The NBA semi-finals have officially come to a close and the conference finals are upon us. This year’s unorthodox playoffs are as unpredictable as ever. Last week we reviewed the Eastern Conference action, so this week we’re onto the West.

On one side of the Western Conference quarterfinals, the Houston Rockets took on the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers had a very successful regular season, ending 52-19 and obtaining the No. 1 seed. They also have one of the best duos in the league with All-Stars in forward LeBron James and center Anthony Davis. James has got it done on both ends of the court, averaging 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 10.2 rebounds. Wherever James hasn’t been, Davis has been a dominant rebounder and scorer averaging 25.3 points and 9.3 rebounds. With excellent role players in shooting guard Kyle Kuzma, veteran point guard Rajon Rondo and star defender Danny Green this team has been a powerhouse. 

The Rockets also had a stellar regular season as they ended with a 44-28 record and the No. 4 seed. They were led by shooting guard James Harden, the league’s leading scorer, and point guard Russel Westbrook. Harden has led the league in scoring multiple years in a row, along with earning an MVP in 2018. Harden averaged a commanding 34.3 points this season as he continues to prove he can’t be guarded. Westbrook averaged 27.2 points along with seven assists. This level of scoring hasn’t been seen since the prime of the careers of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for the Golden State Warriors, as the Rockets starting backcourt averaged over 60 points a game.

This semi-finals series became a much-anticipated event. During Game 1 one, the Rockets took a commanding 112-97 win behind a stellar performance from Harden’s 36 points and Westbrook’s 24 points and nine rebounds. The Lakers struggled to shoot and struggled to guard the 3-pointer as the Rockets dominated the entirety of the game. 

During Game 2, the Lakers showed up with more life, going up by 16 points in the first quarter. Los Angeles stayed on the gas pedal and never allowed the Rockets to recover from this lead, earning a 117-109 win to tie the series. During the outing, the Rockets averaged a mere 44% on field goals compared to the Lakers 56%. 

In the third contest of the series, both teams played stellar defense and no team could take a substantial lead as they entered the fourth quarter with a tie game. The fourth quarter was all Lakers, with stellar passing by Rondo and scoring from Davis and James. The final score would be a 112-102 win by the Lakers led by 36 points from James, 26 points and 15 rebounds by Davis and 21 points from Rondo. 

The Rockets came into Game 4 with intensity, knowing going down 3-1 to the James led Lakers was all but a guarantee that they were going home. Down the stretch, Houston’s shooting struggles continued, as the team struggled to average 30% from beyond the arc. The Rockets’ self-proclaimed small ball approach came back to bite them on maintaining possession of the ball, as the Lakers also outrebounded them with a total of 52 rebounds compared to the Rockets’ 26. With six players scoring in the double digits for Los Angeles, the Lakers took the 110-100 win and went up 3-1 in the series. 

Game 5 was a win or go home contest for the Rockets, putting significant pressure on Harden to go off. As with previous contests, the physicality of Los Angeles quickly routed the Rockets. Harden scored his usual 30 points but had little help as the next highest scorer scored a mere 13. James got it down on all ends with 29 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. The game would end with a 119-96 Lakers win and a trip to the Western Conference Finals.

Following their loss to the Toronto Raptors in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2019, the Boston Celtics returned home and worked to refine their team chemistry. A year later, they’ve developed two of the league’s biggest rising stars in small forward Jayson Tatum and shooting guard Jaylen Brown, while additionally adding veteran point guard Kemba Walkers into the mix. With a depth of talent including forward Gordon Hayward and defensive star Marcus Smart, the Celtics found themselves up against the Raptors once more this season, this time vying for a place in the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat.

On paper, this series looked to be the most evenly matched series of the playoffs. The Raptors finished the regular season with a commanding 0.736 win percentage and the No. 2 seed. After winning the NBA Finals last year and watching star forward Kawhi Leonard depart for greener pastures in the offseason, many thought that the Raptors would lose some of their chemistry and not have a deep playoff run –– if one at all. Yet Toronto’s roster quietly put together a strong season, as star point guard Kyle Lowry, All-Star power forward Pascal Siakam and shooting guard Fred VanVleet led the Raptors all season and proved they didn’t need Leonard to be a championship-caliber squad. The Celtics, meanwhile, also had a successful regular season, ending with a 0.667 win percentage and securing the conference’s No. 4 seed. Tatum has paved the way for the Celtics, while the infusion of Walker has paid dividends for his and Brown’s development, allowing Boston to play their best team basketball since the days of Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett. 

Boston stole the show in game one, with six players scoring double-digit points en route to a 112-94 win. Fueling the win for the Celtics were first-team defensive players Smart and Tatum, who each dropped over 20 points.

During game two the Raptors made some helpful adjustments forcing a closer game. Walker struggled to score early in the contest, only making one of his first 11 shots. Although Walker underperformed, Tatum balled out, playing 42 minutes and dropping 34 points while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out six assists. Though Boston veered from their blueprint of team basketball, one of their young stars stepped up to bail the team out when they needed him to.

Toronto responded well in a crucial game three. Lowry and VanVleet stole the show in scoring, with the former putting up 31 and the latter contributing 25. With the backcourt humming, Siakam and company played smart defense and rotated the ball around on offense in the frontcourt to give their shooters as many opportunities as possible. Despite the astounding efforts from both Lowry and VanVleet, the Raptors were still down by 2 points with less than a second to play in the contest. A smart inbound pass from Lowry to small forward Ogugua Anunoby left just enough time for the catch and shoot 3-pointer, just over an outstretched hand of Brown, securing the 1-point victory in the closing moments of the contest. 

The Raptors, feeling the hum of their offense coming out of game three, rode their momentum to secure back to back victories, stifling the Celtics offense in game four in a 100-93 victory.  

Head coach Brad Stevens’ squad came out to ball in game five following their two previous defeats, playing some of the best basketball they played all season. They held the Raptors to a mere 13 points in the first quarter and continued to ride out their sizable lead until the final buzzer sounded on their 111-89 win.

Game six was the most strenuous of the series, as neither team could manage to keep a substantial lead for any period of time. Toronto moved the ball efficiently and had six players with double-digit points and 33 points from Lowry. Due to intense defensive play, the game went into overtime, but both squads were only able to put up 8 points each in the first overtime period, forcing a second overtime. Lowry and VanVleet’s long-range prowess prevailed over a tired Celtics squad, as the Raptors closed out the game 125-122, forcing a game seven. 

In game seven, the strong defensive trend from both squads continued, with the score at 72-71 entering the fourth quarter. With their postseason hopes on the line, both teams played and with intensity and extreme physicality at both ends of the court. The young tandem of Tatum and Brown prevailed as the more clutch duo, closing out the game 92-87 to move on to the Eastern Conference finals. 

After losing Leonard in the offseason, the Raptors were predicted to struggle to even make the playoffs, yet still grabbed the No. 2 seed and went down with a strong fight. This will be the third time in four years the Celtics have made the Eastern Conference finals, but this year they hope to finally make it over the hump and into the championship series.

With all forms of professional sports canceled, fans cling on to the NFL draft, which is confirmed to stream online with all participants staying remote throughout the process. Over the past few weeks, we have predicted the first 21 picks of the first round. This week we will conclude the first round with our prediction for the final 11 picks.

With the 22nd pick in the draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars will need to address their defense, which is a shell of the unit it was back in 2018 when they carried Blake Bortles to the AFC Championship game. After trading star cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams and cornerback A.J Buoye to the Denver Broncos, the team will look to start over at the position with a young stud in TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney. Gladney’s speed was on display at the combine and his one-on-one shutdown ability gives him the upside of being a top-tier corner.

With the 23rd pick in the draft, the New England Patriots will select linebacker from the University of Oklahoma Kenneth Murray. The Patriots historically have invested in stellar linebackers, but their retention hasn’t been fantastic, as with the loss of Kyle Van Noy they are in need of someone to assist Dont’a Hightower in patrolling the second level of the defense. Murray’s build, quickness and instinctual play make him a perfect pick in reloading the Patriot’s defense.

Though the New Orlean Saints hold the 24th pick in the draft, the Baltimore Ravens will make a bold move and trade up with the Saints for this pick, swapping first-rounders and giving them one of their extra third-round picks. The Ravens, seeing LSU linebacker Patrick Queen sitting on the board and the Seahawks looking for a young stud linebacker as well, make this move to repair the hole left in the second level of their front seven after C.J Mosely left in the 2018 offseason.

With the 25th pick in the draft, the Minnesota Vikings will select LSU Tigers edge rusher, K’Lavon Chaisson. Chaisson was a huge part of LSU’s historic defense that led them to a championship this past year, exhibiting excellent off the ball quickness and strong hand fighting against big offensive linemen. The Vikings have lost a lot of defensive talent, but replacing the production of Everson Griffen is the first step in repairing their defense in the spot they’re currently in.

With the 26th pick in the draft, the Detroit Lions will make a semi-shocking move and select Utah State quarterback Jordan Love. Love has been streaky throughout his last two seasons, but the lack of talent surrounding him at Utah was limiting his natural talent. At the combine, his throwing motion was the most natural and the smoothest of all the passers in the eyes of many scouts, but his lack of detailed success scared off some scouts. In Detroit, Matthew Stafford continues to hold one of the most expensive contracts in the league, and with the lack of success the Lions have had with him they most likely won’t resign him. Drafting Love would give him a couple of years to develop behind Stafford before taking the starting job. Love has every throw in his pocket but lacks the decision making that he could develop as a backup.

With the 27th pick in the draft, the Seattle Seahawks will grab talented linebacker Zack Braun out of Wisconsin. With free-agent linebacker Jadeveon Clowney’s decision still up in the air, Seattle will probably prepare for his departure and build for the future. Baun has impressive speed and elusiveness, as he managed to have 12.5 sacks last season, making him a good potential replacement for Clowney.

With the 28th pick in the draft, after trading down with the Baltimore Ravens, the New Orleans Saints will select LSU Tigers cornerback Kristian Fulton. Fulton displayed smart instincts in LSU’s zone scheme and matched up well in man coverage when asked to, so he looks to fit in alongside Marshon Lattimore to shore up the Saints’ defense.

With the 29th pick in the draft, the Tennessee Titans will need to repair the gap left on the right side of their offensive line following the departure of Jack Conklin in free agency. With that being said, they have the perfect prospect available in Georgia offensive lineman Isaiah Wilson. The Titans managed to run their way to the AFC championship and another stellar offensive lineman could help them continue this strategy. Georgia historically produces NFL ready linemen and Wilson fits the bill to start day one.

With the 30th pick in the draft, the Green Bay Packers will be looking to give Aaron Rodgers an immediate impact receiver to pair up with Davante Adams, and they’ll take Colorado wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. Shenault is quick off the line of scrimmage and is the physical type receiver the Packers could use in their offense alongside Adams.

With the 31st pick in the draft, the 49ers will replace DeForest Buckner, who they traded to the Colts for the 13th pick, by taking Penn State edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos. Forgoing his senior season, Gross-Matos is lacking the statistics of most pass rushers, but his tape is excellent. Gross-Matos is a quarterback hunter that the 49ers could use opposite Nick Bosa to terrorize quarterbacks for years to come. Although he never hit his full potential, he has a high ceiling that Kyle Shanahan could pull out of him.

With the 32nd and final pick of the first round of the draft, the Kansas City Chiefs will look to bolster their defense with edge rusher Boise State Curtis Weaver. The Chiefs’ deep roster gives them a range of players they could take with this pick but taking a defensive lineman to bolster their front will help them maintain their championship roster for years to come. Weaver could be the 6-8 sack player to help complete the defensive line.

As the draft continues to inch closer, anticipation grows. With one of the deepest receivers and cornerback classes in the last decade, fans countdown to when their team takes the stage and grabs new talent.

The University of Maine women’s basketball team hit the road for a contest against the Hartford University Hawks on Saturday, Feb. 1. During the game, they took an early advantage and held off the Hawks for a 69-52 victory in the divisional matchup. 

The game quickly became a defensive battle as the first basket of the contest didn’t come until two minutes into the first quarter. Third-year forward Maeve Carroll made up for a turnover off of the tip-off with a strong layup to put Maine on the board. Carrol showed some real hustle, getting back down to her own paint to block a shot from Hawks first-year guard Kaela Dothard. Maine corralled the rebound and took off back down the floor, setting up first-year guard Anne Simon for an easy jumper. 

The Black Bears continued to hold Hartford scoreless until almost five minutes into the game, as second-year guard Jordan McLemore hit a clean jumper to put the Hawks on the board. A slew of turnovers, miscues and missed shots eventually rounded out as both teams got their bench into the game toward the end of the quarter. 

Maine held a 17-12 lead heading into the second quarter but immediately went on a tear before the half, including Simon, who accounted for five points in less than a minute. Carroll and Simon continued to haul in rebounds, score layups and move the ball around to their teammates. Maine went on a roll midway through the second quarter, as they started hitting perimeter shots, with third-year guard Dor Saar leading the way with a few deep jumpers and a three-pointer, helping Maine go on an 18-6 run. Hartford began to close the deficit at the back end of the second quarter but was stopped by half-time trailing 35-24.

After the half, a pair of three-pointers from Sarr was complimented by another from third-year guard Kelly Fogarty to assist Maine in a 13-4 run. Hartford continued to take shots from the perimeter, but Maine didn’t let any go uncontested. They blocked a few shots and only allowed the Hawks to score 13 points in the quarter, while the Black Bears worked the passing game well and ended the third with an 18-point lead. Simon continued to shoot effectively, hitting a pair of jumpers to start the fourth. With a 20-point lead and less than eight minutes left in the game, Maine subbed out their starters and worked the clock down to win the contest 69-52. 

The Black Bears got a few days off after the victory, resting up before the next competition on Wednesday, Feb. 6, hosting the University of Vermont Catamounts in another divisional game. With a 70-59 victory, Maine continues to show that they are a late-season team.

Vermont came flying out of the gate, taking an early 7-2 lead with a pair of layups and a three-pointer, but a strong layup from Carrol and three-pointer from Fogarty leveled the score. With two Black Bears firing, Saar and third-year forward Kirra Barra got into the mix, and the group lit up the floor with clean passing, shooting, and ball vision, leading to a 13-0 run. 

After controlling the opening minutes, Vermont found themselves down 15-9 heading into the second quarter and fought their way back into the competition. A beautiful three-pointer from fourth-year forward Hanna Crymble to start the quarter was followed by two free throw attempts off the fast break, shrinking Maine’s lead to 15-14 just a minute into the quarter. After making a pair of three-pointers and jumpers, Vermont took a 24-19 lead. Continuing the back and forth action, Carroll took over the paint to score six unanswered points followed by a three-pointer from Saar. Maine would take the first half with a nail-biting 27-26 lead.

Simon came out firing at the start of the second half with a pair of layups and a three-pointer made to give Maine the 34-28 lead. Before Vermont could respond, Maeve took control of the paint on both sides of the ball, pulling in two rebounds, putting up a layup and making two free throws in under a minute. Vermont was resentful and went on a 12-2 run led by back-to-back three-pointers, bringing the score to 42-40, the second lead change of the game. 

To get the lead back, Simon hit a three-pointer followed by a pair of rebounds and a pair of layups from Carrol. This would give Maine the 49-44 lead to end the third quarter. 

The fourth would not start so hot for Maine, as they would not score at all in the first four minutes of the fourth leading to another lead change with a one-point deficit. Saar made a three to help Maine reclaim the lead as she tried to heat up an otherwise cold performance compared to her previous games. Simon then forced a 14-7 streak with stellar assists to her teammates and drives to the basket of her own. The offensive assault proved to be enough to finish off the Catamounts, and Maine celebrated their 70-59 victory.

Maine has two games this upcoming week, as they host the University of Massachusetts Lowell on Wednesday, Feb. 12, then travel to Albany to play the University at Albany on Saturday, Feb. 15.

For the first time in 50 years, the Kansas City Chiefs have taken the Lombardi Trophy home. It has been an absolutely tremendous season for the Chiefs, and it would be foolish to say that any other team deserved it more than they did. Going into the season, the Chiefs were projected to at least be in the AFC Championship game, but there were questions on whether or not they would be able to overcome their porous defense that kept them from making it to the Super Bowl last year. 

The Chiefs began the year 4-0, and reigning league MVP Patrick Mahomes picked up right where he left off. At the beginning of the season, it looked like he was going to sprint away with the MVP award again before a few questionable losses due to a lack of defense began to derail the season. Prior to their week-seven contest, a Thursday night football game against their division rival, the Denver Broncos, Mahomes appeared on the Chiefs’ injury report. Despite the soreness to his leg, he played through the game but suffered a knee injury during the game after a failed quarterback dive. The initial thought was that it would be a major injury that would end Mahomes’ season and essentially end the Chiefs’ Super Bowl hopes, as the Madden cover man limped to the medical cart and was driven off the field. Fortunately, reports came out the following day that it was merely a knee dislocation and, after receiving an MRI, it was found that there was no ligament damage and that Mahomes would potentially be able to return in just a couple weeks. 

Mahomes ended up missing only two games, in which; the Chiefs went 1-1, falling to the Packers, but not affecting the playoff picture for Kansas City. Mahomes returned for a match on the road against the Titans, where the Chiefs fell short 35-32, despite Mahomes throwing for 446 yards and three touchdowns in the game. The Chiefs had fallen to a 6-4 record through the midseason bump and had the Oakland Raiders, who were a shocking 6-4 as well, knocking on the door for the division. From that point on, the Chiefs did not lose for the rest of the season, and the Raiders only won a single game after that. The Chiefs’ defense went on a bit of a roll and gave Mahomes and the offense all the support they needed to win out the rest of the schedule and finish 12-4. 

Despite Kansas City being three games behind New England as late as week 13, the Patriots unraveled as the season wore on, including a loss to the Chiefs that would hand the advantage to Kansas City in a potential tie-breaking situation. Going into week 17, the Chiefs, 11-4, remained a game behind New England, 12-3. After the Chiefs took care of business against the lowly Chargers, the Patriots shockingly lost to Miami, which lifted Kansas City over the Patriots for the No. 2 seed, giving the Chiefs a first-round bye. The Chiefs had the week off to rest up and get right for their divisional-round matchup against the Houston Texans. After the Chiefs’ defense improved down the stretch of the season, the Texans looked like they were exploiting the previous holes early and often. Deshaun Watson and the Texans went right down the field multiple times and got some special teams to help, made a lot of big plays, and in the blink of an eye, the Chiefs found themselves down 24-0 at the beginning of the second quarter. From that point, Mahomes and the Chiefs absolutely dominated the game. Normally a 24 point deficit is the type of comeback that would take an entire game of chipping away until the team finally made it back, but normal rules don’t apply to an offense commanded by Mahomes. With Mahomes throwing four touchdowns in the second quarter alone, the Chiefs went into halftime with a 28-24 lead. 

Kansas City was able to keep their composure and completely dismantled the Texans by outscoring them 51-7 after falling down 24 points, leading to a final score 51-31. The Chiefs were back in the AFC championship game for the second consecutive year. 

Going into the postseason, the Baltimore Ravens were the favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, but the Ravens fell victim to the Tennessee Titans’ Cinderella run that also resulted in the demise of the 2019 Patriots season. The Chiefs had the opportunity to host the AFC championship at Arrowhead Stadium, where they fell just short a year prior. What hurt the Chiefs mightily last year was their run defense, as New England ran rampant on them in the playoffs, keeping Mahomes on the sideline. The run defense had improved, but their next challenge was former Heisman Trophy-winning running back Derrick Henry, who was coming off of an incredible 10-week stretch, including absolutely manhandling the Patriots’ and Ravens’ defenses for 180 plus yards each in the previous two weeks. 

Henry was off to a decent start that helped the Titans jump out to a 10-0 lead early, putting Mahomes and the Chiefs in a hole once again. After trading scores, the Chiefs got the ball back with over six minutes left in the first half, down 17-7. They were able to manage two scores before the half, to give themselves a 21-17 lead. With the Titans’ run game falling out of the plan, the Chiefs were once again able to walk away with a 35-24 win that gave the franchise their first Super Bowl appearance in 50 years. 

After completing two successful comebacks, the Super Bowl was no different. A defensive battle consumed the first half, and through most of the third quarter, the Chiefs’ offense was frustrated in ways that hadn’t been seen yet. With the game clock ticking down, Mahomes had thrown two interceptions, the offense had only mustered 10 points, and the Chiefs were down 20-10 halfway through the fourth quarter. 

The Chiefs were able to score on a play-action boot on the goal line, with Mahomes rolling right and delivering a strike to tight end Travis Kelce for the touchdown. On the ensuing drive, defensive tackle Chris Jones and the rest of the Chiefs’ defensive front pressured Garoppolo on three consecutive downs, forcing a three and out from the 49ers’ offense. Kansas City would march down the field and score once more, this time with Mahomes hitting running back Damien Williams out of the backfield on the swing route, giving the Chiefs the 24-20 advantage. 

With San Francisco having all three of their timeouts, and just under two minutes to play, this game was still either team’s to win. Garoppolo had a streaking wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders behind the Chiefs’ defense, ready to score, but slightly overthrew him on third-and-10. On the ensuing down, the Chiefs swarmed, ripping Garoppolo to the ground as he attempted to shovel pass the ball to running back Raheem Mostert, but the refs had already blown the play dead. Kansas City took over the ball with under two minutes to play, needing to get a first down to burn through all of San Francisco’s timeouts and ice the game away. Pitching the rock to Williams on the first play, the speedy back found a seam through the 49ers defense and sprinted down the sideline to the endzone, icing away the game at 31-20. The clock finally hit 0:00 and the Chiefs were crowned the kings of the NFL for the first time in 50 years. Head Coach Andy Reid finally won his first ring as a head coach after coming close so many times previously in Philadelphia, early in his career. 

For Mahomes, he won his first of what will probably be many rings, as he emerges as the face of the NFL for the next generation going forward. Mahomes has been nothing short of spectacular since taking over the starting job in Kansas City, and he now has the championship to show for it. He is the youngest quarterback to ever win MVP and a Super Bowl. As for Reid, the Super Bowl title as a head coach has been elusive to him, but now he finally has it and essentially cements himself as one of the best coaches of all time.

With February progressing, the days until conference tournaments and March Madness start to become numbered. At this point in the season, college basketball intensifies and teams start to play the best basketball that they have all season. This season has become one of the most upset-ridden seasons’ college basketball fans have witnessed as teams battle for the seed in the big tourney they desire. Over the past week, there have been a few notable conference games.

The Seton Hall Pirates traveled to play the Villanova Wildcats in a Big East divisional game. Currently, Villanova sits as the No. 10 seed with a 17-6 overall record and ranks as the No. 3 seed in the Big East with a 7-4 divisional record. Seton Hall sits at the No. 12 seed with an 18-5 record and the No. 1 seed in the Big East with a staggering 10-1 divisional record. Though they’ve got the superior seed and better record, the level of competition faced by Seton Hall versus Villanova is drastically different, leading to the Wildcats being considered the more powerful squad. With dominance in the paint and the team’s ability in making late-game free throws, Seton Hall managed the upset giving them a three-game lead over everyone in the Big East. This continues Villanova’s inconsistent season as they have gone so far as to beat the No. 1 seed then lose to unseeded teams in the same couple weeks. Seton Hall further proves they are contenders and are close to locking the No. 1 seed in the conference. 

Over in the SEC conference, the Auburn Tigers played the Lousiana State University Tigers in a sought out rivalry game. Auburn sits as the No. 11 seed overall with an impressive 21-2 record, they also sit as the No. 1 seed in the SEC conference with an 8-2 divisional record. Louisiana State University also finds themselves ranked as the No. 18 seed with an overall 17-6 record and an 8-2 divisional record, making them the No. 3 seed in the SEC. During play, Auburn came back from a second-half 14-point deficit and forced overtime where they would win 91-90. This moved Auburn, Lousiana State University and Kentucky into a three-way tie in SEC divisional wins as they all sit at 8-2, meaning that the SEC, along with many other divisions, is still open for the taking.

Up in Michigan, the Big Ten featured a divisional game between the Michigan State (MSU) Spartans and the Michigan Wolverines. Currently, MSU holds the No. 16 seed with a 16-8 record, but has fallen back to fifth in the division with an 8-5 divisional record. Michigan is not currently seeded after a losing streak leading to a 14-9 record, during which they fell back to twelfth in the Big Ten with a 5-7 divisional record. Michigan snapped a four-game losing streak to MSU with a 77-68 victory. This was a crucial win for Michigan as they ended the losing streak and got another big win for their resume. This continues MSU’s disappointing season as they have traveled from being the No. 1 seed to becoming a team that is fighting to stay seeded at all. 

Over the next week, more big games continue to roll in. No. 8 Florida State plays No. 7 Duke, No. 13 West Virginia tries to prove its worth against No. 1 seed Baylor, No. 21 Creighton tries to knock off divisional leaders Seton Hall plus many more crucial games. Upsets seemingly riddle the top 25 every week as teams try to secure their spot at the top of the division, which will make for an exciting playoff projection.

This week marks the end of the first month of college basketball, the time of year when NBA teams and fans start keeping a closer eye on the young talent about to transition to the next level. These young players are doing everything possible to increase their publicity and take the next step in their basketball careers during draft night, and among them are five young players to keep an eye on as the season progresses. 

5. James Wiseman

Wiseman is a first-year center for the Memphis Tigers, who were at the top of many mock drafts at the start of the season. Wiseman is currently serving a 12-game suspension after violating several NCAA regulations. To start, Wiseman accepted $11,500 and assistance in relocation from Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway, then he proceeded to play in multiple games while suspended. These suspensions have caused controversy around the league, however, Wiseman is still among the top players in most mock drafts due to his speed, athleticism, and size, with a height of 7 feet, 1 inch and a weight of 240 pounds. Wiseman’s stellar defense and ability to own the paint is impeccable, while flashes of an improving jump shot and mid-range game prove that Wiseman could still be a safe lottery pick.

4. Cole Anthony

Anthony is a first-year point guard at the University of North Carolina who proves that he deserves to be a lottery pick every time he laces up. Anthony’s consistency and off-dribble scoring ability demand defensive attention and draft stock increases, but teams have voiced concern on his takeover ability, which is desired in a professional-level point guard. After having multiple 30-point games this season and showing his ability to break down defenses with prodigious passing and finishing ability, a team in need of a stellar point guard could safely take him as a top-three pick.

3. Tyrese Maxey 

Maxey is a first-year shooting guard at the University of Kentucky who has moments of greatness and streaky play, showing that he has the potential to be the face of the 2020 NBA draft. Currently, his shooting percentages are lower than desirable for the professional level,  averaging less than 15 points per contest. While these statistics definitely raise concerns, Maxey’s ability to take over games with his shooting range and dribbling proficiency provides a massive upside for the transition to the next level. Maxey’s positive attitude in interviews, as well as his team-driven mentality, make him an excellent leader and a top prospect for the next level. 

2. Anthony Edwards

Edwards is a first-year shooting guard who plays for the Georgia Bulldogs. He is one of the top scorers in the nation and has the ability to make clutch shots under pressure. Standing at 6 feet, 5 inches tall, and weighing 225 pounds, Edwards has an explosive amount of athleticism and speed. Edwards shows signs of being the clear best player in the draft, but some say that his decisions don’t always correspond with the greater good of the team. With the right coaching and experience, Edwards could reduce the number of wild shots and reign as the best player in the draft.

1. Lamelo Ball

Ball chose to opt-out of playing basketball at the college level to play in the National Basketball League (NBL). At 18 years old, Ball has now risen to the top of many draft boards, as he is able to take over games and make his teammates around him better. Although competition in the NBL can be less intense than in high-level college basketball teams, Ball shows that he has the skills to thrive at any level of play. Although Ball is known for his ability to make shots from almost anywhere on the court, his lesser-known talent lies in his ability to create openings for teammates to take shots and finish drives to the basket. Ball’s decision-making skills and overall maturity should displace NBA executives’ concerns on the level of competition.

As we move deeper into the season, the drive of the players to earn their spot in the NBA grows stronger. Look out for these five players as they could very well be the future faces of basketball.

This past Saturday, Nov. 16, the University of Maine Black Bears hosted the University of Rhode Island Rams for the Black Bears senior night and last home game of the season. Maine came into the contest at 5-5, riding a three-game winning streak and hoping to extend it for playoff implications. The Rams were trying to get their third win, as they’ve struggled this season, sitting at 2-8.

Rhode Island took the ball to start the game and appeared that they came ready to play. They took the opening drive 77 yards, ending it with a two-yard rushing touchdown from fourth-year running back Naim Jones. Following the opening scoring drive, Black Bears’ first-year quarterback Joe Fagnano and Maine’s offense set up shop at their own 35-yard line. After hitting fourth-year wide receiver Earnest Edwards for a 20-yard gain, Fagnano was sacked for a six-yard loss. Now on second-and-16, Fagnano felt the pressure of the pocket collapsing around him. In his attempt to escape he fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Rhode Island’s third-year defensive lineman Andre Bibeault. 

The game then hit a stalemate as the defenses took over, with Maine’s fourth-year punter Derek Deoul and Rhode Island’s second-year punter Davey Schaum-Bartocci both getting heavy usage. Maine couldn’t buy a first down even if they wanted to and were unsuccessful the entire day at converting on third down, going 0-8 on such attempts. With just under 10 minutes to play in the second quarter, the Rams managed to piece together a 13-play, 43-yard drive ending in ridiculous fashion. 

Facing first-and-goal from Maine’s 9-yard line, third-year defensive lineman Kayon Whitaker beat a double team off the snap and was in the backfield before Rams’ first-year quarterback Darius Perrantes could complete his drop back, dropping him for a six-yard loss. On second-and-goal, now at Maine’s 15-yard line, Perrantes was taken down once more, this time for a 10-yard loss, and almost a turnover as Perrantes fumbled the ball, but Rhode Island recovered the loose ball. On third and goal, now at Maine’s 24-yard line, the ball was handed off to third-year running back Justice Antrum, who fought for every one of the 21 yards he gained on the play but was stopped three yards short of pay dirt. A chip shot field goal from Rams’ third-year kicker C.J. Carrick from 20 yards out gave the Rams a 10-0 lead. With just a minute and a half left before halftime, Fagnano executed a clean two-minute drill, hitting multiple wide receivers for short gains, resulting in a 28-yard field goal made by second-year kicker Kenny Doak. The half would end at 10-3 Rams.

Maine had the ball to start the half and once again struggled against the Rams front seven, forcing another three-and-out. With their inability to move the ball on offense, the Black Bears defense could only hold the Rams back for so long without some help from the offense. After an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty was committed by Maine during a punt return, a booming kick by Deoul from his own 25-yard line to the Rams’ 30-yard line resulted in Rhode Island’s offense setting up shop on the Black Bears’ 43-yard line. Rhode Island capitalized and scored on a 34-yard rushing touchdown, again by Jones for his second of the day. This would give Rhode Island the 17-3 lead. During a weak punt, the Black Bears punt returner ran the ball back 28 yards giving them the ball in the Rams’ red zone to start the drive. Fagnano finished the drive with a 19 yard touchdown pass to second-year wide receiver Devin Young.

Rhode Island elected to make a change at quarterback for their ensuing drive, throwing third-year signal-caller Vito Priore under center. Priore served dutifully, completing two of three passes for 44 yards, the first for 32 yards to fourth-year wide receiver Aaron Parker and the second a 12-yard touchdown pass to fourth-year wide receiver Ahmere Dorsey. This would give the Rams a 24-10 lead in the middle of the third quarter.

The Black Bears’ next drive started by changing up the Rams’ ability to control the line of scrimmage. Edwards was handed the ball twice on jet-sweep style plays, gaining 18 yards on the first attempt and 11 on the second. This effort to make the Rams’ front seven play on their heels, instead of bull-rushing Fagnano, bought the offense enough wiggle room to continue on down the field, resulting in another Doak chip shot field goal.

The Rams continued to have another efficient drive but struggled once they approached the red zone. Carrick made a 38-yard field goal, giving the Rams a 27-13 lead.

Maine, heading into the fourth quarter, down by 14, channeled their inner New England Patriots and went to work on their comeback. Young rushed for 22 yards and first-year running back Emmanuel Reed popped off another run for 16 yards. Reed toted the rock the majority of the drive and found the end zone on a 12-yard scamper to bring the score to 27-20. 

During a deep kickoff, Dorsey returned it 70 yards to Maine’s 23-yard line. The Black Bears red zone defense continued to shine, forcing the Rams to send out their field goal unit. Carrick missed the attempt, giving Maine back the ball on their own turf. Maine’s offense dissected the Rams for chunk gains, including a 21-yard pass to Edwards. Edwards then continued his last performance in front of the Maine crowd with a 44-yard rush. Third-year running back Joe Fitzpatrick would do the dirty work, banging between the tackles for a three-yard score to knot the game up 27-27.

Rhode Island continued to take time off the clock as Priore completed a 23 yard pass to Parker and continued to run the ball. A swarming Black Bears front seven pressured Priore heavily, causing him to throw back-to-back incompletions, sending Carrick in to bring the score to 30-27.

With only two minutes left on the clock, the Bears sent in their offense to try and finish the 14 point comeback. Fagnano hit Young for a 44-yard reception to start the drive. Fitzpatrick then hauled in a 12-yard pass putting the Black Bears at the Rams’ 26-yard line. Hennie proceeded to run a strike pass 15 yards to the 11-yard line. Fagnano dropped back on first-and-10, and uncorked a dime to Edwards in the front corner of the end zone for the 11-yard touchdown. Maine’s defense held on Rhode Island’s ensuing drive, and Edwards made the game’s final tackle after running out onto the field to play deep safety against any Hail Mary attempts.

Maine improves to 6-5 on the season and will be traveling to New Hampshire for their border battle against the University of New Hampshire Wildcats on Saturday, Nov. 23.

As is the nature of the sport, running records are set to be broken, and recently these record times have been beaten in several areas, including the tough to beat four-minute mile and 10-second 100-meter sprint. One of the last major records yet to be broken in running-based sports was the sub-two-hour marathon.

A few years ago Nike set out to train the man who would break this barrier. Nike trained four athletes over the course of a year, setting them up with perfect running conditions. Other runners would break the wind in front of them, shifting in and out when tired. Nike found a perfect terrain that had absolute minimal altitude change. They also delivered them water on bikes and had a pace-setting line to show where the runners should be. When the perfect day hit, Nike sent out their four runners and tried to break history. Unfortunately, none of the runners managed to break the two-hour barrier, but the top prospect of the four, Eliud Kipchoge managed to only miss it by a mere half a minute. 

Kipchoge is a 34-year-old runner from Kenya, who has won eight major marathons and three gold medals while representing his country in the Olympics. Even after achieving success, Kipchoge prefers to live a simple life with his wife and kids while owning a running clinic in his home country, looking to send the message that no human is limited.

Kipchoge caught the eye of a Petrochemical company named INEOS, who wanted to train him and help him break the two-hour barrier. To start, INEOS searched to find the perfect spot for Kipchoge to race. They settled in Vienna where the temperature was mild, the altitude was minimal and it was within a singular time zone. They also set up perfect conditions in almost the same way Nike did, just altering the formation of wind-breaking runners.

INEOS picked a 14-day window in which the conditions would be the best and on Oct. 12, they decided the conditions were perfect. Kipchoge started his first few miles ahead of pace. As it usually does in marathons everything looked smooth for the first 10 miles. Around halfway through the race, Kipchoge showed his first potential signs of doubt, as his times through some of the miles were behind by seconds, which added up on the back end. Kipchoge showed signs of pain through facial expression but continued to fight through in pursuit of the record. 

Fans lined the streets of Vienna to encourage Kipchoge and watch as he attempted to do what runners always thought was impossible. It wasn’t until there were only a few miles left when it became clear that Kipchoge truly set out to break this barrier. When Kipchoge was nine seconds ahead of pace with only a mile left, everyone realized that he was going to succeed. In the final stretch, Kipchoge broke away from his fixed pace and crossed the finish line at 1 hour, 59 minutes, 40 seconds, and was immediately greeted by his family and trainers.

“Together, when we run, we can make this world a beautiful world,” Kipchoge commented afterward to reporters.

Over this past week, the University of Maine field hockey team has had two games. The first one was an away against Dartmouth College, while the second game was against the seeded University of Albany. After starting the season out slow, with a record of 1-7, Maine has picked up their rhythm, rattling off six wins and one loss over the past three weeks.

On Sunday, Oct. 20, the Black Bears traveled to Hanover, New Hampshire to compete against Dartmouth College. Maine, cruising into the contest on a two-win streak, came out of the gate looking to press hard against Dartmouth’s defense. After five aggressive minutes of play, second-year forward Chloe Walton scored first for Maine, which is her fifth straight contest with a score. Both teams exchanged offensive series to no avail, as each team’s defense played strongly throughout the contest.

Dartmouth struggled to move the ball down the field but played outstanding defense, and eventually their ability to get turnovers converted into points. Sixteen minutes into the game, fourth-year midfielder Katie Persin got Dartmouth onto the board, scoring a centered goal off of an assist from fellow fourth-year midfielder Maddie Donahue, bringing the score to a 1-1 tie. This tie would hold for the rest of the half as both teams exhibited excellent defense. 

In the late third quarter, with one minute left, fourth-year forward Brianna Ricker gained the 2-1 lead for Maine on a corner insert play. This play was assisted by third-year midfielder Cassandra Mascarenhas. This goal was Rickers’ 25th point of the season, and she leads the team in goals. Both teams continued to play stellar defense until the final buzzer sounded, giving Maine the 2-1 victory.

In a Friday afternoon matchup on Oct. 25, the Black Bears hosted Albany at Mahoney Field. Albany, who were 10-6 heading into the contest, was also ranked 23rd in the nation. 

Maine, 6-8 entering the contest, had built up their momentum and were looking to show the nation that they deserve to be a seeded team.

At the start of the game, both defenses came out strong but struggled to set up any good shots. Maine consistently had possession and seemed to be controlling the game, but couldn’t find the back of the net. After 35 minutes of scoreless play, Ricker did what she does best, score a goal for the Black Bears. Second-year midfielder Nina Keur fed Ricker the ball directly in front of the net, and after she faked out Albany’s fourth-year goaltender Melissa Nealon, easily buried the ball to give Maine the advantage.

Heading out into the second half, Maine continued to keep the offensive pressure on, pushing Albany’s defensive group on their heels the majority of the half. Seven minutes into the half, third-year forward Brooke Sulinski scored off an assist by fourth-year forward Brittany Smith. For the remainder of the game, both teams played aggressive defense and didn’t let up any more scores, and Maine secured their third shutout victory of the season.