Category: VideoMRSS

New Mexico vs. Green Bay: Game Preview, TV, Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

The New Mexico Lobos stay home for a third straight game, hosting the Green Bay Phoenix at Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit in Albuquerque.

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New Mexico vs. Green Bay: Game Preview, TV, Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

The Lobos play the Phoenix for the first time

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Can New Mexico hold off a spoiler from an experienced Green Bay squad?

WHO: New Mexico Lobos (2-0) vs. Green Bay (1-1)

WHEN: Wednesday, November 13 — 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT

WHERE: Dreamstlye Arena – The Pit, Albuquerque, NM (15,411)

TV: None

STREAM: Mountain West Network / Stadium

RADIO: TuneIn

SERIES RECORD: This is the first meeting between the University of New Mexico and the University of Green Bay.

ODDS: New Mexico -12, per KenPom

PREVIEW: The New Mexico Lobos stay home for a third straight game in a four-game home stand to start the season, hosting the Green Bay Phoenix in non-conference play on Wednesday, November 13 at Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit in Albuquerque.

New Mexico has gone 2-0 to open the season while Green Bay is 1-1 on the season. Most recently, the Lobos had a solid outing against Cal State Northridge, beating the Matadors 97-70 behind a steady offense and stretches of a strong defense. Green Bay last played Wisconsin-Stout, a 115-64 rout against the Division III University.

Through their 2-0 start, New Mexico has been led by Carlton Bragg (15.0 points, 5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks per game) and Corey Manigault (15.0 points 1.5 blocks per game), though six Lobos have averaged double figures in scoring through the small sample size of contests. JaQuan Lyle has demonstrated his passing prowess as advertised, leading the way with 8.0 assists per game through the first two games.

So far the offense has been clicking for New Mexico, averaging a scorching NCAA-leading 60.0% field goal percentage and 22 assists through its two wins (yes the strength of schedule isn’t great and its a very small sample, but still something for the Cherry and Silver to be encouraged about).

So far for Green Bay, scoring has been very evenly distributed through the roster with Kameron Hankerson (12.5 points per game) and Freshman Amari Davis (12.5 points, 1.5 steals per game) leading the Phoenix.

Prior to Green Bay’s blowout win over Wisconsin-Stout, the Phoenix struggled against a good Purdue team to open the season, a 79-57 loss, making it hard to say where this team sits in the fabric of college basketball. Being among the top 30 or so teams in returning minutes should help Green Bay to be competitive in most games, including against New Mexico.

New Mexico’s oft employed start-to-finish full-court press that Weir stuck to in his first two years with the program has not been seen much in New Mexico’s first two games. Instead, he has made a point to help his team improve its half-court defense.

So will this be the first game we’ll see the full-court press?

Noting that the first two teams have been quicker teams, and that his team has struggled against quicker opponents, Paul Weir noted, “Right now, to me, we’ve got to, as a team – whether we’re matchups or no matchups – we would be playing this way (emphasizing half court defense) regardless of anybody because we need to learn to get stops in the half court and as we expand it going forward, we may or may not . . .”

For New Mexico, this is looking like one of those quadrant 4 type games against a team with enough pieces coming back to cause a little bit of trouble if the defense isn’t there. Like I said in a previous article predicting New Mexico’s postseason chances, this is just the kind of game New Mexico can’t lose to look good to the selection committee because of its relatively limited supply of quadrant 1 and 2 games.

As expected, seniors JaQuan Lyle and Carlton Bragg have been key components to New Mexico’s early wins and should continue to produce at a high level. Corey Manigault has shown a high degree of offensive efficiency. His 15.0 points per game have been accomplished in just 18.0 minutes per game with a field goal percentage of 70.6%.

If New Mexico’s excellent inside-out game and ability to move the ball become the story of this game, even an off-night defensively might keep Green Bay in check.

But it’s probably better to be safe and just continue working the half-court defense.

Injuries/Roster Updates:

  • New Mexico: 6’0″ point guard Drue Drinnon has entered the transfer portal to be closer to family. No injuries reported.
  • Green Bay: No injuries reported.

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Giants’ Saquon Barkley won’t be shut down, refuses to blame injuries for struggles

New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley refuses to blame injuries for his struggles and says he won’t be shut down this season.

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New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley has been a shell of his former self since going down with a high ankle sprain earlier in the season. And while his rapid return is admirable, it’s clear he’s playing hurt and only injuring himself more (shoulder) by trying to tough it out.

Not only has Barkley become a liability on the ground, his pass protection is nearly non-existent at this point and rookie quarterback Daniel Jones is suffering as a result.

Despite it all, Barkley refuses to blame injuries for his struggles, telling reporters on Tuesday that’s just an excuse used by weak players.

“To say that I’m not healthy, that’s just an excuse. Everyone is banged up, everyone is going through something and I’m not going to let that be an excuse for why I’m not having a successful season,” Barkley said. “The reason I’m not having a successful season is because I’m not making enough plays for my team.”

There’s a reason Barkley has a “C” on his jersey, but that should also come with the wisdom that sometimes being tough and risking your body does more harm than good. The Giants aren’t going anywhere this season and absorbing that wear and tear only pushes the running back that much closer to retirement when considering the life cycle at the position is far short than any other position on the field.

Ultimately, Barkley refuses to give in and won’t allow the team to shut him down for the season.

“One, that’s not fair to my teammates and, two, when you say running backs have so many carries, yes, the average career length of a running back is not as long as other players,” Barkley said. “When I think of the great running backs who played, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, Thomas Jones, Curtis Martin, Matt Forte, yes, they had injuries throughout their career, every position has injuries throughout their career. Those guys were able to withstand a bigger workload back in the day than what we have now. Yes, you might get 300 touches, but your 300 touches might come with 250 carries and 50 catches. Back in those days Walter Payton in his second year had like 347 carries in 14 games and was able to have a long career and a great career.

“I’m not saying I want to put myself up to those standards because they are the best to ever do it and Hall of Famers. The way they were able to carry that workload and be able to have a successful career is the way I know I want to operate. I know the other great running backs in this league want to do that, too. The mindset of sitting me out and resting me for the rest of the season is beyond me. I do not agree with it and it won’t happen. I’m going to keep going until I can’t go anymore. That’s the type of player I am and I’m going to do it for my teammates.”

Barkley is going to keep going until his physically can’t anymore… It’s admirable, but this is precisely why general manager Dave Gettleman got heat for selecting Barkley over quarterback Sam Darnold in 2018.

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MMA rankings report: UFC on ESPN+ 21, Bellator 233 fallout

What does another big weekend of MMA action mean for the rankings? We walk you through it all in this week’s rankings report.

It was another eventful weekend in the MMA world. Consider the highlights:

  • [autotag]Zabit Magomedsharipov[/autotag] continued his climb up the 145-pound ladder with a win over Calvin Kattar in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 21.
  • [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] returned to action, as the former Bellator champion decisioned Greg Hardy in the UFC Moscow co-feature.
  • [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] proved she’s still a factor in the Bellator featherweight division with her impressive unanimous-decision victory over Leslie Smith.

So what does this all mean for the weekly USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings? Let MMA Junkie’s John Morgan and “Gorgeous” George Garcia walk you through the changes in the video above.

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Jags remain at No. 20 spot of USA TODAY power rankings after Week 10’s games

After their bye week and a crazy Week 10 chain of events for the rest of the league, the Jacksonville Jaguars remained at the No. 20 spot of USA TODAY’s power rankings. However, they have the opportunity to begin trending upwards Week 11 as Nick …

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After their bye week and a crazy Week 10 chain of events for the rest of the league, the Jacksonville Jaguars remained at the No. 20 spot of USA TODAY’s power rankings. However, they have the opportunity to begin trending upwards Week 11 as Nick Foles will be returning to the lineup as the Jags take on their longtime rivals in the Indianapolis Colts.

20. Jaguars (20): Fun fact — over course of his career, Nick Foles’ passer rating improves each successive month … so November/December exactly when you want him.

The Jags’ last game took place against another divisional rival in the Houston Texans, who handily beat the Jags Week 9 and caused them to drop to their current spot. Meanwhile, the Texans jumped to the No. 5 spot as a result of the win in last week’s power rankings but dropped to the No. 8 this week despite being on their bye week.

As for the Indianapolis Colts, they fell from the No. 11 spot to the No. 14 spot as a result to the Miami Dolphins upsetting them Sunday. Lastly, the Tennessee Titans jumped to the No. 18 spot (from No. 24) after upsetting a team, who most viewed as Super Bowl contenders in the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday. That allowed them to leapfrog the Jags and make them the lowest ranked AFC South team of the power rankings.

Albane Valenzuela opts to leave Stanford golf to live out LPGA dream

Stanford senior Albane Valenzuela will head straight to the LPGA rather than finish out the spring with the Cardinal.

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Albane Valenzuela dreams of returning to the Olympics in 2020. It’s her ultimate goal, and therefore a major reason why she decided to forgo her final semester at Stanford to give herself the best chance of getting to Tokyo.

The qualification period for the Olympics ends June 29, 2020. Valenzuela hopes her new LPGA status helps her make the field of 60 players. She represented Switzerland in Rio de Janeiro before starting at Stanford in 2016 and tied for 21st.

“I think it would complete a great circle,” said Valenzuela of the possibility of returning to the Olympics on the heels of graduating from Stanford with a degree in political science.

Valenzuela told her coaches and teammates earlier this week of her decision to quit college golf. She was one of two Stanford seniors to earn LPGA status for the 2020 season at the recent Q-Series. While Valenzuela tied for sixth, teammate Andrea Lee took a share of 30th. Lee, who was recently the top-ranked amateur in the world, has yet to announce her decision.

Stanford is currently ranked fifth by Golfweek.

A two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur finalist, Valenzuela is currently No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. She has made the cut in numerous LPGA majors, recently earning low-amateur honors at the Evian Championship.

“My decision does not come from a place that I wanted to stop college golf,” said Valenzuela. “It was more about me and my aspirations as a professional golfer. My dream of going back to the Olympics.”

As a junior, Valenzuela was named the Pac-12 Women’s Golfer of the Year, the first in program history.

Of the five college players who teed it up at Q-Series, Valenzuela is the fourth to turn professional. She joins USC’s Jennifer Chang, Frida Kinhult of Florida State and Florida’s Sierra Brooks.

Last year the LPGA introduced the option to defer LPGA status to June so that players could participate in the postseason and still keep their cards. Jennifer Kupcho and Maria Fassi were the first to choose that route. So far, no one has followed suit.

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Harry Hiestand clarifies why Bears switched Cody Whitehair and James Daniels

The Bears decided to switch Cody Whitehair back to center and James Daniels back to left guard to provide balance on the offensive line.

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Following Sunday’s win over the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy didn’t provide any clarification as to why they decided to switch Cody Whitehair back to center and push James Daniels back to left guard.

But when offensive line coach Harry Hiestand met with the media Monday, he provided as much context as we’re likely to get publicly.

While Nagy nor Hiestand would blame Daniels for the offensive line’s struggles this season, they did point to his inexperience as a reason why they made the switch. Although you have to wonder what took so long to make the decision with the line struggling as long as it has been all season.

Hiestand said having Whitehair at center “balances us out and gives us a steadying factor in there.”

While communication calls seemed to be more effective with Whitehair at center, he wasn’t without his faults. He struggled with snapping the football, something he hadn’t done since the Pro Bowl back in January. Mitchell Trubisky saved some of those poor snaps, but Whitehair vowed that it’ll get better as he gets back into the swing of things.

As for whether Daniels could eventually wind up back at center, it sounds like the Bears are comfortable with him at left guard for now.

“Right now he’s where [he] is best for us,” Hiestand said. “But you never know with that.”

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Wyoming hosts CSU Fullerton to start home stand

Cowboys return home after rough road loss; Titans won’t be a walk in the park either

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Cowboys return home after rough road loss; Titans won’t be a walk in the park either

WHO: CSU Fullerton (0-2) vs. Wyoming (1-1)

WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 7pm (MST)

WHERE: Laramie, WY • Arena-Auditorium (11,612)

TV: MW Network

Live Broadcast: Live Audio

SERIES RECORD: Wyoming leads the series 5-0.

ODDS: Wyoming -2

Preview

In the sixth meeting of these two squads, both look to get back into a winning rhythm. The Titans will look to find its first win of the season, while the Cowboys want to bounce back from being stifled by South Carolina over the weekend.

Here are three keys to a Wyoming win tonight in the Double-A:

Be Aggressive

The Cowboy’s presence on the block has not been strong in its first two games of the season. They have been out-rebounded 71-49 with South Carolina doubling Wyoming’s output on Sunday with 41.

Hunter Thompson is averaging four rebounds more a contest this season at 6.5 rpg. However, the six-foot-ten forward is only averaging 3.5 points a game. While his presence is growing down low on the boards, the eight points per game from last season are missing. Along with sophomore Austin Mueller, Thompson will be needed to take more attempts on the block in order to get the Cowboys off to a solid start.

Wyoming has been without Tyler Mormon (6-foot-9, Jr.) who has been in concussion protocol since the exhibition game on Oct. 30th. If Mormon can make it back tonight, it could give the Cowboys another option in the frontcourt.

Hendricks Sighting

After bursting for over 20 points in the exhibition, senior guard Jake Hendricks has gone cold. He’s hitting just 20-percent from beyond the arc and averaging just three points an outing.

The reality is, he’s taken nine shots and made two of them to start the season. Hendricks was picked to be a breakout player for the Cowboys this season. He’ll need to have more attempts in order to have an impact not just on tonight’s game against the Titans, but looking ahead to the rest of the season.

Rely on the D

The Cowboys held Idaho State to the lowest point total for a Wyoming team in over 50 years. And South Carolina just looked that impressive with their trio of guards putting up double digits each.

So, maybe the 66 points against the Gamecocks is an outlier and tonight will be another night for the Cowboys to display what their strength will be this season.

Against Idaho State, Wyoming scored 15 points off turnovers.

The Titans have three guards averaging double digits, with senior Austen Awosika leading scorers with 12.9 ppg.

Prediction:

Wyoming 55, CSU Fullerton 53

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Hawai’i vs. UNLV: Keys to a ‘Bows victory

Hawaii is looking to get bowl eligible by hosting UNLV this weekend.

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Hawai’i vs. UNLV: Keys to a ‘Bows victory

How the Warriors can defeat the Rebels

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

The battle for the golden pinapple

Week 12: Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors(6-4,3-3MW) vs. UNLV Rebels(2-7,0-5MW)

When: Saturday, November 16th, 2019

@ 1:00PM PT 11:00AM HST

Where: Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, NV

TV: Spectrum Sports PPV

Radio: ESPN Honolulu AM1420, 92.7FM

Stream: Facebook(Only on Mainland)

Series Record: UH leads overall 16-12 in Las Vegas UNLV leads 9-5

Last win at UNLV: September 15th 2007UH 49 UNLV 14

Odds: Hawai’i by -7

Will Hawai’i finally win it big in Vegas losing five straight at UNLV?

This will be the third edition of “The Ninth Island Showdown” and so far the home team has been able to keep it every time. There is no doubt Las Vegas has many distractions for players to lose some focus on the game. But Hawai’i has to put on their blinders and make sure they are on the same page entering Saturday afternoon’s contest. One of the main questions coming into this week is does Hawai’i head coach Nick Rolovich let redshirt freshmen Chevan Coideiro start two weeks in a row or start Cole McDonald who seems to have a good record on the road.

Keys to Hawaii’s victory

Keep UNLV guessing

Whether it is who’s starting at QB or the play calling on offense, the Rainbow Warriors need to keep the UNLV defense on their heels and score a bunch of touchdowns not field goals in the first half. That will give the defense a little cushion to be more aggressive in their zone blitzes and get some sacks that the defense is lacking all year long.

Reed-ing what the defense gives you

Miles Reed has been the missing element in the early part of the season. But now that the opposing defenses sends eight defenders back to cover the speedsters Cedric Byrd, JoJo Ward and company they leave gaps open for Reed to explode downfield and get huge chunks of yards. With the RPO in this run and shoot offense the defense also has to account for the elusive QB McDonald or Coideiro so Reed can get to the second level if given the ball.

Picking on the D

UNLV likes to do some jet sweeps and give their playmaker Charles Williams the ball and gain big chunks of yards pressing the defense. They know the ‘Bows D are 113th in the nation in rush defense and it will be Hawaii’s linemen and linebackers that will have to contain Williams or we may see another shootout like last week against SJSU. Also so far this year DB’s Ikem Okeke and Kai Kaneshiro have three interceptions and two respectively. Look for them closing in on receivers and maybe deflecting balls for more picks from the UNLV freshmen QB Kenyon Oblad.

Prediction

This will be the fourth MW team that has designated their Homecoming game with Hawai’i. The ‘Bows will love for the third time to ruin the home team’s night and sending the Rebel crowd home early and the large sea of green and black happy heading back to the hotels and casinos.

Hawai’i 38 UNLV 28

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USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings: Jets jump up 2 spots

Check out where the Jets stand in the latest edition of the USA TODAY NFL power rankings.

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After knocking off their roommates in a come from behind victory at home, the Jets moved up two spots in the latest edition of USA TODAY’s NFL power rankings.

New York moved up from No. 31 to No. 29 after beating the Giants, 34-27, Sunday. After three consecutive losses, one more embarrassing than the next, the Jets bounced back with a much-needed win.

The Jets were able to harass Daniel Jones all game long while containing Saquon Barkley. Gang Green sacked Jones six times, causing multiple fumbles. The Jets’ front seven also held Barkley to one rushing yard on 13 carries. The defense rose to the occasion, including Jamal Adams, who easily had the best game of his young career.

The safety had nine tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and the play of the game when he pick-pocketed Jones, leading to his second touchdown of the season.

Fortunately for New York, its ensuing schedule may allow the team to get back on track. Future rises in the power rankings shouldn’t come as a surprise.

As for the rest of the AFC East, the 6-3 Bills dropped from No. 15 to No. 17 after losing a road game in Cleveland. The No. 28 Miami Dolphins moved up two spots following a surprise win over Indianapolis. Finally, the Patriots moved up two spots like the Jets and Dolphins while on their bye week.

Rounding out the top five are the Ravens at No. 1, the Patriots at No. 2, the 49ers at No. 3, the Saints at No. 4 and the Seahawks at No. 5.

Rajon Rondo makes season debut and helps Lakers dish out 39 assists against Suns

Rajon Rondo makes season debut and helps Lakers dish out 39 assists against Suns which is the most by any Lakers team in the last 10 years.

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Rajon Rondo made his season debut during the Los Angeles Lakers 123-115 win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. The four-time All-Star and three-time NBA assists leader helped provide a spark in the passing game for the Lakers who moved the ball effectively enough to dish out 39 assists as a team. The unselfish ball movement by Los Angeles led to 53.7% shooting from the field and 40% shooting from three on their way to the victory.

The 39 assists Los Angeles accounted for in Phoenix were the most by any Lakers team in the last 10 years. While on a restriction and logging only 14 minutes, Rondo accounted for seven of those dimes to go along with five points and six rebounds off the bench. LeBron James totaled 11 assists as well as 19 points and seven rebounds. Avery Bradley had five assists, Anthony Davis had four to go along with team-highs of 24 points and 12 rebounds, and five other Lakers had at least one.

“We really committed to the extra pass,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel told NBA.com after the game. “I challenged our guys last game to truly commit to it. … That is the secret for us. If you truly commit to the extra pass offensively and playing for each other, we are going to be near unbeatable.”

The Lakers passing game led to 70 points in the paint against the Suns while also setting up timely shots from 3-point range. LeBron and Kyle Kuzma each hit clutch triples down the stretch while Danny Green paced L.A. from distance by knocking down 3-of-5 long-range field goals.

Despite an effective debut on Tuesday, however, Rondo will not play tonight at home against the Golden State Warriors so he can rest his sore right calf. Rajon’s next game is expected to be Friday at home against the Sacramento Kings. With the victory, the Lakers move to 8-2 on the young season as they welcome the 2-9 Warriors tonight.

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