Jose Mourinho’s side were accused of being overly defensive in the 0-0 Premier League draw with Liverpool at Anfield last week and produced an unconvincing display in their 1-0 Champions League win at Benfica on Wednesday. However, speaking ahead of their trip to Huddersfield Town, Smalling insists United are usually the team trying to attack despite their determination to keep the opposition at bay. “You can see that we have attacking players, albeit they still have to defend when Liverpool have those attacks,” he told Sky Sports....

When approached with the survey results by IndyStar, Notre Dame reportedly responded with an email that included a written statement — which is not available in entirety in the story — defending the leprechaun and its history. “It is worth noting … that there is no comparison between Notre Dame’s nickname and mascot and the Indian and warrior names (and) mascots used by other institutions such as the NFL team formerly known as the Redskins,” the school told IndyStar....

The university and Under Armour announced a 10-year agreement in which Under Armour will design and supply the Fighting Irish’s footwear, apparel, training equipment and uniforms for all men’s and women’s teams. MORE: Top 10 teams for 2014 | Who’s Irish’s most iconic player? CHECK IT OUT: Notre Dame special uniform from last season Notre Dame’s uniform supplier had been Adidas for the past 17 seasons. "Notre Dame is the standard-bearer of excellence in collegiate athletics and is one of the most recognizable and admired universities in the world," Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank said in a statement....

And if that happens to disadvantage Notre Dame? Deal with it, athletic director Jack Swarbrick has told his coaches. “I’m not concerned about competitive advantage or disadvantage,” Swarbrick told reporters on a Zoom conference Tuesday afternoon. “I accepted long ago in this pandemic that’s a natural consequence, and I have told our coaches over and over again: Do not focus on that issue. Focus on health; your health, your staff’s health and, most important, the health of our students....

“Though disappointed in the decision the school has just recently made after 2 longs months of waiting for a decision to come, I accept it and will make sure I spend my time away efficiently,” Russell wrote in the posting on Instagram. Notre Dame spokesman Michael Bertsch confirmed the posting was from Russell. Russell didn’t reply to telephone messages or texts from The Associated Press. Russell, who was expected to be one of the team’s top players, and four other players have been held out of practices and games since August while the university determined if they were involved in academic dishonesty....

(Warning: graphic photos ahead) MORE: National title game: Five things to watch | Christian McCaffrey scores 75-yard touchdown on first play of Rose Bowl Smith eventually got to his feet and left the field gingerly with assistance from the Irish medical staff. Several minutes later, he was taken off the sideline on a cart with a brace over his left knee. After the game, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly described it as a “significant knee injury”....

Playing without leading scorer Jerian Grant mattered little to the Fighting Irish in their first-ever game in the Atlantic Coast Conference, which resulted in a 79-77 victory over the No. 7 Blue Devils behind 19 points from point guard Eric Atkins, 16 from wing Pat Connaughton and 14 from center Garrick Sherman.
MORE: Jabari a no-show | Connaughton’s monster dunk | How the unbeatens fared Duke star freshman Jabari Parker endured a miserable day, perhaps his toughest as a collegian, shooting 2-of-10 from the floor and scoring 7 points....

With the victory, the Bulldogs pick up a signature win that figures to go a long way in their pursuit of the College Football Playoff. MORE: Watch Notre Dame vs. Georgia live on fuboTV Georgia stymied a Notre Dame offense that entered the day averaging 50.5 points per game after big wins over Louisville and New Mexico. Ian Book was particularly pestered in the second half, recording two interceptions and causing the Irish to fall into a double-digit hole early in the fourth quarter....

Robinson was elected student body president Wednesday and will begin his term April 1, The Observer reported. MORE: SN early Top 20 | 30 players who could play hoops too Robinson, a liberal studies major, said last month when he announced his campaign that he’s gotten “all of my hard work out of the way this semester,” and will be able to handle the responsibilities of a collegiate athlete and student body president....

Tennis’ oldest Grand Slam seems to give us some of the sport’s greatest matches and Sunday’s final was certainly one we’ll never be able to forget. The marathon match between the two greats set the record for longest final in Wimbledon history (four hours, 55 minutes) and was the first to go to a fifth-set tiebreaker after The All England Club instituted a new rule last October. MORE: Live tennis scores, full draw, bracket at All England Club...

For Taiwan’s government, it could turn out to be a “mad pig” crisis. The outbreak carries many of the same social, economic and political risks as Britain’s “mad cow” fiasco, though without the threat to human life. In a country that has one pig for every two people, pork is a mainstay of the diet and a valuable export. The epidemic could cost Taiwan $3 billion in lost sales, eliminating 50,000 jobs and shaving half a point from the island’s projected 1997 economic growth rate of about 6 percent....

Not that it’s all practical stuff, mind you. Most speeches tend to be filled with platitudes about compassion, public service, following your dreams, measuring success on your own terms, taking risks and seizing the day–while never forgetting that nothing matters more than family and friends (let’s say it all together now: on his deathbed, nobody wishes he had spent more time at the office). But the point of this college guide is to give you advice you can use right now....

Lounge styles run the gamut from classy to kitschy. In New York, suave slackers are drawn to dimly lit, couch-filled boites like the Tenth Street Lounge, Fez and MercBar. Others dress in Rat Pack Retro at spots like Marion’s, a JFK-era-style bistro in New York, or L.A.’s Lava Lounge: a Honolulu-themed bar with cork-bead curtains and fish-tank-backed bar. Some scenesters rub elbows with their well-heeled elders: nibbling caviar at Miami Beach’s Lua or cutting a zebra-skin rug to jazz at Otto’s in Atlanta....

Welch first, because it’s easier. Welch, of course, is the prototypical celebrity CEO. Last week he departed GE’s employ to huzzahs, honors and slobbering news coverage. This despite the fact that Welch’s last deal, the proposed purchase of Honeywell, collapsed. And that he’s taking goodbye goodies from GE that would have gotten almost any other CEO flayed alive: lifetime financial planning, lifetime use of GE corporate limos and jets, lifetime golf-club membership....

At the WHO meeting, delegates will discuss the variant, named B.1.1.529, and its implications for vaccines, testing, emerging symptoms and medicinal therapies. If the organization determines that B.1.1.529 is a variant of interest or concern, it will be assigned a Greek letter name—just like Delta, Alpha and Beta before it. The B.1.1.529 variant is already being called “Nu” in some quarters, but it remains to be seen if this will become its official name....

The figures come from the second global fusion industry report published by the Fusion Industry Association (FIA). It shows that the amount of private investment in fusion amounts to $4.7 billion in total, dwarfing the $117 million of public investment declared by the companies surveyed. Of the total, $2.83 billion in new funding was declared in the year since the previous survey. Nuclear fusion refers to the process of combining two atomic nuclei together, which creates one single heavier atom in addition to huge amounts of energy as a byproduct....

In the second quarter of Thursday night’s Western Conference finals contest, Murray drove right down the middle of the lane and took off toward the rim. He appeared to be in trouble when Lakers forward LeBron James arrived ready to reject Murray’s shot attempt, but the 23-year-old executed a ridiculous up-and-under that brought the Denver crowd — well, it would have brought the Denver crowd to its feet under normal circumstances....

MORE: Nurkic quietly becomes a stud | Lawson posts video of Shaw rapping Assets It’s been a steep drop from the stretch in which Denver won 50 or more games for five consecutive non-lockout seasons. Brian Shaw didn’t make it through his second season as coach, and now the Nuggets are a mess. The good news is that they do have assets, though their value has been downgraded. After all, who would have thought before the season that Denver’s haul for Arron Afflalo only would be a 2016 pick from the Trail Blazers or that they would have to include a first-rounder to get the 76ers to take JaVale McGee’s contract?...

Well, apparently the Nuggets, who play the Cavaliers on Friday, are sick of hearing about the “Big 3.” They decided to ignore their existence completely when promoting the big game on Twitter. MORE: Charles Barkley not eating (maybe) until Lakers win | Derrick Rose and Jabari Parker #tbt picture | LeBron James channels Aaron Rodgers: ‘RELAX’ A pretty ingenious and passive way to troll the Cavaliers, to say the least....