NCAAF

• Bowling Green 42, Toledo 35
  • The Rockets already have the MAC West sewn up, so this wasn’t a disastrous loss, but it still always hurts to lose to your rival. Without Dequan Finn, Toledo isn’t the same team, even though Tucker Gleason did a decent job filling in for him last night.
• Ohio 32, Ball State 18
  • There aren’t many teams in FBS hotter than Ohio right now. Winners of six in a row, the Bobcats have had a nice season. Thank Kurtis Rourke for that, who after a good performance yesterday, is up to 25 passing touchdowns and just four interceptions in 2022.

NBA

• Pelicans 113, Grizzlies 102
  • New Orleans was without Zion Williamson for this contest, but at least for one night, he wasn’t missed. Larry Nance Jr., who’s been an awesome swiss army knife all year for the Pelicans, stepped up in a big way in this game. Nance Jr. scored 19 points and secured seven rebounds.
  • I’m sure Memphis was thrilled to finally have Jaren Jackson Jr. back from injury, but it’ll take time for him to get his footing, as the big man shot just 3-14 yesterday. The Grizzlies are fine, though. Being 9-6 with Ja Morant on your team is a good place to be.
• Knicks 118, Jazz 111
  • The Jazz are finally coming back to Earth. After an unbelievable 10-3 start, Utah has lost three in a row, partly due to a dip in production from Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen is averaging just 15 points per game over the losing streak, which is more in line with his output as a Bull and Cavalier.
• Trail Blazers 117, Spurs 110
  • It may not be the time yet, but once it is, San Antonio needs to move on from Jakob Poeltl, who has an expiring contract, if it’s able to net two first-round picks. Poeltl is having the best season of his career, and there’s plenty of solid or better teams that covet a rim protector of Poeltl’s caliber.
• Kings 153, Nets 121
  • The Kings are rolling. Up to 7-6, Sacramento received a breakout performance last night from Terence Davis, who netted 31 points with seven three pointers. As it stands now, the Kings seem like a play-in team, but they’ve taken a big step forward from prior seasons.

NCAAB

• Appalachian State 61, Louisville 60
  • Louisville is a proud program with a hungry fanbase, so patience has to be already running thin with this team. At 0-3, the Cardinals look like the worst team in the ACC, in part due to poor guard play. Louisville averages just 9.0 assists per game. The seat isn’t warm for Kenny Payne just yet — he’s in year one, but he may have been the wrong hire.
• Northwestern 75, Georgetown 63
  • I liked how the Wildcats utilized the three pointer in this game, firing up 33 of them and nailing 14. Northwestern won’t win the Big Ten, but it’s better than it was last season. Boo Buie and Chase Audige is a solid backcourt.
• Michigan State 86, Kentucky 77
  • The Spartans lost a nail-biter to Gonzaga last week, so it must have been a relief for Tom Izzo’s program to pull through last night. Joey Hauser was nowhere to be found against the Bulldogs, but gave the Spartans everything they needed in this contest, playing 46 minutes and scoring 23 points. Come next Monday, Michigan State should be ranked, obviously.
  • Kentucky didn’t get enough from a few guys in this game, including Chris Livingston. Livingston arrived in Lexington as a five-star recruit, but doesn’t seem ready for high-level college basketball.
• Auburn 89, Winthrop 65
  • Landing Johni Broome as a transfer from Morehead State was a huge boon for Bruce Pearl. Broome was phenomenal in this tilt, registering 18 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks.
• Kansas 69, Duke 64
  • Kansas needed increased production from its returning players following some significant departures, and Jalen Wilson has stepped up in a big way. Wilson is averaging 21.7 points per game so far, up from 11.1 in 2022. Bill Self has gone away from his usual standard lineups of the past and has utilized smaller lineups this year, and thus far, it’s worked.

MLB

• Yankees sign 1B Anthony Rizzo to two-year, $34M contract
  • Rizzo, amazingly, is already 33-years-old, but he hasn’t shown much signs of decline, so this deal makes sense. The next step for New York? Retain Aaron Judge.
    Grade: A-
• Angels sign SP Tyler Anderson to three-year, $39M contract
  • This contract is a bit more tricky to evaluate than Rizzo’s, as prior to 2022, Anderson posted an ERA below 4.00 just once. With that said, Anderson’s season this year was excellent, and the Angels are clearly betting on recent history to repeat itself.
    Grade: B-