NORMAL, Ill. -- Deontae Hawkins knocked down five 3-pointers and finished with 24 points and seven boards as Illinois State beat Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne in its home opener, 75-57 on Wednesday night.Hawkins hit 9 of 15 from the field, including 5 of 7 from distance ln leading the Redbirds. MiKyle McIntosh contributed 13 points.Illinois State raced to a 19-2 lead to start the game and held a 41-24 advantage at intermission.Fort Wayne got within nine points, 53-44 with 12:39 left in the game after John Konchar tipped in an offensive rebound, but the Redbirds scored the next five points to push their lead back to double digits.Mo Evans knocked down five 3-pointers to lead Fort Wayne with 19 points. Konchar added 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds.Illinois State (1-1) is picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference; Fort Wayne (1-2) is the preseason favorite to win the Summit League. Air Jordan Shoes From China . -- Former San Diego Chargers safety Paul Oliver was found dead at his Atlanta-area home Tuesday night, and a medical examiner said Wednesday that the ex-player committed suicide. Wholesale Nike Air Jordan . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. http://www.cheapairjordan.com/ . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. Cheap Air Jordan Authentic .com) - The Chicago Blackhawks aim for their third three-game winning streak of the season when they host the struggling Edmonton Oilers in Sundays battle at the United Center. Wholesale Air Jordan Free Shipping . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. This story is part of ESPN The Magazines Oct. 12 Owners Issue. Subscribe today!Buffalo SabresOverall: 60 Title track: 81 Ownership: 29 Coaching: 66 Players: 73 Fan relations: 90 Affordability: 18 Stadium experience: 72 Bang for the buck: 47 Change from last year: +2With the Cleveland Cavaliers taking home a NBA championship this year, Buffalo now becomes a front-runner for most tortured sports town in America. But while the Sabres finished the 2015-16 season at just 35-36-11, there is hope for their faithful. The teams 81 points were the most since 2011-12, and rookie sensation Jack Eichel lit the lamp 24 times.Whats goodOwner Terry Pegula was a hit as soon as he bought the team in 11 (hes ranked 29th overall this year), promising to immediately spend to compete for a Stanley Cup. Five years later, and the Sabres wont be hoisting a trophy come June, but the wheels are certainly in motion. Eichel produced right away, and the additions of forwards Ryan OReilly and Evander Kane combined for 41 goals last season. Trading a first-rounder for Robin Lehner was considered a reach at the time, but the 6-foot-5 netminder looked promising in 21 starts last year, posting a .924 save percentage. Pegula showed he was serious by opening his wallet again this offseason, bringing in winger Kyle Okposo on a seven-year deal. Fans have to just trust the process for the time being, but at least waiting it out wont empty the bank account. The Sabres registered 18th in affordability with an average game cost of jusst $71.dddddddddddd30, and a Ulysses S. Grant will buy your average game ticket.Whats badApparently the fan appreciation night held during the last home game of the season didnt have the desired effect. The Sabres check in at No. 90 on our list in fan relations, down 36 spots from a year ago. That appreciation night featured giveaways, discounts at the team store, and various promotions, but roughly 75 percent of the fans in attendance were left out of the giveaways. One fan, a season-ticket holder for the past decade, was quoted in The Buffalo News as saying, Fan loyalty is taken for granted, and they do a poor job of tailoring the game-day experience for their core fans.Whats NewStadium experience at the KeyBank Center joined fan relations as a disappointment, falling 23 notches to 72nd overall, but the biggest change is on a positive note. The Sabres hopped from 108th to 47th in bang for the buck this year. Buffalo fans saw that same affordability that theyve come to love, but the bang was significantly better this past season. Despite giving fans just 16 wins at home, 73 percent of their home games were one-goal games, and the team featured four 20-goal scorers for the first time since 2010-11. The quality of hockey improved immensely, but dont worry -- those $4.25 hot dogs and $3 sodas werent sacrificed in the process.Next: Carolina Hurricanes?| Full rankings ' ' '