Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles (9-16, 4-11 OVC) at Lindenwood Lions (12-14, 7-8 OVC) Saint Charles, Missouri; Saturday, 3 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Lions -2.5; over/under is 142.5 BOTTOM LINE: Lindenwood hosts Southern Indiana after Reggie Bass scored 30 points in Lindenwood's 73-60 win against the Morehead State Eagles. The Lions have gone 10-3 in home games.
Doty and Siena host Sacred Heart
Siena Saints (11-14, 6-8 MAAC) at Sacred Heart Pioneers (11-13, 7-6 MAAC) Fairfield, Connecticut; Sunday, 12 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Siena takes on Sacred Heart after Gavin Doty scored 20 points in Siena's 65-64 loss to the Marist Red Foxes. The Pioneers are 6-4 on their home court.
TCU visits Arizona State after Miller’s 22-point game
TCU Horned Frogs (13-11, 6-7 Big 12) at Arizona State Sun Devils (12-12, 3-10 Big 12) Tempe, Arizona; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Sun Devils -4.5; over/under is 139.5 BOTTOM LINE: Arizona State hosts TCU after Adam Miller scored 22 points in Arizona State's 111-106 overtime loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Sun Devils have gone 5-5 in home games.
Middle Tennessee visits Western Kentucky after Lander’s 30-point game
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (16-8, 7-4 CUSA) at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (14-10, 5-6 CUSA) Bowling Green, Kentucky; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Hilltoppers -2.5; over/under is 152.5 BOTTOM LINE: Western Kentucky hosts Middle Tennessee after Khristian Lander scored 30 points in Western Kentucky's 85-83 loss to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. The Hilltoppers have gone 11-2 at home.
Ashby leads Queens against Eastern Kentucky
Queens Royals (16-10, 9-4 ASUN) at Eastern Kentucky Colonels (15-11, 9-4 ASUN) Richmond, Kentucky; Saturday, 4 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Colonels -3.5; over/under is 156.5 BOTTOM LINE: Queens visits Eastern Kentucky after Chris Ashby scored 30 points in Queens' 92-87 overtime win against the Bellarmine Knights. The Colonels have gone 8-3 in home games.
Charlotte hosts East Carolina following Walker’s 29-point game
The Pirates have gone 6-6 against AAC opponents. East Carolina ranks second in the AAC with 35.2 rebounds per game led by RJ Felton averaging 7.2. Charlotte's average of 6.8 made 3-pointers per game is 1.0 fewer made shot on average than the 7.8 per game East Carolina allows.
Drake hosts Bradley after Stirtz’s 25-point performance
Bradley Braves (20-6, 11-4 MVC) at Drake Bulldogs (23-2, 13-2 MVC) Des Moines, Iowa; Sunday, 2 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Drake plays Bradley after Bennett Stirtz scored 25 points in Drake's 84-77 victory over the Illinois State Redbirds. The Bulldogs have gone 12-1 in home games.
Evansville hosts Schwieger and Valparaiso
Valparaiso Beacons (11-15, 4-11 MVC) at Evansville Purple Aces (9-17, 6-9 MVC) Evansville, Indiana; Sunday, 8 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Valparaiso visits Evansville after Cooper Schwieger scored 27 points in Valparaiso's 101-86 win over the Belmont Bruins. The Purple Aces have gone 6-8 in home games.
Todorovic and Pepperdine host Gonzaga
The Bulldogs have gone 11-1 in home games. Gonzaga is 17-0 in games decided by 10 or more points. The Waves have gone 4-9 against WCC opponents.
Julien and Arkansas State host Troy
Troy Trojans (16-9, 9-4 Sun Belt) at Arkansas State Red Wolves (19-7, 10-3 Sun Belt) Jonesboro, Arkansas; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Red Wolves -5.5; over/under is 145 BOTTOM LINE: Arkansas State hosts Troy after Kobe Julien scored 20 points in Arkansas State's 101-67 win against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. The Red Wolves are 12-0 on their home court.
Galette and Youngstown State host Cleveland State
Youngstown State Penguins (17-10, 11-5 Horizon League) at Cleveland State Vikings (18-8, 12-3 Horizon League) Cleveland; Sunday, 2 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Youngstown State visits Cleveland State after Nico Galette scored 21 points in Youngstown State's 93-71 victory over the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons. The Vikings are 12-3 in home games.
North Carolina Central plays conference rival Coppin State
The North Carolina Central Eagles are 7-3 in home games. North Carolina Central is second in the MEAC with 37.8 points per game in the paint led by Perry Smith Jr. averaging 6.0. The Coppin State Eagles are 2-5 against MEAC opponents.
McNeeley leads UConn against Seton Hall after 38-point game
UConn Huskies (17-7, 9-4 Big East) at Seton Hall Pirates (6-18, 1-12 Big East) Newark, New Jersey; Saturday, 2:30 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Huskies -14.5; over/under is 132.5 BOTTOM LINE: UConn plays Seton Hall after Liam McNeeley scored 38 points in UConn's 70-66 victory against the Creighton Bluejays. The Pirates have gone 4-8 at home.
North Carolina visits Starling and Syracuse
North Carolina Tar Heels (14-11, 7-6 ACC) at Syracuse Orange (11-14, 5-9 ACC) Syracuse, New York; Saturday, 6 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tar Heels -6.5; over/under is 154.5 BOTTOM LINE: Syracuse plays North Carolina after JJ Starling scored 25 points in Syracuse's 91-84 loss to the Miami Hurricanes. The Orange have gone 9-5 in home games.
‘Rugby can be pretty complicated’: Cole and Youngs tackle plain speaking in hit podcast
As a sports journalist, I learned more about these players in a couple of episodes than years of press conferences
Things are a little different around England’s training base at Pennyhill Park this year. It’s not just that they have a new captain or a couple of uncapped players, it’s that you have to go way back to 2009 to find the last time that one, the other, or, more often than not, both of Ben Youngs and Dan Cole weren’t with the squad.
The Leicester pair have been ever-present through the best and worst of the past 15 years of English rugby, until Youngs, 35, retired from Test rugby after the last World Cup. His great mate Cole, 37, went on one more year, until the head coach, Steve Borthwick, finally decided to leave him out of the squad this spring. Cole hasn’t officially announced his own international retirement but only because, he says drily, that “it would feel like locking the stable door after the horse has already bolted”.
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