“SCOREBOARD”
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SECTIONAL TITLE GAMES NOV. 3
SECTIONAL 1
LAKE CENTRAL (5-5) AT CROWN POINT (10-0)
SECTIONAL 2
WARSAW (9-1) AT PENN (9-1)
SECTIONAL 3
FISHERS (7-3) AT HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (8-2)
SECTIONAL 4
WESTFIELD (9-1) AT NOBLESVILLE (4-6)
SECTIONAL 5
BEN DAVIS (9-1) AT PIKE (3-7)
SECTIONAL 6
INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL (7-3) AT LAWRENCE NORTH (7-3)
SECTIONAL 7
WARREN CENTRAL (4-6) AT SOUTHPORT (2-8)
SECTIONAL 8
CENTER GROVE (9-1) AT COLUMBUS NORTH (5-5)
SECTIONAL 9
MERRILLVILLE (8-2) AT HAMMOND MORTON (5-4)
SECTIONAL 10
MICHIGAN CITY (6-4) AT VALPARAISO (8-2)
SECTIONAL 11
MISHAWAKA (8-2) AT CONCORD (6-4)
SECTIONAL 12
FORT WAYNE NORTH (3-6) AT FORT WAYNE SNIDER (9-1)
SECTIONAL 13
HARRISON (WEST LAFAYETTE) (9-1) AT DECATUR CENTRAL (8-2)
SECTIONAL 14
TERRE HAUTE SOUTH (5-5) AT WHITELAND (6-4)
SECTIONAL 15
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH (9-1) AT SEYMOUR (6-4)
SECTIONAL 16
EVANSVILLE NORTH (7-3) AT CASTLE (7-3)
SECTIONAL 17
NEW PRAIRIE (9-2) AT CULVER ACADEMY (5-6)
SECTIONAL 18
NORTHWOOD (9-2) AT NORTHRIDGE (9-2)
SECTIONAL 19
FORT WAYNE DWENGER (6-5) AT LEO (9-2)
SECTIONAL 20
KOKOMO (9-2) AT MISSISSINEWA (11-0)
SECTIONAL 21
MOORESVILLE (6-5) AT BREBEUF JESUIT (6-4)
SECTIONAL 22
NEW PALESTINE (9-2) AT MOUNT VERNON (FORTVILLE) (7-4)
SECTIONAL 23
GREENWOOD (6-5) AT EAST CENTRAL (11-0)
SECTIONAL 24
EVANSVILLE REITZ (11-0) AT EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL (8-3)
SECTIONAL 25
HANOVER CENTRAL (11-0) AT WEST LAFAYETTE (8-3)
SECTIONAL 26
JOHN GLENN (7-4) AT KNOX (11-0)
SECTIONAL 27
DELTA (7-4) AT GARRETT (6-5)
SECTIONAL 28
INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD (11-0) AT HAMILTON HEIGHTS (11-0)
SECTIONAL 29
TRI-WEST (10-1) AT MONROVIA (9-2)
SECTIONAL 30
VINCENNES LINCOLN (8-3) AT GIBSON SOUTHERN (9-2)
SECTIONAL 31
BATESVILLE (10-1) AT INDIAN CREEK (8-3)
SECTIONAL 32
HERITAGE HILLS (10-1) AT SCOTTSBURG (7-4)
SECTIONAL 33
BREMEN (6-5) AT LAVILLE (10-1)
SECTIONAL 34
LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (8-3) AT SEEGER (8-3)
SECTIONAL 35
FORT WAYNE LUERS (8-3) AT MANCHESTER (5-6)
SECTIONAL 36
EASTERN (GREENTOWN) (9-2) AT BLUFFTON (9-2)
SECTIONAL 37
SOUTHMONT (6-5) AT LINTON-STOCKTON (10-1)
SECTIONAL 38
WINCHESTER (8-2) AT EASTERN HANCOCK (7-4)
SECTIONAL 39
TRITON CENTRAL (10-1) AT EASTERN (PEKIN) (5-6)
SECTIONAL 40
PAOLI (10-1) AT NORTH POSEY (10-1)
SECTIONAL 41
NORTH JUDSON (7-4) AT TRITON (8-3)
SECTIONAL 42
PARK TUDOR (11-0) AT NORTH VERMILLION (8-3)
SECTIONAL 43
CARROLL (FLORA) (11-0) AT TRI-CENTRAL (5-6)
SECTIONAL 44
ADAMS CENTRAL (11-0) AT MADISON-GRANT (8-3)
SECTIONAL 45
SHERIDAN (8-3) AT MONROE CENTRAL (6-5)
SECTIONAL 46
NORTH DECATUR (8-3) AT MILAN (8-3)
SECTIONAL 47
INDIANAPOLIS LUTHERAN (9-0) AT COVENANT CHRISTIAN (7-3)
SECTIONAL 48
SPRINGS VALLEY (10-1) AT PROVIDENCE (11-0)
INDIANA VOLLEYBALL STATE FINALS
CLASS 1A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
11 AM ET | SOUTHWOOD (31-4) VS. TECUMSEH (32-4)
CLASS 2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
1:30 PM ET | MUNCIE BURRIS (30-4) VS. BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (24-13)
CLASS 3A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
4:30 PM ET | BELLMONT (34-2) VS. PROVIDENCE (30-5)
CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
7 PM ET | HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (32-0) VS. CASTLE (34-3)
GIRLS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
MONDAY
| ANDERSON PREP ACADEMY | AT | ELWOOD | 6:00 PM | ||
| GRANGER CHRISTIAN | AT | SOUTH BEND CAREER | 7:30 PM | ||
| MORRISTOWN | AT | BEECH GROVE | 7:30 PM | ||
| ZIONSVILLE | AT | INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS | 7:30 PM | ||
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
| CARROLL (FLORA) | AT | FRANKFORT | 7:30 PM | ||
| CULVER ACADEMY | AT | WASHINGTON TWP. | 7:30 PM | ||
| EASTERN (GREENTOWN) | AT | ELWOOD | 6:00 PM | ||
| EVANSVILLE HARRISON | AT | FLOYD CENTRAL | 7:30 PM | ||
| FORT WAYNE NORTH | AT | WARSAW | 7:45 PM | ||
| HAMMOND MORTON | AT | HANOVER CENTRAL | 8:00 PM | ||
| HOBART | AT | CROWN POINT | 8:00 PM | ||
| INDIANAPOLIS RITTER | AT | EDINBURGH | 7:30 PM | ||
| INDIANAPOLIS RIVERSIDE | AT | GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN | 6:00 PM | ||
| INDIANAPOLIS ROOTED | AT | CHRISTEL HOUSE MANUAL | 6:00 PM | ||
| INDIANAPOLIS TECH | AT | INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS | 6:30 PM | ||
| KOKOMO | AT | BLACKFORD | 7:30 PM | ||
| LAPEL | AT | WINCHESTER | 7:30 PM | ||
| MARTINSVILLE | AT | EMINENCE | 7:00 PM | ||
| NEW CASTLE | AT | RICHMOND | 7:30 PM | ||
| NORTH CENTRAL (INDIANAPOLIS) | AT | WESTFIELD | 7:30 PM | ||
| NORTH HARRISON | AT | SOUTH CENTRAL (ELIZABETH) | 7:30 PM | ||
| OREGON-DAVIS | AT | MORGAN TWP. | 7:00 PM | ||
| PORTAGE | AT | BOWMAN ACADEMY | 8:00 PM | ||
| SOUTH DEARBORN | AT | EAST CENTRAL | 7:30 PM | ||
| TRITON | AT | JOHN GLENN | 7:30 PM | ||
| UNION (MODOC) | AT | UNION CITY | 7:30 PM | ||
| WAWASEE | AT | MANCHESTER | 7:30 PM | ||
AP COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL
| RANK | SCHOOL | VOTES | PREV |
| 1 | GEORGIA (8-0) | 1553 (48) | 1 |
| 2 | MICHIGAN (8-0) | 1494 (9) | 2 |
| 3 | OHIO STATE (8-0) | 1446 (3) | 3 |
| 4 | FLORIDA STATE (8-0) | 1421 (3) | 4 |
| 5 | WASHINGTON (8-0) | 1327 | 5 |
| 6 | OREGON (7-1) | 1235 | 8 |
| 7 | TEXAS (7-1) | 1189 | 7 |
| 8 | ALABAMA (7-1) | 1114 | 9 |
| 9 | PENN STATE (7-1) | 1044 | 10 |
| 10 | OKLAHOMA (7-1) | 1010 | 6 |
| 11 | OLE MISS (7-1) | 990 | 12 |
| 12 | NOTRE DAME (7-2) | 847 | 14 |
| 13 | LSU (6-2) | 816 | 15 |
| 14 | MISSOURI (7-1) | 714 | 16 |
| 15 | LOUISVILLE (7-1) | 666 | 18 |
| 16 | OREGON STATE (6-2) | 557 | 11 |
| 17 | AIR FORCE (8-0) | 526 | 19 |
| 18 | UTAH (6-2) | 510 | 13 |
| 19 | TENNESSEE (6-2) | 473 | 21 |
| 20 | UCLA (6-2) | 331 | 23 |
| 21 | TULANE (7-1) | 303 | 22 |
| 22 | KANSAS (6-2) | 250 | NR |
| 23 | JAMES MADISON (8-0) | 192 | 25 |
| 24 | USC (7-2) | 139 | 24 |
| 25 | KANSAS STATE (6-2) | 112 | NR |
OTHERS: OKLAHOMA STATE (77) , NORTH CAROLINA (54) , LIBERTY (47) , FRESNO STATE (16) , MIAMI (FL) (11) , ARIZONA (6) , TOLEDO (3) , RUTGERS (2)
COACHES POLL
| RANK | SCHOOL | VOTES | PREV |
| 1 | GEORGIA (8-0) | 1590 (58) | 1 |
| 2 | MICHIGAN (8-0) | 1520 (3) | 2 |
| 3 | OHIO STATE (8-0) | 1454 (3) | 3 |
| 4 | FLORIDA STATE (8-0) | 1439 | 4 |
| 5 | WASHINGTON (8-0) | 1344 | 5 |
| 6 | TEXAS (7-1) | 1212 | 7 |
| 7 | OREGON (7-1) | 1211 | 9 |
| 8 | ALABAMA (7-1) | 1187 | 8 |
| 9 | PENN STATE (7-1) | 1072 | 10 |
| 10 | OLE MISS (7-1) | 1021 | 11 |
| 11 | OKLAHOMA (7-1) | 948 | 6 |
| 12 | NOTRE DAME (7-2) | 847 | 14 |
| 13 | LSU (6-2) | 809 | 15 |
| 14 | MISSOURI (7-1) | 741 | 16 |
| 15 | LOUISVILLE (7-1) | 701 | 18 |
| 16 | TENNESSEE (6-2) | 553 | 20 |
| 17 | AIR FORCE (8-0) | 523 | 19 |
| 18 | UTAH (6-2) | 509 | 13 |
| 19 | OREGON STATE (6-2) | 465 | 12 |
| 20 | UCLA (6-2) | 309 | 24 |
| 21 | TULANE (7-1) | 304 | 23 |
| 22 | USC (7-2) | 239 | 22 |
| 23 | KANSAS (6-2) | 182 | NR |
| 24 | JAMES MADISON (8-0) | 169 | 25 |
| 25 | NORTH CAROLINA (6-2) | 120 | 17 |
OTHERS: KANSAS STATE (85) , OKLAHOMA STATE (62) , FRESNO STATE (51) , MIAMI (FL) (35) , DUKE (33) , IOWA (20) , ARIZONA (18) , LIBERTY (15) , SMU (6) , FLORIDA (3) , UNLV (1) , TOLEDO (1) , KENTUCKY (1)
WEEK 10
TUESDAY, OCT. 31
NORTHERN ILLINOIS AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN | 7 P.M. | ESPNU
BUFFALO AT TOLEDO | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN2
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 1
BALL STATE AT BOWLING GREEN | 7 P.M. | ESPN2
KENT STATE AT AKRON | 7:30 P.M. | ESPNU
THURSDAY, NOV. 2
TCU AT TEXAS TECH | 7 P.M. | FS1
WAKE FOREST AT DUKE | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
SOUTH ALABAMA AT TROY | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN2
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE AT BETHUNE-COOKMAN | 7:30 P.M. | ESPNU
FRIDAY, NOV. 3
PRINCETON AT DARTMOUTH | 7 P.M. | ESPNU
BOSTON COLLEGE AT SYRACUSE | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN2
COLORADO STATE AT WYOMING | 8 P.M. | CBSSN
SATURDAY, NOV. 4
TEXAS A&M AT OLE MISS | 12 P.M. | ESPN
CAMPBELL AT NORTH CAROLINA | 12 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
UCONN AT TENNESSEE | 12 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
ARKANSAS AT FLORIDA | 12 P.M. | ESPN2
JACKSONVILLE STATE AT SOUTH CAROLINA | 12 P.M. | ESPNU
HOLY CROSS AT LEHIGH | 12 P.M. | ESPN+
YALE AT BROWN | 12 P.M. | ESPN+
DRAKE AT MARIST | 12 P.M. | ESPN+
SAN DIEGO AT PRESBYTERIAN | 12 P.M. | ESPN+
HARVARD AT COLUMBIA | 12:30 P.M. | ESPN+
KENNESAW STATE AT SAM HOUSTON | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
DELAWARE STATE AT MORGAN STATE | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
BUCKNELL AT FORDHAM | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
YOUNGSTOWN STATE AT INDIANA STATE | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
CORNELL AT PENN | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
GARDNER-WEBB AT BRYANT | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
VMI AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE | 1 P.M. | ESPN+
FURMAN AT CHATTANOOGA | 1:30 P.M. | ESPN+
NAVY AT TEMPLE | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
ARMY AT AIR FORCE | 2 P.M. | CBSSN
FLORIDA A&M AT ALABAMA A&M | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
NORTH DAKOTA AT MURRAY STATE | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
SOUTH DAKOTA AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
DAYTON AT VALPARAISO | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
ROBERT MORRIS AT SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
BUTLER AT MOREHEAD STATE | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
MERCER AT THE CITADEL | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
WESTERN ILLINOIS AT UNI | 2 P.M. | ESPN+
UT MARTIN AT TENNESSEE TECH | 2:30 P.M. | ESPN+
FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT UAB | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
UTSA AT NORTH TEXAS | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
SOUTH FLORIDA AT MEMPHIS | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
LOUISIANA AT ARKANSAS STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
ILLINOIS STATE AT MISSOURI STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
SOUTHERN AT ALCORN STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
TEXAS SOUTHERN AT JACKSON STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
LINCOLN (CA) AT SOUTHERN UTAH | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
UTAH TECH AT ABILENE CHRISTIAN | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
IDAHO AT NORTHERN COLORADO | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
NORTH DAKOTA STATE AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
EASTERN ILLINOIS AT LINDENWOOD | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
WESTERN CAROLINA AT WOFFORD | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
NORTH ARIZONA AT MONTANA STATE | 3 P.M. | ESPN+
PENN STATE AT MARYLAND | 3:30 P.M. | FOX
VIRGINIA TECH AT LOUISVILLE | 3:30 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
TULANE AT EAST CAROLINA | 3:30 P.M.
JAMES MADISON AT GEORGIA STATE | 3:30 P.M.
MERRIMACK AT UMASS | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
COASTAL CAROLINA AT OLD DOMINION | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
HOWARD AT SOUTH CAROLINA STATE | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
NORFOLK STATE AT NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN+
AUBURN AT VANDERBILT | 4 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
CHARLOTTE AT TULSA | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
UL MONROE AT SOUTHERN MISS | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
CAL POLY AT EASTERN WASHINGTON | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
TEXAS A&M-COMMERCE AT LAMAR | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
MCNEESE AT SE LOUISIANA | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
TENNESSEE STATE AT CHARLESTON SOUTHERN | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
NICHOLLS AT UIW | 4 P.M. | ESPN+
AUSTIN PEAY AT EASTERN KENTUCKY | 5 P.M. | ESPN+
CENTRAL ARKANSAS AT NORTH ALABAMA | 5 P.M. | ESPN+
LOUISIANA TECH AT LIBERTY | 6 P.M. | CBSSN
MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT NEW MEXICO STATE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
MARSHALL AT APPALACHIAN STATE | 6 P.M. | NFL NETWORK
WEBER STATE AT IDAHO STATE | 6 P.M. | ESPN+
GEORGIA SOUTHERN AT TEXAS STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN AT TARLETON STATE | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
PORTLAND STATE AT UC DAVIS | 7 P.M. | ESPN+
WASHINGTON AT USC | 7:30 P.M. | ABC
KENTUCKY AT MISSISSIPPI STATE | 7:30 P.M. | SEC NETWORK
SMU AT RICE | 7:30 P.M. | ESPNU
MIAMI (FLA.) AT NC STATE | 8 P.M. | ACC NETWORK
SACRAMENTO STATE AT MONTANA | 8 P.M. | ESPN+
WESTERN KENTUCKY AT UTEP | 9 P.M. | ESPN+
OREGON STATE AT COLORADO | 10 P.M. | ESPN
BOISE STATE AT FRESNO STATE | 10 P.M. | CBSSN
MISSOURI AT GEORGIA
PURDUE AT MICHIGAN
OHIO STATE AT RUTGERS
FLORIDA STATE AT PITT
OKLAHOMA AT OKLAHOMA STATE
KANSAS STATE AT TEXAS
CAL AT OREGON
LSU AT ALABAMA
ARIZONA STATE AT UTAH
NOTRE DAME AT CLEMSON
UCLA AT ARIZONA
WISCONSIN AT INDIANA
NEBRASKA AT MICHIGAN STATE
ILLINOIS AT MINNESOTA
IOWA AT NORTHWESTERN
STANFORD AT WASHINGTON STATE
GEORGIA TECH AT VIRGINIA
HOUSTON AT BAYLOR
UCF AT CINCINNATI
KANSAS AT IOWA STATE
BYU AT WEST VIRGINIA
UTAH STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE
NFL WEEK 8
NEW ORLEANS 38 INDIANAPOLIS 27
CAROLINA 15 HOUSTON 13
DALLAS 43 LA RAMS 20
MINNESOTA 24 GREEN BAY 10
MIAMI 31 NEW ENGLAND 17
NY JETS 13 NY GIANTS 10 OT
JACKSONVILLE 20 PITTSBURGH 10
TENNESSEE 28 ATLANTA 23
PHILADELPHIA 38 WASHINGTON 31
SEATTLE 24 CLEVELAND 20
BALTIMORE 31 ARIZONA 24
DENVER 24 KANSAS CITY 9
CINCINNATI 31 SAN FRANCISCO 17
LA CHARGERS 30 CHICAGO 13
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT DETROIT LIONS (MON) 8:15P (ET) 8:15P ESPN
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
WORLD SERIES
MONDAY, OCT. 30
TEX @ AZ, GAME 3, 8 P.M. (FOX)
TUESDAY, OCT. 31
TEX @ AZ, GAME 4, 8 P.M. (FOX)
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 1
TEX @ AZ, GAME 5, 8 P.M. (FOX)
FRIDAY, NOV. 3
AZ @ TEX, GAME 6 (IF NECESSARY), 8 P.M. (FOX)
SATURDAY, NOV. 4
AZ @ TEX, GAME 7 (IF NECESSARY), 8 P.M. (FOX)
NBA SCOREBOARD
DENVER 128 OKLAHOMA CITY 95
GOLDEN STATE 106 HOUSTON 95
ATLANTA 127 MILWAUKEE 110
PHILADELPHIA 126 PORTLAND 98
LA CLIPPERS 123 SAN ANTONIO 83
SACRAMENTO 132 LA LAKERS 127 OT
NHL SCOREBOARD
NEW JERSEY 4 MINNESOTA 3
WASHINGTON 3 SAN JOSE 1
EDMONTON 5 CALGARY 2
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
HOUSTON 2 SALT LAKE 1
CINCINNATI 3 NEW YORK 0
KANSAS CITY 4 ST. LOUIS 1
TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES
NFL NEWS
EDDY PINEIRO’S 23-YARD FG AS TIME EXPIRES HELPS BRYCE YOUNG, PANTHERS GET 1ST WIN OVER TEXANS 15-13
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Bryce Young outdueled C.J. Stroud in a battle of the NFL’s top two draft picks, and Eddy Pineiro made a 23-yard field goal as time expired to send the Carolina Panthers over the Houston Texans 15-13 on Sunday for their first win of the season.
Young, the No. 1 overall pick, threw for 235 yards and a touchdown. He led a winning 15-play, 86-yard drive that took more than six minutes off the clock in helping the Panthers (1-6) snap a 56-game losing streak in games they trailed at any point in fourth quarter, the longest in NFL since at least 1991.
Carolina’s last fourth-quarter comeback win was Oct. 21, 2018, against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Stroud, the second overall pick, was 16 of 24 for 140 yards and ran for a touchdown for Houston (3-4).
The ending was filled with drama with the Panthers lining up for three different field-goal attempts.
On a 38-yarder, Tavierre Thomas ran into the backfield early in an attempt to block the kick and ran into holder Johnny Hekker. That moved the Panthers 10 yards closer. Then Thomas was flagged again for unsportsmanlike conduct for trying to stop the clock by jumping offsides again, moving the ball another 5 yards closer.
Pineiro made his third attempt, even as another flag for offsides was thrown on the Texans.
Young overcame six sacks and three drops by his wide receivers to record his first win since coming into the NFL out of Alabama.
Young had his two biggest completions of the season – 40 and 31 yards.
Adam Thielen had eight catches for 72 yards for Carolina. Tommy Tremble caught a touchdown pass for the second straight game as the Panthers won in their first game with offensive coordinator Thomas Brown as play-caller.
The win kept Carolina from matching its worst start in franchise history. The Panthers were 0-7 to start the 1998 season.
The Panthers trailed 7-6 at the halftime after Pinero missed an extra point following Young’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Tremble.
But Young’s 40-yard strike to fellow rookie Jonathan Mingo set up one Pineiro field goal and Donte Jackson’s forced fumble on fullback Andrew Beck led to another field goal to give Carolina a 12-7 lead.
But Stroud put the Texans back on top 13-12, completing a 31-yard pass to Noah Brown to set up a 1-yard TD run on a quarterback sneak. Brown was initially flagged for stepping out of bounds, but officials later allowed the catch after determining the ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage. The 2-point conversion was no good.
INJURIES
Texans: Rookie C Jarrett Patterson was carted off the field midway through the fourth quarter with a lower leg injury.
Panthers: OLB Justin Houston left the game with a hamstring injury.
UP NEXT
Texans: Host Buccaneers on Sunday.
Panthers: Host Colts on Sunday. —
PRESCOTT THROWS 4 TDS, BLAND GETS 3RD PICK-6 OF SEASON AS COWBOYS ROUT RAMS 43-20
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) Dak Prescott threw two of his four touchdown passes to CeeDee Lamb, DaRon Bland recorded his NFL-leading third interception return for a score and the Dallas Cowboys beat the Los Angeles Rams 43-20 on Sunday.
It was a rough-and-tumble homecoming for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was replaced by Brett Rypien late in the third quarter after injuring a thumb on a failed 2-point conversion pass and ending up with a bloody elbow after catching another.
Sam Williams blocked a punt for a safety before KaVontae Turpin returned the ensuing punt 63 yards to set up Lamb’s first TD grab, helping the Cowboys (5-2) to a 33-3 lead late in the first half in their 11th consecutive home victory.
The streak matches the club’s longest since an 11-game run at Texas Stadium in 1991-92, almost two decades before AT&T Stadium opened.
Stafford led scoring drives on either side of halftime to help the Rams (3-5) trim a 30-point deficit to 16. But the former Dallas high school standout, visiting his hometown team for the first time as a Super Bowl champion, sent the Cowboys on their way with an early mistake.
Stafford threw behind Cooper Kupp to a waiting Bland for an easy 30-yard return and a 17-3 Dallas lead in the first quarter. Bland brought an interception back 22 yards for a score against the New York Giants in the opener before a 54-yarder in Week 4 against the Patriots.
The second-year cornerback is the third player since the 1970 merger with three pick-6s in the first seven games of a season. The NFL record for an entire season is four, last accomplished 30 years ago.
Despite getting sacked three times in the first quarter – with a fourth wiped out by a defensive penalty – Prescott finished the first half 17 of 21 for 225 yards. He ended up with his first 300-yard game of the season (25 of 31 for 304 yards with an interception).
Lamb had career highs with 12 catches for 158 yards, including another personal best with 122 yards before the break.
Dallas kicker Brandon Aubrey tied an NFL record with two field goals, giving him 18 consecutive makes to start his career. Travis Coons made his first 18 with Cleveland in 2015.
Stafford injured the thumb on his throwing (right) hand when it jammed into a Dallas helmet on an errant throw in the final seconds of the first half.
The 35-year-old’s elbow was bloodied after he caught a 2-point pass from Tutu Atwell just above the turf and fell across the goal line following his 20-yard scoring toss to Ben Skowronek.
Rams receiver Puka Nacua had three catches to set a league record for the most catches through the first eight games of a career with 61. But he fell short of the 51 yards needed to set that mark as well, finishing with 43.
INJURIES
Cowboys LT Tyron Smith was inactive after injuring his neck in practice during the week. It’s the third game the eight-time Pro Bowler has missed, which means the 32-year-old has been sidelined at least three games in each of the past eight seasons. … The Rams were without RT Rob Havenstein (calf).
UP NEXT
Rams: At Green Bay next Sunday before the bye.
Cowboys: At Philadelphia next Sunday.
COUSINS THROWS 2 TD PASSES BEFORE LEAVING WITH INJURY IN VIKINGS’ 24-10 VICTORY OVER PACKERS
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) Kirk Cousins led the Minnesota Vikings back to relevance after their poor start to the season.
Now the Vikings will likely have to try to keep it going without their durable quarterback.
Cousins threw a pair of touchdown passes before leaving in the fourth quarter of the Vikings’ 24-10 victory over the slumping Green Bay Packers 24-10 on Sunday.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said after the game that the Vikings are “fearing an Achilles (tendon) injury” but said Cousins was still undergoing evaluation.
“The severity of that, I do not know at this point, but I do know that’s what our fear is at the moment,” O’Connell said.
Cousins walked gingerly to the sideline after getting sacked on consecutive plays during a series that ended with Green Bay’s Karl Brooks blocking Greg Joseph’s 44-yard field-goal attempt. Jaren Hall, a rookie fifth-round pick from BYU, took over for the rest of the game.
This marked the first Packers-Vikings matchup since 2006 in which both teams entered the game with losing records, but Minnesota got back to .500 on Sunday with its third consecutive victory.
Cousins, who went 23 of 31 for 274 yards, has never missed a game because of injury in his 12-year career. He did sit out a game at Green Bay during the 2021 season because of a positive COVID-19 test.
Minnesota’s T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison had touchdown receptions less than two minutes apart early in the third quarter. Cam Akers put Minnesota ahead for good in the opening period by giving the Vikings their first touchdown run of the season.
The Packers (2-5) lost their fourth straight and continued their penchant for slow starts. The Packers have been outscored 73-9 in the first half of their past five games and haven’t scored a touchdown before halftime in any of them.
Minnesota dominated the first two quarters, but only led 10-3 at the break largely because of missed opportunities. But the Vikings wasted no time breaking the game open early in the third quarter.
Cousins’ 2-yard touchdown pass to Hockenson capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive to begin the second half. On the Packers’ ensuing possession, Jordan Love threw deep to Jayden Reed, but Josh Metellus made a spectacular catch with his back to the quarterback and then delivered a 43-yard interception return to give the Vikings the ball at the Green Bay 20.
On the next play, Cousins connected with Jordan Addison in the end zone to extend Minnesota’s lead to 24-3 with 7:48 left in the third.
Green Bay finally reached the end zone on Love’s 1-yard pass to Romeo Doubs on fourth-and-goal late in the third quarter to cut the lead to 24-10, but the Packers couldn’t get any closer despite continually reaching Vikings territory in the fourth quarter.
The drive that followed Brooks’ blocked field goal ended with the Packers losing the ball on downs at the Minnesota 10-yard line. Hall fumbled while getting sacked on his third snap to give Green Bay the ball at the Minnesota 15, but the Packers again lost the ball on downs. The Packers’ final series ended with a fourth down incompletion from the Minnesota 34.
Love ended up going 24 of 41 for 229 yards with one touchdown and an interception.
Minnesota could have put this game out of reach much earlier.
With five minutes left in the second quarter, the Vikings had a 182-26 advantage in total offense and a 13-0 edge in first downs. The Packers already had committed eight of their 11 penalties by that point.
Green Bay didn’t get a first down until its fifth series when Love threw an 11-yard completion to Christian Watson with just over four minutes left in the first half. The play drew a heart and sarcastic round of applause from a Lambeau Field crowd frustrated by Green Bay’s first-half failures.
INJURY REPORT
Vikings DL Dean Lowry left with a groin injury in the first half. … Packers OT Yosh Nijman hurt his foot late in the game.
UP NEXT
Vikings: At Atlanta next Sunday.
Packers: Host the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday.
TUA TAGOVAILOA THROWS FOR 3 TDS, JALEN RAMSEY SHINES IN DEBUT FOR DOLPHINS, WHO BEAT PATRIOTS 31-17
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) Tua Tagovailoa threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns, Jalen Ramsey intercepted a pass in his Dolphins debut, and Miami beat the New England Patriots 31-17 on Sunday.
Miami won for the 16th time in its past 18 home games, and Tagovailoa moved to 6-0 in his career against Patriots coach Bill Belichick. The Dolphins, 6-2 for the first time since 2001, have a one-game lead over Buffalo for the AFC East lead.
Tagovailoa completed 30 of 45 passes and moved his league-leading yardage total to 2,416. Jaylen Waddle had seven catches for 121 yards and a touchdown, and Tyreek Hill had eight receptions for 112 yards and a score, becoming the first player in the Super Bowl era to top 1,000 receiving yards through eight games.
Mac Jones had another uneven day for the Patriots (2-6), throwing for 161 yards on 19-of-29 passing with two touchdowns and one interception.
The Patriots trailed 24-10 midway through the fourth quarter when they drove inside the Miami 3 and scored on fourth down. Jones connected with JuJu Smith-Schuster for the receiver’s first touchdown this season to get the Patriots within seven.
The Dolphins responded with a 10-play, 75-yard drive, and Waddle waltzed into the end zone for an easy 31-yard score.
Ramsey intercepted Jones on a pass intended for Bourne and returned it 49 yards in the second quarter. Ramsey missed the first seven games of the season after having surgery in July to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Smith-Schuster made a hard hit on Dolphins safety Brandon Jones on the Patriots’ final drive as Jones was attempting to come down with an interception. The play resulted in a brief skirmish between the teams near the Patriots’ sideline before Miami ran out the clock.
The Dolphins turned the ball over twice, and the Patriots scored both times.
Tagovailoa was sacked on Miami’s second drive and threw an interception on the next play, which the Patriots turned into a 7-0 lead when Jones found Kendrick Bourne for a 24-yard touchdown.
Raheem Mostert fumbled at Miami’s 19 on the first play of the third quarter with the Dolphins up 17-7. That resulted in a 38-yard field goal by Chad Ryland. Mostert later contributed his NFL-best 10th rushing touchdown of the season – a 1-yard score on Miami’s next offensive possession that put the Dolphins ahead 24-10.
Hill, who was limited by a hip injury this week, has made clear his goal to surpass 2,000 receiving yards, and he’s more than halfway there at 1,014.
After his 42-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, Hill simply sat on the Dolphins’ bench. He had been flagged in Miami’s previous two home games for unsportsmanlike conduct for his celebrations.
BACK IN THE END ZONE
Cedrick Wilson caught Tagovailoa’s second touchdown pass in the second quarter. It was Wilson’s first touchdown since before Miami picked him up in free agency last year. He hadn’t scored since Week 18 of 2021 with Dallas.
SCARY HIT
Former Dolphins receiver DeVante Parker took a hard hit to his head from Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott in the third quarter and left to be evaluated for a concussion. Parker appeared disoriented when he tried to get to his feet. He stumbled for a few seconds before teammates grabbed him. He was helped off the field and immediately ruled out with a head injury.
Elliott’s helmet appeared to make contact with Parker’s on the hit. No flag was thrown.
INJURIES
Patriots: LB Ja’Whaun Bentley (hamstring) was downgraded to out. … CB Myles Bryant was helped off the field with a hamstring injury. … Bourne left with a knee injury in the fourth.
Dolphins: RG Rob Hunt injured a hamstring in the second quarter and did not return. … Jones remained on the ground for a while after the hit from Smith-Schuster.
UP NEXT
Patriots: Host Washington next Sunday.
Dolphins: Travel to Frankfurt, Germany, where they are the designated home team against Kansas City next Sunday.
JETS STUN GIANTS LATE AND EARN UGLY 13-10 OVERTIME WIN
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) Greg Zuerlein kicked a 35-yard field goal on the final play of regulation and added a 33-yarder with 6:09 left in overtime as the Jets staged an unlikely comeback in a defensive struggle to stun the Giants 13-10 Sunday.
The Jets (4-3) moved 46 yards in six plays with the game-winning kick set up by a pass interference penalty against Adoree Jackson that gave them a first down at the 15.
Coach Robert Saleh didn’t give his offense a chance to make a mistake and Zuerlein came out and put his kick just inside the left upright for the Jets’ third straight win.
The loss was disappointing for the Giants (2-6), who gave up the tying field goal by allowing the Jets to move 58 yards in four plays without a timeout in the final 24 seconds.
Zach Wilson hit Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard on consecutive 29-yard passes, allowing the Jets to spike the ball and stop the clock with 1 second to play.
Wilson was 17 for 36 for 240 yards. Garrett Wilson had seven catches for 100 yards.
Kayvon Thibodeaux had three sacks for the Giants.
Practice squad quarterback Tommy DeVito, who took over for an injured Tyrod Taylor (ribs) in the second quarter, had given the Giants a 10-7 lead with a 6-yard run to cap a 75-yard drive on the opening possession of the second half.
Taylor, who was making his third straight start with Daniel Jones (neck) out, had hurt his ribs going to the ground on a scramble next to the Jets bench.
Saquon Barkley finished with 128 yards on 36 carries, but the Giants finished with minus-9 net yards passing, the fewest in a game since the Browns had minus-9 against the Jaguars on Dec. 3, 2000.
Graham Gano kicked a 31-yard field goal on the opening drive to put the Giants ahead.
Breece Hall gave the Jets a 7-3 lead with a 50-yard catch and run for a touchdown late in the first quarter.
Both teams were playing excellent defense coming into the game and they dominated the first half. The teams combined for 201 yards in total offense, eight first downs and 0-for-18 on third-down conversions.
There was only one big play, Hall’s TD catch on a pass that traveled 1 yard. The running back sidestepped Bobby Okereke, ran around fellow lineback Micah McFadden and then weaved his way the final 45 yards through the Giants defenders for the only touchdown of the half.
INJURIES: Jets: C Connor McGovern (knee) and DL Al Wood (calf) were knocked out of the game.
Giants: Besides Taylor, TE Darren Waller was ruled out in the second quarter after aggravating a hamstring injury in the second quarter.
UP NEXT:
Jets: Play host to Los Angeles Chargers next Monday night.
Giants: At Las Vegas Sunday to face the Raiders.
STREAKING JAGUARS SLUG THEIR WAY TO 20-10 WIN OVER PITTSBURGH AS STEELERS LOSE QB PICKETT TO INJURY
PITTSBURGH (AP) Trevor Lawrence threw for 292 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and the Jacksonville Jaguars slugged their way past the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-10 on Sunday for their fifth straight victory.
The Jaguars (6-2) strengthened their hold on the AFC South behind a defense that kept Pittsburgh’s erratic offense in check and more than enough offense to overcome a series of mistakes that let the Steelers (4-3) hang around well into the second half.
Lawrence broke it open with a 56-yard strike to a streaking Travis Etienne with 5:14 left in the third quarter that helped Jacksonville build a 14-point lead as the Jaguars won at Acrisure Stadium for the sixth time in their last seven trips.
Etienne ran for 79 yards and caught three passes for 70 yards and the score, a play in which he streaked past rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and raced to the end zone. Evan Engram hauled in 10 receptions for 88 yards as Jacksonville heads into its bye week looking every bit the AFC South favorite it was expected to be.
Pittsburgh played the second half without quarterback Kenny Pickett, who exited late in the first half with a rib injury after getting drilled by defensive end Adam Gotsis. Mitch Trubisky came on and threw for 139 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens late in the third quarter that brought the Steelers within 17-10.
Trubisky, however, also threw two interceptions, including one in which he forced a pass into triple coverage early in the fourth quarter that ended up in the hands of Jacksonville’s Andrew Wingard to hand the momentum back to the Jaguars.
Lawrence, playing with a brace on his left knee, guided the Jaguars on a clock-draining drive that ended with Brandon McManus’ fourth field goal to put the game out of reach as the Jaguars won their seventh straight regular-season road game.
The Jaguars have shrugged off a 1-2 start behind Lawrence and a defense that seems to be improving by the week. While Pickens raised eyebrows during the week by saying Jacksonville plays a “hope” defense that relies heavily on the pass rush to protect the secondary, Jacksonville essentially kept the Steelers in check for long stretches on a day it outgained Pittsburgh 377-261.
The Steelers came in somehow still afloat in the competitive AFC North despite having an offense and a defense that rank near the bottom of the league in every major statistical category except wins.
It was more of the same in the late-October mist. Pittsburgh needed four possessions before picking up a single first down while Jacksonville moved the ball with relative ease only to settle for three McManus field goals and have two other drives end with turnovers deep in Pittsburgh territory.
The Steelers – as is their custom – started generating momentum late in the second quarter when Gotsis drilled Pickett in the waning seconds of the opening half. Pickett grabbed his ribs while making his way to the locker room, and while he made a brief appearance on the sideline and tried to warm up as halftime ended, he was ultimately pulled in favor of Trubisky.
INJURIES
Steelers: Lost All-Pro free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to a hamstring injury in the first quarter.
UP NEXT
Jaguars: Are off next week then welcome San Francisco to TIAA Bank Field on Nov. 12.
Steelers: Host Tennessee on Thursday night.
HURTS THROWS FOR 4 TDS ON INJURED KNEE TO HELP THE EAGLES BEAT THE COMMANDERS AND IMPROVE TO 7-1
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) Jalen Hurts threw for four touchdowns while gutting through a knee injury, A.J. Brown had 130 yards receiving and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Washington Commanders 38-31 Sunday to improve to 7-1 this season.
Hurts was noticeably limping and reluctant to run because of his gimpy left knee, but that didn’t stop him from completing 29 of 38 passes for 319 yards and the TD passes to Brown twice, DeVonta Smith and Julio Jones. Before kneeling twice to end the game, his 7 yards rushing on two attempts were Hurts’ fewest since Dec. 26, 2021.
One of those rushes was a “Tush Push” attempt when Hurts fumbled at the Washington 1-yard line, one of two Philadelphia turnovers inside the 5. Kenneth Gainwell lost a fumble at the 4 in the first half.
With not much going on the ground, Hurts had plenty of options passing, starting with Brown, who became the first player in NFL history with 125-plus yards receiving in six consecutive games. Brown made a terrific one-handed grab on his first touchdown and caught the ball through double coverage on his second.
After allowing Sam Howell to complete 24 passes in the first half, Philadelphia’s defense responded down the stretch. Reed Blankenship intercepted Howell in the fourth quarter, and Haason Reddick sacked him with just over two minutes left – the Eagles’ first of the game – to set the stage for D’Andre Swift’s TD run.
Washington (3-5) lost for a fifth time in six games despite Howell throwing for a career-high 397 yards and four TDs behind a revamped offensive line. Coach Ron Rivera did not challenge a key fourth-down catch by Smith in the third quarter that replays showed should have been incomplete, and top receiver Terry McLaurin had consecutive drops that led to a turnover on downs late.
RECORD KICK
Joey Slye’s 61-yard field goal for Washington late in the first half was the longest in franchise history and of his career. It came after a false start penalty on lineman Chris Paul pushed Washington back 5 yards.
INJURIES
Eagles: Rookie DT Jalen Carter left in the third quarter with a back injury. … TE Grant Calcaterra was concussed in the first half. … CB Bradley Roby missed a second consecutive game with a shoulder injury.
Commanders: WR Curtis Samuel injured a toe in the second half. … Rookie OL Ricky Stromberg injured his right knee midway through the first quarter on Washington’s first extra-point attempt and was quickly declared out.
UP NEXT
Eagles: Host the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday.
Commanders: Visit the New England Patriots next Sunday.
GENO SMITH THROWS LATE TD PASS TO JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA, SEAHAWKS TOP BROWNS 24-20
SEATTLE (AP) Jamal Adams used his head to give Geno Smith the chance at some late heroics that helped vault the Seattle Seahawks into first place in the NFC West.
Adams forced an interception that deflected off his helmet with 1:57 remaining. Five plays later, Smith threw a quick screen to Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 9-yard touchdown with 38 seconds left, lifting the Seahawks to a 24-20 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Seattle (5-2) blew an early 14-point lead, but made enough plays in the fourth quarter for its fifth win in six games. The Seahawks moved a half-game ahead of division rival San Francisco, although that matters little in Week 8.
“We’re in pretty good shape. That’s good. And we’re still growing,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said.
After struggling for long stretches against the best defense in the NFL, Smith was sensational on Seattle’s final drive. He connected on 4 of 5 passes, the last of which was a quick screen to Smith-Njigba. The rookie first-round pick used a terrific block from DK Metcalf on the perimeter to sneak down the sideline and score the second touchdown of his career.
“You just got to be ready when you’re out there when your number is called,” Smith-Njigba said. “I had the opportunity to make a play. Geno made the right read and DK made a great block. It was just great execution.”
Seattle gave itself a chance by intercepting Cleveland quarterback P.J. Walker near midfield with 1:57 remaining on the first game-changing play by Adams since his return from a torn quadriceps tendon suffered in Week 1 of the 2022 season.
On third-and-3 at the Browns 41, Walker tried to throw a quick slant to Amari Cooper. The throw deflected off Adams’ helmet as he blitzed and flew nearly 20 yards downfield, where it fell into the arms of Julian Love.
Adams said, “I got that from (Lionel) Messi.” Love said it looked more like Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Ronaldo. Messi. Whoever you want to call it. It doesn’t even matter as long as we got the win,” Adams said.
Smith finished 23 of 37 for 254 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Smith’s first pick came at the end of the first half with Seattle in position to get points, and he also took a sack from Myles Garrett midway through the fourth quarter that knocked Seattle out of field goal range while trailing 20-17.
Wide receiver Jake Bobo rushed for a 3-yard touchdown and Smith threw a 12-yard touchdown to Tyler Lockett as Seattle took a 14-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the game. Then the Seahawks’ offense came to a stop for most of the final three quarters.
“Our team is such a scrappy team. We find ways to win no matter what,” Smith said. “I feel like if I can play up to my capabilities, play up to my standard, who knows where we can be. Because we’re one of the best teams in football if we play right.”
Walker was 15 of 31 for 248 yards and threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to David Njoku in the first quarter. Most of Walker’s success through the air came on screen passes and the Browns (4-3) leaned heavily on a three-man run game.
Kareem Hunt, Pierre Strong Jr. and Jerome Ford combined for 137 yards on 33 carries. Hunt scored on a 1-yard TD run in the second quarter, but the Browns settled for field goals of 25 and 27 yards from Dustin Hopkins in the third quarter when drives stalled after moving inside the Seattle 10.
“As a team, as an offense, we fought. Just didn’t make enough plays at the end,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said.
Njoku finished with four catches for 77 yards, while Cooper had six receptions for 89 yards.
Walker had three total turnovers while making his second start in place of Deshaun Watson, who has a lingering shoulder injury. Walker was intercepted by Riq Woolen in the first half and fumbled on a sack by Jordyn Brooks in the first quarter, helping Seattle take its early lead.
“Just happened to have a tipped ball at a crucial moment in the game,” Walker said. “The moment it got tipped in the air, I felt the bad feeling that it was going to be a pick or something like that.”
BACK TO THE 90s
It ended up being a memorable day for Seattle to break out its throwback uniforms with the original color scheme the franchise had from 1976-2001. The blue jerseys and silver helmets popped on a perfect, sunny fall day, and the field was decorated with the logos and end-zone colors used by the Seahawks when they played in the Kingdome.
Seattle will wear the uniforms again on Nov. 30 at Dallas. Fans have clamored for the team to go back to the design permanently.
INJURIES
Cleveland starting cornerback Greg Newsome II left in the first half with a groin injury and was ruled out early in the second half. The Browns also lost starting right tackle Dawand Jones in the third quarter to a shoulder injury. He was replaced by James Hudson.
UP NEXT
Browns: Host Arizona next Sunday.
Seahawks: At Baltimore next Sunday.
GUS EDWARDS RUNS FOR 3 TOUCHDOWNS, RAVENS’ DEFENSE KEYS 31-24 WIN OVER CARDINALS
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) Baltimore gave up a touchdown right out of the gate and two more in the fourth quarter.
In between, the Ravens’ opportunistic defense dominated, leading to a third straight win.
Gus Edwards ran for two of his three touchdowns following interceptions, and the Ravens beat the Arizona Cardinals 31-24 on Sunday.
“We weren’t really as crisp and sharp as we wanted to be by any stretch and yet we kept grinding, kept fighting and found a way to get the job done,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said.
A week after blowing out Detroit 38-6, the AFC North-leading Ravens (6-2) labored offensively.
The Cardinals (1-7) prevented Lamar Jackson from scrambling for more than a few yards at a time and the Ravens finished with 268 total yards. Jackson threw for 157 yards on 18-of-27 passing and ran for 18 yards on four carries.
“We’ve got to put more points on the board,” Jackson said.
Baltimore’s defense made up for its struggling offense.
The Ravens harassed quarterback Joshua Dobbs all afternoon, forcing two interceptions and a fumble while sacking him four times.
Dobbs threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns, both in the fourth quarter. Trey McBride bulled his way through several defenders for a 17-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter and, after Edwards scored on a 1-yard run, Dobbs hit Marquise Brown for a 1-yard touchdown with 1:14 left.
Arizona recovered the onside kick and Matt Prater kicked a 47-yard field goal, but the Cardinals couldn’t come up with another onside kick and lost their fifth straight.
“In the second quarter, third quarter there, the two takeaways that kind of put us behind the eight-ball,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said. “We’ve got to work to get that cleaned up.”
The good news for Arizona: Quarterback Kyler Murray returned to practice this week for the first time since tearing an ACL last season.
Dobbs was sharp early in his eighth straight start, scoring on 1-yard sneak to cap a 75-yard game-opening drive.
The fourth-year quarterback wasn’t quite as good after that.
The Cardinals turned it over on downs near midfield twice and Dobbs had a pass intercepted by Brandon Stephens on an overthrow.
It didn’t get any better in the second half.
Dobbs fumbled on a sack – the Cardinals recovered – and had a pass intercepted by Geno Stone at Arizona’s 23 when he tried to throw into double coverage. Edwards scored on a 7-yard run three plays later to put Baltimore up 21-7.
“Obviously, the game didn’t go the way we wanted (at the) end of the first half, start of the third quarter,” said Dobbs, who had 148 yards passing in the fourth quarter. “But the way we stayed together and fought was very impressive.”
The Ravens had a similar start and stutter.
Jackson hit 6 of 7 passes for 64 yards on Baltimore’s first drive, finding tight end Mark Andrews in the back of the end zone for a 5-yard score.
The Ravens had 64 yards of offense the rest of the half, taking a 14-7 lead on Edwards’ 1-yard touchdown dive following Stephens’ interception.
“You look at the first drive, it was good and then we started to find our groove, but there’s too many drives where didn’t find our groove,” Andrews said. “But I still feel like we controlled the game.”
SPOT ADJUSTMENT
Early in the second quarter, Arizona appeared to have a first down after going for it on fourth, only to have the officials move the ball back several inches.
The move caused an uproar on social media since there was no initial explanation, but NFL Senior Vice President of Officiating Walt Anderson said the decision to move the ball back came via replay assist.
“The replay official told the officials the ball was clearly short and that’s why the umpire ended up moving the ball,” Anderson told a pool reporter.
TARGETING HOLLYWOOD
The Cardinals wasted no time getting the ball to Brown in his first game against his former team.
The receiver known as “Hollywood” caught a 7-yard pass on Arizona’s first play and later induced a pass interference against Marion Humphrey in the end zone, setting up Dobbs’ TD sneak.
Brown finished with six catches for 33 yards and a touchdown. He played three seasons for the Ravens before being sent to Arizona in a draft day trade last year.
INJURIES
Cardinals LG Trystan Colon did not return after suffering a right knee injury on Arizona’s first drive. … Ravens WR Odell Beckham Jr. went down with a stomach contusion in the third quarter after a hard collision with Arizona S Budda Baker, but later returned.
UP NEXT
Ravens: Host Seattle next Sunday.
Cardinals: At Cleveland next Sunday.
WILSON, SIMMONS LEAD DENVER BRONCOS TO FIRST WIN OVER CHIEFS SINCE 2015 WITH A 24-9 THRASHING
DENVER (AP) Justin Simmons never paid much attention to the Broncos’ long losing streak to the Kansas City Chiefs or the way Patrick Mahomes had owned them ever since winning in Denver in his first NFL start back in 2017.
Simmons won’t have to address – or ignore – either point again after the Broncos throttled the defending Super Bowl champs 24-9 on a frigid Sunday afternoon.
“It just felt so good to win,” Simmons said after the Broncos (3-5) ended their 16-game losing streak to the Chiefs (6-2) by dominating every facet against a team that hadn’t lost to Denver since Week 2 of the 2015 season.
It was Mahomes’ first loss to Denver after 12 wins and his first road defeat in the AFC West after winning his first 16 divisional games away from Arrowhead Stadium.
He said the Broncos had a great game plan and executed.
“And we didn’t execute or score any points,” he said.
No touchdowns, at least.
Mahomes experienced flu-like symptoms, apparently catching a stomach bug from his wife and two young children, who got sick during the week.
“I started feeling bad last night,” said Mahomes, who had a pedestrian day with a 59.2 passer rating, three sacks and two interceptions.
In beating Kansas City for the first time in 2,965 days, the Broncos outplayed the Chiefs in every phase. Afterward, they were serenaded off the field to the sound of Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” blaring throughout Empower Field.
Swift wasn’t on hand to witness Travis Kelce’s six catches for 58 yards or the awful day for the rest of the Chiefs, who posted three field goals, went 0 for 3 in the red zone and turned it over four times on offense to go with a turnover on downs and a muffed punt that Denver recovered.
Simmons recovered a fumble and picked off Mahomes for the sixth time in his career. Those takeaways led to 10 points as the Broncos posted back-to-back wins for the first time in over a year.
Russell Wilson only threw 19 times but three of his dozen completions were in the end zone, to receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton and running back Javonte Williams, who ran 27 times for 85 yards and caught three passes for 13 yards.
Williams’ TD was his first since returning from a devastating left knee injury he suffered in the first month of the 2022 season.
“We believe in who we are,” Wilson said after the Broncos, who came in averaging just 22 carries a game, next-to-last in the league, ran the ball 40 times for 153 yards in controlling the clock and the tempo.
Denver made a 14-9 halftime lead hold up by controlling the clock and keeping Mahomes and Kelce cooling their cleats on the sideline in the second half. Kansas City had just three second-half possessions before getting the ball back for one meaningless snap at the end.
The Broncos blew the game open when rookie linebacker Drew Sanders recovered Mecole Hardman’s muffed punt at the Chiefs 10-yard line early in the fourth quarter. Two plays later Wilson hit Sutton in the left corner to make it 21-9, making the Broncos the first opponent to top 20 points against K.C. this season.
Mahomes drove the Chiefs to the Denver 27 but Skyy Moore couldn’t bring in a perfectly placed toss in the end zone on fourth down with 7:35 left.
Simmons, who had a fumble recovery in the first half, intercepted Mahomes with about 5 minutes left and the Broncos added a short field goal with 31 seconds remaining.
The Chiefs never trailed by more than 10 points in any of their 16 consecutive wins over Denver – it was the third-longest win streak against one opponent in NFL history – but they fell behind 14-3 early on and never found their footing.
In the first half, Mahomes also was intercepted by cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian and strip-sacked by Baron Browning with Jonathon Cooper recovering the loose ball.
“Patrick Mahomes is a hard quarterback” to sack, said Browning, who had three QB hits to go with his two sacks. “He scrambles. He can move around, stop on a dime, spin around. There was a play early in the game where I thought I had a kill shot, he stopped. He’s a playmaker, so it feels good to be able to corral him like a chicken.”
RED-ZONE RED-FACED
Three weeks ago at Arrowhead, the Chiefs were just 1 for 5 in the red zone but managed to pull off a 19-8 win against the Broncos. On Sunday, they were 0 for 3 inside Denver’s 20.
“Yeah, we weren’t down there too much today,” said Mahomes, who was held without a touchdown throw for the first time since Dec. 5, 2021, in a 22-9 win over Denver.
“It’s the worst I felt walking out of the stadium,” Mahomes said after losing for the first time in six trips to Denver. “It’s a great environment and I actually have a lot of fun playing here. They love the game, they know the game. But it is what it is. They beat us. They were the better football team today and I give them their props.”
INJURIES
Chiefs LB Willie Gay injured his tailbone in the second half.
UP NEXT
Chiefs: Face Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany, on Nov. 5.
Broncos: Bye week, return at Buffalo on Nov. 13.
BURROW THROWS 3 TD PASSES TO LEAD THE BENGALS PAST THE 49ERS 31-17
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) Joe Burrow set the tone early when he ducked out of two sack attempts, scrambled away and converted a third-down pass that extended a game-opening touchdown drive for Cincinnati.
After being hampered early in the season by an injured calf, Burrow looked like his old self once again and that means the Bengals look like contenders.
Burrow threw three touchdown passes, Cincinnati intercepted Brock Purdy on back-to-back passes in the second half and the Bengals beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-17 on Sunday for their fourth win in five games.
“All you need to say now is, ‘Welcome back, Burrow. Welcome back,’” receiver Ja’Marr Chase said.
Burrow completed 19 straight passes at one point for the Bengals and finished 28 for 32 for 283 yards against a defense for the 49ers (5-3) that has uncharacteristically struggled in recent weeks.
But it was what he was able to do with his legs that was almost as important for the Bengals (4-3) after being severely limited before the bye week from his preseason calf injury.
There was the escape act on the opening drive that led to a completion to Tee Higgins. There was the time he audibled into a QB draw on third-and-9 and converted with a 10-yard run. There was a 20-yard scramble to set up a field goal in the third quarter. There was the ability to play from under center which opened up opportunities for runs and play-action passes.
“I worked really hard on that all offseason and for four or five weeks I haven’t been able to really show that,” Burrow said. “So when you see hard work pay off, it’s exciting.”
Burrow helped Cincinnati take control of the game early in the fourth quarter after Logan Wilson intercepted a pass from Purdy. The Bengals struck on the next play when Burrow lofted a 17-yard TD pass to Chase to make it 24-10.
Purdy had thrown an interception on the previous drive in the red zone to Germaine Pratt, giving him five interceptions in the past three games after having none in the first five.
Purdy, who played despite being in concussion protocol during the week, threw for 365 yards and had a TD pass to Christian McCaffrey on the drive after his back-to-back interceptions.
But Burrow responded with two long passes to Trenton Irwin and Chase and two first downs running to set up Joe Mixon’s 5-yard run with 2:54 left for the Bengals.
“This is what we know we’re capable of,” coach Zac Taylor after his team’s best offensive performance of the season.
Purdy lost a fumble on a strip-sack to Trey Hendrickson to seal the loss for the 49ers, who have been held to 17 points or fewer in three straight games for the first time since Kyle Shanahan’s first season in 2017.
“This isn’t on any one coach or any one side of the ball,” Shanahan said. “We haven’t scored over 20 points here in three weeks too. I think our defense needs to be better, our offense needs to do better, our team needs to do better.”
Burrow and the Bengals started fast as he connected on TD passes to Tyler Boyd and Andrei Iosivas on the first two drives of the game to take a 14-7 lead.
Cincinnati had chances to add to the lead but Evan McPherson missed a 50-yard field goal following a third-down sack and Irv Smith lost a fumble at the 49ers 5 late in the half to keep it 14-10.
RECORD WATCH
McCaffrey also scored on a 2-yard run in the first quarter, giving him at least one TD in 17 straight games, including the playoffs. That tied the NFL record set by Lenny Moore in 1963-64.
McCaffrey’s TD catch in the fourth quarter gave him at least one rushing and throwing in 14 games – one shy of Marshall Faulk’s NFL record.
DYNAMIC DUO
The interceptions by Pratt and Wilson were nothing to be surprised about for the Bengals as they have combined for five this season for the most of any linebacker group on the NFL. Wilson’s 10 interceptions are four more than any other linebacker since he entered the NFL in 2020.
“We wouldn’t trade them for anybody,” Taylor said. “There’s a lot of good linebacker duos in this league, we wouldn’t trade them for anybody.”
INJURIES/INACTIVES
Bengals: Hendrickson (left ankle) left briefly in the first half but was able to return.
49ers: LT Trent Williams missed his second straight game with a sprained ankle.
UP NEXT
Bengals: Host Buffalo on Sunday night.
49ers: Bye week; visit Jacksonville on Nov. 12.
HERBERT THROWS FOR 3 TOUCHDOWNS, CHARGERS GET BACK ON TRACK WITH 30-13 VICTORY OVER BEARS
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) Justin Herbert passed for 298 yards and three touchdowns, including a 39-yarder to Austin Ekeler, and the Los Angeles Chargers stopped a two-game slide by routing the Chicago Bears 30-13 on Sunday night.
Herbert, who had struggled with accuracy the past two games after breaking the middle finger of his left, nonthrowing hand four weeks ago, completed his first 14 passes and was 31 of 40 in front of a prime-time audience.
Herbert directed the Chargers (3-4) to points on their first five drives, marking the first time in six seasons they have accomplished that feat.
“We’ve been in search for a game like this. I felt like our guys really earned it in all three phases,” coach Brandon Staley said.
It was the first time in two years that Herbert passed for three TDs in the first half, finding Ekeler, Simi Fehoko and Donald Parham to help stake the Chargers to a 24-7 lead at the break.
Cameron Dicker added three field goals, including two in the second half. Ekeler finished with 123 scrimmage yards, including seven receptions for 94 yards.
Chicago’s Tyson Bagent had a more difficult time in his second NFL start. After leading the Bears to a win over Las Vegas last weekend, the undrafted rookie was 25 of 37 for 232 yards with two interceptions against the Chargers.
He did have a 1-yard sneak late in the fourth quarter to get the Bears within 30-13. Bagent’s 2-point pass attempt was incomplete.
“Obviously the start that we had today was not what we wanted,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “The glaring things that stood out to me, and what my message was at halftime for the players, was we had a lot of penalties on offense that set us back. And then on defense, it was really, simply about fundamentals. That was where they got their opportunities.”
Bagent – who didn’t have a throw over 15 air yards last weekend – got off to a great start with a 41-yard completion down the right sideline to Darnell Mooney on the first play, but the Bears’ drive stalled at midfield and they were forced to punt.
From there, the Chargers took control.
Los Angeles scored on its opening drive for the fourth time this season when Ekeler took Herbert’s screen pass down the left sideline. That made Ekeler the first running back in the Super Bowl era to reach 30 TD catches with the same team and the seventh player in NFL history to have 30 touchdowns rushing and 30 receiving.
Near the end of the first quarter, the Chargers took a two-score lead when Fehoko caught his first pass as a Charger. On third-and-3 from the Chicago 9, Fehoko got open on a drag route, caught it at the 7 and went untouched into the end zone.
Dicker made it 17-0 on a 43-yard field goal before Chicago’s Darrynton Evans took Bagent’s toss and went 11 yards to get the Bears (2-6) within 17-7 with 1:47 remaining.
However, the Chargers regained momentum before halftime with a nine-play, 75-yard drive, culminating in Parham’s 11-yard score. Parham broke out of Tyrique Stevenson’s attempted tackle at the Bears 5 and then was able to outmuscle T.J. Edwards and Duron Harmon as he reached the goal line.
“I thought we really fed off each other today. We gave up the touchdown drive, we kind of finished the two minute before the half with a big-time score,” Staley said. “It was just kind of a surgical drive. I thought we did a good job of using our timeouts and giving us enough room. Justin was just accurate the whole way down there. So 24-7 was a lot better than 17-7.”
INJURIES
Bears: LB Tremaine Edwards went down with a knee injury during the third quarter and did not return.
Chargers: TE Gerald Everett was declared inactive after suffering a hip injury during the third quarter of last weekend’s game at Kansas City.
UP NEXT
Bears: At New Orleans next Sunday.
Chargers: Travel to the New York Jets next Monday night.
SEVEN FROM SUNDAY – WEEK 8
A look at seven statistical highlights from games played during the 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET windows on Sunday, October 29, the eighth week of the 2023 season.
With two games remaining in Week 8, 12 of 14 games (85.7 percent) have been within one score (eight points) in the fourth quarter, with seven games having been decided by one score.
This season, 70.8 percent of all games (85 of 120) have been within one score in the fourth quarter.
Three teams – CAROLINA, the NEW YORK JETS and SEATTLE – recorded game-winning scores in the final two minutes of regulation or overtime in Week 8.
Carolina earned their first win of the season with a 15-13 victory over Houston, in a matchup that featured the top overall selections in the 2023 NFL Draft – Carolina quarterback BRYCE YOUNG (No. 1 overall), Houston quarterback C.J. STROUD (No. 2) and Houston defensive end WILL ANDERSON (No. 3).
With Young, Stroud and Anderson all appearing in the game, Sunday’s contest marked the first game in the common-draft era to feature the top three selections from the most recent NFL Draft in the same game.
With starts by Young and Stroud, it marked the fifth time in NFL history that the top two selections in the NFL Draft met as starting quarterbacks in their rookie season.
Miami wide receiver TYREEK HILL had eight receptions for 112 yards and one touchdown in the Dolphins’ 31-17 win over New England.
Hill has 1,014 receiving yards this season and is the first player in 62 years and fourth player in NFL history with 1,000 receiving yards in his team’s first eight games of a season, joining CHARLIE HENNIGAN (1,122 receiving yards in 1961) as well as Pro Football Hall of Famers ELROY “CRAZY LEGS” HIRSCH (1,058 in 1951) and DON HUTSON (1,032 in 1942).
Hill has 2,724 receiving yards in 25 games since joining Miami last season and surpassed ODELL BECKHAM JR. (2,625 receiving yards with the New York Giants) for the most receiving yards in a player’s first 25 games with a team in the Super Bowl era.
Philadelphia quarterback JALEN HURTS passed for 319 yards and four touchdowns with a 135.7 rating and wide receiver A.J. BROWN had eight receptions for 130 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles’ 38-31 win over Washington.
Hurts is the sixth player in NFL history with at least 300 combined passing and rushing yards and two combined passing and rushing touchdowns in six consecutive games, joining ANDREW LUCK (eight consecutive games in 2014), DREW BREES (seven in 2011), AARON RODGERS (seven in 2011; six in 2016), PATRICK MAHOMES (six in 2021; six in 2022) and Pro Football Hall of Famer STEVE YOUNG (six in 1998).
Hurts has 10,046 passing yards and 2,178 rushing yards in his career and joins JOSH ALLEN, KYLER MURRAY, CAM NEWTON and RUSSELL WILSON as the only players in NFL history with at least 10,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards in their first four career seasons.
Brown is the first player in NFL history with at least 125 receiving yards in six consecutive games.
Brown has 16 career games with at least 125 receiving yards, tied with ODELL BECKHAM JR. (16 games) for the fifth-most games with at least 125 receiving yards by a player in his first five seasons in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers LANCE ALWORTH (19 games) and RANDY MOSS (17) as well as JUSTIN JEFFERSON (17, in his fourth season) and JULIO JONES (17) have more.
Cincinnati quarterback JOE BURROW completed 28 of 32 pass attempts (87.5 percent) for 283 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions for a 134.8 rating in the Bengals’ 31-17 win over San Francisco.
Burrow has 16 career games with at least three touchdown passes, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING (16 games) and DAK PRESCOTT (16) for the fifth-most such games by a quarterback in his first four career seasons in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers DAN MARINO (27 games) and KURT WARNER (21) as well as JUSTIN HERBERT (17, in his fourth season) and PATRICK MAHOMES (21) have more.
San Francisco running back CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY had 118 scrimmage yards (64 receiving, 54 rushing) and two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) in Week 8.
McCaffrey has a touchdown in 17 consecutive games, including the postseason, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer LENNY MOORE (17 consecutive games from 1963-64) for the longest streak of consecutive games, including the postseason, with a touchdown of any kind in NFL history.
McCaffrey has recorded a touchdown in 14 consecutive regular-season games, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer O.J. SIMPSON (14 consecutive games in 1975) for the third-longest streak of regular-season games in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers LENNY MOORE (18 consecutive games in 1963-65) and LADAINIAN TOMLINSON (18 in 2004-05) have longer such streaks.
Tennessee rookie quarterback WILL LEVIS, making his first career start, completed 19 of 29 attempts (65.5 percent) for 238 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions for a 130.5 rating in the Titans’ 28-23 win over Atlanta.
Levis is the third player in NFL history with four touchdown passes in his NFL debut, joining MARCUS MARIOTA (September 13, 2015) and Pro Football Hall of Famer FRAN TARKENTON (September 17, 1961).
Levis, with a 130.5 passer rating in Week 8, recorded the second-highest passer rating ever (minimum 25 pass attempts) by a player in his NFL debut, trailing only ROBERT GRIFFIN III (139.9 rating on September 9, 2012).
Six rookie quarterbacks have started a game this season, tied with 1971 (six) and 2021 (six) for the most rookie quarterbacks to start a game through the first eight weeks of a season since 1970 (excluding 1987).
Minnesota quarterback KIRK COUSINS, appearing in his 150th career game, passed for 274 yards and two touchdowns with a 122.2 passer rating and rookie wide receiver JORDAN ADDISON had seven receptions for 82 yards and one touchdown in the Vikings’ 24-10 win over Green Bay.
Cousins has 39,471 career passing yards and surpassed DREW BREES (39,297) for the third-most passing yards in a player’s first 150 career games in NFL history. Only MATTHEW STAFFORD (41,322) and MATT RYAN (39,858) had more.
Addison has seven touchdown receptions this season and is the sixth player in the Super Bowl era to record at least seven receiving touchdowns in his first eight career games, joining CHARLIE BROWN (eight receiving touchdowns in 1982), MARTAVIS BRYANT (seven in 2014), JA’MARR CHASE (seven in 2021), MARQUES COLSTON (seven in 2006) and CALVIN RIDLEY (seven in 2018).
Denver quarterback RUSSELL WILSON recorded three touchdowns with no interceptions and a 119.3 rating in the Broncos’ 24-9 win over Kansas City.
Wilson has 43 career games with at least three touchdown passes and a passer rating of 100-or-higher, tied with TOM BRADY (43 games) for the third-most such games by a player in his first 12 seasons in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING (48 games) and AARON RODGERS (48) have more.
Additional notes from Sunday include:
Los Angeles Rams rookie wide receiver PUKA NACUA had three receptions for 43 yards in Week 8.
Nacua has 61 receptions this season and surpassed SAQUON BARKLEY (58 receptions in 2018) for the most receptions by a player in his first eight career games in NFL history.
Nacua has 795 receiving yards in 2023 and surpassed JA’MARR CHASE (786 receiving yards in 2021) for the most receiving yards by a player in his first eight career games in the Super Bowl era.
New Orleans running back ALVIN KAMARA had 110 scrimmage yards (59 rushing, 51 receiving) and two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) in the Saints’ 38-27 win over Indianapolis.
Kamara has 11 career games with both a rushing touchdown and receiving touchdown, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer JIM BROWN (11 games) for the fifth-most such games in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers MARSHALL FAULK (15 games) and LENNY MOORE (12) as well as CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY (14) and BRIAN WESTBROOK (12) have more.
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle AARON DONALD had two sacks in Week 8.
Donald has 10 tackles for loss this season and is the second player since 2000 to record at least 10 tackles for loss in each of his first 10 seasons, joining JARED ALLEN.
Dallas cornerback DARON BLAND returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown in the Cowboys’ 43-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Bland, who has returned an interception for a touchdown in Weeks 1, 4 and 8, is the third player ever with three interception-return touchdowns in his team’s first seven games of a season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer DERRICK BROOKS (2002) and DARREN SHARPER (2009).
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS
AP TOP 25: OKLAHOMA SLIPS TO NO. 10; KANSAS, K-STATE ENTER POLL; NO. 1 UGA AND TOP 5 HOLD STEADY
(AP) — Oklahoma dropped four spots to No. 10, the top five teams held their places and Kansas and Kansas State both entered The Associated Press college football poll on Sunday.
Georgia is No. 1 for the 20th straight week, receiving 48 of 63 first-place votes, distancing itself from No. 2 Michigan after the Bulldogs walloped Florida on Saturday.
This is the 50th consecutive week that either Georgia or Alabama has been No. 1.
The Wolverines, who were off Saturday after a week of being in the news for an NCAA sign-stealing investigation, received nine first-place votes. No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Florida State each received three first-place votes.
Washington remained at No. 5, one spot ahead of Pac-12 rival Oregon. The Ducks moved up two spots to No. 6 after a dominant win at Utah, which dropped five spots to No. 18.
Texas stayed put at No. 7 while Alabama moved up to No. 8 and Penn State to ninth.
The Sooners lost for the first time this season and to Kansas for the first time since 1997, then tumbled in the rankings behind Big 12 rival Texas, which Oklahoma beat in a thriller three weeks ago.
Kansas reentered the rankings at No. 22 after one of the biggest victories in program history and Kansas State moved back in at No. 25 ahead of a big matchup at Texas next Saturday.
Air Force moved up two spots to No. 17, the Falcons’ best ranking since finishing No. 13 in 1998.
The Sunflower State rivals have a long history of bad football.
Kansas State turned one of the most hapless programs in the country around in the 1990s under Hall of Fame coach Bill Snyder, and the Wildcats have stayed competitive to varying degrees ever since, winning three Big 12 titles – including last season.
Historically, Kansas has had a few more runs of success, though the Jayhawks’ last conference championship came in the Big Eight in 1968. From 2010-20, Kansas was the standard for Power Five ineptitude, winning a total of 21 games.
That’s turned around in three seasons under coach Lance Leipold, who has the Jayhawks bowl eligible in consecutive seasons for just the second time in program history.
“It’s probably time for me to start talking about how proud I am of how far this program’s come,” Leipold said after the Oklahoma game. “That has to do with the players.”
Kansas’ 5-0 start to last season put the Jayhawks and Wildcats in the AP Top 25 together for two weeks, the first time since 2007 that had happened.
Other than that, there were 17 AP polls between 1995 and ‘96 that featured both Kansas and Kansas State. And that’s it.
With both teams sitting at 6-2 heading into the final month of the season, the Jayhawks and Wildcats have a solid chance to finish the season ranked for just the second time in the 87-year history of the AP poll.
In 1995, Kansas State was No. 7 and Kansas was ninth in the final Top 25.
Atlantic Coast Conference rivals North Carolina and Duke both dropped out of the rankings.
The Tar Heels have dropped two straight after falling to Georgia Tech and are unranked for the first time this season.
Duke had been ranked since beating Clemson in Week 1, but the Blue Devils lost two straight to fall to 5-3 on the season. Duke was shut out by Louisville on Saturday.
SEC – 6 (Nos. 1, 8, 11, 13, 14, 19).
Pac-12 – 6 (Nos. 5, 6, 16, 18, 20, 24).
Big 12 – 4 (Nos. 7, 10, 22, 25).
Big Ten – 3 (Nos. 2, 3, 9).
ACC – 2 (Nos. 4, 15).
Mountain West – 1 (No. 17).
American – 1 (No. 21).
Sun Belt – 1 (No. 23).
Independent – 1 (No. 12).
No. 14 Missouri at No. 1 Georgia. First meeting with both teams ranked since 2014.
No. 5 Washington at No. 24 Southern California. Second straight year the Huskies and Trojans meet ranked, which hadn’t happened since 1994-95.
No. 25 Kansas State at No. 7 Texas. First top-25 matchup since 2012, when the Wildcats were No. 7 and Longhorns were No. 23.
No. 13 LSU at No. 8 Alabama. The 31st ranked-vs.-ranked matchup in the series, and the 18th since 2002.
NBA NEWS
NBA ROUNDUP: MALIK MONK DELIVERS IN OT AS KINGS EDGE LAKERS
Malik Monk saved 11 of his 22 points for overtime, Kevin Huerter drilled a key 3-pointer with 32 seconds to go and the Sacramento Kings outlasted the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 132-127 on Sunday night.
De’Aaron Fox went for a game-high 37 points for the Kings, who overcame Domantas Sabonis fouling out and a late surge by LeBron James. Sabonis had 12 points and a team-high 15 rebounds before fouling out.
Monk had two 3-pointers, a three-point play and two free throws in the extra five minutes, the foul shots coming with 15.2 seconds remaining to clinch the win after James had made his third basket of overtime to get the Lakers within 130-127 with 23.6 seconds left.
Anthony Davis and James both recorded double-doubles for the Lakers. Davis collected a team-high 30 points and a game-high 16 rebounds, while James totaled 27 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. D’Angelo Russell finished with 17 points and a game-high nine assists.
Nuggets 128, Thunder 95
Nikola Jokic scored 28 points with 14 rebounds and five assists as Denver coasted past host Oklahoma City.
Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points, Jamal Murray 19 and Peyton Watson a career-high 17 off the bench for the Nuggets. The win was the third consecutive for the defending champions to start the season and Denver’s fourth consecutive win in Oklahoma City.
Rookie Chet Holmgren led the Thunder with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was just 2-of-16 from the floor, finishing with seven points, his lowest scoring total since December 2019.
Warriors 106, Rockets 95
Stephen Curry scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, burying four late 3-pointers that helped Golden State beat host Houston.
After the Rockets secured their first lead since late in the first quarter on a driving layup from Jalen Green with 6:42 left in the game, the Warriors reclaimed the advantage at 88-87 when Draymond Green scored through a foul. Green missed the ensuing free throw, but the Warriors corralled the offensive rebound and Curry followed with a three at the 5:09 mark that pushed the lead to 91-87.
Jalen Green led the Rockets with 21 points and nine rebounds. Alperen Sengun added 19 points and seven assists while Jabari Smith Jr. chipped in 14 points and eight boards. Houston finished with a 46-24 advantage in points in the paint and committed only seven turnovers.
76ers 128, Blazers 98
Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey posted double-doubles, Tobias Harris chipped in 24 points and Philadelphia won for the second time in as many days, thumping visiting Portland.
Embiid complemented game highs in points (35) and rebounds (15) with seven assists, six blocks and two steals for the 76ers, who were coming off a tough 114-107 win at Toronto.
Shaedon Sharpe had 20 points and Malcolm Brogdon supplied 18 to pace the Trail Blazers, who were opening a four-day, three-game trip.
Hawks 127, Bucks 110
Trae Young’s 20 points led eight Atlanta scorers in double figures, and the Hawks led wire to wire en route to a rout over host Milwaukee.
The Hawks shot 47-of-93 from the floor, including 15-of-37 from 3-point range, led by Bogdan Bogdanovic’s 4-of-7. Bogdanovic led three Hawks reserves in double figures with 17 points. Onyeka Okongwu added 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and Saddiq Bey scored 13 points with nine rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a game-high 26 points while Damian Lillard -of-12 for six points, and was scoreless until the second half. Malik Beasley scored 18 points, Brook Lopez had 13 points and Bobby Portis scored 12 points off the bench for the Bucks. Antetokounmpo grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.
Clippers 123, Spurs 83
Kawhi Leonard scored 21 points in 28 minutes as Los Angeles rolled over San Antonio in the first road game for rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama.
Paul George and Russell Westbrook each scored 19 points for the Clippers, who improved to 2-0 at home and rebounded from a disappointing two-point defeat on the road against the Utah Jazz on Friday. Bones Hyland scored 18 points and Ivica Zubac had 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field for Los Angeles.
Devin Vassell scored just two of his 14 points in the second half and Cedi Osman added 12 for the Spurs, who went 1-1 at home. Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 No. 1 overall selection in this year’s draft, scored 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL NEWS
WEST VIRGINIA FORWARD AKOK AKOK RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL AFTER COLLAPSING ON COURT DURING EXHIBITION
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) West Virginia forward Akok Akok has been released from a hospital where he was taken after collapsing on the court during an exhibition game.
“Akok is recovering at his home in Morgantown,” West Virginia interim coach Josh Eilert said in a statement Sunday. “He will continue to be monitored and evaluated by our medical team.”
Akok suffered what the athletic department called a medical emergency early in the second half of Friday night’s game with George Mason. Medical personnel attended to Akok for several minutes before he was removed from the court on a stretcher and taken to a hospital for further observation.
The exhibition game for charity eventually resumed. Eilert said at his postgame news conference that Akok was stable, responsive and “in a good place.”
Akok transferred to West Virginia after playing last season at Georgetown. He also spent three seasons at UConn.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW TOP 25: #15 KENTUCKY
| 2022-23: | 22-12, 12-6 (3rd SEC) |
| NCAA TOURNAMENT – SECOND ROUND | |
| Location: | LEXINGTON, KY |
| Coach: | JOHN CALIPARI (15th season) |
| Homecourt: | RUPP ARENA (20,500) |
| Key Departures: | OSCAR TSHIEBWE (16.5 ppg, 13.7 rpg) |
| JACOB TOPPIN (12.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.2 apg) | |
| CASON WALLACE (11.7 ppg, 4.3 apg, 2.0 spg) | |
| SAHVIR WHEELER (7.7 ppg, 5.6 apg) | |
| CHRIS LIVINGSTON (6.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg) | |
| CJ FREDRICK (6.1 ppg) | |
| Key Newcomers: | TRE MITCHELL (transfer, West Virginia) |
| DJ WAGNER (freshman, Camden HS, NJ) | |
| AARON BRADSHAW (freshman, Candem HS, NJ) | |
| JUSTIN EDWARDS (frehsman, Imhotep HS, PA) | |
| ROBERT DILLINGHAM (freshman, Overtime Elite, NC) | |
| REED SHEPPARD (freshman, North Laurel HS, KY) | |
| ZVONIMIR IVISIC (freshman, Croatia) |
ROSTER
| # | Player | Pos. | Listed | Year | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3PT% | |
| 21 | D.J. Wagner | G | 6-3 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 12 | Antonio Reeves | G | 6-5 | 5th | 27.9 | 14.4 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 41.6 | 39.8 | |
| 1 | Justin Edwards | G | 6-8 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 4 | Tre Mitchell* | F | 6-9 | Gr. | 30.0 | 11.7 | 5.5 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 47.0 | 36.4 | |
| 2 | Aaron Bradshaw | F | 7-0 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 0 | Rob Dillingham | G | 6-2 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 15 | Reed Sheppard | G | 6-3 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 3 | Adou Thiero | G | 6-6 | So. | 9.7 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 34.5 | 33.3 | |
| 33 | Ugonna Onyenso | F | 6-11 | So. | 6.9 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 52.9 | 0.0 | |
| 44 | Zvonimir Ivisic | F | 7-2 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 20 | Joey Hart | G | 6-5 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 23 | Jordan Burks | G | 6-9 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
FROM THE COACH
“The average age of this team is like 19. … Shai (Gilegous-Alexander) just said it to me, ‘I love watching these guys play because they pass to each other, they play off each other.’”
THE SCOOP
The good news for John Calipari is that for the first time since before the start of the pandemic, he is entering the season coming off a year that included a win in the NCAA Tournament.
The bad news?
That win came with Kentucky as a 6 seed, and it was promptly bounced in the Round of 32 by Kansas State. All that after entering the season ranked in the preseason top five by everyone in America after the 2022 National Player of the Year, Oscar Tshiebwe, opted to return to school.
It was yet another disappointing end to a season for a coach that has struggled to find a way to keep Kentucky at the absolute upper echelon of the sport. Prior to the 2019-20 season, the year the tournament was canceled, Calipari had been at Kentucky for 10 seasons. Only once, the 2012-13 season in which Nerlens Noel tore his ACL in January, did the Wildcats finish outside of the top 20 on KenPom.
Kentucky has landed outside of the top 25 in three of the past four seasons. The other year, it lost to 15 seed Saint Peter’s in the first round.
Is this the season that Coach Cal turns this thing around?
ROAD TO SUCCESS
Kentucky has the best freshmen class in college basketball this season.
Justin Edwards could end up being the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. An athletic, 6-7 lefty, Edwards is a slasher who is at his best when he’s using his length and athleticism to get to the rim with straight-line drives. He’s a better shooter than he gets credit for, but he is much more of a mid-range pull-up threat than a 3-point sniper. Still, he’s capable of getting to his spots and elevating over defenders.
What makes him so useful for this roster will be his ability to play the small-ball 4 role. He’s a really good rebounder, and while he does need to spend a year or three bulking up his 180-pound frame, the toughness and strength are there.
Pairing Edwards with Aaron Bradshaw gives Coach Cal a really interesting and talented pair of forwards to get creative with. Bradshaw is the quintessential modern 5, a versatile 7-footer who is mobile, fluid and switchable, with a soft touch that extends out to the 3-point line. He’s a rim protector as well, and his ability to switch up ball-screen coverages while operating as a rim-running, floor-spacing 5 is what every team needs in modern basketball.
The two five-star guards in Kentucky’s class are DJ Wagner, who was high school and AAU teammates with Bradshaw, and Rob Dillingham. Both are known for their ability on the ball as scorers. While there are some valid concerns about how two high-volume, shoot-first guards are going to fit together in one backcourt, there’s something intriguing about the idea of putting these two on the court with Edwards and running Calipari’s famed dribble-drive motion.
“They all can dribble, pass and shoot,” Calipari told reporters after the team’s trip to Canada. “It’s not a track meet, it’s not a wrestling match, it’s basketball. So you may look at them and say they’re small, they’re skinny, they’re this, but they can all dribble, pass and shoot.”
Reed Sheppard, the son of Kentucky legend Jeff Sheppard, will get minutes at the 2 because of his ability to shoot the ball, while Adou Thiero, who played limited minutes as a freshman last season, showed some promising flashes on the team’s trip to Canada.
But where this roster gets really interesting is with the late additions that were made.
Antonio Reeves initially tried to transfer out of the program, but he came back to campus after realizing he would not be able to graduate from Kentucky and would likely need a waiver in order to be eligible elsewhere.
Reeves could be UK’s leading scorer this year and one of the most dangerous shooters in the SEC. He has the kind of gravity that will open up space for someone like Tre Mitchell, a 6-9, 240 pound big man who can score in the post and make perimeter jumpers.
“Tre is really legitimate because you have a 5 who can shoot a 3, pass — can pass like crazy,” Calipari said in July.
Throw in sophomore Ugonna Onyenso and Zvonimir Ivisic, and there is depth and versatility along the frontline as well.
”You need some size for rim protection,” said Calipari. “We didn’t have it last year and that affected us.”
The best Cal Kentucky teams have been the ones when he combines uber-talented freshmen with veteran players that can carry the heaviest load.
On paper, he has that …
POTENTIAL POTHOLES
… but there are real concerns over whether that will happen in the real world.
Yes, Kentucky has the best class of freshmen in college basketball — in what is a really down class overall. None of the freshmen in the Class of 2023 would have been picked over Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller. None of them would be drafted over Cooper Flagg, or Cameron Boozer, or AJ Dybantsa. There are comparisons to the Class of 2020, when James Wiseman, Patrick Williams and Isaac Okoro all went in the top five.
And then there is the issue of Wagner and Dillingham playing together.
In college basketball, you need a pair of point guards on the floor together to be able to win. But are Wagner and Dillingham actually point guards? Both are scorers first, and they’re inefficient volume shooters. In high school, neither were known for their ability to make other players better. That can change with coaching, but it’s not easy to get a tiger to change its stripes.
Then there’s the issue of the frontcourt.
Mitchell is on his fourth school in the past four years. The previous three head coaches that he played for were all fired. He’s only played one game in the NCAA Tournament in four seasons, and he left Texas in mid-February 2022 after losing his starting job.
And he’s not even the biggest question mark up front.
Bradshaw has a foot injury. He underwent surgery over the summer to repair it, and as of early September, he was still in a walking boot. His status will be a question that looms over the Kentucky season until he actually suits up. It doesn’t help that Onyenso is injured as well.
Ivisic may be the biggest mystery of all. At 7-2 with 3-point range, he’s an ideal 3-and-D guy at the 5. But he didn’t arrive on campus until after the trip to the GLOBL JAM and must find a way to get up to speed quickly in a new country playing a new brand of basketball.
And then there’s the biggest issue overall. Youth.
Look at the teams that are winning national titles right now. They are loaded with juniors and seniors that have NBA potential. Teams built around a roster full of one-and-done freshmen aren’t making it out of the first weekend.
THE X-FACTOR
There is a way for Coach Cal to turn this Kentucky team into a real threat to make a run in March, but the question is whether or not he’ll go for it.
The biggest issue with Calipari in recent years has been his inability or unwillingness to adapt to playing the game a modern way. He wants two bigs on the floor. He runs the same sets that he ran in 2010. It’s predictable, and when he doesn’t have talents like John Wall or Anthony Davis, or even De’Aaron Fox or Malik Monk, it can be an issue.
What’s exciting about this Kentucky team is the threat it carries beyond the arc. In four games in the GLOBL JAM, Kentucky shot just under 38% from 3 while taking nearly 40% of its attempts from beyond the arc.
That’s good!
But Cal has never had a Kentucky team shoot more than 32.4% of its field goals from 3, and that was all the way back in 2011. In the past six seasons, he’s only had one team that ranked higher than 330th nationally in 3-point attempt rate — in 2021, when it was 292nd. Since 2011, the highest Kentucky has ranked is 273rd.
If Kentucky finishes this season with a 3-point attempt rate around 40%, it will allow it to space the floor and create driving lanes for the likes of Wagner, Dillingham and Edwards. It will put Reeves, Mitchell and Sheppard in the best position to be effective.
But it will also likely mean that only two of Wagner, Dillingham and Edwards can be on the floor together, and it certainly means limited minutes for Mitchell and Bradshaw next to each other.
Is Cal willing to go that route?
THE OUTLOOK
Before Reeves and Mitchell were announced on the roster, it was starting to look pretty concerning for Kentucky this year.
Adding a pair of fifth-year seniors that are proven scorers at the high-major level, however, raises the floor significantly. This is a team that should be ranked somewhere in the late teens in the preseason, and if the freshmen live up to their collective hype, it could push that ceiling.
Think about Duke last season. The Blue Devils struggled a bit early on, but by March, they were a dangerous 5 seed and a trendy Final Four pick. Then they lost in the second round after running into a Tennessee team full of grown men that were just too strong.
This seems like the most likely outcome for Kentucky’s season.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW TOP 25: #14 MIAMI
| 2022-23: | 29-8, 15-5 (T-1st, ACC) |
| NCAA Tournament – Final Four | |
| Location: | Coral Gables, FL |
| Coach: | JIM LARRANAGA (13th Season) |
| Homecourt: | WATSCO CENTER (7,972) |
| Key Departures: | ISAIAH WONG (16.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.2 apg) |
| JORDAN MILLER (15.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.7 apg) | |
| Key Newcomers: | MATTHEW CLEVELAND (transfer, Florida St.) |
| KYSHAWN GEORGE (freshman, Lycee Emiland) | |
| MICHAEL NWOKO (freshman, Prolific Prep) |
ROSTER
| # | Player | Pos. | Listed | Year | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3PT% | |
| 24 | Nijel Pack | G | 6-0 | Jr. | 31.6 | 13.6 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 44.1 | 40.4 | |
| 4 | Bensley Joseph | G | 6-2 | So. | 20.0 | 5.3 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 41.7 | 39.8 | |
| 5 | Wooga Poplar | G | 6-5 | Jr. | 23.5 | 8.4 | 3.3 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 47.0 | 37.5 | |
| 0 | Matthew Cleveland* | G | 6-7 | Jr. | 33.6 | 13.8 | 7.4 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 44.5 | 35.0 | |
| 15 | Norchad Omier | F | 6-7 | Jr. | 28.8 | 13.1 | 10.0 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 57.4 | 31.3 | |
| 23 | AJ Casey | F | 6-9 | So. | 6.4 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 33.3 | 10.0 | |
| 7 | Kyshawn George | G | 6-8 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 1 | Michael Nwoko | C | 6-10 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 3 | Christian Watson | G | 6-7 | So. | 3.4 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 33.3 | 37.5 | |
| 13 | Jakai Robinson | G | 6-5 | R-So. | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 50.0 | – | |
| 10 | Paul Djobet | G | 6-7 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
FROM THE COACH
“The biggest difference from last year will be our bench. We had Bensley Joseph and two seniors. Now, we have a bunch of guys who really haven’t played.”
—Jim Larrañaga
THE SCOOP
After a three-year run in which the Canes finished .500 each season, Jim Larrañaga got the program back on track in 2021-22 with an Elite Eight appearance. On the back of a bunch of transfers, Miami lost to Kansas with a Final Four berth on the line.
Three starters from that team — Kam McGusty, Sam Waardenburg and Charlie Moore — graduated, prompting concerns that this was it for Larrañaga. It looked like the program could’ve reverted back to what it had been in the previous three seasons.
Instead, Larrañaga added two impact players via the portal and brought back two huge pieces from the Elite Eight team. Those moves spurred the Canes’ run to their first-ever Final Four, where they lost to eventual national champion UConn in the semifinals.
Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller are gone, but Miami still has three starters back — and that makes them a formidable group heading into the season.
ROAD TO SUCCESS
Wong and Miller were the team’s top scorers a year ago, but Miami was far more than a two-man team. Nijel Pack came in from Kansas State, Norchad Omier arrived from Arkansas State (and had no issue adjusting to high-major hoops), and Wooga Poplar displayed an all-around game as a sophomore that will make him one of the clear-cut breakout candidates in the league.
Pack, Omier and Poplar started a combined 107 games last season, so there’s little concern about Miami’s Big 3 this season.
Larrañaga said he just wants more of the same from Pack — who averaged 13.6 points and shot 40% from 3. Sure, he’d love more playmaking for others (2.3 apg in ‘22-23), but the junior also takes care of the ball for the most part.
Omier may be undersized at 6-7, but he doesn’t play like it. He averaged a double-double (13.1 ppg, 10.0 rpg) in the ACC, and the hope is that he can step out and make shots this year from the perimeter. Larrañaga also wants to see him put the ball on the floor and become a more well-rounded offensive player.
Poplar is a big, strong guard who can pull up from mid-range, shoot from deep and get to the basket — although he’ll need to make better decisions when he creates off the dribble.
Miami added what it hopes will be a key piece from the portal, and it went within the ACC and state borders to do so. Former Florida State guard Matthew Cleveland came into college with a huge rep and averaged double figures in each of his two seasons in Tallahassee. The 6-7 wing can get to the basket as a straight-line driver and can guard. Cleveland has also improved his perimeter shot, going from 18% on 3-pointers as a freshman in 2022 to 35% last season.
The final starter will likely be 6-2 junior guard Bensley Joseph, a terrific defender who can make open shots from the perimeter. Joseph played 20 minutes a game last season, and Miami didn’t need him to score (5.3 ppg). But Larrañaga hopes he can average double figures — especially since there won’t be much attention on him.
The Canes will need a couple of guys to emerge off the bench.
The most likely candidates are 6-9 sophomore forward AJ Casey, who will need to provide rebounding, defense and maybe a half-dozen points per game, and talented freshman Kyshawn George. A long 6-8 wing from Switzerland, George looks the part and can score from all three levels. However, defense could hold him back from getting on the floor.
Michael Nwoko is another big man who will play. Though he’s raw, the 6-10, 240-pound freshman is a physical specimen who might be able to spell Omier for a few minutes. Christian Watson is a 6-7 sophomore wing who will also need to provide defense off the bench.
POTENTIAL POTHOLES
Wong was a bona fide bucket-getter who could manufacture something out of nothing, and Larrañaga let him loose to go make plays. Pack is a scoring guard, but he doesn’t have the ability to get a basket like Wong did. He’s small and just can’t rise up and shoot over guys like his former teammate did on a consistent basis.
Maybe Poplar will become the go-to guy because of his combination of size and skill. If not, this could be a team without a true No. 1 guy. Instead, it could be one that has more balance with three perimeter players in Pack, Poplar and Cleveland, who all average between 12-15 points per game, and Omier who does all the dirty work in the paint.
Miller’s departure was critical because he didn’t need the ball in his hands to make an impact. Cleveland can defend, but on the other end of the court, he’s generally needs the ball to be effective. The Canes need Cleveland to do some of the little things that Miller did so well.
Then there’s the concern of defense and rebounding. So much is on Omier to dominate the glass. Even with Miller and Wong — two players who rebounded well for their positions — the Canes struggled in this area. Now, it’ll be even more difficult throwing in Cleveland and Joseph without expecting a drop-off.
“We’re just not very big,” Larrañaga said.
There’s also not much rim protection because Omier is only 6-7 and isn’t a jumping jack by any means. He’ll get a block or so per game, but opponents aren’t scared of going at him. That also means that Omier will need to be smart and stay out of foul trouble — especially with unproven bigs on the bench behind him.
Casey is going to have to be a consistent bench player who can defend and rebound at a high level when he’s on the court. Moreover, Larrañaga may have to live with George’s defensive shortcomings so he can get some scoring off the pine. But the Canes are going to have to find a way to take some pressure off the starters.
THE X-FACTOR
Health might be the most important factor in Miami’s success.
A year ago, the starting five of Wong, Miller, Pack, Omier and Poplar played 181 of a possible 185 games. Pack missed two games, while Omier and Poplar each missed one.
Larrañaga played just three guys off the bench: Joseph (20.0 mpg), Harlond Beverly (12.2 mpg) and Anthony Walker (10.2 mpg).
With a completely unproven bench this year, Miami will likely play its starting unit as much, if not even more, than it did a year ago. Casey played a total of 186 minutes, while Watson and redshirt sophomore guard Jakai Robinson combined for just 53.
There are three freshmen on this team: George, Nwoko and 6-7 French guard Paul Djobet, a late signee. George has talent but is behind defensively, and while Nwoko looks the part, he’s raw and won’t provide much offensively. As for Djobet, he has potential, but he’s a complete mystery at this point.
That means that the starting unit will not only have to stay healthy, but also play at a high level. Pack will need to become a more potent scorer, and Poplar’s development into more than just an auxiliary piece might be the single most important cog in Miami’s success.
Poplar is a tough matchup because of his strength, athleticism and versatility scoring the ball. Defenders have a difficult time with him because he can overpower smaller guards and finish around the basket but is also capable of shooting the 3 or pulling up from 15 feet.
THE OUTLOOK
Despite losing Wong and Miller, Miami should have a chance to not only get back to the NCAA Tournament but win some games when it gets there.
The trio of Pack, Omier and Poplar played in excess of 3,000 minutes last season for a team that went 29-8 overall, won 15 ACC games and made it all the way to the Final Four. Cleveland and Joseph both have a couple of years of experience in the ACC, and that’ll give the Canes a potent starting unit that should stack up with almost anyone in the league — and the country.
These guys will miss Wong’s shot-making abilities and Miller’s versatility. However, this still looks like a group that can do some damage for the third-consecutive season.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW TOP 25: #13 ARIZONA
| 2022-23: | 28-7, 14-6 (T-2nd, Pac-12) |
| NCAA Tournament – First Round | |
| Location: | TUCSON, AZ |
| Coach: | TOMMY LLOYD (3rd Season) |
| Homecourt: | MCKALE MEMORIAL CENTER (14,644) |
| Key Departures: | AZUOLAS TUBELIS (19.8 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 2.0 apg) |
| COURTNEY RAMEY (10.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.6 apg) | |
| KERR KRIISA (9.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 5.1 apg) | |
| CEDRIC HENDERSON (8.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.1 apg) | |
| Key Newcomers: | CALEB LOVE (transfer, UNC) |
| KESHAD JOHNSON (transfer, San Diego St.) | |
| JADEN BRADLEY (transfer, Alabama) | |
| KJ LEWIS (freshman, Duncanville HS) | |
| PAULIUS MURAUSKAS (freshman, Lithuania) | |
| MOTIEJUS KRIVAS (freshman, Lithuania) |
ROSTER
| # | Player | Pos. | Listed | Year | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3PT% | |
| 4 | Kylan Boswell | G | 6-2 | So. | 15.2 | 4.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 45.0 | 39.0 | |
| 2 | Caleb Love* | G | 6-4 | Sr. | 35.7 | 16.7 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 37.8 | 29.9 | |
| 3 | Pelle Larsson | G | 6-5 | Sr. | 27.4 | 9.9 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 47.2 | 35.6 | |
| 16 | Keshad Johnson* | F | 6-7 | Sr. | 22.2 | 7.7 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 53.2 | 26.2 | |
| 11 | Oumar Ballo | C | 7-0 | R-Sr. | 27.6 | 14.2 | 8.6 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 64.7 | – | |
| 0 | Jaden Bradley* | G | 6-3 | So. | 19.8 | 6.4 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 39.2 | 31.8 | |
| 5 | KJ Lewis | G | 6-4 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 1 | Filip Borovicanin | F | 6-9 | So. | 3.9 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 53.8 | 50.0 | |
| 13 | Henri Veesaar | F | 6-10 | So. | 7.1 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 61.9 | 27.3 | |
| 14 | Motiejus Krivas | C | 7-2 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 44 | Dylan Anderson | F | 7-0 | So. | 3.6 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 41.2 | 33.3 | |
| 23 | Paulius Murauskas | F | 6-8 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 55 | Conrad Martinez | G | 6-0 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
FROM THE COACH
“Last year we were guessing with the freshman, but this year taking the trip overseas gave us a great grasp on the guys, especially the four young guys.”
—Tommy Lloyd
THE SCOOP
Tommy Lloyd’s record since taking over at Arizona is a ridiculous 61-11. The Wildcats won the regular season and conference tourney titles in his rookie campaign in Tucson, and despite losing lottery pick Benn Mathurin and two more NBA draft picks in Dalen Terry and Christian Koloko, they still managed to win 28 games last season and go 14-6 in Pac-12 play.
The issue for Arizona fans is the NCAA Tournament success, specifically the lack of it. The ‘Cats went into the 2022 tourney as a 1 seed and were knocked out by Houston in the Sweet 16. There is no shame in that finish. But last year they were upset by 15-seed Princeton in the first round.
Arizona lost three full-time starters from that team: one of the best big men in the country in Azuolas Tubelis (19.8 ppg, 9.1 rpg), along with guards Courtney Ramey (10.5 ppg) and Kerr Kriisa (9.9 ppg).
Lloyd brings back an all-league big man, a veteran wing, and a talented, young point guard, while adding some impact transfers and a four-man freshman class.
ROAD TO SUCCESS
Lloyd has three players back from last year who could all start, and he added three transfers who can also push for starting spots. Add in a handful of talented international guys and a top-100 recruit, and he has a team with far more depth than the one that lost to Princeton a year ago.
Oumar Ballo took a huge jump last season, and the key for the fifth-year big man — who started his career at Gonzaga — will be making sure he doesn’t wear down like he did a year ago. Ballo averaged 14.2 points and 8.6 boards per game, but those numbers dipped to 12.0 points and 8.1 rebounds in Pac-12 play.
It looked as though 6-5 junior Pelle Larsson was set to have a breakout season, but instead he was a nice piece who just does everything: scores when necessary, rebounds his position, defends and moves the ball.
Kylan Boswell should take over the primary point guard duties with Kriisa leaving for West Virginia. The 6-2, 195-pound freshman was coming off an offseason injury last season, but played well off the bench, averaging 4.6 points and shooting 39% from 3 in 15 minutes of action per game.
Lloyd and his staff upgraded the team’s athleticism with the trio of transfers. He rolled the dice a bit on Caleb Love, the enigmatic, yet talented scoring guard who helped lead North Carolina to the national title game two years ago. Love is a shot-maker, but he’ll need to be more efficient than he was a year ago on both ends of the court. Jaden Bradley arrives from Alabama, where he started 22 games as a freshman, and gives Arizona a strong, athletic guard who thrives getting downhill, but struggles to shoot it from deep. The third portal addition is Keshad Johnson, a 6-7 forward who averaged 7.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for a San Diego State team that played in the national championship game last year.
A trio of frontcourt players got their feet wet last season as freshman, and it’ll be interesting to see whether any of them get an expanded role this year: Henri Veesaar is a 7-foot skilled big man who played seven minutes a game last year, Filip Borovicanin is a 6-9 forward whose biggest asset is his passing ability, and Dylan Anderson is a 7-foot, 240-pound in-state kid who will fight for minutes.
Lloyd brought in four freshmen, including top-100 Texan KJ Lewis, a strong, athletic wing who could be an elite defender. Two talented Lithuanians — 7-2, 265-pound Motiejus Krivas and 6-8, 220-pound Paulius Murauskas — both have a chance to play significant roles this season, while tough 6-foot Spanish point guard Conrad Martinez will likely have to wait his turn with guys like Boswell, Love and Bradley all in front of him.
POTENTIAL POTHOLES
While this group has more overall talent up and down the roster, there are still plenty of questions.
Can Ballo be a dominant big man without Tubelis next to him? He’s shown the ability to rebound at a high level, and came out of the gates strong a year ago, but then he wore down and wasn’t nearly as effective down the stretch.
Can Boswell become a top-tier point guard in the Pac-12? He showed glimpses last year, but he’ll have a lot more on his plate this season because he’ll have to run the team, make shots from deep and keep everyone happy — there are a lot of mouths to feed.
Love didn’t come to Tucson expecting to come off the bench, and he’ll have to buy into the team concept. He’ll need to strike a balance between making plays for himself and trying to set up his teammates — because he attracts plenty of attention from opposing defenses.
Bradley, a highly regarded recruit coming out of high school, started a bunch of games as a freshman at Alabama and will also have to accept a potential role off the bench. Larsson doesn’t need to do much more than he did a year ago, and Johnson will be a guy that doesn’t need plays run for him in order to be effective.
But there just aren’t enough minutes for everyone to be happy, and it’ll be up to Lloyd to figure this jigsaw puzzle out and discover which combinations give Arizona the best opportunity to win games in the regular season and make some noise come March.
Veesar and Borovicanin are both expecting to get more minutes after playing sparingly as freshmen. Krivas and Murauskas come in with experience and expectations, and both could steal minutes. Lewis was a big-time recruit coming out of Duncanville High.
“The biggest thing will be guys staying committed to the cause,” Lloyd said. “If our depth is going to be an advantage, which it should be, guys are going to have to sacrifice and share.”
THE X-FACTOR
Caleb Love is always an X-factor because of his incredibly high ceiling and low floor. This is a guy who was critical in North Carolina’s run to the title game two years ago. He went for 30 points and made 6-of-13 shots from 3 in a Sweet 16 win over UCLA, and had 28 points (11-for-20) in the national semifinal victory against Duke.
But he was also a combined 11-for-41 from the field and 3-for-18 from 3 in the Elite Eight win over Saint Peter’s and the loss to Kansas in the title game.
When Love is good, he’s exceptional. But he needs to be more consistent with his shot selection, decision making and effort on the defensive end. He has shot just 36% from the field in his three-year career and 32% from 3. He made just 30% of his shots from deep last season.
“We need him to be a really good all-around player,” Lloyd said. “He’s done it on the biggest stage. Everyone points to his consistency and efficiency, and that’s valid. He just needs to make the right plays.”
Love is fearless, and that can both be a blessing and a curse. He’s a guy who wants the ball in his hands in crunch-time, can make something out of nothing, and if he gives the effort, can be a good defender. While North Carolina leaned heavily on Love, Arizona won’t have to be nearly as reliant on him, which could do wonders for his efficiency.
THE OUTLOOK
While fans are frustrated with the first-round loss to Princeton a year ago, Lloyd still ensured that there was no drop-off after Sean Miller was let go in 2021. He retained key players, built momentum and won a ton of games. Arizona has earned a 1 seed and a 2 seed in his two seasons at the helm.
With a combination of experienced players from within, a trio of high-major transfers who have all tasted success in college, and no shortage of young, talented international players, Arizona should once again be a fixture towards the top of the league.
Now with more depth and athleticism, the question becomes whether this team is more suited to make a deep run come March.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW: BIG 10…PURDUE
| 2022-23: | 29-6, 15-5 (1st, Big Ten) |
| NCAA Tournament – First Round | |
| Location: | West Lafayette, IN |
| Coach: | MATT PAINTER (19th Season) |
| Homecourt: | MACKEY ARENA (14,804) |
| Key Departures: | BRANDON NEWMAN (6.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.1 apg) |
| DAVID JENKINS (3.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.8 apg) | |
| Key Newcomers: | LANCE JONES (transfer, Southern Illinois) |
| MYLES COLVIN (freshman, Heritage Christian) |
ROSTER
| # | Player | Pos. | Listed | Year | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3PT% |
| 3 | Braden Smith | G | 6-0 | So. | 30.3 | 9.7 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 43.8 | 37.6 |
| 55 | Lance Jones* | G | 6-1 | 5th | 31.0 | 13.8 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 36.8 | 28.0 |
| 2 | Fletcher Loyer | G | 6-4 | So. | 28.9 | 11.0 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 36.7 | 32.6 |
| 4 | Trey Kaufman-Renn | F | 6-9 | R-So. | 11.3 | 4.5 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 49.6 | 25.0 |
| 15 | Zach Edey | C | 7-4 | Sr. | 31.7 | 22.3 | 12.9 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 60.7 | |
| 25 | Ethan Morton | G | 6-7 | Sr. | 25.1 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 32.0 | 27.7 |
| 0 | Mason Gillis | F | 6-6 | R-Sr. | 20.5 | 6.8 | 3.8 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 45.8 | 35.6 |
| 1 | Caleb Furst | F | 6-10 | Jr. | 18.4 | 5.5 | 4.6 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 51.3 | 26.8 |
| 5 | Myles Colvin | G | 6-5 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 44 | Will Berg | C | 7-2 | R-Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 23 | Camden Heide | F | 6-7 | R-Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 11 | Brian Waddell | F | 6-7 | R-So. | 8.1 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 15.8 | 0.0 |
FROM THE COACH
“I have to hold myself accountable. We haven’t gotten it done the last few years in the NCAA Tournament, and that’s on me.”
—Matt Painter
THE SCOOP
Purdue was one of the best teams in the country the entire 2022-23 season.
The Boilermakers weren’t expected to contend for the Big Ten title, but that changed after they swept West Virginia, Gonzaga and Duke in Portland, reeled off nine straight in January and won the league with a 15-5 record. Zach Edey swept all the National Player of the Year awards, the young backcourt of Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer was much better than anyone expected, and Purdue was one of the best in the country on both offense and defense.
Then came the NCAA Tournament and another early exit. Purdue has had some disappointing Marches in the past, but this — a loss to 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson — was up there with the biggest upsets in tourney history.
Coupled with a loss the previous season to 15 seed Saint Peter’s in the Sweet 16, Painter made an effort to get more athletic. But Purdue also has seven of its top nine scorers back from last season — including Edey.
ROAD TO SUCCESS
Surprise, surprise: Purdue’s success will start with the return of Edey — who was absolutely unstoppable last season.
The 7-4 senior averaged 22.3 points and 12.9 rebounds while shooting 61% from the field and 73% from the line. With his presence, opposing teams have to pick their poison: double-team the big man and leave perimeter guys open, or try and play Edey straight up, which generally doesn’t work.
“Zach really improved on ball-screen defense,” Painter said. “He also went from a non-shot- blocker to a shot-blocker.”
There’s also the reminder that Edey played with the Canadian National Team this past summer, and he’s someone who has only been playing organized basketball since 2018 — so Painter expects his center to make another jump this year.
“He’s far more confident than he was a year ago,” Painter added. “More sure of himself.”
The backcourt of Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer now has a year of experience.
Smith had a ton on his plate as a freshman, having to play 30-plus minutes and handle the bulk of the pressure and point guard duties. He’s a terrific passer, but Painter wants him to be more aggressive trying to score.
As for Loyer, he battled through a calf injury and wore down towards the end of the season, but the 6-4, 180-pound shooting guard still had a nice freshman campaign. Loyer will need to be more consistent shooting the ball from deep this year and also improve on the defensive end.
Painter added a couple of perimeter players who should add some athleticism and also take some pressure off Smith and Loyer. Lance Jones is a fifth-year combo guard who spent the past four seasons at Southern Illinois. He has scored more than 1,500 career points, made more than 200 3s and was an all-league defender in the Missouri Valley. Freshman Myles Colvin, the son of former NFL linebacker Roosevelt Colvin, is an athletic 6-5 guard who can also make shots from the perimeter.
Expect to see Trey Kaufman-Renn’s role increase this season after the 6-9, 230-pound redshirt sophomore played about 11 minutes a game last season. Kaufman-Renn will play alongside Edey and gives the Boilermakers a versatile forward who can score from the perimeter and pass from the high-post. Caleb Furst started 21 games last season, averaging 5.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest. The 6-10 junior can play the 4 and also backup Edey in the middle.
Elsewhere in the frontcourt, Mason Gillis started 15 games a year ago. He gives Painter a versatile forward and was one of the few guys who made shots from deep in 2022-23. Ethan Morton brings leadership, experience, intangibles and defense, and Brian Waddell is a 6-8 forward who should be able to provide length and shot-making off the bench. Redshirt freshman Cam Heide sat last year while recovering from a foot injury, but he’ll also add some athleticism and perimeter shooting.
POTENTIAL POTHOLES
The key for this Purdue team is making perimeter shots. Edey will attract a ton of attention down low, and that means his teammates will get wide-open looks.
They made enough of them early last season, but struggled down the stretch and in the NCAA Tournament loss to FDU — where the Boilermakers shot just 5-of-26 (19.2%) from beyond the arc, with many of the attempts being uncontested. The previous season, in the loss to Saint Peter’s, Purdue was 5-of-21 (23.8%) from deep.
“As the season ended, we collectively lost our confidence shooting,” Painter said. “We were missing uncontested shots.”
Painter is hoping that Jones will help. While he has made 205 3s in his four-year college career, he’s also just a career 33% shooter from long range. Kaufman-Renn is capable, and maybe Waddell, Heide and even Colvin will also help improve the overall perimeter shooting.
But Purdue shot just 32% collectively last season, and this is a team that needs to take advantage of having Edey in the post. The Boilermakers should be shooting near 40% with all of the open looks their big man helps to provide.
As imperative as it is to make shots, Purdue also needs to find a way to grind out a win in the NCAA Tournament when the shots aren’t falling from long range.
Against teams like Saint Peter’s and FDU, the Boilermakers need to find a way to get the ball down low to Edey and also use the added quickness and athleticism to their advantage on defense. Purdue made huge strides on that end from two years ago to last season, and the hope now is that the addition of Jones (and added experience for everyone else) will allow it to win games with its defense.
While Painter has a superstar in the middle, and a lot of high-IQ players who know how to play, one aspect that he’s missing is a dynamic wing — someone who can just go get a bucket and make something from nothing. That’s not Loyer’s game, or even Jones’, and there’s really no one capable of doing that on the roster.
THE X-FACTOR
Lance Jones is the newcomer, a veteran brought in to help in a variety of areas, to make this team more formidable when it matters most.
Jones is a terrific defender with quickness and athleticism who can also alleviate Smith’s role as the lone guy who has to handle ball pressure. He is also someone who can make shots from the perimeter, although he is still erratic in that area. Jones isn’t a true point guard, but he can help Smith with his overall experience.
“For us, he can play the point and also the 2,” Painter said. “He can make shots and also defend at a high level. He was someone we really targeted in the offseason to be able to give us what we needed.”
But it won’t just be Jones as the X-factor. It’ll also be whether or not Kaufman-Renn can mesh together with Edey up front, and also whether he’ll provide enough offensively in terms of stepping out and knocking down mid-range shots and even some 3s.
And that’s not all.
Purdue’s ceiling also hinges on whether Smith and Loyer make that jump that so many coaches talk about from their freshman to sophomore seasons. Smith must take care of the ball, be more of a weapon offensively, and get into the lane looking to score instead of his pass-first approach. Loyer, meanwhile, needs to make sure he’s physically capable of holding up. The other guys collectively will need to make open shots.
THE OUTLOOK
Purdue will have a chance to repeat as Big Ten champion. The Boilermakers still have the country’s most dominant player in Edey, they have no shortage of depth, their guards are no longer freshmen — and Painter is considered one of the best coaches in the country.
But the end-all for this team and this program is still that elusive Final Four appearance. Painter has taken his alma mater to the NCAA Tournament 14 times since 2007, with a half-dozen trips to the Sweet 16 in that span, plus an Elite Eight in 2019.
This team certainly has the pieces to get there, but Purdue will need to be able to make open shots when it matters — and keep feeding the big guy.
Athleticism, quickness and skill. Those were the areas Painter and his staff wanted to address after the early NCAA Tourney exit.
“We feel like we shored up our holes,” Painter said.
The question now is whether it’s enough to end that Final Four drought.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW: MAC….KENT STATE
| 2022-23: | 28-7, 15-3 (2nd, MAC) |
| NCAA Tournament – First Round | |
| Location: | Kent, OH |
| Coach: | ROB SENDEROFF (13th Season) |
| Homecourt: | MEMORIAL ATHLETIC (6,327) |
| Key Departures: | SINCERE CARRY (17.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.8 apg) |
| MALIQUE JACOBS (12.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.7 apg) | |
| MIRYNE THOMAS (10.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 0.8 apg) | |
| Key Newcomers: | REGGIE BASS (transfer, Central Michigan) |
| TYEM FREEMAN (transfer, UCF) |
ROSTER
| # | Player | Pos. | Listed | Year | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3PT% | |
| 2 | Reggie Bass* | G | 6-4 | So. | 30.8 | 12.4 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 32.8 | 32.0 | |
| 11 | Giovanni Santiago | G | 6-1 | R-Sr. | 27.1 | 7.5 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 40.0 | 37.9 | |
| 22 | Tyem Freeman* | G | 6-6 | Gr. | 11.7 | 3.4 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 41.0 | 25.0 | |
| 1 | VonCameron Davis | F | 6-5 | R-Jr. | 21.5 | 6.7 | 3.5 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 38.8 | 25.5 | |
| 42 | Cli’Ron Hornbeak | C | 6-9 | Jr. | 16.4 | 5.4 | 5.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 71.8 | – | |
| 4 | Chris Payton | F | 6-7 | Gr. | 16.2 | 6.7 | 4.8 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 73.0 | – | |
| 13 | Jalen Sullinger | G | 5-10 | Jr. | 22.3 | 8.6 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 47.2 | 43.1 | |
| 0 | Julius Rollins | G | 6-5 | Jr. | 8.8 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 43.5 | 30.4 | |
| 15 | Mike Bekelja* | G | 6-2 | R-So. | 9.1 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 25.0 | 30.8 | |
| 5 | Brenden Moss | G | 6-5 | R-Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 23 | Delrecco Gillespie | F | 6-8 | So. | 5.5 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 74.3 | 50.0 | |
| 25 | Lance Hayes | G | 6-5 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 55 | Donovan Hunter | F | 6-8 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 14 | Magnus Entenmann | F | 6-9 | So. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
FROM THE COACH
“We have a lot of guys who have a lot to prove. We lost our three leading scorers from last year, but we’re ready to play with a target on our backs.”
—Rob Senderoff
THE SCOOP
A five-year NCAA Tournament drought is hardly a drought at all in the mid-major landscape. However, the bar for success that Rob Senderoff has set at Kent State isn’t your typical hurdle — it’s more like a pole vault.
Though they couldn’t clear the bar completely, the Golden Flashes were never far off the trail during the dry spell: In four consecutive years from 2019 to 2022, they went 22-11, 20-12, 15-8 (COVID-shortened season) and 23-11. Unfortunately for Senderoff & Co., all of that success amounted to zero March Madness glory. It’s worth noting that having all the MAC Tournament games at neutral sites can be a bear for the frontrunners to overcome, especially with how competitive the league is top to bottom.
Alas, Kent State finally made its jump back into the NCAA Tournament in 2023. Led by a grizzled, unflappable floor general in Sincere Carry, the Flashes’ gritty defensive toughness held its water against the best of the best. Remember, this team had Houston down a point with over a minute to play — at Houston.
Though Carry is gone, the formidable frontline that underpinned last year’s run remains firmly intact.
ROAD TO SUCCESS
It’s foolish to gloss over the loss of Carry as just an afterthought. Senderoff recognizes how special both he and Malique Jacobs were as two guys who built toward last year’s success alongside one another.
“In the portal era, we’ve had relative stability in our roster,” Senderoff said. “While we lose a lot — Sin and Malique in our league are once-in-a-generation players, and … they were here together for two years — we have a core group of guys that have played a lot and won a lot. Now it’s their turn to show out.”
That core group consists of Chris Payton, VonCameron Davis, Gio Santiago and Jalen Sullinger. The baton has been passed, and now these four must run with it.
Last summer, Senderoff tipped his hand on Payton as the dark-horse breakout candidate on his roster — and it appears those comments were prophetic.
Payton’s season-long stats are entirely misleading thanks to a slow start in which he didn’t surpass 20 minutes in a game until Jan. 3. He was a monster down the stretch, though, showcasing otherworldly athleticism and a nose for the ball on the boards.
The former Pitt transfer proved his worth on the grandest stage against Indiana in the NCAA Tournament. He posted an impactful 10 points, five rebounds and two blocks in 22 minutes of action, and he did it against one of the country’s premier frontlines.
“Chris has had the best summer of anyone who’s ever played here,” Senderoff raved. “He’s taken a huge step forward.”.
Meanwhile, Sullinger won’t be sneaking up anyone this year after claiming the MAC’s Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2022-23. He’s a bona fide scoring machine, doing damage from all over the floor. He nearly posted 50/40/90 shooting splits in conference play, solidifying himself as a model of efficiency — and he still has plenty of room to grow.
Santiago’s been a star in his role for multiple years now. He’s adapted seamlessly to multiple roster styles and personnel mixes. When healthy, he’s arguably the straw that stirs the drink. He had knee surgery early in the offseason, but the hope was that he’d be cleared for everything by early August.
Davis enters his fourth year in the program as a multi-year starter cut from the same ‘power guard/wing’ cloth as predecessors such as Jacobs and Andrew Garcia. Shooting may not be Davis’ forte, but what he brings is worth its weight in gold in terms of physicality, toughness, and everything else that doesn’t show up in the box score.
An oft-forgotten member of the Flashes ferocious frontline is Cli’Ron Hornbeak.
Payton may look like a one-man-wrecking-crew at times this year, but Hornbeak offers a perfect counterbalance to his acrobatic athleticism. He served as Payton’s tag-team partner last year and dominated against favorable matchups. Now, Senderoff will aim to deploy them together. Floor spacing could be a minor hurdle here, but not if Payton continues to develop his perimeter game as Senderoff implied he has.
POTENTIAL POTHOLES
Despite losing multiple key producers, Senderoff believes the Flashes can figure out the offensive piece. He’s still harping on where they hung their hat last year: defense.
“When it’s all said and done, we’re going to be a defensive-minded team. Creating turnovers and being physical is what we do,” Senderoff pointed.
This is where Carry and Jacobs were so special, and where their contributions will be sorely missed in 2023-24.
“The thing that Sin and Malique did defensively is hard to replicate,” Senderoff admitted. “Are we going to be able to stop the other team’s best or top two players? Who’s going to emerge as a defensive-minded shutdown guy?”
In essence, Kent State featured not one but two suffocating gloves capable of choking opponents’ offensive rhythm and shutting down multiple perimeter players on any given night. This year, Senderoff identified a few candidates with the prerequisite physical tools to fill those shoes, but none are a sure thing just yet.
Reggie Bass and Tyem Freeman arrive via the transfer wire, and both are plus-sized perimeter pieces who fit the prototypical Kent State mold. The 6-4 Bass is ultra-physical at the guard position, while the 6-6 Freeman is a freak athlete on the wing who can wreak havoc all over.
Juxtaposed next to the two returners, Santiago (6-1) and Sullinger (5-10), the transfers’ size offers some potential defensive protection. However, the veteran Santiago can be a pest on defense, too, and Senderoff raved about Sullinger’s defensive improvement down the stretch last year. Julius Rollins is another younger rotation piece with tantalizing defensive upside.
Can the size and athleticism of Bass and Freeman translate immediately? Can the smaller guys like Santiago and Sullinger continue to be disruptive despite their size limitations? More often than not, Senderoff has found answers to these kinds of questions.
THE X-FACTOR
Staying on the perimeter, how the offense will operate in a post-Carry world remains to be seen. However, as noted, the guard cupboard is overflowing with options.
One area where Carry excelled was in getting his own shot when all else failed. He had a propensity to take tough shots at times, sure, but it takes a special breed to create something from nothing — and replacing that skill isn’t easy.
Senderoff sees three prime options — Bass, Sullinger and Brenden Moss — as the team’s best isolation creators who can get their own late in the shot clock. Bass flashed major upside in this domain at Central Michigan. He’s hungry to win and embedding him into Kent State’s institutional success seems like a match made in heaven.
As for the guards on the roster, Freeman looked terrific in spurts at UCF despite inconsistent playing time. Meanwhile, Santiago fits in as a backcourt glue, and Senderoff adores his ability to initiate offense in a different light.
“Gio’s as good as anyone we’ve had initiating offense, too,” Senderoff said. “He’s not wired to hunt his own shot in isolation, but he’s pivotal out on the break. He gets us into our stuff.”
All that speculation about how to fill Carry’s individual shoes may be moot. Do they need a star of Carry’s cachet? Or could a diversified diet of scoring and playmaking be just what the doctor ordered? After all, those were the Achilles heels for the Flashes last year.
THE OUTLOOK
Death, taxes, and Rob Senderoff posting 20-win seasons. Few things are more certain even in the face of personnel uncertainty.
“We lost some size and physicality on the perimeter with Sin and Malique leaving,” Senderoff said of losing stars Sincere Carry and Malique Jacobs from last year’s NCAA Tournament team. “That’s been a cornerstone of our program.”
The double-edged sword, as Senderoff sees it, is the extra juice the rest of the team carries this year. These Flashes have chips on their shoulders and want to prove that last year was no fluke.
Senderoff aptly identified Ohio and Akron as the deserving favorites this preseason, but he’s too humble to give himself or his own team any credit, so we’ll do it for him:
If Kent State responds to the newfound role as the hunted — not the hunter — this is a surefire top-three MAC team. The Flashes will be neck-and-neck with whoever emerges at the top of the league leaderboard come March.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW: BIG EAST…UCONN
| 2022-23: | 31-8, 13-7 (t-4th Big East) |
| Won National Title | |
| Location: | STORRS, CT |
| Coach: | DAN HURLEY (6th Season) |
| Homecourt: | GAMPEL PAVILION (10,167) |
| Key Departures: | ADAMA SANOGO (17.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 60.6% FG) |
| JORDAN HAWKINS (16.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 38.8% 3PT) | |
| ANDRE JACKSON JR. (6.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 4.7 apg) | |
| JOEY CALCATERRA (5.8 ppg, 44.6% 3PT) | |
| NAHEIM ALLEYNE (5.2 ppg) | |
| Key Newcomers: | CAM SPENCER (transfer, Rutgers) |
| STEPHON CASTLE (freshman, Newton HS, GA) | |
| SOLO BALL (freshman, Brewster Academy, VA) | |
| JAYLIN STEWART (freshman, Garfield HS, WA) | |
| JAYDEN ROSS (freshman, Long Island Lutheran, VA) | |
| YOUSSOUF SINGARE (freshman, Mali) |
ROSTER
| # | Player | Pos. | Listed | Year | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3PT% | |
| 2 | Tristen Newton | G | 6-5 | RSr. | 28.8 | 10.1 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 37.4 | 36.6 | |
| 12 | Cam Spencer* | G | 6-4 | RSr. | 31.5 | 13.2 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 0.1 | 44.4 | 43.4 | |
| 5 | Stephon Castle | G | 6-6 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 11 | Alex Karaban | F | 6-8 | RSo. | 28.9 | 9.3 | 4.5 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 47.6 | 40.2 | |
| 32 | Donovan Clingan | C | 7-2 | So. | 13.1 | 6.9 | 5.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 65.5 | 0.0 | |
| 10 | Hassan Diarra | G | 6-2 | Sr. | 12.7 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 30.1 | 18.9 | |
| 1 | Solo Ball | G | 6-3 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 3 | Jaylin Stewart | F | 6-7 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 23 | Jayden Ross | F | 6-7 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| 35 | Samson Johnson | F | 6-10 | Jr. | 3.9 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 0.0 | |
| 24 | Youssouf Singare | C | 6-10 | Fr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
FROM THE COACH
“With that 7-3 size and his passing, the technique and vision, we’ve been working on his post game. [Donovan Clingan is] proven as a rim-runner and an offensive rebounder, he can play in the ball-screen game, but for him, he’s going to be someone that dominates on the block like Adama did.”
—Dan Hurley
THE SCOOP
Everyone knows the UConn story at this point, right?
Dan Hurley entered the 2022-23 season feeling a little bit of pressure. Through his first four years in Storrs, UConn had just two tournament appearances, with both ending in first-round losses — one against 10 seed Maryland and the other against 12 seed New Mexico State.
Saying that he was on the hot seat would have been premature, but the locals were starting to get a bit restless.
Then UConn’s PK-85 run happened — they rolled over Oregon, Alabama and Iowa State — followed by blowouts over Florida and Oklahoma State. This firmly established the Huskies as favorites to win a loaded Big East conference. After a dreadful January ruined any chance of winning the Big East, UConn caught fire in the NCAA Tournament, recording six straight double-digit victories en route to their fifth national championship in 24 seasons.
While the Huskies lost the three best players on last season’s roster, they brought back a pair of future pros, landed a top three recruiting class and added one of the most important transfers in college basketball this season.
Add it all up, and this season will be UConn’s best chance at back-to-back national championships in the program’s storied history.
ROAD TO SUCCESS
It’s impossible to talk about UConn without first mentioning the presence of 7-2 center Donovan Clingan.
A Bristol native, Clingan was one of the most productive per-minute players in the sport last season. Adama Sanogo was the NCAA Tournament’s best player and Final Four MOP, yet there were still people clamoring for Clingan to start over him.
The rim protection speaks for itself; he’s one of those 5-men that just has an innate ability to time his jump while staying down on pump fakes. His advanced skill defending ball-screens in drop coverage makes him an elite defensive presence. On the offensive end, Clingan is as good a rim-running lob target as anyone in college basketball, but fans around the country will also be surprised by his contributions as a pick-and-pop threat this season.
“The biggest focus for him has been post moves and getting better position,” Hurley said. “More back to the basket focus so that he can warrant double teams with as good of a passer as he is.”
As good as Clingan is, his impact — particularly on the offensive end — will likely be a product of the surrounding pieces, and there is more than enough talent there for the Huskies to win their first Big East regular-season title since 2006.
It’s also important to note here that Clingan injured his foot in late-September. He’s expected to be healthy for the bulk of the season, but there is a chance that he could miss some of UConn’s early games.
One critical player is Tristen Newton, who shook off a miserable January to become a dominant offensive weapon down the stretch, scoring 19 points in the national title game. “I think he’s excited about being able to attack more aggressively,” Hurley said. “He’s shown the ability to blend, and he show’s the ability to get a triple-double. He knows this team is in real need of him to shoot, score and create a lot of offense.”
He declared for the NBA Draft this summer before returning to school, and pairing him with Cam Spencer and Stephon Castle on UConn’s perimeter is a perfect marriage.
Castle, a potential lottery pick, is a 6-6 playmaker that has been listed by some as a point guard. He’s at his best when he is able to get into the lane and create, either as a passer or as a finisher. While his jump shot needs development, he’s a more capable scorer than Andre Jackson was.
Spencer is Castle’s complete opposite on offense; he’s an elite 3-point shooter whose burst leaves something to be desired. He’s a functional athlete — he was a star lacrosse player in high school — and a very good positional defender. Spencer is heading into his fifth-year in college, having averaged more than three assists per game in each of his first four seasons.
“The transition time has been minimal,” Hurley said of the Rutgers transfer. “He’s exactly what we needed.”
Size. Athleticism. Basketball IQ. Shooting. Defensive toughness.
That perimeter trio has it all.
Rounding out the core is Alex Karaban, a 6-8 sophomore and one of the most underrated players in college basketball. Karaban is a versatile offensive weapon that can do damage in the post, run off pin-downs, and even showed the ability to put the ball on the floor and dunk on a defender last season. Karaban also showed improvement on the defensive end last year. He was exploited by Big East teams early in the season, but became a defensive weapon by the NCAA Tournament.
You’d be hard-pressed to find many starting lineups with more talent, ability and proven production than UConn’s unit.
POTENTIAL POTHOLES
Things get a little more dicey when looking at UConn’s bench.
Part of what made the Huskies so good in 2022-23 was that they legitimately went eight or nine deep. They survived off-shooting nights from their stars, foul trouble, and injuries.
While UConn’s bench still has talent, it is relatively unproven.
The lone veteran presence on UConn’s bench is Hassan Diarra, a fourth-year point guard that was a key role player for the Huskies last season. He’s an absolute pest defensively, but he can struggle with his decision-making and is not known for his ability as a shooter.
The bench around Diarra is young. Four freshmen — other than Castle — are expected to push for rotational minutes this season.
Solomon Ball and Jaylin Stewart are likely to be the first wings off the bench. Ball is an electric athlete, but the 6-4 Baltimore native is still figuring out how to turn his talent into production. It would not be surprising to see him follow Jordan Hawkins’ career arc — the freshman year version of Hawkins had his limitations. Stewart is impressive, but asking him to do what Karaban did a season ago is a big ask.
It’s also worth noting that both Ball and Stewart dealt with injuries in the summer and “they’ve been cramming a lot from what they missed,” Hurley said.
Jayden Ross might be the most interesting piece. When he arrived on campus, most thought he was probably a year away, but he’s “turned a lot of heads,” said Hurley, adding that with his size, length, activity level and shooting ability, he’ll garner attention from NBA front offices. Youssef Singare is a physical specimen at the 5, but it’s hard for freshmen in that position to make an early impact.
THE X-FACTOR
The key to UConn’s success in 2023 was the dynamic between Sanogo and Clingan.
Sanogo was the best player on the roster, especially in March. He was an anchor offensively, an underrated defensive weapon and a guy that figured out how to be a passer by the time the season ended. And he only needed to play 25-30 minutes a night because of the presence of Clingan, who changed games when he stepped on the floor.
This accomplished two equally important things.
For starters, it ensured that neither Sanogo or Clingan tired. Clingan’s presence alleviated the fatigue issues that hit Sanogo late in the 2021-22 season.
Secondly, it allowed both players to play physically without worrying about getting into foul trouble. If Sanogo picked up two fouls in the first four minutes of a game, Clingan would get extended first-half minutes. Hurley didn’t have to worry about risking a third foul. And for Clingan, it meant that he had the freedom to fly around and try to block every shot, get every rebound and hedge every ball screen hard. It’s tough to foul out of a game in 13 minutes.
This is where Samson Johnson enters the chat.
Johnson has the physical tools to be an absolute superstar. He’s 6-10 with the wingspan of a 737 and a vertical to match. Hurley has, for three years, talked about Johnson’s potential, and this will be the year that he has a chance to live up to the hype.
The minutes are going to be available; asking Clingan to do what he did last season for 35 minutes a night isn’t feasible or ideal, especially when he is dealing with a strained foot before playing a single game. Johnson may be asked to play a starting role to open the year if Clingan misses any time. The best-case scenario for UConn is that Johnson forces his way into playing time the same way that Clingan did last year, but while it’s easy to see why the UConn staff believes it is possible, we’ve yet to see Johnson come anywhere near that level of consistency.
“I think playing him at the 5 and simplifying things will take advantage of his athleticism,” Hurley said. “Having a movement 5, someone like Oso Ighodaro at Marquette, would allow us to have that 1-2 punch again.”
If he can play 12 to 15 minutes per game with even 75% of the impact that Clingan had last season, UConn will be significantly better for it.
THE OUTLOOK
UConn has the pieces to be able to win this season —- a lot. Many will rank the Huskies in the nation’s top five entering the season, and it still might not be the clear-cut best team in the Big East. Marquette is poised to defend their conference title, while Creighton also looks excellent.
The conference is absolutely loaded this year. Winning 15 games is going to be an achievement, and that may not be enough to win the league. The semifinals of the Big East Tournament was better last season than the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, and it should be just as competitive this season.
Winning at the highest level is really hard to do, and UConn has as good of a chance as anyone to do it.
NHL NEWS
NHL ROUNDUP: OILERS TOP FLAMES IN OUTDOOR GAME
Evander Kane scored once in a three-point outing and Zach Hyman collected one goal and one assist to lead the host Edmonton Oilers to a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames in the Heritage Classic outdoor game Sunday.
Brett Kulak, Evan Bouchard and Vincent Desharnais also scored for the Oilers, who won for just the second time in eight games this season before a crowd of 55,411 at Commonwealth Stadium. Leon Draisaitl collected two assists and captain Connor McDavid posted one assist in his return to action after missing two games due to an undisclosed injury.
Goaltender Stuart Skinner made 24 saves to record his first victory of the campaign. The Oilers ended a four-game losing streak.
Nazem Kadri and A.J. Greer scored for the Flames, who have lost five straight games, all in regulation time. MacKenzie Weegar collected two assists and goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 29 shots.
Devils 4, Wild 3
Tyler Toffoli scored the tying goal and Erik Haula netted the go-ahead tally within a 44-second span early in the second period for New Jersey, which held off a late comeback bid by Minnesota to earn the victory in Newark, N.J.
Jesper Bratt opened and closed the scoring for the Devils, who have won four of their last five games. Goalie Vitek Vanecek made 31 saves, including a stop of a six-on-four shot by Kirill Kaprizov that preserved the win with seven seconds left.
Pat Maroon, Ryan Hartman and Jake Middleton scored for the Wild, who have lost three straight games. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury recorded 26 saves.
Sabres 4, Avalanche 0
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 23 saves for his first career shutout as host Buffalo handed Colorado its second straight shutout loss.
Luukkonen, playing in his 49th career NHL game and making his 47th start, received a little help from the goalpost midway through the third period when Nathan MacKinnon’s backhand shot caromed off it.
Alexandar Georgiev finished with 25 saves for Colorado. The Avalanche began the season with six straight victories before having their NHL-record, 15-game road winning streak snapped with a 4-0 loss at Pittsburgh on Thursday.
Capitals 3, Sharks 1
Tom Wilson recorded his 300th career point by scoring the go-ahead goal late in the third period, lifting host Washington to a victory over winless San Jose.
Washington’s Dylan Strome scored his sixth goal in his last five games and Evgeny Kuznetsov tallied into an open net.
San Jose’s Luke Kunin scored a goal at 11:40 of the first period, ending the team’s scoreless drought at 163 minutes, 10 seconds. Mackenzie Blackwood turned aside 39 shots for the Sharks (0-8-1), who matched the worst start in franchise history.
AMERICAN HOCKEY PLAYER ADAM JOHNSON DIES AFTER GETTING CUT IN THE NECK BY A SKATE IN ENGLAND
NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) American hockey player Adam Johnson, who appeared in 13 NHL games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019 and 2020, has died after his neck was cut by a skate blade during a game in England on Saturday, his team said. He was 29.
Johnson was playing for the Nottingham Panthers in a Challenge Cup game against the Sheffield Steelers when he suffered the skate cut during the second period of the Elite Ice Hockey League game at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena.
“The Nottingham Panthers are truly devastated to announce that Adam Johnson has tragically passed away following a freak accident at the game in Sheffield last night,” the team said Sunday.
“The Panthers would like to send our thoughts and condolences to Adam’s family, his partner and all his friends at this extremely difficult time. Everyone at the club including players, staff, management and ownership are heartbroken at the news of Adam’s passing.”
A Minnesota native, Johnson spent 13 games over parts of the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons playing for Pittsburgh in the NHL before spending the 2020-21 season in Sweden with the Malmo Redhawks. He had a goal and three assists for the Penguins.
“The Pittsburgh Penguins join the entire hockey world in mourning the life of Adam Johnson, whose life tragically ended far too soon,” the Penguins said Sunday in a statement. “We offer our deepest condolences to Adam’s family and friends, as well as all of Adam’s past and present teammates and coaches. Adam will always be part of the Penguins family.”
Johnson played college hockey at Minnesota-Duluth, helping the Bulldogs reach two NCAA Tournaments. He scored an overtime game-winner in the 2017 tournament, sending Minnesota-Duluth to the Frozen Four by beating Boston University.
He also played for three American Hockey League clubs during his career and in Germany with the Augsburger Panther in 2022-23 before agreeing to join Nottingham for this season.
“Our thoughts are also with the fans and staff of both clubs, especially those who attended or were following the game, who will be devastated following today’s news,” the team added.
“The Panthers would like to thank everyone who rushed to support Adam last night in the most testing of circumstances. Adam, our number 47, was not only an outstanding ice hockey player, but also a great teammate and an incredible person with his whole life ahead of him. The club will dearly miss him and will never ever forget him.”
The league announced that all three games scheduled for Sunday in Belfast, Fife and Guildford were postponed following Johnson’s death. Nottingham’s game scheduled for Tuesday also was postponed.
Ian Laperriere, who coached Johnson with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, said it was tough news.
“Great kid (and) teammate,” Laperriere said in a text message. “Only great things to say about him.”
The NHL has had skate cut scares throughout its history, most notably Buffalo goaltender Clint Malarchuk, who took a blade to the neck during a game against St. Louis on March 22, 1989. Malarchuk received rapid medical attention and played again 10 days later.
MLS NEWS
ALVARO BARREAL SCORES TWICE AS FC CINCY TOP RED BULLS IN GAME 1
Alvaro Barreal scored twice to help FC Cincinnati to a 3-0 win against the visiting New York Red Bulls in the first match of their first-round, best-of-three series in the MLS Cup Playoffs on Sunday.
It was a slow start for both sides, as each struggled to generate any attack or shot attempts through the first 11 minutes.
But as the half progressed, it started to pick up.
In the 12th minute, New York midfielder Luquinhas tried to connect from the spot but his attempt sailed high. Two minutes later, Kyle Duncan worked down low but his shot was blocked. In the 16th minute, John Tolkin tried for a cross into the 18-yard box but Cincinnati cleared it.
A minute later, Cincinnati had a chance to convert when Barreal aimed a cross into the goal area for Dominique Badji in front, but Red Bulls defender Dylan Nealis slid to keep the ball from reaching the goal.
Barreal delivered in the 23rd minute to give Cincinnati a 1-0 lead. He took a pass from Junior Moreno and stayed onside as he hurried toward the net, firing a shot from the left edge of the six-yard box into the far corner.
In the 35th minute, Red Bulls defender Andres Reyes tried heading the ball at midfield toward his goalkeeper, Carlos Coronel, who came well outside the 18 when he saw an onrushing Badji. Coronel slid to get to the ball first but it rolled to a wide-open Luciano Acosta, who struck from 35 yards out into an empty net to make it 2-0.
In the 55th minute, Luquinhas fired a shot from the arc, forcing Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano into a diving save. Then, in the 64th minute, Elias Manoel came down the left side for an attempt near the six-yard box but Celentano got a piece of it to keep it out. In the 81st minute, Celentano turned aside a close shot from Frankie Amaya.
Barreal sent a left-foot kick from just outside the goal area to extend it to 3-0 in the 89th minute.
DYNAMO EDGE RSL 2-1 TO OPEN FIRST-ROUND SERIES
Amine Bassi found the net with a second-chance goal in the 79th minute to lift the Houston Dynamo to a rousing 2-1 win over visiting Real Salt Lake on Sunday in the first of a best-of-three, opening-round Western Conference series.
Bassi was in the right place at the right time to take advantage of Griffin Dorsey’s shot that was batted away by RSL goalkeeper Zac MacMath, getting his left foot on the rebound and sending it into the top-left corner for the deciding tally.
The teams will play the second match in the series on Nov. 6 in Sandy, Utah. A third match would be contested back in Houston on Nov. 11 if necessary. The Dynamo are the fourth seed in the West while Real Salt Lake finished fifth in the conference. Sunday’s match was the first-ever postseason meeting between the sides.
MacMath made three saves in defeat, and Diego Luna scored for RSL.
Houston’s Hector Herrera made quick work of the match’s first real scoring chance in the 22nd minute, allowing a headed pass to the front of the box by Adalberto Carrasquilla to bounce off his chest before steadying it and uncorking a left-footed shot that beat MacMath to the bottom-right corner.
The Dynamo managed the only other shot on goal on the first half when Artur’s try was corralled by MacMath in the 41st minute.
RSL pressed for the equalizer early in the second half as Andres Gomez was stopped in the 48th minute at the bottom-left corner by Houston keeper Steve Clark. The Dynamo answered with a chance of their own six minutes later when Nelson Quinones turned around a pass from Artur that was saved by MacMath.
The visitors quickly countered and pulled even in the 54th minute on Luna’s goal from the center of the box to the bottom-right corner after a fast-break pass from Anderson Julio.
Houston’s Corey Baird hit the post with a shot from the center of the goal in the 63rd minute, and soon after a steady drizzle began. That set the stage for Dorsey and, ultimately, Bassi’s late heroics.
BIG 10 SOCCER
BIG TEN ANNOUNCES 2023 MEN’S SOCCER TOURNAMENT BRACKET
ROSEMONT, Ill. – With the conclusion of today’s conference matches, the field is set for the 2023 Big Ten Men’s Soccer Tournament. The eight-team, single-elimination tournament will run Friday, Nov. 3, through Sunday, Nov. 12, at campus sites.
Indiana and Penn State shared the 2023 Big Ten Conference championship after posting matching 4-2-2 conference records. The Hoosiers claimed the tournament’s top seed after topping the Nittany Lions on Oct. 7.
Indiana (4-2-2 Big Ten) will welcome No. 8 seed Wisconsin (2-2-4) to Bloomington, Ind. in the tournament’s first quarterfinal, while fourth-seeded Northwestern (4-3-1) will host No. 5 seed Michigan (2-1-5) in the second of Friday’s four opening round fixtures.
No. 2 seed Penn State (4-2-2) and No. 7 seed Rutgers (3-4-1) will meet in State College, PA, with No. 3 seed Michigan State (3-1-4) squaring off with No. 6 seed Ohio State (3-4-1) in East Lansing, Mich.
The winners of those matches will advance to the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 8, to be hosted by the two highest remaining seeds following the quarterfinals. The championship match will then be played on Sunday, Nov. 12, at the highest remaining seed.
Both semifinals and the championship match will be televised live on the Big Ten Network and can be streamed via the web, smartphones, tablets and connected devices through the FOX Sports App. The four quarterfinals will be streamed live on BTN’s digital subscription service, B1G+.
Start times for Friday’s quarterfinal round matches will be announced later this week.
This year’s Big Ten Tournament Champion will earn the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Follow all the Big Ten Tournament action at bigten.org/msoc and on Twitter @B1GSoccer.
2023 BIG TEN WOMEN’S SOCCER TOURNAMENT
| Sunday, October 29 (Quarterfinals – at higher-seeded school) | ||
| TIME (TV) | GAME | LINKS |
| 1 p.m. (B1G+) | Match 1: #8 Seed Iowa def. #1 Seed Michigan State, 2-1 | B1G+ | Live Stats | Box Score | Recap |
| 1 p.m. (B1G+) | Match 2: #4 Seed Penn State def. #5 Seed Indiana, 3-0 | B1G+ | Live Stats | Box Score | Recap |
| 3:30 p.m. (B1G+) | Match 3: #6 Seed Rutgers at #3 Seed Wisconsin | B1G+ | Live Stats | Box Score | Recap |
| 2 p.m. (B1G+) | Match 4:#2 Seed Nebraska def. #7 Seed Ohio State, 3-2 | B1G+ | Live Stats | Box Score | Recap |
| Thursday, November 2 (Semifinals at Lower.com Field – Columbus, Ohio) | ||
| TIME (TV) | GAME | LINKS |
| TBA (BTN) | Match 5: #8 Seed Iowa vs. #2 Seed Penn State | BTN-FOX Sports App | Live Stats | Box Score | Recap |
| TBA (BTN) | Match 6: Match #3 Winner vs. #2 Seed Nebraska | BTN-FOX Sports App | Live Stats | Box Score | Recap |
| Sunday, November 5 (Championship at Lower.com Field – Columbus, Ohio) | ||
| TIME (TV) | GAME | LINKS |
| 2 p.m. (BTN) | Match 7: Game #5 Winner vs. Game #6 Winner | BTN-FOX Sports App | Live Stats | Box Score | Recap | All-Tournament Team |
NOTES: All times Eastern … Big Ten Network on-air games streamed via the web, smartphones, tablets and connected devices through the FOX Sports App, while B1G+ games streamed at bigtenplus.com.
MAC WOMEN’S SOCCER
GOLDEN FLASHES, BOBCATS SECURE SPOTS IN CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS
Sunday’s Quarterfinal Results
No. 4 Kent State 3, No. 5 Northern Illinois
No. 6 Ohio 2, No. 3 Ball State 0
No. 4 Kent State 3, No. 5 Northern Illinois 0
Box Score
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State women’s soccer team opened the 2023 MAC Championship with a resounding 3-0 win in the quarterfinal round over Northern Illinois on Sunday at Zoeller Field at Dix Stadium.
The Golden Flashes came out of the gates aggressive and made the Northern Illinois keeper work early, but the game was still scoreless through the first 15 minutes. It looked like the Huskies would get on the board first when Sahara Zingano sent a shot on goal that Sarah Melén dove for but could not reach. The ball rebounded off the crossbar and fell to the feet of Trya King who capitalized on the empty net, but the would-be goal was called back when the offside flag was raised.
Kent State capitalized on the shift in momentum. In the 36th minute, Alisa Arthur drew a foul on the far side of the field just outside the 18-yard box. Arthur and Siena Stambolich stood over the ball on the free kick. Arthur took a shot off the set piece, arcing the ball over the wall of NIU defenders and tucking it inside the far post for her team-leading ninth goal of the season.
Just seconds later, the Flashes doubled their lead. Arthur controlled the ball on the near side down by the goal line and waited for her teammates to push up the field. The junior found Stambolich with tons of room around her, who fired a right-footer from outside the box that curled towards the far post and across the line.
The Flashes went into halftime with a 2-0 lead and never slowed down. Though the Huskies created a number of scoring chances for themselves, the Flashes defense played one of their strongest games of the year to keep the Huskies out of the net. NIU’s best offensive look came in the 65th minute, but Melén made a pair of spectacular saves to preserve the clean sheet.
Tori Copfer secured the Flashes’ win with a goal in the 85th minute. Arthur sent a high-flying ball into the box which bounced to the head of Dalaney Ranallo. Ranallo passed it to Copfer, who put a header over the NIU keeper and inside the near post for the first goal of her collegiate career.
While the Flashes trailed in shots (14-13) and corner kick opportunities (6-5) in the box score, they held a commanding lead in shots on goal (9-5) due to the strong performance by the Kent State back line. Arthur paced the offense with four shots, all of which were on goal, and her four points are the most by any Golden Flash in a single game this season.
Melén ended the game with five saves en route to her fourth shutout of the season.
No. 6 Ohio 2, No. 3 Ball State 0
Box Score
MUNCIE, Indiana — The sixth-seeded Ohio Bobcats (7-7-5) took down the third-seeded Ball State Cardinals (8-8-3) in the Mid-American Conference Quarterfinals today (Oct. 29). Ohio picked up its seventh clean sheet of the season, winning the game 2-0.
With the win, the Bobcats advanced to the semifinals of the MAC tournament, facing off with the second-seeded Bowling Green Falcons on Thursday (Nov. 2).
Ohio’s leading scorer, senior Shae Robertson (Lexington, Ky.), opened the scoring for the Bobcats. Robertson followed up a rebound from sophomore Ella Deevers’ (Streetsboro, Ohio) deflected cross. Robertson found the back of the net for the eighth time this season, providing Ohio a 1-0 advantage in the 13th minute.
The Bobcat defense was stout throughout the game, limiting Ball State to just one shot on goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Celeste Sloma (Columbus, Ohio) was able to deny the Cardinals in their lone attempt with a leaping save to preserve the 1-0 lead.
The two sides entered the half with the momentum in favor of Ohio. In addition to the Bobcats’ goal, Ohio created multiple scoring opportunities and held the majority of the first half possession.
Senior Ella Bianco (Dayton, Ohio), junior Quintin Tostevin (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), and sophomore Maia Soulis (Sylvania, Ohio) continued to disrupt the Cardinal offense. Despite having three of the top-ten leading scorers in MAC play, the Bobcat backline trio was able to limit any clear opportunities.
The reigning MAC Offensive Player of the Week, senior Izzi Boyd (Gibsonia, Pa.) was able to keep her hot streak going. After Robertson found redshirt senior Haley Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio) down the right wing, a perfect cross found Boyd right in front of the net. Boyd fired the ball into the roof of the net to put Ohio ahead by two goals with just more than ten minutes left.
After the Bobcats curbed Ball State’s final offensive efforts, the final whistle blew. The Bobcats won their first MAC Tournament game since the 2019 season, in which they also won 2-0 over Western Michigan.
Ohio had a dominant performance in Muncie Sunday afternoon. Ohio recorded 15 shots, eight on target, and one corner kick. Ball State had eight shots, one shot on goal, and six corners.
NASCAR NEWS
BLANEY WINS MARTINSVILLE AND WILL RACE FOR 1ST CUP TITLE IN NASCAR’S CHAMPIONSHIP
(AP) — Ryan Blaney was in tears back in May when the crowd chanted “Blaney! Blaney! Blaney” after he snapped a 59-race losing streak with his win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
He was so thrilled in that moment to get back to victory lane and rebuild his confidence after a winless 2022 season. Little did Blaney know at the time that his Coca-Cola 600 win jump-started his march into NASCAR’s championship race.
Blaney will race for his first Cup title after qualifying for the championship-deciding finale with a Sunday win at Martinsville Speedway. His third win of the season – equaling his career best – put him in the final four next week at Phoenix Raceway, where he will race Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and William Byron for the Cup championship.
“All you want is a shot at a championship. You get your shot when the playoffs start, if you make ’em, OK, you have a shot. But then your real shot is if you get to Phoenix, right?” Blaney said. “It’s just nice to have an opportunity to actually race for a championship.
“I don’t think you can ever count anybody else out, any team out. It’s about peaking at the right time. Our group is doing that.”
Byron, who led the Cup Series with six wins this season, earned the fourth and final slot in the championship by limping to a 13th-place finish. Byron had padded his position with bonus points earned all season and edged Denny Hamlin, who finished third at Martinsville on Sunday, by eight points to qualify for NASCAR’s championship.
Blaney and Byron will race Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson next Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, where the Cup championship will go to the highest-finishing driver.
Larson and Byron gave Hendrick Motorsports a pair of Chevrolets in the final four, Bell is in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing and Blaney drives a Ford for Team Penske. Blaney can give Roger Penske back-to-back titles following Joey Logano’s win last year.
Larson is the only driver in the field with a Cup title and returns to the final four for the second time in three years. Bell is back in the championship for the second consecutive year; Blaney and Byron are racing for the Cup title for the first time.
Byron said his helmet fan stopped working during the race and he dropped to the ground outside his car following the race.
“It’s our worst race of the year,” Byron said. “With 50 (laps) to go, I felt really, really bad and I just had to drive the hell out of it. The guys stuck with me and just kept motivating me through, little bits and pieces, and just keeping my mind straight.”
Hamlin was pretty much in a must-win situation Sunday after a mechanical failure last week caused him to crash and dropped him below the cutoff line for elimination at Martinsville. He wasted no time going after the win and led a race-high 156 laps.
“I’m not counting points. I’m doing everything I can to win. Everything,” Hamlin radioed before the final stage.
But Hamlin lost ground after the final round of pit stops – when he and Blaney each took four tires – and he never could work his way back through the traffic to challenge for the win. Hamlin was also eliminated from championship contention at Martinsville last year on a last-lap Hail Mary move by Ross Chastain.
“The mechanical failure last week with the power steering, that sealed our fate,” Hamlin said. “The 12 car (Blaney) was the best car today, so congrats to them. All the final four that made it, it’s going to be great. Hate we’re not in it. It’s racing, right? This is the playoffs. You got a three-race season. The 12 car showed up this round, right? He deserves to be in that final four.”
Blaney won for the third time this season, tying his career high, and led 145 laps. He won twice in the playoffs but his win at the Virginia track was the first for Blaney, who hails from High Point, North Carolina, and considers the short track located 55 miles away his home track.
“I’ve always wanted to win here. I grew up in High Point, just south of here. I grew up closer to here than I did Charlotte,” Blaney said. “I came here a lot as a kid. I loved watching Dad race here. I wanted a grandfather clock for a long time, ever since I was a kid. There’s those little special things that you remember.”
Martin Truex Jr., the regular season champion and pole-sitter Sunday, was eliminated from title contention along with Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing, Chris Buescher of RFK Racing and Hamlin.
Truex finished 12th to cap what has been a terrible playoffs for the Gibbs driver. He was flagged for speeding earlier in the race.
“It’s just a dogfight. I don’t know. We gave it a hell of an effort,” said Truex. “Really disappointed. It’s devastating. That’s racing. We’ve had some bad luck. We’ve had a little bit of everything. Like I said, some years it feels like it’s your year, some years it feels like it’s not. I just feel we couldn’t do anything right.”
CHEVROLET WINS MANUFACTURER TITLE
Chevrolet clinched its 42nd manufacturer championship when Sunday’s race began at Martinsville.
It marked the third consecutive year the title went to the bowtie brigade in NASCAR’s top Cup Series. Chevy already clinched both the Truck Series and Xfinity Series championships this season for its fifth national series sweep – first since 2012 that Chevy claimed all three national titles.
Chevrolet won its first manufacturer Cup championship in 1958 and later recording a streak of 13 consecutive titles between 2003 through 2015. Chevrolet has 850 Cup victories and 33 driver championships in NASCAR’s premier series, making it the winningest automaker in NASCAR’s 75-year history.
“This title is the result of great teamwork by the Chevrolet drivers, crew chiefs and teams working tirelessly throughout the season,” said Jim Campbell, General Motors U.S. Vice President of Performance and Motorsports.
UP NEXT
The season-ending championship race at Phoenix Raceway, where Larson, Bell, Blaney and Byron will race for the Cup title. The highest finishing driver among the final four claims the championship. Joey Logano won his second title a year ago by winning Phoenix, but has already been eliminated from the playoffs. Byron won at Phoenix in the spring.
GOLF NEWS
MASTERS UNLIKELY TO CHANGE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, AUGUSTA NATIONAL CHAIRMAN FRED RIDLEY SAYS
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) The Masters is unlikely to make any changes to its eligibility criteria for next year’s tournament, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said Thursday, which means fewer players from LIV Golf will be competing in the year’s first major.
Only past Masters champions and recent major champions are eligible among current LIV players. The Masters invites winners of PGA Tour events and players ranked in the top 50 in the world, among other qualifying criteria.
The Official World Golf Ranking committee recently rejected LIV Golf’s application to award ranking points for its 48-man, 54-hole events, citing a lack of opportunities for players to earn spots on the tour or be relegated for poor play.
“As you recall last year, there was some speculation as to whether or not we would invite LIV golfers, and we stayed true to our qualification criteria and we invited everyone who was eligible,” Ridley said at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, host of this week’s Asia-Pacific Amateur.
“And so, while we do not at this time anticipate making any changes in 2024, you know, we do always look at them and we will continue to do that. I would just answer by saying that, you know, that our qualifications are very much dynamic, and we adjust to what we feel is the best interests of the tournament representing the best players in the world, so we always look at that.”
Eighteen players from LIV Golf competed in last year’s Masters. That number has already been cut in half for next year. LIV has six past Masters champions: Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Charl Schwartzel and Bubba Watson. LIV players Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau have won majors within the past five years.
No one else on the Saudi-funded tour is inside the top 50 in the world, including Talor Gooch, its season champion.
“You know, they made decisions based on what they thought was in the best interests of their golf careers, and we certainly respect that,” Ridley said. “We do have in our invitation criteria, it does say that we reserve the right to invite special exemptions to international players, although we did issue a special exemption to an amateur last year. So we are always looking at that.
“But these decisions have been made and we’ll have to do what’s in the best interests of the Masters and we’ll continue to do that.”
CELINE BOUTIER WINS LPGA MALAYSIA AFTER EPIC NINE-HOLE PLAYOFF
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) In fading light and with another thunderstorm approaching, Celine Boutier made a birdie on the ninth playoff hole to defeat Atthaya Thitikul and win the Maybank Championship on the LPGA Tour on Sunday.
In a marathon playoff, both players made near identical shots on several holes and saw potential winning putts lip out as they stayed tied through eight tense holes, which included sitting out a 90-minute storm delay at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club course.
At the ninth playoff hole on the par-3 15th, the Thai player narrowly missed her birdie putt, opening the door for Boutier, who showed no nerves in landing her 6-foot putt to clinch her fourth title of the season, including wins at the Women’s Scottish Open and the Evian Championship for her first major title.
Both Boutier and Thitikul finished on 21-under 267 after 72 regulation holes. The nine-hole playoff tied the record for the second-longest playoff in LPGA Tour history.
Boutier shot an 8-under 64 with eight birdies, which would have been nine had her birdie putt on the 18th not lipped out. Had that gone in the Frenchwoman would have held a two-shot clubhouse lead over Thitikul, but the Thai player made birdie on the final hole for a 68 to force what became a lengthy playoff in hot, humid conditions in Malaysia.
“I didn’t expect it to be that long, to be honest,” Boutier said of the playoff. “I felt like we were both very close to winning a few times, and I just felt like we just had to make a birdie essentially. I knew she wasn’t going to make a mistake, so I had to go for it and give myself the best chances for birdies.”
American Rose Zhang, who had a one-stroke lead going into the final round, shot a 71 to finish at 19 under, two shots behind the leaders in a tie for third with Thai player Jasmine Suwannapura (70).
Chien Peiyun (68) of Taiwan was fifth at 18-under 270. American Nelly Korda and Canadian Brooke Henderson both shot 66 to finish 17 under in a tie for sixth.
It was Zhang’s fifth top-10 finish on the LPGA Tour in just her 12th event as a professional in her rookie season.
Boutier is the first player to win at least four times in a single season since Korda (4 wins) and Jin Young Ko (5) in 2021.
Thitikul and Boutier were on the second playoff hole when the horn blew at 2:48 p.m. because of lightning in the area. Play resumed at 4:20 p.m.
The longest playoff in LPGA Tour history was 10 holes at the 1972 Corpus Christi Civitan Open. The last nine-hole playoff occurred at the 2012 Kingsmill Championship, where Jiyai Shin of South Korea defeated American Paula Creamer.
The Maybank Championship was the third of four LPGA events on the tour’s Asian swing. Minjee Lee of Australia won last week’s stop in South Korea in a playoff. The final tournament is next week’s Toto Classic in Japan.
SAMI VÄLIMÄKI BEATS JORGE CAMPILLO IN A PLAYOFF TO WIN THE QATAR MASTERS
DOHA, Qatar (AP) Sami Välimäki beat Jorge Campillo in a playoff to win the Qatar Masters on Sunday for his second career victory on the European Tour.
Välimäki started the final round a shot off leader Campillo but caught up on the back nine to take the lead with a birdie on the par-three 17th, but Campillo birdied the par-five 18th to join Välimäki on 18 under and force a playoff. Välimäki was 3 under for the round and Campillo 2 under.
Campillo could only manage par on the first playoff hole as Välimäki made birdie to secure his first win since the Oman Open in 2020, which he also won in a playoff. It’s the 11th European Tour win by a Finnish golfer and the first since Kalle Samooja won the Porsche European Open in June 2022.
“It’s hard to talk. It’s been a long journey and feels great,” Välimäki said. “I work so hard and I feel like I’ve earned it a couple of times, but it hasn’t come my way. That’s why it feels so amazing.”
Campillo was aiming to win the Qatar Masters for the second time after taking the title in 2020.
Scott Jamison and Nacho Elvira tied for third on 16 under, two shots off the leaders.
INDIANA RELEASES/TOP HEADLINES
COLTS FOOTBALL
DEREK CARR REBOUNDS FROM A TOUGH WEEK AS THE SAINTS BEAT THE COLTS 38-27
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Derek Carr threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns in a bounce-back performance, Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara scored two TDs apiece, and the New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts 38-27 on Sunday.
The Saints (4-4) snapped a two-game skid with their fifth consecutive win in the series – a streak that began with their lone Super Bowl victory after the 2009 season – and moved into a share of the NFC South lead with Atlanta.
Carr, who went 19 of 27, spent this week answering questions about scolding teammates on the sideline and shouting at offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. Rashid Shaheed caught three passes for a career-best 153 yards and one TD, and for the second time this year, he helped seal the win with a long third-down catch in the final minutes.
Indy (3-5) has lost three straight and four of its five home games. Jonathan Taylor rushed for 95 yards, and Zack Moss added 66 yards rushing and a touchdown. Gardner Minshew went 23 of 41 for 213 yards, with two TDs and one interception.
While Indy’s second straight shootout was entertaining, Indy’s young, battered secondary struggled – and Carr took full advantage.
He threw TD passes of 18 yards to Kamara and 58 yards to Shaheed as the Saints took a 21-20 halftime lead. Kamara’s 25-yard reception late in the second half set up his powerful 16-yard burst to make it 28-20. And when Shaheed was awarded a 44-yard catch after a replay review of an apparent interception, Hill capped the drive with a 1-yard scoring run for a 35-20 lead with 10:49 to play.
Minshew answered with a 33-yard TD pass to Drew Ogletree with 8:19 left that got the Colts within 35-27. But after a defensive stop, Minshew couldn’t drive Indy for a potential tying score, and the Saints closed it out with a short field goal.
INJURIES
Saints: DE Carl Granderson left briefly in the third quarter. LG James Hurst (ankle) and TE Jimmy Graham (illness) were inactive.
Colts: Minshew appeared to hurt his left ankle in the first quarter but did not miss a snap. … LB Zaire Franklin, the NFL’s top tackler, went to the locker after appearing to hurt his right knee in the first but also returned. … RT Braden Smith (hip and wrist), CB JuJu Brents (quad), TE Kylen Granson (concussion protocol), DE Eric Johnson II (ankle) and DT Grover Stewart (suspension) all sat out.
BY THE NUMBERS
Saints: Carr made his 150th career start. … DE Cameron Jordan became the second player in franchise to play in 200 career games. … Kamara had 17 carries for 59 yards and four receptions for 51 yards and another TD.
Colts: Indy is the only team to top the 20-point mark in all eight games this season. … Moss started this week second in the NFL in rushing. He now has 589 yards despite missing the season opener. … Franklin has recorded double-digit tackles a league-best six times this season.
UP NEXT
Saints: Host Chicago next Sunday.
Colts: Face former coach Frank Reich when they visit Carolina next Sunday.
INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL
SECOND HALF SURGE LIFTS INDIANA OVER UINDY, 74-52
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It lacked Watshot drama, but Kel’el Ware’s game-closing three-pointer suggested diverse perimeter potential is in Indiana’s basketball future.
The 7-foot center, a heralded transfer from Oregon, hit his only three-point attempt to cap Sunday’s 74-52 exhibition debut victory over the University of Indianapolis at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. That gave him 14 points to match the point total (and three-pointer) of heralded 6-8 freshman Mackenzie Mgbako.
Granted, the 3-for-10 three-point team effort reflected work is needed, but that was true of so many things given IU trailed 27-25 at halftime and struggled to make layups.
Coach Mike Woodson noticed.
“We were tight to start the game,” he said. “Guys were not familiar with each other. It was the first time playing in front of a crowd.
“We missed so many layups and couldn’t make free throws. We finally started playing Indiana basketball.”
The result was a dominating final 20 minutes — 65.5 percent shooting from the field, 3-for-6 on three-pointers — as IU improved to 30-0 in exhibition games against non-Division I opponents since 2004.
“That first half was the best thing that could have happened to us,” forward Anthony Walker said. “We need to play our best against everybody. To take that punch, come together and come through was really important.”
So was taking advantage of inside opportunities, which was not happening in the first half.
“We’ve got a 7-footer, a player who’s 6-10, another who’s 6-9 and a couple at 6-8,” Woodson said. “We were at the rim and the ball was not going in. I told them, we were too soft. Be tougher. Will the ball in. You don’t hope it goes in. Put it in there.”
IU’s debut starting lineup of Xavier Johnson, Trey Galloway, Malik Reneau, Ware and Mgbako was challenged by an Indianapolis team with NCAA Division II national title aspirations.
“Indianapolis plays hard,” Woodson said. “They won 26 games last season. They played butts off.”
IU’s first half of 32.3 percent shooting, 0-of-4 from three-point with seven assists and seven turnovers suggested the work required before the Nov. 7 season opener against Gulf Coast.
That was only slightly better than Indianapolis, which shot 31.3 percent with seven assists and eight turnovers. The Greyhounds hit six three-pointers for that two-point halftime lead.
Woodson wasn’t pleased.
“We had a nice halftime talk,” he said.
Or, as Walker put it, “The real Coach Woody came out. He wanted us to play the way he’s been coaching us. That’s what we did.”
IU’s 28-7 edge in fast-break points — and the fact it finished with 21 assists against 10 turnovers — wasn’t by accident. Woodson wants his Hoosiers to thrive in transition.
“Getting the ball out has been a big emphasis,” he said. “The way we try to play, X doesn’t always have to be the guy who leads the break. Our bigs can push it.
“I don’t want to live in a halfcourt game. We have enough talented guys who can make plays.”
IU’s 50-18 edge in points in the paint reflected the way Woodson wants to maximize his team’s length. Five key players are at least 6-8.
“Everybody can guard the 1 (point guard) through the 4 (power forward),” sophomore guard CJ Gunn said. “That differentiates us from everybody else.”
Then there’s defense, the foundation for a Woodson-coached team. Freshman guard Gabe Cupps helped set the second-half tone.
“Gabe got that second unit around him and we started to defend,” Woodson said. “We got the lead we needed to have.”
Nine Hoosiers played at least 11 minutes, and it would have been 10 if forward Payton Sparks hadn’t sprained his ankle in the second half.
“As a coach, I’ve always stressed that the second unit is just as important as the first,” Woodson said. “I’ve tried to build teams that way. If we’re not getting it from the first unit, we can get it from the second.
“I’m trying to build a team that when called upon, they’re ready to play. The second unit really responded.”
Indianapolis opened the scoring with a three-pointer. IU countered with baskets from Reneau and Galloway (off a Johnson assist).
The Hoosiers got plenty of early layup opportunities but struggled to make them.
After eight minutes, it was a 5-5 tie.
Gunn hit a free throw and a jumper. Sparks made a spinning hook shot. Gunn made a reverse layup off a Sparks assists, then got a dunk off a steal. IU edged ahead 17-11 with six minutes left in the half. Indianapolis tied it at 19-19 with four minutes remaining.
A three-point play by Indy forward Paul Zilinskas with 27 seconds left was enough to give the Greyhounds a 27-25 halftime lead. Gunn led the Hoosiers with seven points.
The Woodson message was clear – play harder, get the ball inside.
Message received.
IU opened the second half with inside baskets from Reneau and Ware, and a Johnson steal and layup for a 31-29 Hoosier lead.
The Hoosiers kept attacking inside. Reneau, Ware and Johnson scored. Then Johnson hit IU’s first three-pointer. Reneau dunked off a Mgbako assist. IU led 42-34, then 53-38.
A mini scare came late in the game when Sparks twisted an ankle while driving for a layup. The crowd went silent. After a minute, he got up and smiled.
“He’s a tough dude,” Woodson said.
INDIANA VB
HOOSIERS LOSE TIGHT BATTLE AT NORTHWESTERN
EVANSTON, Ill. – A match separated by just four total points saw Northwestern come away with a Sunday afternoon victory over the Indiana volleyball team (16-9, 6-6) at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
IU used an incredible comeback to win the second set before controlling the third. Northwestern flipped the script down the stretch as the Hoosiers fell in five (23-25, 34-32, 25-21, 22-25, 10-15) for the second time this week.
The Hoosiers have played three-straight contests that have gone the complete five sets and have seen three of six losses in conference play come in five-set matches.
Junior setter Camryn Haworth went for another triple-double and the second of her career against Northwestern with 50 assists, 10 kills and 10 digs.
IU continues its road trip next weekend with matches at Rutgers and Ohio State before returning home to play the same Rutgers team on Nov. 10.
Stats and Notes
Team
• The teams were nearly even across the entire match before Northwestern pulled ahead in the closing stages. The Wildcats outhit the Hoosiers (.259-.238) and tallied more kills (74-70) and digs (77-75) across the five sets.
• IU had four players finish with 10+ digs including freshman libero Ramsey Gary who recorded her sixth-straight game with 20-or-more digs.
• As a team, IU totaled 13 blocks; the fourth time in the Big Ten this season that the squad has gone for 10+ blocks.
• The Hoosiers second set victory, a 34-32 win, saw the teams combine for 66 points and IU fight off eight set points. The 66 points in a set is tied for second most in a single match under the current scoring system (since 2008).
• IU falls to 2-3 (1-2) in five-set matches this season, dropping all three of those conference five-setters on the road.
#10 Haworth, Camryn
• The All-Big Ten setter was once again a rock for the Hoosiers, recording her second triple-double of her career and the third of her career.
• She had 50 assists, 10 kills and 10 digs and also added five service aces. She is the first player in program history to record a triple-double in back-to-back matches.
• Haworth has three 50-assist matches this season, the most in a single season in her career. She’s gone for 10+ digs on eight occasions this year.
• She now has eight career matches with four-or-more aces including four this season.
#32 Gary, Ramsey
• The Pendleton, Ind. native tallied 24 digs including seven in the opening set. She was perfect in serve-receive across 25 attempts. She also tallied six assists on out-of-system balls.
• She’s now got 400 digs this season, putting her just three away from setting the single-season freshman digs record.
#18 Rammelsberg, Kaley
• The fifth-year middle blocker was outstanding offensively, producing 15 kills for the second time in three matches.
• She pushes her run of matches with 10+ kills to four and has hit over .340 in each of the last seven contests for the Hoosiers.
Scoring Recap
Set 1: Northwestern 25, Indiana 23
• The hosts were efficient offensively in the first set, producing a .368 hitting percentage (15-1-38) with four kills each from Averie Hernandez and Kathryn Randorf.
• Sophomore outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles went for seven kills while Gary dug seven balls.
• IU went down 12-15 but the insertion of junior outside hitter Mady Saris to serve sparked a three-point run and leveled the score midway through the set.
• A kill from Rammelsberg and an attack error from Northwestern gave IU a 21-20 lead but a four-point run handed the momentum back to the Wildcats for the set victory.
Set 2: Indiana 34, Northwestern 32
• One of the wildest sets in the program’s history saw the Hoosiers fight off eight set points, including three straight to make it 24-all, before winning the frame 34-32.
• The 66 combined points were the most in a single Big Ten set since totaling 66 against Northwestern in 2017. A 2008 match against Michigan saw the sides combine for 74 points in a single set.
• Haworth opened the set with a dominating run of serving, breaking open a 5-0 lead for the Hoosiers before a timeout from Northwestern.
• After going down 18-20, IU battled back to take a 21-20 lead but was met by four-straight points from the hosts as Northwestern got its first set point at 24-21.
• Alonso-Corcelles and Haworth combined on the next three kills to force 24-all before the sides exchanged points to 31-all. A kill from senior middle blocker Savannah Kjolhede and an error from Northwestern handed IU the second set.
Set 3: Indiana 25, Northwestern 21
• IU hit .382 in the third set (16-3-34) led by three kills from five different players in a balanced attack to win 25-21.
• The Hoosier lead never grew bigger than three but the visitors were in control from the beginning, using a kill from Alonso-Corcelles and a Northwestern attacking error to win the third set.
Set 4: Northwestern 25, Indiana 22
• Neither team was efficient offensively in the fourth set but timely kills, including four from Hernandez were enough for Northwestern in a 25-22 win.
• IU went down five (10-15) but would claw all the way back within one point at 19-20 off a kill from Rammelsberg.
• After the score was tied at three-all, IU would never tie the set or take the lead again as Northwestern forced a fifth and final frame on Sunday.
Set 5: Northwestern 15, Indiana 10
• Costly errors were a dagger down the stretch for IU with three attacking errors and three service errors making the difference in the final set.
• Northwestern was outstanding offensively with four kills from Hernandez while hitting .444 as a team to win the fifth set 15-10.
INDIANA MEN’S SOCCER
HOOSIERS CLINCH SHARE OF REGULAR SEASON TITLE, NO. 1 SEED IN BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
BLOOMINGTON — Indiana men’s soccer (9-4-4, 4-2-2 B1G) won a share of the Big Ten regular season championship and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament after a 4-1 victory over Rutgers ( 5-7-3, 3-4-1 B1G) Sunday (Oct. 29) on Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
The conference title is IU’s 33rd overall and its 18th regular season championship. IU shares the title with co-champion Penn State.
The Hoosier will play No. 8-seeded Wisconsin in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday (Nov. 3) at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
INDIANA WOMEN’S SOCCER
NO. 21/24 INDIANA FALLS TO NO. 6 PENN STATE IN BIG TEN QUARTERFINAL, 3-0
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 5 seeded Indiana (12-3-4, 6-2-2 B1G) fell 3-0 against No. 4 seeded Penn State in the Big Ten Quarterfinal match at Jeffery Field on Sunday afternoon.
KEY MOMENTS
• Penn State found the back of the net in the 21st minute and extended the lead in the 25th minute for a quick 2-0 lead.
• Indiana saw three shots in the first half but couldn’t get one on goal through the first 45.
• The Hoosiers continued to look for their first chance on goal out of the break. Senior midfielder Sofia Black opened the second half with an opportunity in the 47th minute. Once again, the shot would go just wide of the net.
• Penn State scored another goal in the 52nd minute off a second chance opportunity in the goalie box.
• Sophomore midfielder Olivia Rush had the Hoosiers first shot on goal in the 61st minute. She fired one from the midfield straight on the goal, but Penn State’s graduate goalkeeper Katherine Asman Nittany Lions keeper would make the save.
• Graduate forward Paige Webber found an open look in the 78th minute on a pass from freshman defender Piper Coffield. Her attempt was shutdown as Asman made another deflection.
• Black fired two shots on goal in the 82nd and 83rd minute but was unable to capitalize on either opportunity.
HOOSIER POINTS
GOALS: None.
ASSISTS: None.
NOTABLES
• Indiana made their first appearance in the tournament since 2019.
• The teams tied 11-11 in shots, but the Nittany Lions held an 8-4 advantage in shots on goal.
• IU led 3-0 in corners.
• Seven Hoosiers recorded a shot in the match. Black led the team with four.
• Gerstenberg made four saves against the Nittany Lions bringing her season total to 47 and her career total to 135 saves.
UP NEXT
Indiana will await their fate in the NCAA Tournament. The selection show will be held on Monday, Nov. 6.
PURDUE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
PURDUE ROLLS TO EXHIBITION WIN OVER QUINCY
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue women’s basketball team rolled to a 106-45 exhibition win over Quincy on Sunday afternoon at Mackey Arena. All 12 Boilermakers who got in on the action scored five or more points.
Purdue shot a blistering 58.5% from the field and connected on 11 3-pointers. The Boilermakers dominated the glass with a plus-23 margin and limited the Hawks to just four second-chance points. Purdue dished out 25 assists on 38 made field goals.
Jayla Smith led the way on the offensive end with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, contributing significantly to Purdue’s 52 points in the paint.
A trio of freshmen joined Smith in double figures. Mary Ashley Stevenson tallied a double-double of 15-points, 12 rebounds. Rashunda Jones matched Stevenson with 15 points and added three rebounds and three assists. McKenna Layden chipped in 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting with five boards. Together, the first-year squad, including Emily Monson who chipped in five points and three assists, accounted for 47 points, seven triples, 21 rebounds and nine assists.
Purdue set the tone early and built up a 17-point advantage in the first. In the second, Quincy scored to cut the gap to 49-27 with 2:57 to play in the half. The Boilermakers held the Hawks off the scoreboard for the next 11:15, while going on a 33-0 run to put the game well out of reach.
UP NEXT
Purdue will hit the road to open the 2023-24 season on Monday, Nov. 6, at No. 4 UCLA. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on PAC-12 Los Angeles.
PURDUE WOMEN’S GOLF
BUNNABODEE ENDS FALL WITH 5TH ROUND IN THE 60S
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Behind a 3-under 69 from Kan Bunnabodee, Purdue Women’s Golf ended the fall with their best round of the Landfall Tradition. The Boilermakers shot 288 (E) during the final round on the par 72 Dye Course, finishing 13-over for the tournament and 13th on the leaderboard.
Speaking of 13, Purdue played the par 5s 13-under as a team to rank second in the field in par-5 scoring behind Duke. The Blue Devils captured the tournament title at 21-under, winning the tiebreaker with Clemson.
Bunnabodee produced her fifth round in the 60s this season, only one shy of the school record with at least seven tournaments remaining in the 2023-24 campaign. She now has 11 for her career, tied for fifth all-time with 2009 NCAA National Champion Maria Hernandez. Her final round featured five birdies and only two bogeys. Starting with a par on the par-3 13th, she bogeyed No. 14 but got the shot back by making her first birdie on No. 15. Bunnabodee birdied the par-5 18th before turning to the front side, where she carded a bogey-free 33 (-3) with birdies at the fourth, seventh and ninth holes. Despite a bogey on No. 10, she ended her round with back-to-back pars to secure another round in the 60s.
Ashley Kozlowski and Momo Sugiyama ended the tournament at 4-over, recording final rounds of 73 (+1) and 77 (+5), respectively. Kozlowski crushed the par 5s all weekend, playing them 8-under to rank third among the 96-player field in par-5 scoring. She birdied three of the four 5s during Sunday’s final round.
Natasha Kiel shot an even-par 72 during the final 18 holes, saving her best round for last. Her day featured an eagle at the par-5 18th. Jocelyn Bruch played her best golf of the weekend as well, carding a final round 74 (+2) following consecutive 76s.
After four tournaments, which included two team titles and a few school records, Purdue’s successful fall comes to an end. The Boilermakers return to action when the calendar flips to 2024, starting the spring by hosting the Puerto Rico Classic (Feb. 4-6) in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
BOILERMAKERS
T44. Kan Bunnabodee: 75-74-69—218 (+2)
T54. Momo Sugiyama: 70-73-77—220 (+4)
T54. Ashley Kozlowski: 75-72-73—220 (+4)
T64. Natasha Kiel: 74-78-72—224 (+8)
T72. Jocelyn Bruch: 76-76-74—226 (+10)
TEAM LEADERBOARD
1. #19 Duke: 286-286-271—843 (-21)*
2. #16 Clemson: 285-286-272—843 (-21)
3. #14 UCF: 284-286-274—844 (-20)
4. #25 Arizona: 288-280-287—855 (-9)
5. Alabama: 291-288-277—856 (-8)
6. Michigan State: 279-291-287—857 (-7)
7. Tennessee: 290-279-289—858 (-6)
8. Virginia Tech: 292-286-284—862 (-2)
9. Furman: 297-285-283—865 (+1)
10. Illinois: 285-290-297—872 (+8)
T11. Maryland: 305-287-282—874 (+10)
T11. SMU: 292-297-285—874 (+10)
13. #13 Purdue: 294-295-288—877 (+13)
T14. Nebraska: 293-298-289—880 (+16)
T14. East Carolina: 299-288-293—880 (+16)
16: Penn State: 294-291-301—886 (+22)
17. UNCW: 299-299-290—888 (+24)
18. NC State: 297-300-292—889 (+25)
*Duke won the tournament via tiebreaker (fifth player’s third round score)
BUTLER WOMEN’S SOCCER
BULLDOGS ERASE TWO-GOAL DEFICIT BUT ARE KNOCKED OUT OF BIG EAST TOURNAMENT
STORRS, Conn. – The No. 6 seed Butler women’s soccer team found itself down two goals just 25 minutes into its BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinal match at No. 3 seed UConn. The Bulldogs fought back, scoring one goal, just seconds before the end of the first half, and a second to level the game with 20 minutes remaining in full time. Just over 80 seconds before the final whistle, and overtime, the Huskies (10-3-5) were able to chip in the game-winner. Butler finishes its season at 6-8-6.
Key Moments
3′ | A shot by UConn’s Jessica Mazo deflects off the foot of a Butler defender and caroms into the goal. The Huskies have an early, 1-0, lead.
25′ | UConn’s Chioma Okafor breaks through Butler’s defensive line and is able to chip a ball over a charging Anna Pierce. The Huskies have a two-goal lead.
45′ | With 25 seconds on the clock, Anna Schroeder draws a foul just outside the penalty area. While UConn is trying to set up a wall, Talia Sommer takes a quick kick and scores, just inside the left post. Butler draws to within one, 2-1.
**HALFTIME**
70′ | Alli Leonard sends a ball from the center of the field to Norah Jacomen in the left side of the box. Jacomen takes a touch to her right and sends a ball into the upper-right 90. The score is level at two.
89′ | UConn steals the ball at midfield and sends a long service to Okafor, who is wide open on the left side. Okafor challenges Pierce, one-on-one, and is able to chip it over her for the game-winning goal.
Butler Points Summary
GOALS: Talia Sommer, Norah Jacomen
ASSISTS: Alli Leonard
Bulldog Bits
Talia Sommer’s goal was her sixth of the season and the 11th of her career.
Norah Jacomen’s goal was her ninth of the season.
Alli Leonard’s assist was her first of the season and the 11th of her career.
Each side produced eight shots on goal in the match.
BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
FRANKLIN TO VISIT HINKLE FIELDHOUSE FOR WOMEN’S BASKETBALL EXHIBITION CONTEST
INDIANAPOLIS – Bulldog fans can come to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Monday night to see the 2023-24 women’s basketball team take on Franklin College in exhibition action. The 7 PM tip will signal the start of the new season.
Gameday
Butler vs. Franklin (Exhibition)
Monday, Oct. 30
7 PM
Hinkle Fieldhouse
Bulldog Bits
– Austin Parkinson has won 235 games in his 13 seasons as a head coach, averaging 18 wins per season
– The Bulldogs defeated Benedictine last year in exhibition action 86-31
– Butler will play in the 2023 Tiger Turkey Tip-Off hosted by Pacific in Stockton, California
– Non-conference away games will send BU to (RV) Iowa State (Nov. 6) and Wisconsin (Dec. 3)
– Seven of Butler’s 11 non-conference games will be played inside Hinkle Fieldhouse
– Butler was the first women’s college basketball team to host an event at the Indianapolis Bicentennial Unity Plaza
– Sydney Jaynes ranked third among all BIG EAST players in field goal percentage last season (52.6)
– Butler had five players shoot 40% or higher from 3-point range last year and three more shot over 35%
– BU made 14 3-pointers in their win at Xavier last year, just two shy of tying the school record
– Caroline Strande was the 10th-best free throw shooter in the BIG EAST last year (77.6%)
BIG EAST Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1) Connecticut 100
2) Creighton 90
3) Marquette 79
4) Villanova 76
5) Seton Hall 58
6) St. John’s 52
7) DePaul 49
8) Butler 37
9) Providence 32
10) Georgetown 20
11) Xavier 12
Scouting Franklin
Franklin won eight games a year ago and were picked to finish fifth in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Preseason Poll. Head Coach Jessica Darmelio enters her second season on the sideline for the Grizzlies. Five players to keep an eye on Monday night include CiCi Bailey, Jordan Coon, Brooke Grinstead, Lauren Barker and Hannah Stutsman. Bailey was named Honorable Mention All-HCAC last year after averaging 8.3 points and a team-best 8.0 rebounds per game. She was the only player on the team to start all 23 games last season.
Austin Parkinson Enters Year Two at BU
Austin Parkinson led the Bulldogs to an 11-19 overall record in his first season on campus. Butler won six of their nine games inside Hinkle Fieldhouse and put together a four-game winning streak in late February. Eight student-athletes return from last year’s roster and the coaching staff added talent with three incoming transfers and three freshmen.
Indiana All-Stars
The Bulldogs have six Indiana All-Stars on the 2023-24 roster. All three incoming freshmen (Norman, Makalusky, Carter) earned the recognition in 2023 and Lilly Stoddard was honored in 2022. Sydney Jaynes and Ari Wiggins round out the group from the 2021 class.
Jaynes Made the Jump
Sydney Jaynes nearly doubled her production from year one to year two at Butler. In 2021-22 she made 62 field goals, resulting in 143 points. The next year she stepped up with 121 made field goals, helping her score 295 points. Jaynes made 30 more free throws in year two, grabbed 44 more rebounds and dished out 31 more assists.
Reunited
Anna Mortag and Rachel Kent are reunited at Butler after playing together at IUPUI during a historic 2021-22 season. Under the direction of Parkinson, the Jags went 24-5, won the Horizon League Tournament and punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. IUPUI took #11 Michigan into overtime at the start of the year and moved forward to defeat #15 Iowa with Mortag and Kent in the mix. New Coordinator of Recruiting and Creative Content Director Madison Wise was also a graduate transfer (Iowa State) on that team.
Big Ten Transfers
Ari Wiggins and Lilly Stoddard each left Big Ten programs to join the Bulldogs in 2023. Wiggins was runner-up for Indiana Miss Basketball in 2021 and was a four-star recruit heading to Michigan where she appeared in 37 games before transferring out. Stoddard was also a four-star recruit heading to Purdue for her freshman season. After playing sparingly, she was able to join Butler to play with her sister Abby.
2023-24 Roster Breakdown
The 2023-24 roster features one graduate transfer, five seniors, two juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen. Half of the student-athletes are from Indiana (7). The ‘Dawgs also have players from Wisconsin (3), Ohio (1), Kentucky (1), Illinois (1) and Canada (1).
Tallest Team in Years
The Bulldogs have eight players on the roster standing 6-0 or taller, the most of any team at Butler over the last 15 years! Four of the eight are 6-3 or taller making this one of the tallest teams in program history.
Even Split
The Bulldogs return half of their scoring from last season with eight returners back in the locker room. Of the 14 players that saw court time from the 2022-23 campaign, the eight returners provided BU with 921 points and the seven players that departed accounted for 911 points.
3-Point Threat
The Bulldogs led the BIG EAST Conference and ranked eighth in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage during the 2022-23 season by making 37.6 percent of their shots from distance. Butler made 227 3-pointers, the fourth-most in the league. They averaged 7.6 made 3-pointers per game, tying DePaul for the second-best mark in the conference.
Bulldogs Behind the Arc
Anna Mortag and Caroline Strande placed their names in the Butler record book after their first season with the program. Mortag made 30 of her 69 attempts from 3-point range to shoot 43.5 percent from distance and Strande connected on 23 of her 54 attempts to shoot 42.6 percent from long range. Mortag posted the sixth-best 3-point shooting season at BU and Strande was close behind in eighth.
Strande Shines in New Role
Caroline Strande enjoyed a larger role for the Bulldogs in her junior campaign than what she experienced as an underclassman at Minnesota. In 2022-23, Strande averaged 7.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. She was one of five Bulldogs to play in all 30 games and she jumped into the starting five 11 times.
Kendall Coming Up on Career Milestones
The 2023-24 season opener will mark the 75th game of Kendall Wingler’s collegiate career. The guard from Ekron, Ky. needs to make just five more 3-pointers to hit 100 in her career. Wingler is also 10 points shy of 500 and nine rebounds shy of 200.
Sydney Seeking 500 Career Points
Sydney Jaynes needs 62 points to reach 500 in her BU career. She will attempt to become the 25th player in program history to score 1,000+ points before she leaves campus. Kristen Spolyar (2016-20) was the last BU student-athlete to make the all-time scoring list. She ended her career with 1,544 points. The BU all-time leading scorer is former assistant coach Julie Shelton (VonDielingen) who played from 1989-93. She is the only player in program history to top 2,000 points (2,018).
Starting Five Shuffle
Butler was one of three teams in the BIG EAST that had 10 different student-athletes start at least one game last year. Seton Hall had the most with 11 and Villanova stayed healthy to start the same five players over all 37 games in 2022-23. The Bulldogs led the BIG EAST in bench points per game (20.9).
Stoddard Set to Return after Missing 2022-23 Season
Abby Stoddard will return to action this season after missing the previous year due to injury.
Up Next
Butler opens the 2023-24 campaign in Ames, Iowa to play (RV) Iowa State on Monday, Nov. 6. The contest features and early tip at noon and will be available to stream on ESPN+.
BUTLER MEN’S BASKETBALL
BUTLER MBB TOPS OHIO NORTHERN, 78-46, IN SATURDAY NIGHT EXHIBITION
Butler opened the 2023-24 season with a 78-46 exhibition win over Ohio Northern at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The evening tip closed a day of Homecoming festivities on the Indianapolis campus.
The Bulldogs shot 58 percent from the field and had a balanced offensive effort as seven players posted between eight and 13 points on the night.
COACH THAD MATTA: “It was good for us to go against somebody else. We were able to play a lot of guys, get a lot of guys some experience out there. I thought our defense was pretty good at times; they brought the shot clock into it so there weren’t a ton of possessions. We’ve got to clean up the 13 turnovers, but we have some good stuff to build on.”
OF NOTE:
DJ Davis led the Bulldogs with 13 points, which included a 3-for-4 performance from three-point range and four free throws.
Pierre Brooks II (12) and Finley Bizjack (10) joined Davis in double figures.
Forty-four (44) of Butler’s points came in the paint.
Posh Alexander had a game-high four steals as Butler forced ONU into 20 turnovers.
The Bulldogs held Ohio Northern to 35-percent shooting from the field, including 8-for-33 from behind the arc.
Ten of the 13 players who saw action in Saturday’s exhibition were suiting up for Butler for the first time.
Butler was without freshman Augusto Cassia, who sustained a strain to a muscle in his right leg Monday in practice. He is out indefinitely, and his status will be updated in the coming weeks.
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs host Franklin College Wednesday night in the team’s second and final exhibition leading into the 2023-24 regular season.
NOTRE DAME MEN’S SOCCER
DOWD, IRISH CARRY FIERY RESOLVE INTO POSTSEASON
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The one-year anniversary just passed.
For Bryan Dowd and his Notre Dame soccer teammates, the seared-in memory might as well have developed last week.
On the heels of their scintillating 2021 run to the NCAA Semifinals, the Fighting Irish never got consistently untracked in a topsy-turvy 2022 campaign that was halted in the ACC Tournament.
Yet along the way, through frustration and pain, Dowd recalled the moment that Notre Dame charted what has become a captivating run of dominance thus far this season for the No. 5-ranked Irish (11-1-4), who closed out their regular season on Friday with a 6-0 drubbing of No. 20 Pittsburgh.
“I vividly remember the moment after playing Duke away, they were ranked top-three, and our team got together, just players, on the field right after the game,” said Dowd, the sublime Irish goalkeeper who in four years, across nearly 5,100 minutes of service, has yielded a scant 54 goals. “We said to each other, ‘This can’t happen. What can we do to buy in?’ We talked it out a little bit, asked each other what can we do to make the most of this year and how do we start preparing for next year.
“It took a lot of tough conversations from guys, asking more of each other, putting in more work, a lot of determination.”
Irish coach Chad Riley is an realist; he doesn’t hide from Duke’s skill last season, but similarly he acknowledges the response of his Notre Dame team henceforth.
“I think that was a really disappointing moment in our season,” Riley said, “And even more so, we actually played pretty well in the game, gave up two goals, but good teams have the ability to score on you.
“I felt like it was a real kind of gut-punch, but we responded really well. I don’t think guys were necessarily playing poorly, but we weren’t getting things to go our way. Instead of splintering in that moment, we came together and recommitted to ourselves.”
Dowd’s dedication is a constant, his eight shutouts in 15 matches turning him into one of his sport’s top shields.
As selfless as his position dictates, Dowd points, yes, to his own work but more importantly to the roles of his coaches and teammates.
“I appreciate you asking this question, because part of the reason why I felt really good in my game, personally, is because I have been lucky enough to train with some MLS teams this summer,” said Dowd, the 6-foot-3, 175-pound Willow Springs, Illinois, native. “It helped me get and take my game to the next level. Really, it’s kind of the culmination of 20 years’ hard work. But to be honest, the main reason is because our entire team has bought in. I can’t tell you how many times I see a forward sprint back to the top of the box or a defender put his body on the line to block a shot. From our starting 11 to the end of the bench, every single person has bought in to this brotherhood and are fighting for each other.”
The fight, for Dowd, for Notre Dame, for this season, actually borrows from that other futbol – American football.
So much so, in fact, that Dowd has inscribed his gloves with the mantra of Notre Dame’s other coach of the Irish’s starting 11 – football coach Marcus Freeman.
“To be honest, I try to take a page out of Coach Freeman’s book, one play one life,” said Dowd, his experience aside from Notre Dame to include professional and international exposure. “I’ve got it written on the back of my gloves, and it’s always a great reminder.”
Turns out, Dowd’s approach actually is a reminder for Freeman, the Elvis-like popular coach steering the school’s flagship football program.
”I think it’s reaffirming as a head coach or as a leader that the culture you’re trying to permeate through your team is continuing to work,” Freeman said of Dowd’s homage. “We always say it goes from paper to head to heart. What we say on the walls, ‘One Play, One Life,’ it goes from the walls to your head to your heart.
“For Bryan to use that in the sport of soccer, it truly tells me he believes in that culture. He believes in that saying. It really pleases me to hear that.”
BALL STATE WOMEN’S SOCCER
SOCCER’S SEASON ENDS WITH LOSS TO OHIO IN MAC CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTERFINALS
MUNCIE, Ind. – – The fight was there Sunday afternoon at the Briner Sports Complex, unfortunately the goals were not for the Ball State soccer program which suffered a 2-0 setback to Ohio in the quarterfinal round of the 2023 Mid-American Conference Women’s Soccer Championship.
“I’m proud of this group, it’s a wonderful group of ladies,” head coach Josh Rife said. “With how the season started, to how it grew throughout the year and to where we positioned ourselves at the end, I couldn’t be prouder of a group that stayed, bought in and committed. You look at the group and some of the different personnel, injuries and adversity we had to overcome, to finish third in the conference is not an easy feat. The MAC, top to bottom, is such a difficult conference to get yourself to postseason play. To put ourselves where we did, just proud of the group.”
The Cardinals, who end the season with an 8-8-3 overall record, pushed the pace early in Sunday’s contest and generated some solid scoring chances. Unfortunately, the Bobcats (7-7-5) defense stood tall, and Ball State was not even able to capitalize with a shot until the 31st minute.
Ohio matched Ball State’s intensity, however, and tested redshirt junior goalkeeper Bethany Moser as well on the other end of the pitch. Moser made a pair of early saves before deflecting a third save back into the goal area where the Bobcats were able to capitalize with a 14th-minute tally.
Ball State came close to countering in the 31st minute when junior midfielder Kaitlyn Fraser blasted a rocket towards the top right corner of the goal. Unfortunately, a leaping Celeste Sloma was able to punch the ball over the cross bar for her lone save of the match.
The Cardinals would finish the contest with eight total shots, four of which were blocked by the tough Ohio defense. Ohio would go on to add an insurance goal in the 79th minute, giving the game its final score.
Overall, Moser finished the contest with six saves, raising her Ball State single-season record to 113.
SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S SOCCER
EAGLES’ SEASON ENDS AGAINST TROJANS IN OVC QUARTERFINALS
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 2023 season for University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer came to a heartbreaking end Sunday afternoon at Strassweg Field with a 3-1 loss to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in the Ohio Valley Conference Women’s Soccer Championship quarterfinals.
The Screaming Eagles finished the 2023 campaign with a 4-8-7 overall record while going 3-2-4 in the OVC regular season. USI’s solid season illustrated the next step forward as a D-I program after tying for third place in the OVC and being awarded the chance to host an OVC tournament match for the first time as the No. 4 seed. Plus, Southern Indiana made it 2-for-2 in earning an OVC Tournament berth since joining the conference in 2022, improving from a first-round appearance last year to being a quarterfinalist this year.
In the battle of the 4-versus-8 seeds, Sunday’s match was played in soggy conditions, as both squads had to acclimate to the rainy, muddy conditions. Despite the tough terrain, each team was able to find early chances.
Within the first two minutes of the contest, USI freshman midfielder Pilar Torres (Chula Vista, California) took a low shot that was saved by Little Rock’s sophomore goalkeeper Peyton Urban. A minute later, the Trojans went the other direction and had a shot deflect off the goalpost.
USI senior midfielder Paige Vanek (St. Charles, Missouri) had two shots saved by Urban in the middle of the first half. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Anna Markland (Hoover, Alabama) matched Urban with a pair of saves in the middle of the opening half for the Eagles. The defenses continued to stand tall, keeping the match scoreless into halftime.
Two minutes into the start of the second stanza, Little Rock broke the 0-0 deadlock when a loose ball off a corner kick cross was knocked into the goal by the Trojans’ senior defender Sanaa Williams. Little Rock later doubled its lead to 2-0 in the 63rd minute when a build-up through the midfield led to a long-range shot by Trojans’ sophomore Madison Eisner that snuck under the top corner of the goal. Little Rock added a third goal just a few minutes later.
With the minutes ticking and the physicality of the game ramping up, USI looked to create opportunities in the attacking half with a sense of urgency. In the 72nd minute, Southern Indiana cut the deficit down to two when a cross from out wide by Torres ricocheted off a Trojan and into the goal. It was the fourth goal of the season for the USI freshman. Torres had another attempt blocked late in the second half.
Little Rock (7-4-8, 2-3-4) closed out the 3-1 win to advance to Thursday’s semifinals against No. 1-seeded Tennessee Tech University.
For the game, Southern Indiana had seven shots with four on goal, and Little Rock took 14 shots with eight on target. Torres led USI with three shots, placing two on frame. Vanek had two shots, both on goal. Between the posts, Markland once again played a full 90 minutes and made five saves. Additionally, USI’s two defensive centerback leaders, redshirt freshman Abby Rhoutsong (Newburgh, Indiana) and sophomore Charli Grafton (Sunriver, Oregon), played a full 90 minutes as they have for nearly the entire season.
“It is a building process with this D-I transition, and I am very pleased with the season and our team’s efforts,” USI Head Coach Eric Schoenstein said. “It is about developing for the future and building a winning culture. I am thrilled with everything our players have done, getting better each day. Nothing but positives moving forward from this great season.”
Now USI Women’s Soccer will turn its attention to preparing for the 2024 season. USI fans can stay up-to-date with the latest at usiscreamingeagles.com or follow USI Athletics on social media.
UINDY MEN’S SOCCER
TURNER GOAL HOLDS PRAIRE STARS TO 1-1 DRAW
INDIANAPOLIS – The no. 14 ranked UIndy men’s soccer team tied no. 10 Illinois-Springfield,1-1, on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
INS & OUTS
The match began with a defensive battle between the two teams. The Greyhounds and the Prairie Stars continued to move the ball up and down the field. The Hounds controlled the ball most of the time but the Stars did not stop trying to maintain possession of the ball.
Both teams ended the first half with four shots each, UIS had two shots on goal.
The second set of 45 minutes started with each team having no goals on the day.
The Prairie Stars made it to the net first, 25 minutes into the second half. Ten minutes late the Hounds scored to tie the game at 1-1. The goal was made off of a corner kick by Michael Tselios, Bobby Turner was there to head the ball into the net.
The last ten minutes of the match contained both teams moving the ball up and down the field to try and score.
INSIDE THE BOX
– Kieran Brown was the man in goal for the Greyhounds. Brown finished the day with two saves and one goal allowed.
– The defensive trio of Niklas Thanhofer, Bobby Turner, and Pierre Lurot remained in the backfield for UIndy the whole match.
– The Hounds finished the contest with a total of 11 shots, three on goal. Roman Beko and August Abrahamsen let the hounds in shots with two each.
UP NEXT
UIndy will prepare for the GLVC Tournament this week. The bracket will be announced early in the week by the conference off and the first round will take place on Sunday Nov. 5.
UINDY WOMEN’S SOCCER
WOMEN’S SOCCER FALL 1-0 ON SENIOR DAY
INDIANAPOLIS—The UIndy women’s soccer team closed its 2023 season at Key Stadium Sunday afternoon, falling 1-0 to Illinois Springfield. The Greyhounds finished the season with a 4-8-5 overall record, just missing a spot in the upcoming GLVC Tournament.
SENIOR DAY
Prior to the game, UIndy honored its four seniors for their hard work and dedication to the program. This year’s senior class includes Kayleigh O’Neal, Sabrina Shaw, Maddy Theis and Uma Yadav Massó.
INS & OUTS
The contest started with the Greyhounds leading a defensive front against the Prairie Stars. The Stars attempted a pair of shots, both on goal, Sabrina Shaw save both from going in. UIS continued to control the ball, but UIndy was able to seize a change to attempt a shot on goal.
The second half started with the Hounds ready to lead an offensive front. Mia Winters was able to get a shot off but was saved by the Prairie Stars’ goalkeeper. 15 minuted into the second half UIndy decided to put Kendall Eillis in at goal, replacing Shaw.
UIndy was able to attempt two more shots on goal before the Prairie Stars reached the back of the net first. UIS was able to strike with only eight minutes left. Chloe Noon had a chance to tie the game seconds after the goal but the denied the chance by the opposing goalkeeper.
INSIDE THE BOX
– Maddy Theis, Lyza Shamy, Zy’Aire Parker, and Stephanie Brady remained on the field for all 90 minutes of the match.
– Chloe Noon led the Hounds in shots with two, one on goal.
– UIndy finished the match with nine shots, four on goal.
UINDY MEN’S BASKETBALL
GREYHOUNDS COMPETE AT INDIANA ON SUNDAY
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The UIndy men’s basketball team competed on Sunday afternoon at Indiana University, dropping a 74-52 decision from Assembly Hall against the Division I in-state opponent.
Jesse Bingham scored a team-high 13 points in 34+ minutes of action, drilling a pair of 3-pointers and grabbing six rebounds.
Indiana is now 6-0 all-time against UIndy, with all six matchups officially exhibition contests.
INS & OUTS
One of the best defensive teams in the country a season ago, the Greyhounds did not miss a beat in their lone exhibition game of the winter. UIndy built a 27-25 halftime lead in large part to limiting the Hoosiers to 32.3 percent shooting from the floor in the first 20 minutes, including an 0-for effort from 3-point range.
Paul Zilinskas finished an and-1 spin-through-the-lane-layup with under 30 seconds left in the first half, finishing with the free throw to give the Hounds the two-point lead.
The Hoosiers ran away in the second half, going 20 for 31 from the floor after the break. Bingham scored 10 of his 13 points in the final 20 minutes, as UIndy attempted seven of its eight free throws in the second half.
David Ejah impressed against Indiana, recording eight points, three rebounds, and two steals. The senior out of Fort Wayne, Ind., also hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the first half.
INSIDE THE BOX
– Point guard Josiah Tynes led all players with more than 37 minutes of action, dishing out a game-high seven assists.
– Kendrick Tchoua, after getting in early foul trouble, responded in the second half to finish with six rebounds, two steals, and one block.
– The Greyhounds were whistled for 20 fouls in the loss, compared to the Hoosiers’ 12. As a result, Indiana attempted 20 free throws with UIndy sinking six-of-eight from the charity stripe.
– Zilinskas opened the scoring with a 3-ball at the 18:46 mark of the first half.
– Sophomore Sean Craig finished with nine points and five rebounds, four of which came on the offensive glass.
UP NEXT
UIndy opens the regular season on Friday, Nov. 10 against in-region Parkside on the campus of Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, Ky.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETICS
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
NBA STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| Atlantic Division | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| Boston | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | — | 1-0 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 2 W | ||
| Philadelphia | 2 | 1 | .667 | 0.5 | 1-0 | 1-1 | 1-0 | 1-1 | 2-1 | 2 W | ||
| New York | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1.5 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 1 L | ||
| Toronto | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1.5 | 1-1 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 2 L | ||
| Brooklyn | 0 | 2 | .000 | 2.0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | – | 0-1 | 0-2 | 2 L | ||
| Central Divison | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| Indiana | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | — | 1-0 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 2 W | ||
| Detroit | 2 | 1 | .667 | 0.5 | 1-0 | 1-1 | 1-0 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 2 W | ||
| Milwaukee | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.0 | 1-1 | – | – | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1 L | ||
| Chicago | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1.5 | 1-1 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 1 L | ||
| Cleveland | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1.5 | 0-2 | 1-0 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 2 L | ||
| Southeast Division | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| Orlando | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | — | 1-0 | 1-0 | – | – | 2-0 | 2 W | ||
| Charlotte | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.0 | 1-1 | – | 1-0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1 L | ||
| Washington | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.0 | 1-0 | 0-1 | – | 0-1 | 1-1 | 1 W | ||
| Miami | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1.5 | 1-0 | 0-2 | – | 1-1 | 1-2 | 2 L | ||
| Atlanta | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1.5 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1 W | ||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| Northwest Division | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| Denver | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | — | 1-0 | 2-0 | 1-0 | 3-0 | 3-0 | 3 W | ||
| Oklahoma City | 2 | 1 | .667 | 1.0 | 0-1 | 2-0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 2-1 | 1 L | ||
| Minnesota | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.5 | 1-0 | 0-1 | – | – | 1-1 | 1 W | ||
| Utah | 1 | 2 | .333 | 2.0 | 1-1 | 0-1 | – | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1 L | ||
| Portland | 0 | 3 | .000 | 3.0 | 0-1 | 0-2 | – | 0-1 | 0-3 | 3 L | ||
| Pacific Division | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| Phoenix | 2 | 1 | .667 | — | 1-0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 1 W | ||
| LA Clippers | 2 | 1 | .667 | — | 2-0 | 0-1 | – | 2-1 | 2-1 | 1 W | ||
| Golden State | 2 | 1 | .667 | — | 0-1 | 2-0 | 1-1 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 2 W | ||
| Sacramento | 2 | 1 | .667 | — | 1-1 | 1-0 | 1-1 | 2-1 | 2-1 | 1 W | ||
| LA Lakers | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1.0 | 1-0 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1 L | ||
| Southwest Division | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| New Orleans | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | — | 1-0 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 2-0 | 2 W | ||
| Dallas | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | — | 1-0 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 2-0 | 2 W | ||
| San Antonio | 1 | 2 | .333 | 1.5 | 1-1 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1 L | ||
| Houston | 0 | 3 | .000 | 2.5 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 0-3 | 3 L | ||
| Memphis | 0 | 3 | .000 | 2.5 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 0-3 | 3 L | ||
NFL STANDINGS
| American Football Conference | |||||||||||||
| East Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Miami Dolphins | 6 | 2 | 0 | .750 | 0.0 | 271 | 204 | 4-0-0 | 2-2-0 | 4-1-0 | 2-1-0 | 1 W | |
| Buffalo Bills | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 | 1.0 | 222 | 136 | 4-1-0 | 1-2-0 | 2-3-0 | 1-2-0 | 1 W | |
| New York Jets | 4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | 1.5 | 126 | 129 | 2-2-0 | 2-1-0 | 2-2-0 | 1-1-0 | 3 W | |
| New England Patriots | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 | 4.0 | 118 | 208 | 1-3-0 | 1-3-0 | 2-3-0 | 2-2-0 | 1 L | |
| West Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Kansas City Chiefs | 6 | 2 | 0 | .750 | 0.0 | 187 | 129 | 3-1-0 | 3-1-0 | 4-1-0 | 2-1-0 | 1 L | |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 2.5 | 174 | 168 | 2-2-0 | 1-2-0 | 1-3-0 | 1-1-0 | 1 W | |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 2.5 | 112 | 161 | 2-1-0 | 1-3-0 | 2-3-0 | 1-1-0 | 1 L | |
| Denver Broncos | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 3.0 | 172 | 226 | 2-3-0 | 1-2-0 | 1-4-0 | 1-2-0 | 2 W | |
| North Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Baltimore Ravens | 6 | 2 | 0 | .750 | 0.0 | 202 | 121 | 2-1-0 | 4-1-0 | 4-2-0 | 2-1-0 | 3 W | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | 1.5 | 113 | 147 | 2-2-0 | 2-1-0 | 3-2-0 | 2-0-0 | 1 L | |
| Cleveland Browns | 4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | 1.5 | 154 | 139 | 3-1-0 | 1-2-0 | 3-2-0 | 1-2-0 | 1 L | |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | 1.5 | 131 | 144 | 2-1-0 | 2-2-0 | 0-3-0 | 0-2-0 | 3 W | |
| South Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 6 | 2 | 0 | .750 | 0.0 | 193 | 156 | 2-2-0 | 4-0-0 | 4-2-0 | 2-1-0 | 5 W | |
| Houston Texans | 3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 2.5 | 148 | 128 | 2-1-0 | 1-3-0 | 2-2-0 | 1-1-0 | 1 L | |
| Tennessee Titans | 3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 2.5 | 132 | 140 | 3-1-0 | 0-3-0 | 2-3-0 | 0-1-0 | 1 W | |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 3.0 | 205 | 229 | 1-4-0 | 2-1-0 | 3-3-0 | 2-2-0 | 3 L | |
| National Football Conference | |||||||||||||
| East Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7 | 1 | 0 | .875 | 0.0 | 224 | 172 | 3-0-0 | 4-1-0 | 5-0-0 | 2-0-0 | 2 W | |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5 | 2 | 0 | .714 | 1.5 | 197 | 120 | 3-0-0 | 2-2-0 | 2-2-0 | 1-0-0 | 2 W | |
| Washington Commanders | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 4.0 | 171 | 228 | 1-3-0 | 2-2-0 | 2-4-0 | 0-3-0 | 2 L | |
| New York Giants | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 | 5.0 | 95 | 187 | 1-3-0 | 1-3-0 | 2-3-0 | 1-1-0 | 1 L | |
| West Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Seattle Seahawks | 5 | 2 | 0 | .714 | 0.0 | 168 | 138 | 3-1-0 | 2-1-0 | 4-1-0 | 1-1-0 | 2 W | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 5 | 3 | 0 | .625 | 0.5 | 218 | 140 | 3-1-0 | 2-2-0 | 4-1-0 | 2-0-0 | 3 L | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 2.5 | 175 | 184 | 1-3-0 | 2-2-0 | 2-3-0 | 2-1-0 | 2 L | |
| Arizona Cardinals | 1 | 7 | 0 | .125 | 4.5 | 151 | 213 | 1-3-0 | 0-4-0 | 1-5-0 | 0-3-0 | 5 L | |
| North Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Detroit Lions | 5 | 2 | 0 | .714 | 0.0 | 174 | 151 | 2-1-0 | 3-1-0 | 4-1-0 | 1-0-0 | 1 L | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 1.5 | 175 | 162 | 1-3-0 | 3-1-0 | 4-2-0 | 2-0-0 | 3 W | |
| Green Bay Packers | 2 | 5 | 0 | .286 | 3.0 | 140 | 156 | 1-2-0 | 1-3-0 | 2-3-0 | 1-2-0 | 4 L | |
| Chicago Bears | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 | 3.5 | 171 | 218 | 1-3-0 | 1-3-0 | 1-3-0 | 0-2-0 | 1 L | |
| South Division | |||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | ||
| Atlanta Falcons | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 0.0 | 138 | 161 | 3-1-0 | 1-3-0 | 3-2-0 | 2-0-0 | 1 L | |
| New Orleans Saints | 4 | 4 | 0 | .500 | 0.0 | 171 | 154 | 1-2-0 | 3-2-0 | 1-2-0 | 1-1-0 | 1 W | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 0.5 | 121 | 128 | 1-3-0 | 2-1-0 | 3-3-0 | 1-1-0 | 3 L | |
| Carolina Panthers | 1 | 6 | 0 | .143 | 2.5 | 127 | 199 | 1-2-0 | 0-4-0 | 0-5-0 | 0-2-0 | 1 W | |
NHL STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| Atlantic Division | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| Boston Bruins | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 26 | 12 | 3-0-1 | 4-0-0 | 7-0-1 | |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 29 | 24 | 2-1-0 | 3-1-1 | 5-2-1 | |
| Montreal Canadiens | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 26 | 27 | 4-2-0 | 1-0-1 | 5-2-1 | |
| Detroit Red Wings | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 36 | 28 | 3-1-1 | 2-2-0 | 5-3-1 | |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 29 | 24 | 4-0-1 | 0-2-1 | 4-2-2 | |
| Florida Panthers | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 20 | 20 | 3-1-0 | 1-2-0 | 4-3-0 | |
| Ottawa Senators | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 32 | 26 | 3-2-0 | 1-2-0 | 4-4-0 | |
| Buffalo Sabres | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 27 | 27 | 3-3-0 | 1-2-0 | 4-5-0 | |
| Metropolitan Division | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| New York Rangers | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 6 | 25 | 16 | 1-1-0 | 5-1-0 | 6-2-0 | |
| New Jersey Devils | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 33 | 30 | 3-2-1 | 2-0-0 | 5-2-1 | |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 34 | 35 | 3-0-0 | 2-4-0 | 5-4-0 | |
| New York Islanders | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 18 | 19 | 3-1-1 | 1-1-0 | 4-2-1 | |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 28 | 25 | 3-1-0 | 1-2-1 | 4-3-1 | |
| Washington Capitals | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 19 | 26 | 3-2-0 | 1-1-1 | 4-3-1 | |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 20 | 25 | 2-3-1 | 1-0-1 | 3-3-2 | |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 23 | 25 | 2-3-0 | 1-2-0 | 3-5-0 | |
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| Central Division | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| Colorado Avalanche | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 5 | 28 | 20 | 2-0-0 | 4-2-0 | 6-2-0 | |
| Dallas Stars | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 17 | 15 | 2-1-0 | 2-0-1 | 4-1-1 | |
| Winnipeg Jets | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 27 | 28 | 2-2-0 | 2-1-1 | 4-3-1 | |
| Nashville Predators | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 23 | 21 | 3-2-0 | 1-2-0 | 4-4-0 | |
| Minnesota Wild | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 32 | 38 | 2-1-1 | 1-3-1 | 3-4-2 | |
| St. Louis Blues | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 14 | 20 | 2-1-0 | 1-2-1 | 3-3-1 | |
| Arizona Coyotes | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 20 | 20 | 1-1-0 | 2-3-0 | 3-4-0 | |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 18 | 24 | 0-2-0 | 3-3-0 | 3-5-0 | |
| Pacific Division | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| Vegas Golden Knights | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 6 | 35 | 20 | 4-0-1 | 4-0-0 | 8-0-1 | |
| Vancouver Canucks | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 31 | 19 | 2-0-1 | 3-2-0 | 5-2-1 | |
| Los Angeles Kings | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 35 | 30 | 1-2-2 | 3-0-0 | 4-2-2 | |
| Anaheim Ducks | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 25 | 24 | 1-2-0 | 3-2-0 | 4-4-0 | |
| Seattle Kraken | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 20 | 31 | 1-2-0 | 1-3-2 | 2-5-2 | |
| Edmonton Oilers | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 22 | 32 | 1-2-1 | 1-3-0 | 2-5-1 | |
| Calgary Flames | 9 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 19 | 34 | 1-2-0 | 1-4-1 | 2-6-1 | |
| San Jose Sharks | 9 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 35 | 0-3-1 | 0-5-0 | 0-8-1 | |
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1929 The Cardinals name coach Gabby Street as the team’s field boss, replacing Bill McKechnie, who left to manage the Boston Braves. The new Redbirds’ manager will lead the club to two National League pennants and a World Series championship in his first two seasons.
1956 The sale of the historical but out-of-date Ebbets Field to real estate developer Marvin Kratter becomes one of the first indications the ballpark is nearing its end and, perhaps, a harbinger of the Dodgers’ departure from Brooklyn. As part of the deal, club owner Walter O’Malley is given a three-year lease, with an additional two years to be added in January, to stay and play at the Flatbush facility, which means the ‘Bums’ have a potential home in the borough until 1961.
1963 Sandy Koufax, who unanimously won the Cy Young Award six days ago, is also named the National League’s MVP. The Dodger southpaw, who compiled a 25-5 record along with a 1.88 ERA, outpoints Cardinals’ infielder Dick Groat, 237-190, collecting 14 of the 20 first-place votes cast by the BBWAA writers.
1964 American hurler Joe Stanka wins the league’s MVP award pitching for the Nankai Hawks. The 33-year-old right-hander’s three straight victories over the Yomiuri Giants help his team capture the Japanese Series.
1967 The White Sox announce the club will play nine regular-season games in Milwaukee during the 1968 season. The change in venue marks the first time an American League team will be the home team outside its city since 1905, when the Tigers hosted the Boston Americans at Neil Park in Columbus (OH).
1973 Mets’ pitcher Tom Seaver (19-10, 2.08) wins the NL’s Cy Young Award, outpointing runners-up Mike Marshall (Expos, 31 saves) and Ron Bryant (Giants, 24-12). The 27-year-old New York right-hander is the first recipient of the prestigious pitching prize not to post twenty victories.
1974 The writers select A’s hurler Catfish Hunter as the American League’s Cy Young Award recipient. The 25-game winner, due to a contract dispute with owner Charlie Finley, will be declared one of baseball’s first free agents, becoming the game’s highest-paid pitcher at the end of December when he signs a five-year contract with the Yankees for $3.75 million.
1975 Giants pitcher John Montefusco (15-9, 2.88, 215), also known as ‘The Count,’ wins the National League Rookie of the Year Award. The Expos’ freshman catcher Gary Carter (.270, 18, 68), a 2003 inductee into the Hall of Fame, receives nine first-place votes out of the 24 cast by the writers to finish second in the balloting.
1986 The Orioles exchange Storm Davis for Padres’ catcher Terry Kennedy and minor leaguer Mark Williamson. After getting off to a 2-7 start with an ERA of 6.18 with San Diego, the right-hander will be dealt to Oakland in August for players to be named later.
2000 Diamondback broadcaster Bob Brenly, signing a three-year, $2 million contract, is named the team manager. The former major league catcher replaces Buck Showalter, the club’s only manager, who was let go at the end of the season after compiling a 250-236 record for the three-year-old franchise.
2001 George W. Bush becomes the eighth president to attend a World Series game and the first since Dwight D. Eisenhower to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Wearing a New York Fire Department windbreaker in honor of the heroes of the September 11th attacks, the Commander-in-Chief walks to the mound by himself, gives a thumbs-up, and throws a perfect strike to the Yankees’ backup catcher, much to the delight of the stadium faithful.
2007 The Yankees sign Joe Girardi to a three-year deal worth a reported $7.5 million to replace popular manager Joe Torre, who left earlier in the month, rejecting a 29% pay cut after guiding his club to their 12th postseason appearance in 12 years. The 43-year-old former catcher and broadcaster, the 2006 NL manager of the Year with the Marlins, beat out Bronx Bombers’ coaches Don Mattingly and Tony Pena to become the team’s 32nd skipper.
2007 Dodgers GM Ned Colletti, calling it a mutual decision, announces manager Grady Little (170-154, .525) has decided to leave the organization with a year left on his three-year contract. The resignation fuels speculation of the club hiring former Yankee manager Joe Torre as the team’s new skipper.
2007 The Astros re-sign Brad Ausmus to a one-year, $2 million incentive-laden deal, citing the veteran catcher’s ability to mentor younger players. Next season, the 38-year-old Gold Glove backstop expects a reduced role when rookie sensation J.R. Towles takes over behind the plate for Houston.
2007 Ria Cortesio, professional baseball’s only active female umpire and sixth overall, is released after nine years of making calls in the minors. The 31-year-old crew chief, whose mask is in the Hall of Fame, worked the Futures Game and Home Run Derby at the 2006 All-Star Game played in Pittsburgh, and she was on the bases for an exhibition game between the Diamondbacks and Cubs during spring training.
2008 The Brewers hire Ken Macha to manage the team. The former A’s skipper, fired by Oakland after Detroit swept the club in the 2006 ALCS, replaces interim manager Dale Sveum, who finished with a dozen games left in the regular season for the fired Ned Yost.
2008 Adding another first baseman to an already crowded field at that position, the Royals obtain Mike Jacobs (.247, 32, 93) from the Marlins in exchange for reliever Leo Nunez (4-1, 2.98). The 28 -year-old infielder from Florida gives Kansas City a much-needed left-handed slugger in the middle of the lineup.
2009 Tom Ricketts, the Cubs’ chairman, makes it clear the new ownership intends to win a World Championship. At his introductory press conference, the investment banker tells the media he believes a thoughtful, long-range approach is needed for the team to succeed in overcoming its 101-year absence from the Fall Classic.
2009 Freddy Sanchez signs a $12-million, two-year contract extension to stay with the Giants, the team the Pirates traded him to in midseason in exchange for a minor league pitching prospect. Due to an ailing shoulder, the two-time All-Star second baseman and former batting champ played only 25 games with San Francisco.
2010 The Rangers win their first World Series game in franchise history, defeating the Giants at the Ballpark in Arlington, 4-2. The Game 3 victory becomes the first by any Texas team in the Fall Classic, snapping a Lone Star State losing streak of six games, started in 2005 when the White Sox swept the Astros.
2012 The Tigers announce the extension of Jim Leyland’s contract through 2013 after he managed the team to an American League pennant on a one-year deal this season. The 67-year-old skipper has been a major league manager for 21 years, including the last seven with Detroit, where he led the club to the postseason three times.
2013 The Red Sox capture the World Championship at Fenway Park for the first time since 1918 when the team beats the Cardinals, 6-1, in Game 6 of the Fall Classic. After an 86-year drought between World Series titles, Boston has won three crowns in the past ten years.
2015 In Game 3, Adalbert Mondesi becomes the first player to make his major league debut in a World Series game. Leading off in the top of the fifth inning, the 20-year-old Royals’ infielder strikes out looking as a pinch-hitter in the team’s 9-3 loss to the Mets at Citi Field.
2019 After beginning the season with the worst record through 50 games of any champion, the Nationals win the World Series, beating the Astros 6-2 in Game 7. The Minute Maid Park victory marks the first time in the history of the Fall Classic that the road teams were a perfect 7-0 in the series.
WORLD SERIES HISTORY
1931
St. Louis Cardinals (4) vs Philadelphia Athletics (3)
Baseball’s relentless dynasty, the Philadelphia Athletics, once again topped the American League on their way to a possible “three-peat” against their previous Series rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals.
Once again, the A’s had dominated the standings with outstanding play by Al Simmons, who won his second consecutive American League batting title with a .390 average (nine points higher than in 1930) and added twenty-two home runs and one-hundred twenty-eight runs batted in.
His equal on the defensive side was Lefty Grove, who won sixteen consecutive decisions and was 79-15 over the last three seasons. Both players continued their pace in Game 1 with Grove throwing a twelve-hit, 6-2 opener that was complimented by a Simmons’ two-run blast in the seventh.
One standout on the Cardinals side was centerfielder Pepper Martin who had managed three hits off the A’s veteran lefthander. After playing seven minor-league seasons and making two small appearances in the majors, Martin had finally been given a shot at the big leagues and he responded with a .300 batting average. Both he and Series veteran “Wild” Bill Hallahan teamed up to even the score with Philadelphia on both sides of the plate. Martin got things rolling in the second, when he doubled, stole third and then scored on a long fly ball. In the seventh, he singled, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a squeeze bunt. Hallahan did his part too and held the A’s hitless for five innings for a three-hit, 2-0 victory.
St. Louis veteran Burleigh Grimes, a seventeen-game winner in the regular season, was given the start for Game 3. His specialty pitch “the spitball” had been outlawed by the league in 1920, but pitchers who were using the technique at the time, were allowed to continue for the remainder of their careers. Grimes, thankful for the league’s generosity, had used the wet ball as an advantage for eleven seasons and many younger batters resented the thirty-eight year-old as a result. The pitch served him well as he threw a two-hit, 5-2 masterpiece that put his team ahead two games to one. Down, but far from out, Connie Mack’s Athletics were determined to even the score in Game 4. The ’30 Series hero, George Earnshaw (a twenty game-winner) returned to the mound for a two-hit, 3-0 triumph that put his team back in the hunt. Hitting had definitely taken a backseat to pitching throughout the Series and both bullpens were filled with talent. It was anyone’s game and many fans felt that it would be a matter of who blinked first.
Philadelphia’s skipper knew that Game 5 called for something special. Mack turned to a thirty-two year-old veteran who he had signed on waivers from the Detroit Tigers in June. Waite Hoyt, who had pitched in six World Series for the New York Yankees and compiled a 6-3 record in the fall classic, was chosen to go up against “Wild” Bill Hallahan. In a shocking turn of events, it was Hoyt who blinked first in a 5-1 loss that featured more extraordinary play by Pepper Martin. Once again the centerfielder had dominated the scorecard with a run-scoring fly in the first, a bunt in the fourth, a two-run homer in the sixth and a run-scoring single in the eighth. After five games, Martin had obtained a .667 batting average (going twelve-for-eighteen at the plate), five runs scored, four doubles, one homer, five runs batted in and five stolen bases.
For the first time in three years, the Philadelphia Athletics had found themselves as the underdogs. Fortunately all was not lost as Lefty Grove came up clutch with five-hit, 8-1 victory over rookie Paul Derringer. The A’s had once again evened it up at three games apiece, but they were running out of chances. For the final outing, two unlikely heroes stepped up to the plate and made every at bat count. The Card’s third-baseman Andy High and right-fielder George Watkins had been having a miserable Series while going for a combined three-for-twenty two.
All that changed in Game 7 as they collected all of the Cardinals’ hits. After a wild pitch and an error helped St. Louis to two first inning runs, High singled in the third and Watkins followed with a home run that staked pitcher Burleigh Grimes to a 4-0 lead. The master of the “spitball” was strong through eight innings, but needed relief from Hallahan in the ninth. Surprisingly, the last out of the 4-2 triumph, came on a fly ball to Pepper Martin who had left his mark all over the Cardinals second World Series title. Although he had gone hitless in the final two outings, the “minor-league workhorse – turned major league thoroughbred” finished with a .500 batting average.
FOOTBALL HISTORY
The University of Pittsburgh was the surprise team of the season. Coach Jock Sutherland was still at the helm after the highly successful 1936 Panthers’ season; however, the squad lost a couple of stalwarts on the line from that earlier team, like All Americans tackle Ave Daniell and guard Bill Glassford. The Panthers were less dominant than in 1936 but had a better record (9-0-1) than the year prior, and they still had two key players: Marshall Goldberg and Tony Matisi.
Goldberg was an All-American and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting 1937. He would repeat the All-American status in 1938 and was the runner-up for the Heisman. He would have a successful Pro career with the Chicago Cardinals, with his famed number 99 jersey eventually being retired by the club.
Matisi was a consensus first-team pick at the tackle position. The tackle would end up being a fourth-round selection by the hometown Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1938 NFL Draft but played five games for the Detroit Lions.
The toughest contest for Pitt on the season may have been when the Panthers traveled to the Polo Grounds in New York City to play the Fordham Rams. Jim Crowley’s Rams were 2–0 on the season. Crowley had been one of the famed Four Horsemen of Notre Dame while under the coaching tutelage of Knute Rockne. The Fighting Irish connection did not stop with Crowley for Fordham. This legendary Seven Blocks of Granite line was coached by Hall of Famer Frank Leahy, who went on to be a very successful head coach at Notre Dame.
Fordham had two All-Americans in 1937 in Tackle Ed Franco and Center Alex Wojciechowicz. Fordham’s Achilles’ heel was most likely their strength of schedule. The only other ranked team they played in 1937 was Number 15 North Carolina, who the Rams defeated handily 14-0 at Chapel Hill. The Rams also knocked off a tough unranked Texas Christian who featured Hall of Famers Davey O’Brien and Ki Aldrich.
The game was dominated by Pitt as they secured eleven first downs to Fordham’s four, but the Ram’s defense would not allow the Panthers to score. At least that is what the 0-0 final score indicated, although a Goldberg TD was called back on a Matisi holding call. Ironically, this was the third straight year that the Rams and the Panthers game ended in a tie at the Polo Grounds. Pitt finished 9-0-1, and Fordham 7-0-1, and both were viable candidates for the mythical national title.
Best in the West
The ’37 edition of the University of California football was nicknamed the “Thunder Team.” It was the third year under head coach Stub Allison for Cal, who compiled a 10–0–1 record. The Bears were dominant to the point of shutting out seven of eleven opponents and outscored all opposition by a total of 214 to 33. The victories of the Thunder Team include a 20-6 drubbing of the number 11 ranked team, rival USC, and a year-end 13-0 blanking of another annual foe in Number 13 Stanford.
The tie came at the hands of the Washington Huskies, who battled California to a scoreless draw. Star Vic Bottari was hurt going into the contest and didn’t get put into the game until the 3rd quarter. The team may have been less effective with him in the lineup wounded. The Bears had a scare late in the fourth when the Husky moved the ball to the Cal 23-yard line and then subsequently missed on the field goal attempt. This stalemate cost Cal dearly as they swapped places with Pitt from the top spot to trail position at number 2.
The Bears Fullback Sam Chapman was the team’s only All-America selection in 1937.
After the Regular Season
The 1937 college football season was also notable for the fact that it was the first season in which the AP Poll was used to determine the national champion. The AP Poll was first published in 1936, but it was not until 1937 that it was used to determine the national champion.
The final AP Poll came out prior to the Rose Bowl game, where the Cal Bears destroyed Alabama to finish with a stellar 10-0-1 record.
Clint Frank of Yale was the Heisman Trophy winner, and he led the Bulldogs to a perfect 9-0 record. Clinton edged out Colorado’s Byron Whizzer White for the honor. The Yale back rushed for 667 yards, passed for 489 yards and five touchdowns, caught one pass for six yards, intercepted four passes for 70 yards, and returned five punts for 28 yards and four kickoffs for 81 yards, scoring 11 touchdowns in total.
Clinton left the Eli with 1,244 career rushing yards, 937 passing yards, five receptions, a remarkable 11 interceptions, and 20 touchdowns.
Looking back, the experts were somewhat split on deciding who the top team in the land was for the season. Pittsburgh earned the top spot in the AP Poll and retroactively in the College Football Researchers and National Championship Foundation. The Golden Bears were the top dog in the California-based Helms selection process.
NUMBERS IN SPORTS
9 – 32 – 41 – 30 – 26 – 10 – 34 – 37
October 30, 1922
October 30, 1922 – It was no secret that the New York Giants wanted to compete with their cross-town rivals the New York Yankees. With this in mind the Giants paid $65,000 and gave up 3 players for Jack Bentley. Bentley in the previous season with the Baltimore Orioles of the International League hit .349 and was 13-2 as pitcher in 1922.
October 30, 1945 – Legendary sports executive Branch Rickey signed another legend, player Jackie Robinson to a Montreal Royals contract. Robinson wore Number 9 with the Minor League Montreal.
October 30, 1963 – Sandy Koufax, Number 32 won the National League MVP award. That season the ace hurler went 25-5 with a 1.88 ERA (the best in baseball that year) and a League leading 306 strike outs.
October 30, 1973 – Tom Seaver, Number 41 became the first non-20-game winner to win Cy Young award. Seaver had 19 wins on the season but led the League in strikeouts (251) and complete games (18)
October 30, 1974 – California Angel Number 30, Nolan Ryan threw the fastest recorded pitch (100.9 MPH)
October 30, 1975 – Giants pitcher John Montefusco, Number 26 won the National League Rookie of Year award
October 30, 1975 – John Bucyk, Number 9 of the Boston Bruins, became 7th NHL player to score 500 goals
October 30, 1997 – Argentine soccer star Number 10, Diego Maradona announced his retirement from football on his 37th birthday
October 30, 2013 – At the World Series the Boston Red Sox beat St Louis Cardinals, 6-1 in Game 6 at Fenway Park to win title; MVP: Boston slugger David Ortiz, Number 34
October 30, 2019 – In World Series action, the Washington Nationals defeated the Houston Astros, 6-2 in Game 7 at Minute Maid Park, Houston to win first title in franchise history; MVP: Washington pitcher Number 37, Stephen Strasburg
TV SPORTS MONDAY
| MLB PLAYOFFS | TIME ET | TV |
| WORLD SERIES GAME 3: TEXAS AT ARIZONA | 8:00PM | FOX |
| NBA REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| BROOKLYN AT CHARLOTTE | 7:00PM | YES BALLY SPORTS |
| CHICAGO AT INDIANA | 7:00PM | NBCS-CHI BALLY SPORTS |
| BOSTON AT WASHINGTON | 7:00PM | NBCS-CHI NBCS-WSH |
| MINNESOTA AT ATLANTA | 7:30PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| PORTLAND AT TORONTO | 7:30PM | ROOT SPORTS SPORTSNET |
| DALLAS AT MEMPHIS | 8:00PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| MIAMI AT MILWAUKEE | 8:00PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| GOLDEN STATE AT NEW ORLEANS | 8:00PM | NBATV NBCS-BAY BALLY SPORTS |
| DETROIT AT OKLAHOMA CITY | 8:00PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| UTAH AT DENVER | 9:00PM | ATTSN-RM ALT |
| ORLANDO AT LA LAKERS | 10:30PM | NBATV BALLY SPORTS SPECTRUM |
| NFL REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| LAS VEGAS AT DETROIT | 8:15PM | ABC ESPN |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| ANAHEIM AT PITTSBURGH | 7:00PM | BALLY SPORTS ATTSN-PIT |
| CAROLINA AT PHILADELPHIA | 7:00PM | BALLY SPORTS NBCS-PHI |
| FLORIDA AT BOSTON | 7:00PM | BALLY SPORTS NESN |
| SEATTLE AT TAMPA BAY | 7:00PM | BALLY SPORTS ROOT SPORTS |
| NY RANGERS AT WINNIPEG | 7:30PM | SPORTSNET MSG |
| DETROIT AT NY ISLANDERS | 7:30PM | BALLY SPORTS MSGSN |
| COLUMBUS AT DALLAS | 8:00PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| CHICAGO AT ARIZONA | 10:00PM | NBCS-CHI BALLY SPORTS |
| MONTRÉAL AT VEGAS | 10:00PM | SPORTSNET SCRIPPS |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| SERIE A: EMPOLI VS ATALANTA | 1:30PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| SERIE A: LAZIO VS FIORENTINA | 3:45PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| LA LIGA: GRANADA VS VILLARREAL | 4:00PM | ESPN+ |
| ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: LANÚS VS BELGRANO | 5:30PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: SARMIENTO VS SAN LORENZO | 6:00PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| MLS: ORLANDO CITY SC VS NASHVILLE SC | 7:00PM | FS1 |
| ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: HURACÁN VS BARRACAS CENTRAL | 8:00PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: PLATENSE VS NEWELL’S OLD BOYS | 8:15PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| MLS: SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC VS DALLAS | 9:00PM | FS1 |
| SOCCER – MEN’S COLLEGE | TIME ET | TV |
| VILLANOVA VS UIC | 2:00PM | ESPN+ |
| GRAND CANYON VS UTAH VALLEY | 8:00PM | ESPN+ |
| TENNIS | TIME ET | TV |
| WTA FINALS ROUND ROBIN PARIS-ATP EARLY ROUNDS | 6:00AM | TENNIS |
| WTA FINALS ROUND ROBIN PARIS-ATP EARLY ROUNDS | 2:00PM | TENNIS |
| WTA FINALS ROUND ROBIN PARIS-ATP EARLY ROUNDS | 10:00PM | TENNIS |
| WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| LITTLE ROCK VS SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| STEPHEN F. AUSTIN VS UT ARLINGTON | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| CHICAGO STATE VS NEW MEXICO STATE | 8:00PM | ESPN+ |
TV SPORTS TUESDAY
| COLLEGE FOOTBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| NIU AT CENTRAL MICHIGAN | 7:00PM | ESPNU |
| BUFFALO AT TOLEDO | 7:30PM | ESPN2 |
| MLB PLAYOFFS | TIME ET | TV |
| WORLD SERIES GAME 4: TEXAS AT ARIZONA | 8:00PM | FOX |
| NBA REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| NEW YORK AT CLEVELAND | 7:30PM | TNT |
| SAN ANTONIO AT PHOENIX | 10:00PM | TNT |
| ORLANDO AT LA CLIPPERS | 10:30PM | BALLY SPORTS |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| LOS ANGELES AT TORONTO | 8:00PM | ESPN BALLY SPORTS SPORTSNET |
| NASHVILLE AT VANCOUVER | 10:00PM | BALLY SPORTS SPORTSNET |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| COPPA ITALIA: CREMONESE VS CITTADELLA | 10:00AM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| COPPA ITALIA: SALERNITANA VS SAMPDORIA | 1:00PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| DFB POKAL: ST. PAULI VS SCHALKE 04 | 1:00PM | ESPN+ |
| DFB POKAL: STUTTGART VS UNION BERLIN | 1:00PM | ESPN+ |
| DFB POKAL: WOLFSBURG VS RB LEIPZIG | 1:00PM | ESPN+ |
| DFB POKAL: UNTERHACHING VS FORTUNA DÜSSELDORF | 3:45PM | ESPN+ |
| DFB POKAL: KAISERSLAUTERN VS KÖLN | 3:45PM | ESPN+ |
| DFB POKAL: BORUSSIA M’GLADBACH VS HEIDENHEIM | 3:45PM | ESPN+ |
| ENGLAND LEAGUE CUP: EXETER CITY VS MIDDLESBROUGH | 3:45PM | ESPN+ |
| ENGLAND LEAGUE CUP: MANSFIELD TOWN VS PORT VALE | 3:45PM | ESPN+ |
| COPPA ITALIA: BOLOGNA VS HELLAS VERONA | 4:00PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| BRASILEIRÃO: BAHIA VS FLUMINENSE | 6:00PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: TIGRE VS GODOY CRUZ | 6:00PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| ARGENTINA PRIMERA DIVISIÓN: CENTRAL CÓRDOBA SDE VS UNIÓN SANTA FE | 8:00PM | PARAMOUNT+ |
| SOCCER – MEN’S COLLEGE | TIME ET | TV |
| VERMONT VS NEW HAMPSHIRE | 6:00PM | ESPN+ |
| OLD DOMINION VS WEST VIRGINIA | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| NJIT VS ALBANY | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| UMASS LOWELL VS BRYANT | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| JAMES MADISON VS UCF | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| KENTUCKY VS GEORGIA SOUTHERN | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| GEORGIA STATE VS COASTAL CAROLINA | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| BRANDEIS VS PROVIDENCE | 7:00PM | FLOSPORTS |
| SOUTH CAROLINA VS MARSHALL | 7:10PM | ESPN+ |
| SOCCER – WOMEN’S COLLEGE | TIME ET | TV |
| SEC TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS | 1:00PM | SECN |
| SEC TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS | 3:30PM | SECN |
| SEC TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS | 6:00PM | SECN |
| JAMES MADISON VS UCF | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| SEC TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS | 8:30PM | SECN |
| TENNIS | TIME ET | TV |
| WTA FINALS ROUND ROBIN PARIS-ATP EARLY ROUNDS | 6:00AM | TENNIS |
| WTA FINALS ROUND ROBIN PARIS-ATP EARLY ROUNDS | 2:00PM | TENNIS |
| WTA FINALS ROUND ROBIN PARIS-ATP EARLY ROUNDS | 10:00PM | TENNIS |
| WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL | TIME ET | TV |
| MILWAUKEE VS GREEN BAY | 7:00PM | ESPN+ |
| CHICAGO STATE VS UTEP | 8:00PM | ESPN+ |
| UC SANTA BARBARA VS CAL POLY | 8:30PM | ESPN+ |