Liam Hanley Articles - Page 7

Monday marks Week 17 of the college basketball season and the final week of February. The beginning of March and the ensuing madness is imminent, and first it brings the newest edition of the AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll. With just one week until the first conference tournaments begin, we have a strong sense […]

Tennessee has been on the cusp of March Madness success for many years now. The Volunteers have earned a five-seed or better in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments and are on course to do so once again in 2024. Yet Rick Barnes’ team has been unable to advance past the Sweet 16 and […]

After beginning the season ranked fourth in the country, it has seemingly gone all downhill from there for the Michigan State Spartans. MSU lost its season-opener at home to James Madison (a team that turned out to be quite good) and despite playing better basketball since, the Spartans are just 17-11 on the year following […]

For years, the knock on this Houston Cougars basketball team — regardless of how dominant it was — did not play in a good enough conference. Despite the lack of quality competition in the AAC, the Cougars managed to make the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, and Final over its last three seasons in the conference. […]

With the college basketball regular season nearing its conclusion, it is time to start considering which players are deserving of the biggest awards in the game. A few weeks we broke down the players to watch for the Wooden Award, given annually to the best player in college basketball. Then we examined the favorites for […]

After 24 consecutive March Madness appearances, Gonzaga’s streak — the third-longest active run in college basketball — is in danger this year. While the Zags are 21-6 overall and 11-2 in the WCC, their lack of quality wins makes them a bubble team for the first time in a while. Fortunately for Gonzaga, Mark Few’s […]

In one of the best games of the Wild Card Round so far, the Los Angeles Rams nearly upset the NFC North champion Detroit Lions only to fall short. Three LA red-zone trips resulting in field goals instead of touchdowns were the difference in the end as the Rams fell 24-23. Matthew Stafford was superb […]

Despite a defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game, the short tenure of Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell continues to be an overwhelming success. He took the team from just three wins in 2021 to a few plays away from the Super Bowl this season. As this squad enters the […]

In a season where expectations were tempered, the Green Bay Packers managed to impress even the most optimistic of 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 […]

With a first-round playoff exit to the Buffalo Bills, the season ended in line with preseason expectations for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But considering the the challenges the team overcame to get there — three starting quarterbacks, a new offensive coordinator, the resurgence of the run game, and significant injuries to Cameron Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick […]

It was a chaotic 2023 again season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The final result — a first-round playoff exit to the Buffalo Bills — is in line with the preseason predictions. But the journey to get there — three starting quarterbacks, a new offensive coordinator, the resurgence of the run game, and significant injuries to […]

Monday marks Week 16 of the college basketball season, and it brings the newest edition of the AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll. With just two weeks remaining until the first conference tournaments begin, and have a strong sense of which teams are legitimate contenders and which squads coasted through their easy non-conference slate. No […]

With the college basketball regular season nearing its conclusion, it is time to start considering which players are deserving of the biggest awards in the game. Last week we broke down the players to watch for the Wooden Award, given annually to the best player in college basketball. Now, it is time to examine the […]

With the college basketball regular season nearing its conclusion, it is time to start considering which players are deserving of the biggest awards in the game. Last week we broke down the players to watch for the Wooden Award, given annually to the best player in college basketball. Now, it is time to examine the […]

With the college basketball regular season nearing its conclusion, it is time to start considering which players are deserving of the biggest awards in the game. Last week we broke down the players to watch for the Wooden Award, given annually to the best player in college basketball. Now, it is time to examine the […]

With the Ohio State Buckeyes men’s basketball team amid a second consecutive down year, the school decided to take drastic action — firing head coach Chris Holtmann. Holtmann’s first season with the Buckeyes came in 2017-18 and he led the Buckeyes to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first five years (OSU would’ve been […]

It was not as pretty as in previous years, but thanks to the talent of Patrick Mahomes and the grittiness of their defense, the Kansas City Chiefs took home their third Super Bowl title in five seasons — defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in Super Bowl LVIII. Kansas City now has a chance to […]

With the college basketball regular season nearing its conclusion, it is time to start considering which players are deserving of the biggest awards in the game. Last week we broke down the players to watch for the Wooden Award, given annually to the best player in college basketball. Now, it is time to examine the […]

With the college basketball regular season nearing its conclusion, it is time to start considering which players are deserving of the biggest awards in the game. Last week we broke down the players to watch for the Wooden Award, given annually to the best player in college basketball. Now, it is time to examine the […]

With the college basketball regular season nearing its conclusion, it is time to start considering which players are deserving of the biggest awards in the game. Last week we broke down the players to watch for the Wooden Award, given annually to the best player in college basketball. Now, it is time to examine the […]

After another early playoff exit for the Milwaukee Brewers, the offseason has been filled with unexpected moves for the savvy franchise. The Milwaukee Brewers made one of the most surprising signings of the offseason when they signed Rhys Hoskins on a two-year, $34 million contract, with an opt-out after the first year and the option for […]

Monday marks Week 15 of the college basketball season, and it brings the newest edition of the AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll. With just three weeks remaining until the first conference tournaments begin, and have a strong sense of which teams are legitimate contenders and which squads coasted through their easy non-conference slate. No […]

It was not as pretty as in previous years, but thanks to the talent of Patrick Mahomes and the grittiness of their defense, the Kansas City Chiefs took home their third Super Bowl title in five seasons — defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in Super Bowl LVIII. Kansas City now has a chance to […]

With Super Bowl 58 just a few short days away, everyone has their opinion about who will win. Currently, the San Francisco 49ers are narrow favorites to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in what promises to be a thrilling contest. Besides predicting the Super Bowl champ, the next biggest honor is taking home the Super […]

After falling victim to the third-largest playoff comeback in NFL history in 2022, the Los Angeles Chargers seemed poised to rebound from their legendary letdown in 2023. Instead, a team with so much talent fell flat. The Chargers lost eight of their last nine games, saw Justin Herbert suffer a season-ending broken finger, and eventually […]

Coming off a 4-12-1 year, the Indianapolis Colts entered the 2023 NFL season with low expectations and a plethora of unknowns. For all that uncertainty, Indy had a successful bounce-back campaign and set a strong foundation for the future. Quarterback of the future Anthony Richardson became QB of the present but then went down with […]

After a second consecutive 9-8 season resulted in the Seattle Seahawks narrowly missing out on a playoff berth, the 2024 campaign will look different for the decorated franchise. Head Coach Pete Carroll stepped down after 14 years at the helm, with former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald taking over as the team’s leader. Carroll […]

For much of the season, the Miami Dolphins were the AFC’s team to beat. Mike McDaniels’ squad was 5-1 entering Week 7 and 11-4 with just two games left in the campaign and the number-one seed in their hands. But ultimately the Dolphins’ inability to beat good teams blocked them from postseason success. Five of […]

After the addition of former Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr, the New Orleans Saints entered the 2023 season as AFC South favorites. Following a season with considerable highs and lows, the Saints fell short of that goal — narrowly missing out on a playoff spot after a 9-8 campaign. The 9-8 record does not […]

Despite dealing with a season-ending injury to Nick Chubb and starting five different starting quarterbacks, the Cleveland Browns persevered, finishing 11-6 and earning a playoff berth for the first time since 2021 and just the second time in the last 22 seasons. The good news for the franchise is that it does not face many […]

After another successful regular season, the Baltimore Ravens fell short in the playoffs once again. Turnovers, penalties, and poor play-calling all doomed the young Ravens squad in a 17-10 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game. The franchise now enters another key offseason as it must figure out how to translate […]

In a season where expectations were tempered, the Green Bay Packers managed to impress even the most optimistic of 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 […]

Monday marks Week 14 of the college basketball season, and it brings the newest edition of the AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll. A month of conference play is complete, and we are finally getting a sense of which teams are legitimate contenders and which squads coasted through their easy non-conference slate. Kentucky dropped from […]

The most prestigious individual honor in college basketball, the Wooden Award honors the best men’s and women’s college basketball players every year. 20 players made the Wooden Late Season Watch List, announced on January 30. On the men’s side Purdue center Zach Edey — the 2022-23 winner — is the favorite to take home the […]

Another mediocre season ended in disappointment for the Atlanta Falcons in 2023. The franchise finished 7-10 for the third straight season, resulting in the dismissal of head coach Arthur Smith. The rushing duo of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier had a strong year, but averaging 32 fewer yards per game than in 2022 plus mediocre […]

Despite a defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game, the short tenure of Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell continues to be an overwhelming success. He took the team from just three wins in 2021 to a few plays away from the Super Bowl this season. As this squad enters the […]

Following the offseason addition of former Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr, the New Orleans Saints entered the 2023 season as the favorites to take home the AFC South title. After a season with considerable highs and lows, the Saints fell short of that goal — narrowly missing out on a playoff spot after a […]

Never count out the Kansas City Chiefs. That is the lesson that head coach Andy Reid taught the NFL world this season as the Chiefs made their fourth Super Bowl in five years after defeating the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game. At one point this season, the Chiefs were scuffling at 9-6, having […]

The Milwaukee Brewers made one of the most surprising signings of the offseason a few days ago when they signed Rhys Hoskins on a two-year, $34 million contract, with an opt-out after the first year and the option for a third year. This contract is far from the headline-grabbing deals totaling in the hundreds of […]