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Kyle Sturdivant scored a team-high 17 points off the bench, helping Georgia Tech grab a 65-60 win over Syracuse on Saturday in Atlanta.
Baye Ndongo added 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets (11-15, 4-11 Atlantic Coast Conference), while Miles Kelly had 16 points and 10 boards. Tafara Gapare tallied 10 points for Georgia Tech, which snapped a four-game losing streak.
Syracuse (16-10, 7-8) fell to 1-6 on the road in conference play. The Orange were led by J.J. Starling's 18 points, followed by Judah Mintz's 14.
After Georgia Tech claimed a 34-30 halftime lead, Sturdivant's triple gave the Yellow Jackets a 48-38 advantage with 11:57 left in the game.
A 14-4 Syracuse run was then stamped with Kyle Cuffe Jr.'s layup, knotting the score at 52 at the 6:21 mark.
Ndongo's turnaround jumper on the ensuing possession briefly gave the Yellow Jackets a 54-52 lead, but Chris Bell answered with a 3-pointer, giving the Orange their first lead since there was just under seven minutes left in the opening half.
With the score tied , Ndongo's layup gave Georgia Tech a 59-57 advantage with 3:16 left. At the 2:11 mark, Cuffe split a pair of free throws, cutting Syracuse's deficit to just one.
After neither team had scored in almost two minutes, Kelly completed a three-point play to give Georgia Tech a 62-58 edge with 31 seconds left.
Mintz's two free throws cut the lead in half with 26 seconds remaining. Sturdivant then split a pair of foul shots, but Kelly grabbed the offensive rebound on the miss and was fouled. He made both ensuing free throws to cement the five-point victory.
The game began with a 9-2 Syracuse run, which included back-to-back Starling triples.
Georgia Tech answered with a 15-7 burst, taking its first lead on Kelly's 3-pointer at the 10:34 mark of the first half.
From there, the Yellow Jackets took a 32-23 lead -- their largest advantage of the first half -- on another Kelly triple, this one capping a 13-2 Georgia Tech run with 3:02 left.
The Orange closed the first half on a 7-2 run to trail by four at intermission.
Starling paced Syracuse with 10 points through the first 20 minutes of action. Kelly had nine for the hosts.
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Angry Mike Vrabel vows to find 'rats' within Patriots organization who leaked major news
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel wasn't mad about how the backups performed in the team's 42-10 preseason loss to the New York Giants. He was angry that someone had leaked the news that wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk would need season-ending shoulder surgery. When asked if he had anything to add to the reports that Polk would miss the season, Vrabel didn't give the media anything aside from his unvarnished feelings. "I'd like to find out where some of these [reports] come from. Some of these rats around here. So, we'll figure that out," he added in a news conference on Thursday. Coaches and reporters are hardly the best of friends on a good day. Often, a coach will deflect if they don't want to add fuel to a report the team hasn't made official, but usually they won't deflect and promise to get the "rats" providing this information. NFL insider Jordan Schultz broke the news ahead of the Patriots' preseason finale against the Giants. According to Schultz, the decision for Polk to undergo surgery was made to ensure the 2024 second-round pick would be healthy for the 2026 season. Polk dealt with health issues throughout the offseason. It was during the second quarter of New England's preseason opener against the Washington Commanders that he took a nasty hit on a one-yard run, leading to the shoulder injury that will sideline him for 2025. Last season, Polk had a tough rookie debut, catching just 12 receptions for 87 yards and recording two touchdowns. The hope for 2025 was that he could redeem himself and become a reliable enough target for second-year quarterback Drake Maye. Expectations for Maye are much higher now with the return of Tom Brady's old offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels. Without Polk to run routes, though, the already-thin wide receiver room is nearly devoid of talent behind veteran receiver Stefon Diggs. The Patriots signed Diggs to a three-year, $69 million contract in the offseason. However, Diggs has brought some unwanted attention to the team through his offseason antics and is recovering from a torn ACL that ended his time with the Houston Texans. While Patriot fans should feel some hope in the direction of the team under Vrabel — a former defensive star for New England during the dynasty years — this roster is still in the midst of a rebuild. And with such a troubled roster, losses may pile up, and the team's relationship with the media could worsen if another season feels like a waste. So, Vrabel being upset by Polk's injury is fair, but what doesn't feel fair is to single out Patriots staff and players who are potentially talking to reporters as hostile to the organization. It's perhaps not surprising that Vrabel is willing to voice his frustrations, as he's shown no fear when breaking up practice scrums. Still, it's the job of any journalist to build relationships with staff and team members to gain reliable sources who can help them accurately report the news. While the "rats" moniker for those in the building talking to NFL insiders and the New England sports media will be swallowed up by all the other headlines as Week 1 nears, it's notable that Vrabel's time as head coach in New England is already off to a contentious start.
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'He’s Only 26': Former Oiler with Valid Point on Imminent Skinner Trade
Goaltending in Edmonton comes with pressures few players ever face — and Stuart Skinner, despite all of his faults — has handled them better than many expected. “He’s dealing with pressures that nobody else is dealing with,” former NHL goalie Devan Dubnyk told The Big Show this week. “That’s part of playing in a Canadian market, and he’s done a really, really impressive job of handling it.” Despite a season of ups and downs, including some highs and lows in the last two playoff runs for the Oilers, Skinner has been better than many fans give him credit for. Most importantly, he’s picked up what feels like a decade’s worth of experience in just a couple of seasons. It’s the kind of experience most NHL goalies never get. Perhaps most impressive about his career is that, despite the downs, he’s often found ways to mentally shake off the poor performances and come back with stellar starts. He’s played in playoff rounds that included back-to-back shutouts and posted steady performances that carried his team to a second consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearance. Dubnyk highlighted the young goalie’s experience: “He’s only 26 and already has more playoff experience than three-quarters of the league ever will. That’s remarkable. And he’s just hitting his prime.” Fans who are looking for the Oilers to trade Skinner quickly forget how much he’s learned in a relatively short career. And, as a wise person once told me, “You never lose, you either win or learn.” The assumption should be here that Skinner is learning. “I think going through it the first time, you go through that experience in the summer and then you realize the things you did well and the things you didn’t do well,” Skinner said to NHL.coms Derek Van Diest. “So going through it a second time, but being able to say you went through this does help you get over it quicker, just because you have to go back into training and do it all over again.” He’s figuring out what to do and what not to do. Skinner is learning what works and what doesn’t. If the Oilers trade that away for anything less than an obvious upgrade, they’re throwing away all of those valuable life and hockey lessons. How Long Do the Oilers Give Skinner? If we take into account his age, that he’s in his prime, and that Skinner is picking up lessons along the way that should contribute to his becoming a better and more reliable goaltender, there’s an argument that can be made to keep him in Edmonton. Still, questions remain about how long to wait before learning if he’s ever going to put all the pieces together. With expectations sky-high around stars like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the stakes are enormous. The Oilers are no longer in the window where they can afford to keep letting Skinner “figure it out.”
Report reveals how hard Warriors tried to trade for LeBron James
The Golden State Warriors have been linked to LeBron James on occasion over the last 18 months, but their interest in trying to trade for the Los Angeles Lakers star may be stronger than has been previously reported. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported this week that the Warriors would likely have some interest in James if the Lakers were ever to entertain a trade. To that end, the Warriors have called the Lakers on “multiple occasions” over the last 18 months to gauge the Lakers’ willingness to trade James. The report adds that there is a strong belief that James and Steph Curry very much enjoyed their time together as teammates during the 2024 Summer Olympics, which is one motivator for Golden State. The Lakers, of course, have not been willing to trade James, even though there were some hints of trouble between the two sides this summer. It is fair to question whether the Warriors would have the resources to pull off such a trade even if it were plausible. It is accurate that the Warriors are likely to be linked to James in any case where he is perceived to be available. Pairing him and Curry together would likely be a result of the Warriors trying to make one last run at a championship during the twilight of Curry’s career.
T.J. Watt addresses viral Instagram post that hinted new Steelers deal, ‘that was just…’
Pittsburgh Steelers star edge rusher T.J. Watt got rewarded handsomely in the offseason for being one of the best in the NFL at his position, and he had a few things to say about how the deal came about. The Steelers have made some big moves in the offseason, trading for Jalen Ramsey, signing Darius Slay, Aaron Rodgers, and DK Metcalf, alongside extending T.J. Watt. It capped off one of the most un-Steelers offseasons in years, and there is still more business to be done as Cam Heyward is holding in over his contract details. Watt signed a record three-year, $123 million extension, the highest deal for a non-quarterback, following months of tough negotiations between his agent and the Steelers. Many thought Watt’s Instagram post with Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig just hours before the deal was confirmed was a major hint of it being done. It turns out that wasn’t quite the case. T.J. Watt had no idea Steelers extension was done when he posted Instagram photo with Herbig Hours before T.J. Watt’s extension was confirmed, he posted a picture with Nick Herbig, and he had a sizeable grin of someone who’d just ended his holdout and earned a massive payday. That wasn’t the case. Asked if Herbig spilled the beans on the deal on Cam Heyward‘s podcast, Watt said: “You’re talking about the picture that we posted. No, that was literally just picture day at the gym! “I got home, and the deal, they called me, and the deal was done.” Herbig was then asked if he had done pushups before the picture, as he looked ‘jacked’. Aside from the comments that Watt looked remarkably bulkier than he did last year, they had mostly been about the star edge rusher signing a new deal or that they were training in Wisconsin. Herbig and Watt’s Alma Mater was Wisconsin, so some didn’t jump the gun, but the majority of fans went wild with speculation. The fact that his agent had sealed the deal with the Steelers a few hours later looked to have validated that speculation. Well, Watt has now dispelled that for good! Steelers have one of the most stacked edge rushing rooms in NFL after drafting Jack Sawyer The beauty of the NFL draft is that you are often left wondering how players fall to certain teams, like the Baltimore Ravens with Malaki Starks, bolstering an already incredibly defensive backs room. The same can be said for the Chiefs with Left Tackle Josh Simmons, who looks like a franchise LT already, and the Steelers with the Ohio State linebacker Jack Sawyer. Sawyer, a National Championship winner last season, fell to the fourth round, and conveniently into the arms of the Steelers, who already have an incredible pass-rushing unit. He joins Watt, Herbig, and ROLB Alex Highsmith in one of the most dangerous units in the league, which will be a prime test for the AFC North. Here’s what Watt said about Sawyer: “I just think it’s cool to see Jack pick our brains. We give him a hard time because now you can’t really haze rookies, so we’re trying to find ways to get under his skin. “It’s not very hard. But I think he’s going to be a good player for us. I think he’s a bigger body guy who can rush inside or outside, and you see his growth each and every day. It’s been pretty cool.” Baltimore, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Cleveland Browns will have to face that unit at least twice this season!
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