Mississippi State landed a coveted small forward from the Class of 2022 on Wednesday when four-star small forward Kimani Hamilton announced his commitment to the Bulldogs live on CBS Sports HQ. Hamilton chose Mississippi State over Alabama to give the program its third commitment of the class, which bumps from 83rd nationally to 46th.
“It’s the coaching staff. Just how much love they showed me,” said Hamilton of Mississippi State. “It was real close, it was a very hard decision, but I feel like I made the right choice.”
Hamilton is ranked as the No. 2 player in Mississippi, the No. 25 small forward and the No. 87 overall player in the class by 247Sports. He joins three-star guard Riley Kugel and junior college prospect Jaykwon Walton in Mississippi State’s 2022 class. The 6-foot-8 recruit from Clinton, Mississippi, averaged 16.2 points and 8.1 rebounds for a state championship-winning Clinton High School team last season.
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As a late-bloomer, Hamilton climbed the recruiting rankings in recent months after a strong performance on the AAU circuit with Team Thad. “Hamilton is a plus athlete with length who is one of the more versatile defenders in the class,” 247Sports national basketball director Eric Bossi wrote in May. “He can be moved around on the offensive end, plays above the rim and makes open shots.”
Current Records: James Madison 2-0; Appalachian State 2-1
What to Know
The James Madison Dukes watched the action from their couches last weekend, but are set to take to the field. James Madison and the Appalachian State Mountaineers will face off in a Sun Belt battle at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium. The odds don’t look promising for the Dukes, but the bigger the opponent is, the harder they fall.
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A well-balanced attack led James Madison over the Norfolk State Spartans every single quarter on their way to victory two weeks ago. James Madison claimed a resounding 63-7 win over Norfolk State at home. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 35 to nothing.
Meanwhile, Appalachian State didn’t have too much breathing room in their contest with the Troy Trojans last week, but they still walked away with a 32-28 victory. Appalachian State QB Chase Brice was slinging it as he passed for two TDs and 279 yards on 34 attempts. Near the top of the highlight reel was Brice’s 53-yard TD bomb to WR Christan Horn in the fourth quarter.
Their wins bumped the Dukes to 2-0 and the Mountaineers to 2-1. Watch the matchup and check back on CBS Sports to find out who keeps up the positive energy and who hits a stumbling block.
How To Watch
When: Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Kidd Brewer Stadium — Boone, North Carolina
TV: ESPN Plus
Online streaming:fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
The Texas Southern Tigers will take on the UTSA Roadrunners at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Alamodome. Texas Southern isn’t favored, but they just beat the odds in their last game, so don’t count them out.
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The Tigers kept a clean sheet against the Southern University Jaguars last week and took the matchup 24 to nothing. The squad ran away with 21 points in the first half and mostly just sat on those in the second to pick up the victory.
Meanwhile, it was all tied up 17-17 at halftime, but UTSA was not quite the Texas Longhorns’ equal in the second half when they met last week. The Roadrunners suffered a grim 41-20 defeat to the Longhorns. This contest was a close 17-17 at the break, but unfortunately for UTSA it sure didn’t stay that way. A silver lining for them was the play of RB Brenden Brady, who threw one touchdown in addition to punching in one rushing touchdown.
Texas Southern’s win lifted them to 1-2 while UTSA’s loss dropped them down to 1-2. We’ll find out if the Tigers can add another positive mark to their record or if UTSA can shake off the defeat and take the spring out of Texas Southern’s step.
Current Records: Notre Dame 1-2; North Carolina 3-0
What to Know
The North Carolina Tar Heels will be returning home after a two-game road trip. They will take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Kenan Memorial Stadium after a week off. UNC is expected to win — but not by much — so they will need to come into the game prepared for a fight.
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The Tar Heels beat the Georgia State Panthers 35-28 two weeks ago. Among those leading the charge for UNC was RB Omarion Hampton, who rushed for two TDs and 110 yards on 16 carries. Hampton put himself on the highlight reel with a 58-yard TD scramble in the third quarter.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame netted a 24-17 victory over the California Golden Bears last week. RB Audric Estime and RB Chris Tyree were among the main playmakers for Notre Dame as the former punched in one rushing touchdown and the latter snatched one receiving TD.
Notre Dame’s defense was a presence as well, as it embarrassed California’s offensive line to sack QB Jack Plummer six times for a total loss of 47 yards. It was a group effort with four guys contributing.
The wins brought the Tar Heels up to 3-0 and the Fighting Irish to 1-2. A pair of stats to keep an eye on: UNC enters the matchup with 310 passing yards per game on average, good for 21st best in the nation. But Notre Dame comes into the contest boasting the 34th fewest passing yards allowed per game in the nation at 184. These opposing strengths should make for an exciting matchup.
How To Watch
When: Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Kenan Memorial Stadium — Chapel Hill, North Carolina
TV: ABC
Online streaming:fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
