Tag: timely

NCAA Tournament: The 9 times a 15-seed has knocked off a 2-seed

How far did you have Ohio State going in your bracket?

For the ninth time in the history of the NCAA Tournament, a two-seed has fallen to a 15 as Oral Roberts knocked Ohio State out of the dance at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana on Friday afternoon.

In somewhere other than Columbus, Ohio, and East Lansing, Michigan there are folks probably giggling about the idea of Big Ten teams having to play at Mackey after Michigan State was also taken down in the building Thursday night.

The 2021 NCAA Tournament was only hours old when it got its biggest bracket-buster of an upset, and here is a quick refresher on it and the previous eight times a 15 knocked off a two.

Rams have shown interest in CB Adoree’ Jackson

The Rams need a new starting cornerback after Troy Hill’s departure and Adoree’ Jackson is a potential target.

It’s been a week of departures for the Los Angeles Rams, seeing players such as John Johnson, Troy Hill, Gerald Everett and Morgan Fox all leave in free agency. The Rams still haven’t signed a single outside free agent, but they appear to have their eye on one of the top cornerbacks available.

According to Mike Jones of USA TODAY Sports, the Rams are among the teams showing interest in free-agent cornerback Adoree’ Jackson. The Chiefs, Raiders and Cardinals are all interested, as well. Jackson is currently taking visits with the Giants and Eagles, so nothing is imminent with the Rams.

Jackson was released by the Titans this week, a surprising move by Tennessee. It was a cap-saving transaction, but Jackson is only entering his fifth season and is just 25 years old. As a former first-round pick, the draft pedigree is there, too.

Jackson grew up in Los Angeles and attended USC, so if he were to sign with the Rams, it would be a homecoming. He said in 2017 that he always grew up wanting to play for the Rams, an interesting wrinkle to his free-agent decision.

Jackson has only played 14 games in the last two seasons as injuries have caused him to miss time. But when healthy, he was playing at a high level in 2017 and 2018.

In addition to playing cornerback, Jackson also contributes as a return specialist – an area where the Rams certainly need help.

The Rams have limited cap space, so they can’t offer top dollar for Jackson, but this is a match that would make a lot of sense.

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Kings at Celtics: Prediction, point spread, odds, over/under, betting picks

Our prediction and best bet for Friday’s Kings-Celtics game.

Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics host the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, and if you’re looking to do some last-minute betting research, you’re in luck! We’ll give you the latest point spread, moneyline odds and over-under number, as well as the information you’ll need to make the smartest bet on BetMGM.

The game tips off at 7:30 p.m, ET and can be seen on NBC Sports Boston and NBC Sports California.

Romeo Langford and Tristan Thompson are out for the Celtics (20-20), while starting forward Marvin Bagley III and Chimezie Metu are out for the Kings (16-24).

Celtics Wire: Why are the Celtics having a hard time closing games?

The lines, courtesy of BetMGM

  • Point spread: Celtics -7
  • Money line: Celtics -300 / Kings +230
  • Over-under: 232.5

Place your legal, online sports bets in VA, CO, IA, IN, NJ, PA, TN and WV at BetMGM.

Advice and prediction

The Kings won this matchup in Sacramento on Feb. 3rd, 116-111, and since then the Celtics have been largely unpredictable on a night-to-night basis. Both of these teams have a sub-.500 record against the spread, with Boston covering just once in their last five games, and the Kings sitting at 17-23 ATS on the season.

This matchup is a bit of a toss-up given how inconsistent each team is, so I’m just going to take the points here with the Celtics on a two-game losing streak. Kings +7 in a game closer than it should be.

Prediction: Celtics 117, Kings 112

Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.

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Rams and Packers are only 2 teams not to sign an outside free agent

The Rams and Packers have both been sitting on the sidelines this week, focusing on their own free agents.

No team in the NFL came into the first week of free agency with less cap room than the Los Angeles Rams. In fact, the Rams didn’t have any space at all. They began the week $33 million over the salary cap, needing to restructure five contracts just to get under the cap by Wednesday’s deadline.

It comes as no surprise that the Rams have been relatively inactive on the free-agent market. With limited cap space, they’ve had to pick and choose their targets carefully. So far they’ve re-signed Leonard Floyd and Johnny Mundt, while also applying a first-round tender to Darious Williams.

Other than that, they haven’t signed a single other player. The Rams and Packers are the only two teams in the NFL not to sign any outside free agents, as both teams have sat on the sidelines all week.

Like the Rams, the Packers made one major move by re-signing Aaron Jones to a four-year deal worth $48 million. That made for a quiet rest of the week in Green Bay, similar to the impact Floyd’s deal had on the Rams’ plans.

No one in L.A. should be surprised by the team’s inactivity. Even now, the Rams have about $7 million in cap space, which isn’t nearly enough to make a big splash in free agency. They can restructure Matthew Stafford’s contract or extend his deal to lower his 2021 cap hit of $20 million, but that’ll only happen if the Rams feel it’s completely necessary.

In other words, don’t expect much movement from Les Snead and Co. the rest of the way. They could try to re-sign Austin Blythe or add an inexpensive center, but a headline-making move is unlikely to happen.

Johnny Hekker’s tweet suggests he wants Cordarrelle Patterson on the Rams

The Rams are in search of a dynamic return specialist, and Cordarrelle Patterson might be a perfect fit.

With Joe DeCamillis stepping in as the Rams’ new special teams coordinator, Los Angeles could be looking to make a change in the return game. Nsimba Webster remains on the roster, but DeCamillis emphasized the importance of finding a true weapon at punt/kick returner – someone who can make house calls on any given return.

There may not be anyone who’s been better at that in recent years than Cordarrelle Patterson. Though he has disappointed on offense, Patterson remains one of the best return specialists in the NFL. And he just so happens to be available in free agency.

Johnny Hekker seems to like the idea of bringing Patterson to L.A., posting a trio of praying-hands emojis and a ram when he quote tweeted the four-time All-Pro’s message.

Last season, Sean McVay made his respect for Patterson very clear by calling him “a nightmare to deal with in the kick return phase.” This was at a time when Sam Sloman was failing to boot kickoffs out of the end zone, which caused McVay to emphasize the importance of not giving Patterson a chance to return kicks.

“That phase specifically is a huge point of emphasis for us and really if you’re going to prevent him from returning it, you better kick it out of the end zone,” McVay said. “Because he’ll take it out 9 yards deep and he’s made people pay.”

On the opening kickoff, Patterson returned it 28 yards to the Bears’ 30-yard line, quickly giving Chicago better field position than it would’ve had with a touchback.

The Rams have struggled to find a true replacement for Pharoh Cooper in the return game, but Patterson could be exactly what they need on special teams.

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Kings vs. Celtics: Live stream, lineups, injury reports and broadcast info for 3/19

Everything you need to know for Friday’s tilt with Sacramento.

The Boston Celtics play the Sacramento Kings on Friday, March 19, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place. The game will take place at TD Garden as the Kings continue an East Coast road trip with a win under the belt for their last game, but just three more over their last 10 games.

The Celtics haven’t done much better, with Boston on a two-game losing streak and winners of just half of their last 10 contests. For the Celtics part, they must bring their best selves to the court Friday evening, as they have proven vulnerable even to teams struggling to stay in the win column.

And while Boston has enjoyed relatively good health of late, the Kings are dealing with a number of injuries impeding their best play.

Stevens, Tatum give their takes on what ailed Boston vs. Cavs, more generally

The Celtics — and much of the NBA — are struggling to remain consistent.

The issues in Boston’s 117-110 road loss to Cleveland on Wednesday night were easy to spot.

“I don’t disagree that toward the middle and the end of the first half, we looked like we weren’t playing as urgent, but it wasn’t that we came out that way,” Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said.

And truth be told, maintaining focus seems to be an issue not only for the Celtics, but much of the league this season. In the Eastern Conference, eight teams are in fourth place or within four games of the spot, and another five fit that criteria in the more competitive West.

While Celtics fans don’t want excuses, the grind of the regular season can cause a lot of games like Wednesday’s to take place.

Rams salary cap update after initial wave of moves

Where do the Rams stand in terms of cap space after their initial wave of moves?

It’s been a fairly quiet first week of free agency for the Los Angeles Rams. They’ve suffered more losses than additions and have primarily been working to get their salary cap situation under control.

They entered the week more than $33 million over the salary cap, needing to get under the $182.5 million limit by Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. They did just that, announcing they were under the cap on Tuesday afternoon.

Now that Matthew Stafford’s contract is officially on the books, Michael Brockers is gone and Leonard Floyd’s cap hits have been established, where do the Rams stand in terms of spending money?

Cavs lead wire-to-wire as Celtics suffer another disappointing loss

Despite a late fourth quarter run, the Boston Celtics fall to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a disappointing loss, 117-110.

If there was one word to describe the Boston Celtics season so far, it would probably be ‘inconsistency’. Whether that’s the team coming out flat and uninspired or just not being able to hit shots down the stretch in a clutch game situation, the Celtics just haven’t been able to stack up a consistent streak of wins as they’ve flirted with a .500 record for several weeks now.

And last night, that ‘inconsistency’ showed again as the Celtics fall to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 117 – 110, their third loss in four games and bouncing them back to .500 at 20 – 20.

https://twitter.com/TheCelticsWire/status/1372412506254245889?s=20

Following a 2-0 lead for the Celtics, the Cavaliers took control of the game and did not look back for one second, leading by as many as 21 points. Despite a late fourth quarter run by Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, like they had in Tuesday’s loss to the Utah Jazz, to cut Cleveland’s lead to three points, the Celtics couldn’t withstand clutch playmaking down the stretch from Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, who combined for 54 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists.

Though Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for 57 points, what stood out was the lack of 3-point shooting from All-Star duo, hitting only 5-of-23 from downtown.

Marcus Smart added 19 points, hitting 4-of-9 from deep. Robert Williams stuffed the stat sheet off the bench, scoring 13 points, 14 rebound, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks.

Losing wire-to-wire against a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers is not what you’d like to see in a projected championship contender. The Celtics will look to bounce back at home on Friday against the Sacramento Kings.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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Sixers react to Furkan Korkmaz’s clutch shot to force OT in loss to Bucks

The Philadelphia 76ers give their reaction to Furkan Korkmaz’s clutch shot against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Philadelphia 76ers needed somebody to step up and knock down a big shot. They found themselves trailing the Milwaukee Bucks 93-90 after seeing a 19-point lead disappear and coach Doc Rivers called a timeout to draw up a play.

The play ended up being Furkan Korkmaz in the corner and he knocked down a clutch triple with 0.4 seconds left to tie the game at 93. Milwaukee then missed their shot and the game went to overtime.

The Bucks eventually pulled away and won the game 109-105 in the extra session, but Korkmaz knocking down a clutch shot is just what the doctor ordered.

“I feel weird because that was an important shot, we’ll take it but at the end of the day, we lost the game,” said Korkmaz. “We couldn’t really celebrate it. There was nothing to celebrate at the end of the game so that’s the worst part. The small mistakes that we made, made us lose the game.”

The shot was not even supposed to be for Korkmaz. The play was for Shake Milton to go make a move and try and get the Sixers to overtime, but the Bucks played it well and it opened up an opportunity for Korkmaz to make a big shot.

“It was a big shot for him,” said Tobias Harris. “I thought it reminds me of the Portland shot right in the corner, this one the opposite corner but, Furk’s a great shooter and then that play was actually drawn up, he was probably the second option, but he was open on the look, Shake made the pass to him and he was able to let it go.”

A guy like Korkmaz is a streaky player so the team will need more of this from him moving forward as he has been playing better since the All-Star break.

“We expect that of Furk and he’s been playing really good basketball, and his ability to stretch the floor,” Harris added. “I think that’s definitely a big confidence booster for him too.”

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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