some help from Wayne Bennett managed to get the deal over the line.ddddddddddddSaints had said to me theyd signed Mal just before I went out to Australia for the 1984 Great Britain

OMAHA, Neb. -- Contrasting styles of play will be on display Tuesday when ninth-ranked Wisconsin visits No. 22 Creighton in one of the Gavitt Tipoff Games.While the Badgers favor a disciplined, halfcourt type of game, the Bluejays like to get out and run, forcing teams to try to keep up with them in transition.Wisconsins philosophy has worked well, even last season when Greg Gard stepped in as head coach at midseason and led the Badgers to their fifth trip to the Sweet 16 in the past six years.The Badgers return all five starters from that team, including preseason Big Ten player of the year Nigel Hayes. Wisconsin (1-0) blew out Central Arkansas 79-47 in its opener.The Tipoff Games are an annual series between Big Ten and Big East conference teams and are named in honor Dave Gavitt, the founder of the Big East. This is the second year of an eight-year run for the event that is played during the first full week of the regular season.That level of success Wisconsin has enjoyed this decade is a standard the Bluejays are trying to reach. Creighton has missed the NCAA tournament the past two seasons and has not made it past the second round since 1974 when the Bluejays lost to Kansas in a regional semifinal.Junior guard Maurice Watson said this is the kind of game Creighton has been preparing for, to show this is the season the Bluejays can get past the round of 32.Basically Its just us testing our will and proving that were an elite team, Watson said. That we can hang with the teams that are in the top 10, top 15 in the country. Its about us going out there to prove to ourselves and our fans that we can hang at this level.Freshman center Justin Patton also is confident Creighton will be able to play a faster pace than Wisconsin prefers and get one of those coveted wins against a top 10 team.I just hope that as a team we can keep our composure and execute down the stretch, Patton said. If we just stay to our game plan, it will work out. Probably not early in the game, but late in the second half, things are going to start going our way. Were going to wear them down.Patton and Watson agree with Bluejays coach Greg McDermott that CenturyLink Center, the building that Creighton has turned into a formidable home court, will be the place to be in Omaha Tuesday night.McDermott can see the pros and cons of playing a game of this magnitude so early in the season.I think part of me would like a little more time to get ready for a test like this, McDermott said. On the other side of the coin, when you play good teams, and especially experienced teams, your weaknesses are exposed, so you have a chance to fix them early in the season.To play a team the quality of Wisconsin, with their experience and their veteran leadership, its great for our program and great for our fan base. This place will be rockin tomorrow.Watson is hopeful that the noise levels will rise because things are going Creightons way.They run their offense all the way through, Watson said. Everything moves at pace, theyre calculated. They kind of run through their bigs. They dont want to run like us.All we can do is play our game, and playing our game is going to make a lot of teams uncomfortable.Creighton (1-0) got past UMKC 89-82 in its opener.Cheap Vapormax Womens China . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. Vapormax Mens Clearance . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. http://www.clearancevapormax.com/nike-air-vapormax-black-anthracite-clearance.html . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. Vapormax 3 Clearance . - Chris Tierney snapped a tie with a power-play goal late in the third period as the London Knights rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Erie Otters 5-3 in Ontario Hockey League action on Wednesday. Wholesale Vapormax . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action.Its been over 30 years since Mal Meninga was tearing up the English rugby league scene but people around the Liverpool area have long memories.Its a region where Liverpool and Everton dominate the sporting conversation, but mention rugby league to one of the regions many loquacious taxi drivers and theyll invariably bring up Meninga.The Kangaroos coach was at the peak of his career when St Helens pulled off the biggest signing in the clubs history by convincing him to join for the 1984-85 season on a big-money contract.He repaid them with a whopping 28 tries in 31 games and still to this day is regarded as one of the greatest imports to play in the English game.I loved my time living and playing at St Helens, Meninga told AAP.I used to come down to Anfield, which is just down the road, quite a lot when I wasnt playing, to watch Liverpool play.Craig Johnston, the Aussie midfielder, was there and carving it up and we became good friends.Liverpool were the top dogs at the time and I became mates with many of the players whod come down and watch our games.Unfortunately I broke my arm and couldnt go back and play for a second season. But its a time I look back fondly upon.Signing Meninga was a far from straightforward process for Saints, who faced fierce competition for his services.Veteran broadcaster Ray French, who despite being the BBCs main rugby league commenttator at the time, was also a member of the St Helens board, and thanks to some help from Wayne Bennett managed to get the deal over the line.ddddddddddddSaints had said to me theyd signed Mal just before I went out to Australia for the 1984 Great Britain tour, French told AAP.I was staying at the Pacific Hotel in Manly, but when I came down for breakfast I saw Gary Hetherington, the Leeds chairman,He said: Ray, weve just signed Meninga.So I made up an excuse, left the breakfast table and shot straight upstairs to phone Mal.He assured me hed only sign for me and to meet him in Brisbane in three weeks time for the second Test.When I got up to Lang Park I bumped into Wayne Bennett and he said: Ray, Leeds are here, what do you want me to do?So Wayne distracted them by taking them out to the field for a chat.While he was doing that I grabbed Mal and he signed in the clubhouse.French believes he hasnt seen a better and more influential player than Meninga during his 60-year association with the game.He was fantastic for us, there had never been anyone like him before over here and there hasnt been anyone since, he said.There is also a humility to Mal. He has no edge to him and his word is his bond and we remain great friends to this day. ' ' '