NC State vs. Kansas: The Wolfpack did not have enough on this day on the road against No.10 Kansas as they fell, 75-60. Ben Middlebrooks registered 14 points and 8 rebounds for NC State. Brandon Hatfield-Huntley and Marcus Hill combined for 22 points for the Wolfpack.
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When Coach Mark Pope built his 2025-26 Kentucky basketball roster, he made a "team" and didn't just add as many star players as he could, like some programs do. Coach Pope has been praised for this in the media, and it is going to pay off with a lot of wins this season. Part of building a roster this way is that the Wildcats have a lot of players who are considered breakout players to watch. An article came out from Sports Grid today that listed the top 20 potential breakout stars in college basketball, and two Kentucky Wildcats made the list. The two Wildcats listed in this article were Denzel Aberdeen and Jaland Lowe. Aberdeen is the perfect example of a breakout star because he put up solid numbers as a depth piece for the national champion Florida Gators last season. Aberdeen was one of those players that fans watched and thought to themselves, "Man, this kid could be special if he is given a larger role." Well, he is going to be given that larger role this season at Kentucky, and he is expected to shine. Lowe is the other player on this list, and he is a potential breakout star in a different capacity. He led Pitt in scoring last season, averaging 16.8 points per game, but the issue was he didn't do it in a very efficient way. The reason he is set to breakout is because in the Pope system at Kentucky, he will be getting a lot better looks trying to score the basketball. He should average around 15 points per game this season, but it will be much more efficient than what he did last season in the ACC. Many predict both of these two players to start for the Wildcats this season, and they will play a pivotal role in Kentucky having one of the better backcourts in the SEC. Guard play wins basketball games in March, and both Lowe and Aberdeen are going to be a massive part of the run this team goes on in the NCAA Tournament. Both Lowe and Aberdeen could be All-SEC performers this season.
Joint practices in the NFL can be really heated. Just take for example the one involving the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, with fights erupting on the field between players from both sides. Even though it’s just a practice session with nothing significant on the line, the competitive juices of players can get in the way and spark fiery moments on the field. If anything, at least no one appears to have been seriously hurt from the multiple altercations reported. However, Packers right tackle Zach Tom was reportedly tossed out of the field after throwing punches at a couple of Seahawks players. Despite all the chaos that transpired between the Packers and the Seahawks, Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald had great things to say about Green Bay. Seahawks head coach sends message to Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers Brady Henderson of ESPN noted that Macdonald started his session with the media after the practice, “by thanking Packers coach Matt LaFleur and the organization for hosting them.” In any case, Macdonald felt good overall about his players. “It’s hard to tell what happened, who said what,” Macdonald shared. “Look, you want your guys to defend their [teammates]. There’s a line. Whether we go past the line, I don’t think we did, which is good. Our guys stayed composed. But some of these things do tend to happen, and however it gets started … hopefully it’s not our guys, but people are going to react to a certain extent. I think our guys handled it pretty well.” The Packers and the Seahawks will still see each other on the field this offseason, as they are scheduled to play in their 2025 NFL preseason finale on Saturday at Lambeau Field.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel raised eyebrows when he spoke with well-known NFL reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala during Cleveland's preseason game at the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 16 and said that "there’s entertainers and there’s competitors...and my job is to compete and that’s what I’m focused on doing." Gabriel later insisted his comments weren't some type of shot at teammate and fellow rookie signal-caller Shedeur Sanders. While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Sanders revealed that he and Gabriel have addressed the matter behind the scenes. Sanders also teased that a reporter was "trying to start something" by asking if he believed that Gabriel wasn't referencing the former Colorado star this past weekend: For an article published on Thursday, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic wrote that it was "nonsensical" to think Kinkhabwala set Gabriel up "to take a swipe at a teammate" during what otherwise would've been a rather forgettable on-the-sideline conversation: Gabriel spoke with Kinkhabwala after the 24-year-old completed 13-of-18 pass attempts for 143 yards with a pick-six and a lost fumble against the Eagles. Sanders didn't play in that contest because of an oblique injury, but he will be third in the rotation for Cleveland's preseason finale versus the Los Angeles Rams this coming Saturday as long as he's deemed healthy. Week 1 QB1 Joe Flacco will start against the Rams and will take part in about "20 to 25 plays." Gabriel will then replace Flacco, followed by Sanders. Both Sanders and Gabriel will make their unofficial home debuts on the afternoon of Aug. 23. Sanders completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in Cleveland's preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 8. There continues to be no indication that the Browns will part ways with one of their four main active quarterbacks before Week 1, even though presumed backup Kenny Pickett won't participate in any preseason games because of the hamstring injury he suffered on July 26. That said, Pickett could potentially begin the campaign on injured reserve. Depending on Pickett's health, Saturday's contest at Cleveland's Huntington Bank Field could determine who serves as Flacco's primary backup for the Browns' regular-season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7.
The Green Bay Packers are just around a couple of weeks away from kicking off their 2025 NFL campaign. With Jordan Love seemingly on pace to fully recover from a recent thumb surgery, hopes are high that the team will be able to have a solid start in the upcoming season. Love has a solid group of weapons for him to work with in the passing attack. Much has been said about the team’s wide receiving room, which may be lacking a true No. 1 option, but is certainly brimming with talent, especially with the continued emergence of first-round wideout Matthew Golden. But Love is also excited about the Packers’ tight ends in Tufcker Kraft and Luke Musgrave. Love fired up by Green Bay Packers tight ends’ showing during Seattle Seahawks practice After the chaotic, fight-filled joint practice session with the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, Love expressed his trust and positive outlook for the said tight ends. “Definitely, I think that’s something that since they both got here and we’ve been able to see what they can do on the field,” Love said when asked if he was thrilled to see Kraft and Musgrave have great performances against the Seahawks’ defense, per Ryan Wood of USA Today. “I think that’s one thing that Matt and the guys dropped the plays and then kind of hunt for is to get them both on the field and do some pretty cool things in the pass game with them. And it obviously married all up with the run game. But the possibilities are endless for sure. “Those guys have been doing a great job in building. Tuck has done some great things on the field. And I think Luke’s having a great camp as well. Musgrave and Kraft are clearly talented options in the offense for Love, and at least one of them taking their game to the next level in 2025 should make Green Bay’s attack much deadlier. Musgrave missed several games in 2024 due to a stint on the injured reserve and only had 45 receiving yards on seven receptions and 10 targets. Kraft, on the other hand, has improved in each of his first two seasons in the league. Last season, he had 707 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 50 catches and 70 targets.
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