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Bar Chat

12/02/2024

More Crazy Action in College Football

 Add-on posted very early Tuesday a.m.

NFL

--In late games Sunday after I posted, the Rams (6-6) stayed highly relevant in terms of the postseason, 21-14 over the irrelevant Saints (4-8).

--Ditto the Buccaneers, also 6-6, after a 26-23 overtime win over the Panthers (3-9), as Carolina running back Chuba Hubbard fumbled in OT and Tampa Bay converted into the game-winning field goal.

Rookie running back Bucky Irving (Oregon) had a career-high 152 yards on 25 carries for the Bucs, and another 33 on three receptions.

--The big game in the 4:00 p.m. ET time slot was Philadelphia at Baltimore, the Eagles getting to 10-2 following a 24-19 win over the Ravens (8-5).  In the matchup of Saquon Barkley vs. Derrick Henry, Barkley rushed for 107 yards on 23 carries with a touchdown, while Henry had 82 yards on 19 carries.

But while Philadelphia’s defense was key, Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker, a future Hall of Famer, missed field goals of 47 and 53 yards, as well as an extra point, continuing his nightmare season.

Tucker is 19 of 27 on field goals, and understand, he never missed more than six in a single season prior.  He’s also just 5 of 14 from 50+ his last two years, which is far from his norm.

--Sunday night, in snowy Buffalo, the Bills moved to 10-2, 35-10 over the 49ers (5-7), who lost Christian McCaffrey for the season due to a knee injury.  And backup Jordan Mason hit the IR with a high ankle sprain.

Josh Allen was his usual stupendous self, 13/17, 148, 2-0, 141.3, rushed for a TD, and was credited with a receiving TD after taking a lateral from Amari Cooper and taking it to the house from 7 yards out.

Brock Purdy, on the other hand, was less than stellar, 11/18, 94, 0-0, 74.8, continuing his mediocre play. Granted, the conditions were less than ideal.

--And last night, the Broncos (8-5) continued their unlikely playoff push over the Browns (3-9) in a wild affair at Mile High, 41-32.

Bo Nix was far from flawless for Denver, 18/35, 294, 1-2, 65.7, while for Cleveland, veteran Jameis Winston did what he’s known for, throwing it all over the place, including to the opponents, 34/58, 497, 4-3, 88.1, with two pick-sixes, the second one sealing the win for the Broncos.

Cleveland wideout Jerry Jeudy had a nice night, 9-235-1.

--The Jets’ talented running back Breece Hall has six fumbles this year, another costly one Sunday in the Jets’ loss to Seattle, 26-21.

Meanwhile, Monday the Jets announced Aaron Rodgers will start against the Dolphins this week.

Pretty amazing Rodgers doesn’t have one game with 300 yards passing, but at this point, he might as well play out the season, the Jets not having a promising young backup to test out.

College Basketball

--New AP Poll, released Monday, records a/o Sunday....

1. Kansas 7-0 (35)
2. Auburn 7-0 (26)
3. Tennessee 7-0...up 4
4. Kentucky 7-0...up 4
5. Marquette 8-0...up 5
6. Iowa State 5-1
7. Gonzaga 7-1...down 4
8. Purdue 7-1...up 5
9. Duke 5-2
10. Alabama 6-2
11. Wisconsin 8-0...up 4
12. Oregon 8-0...was unranked last week
13. Florida 8-0...up 5
14. Cincinnati 6-0
15. Baylor 5-2
16. Memphis 6-1
17. Houston 4-3...down 11
18. Pitt 7-1
19. Illinois 6-1
20. North Carolina 4-3...down 8
21. Oklahoma 7-0
22. Texas A&M 6-2
23. Ole Miss 6-1
24. San Diego State 4-2
25. UConn...down 23!

NBA

--Sunday, the Knicks (12-8) came home after a 3-2 road trip and blasted the injury-depleted Pelicans (4-17) 118-85, as Karl-Anthony Towns had 14 points and 19 rebounds in just 25 minutes.

The Cavaliers (18-3) beat the Celtics (16-4) 115-111 in Cleveland, after Boston had ended the Cavs’ opening 15-game winning streak.

MLB

--The Mets signed back of the rotation starter Frankie Montas to a two-year deal worth $17 million per season with a player opt-out after the first year.

Montas, 31, had a 4.84 ERA over 30 starts with the Reds and Brewers this past season, but he  threw 150 2/3 innings, striking out 148, and New York is hoping Montas replicates his fine form from his Oakland days years ago.

--According to multiple reports, the Red Sox have emerged as the favorite in the Juan Soto Sweepstakes.

NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship

Wake Forest defeated Clemson 2-1 in the Round of 16 and faces Ohio State in a quarterfinal contest next Saturday.

In other quarterfinal matchups we have Denver vs. UMass, SMU vs. Marshall, and Vermont vs. Pitt.

The women’s semifinals are Friday, Wake vs. Stanford, Duke vs. North Carolina.

Go Deacs!

Yup, we’re a soccer school.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

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[Posted Sunday p.m., prior to late NFL action.]

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

NFL Quiz: With Saquon Barkley on track for 2,151 rushing yards, which would break Eric Dickerson’s single-season record of 2,105, name the other seven backs with a 2,000-yard season.  Answer below.

College Football Review

Comments written prior to release of new AP Poll.

Before a recap of the weekend’s action, just a reminder of where the latest College Football Playoff Rankings played out, as released last Tuesday.

BYES: No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Miami, No. 4 Boise State

No. 12 Arizona State at No. 5 Ohio State
No. 11 Indiana at No. 6 Penn State
No. 10 SMU at No. 7 Notre Dame
No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Georgia

Alabama and Ole Miss were ranked Nos. 13 and 14.

Arizona State is only No. 16, but they are the highest-ranked Big 12 team.

On to the action on the field....

Thursday, 17 Tulane (9-3) saw its faint CFP hopes go up in flames, 34-24 at the hands of Memphis (10-2), the Green Wave still playing Army for the AAC title.

Friday, 11 Boise State (11-1) solidified its CFP credentials, 34-18 over Oregon State (5-7), as Heisman favorite (or co-favorite with Travis Hunter), Ashton Jeanty, rushed for 226 yards on 37 carries with a touchdown.  Jeanty now has 2,288 yards on 312 carries, a 7.3 average, with 28 rushing touchdowns.

25 Colorado (9-3) kept alive its faint Big 12 title game hopes, 52-0 over Oklahoma State (3-9), as Shedeur Sanders was 34/41, 438, 5-1, and the aforementioned Travis Hunter caught 10 passes for 116 and three TDs, while intercepting a pass.

For the season, Hunter has 92 receptions and four interceptions.

As for the Cowboys, after Week 3 they were 3-0 and ranked 14th in the country.  They then lost nine straight.  Startling.

Also Friday, 14 Ole Miss (9-3) beat Mississippi State (2-10).

And then there was 7 Georgia against in-state rival Georgia Tech, the Bulldogs (10-2) down 17-0 at the half.  Stunning.

But then Georgia rallied back and at the end of regulation it was 27-27, Carson Beck with three touchdown passes.

And this was just the beginning.  In a game that ended up being the second-longest in NCAA history, Georgia survived 44-42 in eight overtimes.

It was a crushing defeat for the Yellow Jackets (7-5) as quarterback Haynes King was a stud, 26/36, 303, 2-0, through the air, and 24 carries for 110 yards and there more TDs on the ground.

Georgia survives and awaited the winner of Texas-Texas A&M to see who their opponent will be in the SEC championship game.

So in Saturday’s action....

Let’s just say the CFP rankings on Tuesday will be fascinating, with a lot of fan bases on pins and needles.

No. 1 Oregon, though, is not an issue, now 12-0, 49-21 over Washington (6-6).

But No. 2 Ohio State (10-2) is.  For the fourth straight season, the Buckeyes, a 21-point favorite at home to hated rival Michigan (7-5), lost to the Wolverines, 13-10, a total humiliation, especially for coach Ryan Day.

Michigan outgained OSU 172-77 on the ground, and Buckeyes NIL-QB Will Howard was horrendous, 19/33, 175, 1-2.  Jayden Fielding also missed two field goals.

And then you had the scene after, with Michigan stupidly planting the flag, both teams got into it, and some police employed pepper spray.  Just a real shitshow and a big black mark for college football and also Coach Day.  More later.

3 Texas (11-1) will move to No. 2 after a 17-7 win over 20 Texas A&M (8-4) in College Station, the first time these two once bitter rivals had played in 13 years. 

Quintrevion Wisner had 186 yards rushing on 33 carries, and Arch Manning contributed with a 15-yard touchdown run.

4 Penn State (11-1) will move to No. 3 following a 44-7 win over Maryland (4-8), though this one was marred in the end when Nittany Lions coach James Franklin went for a touchdown, a pass, on the final play of the game.  Awful sportsmanship, Franklin wanting to run it up to impress the committee. 

5 Notre Dame (11-1) continued to roll, 49-35 at USC (6-6), the Fighting Irish with two late pick-sixes for scores...100 and 99 yards!

ND’s running game was superb again, 37 carries, 260 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The Fighting Irish can start printing first-round playoff tickets

And then there is No. 6 Miami (10-2) at Syracuse (9-3).  I said the Orange would pull off the upset, and they did, 42-38, despite falling behind 21-0 early.  Syracuse immediately came back, made it 21-14 at the half, and then it was a barnburner the rest of the way, very, very entertaining.

For the Orange, Kyle McCord, the former Ohio State QB, was 26/36, 380, 3-0, overshadowing Miami’s Cam Ward, 25/36, 349, 2-0.  I just don’t see Ward as a franchise quarterback, Jets and Giants fans.

Miami fans now sit back and fret, as they are not in the ACC championship game.

8 Tennessee (10-2) is heading to the playoffs.  After trailing Vanderbilt (6-6) 17-7 early, Nico Iamaleava (18/26, 257, 4-1) and the Volunteers rolled, 36-23.  Dylan Sampson contributed 178 yards on the ground in 25 carries.

Vandy, after a sterling 5-2 start that included a win over then-No. 1 Alabama, ends up the year ‘meh.’

9 SMU (11-1) is moving up a few notches after a 38-6 win over Cal (6-6).

10 Indiana (11-1) should not worry about its playoff chances, 66-0 over Purdue (1-11), Kurtis Rourke 23/31, 349, 6-0.  Former Wake Forest players Justice Ellison and Ke’Shawn Williams with a touchdown apiece.

And then we had 15 South Carolina (9-3) at 12 Clemson (9-3), the Gamecocks pulling it out 17-14 as LaNorris Sellers had a nifty 20-yard TD run with 1:08 to play.  Sellers, the dynamic freshman, had 166 yards on the ground in 16 carries, two touchdowns, while for Clemson, Cade Klubnik threw a late interception.

But Clemson is ACC championship game bound because of the Syracuse win.  And now South Carolina is very much in the CFP conversation, and damn well deserves to be.

13 Alabama (9-3) stayed in the hunt, 28-14 over Auburn (5-7), Jalen Milroe with three touchdowns on the ground.

16 Arizona State (10-2) is heading to the Big 12 title game, 49-7 over Arizona (4-8).  Good for the Sun Devils.

18 Iowa State (10-2) is ASU’s opponent next week, the Cyclones with their first 10-win season in school history, 29-21 over 24 Kansas State (8-4).

19 BYU (10-2) beat Houston (4-8) 30-18, but its two losses to Kansas and Arizona State keep it out of the CFP conversation.

21 Missouri (9-3) beat Arkansas (6-6) 28-21.

22 UNLV (10-2) beat Nevada (3-10, yes, 13 games), 38-14.

23 Illinois (9-3) is deserving of a decent bowl game following a 38-28 win over Northwestern (4-8), Aichan Laughery with 172 yards rushing and three TDs on just 12 carries.

In other contests....

Wake Forest squared off against bowl-bound Duke (9-3) in Winston-Salem and the Deacs were playing inspired ball, up 17-3 with 9:00 to play in the third quarter, only to fall 23-17 on a final play of the game, 39-yard TD pass from Blue Devils’ QB Maalik Murphy to Jordan Moore.

Yes, a crushing defeat for us Wake fans who finish 4-8, our second straight losing season.  The football program is a mess.

North Carolina, which announced Tuesday that Mack Brown would not be returning next season, allowed him to coach the final game against North Carolina State, which the Tar Heels (6-6) proceeded to lose at home to the Wolfpack (6-6) on an NC State 75-yard touchdown drive as the clock was winding down.

This came after North Carolina took the lead at 30-29 with 1:51 to play on a 47-yard pass play from Jacoby Criswell to superstar Omarion Hampton.  Hampton had 185 yards rushing on 22 carries, plus four receptions for 78. 

After the game, Mack Brown said he wouldn’t coach in the bowl game.

In two stints at North Carolina, Brown went a combined 113-79-1.  He won a national championship with Texas after his first UNC tenure, returning to the Tar Heels in 2019 and taking them to an ACC championship game appearance in 2022.

Pitt, after a 7-0 start, finished 7-5, after Boston College (7-5) defeated them 34-23 in Chestnut Hill, completing a solid first year for BC coach Bill O’Brien.

And Rutgers is 7-5, with a very nice 41-14 road win at Michigan State (5-7) in the snow, Kyle Monangai, NFL-bound, with 129 yards on 31 carries and a TD.

--In terms of the conference championships that matter next week....

ACC

SMU vs. Clemson

Big Ten

Oregon vs. Penn State

Big 12

Arizona State vs. Iowa State

SEC

Texas vs. Georgia

Mountain West

Boise State vs. UNLV

And....

AAC

Army vs. Tulane

Mid-American

Ohio (9-3) vs. Miami (Ohio) (8-4).  This one could be fun.

--The Heisman Trophy finalists will be announced Dec. 9, with the award handed out Dec. 14. It’s got to be either Ashton Jeanty or Travis Hunter.

I loved what Deion Sanders said about Hunter and Shedeur Sanders playing in the Buffaloes’ bowl game.

“Our kids are going to play in our bowl game because that’s what we signed up to do and we’re going to finish,” Sanders said Friday. “We’re not going to tap out, because that throws off the structure of next season.”

Two years after going 1-11, Colorado is 9-3. 

--Matt Hayes / USA TODAY

“The game was over, the humiliation complete.

“I ask you, what was Ryan Day doing meandering on the Ohio Stadium field while his emotionally-charged Ohio State players fought with bitter rival Michigan after another gutting loss to the Wolverines?

“You want a reason to fire Day? Here it is.

“It has nothing to do with losing for the fourth consecutive time to Michigan, which is what his eventual demise will be all about.  This has to do with unthinkable inaction when his team’s world was falling apart.

“How else can I say this? GET YOUR TEAM OFF THE FIELD.

“ ‘I don’t know all the details of it, but I know those guys were looking to put a flag on our field and our guys weren’t going to let that happen,’ Day said after the game.

“Here’s a novel idea: how about your guys don’t ‘let’ Michigan, which can’t consistently throw a forward pass to save its football life, suck the oxygen from the biggest game of the season in a critical second half?

“I don’t care that Michigan’s players wanted to plant that big ‘M’ flag on the lock ‘O’ at the 50. Don’t care that you or anyone at Ohio State thinks it’s disrespectful or classless.

“GET OFF THE FIELD – before something much uglier than another loss to Michigan unfolds.

“Sprint into the fray, and scream at your players to get in the locker room.  Instead of standing on the field from afar, a dumbfounded look on your face.

“Because this game, in the words of Day himself, is different.

“ ‘This game is a war,’ Day said earlier this week.  ‘Any time there is a war, there’s consequences and casualties. Then there’s plunder and the rewards that come with it.’

“How incredibly foretelling.  It’s almost as if Day were writing his own coaching tombstone days before it all played out....

“There are consequences to losing, and there are casualties.  There are winners and there are losers, and they are unmistakable after something like this.

“Michigan, whose coach is a known NCAA cheat who deleted 52 text messages from another known NCAA cheat when both were caught in a scam to, you know, cheat, is somehow the winner in all of this.

“Then there’s Day, who owns a near-flawless 47-1 record vs. every team in the Big Ten not named Michigan. And is 1-4 vs. war.

“You don’t lose at war 80 percent of the time and get another shot with another loaded team and another $41 million.  You get canned.”

--And now, the new AP Poll!

1. Oregon 12-0 (62)
2. Texas 11-1
3. Penn State 11-1
4. Notre Dame 11-1
5. Georgia 10-2
6. Tennessee 10-2
7. Ohio State 10-2...down 5
8. SMU 11-1
9. Indiana 11-1
10. Boise State 11-1
11. Alabama 9-3
12. Arizona State 10-2
13. South Carolina 9-3
14. Miami (FL) 10-2...down 6, in this poll
15. Ole Miss 9-3
16. Iowa State 10-2
17. BYU 10-2
18. Clemson 9-3...down 6
19. UNLV 10-2
20. Colorado 9-3
21. Illinois 9-3
22. Missouri 9-3
23. Syracuse 9-3
24. Army 10-1
25. Memphis 10-2

We’ll see where the CFP Selection Committee puts these teams, but the winner of ASU-Iowa State could still surpass Boise State in terms of a bye, and if UNLV beat Boise, UNLV could get the Group of Five bid, though that would be a real tough call.

We know one thing, the ACC is getting only one team into the playoffs.

On to Tuesday and the CFP reveal....

NFL

In Thanksgiving Day action....

--Detroit (11-1) was up 16-0 at the half against Chicago (4-8), 23-7 with 2:43 to play in the third quarter, but the Bears, behind Caleb Williams’ three touchdown passes, fought back to 23-20 with 5:36 to play.

Shockingly, Chicago was then driving in the final minute of the game and appeared positioned to have a shot at a game-tying field goal.

Instead, Chicago completely mismanaged the clock on the final two plays of regulation, denying Cairo Santos a chance to attempt the kick.

It all started on the penultimate play of the game, when Williams was sacked for a 6-yard loss to set up a third-and-26. The Bears had one timeout and opted not to use it when Williams hit the ground with 32 seconds left in regulation.

The Bears offense didn’t seem to understand that they needed to operate quickly after the sack.  About 10 seconds ticked off the clock before Williams began frantically miming to his players to go quickly and get lined up for a passing play.

The ball wasn’t snapped until there were just seconds left in regulation.  Williams took a downfield shot to Rome Adunze that fell harmlessly to the ground as time expired.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus tried to explain in the postgame press conference why they kept the timeout, but Chicago’s lack of urgency after the decision not to call a timeout almost certainly cost it at least a chance at a game-tying field goal.

It was pathetic.

For the Lions, they halted a seven-game losing streak on Thanksgiving.  At 11-1, they are off to their best start in franchise history.

Chicago then fired Eberflus the next day after the Bears’ sixth straight loss.  He was 14-32 in his nearly three seasons.  Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown takes over as interim coach.  It was the first time in Chicago’s 100 plus-year history that the franchise has fired a head coach midseason.

--The Cowboys won their first game at home this season to move to 5-7, 27-20 over the hapless Giants (2-10), though this one was 27-10 going to the fourth quarter.

Dallas running back Rico Dowdle had a career-best 112 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown, while Giants QB Drew Lock, starting in place of the injured Tommy DeVito, who had replaced Daniel Jones after the team released him, was under pressure the whole game, sacked six times, 21/32, 178, 0-1, 66.9.  But he did rush for 57 yards on four carries with a TD.

Otherwise, there is a lot of talk in New York that this might be the Giants’ worst team in their history.

As for Daniel Jones, he signed with Minnesota, starting out on the practice squad with Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens atop the team’s depth chart.

--The Packers (9-3) defeated the Dolphins (5-7) in chilly Green Bay, 30-17, as Miami has now lost their past 12 regular-season or postseason games in which the temperature at kickoff has been below 40 degrees.

The Packers got a solid effort from Jordan Love, 21/28, 274, 2-0, 129.2, while Tua threw for 365 yards and two TD passes of his own.

Green Bay, which beat San Francisco last Sunday, visits Detroit next Thursday night, so three games in a 12-day stretch.

--In the Black Friday Amazon Prime game, the Chiefs (11-1) edged the Vegas Raiders (2-10) 19-17, Kansas City’s 14th straight victory in one-possession games – the longest run in NFL history.

Like in the Detroit-Chicago contest, K.C. was in control 16-3 with three minutes to play in the third quarter, when the Raiders stormed back with two touchdown passes from Aidan O’Connell to take a 17-16 lead at the start of the fourth.

Matthew Wright kicked a 32-yard field goal for the Chiefs to retake the lead.

But the Raiders, behind O’Connell, were in field goal range, 15 seconds left, when center Jackson Powers-Johnson snapped the ball early, hitting a startled O’Connell in the chest and Kansas City recovered the fumble.

Patrick Mahomes was mediocre, 26/46, 306, 1-0, 84.1.  O’Connell was good,  23/35, 340, 2-0, 116.4.

--Today, the Jets returned to action after their bye week against Seattle.  Aaron Rodgers was back on the field, having during the week making it clear that he’s “not sure” if he wants to play in 2025, but if he does play his preferred option is to play for the Jets.  Just two weeks earlier, Rodgers said “I think so, yes” when asked if he still wanted to play in 2025.

And it was a crazy first half, Jets newcomer Kene Nwangwu with a 99-yard kickoff return (fourth of his career), but then Rodgers threw a godawful pass that defensive tackle Leonard Williams intercepted and returned it 92 yards for a TD!  It was 21-16 Jets at the half, as Rodgers did have two touchdown passes.

But then the action sort of stalled out. It got somnolent (your editor throwing out an SAT word for the kids at home studying up for the test), though the Jets did have a nice fourth-and-goal stop from the ½-yard line.

It was 21-19 with 9:00 to play, Seattle’s punter was hurt, they had 4th-and-six in their own territory, the Jets did what they do best, commit a stupid penalty, and on 4th-and-one, Geno Smith gets a pass interference call.  The Jets then seemingly stop another 4th-and-short, only to commit a horse collar tackle penalty.

Seattle scores a touchdown on a Zach Charbonnet run, and it’s 26-21 Seahawks with 5:30 left.

The Jets and Rodgers finally start to move, but Leonard Williams, having a spectacular game, sacks Rodgers on third down, he fails to complete on fourth down, and Seattle (7-5) picks up a huge win, 26-21, the Jets 3-9.  Your editor hits the fridge for a beer (not that he didn’t have one before).

--Minnesota (10-2) pulled out a game they seemed destined to lose, 23-22 over Arizona (6-6) on a late Sam Darnold touchdown pass with 1:13 to play.

--The Chargers (8-4) despite gaining only 187 yards of offense in the game, defeated the Falcons (6-6) in Atlanta, 17-13, taking advantage of four Falcons turnovers, including a late pick-six.

Actually, all four turnovers were Kirk Cousins interceptions, which as they say in the ‘burbs, kind of sucks.

--The Commanders (8-5) snapped out of their doldrums, jumping out to a 28-7 halftime lead over the Titans (3-9), Jayden Daniels finishing with three touchdown passes and one rushing, Washington rolls 42-19.

--The Texans go to 8-5, 23-20 over the Jaguars (2-10).  Joe Mixon (20-101-1) becomes the first in the history of the NFL to have six straight 100-yard rushing games with a TD.

--And the Steelers move to 9-3, a tough 44-38 win over the Bengals (4-8); Russell Wilson and Joe Burrow both with three touchdown passes.

--The Giants-Cowboys game was the most-watched broadcast of the 2024 season and had the fourth-highest ratings of any Turkey Day game ever with 38.5 million viewers, topping out at 41.283 million from 6-6:15 p.m. ET, according to Nielsen.

Who said Drew Lock and Cooper Rush don’t have star power.

The numbers were actually up 14% from last year’s game between the Cowboys and Commanders.

College Basketball

What a crazy week.  Going back to Monday, UConn lost to Memphis in overtime, 99-97. largely because coach Dan Hurley was finally teed up for a technical in OT that was costly.  And 4 Auburn beat 5 Iowa State 83-81.

The rest of the week then went like this among the highly ranked teams, using AP rankings.

Tuesday

1 Kansas 75
11 Duke 72

Colorado 73
2 UConn 72

4 Auburn 85
12 North Carolina 72

5 Iowa State 89
Dayton 84

9 Alabama 85
6 Houston 80

Wednesday

Dayton 85
2 Conn 67

West Virginia 86
3 Gonzaga 78

4 Auburn 90
Memphis 76

9 Alabama 95
Rutgers 90

Michigan State 94
12 North Carolina 91

Louisville 89
14 Indiana 61

Thursday

3 Gonzaga 89
14 Indiana 73

18 Florida 75
Wake Forest 58

Friday

3 Gonzaga 90
Davidson 65

13 Purdue 80
23 Ole Miss 78

Saturday

20 Texas A&M 91
Rutgers 77

Oregon 83...the Ducks 8-0
9 Alabama 81

San Diego State 73
6 Houston 70

Regarding Rutgers, 5-3, future lottery pick Dylan Harper had 36 and 37 points in games against Notre Dame (a win) and Alabama (a loss), but was 6 of 20 from the field against A&M.

And then there is local Seton Hall (4-4) after losing to Monmouth (1-8) Saturday, 63-51.  The Hall has also lost to Fordham and Hofstra this season.  They had been 15-0 in the series against Monmouth.  Eegads!

Monday’s AP Poll is going to be nuts.  All three of UConn’s losses in Maui were to unranked teams.  Stunning.

But I have to talk about Wake Forest.  The Deacs (7-2) beat Minnesota 57-51 on Friday, but were 1 of 15 from three, after going 3-20 against Florida.  Think about that.  Us Wake fans are going nuts over our inability to make the three.

Last season, the Deacs as a team shot 37.2% from behind the arc, which is good.  Hunter Sallis was 40.5%, Cam Hildreth 35.1%, and Parker Friedrichsen 36.5% (despite going 2 of his last 22).

I mention these three because they’ve all returned.

And after nine games, Wake is 26.3% from 3-point land.

Hunter Sallis, who was 1 of 11 from the field against Minnesota, is at 26.7%.  Cam Hildreth 18.5%, Friedrichsen 21.1%.

You can’t make this stuff up.  I mean when you watch them shoot 3s, it’s like they’re just guiding the ball. 

The Deacs are not NCAA tourney bound.  We lost two valuable pieces to the transfer portal in Andrew Carr (Kentucky) and Boopie Miller (SMU), and a key transfer for us, Omaha Biliew, is possibly out for the season after surgery on his foot.

--Former St. John’s coach Lou Carnesecca died.  He was 99.  He would have turned 100 on Jan. 5.  He retired from coaching in 1992 but kept an office on the Queens campus for more than 30 years in his role as an assistant to the university president and remained a presence at many of the team’s home games until 2022.

A 1950 graduate of St. John’s, Carnesecca also coached the ABA Nets for three seasons from 1970-73 before returning to his alma mater, His teams, then known as the Redmen, reached the postseason every year he was in charge, including a Final Four appearance in 1985, when three Big East schools – Villanova and Georgetown the others – reached the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.

These were such fun times for NCAA hoops fans in the New York area, the Big East so intense.  Carnesecca’s teams won 526 games and lost 200, while he sent more than a dozen players to the NBA and ABA, including Chris Mullin, Mark Jackson, Jayson Williams, Bill Wennington, Billy Paultz, George Johnson, Walter Berry and the late Malik Sealy.  He was voted the Big East coach of the year three times, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.

Think about the coaching legends in the Big East back then...Georgetown’s John Thompson, Villanova’s Rollie Massimino, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, UConn’s Jim Calhoun, Seton Hall’s P.J. Carlesimo, and Providence’s Rick Pitino.  And Louie, in those godawful sweaters, that were part of his charm.

RIP, Louie.

MLB

--The rich get richer...the Dodgers signing two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million contract.

Golf Balls

Bloomberg reported exclusively that Saudi-backed LIV Golf is considering a potential tie-up with Europe’s DP World Tour that may result in a surprise end to enmity that’s plagued the sport.

If successful, the deal would cement LIV Golf’s position in the golfing calendar and give the DP World Tour significant financial heft.

The talks with DP World Tour are separate from the ongoing discussions between the PGA Tour and the Saudi wealth fund, according to people familiar with both deals.

The talks between DP World Tour and LIV may see the two entities merge, creating a shared schedule and allowing golfers to play in events hosted by both leagues.  DP World Tour’s prize money is partly subsidized by the PGA Tour currently, so an agreement with LIV would provide DP World Tour with a stable source of funding.

Meanwhile, sources tell Golf Digest that Scott O’Neil, a sports and entertainment executive, is expected to be hired as LIV’s CEO, replacing Greg Norman in that role

FIS Alpine World Cup

--Mikaela Shiffrin was seeking her 100th career World Cup victory this weekend in Killington, Vermont. While she’s from Colorado, Shiffrin honed her skills at Burke Mountain Academy, close to Killington.

“From the outside, it looks easy, or it looks like it’s supposed to happen this way.  But it takes, like even today, so much energy to bring out my top skiing, so it’s certainly not easy,” she said last week after recording No. 99 in Gurl, Austria.

But No. 100 will have to wait.  On her second run of Saturday’s giant slalom, Shiffrin in position to win, she caught an edge and went flying into the protective fencing. She was taken off the hill on a sled, but said a few hours later that there was “not really too much cause for concern.”

“I just can’t move. I have a pretty good abrasion. And something stabbed me,” she said, panning to a wound above her hip in a video she posted to social media. “So I just can’t move.  I’m so sorry to scare everybody. It looks like all scans so far are clear.”

So no Shiffrin in Sunday’s slalom, having won six slalom races at Killington.

Premier League

--In action this weekend, Arsenal whipped West Ham 5-2 on Saturday, and then today, Chelsea beat Aston Villa 3-0, Manchester United blitzed Everton 4-0, Tottenham and Fulham played to a 1-1 draw, and in the biggie, Liverpool handed Manchester City its staggering, fourth straight loss in the PL (winless in all competitions their last seven), 2-0.

So the Reds expand their lead to what, even after just 13 of 38 matches, seems insurmountable, the way these things play out.

Standings...points (ties broken by goal differential)

1. Liverpool 34
2. Arsenal 25
3. Chelsea 25
4. Brighton 23 ...Champions League line
5. Man City 23
6. Nottingham Forest 22
7. Tottenham 20

NCAA DI Soccer Championships

The Lady Demon Deacons made the Final Four of the Women’s tournament, defeating Southern Cal in the quarterfinals on penalty kicks after playing to a 2-2 draw.

So they are in the Final Four with Stanford (who Wake plays next), Duke and North Carolina.

ACC! ACC!

On the men’s side, Wake Forest is playing Clemson in the Round of 16 tonight.

Stuff

--Vito, a pug from North Carolina, took home the Best in Show title at the 23rd annual National Dog Show, making history as the first pug to do so.

The 2-year-old beat out as many as 2,000 other pups at the beloved annual event run by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia.

--The number of endangered panthers in Florida has shrunk by at least 30 this year, almost all of which died at the hands of drivers.  This is more than double the 13 dead panthers reported in 2023.

Very sad.  There are only about 200 wild Florida panthers, a subspecies of the mountain lion.

--But on the positive side, state wildlife officials in California have confirmed the presence of two new gray wolf packs in Northern CA, and estimate there are now at least 70 of the endangered apex predators roaming the state – up from 44 documented last year.

After being exterminated by 1924, the first verified pack didn’t take hold in the state until 2015, coming down from Oregon it seems.

Top 3 songs for the week 12/6/86:  #1 “The Next Time I Fall” (Peter Cetera w/Amy Grant)  #2 “You Give Love A Bad Name” (Bon Jovi)  #3 “Hip To Be Square” (Huey Lewis and the News)...and...#4 “The Way It Is” (Bruce Hornsby and The Range)  #5 “Walk Like An Egyptian” (Bangles)  #6 “Word Up” (Cameo)  #7 “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” (Wang Chung)  #8 “Human” (Human League)  #9 “Love Will Conquer All” (Lionel Richie)  #10 “To Be A Lover” (Billy Idol....C- week...anxious to get back to the 60s...)

NFL Quiz Answer: 2,000 yards rushing....

Eric Dickerson, Rams: 2,105 (1984)
Adrian Peterson, Vikings: 2,097 (2012)
Jamal Lewis, Ravens: 2,066 (2003)
Barry Sanders, Lions: 2,053 (1997)
Derrick Henry, Titans: 2,027 (2020)
Terrell Davis, Broncos: 2,008 (1998)
Chris Johnson, Titans: 2,006 (2009)
O.J. Simpson, Bills: 2,003 (1973...14-game season)

Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.

 

 

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