Lenny Talks Sports

Tag: championships

2025 Salt Lake City Summer League: Key Storylines for NBA Teams

Just thirteen days after the Oklahoma City Thunder hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy, the next generation of NBA stars descend upon The Jon M. Huntsman Center as the Salt Lake City Summer League gets underway on Saturday night. The hometown Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies, and reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder will take part in the three-day event before all four teams head to Nevada for the Las Vegas Summer League. An opportunity awaits young players to make their statement, to show why they belong on an NBA roster, and to make a name for themselves. There are storylines galore heading into Summer League this year, but we will talk about one key storyline for each team heading into the weekend.

UTAH JAZZ: ACE BAILEY’S WELCOME TO UTAH

Ace Bailey was at the center of all of the drama on draft night; after not working out for any NBA teams, rumors speculated that Bailey did not want to play for Philadelphia, Charlotte, or Utah. After the first two teams passed on him, the Jazz saw the best player on the board fall to them at the fifth pick and President of Basketball Operations Austin Ainge knew he had to select Bailey. Fans were shocked, analysts stunned, many thought there was no way Bailey would stay in Utah and demand a trade right after the pick, but as the night progressed no movement was made, and Austin Ainge held firm on his belief that Bailey was the right first. The drama did not stop there as heading into the weekend Bailey had not arrived in Utah yet and reporters were saying there was still a rift between draftee and team, but on Saturday Ace landed in Utah. The Bailey saga seems to be over as he was introduced to the media alongside fellow rookies Walter Clayton Jr. and John Tonje. But now the new face of the franchise must turn his attention to the court and show Jazz fans what the franchise used a top-five pick on him for. Bailey as well as Clayton Jr. have a great chance ahead of them to get Jazz fans excited about their future; for a team that has been basement dwellers since moving on from Donovan Mitchell now has a new chance to change the narrative surrounding the Jazz franchise.

PHILADELPHIA 76ers: PROVE VJ EDGECOMBE WAS THE RIGHT PICK

One of the other main characters in the Ace Bailey saga was the Philadelphia 76ers, and how fitting of a matchup is it that one of the matchups on day one is between the Sixers and the Jazz. With the third pick, instead of selecting Bailey, the Sixers selected VJ Edgecombe out of Baylor. Now by no means was that a bad pick, as Edgecombe projects as one of the best athletes in the draft and pairs well with Tyrese Maxey in Philly’s backcourt; but now the Sixers need to prove that Edgecombe was the right player for them. Edgecombe struggled with efficiency while at Baylor, and this small three-game sample size in Utah will be a really good audition for Edgecombe to show the improvements he has made since we last saw him. Edgecombe alongside fellow rookies Johni Broome, and Hunter Sallis, as well as second-year forward Justin Edwards, headline the Sixers summer league team heading to Utah this weekend. Edwards should be tasked with the challenge of keeping Bailey off the stat sheet and it will be a good test for Edwards; as he showcased a great amount of potential when given big minutes towards the end of the season. Coming off a season plagued by injuries to former MVP Joel Embiid, the Sixers are looking for a rebound season and new players to step up and contribute, and there is no better place for that to happen than the summer league.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: CEDRIC COWARD’S FIRST GAME IN 2025

The Memphis Grizzlies made the first major move of the offseason by trading Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic. Many people speculated that a potential rebuild was starting to occur in Memphis, but the Grizzlies front office had a plan. On draft night they traded up to the number eleven pick where they selected Cedric Coward out of Washington State. Coward was one of the most polarizing prospects in the NBA draft, Coward started his career at a Division III school, before transferring to Eastern Washington where he was an all-conference player, before transferring to Washington State last season. After a great start to the season where he averaged 17.7 points, 7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, Coward would miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. Coward would enter the transfer portal while also testing the draft waters, he committed to Duke but after an outstanding combine performance, he would keep his name in the draft. This decision paid off as he would be selected by the Grizzlies with the eleventh pick; it seems as if the Grizzlies saw Coward as their Desmond Bane replacement. This could be why they decided to move Bane to gain draft capital, as they suspected a trade-up for Coward in the cards. With all of that being said, it will still be very interesting to see how Coward comes back in his first competitive minutes since his shoulder injury. Will Coward still shoot the ball at a very effective clip like he did at Wazzu or will it look a little different now? Outside of Coward, the Grizzlies also selected two senior guards in Javon Small and Jahmai Mashack in the second round, signifying an approach to want to try and compete now in a loaded Western Conference compared to rebuilding. Coward has shown glimpses of being a very good player in college, but now we must see that translate to the NBA which will start at summer league.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER: NIKOLA TOPIC

Nikola Topic heading into May of 2024 was seen as a potential Top 5 pick in the NBA Draft before tearing his ACL in the Adriatic League playoffs. Many teams saw an unhealthy Topic as a risky pick early in the draft so he slid to the twelfth pick where Sam Presti and the Thunder took him with that pick. Presti knew the risk that came with Topic’s injury, but he also knew the upside of Topic’s game; a dynamic, playmaking six-foot-six point guard who can drive the lane and play make off the dribble. Topic sat out his entire rookie year, and during that time he learned from league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and won an NBA championship before ever playing an NBA game. But now Topic gets his chance to take an NBA court for the first time; after over a year waiting, rehabbing, and chomping at the bit, now Topic gets his chance. The chance to lead the summer league team, to be a veteran voice, and teach others what he has learned in his first year in the league. Topic has the opportunity to prove himself and show why he can be an effective piece in the Thunder’s rotation next season as they look to repeat as NBA champions. Unfortunately, Topic will not be joined by 2025 first-round pick Thomas Sorber, as the center out of Georgetown is still rehabbing from season-ending foot surgery. Topic and Sorber would have been a dynamic duo in the pick-and-roll but that time will have to wait; for now, it’s Topic’s time to show how good he can be at the NBA level.

Although it’s just summer league, there’s plenty of hype built up for NBA fans as they look forward to seeing their favorite teams’ high draft picks debut; and hopefully see the next superstars in the league start their careers.

July 2, 2025
The Incredible Journey of Alex Mogilny to the Hall of Fame

The wait is finally over. After sixteen seasons on the ballot, Alex Mogilny will officially be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 10, 2025, as a member of the Class of 2025.

Entering the league in 1989-90 as the first Soviet defect to the United States, the Khabarovsk native joined the Buffalo Sabres after being drafted in the 5th round of the 1988 Entry Draft. As a rookie, Mogilny would put up a solid 43 points in 65 games; he would only continue to improve, recording over a point per game in the next two seasons and becoming an All-Star in the 1991-92 season.

Mogilny’s fourth season in the league would be his best, as he tied for the league lead with 76 goals, while also recording 51 assists for a total of 127 points in 77 games. Mogilny had elevated his game to the level of the elites in the NHL; as he had cemented himself as a star in the league. The Sabres would name Mogilny the first Russian captain in NHL history, and Mogilny would follow this up by recording 79 points in 66 games to earn himself his third straight All-Star appearance. The shortened 1994-95 season would be Mogilny’s last season with the Sabres before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks before the following season.

In his first year in Vancouver, Mogilny would once again have another fantastic season putting up a 50-50 season, with 55 goals and 52 assists totaling 107 points. This would be the first season that Mogilny would receive Hart trophy votes and make his fourth All-Star game appearance of his career. The 1995-96 season would be Mogilny’s best season in Vancouver and he would eventually be moved to the New Jersey Devils at the 2000 trade deadline.

Mogilny would join the Devils amid a playoff push, playing 12 games to end the regular season. Mogilny would then proceed to play 23 games in the postseason, winning his first Stanley Cup as New Jersey defeated the Dallas Stars in six games. With the win, Mogilny entered the prestigious IIHF Gold Club as a winner of the Stanley Cup, Olympics, and IIHF World Championship.

The 2000-2001 season would be Mogilny’s best season as Devil recording 43 goals and 40 assists totaling 83 points in 75 games. Mogilny showed that he still had that same scoring flair during his age-31 season. He would follow the regular season up with his best postseason performance recording 16 points in 25 games as the Devils reached the Stanley Cup before ultimately falling to the Colorado Avalanche.

Mogilny would leave the Devils in the offseason joining the Toronto Maple Leafs where his tenure would be highlighted by his Lady Byng Award win in 2002-03. The 2005-06 season would be Mogilny’s last season in the NHL as he retired in the place where he won his only Stanley Cup, New Jersey.

Mogilny would retire after sixteen seasons recording 473 goals and 559 assists for a total of 1032 points in 990 career games. A consistent player, playing at an All-Star level for the better part of sixteen seasons, never getting the recognition he deserved until June 24th, 2025, being named to the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2025.

June 24, 2025
Carlos Alcaraz Triumphs in Historic Roland Garros Final Against Sinner

When number one and number two seeds meet in a championship match, many fans expect it to be a great matchup. Many times, these matchups fail to live up to expectations, while some meet expectations, and a select few are like the one Sunday in Paris. The Roland Garros final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz did more than deliver; the two put on one of the greatest tennis matches of all time.

Sinner and Alcaraz were on a collision course to face each other in the final, with Sinner not dropping a set up until the final and Alcaraz not being forced to a fifth set until the final. Following a Sinner win over Novak Djokovic, the final between Sinner and Alcaraz was set, and Sinner was out for revenge after Alcaraz knocked him out of Roland Garros in the semifinals in 2024.

Sinner came out of the gates hot winning the first set 6-4 and going up 5-2 in the second set. This was when Alcaraz showed his ability to battle back with his back against the wall, as he would win the next three games to get back to a 5-5 score. Sinner would persevere in the end of the set winning the tiebreaker 7-4 to give him a 2-0 lead. With Sinner a set away from winning it all and Alcaraz having a 0-8 career record when trailing 2-0 at Roland Garros; Alcaraz’s title hopes looked dim. But Alcaraz fought back in the third set and made a statement to Sinner that he was not going to back down. Alcaraz won the third set 6-4 and Sinner dropped his first set of the tournament. This led to the fourth set which is where this historic match took off.

Sinner would start the fourth set off hot, gaining early control after breaking Alcaraz; this would build into a 5-3 lead with Alcaraz serving to stay alive. Alcaraz would quickly fall behind 0-40 and with three championship points available, Sinner’s crowning moment seemed inevitable. But Alcaraz once again would not go down, as he rallied to score the next five points with the final one being an ace to stay alive. Sinner would then be able to serve for the championship, but Alcaraz would break him again to tie it up at 5-5. Alcaraz would go on to win the set tiebreaker 7-3 and even the match up at 2-2 going into the fifth set.

I mentioned earlier the fact that Alcaraz had not come back from being down 0-2 at Roland Garros, but Sinner had also never won a match at Roland Garros that went into a fifth set. Now with the match being in the fifth set, someone’s 0 had to go. Alcaraz got off to the perfect start with a first-game break of Sinner’s serve; Alcaraz would hold serve up until he was serving for the championship. Leading 5-4, Alcaraz serving for the championship would have his serve broken by Sinner. Sinner would proceed to hold his serve to win the next game to go up 6-5, and would quickly get ahead of Alcaraz 15-30 before Alcaraz would survive four deuces to force a final set tiebreaker. During the tiebreaker, Alcaraz dominated grabbing a large lead early and winning the tiebreaker 10-2. After 5 hours and 29 minutes, Carlos Alcaraz prevailed and won his second straight Roland Garros and his fifth career grand slam.

A match that will be remembered forever, a battle between two of the world’s best on a Sunday afternoon in Paris. Words can’t do this match justice for how great it truly was. If you can, take the time out of your day to watch the highlights from this match to see how magical it was. All of the emotions were on display, from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, both Sinner and Alcaraz went through it all. These men should be applauded for creating a new generation of tennis fans on Sunday.

June 9, 2025
Jonathan Kuminga: A Fresh Start with the Nets?

After a rocky season with inconsistent playing time in Golden State, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga will not be returning to the team next season. One of the potential teams that has emerged as a candidate for Kuminga is the Brooklyn Nets, a rebuilding team looking to build its franchise around a young star, and Kuminga could be that player.

At just 22 years old, Kuminga is entering free agency for the first time as a restricted free agent, meaning that any offer accepted by Kuminga from another team has the opportunity to be matched by the Warriors if they want to keep Kuminga. This is where Brooklyn comes into the mix; the Nets have upwards of $50 million in cap space and can offer Kuminga a contract in the $30 million range if they want. Golden State most likely wouldn’t match this deal, allowing the Nets to sign Kuminga without having to give up any assets in a trade. But how does Kuminga fit into the Nets’ lineup?

The Nets need a young star to build their roster around and will look to this year’s draft and free agency to acquire that piece; with four first-round picks and well as Cam Johnson to use as a trade piece, expect the Nets to make some big moves on draft night. This could mean acquiring another top-ten pick in a trade package including Johnson and a couple of picks. With Johnson’s departure, a hole at the starting small forward spot would open, and Jonathan Kuminga could fill that role.

Kuminga came out of G-League Ignite as a top prospect in the 2021 draft where the Warriors drafted him with the 7th overall pick; his 6-7 frame, as well as his freakish athleticism, made Kuminga a can’t miss prospect. But inconsistent playing time, injuries, and a potential rift with head coach Steve Kerr led to a disappointing start to his career. With a cross-country move to Brooklyn, a fresh start is provided for Kuminga who played great in the minutes he was given when he was given them. Kuminga’s stats won’t jump off the page from this past season averaging 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game in 24.3 minutes a night.

But where we saw Kuminga show his potential was in the Western Conference Semifinals following Stephen Curry’s injury in Game One. While the rest of the team struggled, Kuminga took advantage of his opportunity and averaged 20.8 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 54% field goal percentage from the field and 42% from three in just 27 minutes a night. The scoring potential that Kuminga had shown in flashes this year with multiple 30-point games, had finally been shown in a consistent stretch filling in for the Warrior’s best player. Kuminga scored in a variety of ways with monstrous dunks, tough drives to the basket, and knockdown three-point shooting; while he’s not the best playmaker, he doesn’t have to be if put in the right system.

If Brooklyn can draft a point guard such as Jeremiah Fears or Dylan Harper, Kuminga would not have to be the catalyst of the offense and can instead work off of Fears/Harper and Cam Thomas to create for Brooklyn’s offense. The addition of Kuminga would also generate some buzz for Nets fans after a season of disappointing basketball with one of the league’s worst rosters.

Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, who did a fantastic job in his first season with such limited talent, has continuously talked about wanting to establish a culture and identity in Brooklyn; and with the additions they could make in the draft as well as adding a player like Kuminga the Nets could be on their way to doing just that.

May 27, 2025
Analyzing Utah Jazz’s 5th Pick: Tre Johnson vs. Jeremiah Fears

Entering Tuesday night’s NBA Draft Lottery, the Utah Jazz had a 14% chance of winning the number one overall pick, which was tied for the highest odds with the Washington Wizards and the Charlotte Hornets. Jazz fans had high hopes that they would be able to land the first overall pick and take consensus first overall pick Cooper Flagg with that pick. However, as NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum opened the pick envelopes, the Dallas Mavericks jumped into the top four picks, followed by the San Antonio Spurs and the Philadelphia 76ers. This led to the opening of the pick five envelope, where the Jazz logo was revealed. A crushing blow for Jazz fans as their hopes of Flagg becoming a star in Utah slipped away from their minds. But with the 2025 draft class being such a deep class, the Jazz can still pick a franchise-altering star with the fifth pick.

The first player that could come into play at the fifth pick is the former Texas Longhorn Tre Johnson. The SEC Rookie of the Year and league’s leading scorer is a walking bucket, Johnson can create his own shot off the dribble well, as well as being able to consistently make catch and shoot threes. There is not a shot on the court that Johnson will not be able to create and take; Johnson has a great frame standing 6’6″ with a 6’10” wingspan, which allows him to rise and maintain a high release point on his jump shot. The downside of Johnson’s game comes from his mindset, where he has to get his shots up, which, if he’s hot, he’ll drop 30, but if he’s ice cold, he can go 0-14 like he did against Oklahoma last season. Another area of improvement in Johnson’s game would be his ability to get to the rim; he has shown plenty of speed and agility to create pull-up jumpers, but he doesn’t get to the rim as much as you would like. With that being said, Johnson just turned nineteen years old in March and has plenty of time to grow and adjust to the NBA game.

The second player is Johnson’s college rival in Jeremiah Fears out of Oklahoma. Fears is a dynamic 6’4″ point guard who wants to get downhill and finish at the basket. Averaging 17 ppg, as well as four assists and four rebounds per game, Fears is a prototypical point guard who can be effective for years to come. Fears is also one of the youngest prospects in this year’s draft as he won’t turn nineteen until October. The downside in Fears’ game comes from his strength and his shooting; Fears weighs in at just over 180 lbs. and struggles with contact around the rim sometimes. Fears only shot 43% from the field and 28% from three in his one year at Oklahoma, but given some time to refine his mechanics and get used to NBA threes, expect those numbers to rise. Fears has the upside of being an all-star caliber point guard and would be a great addition to the Jazz organization.

Although Cooper Flagg won’t be a member of the Utah Jazz on draft night, the Jazz still have a great opportunity to upgrade their roster with the fifth pick. Johnson and Fears are raw prospects who have proven the ability to take over the game on any night, but just have some refining to do to be successful in the NBA.

May 13, 2025
From Rookie to Record Breaker: Ovechkin’s Incredible Journey

As Tom Wilson’s cross-ice pass traveled towards the top of the circle, Alex Ovechkin’s eyes lit up. In his favorite spot on the ice, open on the power play, Ovechkin slung a rocket towards the net to beat New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin, history had been made. The Washington Capitals superstar had scored his 895th career NHL regular season goal breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record of 894 goals set in 1999. A record just a mere six years old that seemed otherworldly, a record that was almost untouchable until Ovechkin entered the league in 2005.

Ovechkin entered the league with a bang, scoring 52 goals and totaling 106 points in his rookie year with the Capitals; he would win the Calder Trophy as the Rookie of the Year and finish sixth in the Hart Trophy voting for Most Valuable Player. A superstar in the making, Ovechkin seemed destined for greatness; but Gretzky’s record still seemed untouchable. Ovechkin would have to maintain a 50-goal-per-season pace over the next 17 seasons to eclipse Gretzky’s record. There were many stars before him that appeared on track to break the 894-goal mark, but the biggest problem that would arise was injuries. Mike Bossy totaled 573 goals following his age-30 season, but injuries forced him to retire, and Mario Lemieux tallied 613 goals at the age of 31 but back problems forced him into early retirement. For Ovechkin to break Gretzky’s record he would have to be a machine and that he was.

The Russian Machine would win his first of nine Rocket Richard trophies as the league’s leader in goals in the 2007-08 season where he tallied 65 goals, while also winning his first of three Hart Trophies. Ovechkin would stay healthy and keep the machine rolling as he continued to rack up the goals and slowly creep up on Gretzky’s record. Following his age-30 season, Ovechkin has racked up 525 goals in 839 games, but with all the statistics he had put up, he still hadn’t found any team success. Not until 2018 when the Capitals finally broke through winning the Stanley Cup in five games over the Vegas Golden Knights. Ovechkin scored 15 goals in the Capitals playoff run and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason’s most valuable player.

The reality of Ovechkin breaking Gretzky’s record started to come to life when Ovechkin scored his 700th career goal in 2020, where he became the second player outside of Gretzky to score 700 goals before their 35th birthday. During that season he would earn his ninth Rocket Richard trophy and age didn’t look like it was slowing him down. Then in the 2021-22 season, Ovechkin would record his ninth 50-goal season of his career raising his total to 780 goals, which put him third all-time.
The following season, Ovechkin would record his 802nd goal of his career passing Gordie Howe for second all-time. Now only one man stood in front of Ovechkin in this chase to be the greatest goal scorer in NHL history, Wayne Gretzky. Over the next two seasons, Ovechkin would keep on scoring and inch closer and closer to the Great One’s record.

On November 18, 2024, Ovechkin suffered a broken fibula against the Utah Hockey Club and would miss sixteen games as he sat just 26 goals away from breaking Gretzky’s record. But that injury wouldn’t derail Ovechkin’s season, instead, he went on a run recording 25 goals in 41 games to tie Gretzky at 894 goals. That leads us to this afternoon where Ovechkin’s power play strike with 12:34 remaining in the second period broke Gretzky’s 36-year record and solidified Ovechkin as the greatest goal scorer in NHL history.

In 20 NHL seasons, Ovechkin had rewrote the history books winning nine Rocket Richard’s, three Hart trophies, recording nine 50-goal seasons, scoring the most power-play goals of all time, the most empty net goals of all time, the most goals with one franchise, and 895 career goals. A legendary run by a generational player, and something that we may never see again, cementing himself as the greatest goal-scorer of all time and a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer.

April 6, 2025
Tougher Team Wins: Texas Tech Advances to the Elite Eight in Historic Win

Picture: AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

Down sixteen in the second half, down thirteen with 4:43 to play, down six with 1:15 left, Texas Tech never wavered. Coach Grant McCasland’s mantra of “Toughest Team Wins” shined on Thursday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco, where the Red Raiders battled for 45 minutes in their win over Arkansas to advance the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight on Saturday night.

No. 10 seed Arkansas came out on fire with Karter Knox drilling three early threes for the Razorbacks as they jumped out to an early lead. A team who shot 33% from three up until Thursday night, the Razorbacks went out and shot 7-14 from three in the first half; while the Red Raiders who as a team shot 37.9% from three for the season, shot just 3-16 from three in the first half with second-leading scorer Darrion Williams shooting 2-12 in the first half. With everything going the Razorbacks’ way, McCasland told his team: “We’re still winning, see how many they can make, let’s see how far we can get down and still win this game” he said on Field of 68: After Dark. The Red Raiders went into half trailing 38-31, with nothing going their way, McCasland dared the Razorbacks to keep shooting.

The Red Raiders came out the second half and with fans thinking to themselves that Tech would start making shots they missed their first eight three-pointers of the half. A Billy Richmond III layup gave the Razorbacks a 61-45 game lead with 10:23 left to play in the second half and it seemed as if the Red Raider’s chances were dwindling. But one possession turned this game around for Texas Tech, following a Federiko Federiko missed free throw, Kevin Overton came down with an offensive rebound, then a missed layup, another Overton offensive rebound, a missed jumper from Overton led to a Federiko rebound, a kick out three from Christian Anderson missed but Federiko came down with the rebound, back out to Elijah Hawkins who missed but Federiko once again came down with the board, another Tech shot missed but Federiko tips it in to cut the lead to 61-50. Arkansas proceeded to call a time out and the Red Raiders had some life back in them. Eventually, cutting the lead back down to single digits, Nelly Davis of Arkansas who finished with 30 points would not go down without a fight as he took the game over stretching the lead to 69-56 with 4:43 left. An Anderson three on the following possession started the Red Raiders run, as Arkansas started missing, Tech finally saw their threes begin to drop. The lead got down to three when Knox hit his fourth three of the night to give the Razorbacks a six-point lead, but Anderson came right back at the Arkansas defense hitting a three of his own. With 27 seconds left, Razorbacks center Jonas Aidoo missed the front end of a one and one and the Red Raiders had a chance to tie; the Arkansas defense extended out and Tech couldn’t get a shot off until Williams put up a contested three that dropped. DJ Wagner missed a jump shot at the other end that would have won the game for Arkansas; Texas Tech had gone on a 27-11 run over the last ten minutes to send the game to overtime.

Overtime was a back-and-forth battle with Red Raiders All-American JT Toppin establishing himself in the pain scoring six points during overtime to give him 20 points on the night. But, the biggest three points of overtime came from Hawkins, the senior point guard was 0-9 from the field until he hit a transition three that lit up the Red Raiders bench. Texas Tech’s lead got to as big as three in overtime before Trevon Brazile tied the game at 81. The teams traded baskets, and Texas Tech had possession with 34 seconds left and a chance to wind the clock down, Williams drove to the paint where he posted up Knox before spinning to his right hand and laying it up and in. A frantic Arkansas possession led to a fadeaway by Wagner over Hawkins that fell short. Texas Tech has won 85-83 and completed the second-largest comeback in Sweet Sixteen history.

It all comes back to “Toughest Team Wins”, many teams could have looked up at the scoreboard and thought that Arkansas would run away with it. But not the Red Raiders, they wanted the adversity, and they knew that their mental and physical toughness would prevail. The Red Raiders came down with 22 offensive rebounds (Federiko had seven of them), and outrebounded Arkansas 51-39 overall; McCasland also knew that the Red Raiders would hit their shots, and the Razorbacks would miss theirs; making five threes in the last four minutes of regulation and overtime the Red Raiders had caught fire, while Arkansas shot 3-11 from three in the second half and overtime.

A historic comeback and a game to remember not just for Texas Tech but for all basketball fans around the world. No month is better than March.

March 28, 2025
The Rise of Ben McCollum: Going Back Home

Picture: © Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Following a fantastic first season coaching at the Division One level, Ben McCollum is leaving Drake to take the head coaching position at the University of Iowa. McCollum’s Bulldogs fell 77-64 to the Texas Tech Red Raiders ending Drake’s historic season in the second round of the NCAA tournament. In McCollum’s first season with the Bulldogs, he recorded the most historic season in program history where the team finished 31-4, won the Missouri Valley regular season and postseason title, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1970. Now McCollum leaves Des Moines to head 114 miles east along I-80 to replace Fran McCaffery as the coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

For McCollum taking the job at Iowa is a homecoming, born and raised in Iowa City, McCollum looks to bring the same success he has had at each previous job to the Hawkeyes program. Before Drake, McCollum was the head coach of Northwest Missouri State where he won four national championships and five National Coaches of the Year awards; he was an unknown commodity to most when he replaced Darian Devries at Drake after Devries took the job at West Virginia, but McCollum may have been the best hire of the coaching carousel. McCollum brought his stifling defense and methodic offensive approach to Des Moines and dominated the MVC in his first year. A team that was picked fifth in the preseason poll, the Bulldogs dominated conference play going 17-3 winning both the regular season and postseason titles. McCollum would be named MVC coach of the year and led the Bulldogs in an upset of the Missouri Tigers in the first round of the NCAA tournament before being knocked out by Texas Tech.

Now McCollum takes over an Iowa program that has struggled recently going 17-16 this past season while being just 7-13 in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes parted ways with longtime coach Fran McCaffery as they look towards the future and getting the Hawkeyes back in the NCAA tournament. They knew exactly who they wanted in the coaching search and got their man in McCollum. A known winner and someone who will bring some help from Drake with him; McCollum will most likely bring with him MVC Player of the Year Bennett Stirtz and Tavion Banks who averaged double figures for the Bulldogs. The Hawkeyes also have some players who if they stay will give McCollum a great starting point for next season, with players such as Josh Dix and Owen Freeman who both averaged over 14 points per game this past season.

With newly gained resources moving to a high-major program, expect McCollum to continue his success as he leads the Hawkeyes for years to come. His coaching style has proven to translate to the Division One level, a team that will methodically break you down and not give up any easy baskets will be perfect for the Big Ten. Even if they are not the most talented team on the floor, they will not take a possession off on either side of the floor, McCollum is a coach players want to play for. As he attracts more talent, expect greater success for the Hawkeyes.

March 23, 2025
Three Players to Watch in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday

With the bracket being unveiled on Sunday night, all college basketball fans around the nation are turning their attention to Dayton and the First Four on Tuesday night. But I am looking forward to Thursday and the First Round of the madness, and I believe three players are must-watch come Thursday night. Now these names aren’t the most household names with only one of these players coming from a single-digit seed, but when you turn on your TVs to watch the games on Thursday look out for these three to make some noise.

Marquel Sutton, Omaha

The Omaha Mavericks roll into their first tournament appearance led by the Summit League Player of the Year Marquel Sutton, the 6-foot-8 senior out of Tulsa is the leader of this team alongside JJ White and is the key to the Mavericks success. Sutton comes into the NCAA Tournament coming off of a career night in the Summit League Final where he recorded 22 points and 18 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. During the Summit League tournament, Sutton averaged 23 points per game as well as 12.3 rebounds per game, so you could say that he is playing his best ball at the right time. While not being much of a threat from outside, Sutton’s post-play is at the level of a high-major forward with his patience and shot-making in the paint being great all season. Now Sutton and the Mavericks have a tough task at hand with the Big East Champion St. Johns Red Storm. Sutton will have a tough matchup with the Johnnies All-Big East First Team forward Zuby Ejiofor down low; expect these two to battle down low for forty minutes with Sutton’s success in this matchup being the determining factor for how long the Mavericks can stay in this game.

JT Toppin, Texas Tech

The only player on this list from a single-digit seed is the Big 12 Newcomer and Player of the Year JT Toppin. The sophomore transfer from New Mexico has been electric since stepping foot in Lubbock, with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks in his first game as a Red Raider against Bethune-Cookman. From that point on Toppin dominated the Big 12 conference, averaging 18 points and 8.5 rebounds throughout conference play. Toppin can break you down in many different ways, from his post-game, to crashing the glass for putbacks, and even stretching the floor a little bit where he shoots around 32% from three. Toppin is a finalist for the Karl Malone Award for the best Power Forward in College Basketball and it’s pretty easy to see why. With the upcoming matchup against UNC Wilmington, Toppin will see a matchup against a Seahawks frontcourt that has plenty of size with 7-footer Harlan Obioha and 6-foot-9 Khamari McGriff who are two of UNCW’s best players. This could prove to be difficult early for the Red Raiders but as the game progresses expect Toppin and the Red Raiders to overwhelm UNCW en route to an opening-round victory.

John Poulakidas, Yale

A proven big game player already following his 28-point explosion against Auburn last year in the First Round, Poulakidas comes into the NCAA Tournament ready to lead this Yale team against an SEC foe for the second year in a row. One word to describe Poulakidas is “bucket”, and that was evident in the second half of the Ivy League final Sunday afternoon against Cornell. After struggling in the first half, Poulakidas proceeded to shoot 7-of-7 from the field, 5-of-5 from three, putting up 23 points in the second half to lead Yale to a 90-84 win over the Big Red. But this was not just a one-time event, Poulakidas put up a great campaign averaging over 19 points per game shooting 45% from the field and 40% from three, if it wasn’t for his teammate Bez Mbeng putting up three triple-doubles this year, he would’ve been conference player of the year in the Ivy League. In the first round, he will face a stingy Texas A&M Aggies defense but expect Poulakidas to come out ready to go Thursday night, no matter what matchup the Aggies might throw at him, expect Poulakidas to get his shots up, and for many of them to drop. The matchup between Poulakidas and A&M’s Wade Taylor should be one of the most entertaining matchups of the first round, so grab your popcorn and make sure to tune in.

Bonus Player: Drake Powell, North Carolina

Earlier I did say that my attention was turned to Thursday, but I will still be glued to my screen Tuesday night when Powell and the Tar Heels take on the San Diego State Aztecs. I am interested in watching Powell more so as an NBA prospect instead of as a college player. As a Nets fan, I am invested in Brooklyn’s rebuild and the tournament is a great place for players to stand out on the biggest stage. Powell is a very raw prospect, and although he is only averaging 7.5 points per game, I like his shooting efficiency as well as his defensive ability. Powell is shooting 47.5% from the field as well as 37.3% from three and has shown out as the Tar Heel’s best wing defender. I am intrigued by Powell’s potential as a solid 3 and D player in the NBA and look forward to seeing what he does on Tuesday night.

March 17, 2025