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PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -- Michigan State coach Tom Izzo can see the positives and negatives all jumbled together for his 24th-ranked Spartans, from the good stretches where the ball goes inside to the bad ones when his team fires up quick 3-point attempts.Its still not smooth for us, the Hall of Fame coach said after Wednesdays 73-62 victory over St. Johns in the Battle 4 Atlantis. It might not be for a while.Freshman Miles Bridges had 22 points and a season-high 15 rebounds to lead the Spartans (3-2), who used a 17-4 burst midway through the second half to pull away late and build a 67-53 lead with about 2 1/2 minutes left.Eron Harris added 14 points for the Spartans, while Tum Tum Nairn Jr. -- a native of nearby Nassau -- matched his career high of 13 points in his return to the Bahamas.Michigan State has had a bumpy start to the season, starting with a loss to Arizona on a last-second basket in the opener. The Spartans managed just 48 points in a loss to current No. 1 Kentucky and barely beat Florida Gulf Coast at home over the weekend. Its part of a tough opening month that concludes with a trip to preseason No. 1 Duke in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.Theres some frustrating moments, and its not all their fault, Izzo said. Its just the cards weve been dealt. ... Im asking a lot of these guys. And you know what? Im going to keep demanding it because thats what we do here.Marcus LoVett scored 20 points to lead the Red Storm (2-2), who shot around 31 percent and couldnt answer Michigan States clinching push.We tried everything -- inside, outside, we tried pick and roll, St. Johns coach Chris Mullin said. We got enough looks but didnt knock any down. When you shoot 30 percent, you arent going to win a game.BIG PICTURESt. Johns: When LoVett was hitting (13 points after halftime), St. Johns was right with Michigan State. But the Red Storm struggled most of the game, while Mullin particularly noted the teams eight assists as a sign of how the ball stuck.Thats really not the kind of game I want to play, Mullin said.Michigan State: The performance of Bridges and fellow freshman Nick Ward could be a welcome sign of hope for Michigan States frontcourt, which is down two big men due to knee injuries. Ward finished with nine points and a season-high 11 rebounds, and the Spartans desperately need more games like that from them going forward.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Spartans have slid significantly in the AP Top 25 from their No. 12 preseason spot, though they could start climbing again by getting through an Atlantis field that also includes No. 10 Louisville and No. 20 Baylor.DOMINANT BRIDGESThe 6-foot-7 Bridges had a double-double by halftime and finished 9 of 18 from the field, including 3 for 5 from 3-point range. He had three assists and one block in 35 minutes.Im just doing whatever Coach wants me to do, Bridges said. Wherever he puts me at, Im trying to create for others, score for myself, rebound. Like I said, if people double-team me, I can get my teammates open. Thats what I like to do: I like to see my teammates score more than I do.TUM TUMS BIG NIGHTNairn, a 5-foot-10 junior, had scored nine points through the first four games but blew past that with 11 after halftime. He hit 3 of 4 3-point attempts after never hitting more than one in any game in his career.There was also his highlight-reel moment when he threw down a huge dunk in transition to thrill the large gathering of family and friends on hand to catch his return to the Bahamas.UP NEXTSt. Johns: The Red Storm will face VCU on Thursday in the losers bracket on Day 2 of the three-games-in-three-days event.Michigan State: The Spartans advanced to Thursdays semifinals to face No. 20 Baylor, which beat VCU earlier Wednesday.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 Len Dawson Chiefs Jersey . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Joe Montana Jersey . Emery skated the length of the ice and fought an unwilling Holtby during the third period of the Flyers 7-0 loss Friday night in Philadelphia. He was given 29 penalty minutes, including a game misconduct. But Emery did not face even a disciplinary hearing with NHL senior vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan because rules 46. http://www.thechiefsshoponline.com/Youth-juan-thornhill-chiefs-jersey/ . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. Len Dawson Youth Jersey .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled forward Kevin Porter and defenceman Chad Ruhwedel from the minors as part of a five-player roster shuffle made by the NHLs worst team. Custom Kansas City Chiefs Jerseys . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period. The trying times for constructing fantasy lineups appear to be over: most of your better players should be available in Week 12.Of course, injuries and tough individual matchups always make it a challenge to set the ideal lineup. And with the fantasy playoffs getting closer, there seems to be more pressure surrounding every move.Dont go crazy second-guessing yourself. Your first instinct when making a tight decision is often your better one.TARGETING GB DEFENSEThe Packers defense has allowed 40 points in consecutive games and over 30 in its last four. Injuries at linebacker and in the secondary have made the Green Bay defense into a weekly unit to target for fantasy purposes. Philadelphia lacks notable playmakers at wide receiver, but the Pack allows 28.4 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers, the most in the league. Jordan Matthews has been a disappointment this year but is a must-start this week. Dorial Green-Beckham scored last week and can be used in larger leagues. Wendell Smallwood could get a lot of work at running back this week and deserves strong flex consideration. He is versatile and the Eagles may move the ball very well against the Packers, ensuring he gets enough significant work as both a runner and receiver. Smallwood might play an expanded role in the Philadelphia backfield this week because of injuries.AND NEW ENGLANDSNew Englands defense allowed 17 points and 299 yards to an inferior 49ers offense last week and 56 points in the two games prior to that. The Jets will re-insert Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback this week and wont play dead in a home game for pride. New England allows 21.1 FFPG to opposing wide receivers, and even though Brandon Marshall has underachieved statistically, you can confidently start him as your third fantasy wide receiver this week. Matt Forte has rushed for four TDs in his past four games and is a solid start, and Bilal Powell should be busy enough as a receiver to help as a flex play in point-per-reception formats.WINSTON VS. SEATTLEJameis Winston has 11 touchdown passes and three 260-plus yard games in his last four outings. He should continue to fare well this week at home against Seattle. The Seahawks will be without starting cornerback Deshawn Shead, and even more importantly, All-Pro safety Earl Thomas. Winston should be able to find some openings in the Seattle secondary and can still be started for at least some adequate fantasy production this week.PARKER, LANDRY VS. SAN FRANCISCOThe 49ers have been historically awful against the run this year, allowing 179.5 yards per game. But San Francisco has also been generous against the pass, allowing 27.6 FFPG to opposing wide receivers, second-most in the league. Miami WR DeVante Parker has 13 catches for 182 yards in his last two games and is a very viable Week 12 starter.ddddddddddddJarvis Landry scored for the second time this year last week and should be in lineups as well as a third Fantasy WR.START ALL GIANTSThe winless Browns host the Giants, who are shaping up to be the third best team in the NFC. Eli Manning has thrown nine TD passes in his past three games. Running back Rashad Jennings has awakened to score 36 PPR points in his past two games, rushing for 80 yards in each with a TD in Week 11. Rookie WR Sterling Shepard has scored in three straight games and even TE Will Tye is useful this week. Clevelands defense is vulnerable in just about every area, so starting any Giants seems like a good choice this week.FREEMAN WITH COLEMAN BACKThe Falcons return from a bye and get Tevin Coleman back. But the Cardinals allow the least FFPG to opposing running backs at a 12.7 clip. Still, Coleman is explosive and can score from anywhere on the field as both a runner and receiver, so its hard not to use him as a flex option. His return means Devonta Freeman wont be overworked, and he should be started regardless of this tough matchup, as he has tallied double figure fantasy points in PPR leagues in seven of his past eight games.BENGALS REPLACEMENTSThe Bengals have lost both A.J. Green and Giovani Bernard to injuries. Baltimore allows 26.0 FFPG to opposing WRs, sixth-most in the league, so both Tyler Boyd and Brandon LaFell will have a chance to step forward this week. It may be Boyd, who is more likely to threaten a Ravens defense that has been vulnerable to big passing plays this season. Jeremy Hill will see an increased workload at RB now, but the Ravens are tied with the Cardinals as the best in the league against RBs in terms of fantasy points. Start Hill as your second fantasy running back because he always has considerable TD potential even if the yardage numbers are not outstanding.STREAM TITANS DEFENSEThe Titans could be the best streaming defensive option of the week against Bears QB Matt Barkley, who has nine career turnovers in just five games played in his career. Miamis defense allowed 10 points last week and had six sacks and six turnovers in the two games before that. The Dolphins are another fine defensive option at home vs. San Francisco. Other quality defensive options include the Giants at Cleveland, which yielded eight sacks last week, and the Ravens against an injury-weakened Bengals offense. An underrated Chargers defense is another option against a Texans passing game that does not scare many opponents.---This column was provided to The Associated Press by the Fantasy Sports Network, http://FNTSY.com ' ' '