No. 1 Gonzaga creamed No. 2 UCLA 83-63 in an intriguing early-season matchup and proved for now that they are a very deserving No. 1 team. Chet Holmgren also showed he is worthy of the hype.
The freshman center scored 15 points with six rebounds and four blocks in his team’s win. He showed off a variety of skills during the game.
In a postgame interview with ESPN’s Sean Farnham, Holmgren was asked about his “unicorn” ability. Rather than tooting his own horn, Holmgren turned the focus to something more important than individual status: being a winner.
He told Farnham he wants to be known for something else with his game.
“Just a winner. Whatever it takes to win, whatever it might be … whether I have to block shots, dribble down and dunk the ball, it doesn’t matter if it’s screen coverages, switches on guards, making the right pass, it doesn’t matter. I’m just trying to win,” Holmgren said.
NBA teams will love hearing that.
Holmgren may be a top recruit and future NBA prospect, but he is a team-first player.
In addition to Holmgren, Drew Timme and Andrew Nembhard delivered big games for Gonzaga. Timme had 18 points and 8 rebounds, while Nembhard added 24 points.
Gonzaga once again looks like the real deal.
Photo: Oct 31, 2021; Spokane, WA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs center Chet Holmgren (34) points to the guy he was covering during a game against the Eastern Oregon Mountaineers in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Bulldogs won 115-62. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
They say that time heals all wounds, but it turns out that Dez Bryant needs a little more time.
The former Dallas Cowboys receiver took to Twitter Tuesday with a shot at his ex-coach, Jason Garrett, who was just fired as the offensive coordinator of the New York Giants. Bryant addressed his message to Giants rookie receiver Kadarius Toney.
“After hearing the News about JG,” Bryant wrote. “Kadarius Toney you will get to experience the love and Joy for football throughout your career.”
The Giants offense had struggled under Garrett, who was in his second season as their OC. Toney, the team’s first-round pick this year, is a dynamic talent. But he has only had one game of 100-plus yards receiving this season and has yet to find the end zone even a single time. Toney has had issues with the Giants and vented about his role on the team.
As for Bryant, he had Garrett as his head coach for all eight of his seasons in Dallas. The ex-Pro Bowler was much more critical of Garrett after their split, and it appears he has not gained any fondness for Garrett in recent years. Bryant seems to think that Garrett has a way of holding star receivers back.
Photo: Nov 8, 2020; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Dez Bryant (88) reacts before a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Dick Vitale got emotional before the tip off in Tuesday night’s huge game between UCLA and Gonzaga.
Vitale announced in October that he had been diagnosed with cancer again. The 82-year-old began a course of treatment to fight the cancer. He has done well enough that he was cleared to travel and call Tuesday’s game in Las Vegas between the Bruins and Bulldogs.
Reflecting on the support he has received, and how happy he was to be able to call the game, Vitale cried while on air:
“I can’t believe I’m sitting here,” Vitale said. “This is really a big thrill for me.”
Vitale then went on to thank a number of people for supporting him and helping him overcome a difficult time.
For Dickie V, there’s no better medicine or therapy than getting to call a premier college basketball game.
Cincinnati has experienced a breakthrough in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.
The 11-0 Bearcats were ranked No. 4 in the latest rankings, which were released on Tuesday. That marks the first time a Group of 5 school has been ranked in the top four in the rankings.
Cincinnati was snubbed by the first CFP rankings of the season, which were released on Nov. 2. The Bearcats were 8-0 at the time and got ranked No. 6.
Cincinnati has kept winning, including a 48-14 beatdown against SMU. They will be playing East Carolina next. After that, they are set to face Houston in the AAC Championship Game.
If the Bearcats keep winning, there is a clear path for them to make the College Football Playoff. Either Georgia or Alabama are set to add a loss in the SEC Championship Game. Then one of the teams between Ohio State and Michigan are going to add a loss.
Should Cincinnati go 13-0, we will likely be seeing them in the College Football Playoff. Wouldn’t that be something?
Photo: Sep 4, 2021; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats coach Luke Fickell stands with his team prior to the game against the Miami (Oh) Redhawks at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
The New England Patriots are not playing on Thanksgiving Day this year, which means that Bill Belichick can take full advantage by customizing the dinner table exactly to his liking.
Speaking this week on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show,” the New England Patriots head coach was asked what his preferred side dish was for the Thanksgiving table.
“Oh boy, it would be hard for me to turn down any type of potatoes,” said Belichick, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “I’ll go with whatever — mashed potatoes, scalloped, baked. Load ’em up. Throw some butter on there. Starch me up.”
Though the six-time Super Bowl champion Belichick is largely seen as a soulless ghoul, it turns out that he actually has very good taste. A staple of the Western diet, potatoes also provide countless delectable options for the Thanksgiving table. In addition to all of the dishes that Belichick named, they are even versatile enough for dessert such as a savory sweet potato pie.
Belichick has not always seemed too enthusiastic about Thanksgiving, but he appears to have turned over a new leaf in a big way this year. Now here’s the only question that we have left — who wants to starch up Belichick?!?
Photo: Dec 29, 2019; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on the sidelines during the second half of their loss to the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Luka Doncic apparently experienced a mishap straight out of “The Three Stooges” this week.
The Dallas Mavericks star said on Tuesday that he bumped knees with a video coordinator at practice the day before, per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. Doncic, who has missed the past three games with knee and ankle issues, stressed however that the mishap was not currently affecting him.
It was previously reported that Doncic yelped in pain after an unspecified incident at practice. That it came at the hands of a collision with a video coordinator is certainly unexpected though.
While Doncic downplayed the impact of the incident, any unnecessary bumps or bruises definitely can’t help his cause. The Mavs are 0-3 in his absence, so they need him back in the lineup as soon as possible. The last thing they need is for Doncic to suffer some Kelly Olynyk-esque misfortune.
Photo: May 28, 2021; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) in action during game three between the Clippers and the Mavericks in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Longtime Alabama reporter Cecil Hurt died on Tuesday due to complications related to pneumonia. He was 62.
Hurt covered Alabama football and basketball for the Tuscaloosa News since 1982. He graduated from Alabama in 1981 and began writing for the Tuscaloosa News a year later. He had been on the job covering the Crimson Tide for nearly 40 years, which is why so many were concerned to learn about his health.
A note was posted on Hurt’s Twitter page on Nov. 10 that shared he was hospitalized with pneumonia.
Hurt’s condition worsened and he died on Tuesday. A note was posted on his Twitter page regarding the news.
Hurt had been actively tweeting from his account as recently as Nov. 6 and 7 regarding Alabama athletics. To think he would be dead just two and a half weeks later is hard to believe.
TideSports.com posted more on Hurt’s life and professional career.
Johnny Manziel and Bre Tiesi seem like they have been broken up forever, but their divorce was only recently finalized.
TMZ Sports reported on Tuesday that Manziel and Tiesi’s divorce was finalized earlier this month.
Manziel and Tiesi began dating in 2016 and got engaged in early 2017. They were married as of early 2018. However, things began to fall apart and they had broken up a year later.
Tiesi hinted in 2019 at the reason she broke up with Manziel.
She has long since moved on from him and has dated other people. Manziel meanwhile says that despite their marriage ending in a divorce, his relationship and experience with Tiesi helped him grow.
Manziel, 28, saw his NFL career end after the 2015 season. He tried to continue his professional football career in the CFL and AAF, but both of those runs were short-lived. He has since fooled around with a newer league and has also entertained trying out professional golf.
One former Los Angeles Laker is seeing things for what they really are now that he is no longer a member of the team.
In an interview with Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype, Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso admitted that there is a media bias towards the Lakers, namely when it comes to the over-coverage of the team on social media. Caruso was asked about new Lakers guard Austin Reaves, who has replaced him as the team’s new cult hero.
“I’ve seen a little bit!” said Caruso of Reaves. “It’s apparent now. I didn’t realize this when I was on the Lakers. But social media shows all of the Lakers highlights. I didn’t think that was true until I got another team.
“But he appears to be one of those good glue guys that winning teams need,” Caruso continued about Reaves. “I think he’s a lot farther along than I was during my first year in the league. I think we have the same mindset of getting better and working hard. Hopefully, he can stick around.”
Caruso has an excellent point, as nobody would really care who Reaves was if he was not on the Lakers. Caruso himself would not be as well-known as he is now if he had not begun his career with the Lakers and gotten featured so heavily on social media highlight pages. The inverse is also true — many of the Lakers’ former young phenoms have faded into relative obscurity now that they are no longer with the team. Jordan Clarkson is the reigning Sixth Man of the Year and still does not get as much coverage as he did when he was on the Lakers. Brandon Ingram was an All-Star in 2020, but you very rarely hear about him these days either. The same goes for players like Josh Hart, Larry Nance Jr., and even D’Angelo Russell — the average fan would probably be unable to tell you what teams those guys play for now.
The Lakers have always been a marquee franchise, and the oversaturation has only intensified during the LeBron James-Anthony Davis era. For his part though, Caruso is doing a good job of staying relevant during his post-Lakers career for the surprising 12-6 Bulls.
Photo: Apr 3, 2018; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Alex Caruso (4) warms up prior to the game against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
If JB Bickerstaff had a least favorite animal, it would probably be the zebra.
After a close loss the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, the Cleveland Cavaliers coach expressed displeasure with the way that the referees have been treating the team this season.
“We matched intensity, but what we have to do and have happen is match consistency,” Bickerstaff said, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “That’s in our performance, that’s the referee’s performance, that’s in all aspects of the game. We saw it tonight, we saw it the other night. We have to find a way … to earn people’s respect, where it is consistent. That’s what this league is about. This league is about your reputation and you earn your reputation. Those guys have earned their reputation. What’s right is right. I thought there were some calls that were definitely missed tonight that favored [Brooklyn], and that’s wrong. Our guys deserve better than that.
“We have to continue to keep pushing and keep scrapping until everybody in the league gives us that respect,” he went on. “The scrap, the toughness, the way that we compete, people should respect that. But I don’t think they’re watching. I don’t think they’ve seen the reputation that we’ve earned around the league. If you talk to other coaches, the teams we faced, there’s a respect there that we deserve, and that our guys have earned. But too many times there’s been critical moments where the consistency hasn’t been the same one end to the other end.”
The Cavs, who have been a lottery team for the last several years, are sitting at .500 now. They have been playing some scrappy, inspired ball, and many of their losses have been narrow defeats by single digits. But the Cavs have very few stars on their roster and are one of the youngest teams in the league with an average age of 25. That pales in comparison to star-studded squads like Brooklyn and Golden State, to whom Cleveland’s last three losses have all come to.
Still, the Cavs are competing despite losing one major piece for the season. Bickerstaff obviously thinks that they have earned better than what the referees are giving them right now.
Photo: Nelson Chenault-USA Today Sports
