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A look at the top contenders for overall victory in the 103rd Tour de France, which starts Saturday at Mont-Saint-Michel and concludes July 24th in Paris:---CHRIS FROOMEThe overwhelming favorite after his victories in 2013 and 2015, Chris Froome is aiming to join an elite club of just seven riders who have won cyclings biggest event at least three times.Born in Kenya and representing Britain, the 31-year-old Froome will be supported by a Sky squad that is considered the sports best.Froome enters in top form, having won the Criterium du Dauphine warmup race -- just as he did before his two Tour victories.With Lance Armstrong having been stripped of his seven consecutive titles, Froome can become the first man to win consecutive Tours since Miguel Indurain took the last of his five victories in 1995.While often criticized as an ugly rider for his high-cadence seated technique on climbs, Froomes frenetic pace is often unbeatable once the road tilts uphill.Hes also an able time trialer, although in 2014 his weaknesses on cobblestones, technical descents and wet roads were exposed.---NAIRO QUINTANAA pure climber and a two-time runner-up at the Tour, Nairo Quintana is looking to make his breakthrough in the Grande Boucle.Having finished second to Froome on his Tour debut in 2013 at the age of 23, Quintana won the Giro dItalia in 2014 and returned to the Tour in 2015, only to finish second to Froome again.Small and light at about 130 pounds (less than 60 kilograms), Quintana developed his technique while cycling to school in the Colombian town of Combita, which has an altitude of nearly 3,000 meters (10,000 feet).Riding for the Movistar team, Quintana will have his eye on the penultimate stage, which ends in Morzine and is the final mountainous leg before the mostly ceremonial finish in Paris.Fellow Colombian greats Luis Herrera, Fabio Parra and Santiago Botero posted wins in Morzine in 1985, 1988 and 2000, respectively. And Quintanas first WorldTour victory came in the Alpine town during the 2012 Criterium du Dauphine.---ALBERTO CONTADORAt 33, this could be Alberto Contadors last chance to take a third Tour victory.Last year, the Spaniard with the Tinkoff team made a declared attempt to follow up his Giro victory with a Tour triumph and finished only fifth, acknowledging that he ran out of steam.This year, Contador has built his entire season around the Tour, finishing fifth in the Dauphine, 35 seconds behind Froome, and winning the Tours of Catalunya and Basque Country.One of six riders to have won all three Grand Tours, Contadors record includes two Tour de France wins (2007, 2009), two Giro wins (2008, 2015) and three Spanish Vuelta wins (2008, 2012, 2014).Contador once seemed destined to dominate cycling. But a failed doping test at the 2010 race for the fat-burning, muscle-building drug clenbuterol punctured his progression. Stripped of his first-place finish that year, Contador has not won the Tour again.Nicknamed El Pistolero, Contador likes to celebrate his wins with a mock-gun salute using his right thumb and index finger. But after the November terrorist attacks in France, Contador suggested he might abandon the salute at the Tour.---RICHIE PORTE AND TEJAY VAN GARDERENAustralian standout Richie Porte and top American rider Tejay van Garderen are joint co-captains of the BMC team.Previously with Sky, the 31-year-old Porte was the top support rider for both of Froomes Tour wins, and for Bradley Wiggins yellow jersey ride in 2012. Now he has a chance to challenge Froome.First, though, Porte may have to battle Van Garderen for leadership within BMC.The 27-year-old Van Garderen was in third place when he had to abandon last years race in tears due to illness during Stage 17.---ROMAIN BARDET AND THIBAUT PINOTRomain Bardet and Thibaut Pinot represent the best chance to give France its first home winner since Bernard Hinaults fifth and final win in 1985.Riding for the AG2R La Mondiale team, Bardet finished second behind Froome in the Dauphine.FDJ rider Pinot, who placed third in the 2014 Tour, has shown improved time trial performance this season.---FABIO ARU AND VINCENZO NIBALIAt 25, Fabio Aru is attempting to win the Tour on his race debut.A climbing specialist, Aru won the Spanish Vuelta last year and has also achieved two podium results at the Giro in his short but successful career.Aru is expecting to be paced through the mountains by fellow Italian Vincenzo Nibali on the deep Astana team.Fresh off a dramatic Giro win where he took the pink jersey on the penultimate stage, Nibali is meant to use the Tour as preparation for the Olympics.But having won the Tour in 2014, Nibali could take over team leadership if Aru struggles.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf Comprar Zapatillas Nike Baratas Online . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors. Ofertas Zapatillas Nike Outlet . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less. http://www.zapatillasbaratasnike.es/ . Dallas hasnt ruled out the star quarterback for Sunday nights game against Philadelphia, but all signs point to Romos back injury pushing Kyle Orton into the starting role after two years of limited play as the backup. 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JACKSON, Miss. -- Mississippi States Drew Davis -- a walk-on who had played three minutes all season until Monday night -- gave a little fake and a shake before letting a 22-footer fly in the waning minutes of a blowout win over Southern Mississippi.Of course, it splashed through the net. The starters danced and celebrated on the bench for another 3-pointer that found its way home.For the Bulldogs, it was just that kind of night.Mississippi State made a school-record 17 3-pointers on the way to an 86-44 victory in a neutral-site game at the Mississippi Coliseum. The Bulldogs made 17 of 29 (58.6 percent) attempts from behind the arc, burying Southern Miss under an avalanche of offense.Quinndary Weatherspoon led Mississippi State with 16 points. Lamar Peters added 15.Mississippi State coach Ben Howland said the Bulldogs were very good on both ends of the court.I was really pleased with how we played tonight, especially defensively, Howland said. Everything starts and ends with our defense. The unselfishness from our team the way we passed the ball and obviously 17 of 29 from three is really special.Mississippi State (7-3) never trailed and had a comfortable lead for most of the night. The Bulldogs turned a reasonable game into a full-scale blowout early in the second half thanks to a 35-0 run that pushed their advantage to 76-29.That was a first for me, Weatherspoon said.Southern Miss (3-6) shot just 23.1 percent (15 of 65) from the field. The Golden Eagles missed 19 consecutive shots during Mississippi States 35-0 run.Their speed -- they just took us out of everything, Southern MMiss coach Doc Sadler said.ddddddddddddaheem Watts led the Golden Eagles with nine points. The Golden Eagles have lost five straight games and have only one win this season over a Division I opponent.The only thing I know to do is put your head down, grind, work and try to get better on the practice court, Sadler said. Thats what weve got to do.Mississippi State jumped out to a 16-4 lead in the opening minutes and cruised to a 39-25 halftime advantage.BIG PICTURESouthern Miss: The Golden Eagles struggled to score consistently against the bigger Bulldogs. Southern Miss hasnt won a game in nearly a month and this loss was particularly ugly.Mississippi State: The Bulldogs young roster continues to show promise. Xavian Stapletons return from knee surgery -- he scored eight points in 11 minutes on Monday -- gives Mississippi State a deeper rotation.Stapleton hadnt played in a game in 18 months because of two consecutive knee surgeries. The 6-foot-6 guard should be a valuable backup for the Bulldogs as they approach SEC play.TOTAL DOMINATIONMississippi State had a 46-37 advantage in rebounding, an 11-1 advantage in blocked shots and a 9-6 advantage in steals. Freshman Schnider Herard had a career-high 12 rebounds.UP NEXTSouthern Miss plays San Diego State in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic on Thursday.Mississippi State hosts Morehead State on Thursday.-----More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 . ' ' '