Kevin Anderson

Characters -- real and fictional -- who don't behave as one might expect offer up some interesting choices for viewers tonight.People up in arms over ABC's "Nothing Sacred" (8 p.m.-9 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) and its depiction of an unorthodox Catholic priest who spends considerable time questioning himself and his church should find a kindred spirit here tonight: John Cullum ("Northern Exposure") plays a husband who refuses to attend his wife's funeral because he disagrees with Father Ray (Kevin Anderson)

CAL-IRVINE VS. MARYLAND * WHEN: Tonight, 7:30.2 This is the first meeting between the schools.AMERICAN VS. LOYOLA WHEN: Tonight, 7:30.* WHERE: Reitz Arena.* TV: HTS, tomorrow, 9:30 p.m.* OUTLOOK: This is a matchup of two explosive backcourt combinations. American (3-2), which is coming off of a 20-9 season in which it tied for second in the Colonial Athletic Association, has five players averaging in double figures. Brian Gilgeous, a 6-6 sophomore, is at 18.0 and 6-1 senior Brock Wortman is at 15.2.

Dealing a last-place team its seventh straight loss is rarely cause to rejoice, but Loyola took great pleasure in yesterday's 73-63 defeat of St. Peter's.The Peacocks are minus four starters who took them to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title and the NCAA tournament last year, but they came to Reitz Arena with a four-game win streak over the Greyhounds. Three were decided in overtime, including a triple-overtime affair in their last visit to Loyola."That's a very significant win," Loyola coach Tom Schneider said.

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Senior attackman David Donatello led Hofstra with five goals and the Flying Dutchmen (5-1) held off a fourth-quarter Loyola comeback to record a 13-12 upset victory over the Greyhounds (3-3) last night at Hofstra Stadium.After a 3-3 tie at the end of one period, Hofstra outscored Loyola 4-1 in the second to build a 7-4 halftime lead.The Flying Dutchmen, ranked 17th in the USILA coaches' poll, increased the margin to 9-5 at the end of three quarters before Loyola, ranked fourth by The Baltimore Sun, began its late rally.

It's interesting that Kevin Anderson was on the Maryland sideline during the 56-41 defeat at North Carolina State in the season-ending football game. Anderson is usually up in a stadium box. But he said he wanted to gauge for himself what was going on with this team. It's not that Anderson was going to fire Edsall. The athletic director is absolutely behind the first-year Maryland coach. But the AD said he will meet with Edsall Saturday night as part of a "top to bottom" review of Edsall's program.

Entering last night's football game against visiting Randallstown, a phrase about paybacks was engraved in the minds of the Annapolis players.It was the Rams who stole an 18-17 victory from the Panthers with a touchdown from one yard out last year.Last night, the 10th-ranked Panthers (0-1) received more of the same as the Rams grounded out an 18-17 win at Al Laramore Stadium.They did it behind Franklin transfer Kevin Anderson (25 carries, 140 yards, two touchdowns) and Haryn Singleton (18 carries, 81 yards, one touchdown)

Loyola College made up all but one of a 17-point second-half deficit, but the University of Richmond hung on for a 68-64 non-conference victory at the Robins Center in Virginia last night.Down 59-42 when Kenny Wood followed a shot with 6:47 left, the Greyhounds (3-7) closed to 65-64 with 35 seconds to go. Michael Reese had 10 of the 22 Loyola points, and Tracy Bergan and Kevin Anderson completed the run with six points each. They wrapped it up with a 12-1 run in a four-minute span.Loyola shot 60 percent from the field in gaining a 32-28 halftime lead, but the Spiders scored the first 11 points in the opening six minutes of the second half.

SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMYFox Video Entertainment$92.98Julia Roberts, according to conventional wisdom, can do no wrong in terms of her fans -- of whom there are many. But it remains to be seen if she'll ever make a film that's worthy of her current status as America's favorite actress.This one isn't the ticket. It's full of talented people -- Miss Roberts, Patrick Bergin ("Mountains of the Moon"), Kevin Anderson ("Miles from Home") and director Joseph Ruben (who directed the brilliant thriller "The Stepfather")

"The Night We Never Met" is yet another New York apartment-rental comedy. Alas, it won't play for you at all if you live in that great Gobi that stretches from the Hudson westward, northward and southward.The piece has to do with an exquisite rent-controlled apartment in Greenwich Village -- exquisite, that is, by New York standards. To me it was strictly a case of ONE RM, NO VU, DIRTY, UNSAFE, REALLY EXPENSIVE.Anyway, it is rented by a moronic young stockbroker (Kevin Anderson) who essentially uses it as a sin crib.

Towson State held off a furious Loyola rally last night for a 62-60 win and its second straight Beltway Classic title.The game was a thriller similar to last year's title meeting, when Towson needed two overtimes to defeat the University of Maryland Baltimore County. This time, the Tigers built a 16-point lead, only to be forced hold off the surging Greyhounds during a wild 10-minute finish.Towson evened its record at 2-2, and the loss dropped the Greyhounds to 2-2.Loyola entered the game winless against Towson in their last five meetings including last year's 87-79 loss at Reitz Arena.