Emanuel Miller scored 21 points as TCU defeated Oklahoma State, 74-69, on Tuesday night in Stillwater, Okla., to snap a two-game skid.
The road win comes on the heels of consecutive losses, as the Horned Frogs entered just 2-2 on the road. TCU (14-5, 3-3 Big 12 Conference) shot 52.6 percent from the floor, as Micah Peavy added 16 points and Avery Anderson III finished with 15 points.
Oklahoma State (8-11, 0-6) dropped its sixth straight game, as the Cowboys didn't make a field goal in the 5:54. John-Michael Wright led the Cowboys with 16 points.
After a back-and-forth opening minutes of the first half, the Cowboys took an 8-6 lead to jumpstart a 13-0 run. Eric Dailey Jr. scored the first two baskets of the run and Oklahoma State knocked down three 3-pointers during the burst.
Bryce Thompson's 3-pointer with 5:58 remaining widened the lead to 17 points, but TCU responded. The Horned Frogs chipped away, cutting the deficit to single digits with 4:10 on Xavier Cork's dunk. TCU closed the opening half on a 14-2 spurt and trailed Oklahoma State 37-33 at the break.
The Horned Frogs took a 42-39 lead at the 17:38 mark of the second half before Oklahoma State regained the advantage on consecutive 3-pointers from Wright. The lead changed hands nine times in the second half, but never widened beyond five points for either side.
A 5-0 TCU run with under seven minutes left put the Horned Frogs up 66-61 before Wright countered with another 3-pointer on the Cowboys' ensuing possession. TCU maintained its lead down the stretch of the final five minutes.
With 1:02 left, Oklahoma State's Jarius Hicklen knocked down a pair of free throws, cutting TCU's lead to 72-69. After a missed TCU free throw, the Cowboys took possession, but turned it over on Javon Small's charging foul. Miller and Chuck O'Bannon Jr. each converted on a free throw for TCU in the final 19 seconds, sealing the Horned Frogs' win.
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The past year has been a big one for Purdue commit Luke Ertel. The 6-foot-1 guard has catapulted in the recruiting rankings with his play during the Indiana high school basketball season and into the AAU circuit. He capped off the summer with some impressive numbers. Ertel finished the 3SSB Circuit with Indiana Elite averaging 19.2 points and 5.4 assists per game and shot 40% from behind the three-point line. He also posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.32. With those numbers, the future Boilermaker ranked second in assists, seventh in scoring, fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio, and ninth in three-point percentage on the circuit, per Synergy Basketball. Not a bad summer for the rising high school senior. Ertel has been committed to Purdue since August 2024, an early pledge to the program. In the year since his verbal pledge to Matt Painter and the Boilermakers, the point guard's stock has continued to rise in the recruiting rankings. Ertel receives major bump in recruiting rankings When he first committed to Purdue, Ertel was listed as a three-star prospect by 247Sports and was ranked in the 100s as a member of the 2026 recruiting. Boy, how things have changed. In June, 247Sports updated its recruiting rankings for the 2026 class and Ertel received a major bump. He catapulted up to No. 54 in the updated rankings. The Fortville product is now considered the No. 1 prospect from Indiana and a top-five point guard in the cycle. During the 2024-25 campaign at Mt. Vernon, Ertel averaged 22.7 points, 4.0 assists, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. He also shot 51% from the floor and 45% from three-point range. The Marauders finished the season with a 21-6 record, reaching the semi-state round of the IHSAA Boys Basketball Tournament. In the Indiana Junior-Senior All-Star Game, Ertel scored 36 points, the most scored by a junior player in the game's history, per Kyle Neddenriep of The Indianapolis Star. The previous record was owned by former North Central star Eric Gordon and former Lawrence North standout Greg Oden, who both scored 29 points in the 2000s. Ertel also nearly recorded a triple-double in the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Game, scoring 36 points, dishing out 13 assists, and grabbing nine rebounds.
Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh clubbed his 40th home run of the season on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Angels, not only extending his major league lead but also making him the first player in baseball to reach the 40-home run mark this season. It also helped him make some history. With his 40th home run, Raleigh became both the first catcher and the first switch-hitter in baseball history to reach the 40 home run mark before the end of July. Here is a look at his 40th home run. He is already in the process of having one of the best seasons ever for a Mariners player, and also one of the best seasons ever for a catcher, for any team. Especially when you add in his defense, where he is one of the best defensive catchers in the league. His only serious competition for the American League MVP Award remains New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge. But with Judge sidelined for some time now due to an elbow injury, it might open the door for Raleigh to put himself in the lead for that award.
The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders special treatment in training camp, but it's not the type of favoritism the fifth-round pick would necessarily want. Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Sanders is the only Browns quarterback who has not been taking reps with the first-team offense during OTAs or the first two practices of training camp. Former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, veteran Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel have all split reps with the first team. Despite being asked to throw passes to members of the equipment staff amid a shortage of professional pass-catchers for a four-quarterback roster, Sanders said he's thankful for the opportunity to show the Browns coaching staff his talents. "I feel like that it's not in my control, so I'm not going to think about that or even have that in my thought process of why it is," Sanders said to a question as to why he's not getting first-team reps. "There's a lot of people who want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I'm here and I'm thankful to have the opportunity. So, whenever that is, that is." Sanders, 23, believes that he can contribute more to the Browns than what the coaching staff is asking of him. "It doesn't make me feel down or left out because I know who I am as a person," Sanders said. "I know who I am as an individual and I know what I could bring to this team. So, I can never feel less than any circumstance." The Browns selected Sanders with the No. 144 pick in April's draft. As a player whom many draft analysts thought was a first-round talent, Cleveland took what could be the steal of the draft in the fifth round. It's curious why the Browns aren't giving Sanders a shot with the first team early in training camp before the quarterback race becomes more serious. Cleveland should see what Sanders has to offer this summer. Flacco, 40, isn't a long-term solution at the position. Pickett failed in Pittsburgh. The Browns need to gauge what rookies Gabriel and Sanders can do with the first team. Having Sanders throw balls to the equipment staff is a waste of everyone's time. But then again, Cleveland has wasted plenty of quarterbacks.
The Green Bay Packers have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL. A big reason for this is their wide receiver room. For the past three seasons, they have relied on rookies and second-year players to carry the load on offense from a pass-catching perspective. However, that has led to some inconsistent play. Last year, drops were a huge issue, especially for former fifth-round pick Dontayvion Wicks. He was able to get open but would drop the ball in key moments. Wicks is determined to change the narrative and is already turning heads in training camp. Green Bay Packers WR Dontayvion Wicks Looking Good Wicks was the star of the 2-minute drill during Friday’s training camp practice. He found a hole in the zone and ran the post route. Quarterback Jordan Love saw him immediately and unloaded a long ball. The former Virginia receiver was all alone and caught a 49-yard touchdown pass to end the drill. This was one of the many great plays Wicks made throughout the practice. He was asked about the play after the practice. “I knew I had the post,” Wicks said. “I had a man on me. I released, ran full speed. I knew X was over the top. So I stemmed out a little bit and broke flat across. It was a runaway, and J-Love gave me the ball and I ran under it, and that was all from there.” This is great news for the Green Bay Packers. Drops can often be attributed to a lack of confidence. They can snowball. Once a player drops one pass, it can snowball into more drops. The same can be said about catches. Once a player gets confidence, it can be hard to stop. If Dontayvion Wicks has gotten his confidence, the league should watch out. No Problems Getting Open Wicks had no problems getting open last year. According to ESPN Analytics, he was open on 84% of his routes, thanks to a quick burst off the snap and his ability to find gaps in the zone. However, getting open doesn’t matter if a player can’t bring in the ball. The Green Bay Packers hope this is the start of a new player in 2025. Matthew Golden has also looked good in training camp, and Jayden Reed has vowed to drop fewer passes as well in 2025. If that trio can haul in passes, this offense could be one of the best in the league. Final Thoughts We always have to be cautious about training camp news. It can sometimes point to what will happen in the season, but not always. However, this seems like a step in the right direction for the Green Bay Packers. If Wicks gains confidence now, that should carry over into the season.
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