INDIANA BOYS BASKETBALL
| HILLTOP (OHIO) | 66 | HAMILTON | 39 | |
| NORWELL | 78 | ADAMS CENTRAL | 52 |
INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL
| ALEXANDRIA | 69 | WES-DEL | 10 | |
| CARROLL (FLORA) | 66 | MACONAQUAH | 26 | |
| CLINTON CENTRAL | 44 | LEBANON | 37 | |
| DEMOTTE CHRISTIAN | 56 | TRI-COUNTY | 44 | |
| EASTSIDE | 56 | EDON (OHIO) | 18 | |
| EVANSVILLE NORTH | 48 | VINCENNES RIVET | 31 | |
| EVANSVILLE REITZ | 53 | NORTH POSEY | 40 | |
| FISHERS | 66 | PENDLETON HEIGHTS | 51 | |
| ILLIANA CHRISTIAN | 57 | CALUMET CHRISTIAN | 27 | |
| INDIANA MATH & SCIENCE | 54 | INDIANAPOLIS WASHINGTON | 46 | |
| MARQUETTE CATHOLIC | 62 | SOUTH BEND CAREER | 31 | |
| MORRISTOWN | 36 | OLDENBURG ACADEMY | 32 | |
| NOBLESVILLE | 65 | OAKTON (VA.) | 44 | |
| NORTHMONT (OHIO) | 46 | RICHMOND | 42 | |
| PERRY CENTRAL | 47 | SPRINGS VALLEY | 39 | |
| RISING SUN | 60 | MEDORA | 15 | |
| SOUTH ADAMS | 37 | MONROE CENTRAL | 28 | |
| SOUTH DECATUR | 58 | KNIGHTSTOWN | 16 | |
| UNION (MODOC) | 52 | HAGERSTOWN | 50 | |
| WOOD MEMORIAL | 56 | EVANSVILLE BOSSE | 21 |
INDIANA GIRLS BASKETBALL POLLS
4A
1. SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON (12-0)
2. ZIONSVILLE (10-0)
3. HAMILTON SOUTHEASTERN (11-0)
4. BEDFORD NORTH LAWRENCE (10-1)
5. FISHERS (9-2)
6. FORT WAYNE NORTHROP (9-1)
7. LAKE CENTRAL (7-1)
8. NOBLESVILLE (7-3)
9. HOMESTEAD (9-2)
10. COLUMBIA CITY (9-1)
10. VALPARAISO (10-0)
12. NORTHRIDGE (10-2)
13. WARSAW (9-2)
13. BEN DAVIS (9-3)
15. LAWRENCE NORTH (9-4)
3A
1. TWIN LAKES (12-0)
2. NORWELL (9-2)
3. INDIAN CREEK (10-0)
4. EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL (8-0)
5. JAY COUNTY (9-1)
6. CORYDON CENTRAL (11-1)
7. MISHAWAKA MARIAN (10-2)
8. HAMILTON HEIGHTS (9-1)
9. DANVILLE (10-2)
10. FAIRFIELD (10-1)
11. NORTHWESTERN (8-2)
12. WEST LAFAYETTE (10-3)
13. GIBSON SOUTHERN (5-3)
2A
1. NORTH KNOX (11-0)
2. BLACKFORD (9-0)
3. CENTRAL NOBLE (12-0)
4. FOREST PARK (10-1)
5. CARROLL (FLORA) (10-1)
6. ANDREAN (5-1)
7. LINTON-STOCKTON (9-0)
8. WINCHESTER (8-2)
9. LAFAYETTE CENTRAL CATHOLIC (7-2)
10. BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (8-3)
11. EASTERN HANCOCK (9-3)
12. EASTBROOK (6-2)
12. WAPAHANI (8-1)
12. PIONEER (8-1)
12. SEEGER (9-1)
16. TRITON CENTRAL (5-3)
1A
1. LANESVILLE (10-1)
2. TRI (9-0)
3. CASTON (11-0)
4. TRINITY LUTHERAN (8-1)
5. NORTHEAST DUBOIS (8-2)
6. BLUE RIVER (8-2)
7. BETHANY CHRISTIAN (8-1)
8. MORGAN TWP. (9-3)
9. VINCENNES RIVET (6-3)
10. KOUTS (8-4)
11. CLINTON CENTRAL (8-2)
12. BORDEN (7-3)
13. WOOD MEMORIAL (8-3)
13. DEMOTTE CHRISTIAN (8-2)
15. WASHINGTON TWP. (5-3)
INDIANA TEAM WRESTLING RANKINGS
4A
- CROWN POINT
- BROWNSBURG
- CENTER GROVE
- PERRY MERIDIAN
- CATHEDRAL
- EVANSVILLE MATER DEI
- CARMEL
- WARREN CENTRAL
- PENN
- MERRILLVILLE
3A
- RONCALLI
- MISHAWAKA
- EAST CENTRAL
- TERRE HAUTE SOUTH
- HOBART
- COLUMBUS EAST
- GREENFIELD CENTRAL
- FRANKLIN
- FLOYD CENTRAL
- BLOOMINGTON SOUTH
2A
- JAY COUNTY
- DELTA
- WESTERN
- GARRETT
- HAMILTON HEIGHTS
- NORWELL
- BELLMONT
- OAK HILL
- HERITAGE HILLS
- OWEN VALLEY
1A
- ROCHESTER
- ADAMS CENTRAL
- CASCADE
- PRAIRIE HEIGHTS
- TELL CITY
- COWAN
- WEST CENTRAL
- SOUTHMONT
- NORTH POSEY
- WINAMAC
MEN’S COLLEGE AP BASKETBALL POLL
| RANK | SCHOOL | VOTES | PREV |
| 1 | PURDUE 10-0 | 1508 (27) | 4 |
| 2 | VIRGINIA 8-0 | 1476 (19) | 3 |
| 3 | UCONN 11-0 | 1466 (15) | 5 |
| 4 | ALABAMA 8-1 | 1326 | 8 |
| 5 | HOUSTON 9-1 | 1224 | 1 |
| 6 | TENNESSEE 9-1 | 1189 (1) | 7 |
| 7 | TEXAS 7-1 | 1173 | 2 |
| 8 | KANSAS 9-1 | 1165 | 6 |
| 9 | ARIZONA 8-1 | 1096 | 10 |
| 10 | ARKANSAS 9-1 | 1029 | 9 |
| 11 | BAYLOR 7-2 | 881 | 12 |
| 12 | DUKE 10-2 | 840 | 15 |
| 13 | KENTUCKY 7-2 | 688 | 16 |
| 14 | INDIANA 8-2 | 622 | 14 |
| 15 | GONZAGA 7-3 | 621 | 18 |
| 16 | UCLA 8-2 | 606 | 19 |
| 17 | MISSISSIPPI STATE 9-0 | 497 | 23 |
| 18 | ILLINOIS 7-3 | 487 | 17 |
| 19 | AUBURN 8-1 | 453 | 11 |
| 20 | MARYLAND 8-2 | 414 | 13 |
| 21 | TCU 8-1 | 270 | 24 |
| 22 | WISCONSIN 8-2 | 255 | NR |
| 23 | OHIO STATE 7-2 | 209 | 25 |
| 24 | VIRGINIA TECH 10-1 | 109 | NR |
| 25 | MIAMI (FL) 10-1 | 100 | NR |
MEN’S COLLEGE COACHES POLL
| Rank | School | Votes | Prev |
| 1 | PURDUE 10-0 | 697 (9) | 4 |
| 2 | VIRGINIA 8-0 | 683 (12) | 3 |
| 3 | UCONN 11-0 | 677 (7) | 5 |
| 4 | HOUSTON 9-1 | 588 | 1 |
| 5 | ALABAMA 8-1 | 585 | 10 |
| 6 | KANSAS 9-1 | 568 (1) | 6 |
| 7 | TENNESSEE 9-1 | 550 | 7 |
| 8 | TEXAS 7-1 | 537 | 2 |
| 9 | ARIZONA 8-1 | 487 | 9 |
| 10 | ARKANSAS 9-1 | 466 | 8 |
| 11 | BAYLOR 7-2 | 387 | 12 |
| 12 | DUKE 10-2 | 366 | 15 |
| 13 | KENTUCKY 7-2 | 330 | 16 |
| 14 | UCLA 8-2 | 310 | 18 |
| 15 | GONZAGA 7-3 | 291 | 18 |
| 16 | INDIANA 8-2 | 272 | 11 |
| 17 | MARYLAND 8-2 | 237 | 13 |
| 18 | AUBURN 8-1 | 223 | 14 |
| 19 | ILLINOIS 7-3 | 204 | 17 |
| 20 | MISSISSIPPI STATE 9-0 | 155 | NR |
| 21 | OHIO STATE 7-2 | 134 | 23 |
| 22 | TCU 8-1 | 102 | 25 |
| 23 | WISCONSIN 8-2 | 99 | NR |
| 23 | VIRGINIA TECH 10-1 | 99 | NR |
| 25 | MIAMI (FL) 10-1 | 55 | NR |
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL RPI RANKINGS
| RANK | SCHOOL | RPI | PREV |
| 1 | PURDUE 10-0 | 0.7160 | 1 |
| 2 | UTAH STATE 8-0 | 0.7103 | 2 |
| 3 | CHARLESTON 10-1 | 0.6774 | 3 |
| 4 | ALABAMA 8-1 | 0.6742 | 4 |
| 5 | KANSAS 9-1 | 0.6736 | 6 |
| 6 | GONZAGA 7-3 | 0.6700 | 5 |
| 7 | UCONN 11-0 | 0.6606 | 7 |
| 8 | UNLV 10-0 | 0.6529 | 9 |
| 9 | WISCONSIN 8-2 | 0.6499 | 15 |
| 10 | WEST VIRGINIA 8-2 | 0.6488 | 11 |
| 11 | TENNESSEE 9-1 | 0.6471 | 23 |
| 12 | HOFSTRA 6-5 | 0.6421 | 8 |
| 13 | DUKE 10-2 | 0.6415 | 10 |
| 14 | VIRGINIA 8-0 | 0.6381 | 12 |
| 15 | AUBURN 8-1 | 0.6368 | 14 |
| 16 | HOUSTON 9-1 | 0.6363 | 13 |
| 17 | NORTH CAROLINA 6-4 | 0.6338 | 17 |
| 18 | VIRGINIA TECH 10-1 | 0.6333 | 24 |
| 19 | MEMPHIS 8-2 | 0.6332 | 21 |
| 20 | ARIZONA 8-1 | 0.6304 | 19 |
| 21 | UNCW 8-3 | 0.6299 | 20 |
| 22 | SAM HOUSTON 7-2 | 0.6278 | 18 |
| 23 | BAYLOR 7-2 | 0.6243 | 22 |
| 24 | MARYLAND 8-2 | 0.6231 | 16 |
| 25 | NEVADA 8-3 | 0.6221 | 25 |
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL AP POLL
| RANK | SCHOOL | VOTES | PREV |
| 1 | SOUTH CAROLINA 9-0 | 700 (28) | 1 |
| 2 | STANFORD 10-1 | 672 | 2 |
| 3 | OHIO STATE 10-0 | 627 | 3 |
| 4 | INDIANA 10-0 | 623 | 4 |
| 5 | NOTRE DAME 8-1 | 577 | 5 |
| 6 | VIRGINIA TECH 10-0 | 549 | 7 |
| 7 | NORTH CAROLINA 8-1 | 514 | 8 |
| 8 | NORTH CAROLINA STATE 9-1 | 505 | 8 |
| 9 | UCONN 7-2 | 450 | 6 |
| 10 | UCLA 9-1 | 416 | 13 |
| 11 | LSU 9-0 | 391 | 11 |
| 12 | IOWA 8-3 | 369 | 16 |
| 13 | UTAH 8-0 | 359 | 15 |
| 14 | IOWA STATE 7-2 | 329 | 10 |
| 15 | MARYLAND 9-3 | 310 | 20 |
| 16 | CREIGHTON 8-1 | 264 | 18 |
| 16 | OREGON 7-1 | 264 | 17 |
| 18 | BAYLOR 7-2 | 186 | 19 |
| 19 | MICHIGAN 9-1 | 181 | 14 |
| 20 | ARIZONA 7-1 | 177 | 12 |
| 21 | ARKANSAS 12-0 | 169 | 21 |
| 22 | KANSAS 9-0 | 149 | NR |
| 23 | GONZAGA 9-2 | 100 | 22 |
| 24 | OKLAHOMA 8-1 | 72 | 23 |
| 25 | VILLANOVA 9-2 | 56 | 25 |
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL RPI RANKINGS
| RANK | SCHOOL | RPI | PREV |
| 1 | INDIANA 10-0 | 0.7484 | 3 |
| 2 | UCONN 7-2 | 0.7388 | 1 |
| 3 | SOUTH CAROLINA 9-0 | 0.7266 | 2 |
| 4 | CREIGHTON 8-1 | 0.7236 | 5 |
| 5 | NORTH CAROLINA STATE 9-1 | 0.7217 | 4 |
| 6 | MARYLAND 9-3 | 0.6988 | 6 |
| 7 | KANSAS 9-0 | 0.6882 | 9 |
| 8 | UCLA 9-1 | 0.6800 | 7 |
| 9 | NOTRE DAME 8-1 | 0.6684 | 10 |
| 10 | VIRGINIA TECH 10-0 | 0.6678 | 8 |
| 11 | NORTH CAROLINA 8-1 | 0.6663 | 11 |
| 12 | VILLANOVA 9-2 | 0.6590 | 11 |
| 13 | DUKE 10-1 | 0.6572 | 13 |
| 14 | PURDUE 9-2 | 0.6525 | 15 |
| 15 | OKLAHOMA 8-1 | 0.6448 | 17 |
| 16 | IOWA STATE 7-2 | 0.6436 | 16 |
| 17 | ARKANSAS 12-0 | 0.6415 | 14 |
| 18 | PENN STATE 8-3 | 0.6399 | 22 |
| 19 | GONZAGA 9-2 | 0.6398 | 20 |
| 20 | MARQUETTE 8-2 | 0.6359 | 23 |
| 21 | UTAH 8-0 | 0.6341 | NR |
| 22 | STANFORD 10-1 | 0.6339 | 19 |
| 23 | IOWA 8-3 | 0.6336 | 18 |
| 24 | PRINCETON 6-3 | 0.6315 | NR |
| 25 | KENT STATE 6-3 | 0.6303 | 25 |
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
#7 TEXAS 87 RICE 81 OT
#15 GONZAGA 88 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 67
IUPUI 75 SPALDING 53
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/CBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20221212
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
MINNESOTA 105 CHICAGO STATE 54
COMPLETE SCOREBOARD: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/WCBK/SCOREBOARD.ASP?CONF=-1&DAY=20221212
NFL
NEW ENGLAND 27 ARIZONA 13
BOX SCORE: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/FB/BOXSCORE.ASP?GAMECODE=20221212022&HOME=22&VIS=17&FINAL=TRUE
COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, DEC. 16
UAB VS. MIAMI (OHIO) — BAHAMAS BOWL (NASSAU, BAHAMAS) | 11:30 A.M. | ESPN
NO. 24 TROY VS. NO. 25 UTSA — CURE BOWL (ORLANDO, FLORIDA) | 3 P.M. | ESPN
MOUNT UNION VS. NORTH CENTRAL (IL) — DIII NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND) | 7 P.M. | ESPNU
SATURDAY, DEC. 17
CINCINNATI VS. LOUISVILLE — FENWAY BOWL (BOSTON) | 11 A.M. | ESPN
JACKSON STATE VS. N.C. CENTRAL — CELEBRATION BOWL (ATLANTA) | 12 P.M. | ABC
FERRIS STATE VS. COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES — DII NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (MCKINNEY, TEXAS) | 1 P.M. | ESPNU
NO. 14 OREGON STATE VS. FLORIDA — LAS VEGAS BOWL (LAS VEGAS) | 2:30 P.M. | ESPN
WASHINGTON STATE VS. FRESNO STATE — LA BOWL (INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA) | 3:30 P.M. | ABC
RICE VS. SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI — LENDINGTREE BOWL (MOBILE, ALABAMA) | 5:45 P.M. | ESPN
SMU VS. BYU — NEW MEXICO BOWL (ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO) | 7:30 P.M. | ABC
BOISE STATE VS. NORTH TEXAS — FRISCO BOWL (FRISCO, TEXAS) | 9:15 P.M. | ESPN
MONDAY, DEC. 19
MARSHALL VS. UCONN — MYRTLE BEACH BOWL (CONWAY, SOUTH CAROLINA) | 2:30 P.M. | ESPN
TUESDAY, DEC. 20
EASTERN MICHIGAN VS. SAN JOSE STATE — FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL (BOISE, IDAHO) | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN
LIBERTY VS. TOLEDO — BOCA RATON BOWL (BOCA RATON, FLORIDA) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 21
SOUTH ALABAMA VS. WESTERN KENTUCKY — NEW ORLEANS BOWL (NEW ORLEANS) | 9 P.M. | ESPN
THURSDAY, DEC. 22
BAYLOR VS. AIR FORCE — ARMED FORCES BOWL (FORT WORTH, TEXAS) | 7:30 P.M. | ESPN
FRIDAY, DEC. 23
HOUSTON VS. LOUISIANA — INDEPENDENCE BOWL (SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA) | 3 P.M. | ESPN
WAKE FOREST VS. MISSOURI — GASPARILLA BOWL (TAMPA, FLORIDA) | 6:30 P.M. | ESPN
SATURDAY, DEC. 24
MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE VS. SAN DIEGO STATE — HAWAI’I BOWL (HONOLULU, HAWAI’I) | 8 P.M. | ESPN
MONDAY, DEC. 26
BOWLING GREEN VS. NEW MEXICO STATE — QUICK LANE BOWL (DETROIT) | 2:30 P.M. | ESPN
TUESDAY, DEC. 27
BUFFALO VS. GEORGIA SOUTHERN — CAMELLIA BOWL (MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA) | 12 P.M. | ESPN
OKLAHOMA STATE VS. WISCONSIN — GUARANTEED RATE BOWL (PHOENIX) | 10:15 P.M. | ESPN
MEMPHIS VS. UTAH STATE — FIRST RESPONDER BOWL (DALLAS) | ESPN
COASTAL CAROLINA VS. EAST CAROLINA — BIRMINGHAM BOWL (BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA) | ESPN
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 28
DUKE VS. UCF — MILITARY BOWL (ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND) | 2 P.M. | ESPN
ARKANSAS VS. KANSAS — LIBERTY BOWL (MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE) | 5:30 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 15 OREGON VS. NORTH CAROLINA — HOLIDAY BOWL (SAN DIEGO) | 8 P.M.
TEXAS TECH VS. OLE MISS — TEXAS BOWL (HOUSTON) | 9 P.M. | ESPN
THURSDAY, DEC. 29
MINNESOTA VS. SYRACUSE — PINSTRIPE BOWL (BRONX, NEW YORK) | 2 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 13 FLORIDA STATE VS. OKLAHOMA — CHEEZ-IT BOWL (ORLANDO, FLORIDA) | 5:30 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 12 WASHINGTON VS. NO. 20 TEXAS — ALAMO BOWL (SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS) | 9 P.M. | ESPN
FRIDAY, DEC. 30
NO. 23 NC STATE VS. MARYLAND — DUKE’S MAYO BOWL (CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA) | 12 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 18 UCLA VS. PITT — SUN BOWL (EL PASO, TEXAS) | 2 P.M. | CBS
NO. 19 SOUTH CAROLINA VS. NO. 21 NOTRE DAME — GATOR BOWL (JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA) | 3:30 P.M. | ESPN
OHIO VS. WYOMING — ARIZONA BOWL (TUCSON, ARIZONA) | 4:30 P.M.| BARSTOOL
NO. 6 TENNESSEE VS. NO. 7 CLEMSON — ORANGE BOWL (MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA) | 8 P.M. | ESPN
SATURDAY, DEC. 31
IOWA VS. KENTUCKY — MUSIC CITY BOWL (NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE) | 12 P.M. | ABC
NO. 5 ALABAMA VS. NO. 9 KANSAS STATE — SUGAR BOWL (NEW ORLEANS) | 12 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 2 MICHIGAN VS. NO. 3 TCU (CFP SEMIFINAL) — FIESTA BOWL (GLENDALE, ARIZONA) | 4 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 1 GEORGIA VS. NO. 4 OHIO STATE (CFP SEMIFINAL) — PEACH BOWL (ATLANTA) | 8 P.M. | ESPN
MONDAY, JAN. 2
NO. 22 MISSISSIPPI STATE VS. ILLINOIS — RELIAQUEST BOWL (TAMPA, FLORIDA) | 12 P.M. | ESPN2
NO. 17 LSU VS. PURDUE — CITRUS BOWL (ORLANDO, FLORIDA) | 1 P.M. | ABC
NO. 10 USC VS. NO. 16 TULANE — COTTON BOWL (ARLINGTON, TEXAS) | 1 P.M. | ESPN
NO. 8 UTAH VS. NO. 11 PENN STATE — ROSE BOWL (PASADENA, CALIFORNIA) | 5 P.M. | ESPN
SUNDAY, JAN. 8
FCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (FRISCO, TEXAS) | 2 P.M. | ABC
MONDAY, JAN. 9
CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA) | ESPN
NBA
MIAMI 87 INDIANA 82
BROOKLYN 112 WASHINGTON 100
MEMPHIS 128 ATLANTA 103
DALLAS 121 OKLAHOMA CITY 114
SAN ANTONIO 112 CLEVELAND 111
PORTLAND 133 MINNESOTA 112
LA CLIPPERS 113 BOSTON 93
BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NBA/SCOREBOARD.ASP
NHL
MONTRÉAL 2 CALGARY 1
NY RANGERS 4 NEW JERSEY 3
PITTSBURGH 2 DALLAS 1
OTTAWA 3 ANAHEIM 0
ST. LOUIS 1 NASHVILLE 0
MINNESOTA 2 EDMONTON 1
BOX SCORES: HTTP://HOSTED.STATS.COM/NHL/SCOREBOARD.ASP
TOP NATIONAL NEWS HEADLINES
Purdue moves to No. 1 in AP Top 25, Alabama cracks top 5
(AP) — Purdue picked up wins over West Virginia, No. 15 Gonzaga and No. 12 Duke in consecutive weeks to win the Phil Knight Legacy tournament earlier in the season.
Wins over Hofstra and Nebraska last week, combined with a loss by Houston, were enough to move the Boilermakers to No. 1 the AP Top 25 for the second straight season.
Purdue moved up three spots in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll released on Monday, receiving 27 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel. No. 2 Virginia received 19 first-place votes to move up a spot, No. 3 Connecticut received 15 and No. 6 Tennessee also got one.
Alabama and Houston rounded out the top five.
Purdue (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten) has made a steady climb after being unranked in the preseason, moving up to No. 5 by winning the Legacy tourney in Oregon. The Boilermakers were No. 4 last week, then blew out Hofstra and scratched out a 65-62 overtime win over Nebraska despite poor shooting and a quiet scoring afternoon by 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey.
“Can you can you find a way to win a game when you don’t shoot the ball well? We were able to do that,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said.
The Boilermakers hope this run at No. 1 will last longer than their last one. Purdue went to No. 1 for the first time in school history in Week 4 last season and promptly lost to Rutgers.
RISING TIDE
Alabama had to replace three of its top four scorers and started the season without dynamic guard Jahvon Quinerly while he recovers from knee surgery.
None of it has slowed the Crimson Tide’s ride to a second top-five ranking in three seasons.
Alabama knocked North Carolina off its top-ranked perch in four overtimes on Nov. 27 and became the second team – with Oklahoma in 1990 – to beat two No. 1 teams in the same season with its 71-65 win over Houston on Saturday.
The Crimson Tide moved up four spots in this week’s poll.
“Huge program win,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “Not sure how many teams get the chance to play two No. 1 teams in nonconference, let alone beat them, but I think that shows where we’ve gotten this program to that we can play with anyone in the country at this point.”
RISING AND FALLING
No. 17 Mississippi State had the biggest jump in the poll, moving up six spots after beating Minnesota.
No. 19 Auburn had the biggest drop, losing eight spots following an 82-73 loss to Memphis. No. 20 Maryland dropped with consecutive losses to No. 22 Wisconsin and No. 6 Tennessee.
No. 7 Texas lost a chance to move up to No. 1 after its overtime loss to Illinois, dropping five spots instead.
IN AND OUT
No. 22 Wisconsin moved into the poll for the first time this season following wins over Maryland and Iowa. No. 24 Virginia Tech is ranked for the first time since 2020-21 after wins over Dayton and Oklahoma State.
No. 25 Miami beat Cornell and North Carolina State to get ranked for the first time since 2017-18.
Creighton dropped out of the poll after reaching No. 7 earlier this season. The Bluejays, ranked 21st last week, have lost four straight.
Iowa State dropped out from No. 20 after a lopsided loss to Iowa while San Diego State fell out from No. 22 after losing to Saint Mary’s in Phoenix.
CONFERENCE WATCH
The Southeastern and Big Ten conferences led the way with six ranked teams each. The Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12 had four each and the Pac-12 three.
The Big East, American Athletic and West Coast conferences had one ranked team each.
Purdue and Michigan Score Weekly Men’s Basketball Accolades
Player of the Week
Zach Edey, Purdue
C – Jr. – 7-4 – Toronto, Ont. – IMG Academy (Fla.) – Major: Organizational Leadership
- Averaged 17.0 points on .636 shooting, 17.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots as Purdue scored wins over Nebraska and Hofstra
- Paired 23 points and 18 rebounds in the Boilermakers’85-66 victory over Hofstra
- Grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked seven shots, while playing 43 minutes in a 65-62 overtime win at Nebraska
- Earns the third consecutive Player of the Week accolade and third of his career
- Last Purdue Player of the Week: Zach Edey (Dec. 5, 2022)
Freshman of the Week
Dug McDaniel, Michigan
G – 5-11 – Washington, D.C. – St. Paul VI Catholic – Major: Undecided
- Was nearly perfect in scoring a career-high 15 points in his first career start, a 90-75 win at Minnesota
- Shot 5-6 from the field, including 3-3 from three-point range and 2-2 from the free throw line
- Added two rebounds, a game-high seven assists and three steals in 27 minutes of action
- Earns his first consecutive Freshman of the Week honor
- Last Michigan Freshman of the Week: Jett Howard (Nov. 14, 2022)
Iowa and Ohio State Earn Big Ten Weekly Women’s Basketball Awards
Player of the Week
Caitlin Clark, Iowa
Jr. – G – West Des Moines, Iowa – Dowling Catholic – Major: Business
• Averaged 25.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 4.5 steals per game last week in helping nationally ranked Iowa to a pair of victories, including a win over No. 10/8 Iowa State in the annual Cy-Hawk Series matchup
• Tallied 32 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and four steals in a Dec. 10 conference victory over Minnesota, posting her third 30-point game of the season and narrowly missing her eighth career triple-double
• Posted 19 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and five steals on Dec. 7 in leading the Hawkeyes to their sixth win over Iowa State in the past seven series games
• Garnered first-team Academic All-America and Academic All-Big Ten honors last season
• Earns her 14th career Big Ten Player of the Week award (tied for fourth-most in conference history with Ohio State’s Jessica Davenport from 2004-07) and second this season
• Last Iowa Player of the Week: Caitlin Clark (Dec. 5, 2022)
Big Ten Women’s Basketball Weekly Honor Roll
Abby Meyers, Grad., G, MD: Registered 19.5 ppg. and shot .438 from the three-point line in Maryland’s two wins last week, including 20 points (16 in the second quarter) and six rebounds in Sunday’s victory over No. 6/6 UConn
Jaz Shelley, Jr., G, NEB: Logged 23.0 ppg., 5.0 apg. and 4.0 rpg. with a .545 FG% and .563 3FG% in Nebraska’s two wins last week, highlighted by 31 points (7-12 3FG) in a Dec. 7 conference victory over Wisconsin
Taylor Thierry, So., G/F, OSU: Recorded 17.5 ppg. and 7.5 rpg. with a .773 FG% (17-of-22) last week in a pair of Ohio State wins, including a career-high 21 points and season-high nine rebounds Sunday in a Big Ten win over Michigan State
Freshman of the Week
Cotie McMahon, Ohio State
F – Centerville, Ohio – Centerville – Major: Sport Industry
• Averaged 14.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game for nationally ranked Ohio State in two victories last week
• Scored a career-high 20 points with five steals and four rebounds in a non-conference win over New Hampshire on Dec. 8
• Added a career-high 10 rebounds and eight points in Sunday’s conference victory over Michigan State
• Collects her first Big Ten Freshman of the Week award
• Last Ohio State Freshman of the Week: Madison Greene (Feb. 17, 2020)
Broncos’ Ross Earns Player of the Week Honors
Lauren Ross, Guard, Western Michigan
Redshirt sophomore Lauren Ross scored double-figures in a 68-62 victory over Valparaiso University on Wednesday, Dec 7. Ross added a season-high 28 points alongside a season-high 14 made free throw attempts. She shot 7-for-14 from the field and 14-for-18 from the charity line and added four rebounds. Rallying her intense play, Ross was a force to be reckoned with tallying a season-high 30 points going 7-for-17 from the field, 4-for-8 from deep, and 12-for-13 from the free throw line. In addition, she recorded eight rebounds, one assist and one steal to lead Western Michigan to a 77-67 home win at University Arena on Saturday, Dec. 10 against Indiana State. Ross finished this week averaging 29.0 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game, shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 83.9 percent from the free throw line.
Toledo’s Dennis Named Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
RayJ Dennis, Toledo, Guard, Junior
Plainfield, Ill. (Oswego)
Junior RayJ Dennis averaged a team-high 25.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 5.5 apg to lead Toledo to victories over Northern Iowa and Canisius last week. Dennis also shot 50.0 percent (4-of-8) from three-point range and 81.5 percent (22-of-27) from the free-throw line.
Dennis scored a career-high 29 points, including the Rockets’ final 16 points of the game, in Saturday’s 69-68 victory over Canisius. Dennis also grabbed a season-high nine rebounds, dished out six assists and knocked down a career-high 15 free throws vs. the Golden Griffins. His 15 free throws made are the most in the Mid-American Conference this season and tied for sixth most in the nation.
In UT’s 83-75 victory at Northern Iowa on Tuesday, Dennis tallied 21 points, five rebounds and five assists. He also was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. He helped the Rockets pull away down the stretch by hitting three free throws and then feeding JT Shumate for a layup to give UT a 75-65 lead with 3:29 to play.
Dennis leads the MAC with 5.9 apg and a 2.8 assist/turnover ratio and ranks third with 19. 1 ppg.
HCAC 2022-23 Men’s Basketball Notebook, Week 5
Athlete of the Week:
Colby Napier (Hindman, Ky.) Transylvania University | Guard | Sophomore – In two games, both wins, Napier scored 45 points, eight rebounds, and three assists while in his two games hitting eight, three point shots. He also recorded a new career high scoring 32 in his game yesterday off of a back to back.
Notable Performances:
Tate Ivanyo (Valparaiso, Ind.) Anderson University | Wing | Sophomore – Ivanyo tallied 16 points, five assists and seven rebounds in Anderson’s 77-75 overtime win against Earlham.
Marell Jordan (Chicago, Ill.) Defiance College | Guard | Senior – Jordan led Defiance with 27 points of DC’s 46 total points in their only contest of the week at Hanover on Saturday. He also swiped four steals and pulled in six rebounds.
Jaden Terry (Indianapolis, Ind.) Earlham College | Guard | Senior – Terry led the Quakers through two losses this week. The senior put up 29 points with five rebounds and four assists against Rose-Hulman. He then tallied 25 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists against Anderson.
Trey Flatt (Indianapolis, Ind.) Franklin College | Guard | Sophomore – Flatt went for a career-high 23 points on Saturday against Manchester, going 8-for-14 from the floor and 4-for-7 from three with four assists.
Coleman Sater (Ellettsville, Ind.) Hanover College | Guard | Sophomore – Sater helped lead the Panthers past Defiance 73-46 after netting a career-high 17 points and pulling in seven rebounds. He also posted a 5-of-6 mark from the free throw line and 6-of-7 from the floor.
Logan Willoughby (Greenwood, Ind.) Manchester University | Guard/Forward | Sophomore – Willoughby has helped lead Manchester to a 4-0 start in conference play and four game winning streak following a 78-74 win at Franklin on Saturday. During Saturday’s contest, Willoughby led the Spartans with 22 points and added three steals. Willoughby currently leads Manchester with 19.9 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game, and 2.4 steals per game.
Terry Hicks (Fishers, Ind.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Forward | Senior – Hicks averaged 15.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, shooting 53 percent from the field and 91 percent from the free throw line to lead Rose-Hulman to a 1-1 record last week. Hicks scored a career-high 21 points in the Wednesday road win at Earlham.
HCAC 2022-23 Women’s Basketball Notebook, Week 5
Athlete of the Week:
Alexis Gibson (Jeffersonville, Ind.) Earlham College | Forward | Sophomore – Gibson led the Quakers with 19 points, 19 rebounds, and five assists in a loss to Anderson on Saturday. Her assists and rebounds were both game-highs. The sophomore has now recorded a double-double in two consecutive games against HCAC competition.
Notable Performances:
Lexi Dellinger (Berne, Ind.) Anderson University | Guard | Graduate Student – Dellinger notched 20 points and four assists in Saturday’s win against Earlham. She went a perfect 12-for-12 from the free-throw line, tying the school record for most free throws made in a game with a perfect percentage.
Maddie Fitzpatrick (Mount Gilead, Ohio) Bluffton University | Guard | Junior – Fitzpatrick tallied 13.0 PPG and 4.5 RPG as Bluffton went 1-1 on the week. She hit 9-of-12 at the line and dished out five assists in two games. Fitzpatrick drilled 3-of-4 from outside the arc.
Taylor Cooney (Greensburg, Ind.) Franklin College | Guard | Sophomore – Cooney played a vital role in both of Franklin’s wins last week, averaging 14.0 points per game. She had 10 points in Wednesday night’s win at Olivet and went for a season-high 18 points against Manchester on Saturday, grabbing eight rebounds and handing out two assists while going a perfect 4-for-4 from three point range.
Callie Wilder (North Vernon, Ind.) Hanover College | Guard | Senior – Wilder led the Panthers past Defiance 68-54 as she netted 11 points and pulled in eight rebounds. She went 3-of-4 from the floor and shot a perfect 5-of-5 form the free throw line. The senior added two blocks.
Bridget Nash (Carmel, Ind.) Manchester University | Guard | Graduate Student – During Saturday’s game against Franklin College, fifth-year Nash led the Spartans with 14 points. Nash shot 6-11 from the field on Saturday and chipped in two steals for the Black and Gold. Nash currently averages team-highs 1.8 steals per game and 2.6 assists per game.
Dasia Thornton (Cincinnati, Ohio) Transylvania University | Forward | Senior – In one game this week Thornton put up another double-double having 16 points and 14 rebounds while winning the game Saturday.
USC’s Williams, Alabama’s Anderson lead AP All-America team
(AP) — Offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees and defensive end Tuli Tuipulotu joined their quarterback to give USC more players on the first team than any other school. The AP All-America team is presented by Regions Bank.
Williams, named last week the AP player of the year, became the eighth USC player to win the Heisman over the weekend after accounting for 47 touchdowns this season and leadking USC to the Pac-12 title game.
The Trojans also had center Brett Neilon and cornerback Mekhi Blackmon selected to the third team.
Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. was selected to the first team for the second straight season, along with Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn, who made it as an all-purpose player for the second year in a row.
Joining Williams in the All-America first-team backfield is Texas running back Bijan Robinson and Michigan’s Blake Corum.
Michigan also had center Olusegun Oluwatimi and kicker Jake Moody picked for the second team.
The second-ranked Wolverines face No. 3 TCU in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31. The Horned Frogs’ lone first-team All-American was defensive back Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson. TCU quarterback Max Duggan and guard Steve Avila made the second team.
Top-ranked Georgia placed two players on the first-team defense with tackle Jalen Carter and safety Christopher Smith. Tight end Brock Bowers and linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson were second-team selections.
The Bulldogs face No. 4 Ohio State in the CFP’s Peach Bowl semifinal on New Year’s Eve. Wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was Ohio State’s only first-team All-American, but the Buckeyes added four players on the second team: Offensive tackles Paris Johnson Jr. and Dawand Jones, linebacker Tommy Eichenberg and safety Ronnie Hickman.
First team breakdown/team
USC – 3
Georgia – 2
Notre Dame – 2
Texas, Northwestern, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State, Tennessee, Iowa State, Kansas State, North Carolina State, Alabama, Pitt, Cincinnati, Iowa, Arkansas, Utah, Illinois, Miami, TCU, Michigan State – 1
First team breakdown/conference
Big Ten – 7
SEC – 6
Big 12 – 4
Pac-12 – 4
ACC – 3
Independents – 2
American Athletic – 1.
FIRST TEAM
Offense
Quarterback – Caleb Williams, second-year, Southern California.
Running backs – Bijan Robinson, third-year, Texas; Blake Corum, third-year, Michigan.
Tackles – Peter Skoronski, third-year, Northwestern; Joe Alt, second-year, Notre Dame.
Guard – O’Cyrus Torrence, fourth-year, Florida; Andrew Vorhees, sixth-year, Southern California.
Center – John Michael Schmitz, sixth-year, Minnesota.
Tight end – Michael Mayer, third-year, Notre Dame.
Wide receivers – Marvin Harrison Jr., second-year, Ohio State; Jalin Hyatt, third-year, Tennessee; Xavier Hutchinson, third-year, Iowa State.
All-purpose player – Deuce Vaughn, third-year, Kansas State.
Kicker – Christopher Dunn, fifth-year, North Carolina State.
Defense
Edge rushers – Will Anderson Jr., third-year, Alabama; Tuli Tuipulotu, third-year, Southern California.
Tackles – Jalen Carter, third-year, Georgia; Calijah Kancey, fourth-year, Pittsburgh.
Linebackers – Ivan Pace Jr., fourth-year, Cincinnati; Jack Campbell, fourth-year, Iowa; Drew Sanders, third-year, Arkansas.
Cornerbacks – Clark Phillips III, third-year, Utah; Devon Witherspoon, fourth-year, Illinois.
Safeties – Kamren Kinchen, second-year, Miami; Christopher Smith, fifth-year, Georgia.
Defensive back – Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, fourth-year, TCU.
Punter – Bryce Baringer, sixth-year, Michigan State.
SECOND TEAM
Offense
Quarterback – Max Duggan, fourth-year, TCU.
Running backs – Chase Brown, fifth-year, Illinois; Mohamed Ibrahim, sixth-year, Minnesota.
Tackles – Paris Johnson Jr., third-year, Ohio State; Dawand Jones, fourth-year, Ohio State.
Guards – Cooper Beebe, fourth-year, Kansas State; Steve Avila, fifth-year, TCU.
Center – Olusegun Oluwatimi, sixth-year, Michigan.
Tight end – Brock Bowers, second-year, Georgia.
Wide receivers – Charlie Jones, sixth-year, Purdue; Rashee Rice, fourth-year, SMU; Josh Downs, third-year, North Carolina.
All-purpose player – Zach Charbonnet, fourth-year, UCLA.
Kicker – Jake Moody, fifth-year, Michigan.
Defense
Edge rushers – Tyree Wilson, fifth-year, Texas Tech; Isaiah Foskey, fourth-year, Notre Dame.
Tackles – Jer’Zhan Newton, third-year, Illinois; Jonah Tavai, fifth-year, San Diego State.
Linebackers – Tommy Eichenberg, fourth-year, Ohio State; Jeremiah Trotter Jr., second-year, Clemson; Jamon Dumas-Johnson, second-year, Georgia.
Cornerbacks – Emmanuel Forbes, third-year, Mississippi State; Joey Porter Jr., fourth-year, Penn State.
Safeties – Kaevon Merriweather, fifth-year, Iowa; Ronnie Hickman, fourth-year, Ohio State.
Defensive back – Brian Branch, third-year, Alabama.
Punter – Tory Taylor, third-year, Iowa.
THIRD TEAM
Offense
Quarterback – Hendon Hooker, sixth-year, Tennessee.
Running backs – DeWayne McBride, third-year, UAB; Israel Abanikanda, third-year; Pittsburgh.
Tackles – Blake Freeland, fourth-year, BYU; Alex Palczewski, sixth-year, Illinois
Guards – Jaxson Kirkland, sixth-year, Washington; Christian Haynes, fourth-year, Connecticut.
Center – Brett Neilon, sixth-year, Southern California.
Tight end – Dalton Kincaid, fifth-year, Utah.
Wide receivers – Nathaniel Dell, fifth-year, Houston; Rome Odunze, third-year, Washington; Zay Flowers, fourth-year, Boston College.
All-purpose player – Jahmyr Gibbs, third-year, Alabama.
Kicker – Joshua Karty, third-year, Stanford.
Defense
Edge rushers – Felix Anudike-Uzomah, third-year, Kansas State; Jose Ramirez, fifth-year, Eastern Michigan.
Tackles – Dontay Corleone, second-year, Cincinnati; Mekhi Wingo, second-year, LSU.
Linebackers – Jason Henderson, two-year, Old Dominion; Nick Herbig, third-year, Wisconsin; Jaylan Ford, third-year, Texas.
Cornerbacks – Kool-Aid McKinstry, second-year, Alabama; Mekhi Blackmon, fifth-year, Southern California.
Safeties – Marcus Fuqua, fourth-year, Buffalo; Jordan Battle, fourth-year, Alabama.
Defensive back – Quinyon Mitchell, third-year, Toledo.
Punter – Mason Fletcher, second-year, Cincinnati.
Mississippi State’s Mike Leach listed in critical condition
(AP) — Mississippi State coach Mike Leach was hospitalized in critical condition Monday, the day after what the university called “a personal health issue” at his home in Starkville forced him to be airlifted to a medical facility in Jackson.
Leach was admitted Sunday to the University of Mississippi Medical Center, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) from the Mississippi State campus.
UMMC spokesman Marc Rolph said Monday in a text message to AP that Leach was listed in critical condition. The 61-year-old Leach was initially treated at Oktibbeha County Hospital in Starkville, the university said.
“Mike’s family is with him and appreciates the overwhelming expressions of love and support for the coach, but also requests that their family’s privacy be respected at this time,” the school said Monday.
Leach is in his third season at Mississippi State, with a 19-17 record. He acknowledged have a bout with pneumonia late in the season that was causing a persistent cough, but it was unclear whether his recent illness was related to his hospitalization.
Messages of concern and support for Leach poured over social media from former players, and colleagues and rivals across college football.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Mike Leach, his wife Sharon, their family and the doctors treating him,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said in a statement. “Mike’s infectious personality and passion for the game have impacted the sport in so many positive ways during his career.”
Leach, known for his prolific Air Raid offenses, is 158-107 in 21 seasons as a head coach at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State.
Defensive coordinator Zach Arnett has been placed in charge of the football team by Mississippi State President Mark Keenum and interim athletic director Bracky Brett as it prepares for an appearance in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Illinois on Jan. 2 in Tampa, Florida.
Patriots rally for 27-13 win over Cardinals, Murray hurt
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) Patriots linebacker Raekwon McMillan was simply trying to do his job, running over to make sure that teammate Kyle Dugger made the tackle on a routine play.
Suddenly, he saw a football on the ground.
McMillan scooped it up and ran 23 yards for the touchdown, giving the Patriots the go-ahead score in a 27-13 win on Monday night over the Arizona Cardinals, who lost starting Kyler Murray in the first quarter to a potentially serious knee injury.
“I looked back, saw it was just me and a lineman,” McMillan said of his mindset when scooping the fumble. “I said `If I can’t beat a lineman, then I don’t deserve to be out here.'”
New England trailed 13-10 at the break but tied the game at 13-all early in the third quarter after a short field goal. A few minutes later, the Patriots got their game-changing play and a 20-13 lead later when McMillan scored his touchdown, snatching the loose ball off the grass and sprinting toward the end zone.
Kyle Dugger forced the turnover by stripping Cardinals three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who had just caught a pass.
“I try to be perfect. I let myself down,” Hopkins said. “Let coach down, let the guys down. I haven’t fumbled all year. It is definitely a reminder to protect the ball.”
The Patriots pushed their advantage to 27-13 early in the fourth quarter on Pierre Strong Jr.’s 3-yard run, then leaned on their defense to complete the much-needed win. New England’s defense had six sacks, including three by linebacker Josh Uche.
Mac Jones threw for 235 yards and finished 24 for 35 with an interception as New England (7-6) snapped a two-game losing skid to strengthened their AFC playoff positioning.
“There’s going to be a lot change over these next four weeks for everybody, that’s just how it goes,” Andrews said. “You start looking at (playoffs) and you’ll let something slip away.”
Arizona (4-9) has lost five of six games, including the last three.
Murray was hurt on the third play of the game, immediately changing the complexion of the evening. The fourth-year quarterback was flushed out of the pocket and running to his right when he tried to juke past a Patriots defender, but tumbled to the grass in obvious pain.
Players from both teams surrounded the quarterback before he was carted off the field with a towel draped over his head.
The 36-year-old Colt McCoy has proven a capable replacement for Murray over the past two seasons, coming into Monday’s game with a 3-2 mark when Murray was injured. He worked his magic again – at least for a while – leading the Cardinals to a 13-10 halftime lead.
“We’ve battled injuries all year long,” McCoy said. “The guys that are going to go in there are going to fight until the very end. I don’t think there is any more you can ask for and I will be proud to go lead them.”
The Cardinals took a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter after a 33-yard field goal by Matt Prater. They had good field position for the drive after Isaiah Simmons intercepted a pass from Jones, who was hit on the arm by rookie Cam Thomas as he was throwing.
James Conner bulldozed his way forward for a 10-yard touchdown late in the second quarter, breaking multiple tackles to give the Cardinals a 13-7 lead late in the second quarter. Conner finished with a team-high 85 yards rushing.
The Patriots scored their lone touchdown of the first half when rookie Kevin Harris ran 14 yards to the end zone.
MURRAY’S TOUGH YEAR
Arizona’s recent hopes as a franchise have revolved around the development of Murray, who was taken with the No. 1 overall pick out of Oklahoma in 2019.
The quarterback’s fourth year has been a tough one. And that was before Monday’s injury.
Murray signed a $230.5 million contract during the offseason that could keep him with the franchise until 2028, but that was when a steady stream of unwanted headlines started.
The two-time Pro Bowl selection took a lot of ridicule after it was discovered his new contract mandated at least four hours of “independent study” during game weeks, which was unusual for an NFL quarterback. The clause was later removed, but the damage to his reputation was done.
Murray also battled a bout of COVID-19 during training camp which kept him out for about a week and recently took criticism from former teammate Patrick Peterson, who said on his “All Things Covered” podcast that “Kyler Murray don’t care about nobody but Kyler Murray.”
Now he has to deal with what could be the most serious injury of his professional career. He had thrown for 2,359 yards, 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions through 10 games before Monday’s injury.
INJURIES
Patriots: CB Jack Jones (knee), RB Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) and WR DeVante Parker (head) all were injured during the first quarter. Stevenson returned later in the first half but was ruled out following halftime.
Cardinals: WR Rondale Moore (groin) and CB Byron Murphy Jr. (back) were among the team’s six inactives. … CB Marco Wilson Jr. (stinger) left in the second quarter and didn’t return. … DE Zach Allen (hand) left in the second half and didn’t return.
UP NEXT
Patriots: Travel to face the Raiders on Sunday.
Cardinals: Travel to face the Broncos on Sunday.
Cowboys sign WR Hilton after high-profile pursuit of Beckham
FRISCO, Texas (AP) The Dallas Cowboys signed free agent receiver T.Y. Hilton on Monday, adding the former longtime Indianapolis Colts player after their much-publicized courting of Odell Beckham Jr.
Hilton had gone unsigned all season after his 10-year run with the Colts ended following the 2021 season.
The 33-year-old played 10 games for the Colts last season after starting the year on injured reserve because of a neck injury that required surgery.
Beckham spent two days with the Cowboys last week, but no offer was made. He declined to discuss his visit but said after he left that he wouldn’t play in the regular season.
Beckham tore an ACL in the Super Bowl in February while winning a championship with the Los Angeles Rams.
Hilton is a four-time Pro Bowler with career highs of 91 catches of 1,448 yards with the Colts in 2016. He had four other 1,000-yard seasons and has 9,691 career yards with 53 touchdowns in 143 games.
Hilton joins a group led by CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup, young receivers under contract for at least two more seasons apiece.
Lamb has taken over the No. 1 receiver role this season after the offseason trade of Amari Cooper to Cleveland in a cost-cutting move.
49ers expect Deebo Samuel back before end of regular season
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) Star receiver Deebo Samuel is expected to return to the San Francisco 49ers before the end of the regular season after the team got a favorable report on his injury.
The Niners announced Monday that Samuel has a sprained left ankle and MCL in his left knee but is only expected to miss a couple of weeks.
San Francisco also said that quarterback Brock Purdy is day to day with injuries to his oblique and ribs. Purdy would have been limited if the 49ers had practiced Monday ahead of Thursday night’s game at Seattle.
The initial fears for Samuel were for a much more significant injury when his leg got bent back awkwardly as he went down on a run in the first half of a 35-7 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday.
Samuel screamed as he tried to get up and then was taken off the field on a cart with his head in his hands in tears.
But the final diagnosis was much more optimistic as the Niners (9-4) are now expected to have their dynamic playmaker back for the end of the season and playoffs.
Samuel had scored on a 13-yard TD run on San Francisco’s first possession Sunday. He had four carries for 21 yards and four catches for 43 yards.
Samuel has 54 catches for 612 yards and two TDs, along 228 yards rushing and three TD runs this season.
Purdy threw two TD passes and ran for another score in his first career start on Sunday in place of the injured Jimmy Garoppolo despite hurting himself on the second series of the game.
“I think it was a challenge for him,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Just talking to him and seeing him after the game. I think he really toughed it out, did some real good things with it and I know he is sore today.”
In other injury news, the Niners said that defensive back Dontae Johnson tore his ACL and will be out for the season and defensive tackle Kevin Givens has an MCL injury and will miss at least a few weeks.
Cornerback Samuel Womack will miss Thursday’s game in concussion protocol.
Defensive lineman Kerry Hyder (ankle) and cornerback Ambry Thomas (ankle) both would have been limited in the Niners had practiced.
San Francisco only held a walkthrough Monday with a short week ahead.
Texas coach Chris Beard arrested on family violence charge
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Chris Beard, who coached Texas Tech to the 2019 NCAA championship game and was hired away by Texas with expectations he’d elevate his alma mater to the same elite level, was arrested early Monday on a felony family violence charge after a woman told police he had strangled her.
Beard was arrested by Austin police and booked in the Travis County jail at 4:18 a.m. on a charge of assault on a family or household member in which their breath was impeded, or choking in common terms.
The charge is a third-degree felony in Texas, with a possible punishment of two to 10 years in prison. Jail records show Beard posted $10,000 bond and he would likely be released from custody later in the day.
The arrest affidavit was not immediately released. But a short narrative Austin police wrote with Beard’s jail photograph said police received an emergency disturbance call shortly after midnight. The caller said the incident was over and that one of the people involved had left the house. Responding officers located a woman who told them she’d been “assaulted and strangled” by Beard.
Beard attorney Perry Minton did not return a message from the AP seeking comment but he told the Austin American-Statesman the coach is innocent of the charge.
“He should never have been arrested,” Minton told the newspaper. “The complainant wants him released immediately and all charges dismissed. It is truly inconceivable.”
It wasn’t immediately known if the alleged victim had an attorney.
The seventh-ranked Longhorns (7-1) host Rice on Monday night. They were ranked No. 2 a week ago, the program’s highest ranking in more than a decade.
“The university is aware of the situation regarding Chris Beard. We are continuing to gather information and monitoring the legal process,” the school said in a statement.
Beard is in his second season of a seven-year guaranteed contract that pays him more than $5 million per year. Before that, he was 112-55 in five seasons with the Red Raiders. He was named The Associated Press coach of the year in 2019 as he guided Texas Tech to a 31-7 finish and lost in an overtime thriller to Virginia in the national championship game.
His departure for Texas – a deal reached after a meeting with Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte that included a McDonald’s breakfast an hour’s drive north of Lubbock – left Texas Tech officials frustrated.
Beard said it was a difficult move, but he could not turn down a chance to coach at his alma mater, where he was a student assistant three decades ago. Earlier this year, he led Texas to a first-round victory over Virginia Tech that was the Longhorns’ first NCAA Tournament win since 2014.
Beard’s contract includes a provision under which he can be fired for cause for conduct the administration reasonably determines reflects poorly on the coach, program, school or university system. That includes being charged with a felony. University of Texas System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife did not return a message seeking comment.
If Beard is suspended, Longhorns associate head coach Rodney Terry would be a likely candidate to lead the team. Terry has been a head coach at UTEP (2018-21) and Fresno State (2011-18).
Texas freshman guard Arterio Morris faces a misdemeanor family violence charge stemming from a June arrest after an incident with a former girlfriend. He faces a Wednesday court hearing in Denton County near Dallas.
Morris, a top national recruit, has been allowed to play this season despite the charge, and averages 17 minutes and 6.5 points per game. Morris’ attorney, Justin Moore, has said Moore is innocent of the assault charge.
Durant, Irving lead well-rested Nets past Wizards 112-100
WASHINGTON (AP) The Brooklyn Nets are rolling, and Kyrie Irving is only talking about their commitment to playing hard and stacking up wins.
That’s hardly a coincidence.
Kevin Durant scored 30 points, Irving had 24 and the well-rested Nets methodically pulled away for a 112-100 win against the overmatched Washington Wizards on Monday night.
The Nets were the talk of the NBA for their early-season turmoil that included the ouster of coach Steve Nash and Irving’s eight-game suspension for tweeting a link to an antisemitic documentary, an action for which he ultimately apologized.
Now, Brooklyn is coming together under new coach Jacque Vaughn and has won eight of nine.
“Man, let’s just go win ballgames. That’s it, that’s really what the attitude is,” Irving said. “We know the talent we have. This is our group. No more excuses, no more distractions.”
The Nets, who won at Indiana on Saturday night with their top seven scorers sitting out, matched a season best with their fourth straight victory. All those players were back in action Monday except Royce O’Neale, who missed a second consecutive game for personal reasons.
“I thought you saw our guys look extremely fresh,” Vaughn said. “We had a lot of juice to start the game, and plenty to finish.”
Will Barton scored a season-high 22 points for the Wizards, who lost their season-worst seventh game in a row and now face a six-game trip out West that could bury them in the Eastern Conference standings. Washington was missing leading scorer Bradley Beal for the fourth straight game because of a right hamstring strain.
“Hopefully we start getting some guys back. Hopefully, that’s the plan,” said Kyle Kuzma, who scored 20 points. “Tough stretch, we’ve lost a lot in a row, now we’re going to the West playing all playoff teams. So if we don’t figure it out, it’s going to be a long trip.”
Kristaps Porzingis scored 20 points in 24 minutes for the Wizards, but departed with 3:37 left in the third quarter with back tightness and didn’t return. Porzingis rode an exercise bike with a pad strapped to his back while on the bench in the first half. Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. said the 7-foot-3 center is day to day.
“It’s loosening up a little bit, so the more time I get, the better I’ll be,” Porzingis said.
Brooklyn never led by more than nine in the first half but began pulling away midway through the third quarter, going ahead 88-71 on a jumper by T.J. Warren, who finished with 12 points. The Wizards never got closer than eight in the fourth quarter.
“We play hard for each other. We’re just not good enough to win these games,” Porzingis said. “We’re in a tough moment right now.”
Durant, who grew up in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, signed autographs after warmups and was introduced to cheers. He went 11 of 17 from the floor and had nine rebounds and six assists.
Durant said he was inspired by his short-handed team’s effort at Indiana and his goal was not to underestimate the depleted Wizards.
“We talked about this being a trap game,” he said. “If we’d have played too relaxed, with no sense of urgency, we definitely would have lost this game.”
Irving – who missed the Nets’ earlier visit to Washington because of his suspension – was booed pregame but had the crowd gasping in appreciation in the second quarter. He keyed an 11-0 run with a four-point play, a three-point play and a drive where he hung in the air, faked with his right hand and switched to his left to finish, prompting a Washington timeout and Durant summoning Irving to the bench for high-fives.
FAILURE TO BLOOM
The Wizards celebrated Japanese heritage and wore pink, cherry blossom-inspired uniforms, but two players from Japan had little to no impact. Washington forward Rui Hachimura missed his 12th straight game with an ankle injury. Brooklyn’s Yuta Watanabe finished with two points on 1-of-6 shooting.
TIP-INS
Nets: C Nic Claxton returned after missing two games with right hamstring tightness. … G/F Ben Simmons had missed five of the past six games because of a left calf strain. He finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Wizards: Beal was cleared Monday to resume basketball activities but Unseld did not say when he would be ready to play. Beal missed his 10th game of the season because of injury or illness. He signed a five-year, $251 million supermax extension before the season. … PG Monte Morris (groin) was sidelined and backup Jordan Goodwin made his third start of the season.
UP NEXT
Nets: At Toronto on Friday night.
Wizards: At Denver on Wednesday night. Washington plays 10 of its next 12 games away from home.
Jones, Brooks power Memphis to 128-103 win over Atlanta
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Tyus Jones had 22 points and 11 assists, Dillon Brooks added 18 points and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Atlanta Hawks 128-103 on Monday night in a game in which both teams were without key starters.
Santi Aldama scored 16 points and Jaren Jackson Jr. had 15 points and a career-best eight blocks for Memphis, which won its sixth straight and moved within a half-game of Western Conference-leading New Orleans.
Memphis was able to outscore Atlanta in the paint 72-42, while handing out 36 assists.
“It’s infectious,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said of Jones dealing 11 assists. “I think we had eight guys with two-plus assists. That’s guards. That’s bigs.”
Defensively, with Jackson rejecting shots, it has improved the Memphis defense after he missed the opening 14 games recovering from off-season right foot surgery.
“He’s changed our defense singlehandedly,” Jones said. “He impacts the ball and impacts what (opposing) offensive players even think.”
De’Andre Hunter led the Hawks with 19 points, and Aaron Holiday finished with 15. Jalen Johnson added 14 points and nine rebounds. AJ Griffin, who scored the winning basket at the overtime buzzer against Chicago on Sunday, had 13 points as the Hawks lost for the fourth time in five games.
“They established, set and controlled the tempo right from start to finish. They had great ball movement all night long,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said.
Both teams were missing their leading scorers. Grizzlies guard Ja Morant sat out with right thigh soreness, while his counterpart — Atlanta’s Trae Young — was dealing with lower back tightness after playing 42 minutes in Sunday’s win against the Bulls.
Young’s absence meant Atlanta was down five of its six top scorers, including Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanovic. McMillan said such absences “are always a challenge.”
“They just pounded us in the paint,” McMillan said noting the 72-42 Memphis advantage. “They were just faster, stronger, better. They did what you need to do when a team is coming in limping.”
Memphis, which led 62-51 at halftime, dominated the third quarter, outscoring Atlanta 40-25 and extending the advantage to as many as 31 points in the frame.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Trent Forrest, who started his first game of the season against the Bulls on Sunday, started in Young’s spot. . Jalen Johnson’s 14 points was a career-high for the second-year player out of Duke. . Onyeka Okongwu grabbed 10 rebounds.
Grizzlies: Made their first nine shots, including five from beyond the arc. . Jackson had four blocks in the first quarter. . Jones had a season-high four 3-pointers.
JACKSON’S DEFENSE
Jackson’s eight blocks not only were a personal best, but also tied the Grizzlies’ franchise record. Jones said the 6-foot-11 forward “impacts the game on the defensive end like very few people in this league.” Jones went on to call Jackson “the anchor.” Rookie guard Kennedy Chandler had another name – savior. “He helped me out about two times from getting beat,” Chandler said.
MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Jones had a breakaway in the second half, and the bench rose thinking the 6-foot guard would dunk. Instead, he softly converted the layup catching the good-natured ribbing of his teammates. “They want a dunk out of me. I’ve told them I’m done dunking. I only shoot floaters,” Jones said.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Play the Magic in Orlando on Wednesday
Grizzlies: Host the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday
Doncic scores 38, Dinwiddie 20 as Mavs beat Thunder 121-114
DALLAS (AP) Luka Doncic had 38 points and 11 rebounds in his return from a one-game absence, and Spencer Dinwiddie added 20 points and 10 assists as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-114 on Monday night.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 20 for the Mavericks, who ended a two-game skid.
The Thunder cut a 15-point second-half deficit to 119-114 with 28 seconds to play. Dallas’ Reggie Bullock hit two free throws with 15.8 seconds left, and Maxi Kleber made a steal on Oklahoma City’s subsequent possession.
“We got just enough stops,” Dinwiddie said following his first double-double of the season.
One of his four 3-pointers was a bank shot from 29 feet early in the fourth period to beat the shot clock.
“I just stay focused and let it fly,” Dinwiddie said.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander matched his career high with 42 points for the Thunder, who lost their third straight in the finale of a five-game road trip.
The Mavericks outscored the Thunder in only one quarter, 43-24 in the second, and led 66-52 at halftime. Dallas made 10 of 16 3-pointers in the period, paced by Hardaway going 4 for 5 and Bullock 3 for 3 behind the line.
“Any stretch of the game can beat you,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “We just couldn’t stop the bleeding in the second quarter enough to keep it reined in.”
Doncic sat out a 29-point loss at Chicago on Saturday night with a strained right quadriceps. The Mavericks were completing a back-to-back, having played at home Friday in a 9 p.m. start.
Doncic was 13 for 27 from the floor and 9 of 10 at the free throw line. In his previous game, he hit only four of 10 free throws as the Mavericks shot a season-worst 41.7% from the line (10 of 24) in a 106-105 home loss to Milwaukee.
The Mavericks hit 22 3-pointers, two short of their season best, on 51 attempts. They went into play averaging 40.6 3-point attempts per game, third in the NBA.
“Every time they made a run, we made a big 3,” coach Jason Kidd said. “It’s good to see the ball start to go in.”
The Thunder, who averaged 11 for 34 on 3-pointers going in, were 10 of 31.
“You can’t really control how many 3s a team wants to bomb against you,” Daigneault said, “but the contested-ness of those is the difference.”
Dallas raced to a 12-0 lead 3 1/2 minutes in, helped by Oklahoma City missing its first five shots and committing two turnovers. The Thunder answered with a 26-7 run to build a seven-point lead and led 28-23 after the first quarter.
DOUBLE TRIPLE-DOUBLE WATCH
Doncic, the NBA leader in triple-doubles this season with six, took 32 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists into the fourth quarter but failed to get another assist while playing six more minutes.
Dinwiddie had seven rebounds.
The Mavericks have never had two players with triple-doubles in the same game.
TIP-INS
Thunder: Gilgeous-Alexander, second in the NBA in free throw shooting at 92.9% going into play, hit all 11 from the line. . Jeremiah Robinson-Earl was taken to the locker room early in the fourth.
Mavericks: Entered averaging an NBA-low 38.4 rebounds per game but outrebounded the Thunder 50-42, leading to a 24-13 advantage in second-chance points. . Doncic was assessed his sixth technical foul this season and said he was yelling at teammate Dwight Powell. . Reserve G Josh Green missed his second consecutive game with a sprained right elbow and will be evaluated after a few more games, Kidd said.
UP NEXT
Thunder: Open a seven-game homestand, their longest of the season, Wednesday vs. the Miami Heat.
Mavericks: Host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.
Johnson, Spurs hold off Mitchell, Cavs to win 3rd in row
SAN ANTONIO (AP) Spurs coach Gregg Popovich screamed on the sidelines, pounded the scorer’s table and then demonstrated the defensive stance he wanted his young players to show in the final seconds against Cleveland.
Keldon Johnson and his San Antonio teammates delivered.
Johnson scored 21 points and blocked a late shot by Donovan Mitchell as the Spurs held off the Cavaliers 112-111 Monday night.
“He’s locked in every day,” Spurs guard Josh Richardson said of the 73-year-old coach. “He’s on a treadmill every day before practice. It trickles down through the whole organization that the head guy is like that. It’s hard to see Pop over there in the stance and you’re on the court not in the stance. He’s 70-whatever years old.”
Richardson had 24 points to help San Antonio win its third straight after an 11-game losing streak.
“We played their record and not the team,” Mitchell said. “They are a talented group. When they get going, they get comfortable, and we didn’t respect that coming out and that’s on us. That can’t happen.”
Mitchell scored 28 points as Cleveland lost for the first time this season to a team below .500.
The Cavaliers trailed by 19 in the third quarter and rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final 4 1/2 minutes for a chance to win.
Cleveland was 16 for 17 on free throws with its only miss coming on the front end of a pair by Evan Mobley with 37.2 seconds remaining that cut San Antonio’s lead to 112-111.
The Cavaliers had multiple opportunities to win after Spurs point guard Tre Jones missed a 12-footer with 12.1 seconds left.
Mitchell’s runner over Richardson was blocked by Johnson with 6.1 seconds remaining.
“He got by me, so I thought he was going to lay it up and we were going to come back down one,” Richardson said. “But 3 (Johnson’s jersey number) came flying out of nowhere. That was a huge block.”
Following an offensive rebound by Caris LeVert, Darius Garland missed a 3-pointer with one-tenth of a second remaining.
LeVert finished with 23 points, Garland had 18 and Evan Mobley had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers.
Cleveland had a 12-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarters to pull within seven points. The Cavaliers had to rally after the Spurs dominated the first half.
San Antonio closed the first half on a 28-12 burst in taking a 65-49 lead into the second half. The Spurs outscored the Cavs 36-22 in the second quarter.
“When you give a team like that confidence early anything can happen late as you saw,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell had 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting in the opening quarter, including an emphatic one-handed dunk that silenced the crowd buzzing from an 8-0 run by the Spurs.
San Antonio was nine for 27 on 3-pointers.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Cleveland had won three straight overall and three consecutive road games against San Antonio. The Cavs’ previous loss in San Antonio was March 28, 2019. . Mitchell was listed as questionable with a sore right lower leg. . Kevin Love played after being questionable with a sore lower back. . Cleveland is 5-9 on the road this season. The Cavs have lost eight of its last nine on the road.
Spurs: Johnson was listed as with a stomach ailment not related to COVID-19. . Jeremy Sochan came off the bench in his return from a five-game with a bruised quadricep. Sochan started the first 20 games of his NBA career, the second most consecutive starts by a rookie in franchise history. Tim Duncan started all 82 games in his rookie season.
RING ‘EM UP
The Spurs bench has taken to mimicking making a phone call after Richardson drains a 3-pointer.
Richardson began making that gesture in honor of his favorite soccer player, Gabriel Jesus of the Premier League’s Arsenal.
“He does that when he scores goals,” Richardson said. “I kind of adopted it. So, it’s me calling my mom.”
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: At Dallas on Wednesday.
Spurs: Host Portland on Wednesday.
Leonard, George lead Clippers over NBA-best Celtics, 113-93
LOS ANGELES (AP) Paul George scored 26 points, Kawhi Leonard had season highs of 25 points and nine rebounds, and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the NBA-leading Boston Celtics 113-93 on Monday night.
Leonard also had six assists in one of his best all-around games of a young season that has been interrupted at times while he eases his way back from ACL surgery that cost him all of last season.
Jaylen Brown scored 21 points to lead the Celtics, who dropped two in a row for just the second time this season. They had won eight of 10, including a loss at Golden State on Saturday. Jayson Tatum added 20 points – well below his 30-point average – and 11 rebounds, and Malcolm Brogdon had 18 points off the bench.
Having the Celtics and their 21-7 record in town drew one of the Clippers’ biggest crowds of the season and created a playoff-like atmosphere. Boston fans showed out in the same colored gear as Marcus Smart’s green-hued hair.
But the Clippers made most of the noise.
Coming off a 2-2 East Coast trip, Los Angeles used a few big runs and solid defense to control the first half and take a 56-47 lead at the break.
Leonard and George came out shooting to start the third. They each hit a 3-pointer while combining for 13 straight points that extended the lead to 69-55. Luke Kennard came off the bench and keyed a 7-0 run late, hitting a 3 before John Wall’s jumper put the Clippers ahead 88-72 going into the fourth.
George and Leonard combined for seven straight points in the fourth and Kennard kept hitting, too, pushing the Clippers’ lead to 104-80.
The biggest roar came when Smart missed a pair of free throws, ensuring fans free chicken sandwiches. Smart finished with three points and five fouls.
George and Leonard were part of the Clippers’ 17-8 spurt in the second. Los Angeles ran off 11 points in a row as part of a 20-3 burst in the first.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Al Horford (personal reasons) is expected to rejoin the team when it returns home this weekend. … Former Clipper Blake Griffin started in Horford’s place. He picked up a technical foul in the second quarter for grabbing the net.
Clippers: Norman Powell (left groin strain) is progressing well in individual workouts, but there’s no timetable for his return. … Ivica Zubac was a game-time decision to start after experiencing right groin soreness in Saturday’s game. He had four points, three rebounds and five fouls in 17 minutes.
UP NEXT
Celtics: At the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday in the second game of a back-to-back on Boston’s second-longest road trip of the season.
Clippers: Host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday in the second of five straight home games.
AP source: Pistons’ Cunningham to have season-ending surgery
(AP) — Detroit guard Cade Cunningham is planning to have season-ending surgery to repair his left shin, a person with knowledge of the situation said Monday.
The No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft is expected to be ready for the start of training camp next season, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither Cunningham nor the team announced the plans for surgery publicly.
ESPN first reported that Cunningham would be having the season-ending procedure. Cunningham was on the floor in Miami before a game last week doing some shooting, which prompted some speculation that he may be coming back.
Cunningham hasn’t played since Nov. 9 while dealing with the shin issue, which has been treated as a stress fracture.
“It’s up to the medical group and to Cade,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said in late November. “Whatever is best for his health. I’m all for it. I’m 100% behind him.”
Cunningham was an All-Rookie team pick last season after averaging 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists. He had improvement in all three of those categories this season, with averages of 19.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 6.0 assists through 12 games.
Detroit is 7-22 so far this season, the worst record in the NBA, and is being outscored by 7.1 points per game – the second-worst rate in the league. The Pistons were 3-9 in Cunningham’s 12 games and have gone 4-13 since.
Detroit’s next game is Wednesday at Charlotte.
Murphy to Braves, William Contreras to Brews in 3-team trade
MILWAUKEE (AP) Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos acknowledges he paid a substantial price to acquire Sean Murphy from the Oakland Athletics in a three-team trade.
Anthopoulos believed adding one of the game’s top catchers was worth the cost.
“We definitely gave up a ton,” Anthopoulos said Monday. “But we got a really good player back. Getting players like that is hard.”
The Braves added Murphy as part of a trade that sent All-Star catcher William Contreras to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Oakland acquired catcher Manny Pina and pitching prospects Kyle Muller, Freddy Tarnok and Royber Salinas from Atlanta and outfield prospect Esteury Ruiz from Milwaukee. The Brewers also received right-handed pitchers Joel Payamps and Justin Yeager.
“I had a really nice conversation with Sean,” Athletics general manager David Forst said. “He was not surprised he got traded but surprised to be hearing from me today and where the landing spot was.”
Murphy, 28, batted .250 with 18 homers, 66 RBIs and a .759 OPS in 148 games this past season. He’s regarded as an elite defender and won a Gold Glove in 2021.
Contreras, who turns 25 on Dec. 24, made the NL All-Star team as a designated hitter in 2022. He batted .278 with 20 homers, 45 RBIs and an .860 OPS while making 57 starts at catcher, 31 at designated hitter and one in left field.
“His bat is something that has the chance to be really special,” Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said. “The fact that he hit 20 home runs as a young guy and was an All-Star last year at a very young age with a long tail of control is something that we feel really good about. We like the fact that he fits into our lineup immediately and hopefully he’s a Brewer – and a productive one – for a very long time.”
The Brewers also boosted their bullpen with the addition of Payamps, who went 3-6 with a 3.23 ERA in 41 games with the Kansas City Royals and Athletics last season. Yeager spent the 2022 season in the Braves’ farm system.
Contreras had a breakout year offensively for the Braves, but his defensive skills were lacking. That’s why Anthopoulos was so eager to acquire Murphy and pair him with Travis d’Arnaud, a player with similar offensive and defensive strengths.
Murphy and d’Arnaud likely will split catching and designated hitter duties, with the idea of keeping them both as fresh as possible. Anthopoulos said he spoke with d’Arnaud before the trade to make sure he was on board with the decision.
The five-time defending NL East champions have been busy this offseason, also adding depth in the bullpen with a trade for former All-Star reliever Joe Jimenez.
But it looks like any hope of re-signing shortstop Dansby Swanson has largely faded away. When asked about that position, Anthopoulos said he’s open to a deal or signing that would upgrade the position but spent most of his time talking about the two holdovers on the roster, youngster Vaughn Grissom and veteran Orlando Arcia.
“Obviously, that’s the elephant in the room. We’re still open-minded, clearly, but we also have to prepare with what we have now,” Anthopoulos said. “If the season started today with who’s on the roster, it would be a competition between those two. But the season doesn’t start today. If we can make the club better at that spot or anywhere else, we’ll continue to look.”
Oakland added plenty of prospects in the deal along with the 35-year-old Pina, who played just five games for the Braves in 2022 before undergoing season-ending wrist surgery. Forst said some of those prospects are expected to be on the opening day roster.
The A’s have long traded away their key players, so the trade of Murphy is no surprise given the low-budget franchise’s tradition of seeing stars shine elsewhere. Last offseason, manager Bob Melvin departed to become skipper of the San Diego Padres and Oakland traded sluggers Matt Chapman and Matt Olson to the Blue Jays and Braves, respectively, while sending ace right-hander Chris Bassitt to the Mets and lefty Sean Manaea to the Padres.
Oakland finished 60-102 in manager Mark Kotsay’s first year and missed the playoffs for a second straight year following three consecutive berths and an AL West title during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season. The Athletics had 26 fewer wins than the 2021 team that finished 86-76, nine games behind the division champion Astros.
“We’re constantly in a state of turnover and the whole goal of this franchise and this ballpark search is to not be in that state,” Forst said. “So I think I’ve said before and been pretty open that I don’t enjoy making these phone calls and watching these players who we’ve drafted — the scouting department’s put in the time, the player development staff has put in the time and gotten these guys here and the major league staff develops relationships — those are the players you want to hold on to.
“I’m hopeful that we’re every day getting closer to that time, but in the meantime we’re sort of operating as we have for as long as I can remember and making trades, turning over the roster, bringing in hopefully new talented players and continuing to do whatever we can to try and compete in the big leagues,” he said. “I think I’m not out of line saying that ’22 was really the first year that we haven’t been successful in doing that.”
In another move, the Athletics designated infielder Vimael Machin for assignment.
AP source: Blue Jays, RHP Bassitt, agree to 3-year contract
(AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays strengthened their rotation on Monday, agreeing to a $63 million, three-year deal with Chris Bassitt.
A person familiar with the negotiations confirmed the move to the AP on condition of anonymity because it was pending a successful physical.
Toronto is coming off its second playoff appearance in three years, but it hasn’t won a postseason series since it advanced to the 2016 AL Championship Series. It was swept in the wild-card round in 2020 and again this year.
Bassitt joins a rotation fronted by Alek Manoah and Kevin Gausman. The Blue Jays also have Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi, and Hyun Jin Ryu could return at some point in 2023 after he missed the last part of the season because of an elbow injury.
The 33-year-old Bassitt became a free agent when he declined his $19 million option with the New York Mets, following rotation mates Jacob deGrom and Taijuan Walker into free agency.
Bassitt went 15-9 with a 3.42 ERA in 30 starts after the Mets acquired the right-hander in a trade with Oakland at the end of the lockout. He set career highs for wins, starts, innings (181 2/3) and strikeouts (167).
Bassitt was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 16th round of the 2011 amateur draft out of the University of Akron. He made his big league debut in 2014, then was traded from Chicago to Oakland that December.
Bassitt really started to come into his own during his final three years with the Athletics, going 27-11 with a 3.26 ERA in 66 games, 63 starts.
The Toledo, Ohio, native is 46-34 with a 3.45 ERA in 136 career games over eight seasons. He earned his only All-Star selection in 2021.
Suzuki, Dach star as Canadiens rally past Flames 2-1
MONTREAL (AP) It’s rare that goalies are the stars in an NHL shootout, but Calgary’s Jacob Markstrom and Montreal’s Jake Allen stole the show on Monday.
Flames forward Tyler Toffoli took a double-minor penalty at the start of overtime, but Markstrom denied the Canadiens for four minutes to force a shootout. Allen got the last laugh on the other side of the ice, however, denying Rasmus Andersson and Nazem Kadri in the shootout to seal the Canadiens’ 2-1 win.
“We had some good looks, Markstrom made some great saves. You gotta give credit to the PK sometimes,” said Allen. “I think our guys moved the puck really well and had good opportunities and sometimes it just doesn’t go in.
“That’s hockey and we got it done in shootouts so it’s not a big deal.”
Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach scored in the shootout as the Canadiens snapped a three-game home losing skid.
“(Allen) was great, he came up huge on penalty kills,” Suzuki said. “Big saves in big moments there in the third and he gave us the chance to get the two points.”
Josh Anderson tied the game for Montreal (14-12-2) in the third period, forcing overtime. Allen made 34 saves over three periods and the extra frame.
“I think that it was a good team win,” said Habs coach Martin St. Louis. “We weren’t perfect but I think that it was one of our best games from start to finish in the details.”
Jonathan Huberdeau scored in the second period for Calgary (13-11-5). Toffoli picked up one assist in his first game back in Montreal since getting traded to Calgary last season.
Jacob Markstrom made 37 saves as the Flames stayed winless in their three-game road trip.
“A loss is a loss. Gotta be better than the other goalie and gotta let in fewer goals than the other goalie,” said Markstrom. “You know, that’s my job, and that’s what it’s about.”
After a scoreless opening period, Huberdeau jumped on a loose puck 5:04 into the second to break the ice for the Flames.
In a scary moment, Flames defenseman Chris Tanev took a Suzuki slap shot to the head while attempting to block a scoring chance during a Montreal power play. He skated off the ice, with help from his teammates, but did not return.
“It’s tough, I mean, he doesn’t stay down very often so when he stays down you’re worried,” Markstrom added. “I haven’t talked to him after, but hopefully he’s OK.”
The Flames announced following the game that Tanev was sent to the hospital and his tests were negative, allowing him to travel back to Calgary where he will be reevaluated.
Suzuki took down Kadri with a check to the head five minutes later, which also sent the Calgary center to the dressing room. Kadri returned in the third period.
Canadiens winger Cole Caufield was taken to the dressing room in the second following a check from Trevor Lewis. Caufield did not return to the game and was listed with an upper-body injury.
The Habs levelled the score at 1:40 of the third period when Juraj Slafkovsky found Anderson in front of the net who tapped in his eighth goal of the campaign.
TOFFOLI HOMECOMING
Tyler Toffoli’s stay with the Montreal Canadiens was a short but memorable one. The winger, who was a part of the Canadiens’ Stanley Cup run in 2020-21, returned to the Bell Centre for the first time since the trade that sent him to the Flames.
UP NEXT
Flames: Host Vancouver on Wednesday night to open a two-game homestand.
Canadiens: At Ottawa on Wednesday night before returning for a two-game homestand.
Rangers win 4-3 in OT to end Devils’ 11-game road win streak
NEW YORK (AP) Filip Chytil scored 2:15 into overtime and the New York Rangers rallied to beat New Jersey 4-3 on Monday night, snapping the Devils’ 11-game road win streak.
Vincent Trochek had a goal and an assist, Kaapo Kakko and Chris Kreider also scored, and K’Andre Miller had two assists for the Rangers, who came back from two two-goal deficits to get their fourth straight win. Igor Shesterkin stopped 26 shots. The Rangers are 5-1-1 in their last seven games.
In the extra period, Chytil won it with his sixth of the season and first career overtime goal.
“Nice pass from Artemi (Panarin), I just shoot, score goal,? Chytil said. “A great comeback from the team. We showed our character, a good two points. We just have to keep going like that.”
Nico Hischier, Dawson Mercer and Jack Hughes scored for the Devils, who had not lost on the road since dropping the season opener at Philadelphia and finished one win shy of tying the NHL record. Vitek Vanecek had 19 saves for New Jersey, losing for only the fourth time in 16 decisions.
Trailing 3-1 in the second period, the Rangers tied it with two goals 7 seconds apart. They came after Shesterkin denied a penalty shot attempt by Hughes with 7:10 left when the Devils’ forward was taken down from behind by defenseman Braden Schneider on a breakaway.
“We had the opportunity to put the nail in the coffin with the penalty shot but we didn’t,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “That probably gave them momentum.”
Trochek converted on a power play with 6:02 remaining in the period, tipping a shot by Adam Fox through traffic past Vanecek for his 10th of the season to bring the Rangers within one. It gave Fox at least one point in 22 of 30 games this season.
Kakko then electrified the Madison Square Garden crowd with his sixth off the ensuing faceoff to tie the score 3-3.
“You could see the emotion from the guys on the ice,” Fox said. “You don’t see that all the time on just a goal, but when you’re able to come back from 3-1 that quickly and the crowd gets really into it, I think it’s a big momentum swing.”
The Devils took a fast 2-0 lead when Hischier scored his 13th at 3:05 of the first, tipping a shot by defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler past Shesterkin. Mercer doubled the lead at 4:46 with his eighth.
“It was a hard battle out there,” Hischier said. “Penalties kind of slowed us down in the second. We have to be more disciplined … It’s a rivalry game, fun to watch. They got one more goal.”
The Rangers narrowed the deficit when Kreider scored his 14th with 1:35 left in the opening period as he took a cross-ice pass from Trocheck before firing a high shot past Vanecek. Kreider extended his home points streak to 11 games. The previous Ranger with a longer streak at the Garden was Jaromir Jagr with 12 games in 2006-07.
Kreider has points in five consecutive games against the Devils and in seven of his last eight contests versus New Jersey. Kreider’s 19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points against New Jersey are each his most against one team in the NHL.
“It started real slow. We battled back in the second period,” Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. “It’s a big one. They are a good team.”
Hughes put New Jersey up 3-1 at 11:05 of the second, roofing a backhand for his team-best 15th of the season. Hughes extended his point streak to a career-best eight games and leads the Devils with 34 points.
NOTES
New Jersey won the previous meeting, 5-3 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 28. … New York has won 10 of its last 12 games against the Devils since March 4, 2021. … The teams meet twice at Prudential Center, on Jan. 7 and March 30.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host Dallas on Tuesday night.
Rangers: Host Toronto on Thursday night.
Malkin’s late goal lifts Penguins past Stars 2-1
PITTSBURGH (AP) The playoffs are still months away for Pittsburgh and Dallas. Yet they provided a glimpse of what likely awaits each of them in the spring, a time of year when space gets tight and open ice essentially vanishes.
For two of the NHL’s highest-scoring teams, playing responsibly on the defensive end in December can be a challenge. But the Penguins played with grit and goaltending in a 2-1 victory over the Stars on Monday night that pushed their win streak to six.
Evgeni Malkin’s flip into an essentially open net with 34 seconds remaining provided the difference. The Russian star pounced on a loose puck just in front of the Dallas crease and fired it by sprawled goaltender Jake Oettinger for the 79th game-winning goal of his career.
“I know I have couple chances (earlier in the game),” Malkin said. “I almost have breakaway. I know it’s coming. (I just had to be patient) and use my chance.”
Yet what caught Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan’s eye about Malkin wasn’t the goal but a backcheck Malkin made earlier in the period, which showed a solid defensive effort by a team that can sometimes turn games into a track meet where chances are traded freely.
Facing the equally high-powered Stars, Pittsburgh stayed patient while improving to 13-2-2 over its last 17 games.
“It, without a doubt, had a playoff feel in the sense that you had to fight for every inch,” Sullivan said.
Malkin’s ninth goal of the year came after Bryan Rust’s shot attempt from in close was poke-checked away. When Rust’s momentum carried him into Oettinger, Malkin had all the space he needed to make sure the game didn’t go to overtime.
“I thought we played a great road game,” Oettinger said. “We gave ourselves every chance to win – just a bad bounce at the end. So I think we have to be proud of how we played. We feel like we deserved a point or two. That stings, but we have to flush it quick.”
Pierre-Olivier Joseph scored his first goal of the season for Pittsburgh. Tristan Jarry stopped 26 shots to improve to 9-0-2 in his last 11 starts.
Roope Hintz collected his 12th goal of the season for Dallas. Oettinger made 23 saves but had no chance on Malkin’s winner after Rust essentially spun Oettinger around after the two collided at the top of the crease. The goal was reviewed for goaltender interference but ultimately stood.
A showdown between rising Dallas star Jason Robertson – who came in as the NHL’s second-leading goal scorer behind Edmonton’s Connor McDavid – and Penguins captain Sidney Crosby offered the promise of a shootout.
Robertson was held without a shot for the second time this season, and Crosby mustered only two in 19 minutes of ice time. Two of the league’s highest-scoring teams played the type of game that’s the norm the late spring, not a couple of weeks before Christmas.
“It seemed like both teams defended really hard,” Sullivan said. “We were trying to make it as hard on them as they were trying to make it on us. So it was one of those games.”
Hintz needed just 19 seconds to give the Stars the lead, swooping behind the Pittsburgh net to the right circle and finding himself in the right spot when a long shot from the point by Nils Lundkvist deflected off Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang right to Hintz’s stick.
Jarry quickly settled down and Joseph evened the score with a pretty wrist shot the left circle that found its way around a perfect screen by teammate Jason Zucker and into the net 13:14 into the first for Joseph’s second career goal and first since Feb. 6, 2021.
UP NEXT
Stars: Play in New Jersey on Tuesday.
Penguins: Travel to Florida to face the Panthers on Thursday.
Talbot perfect as Senators shut out Anaheim Ducks 3-0
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) Cam Talbot’s first shutout with the Ottawa Senators may be overshadowed by two devastating injuries.
Talbot earned the victory with an impressive 32-save shutout as the Senators blanked the Anaheim Ducks 3-0 on Monday. But forwards Tim Stutzle and Tyler Motte both left the win early with injuries, forcing Ottawa to play the rest of the game with only 10 forwards.
“We checked real hard,” said Senators head coach D.J. Smith. “The NHL’s not meant for 10 forwards but give guys credit.
“Guys played out of position, played different positions, played with different linemates and did a real nice job.”
Stutzle went awkwardly into the boards after being hit by Brett Leason midway through the first period and favored his right arm as he raced down the player’s tunnel. Motte then went down hard late in the same period and suffered what the team called an upper-body injury.
Smith had no update on either player following the game.
“Timmy’s a big piece to this team,” said Claude Giroux, who was moved to Ottawa’s first power-play unit in Stutzle’s absence. “He’s one of our best players and I’m not too sure what the status is, but hopefully he’s fine.”
Alex DeBrincat had a pair of power-play goals for Ottawa (12-14-2) and Parker Kelly also scored to support Talbot’s shutout. The Senators goalie said he was partly inspired by a pre-game ceremony honoring former Ottawa defenseman Wade Redden, who became the first player named to the Senators Ring of Honor.
“I haven’t played my best here in front of our fans, but to go out there and do it on a night celebrating Redden in the Ring of Honor – it’s a pretty special night for him so feels good to get the win for him too,” said Talbot.
Strangely enough, both Talbot and DeBrincat were considered game-time decisions after neither took the morning skate.
“Who needs morning skates, right?” said Talbot with a laugh. “I mean (DeBrincat) didn’t skate either and he came out with two goals so I mean, I think they’re overrated.”
Goaltender Lukas Dostal made his season debut in net for the Ducks (7-19-3). He stopped 35 shots after being recalled from the American Hockey League’s San Diego Gulls.
“Coming from the AHL, you know, at the start, the game’s a little bit different,” said Dostal. “Took me maybe just a couple of minutes to adjust, but as the game went on, I felt pretty good out there, actually.
“Obviously, still upset we lost, but personally, I felt pretty good out there.”
The 22-year-old Dostal made a huge save on Shane Pinto in the second and bailed the Ducks out on a terrible line change late in the same period when the Senators had a 3-on-0 rush.
“(Dostal) played extremely well,” said Anaheim head coach Dallas Eakins. “He made a couple of huge saves. Just an absolutely horrible change in the second period and he made a huge one there, but he was real solid.
“He’s a great kid. He’s a kid that you can cheer for a lot just because of his character, his attitude, how he works.”
Kelly scored his first of the season 5:42 into the game, tipping a Nikita Zaitsev shot past Dostal.
DeBrincat extended his point streak to six games (3G, 4A) with a power-play goal midway through the first.
UP NEXT
Ducks: At Toronto on Tuesday night in the second of a five-game trip.
Senators: Host Montreal on Wednesday night to finish a two-game homestand.
Schenn scores in OT, Blues send Preds to 3rd straight loss
ST. LOUIS (AP) Brayden Schenn had an eventful overtime period.
The St. Louis center scored at 2:23 of the extra session to lead the Blues to a 1-0 win over the Nashville Predators on Monday night in a battle of Central Division rivals.
Jordan Binnington made 25 saves in his second shutout of the season and the 12th of his career. He was the sixth goalie this season to start a game on back-to-back days. On Sunday, he stopped 28 of 31 shots in an overtime loss to Colorado.
Schenn broke his stick just seconds into the overtime. He then lost his voice while screaming to the bench that he needed assistance in getting a new stick.
“He yells louder than I do,” St. Louis coach Craig Berube said.
Just over two minutes later, Schenn popped in the rebound of a shot by Jordan Kyrou to seal the victory.
“Going to the bench, getting a new stick, getting back in the play and scoring the game-winner – it’s a good ending,” Kyrou said.
Kyrou broke in along the right wing and fired a shot that goalie Juuse Saros stopped with his blocker. The rebound went right to Schenn, who scored his seventh of the season.
“He was driving the net there and luckily enough, it bounced right on his stick,” Kyrou said.
Kyrou also enjoyed that Schenn was unable to speak to teammates or reporters after the contest.
“He can’t really talk right now – it’s tough,” Kyrou said with a smile.
Saros made 23 saves for the Predators, who have lost three in a row.
Binnington stopped Matt Duchene early in the overtime and helped secure the win for the Blues, who had lost six of their last seven games.
Binnington recorded his 100th victory to become the sixth goalie in franchise history to hit the 100-win mark.
The Predators turned in a strong defensive effort, holding St. Louis to just four shots in the second period.
“I thought we did some good things,” Nashville coach John Hynes said. “It was a hard-fought game and we knew that it was going to be like that.”
Berube agreed, calling the contest, “a heavy game.”
“They’re a good team,” Berube added.
DEFENSE INTO OFFENSE
Nashville D Roman Josi has scored 94 goals since 2016-2017, the most of any defenseman during that span. That includes six goals this season.
MILESTONE MAN
St. Louis LW Brandon Saad played his 100th game as a member of the Blues. He has 30 goals and 27 assists with the team.
INJURY NEWS
St. Louis LW Pavel Buchnevich missed his fourth straight game with a lower-body injury. He has nine goals and 11 assists. Berube said Buchnevich is close to returning. … Nashville D Alexandre Carrier missed the contest after leaving Saturday’s game against Ottawa with an upper-body injury. He is considered week to week.
NOTES: St. Louis coach Craig Berube is 169-95-37 since taking over Nov. 18, 2018. … Nashville C Ryan Johansen was whistled for three penalties, two in the first period. … The teams were a combined 0 for 7 on the power play, with the Predators going 0 for 4.
UP NEXT:
Predators: Host Edmonton on Tuesday.
Blues: Play at Edmonton on Thursday in the first of a five-game trip.
Boldy has goal, assist to lift Wild to 2-1 win over Oilers
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Matt Boldy had a goal and an assist, Freddy Gaudreau also scored, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 Monday night.
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 20 shots for his 10th win of the season for the Wild, who have won eight of 11. It is the 18th time in his career that Fleury has reached double-digit wins, tying Patrick Roy and Terry Sawchuk for second all-time behind Martin Brodeur (20).
Connor McDavid had an assist on Zach Hyman’s goal for the Oilers, but his career-best seven-game goal-scoring streak ended. Stuart Skinner finished with 28 saves for Edmonton, which lost for just the third time in nine games.
“They’re dangerous. Of course, we all know that. So it was good. We played our game and when we do that, we’re a tough team to beat defensively,” Gaudreau said.
In addition to stopping McDavid in the final seconds as the Wild were killing a 6-on-4 power play for the final 51.3 seconds, Fleury had a big save about 7 minutes into the third period when he stopped Darnell Nurse’s shot as part of a 3-on-1 with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl after a giveaway by Matt Dumba.
“There were some chances across the goal line there, give them credit, they checked harder then,” Nurse said of the frantic final seconds.
Minnesota allowed two power-play goals in three chances in Friday’s 5-2 loss in Edmonton and knew a surge was coming.
“We were scared to death. Like scared to death. You give Connor McDavid and Draisaitl and the rest of their power play an opportunity . But how we played that whatever close to a minute was great,” said Wild coach Dean Evason. “Our commitment, our grit, our desire to get pucks and win those puck battles was real good.”
The Oilers’ league-best power play finished 1 for 5 after going 4 for 8 in its previous two games and 8 for 17 in the previous five.
“We generated numerous looks out there. Even at the end I think one went through the wickets,” coach Jay Woodcroft said.
Minnesota allowed five goals in three straight games before Filip Gustavsson made 35 saves while blanking Vancouver on Saturday, and then allowed just one goal to the Oilers, fifth in the league at 3.64 goals per game.
“I think we played a great game in Vancouver, Gus obviously played a great game and got the shutout, then tonight we didn’t give them too many shots or too many chances. That was a big difference,” Fleury said.
Playing each other for the third time in 12 days, the former Northwest Division rivals traded power-play goals in the first period.
Boldy redirected a pass from Kirill Kaprizov for a 1-0 Wild lead with 7:24 left.
Just 1:25 later, Hyman outmuscled Jared Spurgeon for a rebound to tie it. Minnesota unsuccessfully challenged for goaltender interference. The tally, his 10th of the season, ended a nine-game goal drought for Hyman, who plays with McDavid and Draisaitl. It also extends his consecutive games with a point to seven.
Left alone at the left edge, Gaudreau redirected Boldy’s pass for a 2-1 lead at 9:39 of the second. It came a couple minutes after a goal by Dumba was nullified when Edmonton successfully challenged that Minnesota was offside entering the zone.
NICE COMPANY
Boldy had his sixth multipoint game of the season and 15th overall. Per NHL Stats, only Marian Gaborik (43) recorded more with the Wild before age 22.
APPRECIATE THE HELP
McDavid’s assist on Hyman’s goal gave him a league-best 30 assists. … Wild RW Mats Zuccarello had an assist on Boldy’s goal and has 10 consecutive seasons with at least 20 assists.
UP NEXT
Oilers: At Nashville on Tuesday night.
Wild: Home Wednesday against Detroit.
TOP INDIANA RELEASES
PACERS BASKETBALL
All season long, the Indiana Pacers have ranked among the highest scoring teams in the NBA and among the bottom in most points given up.
Against the Miami Heat on Monday, those numbers switched.
Indiana (14-14) scored and gave up season lows in points in a 87-82 loss to the Heat (13-15) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The game marked just the second of the season where the Pacers scored fewer than 100 points and the first time under 90.
Indiana, which leads the league in fourth-quarter scoring at 29.9 per game, put up just 18 points in the last 12 minutes.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said the game was physical from start to finish.
“This is classic Eastern Conference basketball,” Carlisle said. “It’s physical, it’s grinding, and both teams are trying to play fast. It’s not like either team was walking it up. The competition was great and we’ll have to look at the film and find ways to get better looks.”
Heat center Bam Adebayo led all scorers with 22 points to go with a season-high 17 rebounds while Jimmy Butler finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Miami shot 38.6 percent in the game to the Pacers’ 35.4 percent. The Pacers were 11-for-39 from 3-point range and the Heat made 9 of 34. The Pacers lost the battle in the paint, as they were outscored 38-28 while losing the rebounding margin 48-45.
Four players scored in double figures for the Pacers, led by 19 from Buddy Hield while rookie Andrew Nembhard added 18. Pacers big man Myles Turner totaled 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Also of note, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton scored a season-low one point against the Heat. Haliburton leads the team in scoring at 20.2 points per game.
Despite trailing by as many as 19 points in the second quarter, the Pacers climbed back in the final 5:30 of the opening half to trail 47-42 at intermission
Through the first 5 minutes and 10 seconds of the game, the teams traded the lead eight times and tied once, with Aaron Nesmith putting up five quick points for the Pacers and Buddy Hield adding four points before a 3-pointer by the Heat’s Kyle Lowry gave the visitors a 14-11 advantage.
From 6:50 to 2:38, the Heat went on a 10-2 run, on five points by Lowry, to lead 21-13 and prompting an Indiana timeout.
With 5:27 left in the first quarter, Victor Oladipo, a two-time NBA All-Star with the Pacers during his tenure from 2017 until 2021, made his official return to Indianapolis since being traded.
Hield hit back-to-back 3-pointers, including one with 0.7 seconds on the clock, to cut it to 26-19 at the end of the opening frame.
Miami attacked Indiana from both inside and out to go on a 13-0 scoring spree midway through the second quarter, as Adebayo scored seven points during the run at the rim and Max Strus hit a pair of 3-pointers to put the Heat up 43-24 with 6:07 left in the half.
In the remaining 5:29 of the first half, the Pacers outsourced the Heat 18-4, behind 3-pointers from Nesmith, Turner and Nembhard, to narrow the deficit to five points.
Adebayo led all scorers with 15 points at halftime while Hield and Nesmith each had 10 points for Indiana. At the break, the Pacers were outscored 24-12 in the paint and outrebounded 27-19.
Out of intermission, the Pacers buckled in defensively, matching a season-low by giving up 20 third-quarter points as both teams shot 34.9 percent.
Miami led until an 8-0 run by Indiana, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Nembhard, gave the Pacers a 62-57 lead with 4:44 left in the third.
The visitors responded with a quick 8-2 run in the final 1:40 of the third quarter put the Heat back ahead 67-64 going into the final frame.
The teams stayed within three points until the Heat used a 10-3 run from 3:54 to 2:25 – on seven straight points by Butler – to go up 84-75.
Indiana battled back, as a 7-2 run capped by a 3-pointer by Hield cut it to 86-82 with 42 seconds left, but the Pacers had a turnover before missing its final two shots.
The season series between the teams is 1-1 with two games left to play.
Inside the Numbers
The Pacers’ 35.4 percent shooting was their second-worst field-goal percentage in a game this season and their worst in a loss.
Haliburton’s one point is the second-fewest point(s) he’s scored in a game in a Pacers uniform. Last year, on Nov. 22, Haliburton didn’t score in 33 minutes against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Despite scoring just one point, Haliburton finished with a +/- of +7.
Turner recorded his eighth double-double of the season.
Hield has scored at least 17 points in each of the last six games.
Indiana’s bench, which leads the league at 42.3 points per game, was outscored 20-17 by the Heat reserves.
Miami’s 87 points tie the fewest scored in a game this season by the Heat. On Nov. 16, the Heat lost to the Toronto Raptors, 113-87.
Tyler Herro, who scored 29 points in the first game against the Pacers had just eight points in Monday’s game.
You Can Quote Me On That
“He goes 0-for-9, scores one point and is still plus seven in the game. That’s what a great player looks like, you know, finding other ways to impact the game. They expended a lot of energy on him and unfortunately we couldn’t muster up enough offense.” – Carlisle on Haliburton’s off night
“We just have to be smarter about the decisions we make. We had a lot of good looks, the shots just didn’t fall. We just have to stay locked in, stay with the game plan and play defense.” – Bennedict Mathurin on the loss
“It was just physical. They took us out of our game and made us rush into our shots. We know Miami is a scrappy defensive team and it’s hard to read them. That’s what they stuck to today and just took us out of everything we’re used to.“ – Jalen Smith on the offensive struggles against the Heat
“The biggest thing we wanted to do coming in from Saturday’s game (against the Brooklyn Nets) was just bringing more energy and more physicality and more presence. We just wanted to go back to who we are.” – Nembhard on upping the intensity
Stat of the Night
The Pacers scored a season-low 82 points, but also gave up a season-low 87 points in the loss to the Miami Heat.
Noteworthy
During pregame interviews on Monday, Carlisle told the media second-year guard Chris Duarte had practiced with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants earlier in the day and will play two games this week before returning to the Pacers. Durate has been sidelined since Nov. 4 with an ankle sprain.
Prior to Monday night’s game, Indiana Pacers forward Kendall Brown was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right tibia. He will be out indefinitely.
Up Next
The Pacers wrap up their homestand by welcoming Stephen Curry and the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 7:00 PM ET.
Chris Cameron Gets First Ahl Call-Up
INDIANAPOLIS – The Indy Fuel announced today that defenseman Chris Cameron has signed a pro-tryout agreement with the Milwaukee Admirals, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Nashville Predators. Cameron will return to Milwaukee where he attended training camp prior to the start of this season despite being on a contract with the Fuel.
Between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, the 6’5”, 240-pound defenseman has played 58 games with the Indy Fuel where he has tallied four goals, ten assists and 128 penalty minutes. He joined the Admirals for their training camp prior to the start of the 2022-23 season but was not registered in a regular season game. This is Cameron’s first official AHL call-up.
In addition, the Rockford IceHogs have recalled defenseman Cooper Zech from Indy and have reassigned defenseman Cliff Watson.
Zech, who was assigned to the Fuel on November 25, 2022, played eight games with Indy tallying five goals and five assists, averaging over a point per game. Zech is currently signed to an entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Former Indy Fuel captain Cliff Watson played two games for the Fuel earlier this season where he scored two goals on two shots and tallied three assists to help the Fuel defeat Toledo and Wheeling on November 19 and 20 respectively.
COLTS FOOTBALL: Jeff Saturday: Matt Ryan Will Remain Colts’ Starting Quarterback Over Final 4 Games Of 2022 Season
After spending the bye week watching tape with a critical eye, Colts head coach Jeff Saturday said on Monday he will not make a change at quarterback for Saturday’s Week 15 game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.
So Matt Ryan will continue forward as the Colts’ starting quarterback through a both-things-can-be-true lens: Ryan needs to play better, Saturday said, but the team’s struggles – a 4-8-1 record and an NFL-high 26 turnovers – are not all his fault.
“We talked about it about Dallas and even about our game vs. Pittsburgh not being what we want,” Saturday said. “And I think he shoulders a lot of the burden. We haven’t been good enough in a lot of areas, so I hate to pinpoint one guy or one position, but obviously that’s the quarterback position in the NFL, right? You get way too much credit, you get way too much plane. But there’s parts of his game that has to improve. And we talked about that with a number of different guys. We got to play our best and if we’re going to win, we need Matt playing his A game. And that’s my expectation for him.”
Ryan’s 13 interceptions and 14 fumbles lead the NFL in each category, although when Saturday went back through the film, he saw reasons to believe those ball security issues were not only because of the Colts’ quarterback play. Saturday pointed to pass-catchers being in the right positions, pass protection breaking down and the timing of the play being off as catalysts for the Colts’ league-high turnover total.
So with that in mind, Saturday said he isn’t looking to make a change at quarterback right now.
“I think the problem is, from the outside looking in, you want to attribute all those to one guy,” Saturday said. “And if I could, that would be an easy position to change and all of a sudden now you think you’ve made the team — all of a sudden we got no warts. But that’s not the case. I feel like Matt has continued to give us the best chance. And unfortunately we keep turning the ball over but it’s not just on him, it’s on a number of different guys.”
But while changing quarterbacks may not fix the Colts’ turnover issues, Saturday emphasized that those problems need to be solved over the final four games of the 2022 season.
“It’s casual and careless, and we as an offense, we can’t be defined by that,” Saturday said. “It’s killing the football team.”
INDIANA MEN’S SOCCER: IU Falls in College Cup Final Shootout
CARY, N.C. – The 2022 NCAA men’s soccer championship was decided by the slimmest of margins on Monday (Dec. 12) night, as No. 13-seeded Indiana men’s soccer fell to No. 3 Syracuse in penalties, 7-6, after a 2-2 draw through 110 minutes at WakeMed Soccer Park.
The Hoosiers fought back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits, including an 80th-minute equalizer from senior forward Herbert Endeley that sent the match to overtime.
With the result, Syracuse earned its program’s first national title while the Hoosiers were denied No. 9.
KEY MOMENTS
• 20′ – Indiana kept the Orange at bay early as junior goalkeeper JT Harms wasn’t forced to make a save until the 20th minute, when, with a diving effort, he was able to push a shot from distance wide.
• 24′ – Syracuse kept the pressure on and broke through in the 24th minute. Dribbling inside the box, sophomore forward Nathan Opoku was able to elude a pair of defenders and blast a shot into the upper left corner.
• 32′ – IU responded quickly. A corner bounced around and fell to sophomore forward Patrick McDonald, who got his foot around it and put it into the lower right corner.
• 33′ – Moments later, Syracuse was back in front. Tightly marked, Opoku was just able to get the ball to sophomore midfielder Curt Calov in the center of the box. After a heavy touch, he put a boot on it and put it past Harms just before senior defender Brett Bebej could clear.
• 69′ – Just over an hour gone in the match, IU started to find its chances again. The momentum swung when, after a takeaway, sophomore forward Tommy Mihalic nearly chipped the keeper from midfield. Backpedaling, redshirt senior goalkeeper Russell Shealy leaped and just got a glove to it to push it wide.
• 74′ – IU kept knocking loudly on the door with chance after chance. Endeley had a great opportunity on a breakaway that took a deflection that sent the shot high for a corner. On the set piece, Indiana put a shot into the crossbar that bounced near enough to the goal line to force a review. The replay revealed no goal.
• 80′ – The Hoosiers were rewarded with the breakthrough in the 80th minute when sophomore forward Samuel Sarver attracted defenders in the box before finding Endeley. Endeley took a touch wide before putting his body around it and blasting past Shealy.
• 99′ – Junior defender Joey Maher went down in the box, but no penalty was called despite animated appeals from IU.
• 104′ – A through ball was played ahead to Sarver into space, but in the end the sophomore was forced into a tight enough angle where his shot would go wide.
• 106′ – Freshman Jack Wagoner had the opportunity to score a late winner as he was played into the box with the keeper near the far post. Wagoner, however, couldn’t keep the one-touch effort under control, and it sailed just over the top corner.
NOTABLES
• Of IU’s NCAA-record 17 appearances in title matches, Monday’s result was just the second to end in penalties. The Hoosiers last went to a shootout in the 2004 championship game, a victory over UC-Santa Barbara.
• Harms, redshirt senior forward Ryan Wittenbrink and redshirt senior defender Daniel Munie were all named to the 2022 NCAA Men’s College Cup All-Tournament Team.
• Endeley’s equalizer was his fourth goal of the season and No. 12 of his career. The senior tallied goal contributions in both College Cup matches after tallying an assist in the semifinal.
UP NEXT
Indiana’s offseason begins as the program strives to continue its Tradition of Excellence in pursuit of its ninth star.
Edey Named Big Ten Player of the Week for 3rd Straight Time
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After leading Purdue to a pair of victories last week, Purdue junior center Zach Edey was named the Big Ten Player of the Week for the third straight week, the league office announced Monday.
The three straight awards tie a school record matched by Carl Landry during the 2006-07 season and match the most for a Big Ten player since Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ in November 2018.
Edey averaged 17.0 points, 17.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots during the week, while shooting 14-of-22 (.636) from the field in the two victories. He scored 23 points with 18 rebounds in an 85-66 win over Hofstra on Wednesday, then followed that up with 11 points, 17 rebounds and 7 blocked shots in Saturday’s win over Nebraska. The seven blocked shots were the fifth most in a game in Purdue history.
Edey is averaging 22.0 points per game, good for seventh nationally, while pulling down a nation’s-best 13.7 rebounds per game and adding 2.3 blocks per game. He is shooting 61.3 percent from the field and 71.2 percent from the free throw line. He is the only player nationally since 2010-11 to have at least 200 points, 125 rebounds and 20 blocked shots in his team’s first 10 games of the season.
Edey and the No. 1-ranked Boilermaker will face Davidson on Saturday in the Indy Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Tip is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. ET, and tickets are still available.
AP Names Charlie Jones Second Team All-American
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The nation’s leader in receptions and receiving yards this season, Purdue Football wide receiver Charlie Jones earned All-America honors from the Associated Press. Jones was named Second Team All-America, becoming the fourth Boilermaker over the past five seasons to collect AP All-America accolades (Rondale Moore – 2018, David Bell & George Karlaftis – 2021).
Entering the bowl season, Jones leads the country with 110 catches for 1,361 yards, while his 12 receiving touchdowns rank fourth nationally. Recording 162 yards in the Big Ten Championship, the Iowa transfer broke John Standeford’s 20-year old school record for yards in a season. He sits 11 receptions and four touchdowns shy of the Purdue single-season records for both categories.
A First Team All-B1G honoree, Jones is the only Big Ten receiver since 2000 to produce six games with at least 10 catches and 100 yards in a single season. He has recorded eight 100-yard games this year, surpassing Bell (2021), Moore (2018), Standeford (2002) and Steve Griffin (1984) for another school record. In conference action, Jones hauled in 7.6 receptions per game to go along with 91.0 receiving yards per game to lead the league.
Jones put on a show in the conference title game, hauling in 13 receptions for 162 yards against one of the nation’s top defenses in No. 2 Michigan. It marked the sixth time this season that Jones eclipsed the 100-yard mark against the B1G opponent. However, his career high in receiving yards came in non-conference action, tallying 188 yards at Syracuse. The Deerfield, Illinois, native found the end zone three times against Indiana State, a career high.
In his only season at Purdue, Jones surpassed his career totals heading into the 2022 campaign. He tallied 39 receptions for 718 yards and six touchdowns over his previous three seasons that featured stops at Buffalo and Iowa. It took Jones only three games as a Boilermaker to surpass his 2021 season marks (21 catches, 323 yards) with the Hawkeyes.
The AP joined The Athletic and CBS Sports as media outlets that tabbed Jones as a Second Team All-American.
Purdue closes out the season in Orlando, Florida, facing No. 17 LSU in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl (Jan. 2). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on ABC.
13 Bulldogs Earn 2022 Phil Steele FCS All-PFL Honors
CLEVELAND – QB Bret Bushka, TE Jared Suchevits, OL Skyler Spetter, K/P Luka Zurak, WR Luke Wooten, FB/TE Cameron Heald, WR Tyler Adams, OL Colton Ruhland, DB Connor Reid, OL Adam Dolan, DL Jack Belskis, DB Will Mason, and KR/PR Joey Audia all earned spots on Phil Steele’s 2022 FCS All-Pioneer Football League Teams.
Four Bulldogs made the first team, one made the second, four student-athletes made the third team and BU placed four more on the fourth team. Additionally, special teams ace Luka Zurak was named Special Teams Player of the Year.
First Team Selections
QB Bret Bushka – PFL head coaches selected Bushka as the 2022 PFL Offensive Player of the Year after his junior season. He led all PFL players with 3,004 offensive yards and 25 touchdowns. Bushka threw for 2,377 passing yards and led Butler with 627 rushing yards. He led the PFL in pass efficiency and completion percentage.
TE Jared Suchevits – Suchevits caught 16 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 13 yards per reception and 19 yards per game. His first TD was a fourth quarter score at Valparaiso helping the Bulldogs come back to claim the Hoosier Helmet. The second was midway through the big win at home over Morehead State. Suchevits caught at least one pass in every game this season. His longest reception covered 55 yards vs. Marist.
OL Skyler Spetter – Spetter recently competed in the FCS Bowl down in Daytona, Florida. He was a First Team All-PFL selection that helped BU lead the PFL in sacks allowed and red zone offense. For the season, Butler averaged 379 yards of total offense per game. They rushed for 161 and passed for 217. The Bulldogs averaged 5.6 yards per play to help them score 27 points per game.
K/P Luka Zurak – Postseason honors continue to come in for Butler kicker/punter Luka Zurak. The PFL Special Teams Player of the Year was responsible for the longest punt (67 yards) and field goal (56 yards) in the PFL this season. Zurak made 12 of his 15 field goal attempts and 36 of his 37 extra points to account for 72 points. He also kicked off 58 times for 3,455 yards and 17 touchbacks. Zurak punted the ball 38 times in 2022 to cover 1,576 yards. His 41.5 average led the league and he was able to pin the opponent inside the 20-yard line eight times. Zurak had seven punts travel 50+ yards. This is the second-straight year for Zurak to punt for 1,500+ yards.
Second Team Selections
WR Luke Wooten – In his rookie season, Wooten led the PFL with 58 receptions. His best individual effort came at San Diego where he caught 14 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown. Wooten was just one reception shy of tying the BU school record that day, but his fourth quarter TD would tie the contest. Wooten had four touchdowns over his final three games and six total on the season. He also rushed the ball 12 times for 58 yards.
Third Team Selections
FB/TE Cameron Heald – Heald saw time at fullback and tight end for the Bulldogs in 2022. He played in eight games and ended the year with 15 catches for 128 yards and three touchdowns. Heald averaged 8.5 yards per catch and scored a TD week one vs. St. Thomas (Fla.). His first multi-TD game came in the win over Dayton and his best numbers came through the following week with six catches for 75 yards at Valparaiso.
WR Tyler Adams – Harvard transfer Tyler Adams caught 39 passes for the Bulldogs resulting in 689 yards. He ranked second on the team with five receiving touchdowns and proved to be a deep threat by averaging 17.6 yards per catch. Adams led BU in receiving yards per game (62.6) and was responsible for the longest TD reception of the season (75 yards). Adams erupted with 10 catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns in his Butler debut. He also posted 149 yards and a score in the win over Dayton.
OL Colton Ruhland – Ruhland was a starting guard for the Bulldogs in nine games. He helped Butler average 379 yards of total offense per game. They rushed for 161 and passed for 217. The Bulldogs averaged 5.6 yards per play to help them score 27 points per game.
DB Connor Reid – Reid led the team in tackles for the second-straight season. His 71 stops ranked him 18th in the PFL among all players and eighth among defensive backs. Reid made a season-high 14 tackles at Davidson and was credited with a half sack the following week vs. Dayton. He intercepted a pass vs. Marist and broke up two passes vs. Morehead State. Reid had at least four tackles in every PFL contest this season and would end his BU career with 177 total tackles.
Fourth Team Selections
OL Adam Dolan – Dolan took over at left tackle for the Bulldogs in 2022 and had a great season. He helped BU lead the PFL in sacks allowed and red zone offense. The ‘Dawgs also led the PFL and ranked third in the FCS in tackles for loss allowed.
DL Jack Belskis – Belskis played in 10 games this season and finished the year with 16 tackles. He led Butler with 6.5 tackles for a loss and also added a sack against Morehead State. Belskis had a tackle for loss in three-straight games from Sept. 17 – Oct. 15 and got behind the line of scrimmage two times at Drake to make stops.
DB Will Mason – As a true freshman, Mason impacted the Bulldog defense by appearing in all 11 games. He finished third on the team with 53 total tackles while leading BU in interceptions with two and pass break-ups with seven. Mason opened his collegiate career with seven tackles and an interception. His second pick came at Drake along with five tackles. Mason’s best games came against the best competition on the schedule. He made eight stops at South Dakota State and matched that effort with eight more the next game at Davidson.
KR/PR Joey Audia – Audia appeared in all 11 games and led BU in all-purpose yards with 965. He rushed for 124 yards and added 36 yards in the passing game. On special teams, he was Butler’s top return man with 692 yards on kick-off returns and 113 on punt returns. He averaged 87.7 yards per game. Audia averaged 22 yards per kick return and six yards on punts. His longest punt return covered 19 yards while his longest kickoff return was a 49-yard gain. Audia ranked sixth in the PFL in all-purpose yards and 96th in the FCS. He led the PFL and ranked fifth in the FCS in combined kick returns.
Carrothers Named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Conference office announced weekly honors this afternoon and Jessica Carrothers was selected as the Freshman of the Week!
Carrothers averaged 12.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.0 steals and shot 52% from the field in a 1-1 week for the Bulldogs. Her week was highlighted by a career-best 18 points off 7-of-11 shooting in a narrow two-point loss to Big Ten foe Illinois on Sunday. The rookie guard was 3-for-3 from deep against the Illini, adding a game-high three steals in 29 minutes.
Carrothers didn’t have a turnover against Illinois and would lead Butler with five steals earlier in the week vs. Southern Indiana. Over 10 games this season, Carrothers is averaging 9.3 points, 2.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. She has started for BU in the last five games and is averaging over 20 minutes of playing time.
The Bulldogs will not play a midweek game due to final exams. The ‘Dawgs will return to action on Dec. 18 with a 3PM contest at Marquette.
Jaguars Breeze Past Spalding On Ncaa Readers Become Leaders Day
INDIANAPOLIS – The IUPUI basketball team shot better than 60 percent from the floor and cruised past Spalding University in front of 4,114 fans inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Monday (Dec. 12) on the annual NCAA Readers Become Leaders Day. Chris Osten scored a career-high 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting and freshman Vincent Brady II pumped in 17 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting off the bench to lead the way.
Daylan Hamilton added 12 points off the bench and Jlynn Counter had 10 points, four rebounds and four assists. IUPUI (2-8) scored the game’s first eight points and never trailed in what turned out to be an easy victory. The Jaguars built a 44-17 halftime lead, holding Spalding (1-8) to just 25 percent shooting before intermission.
“I was proud of our guys. It’s been a tough week with a lot of guys out of practice and out of today’s game due to some sickness. We weren’t sure who was going to be able to play until Saturday, so it’s been hard to get some good, solid practices in,” head coach Matt Crenshaw said. “I thought we did a good job of getting the ball inside early and really establishing our big men on the interior.
“That got us free for some open looks and things just work so much better when you make those open shots. I thought Vince came in and gave us a nice lift off the bench.”
Brady and Hamilton connected on three straight threes in an 80 second span to help IUPUI build a 12-point lead. Hamilton’s three ignited a 14-0 run as IUPUI held Spalding without a point for more than five minutes to construct a 23-point lead. Jonah Carrasco capped the run with a three-point play off a find from Amhad Jarrard. The elder Jarrard finished with five points and a team-high six assists and played a team-high 28 minutes.
With the game well in hand in the second half, Crenshaw was able to balance minutes and reward both Derek Petersen (10 minutes) and Caleb Crane (seven minutes) with some extended run.
IUPUI was never seriously threatened after the break and led by as many as 32 late in the contest when Brady tipped in a missed free throw with 5:04 to play.
The Jaguars won the glass 34-30 and outscored the Golden Eagles 34-7 in bench points. John Egbua finished with seven points, three rebounds and two assists and Carrasco added five points and six rebounds.
Anthony Dillard led Spalding with 19 points and six boards and Maxton Campbell scored 16 points. The Golden Eagles were held to just one made three, connecting on just 1-of-13 (7.7 percent) overall.
IUPUI will continue the two-game homestand on Saturday (Dec. 17) when the Jaguars host Eastern Illinois at noon inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum. Fans are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped holiday gift to benefit the Ruth Lilly Women’s and Children’s Center.
Brady Named #Hlmbb Freshman Of The Week
INDIANAPOLIS – IUPUI freshman guard Vincent Brady II has been named the #HLMBB Freshman of the Week for the second time this season, as announced by the league office on Monday (Dec. 12). Brady becomes the first player in the league to earn the award multiple times this season.
The Indianapolis-native had 17 points and a career-high six rebounds, four assists and three steals in IUPUI’s lone game last week at Green Bay. He connected on 7-of-15 shots, including three threes, and finished one point shy of tying his career-high in the scoring column. For the season, he upped his output to 8.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while now shooting 43.1 percent from the floor.
Brady was also honored back on Nov. 21.
Mayer, Alt And Foskey Named Associated Press All-Americans
The Associated Press has announced its 2022 All-Americans which are selected by a panel of Top 25 poll voters. Junior tight end Michael Mayer and sophomore left tackle Joe Alt were named to the first team. Junior edge rusher Isaiah Foskey was named as a second-team All-American by the AP.
MICHAEL MAYER
2022 Associated Press First-Team All-American
2022 Walter Camp First-Team All-American
2022 Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Second-Team All-American
Mayer led all FBS tight ends in touchdown receptions in 2022 while posting a team-high 67 receptions for 809 yards. The Independence, Kentucky, native finished his career at Notre Dame as the greatest statistical tight end in school history, setting program tight end marks for receptions (180), yards (2,099) and touchdown receptions (18) while also owning the single-season tight end records for receptions (71 in 2021), yards (840 in 2021) and touchdowns (9 in 2022).
Among Mayer’s noteworthy games in 2022 was an 11-catch, 118-yard, two-touchdown performance against No. 16/16 BYU in Las Vegas, a game in which he established a tight end record for receptions in a game. He piled up six catches for 115 yards and a touchdown against UNLV, seven catches for 88 yards and a score at North Carolina, four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown against No. 5/5 Clemson and eight catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns at No. 5/5 Southern Cal.
Mayer, who has declared for the 2023 NFL Draft, led all active FBS tight ends in receptions (180) and yards (2,099). He also finished his career third on Notre Dame’s all-time receptions list while becoming the 13th Irish player to amass 2,000 receiving yards in a career. Mayer ended his time at Notre Dame on a 36-game streak of games with at least one reception which represented every game he suited up in the blue and gold.
JOE ALT
2022 Associated Press First-Team All-American
2022 FWAA Second-Team All-American
2022 Walter Camp Second-Team All-American
Alt has quickly developed into one of the top left tackles in the nation after assuming the position in Notre Dame’s lineup midway through the 2021 season. He anchored an Irish line this season that opened the way for six 200-yard rushing performances, including over 250 yards against No. 5/5 Clemson.
The North Oaks, Minnesota, native is the top-ranked run block offensive tackle in the country according to Pro Football Focus and the second-ranked overall tackle in FBS. Of his 370 pass block sets this season, Alt allowed just five pressures and zero sacks.
ISAIAH FOSKEY
2022 Walter Camp First-Team All-American
2022 Associated Press Second-Team All-American
2022 FWAA Second-Team All-American
Foskey piled up 11 sacks for the second consecutive season from his defensive end position and broke the Notre Dame career sack record in 2022. The Antioch, California, has posted 26.5 sacks in his career, besting the school record that stood since 2004. His 11 sacks tied for fourth in FBS this year and he led the Irish with 14 tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries.
One of the most consistent defenders on the team, Foskey logged at least three tackles in 10 of Notre Dame’s 12 games this season including five at North Carolina (with 1.5 sacks and two hurries) and another five at No. 5/5 Southern Cal with 1.5 sacks.
Men’s basketball unveils early signees
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville head men’s basketball coach David Ragland has announced the signing of three student-athletes to join the Purple Aces program for the 2023-24 season. UE’s class includes Michael Day, Braylon Jackson and Tanner Cuff.
Michael Day – Center – 6-11 – Middleton, Idaho
Michael Day joins the Purple Aces from Albuquerque Basketball Club Prep School where he is set to graduate in 2023. The 6-foot-11 center is a native of Middleton, Idaho where he previously played at Middleton High School. Last season at Middleton, he averaged 8.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while swatting an average of 2.9 blocks.
Coach Ragland on Michael Day:
“We are excited about the addition of Michael Day and his family. Michael is a versatile big man who can run the floor, block shots, pass the ball and make perimeter shots. Michael comes from winning culture and has recently won a state championship. We are restoring a championship program here at UE and it helps having championship people from winning programs.”
Braylon Jackson – Guard – 6-5 – Tampa, Fla.
Coming to the University of Evansville from Tampa, Florida is Braylon Jackson. Standing at 6-foot-5, Jackson played for Oldsmar Christian Academy where he is an Honor Student. In his first season at Oldsmar in the winter of 2021-22, Jackson had a stellar season that culminated in him being recognized as a 2nd Team All-SIAA player. Jackson has had an equally impressive start to his senior campaign as he opened the season with 23 points and six rebounds. He led all scorers with 20 points in the 2022 Florida GetDown Holiday Basketball Showcase in Orlando.
Coach Ragland on Braylon Jackson:
“We are happy to add Braylon Jackson and his family to our UE family. Braylon is an explosive and proven 3 level scorer. He can dribble, pass and shoot. Braylon makes 3’s at a consistent rate, scores off the bounce both mid-range and above the rim. Although Braylon is wired to score, he is also an active defender especially on the ball.”
Tanner Cuff – Guard – 6-6 – American Fork, Utah
Currently a member of the Salt Lake Community College men’s basketball team, Tanner Cuff is set to move east to Evansville starting with his junior season. As a freshman with the Bruins, Cuff averaged 5.2 points and 3.4 rebounds while adding 72 assists and 54 steals. Cuff scored 21 points in a game versus Utah Peaks Prep and had his top total of 12 rebounds at Utah State Eastern. Four games into the current season, Cuff has dished out 18 assists in just four games.
Coach Ragland on Tanner Cuff:
“We are excited to add Tanner, Jessica and their families to our basketball family here at UE. College basketball has turned into a culture of getting old and staying old. Tanner has served a 2-year LDS mission and spent 2 seasons at Salt Lake Community College. Tanner is a proven winner and leader. The best teams are player-led teams and Tanner is not afraid to hear his own voice, which is the most important variable to being an effective leader.”
“Not only is Tanner a leader but he has won everywhere he’s been. He has won state championships, played for an NJCAA championship and won in life by marrying his wife Jessica.”
Nine Beacons Recognized as Phil Steele Announces All-Conference Teams
The Valparaiso University football program featured nine representatives as Phil Steele released the publication’s All-Pioneer Football League teams this week.
Fifth-year senior running back Aaron Dawson (Westbury, N.Y. / W.T. Clarke / Milford Prep [Central Connecticut]) and redshirt senior offensive lineman Aaron Byrd (Bradley, Ill. / Bourbonnais) were named to the First Team, while redshirt junior wide receiver Solomon Davis (Brighton, Tenn. / Brighton), senior linebacker Ben Hines (Snohomish, Wash. / Archbishop Murphy [Washington]), senior defensive back Kohlton Sherman (Millington, Mich. / Millington) and redshirt senior punter Evan Matthes (Reston, Va. / South Lakes [West Virginia]) were named to the Second Team.
In addition, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Sam Hafner (Green Bay, Wis. / De Pere) and redshirt freshman defensive lineman Kevin Spelman (New Lenox, Ill. / Providence Catholic) were tabbed to the Third Team and junior wide receiver Braden Contreras (Hillsdale, Ill. / Hinsdale Central) received a Fourth Team nod.
Dawson and Byrd were also selected to compete in the FCS National Bowl after their standout seasons. Dawson rushed for a league-most 1,204 yards, the second-highest single-season rushing total in program history. Byrd was a crucial part of the offensive line that helped block for Dawson’s historic rushing numbers.
Hines made an immediate impact on the defensive side of the ball after joining the program as a transfer, accruing a team-high 91 tackles while also garnering an interception, eight tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Davis led the team with 748 receiving yards and 43 catches including four touchdown grabs. Sherman enjoyed a streak of four straight games with an interception. Matthes averaged 41.4 yards per punt with a long of 67, pinning 22 of his 57 kicks inside the 20 and booting 10 for 50+ yards.
Hafner finished second on the team in tackles (65), tackles for loss (nine) and sacks (five) while leading the league with three forced fumbles. Spelman accrued a team-high 11 tackles for loss and paced the squad with 6.5 sacks while forcing a pair of fumbles. Contreras had 30 catches for 466 yards and three scores.
Lakes named OVC Player and Newcomer of the Week
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Basketball graduate forward Trevor Lakes (Lebanon, Indiana) was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player and Newcomer of the Week for his efforts in the Screaming Eagles’ wins over Anderson University and Indiana State University at Screaming Eagles Arena last week. The weekly honors are the first for Lakes as an Eagle and the firsts of his career.
The graduate forward started his week with a collegiate career-best 29-point performance in the 78-47 win over Anderson. He was 11-of-19 from the field, including four three-point field goals, and three-of-four from the stripe.
Lakes finished the week with his first double-double as an Eagle, posting 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, in the USI 88-85 overtime victory versus Indiana State on Sunday. He was five-of-11 from the field with three three-point bombs and two-of-four from the stripe. The season-high 12 rebounds featured 11 on the defensive end.
For the week, Lakes averaged 22.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He also shot 53.3 percent from the field (16-30) and 38.9 percent from long range (7-18).
USI (5-5) completes and looks to sweep the three-game homestand Thursday when they host Saint Mary of the Wood College at Screaming Eagles Arena. The Eagles, who have won three of their last five games, have six players averaging in double-digits and led by senior guard Jelani Simmons (Columbus, Ohio), who is posting 14.4 points per game. Lakes follows Simmons in the scoring column with 12.2 points per outing.
The SMWC Pomeroys are 4-7 after an 89-84 win over Oakland City University Saturday afternoon. SMWC was led by guard/forward Keith Germain, who had 27 points in the win. For the season, SMWC is led by junior guard Tarik Dixon, who is posting 15.4 points per game, and Germain, who is averaging 13.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per contest.
Men’s Basketball Hosts Judson on Tuesday Night
The UIndy men’s basketball team returns to Nicoson Hall for a Tuesday bout with NAIA Judson University. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The matchup will mark the inaugural battle between the programs. Led by center Thomas Donati and his 9.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, the Eagles sport a 4-8 record.
Jesse Bingham has dropped in 18 points in three of the past four contests, while Kendrick Tchoua is coming off an 11-point, 12-board double-double against Maryville on Sunday.
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: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
NFL STANDINGS
| American Football Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | |
| Buffalo Bills | 10 | 3 | 0 | .769 | 0.0 | 353 | 221 | 5 – 1 – 0 | 5 – 2 – 0 | 7 – 2 – 0 | 2 – 2 – 0 | 4 W |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 10 | 3 | 0 | .769 | 0.0 | 384 | 298 | 5 – 1 – 0 | 5 – 2 – 0 | 6 – 3 – 0 | 4 – 0 – 0 | 1 W |
| Baltimore Ravens | 9 | 4 | 0 | .692 | 0.0 | 301 | 250 | 4 – 2 – 0 | 5 – 2 – 0 | 6 – 3 – 0 | 3 – 0 – 0 | 2 W |
| Tennessee Titans | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | 0.0 | 241 | 276 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 5 – 4 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 3 L |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 9 | 4 | 0 | .692 | 0.0 | 335 | 265 | 5 – 1 – 0 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 6 – 3 – 0 | 2 – 3 – 0 | 5 W |
| Miami Dolphins | 8 | 5 | 0 | .615 | 0.0 | 316 | 312 | 5 – 1 – 0 | 3 – 4 – 0 | 6 – 3 – 0 | 2 – 1 – 0 | 2 L |
| New England Patriots | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | 0.0 | 276 | 239 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 5 – 3 – 0 | 2 – 2 – 0 | 1 W |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | 1.0 | 295 | 326 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 5 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 3 – 0 | 1 W |
| New York Jets | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | 1.0 | 264 | 243 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 5 – 5 – 0 | 2 – 3 – 0 | 2 L |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 5 | 8 | 0 | .385 | 3.0 | 294 | 294 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 2 – 5 – 0 | 5 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 2 – 0 | 1 W |
| Las Vegas Raiders | 5 | 8 | 0 | .385 | 3.0 | 308 | 313 | 3 – 2 – 0 | 2 – 6 – 0 | 4 – 5 – 0 | 3 – 2 – 0 | 1 L |
| Cleveland Browns | 5 | 8 | 0 | .385 | 3.0 | 300 | 323 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 2 – 5 – 0 | 3 – 7 – 0 | 2 – 2 – 0 | 1 L |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5 | 8 | 0 | .385 | 3.0 | 227 | 293 | 2 – 4 – 0 | 3 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 7 – 0 | 1 – 3 – 0 | 1 L |
| Indianapolis Colts | 4 | 8 | 1 | .346 | 3.5 | 209 | 298 | 2 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 4 – 1 | 4 – 5 – 1 | 1 – 3 – 1 | 3 L |
| Denver Broncos | 3 | 10 | 0 | .231 | 5.0 | 194 | 238 | 2 – 4 – 0 | 1 – 6 – 0 | 2 – 8 – 0 | 0 – 4 – 0 | 5 L |
| Houston Texans | 1 | 11 | 1 | .115 | 6.5 | 211 | 314 | 0 – 5 – 1 | 1 – 6 – 0 | 1 – 6 – 1 | 1 – 1 – 1 | 8 L |
| National Football Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | T | Pct | GB | PF | PA | Home | Road | vs. Conf | vs. Div | Streak | |
| x-Philadelphia Eagles | 12 | 1 | 0 | .923 | 0.0 | 386 | 248 | 6 – 1 – 0 | 6 – 0 – 0 | 7 – 1 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 4 W |
| Minnesota Vikings | 10 | 3 | 0 | .769 | 0.0 | 312 | 313 | 6 – 1 – 0 | 4 – 2 – 0 | 6 – 3 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 1 L |
| San Francisco 49ers | 9 | 4 | 0 | .692 | 0.0 | 317 | 197 | 6 – 1 – 0 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 7 – 2 – 0 | 4 – 0 – 0 | 6 W |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6 | 7 | 0 | .462 | 0.0 | 224 | 254 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 2 – 4 – 0 | 6 – 3 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 1 L |
| Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 3 | 0 | .769 | 0.0 | 360 | 229 | 7 – 1 – 0 | 3 – 2 – 0 | 7 – 3 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 4 W |
| Washington Commanders | 7 | 5 | 1 | .577 | 0.0 | 253 | 256 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 4 – 2 – 1 | 4 – 4 – 1 | 1 – 2 – 1 | 1 T |
| New York Giants | 7 | 5 | 1 | .577 | 0.0 | 267 | 300 | 4 – 3 – 1 | 3 – 2 – 0 | 3 – 5 – 1 | 0 – 3 – 1 | 1 L |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | 0.5 | 342 | 334 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 5 – 5 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 1 L |
| Detroit Lions | 6 | 7 | 0 | .462 | 1.5 | 349 | 347 | 4 – 4 – 0 | 2 – 3 – 0 | 5 – 4 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 2 W |
| Green Bay Packers | 5 | 8 | 0 | .385 | 2.5 | 263 | 302 | 3 – 3 – 0 | 2 – 5 – 0 | 4 – 5 – 0 | 2 – 2 – 0 | 1 W |
| Carolina Panthers | 5 | 8 | 0 | .385 | 2.5 | 260 | 290 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 1 – 5 – 0 | 4 – 5 – 0 | 3 – 1 – 0 | 2 W |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5 | 8 | 0 | .385 | 2.5 | 288 | 312 | 4 – 3 – 0 | 1 – 5 – 0 | 4 – 5 – 0 | 1 – 3 – 0 | 2 L |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4 | 9 | 0 | .308 | 3.5 | 277 | 348 | 1 – 7 – 0 | 3 – 2 – 0 | 3 – 6 – 0 | 1 – 4 – 0 | 3 L |
| New Orleans Saints | 4 | 9 | 0 | .308 | 3.5 | 265 | 297 | 3 – 4 – 0 | 1 – 5 – 0 | 3 – 6 – 0 | 1 – 3 – 0 | 2 L |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 | 9 | 0 | .308 | 3.5 | 218 | 296 | 3 – 5 – 0 | 1 – 4 – 0 | 3 – 7 – 0 | 1 – 4 – 0 | 1 W |
| Chicago Bears | 3 | 10 | 0 | .231 | 4.5 | 270 | 333 | 2 – 4 – 0 | 1 – 6 – 0 | 1 – 8 – 0 | 0 – 4 – 0 | 6 L |
NBA STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 Boston | 21 | 7 | .750 | — | 11-2 | 10-5 | 4-0 | 14-5 | 7-3 | 2 L | ||
| 2 Milwaukee | 19 | 7 | .731 | 1.0 | 12-3 | 7-4 | 4-1 | 11-4 | 7-3 | 1 L | ||
| 3 Cleveland | 17 | 11 | .607 | 4.0 | 12-2 | 5-9 | 3-2 | 13-5 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 4 Brooklyn | 17 | 12 | .586 | 4.5 | 10-5 | 7-7 | 4-2 | 13-6 | 8-2 | 4 W | ||
| 5 Philadelphia | 14 | 12 | .538 | 6.0 | 9-5 | 5-7 | 2-3 | 11-8 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 6 New York | 14 | 13 | .519 | 6.5 | 7-7 | 7-6 | 1-2 | 9-6 | 6-4 | 4 W | ||
| 7 Atlanta | 14 | 14 | .500 | 7.0 | 9-5 | 5-9 | 2-2 | 10-10 | 3-7 | 1 L | ||
| 8 Indiana | 14 | 14 | .500 | 7.0 | 8-6 | 6-8 | 1-1 | 10-6 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| 9 Toronto | 13 | 14 | .481 | 7.5 | 10-3 | 3-11 | 1-5 | 9-11 | 4-6 | 2 L | ||
| 10 Miami | 13 | 15 | .464 | 8.0 | 9-6 | 4-9 | 5-1 | 8-9 | 6-4 | 1 W | ||
| 11 Chicago | 11 | 15 | .423 | 9.0 | 7-5 | 4-10 | 2-1 | 9-7 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 12 Washington | 11 | 17 | .393 | 10.0 | 8-7 | 3-10 | 3-3 | 7-13 | 1-9 | 7 L | ||
| 13 Orlando | 8 | 20 | .286 | 13.0 | 7-9 | 1-11 | 1-3 | 4-15 | 3-7 | 3 W | ||
| 14 Charlotte | 7 | 20 | .259 | 13.5 | 4-9 | 3-11 | 3-5 | 4-15 | 3-7 | 5 L | ||
| 15 Detroit | 7 | 22 | .241 | 14.5 | 4-9 | 3-13 | 0-5 | 2-14 | 3-7 | 3 L | ||
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| W | L | Pct | Conf GB | Home | Road | Div | Conf | Last 10 | Streak | |||
| 1 New Orleans | 18 | 8 | .692 | — | 12-3 | 6-5 | 5-1 | 12-5 | 9-1 | 7 W | ||
| 2 Memphis | 18 | 9 | .667 | 0.5 | 12-2 | 6-7 | 3-2 | 8-6 | 8-2 | 6 W | ||
| 3 Denver | 16 | 10 | .615 | 2.0 | 7-3 | 9-7 | 6-2 | 14-6 | 6-4 | 2 W | ||
| 4 Phoenix | 16 | 11 | .593 | 2.5 | 12-3 | 4-8 | 5-0 | 13-7 | 5-5 | 4 L | ||
| 5 Sacramento | 14 | 11 | .560 | 3.5 | 8-4 | 6-7 | 3-4 | 5-6 | 5-5 | 1 L | ||
| 6 Portland | 15 | 12 | .556 | 3.5 | 7-6 | 8-6 | 4-2 | 11-7 | 5-5 | 2 W | ||
| 7 LA Clippers | 16 | 13 | .552 | 3.5 | 8-6 | 8-7 | 3-3 | 10-10 | 5-5 | 2 W | ||
| 8 Dallas | 14 | 13 | .519 | 4.5 | 11-4 | 3-9 | 1-2 | 9-5 | 5-5 | 1 W | ||
| 9 Golden State | 14 | 13 | .519 | 4.5 | 12-2 | 2-11 | 4-3 | 9-8 | 6-4 | 1 W | ||
| 10 Utah | 15 | 14 | .517 | 4.5 | 9-5 | 6-9 | 3-4 | 13-9 | 3-7 | 2 L | ||
| 11 Minnesota | 13 | 14 | .481 | 5.5 | 7-7 | 6-7 | 3-4 | 7-10 | 4-6 | 2 L | ||
| 12 LA Lakers | 11 | 15 | .423 | 7.0 | 6-6 | 5-9 | 0-5 | 6-10 | 6-4 | 1 W | ||
| 13 Oklahoma City | 11 | 16 | .407 | 7.5 | 6-5 | 5-11 | 1-5 | 5-10 | 4-6 | 3 L | ||
| 14 San Antonio | 9 | 18 | .333 | 9.5 | 5-10 | 4-8 | 1-3 | 3-16 | 3-7 | 3 W | ||
| 15 Houston | 8 | 18 | .308 | 10.0 | 5-5 | 3-13 | 1-3 | 4-14 | 5-5 | 1 W |
BIG 10 MEN’S BASKETBALL
| W-L | Pct | Hm | Rd | W-L | Pct | Hm | Rd | Nt | Top 25 | |
| 1 Purdue | 2-0 | 1.000 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 10-0 | 1.000 | 5-0 | 2-0 | 3-0 | 2-0 |
| 22 Wisconsin | 2-0 | 1.000 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 8-2 | .800 | 3-1 | 2-0 | 3-1 | 1-1 |
| Northwestern | 1-0 | 1.000 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 7-2 | .778 | 4-1 | 2-0 | 1-1 | 1-1 |
| 23 Ohio State | 1-0 | 1.000 | 1-0 | 0-0 | 7-2 | .778 | 5-0 | 0-1 | 2-1 | 1-2 |
| Michigan | 1-0 | 1.000 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 6-3 | .667 | 3-1 | 1-0 | 2-2 | 0-2 |
| 20 Maryland | 1-1 | .500 | 1-0 | 0-1 | 8-2 | .800 | 5-0 | 1-1 | 2-1 | 1-1 |
| 14 Indiana | 1-1 | .500 | 1-0 | 0-1 | 8-2 | .800 | 6-0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-1 |
| Penn State | 1-1 | .500 | 0-1 | 1-0 | 7-3 | .700 | 4-1 | 1-1 | 2-1 | 1-0 |
| Michigan State | 1-1 | .500 | 0-1 | 1-0 | 7-4 | .636 | 3-1 | 2-1 | 2-2 | 1-2 |
| Rutgers | 1-1 | .500 | 1-0 | 0-1 | 6-4 | .600 | 6-1 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 1-1 |
| Iowa | 0-1 | .000 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 7-3 | .700 | 5-1 | 1-0 | 1-2 | 1-1 |
| 18 Illinois | 0-2 | .000 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 7-3 | .700 | 5-1 | 0-1 | 2-1 | 2-2 |
| Nebraska | 0-2 | .000 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 6-5 | .545 | 4-1 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1-2 |
| Minnesota | 0-2 | .000 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 4-6 | .400 | 3-3 | 0-2 | 1-1 | 0-2 |
BIG 10 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
| 3 Ohio State | 2-0 | 1.000 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 10-0 | 1.000 | 6-0 | 4-0 | 0-0 | 2-0 |
| 4 Indiana | 2-0 | 1.000 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 10-0 | 1.000 | 6-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 |
| 12 Iowa | 2-0 | 1.000 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 8-3 | .727 | 5-1 | 2-1 | 1-1 | 1-2 |
| Nebraska | 2-0 | 1.000 | 1-0 | 1-0 | 8-3 | .727 | 5-0 | 1-3 | 2-0 | 1-2 |
| 19 Michigan | 1-0 | 1.000 | 1-0 | 0-0 | 9-1 | .900 | 4-1 | 2-0 | 3-0 | 1-0 |
| Purdue | 1-1 | .500 | 0-1 | 1-0 | 9-2 | .818 | 6-1 | 1-0 | 2-1 | 0-1 |
| Illinois | 1-1 | .500 | 1-0 | 0-1 | 9-2 | .818 | 6-0 | 2-1 | 1-1 | 0-1 |
| 15 Maryland | 1-1 | .500 | 0-1 | 1-0 | 9-3 | .750 | 3-2 | 4-0 | 2-1 | 3-1 |
| Minnesota | 1-1 | .500 | 1-0 | 0-1 | 6-5 | .545 | 5-2 | 0-3 | 1-0 | 0-1 |
| Northwestern | 0-1 | .000 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 4-5 | .444 | 4-2 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0-3 |
| Penn State | 0-2 | .000 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 8-3 | .727 | 6-2 | 0-1 | 2-0 | 0-1 |
| Michigan State | 0-2 | .000 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 6-5 | .545 | 5-2 | 1-1 | 0-2 | 0-3 |
| Rutgers | 0-2 | .000 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 5-7 | .417 | 5-2 | 0-2 | 0-3 | 0-3 |
| Wisconsin | 0-2 | .000 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 4-8 | .333 | 3-2 | 1-2 | 0-4 | 0-1 |
NHL STANDINGS
| Eastern Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 Boston Bruins | 27 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 45 | 21 | 106 | 58 | 14-0-1 | 8-4-0 | 7-2-1 | |
| 2 New Jersey Devils | 28 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 44 | 21 | 103 | 67 | 10-4-1 | 11-1-1 | 6-2-2 | |
| 3 Toronto Maple Leafs | 29 | 18 | 5 | 6 | 42 | 18 | 93 | 70 | 10-2-3 | 8-3-3 | 8-0-2 | |
| 4 Pittsburgh Penguins | 29 | 17 | 8 | 4 | 38 | 16 | 102 | 84 | 9-3-2 | 8-5-2 | 8-1-1 | |
| 5 Carolina Hurricanes | 27 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 36 | 13 | 80 | 73 | 5-3-1 | 10-3-5 | 5-1-4 | |
| 6 Tampa Bay Lightning | 27 | 17 | 9 | 1 | 35 | 17 | 95 | 82 | 10-4-1 | 7-5-0 | 7-3-0 | |
| 7 New York Rangers | 30 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 35 | 14 | 93 | 85 | 6-6-4 | 9-4-1 | 5-4-1 | |
| 8 New York Islanders | 29 | 17 | 12 | 0 | 34 | 17 | 92 | 80 | 9-6-0 | 8-6-0 | 6-4-0 | |
| 9 Detroit Red Wings | 27 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 32 | 12 | 84 | 86 | 7-4-3 | 6-4-3 | 5-3-2 | |
| 10 Washington Capitals | 30 | 14 | 12 | 4 | 32 | 14 | 87 | 89 | 8-4-1 | 6-8-3 | 7-2-1 | |
| 11 Montreal Canadiens | 28 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 30 | 10 | 84 | 97 | 7-7-0 | 7-5-2 | 5-4-1 | |
| 12 Florida Panthers | 29 | 13 | 12 | 4 | 30 | 12 | 98 | 98 | 7-3-3 | 6-9-1 | 4-4-2 | |
| 13 Ottawa Senators | 28 | 12 | 14 | 2 | 26 | 12 | 86 | 89 | 7-8-0 | 5-6-2 | 6-3-1 | |
| 14 Buffalo Sabres | 28 | 12 | 14 | 2 | 26 | 11 | 109 | 103 | 6-8-2 | 6-6-0 | 5-3-2 | |
| 15 Philadelphia Flyers | 29 | 9 | 13 | 7 | 25 | 9 | 70 | 96 | 6-8-1 | 3-5-6 | 2-5-3 | |
| 16 Columbus Blue Jackets | 27 | 10 | 15 | 2 | 22 | 10 | 80 | 111 | 8-10-1 | 2-5-1 | 4-5-1 | |
| Western Conference | ||||||||||||
| GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | ROW | GF | GA | Home | Road | L10 | ||
| 1 Vegas Golden Knights | 30 | 20 | 9 | 1 | 41 | 18 | 98 | 80 | 8-7-0 | 12-2-1 | 5-5-0 | |
| 2 Winnipeg Jets | 27 | 18 | 8 | 1 | 37 | 18 | 89 | 69 | 10-4-0 | 8-4-1 | 7-3-0 | |
| 3 Dallas Stars | 29 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 37 | 16 | 106 | 83 | 9-3-3 | 7-5-2 | 5-3-2 | |
| 4 Seattle Kraken | 27 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 35 | 16 | 96 | 85 | 7-6-2 | 9-2-1 | 7-3-0 | |
| 5 Los Angeles Kings | 31 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 35 | 14 | 106 | 112 | 7-5-2 | 8-6-3 | 4-3-3 | |
| 6 Minnesota Wild | 28 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 32 | 12 | 88 | 85 | 8-6-1 | 7-5-1 | 7-3-0 | |
| 7 Edmonton Oilers | 29 | 16 | 13 | 0 | 32 | 16 | 103 | 99 | 9-7-0 | 7-6-0 | 6-4-0 | |
| 8 Calgary Flames | 29 | 13 | 11 | 5 | 31 | 12 | 87 | 89 | 10-5-1 | 3-6-4 | 4-4-2 | |
| 9 Colorado Avalanche | 26 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 30 | 12 | 82 | 74 | 5-4-2 | 9-6-0 | 4-5-1 | |
| 10 Nashville Predators | 26 | 12 | 11 | 3 | 27 | 10 | 67 | 79 | 7-4-2 | 5-7-1 | 5-3-2 | |
| 11 Vancouver Canucks | 28 | 12 | 13 | 3 | 27 | 12 | 97 | 109 | 5-7-1 | 7-6-2 | 6-4-0 | |
| 12 St. Louis Blues | 29 | 13 | 15 | 1 | 27 | 12 | 85 | 108 | 6-7-1 | 7-8-0 | 3-6-1 | |
| 13 San Jose Sharks | 30 | 9 | 16 | 5 | 23 | 8 | 93 | 110 | 2-8-5 | 7-8-0 | 3-5-2 | |
| 14 Arizona Coyotes | 26 | 9 | 13 | 4 | 22 | 9 | 72 | 96 | 3-2-1 | 6-11-3 | 3-4-3 | |
| 15 Chicago Blackhawks | 26 | 7 | 15 | 4 | 18 | 7 | 62 | 94 | 4-8-2 | 3-7-2 | 1-8-1 | |
| 16 Anaheim Ducks | 29 | 7 | 19 | 3 | 17 | 5 | 70 | 123 | 5-7-0 | 2-12-3 | 2-6-2 |
NFL HISTORY
December 13, 1931 – This was the final game played in the NFL season of 1931 and it also marked the final year that the League Champion would be the team with the best record. Scorum.com has a great write up in the season of 1931 where the National Football League Champions were the Green Bay Packers who posted a 12-2-0 record which was good enough for them to earn their 3rd straight NFL title. In second that year were the Portsmouth Spartans who would later become the Detroit Lions, as they sported an 11-3 record on the season. There was some controversy over this though as the Packers refused to play a game against Portsmouth that was on the schedule. Had this game been played and Portsmouth won it, the Packers title would have either been shared or relinquished to the team that defeated them head to head, the Spartans in that scenario. Needless to say that Green Bay Packers are the 1931 NFL Champions.
December 13, 1936 – Polo Grounds, New York City – The Green Bay Packers win the franchise’s first NFL Championship Game against the Boston Redskins. It was the final game in Boston before the franchise moved to Washington D.C. The Packers big 21-6 victory was sparked by Arnie Herber’s aerial attack on the Redskins according to a story published the day after the game found on packersnews.com. Don Hutson hauled in one of Herber’s passes for a TD while another receiver, Milt Gantenbein scored on another. The third touchdown drive engineered by the Pack was set up by a couple more key pass plays. Each player on the Packers took home a nifty sum of $250 for their win as the Boston players placed an extra $180 in their wallets after the 1936 NFL Championship.
December 13, 1942 – Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C. – The Redskins franchise appeared in another NFL Title tilt on the day of December 13. The 1942 NFL Championship game saw the Washington Redskins upset the Bears of Chicago by one score in a 14-6 final. Bob Carroll in a great write up in the Professional Football Researchers Association periodical “The Coffin Corner” Volume 18 in 1996 sets the scene. The Bears if you remember from an earlier edition of the Football History Headlines destroyed the Redskins in an embarrassing 73-0 drubbing in the 1940 NFL Title Game. Carroll goes on to remind us that the ‘42 Bears at 11-0 were probably even a stronger adversary for the 10-1 Washington squad to face than two years earlier. With memories of the 73 point humiliation on their minds the Redskins came into this contest literally loaded for “Bear.” After a scoreless first stanza the Bears changed the scoreboard with a 52 scoop and score of a Washington fumble. The Redskins responded with Sammy Baugh threw a 39 yard touchdown pass to Wilt Moore and Washington took the lead into the half with the successful PAT. The Redskins continued to frustrate the Bears offense and used their own offensive weapon running back Andy Farkas pounded the heart of the Bears defense on ten carries of an 80 yard scoring drive. This was all the Redskins needed to go with their stifling defense to win the NFL Title!
December 13, 1969 – The Continental Football League plays its final game as it disbanded in 1970. The Continental according to the Fun While it Lasted website was started in 1965 and in its 5 seasons heralded 44 teams in its brief history as it combined teams from multiple second tier leagues such as the Texas Football League and others to make a very widespread diverse group.
December 13, 1973 – According to the historyofcollegefootball.com website Penn State Running Back John Cappelletti gave his moving Heisman Trophy acceptance speech. As we discussed earlier this week on the Football History Headlines Cappelletti dedicated the trophy to his ailing younger brother Joey who had leukemia.
December 13, 1997 – The 63rd Heisman Trophy was quite historic as it was the first time according to Heisman.com that since college football shifted to a two platoon of an offensive team and a defensive team that a two way player won the coveted Trophy. That player was Michigan’s cornerback, Charles Woodson. The Junior compiled some great stats in the 1997 season as he picked off 7 passes and registered 43 tackles on defense. On the offensive side of the ball he put up one touchdown on 11 receptions for 231 yards and his kick return yardage set up many more successful Wolverine drives. It was all around great play like this that Woodson earned the Heisman over a Tennessee quarterback named Peyton Manning who had some phenomenal numbers of his own.
December 13, 1999 – The Manhattan Downtown Athletic Club handed the 65th Heisman Trophy Award to Running Back Ron Dayne of Wisconsin. Dayne put up some gaudy numbers on the ground according to Heisman.com. Dayne capped off his Senior season with 1834 yards to enter the realm that only four other players have ever accomplished in having four seasons rushing over the single season 1000 yard mark. The “Dayne Train” also set an NCAA record that still stands today when you total in his bowl games to reach a career rushing total of an amazing 7125 yards on the ground in college.
December 13, 2003 – Jason White, Oklahoma’s Senior quarterback won the 69th Heisman Trophy. White had to overcome two different ACL injuries during his collegiate career to settle into a true pocket passer style of quarterbacking according to the Heisman Trophy’s official website. From the shotgun formation White threw for 3744 yards and 40 touchdowns on only 8 interceptions to lead the Sooners to an undefeated season. Jason White also was an unanimous All-American, won the AP’s Player of the Year, the consensus Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, the Davey O’Brien Award winner and the Jim Thorpe Courage Awards.
December 13, 2010 – Auburn Tigers Quarterback Cam Newton took home the 76th Heisman Trophy Award. The Junior signal caller per the Heisman.com website took the SEC and all of NCAA football by storm as he used his legs and arm to slice through defenses. Newton registered 20 touchdowns and 1409 yards on the ground and added another 28 scores and 2589 yards through the air to take home the coveted hardware by a landslide. Cam was the 2010 AP Player of the Year and was a big reason the Tigers took home the BCS Title when they defeated Oregon in the Championship game to cap off an awesome season.
December 13, 2014 – The 80th Heisman Trophy Award went to Marcus Mariota, the nifty quarterback from the University of Oregon. Mariota set a bunch of ground breaking items according to Heisman.com as he became the first player of Polynesian descent, the first from the State of Hawaii and the very first Oregon Duck to take home the Trophy named for legendary Coach John Heisman. The Junior signal caller registered 3783 yards in passing with 38 TD and only having two tosses picked off. Mariota also used his legs as he put up another 669 yards on the ground with 14 additional TDs for the Ducks, oh and don’t forget he also hauled in a pass for a score on top of that!
December 13, 2015 – When you set an SEC record of 1986 yards rushing in a season in the age where the SEC was arguably the strongest conference in the nation you are going to take home the 81st Heisman Trophy Award. That is exactly what Derrick Henry, Alabama’s powerful running back did.Henry also tied the Conference’s touchdown mark with 23 scores according to Heisman.com. Derrick’s 339 rushing attempts along with his record yardage mentioned earlier both led the nation in collegiate football. He capped off the brilliant season by adding another bruising 158 yards against Clemson to help the Crimson Tide win the National Title.
HALL OF FAME BIRTHDAYS FOR DECEMBER 13
December 13, 1911 – Louisville, Kentucky – Fred “Buzz” Borries the great Navy halfback was born. Borries according to the footballfoundation.org website scored the only TD in the 1933 Navy 7-0 victory over Notre Dame. During the 1934 Army-Navy game Buzz had 36 carries for the Midshipmen and helped set up a Slade Cutter field goal to knock off the Cadets 3-0. The National Football Foundation Selected Buzz Borries to enter into their College Football Hall of Fame in 1960. Commander Fred Borries was a decorated war hero who helped the vessels in his command win some stunning victories at sea just like he did on the gridiron earlier in life.
December 13, 1955 – Logansport, Indiana – The pride of Franklin College football program, Brad Crawford who played cornerback was born. Crawford’s uncanny speed and quickness helped him make bad days for quarterbacks who opposed the Franklin Grizzlies secondary per the NFF’s website bio on him. In 1975 he registered 9 pass interceptions and had 25 in his college career to go with an outstanding kick return average of 25.9 yards. Brad Crawford was invited to have a place in the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000 to go along with his 1986 induction into the NAIA Hall of Fame.
December 13, 1960 – Richard Dent the tenured 15 year NFL defensive end of the Chicago Bears came into this life. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s website bio the Tennessee State product was picked by the Bears in the 1983 NFL Draft in the eight round. What a bargain find Chicago had with that pick as Dent dominated with 137.5 career sacks. Richard was part of one of the NFL’s greatest defenses, the 1985 Bears under legendary coordinator Buddy Ryan. Dent was an All-Pro and went to the Pro Bowl 4 times each as well as being named the Super Bowl XX Most Valuable Player as he and the Bears capped off the monster season by winning it all. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Richard Dent in 2011.
December 13, 1961- Fullerton, California – Gary Zimmerman the great tackle from the University of Oregon came into this life. Gary Z enjoyed a productive 12 year NFL career after being picked third in the 1984 Supplemental Draft by the New York Giants. Zimmerman was best known for anchoring the lines of the Minnesota Vikings and the Denver Broncos. He was so dominant that according to the profootballhof.com he earned spots on two All- Decade teams for both the 1980’s and the 1990’s. Gary also was durable for most of his career tallying 169 straight starts at one point. The Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrined Gary Zimmerman in 2008’s class.
BASEBALL HISTORY
1906 The A’s sell Andy Coakley, a twenty-game winner in 1905, to the Reds. The right-hander, who pitched under the name of Jack McAllister as a rookie in 1902, will later spend thirty-seven years coaching Columbia University’s baseball team.
1911 New York politician James E. Gaffney and former player Montgomery Ward purchase the National League franchise Boston Doves. The team will be called the Braves due to Gaffney’s tie to Tammany Hall, which uses an Indian chief as their symbol.
1954 The Dodgers trade third baseman Billy Cox and southpaw Preacher Roe, who will retire before the season begins, to the Orioles for two minor league prospects (Harry Schwegeman, Johnny Jancse) and $50,000. Brooklyn will use the cash as a bonus to sign a southpaw from Lafayette High School with control problems named Sandy Koufax.
1956 The Dodgers trade Jackie Robinson to the crosstown rivals, the Giants, for pitcher Dick Littlefield and $35,000. According to some accounts, Jackie had already decided privately to leave the game to work for Chock Full of Nuts, publicly retiring from baseball rather than accepting the trade.
1966 The Giants trade pitcher Bob Priddy and outfielder Cap Peterson to the Senators to reacquire Mike McCormick. In his second stint with the team, the left-hander will win the Cy Young Award next season, compiling a 22-10 record with an ERA of 2.85.
1969 Curt Flood attends the Players’ Association executive board meeting to seek financial assistance in his attempt to sue major league baseball because the reserve clause violates Federal antitrust laws. Although skeptical about the suit’s outcome, the player reps vote 25-0 to support the recently traded outfielder, who refuses to report to the Phillies after being dealt by the Cardinals.
1973 Despite an impending legal showdown with Charlie Finley, the Yankees announce the signing of manager Dick Williams. American League president Joe Cronin will void the deal a week later.
1975 The Tigers trade pitcher Mickey Lolich and outfielder Billy Baldwin to the Mets for outfielder Rusty Staub and pitcher Bill Laxton. New York’s new southpaw will post an 8-13 record, spending just one year in the Big Apple, while Detroit will enjoy a steady performance from their recently acquired flycatcher and DH, who will bat .275 during his three-plus seasons in the Motor City.
1994 Lee Smith, who led the majors in saves for the Orioles last season with 33, signs as a free agent with the Angels. The 37-year-old right-handed reliever is currently is the all-time saves leader with 434, a position he will hold until his final total is surpassed in 1996 by Trevor Hoffman with 479 saves.
1996 Roger Clemens leaves Boston after thirteen seasons of service and signs as a free agent with the Blue Jays. The ‘Rocket’ leaves the team tied with Cy Young for the Red Sox record for wins (192) and shutouts (38), and as the career leader in losses with 112 (Cy lost 111).
1999 The Marlins obtain Johan Santana from the Astros in the Rule 5 draft, and, later in the day, Florida trades the 20-year-old southpaw to the Twins for Jared Camp. The Venezuela native will post a 93-44 record and win the Cy Young Award twice (2004, 2006) during his eight-year tenure in Minnesota.
2000 The Red Sox, outbidding the Indians, sign free-agent Manny Ramirez to a reported eight-year, $160 million contract. The very lucrative deal pales compared to Alex Rodriguez’s $252 million ten-year agreement with the Rangers, also announced today.
2001 The Yankees sign free-agent Jason Giambi to a seven-year deal worth $120 million. The 2000 MVP and this year’s runner-up drove in 120 runs, hit 38 home runs, and had a .342 batting average for the wild-card Oakland A’s this season.
2001 The Red Sox trade frustrated flychaser Carl Everett (.257, 14, 58) to the Rangers for left-hander Darren Oliver (11-11, 6.02). The former All-Star outfielder, who had his problems with players and managers in Boston, says he is looking forward to joining the veteran players in Texas.
2003 The Cardinals trade outfielder J.D. Drew along with catcher Eli Marrero to the Braves for three hurlers, Ray King, Jason Marquis, and Adam Wainwright. Atlanta’s new outfielder will have a solid season but will stay with the team for only one season.
2007 To replace LaTroy Hawkins’ role in the bullpen, the Rockies sign free-agent Luis Vizcaino (8-2, 4.30) to a $7.5 million, two-year deal. The 33-year-old right-hander, who pitched for the Yankees last season, will be used as a middle-inning reliever by the National League champs.
2007 Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees finalize a 10-year, $275 million contract, making the deal the richest in baseball history. A-Rod, who surpassed the all-time salary record he signed with the Rangers ($252 million in 2000), chastised his agent, Scott Boras, and blamed himself for the poor handling of his opt-out clause with the team.
2007 “We can jump to this conclusion: that steroids have sullied the game. My hope is that this report is a part of putting the steroid era of baseball behind us.” – GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. president and former owner of the Rangers. The Mitchell Report, a document of 409 pages and a paper trail of 115,000 copies of receipts, canceled checks, telephone records, and e-mail messages, is released. The much-anticipated findings, authored by former Senator George Mitchell, call the steroid era a collective failure, naming 89 former and present players who allegedly used illegal, performance-enhancing drugs, including stars Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Gary Sheffield.
2007 A collection of rare written documents, including personal letters and canceled checks concerning the Chicago Black Sox scandal, is procured by the Chicago History Museum with a winning auction bid of approximately $100,000. The historical papers offer new details about the White Sox allegedly fixing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.
2007 Avoiding salary arbitration, Brandon Duckworth agrees to a one-year $600,000 contract to pitch for the Royals next season, including $155,000 in performance incentives. The 31-year-old right-hander, who spent time on the disabled list with a torn left oblique, posted a 3-5 record with a 4.63 ERA in 26 games as a starter and reliever.
2007 “Roger Clemens adamantly, vehemently or whatever adjective can be used, denies he has ever used steroids or whatever the word is for improper substance. There has never been one shred of tangible evidence that he ever used these substances and yet he is being slandered today.” – RANDY HENDRICKS, Roger Clemen’s lawyer denying claims made in the Mitchell Report. *In a statement released by his attorney, Randy Hendricks, Roger Clemens vehemently denies the allegations put forth by the Mitchell Report concerning his use of performance-enhancing drugs. Brian McNamee, the former trainer of the seven-time Cy Young Award winner, states that he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone at least 16 times while Clemens was a member of the 1998 Blue Jays the 2000-01 Yankees.
2008 The Indians sign free-agent Kerry Wood (5-4, 3.26) to a two-year deal with a one-year option reportedly worth $20 million after the oft-injured right-hander passes a physical taken earlier in the week. The former Cubs fireballing phenom saved 34 games in 2008, his first season as a closer for Chicago.
2008 The Royals signed free-agent right-handed reliever Kyle Farnsworth to a $9.25 million, two-year contract which includes a club option for 2011. The Yankees dealt the 32-year-old fireballer to Detroit for veteran catcher Ivan Rodriguez at the trade deadline last season.
2009 The Blue Jays announced coming to terms with Jose Bautista on a one-year deal worth $2.4 million. The utility player will establish a new franchise mark of home runs in a season when he goes deep 54 times, six more than George Bell’s total in 1987.
SPORTS IN NUMBERS
10 – 9 – 6 – 21 – 2 – 33 – 18 – 7 – 8 – 41
December 13, 1936 – National Football League Championship, Polo Grounds, NYC: Green Bay Packers beat Boston Redskins, 21-6. For the Packers franchise it was their 4th NFL title. For the Redskins it signalled a move to Washington, D.C. for 1937 season
December 13, 1960 – Ballon d’Or: Barcelona midfielder Number 10, Luis Suárez was named best football player in Europe ahead of Real Madrid’s Hungarian forward Number 10, Ferenc Puskás and Hamburg striker Number 9, Uwe Seeler
December 13, 1989 – Denver Nuggets player, Number 6, Walter Davis had his NBA free throw streak of 53 games come to an end.
December 13, 1991 – Seattle Supersonics player, Number 21, Ricky Pierce had his NBA free throw streak of 75 games come to an end.
December 13, 1997 – 63rd Heisman Trophy Award was won by Michigan cornerback/ returner, Number 2, Charles Woodson.
December 13, 1999 – 65th Heisman Trophy Award was won by Wisconsin running back, Number 33, Ron Dayne,
December 13, 2003 – 69th Heisman Trophy Award was won by Oklahoma Quarterback, Number 18, Jason White
December 13, 2004 – Ballon d’Or: Milan’s Ukrainian striker Number 7, Andriy Shevchenko was named best football player in Europe ahead of Deco (Porto/FC Barcelona) and Barcelona midfielder Number 10, Ronaldinho
December 13, 2010 – 76th Heisman Trophy Award was won by Auburn Quarterback, Number 2, Cam Newton
December 13, 2014 – 80th Heisman Trophy Award was won by Oregon Quarterback, Number 8, Marcus Mariota
December 13, 2015 – 81st Heisman Trophy Award was won by Alabama running back, Number 2, Derrick Henry
December 13, 2018 – German basketball forward Dirk Nowitzki takes the court for his record 21st NBA season wearing the Number 41, with the Dallas Mavericks, surpassing Kobe Bryant’s 20 seasons with the LA Lakers. Nowitzki had his number 41 jersey retired by Dallas Mavericks early in 2022.
TV TUESDAY
| COLLEGE BASKETBALL – MEN’S | TIME ET | TV |
| Bethel at UT Martin | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Midland at Omaha | 1:00pm | – |
| Longwood at St. Francis Brooklyn | 2:00pm | NEC |
| VMI at American | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Coppin State at George Washington | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Furman at NC State | 6:30pm | ACCN |
| The Citadel at North Carolina | 7:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Southern at Xavier | 7:00pm | FS1 |
| North Carolina Central at LSU | 7:00pm | SECN |
| Fairleigh Dickinson at Richmond | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Iona vs. Princeton | 7:00pm | SNY |
| UMass Lowell at Rhode Island | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Stonehill at Boston College | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Dartmouth at Boston University | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Marshall at UNCG | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UMBC at Loyola Maryland | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Saint Peter’s at Hartford | 7:00pm | – |
| FIU at Howard | 8:00pm | – |
| Lincoln (MO) at Southern Illinois | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Southwestern A.G. at Utah Valley | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Mary Hardin-Baylor at Texas State | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Prairie View A&M at UIC | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Southern Miss at Lamar | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Chicago State at Murray State | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Mississippi Valley State at Wichita State | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| North Carolina A&T at Houston | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Eastern Washington at Texas Tech | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Green Bay at St. Thomas | 8:00pm | – |
| USC Upstate at Florida State | 8:30pm | ACCN |
| A&M-Corpus Christi at Arizona | 8:30pm | PAC12 |
| Memphis at Alabama | 9:00pm | ESPN2 |
| UTSA at Utah | 9:00pm | PAC12 |
| New Orleans at Boise State | 9:00pm | MWN |
| Stanislaus State at Pacific | 9:00pm | WCC |
| Holy Names at UC Davis | 9:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Portland State at Santa Clara | 10:00pm | WCC |
| Cal Poly at Washington | 10:30pm | PAC12 |
| NBA | TIME ET | TV |
| Sacramento at Philadelphia | 7:00pm | NBCS-CA NBCS-PHI |
| Golden State at Milwaukee | 7:30pm | TNT NBCS-BAY |
| Phoenix at Houston | 8:00pm | ATTSN-SW Bally Sports |
| New Orleans at Utah | 9:00pm | Bally Sports ATTSN-RM |
| Boston at LA Lakers | 10:00pm | TNT |
| NHL | TIME ET | TV |
| Anaheim at Toronto | 7:00pm | Sportsnet Bally Sports |
| Columbus at Florida | 7:00pm | ESPN+ HULU |
| Dallas at New Jersey | 7:00pm | Bally Sports MSG |
| Los Angeles at Buffalo | 7:00pm | MSG-BUF Bally Sports |
| NY Islanders at Boston | 7:00pm | NESN MSGSN |
| Seattle at Tampa Bay | 7:00pm | Root Sports Bally Sports |
| Carolina at Detroit | 7:00pm | Bally Sports |
| Edmonton at Nashville | 8:00pm | Sportsnet Bally Sports |
| Vegas at Winnipeg | 8:00pm | ATTSN-RM Sportsnet |
| Washington at Chicago | 9:00pm | ESPN |
| Philadelphia at Colorado | 9:00pm | NBCS-PHI ALT |
| Arizona at San Jose | 10:30pm | NBCS-CA Bally Sports |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| FIFA World Cup Semifinals: Argentina vs Croatia | 2:00pm | FOX Peacock Telemundo |
TV WEDNESDAY
| COLLEGE BASKETBALL – MEN’S | TIME ET | TV |
| Stetson at Charleston | 4:00pm | FLOHOOPS |
| William Peace at Campbell | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Ohio vs. Florida | 7:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Drexel at Seton Hall | 7:00pm | FS1 |
| Stephen F. Austin at Louisiana Tech | 7:00pm | ESPNU |
| App State at Wake Forest | 7:00pm | ACCN |
| South Carolina at UAB | 7:00pm | CBSSN |
| Radford at VCU | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Wright State at Akron | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Miami (OH) at Cincinnati | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| DePaul at Duquesne | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Morehead State at Georgia Southern | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Eastern Kentucky at Northern Kentucky | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Queens at ETSU | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Carolina at Gardner-Webb | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| LIU at UAlbany | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| St. Thomas (FL) at Florida Atlantic | 7:00pm | CUSAtv |
| Bowling Green at Norfolk State | 7:30pm | – |
| UCF at Ole Miss | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Sam Houston at ULM | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Reinhardt at Jacksonville State | 7:30pm | ESPN+ |
| UAPB at Minnesota | 8:00pm | BTN |
| Georgia State at Auburn | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Charleston Southern at Tennessee State | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Southeast Missouri at Arkansas State | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Tennessee Tech at Lipscomb | 8:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Bellevue (NE) at South Dakota State | 8:00pm | – |
| WKU at Louisville | 9:00pm | ESPN2 |
| UCLA at Maryland | 9:00pm | FS1 |
| UC Riverside at Oregon | 9:00pm | PAC12 |
| Colorado Christian at Denver | 9:00pm | – |
| Coastal Carolina at South Dakota | 9:00pm | – |
| UC San Diego at Nevada | 10:00pm | MWN |
| NM State at Saint Mary’s | 10:00pm | WCC |
| Long Beach State at USC | 11:00pm | PAC12 |
| NBA | TIME ET | TV |
| Detroit at Charlotte | 7:00pm | Bally Sports |
| Golden State at Indiana | 7:30pm | Bally Sporrts NBCS-BAY |
| Atlanta at Orlando | 7:00pm | Bally Sports |
| New York at Chicago | 7:30pm | ESPN NBCS-CHI |
| Sacramento at Toronto | 7:30pm | Sportsnet NBCS-CA |
| Portland at San Antonio | 8:00pm | Root Sports Bally Sports |
| Miami at Oklahoma City | 8:00pm | Bally Sports |
| Cleveland at Dallas | 9:00pm | Bally Sports |
| Washington at Denver | 9:00pm | NBCS-WSH ALT |
| Minnesota at LA Clippers | 10:00pm | ESPN |
| NHL | TIME ET | TV |
| Montreal at Ottawa | 7:00pm | Sportsnet |
| Detroit at Minnesota | 7:30pm | TNT Bally Sports |
| Vancouver at Calgary | 10:00pm | TNT |
| SOCCER | TIME ET | TV |
| FIFA World Cup Semifinals: France vs Morocco | 2:00pm | FOX Peacock Telemundo |