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Oklahoma State’s longest-tenured player is set for his final game at his first school and needs to carry his recent momentum for the Cowboys to win.
On Saturday, OSU will face Kansas in the teams’ only regular-season matchup. While the teams have typically played twice every season, the new 16-team Big 12 with a 20-game slate limits home-and-homes. While OSU won’t get the Jayhawks in Stillwater, OSU guard Bryce Thompson will still get to visit the court where he played his freshman season.
Thompson has spent the past four seasons in Stillwater, and it could be easy to forget he started his career at Kansas. Narrowly choosing the Jayhawks over the Cowboys out of high school in 2020, Thompson chose to come back to his home state and play in Gallagher-Iba Arena after only one season with Bill Self’s team. In the 2020-21 season with Kansas, Thompson averaged 4.6 points in 17.1 minutes across 20 games, leading to him searching for a larger role with the Cowboys.
With the recent report that Self considered taking the OSU job over the offseason, this game has some more fire than usual. As for the game itself, it could be a chance for Thompson to have some closure and earn his first win in Allen Fieldhouse as a Cowboy.
Since winning at Kansas in the 2017-18 season, the Cowboys have lost six straight there. The closest call came in a two-point loss on New Year’s Eve in the 2022-23 season, with Bryce Thompson scoring a then-career-high 23 points and nailing a game-tying 3-pointer with 14.8 seconds left before Kansas scored on its final possession to get the win a few seconds later.
Unfortunately, Thompson didn’t get the opportunity to have another big game in Kansas last season, as he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury only a few minutes into the contest. Outside of that game, Thompson has typically done well against the Jayhawks, averaging 15.8 points across the other five games, with four games of at least 10 points.
As he ventures back into the arena where his career began, he is coming off one of the best games in college, scoring a career-high 25 points in OSU’s bounce-back win against UCF on Wednesday. If Thompson can carry momentum from that game into Allen Fieldhouse, the Cowboys might be able to pull the upset.
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What does Nikolas Khamenia bring to Duke Basketball?
The Duke Blue Devils don't rebuild – they reload. Coming off of a 35-4 season (19-1 in ACC play) and a Final Four appearance in 2025, Jon Scheyer's program has not dropped off a bit since the departure of the legendary Coach K. Last season, Duke had three top-10 picks in the NBA Draft: Cooper Flagg (No. 1, Dallas Mavericks), Kon Knueppel (No. 4, Charlotte Hornets), and Khaman Maluach (No. 10, Phoenix Suns), and this year, they look to finally capture their first championship since Scheyer took over in 2021. Fans may not have to wait too long, as they are primed to do so this season. Not only do the Blue Devils bring back players like wing Isaiah Evans, point guard Caleb Foster, center Pat Ngongba, and forward Maliq Brown, but they also add an elite class of incoming talent on top of it, providing them with the infrastructure to once again compete for a National Title. The headliner of the 2025 Duke class is a unanimous five-star forward, Cam Boozer, as well as his brother, point guard Cayden Boozer, the sons of legendary Duke and NBA star Carlos Boozer. Italian wing Dame Sarr, a potential lottery pick from FC Barcelona of Liga ACB, brings positional versatility and high-ceiling offensive ability if the shot falls consistently. Another key piece of the class is Harvard-Westlake (CA) wing Nikolas Khamenia, a high-IQ jumbo creator at combo forward that can help facilitate an offense from the perimeter as well as provide solid shooting across the floor. Khamenia was a borderline five-star recruit by all services, garnering a 97.81 score on Rivals Industry Ranking. He was the 16th-ranked recruit in the country in 2025, the fourth-ranked small forward, and the fifth-best player in the state of California. At 6-foot-8, Khamenia has fantastic size for a prospect who will spend time at wing, using his height to see over the defense and make reads from the perimeter. He's a crafty ball handler in the painted area, and is able to finish with either hand near the rim. Combined with his passing ability, Khamenia is an all-around offensive weapon that will fit flawlessly into Jon Scheyer's offense, which utilizes four-out and five-out concepts as well as relies upon non-point guards to aid in facilitating offense, which is Khamenia's greatest strength as a player. In addition to all of these attributes, he is a very good shooter, taking advantage of his high release point and making it difficult for opposing players to contest his looks. As previously mentioned, his high-feel style is essentially tailor-made for Scheyer's scheme. Given the team that Duke has assembled for 2025-26, it would not be a surprise to see them hoist the NABC National Championship Trophy, or to see a player like Khamenia hear his name called in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft.
Steelers Fans Watch As Stephen A. Smith Destroys George Pickens In Epic Rant: 'Pick Up A Book'
Now, the Steelers’ wide receiver room is in an interesting spot. With Pickens gone, Metcalf is the clear number one option, but there are questions about who will step up behind him. Meanwhile, Pickens seems to be enjoying his time in Dallas. He has taken a few subtle jabs at the Steelers, suggesting he is in a better place and even praising the Cowboys for their Super Bowl history. His comments have raised eyebrows among fans and analysts alike. One person who wasn’t impressed was ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. During a passionate segment on First Take, Smith ripped into Pickens for his remarks about the Cowboys being a Super Bowl team. He reminded Pickens that the Steelers are the more successful franchise and questioned whether the receiver understood what he was saying. Smith didn’t hold back, calling on Pickens to "pick up a book" and making it clear that he found the comments not only disrespectful, but uninformed. "Let me pause for a second and look in the camera for a second at George Pickens," Smith said. "I like George Pickens. He can ball, and I am sorry that he is gone from the Steelers and has now been contaminated by that Dallas Cowboys fan base." Pickens’ comments were very interesting. It’s no secret he feels a certain way about how the Steelers traded him. He’s been trying to keep a positive mindset about his new situation in Dallas, but it’s clear he’s made it a priority to throw in a few subtle jabs. Pickens said he understands the camaraderie in Dallas more than he ever did with the Steelers. He also claimed the Cowboys are synonymous with Super Bowls, which was a controversial statement considering the Steelers have more championships all-time than Dallas. "Here’s the deal," Smith said. "George Pickens, do you have any idea? When you talk about the Super Bowl and the Cowboys, you do understand that the Steelers are the more successful franchise. Did you know that? Did you know that? Do you understand what the he** you are saying? I mean, my God, you talk about a brother who needs to pick up a book. I am sorry, but I just have to call him out on that." Smith made it very clear that he thinks Pickens is a great football player and that he’s still a fan of his, even though he’s no longer on the Steelers. When you consider what Pickens was able to accomplish during his three seasons in Pittsburgh, it’s impressive. He played in one of the worst offenses in the NFL, yet he still managed to produce and deliver some truly exciting moments despite the team’s struggles. Steelers Fans Still Curious About George Pickens Now he finds himself in a much better offensive situation in Dallas, but from a franchise and team standpoint, the Cowboys are in a worse position than the Steelers. That’s why Pickens’ recent comments didn’t make much sense and why Smith felt the need to call him out during his epic rant. Many Steelers fans remain divided on the Pickens trade. Although he’s no longer in Pittsburgh, a lot of fans will continue to keep tabs on how he performs with the Cowboys. Whether out of frustration, curiosity, or lingering support, Pickens' journey in Dallas will be closely watched by Steeler Nation.
Pittsburgh Steelers Stock Watch: Rookie UDFA is on pace to skyrocket up the WR depth chart through two weeks of training camp
The Steelers have managed to get through the dog days of training camp. With the first two weeks in the rearview, it's finally game week for the Steelers in 2025. But before we look ahead to the first exhibition of the season, let's take note of whose stock is rising on the Steelers' roster... Riser No. 1: Rookie UDFA WR Roc Taylor Roc Taylor has been one of the more consistent WRs throughout the entire unit. Honestly, between up and down days from Roman Wilson, and the injury to WR Calvin Austin III, Pittsburgh's most consistent wide receiver not named DK Metcalf, has been Roc Taylor. If there ever was a year where a UDFA WR makes the Steelers roster, it's 2025. There is a virtual unknown beyond CAIII and DK Metcalf. If Taylor's strong camp carries over to "in stadium" performances, as Mike Tomlin would call them in the preseason, he might be a shoe-in for the final 53. Riser No. 2: RB Jaylen Warren Jaylen Warren is clearly the incumbent at RB, but there has been, and still might be, a real shot that rookie Kaleb Johnson pushed him for that role. However, the rookie was indoctrinated to the Steelers' padded practice in camp last week. After losing his Backs on Backers reps to Malik Harrison, he fumbled the ball in a team period via a punch-out from DeShon Elliott. No fumbles alone will keep Warren as the clear starter, but when you add on that he was excellent in pass protection, it's clear that the vet has the leg up. Riser No. 3: TE Jonnu Smith After a slow start to camp with a day-to-day injury, the pads came on, and so did Jonnu Smith's game. He was dominant in one-on-ones, and he's made his fair share of plays in team settings despite running with the twos in 11 personnel or when only one tight end is on the field. The more weapons, the better. With Metcalf and Freiermuth solidified as the top two pass catchers, inserting Jonnu Smith into a flex role where he can be the tight end number two in 12 personnel or a slot WR in 11 personnel will get this offense going where it needs to be.
Green Bay Packers: MarShawn Lloyd’s Injury Opens Door For Experiment
The Green Bay Packers are dealing with some injuries heading into their first game in the 2025 NFL preseason. Among the hurt bodies on their roster is running back MarShawn Lloyd, who has impressed at Packers training camp but is down with a lower-body injury he suffered last week. The injury was initially blamed on a hit by defensive back Nate Hobbs, but it was later found out to be a non-contact type. With the former USC Trojans running back out of commission at the moment, the Packers are said to be open to testing out some creative approaches in the backfield. “I’m told the outlook for MarShawn Lloyd’s groin injury is roughly one to two weeks, so he could be back as early as next week,” wrote Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. “Don’t be surprised if the Packers, who love versatility on offense, experiment with backups Chris Brooks and Emanuel Wilson playing hybrid or fullback-type roles at times.” When will Green Bay Packers RB MarsShawn Lloyd be healthy again? As said by Fowler, the earliest Lloyd could return to the field is next week, which would rule him out for this coming Saturday’s preseason matchup versus the New York Jets at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Also, under that projection, he can be back in action for the meeting with the Indianapolis Colts on the road in Week 2. The Packers can also just be extra careful and hold him back for the entire offseason, as they look forward to having Lloyd 100 percent healthy for their first assignment in the 2025 NFL season, which is a home game against the Detroit Lions.
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