Sixers superstar Joel Embiid out for the rest of the game vs. Cavs

Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid is out for the rest of the game with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

When it rains, it pours. In the case of the Philadelphia 76ers, this is a torrential downpour and there is flooding everywhere.

Already missing Ben Simmons who will miss a little more than two weeks with a nerve impingement in his back, they will now lose Joel Embiid to an injury. The Sixers superstar big man, fresh of a career-high 49 points in a win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, left Wednesday’s game with the Cleveland Cavaliers at the end of the first quarter grabbing his collarbone area and he did not return.

He immediately left for the locker room and while he did return to the bench, it was only for a brief moment before being called back to the locker room again. He has been diagnosed with a left shoulder sprain, per a team spokesperson.

On top of their injury woes, their road issues continue to play a part as they trail the hapless Cavaliers 55-44 at halftime in Cleveland. Without their two best players, a comeback would be tough to pull out. [lawrence-related id=26548,26532,26523]

Ball State Football Schedule 2020 Prediction, Breakdown, Analysis

Ball State football schedule 2020 prediction, breakdown, analysis, ranking every game.

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Ball State football schedule 2020 prediction, breakdown, analysis, ranking every game.

Ball State Football Schedule 2020

Sept. 3 Maine

Sept. 12 at Michigan

Sept. 19 at Indiana

Sept. 26 Wyoming

Oct. 3 Western Michigan

Oct. 10 at Buffalo

Oct. 17 Northern Illinois

Oct. 24 Akron

Oct. 31 at Miami University

Nov. 7 OPEN DATE

Nov. 10 Eastern Michigan

Nov. 18 at Central Michigan

Oct. 24 at Toledo

MAC East Teams Missed: Bowling Green, Kent State, Ohio

Ball State Football Schedule 2020 Prediction, Best Case Scenario

8-4: Ball State gets past Wyoming at home for a decent 2-2 start, and then comes the big early statement with a win at Buffalo to kick off MAC play. With home wins over Northern Illinois and Akron, it becomes the story of the early part of the conference season, and it survives the run of three road games in the final four dates with two wins – including at Toledo – to take the West.

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Ball State Football Schedule 2020 Prediction, Worst Case Scenario

3-9: There are too many problems on the road. The Cardinals lose to Buffalo, Miami University, Central Michigan and Toledo to go along with losses to Michigan and Indiana to make going bowl game a stretch. The season ends up worse than expected with home losses to Northern Illinois and Western Michigan.

Get Ball State Tickets for the 2020 season with TicketCity

Ball State Football Schedule 2020 Ranking Hardest To Easiest

2020 preseason ranking of the Ball State football schedule from the hardest-looking games to the easiest.

1. Sept. 12 at Michigan

2. Sept. 19 at Indiana

3. Oct. 24 at Toledo

4. Oct. 10 at Buffalo

5. Oct. 31 at Miami University

6. Oct. 3 Western Michigan

7. Sept. 26 Wyoming

8. Nov. 18 at Central Michigan

9. Oct. 17 Northern Illinois

10. Nov. 10 Eastern Michigan

11. Oct. 24 Akron

12. Sept. 3 Maine

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Tennessee offers 2021 Georgia defensive end

Tennessee offers 2021 Georgia defensive end.

Tennessee has offered Joshua Robinson, a 3-star defensive end prospect from Douglasville, Ga.

Robinson does not hold a rating on the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, but is listed as a 3-star prospect and the No. 31 weak-side defensive end in the country according to 247Sports.

Tennessee joins programs such as Florida, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Michigan with a scholarship offer, among several other programs.

UT currently has just one defensive end committed in the 2021 recruiting class. Darrell Jackson, a strong-side defensive end out of Havana, Fla. is one of five commits.

Tennessee has a young and talented outside linebacker unit in its 2020 defense, but is thin in some spots and will look to address in the 2021 class.

Brendan Allen plans on finishing Tom Breese, then turn attention to Trevin Giles

After UFC on ESPN+ 27, Brendan Allen wants a second crack at the man who handed him his first pro loss: Trevin Giles.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – [autotag]Brendan Allen[/autotag] isn’t sure which Tom Breese he’ll get at UFC on ESPN+ 27, but he’s confident in his abilities against all versions of his foe.

“All of his fights seemed to be the same,” Allen told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “He still does the same things, no matter how far apart they were. If it was his first fight or his last fight, he has all the same tendencies. I hear he moved back to Birmingham and trains with Leon Edwards again. Maybe, it might be something different.

“We’ll see come Saturday. I’m not really expecting too much. I am focused on myself. I’m focused on my abilities. I’m ready to adapt to whatever he’s going to bring fight night.”

When Allen (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) envisions the fight, he predicts beating Breese (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) on the feet. If the fight hits the mat, though, Allen said he thinks he can submit the Brit.

“I think just touching him up on the feet,”Allen said. “I’ll make him think. If I go to strike and he’s still getting hit, it’s going to make him shoot. I’m definitely going to beat him up there. There’s obviously some things I have to watch on the – his leg locks and things like that. I think I’m going to TKO him. I think that’s where it’s going to go, or he’s going to give me a submission. TKO or or he’s going to give me a submission. Either way, I definitely feel I’ll finish him within three.”

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Allen said he’s not overlooking Breese. However, there are three potential matchups which will forever interest Allen – at least until he avenges all of the losses on his resume. For one, Allen said he’d be interested in a rematch with [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) after Saturday.

“As long as I handle business Saturday night and get the win, hopefully a good finish like always, then hopefully it opens the door for Trevin Giles,” Allen said. “That’d be something I’m very interested in, with Eryk having a fight lined up with (Krzysztof) Jotko and (Anthony) Hernandez having Puna (Soriano). Trevin is really the only one open.”

UFC on ESPN+ 27 takes place Saturday at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Va. The card streams on ESPN+.

Check out MMA Junkie’s full UFC on ESPN+ 27 pre-fight interview with Brendan Allen in the video above.

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Tennessee offers Georgia high school freshman

Tennessee offers Georgia high school freshman.

Tennessee joined several other Division I programs in the recruitment of young Georgia wide receiver Cayden Lee from Powder Springs, extending a scholarship offer to the 2023 prospect.

Lee is a small player, listed at 5-foot-11, 150-pounds. Only a freshman in high school, he has yet to garner a national recruiting rating on the 247Sports Composite.

If his offer list is any indication however, Lee has the potential to become one of the most highly pursued wide receivers in the country by the time he reaches his senior year. Tennessee joined Auburn and Duke with offers, however he is receiving attention from schools such as Clemson, Georgia and LSU.

Jonathan Taylor at NFL Combine: “I really don’t feel disrespected”

Jonathan Taylor opens up

Jonathan Taylor, who amassed the most rushing yards through three seasons of any running back in FBS history, doesn’t think he has figured everything out as a football player.

He spoke with humility, awareness and understanding on Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, where he told reporters he hopes to hit the 4.4 range in the 40-yard dash.

Here are some of Taylor’s remarks, which were made in response to separate questions (hence the *snip* notes between the quotes). Taylor spoke about the flaws he needs to address, the elements of his situation which make him optimistic, and some of the keys for his evolution as a running back in the NFL:

“Freshman year was not my best year with that. Cleaned it up sophomore year a bit; you still want to eliminate those. Going into junior year, I had a couple mishaps. Some with the wildcat with me and Aron Cruickshank, had one with Nebraska where the ball was a bit behind, caught it one-hand, defender on the hip, tried to bring it in. You never want those kinds of mishaps to happen but as far as those fumbles when you’re in traffic, trying to fight for extra yards, that’s when you have to be technically sound.”

*snip*

“Those guys did a great job of giving you the knowledge of what you need to do to prepare your body as well as putting you in position to prepare your body for the workload of the season,” Taylor said. “So, I really think that’s kudos for giving guys the knowledge for recovery. Things you need to do before a game, after a game, in the offseason to prepare you for that workload.”

*snip*

“One of the biggest things is being effective on third down. A lot of guys think Wisconsin football is power football and outside zone schemes, which it is. Coach (Paul) Chryst did a great job of making an emphasis point to put me in space to be able to showcase that ability.”

*snip*

“I really don’t feel disrespected. On film, usually when a bigger guy is fast, it kind of looks like he’s really smooth and it doesn’t look like he’s moving as fast, which makes sense. But you look at the film and I’m running away from people.”

Jeff Green says he will sign with Rockets for rest of season

With his 10-day deal set to expire later this week, Jeff Green will sign a standard rest-of-season contract with the Rockets.

After initially signing veteran big man Jeff Green to a 10-day contract last week, the Houston Rockets appear poised to extend his deal for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.

Speaking pregame before Wednesday’s home matchup versus the Grizzlies, Green confirmed that an agreement had been reached to sign a standard contract. The Memphis game was the last Green would have been eligible to play in, as per the terms of his original 10-day deal.

In the conversation with Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston:

Green: I’m going to sign. It means a lot. I’m looking forward the opportunity, and I’m going to do my part and try to help any way I can.

Berman: Was it a tough decision, deciding to stay here, or was it pretty easy?

Green: Pretty easy.

Now with his ninth NBA team, Green was picked No. 5 overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics — who later became the Oklahoma City Thunder. Since then, he’s averaged 13.0 points (44.0% shooting, 33.4% on 3-pointers) and 4.4 rebounds in 29.6 minutes per game.

In three recent outings as Houston’s backup center behind P.J. Tucker, Green has tallied 9.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per game, and he’s shooting 83.3% from the field and 71.4% on 3-pointers.

The Rockets (37-20) have won each of those contests by double digits, with Green as a consistent part of the rotation in each game.

Moving forward, those lofty percentages won’t be sustainable as the sample size grows. But the versatile big man with scoring prowess does seem to be an ideal fit with Houston’s new small-ball approach, having quickly earned respect and praise from his teammates and coaches.

Speaking Monday prior to Green’s home debut at Toyota Center, head coach Mike D’Antoni said this about the 6-foot-8 NBA veteran:

I think Jeff is going to be real good. The length, the athleticism, he knows how to play. He’s going to fill a nice role.

After Green’s first game with the Rockets last Thursday, All-Star guard and current NBA scoring leader James Harden said:

True professional. Always ready. His name was called and he was ready to go. Obviously, he made some big shots, but defensively he just fit with what we were doing.

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Though the 13-year NBA veteran has spent most of his career as a forward, Green indicated Monday that he has no concerns about his new role as a center for D’Antoni and the smaller Rockets. His outlook:

It’s not a challenge. It’s just basketball. It’s something I’ve done most of my career. I’ve done it from my rookie year to now, playing multiple positions. At the end of the day, it’s about playing with confidence, playing with heart.

With the early returns promising, it quickly became a no-brainer for D’Antoni and GM Daryl Morey to keep the 33-year-old around for the rest of the season. From Green’s perspective, Houston’s emphasis on versatility and 3-point shooting appears to be an ideal fit for him, too.

Green and the Rockets return to action with a Saturday night visit to Boston. Tip-off from TD Garden is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Central, with the game televised on a national ABC broadcast.

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