Analysis Page 11 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
50 (and then some) breakout candidates for 2024-25
Flagg, Cooper. ,Now that we got that out of the way, let's get to the rest of the 2024-25 college basketball breakout players as identified by Field Level Media's basketball network ahead of the season openers next week. ,Some familiar names set for centerstage introductions like Flagg at Duke, the ...
MLB offseason primer: Juan Soto tops free agent class
Barely an hour after the final out of the World Series, New York Yankees slugger Juan Soto declared himself open for business on the free agent market.,His asking price might be beyond the comfort zone for most clubs, but Soto is keeping an open mind as he approaches the biggest payday of his life.,...
There is now a Will (Venable) -- can the White Sox find a way forward?
The Chicago White Sox essentially entered the shower moved from Old Comiskey Park to the main concourse level above the bleachers at their South Side ballpark, in search of a much-needed cleansing., ,There is plenty of caked-on muck developed over the last two seasons. The long process of removing i...
Must-See college basketball matchups in 2024-25
There are some households that put up Christmas trees on Halloween, and dye eggs while the snow flies. ,And there are those homes where college basketball is a foreign concept retrained every year only after college football and NFL seasons hit hibernation.,Don't be those guys. ,College buckets are ...
Field Level Insights: Will Jets show up for second half to tame Texans?
Aaron Rodgers and the Jets rapidly are running out of runway and the Houston Texans are in town Thursday with a chance to turn out the lights on New York's disastrous 2024 season.,Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich and Rodgers described the onset of darkness as the Jets' mood after their current losing...
Hannah Hidalgo, JuJu Watkins highlight new wave of star power
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese met in the 2023 national championship game in Dallas, and the Iowa-LSU showdown was the most-watched game in the history of the sport. ,A year later, Clark and the Hawkeyes faced Reese and the Tigers in a Monday night Elite Eight rematch. It was a record-breaking redo, ...
Stubbs: Kyle Larson can only blame himself for predicament
For the second year in a row at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kyle Larson found himself chasing down Ryan Blaney for the victory.,And, for the second year in a row, Larson stepped ever so slightly over the line that differentiates aggression from foolishness, spinning out of second place with 13 laps to...
Stubbs: Ryan Blaney hoping history repeats itself
Ryan Blaney is used to being the underdog.,It was, after all, only a year ago that nobody thought of the 30-year-old, third-generation racer as a serious contender for the NASCAR Cup Series championship.,As history will forever proclaim, Blaney and Team Penske caught fire in the playoffs, making a r...
Field Level insights: Rush is on for Vikings to hit Matthew Stafford first
Cooper Kupp is trending toward returning on Thursday night when the Los Angeles Rams welcome the Minnesota Vikings, and the star receiver's timing could not be better.,Based on trends studied by Inside Edge, the Rams possess the antidote for a Minnesota defense that failed to rattle Jared Goff and t...
NBA season-preview capsules: Northwest Division
1. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER,Predicted 2024-25 record: 62-20,Last season: 57-25, 1st in NBA Western Conference. Lost 4-2 to Dallas Mavericks in conference semifinals.,Last time ... the Thunder won 60 games in a season was 2012-13, when Kevin Durant helped Oklahoma City post a 60-22 record. The franchise...
NBA season-preview capsules: Central Division
1. MILWAUKEE BUCKS,Predicted 2024-25 record: 57-25,Last season: 49-33, 3rd in Eastern Conference,Last time ...,The Bucks reached the second round of the playoffs was 2022, settling for a pair of disappointing first-round exits since then. Milwaukee is also just four seasons removed from a championsh...
NBA season-preview capsules: Pacific Division
1. SACRAMENTO KINGS,Predicted 2024-25 record: 53-29,Last season: 46-36, T-9th in Western Conference,Last time...,The Kings won a playoff series, it was in the 2004 first round against the Mavericks, the same team that had ended Arvydas Sabonis' career in the postseason a year earlier. Arvydas had 23...
NBA season-preview capsules: Atlantic Division
1. BOSTON CELTICS,Predicted 2024-25 record: 60-22,Last season: 64-18, 1st in Eastern Conference,Last time...,The Celtics came off a title run was the 2008-09 campaign. They went 62-20 but got bounced in the Eastern Conference semifinals.,FanDuel championship odds: +310,Roster roll call,Draft Picks:,...
Top candidates to replace Tony Bennett at Virginia
Tony Bennett broke up the football news cycle in dramatic fashion on Thursday when the University of Virginia confirmed that he is stepping down immediately as the program's basketball coach.,The news was particularly shocking considering Bennett took part in the ACC Media Tipoff earlier this month ...
Stubbs: Resetting Cup Series' Round of 8 field
On Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series will begin the penultimate round of its 2024 playoffs in the South Point 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In the Round of 8, consistency is no longer a viable option for advancing; only excellence will be enough for the championship hopefuls to move on.,That said...
Stubbs: 4 drivers whose playoffs likely end at the Roval
When the checkered flag flies at the Charlotte Roval on Sunday, it will mark the end of four drivers' NASCAR Cup Series championship hopes.,The Roval is seen as a wild-card race, and while anything can happen, the cream will most likely rise to the top. Here are our predictions for the four drivers ...
Take 5: Keys in Dodgers-Padres NLDS Game 4
SAN DIEGO -- Forever in the shadow of their neighbors to the north, the San Diego Padres are all grown up and can make it two National League Division Series victories over the Los Angeles Dodgers in three seasons when the teams play Game 4 on Wednesday.,The Dodgers had won the regular-season series...
Analysis: Utah, the Beehive State, abuzz with arrival of NHL club
SALT LAKE CITY -- Before he signed to play for the new hockey team in Utah, veteran defenseman Robert Bortuzzo couldn't help but notice that there was something special going on in Salt Lake City in terms of the NHL.,"There's definitely a buzz," the former Stanley Cup champion told reporters after i...
Five critical questions as puck drops on new NHL season
The 2024-25 NHL season is underway and ahead of us is a wild ride until the Stanley Cup is claimed.,Between now and then, there will be all kinds of thrills, surprises and disappointments. As the campaign begins, here are five questions we'll be tracking.,--Can the Edmonton Oilers take the final ste...
NHL power rankings: Oilers aim to take next step in 2024-25
The lessons learned from an extended playoff run have helped many teams reach their Stanley Cup dreams. Last year's champions, the Florida Panthers, lost in the 2023 Final but responded with a winning push this past spring.,History tends to repeat, and the time has come for the Edmonton Oilers and t...