The Iowa Hawkeyes are gearing up for Tuesday night's Big Ten matchup against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Unfortunately, they are dealing with some concerns on the injury front.
Payton Sandfort, the team's standout forward, has been dealing with injuries to both his shoulder and leg. There have been questions swirling about his status for the game against Minnesota.
A concerning update has been given about his status for tomorrow's game.
As shared by Tyler Tachman of HawkCentral, Sandfort's status for the game against the Golden Gophers is currently uncertain. Frank McCaffrey, the team's head coach, does not know whether or not Sandfort will be good to go.
Obviously, that is not an ideal update for Iowa.
Throughout the course of the 2024-25 college basketball season thus far, Sandfort has put up great numbers for the Hawkeyes. He has played in 18 games, averaging 16.2 points per game to go along with 5.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
Sandfort has shot 41.2 percent from the floor and has knocked down 35.6 percent of his three-point attempts.
Recently, it was projected that Sandfort would end up being the final pick in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft.
Hopefully, a more positive update comes out about the standout forward in the near future. Having him miss any lengthy amount of time would be devastating for the Iowa basketball program.
Only time will tell, but this is clearly something to keep an eye on. Dealing with two injuries can end up dragging out and there have been no updates about just how severe these injuries actually are.
More information and updates are sure to come in the near future. For now, all fans can do is wait for those updates on Sandfort's status.
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It was a huge year in his first season at Arizona for Tobe Awaka and a year to sit and learn for Motiejus Krivas after suffering a season-ending injury early in the season. They return as two of the top bigs for the Wildcats under coach Tommy Lloyd. Here are five takeaways from Thursday’s press conference with Awaka and Krivas. Tobe Awaka did not consider transferring Awaka made it clear at Thursday’s press conference that he “had his eyes set” on returning to Arizona. “I felt like I had a coach that trusted me in coach Lloyd,” he added. “He has a great supporting staff as well, so in my mind there was no better place to be.” After playing a limited role across two years at Tennessee, Awaka saw his role take a significant step forward with the Wildcats. After not starting one game with the Volunteers, he started 36 of the 37 games he appeared in last season, and he figures to remain in a big role down low as one of the top offensive rebounders in the country. When reflecting on what he learned and how he grew last season, Awaka attributed his success to his teammates and coaching staff. “I think as a player, I really sort of grew learning how to play a game and how to make certain reads,” Awaka said. “I was sort of put in more uncomfortable situations in practice and games, and I think I became a better player because of it.” Motiejus Krivas fully healthy There were high expectations for Krivas going into next season. He appeared in the first eight games of the year before a lower leg injury cut his season short. Now with a new season around the corner, he is back to practicing in “full force” as he noted in Thursday’s press conference. “I’m feeling great so far,” Krivas said. He added that it was at the end of spring or the start of summer when he was fully cleared to do everything at practice. After having to sit for the majority of the season, Krivas learned not to take anything for granted. “Nothing is given to you,” he said. “I learned to become a student of the game and don’t feel bad for myself, but try to take every practice I used to watch or every game and learn something new from it.” Three-point shooting Krivas has not attempted a single three-point shot across 44 games he has played in with Arizona and Awaka attempted just five shots from deep across the 37 games he appeared in last year. It is something they have both talked about working on with their games this summer as a way of opening up the offense, most notably in rotations where they are on the court together. “For me, it has been a big area of focus,” Awaka said. “Just getting reps in on the move and stationary. Obviously it’s just really to help expand the offense, make it flow easier and give our guards easier driving lanes so there's not too much pressure on him.” It is an area of the game many bigs have worked on under Lloyd throughout his coaching career at Arizona, most recently with Henri Veesaar last season who attempted far more three-point shots in year two compared to year one in the system at Arizona. Krivas also added how it can help open up the offense when the bigs are able to play on the outside and shoot from deep. The group of new players The common theme among the players this summer, more notably the newcomers, is all about the physicality and maturity of the new players who are joining the team this year. That includes the incoming freshmen of Koa Peat, Brayden Burries, Dwayne Aristode and Bryce James. “They are very well mannered and mature in just how they carry themselves,” Awaka said. “They’re very focused and driven. They play really hard, so that’s great to see and obviously they have the skill set and the ability to play at this level.” Speaking specifically about James, Awaka immediately noted his sense of humor. “He is a regular kid and he’s been really fun to be around,” he added. “I feel like he has really ingratiated himself within the group. He is working hard in the weight room, on the court, learning the whole concept of college basketball and defensive schemes… It has been fun to see him grow.” Learning from last year’s tough schedule It was a gauntlet for Arizona immediately in non-conference play last season and it’ll be no different this year with a schedule that starts with a game against the defending national champions in Florida. Awaka talked about his biggest takeaway from last year’s schedule being more from a “schematics standpoint.” “Just how we want to run our offense and how we want to play defense, I think that’s what we sort of took the most,” he added. “I think also our unity as a team grew. I feel like within adversity, that drew us together… I definitely feel like it was sort of a bonding moment for the whole team.”
Athletics rookie first baseman Nick Kurtz already had an impressive start to his career. Kurtz entered Friday having posted a .288/.360/.622 batting line in 265 plate appearances, hitting 19 homers and 17 doubles. Despite making his major league debut on April 23, Kurtz has been the A's most valuable player, leading the team with 2.6 bWAR. He appeared to be on the cusp of becoming the superstar the A's needed to sell the team to the residents of Las Vegas. That performance set the stage for what may have been the most impressive game for any rookie in major league history. Kurtz became the 20th player in MLB history to have a four-home run game and the first rookie to achieve that feat. Kurtz's performance also put the 2025 season into baseball history. Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez had a four-home run game on April 26, making this the third time that there have been two four-homer games in a season. That had happened in 2002 (outfielders Mike Cameron and Shawn Green) and 2017 (utility man Scooter Gennett and left fielder J.D. Martinez). Kurtz did not stop with those four homers. He was 6-6 in the A's 15-3 victory over the Astros, with a double and eight runs batted in. The favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year award, Kurtz put an emphatic stamp on an already impressive season with his barrage on Friday.
Shortly after former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback and current college football analyst Greg McElroy shared that someone "in the know" believes there's a possibility Nick Saban — who retired in January 2024 — might return to coaching, NFL insider Albert Breer suggested that the Dallas Cowboys could be a potential destination for the seven-time national champion. According to Mike Rodak of 247Sports, Saban was asked during a Friday appearance on Fox News if he intends to come out of retirement. "No, I'm really happy with what I'm doing right now," Saban responded. "It's exciting to still be involved in the game. It's exciting for me to work with athletic directors, conference commissioners, people in Congress to preserve the integrity of our game and continue to be able to create opportunities to help young people create value for their future that will help them be successful in their life, which is what we always try to do as a coach." Saban, now working as an ESPN analyst, will be 74 in October. Per Christian Datoc of the Washington Examiner, President Donald Trump could consider having Saban "lead a new commission examining problems arising with the growth of name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights and coinciding changes to the NCAA transfer process." Meanwhile, it's thought that Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones could look to hire a big-name candidate if first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer fails to impress during the 2025 campaign. Additionally, Fox Sports personality Colin Cowherd recently hinted that Saban could be interested in becoming the head coach of the Cleveland Browns if the team selects Texas quarterback Arch Manning as the first pick in the 2026 draft. "There is no opportunity that I know of right now that would enhance me to go back to coaching," Saban added during Friday's segment. "I enjoy what I'm doing. I did it for 50 years. I loved it. I loved the relationships with the players. I loved the competition. But it's another station of life now. I enjoy what I'm doing right now and want to continue to do it — spend more time with my family, my grandchildren, my children. It's been really, really good." The "right now" portion of Saban's comments attracted the attention of Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, who was quick to point out he did not say "no for good" regarding a return to coaching. In short, it seems that rumors about Saban's future could hover over the college and pro football communities through at least the rest of the year.
Pete Carroll and John Spytek definitely laid the law down on Thursday night when veteran defensive tackle Christian Wilkins was released. They sent a message. Take care of your bodies and listen to our medical staff. If not, you will be on the outside looking in. Wilkins made a horrible career and financial decision by not following the Raiders medical team's advice. It could potentially cost him $35.5 million in guaranteed money. Aside from losing his job and a potentially a lot of money, Wilkins is still injured. His chances of signing with another team gets slimmer by the day. Wilkins sent a message to the Raiders by not following medical advice. The Raiders sent a bigger message by releasing him. This spring the Raiders reportedly wanted Wilkins to have a second surgery to remedy the issues with his Jones fracture. It has been reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network that Wilkins did not want to go under the knife one more time. He wanted to let the foot heal with therapy and rehabilitation. The Raiders were having none of that. The team voided his guarantee of $35.5 million on June 4. Wilkins filed a grievance through the NFLPA just prior to his release. It could be ascertained from the statement the team released after Wilkins was given his walking papers they were fed up with him and they wanted to flex their muscles. The tone of the message cut like a knife. Wilkins, once a hot commodity, became a pariah in a little more than a year, “We have decided that it is in the best interest of the organization to move on from Christian Wilkins and he has been informed of his release from the team,” the statement read. “This franchise has a Commitment to Excellence on and off the field. With no clear path or plan for future return to play from Christian, this transaction is necessary for the entire organization to move forward and prepare for the new season.” Carroll was even more succinct when he addressed the media on Friday. He said the team was methodical in reaching its decision and the rearview mirror is very small. There is no looking back. “It took a long time to make our decision,” Carroll said. “I think there was no clear path to his return. So, we just had to move on.” Follow us today on X @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr and weigh in on the situation with Wilkins. Go visit our Facebook page to find our daily content, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
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