Month: February 2025

Air Force Falcons vs New Mexico Lobos in the PIT

Air Force Falcons vs New Mexico Lobos in the PIT Game: New Mexico Lobos vs Air Force Falcons Date: Saturday, March 1, 2025 Time: 12:00 MST Location: Albuquerque Venue: The PIT Radio: Lobo Sports Network, Rob Portnoy/Hunter Green TV: Mountain West …

Air Force Falcons vs New Mexico Lobos in the PIT

 Game: New Mexico Lobos vs Air Force Falcons

Date: Saturday, March 1, 2025

Time: 12:00 MST

Location: Albuquerque

Venue: The PIT

Radio: Lobo Sports Network, Rob Portnoy/Hunter Green

TV: Mountain West Network

SERIES: Lobos lead 68-27

New Mexico Lobos Look to Bounce Back Against Struggling Air Force Falcons

Photo Courtesy of UNM Athletics

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The New Mexico Lobos (22-6, 14-3 MWC) return to The Pit on Saturday afternoon to take on the struggling Air Force Falcons (4-24, 1-16 MWC) after losing 12 games in a row

The Mountain West Conference men’s basketball race has tightened over the past week with New Mexico suffering consecutive losses to Boise State and San Diego State, while Utah State no-showed Wednesday night against the Broncos.

The Lobos have lost two straight games after an eight-game winning streak this year in Mountain West Play.

With a head-to-head tiebreaker over Utah State and a favorable remaining schedule, New Mexico is still well-positioned to claim the regular-season title.

Photo Courtesy of gabibelberta.pages.dev

With just a handful of games remaining, New Mexico (22-6, 14-3) is clinging to first place in the MWC standings ahead of Utah State (24-5, 14-4), Colorado State (19-9, 13-4), San Diego State (19-7, 12-5), and Boise State (20-8, 12-5).

Lobos Aim to Rebound

New Mexico enters the contest looking to recover from a 73-65 loss to San Diego State despite a standout 26-point performance from Donovan Dent.

The Lobos have been dominant at home, boasting a 14-1 record at The Pit, and lead the MWC in scoring with an impressive 82.3 points per game while shooting 46.0% from the field.

Photo Courtesy of UNM Athletics

On the other hand, the Falcons have struggled in conference play, holding a 1-16 record. Air Force has particularly had trouble in lopsided games, going 1-13 in contests decided by 10 or more points.

Look for Richard Pitios Lobos to take their two-game losing streak frustration on the Falcons in the PIT on Saturday, this one could get fairly lopsided in a very Falcon hostile crowd.

The Lobos have three games left in the season with hopes of showing the rest of the conference that their record of 22-6 is no accident.

They are still playing with a whole lot to play for with a potential Mountain West Conference Championship within their grasp, the Mountain West tournament in Vegas and going to the big Dance again this year.

Photo Courtesy of goaridforcefalcon.com

 

The Lobos with the remaining schedule pretty much control their own destiny as the end of the regular season comes into play as long as they win the last three games.

 Falcons Face Uphill Battle

Air Force has endured a challenging season, managing just one win in conference play.

The Falcons have particularly struggled on the road, dropping 12 consecutive away games.

They have also faced difficulty in double-digit losses, posting a 1-13 record in such contests.

Offensively, they rely on the three-point shot, averaging 8.0 makes per game, slightly above New Mexico’s 7.8 three-pointers allowed.

 Key Players to Watch

 For New Mexico:

Donovan Dent leads the Lobos in both points (19.9) and assists (6.5) per game while contributing 2.5 rebounds. Defensively, his averages are 1.5 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.

Nelly Junior Joseph controls the boards with a team-high 10.8 rebounds per game, 13.5 points, and 1.2 assists while shooting 54.7% from the field.

Tru Washington provides solid production, averaging 11.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, shooting 43.1% from the field and 38.4% from three-point range with 1.4 made triples per contest.

Photo Courtesy of UNM Athletics

For Air Force:

Ethan Taylor leads the team in scoring (14.1 points), rebounding (5.6), and assists (3.6) while shooting 39.2% from the field and 38.7% from beyond the arc with 3.0 made threes per game. He also contributes 1.6 steals and 0.4 blocks defensively.

Luke Kearney adds 9.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 40.1% from the floor and 34.0% from three-point range, making 1.7 treys per contest.

Kyle Marshall chips in 7.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game for the Falcons.

Photo Courtesy of Air Force Falcons Athletics

Recent Trends

New Mexico has been in strong form, winning eight of its last ten games while averaging 80.7 points per contest.

The Lobos outscored opponents by an average margin of 11.6 points during this stretch.

Conversely, Air Force has struggled mightily, winning just once in its last ten outings.

The Falcons have been outscored by an average of 16.2 points per game, managing only 61.0 points per contest while allowing 77.2.

Photo Courtesy of UNM Athletics

Betting Trends

New Mexico has a 13-14-0 record against the spread (ATS), while  Air Force is 10-18-0. The Lobos have hit the over in 13 games, while the Falcons have done so 16 times. Over the past ten matchups, New Mexico has 5-5 ATS, whereas Air Force has 3-7.

With the Lobos’ offensive firepower and home-court advantage, they are expected to control the tempo against a struggling Falcons squad.

Photo Courtesy of UNM Athletics

However, the Air Force’s ability to knock down three-pointers could keep them competitive.

Will the Lobos cruise to another home win, or can the Air Force pull off a massive upset? All eyes will be on The Pit this Saturday to find out.

This Lobo team are very motivated as the regular season is within sight  and they have not forgotten the shocking loss to Air Force last season 78-77.

So watch for the Lobos to roll in the PIT, the Lobos average 82.3 points per game and score 9.8 more points that the Falcons allow 72.5.

New Mexico hits their average and score 85-90 in this game to 6o for Air Force in this writers opinion.

Lobos have to many weapons, motivation and the PIT.

 

Overreaction Time: Ilia Topuria vacates properly, UFC 314 goes big, a UFC screwjob?, more!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” covering a HUGE week of fight bookings by the UFC.

The time for overreacting is here!

Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” at noon ET/9 a.m. PT as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:

  • UFC Seattle: [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] will only hurt his legacy if he continues fighting.
  • Nobody should have a problem with [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]’s move to lightweight.
  • UFC 314: [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag] faces more pressure than [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag].
  • UFC 314: [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] will prove if [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] is legit or all hype.
  • UFC 314: [autotag]Yair Rodriguez[/autotag] is a perfect first test for [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag]’s debut.
  • UFC 315/UFC London: [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] caught a break, but [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] got shafted.
  • UFC 315: [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Manon Fiorot[/autotag] is the best women’s fight we’ll get this year.

Watch the full episode in the video above.

2025-26 NBA Depth Charts: How rotations might look like next season

Front offices know it’s never too early to start preparing for the following year. To help everyone else prepare as well, here are the current rosters for the 2025-26 season, including every player under contract, along with their status and salary. …

Front offices know it’s never too early to start preparing for the following year. To help everyone else prepare as well, here are the current rosters for the 2025-26 season, including every player under contract, along with their status and salary.

We’re also including each franchise’s projected 2025 first-round picks (for those who own at least one), based on team records at the end of each game day and our latest Aggregated Mock Draft. As the standings change, the projected picks will be updated.

Key: • Player Option / • Team Option / Not Guaranteed / • Two-way contract

Falcons miss out on Michael Penix Jr. in 2024 NFL re-draft

Falcons miss out on Michael Penix Jr., take defensive star in NFL.com’s 2024 re-draft

When the Atlanta Falcons selected quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, many around the league were highly critical of the pick. While Penix was projected to go somewhere in the first round, Atlanta wasn’t on anyone’s radar as a landing spot.

It’s been less than a year since the Falcons drafted the former Washington Huskies QB and the criticism has mostly turned to optimism. Penix played well enough over the final three games of the year to justify being the No. 8 overall pick.

Despite a strong year from this year’s crop of rookie quarterbacks, there’s a good chance that Penix would go even higher if the 2024 NFL draft were to be held today.

In NFL.com’s 2024 re-draft, the Falcons rookie didn’t even make it out of the top five. Instead, the New York Giants moved up to pick No. 5 to snag Penix out from under Atlanta:

The Giants use their mulligan to trade up one spot for Michael Penix Jr., securing their franchise QB and overwriting the disastrous Daniel Jones/Drew Lock/Tommy DeVito/Tim Boyle debacle of 2024. Giving up Malik Nabers is certainly not ideal, and we did consider a scenario where New York kept the elite WR and then targeted its new franchise passer with the third overall pick in the 2025 draft. — NFL.com’s Ali Bhanpuri & Tom Blair

With Kirk Cousins’ sudden decline putting his future with the team in doubt, Penix gives the Falcons stability at the game’s most important position. However, Atlanta still made out okay in NFL.com’s 2024 re-draft. 

At pick No. 8, the Falcons land a dominant defender in Jared Verse. The Florida State edge rusher was just awarded the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year following a stellar rookie season for the Los Angeles Rams:

The Falcons would surely love to re-draft Penix — their original pick, whose selection would seem a lot less unorthodox now that we know he ended up taking the QB reins from Kirk Cousins during the season — but the promising youngster is gone. So Atlanta jumps on Jared Verse, whose Pro Bowl efforts helped the Rams do what the Falcons could not: climb out of the NFC’s middle class and reach the postseason. — NFL.com’s Ali Bhanpuri & Tom Blair

Hindsight is 20/20, but the Falcons have to feel vindicated after so many criticized their decision to double up at the quarterback position. Cousins may have been an expensive mistake, however, Penix’s promise makes it easier to digest.

The Falcons will likely attempt to upgrade their defense in the 2025 NFL draft, assuming they don’t take a wide receiver in Round 1.

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Report: Saquon Barkley once passed on Giants offer that exceeded Eagles deal

A new report suggests Saquon Barkley once turned down an offer from the New York Giants that exceeded the one he signed in Philadelphia.

On Sunday night, Saquon Barkley picked up his first Super Bowl championship as the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs. Unsurprisingly, that thrust the New York Giants back into the spotlight.

The entire NFL world saw the divorce between Barkley and the Giants play out on “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants” back in July. It became a viral topic of discussion that persisted throughout the year as the former No. 2 overall pick put up historic numbers.

Although exact contractual details were not shared during Hard Knocks, a recent report by Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post suggests the Giants and Barkley parted ways over just $1.5 million in guaranteed money over the course of three seasons.

Had the Giants upped their own final offer to him, made in July 2023, by about $1.5 million guaranteed over three years, Barkley never would’ve reached free agency, and HBO’s “Hard Knocks” would’ve been boring television. The Eagles’ season might be over.

That minuscule amount of money set in motion a remarkable fall from grace for the Giants and the ascension of the Philadelphia Eagles to the NFL’s elite.

But there’s still more to the story.

Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated recently sat down with Barkley’s trainer, Ryan Flaherty, who informed the publication that New York once offered the running back a larger deal than the one he signed with Philadelphia, but it was rebuffed.

In regard to Saquon Barkley’s contract with the Eagles, his trainer, Ryan Flaherty, says one Giants offer came in higher than what Barkley signed for in Philadelphia. He shares this story to illuminate Barkley’s mindset. The running back viewed that calculus in multiple ways. He wasn’t happy with how the Giants handled the end in New York. He never said so publicly. He understood the tension. And, while he reconciled the tension with his internal misgivings, he still wanted to remain loyal. Even before this season. When Giants brass decided to move on, he saw not fewer dollars in Philadelphia but a realistic chance to win a Super Bowl.

“It’s rare upon rare for someone to go to a division rival and everybody just be like, ‘Well, we respect you because of how you handled that,'” Flaherty said. “He held to his principles. That’s who he is.”

It can be true that the Giants and general manager Joe Schoen mishandled the situation with Barkley and also true that Barkley turned down a fair offer. Those two things are not mutually exclusive.

Unfortunately for Schoen, these new revelations that are coming from the Barkley camp (and not the Giants), won’t be enough to end the relentless criticism and mockery.

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Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes comments on Super Bowl LIX performance: ‘I have to get better’

Kansas City #Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes comments on Super Bowl LIX performance: ‘I have to get better’ | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs’ disappointing loss in Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles exposed several issues the team has overcome all season. Patrick Mahomes battled through the game, but mistakes and poor offensive line play were the story. At his postgame press conference, he spoke to reporters about his play.

“I feel like I didn’t play to my standard, especially with the struggles that I had early in the season,” said Mahomes. “And so there’s things that I have to get better at, and they kind of showed today and on the biggest stage. And so I want to find a way this all season to combat what defenses are doing to me as far as rush lanes and different coverages that they’re playing.”

Mahomes completed 21 passes for 257 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions (one of which was a pick-six). He also led the team in rushing with 25 yards as the running game never got going with Kareem Hunt or Isiah Pacheco.

“That’s the beauty of football, is that you never can be satisfied with just going out there and playing and thinking you’re going to have success year in and year out; these defenses are going to continue to get better and better,” said Mahomes. “So I have to get better. And so I take a lot of ownership in that, and I want to hopefully come back and play better football this next season.”

Due to his drop in production, Mahomes wasn’t selected for the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career as a starter during the 2024 season. Next season, an extra-motivated Mahomes will seek a bounce-back performance.

Chiefs players blindly pick Bo Nix over Patrick Mahomes based on stats

When asked to blindly choose between two QBs based on 2024 stats, Chiefs players picked Bo Nix over Patrick Mahomes in a DNVR interview.

Before the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Kansas City Chiefs players were made available for interviews during Super Bowl Media Week in New Orleans leading up to the Big Game.

Zac Stevens of DNVR Broncos caught up with several Chiefs players last week and asked them to choose between two quarterbacks based on blind stats. The first quarterback threw 26 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. The second quarterback threw 29 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.

Six of the eight players chose the second QB (29 TDs). The seventh “barely” picked the first QB and another player simply asked, “Which one was Patrick Mahomes?”

Stevens then revealed to the players that the first QB with 29 touchdowns was Bo Nix, while the QB with 26 was Mahomes. Check out the video:

Nix went 22-of-30 for 215 yards with two touchdowns against the Chiefs in Week 10 while Mahomes went 28-of-42 for 266 yards with one score in that contest. They’re set to face off again (twice) in 2025.

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Eagles’ Vic Fangio cements a legendary career with a defensive clinic in the Super Bowl

The legendary Vic Fangio deserves his flowers.

Everything Vic Fangio touches turns to gold.

The defensive coordinator was the architect of the early 2010s San Francisco 49ers unit that bulldozed its way to three consecutive NFC title game appearances. He was the puppeteer behind the Chicago Bears’ short renaissance only a few years later, with the incomparable Khalil Mack acting as his ultimate game-breaking weapon.

After spending years in and around this chaotic game we call football, the ingenious coaching lifer can finally call himself a Super Bowl champion.

Make no mistake: Fangio was the brilliant maestro behind the Philadelphia Eagles’ relentless defense, which bullied an all-time great like Patrick Mahomes to arguably the worst performance of his career.

No disrespect to Jalen Hurts, but if coaches could win Super Bowl MVP honors, Fangio would’ve undoubtedly been first in line:

There are three hallmarks every great football coach possesses.

When their players step out of line, these coaches hold them accountable at all costs. They do not relent in their overarching message of responsibility. It is baked into everything they do. We should assume this first step is always taken care.

When their players make a mistake, it is less about focusing on the mistake itself and more about how these coaches use it as a teaching and learning opportunity. If you’re someone like rookie defensive backs Cooper DeJean or Quinyon Mitchell, you’re inevitably going to blow coverages on the back end. If you’re planet-eating defensive lineman Jalen Carter, you’re going to unnecessarily take yourself out of a running lane here and there. If you’re stalwart linebacker Zack Baun, you will whiff and miss a tackle now and then. Mistakes happen. They just do.

But, crucially, they never become a habit.

Most importantly, a great coach trusts their players. They empower them. They tailor their schemes around what they do well. It’s not about fitting a square peg into a round hole. It’s about ensuring the pieces fit together at all costs. They trust them. They let them play loose.

By golly, they put their complete faith in them.

Everywhere Fangio has gone in the NFL, he has embodied these principles.

He holds himself to a high standard — the man was literally grimacing in the booth with a four-score lead and eight minutes left in Sunday’s Super Bowl — and he expects even more from his players as a result.

That, in turn, allows them to reach the most incredible heights — hoisting a Lombardi Trophy with hundreds of millions of people watching at home.

That’s why the Eagles’ defense was able to flex its muscles on the biggest stage in American sports. It followed the lead of Fangio, the steward, the maestro who turned the squad into the NFL’s premier defense. How else do you possibly explain a defense that hit Mahomes 11 times and sacked him six others without sending a single blitz?

This was a Philadelphia coaching masterclass through and through:

The Eagles won their second Super Bowl in franchise history because their defenders didn’t go off script. They trusted each other, and they trusted their plan. Above all, they played together, and they were well-schooled — the most lethal combination there is in pro football.

From this perspective, there’s no one better to listen to than Fangio.

At least for one year, Fangio turned the Eagles’ famous green color scheme into the brightest gold.

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Tee Higgins makes head-turning comments about Bengals future

The Bengals WR finally met up with reporters about his contract situation.

In recent weeks, things have seemed a little more positive around the outlook for Tee Higgins and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Higgins, though, met with reporters around the time of the Super Bowl and gently walked the necessary tightrope ahead of his potential trip to free agency.

“Obviously, we want to build something here in Cincy, but it’s not in my hands right now,” Higgins told reporters, according to Fox 19’s Joe Danneman. “I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do and if that’s go to another team, you know, that’s what happens.”

Joe Burow’s endless wave of public pressure applied to the Bengals about keeping Higgins and others has changed the vibes around the situation ahead of the key offseason.

RELATED: Bengals QB Joe Burrow makes a promise to Caitlin Clark

Higgins also commented on Burrow’s public support for himself and other members of the core.

“Yeah, of course, we all want to keep the core pieces what it is (right now) even with Mike Gesicki,” Higgins said. “That’s a core piece as well. So obviously, we want to build something here in Cincy. But you know, it’s not in my hands right now. So I got to do what I need to do and if that’s go to another team. That’s what happens.”

For Bengals fans, some of this will remind them of Jessie Bates’ interviews before he wound up leaving in free agency. That’s how this goes in February — the possible impending free agent needs to apply a little pressure of his own while keeping all options open.

The reality? Higgins is saying what he needs to say, but major roster-building problems (including Jermaine Burton), plenty of cap space and what Joe Burrow wants play a big role here and these comments shouldn’t sway those vibes.

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NBA injury tracker: Who’s available to play and who’s not

In the modern NBA, there’s no more important skill than availability. To keep track of who’s playing, who’s sitting, and who’s on the fence, here’s the current status for each player in the league. To see how this affects each team’s rotation, you …

In the modern NBA, there’s no more important skill than availability. To keep track of who’s playing, who’s sitting, and who’s on the fence, here’s the current status for each player in the league. To see how this affects each team’s rotation, you can check our updated Depth Charts.

We’re also introducing the Injured Salary Ranking, which shows which teams have the most money sidelined at the moment. This ranking includes players currently listed as “Out” or “Doubtful,” while healthy players assigned to the G League are not included.

Key: • Out / • Doubtful / • Questionable / • Probable