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Lopez twins are headed to NBA

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From Times Staff and Wire Reports

The Lopez twins are going pro together.

Stanford sophomore Robin Lopez and his 7-foot brother Brook are making themselves available for the NBA draft.

The brothers made their announcement to the Associated Press on Monday through their mother, Deborah Ledford.

It was expected that Brook would make himself available for the NBA, but Robin was not so certain. They were prep stars in Fresno and came to Stanford together. Now they will depart as a tandem too.

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Brook and Robin will hire agents and thus forgo their remaining two years of college eligibility, their mother said.

Brook Lopez, a third-team All-American and a first-team Pac-10 selection, averaged 19.3 points and 8.2 rebounds to go with 56 blocks this season.

Robin averaged 10.2 points and 5.2 boards and blocked 83 shots for the Cardinal.

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Former Santa Ana Mater Dei standout Taylor King was granted his release from Duke, his father, Steve, confirmed. King, a 6-foot-6 freshman, averaged 5.5 points in 34 games.

King, a McDonald’s All-American who is the all-time scoring leader from Orange County, will look to transfer to a high-profile program that better suits his inside and outside game, his father said.

USC could be a candidate. The Trojans actively recruited him out of high school, along with Gonzaga and Villanova. King originally committed to UCLA when he was a freshman.

He will have to sit out a season.

-- Eric Sondheimer

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Western Kentucky Coach Darrin Horn is leaving for South Carolina after the Hilltoppers’ best finish in the NCAA tournament in 15 years.

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Horn told the school’s president he had accepted an offer from the Gamecocks to replace Dave Odom, who retired at the end of the season, Western Kentucky spokesman Bob Edwards said.

PRO FOOTBALL

NFL announces TV schedule for Week 1

The NFL announced its prime time schedule for opening weekend, and the slate of games features three division rivalries and a rematch of the 2007 Super Bowl.

The New York Giants will face Washington at the Meadowlands in NBC’s Thursday opener, marking the fifth consecutive season the game has been hosted by the defending Super Bowl champion.

In the first NBC Sunday night game of the season, the Indianapolis Colts will open their new retractable-roof stadium against the Chicago Bears, in a rematch of their 2007 Super Bowl showdown.

The Monday night doubleheader features rivalries from the NFC North and AFC West, with Green Bay hosting Minnesota in the first game, and Denver playing at Oakland in the second. Both will be televised on ESPN.

-- Sam Farmer

TENNIS

Williams sisters move to quarterfinals

Serena Williams defeated Kaia Kanepi, 6-3, 6-3, to reach the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open at Key Biscayne, Fla. Up next for Williams today: top-ranked Justine Henin.

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Williams has lost their last three meetings, all last year, at the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

Today’s winner could meet Venus Williams in the semifinals. Three-time champion Venus, seeded sixth, advanced by beating Caroline Wozniacki, 6-3, 6-3. Henin defeated Elena Vesnina, 6-2, 6-2.

Top-seeded Roger Federer and No. 6 Andy Roddick reached the fourth round on the men’s side. But Lindsay Davenport hit a bump in her comeback when she lost to Dinara Safina, 6-3, 6-4.

HORSE RACING

Pulled back muscle sidelines Georgie Boy

Leading Triple Crown candidate Georgie Boy has been declared out of Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby and might not run again until the Pacific Classic at Del Mar in August, trainer Kathy Walsh said.

The gelded son of Tribal Ruler, unbeaten as a 3-year-old, has a pulled muscle in his back. Walsh said the injury will not require surgery and she didn’t know how long it will take to heal.

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Garrett Gomez, who took over the top spot in the Santa Anita jockey standings while Rafael Bejarano was sidelined with an injury, is headed East. He’ll begin riding at Keeneland in Kentucky when that meet opens Friday. Gomez leaves with 63 wins; Bejarano has 60.

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Meanwhile, Bejarano, who suffered two cracked vertebrae in a spill at Santa Anita on March 13, is expected back at Santa Anita today but probably won’t race at the Arcadia track until after the weekend.

-- Larry Stewart

MISCELLANY

UCLA pitcher Uribe is out for the season

Justin Uribe, a sophomore left-handed pitcher and outfielder for the UCLA baseball team, will miss the rest of the season because of a torn ligament in his elbow he suffered while pitching last week against San Diego State.

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Florida wide receiver Percy Harvin will miss the rest of spring practice and might need surgery to repair a heel injury.

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