Liam Hanley Articles - Page 6

While the American League East has been one of the best divisions in baseball over the last few years, the Boston Red Sox have not contributed to the division’s success. Boston has just four playoff appearances over the last five seasons and has finished with a losing record in the last two. Most predictions believe […]

The 2024 season is not off to a great start for the New York Mets, as a season sweep by the Milwaukee Brewers puts the Mets at 0-3 so far. New York has plenty of time to turn things around in the 162-game season, but it is not too early to examine the club’s shortcomings […]

Over the last three years, no MLB team has more regular season wins than the Los Angeles Dodgers. LA’s 320 victories are 25 more than the second-place Braves during that span. Yet all the Dodgers have to show for it is an NLCS appearance and two NLDS exits. Their only World Series title of the […]

All signs pointed to a successful baseball team in San Diego last year. The San Diego Padres were second in team ERA, fifth in defensive runs saved above average, and above average in runs scored. Yet the club finished 82-80 and missed out on the playoffs. The offseason was also a rollercoaster. In December, the club […]

Year in and year out, the MLB playoffs prove to be one of the most unpredictable postseasons in sports. Since 2000, there have only been five years where the winningest team in baseball won the World Series (six if you count the COVID year). Last year, it was not the 104-win Atlanta Braves or 100-win Los […]

The first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament are complete, and the contenders are beginning to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. While the number of upsets in the early rounds was underwhelming, it set up some titanic tussles in the Sweet 16. Purdue-Gonzaga, Houston-Duke, and North Carolina-Alabama are among the fascinating contests […]

After a playoff berth seemed certain, the Jacksonville Jaguars completely collapsed down the stretch. The Jaguars were 8-3 heading into Week 13, but five losses in their last six games doomed a team that looked destined to build on last year’s playoff victory. With the offseason beginning in Jacksonville, the Jaguars now focus on player […]

In a season where expectations were tempered, the Green Bay Packers impressed even the most optimistic Wisconsin football fans. The team finished the regular season at 9-8, then knocked off the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs before falling just short to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round. […]

Few teams are continuously discounted yearly like the Tampa Bay Rays. On paper, the Rays never seem like an elite squad, yet they have five straight playoff appearances and three 90-win seasons in the last four full years. This year is no different. The club traded ace Tyler Glasnow to the Rays while superstar shortstop […]

After years of conservative building and thoughtful moves, the Pittsburgh Steelers were uncharacteristically aggressive this offseason. The franchise signed former Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson to a one-year, $1.21 million contract, also traded for Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields, traded away former first-round pick Kenny Pickett, released Mitch Trubisky, and let Mason Rudolph walk in […]

After a long and confusing winter (thanks, global warming) MLB Opening Day is just a few short days away, bringing with the cerebral action of fantasy baseball. While fantasy baseball does not have the same highs and lows as fantasy football, the increased control and stronger correlation with managerial effort make it the favorite fantasy […]

After another impressive regular season, the Florida Atlantic men’s basketball team could not repeat last year’s magic in the NCAA Tournament. The Owls fell in a tough overtime game in the First Round to Northwestern, denying Dusty and FAU another potential Final Four run. Florida Atlantic’s early exit may be a disappointment to some, but […]

With the college basketball regular season over and March Madness underway, it is also time for awards season. Among the biggest nominations in the sport is earning a spot on the All-American team. The NCAA Men’s Basketball All-American list combines the All-American votes from the Associated Press, United States Basketball Writers Association, National Association of […]

In a pattern that is becoming all too predictable, the Kentucky men’s basketball team endured another early and embarrassing exit in the NCAA Tournament. On Thursday night, John Calipari’s team fell as a #3 seed to 14-seed Oakland in the biggest upset of the tournament so far — leading many fans and pundits alike to […]

After Florida Atlantic’s Cinderella run and Farleigh Dickinson’s improbable win over Purdue in March Madness last year, much of the focus for this season’s NCAA Tournament is on possible upset candidates. Who can knock off top power conference teams and permanently etch their image into the minds of college basketball fans forever? Find out with […]

With the NCAA Tournament bracket officially released, every team believes they can win six straight games and finish as the NCAA Champion. But the field of 68 teams will quickly dwindle as the dreams of hopeful teams die with the final buzzer. And despite successful regular seasons, many teams face a much tougher path than […]

With Selection Sunday complete and NCAA Tournament games imminent, the bracket permutations begin. While what we put on paper can become quickly irrelevant, picking Final Four teams correctly is often the difference-maker in bracket pools. Which teams have the easiest roads to the Final Four? Find out here: UConn Earning the number-one overall seed comes […]

A year after a shocking upset as a number-one seed, the Purdue Boilermakers are once again one of the best teams in college basketball. Purdue is 28-3 on the season and set to earn another one-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Zach Edey is the overwhelming favorite for the national player of the year and the […]

It took just two conference tournament championship games for a possible bid-thief to emerge this March. Drake entered the Missouri Valley Tournament with a decent at-large resume but one that was not quite good enough to put them in the field of 68. In the MVC title game, Drake defeated an Indiana State team hanging […]

It took just two conference tournament championship games for a possible bid-thief to emerge this year. The Drake Bulldogs entered the Missouri Valley Tournament with a decent at-large case but one that was not quite good enough to put them in the field of 68. The MVC title game saw Drake face off against and […]

Just before the NFL free agency window opened on Monday, the San Francisco 49ers announced the release of their longest-tenured played. Defensive end Arik Armstead began his career with the Niners back in 2015, but with the two sides unable to reach an agreement on a restructured deal, San Francisco elected for the 30-year-old to […]

The Kentucky Wildcats are getting hot at the right time. After a mid-season skid that saw the Wildcats lose four out of six games — including three straight at home — John Calipari’s squad has overpowered opponents in recent weeks. Over their last 10 contests, Kentucky is sixth in the country in offensive efficiency, scoring […]

March is a month of haves and have-nots. So many teams fall short of the NCAA Tournament, while a select few create memories that will last a lifetime. It is also a time of renewal, moving on, and cutting ties, as many programs look to separate themselves from the failure of recent years. Several head […]

March is upon us, and while the NCAA Tournament is the main attraction, die-hard college basketball fans know that Champ Week is when the real entertainment happens. When else can you watch two teams playing with their season on the line at 11:30 PM on a Thursday in front of a few hundred fans in […]

Since entering the league as the ninth overall pick in 2011, Tyron Smith has been one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL. In 13 years with the Cowboys, Smith has earned eight trips to the Pro Bowl while also becoming a two-time All-Pro honoree. Even at age 33, Tyron Smith is still among […]

The Big Ten basketball regular season wrapped up on Thursday night, confirming what many had known for months — that Purdue was the champion. The Boilermakers were the league’s best team at the beginning, during the middle, and at the end of the year, so it was no surprise to see this squad win the […]

With many conference tournaments beginning this week, the Big East regular season is also one game from completion. Connecticut already wrapped up the league title — its first Big East title since 2005-06 and its first outright regular season crown since 1998-99. Several UConn players will also look to claim the Big East Player of […]

March is underway, which means that for many college basketball teams, an entire season comes down to just a few games. Squads in one-bid leagues must go all-out to win their conference tournaments while bubble teams are looking to win a few games to put themselves on the right side of the cut line. For […]

Monday marks Week 18 of the college basketball season and, more importantly, the final week of the regular season. It also brings the first AP Top 25 Poll in March. With the first conference tournaments underway, we will soon have a list of teams who have qualified for the NCAA Tournament. While the AP Poll […]

March is finally here, and March Madness is just a few short weeks away. Everyone wants to publish their Final Four picks, but the real fun is figuring out which unsung teams will make a run. Who will follow in the footsteps of Florida Atlantic and Princeton and make some noise in the NCAA Tournament? […]

With NFL free agency underway, one of the top wide receivers on the market is Calvin Ridley of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The franchise acquired him in 2022 from the Atlanta Falcons while Ridley was serving a year-long suspension for gambling. The deal included several contingencies, based on playing time, receiving totals, and a possible extension […]

In a year where so many college basketball teams have a legitimate shot at winning the national championship, the Arizona Wildcats will believe that this could finally be their year again. Arizona has wins over Duke, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Alabama. The Wildcats are fourth both in the NET Rankings and KenPom and enter the […]

After a long, grueling Big 12 campaign, the conference tournament is finally in sight for the league’s 14 teams. Nine Big 12 teams are currently comfortably slotted into the NCAA Tournament field, three others will look to keep their slim bubble hopes alive in Kansas City, and the bottom two are auto-bid or bust. One […]

A year after earning a two-seed and reaching the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament, the 2023-24 season was always going to be difficult for the UCLA Bruins. The team lost the foundational quartet of Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyger Campbell, Jaylen Clark, and David Singleton to the professional ranks, leaving a young and inexperienced team […]

With the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine underway in Indianapolis and the NFL Draft on tap for next month, the NFL world is indulging in a heavy dose of prospect analysis. One of the most intriguing players in the draft this year is Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean A broken leg suffered in mid-November will keep DeJean […]

With the regular season winding down and conference tournaments on the horizon in college basketball, some of the focus begins to shift toward the yearly awards. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Award nominees for the best players by position as well as the Player of the Year have all been reduced to 10 […]

The final year of college basketball in the Pac-12 Conference has not always produced the highest quality product on the court, but it has not fallen short in the drama department. Just three games separate third place from tenth place and seeding becomes ever-important with the conference tournament just two weeks away. Arizona is the […]

While NFL free agency is still two weeks away, major offseason moves are already taking place. On Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released outside linebacker Shaq Barrett — a two-time Pro Bowler and former NFL sacks leader. The Bucs were due to pay Barrett a $15.04 million bonus in March but instead decided that money […]

In a year where the race for the national championship is as wide open as ever in college basketball, the Kansas Jayhawks are a popular pick to go all the way. Kansas has the second-longest active NCAA Tournament appearance streak at 24 years plus has earned a four-seed or better in 22 straight tournaments. Both […]