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College basketball power rankings: Gonzaga on top in debut, with Arizona and Florida in the top five of Hey 19

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1 Record: 6-0. The Zags make it easy enough in the season debut of Hey Nineteen. Defeated Texas and UCLA by a combined score of 169-137 and neither game was ever close. Gonzaga will play Duke Friday, and mark just the second time a team has ever faced three top-10 opponents (per AP rankings) in the month of November. By virtue of playing UCLA and Duke this week, Gonzaga is also the only team in history to face two top-five opponents in less than a week’s time in November. 2 Record: 5-0. With impressive wins over North Carolina and Villanova, Matt Painter’s team ranks second in offensive efficiency at KenPom to Gonzaga (121.7 to 118.6) and looks to be a cut above everyone else in the Big Ten. Noteworthy but mostly meaningless: In beating UNC and Nova, Purdue defeated the 2016, 2017 and 2018 national-champion schools on consecutive days.     3 Record: 5-0. The reigning champs have been quietly dominant to start the season, but that’s because of the schedule. Scott Drew’s program is yet to play a team expected to be in the mix for the NCAA Tournament. Nevertheless, the undefeated Bears are picking up where they left off in April and are beating opponents by a whopping average of 30.2 points. VCU awaits Thursday in the Battle 4 Atlantis semis.     4 Record: 5-0. According to BartTorvik.com’s calculations, when you remove all preseason bias, the top two performing teams through the first 16 days of play are Gonzaga and Arizona. Tommy Lloyd’s off to a swell start in his first head coaching stint with wins over Wichita State and Michigan this week to win the Roman Main Event in Las Vegas. 5 Record: 5-0. Hellooooo, Gators! What a thrilling win Wednesday night in the Fort Myers Tip-Off title game to beat Ohio State. UF trailed most of the night, then Tyree Appleby provided one of the highlights of the week with a long buzzer-beater. That Fort Myers event has become one of the best Thanksgiving-week tournaments in the sport. The Gators are quite good now — and they’ve done it with seven transfers playing prominent minutes. 6 Record: 6-0. The Blue Devils started the season with a puffed-up win over Kentucky. Since then it’s been five home wins vs. sub-150 competition. The Gonzaga game (Friday night at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN) is the first of two in the next week that will dictate our regard for this team. Next Tuesday is the only nonconference road game on the schedule, at Ohio State. If Duke wants any chance at a No. 1 seed this season, it will need to go 1-1 at minimum in those two, because there’s not another Quad 1 noncon game on the schedule. 7 Record: 5-0. Memphis didn’t allow Virginia Tech to score a point for four and a half minutes down the stretch Wednesday night (until Storm Murphy hit a shot with 19.3 seconds left) and ended the game on a 14-4 run. The defense is the story here. Offensively, the Tigers are ugly right now. Simple as that. But DeAndre Williams (16 pts, 10 rebs vs. VT) is the soul of this team and will need to be if the Tigers are to hold top-10 status most of the season. 8 Record: 4-0. The Trojans have two road wins, which is more than anyone else on this list. I will always reward that type of scheduling ambition (and success). The wins came at Temple and Florida Gulf Coast, but nevertheless, they were put on the schedule, USC flew across the country and got it done. Next up is the Wooden Legacy tourney out in Anaheim, which begins Thursday.   9 Record: 5-0. An incredible double-overtime 115-109 win Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis vs. No. 19 Auburn. Sixteen days into the season, I think that’s the best game of the bunch so far. The Huskies have a need-to-know player in sophomore big Adama Sanogo, who’s averaging 18.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 turnovers and is shooting 60.5% from 2-point range. 10 Record: 5-0. Few teams have looked as coherent and seamless as the Bonnies. Boise State, Clemson and Marquette have all been dispatched by Kyle Lofton, Osun Ossuniyi and company. I told you in the preseason this was a top 20 team. Nothing to date has countered that assertion. 11 Record: 4-0. The Crimson Tide have yet to play a power-conference opponent, but that could change this weekend with the ESPN Events Invitational. First is Iona — a rematch of last year’s first round game in the NCAAs — and then a potential tilt vs. Belmont or Drake, either of which will be a tough assignment on a one-day turnaround. Nate Oats’ team is my pick to win the SEC. 12 Record: 5-1. On Wednesday, the Badgers were the surprise winner of this year’s Maui Invitational, which was held in Las Vegas due to the pandemic. It got me wondering: Does winning Maui historically suggest you’re headed to the NCAA Tournament? The Maui Invitational has existed since 1984, meaning there were 37 champions prior to this year. Only three teams failed to Dance (aside from Kansas in 2020, which would have been a No. 1 seed): Providence, 1985; Vanderbilt, 1987; Notre Dame, 2018. That’s a 92% hit rate. Be optimistic, Badgers fans. 13 Record: 5-0. The Razorbacks defeated Kansas State and Cincinnati (that was a tough one) to win the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City this week. This is a 5-0 team destined to be 9-0; the next four games come at home against teams slotted 210th (Penn), 343rd (Central Arkansas), 298th (Little Rock) and 218th (Charlotte) at KenPom. 14 Record: 6-0. The Rams entered this season with Sweet 16 hopes thanks to much of the roster returning. They’re in with room to spare thanks to a perfect start, most recently reinforced with a championship win at the Paradise Jam, which included a win over Creighton. Niko Medved has the best team in the Mountain West. 15 Record: 3-0. The Jayhawks had to find a way in, but they’ll be held back a bit on account of only having played thrice thus far (wins over Michigan State, Tarleton State and Stony Brook). Bigger tests await in the coming hours; KU is a part of the ESPN Events Invitational, and a game against Alabama could materialize over the weekend.       16 Record: 5-1. The Coogs might well have defeated Wisconsin in the Maui semifinals if the game was 41 minutes instead of 40. But a two-point loss on Tuesday put them in a consolation game against Oregon, and it was there and then that Kelvin Sampson’s team displayed precisely how angry they were with their performance a day prior. The Cougars mauled the Ducks so badly (78-49) that the win ensured they’d be in the debut edition. There’s also a 20-point victory over Virginia on UH’s docket. 17 Record: 5-0. Like Houston, BYU owns a dominant win over Oregon. (Oregon seems average-at-best, which almost no one predicted.) The Cougars have played three D-I opponents, one of their other wins being a quality one at home over San Diego State. Will need to win on the road in the Holy War against Utah on Saturday to stay in these here rankings next Thursday. 18 Record: 5-1. That Gonzaga loss Tuesday night was a damaging one, but the impressive home win against Villanova on Nov. 12 is still worth enough currency to keep the Bruins involved. I’m also affording Mick Cronin’s team a little slack in that it hasn’t had Cody Riley available. Good karma coming Cronin’s way in time — he’s one of the few coaches who’s stuck with the suit look in 2021. Props. 19 Record: 5-0. Will Wade’s Tigers will face their first major-conference opponent Friday (a green Penn State team), but the display of dominance through five games is too authoritative to not include here. LSU is winning its games by an average score of 85-51, and it’s the No. 1-rated team in steal percentage (19.1%) nationally.





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Flames moving in right direction again by putting faith in Backlund

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CALGARY — Standing patiently outside the Calgary Flames dressing room, like the thousands of kids he’s signed for over the years, Mikael Backlund waited for the inscription.

He’d purchased an autographed Lanny McDonald jersey at the Flames’ charity golf tourney, and this was his chance to have the legend personalize it.

With Sharpie in hand, McDonald disappeared into the coach’s office to pen something meaningful.

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The list of autographed jerseys Backlund has collected over the course of his 14-year career can be counted on one glove, as the polite Swede has only dared to ask a few Flames legends, like Jarome Iginla and Jaromir Jagr.

He’ll get Miikka Kiprusoff’s when the fantastic Finn returns for his jersey retirement in March.

Moments and players like these matter to Backlund, as he understands and respects the history of the franchise he’s poured his professional life into.  

Soon he’ll be one of them.

Any day now, the 34-year-old Swede will sign an extension with the Flames.

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What will follow, quite possibly that same day, is his unveiling as captain.

It’ll be a moment few thought we’d see five months ago when the frustrated centre left town with a frank, honest declaration that he’d need to see what direction the organization went in before he’d even consider extending his stay.

Sometime between the firing of Darryl Sutter and his arrival in town earlier this month, he had a change of heart.

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Not that he ever lost his love for the city, the organization or his teammates.

He simply needed tangible proof the direction of the organization would veer from the high-tension, drama-filled environment he grew tired of last season under Sutter.

It has.

Dramatically.

New life has been injected into the organization with the additions of head coach Ryan Huska and GM Craig Conroy, who both spent the summer reminding Backlund how important he is as a player and a leader.

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Backlund hadn’t even made it to the baggage carousel earlier this month when fans approached him, telling him they hope he stays.

That means something to Backlund, as it should.

Here, he matters.

As does the captaincy, which the organization has said it will award before the season opener.

Although he suggested he wanted to take his time to decide his future, doing so would have cost him the captaincy he so richly deserves.

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Passing that up would be regrettable.  

He is the Flames’ leader and has been throughout camp already.

His relationship with Huska goes back to their WHL days in Kelowna, where Huska coached the Vasteras native to the Memorial Cup tourney.

He is the last active player to have played alongside Conroy, making the relationship with the GM and coach rock-solid. 

“I think everybody would say (the captain) should be Mikael,” Jonathan Huberdeau said last week, echoing the sentiments of Nikita Zadorov and Rasmus Andersson. 

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“He’s been here 14 years. 

“He deserves to be. 

“He’s a leader — he’s the guy who gets everybody together. 

“In my opinion, it should be him, but obviously his contract stuff … but hopefully he’s still with us and is our captain.”

Count on it, as they’ve counted on him the last two seasons to be the de facto captain.

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Soon it will be made official. 

And as the Flames look to continue trying to rebound from last season’s nightmare, it’s just another momentum builder.

Another page-turner.

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In a city that embraced him shortly after he was drafted as a shy first-rounder in 2007, he has responded in kind with a dedication to the local community that earned him the NHL’s coveted King Clancy Award last season as the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community. 

Those who were there speak of the powerful emotion Backlund demonstrated the day he was shown a video from the charities he’s repped, thanking him.

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He understands the value and power of deciding to let that relationship continue to grow.

Here he is beloved by the fans, management and teammates.

Elsewhere, it’s unclear whether he’d be recognized as anything other than a diligent depth forward with perfect hair and a swell personality.

He’s thought of how much it would mean to play his 1,000th game in red and gold where it would truly mean something.

He’s openly admitted that earning a silver stick in Calgary is on his mind (he’s 92 games away) as is the possibility of going down in club lore as Forever a Flame.

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Not bad for a third-line centre.

When he stood in front of reporters last spring and admitted he wasn’t sure about his future in Calgary, management and ownership heard him loud and clear.

That, and the groundswell of players who urged ownership for a coaching/culture change, had a profound effect on the decision to buy Sutter out at $8 million.

The right move was made, paving the way for Backlund’s change of heart.

It’s starting to feel like things are moving in the right direction again in Calgary, and inking Backlund to be the captain is a big part of that.

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The Mariners Avoided Disaster Tuesday Night Via A Fan

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(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

 

Seattle Mariners star pitcher George Kirby delivered a gem in his team’s most important game of the season so far.

Facing the prospect of being left 2.5 games behind the Houston Astros for the last Wild Card spot, Kirby tossed six scoreless innings in front of his fans, with just one walk and four strikeouts.

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The performance paved the way for the Mariners’ victory, and they are now just 0.5 games back for a spot in the postseason.

The night, however, almost ended in disaster for the young Mariners righty.

“It was literally a Mariners fan. Threw the ball back on field and hit George Kirby. Never seen that at a baseball game,” Mariners podcaster Sami On Tap tweeted, with a video of the incident.

Kirby was facing Kyle Tucker.

When he was getting ready to pitch, a fan threw a ball back to the diamond and hit Kirby in the chest area.

It was a scary moment that thankfully didn’t involve any regretful injuries.

It’s unclear if the fan threw the ball there with the purpose of hitting Kirby, but he did and he could have caused a severe injury had the impact been on his elbow, shoulder, or head.

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The Mariners can’t afford to lose Kirby to injury.

He made his last start of the regular season but will be a key component of the M’s rotation if the team advances.

He has had a phenomenal season, with a 3.46 ERA in 30 starts and 184.2 innings.

With just 19 walks and 165 strikeouts, he is one of the league leaders in SO/BB (strikeouts per walk).

Seattle needs him to succeed, now and in the future.

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The post The Mariners Avoided Disaster Tuesday Night Via A Fan appeared first on The Cold Wire.





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Terry Francona Shares Hilarious Take On His Farewell Game

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(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

 

There hasn’t been an official announcement.

Yet, everybody in baseball, not just the Cleveland Guardians, knows it at this point: manager Terry Francona will retire after the season ends.

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We all know it because all the signs are there.

One of the most evident signs is the fact the Guardians are going to be handing out “Thank you, Tito” shirts for Wednesday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds, his last at home.

Francona joked about it when asked by the media about his retirement plans.

“Terry Francona said that despite the fact that neither he nor the Guardians have officially announced his retirement, he did address the players today to tell them it has been an ‘honor of the lifetime’ to manage them through good and bad,” MLB insider Chelsea Janes tweeted.

There you have another sign: he is already saying goodbye to his beloved players.

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Now, about those T-shirts…

“On if tomorrow is his last home game ‘it has to be,’ Francona joked. ‘Once you give out t-shirts you can’t go back,’” Janes wrote.

Tito has a great point there.

Can you imagine giving out farewell T-shirts only for him to return for one more year?

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It doesn’t make sense.

It would be incredibly good, but it doesn’t make sense.

Instead, Francona will be putting an end to a brilliant career as a baseball manager that started in 1997 with the Philadelphia Phillies and ends here, 26 years later, in Cleveland.

One of the most respected and talented skippers in today’s game gets to say goodbye in front of his home fans.

It’s a perfect way to end a beautiful, successful chapter of his life.

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The post Terry Francona Shares Hilarious Take On His Farewell Game appeared first on The Cold Wire.





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