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Well, it's safe to say Tuesday is the biggest game of the season for Wes Miller and the Bearcats as they have to go on a significant winning streak at some point down the stretch to punch an NCAA Tournament ticket.
Time for Players to Watch ahead of the matchup against No. 1 Houston.
Players To Watch For Houston
The Cougars are led by senior point guard Jamal Shead, who is coming off a stellar week where he led the Cougars averaging 19 points, four rebounds, eight assists, and two steals in the Cougars victories over ranked Iowa State and Baylor. Shead was named the Big 12 Player of the Week.
The last time these two teams matched up the Bearcats held Shead to just 16 points on 6-of-25 shooting.
Shead is the engine to a Cougars team that is destined to make a deep NCAA Tournament run this season. The one thing Shead does well for the Cougars is he simply doesn't turn the ball over as he uses his dynamic playmaking ability to allow the Cougars to play to his strength, which is when the ball is in Shead's hands.
Shead has also impacted the game on the defensive end as the veteran guard is in a position to be in great contention for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as well. Shead made it difficult for Day Day Thomas to get anything going offensively in the opening matchup as Thomas finished with just seven points in the opening matchup.
Houston forward J'Wan Roberts was also a force to be reckoned with in the team's first matchup of the season after finishing with 20 points, eight rebounds on a very efficient 10-of-15 shooting. A matchup in which Roberts gave Viktor Lakhin a lot of trouble in the paint which quickly resulted in Wes Miller going to Jamille Reynolds.
Roberts is the Cougars' leading rebounder averaging nearly eight rebounds per game. UC has to keep him off of the glass.
Players to Watch For Houston
The Bearcats frontcourt has to dominate and find ways to use their size and height. Reynolds could have a significant impact, especially after playing 20 minutes in the first matchup where he finished with eight points and four rebounds.
Reynolds's physicality matches up better inside on a guy like Roberts and could be something the Bearcats potentially look to exploit early on Tuesday. If the Bearcats can utilize their advantage in the front court alongside Reynolds, Lakhin, and Aziz Bandaogo this could be a huge testament for potentially saving their NCAA Tournament chances if they can play to their full potential on Tuesday.
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More must-reads:
- Lincoln Riley calls out NCAA amid lawsuit filed by USC player
- Report reveals if Commanders intend to trade WR Terry McLaurin
- The '250-strikeout MLB seasons' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Massive Brawl Breaks Out For The Steelers As Rookie Makes His Presence Known
The Pittsburgh Steelers are fully engulfed in training camp ahead of the 2025 season, and tempers have been flaring ever since the team put pads on for the first time on Wednesday. This is seen every year, and it also seems to be heightened when the team participates in its annual "Friday Night Lights" practice. The team always goes out to a local high school and completes a practice there in front of a stadium full of fans. Emotions are running high as it is the closest practice the players will have to a game prior to the first preseason matchup. Fights will break out during team periods, but they are also seen during individual competition. This was the case on Friday for Pittsburgh, as the team went through backs on backers as well as one-on-ones between receivers and the secondary. Backs on backers is a pass protection drill for running backs and tight ends, and they will line up across from defenders and attempt to block them. It gets chippy, and that was the case for rookie running back Kaleb Johnson and linebacker Mark Robinson. Robinson might not be a major contributor on the defense for Pittsburgh, but he is a true athletic specimen. He is fast and powerful, and that presents a pretty tall task for Johnson, who is trying to improve his pass protection. According to the reporting from insider Brian Batko, Johnson and Robinson began fighting, which turned into other players fighting from the offense and defense. It led to a fairly large brawl. Johnson was very vocal about wanting to step up his pass protection. It is the best way to see the field as a young running back in the league. Luckily for him, he is in the same room as Jaylen Warren, who is one of the top backs in the league in that regard. He can learn from his teammate, and is clearly catching onto a thing or two as he was able to beat Robinson in the rep after the fight broke out. The rookie running back still has a long way to go in pass protection, but he has been making strides throughout camp. That has certainly been because of tips he has picked up from Warren, as well as getting used to life in the NFL. He made his presence known on Friday by starting a major brawl during the drill, and then coming back a minute later to win the rep. Steelers Running Backs Wanted All The Smoke During Friday Night Lights The fight between Johnson and Robinson was not the only one. Players came rushing into the fold as a brawl broke out, and veteran running back Trey Sermon found himself in the middle of a fight with linebacker Devin Harper. It was reported by Brooke Pryor that their fight began just after the initial brawl was broken up. Those are two guys that are fighting for a spot on the final roster, so it is a bit risky to get into a brawl in the middle of practice, especially after the fight was just broken up. However, Head Coach Mike Tomlin has been known to smirk as brawls like these as they breakout during practice.
'Most likely scenario' for Terry McLaurin revealed
A recent report indicated that teams potentially interested in acquiring Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin learned that the club is "not trading" him before the 2025 season begins. The 29-year-old, who is in the final year of his current contract, may have responded to this news by requesting a trade on Thursday. However, ESPN's Bill Barnwell shared Friday that he doesn't "think there's a strong chance McLaurin gets traded" before September. "There's been no suggestion from the Commanders' side that they're looking to deal him, even after his request," Barnwell wrote. "Trading him now would likely result in landing 2026 draft picks, which won't help the Commanders in a season in which they're hoping to compete. And there just aren't many teams with the cap space or cash budget at this point of the offseason to give him the sort of deal he appears to want." McLaurin allegedly does not want to accept less money than DK Metcalf, who received a five-year, $150M deal from the Pittsburgh Steelers in March. Whether or not McLaurin "deserves" such an extension is irrelevant as it pertains to his importance to Washington and the market for players at his position. McLaurin finished the 2024 campaign with team highs of 82 receptions and 1,096 receiving yards as quarterback Jayden Daniels guided Washington to the NFC Championship Game and earned Offensive Rookie of the Year Award honors. Additionally, McLaurin was second in the NFL with 13 touchdown catches. As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Washington sixth among the betting favorites at +1800 odds to win Super Bowl LX in February 2026. That shows why Barnwell and others are convinced that acquiring future draft assets for McLaurin makes little sense for the win-now Commanders. "The logical thing is for McLaurin to stay with the Commanders, for the two sides to come to terms on a new deal or some sort of raise, and for Daniels to have his best pass catcher on the field in Week 1," Barnwell concluded. "It's still the most likely scenario." On Thursday, Nicki Jhabvala and Dianna Russini of The Athletic noted that "several teams that called Washington about [McLaurin] before his trade request on Thursday were told the team will not trade him." Commanders general manager Adam Peters seems to understand he still has plenty of time to work something out with McLaurin before Washington opens the regular season against the New York Giants on Sept. 7.
Richard Childress makes bizarre claim about Austin Hill, Aric Almirola incident
In the aftermath of Austin Hill and Aric Almirola's incident at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27, team owner Richard Childress has made an odd claim about what led to the crash. Hill was suspended for Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Iowa Speedway after NASCAR ruled that he intentionally wrecked Almirola in retaliation for previous contact. But Childress doesn't see things the same way, instead claiming that Sheldon Creed, who drove for Richard Childress Racing in the Xfinity Series in 2022 and 2023, was involved. In an interview on Kenny Wallace's YouTube channel on Thursday, Childress explained what he saw. "I think there was a lot more that once NASCAR, I hope they take a deep dive into it like we have. If you look where the No. 00 (Creed) was, he actually caught the No. 21 car (Hill) and hooked him," Childress said. "It was all so close and happened so fast. ... I think when it went left on him, that's when the No. 00 got into his left-rear quarter panel." Video replay of the incident does not show any contact between the vehicles of Hill and Creed before Hill began to turn left and hit Almirola. Rather, it appears that Hill initially straightened out his No. 21 Chevrolet before deciding to turn left and hook Almirola, wrecking both cars and ultimately leading to his suspension on Tuesday. Hill did hit the right front of Creed's No. 00 Ford, but that contact only occurred after Hill had begun to turn Almirola's No. 19. Dillon will drive the No. 21 RCR Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway on Saturday in place of Hill, who will return at Watkins Glen on Aug. 9.
Aliyah Boston Has One Word After Big Indiana Fever News
Caitlin Clark’s extended injury absence has prompted the Indiana Fever’s front office to make a move during this crucial juncture in the season. This came in the form of signing 6-foot-2 forward Chloe Bibby on a seven-day contract on July 25. That short-term deal has now come to an end, which has forced Indiana to make a decision on Bibby’s status with the team. Indiana Fever Sign Chloe Bibby The team announced on Thursday that Bibby will now be with the squad for the remainder of the season. This is after the 27-year-old put pen to paper on a rest-of-season contract. The Fever rewarded Bibby with a new deal after two strong performances. She helped Indiana secure back-to-back wins on Sunday against the Chicago Sky and on Wednesday against the Phoenix Mercury. In her first two appearances for the Fever, the Australian averaged 9.0 points and 2.0 triples in just 12.0 minutes off the bench. Aliyah Boston Reacts to the News Fever fans have been clamoring for a long-term contract for Bibby, and they finally got their wish on Friday. This was met with excitement by the Indiana faithful, which was also the case for Fever star Aliyah Boston. The three-time All-Star took to Instagram to share her reaction to the Bibby news. Boston used just one word to express her excitement. “ wohoo,” she wrote. Bibby has been with the team for merely a week, but she’s already made quite an impact on her new teammates. Boston’s enthusiasm over Bibby’s new deal is a testament to the same. As for her basketball, Boston has needed to step up amid Clark’s absence. While the recent Bibby boost has been great for Indiana, Boston has taken center stage as Clark continues to nurse her re-aggravated groin. In the five games Clark has sat out, Boston has put up averages of 14.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals in 31.8 minutes per contest. Boston will need to keep her foot on the gas on Friday against Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings if she hopes to help lead Indiana to its fourth straight win.
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