Brett Brown says Ben Simmons changed game defensively in win vs. Bulls

Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown praises Ben Simmons for his work on the defensive end in a win over the Chicago Bulls.

The Philadelphia 76ers needed to find something sustainable to help get a win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night. Offense comes and goes, but defensively, they had to dig in.

While Furkan Korkmaz stole the show offensively with a masterful performance that had coach Brett Brown having flashbacks to JJ Redick, it was Ben Simmons who made some big plays on the other end to swing it in Philadelphia’s favor. His defense to begin the third quarter was huge in a 100-89 win over Chicago to improve to 20-2 at home.

“How can we not recognize Ben Simmons’ defense?” asked Brown postgame. “After the first time out in the first period, are you serious? He was just the adult in the room defensively, he’s a physical presence by a lot when you watch him play defense. I thought he changed the game. How can he not be an all-league defensive player?”

Simmons had a solid stat line of 20 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists which has become the norm for his career at this point, but he understands his responsibility defensively. He has a lot to offer this team on that end of the floor and he frustrated Bulls guard Zach LaVine all night long.

“I think I’m just learning,” said Simmons. “I was blessed with height and speed and length so I try to use that to my best of my ability defensively. I know I can be a huge part in terms of that and help this team get wins just by playing defense.”

Philadelphia will now need to take this type of effort out on the road as they begin a quick three-game road trip on Saturday when they visit the New York Knicks. [lawrence-related id=23720,23719,23702]

Ohio State basketball vs. Penn State: How and where to watch and listen to the game Saturday

Want to watch Ohio State and Penn State tussle on the court but don’t know where to find the game? We’ve got all the info you need.

The Ohio State men’s basketball team finally ended a four-game losing streak Tuesday against Nebraska, but now it has to go into a literal Lion’s Den to face Penn State on the road.

You can bet the Nittany Lions will be all lathered up after getting steamrolled earlier in the year in Value City Arena. It’ll be loud, and we don’t have to tell you what a challenge it has been to win on the road in the Big Ten this year.

We know you’re looking to watch, so we have all the information on how to get the game. Just click through the next page and get all the television, streaming, or radio information your heart desires.

Next … television, radio, streaming, game time, and venue

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Former Redskins DC decides to stick with Rams

Joe Barry is another former Redskins coach sticking with the Rams.

Former Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Joe Barry has decided to stick with the Los Angeles Rams instead of making a jump to the collegiate level.

It is an interesting development out west considering Barry would’ve had a promotion to defensive coordinator by going to USC. Instead, he’ll stick with the Rams as an assistant.

Barry will stick with former Redskins coaches such as Kevin O’Connell and Sean McVay with the Rams. His defense had helped the Redskins win a divisional title back in 2015.

Barry and the Rams will visit the Redskins in 2020, which should prove to be a fun reunion of sorts.

The news here comes at a time the Redskins finally replaced Greg Manusky and were in the market for a coordinator and elected to go with Jack Del Rio.

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Game Day Grades: Wisconsin vs. Michigan State

Grading Wisconsin’s 67-55 loss to Michigan State on the road.

Offense: D

Wisconsin used a strong start to the second half to chip away at a 15-point halftime deficit. As the Badgers were able to cut the lead to as little as six points at 39-33 with 15:41 to go in the game.

It appeared Wisconsin’s offense was starting to get into a rhythm in the second half as the Badgers were able to generate quality looks for themselves as Nate Reuvers made three consecutive three’s to cut into the Spartans lead.

Wisconsin needed to start the second half strong in order to give themselves a chance of winning. Considering in the first half the Badgers shot 29 percent (9-for-31) from the field.

Despite Wisconsin starting 5-for-6 from the field in the second half the way the Badgers shot the basketball in the first half, it was unlikely the Badgers were going to be able to maintain that kind of shooting. The Badgers closed the second half by shooting a combined 7-for-22 from the field only to see the Spartans re-extend their lead back to double-digits.

The length by Michigan State at times bothered Wisconsin as the Spartans were able to consistently contest Wisconsin’s shots around the rim as the Badgers finished the game with 22 points in the paint. Fourteen of those 22 points came in the first half though.

Wisconsin didn’t have much success from three either as Wisconsin finished the game 4-for-19 from three. The four made three’s tied for the fewest made over conference play since Wisconsin’s loss to Rutgers.

Only two players made a three for Wisconsin one was Reuvers as he made three of his 3-point attempts and the other was D’Mitrik Trice (nine points). Reuvers led Wisconsin in scoring with 19 points the only other player to reach double figures for Wisconsin was Kobe King with 10 points but he shot 4-for-11 from the field.

If it wasn’t poor shooting at times that hurt the Badgers offense it was finding ways of consistently generating second chances for themselves. Wisconsin generated seven offensive rebounds in the first half but over the last 20 minutes, they only had two. Wisconsin’s inability to find a way to keep offensive possessions alive for themselves only hurt their chances of keeping themselves in the game.

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Even injured, Stephen Curry’s jersey is one of the most popular in NBA

In the latest merchandise update by the NBA, Stephen Curry’s no. 30 jersey ranks in the top-three in jersey sales.

When Stephen Curry injured his hand on a late October night against the Phoenix Suns, not only did the Golden State Warriors lose the figurehead to their season, the NBA lost one of their biggest stars.

Curry broke his hand against the Suns and has been out of every game except four this season. However, even injured, the Warriors’ two-time Most Valuable Player’s jersey still ranks as one of the most popular in the NBA.

The NBA announced the top-15 selling jerseys according to NBA.com from October through December 2019, and Curry’s Golden State No. 30 placed third on the list.

Curry only trailed behind Lebron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, with All-Star hopefuls Luka Doncic and James Harden behind him.

The Golden State Warriors ranked sixth in team merchandise sales despite having a record that sits at the bottom of the Western Conference.

Fans will have to be patient as Curry is still working his way back to the floor after suffering a broken hand. However, even on the bench, nothing is stopping his jersey from selling at a high level.

Ohio State men’s hockey rallies in third period to tie Notre Dame

The Ohio State men’s hockey team used a three-goal 3rd period to gain a valuable point against Big Ten foe Notre Dame.

It looked awfully bleak for awhile.

Ohio State fell down big to Notre Dame, but had one heck of a three-goal third-period rally to snatch a tie away from the jaws of defeat.

The Fighting Irish got the scoring started at 4:02 of the first period, then added two more goals in the second to go up 3-0. The Buckeyes got on the board finally with 7:38 left in the 3rd period when Gordi Meyer lit the lamp. Austin Pooley added another Ohio State goal just over a minute later to make it a one-goal lead.

But then Notre Dame struck again with 3:43 left and it looked like the Buckeyes would go home without a point. But not tonight. OSU rallied to score two more when OSU emptied the net and Quinn Preston scored on a 6×4 Power Play with 1:37 left. Then, a few seconds later OSU remarkably tied it up at 4-4 when Gustaf Westland put one into the back of the net.

And just like that, Ohio State salvaged a point in a big matchup between ranked teams. The Irish got the extra Big Ten point when it scored with the sixth shooter in the shootout after a scoreless overtime period.

The two will be back at it again tomorrow.

Three takeaways from Wisconsin’s 67-55 loss to Michigan State

Wisconsin got dropped by Michigan State on Friday, falling 67-55. Here are our top three takeaways from the game for the Badgers.

Wisconsin got blown out of the gym against Michigan State on Friday night in East Lansing, falling to the Spartans in a 67-55 decision that is not indicative of just how soundly Bucky got beaten. Here are our top three takeaways from the game for the Badgers.

Wisconsin’s good fortune on the road runs out

Jan 17, 2020; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard Brad Davison (34) has the ball stripped by Michigan State Spartans forward Xavier Tillman (23) and Michigan State Spartans forward Marcus Bingham Jr. (30) during the second half of a game at the Breslin Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Road wins have been few and far between so far in Big Ten play, and Wisconsin was able to pick up two big ones against Ohio State and Penn State. In those contests, the Badgers were able to overcome the type of poor offensive outings we have grown to expect from them away from the Kohl Center this season by playing lights-out defense.

That didn’t happen tonight against the Spartans in the Breslin Center, a venue in which Wisconsin has struggled mightily in recent years.

Offensively, this was right up there with Bucky’s worst performances of the season to this point. Michigan State’s impressive length and athleticism caused the Badgers fits all night long, and the visitors ultimately shot just 21.1 percent from beyond the arc and 35.6 from the floor overall. Even those meager totals are a bit deceiving, as Wisconsin was able to get it going a bit in garbage time.

On the other end of the court, the Badgers’ defense was ok, but by no means was it enough to overcome such a poor shooting night against the team that is the class of the Big Ten right now on its home floor. The Spartans, who shot 46.6 percent overall and 37.5 percent from long-range, were hitting some pretty tough shots, but they certainly were able to manufacture plenty of easy ones as well.

In explaining Michigan State’s all-around dominance over Wisconsin in this one, Jim Jackson astutely observed near the end of the broadcast that it felt like the Spartans had an extra man on the court on both ends. I couldn’t agree more, as it was abundantly clear throughout the game that there are major disparities between these two squads in terms of athleticism, length/size, and just overall talent.

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Brett Brown says he had flashbacks of JJ Redick watching Furkan Korkmaz

Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown had flashbacks of JJ Redick while watching Furkan Korkmaz.

The Philadelphia 76ers needed a shooter. They needed somebody who could come in and give the team a spark when it’s needed and somebody who can spread the floor. They lost that over the summer when JJ Redick signed with the New Orleans Pelicans, but they may have found it again in Furkan Korkmaz.

In Friday’s 100-89 win over the Chicago Bulls, Korkmaz scored a career-high 24 points while knocking down six shots from deep and the Sixers played through him in the second half where he scored 18 of his points. Coach Brett Brown dusted off the old Redick playbook and used Korkmaz in his place.

“For us to see him come in and do JJ like stuff and have that type of a bomber, that was different,” said Brown. “We put him in a bunch of stuff. We ran five plays in a row going to him like I had flashbacks of JJ. Like we jumped into JJ’s package.”

A lot of the old Redick packages involve a lot of dribble handoffs and allowing him to just fire it up from deep. On Friday, the Sixers ran a few plays like that to allow Korkmaz the space needed to get up the shots needed for his offense.

“He changed the game,” Brown added. “He gave us a spark and whether it was the 3-ball, I don’t remember JJ dunking like that. I forgot that one, but the long shot and just bam, bam, bam quick points fueled our defense.”

Philadelphia has not been able to run that type of offense with this group due to the lack of a sharpshooter like Redick, but it helps when Korkmaz can have that type of game. Brown admitted the playbook was so old it had mothballs on it.

“When you choose who’s got the capability to either set screens or slip screens, then you’re running backwards and you’ve got to turn your shoulders and get squared and balanced and have the ability to shoot that shot. That’s a hard shot to shoot,” the coach explained on Korkmaz. “We have put him into that action that used to be sort of anointed for JJ. It has like dust on it, mothballs, but we drug it out of the closet and he’s been very successful with it.”

This comes after Korkmaz made some big shots from deep in Wednesday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets so it gives him a lot of confidence moving forward. They will start a road trip on Saturday against the New York Knicks where they will look to turn it around on the road where they have had their struggles.

Chiefs prepared for challenge of Titans RB Derrick Henry in AFC Championship Game

It’s going to take all 11 to limit the big back.

Defeating a hot Tennessee Titans team on a three-game winning streak won’t be easy for the Kansas City Chiefs in the upcoming AFC Championship Game.

But the biggest challenge the team faces lies specifically in stopping running back Derrick Henry, who finished out the 2019 regular season with the NFL’s rushing title over Cleveland Browns rusher Nick Chubb.

The 6-foot-3, 247-pounder has racked up 367 carries for 1,917 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground between the regular season and the postseason.

“It’s going to take a lot of us hitting him and tackling him – more than one guy,” Chiefs linebacker Anthony Hitchens told reporters. “He’s a big guy. Strong. Physical. All the tools. That’s why he’s running wild right now.”

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Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolu knows it’s going to take a complete effort from all players on defense to stand a chance at limiting the former Alabama standout.

“Look, he’s a huge challenge. I could spit out all the tackling terms. Our guys know what they are. It’s going to be a mindset, and it’s going to take all 11. It’s not going to be one guy tackling him. It’s a swarm. You overpopulate the ball. We know he’s going to get the ball a lot, so get a lot of people there.”

The Titans and Chiefs are set to kick off at 2:05 p.m. CST on Sunday in Arrowhead Stadium to determine who will take the field representing the AFC in Super Bowl LIV.

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Notre Dame Hockey: Irish Tie/Beat Buckeyes

Ugh, let’s get this over with. I don’t mean mentioning that No. 18 Notre Dame gained two points in the Big Ten standings Friday against No. 9 Ohio State. I mean describing exactly how they got them. Try to follow me if you can. After the teams …

Ugh, let’s get this over with. I don’t mean mentioning that No. 18 Notre Dame gained two points in the Big Ten standings Friday against No. 9 Ohio State. I mean describing exactly how they got them. Try to follow me if you can.

After the teams played to a 4-4 tie in regulation and neither side could score in a five-on-five or three-on-three overtime, they went to a shootout that lasted six rounds and ended when Graham Slaggert scored and Cale Morris stopped Gustaf Westlund’s attempt to tie it.

So let’s review: Notre Dame (10-9-4, 5-5-3-2) and Ohio State (14-6-3, 7-4-2-0) will go into the records as playing to a tie. However, the Irish won the shootout, which only counts towards Big Ten points and not as a win. So they won and they didn’t.

There are a lot of dumb rules in sports, but this has to be near the top. Either declare a winner or don’t. How anyone can be glad to take part in this or put this rule in place is beyond reasoning. Please change this for the good of everyone’s sanity.