maro Itoje had picked up the Breakthrough of the Yearr award,

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Kansas coach Bill Self was asked not long ago about the Jayhawks early schedule, and he wryly gazed across the room at several school administrators and responded with his own question.Who thought this was a good idea? he said.Few teams play tougher nonconference schedules than the third-ranked Jayhawks, which is a big reason why their RPI is always among the best in the country. But theyve taken it up a notch this year, playing No. 11 Indiana in their opener Friday night before facing top-ranked Duke on Tuesday.Oh, and those two games will take place 5,000 miles apart.I think to get a couple of blue-bloods to play, I think it will be a great game, said Self, whose Jayhawks face the Hoosiers in Honolulu before turning around to play the Blue Devils in New York.Self may have poked fun at school officials for their brutal first week, but in reality he wouldnt have it any other way. The game in Hawaii is part of the Armed Forces Classic, and roughly coincides with the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, while the game at Madison Square Garden is part of the Champions Classic doubleheader that also features second-ranked Kentucky and No. 14 Michigan State.These are the kinds of games that top-rated recruits want to play, and the kind that give Kansas the national exposure that it takes to reel them in.I mean, its hard. You play national, traditional powers, the league will be great, all these things, Self said. But when it was brought to me to have a chance to play in kind of the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor and what that could mean from an educational standpoint with our guys and everything, I think that was something like, `Yeah, emotionally weve got to do that.Of course, then he realized how the flight itinerary will look.Were taking three planes over there. Weve got to take three planes back to New York. We cant even travel together, Self said. And its certainly not going to be easy coming back to play after that trip, and all we did was set ourselves up to have a tough opening start.At least Spartans coach Tom Izzo can commiserate.Michigan State plays No. 10 Arizona in the other part of the Armed Forces Classic on Friday night, then will take a similar trip to New York for its game against the Wildcats.In fact, the Spartans may have an even more daunting November than Kansas. They return from New York for two games at the Breslin Center before visiting the Blue Devils in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.Weve never had a November where we played three or four top teams, opponents. This year were going to probably have a minimum of four, Izzo said. I dont know what that means. It means that were going to find out early exactly where we are, like we always do. The travel makes it a little more brutal, a little more concerning with the number of young guys.Likewise, Hoosiers coach Tom Crean welcomes the challenge of facing the Jayhawks to start the year.Were going to go against one of the hardest-nosed, toughest-minded, best-coached teams in the country, he said. And really, what it does is it just kind of increases your urgency a little bit in the non-season. And theres not a day that goes by that I dont reference one of those two teams at least four or five times in something that were doing.Two teams? Oh, right. The Hoosiers wrap November by playing sixth-ranked North Carolina .But the marquee nonconference matchups are part of college basketballs appeal. Even a team that loses one -- or all -- of its high-profile games wont hurt its chances of making the NCAA Tournament, while a similar loss or two in college football can end a teams championship hopes.Rather, the games serve as an early barometer for where a team stands, exposes flaws that can be addressed before league play, and toughens teams up for the brutal grind of March.I think our guys will rally around that, Self said of the grinding start to the season, and certainly if they are fatigued, they wont play fatigued.---For more AP college basketball coverage: http://collegebasketball.ap.org/ Tom Wilson Jersey . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. Jonas Siegenthaler Capitals Jersey . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. http://www.officialcapitalsfanstore.com/authentic-dale-hunter-capitals-jersey/ . Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Tom Wilson Capitals Jersey . With his new coach and six-time Grand Slam singles champion Boris Becker watching him during an official match for the first time, Djokovic appeared tentative early against the Slovakian player, who often appeared content to keep the ball in play. John Carlson Capitals Jersey . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. New Zealand dominated the World Rugby awards once again on Sunday night, as Beauden Barrett was named mens Player of the Year.Barrett was joined in collecting a gong by Steve Hansen, who scooped Coach of the Year for the fourth time in five years, while the record-breaking All Blacks received a seventh successive Team of the Year award.Im hugely proud and humbled to receive this award, Barrett said. Its a team game and I accept it on behalf of the team.Earlier in the night, Englands Maro Itoje had picked up the Breakthrough of the Yearr award, while the locks compatriot, Sarah Hunter was named Womens Player of the Year.ddddddddddddAll Blacks fly-half Barrett has enjoyed a stellar 2016, guiding the Hurricanes to Super Rugby success while piloting the All Blacks as they completed a record run of 18 straight Test victories.The 25-year-olds success ensured that Itoje was denied a double, having been nominated for both individual mens awards. ' ' '