In a rematch of the Final Four overtime thriller in the 2021 NCAA Tournament between Gonzaga and UCLA, the two teams will meet up again Tuesday in Las Vegas in one of the best nonconference showdowns of the season. This time, it’s No. 1-ranked Gonzaga vs. No. 2-ranked UCLA in just the 43rd ever meeting between the two top-ranked teams in the AP poll.
Both teams have respectively held up their end of the bargain in the early portion of nonconference play to set this Tuesday tussle up for the big-time. Preseason No. 1 Gonzaga has smacked every team it has come across en route to a 5-0 start. And UCLA has its own win over a quality opponent with an OT victory over Villanova as part of its own 5-0 record.
The Zags are favorites in this game, as expected for the team that’s sat atop the AP poll since last preseason, but UCLA played them closer than any non-Baylor team did last season and has thus far looked the part of a worthy challenger. We should be in for a good one on Tuesday.
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How to watch Gonzaga vs. UCLA live
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 23 | Time: 10 p.m. ET Location: T-Mobile Arena — Las Vegas TV: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Gonzaga vs. UCLA prediction, picks
Featured Game| Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. UCLA Bruins
UCLA’s guards will give Gonzaga all it can handle in this one with Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez Jr. — who scored 29 and 19 points, respectively, in the April matchup — looking like they could present the biggest problems for Mark Few’s club. It’s just hard to bet against the Zags’ bigs and their length. Drew Timme and his sweet feet are going to get buckets. Chet Holmgren is going to swat everything in sight. And their presence in the post on both ends probably does not portend well for UCLA. Laying the points with the Zags, who I think will again state their case as the best team in all the land. Prediction: Gonzaga 73, UCLA 65
They entered the season as the No. 1 candidate to come out of the NFC again, but even though they’ve managed to get the games to go their way, some people still aren’t convinced about them.
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That includes HC Nick Sirianni, who didn’t seem quite satisfied despite a big win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, stating that they’re not where they want to be yet and that they’re still a work in progress:
“It’s a growth process. We’re not a final product yet,” Sirianni said. “Everybody wants us to be a final product now, but it’s a growth. You want to grow every day, so we’re not going to be playing our best football until we get going into the season.”
The Eagles hit the ground running and started strong vs. the New England Patriots, but they let them get right back into the game and were even at risk of losing on the final play.
Then, they failed to keep their foot on the gas vs. the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2, leaving the door wide open for a comeback attempt.
They looked much better in the second half vs. the Buccaneers after a slow start, and there have been signs of growth and improvement when compared to the season debut, as expected.
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Nick Sirianni also lost his two top assistants to Head Coaching positions, and it might take a while before the new coordinators get the team to where they need it to be, as usually happens.
They have a tough divisional clash on deck next week, hosting a Washington Commanders team that’ll look to bounce back from an ugly home loss to the Buffalo Bills, and that could be their most difficult challenge yet.
CHICAGO (AP) — There is Shohei Ohtani, and then there is the rest of baseball’s soon-to-be free agents.
With the season winding down and the playoffs coming up, it’s almost time for major league teams to go shopping once again. And there is one player that is sure to dominate the conversation until he makes a decision.
It looks as if Ohtani is going to the open market after another stellar season with the Los Angeles Angels. The Japanese slugger is the favorite for the AL MVP award after batting .304 with 44 homers, 95 RBIs, eight triples and 20 steals. The right-hander also went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA in 23 starts on the mound.
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The questions surrounding Ohtani’s free agency once centered on the money and length of a contract that could set multiple financial records for the sport, and exactly which teams might be willing to go into that territory to secure his services.
Those questions remain, but the situation has grown more complicated than it was as late as the All-Star break.
Ohtani tore a ligament in his elbow on Aug. 23 at Cincinnati, ending his pitching season. He remained in the Angels’ lineup as the designated hitter until he was shut down because of an oblique injury in early September.
Ohtani, who doesn’t turn 30 until July, had elbow surgery last week and will not pitch next season. The elbow injury, especially considering Ohtani had Tommy John surgery in 2018, raises questions about just how effective he might be as a pitcher moving forward.
That will all figure into the calculus for Ohtani’s potential suitors, along with the other possibilities. Here’s a closer look at a couple more of baseball’s best potential free agents:
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1B/OF CODY BELLINGER
Bellinger also was a free agent in 2022. This time figures to be a little different.
After battling injuries during his final years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bellinger returned to form with the Chicago Cubs. The 2019 NL MVP was batting .305 with 26 homers, 95 RBIs and 20 steals heading into Tuesday night’s game at Atlanta.
Belllinger just turned 28 in July, and he figures to do quite well for himself after playing this season on a $17.5 million, one-year contract. He likes Wrigley Field and the Cubs have the money and desire to bring him back, but he likely will have several enticing options.
LHP BLAKE SNELL
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Snell has been a bright spot in a disappointing season for San Diego. The lefty, who turns 31 in December, is 14-9 with a major league-low 2.25 ERA in 32 starts. He also has 234 strikeouts in 180 innings.
He won the 2018 AL Cy Young Award with Tampa Bay, and he is the front-runner for the NL honor this year. Snell has a 1.20 ERA over his last 23 starts, joining Bob Gibson (0.85 ERA) in 1968 as the only players with an ERA of 1.20 or lower over a 23-start stretch in a single season since 1920, according to STATS.
Snell is finishing a $50 million, five-year contract from March 2019, and he almost assuredly will do better than that deal on the open market.
RHP AARON NOLA
With Philadelphia on its way to an NL wild card, the 30-year-old Nola could strengthen his case for a big-money deal with a strong performance in the playoffs. He has a 4.57 ERA going into Tuesday night’s start against Pittsburgh; he had a 4.63 ERA in 2021 and a 4.78 ERA in 2016 in his only other years in that vicinity.
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Nola’s best attribute is his durability. He has totaled at least 30 starts and 180 innings in five different seasons, including each of the last three years. That type of track record will be appealing for any contender looking to reinforce a developing rotation.
LHP JOSH HADER
Craig Kimbrel and Aroldis Chapman are on their way to free agency as well, but the best closer on the market is Hader, who turns 30 in April.
Hader has a 1.19 ERA and 31 saves in 36 opportunities for San Diego this season. The five-time All-Star also has 81 strikeouts in 53 innings. He could command a record-breaking contract for a reliever.
3B MATT CHAPMAN
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There are several contract options and opt-out clauses that could change the market, but it’s looking pretty light when it comes to free agent infielders.
Chapman might be the best possibility when it comes to infield help. The three-time Gold Glove winner is batting .241 with 15 homers and 52 RBIs in 135 games for Toronto this season. He is a .240 career hitter with 153 homers and 424 RBIs in seven years in the majors.
OTHERS OF NOTE
Rangers lefty Jordan Montgomery has been excellent since a midseason trade from St. Louis. He’s 10-11 with a 3.25 ERA over 182 2/3 innings this season overall and will turn 31 during the offseason. … Sonny Gray turns 34 in November but has had one of the best seasons of his career with Minnesota, going 8-8 with a 2.80 ERA. … Jeimer Candelario will be a free agent for the second straight offseason, but this time, the 29-year-old infielder could get a multiyear deal after hitting .253 with 21 homers while playing above-average defense at third base.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ryan O’Reilly did not know what to expect.
It was an unfamiliar feeling for someone who has seen and done so much during 14 seasons in the NHL. But once O’Reilly closed the door on returning to Toronto, he plunged into free agency for the first time.
“It’s true what people say — it is a little crazy,” O’Reilly said last week.
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Ultimately, O’Reilly landed a four-year, $18 million contract with the Nashville Predators, who, despite missing the playoffs last season, impressed him with their vision for the future under new general manager Barry Trotz. (O’Reilly’s older brother, Cal, who started his career with the Predators and rejoined the organization over the summer, also helped convince Ryan to move south.)
“There were just so many things that were attractive to here,” O’Reilly said, citing new Predators coach Andrew Brunette and the team’s existing leadership group led by captain Roman Josi as examples. “We have something here that if we do things the right way, we’re going to be very competitive.”
Unsurprisingly, O’Reilly’s decision to leave the Maple Leafs reignited discussion about the blinding Toronto spotlight and its effect on players, especially those who are from Ontario. Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving told reporters in July that “sometimes when you’re from this area, there’s a lot to it.”
“It was and is an amazing place to play,” said O’Reilly, who grew up a couple of hours west of the city. “Just putting on that jersey, you can just feel the love that comes with it, how much pride people take in that jersey. Its hockey’s team. … It was definitely not an easy decision not (to re-sign) there.”
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Although O’Reilly did not arrive in Toronto until the stretch run of the season after being traded from the St. Louis Blues, he still was swept up in the hysteria that surrounds the Maple Leafs on a daily basis.
“You could tell everything’s amplified,” O’Reilly said. “I don’t do it often, (but) it was a good thing when I played there that I didn’t turn on the TV much or turn on the radio, because there are (so many outlets) talking about it. … Everything’s covering it, talking about it. Here, it gets a little time on the TV, but it’s not everything. It is more than just a game there.”
Above all, O’Reilly said, the Predators offered him more opportunity than the Maple Leafs could. He is expected to start the season as the first-line centre and, along with former Maple Leafs defenceman Luke Schenn, play a leading role in mentoring the team’s crop of up-and-comers. (Of course, it did not hurt that the Predators offered O’Reilly, who described himself as “an old 32,” more money as well.)
O’Reilly’s time in Toronto was short, but he said he will remember it fondly.
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“It’s definitely a treat and a privilege to play for an organization like that,” O’Reilly said. “If it ended up working out, I (would have been) happy there, but I just think this was the decision I wanted to do. My family thought it was better. We’ll see if it’s the right one. You never know, but so far, I’m enjoying it.”
