*******************THE SCOREBOARD*******************
********************INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD*************************
| CALUMET | 51 | WHEELER | 48 | OT |
| INDIANAPOLIS RITTER | 46 | CHRISTEL HOUSE MANUAL | 39 | |
| INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE | 66 | MONROVIA | 54 | |
| MCCUTCHEON | 48 | BENTON CENTRAL | 47 | |
| NORTH PUTNAM | 41 | CLOVERDALE | 28 | |
| PRAIRIE HEIGHTS | 84 | SOUTH BEND CAREER | 58 | |
| SOUTH BEND RILEY | 68 | SOUTH BEND CLAY | 64 | |
| CARMI (ILL.) CLASSIC | ||||
| HARRISBURG (ILL.) | 82 | EVANSVILLE DAY | 72 | |
| CARMI (ILL.) | 62 | MOUNT VERNON (POSEY) | 50 | |
| INDIANAPOLIS CITY TOURNAMENT | ||||
| INDIANAPOLIS CATHEDRAL | 98 | PURDUE POLY ENGLEWOOD | 53 | QF |
| INDIANAPOLIS CHATARD | 50 | HERITAGE CHRISTIAN | 42 | QF |
| INDIANAPOLIS ATTUCKS | 61 | INDIANAPOLIS TECH | 38 | QF |
| COVENANT CHRISTIAN | 75 | INDIANAPOLIS TINDLEY | 58 | QF |
| PORTER COUNTY CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT | ||||
| KOUTS | 53 | TRI-TWP. | 26 | R1 |
| MORGAN TWP. | 74 | BOONE GROVE | 41 | R1 |
TONIGHT:
*******************INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL SCOREBOARD***********************
| ADAMS CENTRAL | 59 | SOUTHERN WELLS | 25 | |
| ANDERSON PREP ACADEMY | 60 | INDIANA DEAF | 41 | |
| ATTICA | 42 | SOUTH NEWTON | 9 | |
| AUSTIN | 45 | NORTH HARRISON | 41 | |
| BLOOMINGTON SOUTH | 55 | TERRE HAUTE SOUTH | 32 | |
| BLUE RIVER | 55 | CAMBRIDGE CITY LINCOLN | 28 | |
| BORDEN | 75 | HENRYVILLE | 38 | |
| CENTER GROVE | 55 | HERITAGE CHRISTIAN | 33 | |
| CHARLESTOWN | 46 | SALEM | 21 | |
| CHESTERTON | 36 | CROWN POINT | 32 | |
| CLAY CITY | 63 | DUGGER UNION | 25 | |
| CLINTON CENTRAL | 54 | ROSSVILLE | 46 | |
| COVENANT CHRISTIAN | 60 | GREENWOOD CHRISTIAN | 31 | |
| CRAWFORD COUNTY | 46 | ORLEANS | 40 | |
| DEMOTTE CHRISTIAN | 53 | GARY 21ST CENTURY | 18 | |
| EASTBROOK | 57 | BLUFFTON | 18 | |
| EASTERN GREENE | 42 | SHAKAMAK | 27 | |
| EASTERN HANCOCK | 63 | DALEVILLE | 28 | |
| ELWOOD | 42 | WES-DEL | 40 | |
| EVANSVILLE CENTRAL | 50 | EVANSVILLE MATER DEI | 44 | |
| EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL | 48 | EVANSVILLE NORTH | 34 | |
| FLOYD CENTRAL | 56 | TRINITY LUTHERAN | 48 | |
| FRANKLIN | 60 | SEYMOUR | 37 | |
| GIBSON SOUTHERN | 57 | SOUTHRIDGE | 46 | |
| GRIFFITH | 45 | CALUMET | 23 | |
| HANOVER CENTRAL | 42 | HOBART | 38 | |
| HERITAGE HILLS | 37 | BOONVILLE | 30 | |
| INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON | 44 | INDIANAPOLIS HERRON | 43 | |
| JAC-CEN-DEL | 50 | RISING SUN | 44 | |
| JASPER | 50 | EVANSVILLE REITZ | 35 | |
| JAY COUNTY | 61 | DELTA | 22 | |
| JENNINGS COUNTY | 68 | COLUMBUS EAST | 46 | |
| LAPEL | 61 | MUNCIE CENTRAL | 31 | |
| LINTON-STOCKTON | 75 | BLOOMFIELD | 27 | |
| MACONAQUAH | 43 | WHITKO | 36 | |
| MADISON-GRANT | 52 | NORTHFIELD | 51 | |
| MARTINSVILLE TABERNACLE | 54 | BLOOMINGTON LIGHTHOUSE | 48 | |
| MONROE CENTRAL | 52 | COWAN | 32 | |
| MORRISTOWN | 48 | HAUSER | 35 | |
| MUNSTER | 68 | HIGHLAND | 54 | |
| NEW PALESTINE | 70 | WALDRON | 39 | |
| NORTH JUDSON | 50 | WINAMAC | 41 | |
| NORTH MIAMI | 50 | CASTON | 44 | |
| NORTH POSEY | 47 | WOOD MEMORIAL | 42 | |
| NORTH VERMILLION | 62 | COVINGTON | 54 | |
| NORTHEAST DUBOIS | 45 | LOOGOOTEE | 22 | |
| NORTHVIEW | 43 | EDGEWOOD | 16 | |
| PIONEER | 57 | PERU | 40 | |
| PRINCETON | 60 | PIKE CENTRAL | 31 | |
| PURDUE POLY ENGLEWOOD | 68 | INDIANAPOLIS SHORTRIDGE | 36 | |
| RUSHVILLE | 60 | BATESVILLE | 45 | |
| SCOTTSBURG | 55 | EASTERN (PEKIN) | 39 | |
| SILVER CREEK | 59 | NORTH OLDHAM (KY.) | 45 | |
| SOUTH BEND ADAMS | 59 | LOGANSPORT | 54 | |
| SOUTH KNOX | 51 | BARR-REEVE | 39 | |
| SOUTH RIPLEY | 50 | SOUTHWESTERN (HANOVER) | 42 | |
| SOUTH SPENCER | 53 | TELL CITY | 42 | |
| SOUTHMONT | 54 | FRANKFORT | 23 | |
| SOUTHPORT | 44 | BEECH GROVE | 27 | |
| SPRINGS VALLEY | 33 | CHRISTIAN ACADEMY | 30 | |
| TAYLOR (OHIO) | 47 | LAWRENCEBURG | 41 | |
| TRI | 68 | CENTERVILLE | 23 | |
| UNION COUNTY | 32 | KNIGHTSTOWN | 24 | |
| VINCENNES LINCOLN | 69 | CASTLE | 65 | OT |
| WESTVIEW | 37 | ELKHART CHRISTIAN | 30 | |
| WINCHESTER | 56 | RANDOLPH SOUTHERN | 31 | |
| BI-COUNTY TOURNAMENT | ||||
| BREMEN | 80 | NEW PRAIRIE | 62 | SF |
| LAVILLE | 49 | ARGOS | 41 | SF |
| TRITON | 35 | JOHN GLENN | 23 | CON |
| CULVER | 70 | OREGON-DAVIS | 27 | CON |
TONIGHT:
**************************INDIANA WRESTLING SCORES*********************
THURSDAY’S SCORES: HTTPS://INDIANAMAT.COM/INDEX.PHP?/DUALRESULTS.HTML/
*******************TOP 25 MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL****************
#3 PURDUE 61 MINNESOTA 39
#5 UCLA 74 ARIZONA STATE 62
LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 68 #6 GONZAGA 67
#11 ARIZONA 81 USC 66
#18 CHARLESTON 69 MONMOUTH 55
MICHIGAN STATE 70 #23 RUTGERS 57
#24 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 83 TEXAS SAN ANTONIO 64
ELSEWHERE:
INDIANA 80 ILLINOIS 65
PURDUE FORT WAYNE 88 WRIGHT STATE 80
OAKLAND 83 IUPUI 77 OT
MARYLAND 64 MICHIGAN 58
MEMPHIS 88 WICHITA STATE 78
NORTHERN KENTUCKY 57 CLEVELAND STATE 56
YOUNGSTOWN STATE 86 GREEN BAY 70
MILWAUKEE 77 ROBERT MORRIS 69
WASHINGTON 75 COLORADO 72
STANFORD 67 OREGON STATE 46
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/CBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20230119
************TOP 25 WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL***********
#1 SOUTH CAROLINA 96 VANDERBILT 48
#2 OHIO STATE 84 NORTHWESTERN 54
#3 LSU 79 ARKANSAS 76
#7 NOTRE DAME 57 CLEMSON 54
#11 MARYLAND 77 WISCONSIN 64
#12 VIRGINIA TECH 69 PITTSBURGH 62
#17 NORTH CAROLINA 61 #13 DUKE 56
#14 MICHIGAN 81 RUTGERS 58
#16 GONZAGA 81 PACIFIC 78
#20 NORTH CAROLINA STATE 71 MIAMI FLORIDA 61
ELSEWHERE:
TENNESSEE 74 FLORIDA 56
SOUTHERN INDIANA 73 LINDENWOOD 60
ALABAMA 61 TEXAS A&M 46
GEORGIA TECH 69 SYRACUSE 57
LOUISVILLE 73 BOSTON COLLEGE 65
NORTHERN IOWA 89 VALPARAISO 58
ST. BONAVENTURE 54 DAYTON 53
FLORIDA STATE 77 VIRGINIA 68
MISSISSIPPI STATE 72 AUBURN 58
BOISE STATE 60 FRESNO STATE 53
COLORADO STATE 84 NEVADA 67
UNLV 71 WYOMING 57
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/WCBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20230119
***********NFL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE************
SATURDAY, JANUARY 21
AFC: 4:30 PM (ET) JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (NBC, PEACOCK, UNIVERSO)….PREVIEW: http://radiotroy.com/nfl-playoff-preview-jacksonville-jaguars-10-8-afc-south-no-4-seed-kansas-city-chiefs-14-3-afc-west-no-1-seed/
NFC: 8:15 PM (ET) NEW YORK GIANTS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (FOX, FOX DEPORTES) …..PREVIEW: http://radiotroy.com/nfl-playoff-preview-new-york-giants-10-7-1-nfc-east-no-6-seed-philadelphia-eagles-14-3-nfc-east-no-1-seed/
SUNDAY, JANUARY 22
AFC: 3:00 PM (ET) CINCINNATI BENGALS AT BUFFALO BILLS (CBS, PARAMOUNT+)…PREVIEW: http://radiotroy.com/nfl-playoff-preview-cincinnati-bengals-13-4-afc-north-no-3-seed-buffalo-bills-14-3-afc-east-no-2-seed/
NFC: 6:30 PM (ET) DALLAS AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (FOX, FOX DEPORTES)…PREVIEW: http://radiotroy.com/nfl-playoff-preview-dallas-cowboys-13-5-nfc-east-no-5-seed-san-francisco-49ers-14-4-nfc-west-no-2-seed/
THE AFC AND NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES, PRESENTED BY INTUIT TURBOTAX, WILL TAKE PLACE ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 29:
SUNDAY, JANUARY 29
NFC: 3:00 PM (ET) NFC CHAMPIONSHIP (FOX, FOX DEPORTES)
AFC: 6:30 PM (ET) AFC CHAMPIONSHIP (CBS, PARAMOUNT+)
***************************NBA*******************************
CHICAGO 126 DETROIT 108
BOSTON 121 GOLDEN STATE 118 OT
MINNESOTA 128 TORONTO 126
PHOENIX 117 BROOKLYN 112
PHILADELPHIA 105 PORTLAND 95
BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NBA/SCOREBOARD.ASP
**************************NHL*******************************
TORONTO 4 WINNIPEG 1
FLORIDA 6 MONTRÉAL 2
BOSTON 3 NY RANGERS 1
CHICAGO 4 PHILADELPHIA 1
CAROLINA 5 MINNESOTA 2
ANAHEIM 5 COLUMBUS 3
BUFFALO 3 NY ISLANDERS 2
ST. LOUIS 5 NASHVILLE 2
EDMONTON 5 TAMPA BAY 3
WASHINGTON 4 ARIZONA 0
DETROIT 3 VEGAS 2
SEATTLE 4 NEW JERSEY 3
DALLAS 4 LOS ANGELES 0
BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NHL/SCOREBOARD.ASP
***********************TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES************************
*************************NFL NEWS************************************
BUCS OUST OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR LEFTWICH, 5 OTHER ASSISTANTS
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Byron Leftwich is out as offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are shaking up their coaching staff after finishing with the only losing record Tom Brady has had in more than two decades as a NFL starter.
Leftwich, 43, was fired Thursday, three days after the Bucs were eliminated from the playoffs by the Dallas Cowboys and just two years removed from helping Brady win a record seventh Super Bowl in the quarterback’s first season with Tampa Bay.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles also announced Chris Boniol (specialists), Kevin Garver (wide receivers), Jeff Kastl (offensive quality control), Lori Locust (assistant defensive line) and Todd McNair (running backs) will not return next season.
In addition, quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen, senior offensive assistant Rick Christophel and outside linebackers coach Bob Sanders have decided to retire, the team said.
“We appreciate the hard work and contributions that all of these coaches made to our successes over the past four seasons,” Bowles said.
“As a collective group, we did not meet the high standards that had been set for this past year and my focus now is on doing what is needed to ensure a successful 2023 season,” Bowles added. “These were very difficult decisions, but something that I felt was necessary for our football team going forward.”
The Bucs went 8-9 during the regular season, but nevertheless held off the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons to repeat as NFC South champions. They became only the fourth team in league history to make the playoffs with a losing record in a non-strike season.
Brady’s contract expires this winter, and the 45-year-old quarterback hasn’t given any indication if he plans to retire, return to the Bucs for a fourth season, or possibly move on to another team.
It’s not known how the decision to fire Leftwich might impact Brady’s plans.
Bowles was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach when Bruce Arians announced his surprise retirement last March. He inherited the former coach’s entire staff, including Leftwich, who – like Bowles – joined Tampa Bay as assistants in 2019.
Jameis Winston threw for more than 5,000 yards in Leftwich’s first year as Bucs offensive coordinator, however the 2015 No. 1 overall pick also led the league in interceptions and was allowed to leave in free agency.
Enter Brady, who signed with Tampa Bay in 2020 after a historic 20-year run with the New England Patriots and has led the Bucs to three straight playoff berths, including back-to-back division titles for the first time in franchise history.
Arians entrusted Leftwich to work with the five-time Super Bowl MVP to meld components of Arians’ “no risk it, no biscuit” offense with elements of the system Brady ran with the Patriots.
The results were impressive until this season, when the Bucs had the league’s second-ranked passing attack at 269.8 yards, but finished 32nd in rushing (76.9) and 25th in scoring (18.4 points per game) after averaging more than 30 points the previous two years.
Brady led the league in passing yards (5,316) and touchdown passes (43) in 2021, when Tampa Bay set a team record for regular-season victories (13). He was third in passing yards this season with 4,694 but only had 25 TD passes as the offense struggled to sustain drives and get the ball into the end zone.
Meanwhile, Leftwich has gone from being interviewed for several head coaching vacancies a year ago to out of a job.
ROMAN LEAVING RAVENS, WHO FACE BIG OFFSEASON
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) Shortly before the Baltimore Ravens’ coach and general manager met with reporters to wrap up the season, offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s agency announced he was stepping away to pursue other opportunities.
It was the first big move for what could be the league’s most intriguing team this offseason.
The question, obviously, is whether the next coordinator will have Lamar Jackson at quarterback. General manager Eric DeCosta said at Thursday’s news conference that the team will start negotiating again with Jackson, who has reached the end of his rookie contract.
“It certainly takes two to tango, but I think Lamar and I have a great relationship. I think we communicate quite often. We spent some time together today as a matter of fact,” DeCosta said. “These negotiations … they all happen differently. Ronnie Stanley’s contract took about a year and a half. Mark Andrews’ contract took probably three or four days.”
Jackson’s contract talks have clearly reached an actions-speak-louder-than-words stage. The team and its star quarterback have generally kept things amicable in public – Jackson didn’t hold out last offseason, and DeCosta said in September he appreciated how the 2019 MVP had handled the process – but now time is getting short.
Jackson injured his knee in early December and didn’t play again. Perhaps inevitably, that led to speculation that his contract status was affecting his timetable for returning. DeCosta said he didn’t think that was the case, and coach John Harbaugh said Jackson might have been able to return if the Ravens had extended their season a bit longer. They lost to Cincinnati in their playoff opener.
DeCosta stressed that the team has a good relationship with Jackson, although the fact that the 25-year-old quarterback is representing himself in negotiations presents some challenges.
“Any time you negotiate with anybody, it’s not always going to be an easy conversation to have. … We have to keep those two personalities separate – the Lamar Jackson the agent versus Lamar Jackson the player,” DeCosta said. “The player is somebody who I hold in extremely high regard. He’s a fantastic competitor, one of the most infectious personalities we’ll ever see, one of the most talented players in the league, a truly wonderful person in the community.”
“I told Lamar that, `Hey, this thing has been a burden for both of us,'” DeCosta added. “I said, `But when this thing is over, we are going to feel like a million bucks.’ And that’s truly how I feel.”
The Ravens have good reason to show optimism about bringing Jackson back. The franchise tag is an option, and if they are entertaining the idea of trading him, they’ll want to have as much leverage as possible. DeCosta wouldn’t talk about that possibility and said the team’s singular focus is on reaching a long-term deal.
At this point, fans are left to parse comments from the GM and coach and analyze Jackson’s social media posts – but for now, DeCosta is trying to stay upbeat.
“If you go into a negotiation with a negative feeling, then your chances of getting that done are not going to happen,” DeCosta said. “I think we try to be creative and strategic, and I truly believe Lamar wants to finish his career in Baltimore. I just believe that in my conversations with him, and just watching him. … All of those things kind of work together for me to tell me that we still have a chance, and that I should be as optimistic as possible.”
Harbaugh said he’d already talked to Jackson about the offensive coordinator position and would keep him involved in that search. He said he doesn’t think the uncertainty about the quarterback’s future will make it hard to find a good candidate.
“This is going to be a highly sought-after job. This is one of the top football-coaching jobs in the world,” Harbaugh said. “Everybody’s going to want this job.”
Roman’s agency, Athletes First, announced his move. Roman took over as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator in 2019. That year Roman was honored as The Associated Press Assistant Coach of the Year and Jackson was the NFL’s unanimous MVP.
But Baltimore’s offense wasn’t that great this season even when Jackson played. Injuries and lack of depth at wide receiver were a big problem. The team also had problems in the red zone, and that proved costly all the way until the end.
“There were records set here,” Harbaugh said. “We’re all really proud of those things. Greg’s a great coach and he did the best he could every single week, every single day.”
VIKINGS FIRE DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR DONATELL AFTER ROUGH YEAR
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The Minnesota Vikings fired defensive coordinator Ed Donatell on Thursday, an unsurprising decision on the veteran coach after a dismal finish by his defense.
The Vikings ranked second worst in yards allowed in the NFL and fourth worst in points allowed during the regular season. They gave up 431 yards and 31 points to the New York Giants in their wild-card round loss last week.
Coach Kevin O’Connell was hired a year ago by the Vikings and made Donatell his first defensive coordinator, the fourth different NFL team for which he has filled that role. The 65-year-old Donatell has coached 32 seasons in the league – and 43 years in all.
“While this was a difficult decision because of the tremendous respect I have for Ed as a person and a coach, I believe it is the right move for the future of our football team,” O’Connell said in a statement distributed by the team. “I want to thank Ed for his commitment to the Vikings this past season, for the positive impact he had on our players and coaches and for his role in helping me as a first-year head coach lay this foundation.”
O’Connell said his search for a replacement would begin immediately.
Donatell was previously defensive coordinator for Denver (2019-21), Atlanta (2004-06) and Green Bay (2000-03). He was also a longtime defensive backs coach for Denver, Chicago, San Francisco and the New York Jets, with whom he broke into the NFL in 1990. Donatell started his coaching career in college at Kent State in 1981.
The Broncos ranked eighth in yards allowed and third in points allowed in 2021 under Donatell, but depth and talent makes a difference.
The Vikings returned several healthy and established veterans at the core of their group this season in safety Harrison Smith, cornerback Patrick Peterson, linebacker Eric Kendricks and edge rusher Danielle Hunter, but the transition in schemes didn’t go smoothly for all of them. The Vikings signed Za’Darius Smith to play the outside linebacker spot opposite Hunter, but their pressure rate during the second half of the season dropped off significantly.
O’Connell tactfully but clearly stated his disappointment with the results after a 34-23 loss at Detroit on Dec. 11 when Lions quarterback Jared Goff had his way against Minnesota’s rush and coverage. Donatell worked tirelessly to make adjustments after that, but the spaces in the zones of the coverage were simply too easy to pass against and the rush was not enough of a factor.
The lack of contribution to the defense from recent drafts has become a big problem for the salary cap-strapped Vikings. From 2017 through 2021, they drafted a total of five defensive players in any of the first three rounds. Two are still with the team: cornerback Cameron Dantzler, a third-round pick in 2020 who finished the season as a backup, and outside linebacker Patrick Jones, a third-round pick in 2021 who is also a reserve.
DOLPHINS FIRE BOYER AFTER 3 YEARS AS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
(AP) — The Miami Dolphins have fired Josh Boyer after three seasons as the team’s defensive coordinator, the team announced Thursday.
“I am grateful for Josh’s contributions this year and throughout his tenure with the Dolphins,” Miami coach Mike McDaniel said in a statement released by the Dolphins. “The defense made strides through the season, so coming to this decision was not easy, but ultimately I feel it is in the best long-term interests of the Miami Dolphins and the continued growth of our players and team.”
McDaniel, who was hired by the Dolphins last February, retained Boyer from former Dolphins coach Brian Flores’ coaching staff to keep continuity after a strong end to the 2021 season on defense.
Boyer’s group dealt with a lot of injuries on that side of the ball, particularly in the secondary.
From 2021 to 2022, Miami went from 16th to 24th in scoring defense, from third to tied for 14th in sacks and from 10th to tied for 30th in takeaways.
The Dolphins finished the 2022 season ranked 18th in total defense, 27th in passing defense and tied for 24th on third downs.
Miami also fired safeties coach Steve Gregory, outside linebackers coach Ty McKenzie and assistant linebackers coach Steve Ferentz.
The moves come after general manager Chris Grier and McDaniel said Monday that they would take a little while to sort out their staff after a disappointing collapse from 8-3 to 9-9 in 2022, including a loss to Buffalo in the first round of the playoffs.
NFL DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF CAPSULES
NFL PLAYOFF PREVIEW: JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (10-8 – AFC SOUTH – NO. 4 SEED) @ KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (14-3 – AFC WEST – NO. 1 SEED)
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS
DATE/TIME Saturday, January 21, 2023 @ 4:30 PM ET
STADIUM GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium
REFEREE Shawn Hochuli
REGULAR-SEASON SERIES HISTORY
LEADER Chiefs lead all-time series, 8-6
STREAKS Chiefs have won past 6
LAST GAME 11/13/22: Jaguars 17 at Chiefs 27
LAST GAME AT SITE 11/13/22
PLAYOFF SERIES HISTORY
LEADER First meeting in postseason
JAGUARS TEAM NOTES
PLAYOFF
RECORD 8-7
CHAMPIONSHIPS 0
LAST POSTSEASON
GAME W 31-30 vs. L.A. Chargers (1/14/23 – AFC-WC)
VS. COMMON
OPPONENTS
7-3: Den (0-1), Hou (1-1), Ind (1-1), LAC (2-0),
LV (1-0), Ten (2-0)
PTS. FOR 23.8
OFFENSE 357.4
PASSING Trevor Lawrence: 387-584-4,113-25-8-95.2
RUSHING Travis Etienne: 220-1,125-5.1-5
RECEIVING Christian Kirk: 84-1,108-13.2-8
PTS. AGAINST 20.6
DEFENSE 353.3
SACKS Josh Allen: 6
INTs Many tied: 3
TAKE/GIVE + 5 (27/22)
PR Jamal Agnew: 8.2
KR Jamal Agnew: 26.0
PUNTING (NET) Logan Cooke: 49.3 (43.8)
KICKING Riley Patterson: 126 (36/37 PAT; 30/35 FG)
JAGUARS clinched 1st AFC South division title since 2017 & is 1st team in NFL history to win playoff game the season after finishing with worst record in NFL (or tied for worst). • JACKSONVILLE completed 3rd-largest comeback in postseason history (27-point deficit) on Super Wild Card Weekend. • DOUG PEDERSON is 1 of 8 active HCs to win SB (LII in 2017 with Phi.). Is 4th Jax. HC to lead franchise to postseason.
JAGUARS OFFENSIVE NOTES
QB TREVOR LAWRENCE set career highs with 4,113 pass yards, 25 TD passes & 95.2 rating in 2022 & is 2nd Jax. QB ever (Blake Bortles in 2015) with 4,000+ pass yards & 25+ TD passes in season. Passed for 288 yards & 4 TDs last week & became 6th QB in NFL history with 4+ TD passes in 1st-career playoff start. Had 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs & 106.1 rating in Week 10 meeting. Has 0 INTs in 5 of his past 6 road starts. • RB TRAVIS ETIENNE totaled 1,441 scrimmage yards (1,125 rush, 316 rec.) in 2022 & is 4th Jax. player ever with 1,100+ rush yards in single season. Had 121 scrimmage yards (109 rush, 12 rec.) last week & has 100+ scrimmage yards in 4 of past 5. Had 73 scrimmage yards (45 rush, 28 rec.) in Week 10 meeting. • WR CHRISTIAN KIRK led team with career-highs in catches (84), rec. yards (1,108) & rec. TDs (8) in 2022. Had 8 catches for 78 yards & TD last week. Had season-best 9 catches for 105 yards & 2 TDs in Week 10 meeting. • WR ZAY JONES set career highs with 82 catches & 823 rec. yards this season. Had 8 catches for 74 yards & TD last week & aims for his 3rd in row in postseason with rec. TD. Had 8 catches in Week 10 meeting. • WR MARVIN JONES had 1st-career playoff TD catch last week. • TE EVAN ENGRAM ranked tied-3rd among TEs with career-best 73 catches in catches & 4th with 766 rec. yards this season. Had 7 catches for 93 yards & TD last week in 1st-career playoff game.
JAGUARS DEFENSIVE NOTES
LB FOYESADE OLUOKUN led NFL in tackles for 2nd-straight year, with 184 in 2022. Led team with 13 tackles last week, his 10th game this season with 10+ tackles, tied-most in NFL, incl. postseason. • LB JOSH ALLEN had sack last week in 1st-career playoff game. Has TFL in 5 of his past 6. Had 6 tackles in Week 10 meeting. • LB DEVIN LLOYD ranked 3rd among rookies with 115 tackles this season. Had 5 tackles, TFL & PD last week. Had FR in Week 10 meeting. • DE ROY ROBERTSON-HARRIS led team with career-high 4 TFL with 2 PD & had sack last week. Aims for his 3rd in row with sack. • S RAYSHAWN JENKINS ranked 6th among DBs with career-best 112 tackles this season. Had 7 tackles & PD last week. Had FF in Week 10 meeting.
CHIEFS TEAM NOTES
PLAYOFF
RECORD 17-21
CHAMPIONSHIPS 3: 1960, 1969 (IV), 2019 (LIV)
LAST POSTSEASON
GAME L 27-24 vs. Cincinnati (OT) (1/30/22 – AFC-C)
VS. COMMON
OPPONENTS
8-1: Den (2-0), Hou (1-0), Ind (0-1), LAC (2-0), LV
(2-0), Ten (1-0),
PTS. FOR 29.2
OFFENSE 413.6
PASSING Patrick Mahomes: 435-648-5,250-41-12-105.1
RUSHING Isiah Pacheco (R): 170-830-4.9-5
RECEIVING Travis Kelce (TE): 110-1,338-12.2-12
PTS. AGAINST 21.7
DEFENSE 328.2
SACKS Chris Jones: 15.5
INTs Juan Thornhill, L’Jarius Sneed: 3
TAKE/GIVE -3 (20/23)
PR Kadarius Toney: 6.1
KR Isiah Pacheco (R): 20.6
PUNTING (NET) Tommy Townsend: 50.4 (45.6)
KICKING Harrison Butker: 92 (38/41 PAT; 18/24 FG)
KANSAS CITY clinched 7th-straight AFC West division title, tied for 2nd-longest streak of division titles in NFL history. Can became 3rd team ever to appear in 5 consecutive Champ. Games. • ANDY REID has 19 career postseason wins, tied 3rd-most ever by HC. • CHIEFS led NFL in total offense (413.6 yards per game) for 3rdconsectuive season & led in scoring offense (29.2 points per game). • KANSAS CITY had 7 players selected to 2023 Pro Bowl Games.
CHIEFS OFFENSIVE NOTES
QB PATRICK MAHOMES led NFL with 5,250 pass yards & 41 TD passes in 2022, joining Drew Brees as only players ever with 2 career seasons of 5,000+ pass yards & 40+ TD passes. Had 275+ pass yards & 3+ TD passes in each of 3 games in 2021 postseason. Has 7 career playoff games with 3+ TD passes, 4th-most all-time. Has 300+ pass yards in each of 3 career starts vs. Jax. with 3+ TD passes in each of past 2. • RB JERICK MCKINNON led RBs with 9 rec. TDs in 2022, tied-most by RB in single season in SB era. Finished reg. season with TD catch in 6 straight games, longest streak ever by RB. Has 441 scrimmage yards (110.3 per game) in his past 4 postseason games. • RB ISIAH PACHECO ranked 4th among rookie RBs with 830 rush yards & 2nd with 5 rush TDs, both 3rd-most ever by KC rookie. • TE TRAVIS KELCE led TEs with 110 catches (tied 2nd-most ever by TE in single season) & 1,338 rec. yards (4th-most ever by TE in single season) in 2022. Had TD catch in each of 3 games in 2021 postseason & has 95+ rec. yards in 6 straight playoff games, longest streak in NFL history. Needs 99 rec. yards to surpass Rob Gronkowski (1,389) for most career postseason rec. yards ever by TE. • WR JUJU SMITH-SCHUSTER had 3rd-career season with 900+ rec. yards (933) in 2022. Has rec. TD in 2 of 3 career playoff games.
CHIEFS DEFENSIVE NOTES
DT CHRIS JONES ranked tied-4th in NFL with 15.5 sacks in 2022 & is 1 of 5 players with 7+ sacks in each of past 5 seasons. Finished reg. season with sack in each of final 3 games. Had 1.5 sacks in Week 10 meeting. • DE FRANK CLARK had 6th-career season with 5+ sacks (5). Has 11 career postseason sacks, most among active players. • DE GEORGE KARLAFTIS ranked 3rd among rookies with 6 sacks in 2022 & had 0.5+ sacks in 6 of final 7 games of season. Had 2 PD in Week 10 meeting. • LB NICK BOLTON ranked 2nd in NFL with career-high 180 tackles in 2022, most by KC player in single season since at least 2000. • CB L’JARIUS SNEED was 1 of 2 players this season with 100+ tackles (108), 3+ sacks (3.5) & 3+ INTs (3). Aims for his 3rd in row in playoffs with PD.
BROADCAST INFORMATION TIME 4:30 PM ET TV NBC, Peacock, Telemundo: Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark (field reporter) NATIONAL RADIO Westwood One: Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, Olivia Dekker (field reporter) Buffalo SiriusXM 81 or 226 and the SXM App Cincinnati SiriusXM 83 or 225 and the SXM App National SiriusXM 88 and the SXM App
NFL PLAYOFF PREVIEW: NEW YORK GIANTS (10-7-1 – NFC EAST – NO. 6 SEED) @ PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (14-3 – NFC EAST – NO. 1 SEED)
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS
DATE/TIME Saturday, January 21, 2023 @ 8:15 PM ET
STADIUM Lincoln Financial Field
REFEREE Clete Blakeman
REGULAR-SEASON SERIES HISTORY
LEADER Eagles lead all-time series, 89-85-2
STREAKS Eagles have won past 3
LAST GAME 1/8/23: Giants 16 at Eagles 22
LAST GAME AT SITE 1/8/23
PLAYOFF SERIES HISTORY
LEADER All-time series tied, 2-2
STREAKS Eagles have won past 2
LAST GAME 1/11/09: Eagles 23 at Giants 11
LAST GAME AT SITE 1/7/07: Eagles 23, Giants 20
GIANTS TEAM NOTES
PLAYOFF RECORD 25-25
CHAMPIONSHIPS 8: 1927, 1934, 1938, 1956, 1986 (XXI),
1990 (XXV), 2007 (XLII), 2011 (XLVI)
LAST POSTSEASON
GAME W 31-24 at Minnesota (1/15/23 – NFC-WC)
VS. COMMON
OPPONENTS
8-4-1: Chi (1-0), Dal (0-2), Det (0-1), GB (1-0),
Hou (1-0), Ind (1-0), Jax (1-0), Min (1-1), Ten
(1-0), Was (1-0-1)
PTS. FOR 21.5
OFFENSE 333.9
PASSING Daniel Jones: 317-472-3,205-15-5-92.5
RUSHING Saquon Barkley: 295-1,312-4.4-10
RECEIVING Darius Slayton: 46-724-15.7-2
PTS. AGAINST 21.8
DEFENSE 358.2
SACKS Dexter Lawrence: 7.5
INTs Dane Belton (R), Julian Love: 2
TAKE/GIVE +3 (19/16)
PR Richie James: 7.3
KR Gary Brightwell (R): 21.3
PUNTING (NET) Jamie Gillian: 46.8 (40.1)
KICKING Graham Gano: 119 (32/34 PAT; 29/32 FG)
GIANTS OFFENSIVE NOTES
QB DANIEL JONES made 1st career playoff start in NFC-WC & became 1st QB in NFL history with 300+ pass yards (301), 2+ TD passes (2) & 70+ rush yards (78) in single playoff game. Had career highs in pass yards (3,205), rush yards (708 – 5th-most among QBs) & rush TDs (7 – tied 3rdmost among QBs) in 2022. Aims for his 5th in row vs. Phi. with 90+ rating. • RB SAQUON BARKLEY had 5 catches, 109 scrimmage yards (56 rec., 53 rush) & 2 rush TDs in NFC-WC at Min. Ranked 4th in rush yards (1,312) & ranked 5th among RBs in scrimmage yards (1,650) & had 2nd-career season with 10+ rush TDs (10) in 2022. • WR ISAIAH HODGINS led team with 8 receptions for 105 yards & had TD catch in NFC-WC. Has rec. TD in 5 of his past 6, incl. playoffs. • WR DARIUS SLAYTON had 88 rec. yards in NFC-WC. Had 46 receptions for team-high 724 rec. yards & 2 rec. TDs in 2022, his 3rd-career season with 700+ rec. yards. • WR RICHIE JAMES had career highs in receptions (57), rec. yards (569) & rec. TDs (4) in 2022. • TE DANIEL BELLINGER had rec. TD in NFC-WC at Min.
GIANTS DEFENSIVE NOTES
DT DEXTER LAWRENCE had 6 tackles & TFL in NFC-WC at Min. Aims for his 4th in row with TFL, incl. playoffs. Had career highs in sacks (7.5), TFL (7), PD (3) & FF (2) in 2022. Led NFC DL with career-high 68 tackles this season. • LB JAYLON SMITH had 88 tackles this season, his 5th-career season with 80+ tackles. Had 9 tackles in Week 14 meeting vs. Phi. Aims for his 4th in row in playoffs with 7+ tackles. • LB KAYVON THIBODEAUX was 1 of 2 rookies (George Karlaftis) with 4+ sacks (4), 5+ TFL (6) & 5+ PD (5) in 2022. • LB AZEEZ OJULARI had 2 sacks in Week 14 meeting vs. Phi. • S JULIAN LOVE led team & ranked 4th among DBs with career-high 116 tackles & was 1 of 5 DBs with 100+ tackles, 5+ TFL (6) & 5+ PD (5) in 2022. • S XAVIER MCKINNEY led team with 8 tackles & had PD in NFC-WC at Min. • DB FABIAN MOREAU had career-high 63 tackles & 2nd-straight season with 10+ PD (10) this season. • CB DARNAY HOLMES had 6 tackles & 2 TFL in NFC-WC at Min. Had career high 8 PD in 2022, incl. 5 PD in his final 5 reg. season games. • CB ADOREE’ JACKSON aims for his 3rd playoff game in row with 7+ tackles.
EAGLES TEAM NOTES
PLAYOFF RECORD 23-24
CHAMPIONSHIPS 5: 1948, 1949, 1960, 2017 (SB LII)
LAST POSTSEASON
GAME L 31-15 at Tampa Bay (1/16/22 – NFC-WC)
VS. COMMON
OPPONENTS
10-2: Chi (1-0), Dal (1-1), Det (1-0), GB (1-0),
Hou (1-0), Ind (1-0), Jax (1-0), Min (1-0),
Ten (1-0), Was (1-1)
PTS. FOR 28.1
OFFENSE 389.1
PASSING Jalen Hurts: 306-460-3,701-22-6-101.6
RUSHING Miles Sanders: 259-1,269-4.9-11
RECEIVING A.J. Brown: 88-1,496-17.0-11
PTS. AGAINST 20.2
DEFENSE 310.5
SACKS Haason Reddick: 16
INTs C.J. Gardner-Johnson: 6
TAKE/GIVE +8 (27/19)
PR Britain Covey: 9.3
KR Boston Scott: 27.1
PUNTING (NET) Brett Kern: 40.8 (36.6)
KICKING Jake Elliott: 111 (51/53 PAT; 20/23 FG)
PHILADELPHIA clinched NFC East for 1st time since 2019. • NICK SIRIANNI has led Phi. to postseason in each of 1st 2 seasons. • EAGLES led NFL in rush TDs (32), tied 2nd-most by team in single season in SB era & sacks (70), tied-3rd most by team in single season all-time. • PHILADELPHIA became 1st team since 1982 with 4 players each with 10+ sacks in single season.
EAGLES OFFENSIVE NOTES
QB JALEN HURTS became 3rd QB ever with 3,500+ pass yards (3,701), 20+ TD passes (22) & 10+ rush TDs (13) in single season, 2nd-most rush TDs by QB in single season in NFL history. Became 1st QB all-time with 10+ rush TDs in consecutive seasons. Ranks 4th among QBs with 760 rush yards. Had 297 yards (258 pass, 39 rush) & TD pass in only career playoff start (1/16/22 at TB – NFC-WC). Has 2+ TDs & 100+ rating in 2 of his past 3 starts vs. NYG. • RB MILES SANDERS had career highs in rush yards (1,269) & rush TDs (11) in 2022, incl. 7 rush TDs in 9 home games. Rushed for 144 yards & 2 TDs in Week 14 meeting at NYG. • WR A.J. BROWN had 88 catches for franchise-record 1,496 yards (4thmost in NFL) & 11 rec. TDs in 2022. Aims for his 3rd in row in playoffs with 5+ catches, 80+ rec. yards & TD catch. Had 70+ rec. yards in each of his 2 games vs. NYG in 2022. • WR DEVONTA SMITH had career highs in catches (95), rec. yards (1,196) & rec. TDs (7) in 2022. Brown & Smith were only pair of teammates each with 85+ catches & 1,100+ rec. yards this season. Had 13 games with 5+ catches in 2022, tied 3rd-most in NFL. Had rec. TD in 2 of his past 3 vs. NYG.
EAGLES DEFENSIVE NOTES
LB HAASON REDDICK ranked tied-2nd in NFL with career-high 16 sacks & ranked tied-1st with 5 FFs. Became 1st player since 1982 with 10+ sacks in 3 straight seasons with 3 different teams. • DE BRANDON GRAHAM had career-high 11 sacks in 2022. Has 5 sacks, 7 TFL & 2 FFs in his past 5 vs. NYG. Has 0.5+ sacks in 3 of his past 4 playoff games. • DT JAVON HARGRAVE had career highs in sacks (11) & TFL (10) this season. Has sack in 2 of his past 3 playoff games. • DE JOSH SWEAT had career highs in sacks (11) & TFL (15) in 2022, incl. sack in 5 of his final 6 reg. season games. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. NYG with sack. • DT FLETCHER COX has 6 TFL in 8 career playoff games. • LB T.J. EDWARDS was 1 of 4 with 150+ tackles (159 – tied-6th in NFL) & 10+ TFL (10) in 2022. • CB DARIUS SLAY (14 PD, 3 INTs) & CB JAMES BRADBERY (17 PD, 3 INTs) were only pair of teammates each with 14+ PD & 3+ INTs in 2022. • S C.J. GARDNER-JOHNSON ranked tied-1st in NFL with career-high 6 INTs
BROADCAST INFORMATION TIME 8:15 PM ET TV FOX, FOX Deportes: Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston, Pam Oliver & Kristina Pink (field reporters) NATIONAL RADIO Westwood One: Kevin Kugler, Ross Tucker Laura Okmin (field reporter) N.Y. Giants SiriusXM 82 or 225 and the SXM App Philadelphia SiriusXM 83 or 227 and the SXM App National SiriusXM 88 and the SXM App
NFL PLAYOFF PREVIEW: CINCINNATI BENGALS (13-4 – AFC NORTH – NO. 3 SEED) @ BUFFALO BILLS (14-3 – AFC EAST – NO. 2 SEED)
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS
DATE/TIME Sunday, January 22, 2023 @ 3:00 PM ET
STADIUM Highmark Stadium
REFEREE Carl Cheffers
REGULAR-SEASON SERIES HISTORY
LEADER Bills lead all-time series, 17-13
STREAKS Bills have won 2 of last 3
LAST GAME 9/22/19: Bengals 17 at Bills 21
LAST GAME AT SITE 9/22/19
PLAYOFF SERIES HISTORY
LEADER Bengals lead all-time series, 2-0
STREAKS Bengals have won only 2 meetings
LAST GAME 1/8/89: Bills 10 at Bengals 21
LAST GAME AT SITE First postseason meeting in Buffalo
BENGALS TEAM NOTES
PLAYOFF
RECORD 9-15
CHAMPIONSHIPS 0
LAST POSTSEASON
GAME W 24-17 vs. Baltimore (1/15/24 – AFC-WC)
VS. COMMON
OPPONENTS
9-3: Bal (2-1), Cle (1-1), KC (1-0), Mia (1-0),
NE (1-0), NYJ (1-0), Pit (1-1), Ten (1-0)
PTS. FOR 26.1
OFFENSE 378.0
PASSING Joe Burrow: 414-606-4,475-35-12-100.8
RUSHING Joe Mixon: 210-814-3.9-7
RECEIVING Ja’Marr Chase: 87-1,046-12.0-9
PTS. AGAINST 20.1
DEFENSE 335.7
SACKS Trey Hendrickson: 8
INTs Jessie Bates, Vonn Bell: 4
TAKE/GIVE +6 (24/18)
PR Trent Taylor: 10.3
KR Trayveon Williams: 22.3
PUNTING (NET) Drue Chrisman: 47.8 (42.6)
KICKING Evan McPherson: 112 (40/44 PAT; 24/29 FG)
CINCINNATI won playoff game in consecutive seasons for 1st time in franchise history. • ZAC TAYLOR is 3rd Cin. HC to lead team to postseason in consecutive seasons, joining Forrest Gregg & Marvin Lewis. • BENGALS had 3 players selected to 2023 Pro Bowl Games: QB JOE BURROW, WR JA’MARR CHASE & DE TREY HENDRICKSON. • CINCINNATI ranked 4th in NFL in total offense (378 yards per game).
BENGALS OFFENSIVE NOTES
QB JOE BURROW ranked 5th in NFL with 4,475 pass yards & tied-2nd with career-high 35 TD passes in 2022, most TD passes in single season in franchise history. Had 2 TDs (1 pass, 1 rush) vs. 0 INTs last week & aims for his 3rd in row in playoffs with 0 INTs. Has 2+ TD passes in 5 of his past 6 road starts. • RB JOE MIXON totaled 1,255 scrimmage yards (814 rush, career-high 441 rec.) in 2022, his 4th-career season with 1,250+ scrimmage yards, tied 3rd-most among active RBs. Has TD in each of 2 career games vs. Buf. Has 50+ scrimmage yards in each of 5 career playoff games. • WR JA’MARR CHASE led team with 87 catches & 1,046 rec. yards in 2022 & is 4th player in NFL history with 80+ catches & 1,000+ rec. yards in each of 1st 2 seasons. Led team with 9 catches for 84 yards & TD last week & aims for his 10th in row with 7+ catches. Has 80+ rec. yards in 4 of 5 career postseason games. • WR TEE HIGGINS had 1,029 rec. yards in 2022 & is 2nd Cin. player ever (A.J. Green) with 900+ rec. yards in each of 1st 3 seasons. Has 95+ rec. yards in 3 of his past 4 in playoffs. • WR TYLER BOYD had 5th-straight season with 750+ rec. yards (762). • TE HAYDEN HURST had rec. TD in only career game vs. Buf. (12/8/19 w/ Bal.).
BENGALS DEFENSIVE NOTES
DE TREY HENDRICKSON led team with 8 sacks in 2022 & is 1 of 6 in NFL with 8+ sacks in each of past 3 seasons. Has sack in 2 of his past 3 in playoffs. • LB LOGAN WILSON led team with career-high 123 tackles this season. Had team-high 10 tackles & FF last week. Has 8+ tackles in each of 5 career postseason games. • LB SAM HUBBARD had 98-yard FR-TD last week, longest go-ahead TD in 4th quarter in NFL postseason history. Has TFL in 4 of 5 playoff games. • LB GERMAINE PRATT set career highs in tackles (99) & PD (10) this season. • S JESSIE BATES had career-best 4 INTs in 2022. Had 9 tackles & TFL last week. Has 6 PD in 5 career playoff games. • S VONN BELL had career-high 4 INTs this season.
BILLS TEAM NOTES
BUFFALO is 13-1 in home postseason games since 1970 & aims for 2nd AFC Champ. Game appearance in past 3 seasons. • SEAN MCDERMOTT can join HOFer Marc Levy (11 wins) as only Buf. HCs ever with 5+ playoffs wins. • BILLS ranked 2nd in NFL in scoring defense (17.9 points allowed per game) & 2nd in total offense (397.6 yards per game) & scoring offense (26.8).
PLAYOFF
RECORD 18-19
CHAMPIONSHIPS 0
LAST POSTSEASON
GAME W 34-31 vs. Miami (1/15/23 – AFC-WC)
VS. COMMON
OPPONENTS
10-2: Bal (1-0), Cle (1-0), KC (1-0), Mia (2-1),
NE (2-0), NYJ (1-1), Pit (1-0), Ten (1-0)
PTS. FOR 28.4
OFFENSE 397.6
PASSING Josh Allen: 359-567-4,283-35-14-96.6
RUSHING Devin Singletary: 177-819-4.6-5
RECEIVING Stefon Diggs: 108-1,429-13.2-11
PTS. AGAINST 17.9
DEFENSE 319.1
SACKS Greg Rousseau: 8
INTs Jordan Poyer: 4
TAKE/GIVE 0 (27/27)
PR Nyheim Hines: 9.6
KR Nyheim Hines: 29.2
PUNTING (NET) Sam Martin: 47.7 (41.3)
KICKING Tyler Bass: 129 (48/50 PAT; 27/31 FG)
BILLS OFFENSIVE NOTES
QB JOSH ALLEN had 4,283 pass yards & ranked tied-2nd in NFL with 35 TD passes this season & is 6th player ever with 4,000+ pass yards & 35+ TD passes in 3 career seasons. Ranked tied-3rd among QBs with 7 rush TDs in 2022 & is 1st QB ever with 6+ rush TDs in 5 straight seasons. Had 352 pass yards & 3 TD passes last week, his 3rd-straight playoff game with 300+ pass yards & 3+ TD passes. Has 12 TDs (11 pass, 1 rush) & 116.4 rating in 4 career home playoff starts. • RB DEVIN SINGLETARY had career-high 1,099 scrimmage yards (819 rush, 280 rec.) in 2022. • WR STEFON DIGGS ranked 4th in NFL with 108 catches & 5th with 1,429 rec. yards this season. Is 1 of 2 in NFL (Davante Adams) with 100+ catches in each of past 3 seasons. Led team with 7 catches for 114 yards last week, his 4th-career playoff game with 100+ rec. yards. Had TD catch in only career game vs. Cin. (12/17/17 w/ Min.). • WR GABE DAVIS had career-best 48 catches & 836 rec. yards in 2022. Had 6 catches for 113 yards & TD last week, his 3rd-straight playoff game with rec. TD & 2nd-straight with 100+ rec. yards. • TE DAWSON KNOX had TD catch last week, his 5th-straight game with rec. TD. Has rec. TD in 3 of his past 4 in postseason. Had 67 rec. yards & TD catch in last meeting.
BILLS DEFENSIVE NOTES
S JORDAN POYER led team with 4 INTs in 2022 & is 1 of 6 in NFL with 4+ INTs in each of past 2 seasons. Aims for his 3rd in row vs. Cin. with FR. • CB TRE’DAVIOUS WHITE had 2 PD last week & aims for his 5th in row with PD. Had 2 INTs & FF in last meeting & has 5 PD in 2 career games vs. Cin. • CB KAIIR ELAM (rookie) had 2 PD & INT in 1st-career playoff game last week. • LB TREMAINE EDMUNDS led team with 102 tackles this season, his 5th straight season with 100+ tackles since entering NFL in 2018. Had careerhigh 4 PD & TFL last week. Aims for 3rd in row with 3+ PD. • LB MATT MILANO led team with 10 tackles & had 1st-career 2-sack game last week. Aims for his 3rd in row in postseason with 10+ tackles. • DT ED OLIVER had sack last week & aims for his 3rd in row in postseason with sack.
BROADCAST INFORMATION TIME 3:00 PM ET TV CBS, Paramount+: Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson (field reporter) NATIONAL RADIO Westwood One: Ian Eagle, Mike Mayock, Ross Tucker (field reporter) Cincinnati SiriusXM 82 or 225 and the SXM App Buffalo SiriusXM 81 or 226 and the SXM App National SiriusXM 88 and the SXM App
NFL PLAYOFF PREVIEW: DALLAS COWBOYS (13-5 – NFC EAST – NO. 5 SEED) @ SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (14-4 – NFC WEST – NO. 2 SEED)
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS
DATE/TIME Sunday, January 22, 2023 @ 6:30 PM ET
STADIUM Levi’s Stadium
REFEREE Bill Vinovich
REGULAR-SEASON SERIES HISTORY
LEADER 49ers lead all-time series, 15-14-1
STREAKS Cowboys have won past 3
LAST GAME 12/20/20: 49ers 33 at Cowboys 41
LAST GAME AT SITE 10/22/17: Cowboys 40, 49ers 10
PLAYOFF SERIES HISTORY
LEADER Cowboys lead all-time series, 5-3
STREAKS 49ers have won past 2
LAST GAME 1/16/22: 49ers 23 at Cowboys 17
LAST GAME AT SITE 1/15/95: 49ers 38, Cowboys 28
COWBOYS TEAM NOTES
DALLAS earned 1st road playoff win since 1992 NFC-C (1/17/93 @ SF). • COWBOYS ranked 4th with 27.5 points per game & have scored 24+ points in 11 of last 12 games, incl. postseason. • DALLAS has 36 playoff wins, tied with Green Bay (36) & Pittsburgh (36) for second-most all-time, trailing only New England (37).
PLAYOFF RECORD 36-29
CHAMPIONSHIPS 5: 1971 (VI), 1977 (XII), 1992 (XXVII),
1993 (XXVIII), 1995 (XXX)
LAST POSTSEASON
GAME W 31-14 at Tampa Bay (NFC-WC)
VS. COMMON
OPPONENTS 4-2: Chi (1-0), LAR (1-0), TB (1-1), Was (1-1)
PTS. FOR 27.5
OFFENSE 354.9
PASSING Dak Prescott: 261-394-2,860-23-15-91.1
RUSHING Tony Pollard: 193-1,007-5.2-9
RECEIVING CeeDee Lamb: 107-1,359-12.7-9
PTS. AGAINST 20.1
DEFENSE 330.2
SACKS Micah Parsons: 13.5
INTs DaRon Bland (R): 5
TAKE/GIVE +10 (33/23)
PR KaVontae Turpin: 10.4
KR KaVontae Turpin: 24.2
PUNTING (NET) Bryan Anger: 48.4 (42.8)
KICKING Brett Maher: 137 (50/53 PAT; 29/32 FG)
COWBOYS OFFENSIVE NOTES
QB DAK PRESCOTT became 5th QB ever with 4 TD passes & rush TD in single playoff game & has pass TD & rush TD in 4 straight playoff games, longest streak in NFL history. Has 8 TDs (6 pass, 2 rush) vs. INT for 100.1 rating in 3 career starts vs. SF, incl. playoffs. • RB TONY POLLARD rushed for 77 yards in NFC-WC at TB. Had career highs in scrimmage yards (1,378), rush yards (1,007), rec. yards (371), rush TDs (9) & rec. TDs (3) in 2022. Had 6 catches, 132 scrimmage yards (69 rush, 63 rec.) & 2 rush TDs in last reg. season meeting. • RB EZEKIEL ELLIOTT had 968 scrimmage yards (876 rush, 92 rec) & ranked tied-5th in NFL with 12 rush TDs in 2022. Since 2016, is only player with 10,000+ scrimmage yards (10,598). Has 376 scrimmage yards (188 per game) & 4 TDs (3 rush, 1 rec.) in 2 career games at SF. • WR CEEDEE LAMB had 1st-career playoff TD catch last week in NFC-WC at TB. Ranked tied-5th with career-high 107 receptions, ranked 6th with career-high 1,359 rec. yards & had career-high 9 rec. TDs in 2022. • TE DALTON SCHULTZ led team with 7 catches for 95 yards & 2 rec. TDs in NFC-WC at TB, 1st TE in team history with 2 rec. TDs in single playoff game. Had 7 catches for 89 yards in 2021 NFC-WC vs. SF (1/16/22). Had 57 catches for 577 yards & 5 rec. TDs in 2022 & is 1 of 4 TEs with 50+ catches & 500+ rec. yards in each of past 3 seasons.
COWBOYS DEFENSIVE NOTES
LB MICAH PARSONS had 1st-career playoff sack, 2 TFL & 2 PD in NFCWC at TB. Had 9 tackles & TFL in 2021 NFC-WC vs. SF (1/16/22). Led team with 13.5 sacks & became 3rd player since 1982 with 13+ sacks in each of 1st 2 NFL seasons. Since 2021, ranks 4th in NFL in TFL (34). • DE DEMARCUS LAWRENCE has 6 TFL in 7 career playoff games. Has 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 2 FFs & FR in 3 career games vs. SF, incl. postseason. • DE DORANCE ARMSTRONG set career highs in sacks (8.5) & TFL (9) in 2022. • DE SAM WILLIAMS led all rookies with 10 TFL & tied-1st with 3 FRs. • LB LEIGHTON VANDER ESCH led team with 9 tackles & had 2 PD in NFCWC at TB. Had 13 tackles in 2021 NFC-WC vs. SF (1/16/22). • CB DARON BLAND ranked tied-2nd among rookies with 5 INTs. • S DONOVAN WILSON had 6 tackles & 2 PD in NFC-WC at TB. Led team with 99 tackles in 2022.
49ERS TEAM NOTES
SAN FRANCISCO advanced to NFC-D for 3rd time in 4 seasons. • KYLE SHANAHAN led SF to SB LIV appearance (2019 season) & NFC-C (2021 season) in 1st 2 career playoff runs as HC. • SAN FRANCISCO led NFL in total defense (300.6), scoring defense (16.3) & turnover margin (+13), ranked tied-1st in INTs (20) & ranked 2nd in & rush defense (77.7).
PLAYOFF RECORD 35-22
CHAMPIONSHIPS 5: 1981 (XVI), 1984 (XIX), 1988 (XXIII),
1989 (XXIV), 1994 (XXIX)
LAST POSTSEASON
GAME W 41-23 vs. Seattle (1/14/23 – NFC-WC)
VS. COMMON
OPPONENTS 4-1: Chi (0-1), LAR (2-0), TB (1-0), Was (1-0)
PTS. FOR 26.5
OFFENSE 365.6
PASSING Brock Purdy (R): 114-170-1,374-13-4-107.3
RUSHING Christian McCaffrey (2022): 244-1,139-4.7-8
RECEIVING Brandon Aiyuk: 78-1,015-13.0-8
PTS. AGAINST 16.3
DEFENSE 300.6
SACKS Nick Bosa: 18.5
INTs Tashaun Gipson: 5
TAKE/GIVE +13 (30/17)
PR Ray-Ray McCloud: 10.8
KR Ray-Ray McCloud: 23.0
PUNTING (NET) Mitch Wishnowsky: 43.9 (39.7)
KICKING Robbie Gould: 131 (50/51 PAT; 27/32 FG)
49ERS OFFENSIVE NOTES
QB BROCK PURDY became 1st rookie QB ever with 4 total TDs (3 pass, 1 rush) in playoff game. Passed for 332 yards in NFC-WC vs. Sea., most by rookie in 1st playoff game since 1937 (HOFer Sammy Baugh). • RB CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY had 136 scrimmage yards (119 rush, 17 rec.) & TD catch in NFC-WC vs. Sea. Aims for his 3rd in row in playoffs with 100+ scrimmage yards & TD & aims for his 8th in row with TD, incl. playoffs. Ranked 3rd in NFL with 1,880 scrimmage yards (1,139 rush, 741 rec. – most among RBs), ranked 2nd among RBs with 85 catches & was 1 of 2 (Austin Ekeler) with 5+ rush TDs (8) & 5+ rec. TDs (5) in 2022. • RB ELIJAH MITCHELL rushed for 96 yards & TD in 2021 NFC-WC at Dal. (1/16/22). • TE GEORGE KITTLE had 60 catches for 765 yards (5th-most among TEs) & career-high 11 rec. TDs (2nd-most among TEs) in 2022. Had 4 games with 2 rec. TDs in 2022, most by TE in season since 2015. • WR BRANDON AIYUK had 73 rec. yards in NFC-WC vs. Sea. & has 65+ rec. yards in 3 of his 4 career playoff games. Aims for his 3rd in row, incl. playoffs, vs. Dal. with 5+ catches & 65+ rec. yards. Set career highs with 78 receptions, 1,015 rec. yards & 8 rec. TDs in 2022. • WR DEEBO SAMUEL had 165 scrimmage yards (133 rec., 32 rush) & TD catch in NFC-WC vs. Sea. Has 685 scrimmage yards (414 rec., 271 rush – 97.9 per game) & 3 TDs (2 rec., 1 rush) in 7 career playoff games. Had 110 scrimmage yards (72 rush, 38 rec.) & rush TD in 2021 NFC-WC at Dal. (1/16/22).
49ERS DEFENSIVE NOTES
DL NICK BOSA had 5 tackles, TFL & FR in NFC-WC vs. Sea. Has 8 sacks & 6 TFL in 7 career playoff games. Became 1st SF player since 1982 to lead NFL in sacks (career-high 18.5) & ranked tied-2nd with 19 TFL in 2022. Became 4th player since 1982 with sack in 13+ games (13) within single season. • DL CHARLES OMENIHU had 2 sacks & FF in NFC-WC vs. Sea. Had 1.5 sacks & FF in 2021 NFC-WC at Dal. (1/16/22). • DL ARIK ARMSTEAD had sack in NFC-WC vs. Sea. Has 6 sacks in 7 career playoff games. Aims for his 3rd in row, incl. playoffs, vs. Dal. with sack. • LB FRED WARNER led team with 130 tackles, his 5th-straight 100+ tackle season & had career-high 10 PD in 2022. Has 5+ tackles in each of 1st 7 career playoff games. • LB DRE GREENLAW led team with 11 tackles in NFC-WC vs. Sea. Had career highs in tackles (127) & PD (6) in 2022. • CB CHARVARIUS WARD had career-high 87 tackles & 11 PD in 2022. • S TALANOA HUFANGA set career highs in tackles (95), PD (9), TFL (5) & INTs (4) in 2022.
BROADCAST INFORMATION TIME 6:30 PM ET TV FOX, FOX Deportes: Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews & Tom Rinaldi (field reporters) NATIONAL RADIO Westwood One: Ryan Radtke, Mike Golic, Ed Werder (field reporter) Dallas SiriusXM 82 or 225 and the SXM App San Francisco SiriusXM 83 or 227 and the SXM App National SiriusXM 88 and the SXM App
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LOYOLA MARYMOUNT ENDS NO. 6 GONZAGA’S 75-GAME HOME STREAK
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) Cam Shelton banked in a go-ahead runner with 13 seconds left and Loyola Marymount snapped No. 6 Gonzaga’s 75-game home winning streak with a 68-67 victory on Thursday night.
The home streak for the Bulldogs (16-4, 5-1 West Coast Conference) was tied with Long Beach State (from 1968-74) for the eighth-longest in Division I history.
Shelton scored 27 points to lead the Lions (14-7, 4-3), who hadn’t won in Spokane since 1991 and had lost 25 straight overall to the Zags.
“For us, it’s another sign that our program is moving in the right direction, and that’s the biggest thing,” Loyola Marymount coach Stan Johnson said. “Not too many people are going to come up here and win, so I think it just stands and validates the guys we have in the locker room and all the things we’ve been trying to accomplish.”
Gonzaga had won 93 straight games against unranked opponents with 69 of those coming at home, and had won its previous 116 WCC games against teams other than Saint Mary’s and BYU.
“The home streak is over,” Zags coach Mark Few said. “It was going to end sometime and it ended in a tough, hard-fought battle. Our guys battled back and had a shot to keep it going. … I don’t think anybody is going to touch that (streak) for quite some time.”
Gonzaga’s streak of 36 straight wins in the month of January also ended. The Bulldogs had won 11 straight overall, the fourth-best streak in the country, since losing 64-63 to Baylor on Dec. 2.
Jalin Anderson added 15 points and Keli Leaupepe had 11 for the Lions. Loyola Marymount led by as many as nine in the second half and held off Gonzaga’s late run.
LMU led 66-59 with 2:55 left after Shelton’s 3-pointer, but the Zags scored the next eight points to take 67-66 lead on Drew Timme’s free throw with 41 seconds left. With the shot clock running down, Shelton converted a runner from just outside the lane to give the Lions the lead, and Timme’s last attempt at a winner was partly blocked by Leaupepe.
Shelton’s savvy play was crucial for the Lions in the closing minutes.
“Cam’s had a really tremendous year thus far and I thought he put pressure on them getting in the paint,” Johnson said. “I thought he made some good decisions finding his guys and I thought he had great poise, and that’s what you want from a veteran point guard.”
Timme led the Zags with 17 points. Nolan Hickman chipped in 12 points and six assists for the Zags, who were coming off a 115-75 win over Portland last Saturday.
Gonzaga struggled from the field, shooting 44.4% overall and going 4 of 14 (28.6%) from 3-point range and 15 of 23 (65.2%) from the free-throw line.
BIG PICTURE
Although Timme returned after helping Gonzaga to the national title game two years ago and a Sweet 16 appearance last year, there were signs this season might be more challenging for Few’s team after it began 5-3, with losses by 19 points to Texas and by 18 to Purdue.
Still, the Zags added a quality nonconference win over then-No. 4 Alabama and managed close road victories over WCC rivals San Francisco, Santa Clara and BYU en route to a 5-0 start in the league they have dominated for more than two decades, returning to their familiar position in the top 10 of the AP poll.
TIP-INS
The Lions improved to 2-2 on the road in WCC play. … Gonzaga had won 29 of its last 30 over Loyola Marymount.
UP NEXT
Loyola Marymount: Hosts Portland next Thursday night.
Gonzaga: At Pacific on Saturday night.
NO. 5 UCLA BEATS ARIZONA STATE 75-62 FOR 14TH STRAIGHT WIN
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) Tyger Campbell matched a season high with 22 points, David Singleton had a season-high 21 and No. 5 UCLA extended its winning streak to 14 games, beating Arizona State 74-62 on Thursday night.
Jamie Jaquez, bothered by foul trouble, scored five of his 12 points in the final 2 1/2 minutes as the Bruins took control. UCLA closed on a 16-2 run after Frankie Collins’ 3-pointer with 6:13 remaining gave Arizona State a 60-58 lead.
“If you are going to win conferences, you have to win tough games against good teams,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “We just have great character. Tyger Campbell is just such a tough winner. I had to put the ball in his hands tonight because the pressure and their style defensively, especially tonight … it was hard to run anything. It’s hard to complete a pass.”
The Bruins (17-2, 8-0 Pac-12) overcame a six-point deficit in the final 11 minutes and opened a two-game lead in the conference standings over Arizona State (15-4, 6-2), which had won four in a row.
“I just go out and try to win and take what the defense gives me,” said Campbell, who was 7 of 11 from the field and made 8 of 9 free throws. “Jaime got a couple of quick fouls, so I kind of had to look for my shot a little more.”
UCLA has the third-longest active Division I winning streak, behind No. 18 Charleston (19) and No. 24 Florida Atlantic (17). The Bruins have not lost since falling 80-75 to Baylor on Nov. 20 in the Las Vegas Main Event. They lost to Illinois in Vegas two days before.
“It’s been fun flying under the radar the last couple of months,” Cronin said. “Because of what happened in Vegas, I think people gave up on us.”
Desmond Cambridge Jr. had 15 points and D.J. Horne scored all 14 of his points in the final half for Arizona State. Warren Washington had nine points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Arizona State was off to its best Pac-12 start in 41 seasons.
UCLA shot 50% from the floor, 60.7% in the second half. Singleton had 13 points in the second half.
“I’n not saying we’re unbeatable, but we’re always going to have confidence and stay connected,” Singleton said. “Everyone is telling me to keep shooting it. The game plan ws t hit the open guy, and I just happened to be the open guy tonight.”
Cambridge followed a steal and 360-degree dunk with a 3-pointer from the right baseline for a 48-42 lead with 14:09 remaining, the biggest lead for either team to that point.
There were 14 lead changes and eight ties, and neither team led by more than six until late.
“This tells us any given night we can lace them up and play with anybody,” Horne said. “It was a different flow in the second half. I think they made some defensive adjustments.”
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Arizona State could have found its way into the next AP Top 25 had it won. The Sun Devils received the 28th-most votes in the most recent poll. No. 22 Providence, No. 23 Rutgers and No. 25 Arkansas already have lost this week.
Although there is not much room to climb, UCLA strengthened its position in the Top 25 with the late comeback win entering its game at Arizona on Saturday. No. 6 Gonzaga, No. 7 Texas and No. 8 Xavier have lost this week.
BIG PICTURE
UCLA: The Bruins survived a speed bump in the most testing portion of its Pac-12 schedule. They conclude a three-game trip with games at No. 11 Arizona and USC before returning home Feb 2 against Washington. Starting guard Amari Bailey missed his sixth straight game but is nearing a return, Cronin, further deepening the roster.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils were that close to their fourth victory over a Top 5 team in Bobby Hurley’s eight seasons, but the close loss nevertheless should bolster their NCAA resume.
UP NEXT
UCLA: At No. 11 Arizona on Saturday.
Arizona State: Host Southern California on Saturday.
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ANGEL REESE HELPS NO. 3 LSU WOMEN FEND OFF ARKANSAS, 79-76
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Prolific LSU forward Angel Reese and flashy freshman guard Flau’jae Johnson complemented their evident talent with ample composure.
“I’m blessed, and they got ice water in their veins,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. “We could have panicked when we’re down 3” in the final minutes.
“They probably led each other better than I led them as a coach in certain situations tonight,” Mulkey added.
Reese had 30 points and 19 rebounds to tie an LSU record with 19 straight double-doubles and the third-ranked, unbeaten Tigers pushed their program-record winning streak to 19 games with a 79-76 victory over Arkansas on Thursday night.
Arkansas was in position to take the lead from LSU (19-0, 7-0 SEC) in the final half-minute, but Erin Barnum’s 3-point attempt with 24 seconds left rimmed out and Reese snagged the crucial rebound.
Johnson, whom Arkansas fouled moments later, hit two free throws to make it 77-74 with 16 seconds left. She added two more with four seconds left to finish with 19 points.
“I didn’t feel nervous,” Johnson said. “At that point, I was like, `I’m not going to let my team down.’ I want to be in these situations at the end of these tight games, so I got to score.”
Reese, who was relentless around the basket and grabbed 13 of her rebounds on the offensive end, tied the LSU mark for consecutive double-doubles set by Sylvia Fowles during the 2006-07 season.
“I just tried to step up and be a leader and bring our team together,” said Reese, who could be seen gesticulating intensely during much of the second half. “Just try to guide them and keep them poised and keep them calm.”
Arkansas (17-4, 5-1) took a 69-66 lead on Makayla Daniels’ right-wing 3 in transition with 6:23 left, but Alexis Morris, who had not scored all game, tied it with a 3 on LSU’s next possession.
Arkansas regained the lead on another Daniels 3 and held it until Morris’ driving scoop put LSU back in front 75-74 with 2:09 left.
LaDazhia Williams had 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Jasmine Carson scored 10 points for the Tigers, who found themselves locked in one of their most competitive games yet this season after winning their first six conference contests by an average of 26.3 points, and none by fewer than 19.
“This was a great game tonight. We made a few more plays than they did,” Mulkey said. “We grew up tonight. If we would have lost, I would have said the same thing to you. It feels better when you win.”
Barnum scored 20 points for Arkansas (17-4, 4-2), who came in on a four-game winning streak and hadn’t lost since the last time they played LSU on Dec. 29 and were run off their own court, 69-45.
“Our kids should feel good about the improvement they made in 21 days,” Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors said. “We talked about that last game – it was a butt-whipping out there; it was not even close. Our improvement can be celebrated.
“I hate that we lost, don’t get me wrong, but I’m glad that we battled,” Neighbors added.
Samara Spencer scored 13 points and Chrissy Carr added 12 points for the Razorbacks.
LSU led 20-6 after Williams’ consecutive hoops in the paint, but Arkansas didn’t capitulate, responding with seven straight points, highlighted by Saylor Poffenbarger’s 3.
Spencer’s 3 trimmed LSU’s lead to six by the end of the opening quarter, and Arkansas twice got within five points in the second quarter.
The Tigers were back up by 12 after Reese made four straight free throws late in the second quarter, but the Razorbacks again closed the gap to 38-30 at halftime, thanks for consecutive baskets by Barnum and Spencer.
BIG PICTURE
Arkansas: The Razorbacks had won their previous five road games and nearly made it a sixth by outshooting LSU 44.4% (28 of 63) to 43.3% (29 of 67). Arkansas also hit 10 of 29 from deep.
LSU: Tenacious paint presence made the difference for the Tigers, who outrebounded Arkansas 51-26 and converted 22 offensive rebounds into 23 second-chance points. LSU is now 45-6 since Mulkey left Baylor to take over the Tigers before last season.
MAKING HISTORY
Reese said she met Fowles just last Sunday when LSU unveiled a statue of Seimone Augustus outside the Tigers’ basketball training center.
“She’s really proud of me. She’s happy for me,” Reese said of Fowles. “Being able to be up there with Sylvia Fowles is amazing.”
UP NEXT
Arkansas: At No. 1 South Carolina on Sunday.
LSU: At Alabama on Monday.
KELLY, USTBY LIFT NO. 17 TAR HEELS WOMEN PAST NO. 13 DUKE
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) Deja Kelly scored 19 points, Alyssa Ustby had 10 of her 16 in the pivotal third quarter and No. 17 North Carolina held off No. 13 Duke on Thursday night, ending the Blue Devils’ 11-game winning streak.
Eva Hodgson’s only points of the game came at the foul line in the closing seconds, her pair with 2.8 seconds wrapping up the win.
Kennedy Todd-Williams added 13 points for the Tar Heels (13-5, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who have won four straight conference games after losing their first three. They made 6 of 10 shots from the field and 8 of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter to improve to 5-3 against ranked teams this season.
Shayeann Day-Wilson scored a season-high 24 points for the Blue Devils (16-2, 6-1) but missed five free throws in the fourth quarter. Reigan Richardson added 12 points. Leading scorer Celeste Taylor was limited to one basket, that coming with 30.2 seconds left.
It was the 104th meeting between the rivals with rapper Trinidad James and former Tar Heels star Ivory Latta courtside. North Carolina leads the series 53-51 and it was the first time they were both ranked since March 1, 2015,
Ustby made all five of her shots and the Tar Heels went 9 of 10 in the third quarter to break away from a 21-21 halftime tie to take a 40-31 lead into the fourth quarter. The game was tied at 31 when North Carolina reeled off the last points, with Paulina Paris and Ustby both making two layups.
It was a less than artistic first half, which finished 21-21, the lowest scoring half for both teams this season.
Duke couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start, missing its first eight shots and turning the ball over seven times before Jordyn Oliver scored at the 2:07 mark. But the Tar Heels didn’t run away, finishing the first quarter 4 of 14 with five turnovers, for a 12-5 lead.
Then North Carolina had a 5 1/2-minute drought in the second quarter, but the Blue Devils only scored seven points, with Day-Wilson’s jumper from the foul line tying the game at 16 at the 3:38 mark.
Kelly responded with a jumper for the Tar Hells before Day Wilson’s 3 at 2:42 gave Duke the lead. The Blue Devils came back despite Taylor playing just three minutes after picking up two quick fouls.
The teams combined to shoot 15 for 50 with 21 turnovers.
North Carolina is home against Georgia Tech on Sunday while Duke is home against Syracuse.
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LAVINE SCORES 30, BULLS DEFEAT PISTONS 126-108 IN PARIS
PARIS (AP) Victor Wembanyama was sitting courtside, the 19-year-old French phenom and presumed No. 1 NBA draft pick watching some of the players he’ll go up against next season.
And a guy with a French surname put on quite a show.
Zach LaVine – who said his great-grandfather was French – scored 30 points and the Chicago Bulls never trailed in a 126-108 win over the Detroit Pistons at the NBA Paris Game on Thursday.
“Maybe the air up here was good for me,” LaVine said.
DeMar DeRozan added 26 points for the Bulls, and Nikola Vucevic finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds and six assists.
Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pistons with 25 points. Killian Hayes, the only French player on either roster, scored four points for Detroit on 2-of-13 shooting, but had a game-high eight assists.
Hamidou Diallo had 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting for Detroit, while Saddiq Bey and Jaden Ivey each scored 16 for the Pistons.
“It was a bit frustrating to not be the winners tonight,” Hayes said.
It was the capper to several days of celebrating the NBA in France, after both teams took part in clinics, touristy events like visits to the Eiffel Tower, some upscale dinners and even a private show for the Pistons at the Paris Opera House.
And while the game counted – Chicago (21-24) stayed in 10th in the Eastern Conference and what would be the last play-in spot with the win, while Detroit fell to 12-36, the second-worst mark in the NBA – it also was no mundane middle-of-the-season regular-season matchup.
The celebrity list included NBA greats like Magic Johnson, Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace and Tony Parker; a Bulls legend and native French son in Joakim Noah; the rising star that everybody can’t stop talking about in Wembanyama; WNBA players like Gabby Williams; even Grammy winners and Formula 1 drivers.
“I don’t want to quite compare this to All-Star,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said, “but it’s the closest thing to a European All-Star Game that we have.”
It was also a celebration of the continued strength of the international footprint on today’s NBA game. When the Bulls and Michael Jordan – along with B.J. Armstrong, then a Bulls guard, now an NBA agent who was at the game Thursday – played in Paris during the preseason in 1997, about 1 of every 14 NBA players was born outside the U.S.
Now, that’s about 1 in 4.
“It is special because we’re representing not only Detroit, but the NBA,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said. “And we’re trying to put the brand in a good place – in a place where basketball is taking off.”
Wembanyama and his family made their way to courtside seats about 15 minutes before tip-off, immediately attracting a huge crowd. When the camera found him and he was shown to the French fans on the big in-arena screens in the second quarter, he clapped and smiled, as did his mother seated one row back over his right shoulder – as the crowd positively roared in delight.
Both teams are flying home Friday.
“It’s great for people here in Paris to get an up-close look at the NBA,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “It makes you realize that the sport is followed so closely around the world. It was amazing. The place was sold out.”
TIP-INS
Bulls: Derrick Jones Jr. had 12 points for Chicago, including four highlight-reel dunks – no surprise for a former NBA dunk champion. … Ayo Dosunmu scored 13 for the Bulls. … Chicago shot 54%.
Pistons: Jalen Duren had an imperfect start to the trip – he misplaced his passport – then got that settled and had a perfect shooting game, 4-for-4 from the field on his way to a 11-point, 12-rebound effort. … Isaiah Stewart grabbed 11 rebounds.
GLOBAL GAME
The NBA has teams in the U.S. and Canada, of course, and this game in France pushed the list of nations where the league has played or practiced this season to seven.
Mexico played host to a game between San Antonio and Miami last month. The Heat also had training camp in the Bahamas, and the league went to two other countries for preseason games – Golden State and Washington played twice in Japan, while Milwaukee and Atlanta played twice in the United Arab Emirates.
ROAD TRIP
It was a “home” game for the Pistons, even though Paris is about 4,000 miles from Detroit. As the home team, the Pistons got to bring a slew of staffers on the trip – including some game operations workers and members of the stat crew that works at the scoring table.
James Capers, Karl Lane and Natalie Sago got sent to officiate the game. All three referees had games Saturday in the U.S., then traveled to Paris.
UP NEXT
Bulls: Host Atlanta on Monday.
Pistons: Host Milwaukee on Monday.
CELTICS BEAT WARRIORS IN OT, WIN NBA FINALS REMATCH 121-118
BOSTON (AP) Al Horford’s 7-year-old, Ean, sat in the front row of the postgame news conference, wearing a hat from last season’s NBA Finals.
Up on the podium, his father needed no reminder of what Thursday night’s game against the Golden State Warriors meant for the Celtics and their fans.
“Yeah, it’s a big game,” the Boston big man said after scoring 20 points with 10 rebounds and three blocked shots, making a key 3-pointer in overtime to help the Celtics beat the Warriors 121-118 in a finals rematch.
“You know, I wanted to come out here, and I wanted to win. I wanted to win really bad,” Horford said. “It’s a regular season. It’s just one game. It’s over. But it’s an important game.”
Jayson Tatum scored 34 points with a career-high 19 rebounds, following Horford’s overtime 3 with one of his own to put Boston up by seven with 1:30 left. Jaylen Brown added 16 points, making a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime.
The victory snapped a four-game losing streak against Golden State – the last three games of the finals and the first regular-season rematch, which the Warriors won in San Francisco in December.
“The fact of the matter is we lost. We lost the championship,” Tatum said. “No one win – we can’t bring that back. We can’t go back in time and change that.
“So we didn’t look at this as a rematch of the finals,” he said. “It’s just one game.”
Stephen Curry scored 29 points, Jordan Poole had 24 and Klay Thompson also had 24 before fouling out in overtime for the Warriors. The defending champions fell to 5-18 on the road this season.
“Disappointed that we didn’t close the game, but I know we can do this,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Better now than in the playoffs.”
Boston led by as many as 10 in the first half but trailed for the entire second half before Brown’s 3-pointer tied it. The Celtics scored the first four points of overtime but Draymond Green hit a pair of free throws and Curry sank a 3 to give the Warriors a 111-110 lead.
Brown made a floater to take back the lead, then Horford hit a 3-pointer and Tatum made his to give the Celtics a 118-111 lead with 1:26 to play. Boston got sloppy down the stretch to give Golden State a chance at the buzzer, but Poole’s half-court shot wasn’t close.
The Warriors won the finals in Game 6 in Boston, and then won the first rematch of the regular season in San Francisco. Although the Celtics have come out to the best record in the NBA this season, the losses to Golden State still rankle them.
Tatum struggled against the Warriors in June and scored 18 points on 6-for-21 shooting at Golden State on Dec. 10. But he credited Horford, who had 10 points, five rebounds and a chase-down blocked shot in the first period, with getting Boston off to a good start at home.
“Al came out and looked like he was 25 today,” Tatum said. “He came out and set the tone, he really did. And we all kind of followed behind that the rest of the night.”
LONG SHOTS
Curry wowed the Boston crowd at the end of the first half with a buzzer-beater that was officially listed as 50 feet.
The Warriors had the ball with the clock running down, but Malcolm Brogdon stole it from Thompson and got it to Tatum. Curry took it away from him and lined up a 3-pointer from the far side of the halfcourt circle.
It swished through the net, giving the Warriors a 55-54 lead.
REGULATION
The Warriors led by as many as 11, 85-74, with two minutes left in the third, but Boston came back and tied it on Brown’s 3. The Warriors opted not to call a timeout, and Curry dribbled out the clock before tossing a 3-point attempt that banged off the front of the rim. (The Celtics managed to get a timeout with 0.5 seconds left, but couldn’t get off a shot.)
COMEBACKS
Brown was back for Boston after missing three games with a groin injury. Celtics center Robert Williams III missed the Dec. 10 game between the teams and was out for the first 29 games of the season recovering from left knee surgery.
With Curry returning on Jan. 10 from an 11-game absence (partially dislocated left shoulder), and Wiggins coming back earlier in the month after missing 15 games (strained muscle in right leg; non-COVID illness), both teams were relatively healthy.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Thompson picked up his fifth foul and went to the bench with eight minutes left in the fourth. . Wiggins scored 20. Green had 11 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.
Celtics: Observed a moment of silence for Chris Ford, the former player and coach who died this week at the age of 74. … Williams had 14 points and 11 boards. Smart scored 18. … The Celtics shot 73% from the free throw line and under 40% from the field.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Visit Cleveland on Friday.
Celtics: Visit Toronto on Saturday.
RUSSELL SCORES 16 POINTS IN 4TH, WOLVES BEAT RAPTORS 128-126
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) D’Angelo Russell scored 16 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, Anthony Edwards had 23 and the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied to beat the Toronto Raptors 128-126 on Thursday night.
Kyle Anderson added 20 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota, which was down Rudy Gobert and Austin Rivers and playing the second game of a back-to-back after a fourth-quarter collapse a night earlier in Denver.
The Timberwolves erased a 14-point deficit midway through the fourth with a defensive effort not typically seen from Minnesota, particularly without Gobert making an impact down low. Toronto scored just seven points in the final 9:46.
“I just think, as a group, we all held each other accountable,” Russell said. “We all had some early lapses throughout the game where we kind of looked a little subpar just to start, using just what you said as an excuse for us, getting in late and all that. Eventually, we just kind of locked in and tried to do what we’re supposed to do.”
Scottie Barnes had 12 of his season-high 29 points in the fourth for Toronto, which had won four of six. Fred VanVleet added 25 points and 10 assists for the Raptors. Toronto scored 62 points in the paint without Gobert to protect the rim and added 23 fast-break points.
“Russell obviously got them going, shook free a little bit,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “A few miscues there on defense and then, I don’t know, we just didn’t probably get enough quality looks at the offensive end either. And it was too bad on some of them because we made the right plays and then didn’t take the shot.”
Edwards, who was 4 of 12 from the field through three quarters, tied the game at 124 with 3:56 left. Anderson’s runner in the lane gave Minnesota its first lead since 4:42 remaining in the first, and Russell added a pair of free throws.
O.G. Anunoby’s 3-point attempt with 0.4 seconds remaining was off the mark.
“Encouraged by our guys stepping up,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “They didn’t have a lot of gas. Took them a long time to find it. I think the key to the game was we were able to keep scoring until we could find a defensive rhythm.”
The Timberwolves outscored Toronto 23-7 over the final 9:46.
“We struggled to stop them all night,” VanVleet said. “They got hot and we kind of stalled out a little bit there the last couple minutes.”
Russell was 4 of 4 from 3 in the closing stretch.
“It’s like, you seen `Bad Boys 2,’ when they like, `From now on, that’s how you shoot,'” Anderson said. “I’d say when he’s knocking down shots like that, that’s the Lo we know and the Lo we love. So that’s big time. That’s what we need from him. I expect that from him every time we step onto the floor.”
VANVLEET KEEPS GOING
VanVleet continued his strong run, taking advantage of Gobert’s absence down low by continually going inside. He was also 4 of 6 from 3-point territory.
VanVleet had scored at least 33 points in each of the previous two games.
TIP-INS
Raptors: VanVleet scored or assisted on Toronto’s final 16 points of the first half. . Joe Wieskamp, on his second 10-day contract, saw his first action for the Raptors this season and was 3 of 3 from 3. . Barnes has scored at least 21 points in four of his past five games
Timberwolves: Gobert (right groin soreness) and Rivers (left knee contusion) each missed his second straight game for Minnesota, which is still without Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordan McLaughlin due to longer-term calf injuries. … The Timberwolves arrived back in town early Thursday morning from Denver. . Anderson added six assists, falling just short of another triple-double. He had a triple-double on Jan. 16 against Utah and was two assists shy of one Wednesday in Denver.
UP NEXT
Raptors: Host Boston on Saturday
Timberwolves: Host Houston on Saturday night.
MIKAL BRIDGES SCORES 28 POINTS, SUNS BEAT NETS TO SNAP SKID
PHOENIX (AP) Cam Johnson got an All-Star level ovation from the home crowd in the first quarter when he came to the scorer’s table, returning to the floor after losing 37 games to a knee injury.
He’s not the best player on the Phoenix Suns. But he’s a very good player, and right now, they need all the help they can get.
Mikal Bridges scored 28 points, Johnson added 19 off the bench and the still very short-handed Suns held off the Brooklyn Nets 117-112 on Thursday night.
“I just thought he brought a level of juice to the arena that we hadn’t felt in a while,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “He got up off the bench and you could feel the fans, the community – `That’s our guy.'”
Brooklyn fought back from 20 points down in the fourth quarter to make things tight in the final minute.
Kyrie Irving – who scored 21 points of his 30 points in the fourth quarter – hit a 3-pointer to cut it to 113-110 with 10.9 seconds remaining, After the Suns hit a free throw, Nic Claxton’s dunk with 7.4 seconds made it 114-112, but that’s as close as the Nets would get to taking the lead.
“Sometimes, the hole is too big to come back from,” Irving said.
Deandre Ayton had 24 points and 14 rebounds to help the Suns snap a three-game losing streak. Brooklyn has lost four straight.
Johnson’s return is welcome good news for a team that had lost 12 of 14 games coming into Thursday. He had a crucial steal late in the fourth quarter along with four important free throws.
“Man, I can’t tell you how good it felt to be back out there,” Johnson said.
Both teams were missing some of their star players. Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant was out with a knee injury while Phoenix was missing its All-Star backcourt of Devin Booker (groin) and Chris Paul (hip).
The Suns controlled most of the game, pushing to a 94-74 lead by the end of the third quarter. The Nets cut it to 107-102 with about 3:30 left, but then had three straight turnovers to blunt their momentum.
Irving also had seven rebounds and seven assists. He was 11 of 27 from the field.
The Suns pushed to a 65-51 halftime lead after shooting 58.5% from the field. Ayton had 17 points, nine rebounds and three assists before the break.
SIMMONS TOSSED
Nets guard Ben Simmons was ejected early in the third quarter after picking up two quick technicals for arguing.
Simmons was called for an offensive foul on a screen and then started arguing with official Eric Lewis as both went down the court. Lewis called him for his first technical and then Simmons was subbed out of the game. As Simmons sat down, he continued arguing and got his second technical.
After he was ejected, Simmons immediately got up and walked back to the locker room. He finished with seven points, four rebounds and six assists.
“It’s tough,” Simmons said. “I am a 6-10 guy who likes to guard certain guys. I am going to be physical. I am not going to tone it down because the refs don’t want to see the physicality.”
NEW OWNER COURTSIDE
Incoming Suns owner Mat Ishbia was courtside Thursday night, sitting close to the same area that outgoing owner Robert Sarver used to sit.
Ishbia agreed to purchase the Suns from the embattled Sarver for $4 billion in December. The sale is still in the process of being completed. Ishbia is a former Michigan State player under coach Tom Izzo, and was a member of the Spartans’ NCAA championship team in 2000.
The NBA suspended Sarver in September for one year, plus fined him $10 million, after an investigation found he had engaged in what the league called “workplace misconduct and organizational deficiencies.”
TIP-INS
Suns: Paul, Booker, G Josh Okogie (nasal fracture), G Cameron Payne (right foot sprain), G Landry Shamet (right foot soreness) didn’t play. … Had a 25-11 rebounding advantage in the first half … Hosted a 48th consecutive sellout crowd. … Saben Lee, who is on a 10-day contract, scored 15 points. … Has a
UP NEXT
Nets: At Utah on Friday night.
Suns: Host Indiana on Saturday night.
EMBIID HAS 32, 76ERS TOP BLAZERS 105-95 FOR 4TH STRAIGHT WIN
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Joel Embiid scored 32 points and the Philadelphia 76ers stretched their winning streak to four games, all on the road, with a 105-95 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.
James Harden added 16 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds for the Sixers, who led by as many as 26 points before holding off a late Portland rally.
“I think from the beginning it was easy. When you’ve got two guys with high basketball IQs, you can figure it out everything easy,” Embiid said about his chemistry with Harden. “So it’s all about just playing off of each other. We’ve been doing a wonderful job of doing that.”
Damian Lillard had 25 points and 11 assists for the Blazers and Jerami Grant scored 24 points against his former team.
Jusuf Nurkic’s layup closed the gap to 92-80 with 6:17 left, but Embiid answered with a dunk and a free throw. Grant’s 3-pointer narrowed it to 95-86 with 3:49 left.
Embiid picked up his fifth foul and Anfernee Simons made a pair of free throws to get within 95-88.
Tyrese Maxey’s layup and De’Anthony Melton’s free throws got the Sixers’ lead back to double digits and Portland couldn’t catch up.
It was Embiid’s seventh straight game with 30 or more points.
Currently on a five-game western road trip, the 76ers have won the first four games. Philadelphia has won eight of 10 games this month, building on an eight-game winning streak in December. They’re now even with the Bucks in second place in the Eastern Conference.
“I think we’re good, and I think we can be really, really good. But we have work to do,” said Sixers coach Doc Rivers.
Meanwhile, Portland has slid to 12th in the Western Conference with just three wins in 10 games since the first of the year.
“I thought our defense was good enough to win this game tonight, to be honest with you. Offensively, the offense wasn’t good enough — couldn’t make shots and didn’t make shots. But they had a lot to do with that. Got to give them credit,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said.
The Sixers jumped out to a 26-14 lead in the opening quarter behind Embiid, who had 10 points in his first six minutes and finished the first half with 17 points.
Philadelphia led by as many as 25 points en route to a 57-34 lead at the break as the Blazers struggled to score, going 13 of 42 (31%) from the floor. Portland hit just one of 14 3-point attempts.
Embiid’s dunk put the Sixers up 75-49 midway through the third quarter. But Portland went on a 14-0 run late in the period to narrow the gap to 75-63.
Portland played without Gary Payton II because of a sore calf.
TIP-INS
76ers: Rivers joked that the 76ers would be happy to play in Paris, just like the Bulls and the Pistons earlier Thursday. He added London and Rome to the list of locations he wouldn’t object to. … Harden has four triple doubles this season.
Trail Blazers: The game against the 76ers kicked off a six-game homestand for the Blazers. “You talk about trying to set the tone at home. You come out like that against a good team, makes it tough,” Billups said. … Lillard was 1 of 10 from the field in the opening half. … Portland’s 32 first-half points were a season low.
CAN’T GET NO SATISFACTION
Asked before the game if he could consider the five-game road trip a success after winning the first three games, Rivers was emphatic: “No, I mean really, no. We want to win games.”
UP NEXT
76ers: Visit Sacramento on Saturday to conclude the road trip.
Trail Blazers: Host the Lakers on Sunday.
****************************NHL NEWS********************************
TOEWS, BLACKHAWKS END LONG LOSING DROUGHT IN PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Jonathan Toews had a goal and an assist, Petr Mrazek made 37 saves and the Chicago Blackhawks won for the first time in the regular season in Philadelphia in more than 26 years with a 4-1 victory over the Flyers on Thursday night.
Before Thursday, Chicago hadn’t won a regular-season game in Philadelphia since Nov. 9, 1996. The drought comes with a huge asterisk, though, as the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup championship in 2010 in Game 6 in Philadelphia.
Reese Johnson and Tyler Johnson also scored, and Philipp Kurashev had an empty-netter for Chicago.
“This was a good confidence builder,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said.
It was the fifth win in six games for the surging Blackhawks, who entered tied with Columbus for fewest points in the league.
“We’re just connected right now, playing some pretty good hockey together,” Chicago All-Star defenseman Seth Jones said. “I think we’re all on the same page when it comes to how we have to play at the moment and everyone’s buying in. So it’s been good.”
Philadelphia lost for just the third time in its last 11 contests.
“Across the board, we looked flat,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said. “I don’t think we played with enough energy. You could tell from the start, it’s one of those games. I didn’t like much of it at all.”
The Flyers had on their regular jerseys and all players skated during warmups for this one. The organization made headlines on Tuesday night when defenseman Ivan Provorov chose not to warm up in a Pride-themed jersey on a night in which the Flyers recognized the LGBTQ community.
Provorov, a Russian Orthodox, cited his religious beliefs for his stance and Tortorella defended him prior to Thursday’s game.
“Provy did nothing wrong,” Tortorella said. “Just because you don’t agree with his decision doesn’t mean he did anything wrong.”
Morgan Frost scored for Philadelphia.
The Blackhawks went up with the only two goals of the second period.
Toews netted his 13th of the season on a skillful deflection from the slot of Jones’ shot from long range with 10:09 left in the period. Six minutes later, Reese Johnson put Chicago in front 2-1 with a wrist shot from the middle of the ice that went under goalie Carter Hart’s right arm. Colin Blackwell made an outstanding, second-effort play to set up the goal, feeding Johnson while falling to the ice.
“I don’t think in the first or second period we did enough forechecking,” Tortorella said. “We’re a forechecking team. I think we forgot that a little tonight.”
A game after scoring on a shot between his own legs on a highlight-reel goal, Frost notched another pretty tally to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead 8:52 into the contest. He turned around Jones with some nifty stickhandling while crossing the blue line before firing a wrist shot past Mrazek’s glove side.
The Flyers nearly tied it late in the period, but defenseman Caleb Jones blocked Cam York’s try at an empty net after Mrazek had been pulled away after a save.
Tyler Johnson padded the Blackhawks’ lead just 35 seconds into the third when he converted from a sharp angle after Hart stopped Patrick Kane’s initial shot. Hart made 25 saves.
NOTES: The teams will meet for the second and final time in the last game of the regular season on April 13 in Chicago. . The Flyers were playing their third game in four nights as part of a busy January that will see them play 14 contests in 27 days.
UP NEXT
Blackhawks: At St. Louis on Saturday night.
Flyers: At Detroit on Saturday night.
THOMAS, SAAD SPARK BLUES IN 5-2 WIN OVER PREDATORS
ST. LOUIS (AP) Robert Thomas and Brendan Saad each had a goal and an assist, sending the St. Louis Blues to a 5-2 victory Thursday night over the Nashville Predators.
Jordan Binnington made 24 saves and tied Grant Fuhr for fourth place in Blues history with 108 career wins. Brayden Schenn, Jordan Kyrou and Alexey Toropchenko also scored for St. Louis.
“Pretty good game all around from everybody,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “I thought we got contributions from everybody. I thought everybody played a pretty solid game tonight, which is good. We need that; we need everybody to do their job out there and contribute in some form.”
Colton Sissons, playing in his 500th NHL game, and Mattias Ekholm scored for Nashville.
The Blues went ahead 1-0 on Schenn’s wrister 11 seconds into the second period. The shot caromed off the stick of defenseman Ryan McDonagh and past goalie Juuse Saros.
Schenn scored in overtime to give the Blues a 1-0 victory the previous time the teams played.
The Predators tied it at 2:36 when Sissons was left alone during a bad Blues line change.
“A fast break after a penalty kill,” Sissons said. “My linemate (Cole) Smith won the battle in the corner and put it in a really good spot for me on a breakaway.”
Saad put St. Louis back on top with a backhand between Saros’ legs at 8:30. St. Louis rookie Tyler Tucker assisted to earn his first NHL point.
“It’s nice, obviously,” Tucker said. “Saad made a great play there driving the wing and slipped one five-hole. It’s nice. Every night you lace them up here you feel more and more comfortable, for sure. It’s obviously faster and better hockey. But I thought, so far, that I’ve made a pretty good adjustment.”
Kyrou also used a backhand to score a power-play goal at 15:34. He has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in nine games against Nashville.
“We played a full 60 tonight,” Kyrou said. “I thought we were always attacking, we were playing quick. We were doing a good job of possessing the puck in the O-zone, getting shots to the net, crashing the net. We did a great job tonight.”
The Blues added two quick goals in the third. Thomas scored at 1:03 and Toropchenko followed at 2:01.
“The second (period) was pretty brutal on our part,” Sissons said. “They totally took over the game and then had a couple of quick ones in the third and it got away from us.”
Nashville’s final goal came from Ekholm at 17:52.
“First period was OK,” Predators coach John Hynes said. “They were just a lot better over the last 40.”
A goal by Nashville’s Tommy Novak was overturned when officials ruled goaltender interference at 2:03 of the first period. Jeremy Lauzon made contact with Binnington before Novak tapped in a rebound.
“It certainly doesn’t help,” Sissons said. “It changes the game if we get that one there.”
ICE CHIPS
The Blues had 33 shots on goal. They had been held under 30 for seven straight games. … Nashville failed on its three power-play chances and is 1 for 24 over its last eight games. … RW Vladimir Tarasenko (hand), D Torey Krug (lower body), D Robert Bortuzzo (lower body), D Marco Scandella (hip) and LW Logan Brown (upper body) all participated in Thursday morning’s optional skate for the Blues. None played against Nashville. … The Blues wore their white road jerseys at home for the second and final time this season. … The Predators reassigned D Roland McKeown to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. … Nashville D Mark Borowiecki (upper body) sat out. … Blues C Nikita Alexandrov (upper body) is day-to-day.
UP NEXT
Predators: Host the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
Blues: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.
RED WINGS SNAP 3-GAME SKID WITH 3-2 WIN OVER GOLDEN KNIGHTS
LAS VEGAS (AP) Detroit’s defense did its part Thursday night, forcing Vegas to shoot from the point and the wall.
Then goalie Ville Husso did the rest, making 33 saves as the Red Wings snapped a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the scuffling Golden Knights.
Husso allowed just one even-strength goal. Vegas scored on a 6-on-5 with 41.5 seconds left when Jack Eichel’s shot went in off William Karlsson. Reilly Smith picked up the secondary assist for his second point of the night.
“Unfortunately, they got a lucky, lucky bounce at the end, but overall it was a really good effort,” Husso said. “There were a couple of shots from the blue line and all the angles, and guys boxed out well. It was not easy, but one of the nicer nights to play as a goalie.”
Lucas Raymond, Dominik Kubalik and Joe Veleno scored for the Red Wings, who had lost six of eight. That included blowing a two-goal lead in the third period of a 4-3 shootout loss Tuesday at Arizona.
“We just managed our game better,” coach Derek Lalonde said. “It’s a frustrating group at times because you see moments of us playing extremely well and for the majority of time. We’re finding ways to not manage the game correctly and not get the results. And tonight, from start to finish, something like this will certainly boost our confidence.”
Detroit faced a Golden Knights team trying to find its way since captain Mark Stone left with an upper-body injury Jan. 12 against Florida. Vegas has lost a season-high three in a row and four of five while struggling to hold off surging Seattle, which caught the Knights on Thursday night to tie for first in the Pacific Division with 58 points.
The Kraken, who have won eight of 10, have a game in hand.
In addition to Karlsson’s late goal, Alex Pietrangelo also scored for Vegas. Adin Hill stopped 22 shots.
“You go through stretches of the year where it’s not going to go your way,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We’re prepared, patience, stay in the game, urgency until it does go your way and you’re not chasing (the lead). We’ll keeping sending that message.”
The Red Wings are closer to the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings than the top, but they were the sharper team in this one. They used pinpoint passing to set up all three goals in the first two periods in taking a 3-1 lead.
It was a collective effort; no Detroit player had more than one point.
The Red Wings struck early, scoring 2:45 in when Dylan Larkin delivered a beautiful pass to Raymond in front. That assist extended Larkin’s point streak to six games (two goals, six assists) and left him one point short of 400 in his career.
The Knights answered late in the first period when Nic Hague passed from the right point to Pietrangelo, who fired a shot from above the left circle. That goal with 36 seconds left kept Vegas from going scoreless over five consecutive periods.
Detroit scored twice in the second. Oskar Sundqvist set up Kubalik for the go-ahead goal on a power play, and Jordan Oesterle’s pass to Veleno put the Red Wings ahead 3-1.
NOTES: Detroit left wing Tyler Bertuzzi (lower body) was injured in the second period, but Lalonde said he didn’t think it was serious. … Vegas defenseman Alec Martinez (illness) was back on the ice after leaving in the second period Monday against Dallas. … Red Wings defenseman Filip Hronek got his 150th career point with a second-period assist. … Eichel, who has 15 goals and 33 points this season, has gone three games without a goal and has put the puck in the net once in five games.
UP NEXT
Red Wings: Will face Philadelphia at home Saturday.
Golden Knights: Host the Washington Capitals on Saturday.
DUCKS OVERCOME 3-GOAL DEFICIT TO BEAT BLUE JACKETS 5-3
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Cam Fowler, Trevor Zegras and Adam Henrique each had a goal and an assist and the Anaheim Ducks overcame a three-goal deficit to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-3 on Thursday night and snap a five-game losing streak.
The Ducks scored three times in the second period before putting in the third-period winner. It was Anaheim’s fifth multi-goal comeback this season, tying it with New Jersey for the NHL lead.
Simon Benoit and Max Jones also scored and Isac Lundestrom and Troy Terry each had two assists. Anthony Stolarz stopped 12 shots before being replaced by John Gibson, who stopped all 18 shots he faced.
“I think it was good resiliency by our group,” Fowler said. “Obviously, we didn’t get off to the start that we wanted to, but at this point in the season, how tough things have gone for us, we still continue to fight and claw our way back in the game and then a big third period. It’s something we should be proud of.”
Mathieu Olivier, Jack Roslovic and Nick Blankenburg scored for Columbus and Elvis Merzlikins stopped 28 shots. The Blue Jackets have lost three straight and seven of their last eight, including three in a row at home.
Both teams remained last in their divisions.
Columbus scored on its first two shots of the game from Olivier, for his first goal since Nov. 23, and Roslovic. Blankenburg made it 3-0 with 2:17 left in the period, seconds after a hit that buried Lundestrom into the Columbus bench.
By the second period, Anaheim, had enough.
Twenty-two seconds after swapping Stolarz for Gibson in net, Henrique beat Merzlikins stick side. Fowler and Benoit then drew the Ducks even. Zegras’ goal at 5:07 that proved to be the winner and left Merzlikins banging his stick on the ice in frustration. Jones added an insurance goal at with 4:29 remaining.
“This is a hard league,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “You can’t give an inch. They’ve got some skill and you give them some room and that’s what happens.”
MINDING THE NET
Gibson’s victory carried him past Guy Hebert for second on Anaheim’s all-time wins list with 174. He trailed only Jean-Sebastien Giguere with 206. “It’s an honor,” he said. “Obviously, there were a lot of great goalies who played here in the past. To be able to pass some names is an honor.”
TWICE AS NICE
Anaheim won for just the second time this season after trailing through one period, improving to 2-19-1.
MARKING 100
Patrik Laine recorded his 100th point as a Blue Jacket with the primary assist on Blankenburg’s goal.
QUITE THE KILL
The Blue Jackets have killed off all 29 Anaheim power plays across 12 games, dating back to Feb. 11, 2016,
INJURY UPDATE
Ducks rookie Mason McTavish missed the game due to a lower-body injury. Isac Lundestrom, who missed 21 games with a finger injury, returned to the Anaheim lineup and recorded three assists, his first points since Nov. 21.
FINDING THEIR FOURTH
Henrique scored for the fourth straight game, adding his team-leading 16th goal. Terry has five assists his last four games.
UP NEXT
Ducks: At Buffalo on Saturday night.
Blue Jackets: Host San Jose on Saturday night.
****************************MLB NEWS*******************************
AP SOURCE: ROYALS, CHAPMAN AGREE ON $3.75M DEAL FOR 2023
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The Kansas City Royals and Aroldis Chapman have agreed to a $3.75 million, one-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal is pending a successful physical for the seven-time All-Star.
Chapman was once among baseball’s most dynamic pitchers, known for consistently throwing 100 mph or more. But the left-hander, who will be 35 on opening day, is coming off the worst season of his 13-year career, going 4-4 with a 4.46 ERA for the Yankees in 2022 while raising questions about his dedication to his team.
Chapman spent time on the injured list with Achilles tendinitis in May, and then lost the closer job to Clay Holmes. He was on the IL again in August for a leg infection following a tattoo, and then was kept off New York’s roster for the AL Division Series after missing a mandatory team workout and drawing the ire of manager Aaron Boone.
At his best, Chapman has been a dynamic closer, making his most recent All-Star team just two years ago. And the Royals hope that new manager Matt Quatraro, along with a rebuilt coaching staff now guiding their pitchers, will be able to help Chapman rediscover the form that helped him save at least 30 games in eight different seasons.
He is 44-35 with a 2.48 ERA and 315 saves during his career with the Yankees, Reds and Cubs.
The Royals have been desperate for help in the bullpen, where they were fourth-worst in the majors with a 4.66 ERA last season. Their biggest free-agent acquisition thus far had been Ryan Yarbrough, who can start or work in long relief.
*********************************MEN’S/WOMEN’S TENNIS******************************
AMERICANS GAUFF, PEGULA INTO 4TH ROUND AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) American title favorites Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff had convincing third-round wins on Friday at the Australian Open.
The third-seeded Pegula, a quarterfinalist the past two years at Melbourne Park, needed 65 minutes for a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Marta Kostyuk. Seventh-seeded Gauff beat Bernarda Pera 6-3, 6-2 to reach the last 16.
Pegula raced through the first set and though Kostyuk established herself in the second set, she was always playing catch-up.
“I thought I just didn’t give away a lot of free points,” said Pegula, who will meet Barbora Krejcikova, the 2021 French Open champion, in the next round. “I was playing aggressive when I had to but also smart. Happy to be through to the next round.”
Gauff had to withstand a barrage of big hitting from Pera.
“Today was a tough match,” Gauff said. “Bernarda hit the..I can’t say that word.she hit the ball really hard, I was just trying to hang in there. I’m happy to be through to the second week.”
Top-seeded Iga Swiatek beat Cristina Bucsa, a qualifier from Spain, 6-0, 6-1 in just 55 minutes. Last year’s finalist Danielle Collins of the U.S. was beaten 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 by Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
Krejcikova was the first player to advance to the fourth round after a 6-2, 6-3 win over Anhelina Kalinina to open play Friday at Rod Laver Arena.
The 20th-seeded Czech player won the first five games of the match and dominated her Ukrainian opponent. Krejcikova has not dropped a set in three matches.
In men’s play, Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on Jannik Sinner in the fourth round.
Third-seeded Tsitsipas saved a set point in the second set but beat Tallon Griekspoor 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-3 to reach the last 16 at Melbourne Park for the third time in four years.
Sinner recovered from two sets down for the first time in his career as he beat Marton Fucsovics 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 after 3 hours, 33 minutes, winning the last 12 games.
“For sure the first two sets were very tough for me,” the 21-year-old Italian and 15th-seeded player said. “I went on court with one tactic, then I had to change a little bit, going a little more to his backhand. We made a lot of work in the off-season physically so today I was good physically in the last few sets.”
Tsitsipas, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw following the exits of top-seeded and defending champion Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Casper Ruud, was pushed hard in the second set by the 63rd-ranked Griekspoor.
The Dutch player had a set point on Tsitsipas’ serve at 6-5 in the second set but couldn’t convert it and Tsitsipas pulled away for victory.
Tsitsipas and Sinner have played five times, with the Greek player leading 4-1. The 24-year-old is a three-time Australian Open semifinalist and was the 2021 French Open runner-up to Novak Djokovic. Sinner reached the quarterfinals in Melbourne last year.
*****************************MEN’S SOCCER************************
SOCCER PLAYER ANTON WALKES, 25, DIES IN FLORIDA BOAT CRASH
MIAMI (AP) Professional soccer player Anton Walkes has died from injuries he sustained in a boat crash off the coast of Miami, authorities said Thursday.
Walkes, who was 25, was found unconscious and taken to a hospital after the crash between two boats Wednesday near the Miami Marine Stadium basin, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Walkes was operating one of the boats that crashed, the state agency said in a statement.
It was unclear whether anyone else was injured. The agency’s investigation is ongoing.
Walkes, a defender, was entering his second season with MLS club Charlotte FC. The team had arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 9 for its first leg of preseason training and had a friendly scheduled with St. Louis on Saturday. That match has been cancelled.
Charlotte FC owner David Tepper said all at the club were “devastated by the tragic passing of Anton Walkes.”
“He was a tremendous son, father, partner and teammate whose joyous approach to life touched everyone he met,” Tepper said in a club statement.
Walkes joined Charlotte for the club’s debut MLS season in 2022. He played in 23 matches with 21 starts and had five shots on goal this past season.
“Anton made those around him better people in all areas of life and represented Charlotte FC to the highest standard both on and off the pitch,” Tepper said.
Fans began laying flowers outside of the east gate of Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium on Thursday. A vigil was planned there in the early evening.
Walkes began his career with English Premier League club Tottenham and also played for Portsmouth before signing with Atlanta United in the MLS, where he spent three seasons.
The MLS released a statement saying “there are no words to describe the sorrow of everyone in Major League Soccer today.”
“Anton was a talented and dedicated player who was loved by his teammates and fans,” the statement said.
In 2016, a boat crash off Miami Beach killed Major League Baseball player Jose Fernandez, a star pitcher for the Miami Marlins. Fernandez and two other people died when their 32-foot vessel slammed into a jetty, according to authorities.
Charlotte FC teammate Jaylin Lindsey said he was “heartbroken” to learn of Walkes’ death.
“Fly high my brother, you’re the best teammate I could’ve asked for,” Lindsey Tweeted. “Love you man.”
Tottenham Hotspur also tweeted: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former player, Anton Walkes. The thoughts of everyone at the Club are with his family and friends at this incredibly sad time.”
****************TOP INDIANA RELEASES*******************
COLTS FOOTBALL: COLTS INTERVIEW JEFF SATURDAY FOR HEAD COACH POSITION
The Colts on Thursday completed an interview with Jeff Saturday for the team’s head coaching position.
Saturday took over as the Colts’ interim head coach on Nov. 7 after the team parted ways with Frank Reich. The Colts won Saturday’s NFL head coaching debut, 25-20, over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 10 before dropping their final 7 games.
After Saturday took over as interim head coach, the Colts’ offensive line earned the NFL’s 10th-highest Pro Football Focus pass block grade (74.8); prior to his arrival, the Colts had the third-lowest PFF pass block grade (54.1).
Saturday consulted for the Colts prior to being hired as interim head coach.
Saturday starred at center for the Colts from 1999-2011, earning first-team AP All-Pro honors in 2005 and 2007, as well as helping the team bring a Lombardi Trophy to Indianapolis after the 2006 season. Saturday was selected to six Pro Bowls in his career, five with the Colts (2005-2007, 2009-2010) and one with the Green Bay Packers (2012). His 202 career starts are tied for 92nd in NFL history, and he’s one of only 103 players to start 200 or more games in the NFL.
Saturday was enshrined in the Colts’ Ring of Honor in 2015.
PACERS BASKETBALL: HALIBURTON EIGHTH IN THIRD FAN RETURNS FOR 2023 ALL-STAR VOTING
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton remains eighth among Eastern Conference guards in the third and final returns from fan voting for the 2023 All-Star Game, which the NBA released Thursday.
Haliburton leads the Pacers in scoring at 20.2 points per game and also leads the NBA in assists (10.2 per game) and is third in steals (1.8 per contest). The 22-year-old guard is shooting 48.5 percent from the field, 39.9 percent from 3-point range, and 88 percent from the free throw line. He has 22 double-doubles on the season, the most of any guard in the Eastern Conference.
All-Star voting will continue on NBA.com and in the NBA app until Saturday at 11:59 p.m. ET. Votes will be tripled on the upcoming “3-for-1 Day” on Friday.
NBA players and media will continue to join fans in selecting the NBA All-Star Game starters. Fans will account for 50 percent of the vote, while all current players and a media panel will account for 25 percent each. Players and media will be able to complete one ballot.
TNT will reveal the NBA All-Star Game starters, including the two team captains, on Thursday, Jan. 26 during TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax. TNT will also announce the reserves, as selected by NBA head coaches, on Thursday, Feb. 2 during TNT NBA Tip-Off.
Please see below for the top 10 vote getters for each position group in both conferences.
NBA ALL-STAR VOTING 2023: THIRD FAN RETURNS
Eastern Conference
Guards
1. Kyrie Irving (BKN) 3,968,041
2. Donovan Mitchell (CLE) 3,851,233
3. Jaylen Brown (BOS) 2,097,700
4. James Harden (PHI) 1,991,721
5. Trae Young (ATL) 1,479,336
6. DeMar DeRozan (CHI) 1,130,944
7. LaMelo Ball (CHA) 607,544
8. Tyrese Haliburton (IND) 578,752
9. Derrick Rose (NYK) 384,557
10. Darius Garland (CLE) 318,782
Frontcourt
1. Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) 5,970,196
2. Kevin Durant (BKN) 5,838,182
3. Jayson Tatum (BOS) 4,521,414
4. Joel Embiid (PHI) 4,318,035
5. Jimmy Butler (MIA) 954,799
6. Pascal Siakam (TOR) 745,112
7. Kyle Kuzma (WAS) 510,426
8. Paolo Banchero (ORL) 501,316
9. Julius Randle (NYK) 372,093
10. Nic Claxton (BKN) 371,090
Western Conference
Guards
1. Stephen Curry (GSW) 5,151,822
2. Luka Doncic (DAL) 4,905,655
3. Ja Morant (MEM) 1,921,276
4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) 1,843,460
5. Klay Thompson (GSW) 1,222,843
6. Russell Westbrook (LAL) 973,226
7. Damian Lillard (POR) 668,169
8. Austin Reaves (LAL) 392,546
9. Devin Booker (PHX) 388,308
10. De’Aaron Fox (SAC) 382,173
Frontcourt
1. LeBron James (LAL) 6,506,682
2. Nikola Jokic (DEN) 4,718,218
3. Anthony Davis (LAL) 3,838,171
4. Zion Williamson (NOP) 3,760,732
5. Andrew Wiggins (GSW) 2,158,855
6. Paul George (LAC) 1,612,347
7. Lauri Markkanen (UTA) 1,348,243
8. Draymond Green (GSW) 981,695
9. Kevon Looney (GSW) 692,095
10. Domantas Sabonis (SAC) 686,291
GAME PREVIEW: PACERS AT NUGGETS
To stop a five-game skid, the Indiana Pacers will need to beat the No. 1 team in the Western Conference at their place.
The Pacers (23-23) can avenge an early-season loss to the Denver Nuggets (32-13) at Ball Arena on Friday night in The Mile High City.
Both teams are streaking, but in opposite directions: the Nuggets are riding eight straight victories while the Pacers have dropped five in a row.
Indiana comes into the game off a 126-106 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. The current losing streak is the longest of the season for the Blue & Gold.
Six Pacers – including four off the bench – scored in double figures against the Thunder, led by 18 points, seven assists and five rebounds from rookie Andrew Nembhard.
Over the last five games, the Pacers are averaging 112 points per game on 43 percent shooting (32.7 percent from 3-point range) while having a defensive rating of 119.0.
The Pacers were without star point guard Tyrese Haliburton against the Thunder, who has been sidelined since suffering a knee and elbow sprain against the New York Knicks on Jan. 11. Haliburton will not be available against the Nuggets, as he is expected to miss at least two weeks.
Since Halibuton went down, the Pacers haven’t won a game.
Denver enters the game having won 11 of their last 12 games. The Nuggets have been nearly unstoppable at home this season, boasting a 21-3 record – and have won 15 in a row at Ball Arena.
The Nuggets have been led by another stellar season from reigning two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, who is averaging 25 points on 62.7 percent shooting, 11 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game at the center position.
In his return from injury this year, point guard Jamal Murray has been the second-highest scorer on the Nuggets at 18.5 points per game to go along with 5.4 assists while forwards Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. are each averaging just over 16 points per game.
The Nuggets have the highest field goal percentage of any NBA team this season (50.9 percent), as well as 3-point percentage (39.8), and also rank second in assists per game (29.3). On defense, the Nuggets are giving up 113.1 points per game.
Over the last eight games, the Nuggets are averaging 121.1 points per game on 51.6 percent shooting (39.3 percent 3-point range), an NBA-high 28.8 asissts and have an overall +/- of 14.3.
Denver comes into the game against the Pacers with a 122-118 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at home on Wednesday.
In the victory, Jokic had 31 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds — his 14th triple-double of the season – while Murray poured in 28 points and Bruce Brown scored16 off the bench.
The Nuggets eked out a 122-119 win over the Pacers on Nov. 9.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Andrew Nembhard, G – Bennedict Mathurin, F – Buddy Hield, F – Aaron Nesmith, C – Myles Turner
Nuggets: G – Jamal Murray, G – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, F – Michael Porter Jr., F – Aaron Gordon, C – Nikola Jokic
Injury Report
Pacers: Kendall Brown – out (right tibia stress reaction), Tyrese Haliburton – out (left knee/elbow sprains), Daniel Theis – out (right knee surgery)
Nuggets: Jamal Murray – probable (right foot and ankle inflammation), Jeff Green – questionable (left finger sprain/hand fracture), Collin Gillespie – out (right lower leg fracture), Peyton Watson – out (left adductor strain)
Last Meeting
Nov. 9, 2022: Despite a 30-point performance by rookie Bennedict Mathurin, and getting Nikola Jokic into foul trouble early, the Pacers lost to the Nuggets 122-119 in Indianapolis.
After the Nuggets took an eight-point lead in the first quarter, the Pacers outscored the visitors 43-21 in the second to lead 70-56 at intermission. Mathurin scored 18 of his 30 points in the second frame.
The Nuggets didn’t retake the lead until there was 6:37 left in the game, but the Pacers retied it with 55 seconds remaining.
In the final 30 seconds, Jokic hit a jumper before Jamal Murray sank a pair of free throws to make it a two-possession game. The Pacers had a chance to tie the game before the buzzer after a Tyrese Halliburton make just inside the 3-point line, but the final shot didn’t go in from Myles Turner.
Six players finished in double figure scoring for the Nuggets. Jokic had four fouls by the second quarter, but still finished with 24 points, six assists and four rebounds in just 20 minutes, 42 seconds of play. Aaron Gordon was next for the Nuggets with 18 points, 16 rebounds and six assists.
After Mathurin, Haliburton had 21 points and 11 assists, Turner scored 14 while pulling down 11 rebounds and Isaiah Jackson collected 17 points and 10 boards.
A major difference in the final boxscore was at the foul line, as the Nuggets made 24 of 26 attempts while the Pacers went 15-for-19.
Noteworthy
Jokic, who was drafted by the Nuggets in 2014, has recorded a triple-double against every NBA team except the Pacers and the Wizards.
Denver’s 15 straight wins at home is their longest home winning streak since the 2012-13 season (23).
Friday’s game will complete the season series between the Pacers and Nuggets. The Nuggets have won five straight against the Blue & Gold.
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
TV: Bally Sports Indiana – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (studio host)
Tickets
After a four-game road trip, the Pacers will be back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7:00 PM ET.
INDIANA MEN’S BASKETBALL: HOOSIERS HANDLE ILLINI, 80-65
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois had no answer — not for Trayce Jackson-Davis, not for the Indiana Hoosiers.
The result — Thursday night’s 80-65 Cream ‘n Crimson victory over the previously red-hot Illini, a two-game winning streak and the growing sense that IU has found its Big Ten-title-contention form.
“This was a total team effort,” coach Mike Woodson told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer during the post-game radio show. “From the very beginning, we came out ready to play.
“We set the tone with our defense and rebounding. We made shots. That makes it an easy night when you’re doing that. We sustained it over 40 minutes, and the result was a W.”
Jackson-Davis, who earlier on Thursday was named one of 50 players to the United States Basketball Writers Association’s Oscar Robertson Trophy midseason watch list, dominated as he hadn’t all season, in part because the Illini refused to double-team him.
They stuck with man-to-man defense, and the senior forward shredded it, driving for dunks, layups and more. He finished with a season-high 35 points on 15-for-19 shooting, plus added nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
Jackson-Davis is the only major-conference player in the last 20 years to put up those kinds of numbers.
“They didn’t double team him,” Woodson told Fischer. “I kept milking it.
“Every timeout I would say, the double team might be coming. We tried to set our offense accordingly, but it never came, so we rode him. He performed and produced. He gave us what we needed.”
When Jackson-Davis wasn’t, forward Jordan Geronimo was. Growing increasingly more comfortable in his starting role after the injury to senior Race Thompson, Geronimo had 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting. He grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots.
“He was solid,” Woodson told Fischer. “He did a lot of good things. He was fantastic.”
Guard Trey Galloway added 11 points. Guard Jalen Hood-Schifino added 10.
IU (12-6 overall, 3-4 in the Big Ten) opened by relentlessly attacking inside. It had a 22-6 edge in points in the paint — including 10 layups and dunks — after the first 13 minutes to build a 19-point lead.
The tone was set. The Hoosiers finished with 54 points in the paint while shooting 61.8 percent from the field.
The defense was nasty for the second straight game. Illinois shot 39 percent and never found its rhythm.
“Our defense caught them off guard,” Woodson told Fischer. “We were solid from the start and finished that way.”
The only negative — IU’s 17 turnovers. Illinois capitalized for an 18-5 edge on points off turnovers, which was as relevant on this night as the Pony Express.
“The only thing bad to take from the game was the turnovers,” Woodson told Fischer. “That has to be fixed. It is fixable. That was the only dry spot of the game.”
Geronimo took charge early. He had an inside basket and then a three-pointer to spark IU’s 7-0 run after falling behind 4-0. The run reached 12 points after Trey Galloway hit a three-pointer and Jackson-Davis scored.
The Hoosiers pushed ahead by nine, then 11, then 14, at 26-12. Geronimo led with nine points and three rebounds. The Illini were shooting just 21 percent from the field to IU’s 63 percent.
The Hoosiers didn’t let up. They built a pair of 19-point leads as guard Jalen Hood-Schifino got hot before the Illini rallied behind Terrence Shannon’s 13 points to trail 43-33 at halftime.
Geronimo and Jackson-Davis each had 13 points. Each was 6-for-6 from the field. Hood-Schifino had 10 points.
Illinois opened the second half with a basket to close within eight points. Jackson-Davis responded with a three-point play. He followed with another basket and a rim-rocking dunk. One free throw by forward Miller Kopp (off a technical foul on Illinois coach Brad Underwood) and two from Galloway, plus another Jackson-Davis dunk and then a jumper, pushed IU ahead 57-39.
“We always talk about that the first four to five minutes of each half is valuable,” Woodson told Fischer. “It held true. We came out in the second half, and our defense picked right back up. We made shots and cushioned the lead.”
The cushion came with a brief glitch when the Illini ratcheted up the defensive pressure, forced Hoosier turnovers and began hitting shots. They closed within 12. Guard Tre Galloway scored four straight points to blunt the Illinois rally. Jackson-Davis kept up the offensive pressure.
The Illini were finished.
IU next plays Sunday when it hosts Michigan State, which is coming off a home win over Rutgers.
“This is something we can grow on and get ready for Michigan State,” Woodson told Fischer.
ALSO: JACKSON-DAVIS PICKED TO USBWA OSCAR ROBERTSON TROPHY MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis was among a group of 50 student-athletes selected to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List, the publication announced on Thursday afternoon.
The USBWA annually selects a national player, coach and freshman of the year in college basketball and All-America teams for both men and women. The men’s player of the year award is named in honor of former Cincinnati and NBA legend Oscar Robertson, who was the first recipient of the USBWA award in 1959.
Jackson-Davis paces the Hoosiers with 17.4 points (6th in the Big Ten), 9.9 rebounds (3rd), and 2.9 blocks (1st) per game this season. He is shooting 58.9% (96-163) from the floor. He is on pace to average more rebounds per game in a single season than any Hoosier since D.J. White averaged 10.3 in the 2007-08 season. Jackson-Davis is one of two Power 5 players (Zach Edey; Purdue) to average at least 17.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game this season.
The All-American currently sits eighth all-time at IU in scoring (1,832), fourth in rebounds (935), second in blocked shots (219), and sixth in double-doubles (39). He joins Alan Henderson as the only Hoosiers to be top-10 all-time in career scoring, rebounding, and blocks.
The Center Grove product is the only active player in the country to tally at least 1,800 career points, 900 career rebounds, and 200 career blocks. In the last 25 seasons, only 22 players have achieved those numbers in college basketball. Three (Kyle Hines; UNCG, Shawn Long; ULL, and Nathan Knight; WMU) have produced those numbers on a higher career scoring average.
He was named a third-team All-American as a sophomore, has earned all-district honors each of the last two seasons, and has been a third-team, first-team and second-team All-Big Ten choice in his first three campaigns with the Hoosiers.
Jackson-Davis posted Indiana’s third ever triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in an 81-65 victory over Nebraska on Dec. 7, 2022. He has blocked at least two shots in 28 of his last 45 games played.
USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List
Max Abmas, Oral Roberts
Tyree Appleby, Wake Forest
Armando Bacot, North Carolina
Oumar Ballo, Arizona
Souley Boum, Xavier
Jordan Brown, Louisiana
Kobe Brown, Missouri
Marcus Carr, Texas
Jaylen Clark, UCLA
Josh Cohen, St. Francis (Pa.)
Yuri Collins, St. Louis
Ricky Council IV, Arkansas
Antoine Davis, Detroit
Kendric Davis, Memphis
Gradey Dick, Kansas
Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
Jordan Dingle, Penn
Zach Edey, Purdue
Kyle Filipowski, Duke
Adam Flagler, Baylor
Keyonte George, Baylor
DaRon Holmes, Dayton
Bryce Hopkins, Providence
Jaelen House, New Mexico
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA
Keyontae Johnson, Kansas State
Ryan Kalkenbrenner, Creighton
Taevion Kinsey, Marshall
Caleb Love, North Carolina
Mike Miles Jr., TCU
Brandon Miller, Alabama
Kris Murray, Iowa
Jameer Nelson Jr., Delaware
Markquis Nowell, Kansas State
Jalen Pickett, Penn State
Marcus Sasser, Houston
Terrence Shannon, Illinois
Terquavion Smith, NC State
Adama Sonogo, Connecticut
Joel Soriano, St. John’s
Jake Stephens, Chattanooga
Drew Timme, Gonzaga
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Azuolas Tubelis, Arizona
Hunter Tyson, Clemson
Jordan Walker, UAB
KJ Williams, LSU
Jalen Wilson, Kansas
Isaiah Wong, Miami
INDIANA BASEBALL: PRESEASON CENTRAL: BASEBALL
With the college baseball season just around the corner, the Indiana baseball program and its student-athletes have begun to earn preseason accolades and rankings from the national media outlets. Below is a look at a breakdown of those honor, awards, and rankings.
Phillip Glasser, IF
After 47 starts at shortstop in 2022, Glasser enters as the most experienced Hoosier on the field with 165 career games played between IU and Youngstown State. A career .306 hitter, Glasser is off a career-best .346 average and 65 hits in 2022 with 27 walks to just 30 strikeouts in the mostly from the leadoff spot.
D1Baseball Top 50 Seniors (No. 16)
Gabe Levy, RHP
One of the transfers on the mound, Levy spent four seasons at Davidson before arriving in Bloomington. In 63 career appearances, Levy has 43 relief appearances and stranded 26 of 39 inherited runners in his career with 175 strikeouts in 181 2/3 innings of work. His career record of 13-5 is bolstered by 20 career saves.
Baseball America Impact Transfer (No. 74)
D1Baseball Impact Transfer (No. No. 85)
Carter Mathison, OF
After one of the most impressive freshman seasons in Indiana history, Carter Mathison looks to build on his Freshman All-America campaign in year two on campus. Mathison averaged nearly 1.0 RBI per game (58 in 59 games played) and logged a program freshman-record 19 home runs to go along with eight stolen bases.
D1Baseball Top 100 Sophomores (No. 44)
Brayden Risedorph, RHP
The No. 4 overall prospect in Indiana per Perfect Game, Risedorph was an all-state pick as a senior at East Noble High School. A top-225 national recruit, the right-hander struck out 74 batters n 38 2/3 innings of work as a senior and owned 60 punchouts in 35 innings as a junior.
Perfect Game Top-10 Big Ten Recruit (No. 9)
AJ Shepard, C
Among the top prep catchers in the country according to Perfect Game, Shepard earned honorable mention All-America accolades three times from the publication.
D1Baseball Top 100 Freshmen
Devin Taylor, OF
A top-100 prospect out of LaSalle High School, Taylor was a two-time conference player of the year for the Lancers. A three-time Perfect Game All-American, he participated in the 2020 Perfect Game Underclass All-American Game and finished his prep career ranked No. 78 nationally by Perfect Game.
D1Baseball Top 100 Freshmen
Perfect Game Top-10 Big Ten Recruit (No. 1)
Brock Tibbitts, C/IF
After a nine-home run, 43-RBI debut campaign, Tibbitts will look to build off of the Freshman All-America season during his sophomore campaign. His rookie season included 58 hits – 23 for extra bases – and 38 walks for a .382 on-base percentage.
D1Baseball Top 100 Sophomores (No. 89)
PURDUE MEN’S BASKETBALL: #3 PURDUE TOPS MINNESOTA FOR BEST START IN SCHOOL HISTORY
MINNEAPOLIS — Zach Edey is more than content to let a Purdue teammate take the lead on offense when the situation calls for it.
Everybody had a hand in the Boilermakers’ smothering effort on defense at Minnesota.
Braden Smith had 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to help No. 3 Purdue overwhelm Minnesota 61-39 on Thursday night for the best 19-game start in program history.
The 7-foot-4 Edey had 12 points, six rebounds and four blocks for the Big Ten-leading Boilermakers (18-1, 7-1), who won their fifth consecutive game after taking their lone loss of the season to now-No. 23 Rutgers on Jan. 2.
“I’ve never believed that we needed 30 and 15 from me to win,” Edey said. “We have a lot of guys who can really do a lot of damage.”
Three days after Edey’s short turnaround shot with 2.2 seconds left lifted Purdue to a 64-63 victory at Michigan State, the boys in black and gold gave themselves a breather by flustering the last-place Gophers (7-10, 1-6) from start to finish. This was the lowest final score for Minnesota since a 32-26 loss at Indiana in 1951.
Edey, who had 32 points and 17 rebounds against the Spartans, made his presence felt on the first possession when 6-foot-7 freshman Joshua Ola-Joseph drove in the lane and had his shot deflected.
Edey had 31 points and 22 rebounds against Minnesota on Dec. 4. The conference scoring leader was held 10 points below his average this time.
“He’s had to really work and develop into his success, so when that happens you know you’re humble and you had to do a lot of little things just to help your team win,” coach Matt Painter said.
Ola-Joseph led the Gophers with 13 points. Minnesota’s two top scorers, Jamison Battle and Dawson Garcia, shot a combined 3 for 22 from the floor. Garcia had seven points, and Battle went scoreless.
“If you would’ve told me before the game that Edey was going to have 12 points and six rebounds, I would’ve felt pretty good about it,” Gophers coach Ben Johnson said.
The Gophers shot 5 for 24 in the first half and never found their rhythm — or confidence.
“If you let guys like that get their head up early it’s going to be a long night for you,” Purdue’s Caleb Furst said, “so we just kind of right from the jump tried to cut off their water supply.”
(Postgame Notes)
Purdue improved to 18-1 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten with a 61-39 win over Minnesota at Williams Arena on Thursday night.
The win was Purdue’s fifth in a row and gave the Boilermakers their best 19-game start in school history (18-1).
The Boilermakers wrapped up a “four-in-five” game road trip with a 5-0 record. It marks the first time in school history that Purdue has wrapped up a stretch like that with a 5-0 record. The only other years that Purdue went 4-1 in a stretch like this was 2016-17, 1994-95 and 1987-88. The Boilermakers won the Big Ten championship in those three seasons.
Purdue is now 6-0 in road games this season, the most road wins for a power-conference team. Purdue’s six-game road winning streak is the third-longest of the Matt Painter era.
Purdue is now 47-9 since the start of last season, the fourth-most wins in America in that span.
The 39 points allowed were the fewest allowed since defeating Old Dominion, 61-39, on Nov. 21, 2015.
The 39 points allowed were the fewest allowed on an opponent’s home court since a 39-37 loss at DePaul on Jan. 29, Jan. 29, 1944.
It also marked Minnesota’s fewest points scored since the 1950-51 season.
Purdue nearly had as many points in the paint (36) as Minnesota had points (39).
The 12 points allowed in the first half tied for the fewest allowed in a half in school history and were the fewest allowed in any half by a Big Ten opponent ever. The last time Purdue allowed 12 points or less in a half came on Nov. 21, 2012, vs. UNC Wilmington (12). Minnesota reached double-digits with 40 seconds left in the opening half.
Purdue has held every opponent this season to 70 points or less, one of three teams nationally that can say that (Saint Mary’s, North Texas).
Purdue had 18 assists on 25 made field goals and outrebounded the Gophers 40-31.
Purdue continues to shoot well from 3-point range, making 7-of-16 from deep. Purdue is now 43-of-104 (.413) from 3-point range in the last five games.
Purdue became the first Big Ten team to win 100 games since the 2015-16 season, now owning a 100-41 league record in the last eight seasons. Michigan State has the next best record at 94-48.
Braden Smith scored 19 points with seven rebounds and seven assists, becoming the first Purdue freshman to reach those marks in a game in at least 20 years.
Smith is now averaging 9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game on the season. He would be the first Purdue player in the last 30 years to average those marks in a season.
Smith’s 81 assists are already the 10th most by a freshman in school history.
Smith is the only freshman in America to have at least 175 points, 90 rebounds and 80 assists on the season.
Zach Edey tallied 12 points, six rebounds, four blocks and two assists, scoring in double-figures for the nation’s-best 35th straight game. However, he saw his 10-game double-double streak end, which was the third-longest streak in school history.
Fletcher Loyer saw his 16-game streak with a 3-pointer end.
ALSO: EDEY NAMED TO OSCAR ROBERTSON TROPHY MIDSEASON WATCH LIST
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue junior center Zach Edey was named to the United States Basketball Writers Association’s (USBWA) midseason watch list for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, given to the nation’s top player, the organization announced on Thursday afternoon.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the entire USBWA membership will vote for the award. The winner of the award will be announced at the 2023 Men’s Final Four in Houston with the formal presentation to follow at the annual USBWA Awards Luncheon hosted by the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.
Edey, a 7-foot, 4-inch center from Toronto, is considered the front-runner for the National Player of the Year awards. He currently averages 21.6 points, 13.4 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.3 assists per game while shooting over 60.0 percent from the field and over 75.0 percent from the free throw line – ranking fifth nationally in scoring and second in rebounds. He is also second nationally with 15 double-doubles.
He has recorded double-doubles in 10 straight games, the third-longest streak in Purdue history behind a pair of legends in the 1960s, Terry Dischinger and Dave Schellhase. Edey also owns a nation’s-best 34 consecutive games scoring in double-figures and owns four 30-10 games this season, ranking behind all-time greats Schellhase, Dischinger and Glenn Robinson in that category.
Based on a 35-game season, Edey will be the only collegiate player in the last 30 years to have recorded at least 750 points, 450 rebounds and 50 blocks in a season.
For his career, he is averaging 27.8 points and 15.4 rebounds per 40 minutes, numbers that are comparable to Shaquille O’Neal (28.3 PPG, 17.8 RPG) and David Robinson (28.5 PPG, 14.0 RPG).
PURDUE WRESTLING: COLEMAN AND RAMOS SET NEW STANDARD IN INITIAL COACHES’ RANKINGS
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Kendall Coleman, Matt Ramos and Parker Filius all earned spots in the initial NCAA coaches’ rankings that were announced on Thursday afternoon. Coleman checked in at No. 3, Ramos is spotted at No. 4 and Filius starts at No. 13 in the first of three rankings sets to be released prior to the NCAA Championships.
Coleman and Ramos are the first set of Boilermakers to be ranked inside the top-four at their weight classes at the same time since the NCAA began releasing rankings in 2012. The last pair of Purdue teammates to be placed inside the top-five simultaneously by the committee were Dylan Lydy and Christian Brunner in 2020.
The trio of Boilermakers bolster their rankings by being among the leaders in both matches and wins at their weights. Coleman and Ramos lead their classes in wins with 20 and 19 each while also having wrestled the most matches of anyone ranked inside the top-15. Parkers Filius (18) has the third most matches.
The coaches’ rankings are determined by a vote of 14 coaches in each weight class with two head coaches from each of the seven conferences. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. Wrestlers must have eight Division I matches in the weight class to be considered with at least one within the last 30 days.
The coaches rank and RPI represent two of the three requirements to earn a NCAA Championships qualifying bid for the conference tournament, with the third being individual win percentage. The first edition of the RPI will be released along with the second coaches’ rankings in early February.
BUTLER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: #5 UCONN TO HOST @BUTLERUWBB SATURDAY ON SNY
INDIANAPOLIS – The BIG EAST Conference schedule will flip for the Bulldogs beginning this weekend as the team travels to #5 UConn for a 12 PM contest at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Tenley Dowell, Rosemarie Dumont and Abby Stoddard are the only Bulldogs on the roster with playing experience in Storrs.
GameDay
Date: Saturday, Jan. 21
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: Storrs, Conn. – Harry A. Gampel Pavilion
Live Stats: UConnHuskies.com – Statbroadcast
Watch: SNY
Bulldog Bits
– Saturday will be just the fifth overall meeting between Butler and UConn.
– Butler only had five turnovers vs. Providence. Five fewer than their old season-low total (10) set vs. Binghamton.
– Caroline Strande scored a career-high 18 points on Wednesday vs. Providence.
– Strande only missed one shot all night going 6-for-7 from the field; 2-for-2 from distance and 4-for-4 from the line.
– Strande and Anna Mortag shared the team lead in rebounds vs. PC with six each.
– Mortag returned to the BU starting lineup Wednesday for the first time since Dec. 7.
– Rachel McLimore scored 12 points vs. PC to hit double figures for the first time since playing UConn.
– Sydney Jaynes battled foul trouble, but managed to score 10 points vs. the Friars.
– Jaynes has now scored in double figures 10 times this season.
– Jaynes ranks 10th in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (49.7).
– Jaynes and McLimore are the only Bulldogs to start in every game this season.
– Butler has used five different starting five lineups over their last five games.
– The Bulldogs are at the halfway point of the conference season. There are only 10 games left before the conference tournament.
– Shay Frederick is three rebounds shy of 400 for her collegiate career.
– Kendall Wingler was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday (1/16).
– Wingler needs five more 3-pointers to reach 100 in her collegiate career.
– Geno Auriemma did not coach UConn against Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse (Illness).
Scouting #5 UConn
The Huskies are on top of the BIG EAST standings with a perfect 9-0 record against conference competition. They are 16-2 overall with setbacks to Notre Dame (74-60) and Maryland (85-68). Each loss came on the road giving UConn an 8-0 record on their home court. Aaliyah Edwards and Lou Lopez Senechal are each scoring 16.7 points per game after the first 18 games of the 2022-23 campaign. Edwards is shooting 62.2 percent from the field this year and is nearly averaging a double-double with a 9.5 rebound average. Lopez Senechal is the top 3-point shooter on the UConn roster. She has 47 makes from downtown and is near perfect from the free throw line (31-33).
All-Time Series vs. UConn
Butler is 0-4 all-time against UConn. The first-ever meeting came on Jan. 19, 2021 with UConn winning 103-35. The Huskies made it a season sweep with a 97-68 victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse in February. Last year’s lone game went down as a 92-47 win for UConn.
Butler’s Last Game vs. UConn
All five UConn starters scored in double figures in the first meeting as the Huskies posted an 80-47 win over Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Jan. 3. Butler saw Rachel McLimore score a team-high 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting. McLimore was 4-for-8 behind the arc, as BU would end the contest with nine made 3-pointers. UConn used their size to score 52 points in the paint. They also scored 30 points off 22 Butler turnovers.
UConn’s Last Game
Aubrey Griffin and Dorka Juhasz each scored 22 points while Aaliyah Edwards added 21 to help short-handed No. 5 UConn win at Seton Hall 103-58 on Tuesday night. After a back-and-forth start to the game, UConn (16-2, 9-0 BIG EAST) took control with a 17-2 run to end the quarter and take a commanding 25-9 lead. The Huskies were 10-of-15 from three while holding the Pirates to a 6-for-31 clip. Jala Jordan scored a season-high 19 points for The Hall (13-6, 6-3), while Victoria Keenan drained four triples for 12 points, her best performance since returning from a two-year injury absence. The win was UConn’s ninth in a row, as the first-place Huskies remain undefeated in BIG EAST play.
Help On the Way
Jessica Carrothers, Anna Mortag and Jordan Meulemans all missed the first matchup vs. UConn this year. That trio accounts for nearly 20 points per game.
Behind The Arc
Butler ranks 7th in the NCAA and second in the BIG EAST in 3-point field goal percentage (38.1). The Bulldogs average 7.5 made 3-point field goals per game (3rd in the BIG EAST) but were limited to just five in their last game vs. Providence. UConn is the top 3-point shooting team in the conference. They connect on 40.8 percent of their attempts from behind the arc.
Long Range Looks
Butler has made at least five 3-point field goals in every game this season. They attempted 28 the last time they played UConn, just one shy of their season-high total that they set in the win at Xavier on Dec. 28. The ‘Dawgs have hit five 3-pointers five times this season and have hit nine or more in five games, including in their matchup vs. UConn on Jan. 3.
Huskies Heavy Favorites
UConn leads the BIG EAST in scoring average (81.1), scoring margin (+21.2) field goal percentage (52.1), field goal percentage defense (35.5), rebound margin (+12.9) and assists (21.). A win for the Bulldogs would be the first-ever against UConn and would double as their first win against a ranked opponent since March 1, 2021 (at #25 DePaul).
‘Dawgs Have Depth
Butler has seven players on the roster averaging at least 20 minutes of playing time per game whereas the Huskies have five players logging 30+ minutes. In the first meeting, UConn only used eight players at Hinkle Fieldhouse and only seven saw playing time at Seton Hall. BU can have up to 11 players in the rotation any given week.
Providence Recap
Grace Efosa paced five Friars in double figures with 16 points and Janai Crooms added 12 points and 11 rebounds for her 10th career double-double as Providence scored a wire-to-wire road win at Butler on Wednesday night. The Friars’ defense held the Bulldogs to 38-percent shooting in the game (25-65), as PC improved to 11-1 on the season when holding its opponent below 40-percent from the field. Butler (7-12, 2-8) was paced by Caroline Strande who tallied a game-high 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting. The Friars (12-8, 3-6) shot .525 from the field as all five starters finished in double figures.
Up Next
Butler will play St. John’s in Queens on Wednesday, Jan. 25. The 7 PM tip will stream on FloSports.com.
IUPUI MEN’S BASKETBALL: JAGUARS DROP OVERTIME HEARTBREAKER TO OAKLAND, 83-77
INDIANAPOLIS – The IUPUI basketball team came up on the wrong side of an overtime thriller with Oakland University inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Thursday night (Jan. 19), falling to the Golden Grizzlies, 83-77. Freshman Vincent Brady II scored a career-high 23 points, including four treys, and sophomore Jlynn Counter added 22 points and seven assists in the loss. John Egbuta continued his hot play of late with 13 points off the IUPUI bench.
Jalen Moore had a game-high 27 points and seven assists for the Golden Grizzlies and Trey Townsend contributed 26 points and 15 boards for Oakland. Moore forced overtime with a long wing three with 3.0 seconds left in regulation and then scored nine of his game-high 27 in overtime.
“Man, we fought tonight. We went toe-to-toe with one of the hottest teams in our league. Our freshmen and young guys grew up tonight. Down the stretch, we’re out there with three freshmen going against juniors and seniors and playing well,” head coach Matt Crenshaw said. “I went in (the locker room) and told the guys how proud I am of them. We had our chances and fought our butts off to have a chance to win it.
“Credit to Oakland. They made the plays when they needed them.”
After trailing by as many as nine early in the second half, IUPUI (3-17, 0-9 HL) used an 11-0 run to seize a four-point lead, punctuated by Brady’s two-handed dunk that became an and-1 opportunity with 8:57 left. Things stayed tight down the stretch with neither team leading by more than three over the final six minutes. Counter staked IUPUI to a 68-65 lead with 13 seconds left by converting both ends of a one-and-one before Moore sent the game to overtime in front of a large contingent of friends and family.
Moore hit a stepback trey to open the scoring in overtime and Oakland never trailed in the extra period after his make.
IUPUI finished at 44.6 percent from the field and 7-of-22 (31.8 percent) from three, but was outscored 19-12 at the foul line. Oakland shot 48.3 percent from the field at 37.5 percent from three-point range.
Three IUPUI players – Cooper Dewitt, DJ Jackson and Chris Osten – finished with five points each while Osten, Brady and Jackson grabbed a team-high six boards each. Jonah Carrasco closed with two points, five boards and three blocked shots off the IUPUI bench.
The Jaguars will conclude their four-game homestand on Saturday (Jan. 21) when they host Detroit Mercy at noon. As part of this year’s Cram the Coliseum, IUPUI students will receive FREE rally towels and FREE pizza at Saturday’s game. In addition, IUPUI faculty, staff and alumni can receive a $5 discount on tickets.
IUPUI WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: JAGS RETURN HOME FOR BACK-TO-BACK #HLWBB GAMES
INDIANAPOLIS – The IUPUI women’s basketball team returns home to host back-to-back Horizon League matchups. The Jags face Detroit Mercy on Friday, January 20th for a 7:00 PM tip off then host the Oakland Golden Grizzlies for a 2:00 PM tip on Sunday, January 22nd.
Destiny Perkins and Rachel Kent each posted double figures to lead the Jaguars to a big road win over Youngstown State on Monday, 64-61. Perkins finished with 18 points while Kent ended with 10.
Senior Jazmyn Turner was named #HLWBB Player of the Week in the first week of 2023 after averaging 19.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in the two IUPUI wins. She shot 76.2 percent (16-for-21) from the floor in the two games combined. The forward ranks fourth in the Horizon League in scoring and has consistently led the Jaguar offense, averaging 14.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game this season.
IUPUI has found success beyond the arc setting a Horizon League and IUPUI record with 17 three-point field goals in its 85-72 win over Northern Illinois. The Jags also hold the league’s best 34.8 percent from long range, averaging 8.2 threes per game. Destiny Perkins and Rachel Kent pace the way with 34 and 32 made threes. Kent holds a 39.5 percent (32-for-81) from behind the arc while Perkins follows with a 36.6 percent (34-for-93).
Three Jags rank in the top 15 in scoring in the Horizon League with Turner coming in at fourth (14.8), Perkins at fifth (13.9) and Kent holding the 11th spot (11.4). IUPUI enters the weekend 9-8 overall and 5-3 in #HLWBB play.
Detroit Mercy enters the weekend 3-15 overall and 1-8 in conference with their one #HLWBB win coming against Robert Morris. Oakland enters the weekend 10-8 and 5-4 in conference with their most recent win against Detroit Mercy, 81-66.
Friday night will be IUPUI’s annual Jam the Jungle night. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+
BALL STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL: BALL STATE TAKES TO THE ROAD FOR SHOWDOWN WITH KENT STATE
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men’s basketball team returns to action for a nationally televised showdown with Kent State on Friday. The Cardinals and Golden Flashes are scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. tip on CBS Sports Network inside the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.
For the first time since the 2010-11 season, Ball State has started a campaign with a 13-5 record.
Last Time Out
The Cardinals are coming off a 71-70 victory over the Western Michigan Broncos. Jarron Coleman scored in double digits in 16th game of the season after his 22-point effort. He added a game-high seven assists, a game-high four steals, tied for a team-high eight rebounds, and did not have any turnovers. Payton Sparks dropped 14 points with eight rebounds and one block. Demarius Jacobs recorded 10 points, three assists, one block, and one steal. Basheer Jihad also tied for a team-high eight rebounds.
Boogie on Down
Coleman is averaging a team-best 14.6 points per game. He leads the team with 39 made 3-pointers and is shooting 35.1 percent from behind the arc. He leads the team with 64 assists and in steals with 26. Coleman has added nine blocks, which is tied for third on the squad.
Sensational Sellers
Sellers is second on the team with 13.6 points per game. He is shooting 50.0 percent from 3-point range, which leads the team. He is fourth on the team with 4.3 rebounds per game. He has produced a field-goal percentage of 49.7 on the season. Sellers has collected 14 assists, 13 steals and eight blocks. He has notched four games with 20 or more points for the season.
Spark Plug
Sparks paces the team with 8.3 rebounds per game, which is tied for 69th in the country and fourth in the conference. His 3.28 offensive rebounds per contest have him ranked 27th in the nation and third in the MAC. He is third on the team averaging 13.1 points per game. He is shooting 60.4 percent from the field, which leads the team. He has five double-doubles on the season, which is tied for 64th in the country and third in the MAC. He is third on the team with 36 assists, second on the team with 16 blocks, and has added eight steals.
Spreading the Love
The Cardinals have four players averaging double-digit points. Demarius Jacobs rounds out the double-digit scorers with 12.3 points a contest. He has a team-high 29 blocks, which is tied for 64th in the NCAA and most in the MAC lead. His 1.61 blocks per contest is 70th in the nation and first in the conference. He second on the team in assists with 56 and is second on the team in steals with 25. He is averaging 3.5 boards per contest. Mickey Pearson Jr. is second on the squad with 5.2 rebounds per contest and is averaging 7.0 points a game. Pearson is shooting 50.6 from the field.
Taking Advantage at the Free-Throw Line
As a team, the Cardinals are averaging 25.3 free throws per game, which is third in the NCAA and leads the MAC. Ball State is averaging 17.3 free-throws made per contest, which is tied for 13th in the nation and leads the conference. Sparks is fifth in the nation with 139 free-throw attempts, which leads in the MAC. The Cardinals are one of 21 teams in the NCAA that have made more free throws than their opponents have attempted.
Effective Shooting
The Cardinals are currently shooting 47.7 percent from the field, which is tied for 35th in the NCAA and is second in the MAC. Ball State has been effective from behind the arc with a combined 37.2 percent from 3-point range, which is tied for 44th in the country and best in the MAC.
Series History with Kent State
Friday will be the 90th meeting between Ball State and Kent State. The Golden Flashes hold a 48-41 advantage in the series. The two sides have split the last four meetings. However, Kent State won the two meetings last season. The Cardinals are 11-31 against the Golden Flashes on the road.
Scouting the Golden Flashes
As a team, the Golden Flashes are tied for 18th in the NCAA in field goal percentage defense, holding opposing teams to 39.0 percent. They are ninth in the country with 10.0 steals per contest. Sincere Carry paces Kent State with 16.9 points per game along with a team-best 87 assists. His 4.8 assists per game are tied for 45th in the nation and are second in the MAC. Malique Jacobs leads the nation with 3.06 steals per game. His 52 steals are second in the NCAA. He is second on the team averaging 12.7 points per game. Jacobs has added 52 assists along with 11 blocks. Miryne Thomas rounds out the double-digit scorers with 11.8 per contest. He is tied for a team lead with 14 blocks and leads the team with 6.1 rebounds per game. He has added 25 steals and 11 assists. Cli’Ron Hornbeak also has 14 blocks on the season.
BALL STATE BASEBALL: MALONEY TO RECEIVE THE ABCA/DAVE KEILITZ ETHICS IN COACHING AWARD
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) announced its annual recipients of the Dave Keilitz Ethics in Coaching Award. Ball State baseball Head Coach Rich Maloney was one of just two recipients to receive the award. Maloney along with Eric Kibler will receive the award during the 2023 ABCA Convention in January.
The ABCA believes that the highest calling of a baseball coach is to teach life’s lessons and model the character traits of honesty, integrity, respect, and personal responsibility. The ABCA Ethics in Coaching Award honors individuals who embody the ABCA Code of Ethics. In 2017, the award was named in honor of ABCA Board Member, Hall of Fame inductee and former Executive Director Dave Keilitz.
Maloney completed his 17th season as the head baseball coach at Ball State in 2022 while guiding the Cardinals to their fifth MAC regular season title and earning his fourth MAC Coach of the Year honor. The winningest coach in Ball State baseball history, Maloney’s teams have amassed a 576-356-1 (.617) record, bringing his overall coaching record to 917-600-1 (.609). Now in his second stint as the Ball State skipper, Maloney’s head coaching career also includes a 10-year stop at the Michigan where he led the Wolverines to three consecutive Big Ten Conference championships (2006-08) and four straight NCAA Regional appearances (2005-08). The 2007 and 2008 Big Ten Coach of the Year also earned ABCA/Diamond Regional Coach of the Year honors in both of those seasons. A 32-year continuous member of the ABCA, Maloney currently serves on the association’s Board of Directors and served as its President in 2018. He also served as the ABCA Divisional Chair for NCAA Division I for six years. In 2017, Maloney was honored with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Baseball Jerry Kindall Award which recognizes a college or high school baseball coach who exemplifies character, integrity, excellence, teamwork, and service.
From the Coach – Head Coach Rich Maloney
“It is very humbling to be recognized this way. I hold Dave Keilitz in the highest regard and the positive influence he has had on our game is second to none. To have my name under his with the other recipients over the years is special. We all have a role to play in honoring those who paved our way into the coaching profession and to uphold the integrity of our great game. For those young coaches who will carry the torch for our game moving forward please ask yourself this question that my college coach and mentor Fred Decker shared with me before I took over as a head coach, ‘do you want to win at all costs?” Many years ago, my answer was no, and I’ve stayed true to that pledge. Hopefully when our time is over as coaches, we can all say we did our best to positively impact those young men the good Lord put in our path.”
BALL STATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL: MEN’S VOLLEYBALL OPENS EIGHT-MATCH HOMESTAND THIS WEEKEND AGAINST HARVARD & TUSCULUM
No. 6 Ball State (0-2) hosts
Harvard (2-0) Friday, Jan. 20 &
Tusculum (2-3) Saturday, Jan. 21 at 7 pm ET
Series History: Ball State leads the all-time series with Harvard by a margin of 5-1
Series History: Ball State leads the all-time series with Tusculum by a margin of 1-0
Last meeting: Ball State 3, Harvard 2 in Cambridge, Ma. (Feb. 1, 2019)
Last meeting: Ball State 3, Tusculum in Muncie, Ind. (Jan. 15, 2022)
CRUZ’S FIRST MEMORABLE SEASON: The Cardinals are looking to build off a historic 2022 season which saw Donan Cruz, in his first year at the helm, lead Ball State to a 23-4 overall record and the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship. BSU was also ranked third in the final NVA/AVCA Men’s Division I-II Coaches Poll: the highest ranking in program history. Ball State was also the 2022 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association regular season and tournament champions. Cruz was named the 2022 AVCA Coach of the Year last season and MIVA Coach of the Year.
ABOUT HARVARD: Harvard opens the year with back-to-back victories to start the season off 2-0. A win will give the Crimson their best season start (3-0) since 2013. Harvard is looking for its first win in Muncie having lost all three meetings. The Crimson have earned wins over Sacred Heart (3-1) and Merrimack College (3-0) so far this season.
ABOUT TUSCULUM: This marks only the second time in program history the Cardinals and the Pioneers. The last time these two teams met was last season in Worthen Arena as Ball State took down Tusculum in a 3-0 sweep Jan. 15. The Cardinals’ returnees Kaleb Jenness and Dyer Ball led the Cardinals charge with seven kills each. As a team last year against the Pioneers, Ball State combined for an impressive .407 hitting percentage for the match. The Cardinals posted 14 service aces, which is the third most in program history. Tusculum will come to Ball State with a 2-3 record.
MIVA/AVCA PREASEASON PREDICTION: The reigning 2022 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association regular season and tournament champions, the Ball State men’s volleyball team was picked first in the preseason MIVA poll. In addition, two Cardinals were named to the 12-member preseason all-conference team — outside attacker Kaleb Jenness and middle blocker Felix Egharevba. Jenness was also tabbed as the preseason MIVA Player of the Year. The Cardinals were recently selected No. 6 in the preseason AVCA Coaches Poll.
CARDINAL STANDOUTS RETURN: The Cardinals return veterans outside attacker Kaleb Jenness and middle blocker Felix Egharevba. Jenness has been tabbed preseason All-MIVA three straight seasons. Last year, Jenness was tabbed the MIVA Player of the Year and the MIVA Tournament MVP while also tallying First Team All-MIVA honors. Jenness was also tabbed as First Team NVA/AVCA All-American. Egharevba, a force to be reckoned with on defense, Egharevba was tabbed to the All-MIVA Second Team for the second time in his career. Last year Egharevba also earned NVA/AVCA All-American Honorable Mention. He ended last season as the 2021-22 NCAA Division NC statistical champion for blocks per set (1.41).
USA VOLLEYBALL WINS BRONZE: Ball State men’s volleyball senior Kaleb Jenness along with his former teammate and alumnus Quinn Isaacson helped the USA Men’s Volleyball team earn the bronze medal at the Pan Am Cup this past summer in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The U.S. led in kills (56-42) and had a .463 hitting efficiency behind Isaacson who dished out 86 assists in four sets (25-16, 25-15, 22-25, 25-21) against Chile.
NEXT GAME: After this weekend, Ball State continues its eight-match homestand when it hosts Queens University of Charlotte (Jan. 27) and Sacred Hearth (Jan. 28) at 5 pm ET and 7 pm ET, respectively in Worthen Arena.
BALL STATE TRACK: BALL STATE T&F IS PREPARED TO BATTLE IN BLOOMINGTON
BLOOMINGTON, IN – After picking up one event win, multiple heat wins and 11 personal-best performances at the Hawkeye Invitational, Ball State track and field heads to Bloomington this weekend to compete at the Gladstein Fieldhouse for the Gladstein Invitational.
The Cardinals head into their third meet of the season with high expectations. After two indoor meets, the Cardinals have collected six event wins and they are looking to add more to their tally at this weekend’s meet.
The meet begins for the Cardinals on Friday, Jan. 20 at 4:00 p.m. EST with the triple jump. Ball State has 13 different student-athletes scheduled to compete in seven events on Friday.
The Cardinals will begin the second day of competition on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 10:45 a.m. with the long jump. A total of 13 student-athletes are competing in six different events on Saturday. The final event of the day, the 4x400m relay, is scheduled for 1:10 p.m.
BALL STATE ENTRIES IN THE GLADSTEIN INVITATIONAL
FRIDAY, JAN. 20
Triple Jump (4:00 p.m.): Brenna Lehrke (11.20m), McKenna Cinotte (12.22m)
3,000m (4:20 p.m.): Carly Spletzer (10:20.08), Jenna Schifferer (10:59.02)
400m (4:50 p.m.): Leila Williams-Molitor (1:00.10), Allison Valladay (1:00.08),
60m hurdles (5:40 p.m.): Mary Porter (9.60), Jenelle Rogers (8.97), Charity Griffith (8.74), Jennah Rogers (8.75), Makensie Kramer (8.85), Lea-Marie Diedicke (9.35)
60m (6:05 p.m.): Alana Springer (7.62), Jenna Oriani (7.58), Moriah Johnson (7.72), Taylor Hickman (NT), Lindley Steele (NT)
400m fast sections (6:20 p.m.): Emma Potter (55.92)
Mile (7:35 p.m.): Ella Fullmer (5:29.00), Jenna Schifferer (5:32.27)
SATURDAY, JAN. 21
Long Jump (10:45 a.m.): Moriah Johnson (4.41m), Lea-Marie Diedicke (5.17m), Lindley Steele (5.28m), Mckenna Cinotte (5.51m), Jenelle Rogers (5.69m), Charity Griffith (5.96m)
Shot Put (10:45 a.m.): Malena Higgins (12.53m)
200m (10:55 a.m.): Lindley Steele (25.73)
600m (11:25 a.m.): Leila Williams-Molitor (1:40.58), Alexis Thigpen (1:33.00), Kayla Jones (1:29.00)
200m Fast Section (12:35 p.m.): Alana Springer (25.18), Jenna Oriani (24.37)
4 x 400m Relay (1:10 p.m.): Section 1 – Charity Griffith, Jenelle Rogers, Lea-Marie Diedicke, Lindley Steele (3:40.49)
Section 2 – Jenna Oriani, Alexis Thigpen, Kayla Jones, Leila Williams-Molitor (3:40.49)
Kayla Jones leads the MAC in the 800m for the second straight week (2:11.00). Charity Griffith’s performance in Iowa City put her on top of the MAC rankings for the high jump (1.85m / 6-0.75) and earned her MAC Field Athlete of the Week honors.
With many strong performances at the Hawkeye Invitational, 10 Cardinals find themselves within the top 16 on the MAC performance list.
CARDINALS IN THE MAC RANKINGS
Here’s a look at the 10 Cardinals ranked in the Top 16 on the MAC performance list heading into the third meet of the season. Leading the way are Kayla Jones who is first in the 800m (2:11.00) and Charity Griffith who leads the MAC in the high jump (1.85m / 6-0.75).
60m: 3. Jenna Oriani (7.58), 6. Alana Springer (7.62), 16. Moriah Johnson (7.72)
200m: 5. Alana Springer (24.80), 8. Jenna Oriani (24.91)
400m: 4. Kayla Jones (56.68), 11. Emma Potter (58.76)
800m: 1. Kayla Jones (2:11.00)
Mile: 15. Shelby Christman (5:03.87)
60 Hurdles: 6. Jennah Rogers (8.75), 14. Charity Griffith (8.93), 15. Jenelle Rogers (8.97)
4×400 Relay: 7. Ball State (4:03.78)
High Jump: 1. Charity Griffith (1.85m / 6-0.75), T-13. Jenelle Rogers (1.60m / 5-3.0)
Long Jump: 3. Charity Griffith (5.71m / 18′-9.0″), 4. Jenelle Rogers (5.69m / 18′-8.0″)
Triple Jump: 15. Brenna Lehrke (11.20m / 36′-9″)
Shot Put: 13. Malena Higgins (12.53m / 41′-1.5″)
CARDINALS IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
The Cardinals also have two student-athletes ranked in the Top 100 on the NCAA Division I performance list. Kayla Jones is ranked in both the 400m and the 800m, and Charity Griffith is tied for fourth in the high jump (1.85m / 6-0.75).
400m: 89. Kayla Jones (56.68)
800m: 20. Kayla Jones (2:11.00)
High Jump: T-4. Charity Griffith (1.85m / 6-0.75)
EVENT WINNERS:
The Cardinals have six total event wins from five different student-athletes this season. Charity Griffith has two event wins, one from each meet thus far.
Hawkeye Invitational
High Jump: Charity Griffith (1.85m / 6-0.75)
Tom Wright Open
60m: Jenna Oriani (7.58)
200m: Alana Springer (25.18)
60m Hurdles: Jennah Rogers (8.78)
Long Jump: Charity Griffith (5.71m)
800m: Kayla Jones (2:12.51)
BALL STATE MEN’S TENNIS: OPENS 2023 SEASON AT HOME FRIDAY AGAINST EIU
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men’s tennis team opens its 2023 spring season at home Friday for the second-straight season against Eastern Illinois at 1 pm ET in the Muncie Northwest YMCA Tennis Center.
The Cardinals defeated the Panthers last season in Muncie by a score of 7-0, Jan. 21, 2022 and have won 13-straight dating back to the 2009-10 season.
Ball State returns eight players from last year’s squad: senior Eli Herran, graduate student Danilo Kovacevic, senior Vince Orlando, sophomore Petar Petrovic, senior Parrish Simmons, junior Sajin Smith, sophomore Nathaniel Webster and senior Abe Wojtalik.
The Cardinals also welcome two newcomers, freshmen Broc Fletcher and Jacks Lancaster.
Longtime coach Bill Richards continues to be at the helm of the Cardinals this season. Richards is the winningest men’s tennis coach in Ball State and Mid-American Conference history. He has amassed a 733-450 (.619) overall record and a 228-73 (.766) conference ledger for his career. Richards has coached 17 teams to undefeated regular seasons and 38 MAC regular and/ or tournament championships, with the first conference title coming in 1984. Richards has also garnered MAC Coach of the Year accolades 15 times and has made eight NCAA tournament appearances.
NOTRE DAME MEN’S BASKETBALL: MIKE BREY TO STEP AWAY AT END OF THE SEASON
The University of Notre Dame announced today that Glenn and Stacey Murphy Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Brey will step away from the program at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season.
“Mike (Brey) and I have talked often in recent years about a future transition in the program’s leadership and during our most recent conversation we reached the mutual conclusion that the end of this season represented the right time,” said University Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick.
“That Mike (Brey) is the winningest coach in the 119-year history of Notre Dame men’s basketball speaks to his skill as a teacher of the game. His even greater legacy, however, lies in his achievements as an educator and mentor of the young men who played for him. In that sense, he represents this University as well as any coach I have worked with during my time at Notre Dame. And for that reason, I look forward to working with Mike to define his future role within Notre Dame Athletics.”
“For over two decades Mike Brey’s program has maintained the highest integrity, graduated its student athletes and achieved tremendous success on the court,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., president of the University of Notre Dame. “Despite the many pressures of his sport, he remained at heart a teacher of young men, helping them play at the highest level while growing into adults and preparing for success beyond basketball.”
Brey has compiled 481 victories with the Irish, which ranks sixth among active NCAA coaches at their current Division-I schools. Career wise, Brey has achieved a 580-321 (.644) record spanning 28 years at Notre Dame and Delaware. Both his career wins and career games coached rank among the top-20 in active head coaches in Division-I and he’s produced 16 20-win seasons at the helm.
Brey has always loved playing at home in front of the Notre Dame students and Irish faithful, and his record backs up that sentiment. Under Brey’s guidance, the Irish have gone 314-76 (.805) inside Purcell Pavilion, which ranks as the 15th-most home wins in the country since 2000.
“It has been a great run for me and our program over the past two decades, but it is time for a new voice to lead this group into the future,” said Brey. “I want to thank our student-athletes, assistant coaches and support staff who have played such a key role in the culture we have created.”
“From Fr. Malloy hiring me, to Fr. Jenkins’ guidance and Jack’s (Swarbrick) friendship, I leave this place with immense gratitude to the University and I’m proud of everything we’ve accomplished together. I look forward to working with Jack in any role that can help the Notre Dame family.”
Brey-led Irish squads have reached the NCAA Tournament 13 times, earning 15 victories along the way which ties for the most in program history. Furthermore, Notre Dame was the only school in the nation to earn back-to-back Elite Eight runs in the 2015 and 2016 season.
Brey has also achieved enormous conference success and recognition over the past two decades. A three-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year (2007, 2008, 2011), he finished his tenure in the BIG EAST as the league’s fourth all-time winningest coach with 146 wins (now tied for fifth).
Most notably he went 27-7 in 2011 with a perfect 17-0 record at home. As a result he was named the 2011 A.P. Coach of the Year, USBWA Henry Iba Coach of the Year and Basketball Times Coach of the Year.
It didn’t take long after joining in the ACC in 2013 for Brey and the Irish to make an impression. In 2015, Notre Dame produced a program record 32-6 and defeated Miami, Duke and North Carolina in Greensboro to claim the 2015 ACC Tournament championship. Since, the Irish made an ACC Tournament semifinal appearance in 2016 and title-game appearance in 2017.
Brey has coached six All-Americans, three conference players of the year, 26 different all-conference selections and two Academic All-Americans. In addition, seven student-athletes fulfilled their dreams of being drafted into the NBA under his watch.
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: NO. 7 IRISH EDGE TIGERS IN BARN BURNER, 57-54
CLEMSON, S.C. — When Notre Dame left Chapel Hill on Jan. 8 with its first ACC loss, Karen & Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey challenged her team to better rely on defense when the shots were not falling, particularly on the road. On Thursday night, they answered that call. Thanks to a suffocating defensive showing, No. 7 Notre Dame (15-2, 6-1) topped Clemson (12-8, 3-5) at Littlejohn Coliseum, 57-54.
The Tigers had a total of 29 turnovers, and the Irish had 21 steals. Both marks are Notre Dame’s best of the season, and it was the most steals the Irish have had under Ivey.
“If our shots are not going in, we have to rely on our defense,” Ivey said during her press conference after the game. “That’s a focus of ours and something we learned against North Carolina. I’m very proud of that stat line. It shows that we are [improving] on that end. It shows our toughness. I felt like we showed it more in the second half.”
As far as scoring goes, the Tigers had the early momentum, holding the Irish to just 8 points in the opening frame. They led by as much as 9.
Then Olivia Miles happened, taking over the game with a pair of buckets from deep and finishing the first half with 12 points, 3 assists and a rebound. It was 29-26 in favor of the home team at the break.
The start of the third quarter belonged to the Irish, while the Tigers came back to tie it up entering the final 10. Notre Dame then outscored Clemson 13-10 to bring the 3-point victory back to South Bend.
Miles finished with 20 points, posting her second consecutive contest with 20+ for the first time since December 2021. The passing wizard added 8 total assists to her ever-growing repertoire, often dishing it off to Maddy Westbeld. She finished with 15 points and went 5-11 from the floor.
“Maddy and I work off of each other really well,” Miles said. “I know where she likes to get the ball and where her spots are, so she makes my job easy.”
Up next, Notre Dame heads home for a matchup against Virginia. Six of the Irish’s next eight games will be played at Purcell Pavilion, a welcome change after the road gauntlet that started at the beginning of ACC play at Virginia Tech. Notre Dame is 8-3 all-time against the Hoos, including a 3-0 mark at home.
NOTRE DAME HOCKEY: TWO NAMED HOBEY BAKER CANDIDATES
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Hobey Baker Memorial Award committee announced the 2023 candidates for the award, given annually to the top NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey student-athlete. The 2023 honorees include two Irish captains as Nick Leivermann and Trevor Janicke were both named among the nominees.
The first round of voting is now open and fans can vote once per day from now until March 5. The top-10 will be announced on March 15 with the Hobey Hat Trick finalists being named March 30, ahead of the NCAA Frozen Four.
A graduate student from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Leivermann has appeared in 18 games for the Irish, tallying 13 points off five goals and eight assists. His 13 points leads all ND defensemen and is third on the team.
Now in his fifth season with the Irish, Leivermann has donned the Blue and Gold sweater in 136 games, while recording 71 points in 22 goals and 49 assists.
Named an alternate captain ahead of the 2022-23 season, T. Janicke has proven valuable for the Irish at both ends of the ice this season. The senior from Maple Grove, Minnesota, has appeared in all 24 games for ND this season and leads the team in both points (16), goals (seven) and assists (nine).
T. Janicke has had a career season in 2022-23, tying his previous best in goals (two) as the Irish topped Wisconsin earlier in the month. He also recorded an assist in the victory for a career-high three points (2-1-3). With five weeks remaining in the regular season, T. Janicke is currently on pace to break his previous season-high 24 points, recorded in his junior year. In four seasons at Notre Dame, T. Janicke boasts 130 games played with 63 points (34-29-63).
The Irish are back on the road this weekend as they take on No. 6/6 Penn State, Jan. 20-21. Catch Leivermann, T. Janicke, and the rest of the Irish take on the Nittany Lions on BTN+ both nights.
NOTRE DAME MEN’S TENNIS: NOTRE DAME HOSTS WESTERN MICHIGAN ON FRIDAY
After playing a full slate of four matches in the opening weekend of play last week, the Notre Dame men’s tennis team returns home for one contest. The lone competition will take place Friday, January 20th as the Irish host the 4-time defending MAC champion Western Michigan Broncos.
Notre Dame comes in with a 3-1 overall record after last weekend with wins over DePaul, IUPUI and Chicago State. Western Michigan enters the contest with a 2-0 record after putting up two shutout victories over Butler and UIC in a double header last Saturday.
Last February, the two teams faced off in South Bend in a match the Irish would sweep 7-0. Notre Dame returns 5 players who appeared in that match while Western Michigan returns their entire starting lineup. In 2021, the Broncos would go a stellar 22-2 overall but both losses would come at the hands of the Irish, one in the regular season and one in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Home matches are played at the Eck Tennis Pavilion on campus and are FREE for all to attend. Parking can be found out front of the facility and overflow parking is in the South Joyce or Bulla lots.
INDIANA STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: SYCAMORES BEGIN WEEKEND ROAD TRIP AT ILLINOIS STATE
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State heads back on the road for the next two games, starting Friday night with a 7:30 tip at Illinois State inside CEFCU Arena. The game will be carried on ESPN3 and 105.5 The Legend.
| Indiana State Women’s Basketball at Illinois State | |
| Date | Friday, January 20 | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| Location // Venue | Normal, Ill. // CEFCU Arena (9,600) |
| Game Notes | Indiana State Notes // Illinois State Notes |
| Live Stats | Live Stat Feed |
| Watch | ESPN3 |
| Listen | 105.5 The Legend |
| Tickets | Free Admission |
| Social Media | @IndStWBB // @IndStAthletics |
Last Time Out
Anna McKendree notched Indiana State’s first points-assists double-double since 2006, but visiting Drake’s high-powered offense led the Bulldogs past the Sycamores, 86-65, inside Hulman Center.
McKendree finished with 14 points and 10 assists, becoming the first Sycamore since ISU Hall of Famer Melanie Boeglin to notch a double-double with points and assists. She also led the Trees with six rebounds and four steals. Del’Janae Williams led the Sycamores in scoring with 17, her third straight game in double-figures, while Chelsea Cain added 15.
Drake jumped out to a big lead in the first quarter and never looked back. The Bulldogs shot 70 percent in the opening quarter and took a commanding 32-10 lead after 10 minutes. Indiana State never quit, though, outscoring the visitors by one over the final 30 minutes. The Sycamores cut the deficit to 16 early in the fourth, but a 9-2 Drake run ended the hopes of a Sycamore comeback.
Milestone Moment
Chelsea Cain finished with a game-high 18 points at Evansville and, in the process, hit 1,000 points for her collegiate career with a layup in the first quarter.
Cain scored 857 points in three seasons at Nicholls State and has 159 points for the Sycamores this year, giving her 1,016 career points. Cain has a chance to add on to that total in a big way, as she still has the rest of this season and all of next season to increase that total.
Milestone Watch
Two members of the Indiana State women’s basketball program are nearing career milestones.
Del’Janae Williams is also closing in on 1,000 career points, as she is currently 106 points away from reaching the milestone with at least 15 games left on the schedule. Williams would be the 29th player in program history to reach the mark and would be the first Sycamore since Racheal Mahan in the 2014-15 season to accomplish the feat all at Indiana State.
Head coach Chad Killinger is also nearing a career milestone on the sidelines, as the Sycamore leader needs just three wins to reach 300 for his head coaching career.
Bouncing Back
Indiana State’s start to Saturday’s game against Drake was not what the Sycamores were hoping for, but the Sycamores
After being outscored 32-10 in the opening quarter, Indiana State outscored Drake 55-54 over the final 30 minutes. The Trees cut what was a 28-point deficit down to 16 early in the fourth quarter before a Drake scoring run ended the comeback hopes.
Heating Up
Indiana State guard Del’Janae Williams has continued to elevate her game for the Blue and White, scoring in double-figures in each of the last three games.
Williams, who leads the Sycamores in scoring this season at 13.3 points per game, is averaging 19.0 points per game over the last three games. Included in that total is a season-high 25-point effort in a come-from-behind win at Valparaiso.
Dropping Dimes
Despite the scoreline in Indiana State’s last game against Drake, Sycamore guard Anna McKendree still had a game to remember. McKendree led Indiana State with 10 assists, six rebounds and four steals while also chipping in 14 points.
It was the first double-double of her Indiana State career and the first points-assists double-double by a Sycamore since ISU Hall of Famer Melanie Boeglin accomplished the feat on March 4, 2006.
On the Road Again
Indiana State finds itself in a similar spot, back on the road. The Sycamores opened 2023 with three straight road games and are in the midst of a six-game stretch featuring five games away from home. Thus far, the Trees are 2-1 during this road stretch, with wins over UIC and Valparaiso and a loss to Evansville.
Indiana State’s lone home game during that stretch was its most recent game against Drake. The Sycamores begin a three-game homestand following this weekend’s contests on the road.
Illinois State at a Glance
Illinois State, the defending MVC Tournament champion, enters the weekend atop the MVC standings at 11-5 overall and 5-1 in conference play. The Redbirds have won each of their last four games.
Drury transfer Paige Robinson, who was a two-time Division II All-American and the 2020-21 Division II National Player of the Year, leads the Redbirds in scoring at 19.0 points per game. Mary Crompton (11.4) and DeAnna Wilson (10.4) also average double-figure scoring for Illinois State, while Wilson leads the team in rebounds at 7.6 per contest. Robinson, Crompton and Maya Wong all shoot better than 40 percent from 3-point range.
Kristen Gillespie is in her sixth season as the head coach at Illinois State and has taken the Redbirds to the postseason each of the last two years.
Series History Against Illinois State
Illinois State has a 57-45 advantage in the all-time series and has won each of the last seven meetings. Indiana State’s last win in the series was in 2019 and the Sycamores’ last win in Normal was in 2017.
Last Game Against Illinois State (Feb. 6, 2022)
Indiana State shot nearly 50 percent from the field in the second half, but a slow start proved costly for the Sycamores in a 72-64 loss to Illinois State inside Redbird Arena.
Natalia Lalic led the Sycamores with 18 points, 16 of which came in the second half. Del’Janae Williams added 14 points and six assists, while Marie Hunter scored 10. Mya Glanton had a team-high seven rebounds in the setback.
Indiana State trailed by as many as 17 midway through the second quarter after a slow start to the game. The Sycamores were unable to get into a rhythm on the offensive end in the early going, shooting under 40 percent in each of the first two quarters. The Sycamores picked up the intensity in the second half, forcing 12 turnovers in the final 20 minutes and cutting it to a two-possession game late, but ran out of time to complete the comeback.
Up Next
Indiana State’s stretch of five road games in a six-game span concludes with a Sunday afternoon tilt at Bradley, with tipoff set for 3 p.m.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE MEN’S BB: ‘DONS IMPRESSIVE IN 88-80 VICTORY AT WRIGHT STATE
DAYTON, Ohio – Quinton Morton-Robertson had a team-high 19 points and was one of five Mastodons in double-digits in an 88-80 victory over Wright State at the Nutter Center on Thursday (Jan. 19).
The ‘Dons scored 51 points in the first half, a season best for points in a half against a Division I team. Anthony Roberts and Deonte Billups each had 12 points in the first half. They also each went 2-of-2 from three in the half to help the Mastodons sink seven 3-pointers.
Purdue Fort Wayne forced 11 turnovers in the first and converted them into 19 points. The ‘Dons finished the game forcing 17 turnovers for 23 points.
While the ‘Dons took their big lead in the first half, Morton-Robertson scored the majority of his points in the second with 13 in the final 20 minutes.
Morton-Robertson’s 19 and Roberts’ 14 points helped the ‘Dons finish with 35 bench points. Jarred Godfrey scored 17 points with nine rebounds. Billups added 14 points. Bobby Planutis totaled 13 points with three treys.
Trey Calvin has a game-high 26 points for the Raiders, but committed nine turnovers.
The contest was Godfrey’s 141st game, tying Cameron Benford for most career games played as a Mastodon.
The victory is the first ever for the ‘Dons at the Nutter Center.
The Mastodons improve to 13-7 (5-4 Horizon League). The Raiders fall to 11-9 (4-5 Horizon League). The ‘Dons continue league play on Saturday (Jan. 21) at Northern Kentucky.
EVANSVILLE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: WOMEN’S BASKETBALL OPENS ROAD WEEKEND AT BRADLEY ON FRIDAY
PEORIA, Ill. – Looking to build off momentum from last week, the University of Evansville women’s basketball team opens a two-game road swing at Bradley at 7 PM on Friday night in Peoria, Ill.
| Evansville at Bradley | Fri., Jan. 19 | 7 PM | |
| Follow Along | Live Stats | ESPN3 |
| Evansville | Women’s Basketball Site | Twitter | Game Notes |
Friday’s matchup between the Aces and Braves represents the 60th all-time meeting between the two sides with Bradley owning a 38-21 edge in the all-time series. Evansville and Bradley split last season’s two matchups with the Aces capturing a 74-73 win at home and the Braves taking their home contest, 77-67.
Bradley comes into the Friday night matchup with a 3-14 overall mark and is seeking its first conference win of the season after starting MVC play 0-6. After a tremendous freshman season in 2021-22, guard Caroline Waite has continued to be the leader for the Braves, averaging a team-best 12.5 points per game this season.
Evansville is coming-off one of its best performances of the season, albeit in a loss. The Aces led by four inside the game’s final five minutes against RPI top 70 squad UNI on Sunday before a late Panthers run spoiled an Aces upset and earned UNI a 73-68 win. The Aces have leaned on the scoring of a trio of upperclassmen this season. All three of Evansville’s players averaging double-digits in scoring are either a senior or fifth-year seniors with guard Abby Feit leading the way with 14 points per game.
SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN’S BB: USI EXPLODES IN 2ND HALF TO DEFEAT LINDENWOOD
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball outscored Lindenwood University by 17 in the second half and rolled to an 81-65 victory Thursday evening in St. Charles, Missouri. The Screaming Eagles go to 11-9 overall and 4-3 in the OVC, while Lions are 7-13, 2-5 OVC.
With the victory, USI is in a four-way tie for third in the OVC standings at 4-3 in the league play and one game out of first behind Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Tennessee Tech University, which are tied for first with 5-2 records.
USI had the early momentum in the opening 20 minutes, surging to a 6-0 lead to start the game. Lindenwood had a surge of its own, taking its first lead at 10-9 and would build its own six-point lead, 21-15, midway through the half.
The Eagles battled back to knot the game up at 28-28 with 4:07 on the clock on a three-pointer by senior guard Jelani Simmons (Columbus, Ohio). The Lion, however, would regain the lead, 31-28, and managed to take a one-point lead into the intermission, 33-32.
Simmons was in command of the first half with 15 points on six-of-nine from the field, three-of-four from beyond the arc.
The second half started off in USI’s favor as the Eagles rallied to take a 10-point lead, 46-36, on a 14-3 run in the first five minutes. Senior forward Jacob Polakovich (Grand Rapids, Michigan) led the charge to take the lead with seven points as USI was six-of-nine from the field to start the second 20 minutes.
After the Lions shrank the Eagles’ margin to three, 46-43, USI took total command by outscoring Lindenwood, 35-22, in the final 12 minutes to seal the victory. Graduate forward Trevor Lakes (Lebanon, Indiana) and sophomore guard Isaiah Swope (Newburgh, Indiana) led the attack with 15 points and 11 points, respectively
As a team, USI was a blistering 12-of-15 from the field during the final 12 minutes, including nine-of-10 from beyond the arc.
The Eagles were led for the game by Simmons and Lakes, who combined for 45 of the 81 points. Simmons added nine second half points and end with a game-high 24 points on 10-of-14 from the field and four-of-six from long range.
Lakes concluded the win with 21 points on seven-of-12 from the field, seven-of-11 from beyond the arc. Swope rounded out the double-digit scorers with 16 points and had a team-high four assists.
Next Up For USI:
USI concludes the two-game road swing Saturday with a visit to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Game time Saturday at SIUE in Edwardsville, Illinois is set for 3:30 p.m.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ in addition to being heard on ESPN 97.7FM and 95.7FM The Spin.
SIUE (14-6, 5-2 OVC) lost to Morehead State University, 67-58, this evening at home. The Cougars, who are tied for first in the OVC with Tennessee Tech University, were led by sophomore guard Ray’Sean Taylor, who led the way with 24 points.
The Eagles have an all-time series lead over the SIUE Cougars, 44-21, and starting in 1971-72. SIUE, however, has won the last two matchups, including the January 7 meeting in OVC action at Screaming Eagles Arena, 69-62.
USI also holds a 15-12 series lead in games played at SIUE.
SOUTHERN INDIANA WOMEN’S BB: HAITHCOCK POSTS CAREER-HIGH 31 POINTS IN USI’S ROAD WIN
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Basketball picked up a 73-60 road win at Lindenwood University on Thursday behind a career-best 31 points from senior forward Hannah Haithcock (Washington Courthouse, Ohio).
Haithcock surpassed her previous career-high of 25 points, which she set earlier this season on December 31 at Eastern Illinois University. Thursday’s game was the third time this season that Haithcock set a new career mark. Haithcock became the seventh different Ohio Valley Conference player to tally 30 or more points in a game this season and put forth the ninth overall 30-point performance from an OVC player. Plus, Haithcock became the first USI player to score 30 or more in a game since current assistant coach Emma DeHart posted 39 points at Rockhurst University on February 6, 2021.
The Screaming Eagles got off to a strong start in the first quarter of the game. USI jumped out to a 5-0 advantage after senior guard Tori Handley (Jeffersonville, Indiana) stole the basketball and scored an open-floor layup. USI went up 7-0 before Lindenwood scored its first points of the contest.
With under a minute remaining in the first, junior guard Lexie Green (Indianapolis, Indiana) made a layup while drawing a foul, cashing in on a three-point play by making the free throw, and giving USI a 23-11 lead. The Screaming Eagles’ defense had five steals in the first period, and offensively, six USI players found the scoring column through a balanced attack. USI led 23-13 going to the second quarter.
After a slow start, the Lions chipped away at the Screaming Eagles’ lead in the second frame. Lindenwood went on an 11-0 run between the end of the first quarter and the start of the second quarter, drawing to within a point of USI, 23-22. Southern Indiana turned to Haithcock to snap the run, scoring at the basket with 7:06 remaining in the second period. Haithcock recorded back-to-back buckets, scoring another basket a minute later to give USI a 27-22 lead.
Following the five-minute mark of the second, both teams went on a scoring drought that lasted just over three minutes. Haithcock snapped USI’s scoreless skid with another make, giving her 10 points in the game with 1:46 left in the first half and putting USI in front, 29-25. Haithcock finished with 12 first-half points, as USI went into halftime ahead by one, 31-30.
Lindenwood’s momentum from the second quarter carried over into the beginning of the third period. The Lions began the third with six unanswered points to grab a 36-31 lead. Once again, Haithcock came through for USI to end the Lions’ run, capitalizing on a three-point play. Midway into the third, Lindenwood led 41-36 before Southern Indiana went on an 11-0 scoring run to retake the lead.
Sophomore guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) put USI back in front, 43-41, during the scoring run with a strong drive to the basket and 2:28 left in the third quarter. Meanwhile, Haithcock continued her strong third period to push USI’s lead to six points, 49-43, with under a minute left in the third. Haithcock scored 15 points in the third frame, matching a career-best 25 total points by the end of the quarter. USI took a 49-44 lead to the fourth quarter.
Haithcock passed her previous career mark on a made jumper along the baseline with 8:35 remaining in the fourth quarter, giving USI a 51-44 lead. However, Lindenwood continued to fight back, cutting the lead back down to four, 55-51, halfway into the fourth period. With 3:55 left, the Lions got within two of the Screaming Eagles, 55-53, before Haithcock hit another jumper seconds later to put USI back up by four. Lindenwood responded with a three-pointer to make the score a one-point contest, 57-56.
After the three-minute mark of the fourth, Southern Indiana was able to separate from Lindenwood and build some cushion on the scoreboard. USI went back up by seven, 63-56, after consecutive three-pointers from Shafford and senior forward Tara Robbe (Wildwood, Missouri). Haithcock connected once more with 1:27 left to make the score 65-58 USI before Southern Indiana closed out the game and the 73-60 win by knocking down eight free throws inside the final minute.
Haithcock collected her 31 points on 13-19 shooting and going 5-for-5 at the foul line. She also had eight rebounds. Shafford posted 12 points with six rebounds and four assists, hitting four shots from the field and two from three. Robbe was third in scoring with eight points. USI had eight players find the scoring column, and three different players recorded three steals each. Southern Indiana went 26-for-56 for 46.4 percent overall, 17-for-20 for 85 percent at the stripe, and made four triples. USI outrebounded Lindenwood 34-31.
Lindenwood was led on the night by sophomore guard Mary McGrath’s 19 points. Graduate guard Devin Fuhring had 16 points and senior guard Emily Benzschawel scored 14 points. The Lions were 22-51 for 43.1 percent from the floor, 10-for-17 for 58.8 percent at the line, and made six three-pointers in the game.
With the win, USI’s record improved to 9-9 this season and 3-4 in OVC play. The win was Southern Indiana’s third road victory this season. For Lindenwood, the Lions’ record dropped to 1-17 overall and 0-7 in OVC action.
VALPO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: VALPO DROPS DECISION AT UNI THURSDAY NIGHT
The Valpo women’s basketball team entered Thursday night’s game in Cedar Falls, Iowa looking to knock off an MVC co-leader for the second straight game, but host UNI had other thoughts, as the Panthers earned an 89-58 victory over the Beacons.
How It Happened
UNI’s Grace Boffeli singlehandedly got the Panthers going Thursday evening, scoring UNI’s first 12 points of the ballgame — the first 10 of which helped stake UNI to a 10-2 lead less than four minutes into the contest and forcing a Valpo timeout.
Out of the stoppage, Valpo scored nine of the next 11 points over a span of just over two minutes. The run, which included 3-pointers from junior Jayda Johnston (Roseville, Minn./Roseville Area) and fifth-year Ilysse Pitts (Aurora, Ill./Montini Catholic), brought the Beacons within 12-11 with four minutes to play in the opening quarter.
UNI claimed the momentum to end the first period, though, as the Panthers reeled off 12 in a row to close the quarter with a 24-11 lead.
Senior Olivia Brown (East Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids [St. Bonaventure]) had a nice interior dish to junior Leah Earnest (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) for a layup and then drilled a 3-pointer on the Beacons’ next possession to bring Valpo within 30-18 with seven minutes to play in the opening half. That was as close as Valpo would get in the second quarter, however, as UNI led 44-28 at intermission.
Valpo’s chances of mounting a comeback took a hit to start the third quarter when the Panthers opened the period on a 10-3 run to push their lead to 54-31. The Beacons were unable to get any closer than the halftime margin, as UNI led 68-45 with 10 minutes to play and extended its lead in the final quarter.
Inside the Game
Valpo surrendered 89 points to the Panthers after giving up fewer than 70 points in each of its last five games. The 89 points allowed, 53.6% FG% (30-of-56) and 10 3-pointers made were each the second-most by a Valpo opponent this year, trailing only the Beacons’ loss to Bowling Green.
The Beacons shot 42.2% (19-of-45) for the game and hit at a 42.1% (8-of-19) clip from the 3-point line, their best shooting percentage of the year from deep.
Turnovers were the big difference in the ballgame, as Valpo committed 22 miscues, 12 of which were UNI steals, while the Panthers turned the ball over just 12 times. UNI held a massive 31-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
Brown led the Valpo offense with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting, knocking down a pair of triples and handing out three assists.
Freshman Ali Saunders (Depauw, Ind./North Harrison) came off the bench to finish with 12 points, reaching double digits for the eighth time this season.
Johnston, who entered Thursday’s game with just two made 3-pointers in her career, matched that with a pair of triples on her way to nine points — the second-best scoring effort of her career.
Earnest paced Valpo on the glass with six rebounds.
All 10 Beacons who took the court Thursday scored at least one point and grabbed at least one rebound.
Next Up
Valpo (3-12, 1-6 MVC) looks to bounce back and earn a split of the Iowa road trip on Saturday afternoon when the Beacons play at Drake. Tip is slated for 2 p.m. and the game can be seen live on ESPN3.
VALPO MEN’S BASKETBALL: MEN’S HOOPS SEEKS THREE-GAME WINNING STREAK
Valparaiso (8-12, 2-7 MVC)
at Illinois State (8-12, 3-6 MVC)
Game No. 21 – Saturday, Jan. 21, 6 p.m. CT
CEFCU Arena (10,200) – Normal, Ill.
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team will seek its first three-game winning streak of the season on Saturday night as the Beacons make their way to Normal, Ill. to clash with Illinois State. The squad will look to secure its first three-game winning streak since late December and early January of last season – a stretch that featured wins over Eastern Michigan, William & Mary and Illinois State. The program’s last three-game MVC winning streak was late January 2021 (at Illinois State twice, vs. Bradley). Valpo will also try to win back-to-back MVC road games for the first time since sweeping two at Illinois State on Jan. 23-24, 2020.
Last Time Out: Valpo and UIC were even at 51 with 8:23 remaining in regulation, but it was the Beacons who made the big plays in crunch time on Tuesday night at the Athletics-Recreation Center. Valpo outscored the visiting Flames 25-15 down the stretch including Nick Edwards twice beating the shot clock horn with 3-point makes and Quinton Green completing a crucial 4-point play. That helped Valpo prevail 76-66 in the first Missouri Valley Conference showdown between two longtime foes who previously shared affiliation in the AMCU/Mid-Continent Conference and Horizon League. Kobe King was recognized for joining Valpo’s 1,000-point club prior to the game and went on to score a team-high 24 points.
Following the Beacons: Streaming – ESPN3
Radio – 95.1 FM, WVUR, ValpoAthletics.com, TuneIn Radio App – Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and Brandon Vickrey (analyst)
Twitter updates – @ValpoBasketball
Links for video, audio and live stats will be available at ValpoAthletics.com.
Head Coach Matt Lottich: Matt Lottich (105-108) is in his seventh season as the head coach of the men’s basketball program in 2022-2023. Twice during his tenure, Valpo has upset Top-25 opponents, defeating Drake and Rhode Island at the ARC. Valpo has four wins over AP Top 25 teams in program history, and two have come under Lottich. In 2019-2020, Valpo became the first team in the history of Arch Madness, the annual Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Louis, to reach the title game after playing in the opening round by winning three games in three days. Lottich, hired as the 22nd head coach of the Valpo men’s basketball program in April 2016, graduated from Stanford University in 2004 and New Trier High School (Illinois) in 2000.
Series Notes: Both matchups between these two teams went to overtime last season with the home team prevailing in each instance. Valpo owns a 12-9 lead in an all-time series that started in 1939-40. Prior to Illinois State edging its way to a 78-75 win last season in Normal, Valpo owned an eight-game head-to-head winning streak over the Redbirds. Since joining The Valley, Valpo is 8-2 against Illinois State. Four of the last five clashes have been decided by five points or fewer.
Double Figure Streak
The only player in the Missouri Valley Conference who has scored in double figures in each of his team’s games this season is Kobe King, who has scored 10+ in 20 straight.
King has scored in double figures in 39 of his 43 games in a Valpo uniform.
The former Wisconsin Mr. Basketball has scored 15 points or more in 14 of his 20 games this season. He has seven 20-point outputs this year and has scored 15 or more points in 24 of his 43 games with the Beacons.
King is up to 44 career double-figure scoring efforts including his tenure at Wisconsin.
At the end of last season, King became Valpo’s second All-Newcomer Team choice since joining the league and first since Bakari Evelyn in 2017-18.
He appeared on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays after a three-quarter court buzzer-beater on Dec. 11 vs. Charlotte, a play that ranked No. 9 on the popular countdown that evening.
Freebie Frenzy
Kobe King established a career high for made free throws with eight at Evansville on Jan. 14, and matched that mark on Jan. 17 vs. UIC.
He had just one miss in that span, going 8-for-8 against the Flames and a combined 16-of-17 (94.1 percent) over the two games.
King’s 8-for-8 performance at the foul line on Jan. 17 vs. UIC was the most free throws without a miss by a Valpo player in a game since Nov. 12, 2019, when Nick Robinson went 8-for-8 at SIUE.
King has made eight or more free throws in back-to-back games, becoming the first Valpo player to do that since Alec Peters in November 2016 vs. Ball State and Rhode Island.
King is shooting 79.8 percent (75-of-94) at the foul line this season, a significant improvement after he entered the game with a career free-throw mark of 67.4 percent.
Notes Wrapping Up Jan. 17: Valpo 76, UIC 66
Kobe King’s 24 points marked his highest scoring output since 26 on Nov. 13 vs. Western Michigan.
Ben Krikke scored 16 points and went 8-of-10 at the free-throw line, his sixth straight game with 15+ points. Krikke dished out five assists.
Nick Edwards stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, six rebounds, seven assists and three steals. It was his second game hitting those numbers in each of those stat categories this season (Dec. 21 vs. Stonehill), making him one of three players in the country who has hit those marks in multiple games this year (Loyola Marymount’s Cameron Shelton and Gardner Webb’s DQ Nicholas).
Quinton Green tied a season high with seven rebounds, his third game this year with seven boards. He also tossed in nine points.
Valpo shot 85.2 percent from the free-throw line (23-of-27), its highest percentage since Nov. 10 vs. Incarnate Word (20-23, 87 percent) and second-highest percentage of the season. The 23 made free throws were a season high and the team’s highest total since 25 on Feb. 12 of last season at Missouri State.
The Beacons held the Flames to 40.4 percent shooting, the team’s best field-goal percentage defense in conference play so far this year.
Valpo had 14 assists against just eight turnovers.
The Beacons outscored the Flames 25-15 over the final eight minutes.
UIC’s Toby Okani had 29 points, second only to Murray State’s Rob Perry (30) for the most points by a player in a game against Valpo this season. Okani also had 11 rebounds.
Krikke in Select Company
Ben Krikke is one of 10 players in the country who is averaging at least 17.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting better than 75 percent from the free-throw line and better than 50 percent from the field.
Krikke is on pace to become just the third different Missouri Valley Conference player since 2005 to average at least 17 points and five boards while shooting better than 75 percent from the free-throw line and 50 percent from the field. He would join Missouri State’s Isiaih Mosley and Creighton’s Doug McDermott, who did so twice each.
Krikke is one of four players in the MVC shooting better than 50 percent from the field and better than 75 percent from the foul line, joining Drake’s Garrett Sturtz, Indiana State’s Cooper Neese and Bradley’s Rienk Mast.
Krikke is one of three players in the MVC averaging at least 17.0 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game this year. He joins Drake’s Tucker DeVries and Southern Illinois’ Marcus Domask.
Krikke on the All-Time Scoring List
Ben Krikke moved up another spot on Valpo’s all-time scoring list in the Jan. 10 game vs. Belmont. He made his way past Chuck Kriston (1960-63; 1,287) for 18th.
Entering Jan. 21 at Illinois State, Krikke has scored 1,329 career points. His next target is Milo Stovall (1998-2002), who is 17th in program history with 1,345 points.
Krikke cracked the top 20 on Valpo’s all-time scoring list when he scored the first basket of the game on Dec. 18 vs. Elon, and moved up to 19th on Jan. 4 vs. UNI.
Milestones Met
Kobe King reached a significant career milestone on Jan. 10 vs. Belmont at the Athletics-Recreation Center. At the 13:41 mark of the second half, he made his milestone basket to reach the 1,000-point threshold. He was recognized with a nice ovation at the next timeout.
Quinton Green surpassed the 1,500-point mark for his career on Jan. 17 vs. UIC. He scored 1,288 of those points during his five years at Cedarville prior to joining Valpo’s program.
King was recognized prior to the Jan. 17 game against UIC as Director of Athletics Dr. Charles Small and head coach Matt Lottich presented him with a commemorative game ball.
King registered 386 points over his three seasons at Wisconsin and has done the rest of the damage during his two-year run with the Beacons.
King became the second Valpo player to score his 1,000th collegiate point this season. Ben Krikke achieved the feat in the Nov. 13 home-opening victory over Western Michigan.
Three members of Valpo’s starting lineup are 1,000-point scorers as Quinton Green reached the milestone while playing at Division-II Cedarville
Prior to this year, the last Valpo player to join that esteemed group was current graduate assistant Tevonn Walker exactly five years prior to Krikke’s milestone – Nov. 13, 2017 vs. Trinity Christian.
Edwards Anecdotes
Valpo point guard Nick Edwards is one of 22 players in the nation with 90 or more assists and 50 or fewer turnovers and the only player in the Missouri Valley Conference with that combination.
Edwards is averaging over 7.5 points per game and over 4.5 assists per game. Just two Valpo players in the last 30 years have finished a season with 7.5 ppg and 4.5 apg – Ali Berdiel (three times; 2002-2005) and Bryce Drew (four times, 1994-1998).
If Edwards stays on his current pace (4.85 assists per game), he would post Valpo’s highest apg number since Berdiel’s 6.0 in 2003-2004.
Sharing is Caring
Ben Krikke’s scoring ability has been a constant throughout his Valpo career, but he has developed a knack for distributing the basketball in recent games.
The 6-foot-9 senior had nine total assists in 15 games this season (0.6 apg) prior to Jan. 4 vs. UNI. He now has three or more assists in each of his last five contests and 23 total assists in that span (4.6 apg), over seven times his assist per game average from the season’s first 15 games.
In the Jan. 4 game vs. UNI, he gave out a team-high six assists, shattering his previous career high of five set on Jan. 26, 2021 vs. Bradley. He again tallied five helpers on Jan. 14 at Evansville and Jan. 17 vs. UIC, so he has 10 assists over the last two contests.
Among Conference & National Leaders
Valpo has two of the top three players in the MVC in terms of field goals made and two of the top 33 nationally. Ben Krikke leads the conference and ranks seventh in the nation with 144 made field goals, while Kobe King ranks third in the conference and 33rd nationally with 127.
Valpo is one of two teams in the country with two players in the top 40 nationally in terms of field goals made, joining Marshall.
Krikke and King also represent two of the league’s top six players in terms of scoring average. Krikke’s 17.8 points per game rank fourth in The Valley with King not far behind at 17.2 ppg, sixth.
In league-only games, Krikke is averaging 18.4 points per outing, second only to UNI’s Bowen Born (20.8 ppg).
Valpo is the only team in the conference with two players who rank in the top 10 in the league in scoring average.
Starter Shuffle
Ben Krikke, Kobe King and Quinton Green have been fixtures in the starting lineup this season as all three have started each of the first 20 games.
The other two spots have rotated with Maximus Nelson (11 starts) and Jerome Palm (nine starts) splitting time as Krikke’s frontcourt mate. Nelson has started each of the last five contests.
Darius DeAveiro (two), Preston Ruedinger (six) and Nick Edwards (12) have all started at point guard. Edwards has started each of the last nine. Ruedinger (shoulder) is out for the season, and DeAveiro (knee) last played on Jan. 10 vs. Belmont.
Scouting the Redbirds
Most recent game came on Wednesday at UNI, a 65-63 setback.
Own wins over Belmont, Evansville and Missouri State and have three conference losses by six points or fewer.
Under the direction of first-year head coach Ryan Pedon.
Picked to finish 10th of 12 in the MVC preseason poll.
Darius Burford leads the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game.
SMALL COLLEGE ATHLETIC SITES:
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: *
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
SPORTS EXTRA
*************NBA STANDINGS***********
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 Boston | 34 | 12 | .739 | — | 18-5 | 16-7 | 5-0 | 19-8 | 8-2 | 8 W | ||
| 2 Milwaukee | 29 | 16 | .644 | 4.5 | 18-5 | 11-11 | 5-3 | 17-12 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 3 Philadelphia | 29 | 16 | .644 | 4.5 | 17-7 | 12-9 | 4-3 | 17-10 | 8-2 | 4 W | ||
| 4 Brooklyn | 27 | 17 | .614 | 6.0 | 13-7 | 14-10 | 5-3 | 20-8 | 5-5 | 4 L | ||
| 5 Cleveland | 28 | 18 | .609 | 6.0 | 19-4 | 9-14 | 7-3 | 17-8 | 6-4 | 1 L | ||
| 6 Miami | 25 | 21 | .543 | 9.0 | 14-9 | 10-12 | 5-2 | 10-13 | 7-3 | 1 W | ||
| 7 New York | 25 | 21 | .543 | 9.0 | 11-13 | 14-8 | 2-5 | 16-12 | 7-3 | 2 L | ||
| 8 Atlanta | 23 | 22 | .511 | 10.5 | 12-9 | 11-13 | 5-3 | 16-15 | 6-4 | 4 W | ||
| 9 Indiana | 23 | 23 | .500 | 11.0 | 15-9 | 8-14 | 2-3 | 16-12 | 4-6 | 5 L | ||
| 10 Chicago | 21 | 24 | .467 | 12.5 | 12-10 | 8-14 | 5-3 | 17-13 | 5-5 | 2 W | ||
| 11 Toronto | 20 | 26 | .435 | 14.0 | 14-11 | 6-15 | 3-8 | 14-18 | 4-6 | 2 L | ||
| 12 Washington | 19 | 26 | .422 | 14.5 | 11-10 | 8-16 | 4-3 | 12-15 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 13 Orlando | 16 | 28 | .364 | 17.0 | 10-12 | 6-16 | 2-5 | 7-18 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| 14 Charlotte | 12 | 34 | .261 | 22.0 | 5-16 | 7-18 | 3-6 | 5-23 | 2-8 | 1 W | ||
| 15 Detroit | 12 | 36 | .250 | 23.0 | 6-16 | 6-19 | 0-7 | 4-22 | 3-7 | 3 L | ||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 Denver | 32 | 13 | .711 | — | 21-3 | 11-10 | 9-3 | 24-9 | 9-1 | 8 W | ||
| 2 Memphis | 31 | 13 | .705 | 0.5 | 20-3 | 11-10 | 6-2 | 15-10 | 10-0 | 11 W | ||
| 3 Sacramento | 25 | 18 | .581 | 6.0 | 14-9 | 11-9 | 5-5 | 13-9 | 7-3 | 5 W | ||
| 4 New Orleans | 26 | 19 | .578 | 6.0 | 17-6 | 9-13 | 7-3 | 16-10 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| 5 Dallas | 24 | 22 | .522 | 8.5 | 16-7 | 8-15 | 6-2 | 18-10 | 4-6 | 3 L | ||
| 6 Utah | 24 | 24 | .500 | 9.5 | 15-8 | 9-16 | 4-4 | 18-14 | 5-5 | 2 W | ||
| 7 Minnesota | 23 | 24 | .489 | 10.0 | 15-10 | 8-14 | 6-6 | 14-15 | 7-3 | 1 W | ||
| 8 LA Clippers | 23 | 24 | .489 | 10.0 | 13-11 | 10-13 | 3-4 | 13-15 | 2-8 | 2 L | ||
| 9 Golden State | 22 | 23 | .489 | 10.0 | 17-5 | 5-18 | 4-4 | 13-9 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 10 Oklahoma City | 22 | 23 | .489 | 10.0 | 14-9 | 8-14 | 3-6 | 10-12 | 7-3 | 4 W | ||
| 11 Phoenix | 22 | 24 | .478 | 10.5 | 15-7 | 7-17 | 8-0 | 18-13 | 2-8 | 1 W | ||
| 12 Portland | 21 | 24 | .467 | 11.0 | 11-9 | 10-15 | 4-7 | 15-14 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| 13 LA Lakers | 20 | 25 | .444 | 12.0 | 11-11 | 9-14 | 1-8 | 9-16 | 6-4 | 1 L | ||
| 14 San Antonio | 14 | 31 | .311 | 18.0 | 9-15 | 5-15 | 2-7 | 5-24 | 2-8 | 1 W | ||
| 15 Houston | 10 | 35 | .222 | 22.0 | 6-15 | 4-20 | 1-8 | 5-26 | 0-10 | 12 L |
*************NHL STANDINGS***********
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 Boston Bruins | 45 | 36 | 5 | 4 | 76 | 34 | 173 | 96 | 21-1-3 | 15-4-1 | 8-1-1 | |
| 2 Carolina Hurricanes | 45 | 28 | 9 | 8 | 64 | 25 | 146 | 122 | 14-5-2 | 14-4-6 | 5-3-2 | |
| 3 Toronto Maple Leafs | 46 | 28 | 11 | 7 | 63 | 28 | 156 | 122 | 17-3-4 | 11-8-3 | 6-3-1 | |
| 4 New Jersey Devils | 45 | 29 | 12 | 4 | 62 | 28 | 159 | 120 | 11-10-2 | 18-2-2 | 7-1-2 | |
| 5 Tampa Bay Lightning | 44 | 29 | 14 | 1 | 59 | 28 | 160 | 129 | 17-4-1 | 12-10-0 | 7-3-0 | |
| 6 New York Rangers | 46 | 25 | 14 | 7 | 57 | 23 | 145 | 123 | 11-9-4 | 14-5-3 | 6-2-2 | |
| 7 Washington Capitals | 48 | 25 | 17 | 6 | 56 | 25 | 154 | 133 | 13-8-3 | 12-9-3 | 5-4-1 | |
| 8 Pittsburgh Penguins | 44 | 22 | 15 | 7 | 51 | 21 | 143 | 135 | 12-5-4 | 10-10-3 | 3-5-2 | |
| 9 New York Islanders | 47 | 23 | 19 | 5 | 51 | 23 | 139 | 131 | 13-8-2 | 10-11-3 | 2-5-3 | |
| 10 Florida Panthers | 47 | 22 | 20 | 5 | 49 | 21 | 158 | 160 | 11-6-3 | 11-14-2 | 6-3-1 | |
| 11 Buffalo Sabres | 44 | 22 | 19 | 3 | 47 | 21 | 166 | 152 | 10-12-2 | 12-7-1 | 4-5-1 | |
| 12 Detroit Red Wings | 44 | 19 | 17 | 8 | 46 | 18 | 137 | 151 | 11-9-3 | 8-8-5 | 4-5-1 | |
| 13 Philadelphia Flyers | 46 | 19 | 20 | 7 | 45 | 19 | 128 | 149 | 10-11-1 | 9-9-6 | 7-3-0 | |
| 14 Ottawa Senators | 44 | 20 | 21 | 3 | 43 | 19 | 131 | 143 | 12-10-1 | 8-11-2 | 5-5-0 | |
| 15 Montreal Canadiens | 46 | 19 | 24 | 3 | 41 | 15 | 122 | 169 | 10-12-0 | 9-12-3 | 4-6-0 | |
| 16 Columbus Blue Jackets | 45 | 13 | 30 | 2 | 28 | 12 | 114 | 177 | 10-15-1 | 3-15-1 | 2-8-0 | |
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 Dallas Stars | 47 | 27 | 13 | 7 | 61 | 26 | 163 | 124 | 12-5-3 | 15-8-4 | 5-4-1 | |
| 2 Seattle Kraken | 45 | 27 | 14 | 4 | 58 | 27 | 165 | 142 | 11-9-2 | 16-5-2 | 8-2-0 | |
| 3 Winnipeg Jets | 46 | 29 | 16 | 1 | 59 | 29 | 149 | 122 | 17-6-0 | 12-10-1 | 7-3-0 | |
| 4 Vegas Golden Knights | 46 | 28 | 16 | 2 | 58 | 25 | 149 | 133 | 13-13-0 | 15-3-2 | 4-5-1 | |
| 5 Los Angeles Kings | 47 | 25 | 16 | 6 | 56 | 21 | 154 | 161 | 14-9-2 | 11-7-4 | 6-4-0 | |
| 6 Minnesota Wild | 44 | 25 | 15 | 4 | 54 | 22 | 140 | 125 | 13-8-1 | 12-7-3 | 5-3-2 | |
| 7 Edmonton Oilers | 47 | 26 | 18 | 3 | 55 | 26 | 174 | 154 | 12-11-2 | 14-7-1 | 6-3-1 | |
| 8 Calgary Flames | 46 | 21 | 16 | 9 | 51 | 20 | 141 | 139 | 12-8-2 | 9-8-7 | 5-3-2 | |
| 9 Colorado Avalanche | 43 | 23 | 17 | 3 | 49 | 20 | 135 | 122 | 11-8-3 | 12-9-0 | 4-5-1 | |
| 10 St. Louis Blues | 46 | 23 | 20 | 3 | 49 | 20 | 146 | 162 | 10-10-2 | 13-10-1 | 6-4-0 | |
| 11 Nashville Predators | 45 | 21 | 18 | 6 | 48 | 19 | 124 | 133 | 11-7-3 | 10-11-3 | 6-4-0 | |
| 12 Vancouver Canucks | 44 | 18 | 23 | 3 | 39 | 15 | 151 | 175 | 8-11-1 | 10-12-2 | 2-8-0 | |
| 13 San Jose Sharks | 46 | 14 | 23 | 9 | 37 | 13 | 142 | 175 | 5-12-7 | 9-11-2 | 3-4-3 | |
| 14 Arizona Coyotes | 45 | 14 | 26 | 5 | 33 | 12 | 119 | 165 | 8-7-2 | 6-19-3 | 1-9-0 | |
| 15 Anaheim Ducks | 46 | 13 | 28 | 5 | 31 | 10 | 110 | 193 | 8-13-1 | 5-15-4 | 3-6-1 | |
| 16 Chicago Blackhawks | 43 | 13 | 26 | 4 | 30 | 13 | 102 | 158 | 9-15-2 | 4-11-2 | 5-5-0 |
*******FOOTBALL HISTORY*******
January 20, 1950 – Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, Philadelphia -The Detroit Lions picked Leon Hart from University of Notre Dame with the first pick of the 1950 NFL Draft. The interesting thing about this Draft class was that not one player in the top ten picks have become Hall of Famers at the time of this writing per the Pro-Football-Reference.com site. San Francisco’s pick of Leo Nomellini at number 11 is where we see the first in this Draft Class to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The only other Hall member from this draft was Ernie Stautner as the 22nd overall pick by Pittsburgh.
January 20, 1974 – Arrowhead Stadium, KC, Missouri: At the 24th NFL Pro Bowl it was a game for the lovers of good defenses to witness as the AFC held on against the NFC, 15-13. The coaches of the teams were John Madden for the AFC against the strategies of the Cowboys Tom Landry. According to the American Football Database, Miami kicker Garo Yepremian was the Most Valuable Player in the contest as he scored all of the AFC’s points on his 5 successful field goals which is still a Pro Bowl record! It is interesting to note that the victors each received $2000 each while each member of the losing team put $1500 in the bank.
January 20, 1975 – Miami Orange Bowl – The coaches at the 25th NFL Pro Bowl were John Madden of the AFC’s Raiders and Chuck Knox of the LA Rams according to the VictoriaAdvocate.com website. The Pro Bowl was still an important game back then as even the Monday Night Football crew was there to carry it live on ABC. This game was Larry Csonka’s fifth and final Pro Bowl game that he played in. The outcome of the contest had the NFC squad of stars edging out their AFC counterparts, 17-10. The game’s MVP was James Harris the quarterback of the Los Angeles Rams.
January 20, 1980 – Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California – Super Bowl XIV was billed as Tinsel Town versus the Steel City as the Los Angeles Rams would face the defending Champs the Pittsburgh Steelers. A Washington Post article from the day after the game provides the details. The Steelers entered the game as 11 point favorites and they covered that spread, but the game was not an easy one for them by any means. A timely interception by Jack Lambert, spectacular catches by Lynn Swann and John Stalworth and a near record passing performance from Terry Bradshaw were all needed to overcome the Rams. The LA Defense put the Blonde Bomber under pressure all game and picked off three of his passes but he shrugged those off and entertained the crowd of over 103,000 packed into the Rose Bowl to watch a fourth quarter surge by the Steelers. Pittsburgh was in fact trailing 19-17 early in the fourth before Stallworth scored by reeling in a 73-yard bomb early in the fourth stanza to erase a 19-17 Ram lead. Then Stalworth somehow gathered in a 45-yarder in the midst of three Ram defenders with three minutes left to set up Franco Harris one yard plunge to ice the game. The Pittsburgh Steelers retained their World Championship with a 31-19 victory over the LA Rams. Terry Bradshaw was named as the game’s MVP.
January 20, 1985 – Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California -At Super Bowl XIX the San Francisco 49ers knocked off the Miami Dolphins, 38-16. According to the 49ersWebzone.com described the game as a one sided affair where a young Dan Marino and the Dolphins found themselves vastly overmatched against a guy named Joe Montana. The 49ers defense played exceptionally well as they all but silenced the hot hand of Marino and made the high powered Dolphin offense look quite pedestrian. Joe Montana threw for 331 yards and 3 scores as he earned the Most Valuable Player award in the victory.
January 20, 1991 – Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, NY – The AFC Championship for the 1990 season culminated in the Buffalo Bills blasting the Los Angeles Raiders, 51-3! Bills QB Jim Kelly threw for 300 yards and 2 TDs, his favorite target was James Lofton who caught five balls for 113 and a score and Thurman Thomas rushed for a touchdown as part of his 138 yards on the ground as told by the Pro-Football-Reference site. The Bills were good but they lost a few weeks later in the Super Bowl, starting a streak of four in a row where starting QB Jim Kelley has the record for losses in the big game as a QB.
January 20, 1991 – Candlestick Park, San Francisco -There was only one TD scored in the NFC Championship game for the 1990 season and it was by the team that ended up on the losing side. It doesn’t sound right to hear that but Joe Montana’s 61 yard scoring strike to wide receiver John Taylor in the 3rd quarter was the only time either team crossed the goal line per the Pro-Football-Reference.com. Matt Bahr of the Giants had an active day as he kicked 5 field goals to supply all of the Giants points as they beat the San Francisco 49ers, 15-13.
January 20, 2008 – Gillette Stadium, Foxborough The New England Patriots defeated the San Diego Chargers, 21-12 in the AFC Championship game. According to Pro-Football-Reference, Tom Brady tossed two touchdown passes and Laurence Maroney rushed in another to power the scoring for the Patriots to advance them to Super Bowl XLII with an unblemished 18-0 record.
January 20, 2008 – Lambeau Field, Green Bay – The NFC Championship was a great quarterback matchup as Eli Manning and his Giants would run their offense and Brett Favre would do likewise for the Packers team according to Pro-Football-Reference. Favre got the better of the quarterback battle as he passed for 236 yards and two touchdowns but his two picks were costly as the New York Giants beat Green Bay 23-20 in Overtime to earn the right to face the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
January 20, 2013 – Gillette Stadium, Foxborough – In the 2012 seasons AFC Championship tilt it was the Baltimore Ravens who more than doubled up the New England Patriots by the score of 28-13. Tom Brady threw for a solid 320 yards against a tough Ravens defense but with just one touchdown and having two passes intercepted, he was upstaged by the three scoring passes by Joe Flacco who kept the ball out of defenders hands per the Pro-Football-Reference.com to advance to Super Bowl XLVII.
January 20, 2013 – Georgia Dome, Atlanta – What a game the NFC Championship was! The Pro-football-Reference website shows that after Atlanta held a 24-14 advantage at the half, the Niners played stingy defense in the second half and Frank Gore pounded the ball across the goal line twice to lift San Francisco to a 28-14 victory over Atlanta to advance to Super Bowl XLVII against the Ravens in the Harbaugh Bowl! We will discuss that game on February 3!
January 20, 2019 – Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans – At the NFC Championship game according to Pro-Football-Reference.com it was the Los Angeles Rams who outlasted the New Orleans Saints, 26-23 in overtime. The infamous “Pass Interference No-Call” stunned the NFL fan base, According the an article on the Ringer.com website, with less than two minutes remaining in the game and the score tied at 20, the Saints were well within field goal range at the Rams’ 13-yard line. Three plays later the Saints faced a third-and-10, and a conversion would’ve meant that they’d be able to work the clock to mere seconds and attempt a chip-shot field goal that would’ve basically punched their tickets to the Super Bowl. Drew Brees dropped back and looked for receiver Tommylee Lewis, but the wideout got basically destroyed by Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman prior to the ball’s getting to him. No yellow laundry was tossed onto the field so that Saints were forced to kick earlier than they should have had to leaving the Rams 1:41 to mount a comeback. And that they did and kicked the tying score in regulation and the game winner in overtime to have the opportunity to go to Super Bowl LIII.
January 20, 2019 – Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City – What a game and what storylines it had. The main one being the greatest Quarterback of all time in Tom Brady leading his team against the new gun slinger in the NFL Patrick Mahomes. They each had their bright spots in the contest but none was any bigger than Mahomes putting the Chiefs on his back and scoring 24 points in the fourth including a game tying field goal with just 8 seconds left in regulation Pro-Football-Reference.com. It was Brady and the Patriots though that had a drive of their own on the extra session that finished the game with a 2 yard Rex Burkhead touchdown. The New England Patriots outlasted the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime 37-31 to face the Rams in Super Bowl LIII.
HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAYS
January 20, 1960 – Pine Bluff, Arkansas – The talented wide receiver from the University of Central Arkansas Ronnie Mallet was born.
******BASEBALL HISTORY******
1871 Ivers Whitney Adams incorporates the Boston Red Stockings with $15,000 and the help of Harry Wright, who had founded and managed the Cincinnati Red Stockings, America’s first professional baseball team. The franchise will compile a 225-60 (.789) record and win four pennants during its five-year existence in the National Association.
1882 Kentucky lawmakers revise the ruling, which inadvertently banned playing baseball in the commonwealth. The poorly written legislation would have prevented the Louisville Eclipse from playing their inaugural season in the American Association.
1906 Henry Mathewson signs with the Giants, but the right-hander’s performance will not remind anyone of his more talented older brother, Christy, when the right-hander, in his only start, walks 14 batters to establish a National League record. The 19-year-old will appear in only three major league games over the next two seasons, compiling a 0-1 record and two saves while posting an ERA of 4.91 during his 11 innings of work in the major leagues.
1947 Negro League standout Josh Gibson, sometimes referred to as the ‘black Babe Ruth,’ suffers a stroke at a movie theater, dying a few hours later at his mother’s house at 35. The future Hall of Fame catcher will be put to rest in an unmarked grave for nearly three decades in Pittsburgh’s historic Allegheny Cemetery until the placement of a small plaque in 1975, thanks to the efforts of fellow HOFer Willie Stargell and members of the community.
1966 Ted Williams, who compiled a .344 career batting average playing with the Red Sox for 19 seasons, receives 282 votes out of 302 ballots (93.4%) cast by the writers of the BBWAA for induction into the Hall of Fame. The ‘Splendid Splinter’ becomes the first American League position player selected in his first year of eligibility.
1984 Mets fans are shocked as the franchise loses future Hall of Famer Tom Seaver for the second time. The White Sox draft the unprotected ‘Tom Terrific,’ who rejoined the team last season after being traded away to Cincinnati in 1977, as compensation for losing Dennis Lamp, a Type A free agent, to the Blue Jays.
1997 Former outfielder Curt Flood, who played most notably with the Cardinals, dies of throat cancer at 59. After being traded to the Phillies in 1969, the baseball pioneer refused to play for Philadelphia and challenged the owners’ reserve clause, taking the matter as far as the U.S. Supreme Court, where he lost the case but laid the groundwork which would lead to free agency in professional sports.
2001 George W. Bush becomes the 43rd President of the United States. The former Texas Ranger owner, who had a scant 1.8 percent share of the team at the beginning of the venture, and his partners bought the Texas franchise from Eddie Chiles in 1989 for $86 million.
2006 With the encouragement of President George W. Bush, a former major league owner, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control approves baseball’s second application to allow Cuba to play in the World Baseball Classic games in the United States. With the issues of potential espionage by Cuban spies accompanying the team and money going to the Castro government resolved, the Olympic champs will be one of the 16 teams to compete in the WBC.
2006 At the introductory news conference, Bob Castellini, the new Reds’ owner, makes it clear that he plans to be a hands-on CEO on his first day on the job. Promising the fans a championship, the Cincinnati produce proprietor intends to work out at the Great American Ball Park daily until he understands how a baseball front office operates.
2006 “I think it’s the No. 1 accomplishment because you can only become an American citizen once, but you can be a World Series champion a few times.” – OZZIE GUILLEN, White Sox skipper, comparing gaining United States citizenship with winning the Fall Classic. Ozzie Guillen, the first foreign-born manager to win a World Series, spends his 42nd birthday becoming an American citizen. During the ceremony, others sworn in as citizens of the United States include the White Sox skipper’s wife, Ibis, and their 19-year-old son, Oney, a student at Chicago’s North Park University.
2006 🇻🇳 Danny Graves, the only major leaguer born in Vietnam, travels to Quang Tri province just south of the DMZ to dedicate the country’s first baseball field. Removing seventeen explosive devices between home base and the outfield, using money donated from Major League Baseball and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, helps transform the former soccer field into a diamond for the Le Loi High School.
2009 Jonathan Papelbon, avoiding arbitration, agrees to a one-year contract with the Red Sox. The 28-year-old All-Star closer has compiled a career 1.84 ERA, the second-best in big league history among pitchers with at least 200.0 innings, trailing only Meriden, Connecticut’s Ed Walsh mark of 1.82.
2009 The Dodgers, avoiding arbitration, sign Russell Martin to a one-year deal. The 25-year-old catcher, a two-time All-Star, will make $3.9 million after making $500,000 last season.
2009 Adam LaRoche signs a $7.05 million, one-year contract with the payroll-poor Pirates. The 25-year-old first baseman’s deal, which avoids the need for arbitration, will most likely be the second richest in Pittsburgh this season, slightly less than shortstop Jack Wilson’s $7.25 million.
2009 Avoiding arbitration, Ryan Madson and the Phillies reach a preliminary agreement on a $12 million, three-year contract. The right-handed reliever, who posted a 3.05 ERA in 76 games out of the bullpen last year, finished the season as the setup man for closer Brad Lidge, who was perfect in 48 save opportunities.
2009 The Mariners obtain David Aardsma from the Red Sox in exchange for minor league southpaw Fabian Williamson. Seattle plans to use the 27-year-old right-hander, a first-round draft pick in 2003, out of the bullpen.
2012 The Nationals, avoiding salary arbitration, sign Mike Morse to a reported two-year contract extension. The 29-year-old outfielder/infielder, who had been asking for $5 million, led the team in batting (.303 average), home runs (31), and runs batted in (95) last season.
2014 The Tigers and Justin Upton agree on a reported six-year, $132.75 million deal. The addition of the 28-year-old three-time All-Star outfielder and the free-agent signing of right-hander Jordan Zimmermann in late November make Detroit the second franchise to spend $100 million or more on two free agents in a single offseason.
******SPORTS IN NUMBERS*******
82 – 99 – 13 – 19 – 5 – 9 – 1 – 12 – 16 – 20 – 66 – 77
January 20, 1950 – Leon Hart, Number 82 from University of Notre Dame first pick by Detroit Lions in the 1950 NFL Draft
January 20, 1952 – George Mikan, who wore Number 99 for the NBA’s Minneapolis Lakers proved that he was one of the League’s first superstars as he put up 61 points against the Rochester Royals in a Double Overtime thriller 91-81.
January 20, 1967 – Wilt Chamberlain wearing his lucky Number 13 jersey with the Philadelphia 76ers went 15 of 15 from the field, setting an NBA record for consecutive shots made, to lead his Sixers team over the Los Angeles Lakers, 119 -108. The legendary Big man would break this record tow more time in the season of 1966-67.
January 20, 1970 – 20th NBA All-Star Game, Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pa: East beats West, 142-135; MVP: NY Knicks, C , Number 19, Willis Reed. There was another milestone moment at this game as Tom Van Arsdale (Number 5) of the Cincinnati Royals and Dick Van Arsdale (Number 5) of the Phoenix Suns, became the first brothers to play in same NBA All-Star Game
January 20, 1970 – 23rd NHL All-Star Game, St. Louis Arena: East beats West, 4-1; MVP: Chicago, LW, Number 9, Bobby Hull
January 20, 1974 – 24th NFL Pro Bowl, Arrowhead Stadium, KC, Missouri: AFC beats NFC, 15-13; MVP: Garo Yepremian (Number 1), Miami Dolphins, PK
January 20, 1975 – 25th NFL Pro Bowl, Miami Orange Bowl: NFC beats AFC, 17-10; MVP: LA Rams, QB, Number 12, James Harris
January 20, 1976 – 29th NHL All-Star Game, Spectrum, Philadelphia: Wales Conference beats Campbell Conference, 7-5; MVP: Montreal, C , Number 20, Peter Mahovlich
January 20, 1980 – The original TB12, Number 12, QB Terry Bradshaw, led his Pittsburgh Steelers to a record fourth Super Bowl victory as Pittsburgh overcame the LA Rams in SB XIV 31-19 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
January 20, 1985 – San Francisco 49ers star Quarterback, Number 16, Joe Montana, was selected as the MVP of Super Bowl XIX as the Niners triumphed over Dan Marino and the Miami Doplins 38-16 at Stanford Stadium.
January 20, 1989 – Pittsburgh Penguins center, Number 66, Mario Lemieux became just the 2nd player in NHL history to score 50 goals in less than 50 games; #50 in 44th game as the Penguins lost 7-3 to the Winnipeg Jets in Winnipeg
January 20, 1996 – 46th NHL All-Star Game, FleetCenter, Boston, MA: East beats West, 5-4; MVP: Boston Bruins, D, Number 77, Ray Bourque.
********************TV FRIDAY*************************
| NCAA BASKETBALL GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| Ball State at Kent State | 6:30pm | CBSSN |
| VCU at Richmond | 7:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Villanova vs. St. John’s (at Manhattan, NY) | 7:00pm | FS1 |
| Mount St. Mary’s at Siena | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Saint Peter’s at Marist | 7:00pm | ESPN3 |
| St. Francis Brooklyn at Saint Francis U | 7:00pm | NEC |
| Central Connecticut at Wagner | 7:00pm | NEC |
| Stonehill at LIU | 7:00pm | NEC |
| Sacred Heart at Fairleigh Dickinson | 7:00pm | NEC |
| Niagara at Rider | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Iona at Manhattan | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Canisius at Fairfield | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Toledo at Buffalo | 8:30pm | CBSSN |
| Boise State at New Mexico | 11:00pm | FS1 |
| GOLF | TIME ET | TV |
| PGA: The American Express | 3:00pm | GOLF |
| NBA REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| Chicago at Detroit | 3:00pm | NBATV NBCS-CHI Bally Sports |
| Golden State at Boston | 7:30pm | TNT |
| Toronto at Minnesota | 8:00pm | Sportsnet Bally Sports |
| Brooklyn at Phoenix | 10:00pm | TNT |
| Philadelphia at Portland | 10:00pm | NBCS-PHI Root Sports |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON GAMES | TIME ET | TV |
| Ottawa at Pittsburgh | 7:00pm | NHLN Sportsnet ATTSN-PIT |
| Colorado at Vancouver | 10:00pm | ALT Sportsnet |
| SOCCER MATCHES | TIME ET | TV |
| Bundesliga: RB Leipzig vs Bayern München | 2:30pm | Paramount+ |
| English Championship: Sheffield United vs Hull City | 2:45pm | ESPN+ |
| La Liga: Mallorca vs Celta de Vigo | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Coupe de France: Olympique Marseille vs Rennes | 3:10pm | FOX Soccer Plus |
| Liga MX: Tijuana vs Tigres UANL | 10:10pm | ESPN+ |