That technique gave me the tipoff in 2007 that the next year would see a monumental financial crisis.

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Te'o's wrenching story fit into this playbook perfectly. (Too perfectly which should have been a tipoff.) Of course it worked.

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Students began lining up for seats outside the arena almost 24 hours before tipoff, a rarity for the attendance-challenged Hurricanes.

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Just to coarsen things, he admitted that the tipoff came from a policeman who had taken payment from one of his colleagues.

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Southerland did not play against the Wildcats in the Carrier Dome Jan. 12, his eligibility issue surfacing just before the opening tipoff.

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Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported that Abu Ghaith was seized in Ankara "after a tipoff" from the CIA and was held for 33 days.

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Shortly before tipoff, just as he does every home game, West Virginia's buckskin-wearing mascot fired his musket at midcourt, startling everyone on Baylor's bench.

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Every tipoff, possession, turnover, basket (certainly by the home team) timeout, quarter and halftime, is accompanied by explosive sound effects and crammed with music and entertainment.

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Hours before the Kings tipoff against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night, NBA owners will gather in a New York boardroom to begin deliberating where the team will be located next season.

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Led by Big Ten player of the year Trey Burke and sharp-shooting guard Nik Stauskas, one of three freshman starters, the Wolverines dominated Florida right from tipoff, scoring the game's first 13 points and routing the Gators 79-59 in the South Regional final Sunday.

NPR: Michigan Rolls Into Final Four, Beats Fla. 79-59