Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (10-13, 7-3 SWAC) at Texas Southern Tigers (10-13, 7-3 SWAC) Houston; Monday, 8 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tigers -3; over/under is 140.5 BOTTOM LINE: Bethune-Cookman faces Texas Southern after Tre Thomas scored 27 points in Bethune-Cookman's 85-82 victory over the Prairie View A&M Panthers. The Tigers are 7-3 on their home court.
Eastern Michigan visits Ball State after Nelson’s 22-point performance
Eastern Michigan Eagles (11-12, 4-6 MAC) at Ball State Cardinals (11-12, 4-6 MAC) Muncie, Indiana; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Eastern Michigan visits Ball State after Da'Sean Nelson scored 22 points in Eastern Michigan's 76-70 victory over the Old Dominion Monarchs. The Cardinals have gone 5-5 at home.
Santa Clara plays Saint Mary’s (CA) following Mahi’s 28-point game
The Broncos have gone 9-4 against WCC opponents. Santa Clara ranks second in the WCC shooting 36.5% from 3-point range. Saint Mary's (CA)'s average of 6.8 made 3-pointers per game this season is only 0.7 fewer made shots on average than the 7.5 per game Santa Clara allows.
UAB visits Walker and East Carolina
UAB Blazers (15-8, 8-2 AAC) at East Carolina Pirates (13-11, 5-6 AAC) Greenville, North Carolina; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: East Carolina faces UAB after C.J. Walker scored 28 points in East Carolina's 80-79 win against the UTSA Roadrunners. The Pirates have gone 8-6 at home.
Duggan and Campbell host N.C. A&T
The Fighting Camels are 7-4 in home games. Campbell is 2-2 in one-possession games. The Aggies are 0-11 against CAA opponents.
North Carolina visits Lakhin and Clemson
North Carolina Tar Heels (14-10, 7-5 ACC) at Clemson Tigers (19-5, 11-2 ACC) Clemson, South Carolina; Monday, 7 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tigers -5.5; over/under is 145.5 BOTTOM LINE: Clemson hosts North Carolina after Viktor Lakhin scored 22 points in Clemson's 77-71 victory over the Duke Blue Devils. The Tigers are 12-2 on their home court.
Eagles lead way-too-early Super Bowl LX odds after crushing Chiefs
The Eagles are listed as the early favorites to win Super Bowl LX and lift the Lombardi Trophy in the Bay Area next February.
Doncaster’s Joe Ironside: ‘Playing non-league has made me appreciate life now’
A much-travelled former FA Cup hero for Cambridge against Newcastle now has Crystal Palace in his sights
Subscribers to the theory that the FA Cup has lost its magic have clearly never met Joe Ironside. It is now more than three years since the Doncaster striker experienced one of the very best days of his life when he scored the winning goal for his former team Cambridge United in a wildly celebrated third-round upset at Newcastle.
“What a day, what a really special day,” says Ironside as he looks forward to Crystal Palace’s visit to South Yorkshire for Monday night’s fourth-round tie. “The celebrations afterwards are something I’m going to remember for a lifetime but, although my memories are all happy, the game itself is a bit of a blur. The one thing I can remember was the VAR check for offside after I’d scored. It was only about three minutes but it felt so long.”
Continue reading...FA Cup fourth round: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action
George Hirst finds inspiration from his father, Plymouth exploit Arne Slot’s choices and Marcus Rashford shows promise at his new club
Against Tottenham, the Aston Villa substitute Marcus Rashford looked, well, like the old Marcus Rashford. On the left, the Manchester United loanee embarrassed Pedro Porro with a nutmeg. Through the middle, a deft touch helped release Jacob Ramsey through on goal. Rashford flew down the right at searing pace (before a brilliant Archie Gray tackle limited further damage to Spurs). In half an hour, Rashford only had one fewer touches than Son Heung-min managed in 90 minutes. He looked fit and mentally eager (winning both the tackles he attempted), had a 93% pass accuracy, won four of six aerial duels and generally looked in synergy with his new teammates. Maybe he has a point to prove, or has had a boost of confidence from Villa’s fans and manager, or maybe Rashford is just playing in a quality, well-oiled side again, but Villa’s new No 9 looked – for 30 minutes at least – back to his best. Michael Butler
Continue reading...England win has fans dreaming again as Borthwick’s plans come together | Robert Kitson
Emotional success against France captures imagination and showcases the charm and unpredictability of the Six Nations
After it was all over on Saturday night, England’s players peeled away to seek out their loved ones in the stands. Fin Smith’s parents, Andrew and Judith, were awaiting their match-winning boy and the shared family embrace, when it came, was among the more heartwarming things you’ll see in sport all year. All those unsung hours on school and club touchlines, all those youthful ups and downs, distilled into a tight group hug of the purest emotional joy.
In a strange way it also captured the tangled charm of the Six Nations. Andrew Smith is a proud Scot who met his wife – whose father Tom represented Scotland and the British & Irish Lions – at a post-match curry night in the clubhouse at London Scottish. What a Proclaimers-style 500-mile walk it has been from there to celebrating one of England’s more stunning modern wins with their red-rose-wearing son. Heaven knows how they will feel when Scotland head south next week for a Calcutta Cup clash now laden with even more resonance.
Continue reading...Was Super Bowl LIX Brandon Graham’s last NFL game?
Brandon Graham returned for Super Bowl LIX but was that his final game in the NFL?
Putting Eagles’ dominant D-line Super Bowl performance into perspective
The Eagles' defensive line dominated without any help in their Super Bowl LIX win.
The real Super Bowl MVP for the Eagles? How about the defensive line that pummeled Patrick Mahomes
Six sacks, 35.7% dropback success rate, 226 net passing yards and 2 interceptions on the best quarterback in the world. Without any blitzes. That’s the story of the game.
NFL Power Rankings, way-too-early edition: Maybe the Eagles are the next dynasty
Eagles' Super Bowl dominance might have been a sign of things to come.
Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts excited about what comes next in his football journey
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is named the MVP of Super Bowl LIX two years after a tough loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.