No. 1 Notre Dame women loaded with talentBy The Associated Press=Notre DameLast season: 33-2, lost in the third round of NCAA Tournament.Coach: Muffet McGraw.Nickname: Fighting Irish.Conference: Atlantic Coast.Whos gone: G Madison Cable, G Michaela Mabrey, G Hannah Huffman, F Taya Reymer, who quit the team after five games last season and has transferred to Michigan State.Whos back: F Brianna Turner. McGraw calls the 6-3 junior the best nations best player. Turner averaged 14.6 points, 7.3 rebounds despite being slowed by a shoulder injury for which she had surgery in April. McGraw believes Lindsay Allen is the nations best point guard. The 5-8 senior has started all 112 games since arriving in South Bend and averaged 5.8 assists and 9.3 points. The other returning starter F Kathryn Westbeld, who averaged 7.9 points and 5.6 rebounds.Whos new: F Erin Boley, a 6-2 McDonalds All-American with a quick release who McGraw said is the teams best 3-point shooter. G Jackie Young, a 6-0 McDonalds All-American who could be a player who does all the little things. G Ali Patberg, another former McDonalds All-America, who missed last season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee and could keep the Irish offense running smoothly if Allen gets in foul trouble.The Skinny: The Irish lost gritty players in Cable and Huffman and an outside shooter in Mabrey, but McGraw believes this might be the deepest, most talented team shes had in her 30 years as coach. The Irish are expected to make it to the Final Four for the sixth time in the past seven years and could get McGraw the second national championship thats eluded her. Swell Flaske Marble . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. Swell Flaske Salg .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. http://www.swellflaskenorge.com/swell-flaske-500-ml.html . It says Pocklingtons lawyer filed the appeal Friday in a California court. CTV Edmonton also says Pocklington gave a $100,000 cash deposit as part of the conditions of his bail, and that he will be out on bail until his appeal is heard. Swell Flaske . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. Swell Flaske 500 Ml . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. LOS ANGELES -- Even when Dwyane Wade takes a night off to rest, Jimmy Butler gets the benefit of his new Chicago Bulls teammates veteran experience.Not that Butler needed a whole lot of help while he carved up the Los Angeles Lakers.Butler scored a season-high 40 points and Isaiah Canaan added a season-high 17 in the Bulls fifth victory in six games, 118-110 over the Lakers on Sunday night.Nikola Mirotic had 15 points and 15 rebounds and the Bulls held off Los Angeles late rally for their third win in four stops on their annual circus road trip. They also bounced back solidly after blowing a 19-point lead in a loss to the Clippers on Saturday night.It was a quick turnaround from last night to today, but I saw everybody working on their body and everybody watching the film, Butler said. Thats how its supposed to be.Chicago got a vintage game from Butler, its two-time All-Star and gold medal-winning Olympian. He destroyed a series of Los Angeles defenders with his usual flair, scoring inside and on the perimeter without hitting a 3-pointer.He was attacking all night, Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg said. He told me before the game, `Coach, Im going for 40 tonight, and he did it.Even on the second half of back-to-back road games, Chicago outrebounded the Lakers 56-37 -- including 16 offensive boards -- and constantly outhustled Los Angeles to loose balls.The Bulls did it all without Wade, who rested for the first time this season. He scored 28 points on Saturday, but the Bulls are monitoring their 34-year-old guards long-term health.Even though D-Wade is out, hes still helping me through this process and letting him know what I should be doing, helping me read the game, Butler said. Its great to have him in my corner.Lou Williams scored a season-high 25 points and Larry Nance Jr. had a career-high 18 for the Lakers (7-7).Jimmy Butler had a pretty fantastic game, Lakers coach Luke Walton said. Hes a pretty fantastic player, but if hes going to do that, then we have to shut down the rest of the guys.dddddddddddd. We let him get his, and the role players all chipped in and did their part as well. You either take away the star or take away the role players. You cant let everyone have a night.RONDOS RETURNRajon Rondo had four points, nine rebounds and 12 assists despite a sore left ankle. He hit a floater in the lane with 28.6 seconds left to secure the Bulls win after Los Angeles trimmed a 15-point lead to five.LONG SEASONThe Lakers young stars mostly struggled in their second straight loss. DAngelo Russell had only eight points and seven assists while playing cautiously on a sore left knee. Jordan Clarkson managed just five points on 1-of-12 shooting, and Julius Randle had 14 points.The Lakers also got a lesson in hard work from the dogged Bulls, particularly in the paint.There was a stretch in the second quarter when they just bullied us on the glass, Nance said. I dont know what was the cause of it.LAST GASPEven on a bad night, the young Lakers made a late rally to trim Chicagos lead to 115-110 with 1:12 left on back-to-back 3-pointers by Nick Young and Russell. Young and Russell then missed 3-pointers that would have trimmed Chicagos lead to two, and Butler won a jump ball before Rondos clinching floater.TIP-INSBulls: Rondo played his second straight game on that balky ankle. ... Theyll host the Lakers in the rematch on Nov. 30. The Bulls have only two games before then, while the Lakers have five. ... German C Paul Zipser sat out with a lower back strain.Lakers: Walton got his first technical foul of the season from referee Kane Fitzgerald in the second quarter after a no-call. ... Luol Deng scored six points. He spent his first 9 1/2 NBA seasons with the Bulls.UP NEXTBulls: The circus trip continues at Denver on Tuesday.Lakers: Host Oklahoma City on Tuesday in the next daunting matchup of a rough stretch with 18 games in 30 days. ' ' '