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TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 11th

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

Could it happen?

As one who doubted the success of the New England Patriots as the 2025 NFL season began, it’s hard to believe there’s enough Kool Aid in all of Boston to go out on an ice-covered limb and predict the Patriots as Super Bowl LX champions.

That’s an especially difficult task as this year’s NFL is about as even and unpredictable as any season in the last 50 years. Just look at the fact a preseason pick of the Detroit Lions to play the Kansas City Chiefs (or the Baltimore Ravens) would’ve been a credible choice for any NFL maven.

Nope. No Chiefs. No Lions. No Ravens. You mean an NFL maven says, “Doubt the Ravens, Evermore?”

That leaves us with a really WILD pro football wild card weekend with only AFC regular season champion Denver Broncos and NFC top seed Seattle Seahawks assured to play in the divisional round of January 17-18.

Everyone else? Good luck with your predictions.

Here are mine.

NFL PLAYOFF PICKS: With two games being played as this bulldog edition hits Al Gore ‘s online creation, it’s time to make some predictions with a possible goose-egg Saturday start just as likely as two correct picks, although the LA Rams look pretty good. Admittedly, the columnist has had a gallon of clam chowder flavored Kool-Aid, New England stylewith the final, Super Bowl selection … Here are the picks and, of course, there’s a chance the NFL brackets do not set up the way these picks are chosen, but, what the hell.

WILD CARD

AFC Wild Card Winner 1 – Bills

AFC Wild Card Winner 2 – Patriots

AFC Wild Card Winner 3 – Texans

NFC Wild Card Winner 1 – Rams

NFC Wild Card Winner 2 – Bears

NFC Wild Card Winner 3 – Eagles

DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

AFC Division Winner 1 – Broncos

AFC Division Winner 2 – Patriots

NFC Division Winner 1 – Seahawks

NFC Division Winner 2 – Eagles

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

AFC Conference Winner – Patriots

NFC Conference Winner – Eagles

SUPER BOWL LX

Super Bowl Champion – Patriots

BOB WEIR / REST IN PEACE:

RIGHT AT PRESS TIME: The news of the Grateful Dead founding member, guitarist, vocalist, magician and storyteller Bob Weir’s death hit the airwaves via a heartfelt SOCIAL MEDIA post from Chloe Weir. The announcement of his death said he went peacefully. He was battling cancer but died of some underlying complications of the lungs.

These two clips are from Bob’s final shows at Golden Gate Park, performed this past summer (August 1-3, 2025), a three-night stand celebrating 60 years of music – pure magical music. My indoctrination into the Dead was way back in high school, but my Ph D. came from the late, great Bill Walton who often dove deep into the lyrics and vibes to lead the way for many of us.

Wrote Chloe on behalf of the family: “It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir. He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could. Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues.

For over sixty years, Bobby took to the road. A guitarist, vocalist, storyteller, and founding member of the Grateful Dead. Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music. His work did more than fill rooms with music; it was warm sunlight that filled the soul, building a community, a language, and a feeling of family that generations of fans carry with them. Every chord he played, every word he sang was an integral part of the stories he wove. There was an invitation: to feel, to question, to wander, and to belong.

Bobby’s final months reflected the same spirit that defined his life. Diagnosed in July, he began treatment only weeks before returning to his hometown stage for a three-night celebration of 60 years of music at Golden Gate Park. Those performances, emotional, soulful, and full of light, were not farewells, but gifts. Another act of resilience. An artist choosing, even then, to keep going by his own design. As we remember Bobby, it’s hard not to feel the echo of the way he lived. A man driftin’ and dreamin’, never worrying if the road would lead him home. A child of countless trees. A child of boundless seas.

There is no final curtain here, not really. Only the sense of someone setting off again.”

“It must be getting early, clocks are running late

Paint-by-number morning sky looks so phony

Dawn is breaking everywhere, light a candle, curse the glare

Draw the curtains, I don’t care ‘cause it’s alright,

I will get by

I will get by

I will get by

I will survive.”

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: As long as we were playing the prediction game up above, how about a few more for 2026?

  • The “U” to win the CFP championship as tough “D” and home field advantage win out at Hard Rock. Indiana will have put up a fight like no other.
  • Jannik Sinner to win Down Under at the 2026 Australian Open
  • William Byron to make it a three-peat at the 2026 Daytona 500
  • Canada to win the gold at Milan Winter Olympics men’s ice hockey
  • UConn to win 2026 BIG EAST men’s basketball tournament (and women’s, too)
  • Michigan to take the 2026 Final Four in men’s hoops
  • Scottie Scheffler to get back on track and win The Masters
  • Colorado Avs and Florida Panthers to meet for The Cup (Avs to win)
  • OKC to repeat at the NBA Finals and take their second Larry O’Brien Trophy
  • LA Dodgers to repeat at 2026 World Series, defeating the NYY
  • No Triple Crown winner in 2026
  • Cameron Boozer to go No. 1 in NBA Draft
  • Jannik Sinner to repeat at Wimbledon (singles)
  • Iga Świątek to repeat in Ladies’ singles in London
  • Scottie Scheffler to take the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup

Some more in-depth analysis and additional predictions to come before each season/playoffs begin. In the list above, you’ll notice a LOT of chalk. The WWYI office reports, “Carlos Alcaraz is on Line One.”

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: Good News: Zach Harper of The Athletic pointed out that Muggsy Bogues turned 61 years of age on Friday. The 5-foot-3 guard entertained NBA audiences for a solid 14 seasons. … Bad News: Former NBAer and shot blocker extraordinaire Jawann Oldham died this past week in Atlanta at the age of 68. Oldham hailed from Seattle, Washington.

The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, the Florida-based creator and sponsor of the Fred Biletnikoff Award, honored unanimous 1st-Team All-America receiver Makai Lemon of the University of Southern California as the 2025 winner of the prestigious Biletnikoff Award.

Legendary sportscaster Al Michaels will return to call the 2026-27 NFL season for Prime Video, according to a report by Richard Deitsch of The Sports Business Journal.

Former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh seems to be the answer to every NFL team’s dreams. Harbaugh, fired by Baltimore this week, put the brakes on every NFL team that drew their ax on NFL Black Monday (maybe we should call it Red Monday, thus with the ax falling)? … The NY Post has been swooning over a possible Harbaugh hiring for the football Giants.

New York Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer is the likely Calder Trophy winner come April/May and he’s proving to be the best NYI blue-liner since the great Denis Potvin (not to put any pressure on the rook).

The LIV Tour started its season this week with a qualifier at Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Florida while the PGA Tour opens this Thursday at the SONY Open in Honolulu, Hawaii. Pro golf is back but Brooks Koepka is not.

As expected, pro golfer Brooks Koepka applied for reinstatement to the PGA TOUR. ESPN first reported that the expected became true. Koepka, 35, decided to leave LIV Golf and announced it on December 23. He had one year left on his contract with the Saudi-backed pro circuit. Koepka will not be eligible to return to the PGA Tour until August, 2026 at the very earliest.

Koepka was one of the top PGA Tour players to jumo to LIV Golf in 2022, reportedly cashing a $125 million check as an enticement for the love.

Brick building with arched entrance and windows
Photo by T R on Unsplash

BASEBALL HALL of FAME: Neither WWYI nor Digital Sports Desk have a ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame. That’s fine, but it doesn’t stop a baseball scribe from casting a phantom ballot. Here are the picks this year, using the less is more theory with five choices for baseball infamy amongst the 27 players eligible on the BBWAA official ballot.

  • Carlos Beltran
  • Andruw Jones
  • Andy Pettitte
  • Alex Rodriguez
  • David Wright

Demary Jr. Takes Big East Honor

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NEW YORK – UConn’s Silas Demary Jr. was named BIG EAST Player of the Week, while teammate Braylon Mullins was picked to be BIG EAST Freshman of the Week.  Demary Jr. averaged a near double-double in points and assists – 18.5 points and 9.5 assists – in a pair of wins for the Huskies.  Mullins led UConn in scoring in both games this past week, averaging 20.0 points to go along with 4.5 rebounds per outing.
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BIG EAST Player of the Week
Silas Demary Jr., UConn, G, Jr.
Demary Jr. averaged 18.5 points, 9.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 4.0 steals in a 2-0 week for UConn. The 6-4 guard was brilliant in an overtime win at Providence on Jan. 7, finishing with 23 points, a career-high 15 assists, and five steals.  Demary Jr. logged one turnover against the Friars – marking only the fifth time in BIG EAST history that a player had 15 assists with one or fewer turnovers. He became the first BIG EAST player since the 2017-18 season to log at least 20 points and 15 assists in a game.  Last time out against DePaul on Jan. 10, the junior from Raleigh, N.C. tallied 14 points, three boards, four assists, and three steals.  For the week, Demary Jr. connected on 61.1% of his attempts from the floor (11-18), including 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, while posting a 3.80:1 assist/turnover ratio.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Braylon Mullins, UConn, F, G.
Mullins led UConn in scoring in a pair of wins last week, averaging 20.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks.  His best game of the week came at Providence on Jan. 7, scoring a game and season-high 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc.  Eight of his 24 points came in the overtime period for the Huskies.  Against DePaul on Jan. 10, the 6-6 guard registered a team-high 16 points, a season-best seven rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks.  Over the two games, he connected on nearly 55% (13-24) of his field goal attempts, including 8-of-15 from the perimeter.  It marks the second weekly honor for Mullins this season.
BIG EAST Honor Roll
Nigel James Jr., Marquette, G, Fr.
James Jr. averaged 20.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.5 steals in a 1-1 week for Marquette.  He poured in a career-best 31 points, knocking down seven 3-pointers, to go with six assists and three steals against Villanova on Jan. 10.  The freshman guard added 10 points, six assists, and four boards in a win over Xavier on Jan. 7.
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John’s, F, Sr.
Ejiofor averaged 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 3.5 steals in two road wins for St. John’s.  His best game of the week came on Jan. 7, finishing with 18 points, five boards, two assists, and three steals at Butler.  Last time out at Creighton, the senior finished with 12 points, six assists, four boards, and four steals.
Budd Clark, Seton Hall, G, Jr.
Clark scored 22 points to go with five rebounds, two assists, and a steal in a comeback win for Seton Hall at Georgetown on Jan. 10.  The junior guard scored 13 of his 22 points in the second half while connecting on 6-of-12 from the floor and 10-of-12 from the free throw line on the night for the Pirates.
Acaden Lewis, Villanova, G, Fr.
Lewis averaged 20.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in a 1-1 week for Villanova.  Against Creighton on Jan. 7, the freshman guard finished with 20 points, four boards, seven assists, and three steals.  In a win at Marquette on Jan. 10, Lewis again tallied 20 points to go with eight assists.
Malik Messina-Moore, Xavier, G, Sr.
Messina-Moore averaged 22.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 3.0 steals in a 1-1 week for Xavier.  The senior guard had 22 points, three boards, three assists, and five steals at Marquette on Jan. 7.  Last time out, he finished with 23 points – including five 3-pointers – in a home win over Providence.

NFL Playoffs: MNF | Texans at Steelers

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Houston Texans (12-5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Texans -3, Total 38.5
Series Rewind: Houston pounded Pittsburgh 30-6 in 2023 to end a three-game skid in the series. That was C.J. Stroud’s rookie season and he shined by passing for 306 yards and two TDs. This is their first postseason meeting.

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The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game in nine years and now the NFL’s best defense stands in the way and threatens to impose another unhappy ending. Aaron Rodgers (11-10 as a postseason starter) will be asked to solve the defensive unit of the Texans and end the dubious streak that has seen Pittsburgh drop six consecutive playoff games since defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round on Jan. 15, 2017. Rodgers had 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 16 games. He hasn’t been picked in his last seven outings. Protecting the ball is key against Houston, which ranks second in the NFL with a plus-17 takeaway margin. The Texans allowed a league-low 277.2 yards per game and ranked second in points allowed at 17.4 per game. Danielle Hunter finished third in the NFL with 15 sacks and Will Anderson Jr. tied for eighth with 12. Stroud is playing in the playoffs for the third straight season and has a 2-2 postseason mark. During the regular season, he passed for 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions despite missing three games due to a concussion. The Steelers get DK Metcalf (team-best 850 receiving yards, six TDs) back from a two-game suspension. Also, star linebacker T.J. Watt should feel a bit more spry in his second game since lung surgery.

–Field Level Media

NFL Playoff Preview: Chargers at Patriots

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Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) at New England Patriots (14-3)
Sunday, 8 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Patriots -3.5, Total 46.5
Series Rewind: New England leads the all-time series 27-17-2 and has won each of the three times they’ve faced off in the NFL playoffs (2007, 2008, 2019). But Los Angeles beat the Patriots in 2023 and 2024 by a combined score of 46-7.

Patriots MVP candidate Drake Maye is set to make his playoff debut after a stellar second season in which he led the league with a 72.0 completion percentage along with 4,394 yards and 31 TDs to eight picks. He led an offense which finished second in scoring (28.8 points per game) and third in total offense (379.4 yards). But he was also sacked 47 times, fourth-most of any NFL QB, and will be facing a Chargers defense which ranked 10th in the league in sacks (45). Chargers QB Justin Herbert has actually been sacked even more (54 times, third in the NFL) behind a ramshackle line missing two tackles. Herbert is looking for some playoff redemption after his first two postseason games did not go according to plan. Los Angeles blew a 27-0 lead in a 2022 wild-card game at Jacksonville, and he threw a career-high four picks in a 32-12 wild-card game last season at Houston. Herbert (left hand) has practiced fully this week after sitting out the regular-season finale with minimal stakes. Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs (1,013 receiving yards) and rookie RB Tre’Veyon Henderson (911 yards, nine touchdowns) have boosted Maye, who could be down two starting offensive linemen this week with left guard Jared Wilson (concussion) and center Garrett Bradbury (illness) missing practice or limited.

Playoff Game Preview: San Fran at Phila

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San Francisco 49ers (12-5) at Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)
Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Eagles -4.5, Total 44.5
Series Rewind: San Francisco won handily 42-19 in its last trip to Philadelphia in Week 13 in 2023, about 11 months after getting blown out 31-7 there by the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 29, 2023.

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The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles rested most of their starters in Week 18 and settled for the No. 3 seed, while the 49ers dropped to the sixth seed after losing a battle with Seattle for the coveted No. 1 slot. This is the fifth straight playoff appearance for Philadelphia under fifth-year coach Nick Sirianni, whose teams alternated wild-card losses with Super Bowl runs in their first four postseasons under his watch. It’s the fifth playoff trip in the past seven seasons for the 49ers under Kyle Shanahan, which includes a couple of Super Bowl setbacks. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is 5-0 at home in the playoffs and facing a 49ers squad that is 7-2 on the road this season. Hurts can attack San Francisco’s shaky pass defense with 1,000-yard receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert (11 touchdowns). Niners star Christian McCaffrey was second in the NFL with 2,126 scrimmage yards but faces a Philly front anchored by Pro Bowl DT Jalen Carter. Philadelphia’s All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson (foot) hopes to play for the first time since Week 11. San Francisco All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams (hamstring) and wideout Ricky Pearsall (knee/ankle) are questionable.

Spurs Top Celtics

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox each scored a team-high 21 points to lead the visiting San Antonio Spurs to a 100-95 victory over the Boston Celtics on Saturday night.

The game was tied with 1:56 to play, but the Spurs finished the game on a 7-2 run.

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Fox also had nine rebounds and six assists. Wembanyama, who played 26 minutes, added six rebounds and three blocked shots. San Antonio also received 12 points and 13 rebounds from Julian Champagnie.

It was the second game in as many nights for the Celtics, who attempted only four free throws in the loss (3 of 4). Derrick White scored 29 points and Jaylen Brown had 27 to lead the Boston offense.

The Spurs won despite shooting 10 of 44 (23%) beyond the 3-point arc. San Antonio entered the game shooting 35% from 3-point territory this season, but made only 27% of their 3-point attempts in the seven games leading up to Saturday’s matchup. The Spurs had a 3-4 record during that stretch.

Boston guard Sam Hauser didn’t play in Saturday’s game because of right hamstring tightness. Hauser, one of the team’s best perimeter shooters, started the previous four games and scored 19 points (five 3-pointers) during Friday’s victory over Toronto.

An early 12-0 run put the Celtics in front 14-7, and Boston led 26-21 after 12 minutes. The Spurs were 2 of 15 from 3-point range in the first quarter. Boston had a 55-50 halftime lead.

A Wembanyama free throw tied the game, 64-64, with 4:36 remaining in the third, but Boston had a 75-73 lead after three quarters.

The Mendoza Line

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ATLANTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) -Two years ago, nobody would have believed Indiana could win a national championship. Now, it would be considered a surprise if the Hoosiers don’t win it all.

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No. 1 Indiana (15-0), the nation’s worst team in college football history entering the 2025 season, is a win away from its first title after dismantling No. 5 Oregon 56-22 in a College Football Playoff semifinal game in the Peach Bowl on Friday night.

Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza threw for 177 yards and five touchdowns and Indiana scored 21 points off three Oregon turnovers, as the program advanced to the CFP national championship game against No. 10 Miami on Jan. 19.

When head coach Curt Cignetti told the world that he wins and to “Google him” after his hiring in 2023, he was met with doubt from nonbelievers. After the Hoosiers arrived on the national scene a season ago, making their first CFP, there was some thought that they were a flash in the pan. Week after week, Cignetti just keeps proving himself right.

“There was a lot of skepticism after last year that we were a fluke,” Cignetti said. “That team did a lot of great things and got it all started. I think a lot of that negative stuff in the media fueled the guys returning to this team. We added some really key pieces. Great leaders, great players and we’ve just built off our successes.”

Elijah Sarratt had seven receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns for the Hoosiers, who have won their two playoff games by a combined 69 points. There will be no shortage of story lines next Monday when Indiana faces the Hurricanes in their home stadium. For one, Mendoza returns to his hometown with a chance to lead the Hoosiers to college football’s first 16-0 season since the 1894 Yale Bulldogs.

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“I think playing a national championship would get anybody fired up and definitely stir up some emotions,” Mendoza said of returning to Miami. “I believe it’s going to be a great game. The Hurricanes are a fantastic team, led by a great coach in Coach (Mario) Cristobal. Even though it is the national championship, we don’t have to do anything that is out of character. We just gotta play our brand of football, and that’s what has led us to this point and 15 wins this season.”

Dante Moore threw for 285 yards and two touchdowns for Oregon (13-2), which outgained Indiana 378-362 despite being outmatched throughout the lopsided affair. Moore threw an interception and lost two fumbles for the Ducks, who came up short on their quest for the program’s first national championship.

“First thing is first, the quarterback has to protect the football,” Moore said. “They have a great defense, great disguise and different looks, but you can’t win football games if you’re causing turnovers. It’s something of course I need to work at. It comes with just reps. But overall, Indiana’s defense is great, but at the end of the day, we beat ourselves.”

Leading 35-7 at halftime, Indiana tacked on with Mendoza’s 13-yard touchdown pass to E.J. Williams Jr. with 8:52 left in the third quarter. After Dierre Hill Jr.’s 71-yard rush, Oregon stopped the bleeding with Jay Harris’ 2-yard rushing score and Moore’s two-point conversion pass to Jamari Johnson to make it 42-15.

Less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, Indiana blocked a punt and three plays later Mendoza threw his fifth touchdown pass, this time a 3-yarder to Sarratt with 11:36 remaining. Kaelon Black then scampered for a 23-yard rushing score to extend the lead to 41 on the Hoosiers’ next drive.

Moore’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Roger Saleapaga with 22 seconds left finished the game’s scoring.

Friday marked the end of another Oregon season that saw head coach Dan Lanning’s team falter against a fellow Big Ten foe. Last year, the Ducks were discarded by Ohio State by 20 points in the quarterfinals. Lanning, now 48-8 in four seasons at the helm, didn’t lose any pride in his team in Atlanta.

“You hurt for those guys because the world is going to judge everybody in that room based on the result tonight,” Lanning said. “I’m going to judge those guys on the kind of fathers they become some day, the kind of husbands they become some day. But in this moment you feel like a failure, and they’re not. They’re not failures. These guys won a lot of damn ballgames. They’ve had a lot of success. They’ve changed some peoples’ lives, but right now, that moment is going to hurt.”

After Oregon returned the opening kick to its 20-yard line, D’Angelo Ponds picked off Moore and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage, giving the Hoosiers a 7-0 lead just 11 seconds in.

The Ducks answered with a 14-play, 75-yard scoring drive, stamped with Moore’s game-tying 19-yard scoring pass to Johnson at the 7:11 mark of the first quarter.

On Indiana’s first offensive possession, Mendoza completed each of his four passes for 41 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. with 40 seconds left in the first.

After the teams traded punts, Moore committed his second turnover as he had the ball knocked out of his hands inadvertently by Hill. Indiana’s Mario Landino recovered the fumble at Oregon’s 3-yard line, leading to Black’s 1-yard rushing score with 8:17 remaining in the first half to make it 21-7.

Moore took sacks on second and third down of Oregon’s ensuing drive, leading to another Ducks punt. Four plays later, Mendoza connected with Charlie Becker for a 36-yard touchdown strike to extend the lead to 28-7. Moore’s nightmarish first half continued on the next drive, as Daniel Ndukwe’s strip sack was recovered by Landino at the 21.

The Hoosiers took a 28-point lead on Mendoza’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Sarratt with 59 seconds left before halftime. Oregon’s Atticus Sappington came up short on a 56-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the first half.

– Field Level Media

Big East Break – January 10th

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STORRS – (Wire Service Preview) – After a two-day break, BIG EAST men’s basketball returns with five games – and 10 of its 11 teams in action – on Saturday. The full day of action begins with a doubleheader on TNT and truTV, as DePaul visits UConn at 12:30 p.m. ET. In the second game, Villanova travels to Marquette for a 2:30 p.m. ET start. Marquette head coach Shaka Smart will be wired for sound throughout the game, adding a unique perspective to the matchup in Milwaukee.

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The first of three games airing on FS1 begins at 2 p.m. ET as St. John’s heads to Creighton. That game is followed by Providence at Xavier at 4 p.m. ET and is capped off by a 6 p.m. ET matchup as Seton Hall takes on Georgetown in Washington, D.C.

Saturday, Jan. 10

TNT & truTV
DePaul at UConn – 12:30 p.m. ET
Spero Dedes (pxp); Greg Anthony (analyst)

Villanova at Marquette – 2:30 p.m. ET
Brian Anderson (pxp); Grant Hill (analyst)

FS1
St. John’s at Creighton – 2 p.m. ET
Tim Brando (pxp); Donny Marshall (analyst)

Providence at Xavier – 4 p.m. ET
Connor Onion (pxp); Nick Bahe (analyst)

Seton Hall at Georgetown – 6 p.m. ET
Chris Vosters (pxp); Tarik Turner (analyst)

—–
Looking Ahead: The BIG EAST is off on Sunday, Jan. 11 and returns to action with four games on Tuesday, Jan. 13: Villanova at Providence, Marquette at St. John’s, Connecticut at Seton Hall, and Georgetown at Creighton.

Pats v. Chargers: “It Starts with the D”

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Since Sunday night’s AFC wild-card matchup between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Chargers will feature two of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, one of the key questions entering the matchup is this: Which team’s pass rush will be able to apply the most pressure?

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Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert was sacked 54 times in 16 games, and New England’s Drake Maye was sacked 47 times in 17 games. Those were the third- and fourth-most sacks against a quarterback during the regular season.

The seventh-seeded Chargers (11-6) have used 32 combinations on their injury-ravaged offensive line this season — more than any other team — and played much of the season without starting tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, both of whom are on injured reserve.

Los Angeles has allowed 60 sacks over its season when factoring in the six backup Trey Lance took last week while Herbert sat.

Second-seeded New England (14-3) is one of five teams that tied for 22nd in the NFL in sacks with 35. The team’s sack leaders are linebacker Harold Landry III (8.5) and linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson (7.5). Landry, who missed the last two games with a knee injury, returned to practice this week in a limited capacity and is questionable for Sunday.

“I don’t think that’s ever something you can tell in practice,” New England coach Mike Vrabel said when asked about his team’s pass rush. “You gotta go out there and win in live action, and not only win, you have to be able to get the guy on the ground. Justin’s just a great player — strength, toughness. He can avoid and scramble for a lot of yards. So again, I think that’ll have to be determined Sunday night.”

Maye, an MVP candidate, led the league with a 72.0 completion percentage this season, but will be facing a Chargers defense that tied for 10th in the league with 45 sacks.

Linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu led the team with 13 sacks, and linebacker Odafe Oweh collected 7.5 sacks in 12 games after being acquired in an October trade with the Ravens.

New England has started two rookies — guard Jared Wilson and tackle Will Campbell — on the left side of the line for most of the season. The Patriots have surrendered 48 sacks.

Los Angeles coach Jim Harbaugh said he has a lot of confidence in his team’s defense.

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“It starts with the players, then it’s (defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s) ability and our defensive coaches’ ability to put them in spots to make plays, to be most effective,” Harbaugh said. “The understanding of the defense (is what gives me confidence). I know there will be some wrinkles as well.”

Los Angeles finished the regular season 12th in total offense (333.8), 20th in points per game (21.6), fifth in total defense (285.2) and ninth in points allowed per game (20.0).

New England was third in total offense (379.4), second in points per game (28.8), eighth in total defense (295.2) and fourth in points allowed per game (18.8).

“I’m happy, I’m excited, but also, we’re not here just to be here,” Vrabel said. “We have to be able to host games and compete for championships. There’s not going to be any consolation prize for anybody. We understand what we have to do.”

The Chargers ruled out two backups on Friday, wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith (hamstring) and safety Kendall Williamson (ankle). Rookie running back Omarion Hampton, who sat out two days of practice with an ankle injury and returned Friday in a limited capacity, is listed as questionable, along with backup tackle Austin Deculus (oblique), tight end Tucker Fisk (ankle), linebackers Bud Dupree (hamstring) and Del’Shawn Phillips (hamstring) and defensive back Elijah Molden (hamstring).

The Patriots have only ruled out defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga (foot). Joining Landry as questionable are wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (hamstring), offensive lineman Thayer Munford Jr. (knee) and cornerback Alex Austin (wrist).

–Field Level Media

 

Nuggets Tough on the Road

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Nuggets 114, Celtics 110

BOSTON – (staff and Wire Service Report) – Wrong Peyton.

Denver’s Peyton Watson scored 30 points and Jamal Murray added 22 points, eight rebounds and a career-high 17 assists to lead visiting Nuggets over the Boston Celtics for the Nuggets’ NBA-best 15th road victory.

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Watson made six of his seven 3-point attempts, including a 3-pointer that put Denver up 106-93 with 2:24 to play. Watson has scored at least 20 points in each of his last five games. Denver’s Nikola Jokic missed his fifth straight game with a knee injury. The Nuggets have a 3-2 record without him.

Boston received a game-high 33 points along with seven rebounds and four assists from Jaylen Brown, who also committed seven turnovers. Neemias Queta had six points and a career-high 20 rebounds for the Celtics. Ten of Queta’s 20 rebounds came at the offensive end.