By Jacob Posik

For most leagues, the fantasy trade deadline is now behind us. With Week 13 fast-approaching, here are some players to eye to keep your playoff hopes alive.

Start ‘em

San Diego running back Ryan Mathews will have a big game in Week 13. Facing wildcard contender Cincinnati Bengals, expect the Chargers to come out and pound the rock to set up the pass as they look to hand the Bengals their fifth loss.

Mathews’ performance has improved over the last two weeks, scoring 12 points against the Denver Broncos in Week 11, and 14 against the Miami Dolphins two weeks ago. San Diego has been trying to balance quarterback Philip Rivers’ arm with Mathews’ game on the ground, and it has been effective.

Even though they lost to Miami, Mathews was effective in that game between the tackles. With that balance, Rivers should be able to pick apart the Bengals secondary through the air off the play action. Mathews’ ability to catch the ball out of the backfield could also be on display next Sunday.

Look for the Baltimore Ravens to get back on track this week; to do that they will have to defeat a fellow wild card contender in the New York Jets. The Jets have been struggling lately, mostly due to quarterback Geno Smith’s inconsistency. Baltimore will bounce back this week, and wideout Torrey Smith will attribute heavily to their success.

Smith has been quiet this season, but we are nearing the last few weeks of play, which is exactly when Smith got hot last year. The Ravens play balanced football and have been known to take more than a few shots down the field throughout the game.

Smith’s explosiveness should help the Ravens in the passing game. Smith is effective on play action plays because of his versatile corner-beating speed, and can bail out quarterback Joe Flacco in third down territory. Smith is poised for a bounce back game against the Jets.

Sit ‘em

It’s hard to bet against the Seattle Seahawks, but Week 13 should prove just how good the New Orleans Saints are. Quarterback Russell Wilson will have his hands full this week, and he is likely to underperform against a stout Saints defense. Wilson has a lot of experience under his belt, but don’t forget he’s still just in his second year. The Saints diverse defensive schemes will be too much for Wilson to handle. He’ll hit the turf, and let go of a few balls that he’s going to wish he could have back. Look for the Saints to emerge victorious this in this battle of NFC heavyweights, mostly at Wilson’s expense.

Sleeper Pick

Carolina wide receiver Brandon LaFell proved last week in prime time that he’s an integral part of the Panthers offense, and will need his high level of play to continue their success as a team. Only owned by 16 percent of NFL.com players, he’s worth picking up.

Teams will key in on wide out Steve Smith down the stretch, which should get LaFell more touches. He’s proven that he’s a reliable target for quarterback Cam Newton, and the Panthers need LaFell’s consistency to balance their passing attack. Get him in your lineup right away, especially if you’re hurting for production from the wide receiver or flex spot.

By Jacob Posik

The University of Maine women’s ice hockey dropped a pair of games to Providence College this weekend to remain winless at 0-11-3 and 0-7-3 against Hockey East opponents.

The first loss came Saturday afternoon by a score of 8-1 on a hat trick effort by Providence freshman forward Cassidy Carels, as well as a pair of goals by graduate student forward Janine Weber.

The Black Bears fell again by a score of 4-2 on Sunday to complete the Friars’ sweep.  Sophomore forward Audra Richards tallied a pair of goals for Maine on the weekend, but the Black Bears were unable to earn their first victory of the year.

Providence improves to 6-10-0 on the season, 3-5 in Hockey East play.

Carels hat trick propels Friars to 8-1 win

Providence wasted no time racking up goals on UMaine in this one. The Friars tallied three goals by senior defender Maggie Pendleton, sophomore forward Brittney Thunstrom and Weber in the first 15 minutes of action before the Black Bears were able to respond.

After a Providence defender was penalized for checking, Richards scored on assists from sophomore forward Shawna Lesperance and senior defender Kelly McDonald for a power play goal. UMaine set up their power play offense and got Providence out of position for Richards to snipe home her shot over the outreaching glove of Providence sophomore netminder Sarah Bryant.

The excitement was short lived for the Black Bears. Providence responded with Carels’ first goal of the contest just 3 minutes later, and UMaine trailed 4-1 entering the first intermission.

UMaine pulled starting sophomore goaltender Meghann Treacy after the first and replaced her with freshman Mariah Fujimagari for the second period. Fujimagari didn’t have much success either for the Black Bears, allowing four goals in the remaining two periods.

Carels scored her second goal of the game early in the second period, as did Weber, to increase the Friar’s lead to 6-1 by the end of the second period.

Providence netted two more tallies in the final frame to finish off the 8-1 score line. The first was scored by junior forward Haley Frade at the two minute mark of the period. Carels finished off her hat trick with just 23 seconds remaining in regulation.

This game set team records for Providence, who tallied season-highs in both goals with eight and shots on goal with 39. All goals scored by the Friars came at even strength. Bryant saved 19 shots in net for Providence, while Treacy and Fujimagari combined for 31.

 Providence power play the difference in 4-2 win over Black Bears

UMaine battled better in game two, but ultimately weren’t capable of squeaking out a victory against Providence this weekend. The Friar’s held on to a 4-2 victory for their weekend sweep of the Black Bears.

The Black Bears struck first on a wrist shot from Richards that was assisted by senior forward Brianne Kilgour and sophomore defender Brooklyn Langlois just over a minute into the game.

It didn’t take long for Providence to respond. Junior forward Allison Micheletti tallied the response for the Friars with assists from fellow junior forward Beth Hanrahan and senior forward Corinne Buie just two minutes later.

The Black Bears took back the lead on a wrist shot from senior forward Missy Denk on an assist from junior forward Jennifer More that snuck past Bryant right before the first intermission. The Black Bears were in control for most of the first period, and showed up ready to play.

Providence tied things up for a second time early in the second period. This time it was Buie scoring for the Friars on the power play off an assist from junior forward Brooke Simpson that came just 2 1/2 minutes into the period.

Providence gained the lead for the first time in the contest on its second power play goal from sophomore defender Lexi Romanchuk. Treacy was out of position after a pass from Frade met Romanchuk’s stick and was unable to reach the puck before it found the back of the net.

A third power play goal was tallied by the Friars just a minute into the final period of action. Much like the second goal, the Friars’ power play setup moved Black Bear defenders out of position before Buie sent a shot that found the back of the net for her second marker of the contest. Romanchuk and Simpson both assisted on the tally.

Treacy played better in the second game of the weekend, saving 34 pucks for the Black Bears. Bryant saved 23 pucks for Providence, and had a great weekend in net for the Friars.

UMaine visits Robert Morris University Nov. 29 before traveling to take on Penn State University the following day. Both contests are set for a 2 p.m. puck drop.

The Friars begin play in the 19th annual Mayor’s Cup when they host Brown University Nov. 30 at 3 p.m.

By Chelsea Gillies

The University of Maine swimming and diving teams traveled to the University of Rhode Island this weekend to compete in the 18th annual Harold Anderson Invitational. UMaine placed fourth out of six teams with a total score of 524.5.

On the women’s side, senior diver Kara Capossela of Greenwich, Conn. finished in first place during the women’s one-meter diving with a score of 230.95 to continue her undefeated season. Not far behind her was teammate freshman Hayli Weitz, who finished second place in the women’s one-meter diving with a score of 200.10.

Junior Naja Harvey, senior Lauren Dwyer, senior Erica Smrcina and freshman Tessa Lindsley finished fourth in the women’s 200-meter freestyle relay.

Senior Shannon Bender placed eighth in the 500-meter freestyle with a time of 5:14.68. Dwyer finished fourth in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:12.29. Harvey finished eighth in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 24.83.

For the men, junior David Vittori of South Berwick, Maine finished first in the 500-meter freestyle with a season-best time of 4:44.47. Senior Brent Williams and freshman John McLeod also had strong finishes. Williams placed third in the 500-meter freestyle with a time of 4:54.46, while McLeod finished third in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 22.33.

Freshman diver Ethan Eckhoff of Chelmsford, Mass. grabbed a fifth place finish in the 3-meter with a score of 176.95.

During the 200-meter individual medley, junior Connor Devers finished second with a time of 1:58.60 while his teammates followed right behind. Freshman John Carlucci placed third with a time of 1:59.11, while junior Ryan Fahey touched for fourth with a time of 1:59.97.

Sophomore Matt England, senior Caleb Hoffman, McLeod and sophomore Shane Kinnon placed second in the men’s 200-meter freestyle relay with a time of 1:29.06.

The swimming and diving team will return home to take on Bates College Dec. 7.

By Adam Robinson

The University of Maine women’s basketball team is just one win away from matching their win total from last season, and it’s still only November.

The Black Bears extended their season-opening win streak to three games against the Long Island University-Brooklyn Blackbirds Friday night before being brought back down to Earth against an undefeated Syracuse University squad Sunday afternoon to move to 3-1 on the young season.

Senior guard Ashleigh Roberts paced UMaine with 33 total points in the two games.

Black Bears overcome Blackbirds 66-50

UMaine dominated all facets of the game Friday against LIU to win their third straight game, 66-50. Roberts led the team with 19 points.

The lead was taken early in the game by LIU as they went up 12-8 with 8:41 left in the first half after senior guard Cleandra Roberts hit two free throws. UMaine wasn’t fazed as junior guard Courtney Anderson scored 3 of her 8 points off a trey to put the Black Bears within one.

UMaine went up by 22-16 with just over five minutes remaining in the half after back to back baskets by Roberts. UMaine shot well all night, completing 49 percent of their shots against the LIU Blackbirds while LIU struggled, evidenced by their 27.6 percent shooting clip on 16 of 58 shooting.

Sophomore guard Lauren Bodine hit one of her five 3-pointers at the buzzer to keep the Black Bears rolling going into half time. Bodine finished with 15 points on five 3s.

Bodine kept her hot hand right out of the gates to start the second half, hitting a 3 in the corner to stretch the lead to 36-23. LIU shot 25 percent in the second half and could not get much offense going at all.

LIU senior guard Courtney Sullivan hit a 3 to cut the LIU deficit to 16 points about half way through the second half, but it did little to stymie the Black Bears. Sullivan finished the contest with 5 points off the bench for the Blackbirds.

Bodine hit another three from the top of the key to increase the UMaine lead to 17 with just under 10 minutes left in the game.  The Black Bear’s 50-33 advantage was the biggest of the night to that point.

UMaine outrebounded the Blackbirds 41-30, the first time LIU had been outrebounded during the season. Fourteen points were scored off of second chance opportunities by UMaine, three more than LIU. Sophomore forward Liz Wood led the Black Bears on the glass with eight boards to go along with 8 points.

A Wood layup with a little under three minutes left increased UMaine’s lead to 21, their biggest of the game. LIU made a couple late buckets to make it a 16-point game with just under a minute remaining in regulation, but UMaine would hit a late jumper to finish the game 66-50.

Eighteen assists by the Black Bears doubled the amount that LIU totalled. UMaine will need to take better care of the basketball if they are to continue their win streak. The Black Bears committed 20 turnovers Friday night.

Orange hand UMaine first loss in 97-42 blowout

The Black Bears entered the Carrier Dome with a perfect 3-0 record in 2013. They left with their first defeat of the season at the hands of Syracuse University, 97-42.

Syracuse sophomore guard Brittney Sykes led the undefeated Orange to their fifth win of the year with 19 points.

Syracuse stepped on the throttle early, scoring the first 12 points of the game in the first three minutes. The Black Bears scored their first bucket with just over 14 minutes left in the first half. UMaine shot a lowly 31.5 percent from the floor while Syracuse shot 44.4 percent and dominated the game from the opening tip to the final buzzer.

UMaine’s offense went cold again along with their defense. Syracuse went on a 15-0 run to make the score 27-2 in the first half. UMaine junior guard Courtney Anderson hit a 3 to make it 27-5 mid way through the first, but finished the game with just 5 points.

Scoring came easy for the Orange as Syracuse dominated down low and outside. Sophomore guard Brianna Butler hit four straight buckets in the first half and finished the game with 15 points off of five 3-point buckets. UMaine didn’t have an answer in the post either, being outscored 42-18 in the paint and 55-33 on the glass.

Sykes led her team on another 7-0 run to finish the first half with 10 points. UMaine sophomore guard Sophie Weckstrom hit a 3 with just over six minutes left to finally cross the Black Bears into double digits. She would hit another 3 moments bring the score to 51-13 heading into the break.

Anderson hit a layup at the start of the second half to quickly get UMaine on the board. Sophomore forward Mikaela Gustafsson added a bucket to make the score 57-17 early in the second.

Syracuse 6’ 4” freshman forward Briana Day finished the game with a double-double off the bench in the second half. Her 13 points would have been second most on the Black Bears squad. She also brought down 12 boards.

Senior guard Ashleigh Roberts scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half to lead the Black Bears, her fourth consecutive double-digit scoring game. UMaine could not overcome their own mistakes, however, turning the ball over 27 times to Syracuse’ nine.

“Today we did a really good job getting out in transition and getting easy baskets coming up and down the floor,” Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “I was really most happy with the way we played overall.”

Syracuse freshman guard Isabella Slim scored 10 points.

Syracuse will put their 5-0 record on the line when they face the University of Texas in the Virgin Islands for a neutral site matchup Nov. 28. The Black Bears host the University of Massachusetts at the Cross Insurance Center Nov. 29 at 5 p.m.

By Anthony Panciocco

His last race certainly was a memorable one.

University of Maine senior Kelton Cullenberg finished his season and collegiate cross country career Saturday morning with a 126th-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terra Haute, Ind.

Cullenberg finished in 126th place out of a 253-runner field comprised of the strongest Division-I athletes from around the country.

He crossed the line with a time of 31:32:1, his second fastest 10K time of his life. Only the 30:35:7 that he ran last week at NCAA Regionals to qualify for the Championship meet was better. He averaged about 4:50 per mile on the slippery course, an impressive time considering the difficult terrain.

Freshman Edward Cheserek of the famed University of Oregon cross country team won the individual title with a time of 29:41:1, exactly one minute shy of the course record set in 2009 by Liberty University runner Sam Chelanga.

Cheserek was followed by Texas Tech senior Kennedy Kithuka, who beat out Harvard University senior Maksim Korolev by just .4 seconds in an exciting race to the finish.

Cullenberg was the only Black Bear to qualify for the Championship race, so the University of Maine was not scored in the team section of the standings. The University of Colorado went into the race ranked third in the country but won the meet convincingly, led by freshman Ben Saarel’s 30:14:1 8th place finish and sophomore Morgan Pearson’s 30:25 17th place.

The Buffs scored a meet-high 148 points. They were followed by fellow Pac-12 competitor No. 2 Northern Arizona University with 167 and Oklahoma State University with 228 points.

The running conditions were less than ideal, which made for a hard-fought, gritty race. It rained most of Friday evening and night, so the course was full of mud and slippery turns that slowed down the competitors as many had trouble keeping their footing at times.

This is not the end of Cullenberg’s collegiate athletic career. He already has his sights set on the indoor track season, where he has been a standout middle distance and distance runner since his freshman year.

Last year, he led the Black Bears to a third place finish at the America East Championships while winning the 5,000 meter title with a time of 14:51:85. He was also named to the America East All-Academic Team following the track and field season last spring.

By Anthony Panciocco

The University of Maine men’s basketball team lost their first game at the Cross Insurance Center 88-82 to the New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders. The Black Bears see their record fall to 1-3 on the year, while the Highlanders improve to 3-2.

UMaine sophomore forward Dimitry Akanda-Coronel was a huge factor for the Black Bears, setting a career high with 29 points, 26 of which came in the second half. He hit five 3-pointers, four in the second 20 minutes, and was 20-29 from the floor.

“In the first half I was passing the ball, trying to get everyone involved,” Akanda-Coronel said. “In the second half, I had to step it up, so I took the shots I usually take in practice because last game I wasn’t playing in that position, so I had to step it up.”

Both teams struggled to score early, with both teams struggling to finish around the hoop in the early going. The score stood at 7-2 in the Highlanders’ favor five minutes into the game.

“One thing we have to focus on as we grow as a team is, when things aren’t falling our way, the defensive consistency that we have to have can carry you through games,” UMaine head coach Ted Woodward said.

“If you go back to the first four minutes of the game, we couldn’t buy a basket, but we were only down 2-0. We strung together a few good defensive stops through that sequence, but our goal has to be to do that through all 40 minutes.”

UMaine sophomore guard Shaun Lawton hit a 3-pointer and after Highlander guard Damon Lynn made a layup, freshman guard Troy Reid-Knight drilled another from the corner to bring the Black Bears within one point at 12-11.

The Highlanders proceeded to go on a 13-2 run, bringing the score to 25-12 and prompting the Black Bears to call their first timeout of the game.

UMaine responded well after the timeout. Sophomore forward Ethan Mackey took a bullet pass from freshman guard Garet Beal for a layup and hustled back to grab a rebound off of a missed shot by Lynn. The Black Bears failed to convert off of the rebound, but Beal swiped the ball from NJIT sophomore guard Nigel Sydnor moments later, dishing it to Akanda-Coronel for a momentum-changing 3-pointer to cut the deficit to eight.

Five Black Bears combined for a 15-5 run, capped off by a Lawton steal and a fastbreak dunk to cut the lead to just one point.

UMaine looked to hold the momentum with two minutes left, but it would not last. On the Highlanders ensuing possession, sophomore guard Emmanuel Tselentakis found Sydnor for a corner 3. When Beal failed to respond with a 3-point attempt of his own, Lynn hit three straight free throws and proceeded to take over the game with two 3-pointers as the half came to a close.

With Lynn spearheading a 12-point explosion from NJIT, the Highlanders went into the half up 42-29.

“I didn’t really want to take it [the game] over, but it was presented to me. Coach made me tough, and he told me not to back down,” Lynn said.

The Black Bears have struggled rebounding this season, going into the game with a minus-6.7 rebounding differential. They led the battle on the glass by a slim 21-20 margin at the half.

The Highlanders extended their lead to 17 in the second half, but the Black Bears showed no quit down the stretch. With just over eight minutes left, Lawton floated a beautiful pass over the defense to Akanda-Coronel, who laid it in. Two 3-pointers by Valjarevic and Akanda-Coronel and an 18-foot jumper from Akanda-Coronel brought them back within six.

The crowd in the brand-new Cross Insurance Center woke up with Akanda-Coronel’s jumper, something the team and Akanda-Coronel appreciated.

“The impact of the crowd was huge,”Akanda-Coronell said. “Hearing their voices and hearing that atmosphere, it gives us that motivation to go hard.”

Reid-Knight and Coronel led a non-stop Black Bear attack in the last five minutes, scoring 4 and 13 points, respectively. However, NJIT’s steadfast free-throw shooting proved to be the difference late in the contest, connecting on 17 of 19 in the second half and 22-28 overall.

“This shows a lot about the character of my guys and their cohesiveness as a team. I’m really excited for the rest of the season,” NJIT head coach Jim Engles said.

The Black Bears trailed in rebounds 39-37, but controlled the boards much better than they had through the first three games. This success was largely due to an 11 rebound performance by Mackey and a nine-board effort from Beal.

“I think it was all about effort. We had a lot of guys battling down low to get rebounds. We had more size than they did but it was really all about the effort,” Beal said.

UMaine struggled shooting in the first half, going 11-33 but improved in the second frame, hitting 18-35. New Jersey shot the ball well throughout the game, finishing 29-60.

The Highlanders concluded a busy week against UMaine, featuring four road games in which they went 3-1.

The Black Bears will host Quinnipiac University in the Cross Center Nov. 25 at 7 p.m.

By Anthony Panciocco

Sophomore forward Liz Wood led the University of Maine’s women’s basketball team to a 72-42 exhibition win over Division-III University of Southern Maine Huskies on Monday.

The game marks the last exhibition contest of the year for the Black Bears before they begin their regular season Thursday night against North Dakota State University.

Monday night’s game was the first ever women’s NCAA basketball game to be held at the brand-new Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.

The Black Bears were carried by Wood, who scored 21 points and grabbed 12 boards in a team-leading 33 minutes of work.  Senior guard Ashleigh Roberts controlled the tempo of the game throughout, adding 10 points and 5 rebounds.

“[Wood is] a tough matchup for us,” USM head coach Gary Fifield said. “She is strong enough to post up against a team like us, but she can also shoot the ball well so she gave us trouble.”

Both teams struggled to find their stride out of the gates as they both committed turnovers on their first possessions. The score stood at 14-13 in favor of the Black Bears 15 minutes in before Wood went on an 11-0 run by herself to kick off a string of 14 unanswered points by UMaine.

“We stayed with them for a decent amount of the game,” said the Huskies senior guard Erin McNamara. “They were a half step ahead of us during that run and it was a real game-changer.”

UMaine led 29-19 at the break. The Huskies’ defensive zone gave the Black Bears some trouble in the first half, letting USM dominate the paint defensively. They let up just two layups at halftime, putting pressure on the Black Bear shooters.

UMaine head coach Richard Barron acknowledged the struggle with the zone, saying, “We saw a lot of zone and that slowed the game down and it affected our rhythm – we lost a lot of our aggressiveness.”

With 10:32 left to play in the second half, the Huskies cut the lead down to nine, the closest they would get for the remainder of the game.

Roberts hit a three-pointer for the exclamation point with three minutes left as UMaine outscored USM 29-10 in the last 10 minutes of play.

It was a tough night for the Huskies, but playing a Division-I opponent presented a challenge and a welcomed learning experience.

“They’re stronger and quicker, as it should be, and they start wearing you down. But I was really happy with our effort,” Fifield said. “The only way you’re going to get better is playing better teams and that exposure is what you get to work on.”

The story of the game was turnovers, as the Black Bears committed 12 turnovers to the Huskie’s 23. UMaine capitalized on the turnovers they forced, scoring 27 points off of them.The inaugural game at the Cross Center was a hit with the Black Bears, but it was the fans that made it special.

“It was really nice having fans here. We had a lot, especially for an exhibition. Hopefully we get even more people next game and continue to grow our fan base,” Wood said.

The Black Bears bout with North Dakota State tips off at 7 p.m. Thursday night. They hit the court again against Bryant University Nov. 16 at 6 p.m.

USM will play Salve Regina University Friday night in the UMF Tip-Off Classic, with game time scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

By Andrew Stefanilo

The No. 6 University of Maine football team is off to its best start in team history at 9-1, with a perfect 6-0 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Black Bears escaped an upset by the University at Albany Great Danes 33-27 this past Saturday to keep their conference record unblemished.

“I’m really pleased with the win,” head coach Jack Cosgrove said. “We have a ton of respect for Albany. It’s a tough road trip for us; it’s probably the toughest one we take.”

The Black Bears had lost to Albany three out of the past four times they’ve played until the close victory over the weekend.

“We have a history with Albany,” Cosgrove said. “We know them better than anybody in our league having played them the last four years, this being the fifth.”

Senior quarterback Marcus Wasilewski continued his solid year, throwing for 231 yards and three touchdowns. The eventual game-winner was to senior wide receiver John Ebeling, who had two touchdowns on the day.

Redshirt freshman Christophe Mulumba had a career day defensively when he racked up 19 total tackles. He also received the Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week award for the second straight week and his fourth overall this season.

“You got to play the game,” Cosgrove said. “We found ways at the end of the game to get the win.”

The win was a historic one for UMaine, who are off to their best start in school history.

“Last year we lacked experience,” Cosgrove said. “Last year our seniors got experience in the CAA and they know how to play the game.”

The Black Bears will have to put the win behind them when they face the University of Rhode Island on Saturday for their final home game.

“We need to continue to look at this one week at a time and not get ahead of ourselves,” Cosgrove said.

This will be Rhode Island’s last game because they haven’t had a bye this season.

“It’s a big game for them, being their last game,” Cosgrove said. “Rhode Island is looking [to] have a winning feeling, they want to win the game and have that great feeling.”

The Black Bears have more at stake this weekend, with the possibility of an undefeated home and conference record on the line to go along with a chance to clinch the CAA title.

The Rams are 3-8, 2-5 in the CAA, this season and are coming off three straight losses, the last one being a 45-0 blowout to Villanova University. They should be hungry to spoil the Black Bears’ season.

The Rams notched a 19-13 win against Albany and a 12-10 victory against Richmond University earlier in the season, two teams that the Black Bears had some trouble with. It won’t just be an easy game for UMaine on Saturday.

The senior day will be a big one with so many seniors contributing to the team’s success this season.

“It’s an opportunity to recognize and thank [the seniors] for what they’ve done for the program,” Cosgrove said. “Everyone who plays this game always remembers their last game at home and the walk off the field after; is it a victorious one or the ugly alternative?”

The game is set for a 12:30 p.m. kickoff this Saturday, Nov. 16.

By Cody Lachance

The New England Patriots have received a huge offensive boost with the return of their elite tight end, Rob Gronkowski. “Gronk” has made an immediate impact for the Patriots, drawing not only the attention of his quarterback, but of defenses as well.

With No. 87 healthy and contributing on the field, the Patriots offense will finally begin to show its full potential. The Gronkowski effect is coming into full swing, something Patriots fans have been waiting to hear this season.

Gronkowski is clearly quarterback Tom Brady’s favorite target. After their touchdown connection in their Week 9 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gronkowski is tied with former Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss for most touchdown receptions from Tom Brady with 39.

Even while bearing a large arm cast, he still finds a way to pull down catches not many other players in the league could. And with every touchdown by Gronkowski comes what is becoming a great New England tradition: a thunderous Gronk touchdown spike.

Even when the Patriots don’t throw to Gronkowski, he still impacts offensive plays. Just by being on the field, he causes defenses to double-team him. The ability of the Patriots to stretch the field and throw the short pass heavily relies on Gronkowski causing defenses to pay so much attention to him.

This has opened up huge holes in defensive secondaries for wide receivers Danny Amendola, Julien Edelman and Aaron Dobson.

Dobson exploded for a huge game against the Steelers, largely due to the defense’s concern over New England’s Pro Bowl tight end. If Dobson can continue to get these one-on-one matchups, the rookie out of Marshall University is poised for a great second half of the season.

It’s not only in the passing game that Gronkowski is valuable; he is also a great run-blocking tight end.

His size, strength and speed allow him to overpower linebackers and defensive backs to help open up holes for the running game. Running back Stevan Ridley has appreciated Gronk’s return as he has begun to run the ball more effectively. With the return of Shane Vereen just around the corner, Gronkowski being able to block is even more valuable as the Patriots will have two very skilled rushers to call on.

Gronkowski is a game-changer. Whenever he comes into the game, he always finds a way to affect the outcome. He is not only a dynamic and explosive receiver in the passing game, but an above average run- and pass-blocker as well. He is one of the most complete players in the game today.

Had he not been plagued with injuries over the last two Patriots postseason runs, they would have won at least one of the last two Super Bowls; he is that important.

It’s not only his talent that is fun to watch, but also his love for the game. He is truly a player who loves competing and performing at a high level week in and week out. The Gronkowski effect is finally making an impact on this team. If he can stay healthy through the rest of the season, this Patriots team has a great shot of making a deep playoff run.

By Andrew Stefanilo

The Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the NBA will likely offer the least amount of drama this season. With the Miami Heat leading the pack and the rest of the teams rebuilding for the most part, I only see the Heat making the playoffs.

Miami has made some additions to their already star-studded team. They signed two high draft picks from the late ’00s: injury-prone center Greg Oden, selected first overall in 2007, and talented forward Michael Beasley chosen with the second pick in 2008.

Although they won’t take up huge minutes in the Heat’s rotation, they do add some depth to an already solid bench for Miami.

The only other possible playoff contender is the Atlanta Hawks. They signed big man Paul Millsap this offseason to go along with center Al Horford. The Hawks usually do enough in the regular season to earn a decent seed in the playoffs, but postseason success has eluded them in recent years.

Unfortunately for Atlanta, there’s enough talent elsewhere in the revamped East that the possibility of missing the playoffs is very real.

The other three teams in the division are the Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Bobcats. None of these three teams are likely to make a playoff run, but the Wizards could be the one team to potentially make a push.

All three teams are making strides with their rebuilding and have started to form young, talented nuclei.

For Charlotte, it won’t be enough. Point guard Kemba Walker and wing Michael Kidd-Gilchrist have gotten better and are two solid players to build around, but they need more support. Adding veteran pivot Al Jefferson was a step in the right direction. The Bobcats are improved and will be better than last season, but are still not good enough to make the playoffs.

The Orlando Magic also have some solid young players with Tobias Harris and Victor Oladipo, but again, there’s not enough talent for them to make a move in the division.

Lastly, there’s the Wizards. Washington, led by John Wall, doesn’t have a bad team. They have second-year guard Bradley Beal and they recently added big man Marcin Gortat. They have young talent in Kevin Seraphin, Trevor Booker, Chris Singleton and Jan Vesely. If things come together for this team, they could battle for a No. 7 or 8 seed with teams like the Raptors, Cavaliers and Pistons.

Overall, the Southeast Division is the most lopsided in the east. The Heat will run away with the division, but more importantly, there’s a possibility that none of the other teams in this division will even make the playoffs. Unless the Wizards have a breakout season or the Hawks play well this year, I don’t see any team making it to the postseason other than the defending champs.

Although 2013 won’t be the year they make that next step, it’s nice to see the Bobcats, Magic and Wizards making strides toward being competitive. These teams shouldn’t be automatic blowouts every night like in recent years. They have enough young talent to make some noise and upset some better teams.

Will they make the postseason? Don’t bet on it. Will they be bearable to watch most nights? We sure hope so.