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CDST is back with this week’s “Hello darkness my old friend, it’s playoff time again” show, and just in
time to weigh in on the remaining fun in Round 1. You never know what you’re made of until you stare into
that abyss, so gather that confidence, take aim, and try not to miss. We’ll discuss who’ll be the graduates
to the conference semis, and who’ll just be goin fishin. Plus some MLB, a racing update if we’re lucky, and
we’ll raise your spirits with some classic stuff from Aldo Ray, pushing Canada Dry and raising a Battle Cry.
- Timber!!!! That’s the sound of the elderly Suns falling with a big thud in Round 1.
The Wolves are hangry and appear to be locked, loaded and on a mission.
Good luck to anyone standing in their way, and that includes the No. 2 Nuggets.
These guys have the best D in the league and some very choice options in the halfcourt, including a leaner, meaner KAT and the overpowering and overwhelming talent of Anthony Edwards. - When you go to war, it helps to have a leader.
Tonight in Dallas, the Clippers had none to speak of, including a
gimpy, listless Kawhi, a coach who was awol and left for dead on the sidelines, and a grand total of three has-been ex-all-Stars, who were all more bark and bluster than bang for their bucks.
Meanwhile, Doncic and Irving showed a generally underrated cast the way forward. - Tyrese wasn’t satisfied with a tie, which mucks things up for the big toe-less Bucks.
Sid Luckman, backfield coach for the Chicago Bears, who quarterbacked that team to four NFL championships in the 1940s, holds a modern football helmet in Chicago, Dec. 10, 1969, as he discusses its advantages for the wearer. It is one of Sid’s theories that the protection of face guards has hade players braver and more daring. (AP Photo/Edward Kitch)
ChabDog Sports wishes you a very, very Happy Passover. The most important holiday in our religion, because this is the reminder and celebration of our freedom.
- White was out of sight all night, as seen through the ruby red frames of Coach Snyder, whose options were quite limited given the Bulls’ superior size, strength, speed and agility. Celtics had better take notice.
- Nick “Temple of Doom” Batum drops more than a few big ones on the Heat.
Vroom vroom vroom, Joel Sebby Bach is back, and the Sixers think they still have a
chance. Go figure….
As discussed on tomorrow’s ChabDog Sports Talk Show…. The MLB All-Animal team (these guys were truly beasts at their respective positions):
Manager — Whitey Herzog — The White Rat
“Hippo” Vaughn — starting pitcher 178-137 ERA 2.49 (ERA Title, Pitching Triple Crown)
Harvey Haddix (The Kitten) — starting pitcher 136-113 ERA 3.63 (threw a no-hitter and lost)
Jim Kaat — starting pitcher 283-237 ERA 3.45 (Hall of Fame) (3x all star) 16 gold gloves
Old Hoss Radbourne — starting pitcher 310-194 (Hall of Fame) ERA Title 2.68 ERA
Goose Gossage — relief pitcher 124-107 301 saves (Hall of Fame) (9x all star)
Catcher — Yogi Berra (Hall of Fame) (3x MVP) (numerous world series titles and 18 all star appearances) (over 300 homers and over 2k hits)
Designated Hitter — Jimmy Foxx– aka The Beast (Hall of Fame, 3x MVP) (over 500 homers, lifetime avg of .325) Triple Crown
First Base — Lou Gehrig — aka The Iron Horse (Hall of Fame) (2 MVP) (.340 lifetime avg) 493 homers
Second Base — Nellie Fox — Hall of Fame, MVP (over 2600 hits, .288 avg) (3 gold gloves) 15x allstar
Shortstop — Rabbit Maranville – Hall of Fame (over 2600 hits, .258 avg) 291 stolen bases
Third Base — Bill “Mad Dog” Madlock — Four batting titles, over 2000 hits and lifetime .310 avg. (205 homers and lifetime avg of .305) 3x all star
Left Field — Ducky Medwick — Hall of Fame, MVP, Triple Crown winner, 10x all star
Right Field — Dave Parker — The Cobra — MVP, 7x allstar, 2 batting titles, 3 gold gloves, 2713 hits, .290 avg, 339 homers and nearly 1500 rbis, 2 world series titles
Center Field — Clyde Milan– Deerfoot — nearly 500 stolen bases, 2100 hits, .285 lifetime avg
Bench —
Johnny Mize (The Big Cat) — Hall of Fame, over 2000 hits, lifetime avg. 312, 349 homers, 10x allstar
Fred McGriff (Crime Dog) — Hall of Fame, 493 homers, lifetime avg. .284, nearly 2500 hits, 5x allstar
Ralph Garr (the Road Runner, Gator) — 1500 hits, .306 lifetime avg., 170 stolen bases
Dave Kingman (Kong) — 3x allstar, 442 homers
Omar Moreno — The Antelope — nearly 500 stolen bases
Ron Cey — Penguin — 6x all star, World Series MVP, 300 plus homers, over 1800 hits and over 1100 rbis
Walt Dropo — Moose — 1s allstar, Rookie of the Year, 152 homers
- DEVILS BURNED ON EASTER IN A FIERY, PLUS-SIZED WAY WHEN NC STATE BRINGS THE MOST TO THE POST WITH DANCING DJ…. OH YEAH!!!!
- Tennessee more or less kept it close, but its painful-to-watch offense never really got going, and when it came to Edey that freight train was anything but slowing. Boilers advance to the promised land in the desert, while it’s hard knocks for the Knoxvillers.
- In Tuscaloosa they’re wearing the Crimson letter “A” with tons of pride, after another awe-inspiring about face mid-way through the first half had the Tide erase a double-digit deficit en route to a first ever trip to the Final Four. Senior guard and peerless leader turned Crypto.com into his personal Sears showroom with 7 threes and a steely resolve that rebuffed the Tigers at every turn.
Tons of credit goes out to Freshman Stevenson, who dropped in a handful of long bombs himself, not to mention the points, boards and defense chipped in by Pringle, Nelson’s continued tenacity and enthusiasm and the very important contributions of Griffen and Estrada.
Clemson was tough as nails, and kudos to them for fighting the good fight, but when the dust cleared the Hall monitor fouled
out of school and the Chef was just out of recipes.
Can they stand up to the Huskies… you bet they can… because they’ve earned their stripes in battling through this adversity,
and have their big toe… Coach Oats watching their back and directing the attack. Go for it guys!!! - Enterprising Illini came to the regional final with some great expectations, but when the second half reared its ugly head they had no answers for larger than life CT and its Clingan empire
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ChabDog’s MLB All-Animal team (these guys were truly beasts at their respective positions):
As discussed on tomorrow’s ChabDog Sports Talk Show…. The MLB All-Animal team (these guys were truly beasts at their respective positions):
Manager — Whitey Herzog — The White Rat
“Hippo” Vaughn — starting pitcher 178-137 ERA 2.49 (ERA Title, Pitching Triple Crown)
Harvey Haddix (The Kitten) — starting pitcher 136-113 ERA 3.63 (threw a no-hitter and lost)
Jim Kaat — starting pitcher 283-237 ERA 3.45 (Hall of Fame) (3x all star) 16 gold gloves
Old Hoss Radbourne — starting pitcher 310-194 (Hall of Fame) ERA Title 2.68 ERA
Goose Gossage — relief pitcher 124-107 301 saves (Hall of Fame) (9x all star)
Catcher — Yogi Berra (Hall of Fame) (3x MVP) (numerous world series titles and 18 all star appearances) (over 300 homers and over 2k hits)
Designated Hitter — Jimmy Foxx– aka The Beast (Hall of Fame, 3x MVP) (over 500 homers, lifetime avg of .325) Triple Crown
First Base — Lou Gehrig — aka The Iron Horse (Hall of Fame) (2 MVP) (.340 lifetime avg) 493 homers
Second Base — Nellie Fox — Hall of Fame, MVP (over 2600 hits, .288 avg) (3 gold gloves) 15x allstar
Shortstop — Rabbit Maranville – Hall of Fame (over 2600 hits, .258 avg) 291 stolen bases
Third Base — Bill “Mad Dog” Madlock — Four batting titles, over 2000 hits and lifetime .310 avg. (205 homers and lifetime avg of .305) 3x all star
Left Field — Ducky Medwick — Hall of Fame, MVP, Triple Crown winner, 10x all star
Right Field — Dave Parker — The Cobra — MVP, 7x allstar, 2 batting titles, 3 gold gloves, 2713 hits, .290 avg, 339 homers and nearly 1500 rbis, 2 world series titles
Center Field — Clyde Milan– Deerfoot — nearly 500 stolen bases, 2100 hits, .285 lifetime avg
Bench —
Johnny Mize (The Big Cat) — Hall of Fame, over 2000 hits, lifetime avg. 312, 349 homers, 10x allstar
Fred McGriff (Crime Dog) — Hall of Fame, 493 homers, lifetime avg. .284, nearly 2500 hits, 5x allstar
Ralph Garr (the Road Runner, Gator) — 1500 hits, .306 lifetime avg., 170 stolen bases
Dave Kingman (Kong) — 3x allstar, 442 homers
Omar Moreno — The Antelope — nearly 500 stolen bases
Ron Cey — Penguin — 6x all star, World Series MVP, 300 plus homers, over 1800 hits and over 1100 rbis
Walt Dropo — Moose — 1s allstar, Rookie of the Year, 152 homers
Hungry like …. the Wolfpack…
Well Read’s Posts
Abe’s Posts
Week 16: 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 functioning well 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 Week 14: 7 Week 15: 3
THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICK
SAINTS | RAMS -4
https://t.co/6ztJ2JUGZE pic.twitter.com/bkT9XpXsTm
— Abe Miranda (@DarthVaber99) December 21, 2023
SATURDAY PICKS
BENGALS -2 | STEELERS
BILLS -12 | CHARGERS
🐅-2 || 🦬-12 https://t.co/2y5qdbULNO pic.twitter.com/rrLkwN9MS4
— Abe Miranda (@DarthVaber99) December 23, 2023
My post-game reaction to the Bengals losing to the Steelers and the Chargers covering the spread against the Bills…
My NFL picks is why I sign autos at my local mall 👍 https://t.co/BWHwlwwFZG pic.twitter.com/VjQF8sJE1G
— Abe Miranda (@DarthVaber99) December 24, 2023
SUNDAE PICKS
COMMANDERS +3 | JETS
BROWNS -2.5 | TEXANS
SEAHAWKS -2.5 | TITANS
LIONS -3 | VIKINGS
COLTS +1 | FALCONS
PACKERS -4.5 | PANTHERS
JAGUARS | BUCCANEERS -1
COWBOYS +1.5 | DOLPHINS
CARDINALS | BEARS -4
PATRIOTS | BRONCOS -6.5
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICKS
RAIDERS +10 | CHIEFS
GIANTS +12 | EAGLES
RAVENS | 49ERS -5.5
*All odds courtesy of Bet MGM on 12/20/2023
Let me know in the comments your thoughts below, or where posted on the socials
| | @darthvaber99
Week 15: 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 functioning well 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 Week 14: 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 14-week 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 15’s NFL picks (AST).
THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICK
CHARGERS | RAIDERS -3
-3 is the Christmas 🎁 I wasn’t expecting this year 🤣🤣🤣 @NewportBest_ #RaiderNation https://t.co/1IIadvNe9z
— Abe Miranda (@DarthVaber99) December 15, 2023
SATURDAY PICKS
VIKINGS | BENGALS -3
STEELERS | COLTS -1.5
BRONCOS +4 | LIONS
SUNDAE PICKS
BEARS | BROWNS -3
FALCONS -3 | PANTHERS
JETS +8.5 | DOLPHINS
TEXANS | TITANS -3
BUCCANEERS | PACKERS
GIANTS +6 | SAINTS
49ERS | CARDINALS +12.5
COMMANDERS | RAMS -6.5
COWBOYS +2 | BILLS
RAVENS -3 | JAGUARS
CHIEFS | PATRIOTS +7.5
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL PICK
EAGLES -4 | SEAHAWKS
*All odds courtesy of Bet MGM on 12/14/2023
Let me know in the comments your thoughts below, or where posted on the socials
| | @darthvaber99
Dorothy’s Posts
Aaron’s Posts
Purdue and Nebraska pull off dramatic wins at home and Penn State wins ugly
It does not get any more exciting than this in the Big Ten! On Wednesday night and again on Thursday night, we watched epic overtime battles play out between teams at the top of the conference and teams that are battling to earn NCAA Tournament bids. On Wednesday, Purdue narrowly avoided being swept by Northwestern thanks to some overtime heroics by the unstoppable Zach Edey. On Thursday, Nebraska engineered a massive comeback to defeat Wisconsin in overtime for the second season in a row. Winning in Lincoln these days is a seemingly impossible task for road teams.
Let’s start with the game in West Lafayette, though. Boo Buie was on a massive heater and it did not look like he was going to let Northwestern leave Mackey Arena without a win. He went 7-for-11 from beyond the arc and is playing like one of the top guards in the country. Buie also handed out eight assists to go with his 25 points and five rebounds. However, Buie was not the only one scorching the nets, as Lance Jones went 5-for-7 from distance and was responsible for answering Buie’s bombs with three huge triples in the final seven minutes. As well as Buie played, he fell one shot short of winning the game for Northwestern, as his buzzer-beating runner fell short, resulting in overtime.
And overtime is where Edey took over. College basketball’s top player scored the first 10 Purdue points of the extra period with Matthew Nicholson and Luke Hunger having already fouled out for Northwestern. The seldomly used forward Blake Preston did not have much of a chance on defense. With 30 or more points in four of his last six games, Edey is overwhelming for most opponents. Between his post game, the pick-and-roll with Braden Smith, and his ridiculous offensive rebound ability, there is just too much of Edey to deal with.
Braden Smith is really good. Broke down the whole defense to set up wide open Loyer. 16 assists for Smith in this game. pic.twitter.com/SRYebTDugv
— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) February 1, 2024
Speaking of Smith, he made a couple of huge plays down the stretch of overtime to keep the Wildcats at bay. First, Smith made a driving layup when Edey got tired of dominating. Then, with Purdue clinging to a three-point lead in the final minute, Smith drove under the basket and drew the entire Northwestern defense to him before kicking the ball out to Fletcher Loyer, who crushed a wide-open three and put the Boilers up 96-90. They hung on to win 105-96 and added to their number one overall resume. Northwestern is still looking like a solid bet for the NCAA Tournament, but a second victory over Purdue could have made the Wildcats close to a lock.
Indiana gets its act together and Illinois’ offense goes nuclear
Congrats, Indiana! You finally did it. The Hoosiers finally won a home game that they were favored in after dropping their last three Assembly Hall games to Penn State, Northwestern, and Nebraska. If Indiana had just taken care of business, we’d be talking about its status on the NCAA Tournament bubble right now, but instead all we can say is that the 74-70 win over Wisconsin is too little and too late for Mike Woodson’s team. After the Hoosiers led for almost 30 minutes, it looked like they were going to blow the game when John Blackwell hit a driving layup for Wisconsin to tie the score at 54-54 midway through the second half, but someone or something (or perhaps divine intervention) pull a fire alarm at Assembly Hall, causing the action to halt for 25 minutes.
When play finally resumed, Tyler Wahl posted up and scored on a reverse layup to give Wisconsin its first lead, but Indiana punched back with Malik Reneau hitting a putback layup. The two red teams battled back and forth with neither leading for more than three points until the Hoosiers finally took control in the final minute. Reneau powered through Wahl for a layup and made the score 72-70 Indiana with 55 seconds left, and then the Hoosiers got a key stop when AJ Storr missed a three-point shot. Mackenzie Mgbako drew a foul and knocked down both free throws to finally put the home squad ahead by two possessions and end a four-game losing streak.
Kel'el Ware is on fire. 🔥@KelelWare x @IndianaMBB
💻: Peacock pic.twitter.com/zC8c7Jsc5h
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 28, 2024
As usual, Indiana didn’t get much scoring from its backcourt, but Trey Galloway handed out 12 assists to help feed Kel’el Ware, who is turning into the Hoosiers’ own version of Zach Edey. Ware scored 27 points and went 11-for-12 from the field with 11 rebounds, five blocks, and just one turnover. That is unstoppable as it gets against a Wisconsin team that has plenty of big men to throw his way on defense. We’ve talked plenty about how disappointing this season has been for Indiana, but there is major bounce-back potential this fall if Ware decides to stick around alongside Reneau and the quickly improving Mgbako.
Purdue finally wins at Rutgers and Michigan enters the abyss
Purdue vs. Rutgers was a great game to put on television before the football on Sunday. I figured it would be physical, intense, and have a final score that reminded me of a football score. That is just how Rutgers games at the arena formerly known as the RAC have been this season. The Scarlet Knights have one of the worst offenses and best defenses in Division I, and when they play at home, they tend to drag opponents down to their level. I knew that Rutgers +10.5 was a lock, but I couldn’t make money off of it because New Jersey is a fascist state that doesn’t allow citizens to bet on colleges within the state.
This law needs to be changed immediately @NJGov https://t.co/Zvu60AguhD
— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) January 28, 2024
It also didn’t hurt that Purdue had lost three in a row at Rutgers and that Jersey Mike’s Arena was the only Big Ten venue in which Zach Edey had never won a game. Sure enough, even though Rutgers fell behind by 13 points at halftime, it clawed back to within two points thanks to some key buckets by freshmen Gavin Griffiths and Jamichael Davis. The Boilers had the answer each time and never surrendered the lead with Braden Smith scoring 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting to support Zach Edey’s 26 points and 12 rebounds. The Knights as usual did not shoot the ball very well, but they grabbed 15 offensive rebounds (Purdue only had six even though Edey had five himself) and might have pulled off the upset if not for a terrific defensive effort from Lance Jones. He only scored four points on 1-for-10 shooting, but he gave Rutgers’ guards fits and his five steals accounted for half of Rutgers’ 10 turnovers.
Purdue held on to win 68-60 with Rutgers covering the spread just like I foresaw. Please change the law, New Jersey.
Michigan keeps sinking
Now let’s talk about all the things I was wrong about this weekend. I really thought the Wolverines would get a home win over Iowa since they already won in Iowa City this season. Well, the game was close throughout, but Payton Sandfort picked a great time to pull out of his scoring slump and he helped the Hawkeyes pull away in the final 10 minutes. Sandfort was red hot from beyond the arc, and he finished with 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting. Iowa needs more games like that from him if it is going to make an NCAA Tournament push. Tony Perkins is upholding his end of the bargain with a third straight 20-point game. Michigan got balanced scoring with four starters in double figures, but its suspect defense let it down again. This is a nightmare season for Michigan and the schedule is not getting any easier up ahead.
Iowa, on the other hand, has a great chance to make a run with its next four games against Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, and Minnesota. Those might be the four worst teams in the league besides Michigan right now. If Iowa can get Sandfort and Ben Krikke going on offense alongside Perkins, Fran McCaffery’s team has a big chance to rack up some dubs.
Northwestern has the best home court advantage in the Big Ten
Purdue, Michigan State, and now Illinois have all lost to Northwestern inside of Welsh-Ryan Arena. The home of the Wildcats is looking like the top home court advantage in the Big Ten. It might even be considered among the best in the country if not for Northwestern’s loss to Chicago State in December. That inexplicable defeat is a serious stain on Northwestern’s NCAA Tournament resume, but the good news is that the Wildcats are safely in the field thanks to their most recent triumph over the rival Illini.
A week ago, Northwestern failed to secure a road win at Nebraska because Boo Buie turned into Mr. Clank, but that wasn’t an issue at home against Illinois. The superstar point guard was in his bag as the kids say. He led everyone with 29 points and seven assists while leading Northwestern to the 96-91 overtime victory. The game might not have made it to overtime, but Buie answered Justin Harmon’s go-ahead runner with a drive past Terrence Shannon Jr. and a layup off a shot fake to tie the score at 76-76.
Who else but Boo Buie to tie it up. 👀 @NUMensBball pic.twitter.com/PDvBlLy5pB
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) January 25, 2024
Illinois had a chance to win in regulation, and Marcus Domask had a good look at being the hero, but his 15-foot jumper banged off the back of the rim. That turned out to be the Illini’s best shot at victory because Northwestern scored the first nine points of overtime thanks to a three by Buie and another one by Brooks Barnhizer that turned into a four-point play with Quincy Guerrier fouling on the shot.
Before taking that big lead in overtime, Northwestern’s largest lead in the entire game was just four points. Even though the Cats shot 55 percent from the field and 11-for-18 from beyond the arc, Illinois kept pace with 21 offensive rebounds on 45 missed shots. The biggest second chance provider was Coleman Hawkins, who continued his streak of great play with 22 points and 13 rebounds with seven coming on offense. The effort by Illinois will be enough to win most games, and the team can be even better once Shannon Jr. rounds into form. Northwestern’s hot shooting was just too much to overcome on Wednesday night.
Terrence Shannon Jr. is back and so is Michigan State
Illinois fans got surprisingly good news last week when Terrence Shannon Jr. had his suspension overturned by U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Lawless. It turns out that Illinois suspending Shannon Jr. based on the rape and sexual battery charges against him violates his civil rights.
“Plaintiff’s participation in sports is vital to the development of his career as well as his current and future economic opportunities considering plaintiff’s intention to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft,” Lawless wrote in the order issued Friday. “Prior to his suspension, plaintiff was projected to be a lottery pick in the NBA. His participation in future games impact his prospects in the draft and his earning potential.”
Usually “innocent until proven guilty” only applies to the justice system and not to sports leagues (or in this case, schools) who suspend players in order to protect their precious family-friendly images. It was a pleasant surprise to see Shannon Jr. reinstated when we don’t know if he’s guilty of anything. The accusations against him are bad and disturbing, but there’s also very little evidence. I’m glad he gets to continue his final season of college basketball with the hope of impressing NBA scouts.
Terrence Shannon Jr. gets the steal and the big jam.@Sn1per_T x @IlliniMBB
📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/vNTUjvl2sL
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 21, 2024
Illinois probably didn’t need Shannon Jr. to defeat Rutgers on Sunday, but he still scored 16 points with four assists in 28 minutes off the bench in his first game back. Rutgers got a great effort from Cliff Omoruyi, and he helped the Scarlet Knights claw to within four points at 55-51 with 10 minutes left, but the Illini pulled away and won 86-63. Guys like Marcus Domask and Quincy Guerrier were able to spread their wings a little with Shannon Jr. out of action, so you can make the argument that Illinois is better off now than they were before the suspension. Many people won’t be happy that a player allegedly sexually assaulting a woman resulted in increased team chemistry, but it is going to be tough to pick against Illinois going forward.
Another team with high preseason expectations that is round into form is Michigan State. The Spartans are on a three-game winning streak with the most recent victory coming on Sunday at Maryland. The Terps erased a 12-point halftime deficit with a 21-6 run that led to them taking a 53-50 lead on Jahmir Young’s three-point shot with 13 minutes to play. However, Sparty bounced back and escaped with the 61-59 win thanks to three big field goals by A.J. Hoggard in the final eight minutes as well as a clutch step-back three from Tyson Walker to put Michigan State up 61-57 in the final minute. Young appeared to answer with a step-back three of his own seconds later, but his foot was on the line. Maryland got one more chance to tie or win following a defensive stop, but Tre Holloman stripped Young of the ball to keep the Spartans in the win column.