Bridges has really stepped forward as a key sixth man thus

LONDON -- Novak Djokovic was embroiled in a tetchy exchange with reporters after defeating Dominic Thiem in his Tour Finals opener.The Serb -- who was overtaken as world No. 1 by Andy Murray this week -- had earlier appeared to vent his frustrations after losing a first-set tiebreaker in his 6-7 (10), 6-0, 6-2 victory.He nearly tagged his coach Boris Becker with a ball seemingly struck in the direction of his players box, and was given a code violation by chair umpire Carlos Bernardes.It was suggested to Djokovic in his postmatch news conference that he had been close to potentially hitting a spectator in the crowd, which could have resulted in him automatically defaulting the match.It didnt go down well with him. You guys are unbelievable, he said. Youre always picking these kind of things.Im close? Im still not suspended, so if Im not close, Im not close. It could have been [serious], yes. It could have snowed in the O2 arena, as well, but it didnt.Im the only player that shows his frustration on the court? Thats what you are saying?It is not an issue for me. Its not the first time I did it.Indeed, Djokovic also flirted with more serious punishment when he vented his frustrations in the Roland Garros quarterfinals earlier this year.After missing a break point in the second game of the third set of that 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 win against Tomas Berdych, Djokovic went to smash his racket into the dirt, only to see it slip out of his hand and fly into the back wall on Philippe Chatrier Court.Djokovic admitted at the time he was lucky -- had he hit the nearby line judge, who was forced to take evasive action, he could possibly have been disqualified.Instead, he escaped with a warning for racket abuse after quickly apologizing to chair umpire Eva Asderaki Moore in Paris.[It was a] high intensity, high level of tennis in the first set, Djokovic continued in his news conference. We didnt really give each other too many chances. I think we each only had one break point. We both went for shots. A lot of long rallies. It was over an hour, the first set.When I had the great comeback of saving six set points, then I didnt manage to win that first set, of course youre frustrated. On the other hand, you know, I think I managed to kind of compose myself and really gather all my attention and concentration to what was coming up after that.The great start of the second set helped me to regroup.Djokovic is chasing a record-equaling sixth Tour Finals title in London, which would see him immediately regain the No. 1 ranking form Murray. Rickey Jackson Saints Jersey . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. Erik McCoy Saints Jersey .J. 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The No. 3-ranked and defending national champion Villanova Wildcats look to stay undefeated when they open play in the Gildan Charleston Classic beginning Thursday.Villanova -- which opened the season with a 40-point home win against Lafayette and a clutch three-point road win at No. 15 Purdue on Monday -- will face Western Michigan at 11:30 a.m. ET (ESPN2). The winner of that game will advance to Fridays semifinal round against either UTEP or Wake Forest.Preseason All-America candidate Josh Hart paced the Wildcats with 24 points in the win against the Boilermakers. Hart has scored 37 points in the two victories.Like last season, the Wildcats are receiving contributions up and down the roster anchored by Hart. In addition, guard Jalen Brunson (13.5 points per game), Kris Jenkins (12 ppg), and Mikal Bridges (11.5 ppg) have all been solid. Bridges and Darryl Reynolds have combined to pull down 27 rebounds.Its November -- weve got to get a lot better, Villanova head coach Jay Wright said after the win at Purdue. We really had trouble stopping them on the interior. You just cant simulate that kind of size and skill in practice.Bridges has really stepped forward as a key sixth man thus far.Kris and Josh did it. Kyle Lowry did it, Wright said. We have had a lot of guys in that position. They have had a lot of success. Mikal has watched it all even before he came here and hes really smart. As soon as I told him that hes playing starter minutes, he gets it. Hes really humble. I need to look at mminutes, but hes going to be in the game a lot.ddddddddddddWhen the game is on the line, as well.Western Michigan will enter this tournament with a 1-1 record. It recorded a 90-74 win over Marygrove College and then most recently fell 77-60 at Oakland Monday night.Guard-forward Tucker Haymond scored 20 points against Marygrove and added 12 more against Oakland.They were getting rebounds and getting out on fast breaks off of our missed shots and they got some really good looks on those fast breaks, Western Michigan head coach Steve Hawkins said after the loss at Oakland. We are going to have some bumps and bruises along with the way with the team that we have this season, but its the response those that I am really looking at.Next up is a matchup against the No. 3 team in the country.Were going to look towards the next possession and get ready to take on Villanova, the national champions, on Thursday, Hawkins said.Western Michigan 7-foot sophomore center Seth Dugan swept a career-best 15 rebounds against Oakland. Junior Thomas Wilder led the way with 13 points while freshman Brandon Johnson contributed 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting.The Broncos were picked to finish fifth in the West Division in the preseason voting. The poll was put together by the leagues 12 head coaches and a 24-member Mid-American Conference panel.Western Michigan finished 13-19 last season. ' ' '