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It’s hard to imagine the Mets’ season getting to a lower point, but then again they are still 48-37 and just two losses behind Philadelphia in the National League East. It’s possible this gets a lot worse before it gets better, but it’s also possible that the Mets make a couple of trades to help the pitching staff and get the offense ramped up again before any hope of the Postseason melts away in the summer sun. Which fate will the Mets become? We don’t know, and that’s why we watch.
This weekend was a Frank the Tank rage tweet come to life with the Mets deciding that it wasn’t enough to lose 9-1 to the last-place Pirates on Friday night or to lose again 9-2 on Saturday. Carlos Mendoza’s squad had to let go of the rope and fall 12-1 on Sunday afternoon to maximize despair. The 30-4 aggregate score was the worst run differential that the Mets have ever suffered in a three-game series, and it happened to a “good” Mets team against the second-division Pirates. That’s baseball, Suzyn.
Frankie Montas appeared to be on his way out of the first inning when Brett Baty made a great snag on a Spencer Horwitz line drive to keep two runs off the board, but Montas let those runs in anyway when Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a two-out, two-RBI single. Based on Hayes’ overall stats and his stats against the Mets, I’m starting to think that he doesn’t have a hit against any other team this season. Anyway, Oneil Cruz and Tommy Pham followed Hayes’ knock with back-to-back home runs to make the score 5-0 Pittsburgh after one.
ONEIL CRUZ 💥 pic.twitter.com/diyiG6jOcD
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 29, 2025
As has been the case recently for the Mets, they couldn’t do much on offense against the opposing starting pitcher. Mike Burrows and his 4.15 ERA limited New York to just one run on a Luis Torrens solo shot in four and a third innings. Former Met Genesis Cabrera followed up with a scoreless frame and Carmen Mlodzinski kept the Mets off the scoreboard for the final three and two thirds innings.
Montas would last four innings and give up just one additional run, but more than enough damage had already been done. Richard Lovelady, who just rejoined the Mets today after the team designated him for assignment a few days ago, gave up a pair of runs in the fifth. Dedniel Nunez also let in two runs on Cruz’s second home run of the day, which led to Travis Jankowski pitching in the eighth. Gotta save the bullpen before an off day!
I’m sad that Lovelady failed to redeem himself after allowing two runs against the Braves on Tuesday as “Dicky” Lovelady, his name during his first brief stint with the Mets. Maybe the team will stick with Lovelady for longer than a day this time around instead of giving him the shaft.
Madness in Minneapolis. pic.twitter.com/QXc3Z3AzFH
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) June 30, 2025
There was some good sports news on Sunday as the United States Men’s National Team defeated Costa Rica to advance to the Concacaf Gold Cup semifinals. USA appeared to be in control of the game when Diego Luna and Max Arfsten scored goals on either side of halftime to give their team a 2-1 lead. However, Costa Rica drew level on Alonso Martinez’s goal in the 71st minute after the US missed multiple opportunities to take a two-goal lead. The game went to penalty kicks after 90 minutes before the Gold Cup is a Mickey Mouse tournament, but at least it was exciting. US keeper Matthew Freese was incredible and stopped three of Costa Rica’s six kicks. That allowed the US to triumph on Damion Downs’ match-sealing strike despite missing two of our first five kicks.
The Mets followed up their 9-1 loss in Pittsburgh on Friday night with a 9-2 loss on Saturday evening. This one got off to a decent start with Francisco Lindor hitting a leadoff double and scoring on a seeing-eye single by Juan Soto. However, after the game was delayed by 90 minutes due to rain in the top of the second, Carlos Mendoza made the decision to keep Paul Blackburn on the mound in order to save the bullpen. That turned out to be disastrous as Blackburn allowed five straight singles without recording an out. Jose Butto came in to put out the fire, but Adam Frazier hit a sac fly off of him to charge a third earned run to Blackburn and give the Pirates the run they needed to win the game.
Butto, Brandon Waddell, and Reed Garrett all did a good job keeping the Mets in the game, but they only scored once more when Pete Alonso doubled with one out in the fifth and was driven in on a Brandon Nimmo single. The Mets blew a golden opportunity an inning earlier when Brett Baty led off with a double, but he was tagged out on a bizarre play when Luis Torrens hit a chopper to third that was misplayed by Ke’Bryan Hayes on the infield grass. Baty would have advanced to third easily if Hayes had fielded the ball cleanly, but instead Isiah Kiner-Falefa picked up the ball behind Hayes and tagged Baty out while he was sliding into third. Even the least superstitious person on Earth can look at that play and say, “Wow, these Mets are cursed.”
"Oh, what bad luck for the Mets" pic.twitter.com/AfSEK19Qns
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 28, 2025
Carlos Mendoza was ejected for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz in the fourth inning, but New York only mustered one hit the rest of the way following Nimmo’s RBI single in the fifth. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, would get a lot more hits because Huascar Brazoban has devolved into the worst pitcher on the planet. He walked Joey Bart and Spencer Horwitz in the bottom of the eighth to set up Ke’Bryan Hayes’ RBI single that added a key insurance run for the Pirates.
Colin Poche then came in to make his Mets debut and allowed the rally to continue for five more Pittsburgh runs. Now there was an extra embarrassing score to go with another depressing result, and it appears that the Mets players have had enough.
After their 12th loss in 15 games, Mets players are meeting right now.
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) June 29, 2025
Oh boy. Nothing like a players-only meeting to fire up the boys and end the losing streak. According to Pete Alonso, the meeting was productive.
Pete Alonso feels that the Mets' players meeting was a "productive gathering" pic.twitter.com/brrwJFMzzS
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 29, 2025
He definitely just swore a lot and yelled “LFG!” Maybe that will be enough with Frankie Montas back on the hill Sunday afternoon. He pitched five scoreless innings in his Mets debut, and the team needs more starts like that with Paul Blackburn and a mystery starter taking up a pair of rotation spots these days. Either that, or the Mets need to pay a touching tribute to Dave Parker, who passed away on Saturday, and start mashing some dingers.
The Mets were supposed to come to Pittsburgh to grow their winning streak that began with two big wins over the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field, but instead the Pirates handed New York a 9-1 loss that is the most pathetic of the season. David Peterson has been so great for the Mets this year. He’s been a de facto ace of the no-name starting rotation that has been the strength of the team. He should have at least flirted with a complete game against Pittsburgh’s feeble lineup, but instead he allowed a four-run rally in the second inning that the Mets did not recover from. You just can’t allow guys like Ke’Bryan Hayes, Jared Triolo, and Alexander Canario to rack up consecutive base hits when the first two are below .300 in both on-base percentage and slugging while Canario was let go by the Mets in spring training.
We scored some runs 🤝 pic.twitter.com/F1VDdWvpbJ
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 28, 2025
New York’s offense wasn’t much better as Mitch Keller allowed just one run on a Juan Soto solo shot. Part of the reason why Soto hits so many home runs with the bases empty is because opposing pitchers fear him and don’t give him much to hit when there are ducks on the pond, but it’s also ridiculous how unproductive he is with runners on base. The Mets were gonna need a crooked number to catch up in this one, and Soto’s bomb did not provide it.
Blade Tidwell was also disappointing in this game and he allowed Pittsburgh to get very comfortable on Bryan Reynolds’ three-run home run in the sixth inning. Tidwell keeps proving that he doesn’t belong in the big league rotation or the bullpen, so hopefully someone else is tabbed to fill Griffin Canning’s role when his spot comes up. I am thinking that Justin Hagenman will get the first crack at the job, but you can’t rule out a bullpen game.
While I’m typing this, the Phillies are up 11-0 on Atlanta, so it looks like the Mets will be in second place in the morning. Over in the Bronx, the Yankees only got four hits, but they beat the Athletics 3-0 thanks to Jazz Chisholm’s solo shot and a shutout thrown by Will Warren combined with four relievers.
At least Penn State has shown up for me lately with Yanic Konan Niederhauser being surprisingly chosen by the Los Angeles Clippers at the end of the NBA Draft’s first round. Two nights later, the Columbus Blue Jackets chose Jackson Smith in the first round of the NHL Draft, and that meant that Penn State had a player selected in the first round of the NBA, NHL, and NFL Drafts. That is awesome for someone like me who is a PSU alum and loves watching a variety of sports. It still sucks that Konan left us after showing so much promise, but that’s just what happens when you cheer for a basketball school.
The selection of Smith led to more hype that next year’s projected top NHL pick Gavin McKenna is headed to Penn State.
The moment it was leaked that Gavin McKenna is more than likely coming to Penn State during the NHL Draft Broadcast
INSANE
Penn State is rising to the top of the college hockey world 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/Nkp9NZkYm9
— Barstool Penn State (@PSUBarstool) June 28, 2025
McKenna had already been linked to Penn State, but Emily Kaplan saying that she believed the move was happening added to the hysteria. I’ll still wait to believe it until I see it. The idea of an elite hockey prospect choosing to play at PSU is exciting not just because of the growth of the program, but because it will probably lead to more games getting on television.
The Mets shutout the Braves 4-0 on Thursday night and vaulted back into first place thanks to the pathetic Phillies only scoring one run during their entire three-game series in Houston. Staying in first place, however, will once again prove to be a stiff test since Griffin Canning went down with an Achilles injury in the third inning. I usually try not to speculate on injuries, but in this case I don’t think we need to wait for the Twitter doctors or the regular doctors to confirm that Canning is out for the rest of the season. The Mets already have Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill on the injured list, while Sean Manaea recently suffered a setback to his recovery from a strained oblique he suffered at the start of spring training. Thank goodness for Frankie Montas, right? But even with Montas in the rotation, the Mets need someone to step up and fill Canning’s role.
Carlos Mendoza provides an update on Griffin Canning:
"We think it's an Achilles. He's getting an MRI, we're waiting for the results, but it looks like it's an Achilles injury." pic.twitter.com/Wr1vxoxQrN
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 27, 2025
That will probably come down to Blade Tidwell or Justin Hagenman since both guys have helped out the Mets with spot starts this season. I am thinking that Hagenman is the guy since he was solid in two big league appearances this season while Tidwell failed to finish the fourth inning in both of his starts. The Mets have an off day on Monday, so they can probably drag their decision out until the Yankees come to Queens on Independence Day Weekend.
Starting rotation depth could be an issue for the Mets in the long term, but at least they thrived in the short term. A lot of credit goes to Austin Warren, who completed the third inning for Canning and then pitched two more scoreless innings after just being called up today. Dedniel Nunez looked like the guy who took New York’s bullpen by storm last year. He pitched two scoreless frames of his own and struck out the side in the seventh inning. No matter who the fifth starter ends up being, that guy will probably need a lot of bullpen help, so having Warren and Nunez step up is a big deal.
The Mets’ offense on Thursday started out very frustrating when Francisco Lindor wasted a couple of singles by Brett Baty and Ronnie Mauricio in the third inning. He struck out and failed to drive in the runner from third with less than two outs, but New York got some redemption in the fourth when Tyrone Taylor hit a sac fly to score Juan Soto. Speaking of Soto, he and Pete Alonso did a great job setting the table in the fourth as well as the seventh, when they both reached on two-out hits before Jeff McNeil plated them with a two-run single. Alonso also had a clutch RBI hit in the fifth after Soto popped up in a big RBI spot. As raging hot as Soto is, his inability to hit with runners in scoring position this season remains baffling.
The Yankees didn’t play today, but they scored a huge win by announcing a George Constanza bobblehead promotion. The Bombers host the Athletics this weekend while the Mets travel to Pittsburgh, where they will not face Paul Skenes since he just pitched on Wednesday. The Mets have done a good job getting fat on second-division teams this season, and this is another opportunity.
The Boston Celtics were supposed to start a dynasty when they defeated the Dallas Mavericks to win the 2024 NBA Finals. Boston had a pair of young stars in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to build around and all of their great role players were under contract for the near future. A lot has changed in the year since then with the Celtics blowing two big leads at home to my New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. That led to Boston’s early exit from the Playoffs, but perhaps more troubling for the future of the franchise was the torn Achilles tendon suffered by Tatum in Game 4.
The injury puts a serious dent in Boston’s chances to compete for the Eastern Conference title in 2026, but instead of sitting on a team that is still talented enough to make some noise in the Playoffs, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens is pivoting and raising Boston’s ceiling for a future where Tatum is at full strength.
On Monday, Stevens sent Jrue Holiday and the three years remaining on his contract packing and got back an exciting playmaker in Anfernee Simons as well as two second-round draft picks. Holiday has disappointed during his two years in Boston and still has over $100 million left on his contract. Maybe he would have stepped up his game with Tatum out of the lineup, but I think the cap space that the Celtics get from sending him to Portland more than makes up for it in the long term. Boston also gets Simons from the Trail Blazers, and while he’s not the most efficient scorer, he is on an expiring deal and should help replace Tatum’s production in the upcoming campaign.
The next day, Boston sent Kristaps Porzingis to Atlanta and got back Georges Niang. Niang won’t be as productive a scorer as Porzingis, but he can shoot 40 percent from three-point range and saves the Celtics more than $20 million in salary this year. Both Porzingis and Niang are on expiring deals, so this move doesn’t save Boston money beyond 2026. However, it’s another example of Stevens make his team more flexible while also getting an asset that can help the team compete in the upcoming season. With the Pacers and Bucks also reeling from Achilles injuries to key players, it’s smart of Stevens to not punt on 2026 even if he is taking a step back in order to bolster Boston’s future upside.
The Celtics shifting most of their focus to the future just makes it more important that the Knicks find the right coach and win the East in 2026. New York is +290 to reach the NBA Finals, but you’d think that would be a little higher if it had just held onto the coach that led them to relevancy.
I was all set to blame the latest Mets loss on Paul Blackburn. He got off to a slow start on Monday night against the Braves with three runs allowed in three innings, and it could have been a lot more. Jeff McNeil saved one run for Blackburn when he threw behind Ronald Acuna Jr. for a tag out at third base after the Atlanta superstar froze on Marcell Ozuna’s hard-hit ground ball. Acuna made up for the mistake by launching a home run to begin the third inning and celebrating all the way around the bases. That made the Braves’ lead 2-0 since the inning before Ozzie Albies was hit by a pitch, stole second base, and was driven in on a sac fly by Michael Harris II.
The real trouble for Blackburn started when he walked Ozuna and Austin Riley following the Acuna bomb. That loaded the bases with nobody out and it looked like Atlanta could put the game out of reach, but Blackburn got Albies to pop up and Sean Murphy had to settle for a sac fly when his line drive to left field was caught by Brandon Nimmo. Harris also hit the ball very hard, but his was snagged by Pete Alonso on the infield to end the threat with the Braves leading 3-0.
Good morning. Vote Ronald!@Delta | https://t.co/tF2BPq04Q9 pic.twitter.com/HrksjzSgto
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 24, 2025
Blackburn would settle down in the fourth and I thought he had a shot at the quality start, but Carlos Mendoza took him out in the fifth and let Jose Butto finish the frame before retiring the side in order in the sixth. The Braves wouldn’t score the rest of the way, which made the real villain of this game the Mets’ offense. It’s been putrid lately with the exception of that 11-run outburst on Saturday night in Philadelphia, but it appeared to be on the upswing when Juan Soto followed a walk by Nimmo in the sixth with a two-run blast to left-center field. If only Francisco Lindor hadn’t taken himself and Brett Baty out of the equation with a double-play ground out, the home run might have given the Mets an extra run or two.
It still felt like the Mets had the momentum they needed to get the comeback win, and the pitching certainly did its part. Unfortunately, the Mets’ feeble bottom of the order went down one-two-three in the seventh and recorded the first two outs of the eighth. With the lineup turned over, Lindor and Nimmo knocked base hits into right field to set the stage for Soto to drive in another clutch run, but after getting ahead in the count 3-1, he was struck out by Braves southpaw Dylan Lee. So anticlimactic. Lee dominated the Mets in the ninth to bring the game to a sad end.
.@DRLee45 appreciation post 👏👏👏#LocalFordDealer | #BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/3k1ltbiTzE
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 24, 2025
The Mets shouldn’t have to wait until the trade deadline to make improvements to the lineup. Sending down Luisangel Acuna and Francisco Alvarez was a nice start, but what about designated hitter? I’m sure there are several teams that have guys wasting away in Triple-A who can give the Mets more at that spot than they’re getting from Jared Young and Starling Marte. Maybe Mark Vientos can play DH when he comes off the injured list, but for that move to be effective, Brett Baty has to start hitting consistently at third base. Despite a surge last month that had many fans to declare that he had finally arrived as a productive big league player, Baty is hitting .216/.266/.404 for the season. That’s really bad, but it’s still better than what Tyrone Taylor and Luis Torrens are doing, and both of those guys are lineup regulars for the time being.
Catcher and center field could be targets for trade acquisitions, but it would also help the Mets if Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil hit like they’re capable of doing. McNeil has been very productive this year with his OPS rising above .900 less than two weeks ago, but he’s got one hit in his last 16 at-bats. We know how important Alonso has been to the Mets, but he went 0-for-8 with four strikeouts in the last two games while the team scored just three combined runs. With the top of the order performing consistently, the Mets’ offense can take off if they can just get down to one or two guys who have no chance to get a base hit instead of four or five.
Around the majors
In Cincinnati, the Yankees had to call up former Braves right-hander Allan Winans to make a spot start after Ryan Yarbrough landed on the injured list. He held up for the first three innings, but then Elly De La Cruz’s RBI triple sparked a three-run Reds rally and they went on to win 6-1. Nick Lodolo needed 94 pitches to get through four and a third innings against the Yankees, but the Cincinnati bullpen allowed just two hits and a walk the rest of the way.
The Orioles shut out the Rangers 6-0 thanks to a career-high eight strong inning from former Miami lefty Trevor Rogers. Jackson Holliday powered the Baltimore offense with three hits, including a home run, and four RBI.
The White Sox also scored zero runs on Monday night in an apparent effort to make the Mets feel better. Arizona blew up Shane Smith for five runs in the first two innings on its way to a 10-0 whomping. “That’s So” Pavin Smith hit a pair of bombs while driving in four runs and Eduardo Rodriguez struck out 10 Chicago batters in six innings.
The Pirates won an exciting back-and-forth affair in Milwaukee with Isiah Kiner-Falefa driving in the winning run with a triple in the top of the sixth. Pittsburgh second baseman Nick Gonzales went off for five hits in the 5-4 win. That’s a pretty big accomplishment considering the rest of his team struck out 16 times. What a BABIP game!
In other National League Central action, the Cardinals pounded Ben Brown and the Cubs 8-2 with Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson, and Nolan Gorman all going yard between the fourth and sixth innings. This is a big series for the division with St. Louis now four games behind Chicago in the loss column. It’s also big in the Wild Card hunt with the Cardinals creeping up on the Mets.
Cal Raleigh hit his 32nd home run of the season to cap the scoring in Seattle’s 11-2 win at Minnesota. Julio Rodriguez, Luke Raley, and Dominic Canzone also went deep for the Mariners. Big Dumper now has five home runs in his last four games and with 77 games in the books, he’s on pace to challenge the single-season home run kings in September.
The Angels scored four runs in the eighth off of Boston’s Garrett Whitlock to break a 5-5 tie and win 9-5. Before the late rally, all of the Angels’ runs came in the first with Walker Buehler forcing three of them in with a pair of walks and a hit by pitch. The Red Sox would walk 11 batters as a team in the ugly defeat.
In the other west coast game, the Nationals pounded San Diego with 15 hits in a 10-6 win that featured home runs from James Wood and Josh Bell. The top six hitters in Washington’s lineup all had multiple hits in this one.
The Mets might have laid an egg on Sunday night, but there was still plenty of excitement in the sports world with the NBA and college baseball naming champions and a thrilling finish on the PGA TOUR. Let’s see what everyone is buzzing about on a hot, hot summer Monday.
Thunder bring first NBA title to Oklahoma City
What a monumental upset it would have been if the Indiana Pacers had one more surprise left in them. Unfortunately for all of you sick and twisted people who were hoping for an Indiana victory, the Oklahoma City Thunder used a strong third quarter to vanquish the Cinderella Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals and claim a championship for the first time since the franchise moved from Seattle. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and handed out 12 assists while earning Finals MVP honors, but what most people will remember about this game is the horrible injury that Tyrese Haliburton suffered after making three three-point shots in the first quarter. Haliburton was already playing through a calf injury, but he appeared to suffer an Achilles injury when he went down while trying to dribble past SGA.
SGA SHINES IN GAME 7, LIFTING OKC TO THE TITLE 🏆
⚡️ 29 PTS
⚡️ 12 AST
⚡️ 5 REB
⚡️ 2 BLKShai caps a HISTORIC season as the Thunder win their first championship in the OKC era! pic.twitter.com/eSNLbZiaid
— NBA (@NBA) June 23, 2025
The score was tied 16-16 at the time of Haliburton’s injury, so we’ll never know what would have happened if he had played the full time. Indiana got 24 points and 13 rebounds from Bennedict Mathurin off the bench as well as 15 points and six assists from Andrew Nembhard, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with the Thunder, who led by more than 20 in the fourth quarter. If the opinion of the Twitter doctors is confirmed by MRI and Haliburton has suffered a torn Achilles tendon, he’ll be the third player in these NBA Playoffs to go down with that injury. It already happened to Damian Lillard in the first round and Jayson Tatum in the Eastern Semifinals. As much as I rag on Haliburton, it sucks to see him get hurt so seriously when he is close to his dream. I wanted to see him stay healthy and go 0-for-10 from the field. It’s going to be tough for Indiana to return to the Finals if he’s out next season, but the East remains wide open.
For the Thunder, this could mean the start of the next NBA dynasty with how young the core of SGA, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren is. On the other hand, there is more than enough competition to keep them busy in the West with Anthony Edwards continuing to mature in Minnesota and Denver still lurking with Nikola Jokic. The most serious threat to the Thunder could be in Houston with the Rockets trading for Kevin Durant on Sunday afternoon.
Reporting for ESPN NBA Countdown on how Kevin Durant landed with the Houston Rockets: pic.twitter.com/kZo0Q8pcYr
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 22, 2025
The Phoenix Suns will get Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, and five second-round draft picks from Houston. Green is still a promising young scorer who led the Rockets with 21 points per game this season, but Durant’s much greater efficiency and veteran savvy make his new team a title contender. Following the acquisition of Durant, Houston’s title odds jumped from +1800 to +800 while Indiana’s fell from +1000 to +4000 after the Haliburton injury. OKC remains the favorite to repeat at +220.
LSU sweeps championship series after Coastal Carolina has two coaches ejected
The LSU Tigers have a little more experience winning championships than the Oklahoma City Thunder. On Sunday afternoon, LSU claimed its eighth College World Series title when it defeated Coastal Carolina 5-3 to polish off a two-game sweep of the championship series. With ace right-hander Jacob Morrison on the mound, the Chanticleers boosted their hopes of forcing a rubber game when Dean Mihos gave them an early lead with a solo shot in the second inning. However, the Tigers tied the game on Ethan Frey’s RBI double in the third and then rallied against Morrison for the four runs in the fourth that would end up deciding the title.
Craig Stanfield gave LSU the lead with a two-run single after his team loaded the bases on a single, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch. Morrison got two key outs and was on his way to limiting the damage, but then Derek Curiel came through with another two-run single to put the Tigers up 5-1. Wells Sykes got two back for Coastal with a home run in the seventh, but Chase Shores dominated the final two innings on the bump to clinch the championship for LSU.
THE FINAL OUT THAT SECURED LSU AS THE MCWS CHAMPION 🏆 pic.twitter.com/K7ud0CbTJC
— ESPN (@espn) June 22, 2025
Just like with the NBA Finals, though, the great victory wasn’t the only story. Way back in the first inning, Coastal had its head coach Kevin Schnall and first base coach Matt Schilling ejected from the game by NCAA umpires. There better be a good reason for tossing two coaches from a championship game in the first inning, but it seems like the umpires let a little argument over balls and strikes get out of control.
“There’s 25,000 people there, and I vaguely hear a warning issued,” Schnall said. “As the head coach — I was an assistant for 24 years. As an assistant, you’re almost treated like a second-grade — second-level citizen. And you can’t say a word.
“As a head coach, I think it is your right to get an explanation of why we got warned. I’m 48 years old, and I shouldn’t be shooed by another grown man. When I come out to ask what the warning is, a grown man shooed me.”
Schnall went on to describe his perspective of the moment he got ejected.
“So at that point, I can now hear him say ‘it was a warning issued for arguing balls and strikes,'” Schnall continued. “At that point, I said, ‘because you missed three.’ At that point, ejected.
“If that warrants ejection, I’m the first one to stand here like a man and apologize. … But if that warranted an ejection, man there’d be a lot of ejections. As an umpire, I feel like it’s your job to manage the game — the national championship game — with some poise, some calmness and a little bit of tolerance.”
Should Schnall really be chirping the umpires about calls so early? Probably not, but it is the responsibility of the umpires to have a feel for the moment and not treat the deciding game of the College World Series like a regular season game in March. You’d like an umpire would have enough self-awareness to know that ejecting a coach in a spot like that is a bad reflections on one’s self. Maybe other umpires have that awareness, but this one did not.
Tommy Fleetwood still can’t win on the PGA TOUR
Even before Keegan Bradley came from behind to defeat Tommy Fleetwood and win the Travelers Championship on Sunday, there was a lot of talk in golf circles about Bradley pulling double duty at this September’s Ryder Cup. He had already been named a captain, but would he select himself to play in the competition if he deemed himself worthy? Bradley’s victory in Connecticut indicates that the United States could use his talents at Bethpage Black in the battle against Europe, but smart golf people scoff at the idea of someone becoming the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer led the Americans to victory in 1963.
“In my opinion there is just no way that you could be a captain nowadays of a Ryder Cup or a Presidents Cup and play,” said Trevor Immelman after commentating for CBS on Bradley’s latest victory.
“There are so many responsibilities at the feet of the captain. So many decisions that have to be made before the tournament and then during the week.
“You want your players to be single-minded, focused on themselves. To be focused on the high pressure situation they are in.
“But now you’ve got a guy in Keegan Bradley, who absolutely should be playing.”
If the US loses the Ryder Cup at home, it will either be because Bradley chose himself or didn’t choose himself. You can make sure of that. Meanwhile, this drama could have possibly been kicked down the road if not for Fleetwood making bogey on two of the last three holes to cost himself the tournament. The English golfer has won seven times on the DP World Tour and finished in the top five at every major, but still hasn’t won a PGA TOUR Event. That fact might not be as fascinating as Rory McIlroy’s chase for the career grand slam that he completed in April, but it’s still pretty wild for a player as accomplished as Fleetwood to be lacking a single win.
The Mets are back to awful
It was nice to get a break from the Mets’ losing streak when they hammered Philly with seven home runs and won 11-4 on Saturday night, but then Sunday came and the Mets returned to lifelessness with a 7-1 loss. David Peterson got off to a good start, but then he gave up a solo shot to Kyle Schwarber in the fourth inning and a three-run oppo taco by Edmundo Sosa soon followed.
430 feet‼️ pic.twitter.com/qUzONVTkvY
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 23, 2025
That was pretty much the game since New York only reached base four times in six and two thirds innings against Phillies southpaw Jesus Luzardo. It’s a good thing that Mark Vientos is on his way back from the injured list, because the Mets need something to change in the lineup. Ronnie Mauricio went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts to lower his batting average to .180, and he’s the obvious candidate for demotion. Luisangel Acuna is also not hitting and there isn’t a reason to leave Jeff McNeil out of the lineup going forward, especially considering he can play both infield and outfield.
The Mets are back home to face Atlanta tonight with Paul Blackburn on the hill against Spencer Schwellenbach. That is a pretty big pitching mismatch, so it’s time to get back to hitting dingers.
The Mets finally busted their seven-game losing streak on Saturday night with a triumphant 11-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. With President Trump announcing a military strike in the middle of the game, it reminded me of the Mets playing in Philadelphia on May 1, 2011 when Osama Bin Laden was killed. The Mets won that night as well, but they didn’t hit seven home runs like they did in the present day. Brandon Nimmo led the charge with a solo shot in the first, and he added another two innings later as part of back-to-back-to-back home runs with Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto. The third-inning barrage was supplemented by Soto adding his second home run in the fifth inning, and the massive blast allowed the Mets to keep the lead for the rest of the night.
Griffin Canning got off to a slow start by allowing three hits in the first inning, including an RBI double by Nick Castellanos, that led to two runs. The Phillies added another run in the second inning when Otto Kemp doubled and came around to score on Brandon Marsh’s soft ground ball and a wild pitch that Francisco Alvarez failed to get his body in front of. That gave Philly a 3-1 lead, but the Mets answered with three straight home runs as well as Soto’s second bomb to go ahead 5-3 in the fifth. Canning failed the shutdown inning after Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo nearly collided on a fly ball hit by Trea Turner. He would score on Alec Bohm’s RBI single to bring the Phillies within one, but Lindor answered with a two-out RBI double in the sixth that Castellanos overran badly in the right field corner.
Lindor adds on!
Make him an All-Star! 🗳️👉 https://t.co/pvcqpJqQb7 pic.twitter.com/veAmQcxzCI
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 22, 2025
That sixth inning may have been more impressive than the three home runs in the third because in the sixth, the Mets got singles from both Francisco Alvarez and Ronny Mauricio to set the table. That seems like a very rare feat based on how those guys are playing. As for McNeil, it’s nice having him play center field because he gives the Mets some offense at the position, but it is asking so much for him to communicate with Nimmo properly? They’ve only played together for six years!
That Lindor double was very important because of how shaky New York’s bullpen has been lately, but it turns out that Huascar Brazoban would pitch two scoreless innings before Ryne Stanek and Chris Devenski shut the door in the eight and the ninth, respectively. The solid relief work didn’t stop the Mets from adding on, though. Jared Young joined the home run part to make the score 8-4 and Juan Soto followed with a two-RBI single to blow the game open. Alvarez crushed a solo shot in the ninth to cap the scoring.
I have an issue with people saying that the Mets’ seven-game skid was inevitable because even good teams lose games. There are plenty of good teams that go through a season without losing seven games in a row. Instead of moping about how “you can’t win ’em all,” the Mets had to start smashing opponents’ pitching, and that finally happened on Saturday.
In college ball, LSU defeated Coastal Carolina in Game 1 of the College World Series Championship with a 1-0 score thanks to Kade Anderson’s complete game shutout. With 10 strikeouts and five walks, it took Anderson 130 pitches to finish the job. That made me think if a major league starter would ever be allowed to throw 130 pitches, even in a World Series game. I think the babying of pitchers has less to do about avoiding injuries and more to do about pro coaches and front office people not wanting to lose their jobs in case a pitcher does get injured.
We should be in for a thrilling sports Sunday with LSU trying to clinch a national title at 2:30 PM and the NBA Finals wrapping up with Game 7 at 8:00 PM. There’s also the Mets trying to regain first place and the USMNT looking to go undefeated in Gold Cup group play at 7:00 PM.
It wasn’t surprising that the Mets extending their losing streak to seven games last night with Blade Tidwell starting at pitcher against Zack Wheeler. What was so disappointing about the 10-2 defeat in Philadelphia was that the Mets got past the starting pitching portion of the game and quickly tied the score 2-2 on back-to-back home runs by Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil. They were the first two batters faced by Taijuan Walker when he relieved Wheeler in the top of the sixth. The Mets seemed to have momentum on their side with Wheeler gone and Jose Butto shutting the Phillies down the fifth and the sixth, but the game turned in the seventh because Reed Garrett could not get anyone out.
That's the two for one special pic.twitter.com/TWOhnXzaI9
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 21, 2025
Brandon Marsh, who had previously given the Phillies a 2-0 lead with an RBI single off of Jose Castillo, led off the frame with a double, and he was quickly doubled home by Trea Turner to give Philadelphia the lead. Garrett then walked Kyle Schwarber and allowed an RBI single to Alec Bohm before being replaced by Justin Garza without recording an out. Garza has been solid for the Mets so far, but he couldn’t stop Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott from blowing the game open with big RBI hits.
The Mets had a chance to get to Wheeler early after Brandon Nimmo singled in the first inning and moved to third on walks by Juan Soto and Pete Alonso. However, Wheeler got Jeff McNeil to ground into a double play to end the inning and the Mets would not get a better chance to put a dent in Wheeler’s ERA. It’s tough to say that a play or two might have swung the game when the Mets lost by eight runs, but I think the Mets lost a chance at a rally in the top of the seventh when Brandon Nimmo hit a sharp one-hopper to Trea Turner. The throw to first was a little high and wide, forcing Otto Kemp to stretch at first base. Nimmo was called out, but the replay made it seem like Kemp was off the base by an inch when he received the throw. The Mets let the play slide without a review and Juan Soto ground out to Kemp on the next play to end the inning.
If that play was overturned, Kemp is probably holding Nimmo on first during the next play and Soto’s ball could have gotten by him to start a Mets rally. Instead, New York went down in order and the Phillies scored six runs in the bottom of the inning. These huge rallies for opponents are becoming an issue for the Mets during this losing streak as their pitching regresses.
Speaking of pitching, Blade Tidwell went three scoreless innings before allowing the bases to be loaded in the fourth on two singles and a walk. He might have gotten out of that jam if Kemp’s ground ball had been a little faster, but he busted the Mets’ double play attempt by beating the throw to first and Marsh followed with his RBI hit off of Castillo. Even if Tidwell didn’t allow a run, though, he probably still doesn’t get through Philly’s lineup a second time and that brings into question his future as a starting pitcher. He’s probably more of a reliever, especially on a Mets team that can afford to pay more proven rotation guys instead of bringing Tidwell along slowly. The Mets should have the pitching depth to avoid using Tidwell in an important game, but Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill couldn’t stay healthy with Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas already on the shelf.
The Mets should have a better shot at the Phillies with Griffin Canning on the mound tonight against rookie right-hander Mick Abel.
I really thought that the Thunder were going to take care of business in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Everything was going according to plan when Oklahoma City jumped out to a 10-2, but after those first four minutes, the Indiana Pacers dominated the game like they have not dominated before in these NBA Finals. Pascal Siakam and company led by three at the end of the first quarter and then outscored OKC by 19 in the second. At halftime I was hoping for a Thunder comeback so I could mock Tyrese Haliburton with the choke sign, but OKC never got close and Mark Daigneault pulled his starters at the start of the fourth quarter with the deficit at 30. The Pacers went on to win 108-91.
The Thunder ended up shooting 8-for-30 from beyond the arc, but most of the makes were from bench guys in the final period. I think OKC only made a single three-point shot while the game was competitive while Indiana got long-range accuracy from Obi Toppin (4-for-7) and Andrew Nimrod (3-for-5). Those guys combined for 37 points on the night and were Indiana top two scorers. That goes to show you how deep of a team the Pacers are and also what an overrated bum Haliburton is. He was probably the fifth-best player on his own team in Game 6. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Indiana would be better off having Haliburton back up T.J. McConnell and not the other way around. McConnell was at it again on Thursday night with 12 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and four steals in just 24 minutes. He is more than just a pest; he is a difference-maker.
The Thunder has to get its act together in Game 7 and win at home like it did in Game 2 and Game 5. I can’t deal with watching the Pacers win an NBA title after beating the Knicks because of the luckiest shot in league history. I’m having a hard enough time watching the Mets play worse and worse every night while blowing their five-game lead in the National League East in a week’s time.
Thursday night was another horror show in Atlanta with the Mets unable to do anything on offense after the third inning and Clay Holmes losing the strike zone in the fourth and the fifth. Holmes walked Matt Olson to begin the fourth inning and saw him score after singles by Marcell Ozuna and Ozzie Albies. In the fifth Holmes started with a walk of Ronald Acuna Jr. and later walked Olson again to load the bases before walking Drake Baldwin to force in the go-ahead run. Huascar Brazoban relieved Holmes, but he was no better. Brazoban walked Albies to give Atlanta a 3-1 lead and then allowed Olson to hit a bases-clearing double in the sixth to blow the game open. The Braves won 7-1 to sweep the Mets and hand them a sixth straight loss.
Bases clear courtesy of Matty O!
🌟 https://t.co/tF2BPq04Q9 🌟 pic.twitter.com/eQFQQDFdQW
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 20, 2025
The Mets’ offense has been putrid lately with zero or one runs scored in three of the last four games, but it’s also disturbing how their pitching has fallen off since the injuries to Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill. Holmes, Griffin Canning, and Paul Blackburn have disappointed lately, and now the Mets have called up Blade Tidwell to make a spot start in the crucial series opener at Philadelphia. In Tidwell’s lone major league appearance, he allowed six runs in three and two-thirds innings at St. Louis on May 4. Zack Wheeler is on the hill for the Phillies, so they are pretty big favorites with the division lead on the line. Wheeler has been excellent as usual lately with six innings pitched and one earned run allowed in each of his last two starts.
GOOOAAAL FOR THE @USMNT! 🇺🇸
Chris Richards scores off the set piece! 👏 pic.twitter.com/tvQbB6DBkq
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 20, 2025
The USMNT may be playing against inferior competition, but at least it has won two straight matches and punched a ticket to the Gold Cup quarterfinals. Chris Richards broke through in the 63rd minute last night against Saudi Arabia on a brilliant feed from Sebastian Berhalter and the Yanks won 1-0. Over at ESPN, Ryan O’Hanlon wrote an interesting story about why the USMNT is such a mess right now. It has a lot to do with many of the players having full-time soccer jobs overseas and playing in dozens of matches each year before even considering the national team.
There’s a vision of a unified American soccer model… The players add up to something greater than the sum of the parts, and everything makes sense every time they take the field.
This will never happen. How do I know this? Because it hasn’t happened anywhere else. You can’t achieve this when all of your players are spending 75% of their time doing the same job for someone else. Although the situation arose by accident, the current constraints on the international game force it into dysfunction.
O’Hanlon writes about how in the past the national team matches were the most important events for all of the players because they weren’t playing in the Champions League or other important club tournaments. Now that the US has a bunch of talent in Europe, many players have to balance their priorities, and there is not much continuity on the roster. The hope is that all of the best American players come together and form a somewhat cohesive unit at the World Cup next year.
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ChabDog’s Takeaways from Week 18:
ChabDog’s Takeaways from Week 18:
— Bryce Young is getting older, and that could be a scary development next year based on what we saw today.
— Steelers still have no clue about how to unglue their stuck-in-the-mud offense; Arthur Treacher Smith needs a teacher.
— What goes around, comes around Green Bay, … you played with fire today against Chicago, got burned, and now and you’re in no shape right now to take down filthy good Philadelphia.
— Rocky Mountain redemption today for Denver today against KC’s 3rd stringers (exactly who were those slim jims on the Chiefs’ d-line?); enjoy it now, because you are gonna get your doors blown off in blustery Buffalo.
— Speaking of The Doors, the Chargers are plugged in and playing power surge football like few others (my bad for douting they could cover today against the frayed Raiders); throw a radio in the Houston whirlpool, because the Texans are in for a big beat down at home next Saturday. Harbaugh’s soft driven and slow mad like some new language!
— Watching Baker shake ‘n bake and scramble for those hearty, heartfelt first downs was beautiful. This team has been through the MASH ward and has come out the other side… stronger. Gotta say the Commanders SHOULD NOT be favored when they make their foray into Tampa Bay.
— Samsonite travels well, but sorry Minnesota but the same can’t be said for Sam, who’ll be a sacrificial norseman come gametime against the Rams.
— Kudos to the Bungles for a good try, but you can never fully repent in Cin City for starting out 4-8. Where’s the beef? It’s not with Joe Cool and his cadre of nifty, shifty flankers; no it’s with the flimsy foundation you guys sport in the trenches.
ChabDog/BSC’s State of Play on New Year’s Day–BCS
- Someone served up a ton of chewy charred duck at today’s Rose Bowl, … and it wasn’t during the tailgate portion. Sorry Phil, but there’s no more O left in the loss column for OU.
- The many twists and turns of this playoff game made it a real peach. Texas got too passive with a lead that wasn’t massive, but in the end shows it was long on character, when it refused to be scared off by the incredibly resilient Skattebo. Who knew there would be this much fight in ASU. But in the end, the big dog that was the Longhorns of course had to eat, sending the Sun Devils to defeat.
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Week 14: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (AST)
Hello everyone and welcome to another Chabdog Sports Blog of me making scrumdidilyumptious NFL picks based on very flawed science, numbies based solely on Taylor Swift’s game attendance, and a spidey sense that may or may not be turned on based on the amount and quality of tacos I ate today since my current record is:
Week 1: 6 Week 2: 8 Week 3: 6 Week 4: 8 Week 5: 6 Week 6: 11 Week 7: 4 Week 8: 7 Week 9: 10 Week 10: 9 Week 11: 4 Week 12: 9 Week 13: 7
Also, need to honorably mention that you have exactly a 50/50 chance of making any money off my picks based on my past performance. Is this good? Well, if this were straight win-or-loss picks then it simply be par for the course. However, since I’m playing against a Vegas points spread, I would say it’s more like shooting a birdie. Not a hole-in-one, not an eagle, but maybe a birdie (with a little wind to push the ball in). The goal for me is to clock over 50% by the end of the season and fortunately, I have a few more weeks to hit this goal. With that, let us open the doors to this amazing candy factory and reveal Week 14’s NFL picks (AST).
THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICK Steelers -6 🔒 https://t.co/MxYvBGvASs — Abe Miranda (@DarthVaber99) December 7, 2023
Need you to know I handled losing this pick very well & why you should follow me on X @darthvaber99
When you pick the Steelers @ -6 pic.twitter.com/5bEnOc5Mhf
— Abe Miranda (@DarthVaber99) December 8, 2023
SUNDAE PICKS
TEXANS -5.5 | JETS
RAMS +7 | RAVENS
COLTS | BENGALS +1
JAGUARS +3 | BROWNS
LIONS -3.5 | BEARS
BUCS +2.5 | FALCONS
PANTHERS +5.5 | SAINTS
VIKINGS -3 | RAIDERS
SEAHAWKS | 49ERS -10.5
BILLS +2.5 | CHIEFS
BRONCOS +3 | CHARGERS
EAGLES | COWBOYS -3
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICK
TITANS | DOLPHINS -13.5
PACKERS -6.5 | GIANTS
*All odds courtesy of Bet MGM on 12/06/2023
Let me know in the comments your thoughts below, or where posted on the socials
| | @darthvaber99
Week 13: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (AST)
Hello everyone and welcome to another blog of me making scrumdidilyumptious NFL picks based on very flawed science, numbies based solely on Taylor Swift’s game attendance, and a spidey-sense that may or may not be turned on based on the amount and quality of tacos I ate today since my current record is:
Week 1: 6 Week 2: 8 Week 3: 6 Week 4: 8 Week 5: 6 Week 6: 11 Week 7: 4 Week 8: 7 Week 9: 10 Week 10: 9 Week 11: 4 Week 12: 9
THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICK
Cowboys -9 🔒
Place your bets…
— Abe Miranda (@DarthVaber99) November 30, 2023
SUNDAE PICKS
CHARGERS -5.5 | PATRIOTS
FALCONS -2.5 | JETS
CARDINALS | STEELERS -5.5
COLTS -1 | TITANS
DOLPHINS -9.5 | COMMANDERS
LIONS -4 | SAINTS
PANTHERS | BUCS -5.5
BRONCOS +3.5 | TEXANS
49ERS | EAGLES +3
BROWNS | RAMS -3.5
CHIEFS | PACKERS +6
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICK
BENGALS | JAGUARS -8.5
*All odds courtesy of Bet MGM on 11/29/2023
Let me know in the comments your thoughts below, or where posted on the socials
| | @darthvaber99
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Penn State’s thrilling win in Rec Hall and Indiana gets cooked
We’ve been saying for years that Penn State Basketball would be a more impressive television product if the home arena wasn’t the Bryce Jordan Center. The giant arena is way too big for a program that strives to be in the middle of the Big Ten standings in a good year. When Penn State plays in the Palestra or at Rec Hall, it looks like a proper basketball program, and sometimes it even plays like one. Wednesday night was one of those nights with Illinois in town. However, for most of the night, it looked like a typical 2024 Penn State loss. The Lions got off to a hot start on offense, but then fizzled and struggled to keep pace with the talented Illini because of their failure to grab a rebound on defense. Illinois often doesn’t need second chances, especially with Terrence Shannon Jr. playing like he did, but it got 19 of them, with the Swiss Army Knife Ty Rodgers grabbing five offensive boards. That helped make up for 18 Illinois turnovers that Penn State needed just to keep the game respectable while Shannon was going off for a career-high 35 points on 10-for-18 shooting.
Another reason why Penn State only trailed by 10 points with two and a half minutes left was Nick Kern Jr. He has shown some upside with his athleticism this season, but again Illinois he got to the basket at will. At one point in the second half, Kern scored 13 straight Penn State points, and he finished with a season-high 22. Now that Kanye Clary is out of the picture, I’m hoping that Kern can stick around for one or two more seasons and develop into a star, but to do that he needs to expand his range past 10 feet from the basket.
IT'S STORMING IN STATE COLLEGE ‼️@PennStateMBB takes down No. 12 Illinois. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/zq0GMzJNVk
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 22, 2024
Anyway, Zach Hicks hit a mid-range shot to cut the deficit to eight points, and then the Illinois collapse began. Shannon drove into the paint and kicked the ball to the corner to set up Luke Goode with a wide-open dagger three. With the way Goode shoots the ball, that should be a layup for him, but he missed, and Hicks answered with a triple for Penn State to cut the lead to five. However, Illinois was still in great shape after two free throws from Marcus Domask and a missed three by Ace Baldwin Jr. Now the Illini were up by seven points with less than a minute left. Shannon tried a runner in the paint, but it bounced out and Jameel Brown took advantage by crushing a three-point shot in transition. Brown’s next play was even bigger, though, because Penn State needed a turnover to make it a one-possession game. Brown came through by stripping Shannon of the ball, which led to an easy layup for Puff Johnson. All of a sudden, the Lions trailed by just two with 30 seconds left.
Purdue upset by Ohio State and Penn State loses Kanye Clary
I almost feel bad for Purdue fans even though they have a tremendous basketball team that will probably make the Final Four. No matter what the Boilers do in the regular season, there is nothing they can do to change their reputation as a team that collapses in the big moment. The only way to do that is to win in the NCAA Tournament. Whenever Purdue slips up this season, the doubters and haters (Indiana fans) come out of the woodwork to say “this is what will happen in March.”
I have said since November when Purdue won the Maui Invitational that this team reminds me of the 2019 Virginia team that bounced back and won the national championship after losing to a 16 seed the year before. Maybe Purdue will fulfill that prophecy, or maybe it will hilariously disappoint its rabid fans once again. On Sunday in Columbus, Matt Painter’s team gave us a preview of March or a blip on the radar, depending on your perspective. Despite shooting 20-for-20 from the free throw line and dominating the offensive glass like they always do, the Boilers lost 73-69 to an Ohio State team that was playing its first game since head coach Chris Holtmann was fired.
It didn’t help that Purdue turned the ball over 14 times, most notably when Zed Key poked the ball away from Zach Edey with less than a minute to play and the Boilers needing two points to tie the score. Purdue ended up fouling Jamison Battle, who helped put the game away at the charity stripe.
We're still thinking about Zed Key's impact in Ohio State's upset over then-No. 2 Purdue.
The F had a career-high 5️⃣ steals, to go along with nine points.@iamzedkey x @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/XZBdxfJWt1
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 20, 2024
Just moments before, Purdue rallied to overcome a seven-point deficit and tied the game 65-65 on Lance Jones’ clutch three-point jumper, but Battle answered with a 15-foot jumper to ensure that Ohio State would not fall behind. The Buckeyes were boosted by Battle’s 19 points on 6-for-8 shooting as well as 26 points from a bench effort led by Key and Dale Bonner. Purdue, meanwhile, got its usual great effort from Edey (22 points, 7-for-11 shooting, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks) but only four points from the bench. I still have no clue how Ethan Morton gets more than 10 minutes a game on team as talented as Purdue.
Ohio State interim head coach Jake Diebler made a great impression and he’ll have a case to keep the job full time with a few more wins down the stretch. I will feel very smart for talking about the potential of Ohio State’s young core if the team can upset Minnesota or Michigan State on the road.
Indiana blew a chance to join the bubble
Speaking of upsets, only one other Big Ten underdog won outright over the weekend. That was Northwestern defeating Indiana, but we can probably have a long argument over whether or not the Wildcats should have been considered the underdog in Bloomington. While they have been way more successful than Indiana this year and are projected to make the NCAA Tournament, Northwestern hasn’t impressed on the road. That’s why I saw this game as a great opportunity for Indiana to get a quality win and get into the bubble conversation. I should have known that the Hoosiers would waste it since they have shown so little heart and fight this season.
Ohio State fires Chris Holtmann and Maryland wins a bubble battle
Wisconsin finally broke its four-game losing streak in very Wisconsin-like fashion on Tuesday night. It used solid defense and three-point shooting by Max Klesmit to close the first half on a 16-3 run that turned an 18-18 tie into a 34-21 advantage. Ohio State got within five points in the second half, but Chucky Hepburn answered with a three-point shot followed by a steal and a breakaway layup while the Buckeyes failed to score for seven straight minutes. When Bruce Thornton finally got his team back on the scoreboard with 1:36 to play, Hepburn responded with another triple to put the game away. Perhaps the most thrilling part of the game was Jamison Battle not scoring all game until he hit a three with 16 seconds left to cover the 9.5-point spread for Ohio State. Klesmit had a chance to expand the lead back to 10 points, but he missed the front end of a one-and-one and the Badgers settled for a 62-54 victory.
Chucky Hepburn creates so much offense with his defense. 💥@ChuckyHepburn x @BadgerMBB
💻: Peacock pic.twitter.com/Pdu8gNTINj
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 14, 2024
It wasn’t the most impressive win for Wisconsin since it came at home against Ohio State, but Greg Gard’s team will take what it can get after dropping games to Rutgers and Michigan on the road. The real excitement came on Wednesday when reports came out about Ohio State firing Chris Holtmann after six and a half seasons with the program. Holtmann made the NCAA Tournament four times (would have been five if not for the pandemic) in a row since taking over for Thad Matta in 2017. However, he never made the Sweet 16 and his highest seeded NCAA Tournament team was upset by Oral Roberts in the first round in 2021. 2023 was a disaster for Holtmann, as his team lost 14 of 15 games in the middle of conference play and finished 16-19 overall. It looked like everything would change this season, as Ohio State beat Alabama in November and improved to 12-2 when it defeated Rutgers on January 3. The Buckeyes have won just two games since, though, and athletic director Gene Smith has had enough of the losing.
I don’t blame Ohio State for expecting to make the NCAA Tournament every year. but I’m surprised Holtmann got fired when he has such a young and intriguing group of sophomores at the core of his team. Keeping a group of starters together for more than one season in today’s college basketball environment is rare, but I think Holtmann had something with Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle Jr., Felix Okpara, and Evan Mahaffey. They have not been winning much lately, but they are also playing in a league that’s full of fourth- and fifth-year players in the starting lineup. With the way they are all improving together as first-year starters, I wouldn’t be surprised if the group returned next season as juniors and finished in the top third of the Big Ten. With Holtmann gone, it’s more likely that the program will be reset under a new head coach who wants to bring in his own players.
Michigan State gets a big win and Bruce Thornton rescues Ohio State in double overtime
I thought Michigan State had a chance to be a home underdog against Illinois on Saturday afternoon. The Illini might be ranked 10th in the AP Poll, but Michigan State is not far behind in terms of talent and it was playing at home. I was ready to jump all over the Spartans if the line was close to zero. It’s hard to fool the books, though. Michigan State was favored by three and a half when I checked in on Saturday morning. I said “screw it” and took Sparty anyway. Tom Izzo’s team was rounding into form and needed this win for its NCAA Tournament resume.
Laying the points didn’t look like a great decision for much of the afternoon, especially when Marcus Domask knocked down a three-point shot to put Illinois ahead 72-64 with less than eight minutes to play. The Spartans owned the rest of the game, though. A.J. Hoggard stepped up with a three of his own in transition and then scored three the old fashioned way with a great head fake on Coleman Hawkins in the paint. The “and one” free throw tied the score at 72-72, but Michigan State wasn’t done. Malik Hall hit a big driving layup plus the foul to put Sparty ahead, and Tyson Walker stole the ball and put in a breakaway layup to help his team pull away and win 88-80. Great teams cover.
A.J. HOGGARD TIES IT UP AT 72 😤 pic.twitter.com/T1HYktWnb9
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 10, 2024
It was a rare performance by Michigan State that saw the Big Three of Walker, Hoggard, and Hall all play like a Big Three at the same time. Hoggard and Hall combined for 45 points with Hall going 7-for-9 from the field and Hoggard adding five assists. That meant that Walker didn’t have to break his back carrying the offense. The effort by Sparty was enough to overcome a 28-point, 7-rebound effort from Terrence Shannon Jr. Illinois might have been a little too perimeter-oriented in this one with half of its field goal attempts coming from three-point range. While the Illini shot 11-for-30 from beyond the arc, Michigan State got work done in the paint while going 5-for-8 from downtown. Efficiency!
The only other exciting game on Saturday came from a surprising place: Columbus, Ohio! Maryland had a chance to pick up an impressive road win against an Ohio State squad that is every bubble team’s dream. That’s because the Buckeyes are a lousy team that for some reason has a strong NET rating. Beating them will look good to the nerds on the NCAA Tournament selection committee even though it’s not that hard to do so. Even my Nittany Lions beat Ohio State (although we also lost to them on the road). Sounds like a great opportunity for the Terps, right! That is correct, but Maryland blew it anyway even though Ohio State only led for five minutes during the game that ended up going into double overtime.
Penn State might be a wagon and Wisconsin stumbles at Michigan
I’m still not entertaining any NCAA Tournament talk with regards to my Penn State Nittany Lions. Too much damage has been done to the resume from inexplicably losing a buy game to Bucknell to going winless in Disney World to dropping overtime games against Maryland and Georgia Tech. It’s going to take way more than a Big Ten record that is one or two games above .500, even though that would be an impressive accomplishment for Mike Rhoades in his first season as head coach.
That said, the three-game winning streak that Penn State is on has been an awesome ride, and it was a lot of fun to watch it continue as the Lions pulled away from Iowa during the final four minutes on Thursday night. Ace Baldwin Jr. took over the game with 13 points and a pair of huge steals during the stretch and Penn State outscored Iowa 18-8 to finish with an 89-79 victory. I don’t expect seniors like Baldwin to take massive leaps with their game, but Baldwin looks like a different player than he was at the start of the season. He’s in control of the offense and red hot from three-point range. What’s crazy is that Baldwin was 0-for-13 from beyond the arc from the win against Rider on December 29 to the blowout loss at Purdue on January 13. Since then, he’s gone 16-for-26 in six games. It makes a big difference when opponents have to respect a point guard’s three-point shot. Opportunities for other players have opened up, and Baldwin has no problem sharing the rock when he needs to.
Ace Baldwin dishing dimes out like he’s a bank teller pic.twitter.com/uoVEWV4dw2
— Barstool Penn State (@PSUBarstool) February 9, 2024
One of those players with more opportunities has been Qudus Wahab. He’s averaging 13 points per game over his last four games after a three-game stretch in which he scored exactly four points in each one. With Zach Hicks living on the perimeter and Nick Kern operating with the dribble drive, Wahab is the only Penn State big man who is a post threat, but he’s been an excellent one lately with 13 of his 16 field goals going in. Thanks to Baldwin finding some range and Wahab executing down low, the Lions have a pretty deep and versatile offense that will hopefully continue giving opponents problems down the stretch.
The defense is a different story, though. I was pleasantly surprised by Penn State’s rebounding against Iowa, but the Hawkeyes still shot 56 percent from the field with Ben Krikke going 10-for-18 on his way to 22 points. Iowa might have won if not for Payton Sandfort getting banged up and going 2-for-7 from deep. Iowa as a team only shot 27 percent from three-point range compared to 52 percent for Penn State, and it’s safe to say that was a difference maker. We saw from the Indiana game that defending big centers is an issue for Penn State that probably won’t be going away, but the Lions have shot the three so well lately that it hasn’t mattered. It also helps when you win the turnover battle as often as Penn State has this season.