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NBA Power Rankings: Streaking Bucks back on top; new-look Lakers making moves; struggling Heat take a tumble

NBA Power Rankings: Streaking Bucks back on top; new-look Lakers making moves; struggling Heat take a tumble

1


Bucks
 Giannis goes out, doesn’t matter. The Bucks’ win streak now sits at 14 games after Jrue Holiday’s 33 points powered Milwaukee past Phoenix on Sunday. With Jae Crowder playing and Bobby Portis back, the Bucks just need their MVP candidate to complete the puzzle. — 43-17
2


Celtics
 Boston closed out a 3-1 week with an impressive road win over the 76ers on Saturday. Their only loss came against the Bucks, without Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Brown has looked great since returning from a facial fracture donning a sleek, black mask, averaging 28 points in two games on 5-for-9 3-point shooting. — 44-17
3


Nuggets
 The Nuggets were rolling before a dud loss to the Grizzlies on Saturday, and they eked out one of the best games of the year on Sunday against the Clippers to get back in the win column. Aaron Gordon made his return to the lineup against L.A. after a five-game absence, a welcome sight for Denver. 2 43-19
4


76ers
 The Sixers beat the Rockets, Cavs and Grizzlies this week to run their winning streak to five games before Saturday’s loss to the Celtics — which was milliseconds away from going to overtime on Joel Embiid’s miraculous heave from three-quarters court. He and James Harden combined to average nearly 55 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists per game this week. — 39-20
5


Grizzlies
 Xavier Tillman proclaimed the Grizzlies have their “swagger back” after a 2-1 week that ended with a throttling of the first-place Nuggets. Six players scored in double-figures in the win, which came after losing a late lead to the 76ers on Thursday. 2 36-23
6


Knicks
 Things just keep on rolling for the Knicks, who won four games this week to make it five in a row overall. Julius Randle has been on fire of late, averaging 29.3 points on 51/42/94 shooting splits for the week. 3 35-27
7


Kings
 The Kings picked up their best win of what has been a very impressive season, launching multiple late comebacks in the second-highest scoring game in NBA history against the Clippers. They finished off the Thunder on Sunday to make it a 3-1 week, as things are clicking for Sacramento. 1 35-25
8


Cavaliers
 The Cavs went into the break hot, but lost to the Nuggets and Hawks on the other side before Sunday’s win over the Raptors. Donovan Mitchell put up 30 points per game for the week on 42 percent 3-point shooting. 5 39-25
9


Clippers
 The Russell Westbrook era is off to an 0-2 start, though both games were extremely eventful overtime affairs. They lost the second-highest scoring NBA game of all time against the Kings, then failed to pull out one of the most entertaining finishes of the year in Denver on Sunday. Westbrook has averaged 17 points and nine assists in his two games with the Clippers. 3 33-30
10


Suns
 In what could be the last week before the dawn of the Kevin Durant era, the Suns beat the Kings and Thunder with losses to the Clippers and Bucks. Buyout acquisition Terrence Ross is already paying dividends, putting up 10.7 points, four rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes per game so far. 2 33-29
11


Nets
 After a brief honeymoon period, the reality of having a roster full of new faces may be catching up to Jacque Vaughn and the Nets, who lost three games this week. One constant is Mikal Bridges, who averaged 22.3 points for the week on 45 percent 3-point shooting, including a career-high 45 points in Brooklyn’s win over Miami in their last game before the break. 3 34-26
12


Lakers
 The Lakers have emerged from the All-Star break on a mission, winning their last three games overall, including a 27-point comeback against the Mavericks on Sunday. The new pieces look great, and they’ve won their last two largely without D’Angelo Russell. Something could be brewing here. 12 29-32
13


Warriors
 The Warriors went 3-2 this week, not bad at all considering Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins missed all but one game and Draymond Green didn’t suit up for the last two. Klay Thompson has carried the offense with pre-injury form, averaging 37 points with 18 total 3-pointers in his last two games. 4 31-30
14


Mavericks
 The not-so-smooth start for the Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving era in Dallas continued with a 27-point blown lead in Sunday’s loss to the Lakers. The Mavs are now 1-3 when both stars play, but they have a net rating of plus-4.6 when they’re on the floor together. 3 32-30
15


Jazz
 It was a strong week for the Jazz, who beat the Pacers, Thunder and Spurs while losing to the Grizzlies. Lauri Markkanen followed up his first All-Star appearance with a 43-point effort in a thrilling overtime win over OKC. 4 31-31
16


Hornets
 OK then, who woke up the Hornets? They won all four games this week as the normally porous defense turned things up by allowing 108.9 points per 100 possessions. 13 19-43
17


Hawks
 An eventful week for the Hawks, who parted ways with Nate McMillan and will soon welcome Quin Snyder into the fold. In the meantime, they’ve won both of their games under interim head coach Joe Prunty, with Trae Young dropping 34 points — including the game-winning basket — against the Nets on Sunday. 4 31-30
18


Raptors
 Wins over the Magic, Pelicans and Pistons brought Toronto’s overall streak to four games, but they finished off the week with a blowout loss to the Cavs. Jakob Poeltl has been productive since making his return north of the border, and winning has followed. 2 30-32
19


Heat
 Four straight losses prompted Jimmy Butler to publicly convey a newfound sense of urgency for the Heat. They allowed 119 points per 100 possessions this week while scoring just 106. 9 32-29
20


Pelicans
 Things aren’t looking great for the Pelicans, who have lost three in a row and are still without Zion Williamson. The offense has been absolutely dreadful despite CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram being relatively healthy, as New Orleans put up just 104 points per 100 possessions for the week. 4 30-31
21


Wizards
 The Wizards lost to the Warriors, Knicks and Bulls this week, with wins over the Blazers and Wolves. Kristaps Porzingis, Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma led the way offensively, as usual, with each averaging over 20 points per game. — 28-32
22


Timberwolves
 The Wolves started off the week with a win over the Mavs, but then lost three straight to the Wizards, Hornets and very short-handed Warriors. Anthony Edwards averaged 31.7 points in the first three games before putting up just 12 in the loss to Golden State on Sunday. 7 31-32
23


Trail Blazers
 Well, that’s one way to end a week. Damian Lillard dropped a career-high 71 points and 13 3-pointers in a win over the Rockets on Sunday, putting an exclamation mark an otherwise mediocre 2-2 week for Portland. It was the first time any player in NBA history has scored at least 70 points in fewer than 40 minutes. Let’s put the team stuff aside for just a second and honor this man. Goodness. — 29-31
24


Pacers
 The Pacers beat the Bulls and Magic this week, with losses to the Jazz and Celtics. Myles Turner missed a game, but had an otherwise impressive week, averaging 27 points and nine rebounds on 55 percent 3-point shooting, including a career-high-tying 40-point outburst against Boston. 2 27-35
25


Magic
 Orlando went 2-2 this week with wins over the Bulls and Pistons and losses to the Raptors and Pacers. Franz Wagner and Markelle Fultz led the team with 17.3 points per game apiece. — 25-36
26


Bulls
 The bad news is Chicago lost its first three games this week. The good news is they beat the Nets and Wizards to close things out, and Chicago is now 2-0 with an average winning margin of 32 points in the Patrick Beverley era. 4 28-33
27


Thunder
 OKC lost four games this week, the last two coming without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander due to an ankle injury. Feel-good story Isaiah Joe went off for a career-high 28 points in a valiant effort against Phoenix on Friday. 9 28-32
28


Pistons
 An 0-3 week for the Pistons included some interesting lineup experimentation with their plethora of bigs. Newcomer James Wiseman averaged 9.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in almost 23 minutes per game. 1 15-46
29


Spurs
 It’s a strange existence where every loss is actually seen as a positive for the ultimate future of the franchise, but maybe, like, one win would be nice. Sixteen in a row with no signs of slowing. At least Malaki Branham is getting his reps, averaging 19.3 points this week on 57/42/100 shooting splits. 1 14-47
30


Rockets
 There’s losing, and then there’s THIS. The Rockets have given up 25 3-pointers and 113 points to just two players — Damian Lillard and Klay Thompson — in their last two games. It’s hard to overstate how bad things have gotten in Houston. 2 13-47

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Sunday Seminoles Summary: Catching you up on the latest in FSU sports

Sunday Seminoles Summary: Catching you up on the latest in FSU sports

In case you missed the last ‘TN Triple-S’ coverage of Florida State Seminoles athletics, here is the recap: Sunday Seminoles Summary: #24 FSU women face Georgia Tech on Senior Day, softball, baseball, and all the latest Seminoles sports updates.

The Florida State Seminole athletic program had quite a week, topped off with the Men’s Basketball upset of #13 Miami. The FSU softball team won all 6 of their games this week, the baseball team remains undefeated on the season, and the women’s basketball team, after winning their 2 games this week close out their regular season this afternoon at Clemson.

Tomahawk Nation is committed to keeping you up to date on all Florida State sports information and media press releases from the FSU SID or that we source ourselves.

Feel free to include any other FSU related news of any kind that we may have missed in the comment section.

Most of the summaries below are courtesy of FSU SID, Tomahawk Nation, and the Twitters.

  • No. 23 Florida State Women’s Basketball finishes the regular season at Clemson on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Littlejohn Coliseum.

How to watch/listen

  • TV: Sunday’s game at Clemson will air on the ACC Network.
  • Radio: The matchup can be heard locally on 96.5 FM and 1270 AM, and can be accessed anywhere on Seminoles Leanplayer.
  • In-game updates: Fans can follow on the FSU Women’s Basketball Twitter Account (@fsuwbb).

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

  • Florida State Women’s Basketball (23-7, 12-5) is looking to finish the regular season with 13 conference wins, which would be the most since also getting 13 wins in the 2016-17 season (last NCAA Elite Eight appearance).
  • Freshman Ta’Niya Latson has been arguably the top player in the ACC this season. Her 21.83 points per game leads the conference, as she is looking to become the first freshman ever to lead the ACC in points per game.
  • The Seminoles and Tigers (15-14, 6-11) meet for the 64th time on Sunday afternoon. In the first meeting, FSU had five players in double figures, including Latson’s 31 points, in a 93-62 win at the Tucker Center on Jan. 5, 2023.
  • Florida State is looking to reach 24 regular-season wins on Sunday. Reaching that mark would tie for the fourth-highest regular-season win total in program history since joining the ACC in 1991-92, and the highest since the 2017-18 season (24 regular-season wins). FSU is on the cusp of recording its seventh 25-win season since joining the conference.
  • Florida State went 5-0 against the North Carolina schools in the ACC for the first time in program history during the regular season. The Seminoles swept Wake Forest, defeated No. 13 UNC on the road (78-71), beat No. 11 NC State at home (91-72) and also took down No. 16 Duke at home (70-57).
  • The Seminoles are one of the ACC’s biggest risers based on preseason predicted order of finish vs. current standing. Picked ninth in the preseason, FSU is up five spots and tied at fourth in the league. The other comparable team is Duke, which was predicted seventh and is up six spots and tied for first.
  • Leading the ACC and sitting seventh nationally in scoring offense with 81.6 points per game, FSU is hoping to average 80 points or more for just the third time in program history. It averaged 81.0 points in 2017-18 and 83.8 points in the 1990-91 season.
  • With 213 3-point field goals made, FSU is 17 away from breaking the school record of 229 by the 2017-18 team.
  • Ta’Niya Latson owns seven of the ACC’s 13 30-point games this season, with her seven being an FSU single-season record. Of the league’s eight 30-point games in ACC play, Latson owns four of them.
  • A win over Clemson by the Seminoles and a loss by Louisville vs. Notre Dame would clinch another double-bye in the ACC Tournament for FSU. If the scenario happens, it would be FSU’s seventh Top 4 seed in the conference tournament in the last nine years.
  • Florida State has a chance to secure another ACC Tournament double-bye despite losing more than half of its scoring production from last season. FSU returned 47.8 percent of its scoring from 2021-22.
  • Head Coach Brooke Wyckoff coaches in her 50th game on Sunday. Her 33 wins are already the most by an FSU head coach through her first 50 games. In her interim season in 2020-21, she took an FSU team pegged eighth in the league to a fourth-place finish in the ACC regular season.
  • Florida State is on the verge of making its 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament. In that span, the Seminoles have nine straight winning seasons in conference play (2014-15 season to present).
  • Florida State has managed to score 70 or more points in 28 of its 30 games played.
  • The Seminoles rank in the Top 10 nationally in blocks per game (third), free throws made per game (fifth), defensive rebounds per game (sixth), scoring offense (seventh) and rebounds per game (ninth).
  • FSU currently has a No. 17 NET ranking with five wins against the Top 50 and 15 wins against the Top 100.

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No. 23 Florida State (23-7, 12-5 ACC) defeated Wake Forest 14-14, 5-12 ACC) by a 61-60 score tonight in Winston-Salem, NC.

Game Recap

The game started out tight. Neither team could maintain a significant advantage in the first quarter....continued *FOR FREE

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No. 24 Florida State (22-7, 11-5 ACC) defeated Georgia Tech (13-14, 4-12 ACC) by an 80-66 score today in Tallahassee, FL.

Game Recap

The first quarter was tight throughout. However, Georgia Tech won the quarter 24-21 primarily because Florida State was unable to keep the Jackets from getting to the basket....continued *FOR FREE

Florida State softball stayed undefeated on the weekend, closing out the Unconquered Invitational, playing Lamar and Troy.

Game 1: FSU 11-3 Lamar

Allison Royalty got the start for the first time on the weekend….continued *FOR FREE

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After a close game that turned into a run rule yesterday, Florida State softball looked to dominate day two of the Unconquered Invitational.

Game 1: FSU 4-0 Lamar

Ali Dubois got another start in the circle for Florida State….continued *FOR FREE

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Kicking off the Unconquered Invitational was the FGCU Eagles against the Florida State Seminoles. The pitching match up saw Mack Leonard for FSU and Ally Hulme for FGCU.

A shaky first inning defensively for FSU…continued *FOR FREE

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For the first time in her career as a Florida State Seminole, freshman Madi Balk got the start against North Florida. Getting her first start, Balk gave up a lead off walk, but left it stranded on first to get out of the inning….continued *FOR FREE

Florida State came into the weekend series vs. the Horned Frogs the underdog — not out of any perceived slights, moreso a realistic reflection of what was known about the two teams and what had so far been displayed this season.

While nobody thought it was unimaginable that the Seminoles could head into Forth Worth and snag a win or two, the performances put up by FSU through the first two game…continued *FOR FREE

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Friday: Baumeister leads FSU over No. 8 Texas Christian, 10-1

Florida State switched up their pitching rotation, starting Jackson Baumeister and giving Carson Montgomery extra rest. The switch paid off in a big way as the sophomore had the best outing of his young career with eight strikeouts over 5.2 scoreless innings. Baum did not allow a hit until the sixth inning and kept the Frog bats confused until the end of his night. Wyatt Crowell followed and ended the threat with filth from the mound.

FSU’s offense struggled early against TCU starter Ryan Vanderhei, who recorded nine punch outs on the night but the sixth inning would be the difference maker. The Seminoles would plate three runs in the top half of the inning. FSU recorded three hits, including doubles from Colton Vincent and Jaime Ferrer and took advantage of a wild pitch and error. Florida State scored two more in the eighth and broke the game open in the ninth with a bases loaded clearing double from James Tibbs. The Seminoles tacked on two more to take game one 10-1.

Series Preview: Florida State is on the road to taking on the No. 8 Texas Christian University Horned Frogs (3-1). TCU started the year off well, beating two of three SEC teams and picking up a win in the mid-week. The two SEC wins were against top 10 teams while the loss was an extra-inning affair to Missouri. Against Vanderbilt and Arkansas, the Horned Frogs put up 11 and 18 runs and have given up more than six runs only once this year.

This is a big step up in competition for FSU and a very good test. Has the offense’s hot start been a case of facing bad pitching or has FSU really turned a corner? Can the pitching hold up well enough to secure a win or two?

We’ll find out.

Sunday: 2:00 PM ET

Watch | Listen | Live Stats

RHP Carson Montgomery 0-0 2.25 ERA vs RHP Cam Brown 2.25 ERA

Florida State baseball, after a win on the road, is now 4-0 on the season.

Despite dropping behind early FSU clobbered the Dolphins 11-2. Starter Ben Barrett gave up the lead.…continued *FOR FREE

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Over the weekend, Florida State swept James Madison to start the Link Jarrett era in Tallahassee, winning by scores of 12-7, 5-1 and 17-10.

Between big hits and plenty of runs, a major theme of the weekend was a strong offensive showing up and down the lineup.

“There were more positives than negatives,” Jarrett said following the sweep. “It’s hard to beat somebody three games.”...continued *FOR FREE

The Florida State Seminoles pulled off the biggest miracle of the year, knocking off the No. 13 Miami Hurricanes on the road on a buzzer-beater from Matthew Cleveland. The Noles reign in South Florida continues with “Mayhem in Miami” for the biggest comeback win in ACC history....continued *FOR FREE

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Robert Johnson went to the crossroads and sold his soul to the devil, but unless you know something I don’t, that’s probably not an option for FSU basketball. The ‘Noles will stay earthbound, and likely tie the record for most losses in program history...continued *FOR FREE

This is the place we’ve set up for our members to discuss the Florida State Seminoles men’s basketball for any breaking news, recruiting, players eligible for the NBA Draft, and any other basketball related news you may want to bring up for discussion….Continued *FOR FREE

  • Kjettrup Has Record Performance in Win at Watersound

WATERSOUND, Fla. – Junior Frederik Kjettrup of the 11th-ranked Florida State Men’s Golf team earned an emphatic win at the Watersound Invitational, shooting a record-low 18-under par (66-67-65) for his second career collegiate victory on Tuesday afternoon at Shark’s Tooth Golf Club.

Kjettrup’s 18-under is the lowest three-round score in program history. He eclipsed a 56-year old record held by Seminole Alum Carl DiCesare, who had a 17-under at the Buckhaults Golf Tournament on March 17, 1967.

With top-ranked Gordon Sargent of Vanderbilt trying to charge up the leaderboard, Kjettrup’s final-round 65 proved he wouldn’t be denied. The Denmark native won at Watersound by five strokes, carding nine birdies in his final round to put an exclamation point on a huge weekend for the All-American.

For the second straight year, Kjettrup put together a collegiate tournament win. On March 22, 2022, he collected his first victory at the All-American Intercollegiate when he shot 3-under.

Throughout the Watersound Invitational, Kjettrup dominated the par 4 holes, totaling 8-under over the three rounds. He also led the field with an impressive 21 birdies in three rounds played.

The Seminoles finished in third place behind tournament winner Vanderbilt (ranked first nationally) and 12th-ranked Georgia Tech. FSU shot 24-under overall, using a 13-under final round to end its stay on a high note.

Sophomore Michael Mays had a breakout tournament, finishing as the top individual at 12-under to tie for fourth overall. Mays finished nine strokes ahead of the next closest individuals, which were Vanderbilt’s Reid Davenport, FSU’s Jack Bigham and Alabama’s Jones Free.

Junior Brett Roberts tied for ninth at 7-under (68-67-74). Redshirt junior Cole Anderson tied for 22nd at 2-under (71-75-68) along with sophomore Patrick McCann (76-66-72).

Florida State returns to the Cabo Collegiate held March 5-7 in Cabo, Mexico.

RESULTS

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  • W. Golf: Woad Finishes 3rd To Lead FSU at Moon Invitational

Florida State’s Lottie Woad finished in third place with a 10 under par score of 206, and the Florida State Women’s Golf Team finished in 11th place in the team standings as play in the Moon Invitational on the Classic Course at the Suntree Country Club came to a close. Woad’s final score of 206 tied her personal best, while her score vs. par of minus 10 ranked as a personal best in just the sixth tournament of her Florida State career.

Woad’s third place finish marked her fifth top four individual finish in the first six events of her career. She has now finished in a tie for first (Ivy Intercollegiate), third (Moon Invitational), tied for fourth three times (Cougar Classic, Landfall Tradition and the Collegiate Invitational) and in eighth once (Schooner Fall Classic) during her freshman season at Florida State. She is a cumulative total of minus 32 below par as a Seminole.

The Seminoles were led on the leader board in the third round by junior Charlotte Heath who carded a 5 under par score of 67, Woad who carded a 1 under par 71, and Alice Hodge who carded an even par 72. The Seminoles carded a 9 under par team score of 279 in the final round of the tournament – the second-best score of the final round. Michigan State, which finished in fourth place in the team standings, totaled a team score of 12 under par 276. The Spartans finished with a 14 under par team total of 850.

LSU won the championship by a whopping margin of nine strokes over Northwestern. The Lady Tigers finished 30 shots under par and led the team race from wire to wire in winning the title. Leila Rines of Michigan State and Maribel Ting of Augusta finished as the co-medalists with identical scores of 13 under par 203.

“We put our backs against the wall, and showed what we can do as we put up the second-best team round of the final day,” said Head Coach Amy Bond. “As the conditions got harder, we got better. Today’s round was a great team effort. Now it’s time to regroup and have a couple of good weeks of practice before we play in the Augusta Invitational.”

In earning her second top-three career finish, Woad finished the event with scores of 66-69-71 for a 54-hole total of 206. Her score of 206 tied her personal-best mark for a three round collegiate event. She also carded a 206 in finishing in a tie for fourth place in the individual standings in the Cougar Classic — her first career event. She has now finished below par in five of her six career tournaments.

In the final round of the Moon, Woad carded three birdies to bring her tournament total to 15 – tied for the third-highest total among the 97 players in the championship. She was above par for just one hole in the entirety of the Moon Invitational.

Heath played the best golf of the final round for the Seminoles, with a team-leading 5 under par score of 67. She totaled scores of 74-71-67 for a three-round total of 4 under par 212. Heath totaled a 4 under par total of 138 in the final two rounds of the tournament. Heath totaled six birdies in the final round – one more than she totaled in the first two rounds, as she finished with the best single round score of the spring season.

Heath finished in a tie for 17th place in the individual standings to gain her 19th career top-20 finish. She has played in 24 career events and has finished outside of the top-20 just five times.

Senior Amelia Williamson carded a 3 under par score of 69 in the final round and finished with scores of 72-75-69 for an even par total of 216. She totaled rounds of even par or better in the first and third rounds, and finished in a tie for 32nd place in the individual standings. Wiliamson’s score of 69 in the final round helped her move up 30 positions in the standings from the end of the second round to the end of the third round.

Junior Alice Hodge played her best golf of the event as she finished with an even par score of 72. She carded her sixth career eagle on hole No. 18 in the third round.

Florida State continues its spring season as it travels to play in the Valspar Augusta Invitational at the Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. March 11-12, 2023.

It has been about two weeks since Florida State fell to North Carolina in the first national semifinal game. Therefore enough time has passed to allow us to evaluate the season a bit more dispassionately. We will also discuss the (very) early prospects for next season.

These are real questions posed by real people in the sense that they are actual questions (they end in a question mark) and I am a real person. I have written all of the questions….continued *FOR FREE

  • FLORIDA STATE MEN FINISH SECOND, WOMEN SIXTH AT THE 2023 ACC INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Florida State’s men’s indoor track and field team finished second and the women sixth at the 2023 ACC Indoor Championships that finished Saturday in Louisville, Ky. Jeremiah Davis’ wins in both the men’s long and triple jump led the team’s performances over the three-day meet.

“Our men competed really well,” FSU Head Coach Bob Braman said. “We scored a few more points than last year at the ACC Indoors where we also finished as runner-up.

“A year ago, we followed this meet with a 50-point win at the ACC Outdoor Championships which is an ACC record. Let’s hope history repeats itself.”

Davis set a facility record in winning the men’s triple jump with a leap of 16.36 meters, passing a pair of All-Americans to do so. Xavion Lockwood was also outstanding finishing fifth with a leap of 15.49 meters which is over a foot further than his previous best. Kyvon Tatham’s best jump of 13.52 meters was good for 14th place.

Coming off a slow start, FSU senior Ismael Kone turned it on to come from behind and win the ACC Championship in the men’s 60-meter dash with a time of 6.57. Amir Willis clocked in at 6.602 to finish third and Taylor Banks was sixth at 6.66.

Willis would later earn another trip to the podium and All-ACC honors with a second-place finish in the 200 meters with a personal best time of 20.51.

The men’s 60-meter dash produced 19 critical points for the Seminole team. DaeQwan Butler’s time of 46.45 was good for second place and gives him another national top-six mark. Both Alex Collier and Sean Watkins earned second team All-ACC honors with Collier finishing fifth with a time of 47.07, and Sean Watkins sixth clocking in at 47.11.

Dajaz DeFrand finished her outstanding meet with a second place finish in the women’s 60-meter dash that saw her and the winner post the same time before analysis showed her camera time was 7.187. The time is the 10th best in the country this year and her personal best. The freshman also just missed winning the 200 meter dash finishing second with a time of 23.10.

“The standard for Florida State is to compete for titles, so I’m not satisfied with a tie for sixth place for the women, but we competed really well given the injuries we’ve had to overcome,” Braman said.

“We love outdoor track and field and we’ll be chasing that title in May for sure.”

Senior Faith Banks ran a personal best and facility record of 5.288 in the women’s 400-meter winning her section and finishing second overall. Her time is the third-best in FSU history.

Amani Heaven finished second in the shot put posting a throw of 16.54 meters, which is nearly three feet better than her previous high. Caisa-Marie Lindfors’ throw of 15.61 meters was good for eighth place with Riley Simmons finishing 16th with a top throw of 13.77 meters.

A pair of Seminoles finished among the top six in the women’s 60-meter hurdle. Finishing third with a time of 8.26 was Alexandra Watson with Tyra Wilson finishing sixth at 8.31.

Freshman Victoria Josse overcame some bad luck in the finals of the women’s triple jump. Injured during the event, she kept competing finishing third with a leap of 12.70 meters.

Yasmine Abbes led four Seminoles in the women’s 3,000 meters with a time of 9:21.22 which was good for 14th place. Alyson Churchill was 18th clocking in a 9:23.31 one place ahead of teammate Emmy Van Den Berg whose time was 9:24.40. Agnes McTighe’s time of 9:42.69 put her in 33rd.

David Mullarkey was the top finisher among the FSU men in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:02.05 placing him 11th. Patrick Donnelly was 45th at 8:23.02

The 4x400m relay was the last event at the championships. The men’s team finished third with a time of 3:09.14, while the women’s team was fifth with a time of 3:39.15.

Seminole athletes who qualify for the NCAA National Championship meet will compete March 10-11 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

  • No. 16 Florida State defeats UCF, 6-1

LAKE NONA– The No. 16 Florida State men’s tennis team (7-3) defeated the University of Central Florida 6-1 on Saturday afternoon at USTA National Campus.

Antoine Cornut-Chauvinc and Barnaby Smith gave the Noles the edge in doubles behind a commanding 6-0 sweep on court No. 2. Florida State clinched the doubles point on court No. 1 after a 6-3 victory by Loris Pourroy and Alex Bulte for the early 1-0 lead.

Bulte opened the scoring in singles play with a 6-1, 6-3 straight-set victory on court No. 6, putting the Noles up 2-0.

After falling in a 0-2 hole early, No. 123-ranked Jamie Connel won six straight games to take the first set 6-2. He went on to win the match 6-2, 6-4 on court No.4, stretching the lead to 3-0.

Yassine Dlimi’s victory for UCF on court No. 3 cut the lead to 3-1, as the three reaming matches were in third sets.

Despite dropping the first set, Joshua Dous-Karpenschif’s 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 come-from-behind win on court No. 5 clinched the victory for the Seminoles.

No.89-ranked Youcef Rihane put Florida State up 5-1 behind a 5-7, 6-2, 6-16-2 win on Court No. 2. His victory was his ninth singles win of the season.

Pourroy brought home the final point of the afternoon with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory on court No. 1 to close out the 6-1 victory.

The Seminoles open ACC play next week when they travel to Virginia to play matches against Virginia Tech on March 3 and No. 18 Virginia on March 5.

  • FSU Falls in Nail-Biter at Syracuse

The Florida State women’s tennis team fell to Syracuse 4-3 in Syracuse, New York on Friday.

The Seminoles began the match with a win at No. 2 doubles where Anna Arkadianou and Millie Bissett claimed a 6-3 victory, but Syracuse captured No. 1 doubles and claimed the doubles point with a 7-6 tiebreaker win at the No. 3 doubles.

Florida State’s Vic Allen tied the match 1-1 with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 straight-set win at No. 2 singles, moving to a team-leading record of 12-5 this season. Arkadianou gave the Seminoles the 2-1 lead with a 6-3, 6-2 straight-set win at No. 1 singles.

The Orange were able to win a No. 4 to tie the match at 2-2, just as the final three remaining matches entered a third set.

After dropping the first set, freshman Millie Bissett won 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 at No. 6 singles to give Florida State a 3-2 lead.

The Orange finished the match with a win at No. 3 and No. 6 singles to escape with a 4-3 victory.

Florida State returns to action Sunday at 10 a.m., at Boston College. Live stats will be available on Seminoles.com.

  • SEMINOLES START BEACH BASH 3-0

The number two ranked Florida State Seminoles started their annual FSU Beach Bash with a 3-0 record defeating Coastal Carolina, No. 13 Cal Poly, and No. 20 Washington. The Seminoles went unbeaten in all but one game played today. The Seminoles move to 1-0 against Coastal Carolina, 7-0 against Cal Poly and 1-0 against Washington.

FSU 5, Coastal Carolina 0

The Seminoles came out ready for their first dual of the season, winning every set against the Chanticleers. The Seminoles spared no time winning the first set on all courts.

Courts one, two, and four dominated, refusing to allow Coastal Carolina to take the lead in either set. Maddie Anderson and Paige Kalkhoff won quickly with set one 21-14 and set two 21-12 on court one. Alexis Durish and Raelyn White won 21-13 in both sets on court two. Alex Hilton and MaKenna Wolfe also defeated the Chanticleers 21-11 and 21-10 on court four.

On court five, Angeline Bergner and Carra Sassack won the first set easily 21-16. In the second set, the duo closed the set out well, winning a close 22-20 giving Florida State their third match point of the day.

On court three, Anna Long and Jordan Polo played great defensively, allowing them to keep both close sets in their favor. The duo took set one 21-15 and the second 21-18.

FSU 5, No. 13 Cal Poly 0

After a brief break, the Seminoles returned to the court to dominate No. 13, Cal Poly. On court one, Maddie Anderson and Paige Kalkhoff earned the win quickly, efficiently getting the 21-18 win. The second set provided some back-and-forth lead exchanges before the duo closed it out 21-17.

On court two, Alexis Durish and Raelyn White started slowly at the beginning of both sets before propelling themselves in the end to beat Cal Poly 21-17 and 21-16.

On court three, Anna Long and Jordan Polo were dominant. Only allowing the Mustangs to get 7 points in the first set. Quickly taking the win 21-7. Long and Polo rode their momentum from the first set into the second set. The pair was once again efficient taking the second set 21-12.

Courts four and five almost mirrored each other. Court four started with Morgan Chacon and Caitlin Moon firing on all cylinders and came out of the first set with a 21-15 win. The duo came out hot in the second set as well and quickly gave the Noles their fourth match point against Cal Poly. On court five, Alex Hilton and MaKenna Wolfe put on a clinic in the first set winning 21-12. That performance carried into the second set with Wolfe and Hilton taking no time to put the Mustangs away 21-5.

FSU 4, No. 20 Washington 1

After a break, the Seminoles came out to face the No 20. Washington Huskies for the first time in program history. The Noles’ stayed hot and pulled out quick wins on court three and court four. With Anna Long and Jordan Polo winning 21-18 and 21-17. Court four was no different with Morgan Chacon and Caitlin Moon pulling out efficient wins of 21-16 and 21-11.

Court five started off rocky with MaKenna Wolfe and Alex Hilton taking a 16-21 loss in the first set. Wolfe and Hilton came into the second set on fire and turned in an impressive 21-9 win. That momentum carried into the third set with Wolfe and Hilton staying efficient on defense allowing them to get a 15-11 win giving the Seminoles their third point against Washington.

On court two Raelyn White and Alexis Durish were impressive, dropping the first set 17-21, then battling back from a set-long deficit to win 24-22. In the third set, the duo were impressive, quickly winning 15-9 giving the Noles their fourth point.

On court one, Maddie Anderson and Paige Kalkhoff had a grueling three-set match. The first set went to the Huskies in a hard-fought 22-24 loss. In the second set, Anderson and Kalkhoff found their groove, quickly getting the 21-16 win. The third set was back and forth into extra points until the Huskies capitalized resulting in an 18-20 loss for the Noles. This loss was FSU’s only game loss the entire day.

The Seminoles finished the day an impressive 3-0.

  • Volleyball Signs Ella Rae Goana

The Seminoles have a new freshman libero in St. Louis native Ella Rae Goana. She joins Head Coach Chris Poole and the Florida State Volleyball Team with her first season on the horizon in the fall.

Goana played high school volleyball at Nerinx Hall in Webster Hall, Missouri earning several honors including Conference Player of the Year and First Team All-District, Conference, State selections. During her time, she led Nerinx Hall to their first-ever Final Four appearance in 2020 before reaching the same feat again the next season.

She also played club volleyball for HPSTL Royal, winning the 2023 Gateway Region Championship and earning selections to the Under Armour All-American Camp in 2021 and 2022. Besides volleyball, she competed in high school basketball for three seasons receiving First Team All-District and an All-Conference Honorable Mention.

Outside of athletics, she graduated high school with a 4.4 GPA that never fell below 4.0 throughout her four years. This resulted in three straight All-Academic State Team Honors from 2020-22.

  • Noles Contribute Best Times at Bulldog Invite

Athens, Ga. – Members of the No.18/NR Florida State swimming and diving teams competed at the Bulldog Last Chance Invite on Saturday at the Gabrielsen Natatorium.

“We had some good races today,” FSU head coach Neal Studd said. “We saw some best times today, which was great. We are hoping for just a little more tomorrow.”

Utku Kurtdere, Jaka Pusnik, and Alexandra Dicks highlighted the day by contributing personal best times. Kurtdere swam his best in the 200 IM at 1:47.17 for fifth place, while Pusnik touched seventh at 1:38.06. Dicks led off the women’s 200 free relay with her career-best in the 50 free at 22.68.

The Seminoles touched third in the women’s 200 free relay behind Dicks, Jernstedt, Quaglieri and Muzito at 1:29.86.

Jenny Halden grabbed bronze in the 100 fly with a time of 53.11 after posting a 52.95 in prelims.

FSU won the 200 medley relay behind Quaglieri, Julia Mansson, Halden and Dicks at 1:36.84.

Mason Herbet, Arijus Pavlidi, Jokubas Keblys, and Peter Varjasi finished first in the men’s 200 free relay with a time of 1:17.74.

Varjasi took sixth in the 50 free at 19.87 ahead of Keblys in seventh at 19.97.

FSU added another win in the 200 free relay behind Herbet, Tommaso Baravelli, Adrian Aguilar and Varjasi at 1:25.34.

Results

Other Cool Stuff

“We cannot be $30 million behind every year compared to our peers.”

At a Florida State University Board of Trustees meeting on Friday, athletic director Michael Alford didn’t mince words when discussing the school’s potential outlook in the coming new world of college athletics.

“We have to do something because we are a brand — a very important brand — and we drive the media value in this conference. We’re consistently talking to the conference,…making sure that they understand our value to this conference.

“But at the end of the day, for Florida State to compete nationally something has to change moving forward.”…continued *FOR FREE

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An under-the-radar development came out of ACC meetings last week — the league openly discussed going to an unequal revenue-sharing model.

For a conference that has lagged behind in the college sports arms race for the last decade, it’s a sobering development that shows the league may have finally realized it is on borrowed time as a major player.…continued *FOR FREE

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The Battle’s End, a Name, Image and Likeness collective that has burst onto the scene for its support of Florida State football, has officially opened up for donations from the public.

Having launched in December 2022, spearheaded by Ingram Smith and several high-profile FSU donors, The Battle’s End’s primary focus is on retaining Seminoles’ athletes.…continued *FOR FREE

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  • Four Noles Recognized as ACC Postgraduate Scholars

Florida State student-athletes Maddie Anderson, Nick Mason, and Kaley Mudge were named by the Atlantic Coast Conference as 2023 Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholar Award recipients. Vic Allen was selected as an honorary scholarship nominee.

Anderson (beach volleyball), Mason (men’s swimming and diving), Mudge (softball), and Allen (women’s tennis) were chosen based on performance in the classroom and in their respective sport while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.

Allen was an ITA Doubles All-American in 2020 and has been a part of two NCAA tournament teams, one of which advanced to the Elite Eight in 2021. She was 18th in school history for doubles win percentage of .759 (22-7) during the 2019-2020 season. Allen earned the Golden Nole and Golden Torch for women’s tennis in 2022. She is a three-time ACC Honor Roll honoree, three-time Dean’s List honoree, and a two-time President’s List honoree.

In the midst of her fourth season at Florida State, Anderson boasts a 75-19 career record. In 2022, she was named to the CCSA All-Tournament Team, AVCA All-American Team, and was the collegebeachvb.com Breakthrough Player of the Year after finishing her redshirt sophomore campaign with 14 wins against top-10 ranked opponents. In 2021, Anderson was named part of the CCSA All-Freshman team and was a Volleyball Magazine Second Team All-American. Anderson is tied for fourth all-time at Florida State for career wins on court one with 30.

Mason holds the FSU record in the 400 IM at 3:45.50, a mark he set at the Georgia Invite in 2020. He is a 2021 NCAA qualifier and 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier. Over his four-year career, Mason scored in four events at the ACC Championships. Mason also holds the Morcom Aquatics Center pool record in the 400 IM at 3:52.65. Mason was a CSCAA Scholar All-American in 2021, second team in 2020 and 2022, and has made the ACC Academic Honor Roll three times. Mason is the sixth student-athlete chosen for the award from the FSU swimming and diving team.

Mudge has been a staple for the Seminoles for the past few years. Mudge holds the Women’s College World Series record for hits (14) which she set in 2021 to help the Seminoles reach the national championship game. Mudge also became the first athlete in WCWS history to record five hits in a seven-inning game and earned her a spot on the 2021 WCWS All-Tournament Team. Mudge was also named to the All-ACC First Team and NFCA Southeast All-Region Second Team in 2022 and was named to the Preseason All-ACC Team prior to the 2023 season. She was also named to the All-ACC Academic Team in 2022.

The Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford and Jim and Pat Thacker postgraduate scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate degree following completion of their undergraduate requirements. Each recipient will receive $6,000 toward his or her graduate education. Those honored have performed with distinction in both the classroom and their respective sport, while demonstrating exemplary conduct in the community.

The ACC has selected postgraduate scholarship recipients annually since 1971. Over that time, the league has provided nearly $4.7 million to more than 1,000 ACC student-athletes.

The 2023 winners will be highlighted on a one-hour show that will air on the ACC Network that will air in May.

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  • Sophomore Mason Pullum and junior Cole Clemons, both finance majors in the Florida State University College of Business, tied for first place with a team from Virginia’s Washington and Lee University in the 9th annual Student Managed Investment Fund Stock Pitch competition at the University of Georgia’s Terry School of Business.

From FSU:

Pullum and Clemons topped teams from Princeton University, the University of Massachusetts, Georgia Tech, the University of Kentucky, and last year’s champion, the University of Florida.

Pullum and Clemons will share a first-place prize of $2,500 for their analysis and recommendation of stock in U-Haul, an American moving truck, trailer and self-storage rental company.

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The Tomahawk Nation podcast channel, presented by SB Nation, features insider Seminoles recruiting, football, basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer analysis and commentary, featuring shows hosted by staff writers Tim Alumbaugh, Matt Minnick, Michael Rogner, Brian Pellerin, and Ben Meyerson, featuring contributions by Joshua Pick, David Stout, Jon Marchant, Max Escarpio and the entire Tomahawk Nation staff, produced by managing editor Perry Kostidakis.…continued *FOR FREE

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Most hyped NBA prospect since LeBron James calls out ‘fake’ article, FIBA apologizes

Most hyped NBA prospect since LeBron James calls out ‘fake’ article, FIBA apologizes

The projected No. 1 choose of the 2023 NBA Draft, Victor Wembanyama, is the most thrilling NBA prospect given that LeBron James. 

All people is clambering to get a piece of the French star. 

Victor Wembanyama, #1 of Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, shoots a free throw during the match between Boulogne-Levallois and JDA Dijon at Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan on Feb. 10, 2023 in Levallois-Perret, France.

Victor Wembanyama, #1 of Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, shoots a cost-free toss all through the match between Boulogne-Levallois and JDA Dijon at Palais des Sporting activities Marcel Cerdan on Feb. 10, 2023 in Levallois-Perret, France. (Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Pictures)

And it is building some issues. 

BULLS Position GUARD LONZO BALL Dominated OUT FOR REMAINDER OF Year, Workforce ANNOUNCES

On Wednesday, Wembanyama named out the Worldwide Basketball Federation (FIBA) web page for publishing a “fake” job interview with him. 

“4 days ago, [FIBA] published a Phony interview with me,” Wembanyama posted to his Instagram story. “WTF???”

The intended job interview was released on the internet site as an “exceptional interview” with the 7-foot-4-inch star. 

Click on Right here FOR More Sports Protection ON FOXNEWS.COM

Victor Wembanyama, #1 of Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, signs autographs after the match between Boulogne-Levallois and JDA Dijon at Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan on Feb. 10, 2023 in Levallois-Perret, France. 

Victor Wembanyama, #1 of Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, signals autographs after the match between Boulogne-Levallois and JDA Dijon at Palais des Sports activities Marcel Cerdan on Feb. 10, 2023 in Levallois-Perret, France.  (Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Visuals)

Shortly just after his post, FIBA released a statement apologizing to Wembanyama for the article. 

“An post featuring a meant job interview with Victor Wembanyama was not too long ago published on the FIBA web-site,” the statement reads. “Following doubts were being expressed by the player pertaining to the job interview, which was delivered to FIBA by a extended-time French contributor, the veracity of the interview could not be verified. 

“FIBA has with no delay eliminated the write-up and all relevant social media posts, and has immediately terminated the marriage with the freelance reporter.” 

Wembanyama presently performs for the Metropolitans 92, a French crew found outdoors of Paris, as he prepares for the NBA Draft in June. 

The groups at the base of the NBA standings are hoping the lottery balls fall their way as the Wembanyama sweepstakes keep on. 

Victor Wembanyama, #1 of Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, reacts to a play during the match between Boulogne-Levallois and JDA Dijon at Palais des Sports Marcel Cerdan on Feb. 10, 2023 in Levallois-Perret, France.

Victor Wembanyama, #1 of Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, reacts to a perform all through the match concerning Boulogne-Levallois and JDA Dijon at Palais des Sporting activities Marcel Cerdan on Feb. 10, 2023 in Levallois-Perret, France. (Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Pictures)

Simply click In this article TO GET THE FOX Information App

“There is no incorrect workforce,” Wembanyama told ESPN in a modern job interview. 

“I am not anxious there is no negative firm. I in no way inform myself I do not like to go there.”

Joe Morgan is a Sports Reporter for Fox News.

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News: Pac-12, Bally Sports, Apple MLB Broadcasters

News: Pac-12, Bally Sports, Apple MLB Broadcasters

A new streaming business enters the Pac-12 media legal rights foray. Moreover an update on Bally Sports and their impending bankruptcy Apple Television+’s Friday Evening Baseball booths have been announced.

Apple reported to be in the mix for Pac-12 rights

According to New York Article columnist Andrew Marchand, Apple is producing a surprising late operate at the Pac-12 media rights. The information will come as the Pac-12 sees its current market dwindle. A mid-February Brett McMurphy report indicated that CBS & Turner have both withdrawn from the race. With the Large 10, Massive 12, SEC, and ACC all signing, or previously in, long expression offers, the Pac-12 is the previous significant convention remaining without the need of a Tv set companion contracted previous 2024. For Apple, this would mark a ongoing march into live sporting activities legal rights with Friday Evening Baseball and their new MLS deal starting off this 12 months. In accordance to Marchand, a Pac-12 offer with Apple would glance comparable to their agreement with MLS, with all online games remaining streamed on Apple Tv+. (Marchand 2.21)

Bally Athletics update

Following lacking their February 15 curiosity payment, the NBA, NHL, and MLB have been pinpointing their future methods with Diamond Athletics, mother or father enterprise of Bally Sports activities. The NBA, in a present of help, was located to have renewed their streaming deal for area electronic rights with Diamond Sporting activities in June 2022. The deal expires right after the 2024-25 period, just like their ESPN and Turner arrangement, creating the probable for a package offer for the league’s upcoming spherical of negotiations. The go stands in contrast to MLB’s method however, who have fashioned a “economic reform committee” according to a report from The Athletic. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is also on the document as stating “We got to uncover a new product.” Throughout Diamond Sports’ 30-working day grace period of time, they are hoping to build a prepare that receives the NBA, MLB, and NHL on board. When it is in all the leagues very best interest that the restructuring is profitable – Diamond Sporting activities however owes teams their contracted legal rights costs – it is also obvious that the leagues are planning for a worst circumstance circumstance. (Ourand 2.20)

Apple Television set+ MLB broadcasting adjustments

In mid-February, it was announced that Stephen Nelson, Katie Nolan, and Melanie Newman would not return for a next period of Apple Tv set+’s Friday Night time Baseball. Alternatively, Apple would be transferring to a far more traditional two-gentleman booth with manufacturer new broadcasters. An Andrew Marchand report verified that there would be two pairings: Wayne Randazzo and Dontrelle Willis, and Alex Faust and Ryan Spilborghs. Of the 4, only Faust, the Los Angeles Kings play-by-engage in announcer because 2017, is not a present-day normal MLB broadcaster or radio voice, whilst he has accomplished decide on online games for Fox Athletics and NESN in the earlier. (Marchand 2.20)

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College football officials considering these rule changes to shorten games, limit ‘exposures’ for athletes

College football officials considering these rule changes to shorten games, limit ‘exposures’ for athletes

A college football official volunteering his time slipped into press boxes around the country last season. Unannounced and anonymous, his duties: dig into how many plays could be saved if one of the hallmark rules of the sport were altered.

The official was tasked with determining how much time could be saved by simply letting the clock run after first downs except during the last 2 minutes of each half. Clock stoppages on first down have separated college football from the NFL since 1968. It is about to become a line in the sand as the NCAA Football Rules Committee convenes its annual meeting beginning next week in Indianapolis.

A convergence of issues has compelled the game’s stakeholders to consider more seriously limiting “exposures,” the number of plays per game that athletes are on the field. The intent is not necessarily to shorten game lengths but rather protect players’ health.

A similar initiative failed last year, but as time has passed, the urgency has increased.

Forget about the structure of the game for a moment. What comes out of that meeting will determine how all of college football approaches the future from a medical liability standpoint.

“Whether it’s sickle cell or anything else, we don’t get the NCAA to do anything until they get sued, or frankly, [the media] rips them to shreds for not doing anything on it,” said Eugene Egdorf, a veteran Houston attorney who has battled the NCAA on numerous occasions.

The committee is also expected to consider allowing the clock run after incomplete passes. In either case, if the committee acts, exposures would be reduced. But at what cost?

College executives have been told the average offense would lose about seven plays per game if the clock was allowed to run after first downs. That’s less impactful than letting the clock run after incomplete passes, which projects to remove 18-20 plays from each contest, fundamentally changing the game’s structure. Especially in a sport where a record 46{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} of snaps were passing plays in 2022.

(Also being considered: no longer allowing consecutive timeouts to “ice” a kicker nor extending a period for untimed downs due to a defensive penalty. Both of those considerations are believed to be non-controversial.)

More than one source called the difference in exposures between NFL and college being a possible inflection point. NFL games average 155 plays per game (including extra points, kickoffs, two-point plays). In the FBS, the average is around 180.

Some question whether that delta should exist with young adults, non-professionals (many of whom are teenagers) facing 16{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} more plays than paid professionals. Add to that the expanded College Football Playoff creating the possibility of a 17-game season and some college football players could be on the field for the equivalent of an NFL regular season.

That’s one reason ACC commissioner Jim Phillips initially stood against playoff expansion. Phillips was chair of the College Football Officials (CFO) board of managers that put forth the initial proposals. The board consists of all 10 FBS commissioners with FCS representatives.

The FBS commissioners met last December in Las Vegas to discuss the changes. At least three contacted by CBS Sports are in favor of some change because it will theoretically improve health and safety without incurring any extra costs. No matter what, the changes being discussed are considered highly contentious.

One official told CBS Sports to expect a “rip-roaring discussion” when the committee meets beginning Feb. 27 in Indianapolis. An NCAA announcement on any changes is expected by the end of the week on March 3.

Plays per FBS game have already decreased across three straight seasons. In fact, the overwhelming majority of catastrophic injuries come during the offseason when players aren’t even playing the game. However, there is concern that tempo offenses will simply move faster to get their plays in while the clock continues to run.

Then there are the purists who don’t want the college game to become more like the compartmentalized NFL. While the average time of game was up slightly in 2022 (3 hours, 21 minutes), it was stressed these changes would be more about player safety than shortening the game.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart is the only Power Five coach currently on the 11-person rules committee. He was part of the group that rejected similar changes last year.

Steve Shaw, NCAA secretary editor of the committee, oversaw a study that chronicled exposures across every FBS game from 2007-21.

“Our big brother in this world of football is the NFL,” Smart said last month at the CFP National Championship. “So much of what we do is modeled off what they do. They spend a lot, a lot, a lot of money to get it right. They’ve shrunk their game into a time frame that is probably a little bit tighter window than ours.

“They’re also trying to limit exposures as well, although they have a longer season, and they have added games to that season. It’s a big decision. We are dealing with student-athletes. I think it starts with that. I wouldn’t sit up here and say I’m favor of shrinking the game. I do think our game has gotten long and there are a lot of plays.”

The cost of not doing anything this time around could impact the NCAA in court. As CBS Sports pointed out in late 2021, any retreat on the targeting rule would be red meat for attorneys eager to allege the NCAA was backing off on player safety. 

There must be concern from that standpoint if the committee doesn’t act two consecutive years on similar player-safety rules changes. While course-of-game rules changes are allowed only every other year, those that pertain to player safety can be added or amended at any time.

The number of FBS games has grown incrementally. In 1992, the SEC added a championship game — at the time, a 12th game for its two division winners. Every FBS conference eventually followed. A 12th regular-season game was added in 2006 as athletic directors sought additional revenue.

The four-team playoff was added in 2014 making it possible for two teams to play 15 games through the postseason. With the expanded playoff arriving in 2024, it will be possible for one or both championship participants to play 17 games.

Eliminating the 2020 COVID-19 season, Georgia has played the equivalent of more than a full extra regular-season (13 additional games) since 2017. With the playoff expanding from four to 12 teams (and from three to 11 games), those extra contests will increase for more playoff teams.

The SEC commissioned a study in 2021 that estimated how many plays would be saved by allowing the clock to run after incomplete passes. The equivalent of 1.65 regular-season games would have been saved. In a 16-game schedule (including the playoff), that number would be the equivalent of 2.2 fewer games.

When a working group presented the 12-team playoff model in 2021, the average increase in games was though to be minimal. For example, it’s possible that at least four teams would play only 13 games if they lost a first-round matchup, equivalent to the number of games most bowl-eligible teams play.

At stake this time, in some respect, is who carries that medical liability for athletes in the sport’s bold new future. In September, the NCAA’s former CFO described in detail to a group of FBS ADs how much it cost to run major-college football, a sport in which the association does not sponsor a championship. As part of that expense, the CFO said it costs the NCAA approximately $10 million annually in legal liability. Part of that obviously involves athlete health and welfare in court cases. 

The NCAA continues to assert it is not legally responsible for the health and safety of players. It also continues to fight dozens of lawsuits involving medical issues that contend otherwise. (The NCAA was found not to be liable in two recent cases.)

“I believe strongly in a balance between health and not completely bastardizing the game,” Egdorf said. “Changing the first-down rule makes sense. Trying to figure out what you can do with the hurry up [offense] makes sense. Changing incomplete [passes to a running clock] does not make sense to me.

“I really want more discussion about a lot less practice than there is now. Studies show guys just get more hits in practice. That’s just how it is.”

While the 10 FBS commissioners will be influential, changes come down to the 11 persons on that rules committee. They range from a Division III offensive coordinator to a senior associate FCS Patriot League commissioner to a national championship coach at the highest level (Smart).

That variance may be enough to keep the changes from passing. With fewer plays, Division II and Division III games could be reduced to less than 2 hours and 20 minutes, according Todd Berry, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association and ex-member of the committee.

“Division II and Division II will probably revolt,” Berry told CBS Sports. “Their game times are still underneath 3 hours. They’re running the exact same offenses. … I think one of the beauties of the college game is that our rules are the same across the board.”

That might eventually lead to a future FBS rules committee instead of one that oversees 538 schools across three divisions. But that’s hardly the issue at the moment.

Part of the charm of college football is its proliferation of plays and higher-scoring games. More football is never a bad thing, right?

The Buccaneers led the NFL with 68.8 plays per game last season, a total that would have tied for 85th in the FBS. Texas Tech led FBS last season averaging 89.2 plays; in three games, it ran at least 103 plays.

There are pressures in the college game that are accounted for the pros. The NFL has a players’ union, collective bargaining, medical care. NCAA athletes obviously do not.

“Our football leadership group [reacted] in June 2021,” said SEC commissioner Greg Sankey. “The first thing was, ‘It’s not the number of games. It’s exposures over the year.’ It came from the young people involved in our programs, and I’ve not forgotten that message.”

In 2006, similar timing changes were disastrous. That year, the clock started when toe met ball on kickoffs. Also, the clock started on the “ready for play” signal from the referee, not when the ball is snapped after a change of possession.

The drop in the number of plays per game was so profound that the changes lasted only one season. Total plays declined by more than 13 per game on average. The drop in average yards per team (33) was the most since 1954. The scoring average per team (24.1 points) remains the lowest in the last 32 years.

Two years later, two significant changes were implemented seamlessly. On running plays out of bounds, the clock was started when the ball was deemed ready for play by the referee, not at the snap. Additionally, a 40-second play clock started after each dead ball.

Those have been the most notable changes to this point; whether more will come in early March remains to be seen.

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Nations: No clarity on neutrality, no Olympics for Russia

Nations: No clarity on neutrality, no Olympics for Russia

The governments of 34 nations launched a assertion Monday calling on the IOC to explain the definition of “neutrality” as it seeks a way to permit Russian and Belarusian athletes again into intercontinental sporting activities and, in the long run, following year’s Paris Olympics.

“As long as these basic challenges and the substantial absence of clarity and concrete depth on a workable ‘neutrality’ design are not resolved, we do not concur that Russian and Belarusian athletes really should be authorized back into competitors,” read through the assertion.

Amongst these signing the assertion were being officials from the United States, Britain, France, Canada and Germany. Those 5 countries brought virtually a person-fifth of all athletes to the Tokyo Online games in 2021. Other international locations that experienced recommended an Olympic boycott was achievable if the war continues — these types of as Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Denmark — also signed onto the statement, which did not go so far as to point out a boycott.

The assertion was the item of a Feb. 10 summit in London concerning governing administration leaders, who listened to from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy claimed Russia athletes experienced no place at the Paris Game titles as prolonged as the country’s invasion of Ukraine carries on.

The International Olympic Committee is trying to obtain a way to allow for Russians into the Olympics, citing the feeling of United Nations human rights authorities who believe Russians and Belarusians should not facial area discrimination just for the passports they maintain. The IOC needs opponents from those international locations who have not supported the war to be capable to compete as neutral athletes, with no symbols of their nations authorized.

An IOC spokesman claimed the committee has now started a process to define the conditions underneath which Russians could contend in global opposition if, in simple fact, it decides to continue on down the current path.

It’s a final decision that desires clarity lengthy prior to next summer’s Olympics mainly because 2023 marks the start off of the Olympic qualifying period of time. Russia and Belarus, traditionally viewed as part of Europe in the intercontinental sports activities program, have as a substitute been invited to compete in some Asian qualifiers later this calendar year. The future IOC executive board conference is established for March 28-30.

Assistant Secretary of Condition Lee Satterfield signed the assertion on behalf of the United States. In a separate statement, she emphasized the will need for the IOC to provide clarity on the definition of neutrality.

“The United States will proceed to be part of a wide group of nations to maintain Russia and Belarus — and the lousy actors who dictate their steps — accountable for this brutal war,” Satterfield stated. “Russia has proven, time and yet again, it has no regard for and is incapable of adhering to the guidelines — in international sport and in worldwide legislation.”

Though acknowledging there was an argument for them to contend as neutral athletes, the governing administration officials pointed out in the joint assertion how intently sports activities and politics are intertwined in Russia and Belarus. Russia invaded Ukraine a calendar year back Friday and Belarus has been Russia’s closest ally.

“We have strong considerations on how possible it is for Russian and Belarusian Olympic athletes to contend as ‘neutrals’ — underneath the IOC’s disorders of no identification with their state — when they are straight funded and supported by their states (unlike, for example, specialist tennis players),” the statement reported. “The powerful one-way links and affiliations amongst Russian athletes and the Russian navy are also of distinct concern. Our collective solution throughout has for that reason under no circumstances been one of discrimination only on the basis of nationality, but these sturdy problems need to have to be dealt with by the IOC.”

When the war begun, the IOC recommended sporting activities businesses bar Russians from competitions, labeling it as a evaluate for these athletes’ safety. That stance improved at the start off of this yr. Final 7 days, IOC president Thomas Bach explained the IOC stood in solidarity with Ukraine’s athletes, but also that sporting activities has to regard the human rights of all athletes.

“History will exhibit who is carrying out additional for peace. The kinds who test to hold traces open up, to talk, or the ones who want to isolate or divide,” Bach mentioned.

Also past week, European Union lawmakers condemned the IOC’s endeavours to reintegrate Russia into earth sporting activities. The EU parliament asked the 27 member states to tension the IOC to reverse its conclusion and stated the Olympic body’s tactic was “an humiliation to the intercontinental earth of sport.”

Monday’s statement, although contacting for clarity from the IOC, stated the fastest way for Russia to get back into the worldwide sports scene would be “by ending the war they started off.”

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