Julien fired by Devils despite division lead

Claude Julien was fired as coach of the first-place New Jersey Devils on Monday and replaced by General Manager Lou Lamoriello with less than a week to go in the regular season.

Lamoriello will coach the final three regular-season games and the playoffs. It marks the second straight season he has taken over. Last year, he replaced Larry Robinson in December.

“I don’t think we’re at a point of being ready both mentally and [physically] to play the way that is necessary going into the playoffs,” Lamoriello said. “I am not saying that is going to change. But I think there has to be better focus going forward.”

The firing comes after the Devils won four of their last five games. The team is in first place in the Atlantic Division.

Julien was not available for comment.

The Devils’ 47-24-8 record in Julien’s first season in New Jersey was the second-best in the Eastern Conference.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Lickliter replaces Alford at Iowa

Iowa hired Todd Lickliter as its new coach, replacing Steve Alford with the coach who turned mid-major Butler into an NCAA tournament regular.

Lickliter, 42, was 131-61 in six years at Butler, taking the Bulldogs to the tournament four times, including this season’s 29-7 team.

Alford left for New Mexico after a 17-14 season.

Dana Altman, 48, was hired as Arkansas’ coach, leaving Creighton after 13 seasons and a 260-141 record to replace the fired Stan Heath.

Meanwhile, Heath, 42, agreed to a five-year contract at South Florida to replace Robert McCullum, who was fired last month after 40-76 tenure

TENNIS

Sharapova withdraws from two tournaments

Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from next week’s Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C., and will miss making her Fed Cup debut this month because of shoulder and hamstring injuries.

Andy Murray could miss Britain’s Davis Cup match this weekend against the Netherlands because of hip and groin injuries suffered last week at Key Biscayne, Fla.

Following an appeal by Argentina’s Guillermo Canas, the Court of Arbitration for Sport was ordered by a Swiss Federal Tribunal in Geneva to review his doping case.

Canas was suspended by the ATP Tour for two years -- it was reduced to 15 months -- after testing positive for a diuretic in February 2005.

PRO FOOTBALL

NFL won’t hold exhibition in China

The Aug. 9 exhibition game scheduled for China between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks was called off by the NFL, which said it wanted to concentrate on October’s regular-season game in London.

Indianapolis Colts defensive end Darrell Reid, 24, was arrested early Saturday on suspicion of marijuana possession in Freehold, N.J.

SOCCER

Mexican star Blanco to sign with MLS’ Fire

Mexican forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco, 34, is expected to sign today with Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire. Blanco is expected to join the Fire after his contract with Club America in Mexico expires in June.

Diego Maradona will remain in a Buenos Aires hospital for at least two more weeks while he recovers from what his doctor called alcoholic hepatitis. Maradona, 47, was hospitalized last week.

Sepp Blatter, 71, FIFA’s president since June 1998, is unopposed in May’s election, giving him a third term through 2011.

MISCELLANY

Stiegler wins again, this time in giant slalom

After her victory in the slalom, Resi Stiegler won the women’s giant slalom in 2 minutes 11.90 seconds at the U.S. Alpine Championships in Girdwood, Alaska.

Golf’s Presidents Cup will return to Australia in 2011, with Melbourne becoming the first city outside the United States to host the event more than once. It was last held there in 1998.

New Zealand beat Bangladesh by nine wickets in the Cricket World Cup at Antigua, moving it atop the Super 8 standings with Australia.

PASSINGS

Nichols, longtime UCLA staffer, 63

Richard “Nick” Nichols, head equipment manager at UCLA for 25 years before retiring in 2000, died after a long illness. He was 63.