Tag: Wake Forest

Instant analysis of Patriots selecting Justin Herron with the No. 195 pick

Justin Herron is the second guard heading to New England in the draft.

[jwplayer cQt1Dfhi-ThvAeFxT]

The New England Patriots selected consecutive guards in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

New England grabbed Michael Onwenu with the No. 182 pick and they selected Wake Forest guard Justin Herron with pick No. 195. Herron is 6-foot-5, 290 pounds and is projected to be a guard, despite playing at tackle in college. Herron was a team captain last year and is a cerebral player who earned All-ACC Academic Team.

Because of his monstrous size, Herron had difficulties in college when it came to blocking players in space. He does have quick feet and intriguing athletic ability at his size, making him a solid developmental player. Herron lacks play strength and times and his biggest weakness is the accuracy of his hand placement while blocking.

Here’s what NFL.com had to say about Herron.

Herron is flexible and athletic with the foot quickness to compete in a camp as a zone-blocking guard. However, he’s often in a state of flux and having to fight for survival due to suspect hand usage and body control. He may not have enough play strength to withstand NFL defensive tackles in one-on-one situations, but he does have intriguing athletic traits and may be looked at as a developmental prospect.

The Patriots tagged Joe Thuney and it’s still very possible they trade him, which would leave the team with nearly $15 million in extra cap space. Selecting two guards in the draft makes it seem more possible for them get rid of Thuney. New England did lose Ted Karras in free agency, so it’s also possible they’re just bolstering their depth at the position.

New England has addressed the offensive line, tight end, linebacker and kicker position in the draft — leaving quarterback as the main priority now.

[vertical-gallery id=83133]

Winter College Football: Crazy or Not That Crazy of Proposal?

Part of that solution involves using East Tennessee State’s “Mini-Dome” which now serves as a practice facility.  That’s the route Mandell is willing to go make something work in having a college football season, so like many proposals you can see how this would be far-fetched from the get-go.  Regardless, Mandell proposed the following to Notre Dame this 2020, er, check that, first of two 2021 seasons, which would start with all of college football on New Year’s Day:

When pressed about his team lacking talent at offensive tackle for a number of years, former Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo once snapped back at the media and asked “How ’bout a few solutions!?” as he’d grown sick of questions.

Well, in regards to the 2020 College Football season that could be anything from cancelled entirely, to postponed a month or six weeks, or even starting on time in front of no fans.  What do you do about that problem?  You start trying to find a solution, something The Athletic did Tuesday morning.

The well-respected Stewart Mandell breaks down a ton of the issues including timing of games, the NFL Draft and perhaps most interesting in all of it, usable local venues to keep games from being played in extreme conditions.

Part of that solution involves using East Tennessee State’s “Mini-Dome” which now serves as a practice facility.  That’s the route Mandell is willing to go make something work in having a college football season, so like many proposals you can see how this would be far-fetched from the get-go.  Regardless, Mandell proposed the following to Notre Dame this 2020, er, check that, first of two 2021 seasons, which would start with all of college football on New Year’s Day:

The Athletic’s Theoretical Notre Dame Winter Schedule:
Jan. 1 vs. Navy (Detroit, Ford Field)
Jan. 9 vs. Wisconsin (Milwaukee, Miller Park)
Jan. 16 vs. Wake Forest (Eastern Tennessee State, Mini-Dome)
Jan. 23 vs. Pitt (Detroit, Ford Field)
Jan. 30 vs. Stanford (Indianapolis, Lucas Oil Stadium)
Feb. 6 vs. Duke (Indianapolis, Lucas Oil Stadium)
Feb. 13 vs. Clemson (Notre Dame Stadium)
Feb. 20 at Georgia Tech (at GT or Mercedes Benz Stadium)
Feb. 27 vs. Louisville (Notre Dame Stadium)
March 13 at USC (The Coliseum) 

The season gets cut to ten instead of 12 games with the elimination of Arkansas and Western Michigan from the schedule. It’s crazy to look at but hey, props to Mandell for at least offering a solution, or an attempt at one anyway to the problem.  He closes by saying himself: “let this exercise be a glimmer of hope for a creative and entertaining alternative” so no shots here whatsoever, just a few questions.

-Detroit and Indianapolis essentially turn into Notre Dame’s home field for 40% of their games.  Makes logistical sense but only makes me more upset at the city of Chicago for not putting a dome on the disaster that is Soldier Field but we can leave that for another day.

-Even if social distancing or groups of only a few thousand people are allowed to start, why do games have to be played indoors to start?  I know it’s great to think optimistically about weather changing for the better but February 13 in South Bend will unlikely be any better than February 6, which is forced to a dome.  I would LOVE to see Clemson play up north outdoors then though.

-I can’t stop laughing thinking about playing in this converted dome at ETSU.  Almost rooting for it now.

Some silliness to it but if things can’t get started until January and schedules get shortened there won’t be any choice but to have something extremely different.  Here’s to hoping it all somehow settles and things start with some sense of normalcy come Labor Day weekend.

WGCA names Division I All-America teams after shortened season

Despite a shortened season, the Women’s Golf Coaches Association of America has released its All-America teams.

[jwplayer CYq8DKaK-vgFm21H3]

Despite a shortened season, the Women’s Golf Coaches Association has released its All-America teams. In selecting this year’s honorees, the WGCA Awards Committee reduced its minimum round requirement from 15 to eight for Division I players.

Other criteria that goes into award selection includes head-to-head competition, comparison with common opponents, adjusted scoring average, regular-season finishes and tournament wins and strength of schedule.

Wake Forest, which finished its season with a 26-shot win at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate and ranked No. 3 in the Golfweek/Sagarins, has the biggest presence on the following list. The 2019 NCAA runner-up team landed two players on the first team, one on the second team and one on the honorable mention list. That’s a school record for most All-Americans in a single season.

First Team

Ana Belac, Senior, Duke

Linn Grant, Freshman, Arizona State

Vivian Hou, Freshman, Arizona

Rachel Kuehn, Freshman, Wake Forest

Ingrid Lindblad, Freshman, Louisiana State

Emilia Migliaccio, Junior, Wake Forest

Kaitlyn Papp, Junior, Texas

Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, Freshman, South Carolina

Emma Spitz, Freshman, UCLA

Natalie Srinivasan, Senior, Furman

Kaleigh Telfer, Junior, Auburn

Second Team

Allisen Corpuz, Senior, USC

Sofia Garcia, Junior, Texas Tech

Renate Grimstad, Miami

Sophie Guo, Freshman, Texas

Yu-Sang Hou, Junior, Arizona

Julia Johnson, Junior, Mississippi

Aline Krauter, Sophomore, Stanford

Siyun Liu, Senior, Wake Forest

Pimnipa Panthong, Senior, Kent State

Kenzie Wright, Senior, Alabama

Angelina Ye, Freshman, Stanford

Honorable Mention Team

Alyaa Abdulghany, Junior, USC

Jaravee Boonchant, Junior, Duke

Ya Chun Chang, Sophomore, Arizona

Elodie Chapelet, Redshirt-Senior, Baylor

Alessandra Fanali, Sophomore, Arizona State

Isabella Fierro, Freshman, Oklahoma State

Amelia Garvey, Junior, USC

Allyson Geer-Park, Senior, Michigan State

Ashley Gilliam, Freshman, Mississippi State

Lauren Hartlage, Senior, Louisville

Momoka Kobori, Senior, Pepperdine

Caley McGinty, Freshman, Kent State

Olivia Mehaffey, Senior, Arizona State

Sofie Nielsen, Freshman, Oregon

Natasha Andrea Oon, Sophomore, San Jose State

Emilie Paltrinieri, Freshman, UCLA

Valery Plata, Sophomore, Michigan State

Priscilla Schmid, Junior, Indiana

Karoline Stormo, Senior, Kent State

Beatrice Wallin, Sophomore, Florida State

Lauren Walsh, Freshman, Wake Forest

Jennifer Zhou, Sophomore, North Carolina

[lawrence-related id=778025691,778036128,778036783]

BetMGM Lists Seven Notre Dame Spreads – Irish Surprise Underdog in One

BetMGM listed seven Notre Dame game lines for the 2020 season. They’re about what you’d expect except for one. Navy, Clemson, USC, Wisconsin

I’m debating writing everything from here forward as if the 2020 college football season is going to start on time.  It may not be the most realistic belief but with where we’re at right now, do I really have to type out something along the lines of “assuming these games are played” or “as long as the season starts on time” anymore?  We’re all on the same page and I don’t think anyone out there is unaware of the possibility that college football may be played differently in 2020…or 2021.

With that said BetMGM has posted point spreads for seven of Notre Dame’s 12 games this season.  Of the seven, four have the Irish listed as a significant favorite while another has them as a slight favorite.  They then list Notre Dame as an underdog in a pair of games as well, one understandably so and the other being a bit of a surprise.

2020 Notre Dame Game Lines via BetMGM:

August 29 vs. Navy (Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland):  Notre Dame -16.5

September 26 vs. Wake Forest (Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC):  Notre Dame -23.5

October 3 vs. Wisconsin (Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI):  Notre Dame -2.5

October 10 vs. Stanford (Notre Dame Stadium):  Notre Dame -17.5

November 7 vs. Clemson (Notre Dame Stadium):  Clemson -7.5

November 21 vs. Louisville (Notre Dame Stadium):  Notre Dame -14.5

November 28 vs. USC (Los Angeles Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA): No spread listed but USC a -125 money-line favorite (Notre Dame +105).

Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated _____ at _____ a.m. / p.m. ET. (You will need to write in the day and time you are looking at the latest betting lines)

The games where Notre Dame is a significant favorite are hardly a surprise.  If one stands out to me it’s that Louisville is a 14.5 point underdog.  I thought that program took a giant step last year and seem headed in the right direction.

I’ve seen other shops list Notre Dame as a slight underdog at Wisconsin so I was a bit surprised to see the Irish favored, even slightly against what should be another very good Badgers squad.

Clemson being favored by 7.5 is the biggest spread I’ve seen anywhere on that November 7.  If you’re looking to bet that “game of the year” then look no further than here if you’re backing Notre Dame.  Tough to find a number as good right now.

And pardon me while I go and dump my savings account in on Notre Dame at +105 to finish the year at USC.  Is there a program that routinely does less with more?  The Irish are 3-2 at USC under Brian Kelly and enter the season is much better shape than the Trojans who realistically could be playing with a different head coach by the time Thanksgiving weekend rolls around.

“Want to get in on the action? Place your bet now at BetMGM.”

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

College golf: Trick shots and togetherness, even when players are apart

Trick-shot, club-bounce and Zoom team meeting montages posted to Twitter on Thursday proved that college golf teams are still communicating.

College golf has shut down for the rest of the 2020 season and many players have packed up to return home. Still, this should be about the time of year players are ramping up for conference championships, not winding down into uncertainty.

It’s tough to take the “golf” out of a college golfer, though, no matter how far he or she may be separated from the rest of the team. A series of trick-shot, club-bounce and Zoom team meeting montages posted to Twitter on Thursday proved that.

Related: #roadtograyhawk college golf blog

PGA Tour players aren’t the only ones who can play the trick-shot game. Take a look at some of our favorites (and tag us at @collegegolf if your team has been inspired), led by Wake Forest’s women, who ended the season ranked No. 3 in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings after a 26-shot win at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate.

Wake Forest women

Arkansas women

Oklahoma State women

Ball State women

Stanford men

[opinary poll=”do-you-feel-comfortable-playing-golf-ami-HcK9NO” customer=”golfweek”]

[lawrence-related id=778032387,778031460,778025691]

Notre Dame Basketball Player Review: T.J. Gibbs

If you’re wondering who the most improved 3-point shooter was among major conference players this season, it was T.J. Gibbs.

If you’re wondering who the most improved 3-point shooter was among major conference players this season, it was T.J. Gibbs. Not only did the senior guard lead Notre Dame in shooting from beyond the arc (42.0 percent), but his 10.2-percent improvement from a year ago was bested only by three players from mid-major schools. He also had the highest free-throw percentage for the Irish (88.0 percent) while becoming the seventh player in program history to play at least 4,000 minutes in a career.

Gibbs was consistent and productive in his scoring, reaching double figures in 14 of 15 games, including 11 straight, from Dec. 7 to Feb. 9. Thanks in large part to all those 3s and free throws, it wasn’t unheard of for him to reach 20 points, which he did five times. His best scoring output of the season was 23, which he achieved Jan. 29 against Wake Forest. And in what became his final farewell to Notre Dame, he led his team with 16 points in its lone ACC tournament game.

Watch: Nate Laszewski Lights Up Wake Forest

Nate Laszewski still has so much more to accomplish with Notre Dame.

Nate Laszewski still has so much more to accomplish with Notre Dame. The fact that he’s had a few amazing games in his career already shows a lot more will come from him in the future. In the meantime, we can reminisce about performances like his 18-point game Jan. 29 vs. Wake Forest.

Notre Dame Basketball Player Review: Nate Laszewski

When an underclassman comes off the bench one season, he often performs well enough that you know he’ll be starting the following year.

When an underclassman comes off the bench one season, he often performs well enough that you know he’ll be starting the following year. Sophomore Nate Laszewski has all but assured himself of that after a solid season of 7.4 points and 4.6 rebounds a game while averaging 21.0 minutes. With Notre Dame set to lose senior forwards John Mooney and Juwan Durham, Laszewski’s table with the starting five is ready.

Statistically, Laszewski had his best game in a Jan. 29 win over Wake Forest, scoring 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting while also playing solid interior defense. In other games, he proved he can handle big moments. Most notably, he hit the deciding 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds in a one-point win over North Carolina on Feb. 17. He also forced overtime Nov. 21 vs. Toledo with a buzzer-beating 3, and the Irish went on to win.

Laszewski’s only getting started with his Notre Dame story, and barring some major setback, the best still is to come.

ACC Tournament Bracket Set

The ACC regular season has come to a close and the transition to college basketball’s postseason now begins. Find out who and when your squad is playing here!

The ACC regular season has come to a close and the transition to college basketball’s postseason now begins. For Notre Dame that means the ACC Tournament which gets started in Greensboro, North Carolina on Tuesday.

In beating Virginia Tech on Saturday, Notre Dame locked up a 10-10 ACC record and seventh place conference finish. They get a first round bye as a result and will play No. 10 Boston College on Wednesday night as tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET.

If Notre Dame wins that they will play No. 2 Virginia on Thursday night at 7 p.m. and the winner of that contest will play the winner of the No. 2 Louisville, No. 6 Syracuse, No. 11 Virginia Tech and No. 14 North Carolina pod.

No. 1 Florida State and No. 4 Duke sit on the other side of the bracket.

Early impressions from me are that this is as good of a draw as Notre Dame could hope for. A Boston College team they should beat, a seconded-seeded Virginia squad they should have beat on the road earlier this season and then a potential semi-final draw that wouldn’t be against the only team to really run them out of the gym in an ACC contest this year.

March Madness is upon us. Here’s to hoping for a nice run into maybe Friday night for Mike Brey and the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame’s Small Chances at Dance Dashed by Deacons

Notre Dame had won seven of nine in conference play and gotten from just 2-6 in ACC play to 9-8 in conference play before this setback sent them back to .500 in league play at 9-9

It was a long shot at best entering Saturday afternoon that Notre Dame would hear their name called in a few weeks on Selection Sunday, but after an 84-73 loss at lowly Wake Forest on Saturday afternoon the Fighting Irish can start preparing for the possibility of an NIT berth.

Notre Dame had problems all afternoon in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as the now 13-15 Wake Forest Demon Deacons scored over 40 points in both halves. Despite a fine effort from John Mooney who totaled yet another double-double with 24 points and 17 rebounds, the Irish simply couldn’t slow down Wake Forest big man Olivier Sarr who put up 30 points in 32 minutes of action.

The Fighting Irish had been shooting better from beyond the arc but that hit the skids Saturday as they went just six of 22 (27.3%) from three. Conversely the Deacons made more (seven) while attempting far fewer (15) from three.

Notre Dame had won seven of nine in conference play and gotten from just 2-6 in ACC play to 9-8 in conference play before this setback sent them back to .500 in league play at 9-9. In an incredibly disappointing ACC top to bottom, Saturday’s loss against 14th place Wake Forest will certainly end their NCAA Tournament hopes with anything short of an unlikely ACC Tournament title.

Notre Dame returns to action Wednesday night as they will host Florida State, who is currently tied with Louisville atop the ACC standings with a 14-4 record.