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Jeff Mezydlo

A Chicago native, Jeff Mezydlo has professionally written about sports, entertainment and pop culture for parts of four decades. He was an integral member of award-winning sports sections at The Times of Northwest Indiana (Munster, Ind.) and Champaign (Ill.) News-Gazette, where he covered the NFL, PGA, LPGA, NCAA basketball, football and golf, Olympics and high school athletics. Jeff most recently spent 12 years in the editorial department at STATSPerform, where he also oversaw coverage of the English Premier League. A graduate of Northern Illinois University, Jeff's work has also appeared on such sites at Yahoo!, ESPN, Fox Sports, Sports Illustrated and NBA.com. However, if Jeff could do it again, he'd attend Degrassi Junior High, Ampipe High School and Grand Lakes University

EXPERTISE:

NCAA football, NCAA basketball, PGA/LPGA, international soccer, sports history, rock music, film history

Famous bands whose members were in other famous bands

Most musicians dream of spending just a little time in a successful band. Those fortunate to find themselves in two — or more — famous bands better be thanking some almighty power before they go to bed tonight.

Major-conference tournament sleepers

There's still a little time left before college basketball's Championship Week, a pleasant prelude to the NCAA Tournament. By now we know who the favorites are in the major conference tournaments: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC.

The top golfers under age 25

With Tiger Woods back to prominence, fans are once again tuned into professional golf to see when his next victory will come. While watching, they'll likely catch a glimpse of some of the young rising stars on the PGA Tour — much like Woods was back in the late 1990s.

Bracket-busters and mid-majors you need to know come March

One of the fun parts of the college basketball postseason is trying to figure out who the next Cinderella team — or teams — will be, come March: that low seed with nothing to lose or a mid-major squad that has been building up to something great.

Tiger Woods through the years

As the 2019 golf season starts to pick up steam, there is no bigger storyline than Tiger Woods.

Top 10 college basketball Player of the Year candidates

Last season, Villanova's Jalen Brunson swept all the major college basketball Player of the Year Awards. Will we see another player follow the same path?

College basketball's most underrated stars

By now we know who the elite players in college basketball are: Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett at Duke and that Williams-Schofield connection down in Tennessee.

The golfers who have the most style

From knickers to short skirts to all types of headwear, golf fashion has evolved as much as the game itself, perhaps even more. There are plenty of golfers who try to look good, but not many can consistently pull it off.

10 bold predictions for college basketball's second half

The second half of the men's college basketball season is in full swing. Conference races are heating up, and Zion Williamson remains the best — and most exciting — player in the country.

10 players on LPGA Tour to watch in 2019

The 2019 LPGA Tour season is underway. It should be an interesting one with plenty of young stars and a U.S. resurgence hoping to carry over from the 2018 campaign.

10 golfers who can win their first major in 2019

It's a question that's asked annually on the professional golf scene: Will we have a first-time major winner this season?

Best golfer all time from each Power 5 conference school

While collegiate golf doesn't draw the same interest as, say, college football or basketball, from the viewership standpoint, most of golf's biggest names — past and present — have enjoyed success on the university level, especially when it comes to the big-time programs down south or out west.

The 25 most unforgettable punk rock characters

They are some of the most iconic musicians — sometimes in the loosest sense of the word — in the history of entertainment. Whether it's the outlandish lifestyles, disturbing behavior on and off the stage or a unique sense of fashion, punk's characters are hard to forget.

The 25 best games remaining on the college basketball schedule

Conference races are heating up, and Selection Sunday is less than two months away. The intensity of the college basketball season has risen, and all the big names should be on upset watch.

Golfers who are poised for a breakout in 2019

It's never easy trying to predict which golfer will enjoy a career-defining season either on the PGA Tour, European Tour or around the globe, for that matter.

10 contenders for women's college basketball Player of the Year

There is no shortage of talent in the women's game, and it's not just subjected to Connecticut or Notre Dame. As we settle into the second half of the season, here are 10 women's contenders who can take home at least one of the national Player of the Year awards for 2018-19.

One area of improvement for each top 25 golfer

Even the world's best golfers have room for improvement, whether it be physical or mental, off the tee, on the green or in their personalities or attitudes.

The 'College QBs who transferred schools' quiz

How many of these college quarterbacks who transferred from one school to another can you name in five minutes?

Potential candidates for the UCLA men's basketball job

There are plenty of big names being tossed in the ring as potential candidates for the position. Here's a look at 10 who might make sense on some level.