Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Thursday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. All times EST:- NASSAU, Bahamas -- Gone from the game for 15 months, Tiger Woods returns to competition at the Hero World Challenge at No. 898 in the world but with a game that shows promise.- MINNEAPOLIS -- The Dallas Cowboys, riding a 10-game winning streak, play a struggling Minnesota Vikings team that will be without coach Mike Zimmer. He is recovering from eye surgery. Game starts 9:30 p.m.- ALAMEDA, Calif. -- General manager Reggie McKenzies plan to rebuild the Raiders is finally coming to fruition. Oakland is 9-2 and tied with the Patriots for the top record in the AFC.- DAVIE, Fla. -- Star tackle Ndamukong Suh usually gets double-teamed, so the Miami Dolphins are doing what they can to free him up. And hes doing what he can to make the strategy pay off.- SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Washington coach Chris Petersen will let others do the lobbying for the College Football Playoff. He believes what his No. 4 team does in the Pac-12 title game will speak loud enough.- TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Floridas Jim McElwain, a former Alabama offensive coordinator, never had a Crimson Tide quarterback quite like Jalen Hurts, in style if not effectiveness.- CLEMSON, S.C. -- Clemson knows all sorts of defensive schemes will be coming its way when they play Virginia Tech in the ACC title game.- OAKLAND, Calif. -- Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors try to extend their winning streak to 13 games when they host James Harden and the Houston Rockets. Game starts 10:30 p.m.- CLEVELAND -- LeBron James and the defending champion Cavaliers return home and face the Los Angeles Clippers, who have lost three straight. Game starts 8 p.m.- Two notable womens college basketball games: No. 15 DePaul at No. 2 UConn (7 p.m.) and No. 3 South Carolina at No. 14 Texas (7 p.m.).- MEDELLIN, Colombia -- Tear-filled tributes are held at packed stadiums in Colombia and Brazil for the victims of the plane crash that left 71 dead.- MADRID -- Spanish authorities have detained 34 people, including six low-ranked tennis players, in connection with a match-fixing network involving second-tier tournaments in Spain and Portugal.- LONDON -- English soccer authorities are investigating whether clubs paid hush money to victims of sexual abuse in the 1990s. Former pro players have gone public over the last two weeks about their ordeals.- MOSCOW -- Irish race walker Olive Loughnane was awarded first place at the 2009 worlds when her opponent was later caught doping. She is still waiting for her gold medal and $30,000 in prize money.- SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Michael Phelps is looking to make the jump from swimmer and product pitchman to investor. The Olympic great is getting advice from Silicon Valley venture capitalists. Cheap Jordan 2 Wholesale . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. Cheap Jordan 2 Free Shipping . Here are his mid-season NBA awards. MVP: (KEVIN DURANT-Thunder) - Has been sensational this season and more importantly, the most consistent player in the league. Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level. http://www.cheapairjordan2.com/ . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. Jordan Retro 2 Cheap . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. Air Jordan 2 Retro .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. NEW ORLEANS -- Loyola University New Orleans swimming programs are joining the Mid-South Conference for the inaugural season for mens and womens swimming in 2016.Mid-South Conference Commissioner Eric Ward, in a news release Wednesday, said the leagues Council of Presidents unanimously approved Loyola as its 15th affiliate member and the seventh institution in the conference to sponsor swimming.Loyola Athletic Director Brett Simpson says the conference features some of thhe best competition in the NAIA.ddddddddddddLoyola joins Bethel in Tennessee, Campbellsville, Cumberlands and Lindsey Wilson, all in Kentucky, Life in Georgia and Lindenwood-Belleville in Illinois as Mid-South schools to sponsor swimming.Loyolas season begins Sept. 30 with a dual meet in Shreveport against Centenary College and Hendrix College. ' ' '