From an NCAA perspective this is a neutral site game. Not a huge deal, but the arena PA announcer isn’t allowed to do what he’s doing. Turn up your TVs volume and you’ll hear he’s calling this like Tim McCloone at The Rock. You’re not allowed to do that at a neutral court.

My mind is blown right now. I’ve never seen this on a neutral court. It was extremely foolish to schedule this game in my opinion, this just adds insult to injury.

Give me all the disadvantages of a road game with none of the advantages….

This is what Willard recruited his last couple of years and a partial reason why we are struggling during the Holloway era.

David Hale, ESPN Staff Writer

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The two top-ranked teams outside the College Football Playoff faced off in the Capital One Orange Bowl, but only sixth-ranked Georgia looked the part Saturday -- and that led to some frustration from Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart.

Georgia demolished No. 5 Florida State 63-3 in what was the largest margin of victory in bowl history, topping the Dawgs' 58-point win over TCU in last season's national championship game. But the lopsided score was due, in part at least, to a host of opt-outs and injuries for the Seminoles.

"People need to see what happened tonight, and they need to fix this," Smart said, lamenting the flood of opt-outs and portal entries on teams playing in non-playoff bowl games. "It needs to be fixed. It's very unfortunate that they have a good football team and a good football program, and they're in the position they're in."

The Seminoles played without their top two quarterbacks, top two running backs, top two receivers, starting tight end, three starting defensive linemen, two of three starting linebackers and three starting defensive backs. They were down 29 scholarship players in all.

FSU head coach Mike Norvell strongly intimated that the College Football Playoff committee's decision to leave a 13-0 Seminoles team out of the playoff in favor of two one-loss teams -- Texas and Alabama -- motivated a significant number of his team's opt-outs.

Florida State beat the Louisville Cardinals 16-6 in the ACC championship game with third-string quarterback Brock Glenn at the helm of a lackluster offense, and the committee used that performance -- and the injury to star quarterback Jordan Travis that preceded it -- as rationale for keeping an undefeated Power 5 team from the playoff.

"Every situation is different," Norvell said. "Ours was unique, something that's never happened in college football. Ultimately, I think there was a lot of things that made it extremely challenging. I fully believe that if we would've come up short in the [ACC] championship game, it might've been a little different.

"It was hard choices for a lot of the young men that were on our team. We were hurt. ... When you do the things that our guys did throughout the year and the way that they responded, the way they fought, the way that they just pulled together, it hurt when we were not selected."

Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske, who missed the game with a foot injury he said he had been trying to rehab throughout December, said the Seminoles were invested in the Orange Bowl and didn't expect to be blown out. But it was impossible to ignore the sheer volume of missing production from a team that went unbeaten in the regular season.

For his part, Smart said the impact of the opt-outs was notable, and even with an expanded playoff coming next year, the bowls outside the playoff risk becoming glorified scrimmages.

"You can say it's their fault and they have to solve their own problem," Smart said. "We had our guys, and they didn't have their guys. College football has to decide what they want. I know things are changing. But there's still going to be bowl games outside of those. People need to decide what they want and what they want to get out of it, because it's really unfortunate for those kids on that sideline that had to play in that game and didn't have their full arsenal. And it affected the game, 100 percent."

Smart praised his own team's buy-in, which included decisions by a number of key seniors to play. Georgia did not have any official opt-outs, though several stars, including tight end Brock Bowers, missed the game due to injury.

"The game mattered just because, if you're a competitor, then every game matters -- every opportunity you get to go out there and play with people you love," Georgia defensive back Kamari Lassiter said.

Norvell took responsibility for not having his team fully prepared to play Georgia, but he also acknowledged that with so many inexperienced players on the field, FSU fell victim to numerous communication issues and had serious problems with fundamentals and technique.


It's up for debate how different things would've been for the Seminoles with Fiske, Jared Verse, Keon Coleman, Trey Benson and others, but Norvell said he didn't want the final score of the Orange Bowl to be what defined this FSU team.

"Ultimately, this team did all that I asked them to, and they're forever champions," Norvell said. "We went 13 weeks throughout this season, and it's a physical task, especially with what we faced and winning every one of them and rising up, guys that played hurt, guys that played through every different piece of adversity that could be thrown at them.

"When you overcome that and still have a little -- still have the disappointment of not getting to compete for it all, I think that definitely affected some of our situation."

“For example, it advertised a package that included joining the Wolverines for their team dinner before the Ohio State game, and running with the players out of the stadium tunnel and leaping to touch the “Go Blue” banner, a Michigan football tradition since 1962. The price tag: $65,000.”

Illinois Fighting Illini​

TEAM INFO​

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crim...-associates-to-be-unsealed-report/ar-AA1miixE

“I did not have sex with that 14 year old”….

FINAL

• 
  Bucknell
  76
• 
  Penn State
  67

Jared would be newcomer of the year, Jasmine a close 2nd

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Anyone else experience issues getting to this forum the past week?

• Web Release

QUEENS, N.Y. (Dec. 4, 2023) – Senior center Joel Soriano was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll following a career-high scoring performance in the Red Storm’s 79-73 victory at West Virginia on Friday in the BIG EAST – Big 12 Battle.

Soriano propelled the Johnnies to their third straight win with 24 points, shooting 8-for-11 from the field. The Yonkers native also recorded nine boards and three blocks in 29 minutes of action.

Over the team’s three-game winning streak, Soriano has led St. John’s averaging 17.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per game while shooting 70.0 percent from the floor (21-30 FG).

Through seven games, the Johnnies rank second in Division I averaging 17.4 offensive rebounds. Soriano has been a key contributor to the team’s efforts on the offensive glass, as he sits sixth in the nation with 4.2 per game. The Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team selection also ranks 17th in Division I with 10.1 rebounds per contest.

Soriano has also been one of the nation’s most efficient shooters this season with a 69.1 field goal percentage (47-68 FG), good for eighth in Division I.

The Johnnies return to action on Wednesday, taking on Sacred Heart inside Carnesecca Arena. CBS Sports Network will carry the national broadcast with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.

1. Connecticut 11-2
With Clingham out they're lucky to be facing 4 bottom feeders in a row

2. Marquette 11-3
3 losses all away from home

3. Villanova 9-4
Better than Providence? Questionable now but hitting their stride

4. Providence 11-2
Neck and neck for the 3 spot. Home cooking...only played one road game and lost by 21 points.

5. Creighton 9-4
Last place in the Big East

6. St. John's 9-4
Playing like a middle of the pack conference team

7. Butler 10-3
More home cooking. 2 road games...2 losses

8. Xavier 7-6
Seems to be a pattern. 2 road games...2 losses

9. Seton Hall 8-5
Pirates are good, beat Uconn. Pirates are bad, destroyed by Xavier

10. Georgetown 7-6
Gonna take Cooley some time

11. DePaul 3-9
Time doesn't matter with this team

Peace on Earth and Goodwill Towards All !

FINAL/2OT

• 
  #14
  Florida Atlantic
  96
• 
  #4
  Arizona
  95

There are no conference games until this Saturday, Dec. 30. Only one, but it is a good one.

Through 10 games, two players hold the lead with an 8-2 record: @GrMtWoods and @shu09. Seven players are right on their heels at 7-3. 10 players stand at 6-4, four at 5-5, and one at 4-6.

Saturday, December 30
#22 Creighton @ #10 Marquette - 2:00 PM - CBS - Fiserv/Milwaukee

Big East play resumes in earnest following the new year, with sessions every week and weekend through early March.

By Justin Tasch

University of Illinois men’s basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr. was arrested Thursday on a rape charge and has been suspended from the program, the school announced.

A warrant for his arrest was issued Wednesday by the Douglas County District Attorney in Kansas after an alleged incident on Sept. 8 while Shannon was in Lawrence for the Illinois-Kansas football game.

Shannon, 23, traveled to Lawrence on Thursday to turn himself in and posted bail.

Illinois guard Terrence Shannon Jr. was arrested Thursday on a rape charge.
USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

“The University and DIA [Division of Intercollegiate Athletics] have shown time and again that we have zero tolerance for sexual misconduct,” Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman said in a statement. “At the same time, DIA policy affords student-athletes appropriate levels of due process based on the nature and severity of the allegations. We will rely on that policy and our prior experiences to manage this situation appropriately for the University and the involved parties.”

School officials were aware of a police investigation into Shannon since the end of September, but the university said in its release it “had yet to receive actionable information” until Wednesday.

The fifth-year senior, who’s a Chicago native, is considered an All-American candidate for Illinois, which is ranked No. 11 in the country.

Shannon is averaging 21.7 points per game, which is tied for the eighth-best average in the country, along with 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

The guard has played in all 11 games this season for Illinois (9-2).

He played three years at Texas Tech before transferring to Illinois for the 2022-23 season and was named First-Team All-Big Ten last season.

By Zach Braziller

No, RJ Luis Jr. shook his head, this was not how he envisioned his first season at St. John’s going.

He has appeared in just two games all season, a fractured left hand and stress reaction to his left shin costing him much of the last three months.

“It’s been a tough year,” the talented UMass transfer said on Friday, ahead of the Johnnies’ non-conference finale against Hofstra on Saturday at UBS Arena. “I’d say more mentally than physically, coming into this year, having high expectations for myself and what I can bring to the team. Early on, it was hard.”

In an open practice on Oct. 1, Luis fractured his left hand.

Then, after playing well in his first game back against Holy Cross on Nov. 25, he felt pain in both shins — Luis has dealt with chronic shin splints — and an MRI exam revealed a stress reaction to the left one.

It was back to the sideline in a walking boot.

That, Luis said, was worse than the hand because he couldn’t do anything for two weeks.

It appears, though, there is light at the end of the tunnel now for the 6-foot-7 wing, and it isn’t an oncoming train.

He returned last Saturday in the loss at No. 5 UConn, and actually played more than was planned, logging 18 quality minutes.

“I was just really excited. I never played in an arena with that many people, so I felt like I kind of fed off their energy,” Luis said, referring to XL Center in Hartford, Conn. “As far as how my body felt, I think I felt great. Performance-wise, it was not even close to what I’m capable of. I went out there, mentally, I’m just going to play hard, play defense, and just try to let the game come to me and not for anything. That’s what I did.”

That doesn’t mean he’s out of the woods yet.

St. John’s, (8-4, 1-1) will have to manage the issue with his shins.

For now, Luis is practicing on a limited basis, held to 1.7 miles of activity that is monitored by a tracker.

He wears insoles in his sneakers to alleviate the stress on his shins, is getting extra treatment and is mindful not to push it if he feels any discomfort, to avoid a flare up.

That’s what happened after the Holy Cross game.

Luis will be even more important after the news, as first reported by The Post, that starting power forward Chris Ledlum is expected to miss Saturday’s game with a sprained ankle.

It’s uncertain if Ledlum will be able to return against Butler on Tuesday.

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It is not a high ankle sprain, according to a source.

Keeping Luis on the court is the priority.

In two games, Luis has shown his potential, averaging 10 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals.

He’s long and athletic — physical attributes that should make him a weapon in the press — a shot creator on the wing and one of the best athletes on the team.

He made a difference against Connecticut even though it was his first game in a month after only a few practices.

His presence will create positional versatility for coach Rick Pitino, enabling him to use Luis as a small-ball power forward when Ledlum isn’t on the floor.

“I feel like my length and my athleticism allows me to do a lot on the court,” Luis said. “When Coach ‘P’ talks about my length, I feel like I can be a disruptor. Very versatile player, two-way player, get it done on both sides of the ball.

“I just bring a different dynamic. Defense, offense, just playmaking. I have the ability to make others around me better, I have the ability to create my own shot. The more games that go by, I’ll be more comfortable with my teammates and we’ll just play off of each other better.”

Luis has done his best to use his time on the sidelines to his benefit.

Watching has given him a different perspective of the game, and while he hasn’t been out there with his teammates very much, he feels like he knows their tendencies and the learning process will be quick.

Most of all, he’s thrilled to be healthy again, and eager to make an impact for the improving Johnnies.

“I’m stoked. I’ve been bored. I’m just trying to go out there and play the sport that I love,” Luis said. “It’s been a long, tiresome [three months]. But I’ve learned a lot out of it. The best thing that you can do when you’re put in a negative situation is try to figure out the positive. So that’s what I’ve been doing. I’m just pumped to get on the court.”

Saturday marks the first of three contests St. John’s will play at the home of the Islanders.

The Johnnies will also host DePaul (Feb. 6) and Seton Hall (Feb. 18) there as well. … This will be the first meeting between St. John’s and Hofstra since 2009.