Month: March 2022

WATCH: Michigan State basketball commit Jeremy Fears with a fancy finish

MSU PG commit Jeremy Fears showed his skill set with this fancy play:

Jeremy Fears was the first player in the 2023 recruiting class to commit to Michigan State and Tom Izzo. Fears, a top-26 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class, is a very highly regarded point guard and was a very good get by the Michigan State staff.

Fears, a member of the La Lumiere School, was in the national high school basketball playoffs this week. In their matchup with the IMG Academy, Fears showed why he is such a highly regarded recruit in the class.

Watch as Fears shows his ability to drive the line and finish at the rim:

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William Knight stays at heavyweight; Devin Clark elevates to fight him at UFC on ESPN 34

UFC on ESPN 34 features a heavyweight bout between two fighters used to competing at light heavyweight.

[autotag]William Knight[/autotag] will stick around at heavyweight at least a little bit longer.

At UFC on ESPN 34, Knight (11-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) will take on [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] (12-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) in a three-round heavyweight bout. The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN/ESPN+.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking Thursday, but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Knight, 33, competed at heavyweight in his most recent outing, a split decision loss to Maxim Grishin at UFC 271 in February. However, the elevation up a division was a bit unexpected, as Knight missed the light heavyweight limit by 12 pounds. The bout was allowed to continue at heavyweight, as Grishin agreed. The loss snapped a two-fight winning streak for Knight that included victories over Fabio Cherant and Alonzo Menifield.

Clark, 31, was scheduled to compete at UFC on ESPN 34, but his opponent was never made public. Usually a light heavyweight, Clark is set to make his heavyweight debut off back-to-back losses suffered against Anthony Smith and Ion Cutelaba. Prior to the current skid, Clark won back-to-back fights against Dequan Townsend and the aforementioned Menifield.

With the addition, the UFC on ESPN 34 lineup includes:

  • Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad
  • Uriah Hall vs. Andre Muniz
  • Brandon Jenkins vs. Drakkar Klose
  • Miguel Baeza vs. Dhiego Lima
  • Chris Barnett vs. Martin Buday
  • Pannie Kianzad vs. Lina Lansberg
  • Mounir Lazzez vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
  • Rafa Garcia vs. Jesse Ronson
  • Caio Borralho vs. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev
  • Mayra Buneo Silva vs. Yanan Wu
  • Sam Hughes vs. Istela Hughes
  • Miguel Baeza vs. Andre Fialho
  • Heili Alateng vs. Kevin Croom
  • T.J. Laramie vs. Pat Sabatini
  • Jordan Leavitt vs. Trey Ogden
  • Devin Clark vs. William Knight

2022 NFL draft: Kenyon Green scouting report

Everything NFL draft fans need to know about Texas A&M offensive lineman Kenyon Green

A three-year starter with experience at both guard and tackle, Texas A&M’s Kenyon Green will bring a rugged playing style and plenty of versatility to the next level as one of the top offensive linemen in the 2022 NFL draft.

Here is everything you need to know about the Aggies’ athletic blocker:

Tigers’ passing game looks to regain confidence

After not living up to expectations last season, Clemson’s passing attack is looking to regain its confidence.

In a season full of inconsistency, injuries and question marks, the Tigers’ offense failed to deliver to its preseason expectations.

Now, after throwing for 191.2 passing yards per game last season, Clemson’s passing attack is looking toward reviving itself in the fall.

“We got to get some confidence in the passing game too, and we lost our confidence last year,” Clemson passing game coordinator Kyle Richardson said on Wednesday. “Once we lost it, it was hard to get it back, so we’ve made some tweaks.”

Richardson, who is taking over for Brandon Streeter as the team’s passing game coordinator, said the Tigers need to get back to the basics and put the ball in the playmakers’ hands.

Whether it be freshman wide receiver Adam Randall, sophomore Beaux Collins or running back Will Shipley, Clemson’s offense has the weapons to establish a revitalized passing attack.

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2022 NBA draft race: April 1 update for Rockets, Nets picks

Detroit’s shocking win over Philadelphia on Thursday restored Houston’s lead over the Pistons in the 2022 NBA draft race. Milwaukee’s rally versus Brooklyn helped the Rockets, too.

With Houston owning one of the NBA’s worst records, the 2022 playoffs are no longer an option for the Rockets. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to still watch for in the final two weeks of the 2021-22 season.

Until the regular season’s conclusion on April 10, we’re regularly updating where the Rockets stand in relation to their closest competitors in the race for 2022 NBA draft lottery odds and positioning.

Houston owns two picks in this year’s first round: Their own, and one from Brooklyn. For purposes of these updates, we’re going to focus on teams (at the time of publication) within three games in either direction of both the Rockets and Nets in the standings.

After a second straight season at the bottom of the West, will the Rockets land another elite prospect such as Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith or Paolo Banchero for their troubles? Scroll on for the latest updates as of April 1, along with information on odds and tiebreaker scenarios.

LSU baseball falls at home in Game 1 against Auburn

The Tigers’ comeback effort fell short as they sit in a 0-1 hole against Auburn.

LSU entered Thursday night’s series opener against the Auburn Tigers riding a three-game winning streak after it beat the Florida Gators twice in Gainesville and then shellacked UL-Monroe 15-4 on Tuesday.

It seemed that the Tigers were starting to figure things out under first-year coach [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag], but that progress was interrupted against Auburn as they fell 6-5 despite a late comeback bid.

[autotag]Blake Money[/autotag] got the start on the mound for Game 1 of the weekend series against AU, and LSU started things off right with a [autotag]Cade Doughty[/autotag] homer in the bottom of the first to take the early lead in a battle between SEC West foes.

Things remained quiet until [autotag]Hayden Travinski[/autotag] continued his hot streak with his own solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to make it 2-0 LSU.

However, it all fell apart in the top of the fifth.

With bases loaded and two outs, Auburn got a two-RBI single on a ball that bounced over Tre Morgan’s head at first. That tied the game 2-2. The next batter hit a three-run home run, and in the blink of an eye, it was 5-2 Auburn.

It scored again on an error by Doughty to make it 6-2 for the wrong Tigers heading to the bottom of the inning. In the bottom of the eighth inning, LSU was able to cut into the Auburn lead as [autotag]Brayden Jobert[/autotag] blasted a two-run shot to right field to make it 6-4.

In the bottom of the ninth, LSU scored a run on a sacrifice fly by [autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] to cut the lead to 6-5 with Morgan standing on second base as the tying run, but [autotag]Jacob Berry[/autotag] struck out for out No. 2.

In stepped [autotag]Jordan Thompson[/autotag] with a chance to tie or win the game, and he flew out to right field.

LSU will play Game 2 against Auburn tomorrow with the first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT at Alex Box Stadium.

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Marcus Bingham Jr. says goodbye to Spartan Nation

Marcus Bingham Jr. took to Twitter to say goodbye to Spartan Nation as he plans to pursue a career in professional basketball

Marcus Bingham Jr. has officially declared that he is forgoing his final year of eligibility to pursue a professional career in basketball. After four strong years of donning the green and white, Bingham has made the decision to move on from Michigan State.

Spartan Nation has been in full support of Bingham’s decision to pursue a professional route in basketball, and surely will be cheering him on every step of the way.

Bingham took to Twitter to give Spartan Nation a goodbye message.

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2022 NFL draft: Andrew Booth Jr. scouting report

Everything NFL draft fans need to know about Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth Jr.

A steady first-year starter with a tenacious style of play, Clemson’s Andrew Booth Jr. enters the 2022 NFL draft as one of the top prospects in a deep cornerback class.

Here is everything you need to know about the Tigers shutdown cover man:

Doc Rivers discusses bench struggles in Sixers’ road loss to Pistons

The Philadelphia 76ers discuss their bench struggles in a road loss to the Detroit Pistons.

DETROIT–The Philadelphia 76ers had themselves a tough night overall as they fell to the team with the second to worst record in the East in the Detroit Pistons on the road 102-94. Joel Embiid had himself a big night scoring 37 points and pulling down 15 rebounds, but the bench unit couldn’t help.

It was a tough night for the second group as they only scored eight points on 3-for-12 shooting. They did not register a point until Shake Milton drilled a triple late in the third quarter and it contributed to a loss.

In their defense, the bench unit was out there with James Harden and The Beard was taking on more of the offensive load with his shots–as he should.

“They didn’t struggle, they didn’t get a lot of shots in their defense,” said coach Doc Rivers. “I think during that stretch, it was more James than them. It was just a tough night.”

In no way was Rivers blaming Harden for Philadelphia’s bench unit struggling. What he was saying is, the bench didn’t get an opportunity to get in a rhythm because the offense is focused on Harden at that point, and it should be.

The Sixers want Harden to be taking more shots on the floor and get more aggressive and he did so on Thursday in a unit that was tailored to him being the focal point. He just struggled shooting 4-for-15 on the night. It happens.

Even Embiid had his struggles in the fourth quarter that contributed to the loss.

“I always like to put it on myself,” said Embiid. “I should have been better. I had a bunch of turnovers off those doubles. I gotta do a better job, but my teammates, I’m sure they want to be better too. Ultimately, it’s on me to get better and have a better performance next time.”

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

MSU football OL coach Chris Kapilovic breaks down what “juice squad” means

“Juice squad is a lifestyle.” MSU OL coach Chris Kapilovic revealed what the “juice squad” is all about

Michigan State’s offensive line coach, Chris Kapilovic, is one of the most energetic, passionate coaches on Mel Tucker’s staff. Coach Kap is known for being a great offensive line coach, but that starts from his mantra of “juice squad” and bringing the “juice” in life.

Coach Kap went on to join Jayson Strayhorn and Brian Mossallam’s podcast to discuss all things Michigan State and its offensive line. Amidst their conversation, Kapilovic explained what the “juice” was, and you can see how fired up it makes him.

You can watch the clip here:

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