Minnesota Sports Briefs: Ponder dealing with hip-pointer injury

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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder suffered a hip pointer injury in Sunday's 35-32 loss to the Broncos at the Metrodome.

Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier said Monday that Ponder will be limited in practice this week, but he foresees the rookie signal-calling being able to play in Sunday's matchup against the Lions in Detroit. The Vikings are off today and will begin game preparation with practice at Winter Park. Frazier says Joe Webb would start if Ponder can't play Sunday.

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If the Chicago Bears are interested, Brett Favre would reportedly listen. ESPNChicago.com cites a source as saying the future Hall of Fame quarterback would be willing to talk if the Bears inquired about his availability. According to the report, the Bears have not contacted the 42-year-old and it's unclear if Favre would come out of retirement despite continuing to work out. Head coach Lovie Smith said the team has no plans to bring in an outside quarterback. Starting QB Jay Cutler could miss the rest of the season with a broken thumb.

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The 2011-12 NBA schedule will be released tonight. The NBA will unveil its revised 66-game regular season slate in an NBA TV special. The schedule will kick off with five games on Christmas Day. The schedule is still contingent on the players ratifying the new labor agreement.

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The University of Minnesota men's basketball team will take on Appalachian State at Williams Arena tonight. Head coach Tubby Smith says his club will likely still be without center Ralph Sampson III, who is nursing a sore ankle. Minnesota might also be without freshman guard Andre Hollins, who tweaked his ankle in Saturday's 55-40 win over USC. Minnesota upped its record to 8-1 with that victory. Tip-off tonight is at 7:00 p.m. There are still tickets remaining for the game.

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Minneapolis native Tayler Hill has been named the Big Ten Conference women's basketball player of the week for her efforts with the Ohio State Buckeyes. Hill averaged 25.5-points per game in two wins last week. Hill is a junior from Minneapolis South High School. Her older brother P.J. Hill is a former Buckeyes men's player.

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The NSIC men's and women's basketball Players of the Week have been announced. Minnesota State-Moorhead senior guard D.J. Hamilton of Avondale, Arizona won the men's citation for the week. He helped his club to two wins last weekend. Minnesota-Crookston junior guard Brittani Wiese of Albertville is the women's winner this week after helping the Golden Eagles to split of games over the weekend.

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The MIAC has named its weekly award winners in basketball. Augsburg post player Cory Polta of Spring Lake Park is the men's Player of the Week. He helped the Augies to a pair of wins last week. Augsburg women's player Serenae Levine of Eden Prairie is the female honoree. She helped her team to two wins, as well.

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The University of Minnesota-Crookston has named Paul Miller as its football coach. Miller had been serving as the interim head coach. Miller had been the program's offensive coordinator. He has 35 years of coaching experience, including a stint on Jim Wacker's staff at the University of Minnesota. He was a head coach at both St. Olaf and Hamline.

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Carl Pelini, a former Minnesota State-Mankato assistant coach, was officially named the head football coach at Florida Atlantic University on Monday. Pelini comes to Florida Atlantic from Nebraska, where he served as defensive coordinator since 2008. Pelini's work at Nebraska has been recognized by his two-time nomination for the Frank Broyles Assistant Coach of the Year Award. Pelini takes over for Howard Schnellenberger, who coached his last game before retirement this past weekend. Pelini was in Mankato for the 2004 season.

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Veteran play-by-play man Dick Enberg will be among those inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame on New Year's Eve at the Pasadena Convention Center. Joining Enberg will be 1999 Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne and former Washington running back-kicker George Fleming. The sportscaster best known for the expression "Oh my!" called eight consecutive Rose Bowl games beginning in 1980. Enberg currently works for the San Diego Padres as one of their TV broadcasters.

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One week after NASCAR penalized Kurt Busch for his outburst at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Penske Racing has relieved Busch from his driving duties with the number-22 team in the Sprint Cup Series, effectively immediately. Penske announced on Monday that Busch and the team reached a mutual agreement to end their relationship.

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Madonna is officially on board for Super Bowl 46. NBC announced during "Sunday Night Football" that the pop superstar has been tapped for the halftime show at the upcoming event. Madonna's performance is expected to be eye-catching. According to an NBC press release, the singer's set will be "imagined by Cirque Du Soleil and Jamie King."

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The top-ranked Baylor women's basketball team jumped out to a 48-21 halftime lead against Minnesota Sunday at Williams Arena and never looked back. The Golden Gophers were outscored by only two points in the second half and head coach Pam Borton says she's hopeful that can be a confidence booster for her young club. Freshman Rachel Banham of Lakeville paced the Gophers by scoring 19 points. Leah Cotton came off the bench to chip in with 14 points. Minnesota hosts Air Force on Wednesday night at The Barn.

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