Month: January 2025

Former Oregon 5-star QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele predicted to land with ACC team

A day after entering the transfer portal, former Oregon Ducks 5-star QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is projected to land in the ACC.

On Friday morning, it was reported that 5-star Oregon Ducks quarterback signee Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele was entering the transfer portal and leaving Eugene after just a couple of weeks with the team. Now, a day later, Sagapolutele is being predicted to land with an ACC team that was in on his recruitment from the start.

That ACC team is the California Golden Bears, who Sagapolutele was committed to before flipping to the Ducks on signing day. As the No. 1 player from the state of Hawaii in the 2025 class, going to Cal would offer a place close to home for the talented passer, and an opportunity to compete for the starting job right away.

[lawrence-related id=71525]

That second part seems to be a massive factor for Sagapolutele, who came to Eugene and practiced with the Ducks for a couple of weeks before seeing that he likely wouldn’t be able to take the starting spot from Dante Moore, opting to transfer instead.

We will see if Sagapolutele ends up with the Golden Bears in the end, but it is a move that would make a lot of sense for all parties involved.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Cold shooting costs Colorado women’s basketball in loss at Baylor

A poor second half cost the Buffs a win in Waco

The state of Texas hasn’t been friendly to the Colorado Buffaloes women’s basketball team this week. After losing at TCU on Wednesday, the Buffs dropped their second straight road game on Saturday, falling to the Baylor Bears in Waco, 76-62.

The Buffs were pitted against former CU center Aaronette Vonleh, who transferred to the Bears this past offseason. Vonleh was her usual dominant self in the paint, scoring 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting. The Bears’ starting unit did most of the damage against Colorado as all five starters scored over 10 points, led by guard Darianna Littlepage-Buggs’ 16.

The Buffs (10-4, 1-2 Big 12) were more balanced between their starters and bench unit in scoring but couldn’t hit enough shots in the second half. Frida Formann (10) and Jade Masogayo (13) each hit double-figures, but overall, the Buffs only connected on 22 of their 57 (38.6%) shots from the field.

While Colorado’s calling card has been sharing the ball, the Buffs dished out only nine assists against Baylor (12-3, 2-1 Big 12). Formann and Kindyll Wetta each led the Buffs with two assists.

CU will return home to face the UCF Knights (7-6, 0-3 Big 12) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. MT (ESPN+).

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

No. 1 Bruins will their way to victory over Indiana, move to 15-0

The Bruins were not at their best, but they handled Indiana by 11. Cori Close spoke about the team’s toughness, which shone through on the road.

The No.1 UCLA Bruins will leave Bloomington still unbeaten after their 73-62 win on Saturday over Indiana. Even if the UCLA women’s basketball team had to sweat it out a bit, the Bruins moved to 15-0 for just the second time in program history. 

Despite the fact that UCLA led by double-digits nearly all of the fourth quarter, with Indiana not scratching to within eight points until there was less than a minute remaining in the fourth, things didn’t feel necessarily smooth for the top team in the country.

Not only did the team seem more reliant than ever on junior Lauren Betts, who had another terrific game on Saturday with 25 points and 12 rebounds, but the victory wasn’t a glamourous one. The Bruins relied more on their toughness than their talent, which is something that Bruins head coach Cori Close was happy to see. 

“Credit to them. I’m really impressed with the job that they did,” Close said of Indiana. “But I was also really impressed with our team. I’ve been really challenging them recently to be willing to win ugly. To be willing to win in a gritty way and not a pretty way.”

There have been plenty of highlights since the start of the season, but Saturday’s win felt a bit more translatable to March, when the Bruins will have to battle for wins, regardless of how much talent resides on their roster. 

“This wasn’t our best day,” Close said of her team, “but I thought the way they responded to adversity and willing to just win ugly, I’m impressed with.”

UCLA will stay in Indiana as it prepares for another Big Ten test on Tuesday against Purdue.

Saturday inactives, injuries and weather: NFL Week 18

Week 18 weather, injury updates and gameday inactives for the Saturday slate.

Sunday updates will begin when teams start releasing official pregame inactives and starter information to the league. This is typically around 90 minutes prior to the kickoff of their game.

Weather forecasts are courtesy of The Football Database.

Week 18 Saturday inactives, weather and notes

KEY GAME-TIME DECISIONS

Afternoon game:
Saturday night: RB Chase Brown (inactive), WR Tee Higgins (active)

Late-afternoon game

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (4:30 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 29°F, cloudy, WNW 15 mph, feels like 18°F

Browns

Inactives: CB Kahlef Hailassie, CB Denzel Ward, QB Jameis Winston, LB Devin Bush, WR Michael Woods II, LB Jordan Hicks and DT Dalvin Tomlinson

Lineup notes: TE David Njoku (knee), RB Jerome Ford (ankle) and RB Pierre Strong (concussion) went on IR, ending their seasons. CB Denzel Ward (shoulder) also is out. WR Jerry Jeudy (knee) is good to go. DE Myles Garrett (thigh) was idle Tuesday and Wednesday and limited Thursday, but he’ll play.

Ravens

Inactives: DE Adisa Isaac, DT Chris Wormley, WR Anthony Miller, RB Justice Hill, WR Nelson Agholor, C Nick Samac and S Marcus Williams

Lineup notes: RB Justice Hill (concussion, illness) is out again. LT Ronnie Stanley (illness) is good to go after practicing Thursday.

Saturday Night Football

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers (8:00 p.m. ET)

Kickoff Weather: 19°F, cloudy, feels like 8°F

Bengals

Inactives: TE Tanner McLachlan, OT Andrew Stueber, WR Jermaine Burton, WR Charlie Jones, RB Chase Brown, DE Sam Hubbard and DE Isaiah Thomas

Lineup notes: DE Sam Hubbard (knee) is out again. RB Chase Brown (ankle) was not able to get right in time. WR Tee Higgins (ankle, knee), RT Amarius Mims (ankle, hand) and CB Cam Taylor-Britt (ankle) are good to go after being deemed questionable. LT Orlando Brown Jr. (leg) and QB Joe Burrow (wrist, knee) practiced Thursday and will play.

Steelers

Inactives: DE Dean Lowry, WR Scotty Miller, CB Donte Jackson, QB Kyle Allen and DE Isaiahh Loudermilk

Lineup notes: CB Donte Jackson (back) won’t be available in the regular-season finale.

New year, same Tigers: Auburn roars past Missouri 84-68

Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers opened up SEC play with a statement victory on Saturday

After a spectacular non-conference portion of the season, Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers have opened up SEC play with a statement victory.

Auburn defeated Missouri 84-68 in front of a packed Neville Arena on Saturday to earn its thirteenth win of the season. The blowout victory in ‘The Jungle’ was also Auburn’s second against Tiger counterparts. Johni Broome and company previously defeated Memphis in the ‘Maui Invitational’ championship earlier this season.

Broome, who continues to pace the field in the ‘Wooden Award’ race, had himself another fantastic performance in the SEC opener. The senior was the only player to reach double figures in the first half, finishing the frame with 13 points before ending the contest with a game-high 24 points to go along with 7 rebounds. Saturday marked the ninth time this season Auburn’s leading scorer had eclipsed the 20 point threshold this season. The total now gives Broome more 20+ point games than he had during the entirety of his All-SEC campaign a year ago.

Auburn, like it normally has so far this season, received most of its remaining offensive production from the backcourt trio of [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag], [autotag]Tahaad Pettiford[/autotag], and [autotag]Miles Kelly[/autotag]. The grouping of gifted guards combined for 29 to help the Tigers pull away in the contest. [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag] also added 9 points and a game-high 7 assists, doing most of his work in the second half.

While Auburn’s scoring continues to be historically outstanding, the defense was once again phenomenal on Saturday night. Led by [autotag]Dylan Cardwell[/autotag]’s 3 first half rejections, Auburn held Missouri to a season low 11 field goals in the first half. The away team’s offensive output only got worse in the second frame, as senior Tamar Bates 8 and his team shot just 38% from the field on their way to 68 points.

Auburn now heads into its first conference road matchup of the season with even more momentum than it had to finish 2024. While Texas is certain to give the Tigers a solidly competitive game on Tuesday, Bruce Pearl’s team has shown it will be extremely difficult to beat this season.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

Sights and sounds from the first half as the Ravens hold a 14-3 lead over the Browns

Sights and sounds from the first half as the Ravens hold a 14-3 lead over the Browns

Baltimore holds a 14-3 lead over Cleveland in the season finale, but all fans and experts can wonder is whether Zay Flowers sustained a serious injury when he was forced to exit with a knee injury.

Flowers had one catch on two targets before exiting, and his injury came shortly after Rashod Bateman was slow to get up after a big hit. Even with the Browns playing stout defense, the Ravens are 30 minutes from clinching the AFC North.

Derrick Henry has six carries for eight yards, and the Ravens have been held to 76 yards rushing in the first half.

***

Dolphins’ playoff hopes are in the hands of Carson Wentz, Tyler Huntley

The Dolphins are hoping a pair of backup quarterbacks can save their season.

The Miami Dolphins can reach the playoffs Sunday, but it sure doesn’t look likely.

If the Dolphins beat the New York Jets, they’ll improve to 9-8. That’ll only be good enough for a wild card berth if the 9-7 Denver Broncos lose to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. What makes that two-result scenario so improbable is that neither Tua Tagovailoa nor Patrick Mahomes are expected to play in Week 18.

The Dolphins are expected to put their season in the hands of Tyler Huntley, who is in line to start his fifth game of the season. The good news for Miami is that after struggling in his first three starts back in October, Huntley put together a strong performance last week against the Cleveland Browns. Even without Tagovailoa, a road victory against the 4-12 Jets is manageable.

Much less encouraging are the Chiefs’ chances against the Broncos.

On Friday, Kansas City announced that Mahomes and several other key players — including Travis Kelce and Chris Jones — aren’t likely to play Sunday.

With the three-time Super Bowl MVP out of action, it’ll be Carson Wentz who is tasked with keeping Denver from reaching the postseason.

Wentz, 32, was once an MVP candidate early in his career with the Philadelphia Eagles. But after leading the league in interceptions in 2020, his final season with the Eagles, Wentz has settled into an NFL journeyman role. The Chiefs are his fifth team in as many years.

During the 2023 season, Wentz started a Week 18 game for the Los Angeles Rams when they opted to rest their starters. While he led LA to a 21-20 win against the San Francisco 49ers, he did so against a team that also started its backups.

Wentz won’t get the same luxury against a Broncos squad that will be fighting for its playoff life. That’s why the 15-win Chiefs are an 11-point underdog.

The playoffs aren’t impossible for the Dolphins, but their chances rest on a pair of backups putting together vintage performances Sunday.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Alabama lands commitment from Ball State transfer offensive tackle

Alabama has added an offensive tackle through the transfer portal.

On Friday night, the Alabama Crimson Tide were back adding players in the transfer portal by securing a commitment from Arkel Anugwom.

Anugwom, a rising redshirt sophomore, will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

RELATED: Which transfers has Alabama added so far this offseason?

Alabama’s second offensive line transfer addition this offseason, Anugwom comes to Alabama after two seasons with the Ball State Cardinals in which he did not play much. In 2023, Anugwom did not appear in a game in order to redshirt, and then saw time in a few games in 2024 along Ball State’s offensive front.

Prior to Ball State, Anugwom was unranked as a prospect according to the 247Sports Composite rankings out of Antioch High School in Tennessee in 2023.

The redshirt sophomore will now likely play a depth role next season for the Crimson Tide, as starting left tackle Kadyn Proctor is set to return in 2025, while right tackle Elijah Pritchett is currently also expected back. Anugwom is also the second offensive line addition for Alabama in the transfer portal this offseason, joining Kam Dewberry.

Zoom Diallo brings a boost to Washington basketball

Zoom Diallo is establishing himself as a critical piece of Washington’s rotation.

Whether it be from the starting lineup or off the bench, whenever the Washington Huskies need a spark, coach Danny Sprinkle has turned to freshman guard Zoom Diallo. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound product of Tacoma, Washington has seen both his minutes and his role grow as the season has progressed.

The former highly-touted recruit has played the fourth-most minutes for the Huskies this season and has become an extremely effective scorer and distributor for Sprinkle’s team. His 11.1 points per game rank No. 3 on the team behind Great Osobor and Tyler Harris, while his 36 assists are second only to Osobor’s 51.

In Washington’s best win of the year, a 75-69 upset of the Maryland Terrapins, Diallo was stellar. He played 29 minutes off the bench and shot 50 percent from the floor, finishing with 18 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals in the contest.

“He was terrific,” Sprinkle said after the game, referencing the way the freshman was able to handle the physicality Maryland threw at him throughout the contest.

As the Huskies reach a true gauntlet in their schedule, with five of their next six games against ranked opponents, the freshman is going to be a critical part of running Sprinkle’s offense effectively. The win over the Terps showed that the Huskies have what it takes to grind out tough victories in Big Ten play, and the energy and physicality Diallo plays with should be a key talking point if Washington can find success.

Wisconsin basketball scales latest installation of NCAA NET rankings

Wisconsin basketball scales latest installation of NCAA NET rankings

Wisconsin basketball checked in at No. 25 in the latest installation of the NCAA Men’s Basketball NET Rankings on Saturday.

After sitting at No. 33 entering Friday’s contest against Iowa, Wisconsin leapfrogged several programs to claim the No. 25 spot in the list. Unlike ESPN BPI and KenPom, the NET ranking evaluates a program’s performance primarily based on the strength of its resume.

A significant aspect of the NET rankings is a team’s record in each quadrant. The NET features four quadrants formed based on game location and the opponent’s ranking, per the NCAA.

Here’s how those quadrants shake out:

  • Quadrant 1: Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75
  • Quadrant 2: Home 31-75, Neutral 51-100, Away 76-135
  • Quadrant 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240
  • Quadrant 4: Home 161-353, Neutral 201-353, Away 241-353

For instance, if the Badgers defeated Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium and the Blue Devils held a 26 NET ranking, UW would receive a Quadrant 1 win. If Greg Gard’s group dropped a game to Minnesota at the Kohl Center and the Golden Gophers boasted a NET of 100, it would be considered a Quadrant 3 loss.

Through 14 games, the Badgers have collected two Quadrant 1 wins, three Quadrant 2 wins, one Quadrant 3 win and five Quadrant 4 wins.

Only Illinois (No. 5), Michigan (No. 11), Oregon (No. 15), UCLA (No. 14), Maryland (No. 18), Michigan State (No. 20) and Oregon (No. 23) are ranked ahead of Wisconsin in the most recent version of the NET.

The Badgers’ convincing 31-point win over Iowa certainly urged voters to make the adjustment. Of all 18 Big Ten squads, Wisconsin moved the most in either direction.

UW will be back on the hardwood for an important road matchup at Rutgers on Monday, Jan. 6.