Cal Bears podcast with Morris Philllips and Michael Duca: Bears team hasn’t struggled like this since Pete Newell or Kevin Johnson

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photo from: californiagoldenblogs.com file: Justice Sueing is California’s leading scorer, averaging 17 points per game

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris and Michael:

Michael says he doesn’t remember Cal basketball struggling like this since the Pete Newell team 1954-55 when they went 1-11 and Morris doesn’t remember the team struggling this bad since the Dick Kuchen years from 1978 to 1985.

When you look at it for a team that’s won one conference title in forever, but they have made some regular NCAA appearances and they’ve had some success developing some NBA players. This is not a program that’s been left up to success. Former Cal player Tyrone Wallace played the other night against the Warriors in Los Angeles for the Clippers.

This year, for the Bears, there hasn’t been that much growth and development as the season goes along. Of course, the opponents get tougher and tougher as the season goes along too. It’s getting difficult to watch, it is part of the process that a lot of programs go through.

Morris and Michael do the Cal Bears podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NCAAB podcast with Michelle Richardson: Duke hands Virginia their first loss of the season; UConn explains self-imposed penalties; plus more

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Photo credit: @si_ncaabb

On the NCAAB podcast with Michelle:

#1 No.1 Duke (15-2) handed No.4 Virginia their first loss of the season on Saturday. The game was a battle and Virginia (16-1) ended up taking their first loss of the season 72-70. Despite the loss, it was a never-ending fight to the finish and Virginia did everything they could to protect their perfect record, but came up short.

#2 UConn Athletic Director David Benedict said the allegations of the Huskies former coach Kevin Ollie, who was fired, and the school was investigated for illegal recruiting regarding a video about recruiting NBA stars former Celtic Ray Allen and the San Antonio Spurs Rudy Gay. UConn self imposed the penalties, which included firing Ollie.

#3 The Howard Bison (8-11) got a huge win 71-67 in overtime the South Carolina State Bulldogs (4-16). RJ Cole led the Bison with 26 points. Looking at the Mideastern, does a division like this give Cole or talent like him recognition from NBA scouts?

Michelle Richardson does the NCAAB podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Daniel Dullum: Yotes got a big win against SJ; Sharks lost two in a row; Concussion issues addressed in the NHL; plus more

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Photo credit: @SiriusXMNHL

On the NHL podcast with Daniel:

1 Big win for Coyotes over the Sharks; tough road trip for San Jose.

2 Concussion lawsuit settlement deadline extended.

3 Caps give former coach Barry Trotz classy tribute in return to DC.

4 NHL ends bid to hold 2020 World Cup of Hockey.

5 Brad Marchand sort of wishes he hadn’t licked Ryan Callahan’s nose in last year’s playoffs.

Catch Daniel each Sunday for the NHL podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Bad Break: Cal falters after halftime, Washington surges to 71-52 win

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By Morris Phillips

The Washington Huskies are the most recognizable thing the Pac-12 has to offer these days. Deep, athletic and experienced, UW currently projects to be a 10-seed were the NCAA tournament to commence next week.

UW is the only conference team to have a tournament profile at this point. Arizona, Oregon and Arizona State are seeking what Washington possesses.

UW’s description lies at the opposite end of the spectrum from where the Cal Bears reside. At 0-5 in conference play beginning Saturday, the Bears appeared to be the most downtrodden member of a conference collectively having a down year unlike any they’ve experienced in the last 20 seasons.

Given that juxtaposition, it no surprise that the Bears wilted quickly when push came to shove at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. After battling the first-place Huskies on even terms for 20 minutes, Cal’s offense deteriorated after halftime in a 71-52 defeat.

The Huskies staged a late rally to lead 29-28 at the break. That surge came after they missed 13 of the first 14 shots to start the game. But once UW started cooking, they didn’t cool, starting the second half on an 18-7 run that turned the contest into a rout.

The Bears shot just 23 percent after halftime, and a season-worst 31 percent for the game. They missed 14 of their 15 three attempts and gathered just eight assists. In rapid succession, the Bears saw their transition opportunities dwindle, their shooting plummet, and then the Huskies heated up. Washington went from missing shots early to canning 10 threes in the game.

“We started the game out getting stops and getting out in transition and I was happy to see that, but we really struggled against their half-court zone,” said coach Wyking Jones.

Roman Davis made his first start as a collegian. Teammate Andre Kelly came off the bench and led the Bears with 14 points in 18 minutes. Freshman Matt Bradley also started but couldn’t make a shot. He missed all ten that he attempted.

The Bears have dropped 13 consecutive Pac-12 conference games dating to February. They’ve also lost their last twelve Pac-12 road contests. They dropped seven straight overall, and in the last four they’ve failed to gain a lead in the second half at any point.

It’s not pretty. But if the Bears allow it, their losing ways could continue.

The Bears return to Haas Pavilion on Thursday night to face Colorado. Game time set for 8:00 pm PT.

Kings bounce back Saturday with a 103-101 “ugly” win over the Pistons on the road

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pistons kings final
Graphic/Photo:@NBCSCA

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Kings began their longest road trip of the year on Thursday night with a disappointing 114-95 loss in Charlotte. That was a game that should have gone in the win column for the Kings on this six-city road swing.

Sacramento had the table set for them on Saturday night going into the game. The Pistons were playing the second game of a back-to-back set after having played the Miami Heat on Friday night. Detroit also lost center Andre Drummond in the first quarter of the Miami game when an arm in the face caused a nasal injury that would also keep him out of the game versus the Kings.

This was a snoozer for three quarters
In fact, you could make the case that this game was a sleep inducer for 44 minutes. After 36 minutes, the Pistons held an 82-74 lead over the Kings. Detroit was controlling the pace. Blake Griffin was leading the scoring for the Pistons and Luke Kennard was sinking 3-pointers with ease.

The Kings were just hanging on in the game. They were allowing the Pistons to set a slow-down pace. SAC was shooting poorly (26.3%) from downtown, and they were allowing Detroit to outrebound them. The Kings seemed satisfied to trail the Pistons by 10 points.

At the end of three quarters, things did not look good for Sacramento fans.

Welcome to the “Buddy Buckets Show”

pistons buddy zone
In the 4th quarter, Hield was in the zone Photo:@SacramentoKings

Buddy Hield scored 20 points in the first half of the game on Saturday night. He played the entire third quarter and scored no points while shooting 0-for-3 from the field. Things looked grim indeed for the men from Sacramento.

Hield scored his first points of the second half with 3:26 to go in the game. He hit a 27-foot 3-point jump shot set up by an assist from Iman Shumpert. That cut the Detroit lead to four points.

After a Pistons miss, Hield promptly cut the Pistons lead to one after he hit another 27-foot 3-point bucket.

Hield went on to hit a 17-foot field goal, a free throw, and another 3-point basket during his 12-point blitz.

The Kings regained control of the ball with 3.4-seconds to go in the game when they grabbed the rebound off of Reggie Jackson’s missed jump shot. Sacramento called an immediate timeout in order to be able to inbound the ball in the frontcourt.

Bogdan Bogdanovic inbounded the ball to Hield. Hield, who was surrounded by three Piston defenders, lost control of the ball but was able to regain control. He turned and jumped off one leg then shot a 28-foot 3-point shot that went through the bucket at the buzzer to give the Kings the win.

Sacramento escaped the Little Caesar’s Arena with a 103-101 win over the stunned Detroit Pistons.

“(It was) my first buzzer beater in the NBA,” said Hield after the game. “It was one of those things as a kid you wanted to do and you want to cherish. I hope I have many more to come.”

Kings’ numbers on the night (24-22)

pistons kings 5
Kings starting five in Detroit Photo: @SacramentoKings

Hield was the Kings leading scorer with 35 points. He shot 13-for-22 overall and hit 7-of-9 from behind the arc. Hield also grabbed nine rebounds (3 OR).

Dave Joerger was full of praise for Buddy after the game, but he also wanted to point out the performances of some of his other players. “De’Aaron Fox had a terrific game even though he didn’t shoot the basketball (well). Iman Shumpert had a really nice night defensively. Marvin Bagley fought like crazy. Harry (Giles) fought like crazy. Those guys are getting better. It’s a great learning experience trying to learn. They’re learning it doesn’t take losses to learn.” Joerger also added that he thought, “Willie Cauley-Stein was solid tonight.”

Other contributors:

  • De’Aaron Fox had a double-double, scoring 14 points and dishing out 10 dimes
  • Marvin Bagley III put in 14 points–many with Blake Griffin in his face
  • Willie Cauley-Stein added 12 points and six rebounds
  • Bogdanovic and Giles scored eight points apiece

SAC team stats

  • The Kings hit 40-of-89 (44.9%) of their field goals in the game
  • They put in 10-of-25 (40%) of their 3-point attempts, thanks to Hield’s fourth quarter blitz
  • SAC converted 13-of-18 (72.2%) free throw attempts
  • They were outrebounded 46-39
  • Sacramento recorded 30 assists and made just 13 turnovers, which resulted in 17 Detroit points

Detroit by the numbers (20-25)

  • Blake Griffin was the game’s leading scorer with 38 points. He was also the game’s leading complainer as he had something to say to the officials after every play. He was especially boorish to referee Natalie Sago.
  • Luke Kennard put in 19 points off the bench.
  • Zaza Pachulla hauled in 12 rebounds
  • Bruce Brown recorded a career-high 10 rebounds

Up next
The Kings left the Motor City after the game for New York City. SAC will play the Brooklyn Nets (24-23) on Monday afternoon at 12:30 PM PST. The game can be seen on NBCSCA and heard on the Kings Radio Network.

The Pistons also play on Martin Luther King Day as they will be in Washington to take on the Wizards.

pistons buddy post
One happy “Star of the Game” Photo: @SacramentoKings

Sharks Fall to Lightning 6-3

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 6-3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Saturday’s road game at Amalie Arena. Tampa Bay got goals from Steven Stamkos (2), Yanni Gourde, Mathieu Joseph, Alex Killorn, and Victor Hedman. Two Sharks goals came from Evander Kane and one from Marcus Sorensen. Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy made 36 saves for the win, while Martin Jones made 20 saves in the Sharks’ loss. The Sharks power play went 1-3, while their penalty kill was 2-4.

The Sharks were once again missing some significant players from their blue line. Erik Karlsson skated during warm-ups, but then there was a last minute scratch Saturday. Marc-Edouard Vlasic continues to be out, missing his eighth game since January 2. It is not certain whether either player will return before the NHL All Star Game.

After the game, Sharks Captain Joe Pavelski was asked about these roster challenges, and he said: “We were all right at times, we had a lot of chances. You can’t give up six, but it gets a little bit away from us there at the end. And five on three goal and a couple of those things. We definitely had a chance in this game I think.”

Of Erik Karlsson’s absence in particular, Sharks forward Evander Kane said: “No matter who it is, it’s always next man up. We’ve played without a lot of our top D through the course of the season, played well. I mean we played with three guys that are normally out of the lineup against these guys at home and beat them. So obviously it’s a loss but it’s not an excuse.”

The Lightning struck first, 3:32 into the game. Mathieu Joseph dumped the puck in from just over the center line and then followed the puck to the corner. JT Miller sped into the corner as well and centered the puck on net. Anthoney Cirelli was in front of the net to take the shot, but Jones kicked the puck back out. He did not kick it far enough, as Joseph was right there to put the rebound in the net. It was Joseph’s 12th of the season, with assists to Cirelli and Miller.

Tampa Bay doubled their lead at 17:51. In a flurry of activity at the Sharks net, Marcus Sorensen poked the puck away from Brayden Point. unfortunately, Alex Killorn was coming down the slot and the puck came right to him with traffic to screen Jones’s view. It was Killorn’s 11th of the season.

Evander Kane got one back for the Sharks on the power play at 19:39 of the period. With 44 seconds left in the power play and less time left in the period, Joe Thornton made a pass to Timo Meier at the side of the net. Instead of taking the shot, Meier found Kane arriving on the other side of the blue paint and sent the puck to him. Kane had an open net as Andrei Vasilevskiy was coming across. It was Kane’s 18th of the season, with assists going to Meier and Thornton.

The Sharks led the period in shots 16-7, while Tampa Bay led in faceoff wins 59%-41%.

Evander Kane added another goal to tie the score just 58 seconds into the second period. Kane caught a pass from Joonas Donskoi just as Kane reached the Lightning blue line. He skated into the slot and took a shot that went wide of the net and came off the backboards. It came off the boards just so that as Kane reached the net, the puck slid by the post and was in position to be knocked in. Assists went to Donskoi and Radim Simek.

It took the Lightning some time to retake the lead, but they did at 7:29 with a goal from Yanni Gourde. Steven Stamkos shot the puck behind the net and off the boards, where it found Gourde skating, then diving to reach it and put it in the net. It was Gourde’s 12th of the season, with assists going to Stamkos and Ondrej Palat.

Tampa Bay got their lead back to two at 12:01, on a power play caused by a tripping penalty to Logan Couture. That penalty was taken in the final seconds of a penalty to Kevin Labanc, so the Sharks were just finishing a 3-on-5 kill. Victor Hedman skated by three Sharks to get the shot under Jones and into the net. It was Hedman’s seventh of the season. An assist went to Nikita Kucherov.

The shot count was even in the second period at 13. By the end of the second, the Sharks had improved their faceoff percentage to 50%.

Steven Stamkos gave the Lightning a 5-2 lead at 5:08 of the third period. Kucherov skated around Simek along the boards, then passed the puck to Stamkos in the middle of the ice. Stamkos got around Donskoi and took a shot through traffic for his 25th goal of the season. Kucherov and Ryan McDonough had the assists.

Stamkos scored again at 14:15, this time from his usual spot high on the faceoff circle, and on the power play. Evander Kane was in the box for roughing against Erik Cernak. Asists went to Hedman and Point.

Marcus Sorensen scored to make it 6-3 with a slap shot in the final minute of the game. Assists went to Tim Heed and Kevin Labanc. Despite the score, Vasilevskiy was very agitated about giving up that goal and took it out on his stick and blocker.

The final shot count was 39-26 Sharks, and the Sharks won 53% of the faceoffs.

The Sharks next play on Monday in Florida against the Panthers at 4:00 PM PT.

San Jose State gets run over by UNLV 94-56

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Photo credit: @SJSUMBB

By: Ana Kieu

San Jose State men’s basketball had hoped for the Thomas & Mack Center, home of the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, to see a Spartan win Saturday night. After all, Thomas & Mack has seen a lot of excellent events throughout the years.

Spartans head coach Jean Prioleau went with a starting lineup featuring Brae Ivey, Noah Baumann, Zach Chappell, Michael Steadman and Oumar Barry.

Last time out, Baumann knocked down a program record tying seven 3-pointers. Fast forward to Saturday when SJSU started a two-game road trip, starting at UNLV.

SJSU won the tip and the game went underway in Las Vegas. The Spartans trailed 10-4 at the first media timeout. Things faltered from there, as the Rebels went on a 11-0 run and the Spartans fell into a larger deficit, 21-6, at the second media timeout.

It was all Rebels in the first half. Nickalas Blair found Jonathan Tchamwa in transition for the dunk. Bryce Hamilton got the steal, save and score for a notable heads up play. Trey Woodbury hit a corner 3 to extend the Rebels’ lead to 21. The Spartans shot just 31% compared to the Rebels’ 53%. Prioleau was visibly upset and the Spartans shrugged off to the locker room with a 46-25 deficit at the half.

The Spartans’ turnovers and overall offense proved to be a continual problem in the second half. SJSU trailed 68-35 at the 11:58 mark.

Should we be surprised? Not really. The Rebels continued to play high-caliber basketball. Joel Ntambwe knocked down a triple. Hamilton followed up with a step-back jumpshot for 3.

Prioleau used every player on the Spartans’ bench in hopes of a scoring streak, but the Spartans’ offense was unable to score at an average or higher level. SJSU trailed by thirty, 77-47, with 7:21 left.

The Rebels put the game out of reach and expanded its lead to 85-49 with 4:49 seconds left. All the Spartans could do was wrap things up and gear up for their next opponent.

The Spartans never took the lead and used their final timeout with 50 seconds left. The Rebels hit at a sky-high rate, ran their offense and dribbled the game out. SJSU lost 94-56 for their eighth straight loss.

SJSU dropped to 3-14, 0-5 MW, while UNLV improved to 10-7, 4-1 MW.

SJSU heads to Laramie, Wyo. to take the Wyoming Cowboys Wednesday, January 23 at 6:00 pm PT.

Cardinal bounce back with Pac-12 win at WSU, 78-66

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Photo credit: gostanford.com

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, January 19, 2019

Stanford earned a split of its Pac-12 road visit to the state of Washington Saturday, as the Cardinal defeated Washington State 78-66 at Pullman.

Daejon Davis led the Cardinal (9-9 overall, 2-4 Pac-12) with 15 points and six assists. Oscar Da Silva added 12 points and five rebounds, and Josh Sharma contributed 11 points and eight rebounds.

WSU (8-10, 1-4) was led by CJ Elleby with 18 points and eight rebounds, with Ahmed Ali hitting 4-of-5 3-point field goal shooting, finishing with 14 points.

The Cardinal asserted themselves with a 3-minute, 13-2 first-half run that helped overcome an eight-point deficit and take a 19-16 lead. Marvin Cannon hit a 3-pointer, Jeff Pollard made a couple of inside layups, and from that point, the Cougars went scoreless over the next 3:09.

During that stretch, the Cardinal went on a 14-2 run. Though Washington State finished the first half with a 7-0 run, the Cardinal led 39-35 at halftime.

Though Stanford opened the second half with an 8-4 run, WSU answered with seven straight points in 32 seconds, closing the Cougars’ deficit to 47-46.

The Cardinal responded with three 3’s by Da Silva, Sheffield and Davis for a 9-2 run, giving Stanford a 58-46 lead at the 12-minute mark.

With 2:30 to play, the Cougars cut Stanford’s lead to 69-64 on a pair of Robert Franks free throws. But after WSU lost a possible defensive rebound out of bounds, a dunk by Willis sparked a 6-0 run over the final 55 seconds.

For Stanford, it was a much-needed conference win after being hammered by Washington on Thursday. The Cardinal return home on Thursday to host Utah. Game time set for 6:00 PM PST.

The Fantasy Football Doctors Podcast Gets Real: Who will win the Championship games on Sunday?

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
rams vs saints
Rams vs. Saints in the early game Photo: @NFL

Your hosts: Dr. Vasu Vaddiparty & Dr. Charlie O

  • Is it unusual to have teams that met in the regular season face each other in the Conference Championship games?
  • How will those previous meetings affect the games on Sunday?
  • New England will not have home field advantage on Sunday — How will that play into that outcome of their game?
  • What effect will the “Full Blood Wolf Moon” have on the games?
  • How much influence will Special Teams have in these games?
  • What effect will the weather in Kansas City have in that game?
  • Will offense or defense win the games?
  • Vegas is being very conservative with these games – do you agree?
  • We go on the record picking who we think is going to the Super Bowl!

Come on and join the fun … Push play now!

NHL podcast with Matt Harrington: Isles get third period help to defeat Caps 2-0; Flames continue to dominate in Pacific; PP goal wins it for Pens in OT; plus more

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Photo credit: @NYIslanders

On the NHL podcast with Matt:

#1 Josh Bailey and Cal Clutterbuck of the New York Islanders each scored in the third period of Friday night’s game and Isles goaltender Thomas Greiss stopped 19 shots against the Washington Capitals for a 2-0 win.

#2 The Calgary Flames’ Sam Bennett couldn’t be contained, scoring two goals as well as the go-ahead goal as the Flames took a two-goal win past the Detroit Red Wings 6-4 on Friday.

#3 Phil Kessel got a power play goal at 4:09 in overtime as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Arizona Coyotes 3-2. The Pens won it on a 4-3 power play after slashing was called on the Coyotes’ Richard Panik.

#4 Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks got a goal and an assist and Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko stopped 36 shots, beating the visiting Buffalo Sabers at Rogers Center in Vancouver.

#5 The Ottawa Senators’ Bobby Ryan and Mark Stone didn’t waste anytime in the second period, scoring 13 seconds apart to win their fourth straight game, defeating the Carolina Hurricanes in Ottawa 4-1.

Matt does the NHL podcasts each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com