NEW YORK — NBA players and owners spent a marathon 16 hours meeting with a federal mediator and planned to return early Wednesday to continue the talks.

They didn't emerge with the deal Commissioner David Stern wanted, but things went well enough that owners decided to alter their plans after previously saying they weren't available Wednesday.

The sides met beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday and went late into the night, finally breaking after 2 a.m. Wednesday.

NEW YORK — The Big East wants to expand to 12 football teams and “the sooner the better.”The problem is the Big East can't be sure if its current members are staying put until Missouri, the Big 12 and the SEC figure out what their next steps will be in the ongoing drama of conference realignment.