head 50-32 in the second half on Freshman Travin Thibodeauxs dunk, and then pulled away 66-39 after a 12-2 run capped by Thomas free throw with 5:59

Indian hockey and the Olympics are inseparable as word associations go -- no team has ever won more than three successive gold medals in the mens section of the sport, forget six like the Indians did between 1928 and 1956 -- yet, the last two Games have been the most depressing confirmation of Indias dipping standards.India failed to qualify for the quadrennial event for the first time in 2008, and then they finished bottom of the heap at the 2012 London Olympics, losing all five of their pool matches, and then going down 3-2 to South Africa in their final classification match.In the last four years, much has changed in the global game at large and in Indian hockey in particular. Hockey is now played over four quarters of 15 minutes each, as opposed to the previous format of two halves of 35 minutes.India is now a preferred destination annually for some of the top players in the world, thanks to the Hockey India League, which began in 2013. This has also helped unearth some of the brightest Indian hockey talent, who are getting an opportunity to play alongside some of the best players and previous Olympic medallists in the process.One area of concern for India had been the fact that the governing body seemed unable to retain the services of a head coach for long enough. It was under Terry Walsh that the road to Rio was undertaken, he then made way for Paul van Ass, and now the reins of the team are with Hockey Indias High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans. However, Oltmans has done a very good job with the team, and they in turn have embraced his coaching philosophy of good attacks can win you one game, but good defences win you a tournament and it was most apparent in the discipline in their recent runners-up finish at the Champions Trophy in London in June.India are placed in Rio in the same pool as 2008 and 2012 champions Germany, and the Netherlands, the team that lost to Germany in the final in London. Argentina, Ireland and Canada join the fifth-ranked Indians in making up the six-team pool. This times competition has a quarterfinal format, so India can afford to finish fourth and still make it to the knockout stages. A win in the quarters would open up the possibility of adding to the 11 medals that they have won so far.Here are five matches they have played since the last Olympics that should inspire the team to give their best and dig themselves out of sticky situations against the top contenders.5-4 v Germany, classification match, Hockey World League final, January 2014 - New Delhi, India This was the first match in a long time when India showed they had the ability to slug it out with the best, as they came back from being 2-0 down inside six minutes, and then overturned a 3-1 deficit at half-time against the reigning Olympic champions in a classification match at the inaugural World League finals. With the match tied at 4-4, India won a penalty corner in the 70th minute -- this was the same year that the four-quarter format would be introduced later -- and Rupinderpal Singh drilled in a perfect drag-flick to give India its first win over Germany in an FIH event in ten years.1-1 v Pakistan (4-2 in the shootout), final, Asian Games, October 2014 - Incheon, Korea The Asian Games gold had eluded India since 1998 -- they had developed a bad habit of running into trouble in the semifinals against countries like Korea and Malaysia and coming apart -- but in 2014, the mission, as the boys themselves admit, was not just to reach the final but to win it as well, to seal a place in the Olympics for 2016 at the earliest possible opportunity.India didnt panic despite conceding early, and Kothajit Singhs equaliser even before half-time meant the teams were inseparable in regulation time. In the shootout, the Indian attackers complemented PR Sreejeshs heroics under the bar perfectly, to take India to their first Asian Games title in 16 years.2-1 v Australia, 2nd Test, November 2014 - Perth, Australia Soon after their Asian Games triumph, India traveled to Australia for a four-Test series as part of the preparation for both teams for the forthcoming Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar, India. Australia didnt have all of their first team players, but still had some of their big guns in Glenn Simpson, Jeremy Hayward and Matt Gohdes.India had lost the opening Test 4-0, and understandably began the second match in a cautious manner. Their resilience, though, was broken by a Gohdes goal in the 30th minute. Three minutes later, India produced sixty seconds of inspiration that turned the series on its head.First Sardar Singh began a mazy run, eliminating the Australian midfield in the process, before slipping the ball through for Ramandeep Singh, who scored the equaliser. As soon as the game restarted, a turnover brought the ball to SV Sunil, whose individual effort brought India a 2-1 lead that they didnt relinquish through the rest of the match.India carried the confidence into the remaining two matches as well, winning them 1-0 and 3-1, respectively.It remains the only time that India have won three consecutive matches against Australia.5-5 v Netherlands (3-2 in the shootout), bronze medal match, Hockey World League final, December 2015 - Raipur, India India and Netherlands were beaten semifinalists in the World League, and were perhaps playing for little more than pride. The Dutchmen took a 2-0 lead to half-time, and early in the third quarter, Jeroen Hertzberger should have put the game to bed when he received a ball inside the striking circle with Sreejesh advancing on him. Instead, he shot wide, and the game would soon turn into a goal fest.India would come roaring back into the game, with Ramandeep Singh scoring two of their first three goals. Netherlands would find their leveler through a Mink van der Weerden penalty-corner, before India scored two further goals to lead 5-3 with less than four minutes left on the clock.Van der Weerden would oblige, with two goals inside the last 150 seconds of the match, one from a stroke, and one from a penalty corner. In the shootout, Sreejesh was peerless, as he swept the ball off the feet of the Dutch attackers and put enough pressure to thwart the others who tried to wear him down by taking him to the edges. India had won, and it was their first global medal since the 1980 Olympics.2-1 v Great Britain, pool match, Champions Trophy, June 2016 - London, Great Britain Their most recent significant victory, that allowed the team to play the Champions Trophy final for the first time in their history, came on English soil in a match that typified the defensive solidity of the Indian team. The Britons were given no space to play their usual passing game, and the pressure from the attackers was relentless as well. India took a 2-0 lead through a field goal by Mandeep Singh and a penalty-stroke conversion from Harmanpreet Singh, before finally allowing the hosts their first look at the Indian goal late in the match. The damage had been done, though, and this could prove the most pivotal win of the five listed here, as experts believe Great Britain could be potential opponents for India in the latter stages of the Olympics, where advancement might virtually assure the winner of a medal. Paul Kariya Jersey . Vettel was 0.168 seconds faster than Red Bull teammate Mark Webber around the Suzuka circuit. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was two tenths of a second off Vettel. "The car balance is decent, but I think we can still improve," Vettel said. Lubomir Visnovsky Jersey . 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NEW ORLEANS -- Erik Thomas scored 18 points and made 10 of 11 free throws and New Orleans never trailed in beating cross-town rival Tulane 74-59 on Tuesday night.New Orleans led 34-17 at halftime, stayed ahead 50-32 in the second half on Freshman Travin Thibodeauxs dunk, and then pulled away 66-39 after a 12-2 run capped by Thomas free throw with 5:59 to go.The Green Wave outscored New Orleans 7-3 in the final 2:29 and 42-40 in the second half, but made only 24 of 66 from the floor (36.4 percent).New Orlleans outrebounded Tulane 41-27 and shot 47.dddddddddddd8 percent from the floor (22 of 46), but turned the ball over 22 times.Thibodeaux scored 14 points, grabbed eight rebounds and made five assists for the Privateers (3-3). Christavious Gill scored 14 points and tied his career best with five steals. Michael Zeno added 11 points.Malik Morgan led Tulane (1-6) with 17 points. ' ' '