NCAAF

Bowling Green 24, Ball State 21

Ball State is in bad shape at 2-7, and it might be time to pull the plug on the Mike Neu era in Muncie. The Cardinals finished 7-1 under the Neu in the shortened 2020 campaign, but had more success under Pete Lembo. Perhaps a new head man can get more out of a roster led by Marquez Cooper and Keionte Newson next season.

Akron 31, Kent State 27

Another year, another battle between bottom dwellers Akron and Kent State for the Wagon Wheel. At some point, one, or both, of these programs will get on track, and right now the Zips have a better chance of future success. Joe Moorhead has shown to be capable as a head coach, and there seems to be more talent in Akron than in Kent, as evidenced by the Zips outgaining the Golden Flashes last night, 393-346.

With the minimal talent 1-8 Kent State does have, it’s probably best for the staff to build around sophomore wide receiver Chrishon McCray, at least on offense. In this game, McCray accumulated 161 yards and two touchdowns, increasing his season yardage total to over 600.

NBA

Trail Blazers 110, Pistons 101

Rookie Scoot Henderson has gotten off to a slow start for Portland, but that hasn’t been the case for second-year guard Shaedon Sharpe. Sharpe has always oozed talent, and he’s gotten the opportunity to go along with it this season for the rebuilding Trail Blazers. Last night, Sharpe scored 29 points in 42 minutes.

There’s been good news and bad news for the 2-3 Pistons thus far. The good news? First-round rookies Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser have shown enough flashes to encourage the team. The bad news? Several other young players, most notably Jaden Ivey, Killian Hayes and James Wiseman, are trending down. In the end, though, the future ceiling for Detroit rides on the shoulders of Cade Cunningham, who scored 30 points in this contest.

Raptors 130, Bucks 111

There’s no denying that Scottie Barnes had a sophomore slump last season, but the forward has played very well through five games this year. Last night, Barnes recorded 21 points, 12 rebounds and five assists for Toronto, and is probably the most important player for the Raptors’ future.

Should we be concerned about the 2-2 Bucks, particularly on the defensive end? Damian Lillard was brought to town to stretch the defense and further enhance the offense, but his deficiencies as a a defender have led to Milwaukee allowing 122 points per game thus far. I still think the Bucks are the second-best team in the East, but there’s at least a few reasons to worry about the team.

Cavaliers 95, Knicks 89

The Cavaliers needed this one — an old-fashioned, hard-nosed victory that brought back memories of last year’s 51-win campaign. When in need of a win, it’s best for Cleveland to turn to Donovan Mitchell, and that’s what it did in this affair, as the guard tallied 30 points.

New York needs Julius Randle to get rolling. The 2-3 Knicks have plenty of time for this to occur, but Randle’s struggles have become increasingly painful to watch. Entering last night, the power forward was shooting 29.5 percent from the field, and did nothing to help matters by going 3-for-15 against Cleveland.

Hawks 130, Wizards 121

Trae Young is struggling? No problem — at least when Dejounte Murray is around. Murray is off to a nice start this season, and added to it in this game, shooting 10-for-15 with 24 points and eight assists. De’Andre Hunter’s start has been encouraging for Atlanta, as well. Hunter tallied 23 points yesterday.

Washington is a laughable mess right now. At 1-3 and sporting one of the association’s worst point differentials, the Wizards are going nowhere. Most responsible for Washington’s struggles is probably the newly acquired Jordan Poole. The guard has struggled to shoot the ball thus far, and went just 5-for-13 yesterday.

Celtics 155, Pacers 104

The Celtics are a monster. Forget the 4-0 start, Boston is just demolishing opponents. If this even remotely continues, it’ll be hard to ignore Jayson Tatum’s MVP prospects. The 25 year old only helped those prospects last night, scoring 30 points in just 27 minutes.

Nets 109, Heat 105

Cam Thomas entered yesterday averaging 33 points per game for the Nets, but scored just 13 in this game — a good sign for Brooklyn that it survived a 4-for-19 night from its most ambitious scorer.

The Heat sold its trade offer to the Trail Blazers for Damian Lillard as a package built around Tyler Herro. Portland, of course, made the correct decision in rejecting Miami’s offer, and we’re seeing why. Through five games, Herro is Miami’s leading scorer, but the Heat is just 1-4. At some point soon, Miami needs Jimmy Butler to wake up.