NCAAF

Boston College 17, Syracuse 10

There’s been plenty of discussion regarding Jeff Hafley’s job status with Boston College, but the Eagles are now 6-3 on the season and in fourth place in the ACC. With lower than ever expectations in Chestnut Hill, that’s good enough. An important reason why Boston College is now bowl eligible is the play of Thomas Castellanos. The UCF transfer has been pretty electric in 2023, and that continued into this game, where the undersized signal-caller ran for 87 yards and a score.

Dino Babers has had a nice run as head coach of the Orange, but it might be time for the administration to move on. Now 0-5 in league play and 4-5 overall, Syracuse is going in the wrong direction. Yesterday’s passing game for the Orange was downright pathetic — 7-for-17 for 37 yards and four interceptions.

NBA

I’m not a fan of the NBA’s new in-season tournament. Sure, incentivizing more competitive basketball is a good thing, but it doesn’t do much for fans. Cash prizes for the winning players and coaches is fine, but again, a fan’s favorite team advancing to the knockout rounds only means extra games and a greater chance for injury. The NBA should be guaranteeing a playoff berth — the sixth seed — to the tournament’s winner. Wouldn’t older, more veteran teams and young teams without great playoff odds fight like hell for that? The NBA whiffed here, and hopefully it rethinks the prize for the winner.

Pacers 121, Cavaliers 116

Rick Carlisle has done a great job with the Pacers. Indiana’s talent level isn’t good yet, but the Pacers are playing a smooth, free-flowing brand of basketball that delivered in this game. Last night, Indiana shot 15-for-31 from three-point range, including a 4-for-5 performance from Myles Turner.

This was the first time this season the 2-4 Cavaliers had every key player suited up. It’s probably not time to worry yet about Cleveland, but the Cavaliers need to start clicking at some point or things are going to get uncomfortable.

Bucks 110, Knicks 105

Jalen Brunson, who scored 45 points in this game, needs more help. Julius Randle has been an abomination all season, and that continued into last night, as the power forward shot 5-for-20 for 16 points. It’s not just Randle to blame, though. Mitchell Robinson recorded zero points yesterday and is mostly ineffective in certain matchups. Josh Hart, after a stint with a disastrous Team USA over the summer, hasn’t been great thus far. The Knicks are a bit overrated right now.

Heat 121, Wizards 114

For the Heat, the whole unit is greater than the sum of its parts, and that showed last night. Miami lacks a star — well, at least until Jimmy Butler sees the bright playoff lights — but is still a difficult team to take down when getting contributions from a multitude of directions. In this game, Tyler Herro, Butler, Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson all tallied at least 18 points for the winners.

The Wizards are absolutely horrendous on the defensive end. The team shot nearly 57 percent from the floor in this contest and, of course, still lost. It’s hard to envision 20 wins for Washington.

Nets 109, Bulls 107

No team in the league needs a makeover more than the 2-4 Bulls. Chicago, without extensive injuries, should have no trouble securing 35 wins, but what’s the endgame? Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, who each scored 24 points last night, are good players, but neither is carrying the Bulls to the promised land. Arturas Karnisovas has his work cut out for him.

Warriors 141, Thunder 139

The 5-1 Warriors have to be happy with how things are going. Golden State’s elite chemistry seems to be back in place, Stephen Curry is still playing at an elite level and Jonathan Kuminga has taken a step forward. Curry and Kuminga combined for 49 points yesterday.

The Thunder was without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for this contest, but still seemed like an easy bet at +6.5. Chet Holmgren has been all Oklahoma City could’ve asked for at this point. The rookie big man didn’t elevate the Thunder’s defense in this particular game, but he did accumulate 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists. I’ve also liked the play of rookie Cason Wallace thus far, too.