Seattle was only in the No. 5 spot entering the week. Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar explains . . .
“Up 26-21, and with two minutes left in the game, the Vikings’ coaching staff made the decision to run Alexander Mattison on fourth-and-one from the Seattle six-yard line instead of taking the chip-shot field goal,” writes Farrar. “The unsuccessful conversion left Russell Wilson with 94 yards to cover to win the game. This would be a disadvantage to a push for most quarterbacks. In Wilson’s case, anytime you give him the ball, you are pretty much doomed. As the Vikings discovered.”
“He is the heavyweight champion,” Farrar continues. “He’s also the MVP. He is absolutely the most dangerous quarterback in the NFL. And right now, Russell Wilson leads the best team in football.”
247Sports recently caught up with Kamari Wilson, talking about a recent conversation with Jay Valai and his relationship with the Longhorns.
In the midst of the most confusing time in the history of college football, one thing has stayed consistent. Texas and their elite recruiting in the secondary.
Cornerbacks coach Jay Valai has done an outstanding job since arriving on campus, landing five blue-chip recruits in the 2021 class alone. Now, his biggest project may be in the 2022 class with Kamari Wilson.
Wilson is a five-star prospect and the No. 1 safety in the country. Nationally, he ranks No. 30 and No.6 in his native state of Florida. Name a major college football program and they are recruiting Wilson.
Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Texas A&M, and USC are just a few of the schools looking to sign Wilson.
“We just talk about family, staying safe during COVID and how they see me bringing a big-time play maker to their system,” he said. “We also talk about some of the former players that played at Texas.”
“They are definitely one of them,” he said. “They see me as the next big time safety to come out of Texas, and they want to use me all over the field due to my versatility.”
Valai will continue to go after the top safety in the country, trying to replace five-star players Caden Sterns and B.J. Foster.
Wilson is also heavily interested in Florida, LSU, Miami, and South Carolina. Texas is going to have a tough time fending off SEC schools for his commitment. However, Valai has proven he can work magic before in the recruiting world.
Schofield acknowledges 2019 was a “down year” for Wagner, who has put up better numbers in the past. However, the Seahawks defense as a whole struggled last season.
“But given his talent and overall body of work, it is hard to put Wagner anywhere but the top spot on this list,” Schofield writes. “He is that rare type of linebacker that fits with the modern game, but you still feel that if he were dropped into the late 1970s or even the 1980s, he would fit right in with that style of football. He’s just as comfortable playing downhill against the run as he is dropping into coverage or running with receivers.”
New on @TheNFLWire: The linebacker position has changed situationally and schematically in the last decade as nickel and dime defenses have become de rigeur. But it's still an important set of positions, and here's @MarkSchofield's list of the 11 best. https://t.co/r7IwRXvVKF
With some new additions around him like Jordyn Brooks and Darrell Taylor – and the return of Bruce Irvin to Seattle – Schofield believes Wagner will return to his “all-around elite form.”
Riding a winning streak, UT now faces the best team in the Big 12, No. 2 Baylor. Here is how you can watch, listen, and stream the game.
Riding a two game winning streak with wins against TCU and Oklahoma, Texas now faces one of the best teams in the country in No. 2 Baylor. Already losing at home to the Bears by 20 points, the Longhorns face a new test with a road trip to Waco.
Currently a 10 seed in ESPN’s latest Bracketology, it seems as if Texas is safe for now. Picking up a win against a top-five team would catapult the Longhorns’ seeding in the NCAA Tournament.
As for the actual game, Baylor has not lost a conference game this season. Currently 16-0, only two of those wins have been by less than 10 points. It will be a tough task for Texas to pull out a victory Thursday night.
Here is how you can watch, listen, and stream Texas women’s basketball face off against Baylor:
Game information:
Date: 3/5/2020
Time: 7:30 p.m. CST
Location: Ferrell Center in Waco, TX
Watch: FS1
Listen: TexasSports.com/audio —Austin 104.9FM, 99.3FM, 98.5FM, 1260AM; Dallas 1080AM; El Paso 600AM; Houston 790AM; San Antonio 1200AM — Spanish: Austin 105.3FM; Dallas 990AM, 99.9FM
ORLANDO – The old chestnut that seven days is a long time in politics is no less true in sports. Just ask Rory McIlroy. When he came to the Arnold Palmer Invitational two years ago, McIlroy was lost, 18 months removed from his last win and enduring …
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ORLANDO — The old chestnut that seven days is a long time in politics is no less true in sports. Just ask Rory McIlroy.
When he came to the Arnold Palmer Invitational two years ago, McIlroy was lost, 18 months removed from his last win and enduring a miserable run of form marked by mediocre putting. That week in 2018 began Monday with a putting lesson from veteran PGA Tour player Brad Faxon. It ended Sunday with victory at Bay Hill, sealed with the finest putting performance of his career.
“I feel like this place has a lot of special memories to me,” the four-time major winner said on Wednesday. “It was definitely the catalyst to sort of do what I’ve done over the past two years and ascend back to the top of the world rankings.”
Before that ’18 win, McIlroy had slumped to No. 13 in the world. A solid showing this week will keep him at No. 1 for the 100th week of his career, making him only the third golfer after Tiger Woods and Greg Norman to spend triple-digit weeks as No. 1. Just such a solid showing seems almost ordained: in five starts this season, McIlroy’s worst finish is tied fifth.
“From a mental perspective the consistency and showing up every week even when I don’t have my best stuff I’m able to still get in the mix and have a shot at winning tournaments,” he said. “So mentally over these last few years I’ve definitely gotten better. More stability in my life. There’s a lot of different things that go into it. But, yeah, just a lot more comfortable with where everything is.”
The only thing more predictable than McIlroy being in contention every time he plays is the rite of spring in which he faces questions about the Masters. A win at Augusta National 39 days from now would complete a career grand slam for the 30-year-old. His upcoming tournament schedule — he’s playing five of the next six weeks plus hosting a ‘thank you’ gathering for his sponsors in his off week — hints at a desire to remain busy in the run-up to the most scrutinized week of his year.
“For some people it starts the Monday they arrive at Augusta. For some people it started in January,” he said when asked when Masters preparation begins. “I think it’s different for everyone. For me, what I realized is I can’t make things too big in my head. If I started to gear up in January, by the time Augusta got around in April my head would be absolutely fried. I try to push it out as late as possible. I’ve got four tournaments to play between now and then and my biggest concern and my top priority are those four tournaments.”
Rory McIlroy and Vijay Singh ahead of the 2020 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Looming farther down the road is the Olympics, where he is expected to play for Ireland. Having skipped the Rio Games over concerns about the Zika virus, McIlroy admitted he’s keeping a wary eye on coronavirus and its potential impact but is putting his fate in the hands of those who know best. “If the organizers and the Olympic Committee believe it’s safe enough that athletes can go and compete in the Games, then you have to take their word for it,” he said. “They’re obviously liaising with the people that are the best at doing this, whether it’s the CDC in this country, whether it’s the World Health Organization, whatever it is. If they’re talking to those people then those people are the best in their field, then you have to trust that their judgment is the right one.”
The Texas Longhorns fell once again to the Baylor Bears, three reasons for their latest loss in their current three-game skid.
The Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team is amidst a three-game losing streak after dropping their last game to Baylor, completing a season sweep for the Bears. During the broadcast ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla mentioned the amount of talent that the Longhorns have secured over the Shaka Smart tenure.
A stat I heard from @franfraschilla that was so amazing I had to look it up myself. Texas has signed 11 Top 100 ESPN basketball recruits the last three years. Baylor? Only 2.
The main cause for the losses as of late is development under Smart. With 11 top 100 players signed to play basketball, the Longhorns have yet to display the fruits of their labor on the hardwood. Against the Bears, Texas struggled to score consistently enough to keep up with their defense against a number one team. Texas fell to 0-11 against top ranked teams in their history.
Against the Bears, Longhorns’ guard Matt Coleman III led all scorers along with Baylor’s MaCio Teague with 11 points. That falls below is 12.6 points per game during Big 12 play. While Coleman has been the best for the team, Texas lacks that go to option when the going gets tough.
Shooting
During Monday’s game the Longhorns made one more basket that Baylor but lost by seven to the nation’s top ranked team. Over the three-game skid the Longhorns have been especially poor from behind the line. Shooting just 20.3 percent from behind the arc on 64 attempts. The average 4.3 makes on 21.3 attempts per game.
Arguably their best three point shooter missing in Jase Febres didn’t help matters but they have really struggled from distance. Overall their shooting hasn’t been there either. The Longhorns need to get more quality shots on the offensive side. Or attempt to get to the free throw line.
Over the last three games Texas has shot just 34.6 percent from the field with 63 makes on 182 attempts. Against the Bears they shot the lowest of that stretch with 30.5 percent. Despite a strong defensive effort, it is increasingly difficult to beat anyone when you miss that many shots. Texas is dead last in the conference at 64.6 points per game.
Rebounding
Despite having a big man like Jericho Sims who snagged 14 rebounds against Baylor, Texas has really struggled on the glass. They average the least amount of offensive rebounds per game which would give them more opportunities to score. Which could help counteract their porous shooting performances.
In total rebounds, the Longhorns average just 32.9 rebounds per game while allowing 35.8 per game. Their rebounding margin (-2.92) per game is the worst of the conference. Texas needs to make a more concerted effort to dominate the glass if they expect to compete with the top teams in the conference despite a disadvantage in shooting on a nightly basis.
Going into the game against BU, UT had lost back to back games. The Bears made it three in a row as they came into Austin and beat UT, 52-45.
Going into Monday night’s game against Baylor, the Longhorns had lost back to back games against Kansas and Texas Tech, nearly shutting the door on their NCAA Tournament hopes. The Bears completely shut that door closed, as they came into Austin and beat Texas, 52-45.
As usual, three-pointers are what killed the Longhorns’ chances of winning. Texas shot 3-17 from behind the arc, their second time shooting below 20% from three in two games. Both Courtney Ramey and Kamaka Heps were 0-4, struggling all night for the Longhorns.
Another common theme of the season has been the lack of free throws and it continued on Monday night. Texas was right on their season average, getting to the foul line 11 times. Making just over half of them with six, the Longhorns continue to struggle with free throws.
Andrew Jones and Matt Coleman were the only Texas players in double figures with 10 and 11 points respectively but shot a combined 8-24 from the field and 3-8 from the three-point line. The Longhorn offense struggled, killing their chances of an upset.
Baylor was not much better on offense than Texas, scoring their lowest amount of the entire season. The Bears were held to 34% shooting from the field and shot better from deep, making 37% of their threes. They remain unbeaten in Big 12 play, having a 1.5 game lead over Kansas in the Big 12.
Going forward for Texas, the opportunity to make the NCAA Tournament is more than likely over. They will have two chances to get big wins at home against West Virginia and on the road to Texas Tech but even then, it may not be enough.
All focus should be on the Big 12 tournament and how far the Longhorns can make it in Kansas City. With the mountain already a little too steep to climb up, it will be the last chance Shaka Smart has to prove himself as the head coach worthy of leading this program.
Suffering a loss on Saturday to TTU, UT now faces another challenge against No. 1 Baylor. Here are three ways Texas can pull off the upset.
Suffering a possible NCAA Tournament hopes ending loss on Saturday, Texas has a quick turnaround for a Big Monday showdown against Baylor. Currently ranked the No. 1 team in the country, the Bears have not lost in conference play so far this season and their only loss of the season came against Washington in November.
Already playing once this season in Waco, the Bears stomped the Longhorns 59-44. Now, Baylor comes to Austin, a place they have won three out of their last four. In their last two games against Kansas State and Oklahoma State, the Bears have only won by single digits, seeming to be more and more vulnerable. Texas must take advantage of that, trying to squeeze their way back into the Big 12.
Here are three ways Texas can pull off an upset against No. 1 Baylor:
Andrew Jones plays like he did in the first half against Texas Tech
The Longhorns played really well in the first half against the Red Raiders and that was partially thanks to Andrew Jones and his scoring. Jones had 16 points on 5/8 shooting in the first 20 minutes, being the main reason Texas went into halftime with a 12 point lead. After the break, he struggled, only scoring two points and finishing the afternoon 6/14 from the field. If Jones can replicate his first half against Texas Tech and do it over both halves against Baylor, the Longhorns could have a chance to split the season series with the Bears.
Get to the free-throw line
Out of 353 eligible Division 1 NCAA teams, no team has attempted fewer free throws than Texas. Only getting to the line an average of 11 times per game, the Longhorns are not drawing enough fouls. Once they finally do get to the line, the ball is not exactly going through the hoop. Shooting 66.5% from the free-throw line is going to kill you, no matter how many or few shots are attempted. In the Big 12 opener against Baylor back in January, Texas got to the charity strike 15 times, more than their current season average. That was ruined though because the Longhorns only made five of them, shooting 33%. Getting to the line has been a struggle all season for Texas and they must turn it around to beat Baylor.
Knockdown three-pointers
Texas is the ultimate example of the phrase ‘live and die by the three-ball’. In their last three wins against Oklahoma State, TCU, and Iowa State, the Longhorns have shot 47.8% from behind the arc, going 33/69. In the last two losses against Kansas and Texas Tech, they shot 10/47, making 21.2% of their attempts. It will be a difficult task against Baylor, as opponents in the Big 12 are only hitting 30% of their three-pointers against them. Matt Coleman, Andrew Jones, and Jase Febres are the main shooters from deep for Texas and they must knock down their shots.
Rory McIlroy will ascend to the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking when it is updated next Monday.
Rory McIlroy will ascend to the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking when it gets updated next Monday, despite not playing this week.
It will also happen regardless of this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
McIlroy is currently just .2 points back of Brooks Koepka, who is not playing this week either. Nor is World No. 3 Jon Rahm, leaving the door open for McIlroy to make the move to No. 1.
McIlroy first reached No. 1 after the 2012 Honda Classic. He then floated between second and third before regaining the top spot that year. He was also No. 1 during parts of 2013 and 2014. He last held the No. 1 spot after the 2015 U.S. Open.
McIlroy finished T-5 at the Farmers Insurance Open, his only tournament appearance so far in 2020. He could have reached No. 1 with a win there.
Prior to that event, he talked about being in the top spot.
“I think it’s always cool when you attain that ranking for whether it’s the first time ever or the first time in a while. It’s a pretty cool feeling. I don’t think it irks me or gets me annoyed if I’m not holding that position. If I go about my business and I try to do the right things all the time, if I play well enough for a sustained period of time, hopefully I get there.”
It will be his 96th week at No. 1, fifth all-time behind Nick Faldo, Dustin Johnson, Greg Norman and Tiger Woods.
Koepka will hold the top spot for one more week. He’s been No. 1 since winning the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black, a streak of 38 weeks. Koepka held his grip on the spot by finishing solo second at the U.S. Open and T-4 at the Open Championship. For good measure, he also won the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational last July and posted a fourth-place finish at the Tour Championship.
The Texas Longhorns women’s basketball team was looking for their second top five win on the year but the 3rd quarter ended all hope.
The Texas Longhorns women’s basketball took the court Friday night in hopes of securing their second top five upset of the season. Earlier this year, the Longhorns took down the number one ranked Stanford Cardinals in Austin. Early on it looked as if the lady horns would be able to keep it relatively close. By halftime the number one ranked Baylor squad led by just five points before the wheels came off the Longhorns upset bid.
In the third quarter the Bears rattle off a 23-5 run to increase their lead to 52-29 and the scoring droughts were too common for Texas. On the night they shot a meager 24.6 percent from the field. For Texas nothing was working as they even shot just 36.8 percent from the free throw line, it just wasn’t working for the Longhorns. Credit the Baylor Bears for putting a lot of pressure on Texas.
Charli Collier showed her presence in the paint with 16 rebounds and four blocks but she shot just 1-10 from the field, with her only basket being from behind the arc. In the second half she missed all three attempts from the field and both free throw attempts. Sug Sutton led the starters with nine points on 4-13 shooting, senior guard Lashann Higgs led all Longhorns with 10 points off the bench and the only one who shot better than 50 percent from the line.
The Lady Bears continued their dominance of the Big 12 with their eighth-straight conference win dropping the Longhorns to 14-7 and 6-3 in the Big 12. For Texas they will travel to Lubbock on February 9th to take on the Lady Raiders. In their previous matchup, the Longhorns throttled Tech to start their five game win streak that Baylor snapped on Friday night.
