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- J’ville feels right at home against Da Bears, who don’t really like swimming across the pond. Chicago -1.5 is not a winner.
- True to form, AZ follows a good week with a bad one, and GB is happy to be coming home (they cover 4.5)
- TN is like a Hebrew National juicy dog… they are on a roll. Take the Ti-tans (-.5)
- Houston brings its flimsy running game into Gillette (is that what they call it?) to face the New England Nebbishes. Can’t bring myself to throw in my lot with the ultimate have nots. Houston covers.
- Tampa finds there is life after getting violated in the GA Dome. They will gladly and successfully take the 2.5 in the Big Queasy.
- God almighty I hate taking Philly to cover a big bad 8.5 spread; but I hate counting on Beaver Cleveland even more. Going with the Eagles on this one, … somehow. Plus, a little birdie told me DJ Brown (not Hollywood) was back in town.
- Baltimore couldn’t be more unreliable here, giving a jive 6.5. I’m still jaded from watching “Jayden” do his thang…. taking the Commies.
- Chargers are suddenly a 2.5 fav. and the darlings of the odds makers. I guess this means Justin’s rib is tender no more. No matter, cuz I’m fixing to put my money on the team led by Nix… Broncs buck the stupid spread… and win at home.
- Pittsburgh should be able to beat a messed up Raiders team by a measly field goal…. so pencil me in for the low octane Steelers in an ugly ugly game.
- Detroit at Dallas should be the game of the day. Is 3.5 just a little too rich for Dapper Dan’s dynamos? Nah! Going with the Lions to cover that by a whisker.
- Hot-lanta keeps it going in Carolina, and now all the Georgians will be kissing the feet of Cousins. Take the effing Falcons and the effing Five point Five.
- Just when the Jr. G-men thought they were back on track, Cincy stings them with the gridiron version of Blonde Ambition. This will be another Joey Burrow special, and I am taking the Bungles giving 3.5.
- Can’t see Home Improvement Allen not improving on last week’s doggie style performance at the junkyard Jets. Bills by at least 3.
Before I get into all the excitement of Week 6, let’s talk about Week 5. So yeah, like my gawdbrudder Frank Fleming from Barstool Sports, I was locked out of chabdog.com as technology told me to go fuck myself last week. However, if you’re following me on social media, you probably came across my Week 5 picks in the form of a tweet. So here they are for transparency as we take great pride in our weekly/season records here at Chabdog Sports.
Can’t post my Week 5 #NFL ATS Picks online cause I’m currently locked out of https://t.co/kpuA1yoCcA because technology hates me & I’m fk’n cursed. Fortunately, I went to school in the 80s & 90s and know how to fill out a scantron using a #2 pencil pic.twitter.com/WxZFJ7KXr4
— Abe Miranda (@gawdbrudder) October 6, 2024
Therefore, with my Week 5 picks in, here are my current weekly/season stats before you decide if I’m worth reading any further down the page:
WEEK 1: 10/16 (62.5%) WEEK 2: 8/15 + 1 Push (53.3%) WEEK 3: 8/16 (50%) WEEK 4: 9/16 (56%) WEEK 5: 7/14 (50%) SEASON RECORD (ATS): 42/77 + 1 Push (54%)
OK, now that we’re all caught up and you’re still willing to read some rando’s internet scumbag picks, lets fucking go NFL Week 6 (thank you for knowing that you still have a better shot with my picks below than LITERALLY flipping a quarter)!
For Thursday’s Night Game, I was slammed at work and took the chalk which was 100% the right call.
❤️ @chabdogsports cause they have a policy that if you can’t make a pick before kickoff u automatically get da “chalk” (49s -3.5). Very accommodating policy for days like today when I was simply way too swamped at work to pick the Seahawks +3.5 💀 CHALK PLEASE ☝️ https://t.co/TWdb2rDjLv
— Abe Miranda (@gawdbrudder) October 11, 2024
| | @gawdbrudder
Last week stunk for me. I had just crawled back to .500 and instead of keeping the momentum going, I fell into another hole with a 5-9 week. That’s what I get for picking against my Giants, and that’s one mistake I won’t make again this week. There are other mistakes that I am very willing to repeat, though.
San Francisco -3.5 at Seattle
Fading San Francisco worked out well in Week 5, as it blew another fourth quarter lead to a division rival. This is becoming a disturbing trend for Kyle Shanahan’s team. However, I can’t go with Seattle again after they returned a fumble 102 yards against my Giants and STILL lost by nine.
Jacksonville at Chicago -1.5
The Jaguars have resurrected themselves somewhat with two straight covers (1-1 straight up) after being humiliated by Buffalo on Monday Night Football. I am still fading them, though. That’s because the Bears are HOT HOT HOT with two straight wins that covered the spread. Plus, Caleb Williams is coming off the best game of his young career.
Arizona +4.5 at Green Bay
It is tough to figure this Cardinals team out, but I have picked their games correctly for two weeks in a row. Green Bay should win this game because its only two losses are close ones against Minnesota and Philly, but I like Arizona’s offense too much. I will hope for a field goal game.
Indianapolis +0.5 at Tennessee
Joe Flacco has been awesome for the Colts, while Tennessee’s only win is against the feeble Dolphins.
Houston at New England +7.5
The Drake Maye bump! Houston only beat Buffalo by three last week despite Josh Allen completing nine of 30 passes. That seems manageable for the young Tar Heel making his debut!
Tampa Bay at New Orleans -2.5
Is this a misprint on Well Read’s sheet? It looks like the Buccaneers are currently favored by a field goal in this game. When the spread makes no sense, go with the sharp side! Give me the Saints as favorites or underdogs. They have dropped three straight, but the schedule has been tough.
Cleveland at Philadelphia -8.5
The Browns are awful and the Eagles are coming off a bye. Give me more Fanta rants!
Washington +6.5 at Baltimore
Commies are an auto pick at this point. If Jayden Daniels outshines Lamar Jackson, the young LSU alum could vault himself into the MVP discussion.
LA Chargers at Denver +2.5
Denver has won and covered three in a row. Please keep making them underdogs.
Pittsburgh -2.5 at Las Vegas
The bloom is off the Steelers after two straight losses, but Las Vegas has not impressed since its Week 2 upset of Baltimore. Pittsburgh will get right here.
Detroit -3.5 at Dallas
The Cowboys passed the fraud test at Pittsburgh, but I am still picking against them. The problem is that Detroit is good and Dallas hasn’t won at home yet this season.
Atlanta at Carolina +5.5
This is dumb. Carolina has failed to cover twice in a row since its upset win at Las Vegas. However, the Falcons have only covered at all due to miracle comebacks against Philly and Tampa Bay. It is very hard to believe in Atlanta as a favorite, so I am going back to the Red Rifle.
Cincinnati at NY Giants +3.5
Auto pick after last week’s shocking and triumphant victory. The Bengals are great on offense, but their defense is so soft.
Buffalo -2.5 at NY Jets
Jets are desperate and just fired their coach. Bills need a win after laying an egg for two weeks in a row. I will go with Buffalo because the Jets fired the wrong guy! Nathaniel Hackett is still there and he is letting Rodgers sling it like it’s 2014.
Thanks to last week’s brilliant 10-6 performance, I am 31-32-1, and that is a .500 record if you include the Atlanta win already in the books for this week. It took a while, but we finally climbed out of that Week 1 hole. Next stop, profitability?!
Tampa Bay at Atlanta -2.5
I booked it with Well Read before the game on Thursday, so it is going down as a win! Thanks go out to Captain Kirko and my fantasy darling Drake London!
NY Jets vs. Minnesota -2.5
Finally, the Vikings are favored, but this game isn’t in Minnesota; it is in London. The Jets looked legit when they stomped New England, but then they went right back into pretender mode with an ugly home loss to Denver. I will keep riding these Vikings!
Carolina +4.5 at Chicago
The Panthers came back down to Earth last week with a loss vs. Cincinnati, but the Carolina offense continued to look legit with Andy Dalton under center. That will help the Panthers defeat Chicago outright on Sunday!
Baltimore at Cincinnati +2.5
Speaking of offense, the Bengals have scored 72 points over their last two games. They might only need one or two stops on defense to beat Baltimore.
Miami at New England +1.5
I can’t bet on Miami again after the Tennessee debacle last week.
Cleveland at Washington -3.5
The Commies are red hot. They should be favored by at least a touchdown in this game. Lock it up.
Indianapolis +2.5 at Jacksonville
Jonathan Taylor is likely out for the Colts, but they are still much better than Jacksonville. I lost betting against the Jaguars when they were underdogs last week, but I feel much better about fading them as a favorite!
Buffalo +1.5 at Houston
The Bills completely flopped last week at Baltimore. Many people will say they are overrated because they beat up on Arizona, Miami, and Jacksonville, but I think the Bills get back on track and win the Stefon Diggs revenge game.
Las Vegas at Denver -2.5
It is time to start believing in Denver, and Davante Adams is out for Las Vegas.
Arizona +7.5 at San Francisco
The 49ers got back on track last week while Arizona was blown out. This gambling business would be too easy if San Francisco won big again.
Green Bay at LA Rams +3.5
The Rams look decent one week and horrible the next. One thing they have done well the last two weeks is get the running game on track with Kyren Williams. He will help this banged-up team get a win that it desperately needs.
NY Giants at Seattle -6.5
Malik Nabers is out, so I don’t know how the Giants are going to generate offense. Devin Singletary is out too, so maybe rookie tailback Tyrone Tracy Jr. breaks out, but this one should be ugly.
Dallas at Pittsburgh -2.5
Dallas’ two wins are against Cleveland and the Giants. I am considering it a fraud team until proven otherwise.
New Orleans +5.5 at Kansas City
With Rashee Rice injured, the Chiefs do not have enough weapons to cover this spread. They will still find a way to grind out a win because they are the Chiefs, but I’ll take the points.
— The skinny on Minny is it’ll winny… by more than 2.5
–Chicago sits on the Panthers, and makes them cry …. by more than 4.5
— Baltimore runs over the B-gals by at least a field goal
— New England turns over a new leaf and wins by 2 or more
— Washington leaves Cleveland in the dust by four or more
— Jax finally finds a playmate it can dominate … by at least 3
— Buffalo stampedes in Texas by at least a couple.
— Denver’s defense has it made in the shade against the Raiders. They win by at least 3.
— SF celebrates a little with the return of Kittle and wins by at least 8.
— Green Bay gets back to its old ways against the broken down Rams…. 4 point win or more.
— Seattle shatters the Giants’ shinebox by at least a TD.
— Bostwell’s foot pushes the Steelers past the Cowboys.
— KC can’t help from painting the Saints into a corner by more than a score.
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ChabDog’s Jive Picks for Week 5:
— The skinny on Minny is it’ll winny… by more than 2.5
–Chicago sits on the Panthers, and makes them cry …. by more than 4.5
— Baltimore runs over the B-gals by at least a field goal
— New England turns over a new leaf and wins by 2 or more
— Washington leaves Cleveland in the dust by four or more
— Jax finally finds a playmate it can dominate … by at least 3
— Buffalo stampedes in Texas by at least a couple.
— Denver’s defense has it made in the shade against the Raiders. They win by at least 3.
— SF celebrates a little with the return of Kittle and wins by at least 8.
— Green Bay gets back to its old ways against the broken down Rams…. 4 point win or more.
— Seattle shatters the Giants’ shinebox by at least a TD.
— Bostwell’s foot pushes the Steelers past the Cowboys.
— KC can’t help from painting the Saints into a corner by more than a score.
A Convoy of Bucs Will Be Trucking to the Endzone Come Thursday…
RIP Kris Kristofferson, who recently passed.
As for passing, Baker will be cooking up some more good stuff for his NFC Southern Buds this Thursday Night in Atlanta.
Here I go again picking against the Falcons. Why? Well, why not,given the Bucs’ tough run defense, and gotta go with
their QB with the hot hand…. yes, he will keep the endzone convoy going this week against a Falcon defense that just isn’t
that tough. Bucs beaet that skinny little spread, and actually win the game. All the way with Tampa on Thursday.
Well Read’s Posts
Abe’s Posts
Week 3: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (ATS)
Hey everyone, it’s week 3 and off to the NFL races we go with the Patriots vs the Jets tonight (ATS: Patriots ML: Jets )! As always, here are my 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 functioning well based on the amount and quality of tacos I ate today. As for week 2, I got 53% (8/15) of my picks right with my 16th pick being a “push” (8 – 7 – 1). Overall, you still have a better shot with my picks below than literally flipping a quarter. So if you’re stuck on a particular game to pick, just know you got better odds right fucking here!!! LFGoooooo!
WEEK 1: 10/16 (62.5%) WEEK 2: 8/15 + 1 Push (53.3%) SEASON RECORD (ATS): 18/31 + 1 Push (58%)
| | @gawdbrudder
Week 2: Abe’s Scrumdidilyumptious NFL Picks (ATS)
Hey everyone, it’s week 2 and so happy to hauk tuah all over this NFL thang once again!!!!! As always, here are my 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 functioning well based on the amount and quality of tacos I ate today. As for week 1, I got 62.5% (10/16) of my picks right which means you have a better shot with my picks below than literally flipping a quarter. So if you’re stuck on a particular game to pick, just know you got better odds right fucking here!!! LFGoooooo!
WEEK 1: 10/16 (62.5%)
| | @gawdbrudder
Dorothy’s Posts
Aaron’s Posts
Aaron’s Week 1 NFL Picks
Football is back! So what if it’s already been back for more than a week thanks to college football? It’s REALLY back tonight with the start of the NFL, tiny point spreads, and fantasy! I am a New York Giants fan, so I am predicting a season full of pain and suffering, but maybe some of you out there can get some joy out of the next five months. There’s always fantasy football, right? Nope, just more frustration and torture. But how about the ChabDog picks contest? Now, there is something that I have a chance to win.
Baltimore +2.5 at Kansas City
Everyone is going to love the Chiefs at less than a field goal. They just won the freaking Super Bowl and are at home in front of a raucous crowd. Plus, ChiefsAholic just got sentenced to federal prison, so you know the boys will be extra fired up to get the job done for him. HOWEVER, the Chiefs aren’t the elite offensive team they used to be. Last winter, they barely got by Baltimore in the Playoffs thanks to a great defensive effort. Patrick Mahomes is still looking for a go-to wide receiver and Travis Kelce might be over the hill. The defense is still good, but it’s tougher to repeat a great defensive season than a great offensive season. Give me the hungry Ravens with their new-look and more intimidating running game for the upset!
Green Bay +1.5 vs. Philadelphia
It is a sham that this game is even happening with the crime activity in Sao Paulo being so high that players are leaving their families behind. Player safety is a priority for the NFL until the owners can make a few extra bucks by putting a game in South America! Plus, it is a Peacock exclusive game, so even fans in America will feel like they are getting robbed. Anyway, this is an easy one for me. The Eagles were in full meltdown mode at the end of last season. Now, many fans are convinced that Saquon Barkley and a couple of new coordinators will solve all their issues. I’m not so sure. I’ll take the rising Packers after their exciting run in last season’s Playoffs.
Pittsburgh at Atlanta -2.5
This spread should be more than three points. Maybe not everyone realizes how much better the Atlanta offense is now that the team has a veteran quarterback under center. Kirk Cousins is coming back from a major Achilles tendon injury, but he won’t need to move around much when Bijan Robinson and Drake London are entering their primes. This offense is just as talented as the one that Cousins left behind in Minnesota. It will be tough for the Steelers and their new quarterback to keep pace, even with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s familiarity with Atlanta.
Arizona +7.5 at Buffalo
Arizona’s offense is on the rise due to the selections of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey Benson in the NFL Draft. Plus, Trey McBride emerged as a star tight end last season, and Kyler Murray is expected to have his best season yet after missing half of 2023 due to recovery from knee surgery. Does that mean that the Cardinals will stun Buffalo in Week 1? There’s a chance with Josh Allen breaking in a new-look receiving group. I still think Buffalo prevails, but I wouldn’t pick the Bills in survivor. Taking the points is the move here.
The Big Ten Tournament is here with two teams trying to battle their way into the Big Dance
The Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket is here, and as usual, it is glorious. What’s even better is that the beautiful pinwheel logo has returned to prominence after one-year hiatus that is among the worst decisions in college basketball tournament logo history. Penn State has almost zero chance of winning this thing, which is its only available path to the NCAA Tournament, but I can dream of a run to the semifinals thanks to a favorable draw that avoids Purdue and Illinois through the first three rounds.
The #B1GMBBT bracket is set. 🏀 pic.twitter.com/26VaSJB5cc
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 11, 2024
Sure, Penn State has to play on the first evening of the tournament, which is a Peacock exclusive event, but if it had been seeded a little higher in slots 10 through seven, the matchup in the quarterfinals would feature Purdue or Illinois instead of the less intimidating Nebraska. I’m getting way ahead of myself, though, since just reaching the quarterfinals means defeating a red hot Indiana team that is desperate to play its way onto the NCAA bubble. Penn State might have a psychological edge from defeating the Hoosiers twice this season, but Indiana has looked like a different team on its current four-game winning streak. Plus, just to get to that date with Indiana, the Nittany Lions must get past Michigan tonight. The Wolverines have lost eight straight, but Penn State has a loss to Bucknell on its resume, so nothing is impossible.
Purdue established Big Ten supremacy last week with a thrilling victory at Illinois before wrapping up its regular season with a home win over Wisconsin. The slumping Badgers have not been a great team since February started, as they finished Big Ten play 3-8 after starting 8-1, but I’ll give them credit for the way they battled the Boilers despite having another rough game from beyond the arc. Wisconsin shot 5-for-24 from three-point range, but John Blackwell and Tyler Wahl both went 7-for-10 from the field to keep Purdue from running away with the game.
Purdue wins the regular season title and Indiana is still alive for the big dance
I said on the Chabdog Sports podcast last Sunday that Purdue would be listed as champion when I fill out my NCAA Tournament bracket in a couple of weeks. On Tuesday night, the Boilers showed why I think they will complete their redemption arc when they beat Illinois 77-71 in Champaign. The combination of opponent and venue made the game Purdue’s stiffest test since December, and it passed thanks to a clutch three-point shot in the final seconds by Braden Smith. The shot came at the tail end of a broken possession by the Boilers that was saved once by Zach Edey, who slapped the ball away from Illinois and into the hands of his teammates Fletcher Loyer following Lance Jones’ wild layup attempt. Smith saved it again when he casually pulled up from five feet beyond the arc and drained his jumper over Terrence Shannon Jr.
If Smith had not clutched up, Illinois would likely the ball back down by three points with 18 seconds to play. Instead, the lead was six, and the game was over when Shannon’s answer bounced off the rim. Smith’s effort was just one of several big three-point shots for Purdue in the second half. Edey dominated the first 20 minutes with 18 points, but Illinois held him to 10 after the break, forcing the Boilers to look to their role players for help. They answered, starting with Mason Gillis’ three-point shot in transition that gave Purdue its first lead at 56-54 with 10 minutes to play. Gillis drained another one to put the Boilers ahead 64-58 with seven minutes left, but Illinois tied the game with a dunk by Coleman Hawkins two straight driving layups by Marcus Domask, the last of which he floated in over Edey.
Braden Smith! Onions! He bailed out Matt Painter, who for some reason did not call a time out during this broken possession. Purdue’s biggest win of the year. pic.twitter.com/bivOs9D3uN
— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) March 6, 2024
Illinois would retake the lead on a pair of free throws by Shannon, but Loyer put Purdue back up by three with a three-point shot and a runner in the paint on consecutive possessions. Lance Jones hit a monster triple from the corner to expand the advantage to six with less than a minute on the clock, but Domask struck back with another layup plus the foul to set the stage for Smith’s heroics.
With Edey doing his thing like he always does, Purdue is not going to be beat when it shoots the three as accurately as it did against Illinois (9-for-16). Matt Painter’s team doesn’t excel at creating its own shot from the perimeter, but it showed that it can break down the opposing defense and find the open man with 20 assists on 29 field goals during the win. Illinois did an excellent job slowing down Edey in the second half, but it could not keep up with Purdue’s three-point shooting. Illinois was just 4-for-16 beyond the arc, and most of that came from Quincy Guerrier catching fire in the first half. Domask was the one guy who came up huge down the stretch, and Shannon needs to step up if the Illini are going to win a rematch with Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament or NCAA Tournament. He went 3-for-13 from the field with just 11 points.
Purdue vs. Illinois will be an epic Big Ten clash tonight, but it’s only on Peacock
The Peacock strikes again! We heard outrage from across the sports universe when the NFL made its Dolphins vs. Chiefs Playoff game exclusively available on NBC’s streaming service. Now, something similar is happening in Big Ten Basketball, and the conference should be embarrassed that the top game on its regular season schedule won’t be in front of as many viewers as possible. Before the Big Ten’s new media rights deal that went into affect this fall, Purdue vs. Illinois on Tuesday night would be on ESPN where every fan knows how to find it, and it would have been promoted all day long on ESPN’s many programs. The new deal might work for football because the Big Ten doesn’t need ESPN when it has games on three major networks all day, but with basketball NBC has made Peacock part of the deal, and that is a nightmare for ratings.
The worst part is that we are over a month away from WrestleMania, so a fan would need to subscribe for two months in order to get Purdue vs. Illinois as well as the Showcase of the Immortals. At least with the NFL sham, the Royal Rumble was included in the price of the football game. As a wrestling and Big Ten fanatic, I’ve been watching on Peacock all season, but for fans who are just getting into college basketball now, the stream exclusive is going to be a major turnoff. They’ll likely just stick with ESPN for Alabama vs. Florida and Kansas State vs. Kansas.
Those who do invest in Peacock should get a great game. Purdue and Illinois met earlier in the season on January 5, and the Boilermakers led comfortably for much of the game on the way to a 83-78 win. However, not only was that game at Mackey Arena where Purdue never loses, but Illinois’ star guard Terrence Shannon Jr. was suspended due to sexual assault allegations. The Illini held Zach Edey to 10 points, but they were burned by Trey Kaufman-Renn, who erupted for 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting. It will be interesting to see if Illinois head coach Brad Underwood employs a similar strategy tonight since Kaufman-Renn hasn’t approached that kind of scoring output in the last two months and hasn’t even scored 10 points in his last six games.
With the game shifting to Champaign’s State Farm Center and Shannon playing some of his best basketball, the Illini are favored by two and a half. It will be the first time Purdue is an underdog in Big Ten play this season and the first time it is an underdog at all since its clash with Arizona back in December. Both teams are riding three-game winning streaks, but Illinois’ schedule has been a little tougher lately with a game at Wisconsin and another against a hot Iowa team at home. Plus, the Illini have scored at least 85 points in their last six games. With Shannon finding his three-point shot and Marcus Domask being a master technician in the paint, this is a team that can come at you from everywhere, and I didn’t even mention Coleman Hawkins’ range at center or the rebounding ability of Quincy Guerrier and Ty Rodgers.
In other words, Illinois won’t be the only defense with its hands full tonight. On the other end, Zach Edey has been unstoppable lately. In Purdue’s last game against Michigan State on Saturday night, Spartan big man Mady Sissoko accumulated four personal fouls in just six minutes. Michigan State threw a bunch of bodies at Edey, but he still scored 32 points on 9-for-15 field goal shooting and 14-for-20 free throw shooting. Edey is too big to keep him from getting into scoring range, but he can be forced into turnovers if he has to put the ball on the floor. Turning a few Edey turnovers into fast-break scoring opportunities will be key for Illinois tonight. Scoring in transition helped the Illini put away Wisconsin on Saturday when Justin Harmon blocked Chucky Hepburn’s shot in the paint in the final two minutes. That led to a fast break and a layup for Shannon to give Illinois a 10-point lead.
Ohio State did it again and Iowa’s missed opportunity
I really thought Ohio State was done with the upsets after it stunned Purdue two weekends ago in interim head coach Jake Diebler’s debut, but on Sunday, the Buckeyes pulled off yet another shocker. They went into East Lansing as 10-point underdogs and beat Michigan State 60-57 with the margin of victory coming on a last-second three-point heave by Dale Bonner. Just moments earlier, Tyson Walker had a chance to put Michigan State ahead with a fair of free throws, but he somehow wedged his first attempt in between the backboard and the rim. Walker had to settle for a tie with his second free throw, but Bonner’s clutch bomb ensured that it didn’t matter.
Ohio State is now 2-1 since Chris Holtmann was fired, and I feel a little bad for him even though he is technically on a paid vacation right now. These kinds of wins are what Ohio State was building towards with its young lineup, and against Michigan State, it was even younger than usually due to Jamison Battle missing the game with an ankle injury. Freshman Scotty Middleton replaced Battle to give Ohio State all underclassman in the starting five. The Buckeyes certainly missed Battle’s three-point prowess, as they went 3-for-17 from beyond the arc in the low-scoring affair, but the Spartans had their own shooting issues and shot just 4-for-16 from that range, including 1-for-9 from Tyson Walker and Jaden Akins.
OHIO STATE STUNS MICHIGAN STATE AT THE BUZZER 🚨 pic.twitter.com/SaIQY2jT0m
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 25, 2024
Still, Michigan State appeared to have the game under control with a 12-point lead and 11 minutes on the clock, but Devin Royal came off the bench for Ohio State and proved to be an unlikely hero alongside Felix Okpara. The pair of big men led the Buckeyes on the comeback trail and closed to within one point at 52-51 with six minutes left, setting the stage for the exciting conclusion. Royal, another freshman, showed off his post moves and mid-range game while scoring 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting in just 18 minutes. Okpara added 10 points and six rebounds, with four coming on offense.
No matter who is the head coach for Ohio State next year, the team has a bright future with all the young talent that has emerged this season. If the roster doesn’t fall apart, it should be a very desirable job since whoever gets it will be in line for massive improvement without having to do much. Michigan State, meanwhile, looked like it was a lock for the NCAA Tournament a week ago, but back-to-back home losses over teams with worse records have put the Spartans’ postseason status in doubt. It doesn’t help that their next game is on Saturday at Purdue.