Tag: Stephen A Smith

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith sees an early exit for Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament

Agree with Stephen A. Smith’s bracket?

ESPN host and well-known sports talker Stephen A. Smith released his NCAA Tournament bracket on Wednesday evening.

He curiously picked a Final Four of No. 1 seed UConn, No. 1 North Carolina, No. 1 Purdue and … No. 9 Texas A&M. All chalk and a pick completely out of left field.

IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.

He has the Aggies upsetting the South Region’s No. 1 Houston, No. 4 Duke and No. 3 Kentucky en route to the Final Four.

As you may have guessed, Duke in Smith’s Sweet 16 means Wisconsin did not advance far. Not only does he not have Wisconsin advancing to its first Sweet 16 in seven years, Stephen A. has the Badgers losing to James Madison in the round of 64:

That result would be a colossal disappointment for Badgers fans after the team’s hot run in the Big Ten Tournament and high expectations entering the matchup.

Wisconsin and James Madison tip off their NCAA Tournament quests Friday night in Brooklyn, New York.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Stephen A. Smith suggests Mecole Hardman could sue Jets over recent allegations

Stephen A. Smith said that #Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman could sue the #Jets over recent allegations made by New York’s players.

The Kansas City Chiefs are no strangers to controversy, but the most recent allegations about Super Bowl LVIII hero Mecole Hardman have taken it to new heights.

Hardman has come under fire after New York Jets players implied he leaked the team’s game plans to opponents.

While these allegations haven’t been proved, Hardman is now under a microscope due to the war of words.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith told his co-hosts on “First Take” this morning that, if the claims are proven to be untrue, Hardman may have grounds to take legal action.

Check out Smith’s take on the matter below:

The drama surrounding these accusations isn’t likely to end soon and may spill over into the spring and summer if Hardman decides to take action.

Whether this incident ends in a legal battle or not, one thing is clear: The Chiefs have a massive target on their backs and will need to tread lightly to avoid any further offseason excitement in the media.

Chiefs take top spot on Stephen A. Smith’s NFL power rankings

The #Chiefs took the top spot in Stephen A. Smith’s NFL power rankings heading into Week 8.

The Kansas City Chiefs are among the NFL’s best teams by record and are off to a great start to their 2023 season after a disappointing loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 1. Their defeat at the hands of Detroit had many pundits questioning the Chiefs’ legitimacy as potential Super Bowl champions, but after Kansas City’s sixth-straight win in Week 7, it seems public opinion is back on their side.

Stephen A. Smith has been releasing his NFL power rankings on ESPN’s “First Take”, and named the Chiefs as his top team heading into Week 8.

While this spot on his list is certainly a feather in the cap of a Kansas City team that has clawed its way back from a brutal early-season loss, it won’t come as a surprise to many fans who have watched the Chiefs play in recent weeks.

There are still some kinks for Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes to work out on offense, but if Smith’s list is any indication, Kansas City is now the team to beat in the NFL heading into the middle portion of the 2023 season.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith ranks Chiefs as fourth-best team in NFL

Stephen A. Smith ranked the #Chiefs as the fourth-best team in the NFL during a segment on First Take.

The Kansas City Chiefs are the hottest team in the NFL and while their five-game win streak has them tied for the best record in the league, one commentator has them a bit lower in his power rankings than some might expect.

Stephen A. Smith of ESPN’s “First Take” put together a list of his top five teams in the NFL through six weeks, and relegated the Chiefs to fourth place behind the Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, and Miami Dolphins.

While it may be understandable for Smith to rank Detroit higher than Kansas City, given the Chiefs’ Week 1 loss to the Lions, his decision to put the reigning champions behind the Dolphins and 49ers is questionable.

Kansas City hosts an MVP under center in Patrick Mahomes and has shown to be a vastly improved team on defense through six weeks of the 2023 season.

Expect Stephen A.’s rankings to change in the coming weeks if the Chiefs continue their run of excellence and extend their lengthy winning streak.

ESPN’s Stephen A Smith ranks the Browns fourth best in the NFL after Week 1

The Browns impressed the ESPN personality in the season opener

The Cleveland Browns had a very convincing victory over the rival Bengals to open the season 1-0 after the 24-3 win at home. The weather was terrible but the Browns defense dominated the high profile Cincinnati offense. Their performance caught the attention of ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith who ranked them fourth best in the NFL after the game.

“The Cleveland Browns, why-because the Cincinnati Bengals were in the AFC Championship game.”

There have been plenty out there that have complained about the offense for Cleveland despite using the weather to excuse the poor play of the Bengals offense. Plain and simple from the first snap the Browns defensive line owned the Bengals offensive line and gave Joe Burrow no chance to settle in.

It’s far too early into the season to crown any team one way or another but it is clear that Cleveland has grabbed some people’s attention with a prime-time game coming on Monday night.

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Stephen A. Smith predicts that TCU will win the national championship

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith predicts that TCU will upset Georgia in the national championship game

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith predicts the TCU Horned Frogs will defeat the Georgia Bulldogs in the national championship game. Smith was not a believer in TCU until the Horned Frogs shocked Michigan in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

If TCU wins the national championship, the Horned Frogs would be one of the best underdog stories ever. Stephen A. Smith thinks Georgia has the better team, but he has a feeling TCU will pull off the upset.

Stephen A. Smith explained his upset pick on ESPN:

Quarterback Max Duggan and TCU have been a popular upset pick entering the national championship game. However, TCU will have to win the turnover battle in order to have a good chance of upsetting the defending national champions.

Stephen A. Smith’s ESPN counterpart, Paul Finebaum, picked the Georgia Bulldogs to win the national championship. Finebaum thinks it is tough to repeat, but that the Bulldogs have the edge thanks to a superior defense.

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ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith thinks the Boston Celtics can win it all

It is increasingly looking like the 2023 NBA championship is the Celtics’ to lose.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes the Boston Celtics can win it all. The historic offense and improving defense that has the ball club at the top of the East standings and beating other projected contenders — even blowing some of them out convincingly — has caused the ESPN analyst to sing the praises of the current version of the storied franchise.

By dominating the early going of the 2022-23 NBA season even without starting center Robert Williams III, it is increasingly looking like the 2023 NBA championship is the Celtics to lose.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what Smith has to say about Boston being able to finally hang the elusive Banner 18.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Jayson Tatum is 2022-23’s leading MVP candidate to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith

For a good way into the 2022-23 NBA season, the race to win the 2023 Kia Most Valuable Player award was wide open.

For a good portion of the 2022-23 NBA season, the race to win the 2023 Kia Most Valuable Player award was wide open.

However, after superstar Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum eviscerated the Dallas Mavericks and fellow MVP candidate Luka Doncic last week, that race has become much clearer for ESPN NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith.

The Bristol, Connecticut-based broadcaster made it clear who he supports for the award after witnessing the St. Louis native take over the game in spite of the Mavs star’s best efforts. Doncic’s supporting cast simply was not up to the task.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what Smith and his “NBA Countdown” cohosts had to say about Tatum’s place in the early going of the  2023 MVP race last week.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith reacts to the Boston Celtics signing Blake Griffin

What should we think about the signing?

The Boston Celtics made it clear they had no intention of kicking the tires on signing a veteran player to help the team with their big man depth after news broke of Danilo Gallinari tearing his ACL.

The team stuck to that position when the news then broke of starting center Robert Williams III needing to miss time for a cleanup operation and even when the time the Timelord was projected to miss almost doubled.

But the one- to two-week loss of reserve big man Luke Kornet proved the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back, or so it seemed. The Celtics have brought in Blake Griffin; what should we think about the signing?

The hosts of the ESPN show “NBA Today” reacted to the reported signing before the dust had settled, with Stephen A. Smith having some strong feelings.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Ex-Celtic Stephon Marbury no fan of ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith

Former Boston Celtic guard stephon Marbury is no fan of ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith.

It seems that former Boston Celtic guard Stephon Marbury is no fan of ESPN analyst Stephen A Smith — not an uncommon outcome for the polarizing sports media personality.

Marbury — currently working overseas as the head coach of the Beijing Royal Fighters of the Chinese Basketball Association — has no problem with Stephen A. Smith the person according to a recent interview with Heavy.com’s Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, but how he conducts himself as an analyst rubs the ex-Celtic the wrong way.

“I think Stephen A. Smith, he does what he’s doing for TV. That’s it. That’s the best way to paraphrase what is actually happening, what’s going on. Stephen A. Smith, he’s never played any professional sport and I think when you have these guys like him and Shannon Sharpe,” he explained. “When you have a football player talking about basketball, I think you’re doing it an injustice towards people’s ears and understanding about what’s actually happening on the court.”

“When you listen to guys like Chris Webber and Kenny Smith, even Charles Barkley, when you’re listening to these guys when they’re talking about basketball it’s okay to have an observation about what it is that you see.,” Marbury added.

The CBA legend went on for some time attacking Smith’s bonafides as a player.

Despite the fact that the ESPN personality was given a basketball scholarship to attend Winston-Salem State University, it didn’t move the needle for the Coney Island native; “When you play in the NBA, that’s a different space. Right?” he asked.

Skipping a crude sexual metaphor, Marbury feels one has to have played the game professionally to know the game as well as Smith seems to represent himself as knowing it, at least to Marbury.

Without diving into that particular controversy, there are plenty of people who like Smith’s schtick for simply aesthetic reasons — like the constant screaming — so, as Marbury said of Smith, “your opinion is your opinion”.

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