HALIFAX - Canadas top mens tennis player says hes physically ready for this weekends crucial Davis Cup playoff against Colombia following a taxing run at the U.S. Open.Milos Raonic, who is currently the No. 6-ranked singles player in the world, is expected to lead Canadas push to remain part of the elite World Group beginning Friday in Halifax.Raonic will take to the court after his fourth-round exit last week in New York, losing a four hour 19 minute match in oppressive heat to tournament finalist Kei Nishikori of Japan.The bodys good Im just hungry to get back into competing, Raonic said at a news conference on Tuesday.Injuries to Raonic and teammate Vasek Pospisil contributed to Canadas 4-1 loss in Februarys first-round tie with Japan but Raonic said a lot has changed since the last time he wore the countrys colours in competition.Ive been able to keep getting better . . . and I just look forward to using this and ending the year on as strong a note as possible, he said.In addition to Raonic and Pospisil, the eighth-ranked Canadian team includes veterans Daniel Nestor and Frank Dancevic.Team captain Martin Laurendeau said he expects the favoured Canadians to encounter stiff opposition from the hungry Colombians who are ranked 26th in the world. He said Colombia has depth in singles and features a good doubles team coming off a recent tournament win in Winston-Salem N.C.Theyre going to come after us and try to make their own history, said Laurendeau. Its going to be a very tough weekend of tennis.The Colombians feature Santiago Giraldo and Alejandro Falla and top 20 doubles pair Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah.Farah said there are few secrets between the teams because of the familiarity the players have developed as part of the pro tour.We already know the strengths and where the holes are, said Farah. Whoever plays better tactically has a better chance to win.The two sides havent played since a second round Americas Zone Group encounter won by Colombia in 2010, although Canada has a 5-4 overall advantage in head-to-head competition.Laurendeau said the Canadians are healthy and will be confident playing indoors at home after two consecutive Davis Cup ties on the road.Were playing under the conditions that suited us really well last year with the balls and court speed, so we feel good about our chances as a team this weekend, he said.Canada is looking to replicate last years successful Davis Cup campaign which saw the team reach the semifinals. Penguins Jerseys China . The photograph shows Parker and a French comedian making a gesture known in France as a "quenelle," which critics describe as inverted Nazi salute. Parker said in a statement released through the Spurs that the photograph was taken three years ago. 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Pittsburgh Penguins Store . -- Chris Tillman paid no attention to the Baltimore bullpen as it started to stir in the ninth inning.Philadelphia, PA - Ethan Wragge netted a career-high 27 points, Doug McDermott scored 23 and unranked Creighton shocked No. 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. This was Creightons third win over a top-5 team in program history McDermott added five triples and Jahennis Manigat had four en route to a career-best 19 points for the Bluejays, who came back stronger than ever after their first conference loss on Saturday at Providence. Austin Chatman had 10 assists in the triumph. James Bell paced Villanova (16-2, 5-1) with 19 points, while JayVaughn Pinkston and Darrun Hilliard contributed 11 and 10, respectfully. Creighton got off to, quite literally, the perfect start. The Bluejays led 21-5 at the first media timeout after hitting seven 3-pointers without a miss, including five from Wragge. Wragge hit the first two outside shots of the game for a 6-0 lead. Manigat then joined the action with a trey from the right wing, McDermott hit his try from the left wing and Wragge added three more, two of which were from well beyond NBA range. The onslaught continued out of the break, with McDermott assisting on two more Wragge 3-pointers. Pinkston then scored four in a row to make it 27-12, but Creighton wasnt finished.dddddddddddd McDermott potted another 3, then hit a fadeaway jumper before Manigat canned his second 3-ball of the contest for a 35-14 edge less than nine minutes in. The lead ballooned to 47-19 before Ryan Arcidiaconos 3-pointer capped a 13-0 Villanova run. Wragges eighth triple halted the surge, but the Wildcats scored nine of the final 13 points of the half as Hilliards running layup as the buzzer sounded cut Novas deficit to 54-41 at the break. The second half was dominated by the visiting Bluejays. Manigats make from long range just over four minutes in sparked a 14-0 surge to seal the outcome midway through the period. Chatmans heave from distance made it 74-45. Creightons advantage reached 40 points on Wragges backdoor alley-oop for Will Artino with 6:35 to play. Game Notes Creighton had lost the previous three meetings with Villanova, the last of which occurred in 1952 ... McDermott has scored at least 19 points in 18 of 19 games this season ... Wragge has made at least two 3-pointers in all but one game this season ... Creighton improved to 25-1 when Manigat hits three-or- more triples, and 39-3 when he has three or more assists ... The Bluejays scored 1.45 points per possession, the most in a "major" conference game since Syracuse had 1.50 PPP against DePaul on March 5, 2011. ' ' '