Chicago Sports

Simeon coach Robert Smith’s storybook ending was slipping away. The retiring coach, who has won a record seven city titles and six state championships, was faced with the prospect of a humiliating collapse in his final Public League game.

Kenwood guard Dai Dai Ames’ drained a dagger three-pointer at the top of the key to tie the game. The Broncos’ fans went wild. Then Simeon failed to score on its last possession.

The Wolverines had led by 20 to start the fourth quarter, but the city championship was going to overtime.

As it has so often since he took over the Simeon program in 2004, history turned Smith’s way. His team buckled down defensively in overtime, not allowing Kenwood a field goal.

Senior Wes Rubin sealed it with a dunk and Simeon beat Kenwood 72-64 to win the city title. Smith went out on top, at least in the Public League.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Smith said. “It probably will later. Earlier today I was thinking about games I played in before and all the seasons I’ve coached.”

Smith has stressed that this season is about the kids, not his farewell tour. The players have repeatedly said they haven’t felt extra pressure to make sure that Smith’s final season was a success.

“There wasn’t extra stress,” Rubin said. “We knew what we had to do, and we’ve known since day one. We came out here and accomplished our goal. But that dunk at the end was definitely an exclamation point.”

Smith agreed.

“[That win] did feel better than usual,” Smith said. “We did it. After everything we’ve been through all year our defense held up in those last two minutes of overtime.”

Rubin led Simeon (26-3) with 21 points and six rebounds. His twin brother Miles added 15 points, six rebounds and five blocks. Guards Sam Lewis and Jalen Griffith each scored 11.

“[Smith] deserved it,” Griffith said. “This was his last one and he had to go out with a win.”

Ames led Kenwood with 22 points and Isaiah Green scored 11 in the fourth quarter to spearhead the comeback. Junior Chris Riddle added 10 points off the bench.

“People like to say a lot of negatives about Chicago,” Kenwood coach Mike Irvin said. “But this was positive. This is what it is about, everyone supporting these kids. Two teams playing in a packed house. That was good for Chicago.”

Kenwood (23-6) has never won a city title. This is the second title game appearance for the Broncos, who lost to Simeon in 2016 as well.

“We are building something special over here,” Irvin said. “Keep watching, it is coming. We are going to keep our eyes on the prize. The plan was to win city. We didn’t win it. But we are going to win a state championship. We won’t let the fans down. There is still something to look forward to.”

Simeon and Kenwood are both top contenders in the state playoffs. The Wolverines are in Class 3A, Kenwood is in Class 4A. Simeon lost in the state semifinals last year.

“We will enjoy this for a few days and then we will regroup and try to fix some things and try to go win another state championship,” Smith said.

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CLEVELAND – Seven years knee-deep in “Heat Culture,” and feelings become second to winning.

That’s why veteran Goran Dragic has been a key voice in a Bulls locker room that doesn’t always like to confront the truth.

So when asked on Saturday about the on-going rumors of the Bulls looking to add a point guard on the buy-out market – whether that’s Russell Westbrook or someone else – Dragic wasn’t about to take basketball decisions personally.

Yes, he still feels like he can play the point guard spot at a high level, has a plus-minus of plus-31 this season to show evidence of that, but also knows at age 36, there’s only so many minutes in the legs.

“No, it doesn’t offend me, it doesn’t,” Dragic said. “At the end of the day you want to win. I’ve got limited minutes so it’s what can I do in those minutes? I know the plus/minus is good, and I know what I can do. Sometimes I feel more involved, sometimes no

“But you know, I do think the starting unit needs a point guard, that’s for sure. It is what it is.”

No offense to current starting point guard Ayo Dosunmu or the point guard-by-committee approach late in games, but Dragic knows what works and what doesn’t.

The last time this Bulls roster was .500 or better was back on Nov. 7. It’s not working, especially late in games.

The Brooklyn loss was just the latest nail in that coffin, as the Bulls struggled with turnovers and getting into the offense the final seven minutes of the game, eventually losing 116-105 to a Nets roster that lost Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant a few days apart from each other, so was basically a YMCA pickup team.

Dragic is no stranger to big-game moments, is confident he can control the floor in crunch-time, but also can’t check himself into the game.

What say you, Billy Donovan?

“I think the biggest thing is the one thing I love about Goran is his competitiveness, love his toughness, but there’s also times too where you’re trying to find matchups defensively,” the coach said. “The one thing about Alex [Caruso] and Ayo out there is we feel those two on the perimeter have been pretty good, and then even if we’re going against someone a little bit bigger we’ve played Patrick [Williams].

“I’m not opposed to not having [Dragic] do that in terms of closing the game, but also we’ve got to look at how we’re matching up, how we’re playing, how’s he playing, how’s the group playing?”

Donovan did admit that the team has been actively discussing buy-out candidates and possibilities, and while he agreed that the point guard position was an area of need, he didn’t want to limit the search to just that position.

“I think it would be a player that we would all feel comfortable that can help us,” Donovan said. “I don’t know if it’s necessarily, ‘Hey, you need this, need that … ‘ You would take a good player that can play. But I also think that from the front office’s perspective, they’re going to also look at the fit not only in between the lines playing, but with the group, all those kinds of things.”

Explaining it away

Donovan was sticking to his guns on his explanation of only playing Williams 14 minutes in the loss to the Nets.

According to the coach, it was not performance-based, with Williams only scoring two points and grabbing two rebounds.

“Sometimes I don’t think it has as much to do with Patrick as the group there, and I think that group that we put in there in the third quarter was playing pretty well,” he reiterated.

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Andreas Athanasiou produced a game to remember Friday.

In the Hawks’ 4-3 overtime win over the Coyotes, he tied a career high with three points, fell one short of a career high with 12 shot attempts and tied a career high with eight shots on goal. At five-on-five specifically, his shot-attempt ratio exceeded 63% for the second consecutive game.

Even beyond the box score, he was unquestionably the man who led the Hawks’ comeback in the first half of their weekend back-to-back, which continued Saturday at the Jets.

“As a line [with Sam Lafferty and Colin Blackwell], we were just working hard and using our speed…to get in on the forecheck and create loose pucks,” Athanasiou said.

In the second period, he helped win a puck battle, then drove the net and perfectly placed a backhand shot to tie the game.

In the third period, he used his skating to beat a double-team, then weaved through the Coyotes’ defense to crash the net again, creating a situation in which Blackwell could poke in the rebound.

And in overtime, he failed to convert a breakaway but again, in doing so, created the opportunity for Caleb Jones to score seconds later.

“Once he started to feel it…he tore up the middle,” coach Luke Richardson said. “He’s starting to feel more confident, wanting the puck and demanding it.

“That’s what we want from our forwards: to skate and demand the puck from the ‘D,’ not wait and get it from them [once] they’re standing still. That’s perfect for his game with his speed.”

Athanasiou has quietly improved defensively this season and had tallied three points in his last six games entering Friday. But he had otherwise been quiet during that stretch, accumulating only four shots on goal — a number he doubled Friday alone.

The explosion served as a reminder Athanasiou could also potentially bring back some value to the Hawks at the trade deadline.

Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are occupying the spotlight and Lafferty and Max Domi are the other trendy rumor subjects, but Athanasiou might be worth a third-round pick or so.

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Saturday, February 11, 2023

NIC – 10

Auburn at Hononegah, 6:30

Belvidere at Guilford, 7:00

Belvidere North at Freeport, 7:00

Boylan at Rockford East, 3:00

Jefferson at Harlem, 7:00

SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE – EAST

Joliet Central at Joliet West, 12:00

WEST SUBURBAN – GOLD

Addison Trail at Willowbrook, 6:00

Hinsdale South at Morton, 7:30

Proviso East at Downers Grove South, 4:00

WEST SUBURBAN – SILVER

Glenbard West at Oak Park-River Forest, 1:30

Hinsdale Central at Lyons, 5:00

NON CONFERENCE

Agricultural Science at Phillips, 2:00

Bradley Tech (WI) at Von Steuben, 7:00

Byron at East Dubuque, 4:00

Cary-Grove at Palatine, 3:30

Catalyst-Maria at Perspectives-MSA, 3:00

Clemente at Wheaton North, 4:30

CPSA at Prospect, 3:00

Crete-Monee at St. Rita, 2:00

Cristo Rey-St. Martin at HRK, 5:45

Crystal Lake Central at Marengo, 7:00

Downers Grove North at Waubonsie Valley, 4:30

Elk Grove at Glenbard East, 3:00

Fenton at Argo, 4:30

Glenbard North at South Elgin, 6:30

Grayslake Central at Hersey, 3:00

Grayslake North at Woodstock, 2:00

Hiawatha at Lisle, 6:45

Hoffman Estates at North Chicago, 2:00

IMSA at Elmwood Park, 1:00

Leyden at Maine West, 3:30

Libertyville at York, 2:00

Mather at Lane, 3:00

McNamara at Wheaton Academy, 7:30

Metea Valley at Geneva, 6:00

Northside at St. Patrick, 3:00

Oak Lawn at Riverside-Brookfield, 4:30

Oregon at Harvard, 7:00

Plainfield East at St. Ignatius, 2:30

Plainfield North at Nazareth, 2:30

Pontiac at Yorkville Christian, 7:00

Prairie Central at Plano, 6:00

Prairie Ridge at Naperville North, 4:00

Richards at Stagg, 11:30

Ridgewood at Antioch, 3:30

Rochelle Zell at Fasman Yeshiva, 9:00

Rockford Lutheran at Sterling, 1:30

Round Lake at Elgin, 11:30

Sandburg at Yorkville, 3:00

Schaumburg at Niles North, 4:30

St. Charles East at Mundelein, 5:00

St. Viator at Taft, 4:30

Universal at Shepard, 12:30

BENTON HARBOR (MI)

DePaul vs. North Farmington (MI), 2:00E

DANVILLE

Bloomington vs. Bismarck-Henning-RA, 11:00

Richwoods vs. Mahomet-Seymour, 12:30

Wheaton-Warr. South vs. Normal West, 2:00

Urbana vs. Leo, 3:30

Rich vs. Rantoul, 5:00

Danville vs. Wheaton-Warr. South, 6:30

DAVISON (MI)

Thornton vs. Wayne Memorial (MI), 3:00

INDIAN CREEK

Seneca vs. Hope Academy, 1:30

Momence vs. Riverdale, 3:00

Hinckley-Big Rock vs. Beecher, 4:30

Marmion vs. Dixon, 6:00

Indian Creek vs. Morris, 7:30

NOBLE LEAGUE TOURNAMENT

at Mansueto – Championship

Bulls Prep vs. Comer, 1:00

NORTHEASTERN ATHLETIC TOURNAMENT

at Schaumburg Christian

Schaumburg Christian vs. Westminster Christian, 9

Harvest Christian vs. Christian Life, 11:00

South Beloit vs. Alden-Hebron, 11:00

Mooseheart vs. TBA, 12:30

Third Place, 12:30

Championship, 2:00

PUBLIC LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

at Credit Union 1 Arena (UIC)

Championship

Simeon vs. Kenwood, 4:00

RIVERTON

El Paso-Gridley vs. Eastland, 12:00

Dwight vs. Riverton, 1:30

Salt Fork vs. New Berlin, 3:00

Routt vs. Eureka, 4:30

Williamsville vs. Pinckneyville, 6:00

Princeton vs. Pleasant Plains, 7:30

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The Chicago Blackhawks are fully back from the All-Star break and it continued on Friday night against the Arizona Coyotes. For a lot of reasons, this was a very important game for the teams in the tank.

Everyone wants Connor Bedard but neither of these two teams’ players even slightly care about that which was evident on Friday night. It actually turned out to be a terrible night for the Blackhawks in terms of that goal.

It was actually a mostly terrible night just in general for the Chicago Blackhawks and their tank. For one, they won the game which gave them two standings points. They won in overtime which helps because the Yotes also got a point but losing would have certainly been better.

It was also a tough night because of what else went on across the league. A few other teams with Connor Bedard on their mind were in action and the Blackhawks management team won’t be happy.

The Chicago Blackhawks had a tough Friday night in terms of the tank.

The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets by a final score of 3-0 and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Anaheim Ducks by a final score of 6-3. Both the Ducks and Jackets got 0 standings points.

Now, Columbus sits in dead last of the NHL with 34 points. The Blackhawks are a spot up with a three-point lead now at 37 points. Then, you’ll find the Ducks up a few with 40 points and then the Coyotes with 41 points. As these teams get ready to sell at the deadline, this is getting more and more interesting.

The cool thing that came out of this night is the fact that Jaxson Stauber was the winning goaltender once again. He is the first goalie in franchise history to ever win his first three NHL games. Now, we have to wonder if he is a piece to consider for the future.

From the words of Commissioner Gary Bettman, the league doesn’t think that teams tank on purpose. The players and coaches certainly don’t but the management teams are clearly smart enough to give their teams a chance at generational talents if they can.

The Blackhawks are back in action on Saturday night. This time they are on the road as they will be going up against a very good Winnipeg Jets squad. That will certainly be a totally different type of game than the one on Friday night. This big (and very important) month continues for the Hawks.

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You remember Gene Rayburn, the quizmaster of ”The Match Game”? The premise of this long-running show was delightfully simple. Gene would ask six celebrities a question, often a fill-in-the-blank, and the celebs (Betty White, Soupy Sales, Joe Garagiola, etc.) would scribble an answer on a card. The contestant then would give her/his answer in the hopes of matching the panelists’ answers. The most correct answers would win the game and money.

The first version of the show ran from 1962 to ’69. An upscale version (it was in color) ran in several iterations between 1973 and ’90 in syndication. The celebrities (White, Charles Nelson Reilly, Richard Dawson, Brett Somers, etc.) were encouraged to be much racier with their answers. The show since has been revived, hosted by Alec Baldwin.

That brings us to our weekly quiz, in which you must match the clues below with one of the players listed. Also, see if you can figure out why there are 10 questions instead of the usual nine this week. Have fun and learn a lot.

OK, Johnny Olson, what do you say now? ”Get ready to match the stars!”

CLUES

a. Had two hits in each of four All-Star Games.

b. Stole home in the World Series.

c. Played with the Cubs and sang with the New Christy Minstrels.

d. Performed regularly with Second City.

e. Led the majors in hits in the 1990s.

f. Babe Ruth was his babysitter.

g. Threw a no-hitter and sang with the Eurythmics.

h. Cubs pitcher with the most walks against the White Sox in a game (seven).

i. Was a Cub and an original Met.

j. Flew with Amelia Earhart.

k. Missed two seasons in the bigs because of the Korean War.

l. Wore No. 71 with the Red Sox.

m. Only Hall of Fame pitcher with at least 1,000 strikeouts but even more walks (21 seasons with the White Sox).

n. Finished third in a hot-dog-eating contest at Coney Island (1987).

o. Regis Philbin was his father-in-law.

p. Pitched for the Cubs and White Sox.

q. Has hit the same number of home runs as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (104).

r. Once held the rookie home-run record with 39 (2017).

s. Holds the White Sox’ single-season record with 77 steals.

t. Tied a major-league record by allowing six solo homers in a game.

u. A hit-by-pitch kept him from throwing a perfect game (2021).

v. Never allowed a homer to Barry Bonds but intentionally walked him 11 times.

w. This dude owes me money ($473).

x. Struck out 11-plus batters in a game more frequently than any pitcher in Chicago history.

y. Was romantically involved with Mariska Hargitay.

z. Last player to wear No. 42 on the White Sox (1996).

PLAYERS

1. Cody Bellinger

2. Mark Grace

3. Matt Swarmer

4. Rudy Law

5. Nellie Fox

6. Ted Lyons

7. Scott Ruffcorn

8. Richie Ashburn

9. Carlos Rodon

10. Ian Happ

ANSWERS

1. R

2. E

3. T

4. S

5. A

6. M

7. Z

8. I

9. U

10. Q

(Read the answers backward. It spells quizmaster.)

Hope you had fun this week. This has been a Mark Goodson/Bill Todman Production. Actually, a Bill Chuck/Tracey Labovitz Production brought to you by the Chicago Sun-Times. See you next week, and have a Happy Valentine’s Day.

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“Pitchers and catchers report to spring training” are seven therapeutic words that freezing baseball fans yearn to hear and serve as a welcome reminder that spring, and baseball, are near.

But many White Sox fans are turning a cold ear as the Sox approach the first day of camp Wednesday. The disappointment of 2022, a draining campaign helmed by 77-year-old Tony La Russa until he left the team for medical reasons Aug. 30, was followed by a rather unfulfilling offseason that included signings of left fielder Andrew Benintendi and right-hander Mike Clevinger but not much else. Jose Abreu, one of the franchise’s most productive hitters and a fan and clubhouse favorite, was allowed to leave in free agency.

While the Cubs held their fan convention, the Sox did not, giving no specific reason. The more vocal fans grumbled more.

It has been a harsh winter.

On Jan. 9, closer Liam Hendriks announced he has cancer, adding a layer of real-life gloom. And on Jan. 24, it became known that Clevinger is under investigation by Major League Baseball for allegations of domestic abuse of his 10-month-old child and the child’s mother. The former brought about sadness and emotion. The latter sadness and rage.

On paper, the Sox will enter 2023 as a contender in the American League Central, which they won in 2021 for their first division title since 2008. They have stars such as Tim Anderson and Dylan Cease, past All-Stars Lance Lynn, Lucas Giolito, Yasmani Grandal and Benintendi, and potential stars in Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez and Yoan Moncada, who should arrive at camp with chips on their shoulders after last season’s bust. They also have a new manager in Pedro Grifol and a revamped coaching staff.

But the usual anticipatory buzz around spring doesn’t seem to exist, thanks in large part to the Clevinger news, even though the Sox didn’t know about the investigation when they signed him.

At the winter meetings in San Diego in December, Sox general manager Rick Hahn said Sox fans’ faith in the organization would have to be earned after a .500 season in the thick of a contention window. Flash back to when Hahn earned Chicago Person of the Year accolades in 2017 and Sporting News Executive of the Year in 2020 as the Sox’ front-office face of the rebuild that rejuvenated a fan base going all-in on the plan. It all seemed to be working splendidly in the abbreviated 2020 season when the Sox snared a wild-card berth for their first postseason appearance since 2008.

They lost the best-of-three series and fired manager Rick Renteria before chairman Jerry Reinsdorf brought La Russa out of retirement believing he would do better, despite knowing of La Russa’s second DUI. La Russa won in 2021 then oversaw a retreat to 81-81 in 2022, a season marked by questionable decisions, odd lineups and leadership issues that did nothing to polish La Russa’s Hall of Fame legacy.

The team, ravaged by injuries and sapped by a lackluster look on the field and in the dugout, fell out of favor with fans, who chanted “Fire Tony” and hoisted “Sell the team” signs.

Grifol, 52, was hired Nov. 3 as the organization’s 42nd manager, and on his shoulders falls the front office’s hope for a turnaround. Despite no managerial experience, Grifol’s arrival was largely received as a breath of fresh air signaling a needed restart with new coaches Charlie Montoyo, Jose Castro, Chris Johnson, Eddie Rodriguez and Mike Tosar.

Motivated by last season’s failures, players approached offseason workouts and preparation bent on a turnaround. But the front office appears to be leaning on rookies to man second base and right field and has done little besides sign Benintendi to a franchise-record $75 million contract and Clevinger to a one-year, $12 million deal. With Clevinger, who denied the allegations, still under investigation, it’s not known whether he will be at camp, and his status is unclear. League policy prevents the Sox from disciplining Clevinger now.

Day 1 for pitchers and catchers is Wednesday. The first full-squad workout is Feb. 20.

In Arizona, the sun will be shining brightly. The Sox desperately need the warmth.

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Chris Mueller deserved a breather.

Before the Fire’s 2022 season ended, the Schaumburg native had played nonstop since the beginning of the 2020 season. He suited up for Orlando City that year, participated in a winter U.S. national-team camp, returned to Orlando for the 2021 season, switched to Scottish club Hibernian and its fall-to-spring schedule in early 2022, then moved back to MLS and the Fire last May.

During that time, Mueller’s performance rose and fell. His strong 2020 with Orlando and an impressive showing with the U.S. men’s national team made him a prospect for more international duty. But Mueller’s form dipped during the 2021 MLS season, and his stay in Scotland was short and frustrating. He then started out strong with the Fire before eventually fading as his fatigue became obvious.

”Getting some time off was much-needed,” Mueller said. ”I feel really good. Honestly, I feel refreshed and feel like I got that pep back in my step that I kind of started to lose a little bit of toward the end of the season last year.”

That grind is a fact of life for players who flip between Europe and MLS. Like Mueller, Xherdan Shaqiri didn’t have much of a break before coming to the Fire after a stint with French club Lyon.

Mueller and Shaqiri are professionals, but that doesn’t make it any easier to play without a bit of a rest.

”It’s not ideal, obviously,” Mueller said. ”You know you want to give your body time to recover and recuperate. But when it’s needed, I feel like it’s part of our job to step up to the plate and do our best to deliver results.”

Mueller’s body needed to recuperate. So, perhaps, did his spirit.

Not only was Mueller physically tired from soccer, but he also indicated he was tired of the sport mentally. He didn’t want to play the game and didn’t want to watch it, either. To unplug, he and his wife went to Europe for three weeks, allowing him to recalibrate.

”I went through a bit of a tough spell mentally, just in terms of the game and coming back from Europe and some of the personal battles I faced with that,” Mueller said. ”So I really felt like I needed some time away from the game. I think it reinvented a little bit of hunger in me and kind of gave me back that drive that has always driven me.”

The Fire hope Mueller’s break serves him and the team well.

When he’s right, Mueller is an explosive and skilled attacker who causes problems for opponents. He’s strong on the ball and can challenge defenses one-on-one, ingredients the Fire will need after a 2022 season in which they scored only 39 goals.

”He didn’t have a full season with us, and we’ve seen what he can do,” coach Ezra Hendrickson said. ”I think he’s come back really, really fit. He’s got a little break because he went straight from Scotland to playing with us. I think he’s shown well in training.”

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Welcome to college basketball’s final four!

The number of weeks until Selection Sunday, that is.

This is your cue to get up to speed on the college season if you aren’t already.

Football ends Sunday, so no more of that. Watching the Bulls, who stood pat at the NBA trade deadline, is as enjoyable as pruning one’s nose hairs with a bolt cutter. If you ripped out a tooth every time the Blackhawks scored a goal, you still would be ordering steak into April.

But college basketball is all ramped up and ready to entertain. A lot of sports fans in a pro town such as this one treat college sports fans like 1950s TV dads treat their offspring, which is to say they roundly ignore them until further doing so would be an unconscionable dereliction of duty. That’s you right now — or some of you, anyway — in regard to college hoops. You’ve been only vaguely aware of the season until now, but it’s time to put down the dang newspaper and engage with what’s right in front of you.

That was a terrible way to put it. Please keep reading. Here are 10 items to catch you up:

1. Good — maybe not great — at the top: Purdue has the best player in the land in 7-4 center Zach Edey, but the rest of the Boilermakers are standard-issue Big Ten. Houston is reminiscent of Baylor’s tough-as-nails national-title team of two seasons ago, but a slightly lesser version. Alabama is a football school. Arizona’s rebuilt squad probably isn’t quite as strong as its 2022 version, which crapped out in the Sweet 16.

Those are the top four squads in the country this week. None of them should be viewed as the team to beat because there really isn’t one.

2. A half-dozen of the others: Regardless of where they’re ranked at this point, UCLA, Kansas, Baylor, UConn, Creighton and even far-from-its-best-self Gonzaga are teams that could step on the gas and eventually pass everybody.

3. Blue-hoo bloods: North Carolina brought back nearly everyone from a national-runner-up squad and has been a spectacular failure, lucky to be on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Kentucky is a dusty shell of its former self, too. Villanova is below .500 after making 16 of the last 17 tournaments under Jay Wright, who’s now retired. Duke is a No. 7 seed in ESPN’s latest bracket, worse off than it has entered a Big Dance since 1996. And Gonzaga is looking up at Saint Mary’s in the West Coast Conference, in real danger of not winning it for only the second time in the last 22 seasons.

4. The same-old-big thing: A bunch of the best interior stars from last season came back to school rather than pursue NBA opportunities, and the results have been underwhelming. Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, Gonzaga’s Drew Timme and North Carolina’s Armando Bacot haven’t stopped their teams from getting worse. Hunter Dickinson hasn’t been able to lift Michigan out of the muck. Led by Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana has gotten better but not dramatically so.

5. Edey’s ceiling:His trajectory as a college player has been astonishing, whether the NBA values him as a major prospect or not. But can Edey carry a team like Danny Manning carried Kansas in 1988, like Glen Rice carried Michigan in 1989, like Carmelo Anthony carried Syracuse in 2023, like Kemba Walker carried UConn in 2011? In other words, not stopping until confetti is dropping? It will be fascinating to find out.

6. What a beast: Even with Villanova down, the Big East is surging. Even with forward Zach Freemantle on the shelf for at least the rest of the month, Xavier is legit. So is Marquette. So is Providence. Creighton is playing better than any of them, and UConn was, as recently as January, getting No. 1 votes. And don’t get us started on DePaul. . . . No, really, don’t.

7. But not the best:The Big East arguably has surpassed the SEC as the second-finest conference this season, but the Big 12 is still No. 1 by a mile. It has the last two national champs — Baylor and Texas — in contention and No. 5-ranked Texas leading an absurdly challenging race. The Longhorns are being coached on an interim basis by Rodney Terry, who stepped up when Chris Beard was fired amid felony domestic-violence charges.

8. Little engines that can: Four smaller-school teams that nobody with any sense will want a piece of down the line are Florida International, Charleston, Oral Roberts and Kent State. OK, you’ve been warned.

9. The Houston angle: LSU won the college football title in New Orleans a few years back. Then the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl in Tampa a year later, and the Rams won it in Southern California a year after that. Houston — with the Final Four in its city — could be a successor, of sorts, to those teams. For that matter, so could Texas, in a bit of a stretch (it’s a three-hour drive away). And what a story it would be.

10. A tantalizing two-fer: Yes, Illinois and Northwestern are headed for the NCAAs. If they don’t blow it. Which either or both could. But you won’t let that happen on your watch, will you? You’re too locked in now for that.

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Since the tail end of the regular season, much of the talk around the Chicago Bears has been regarding what they will end up doing with the number one overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

General manager Ryan Poles has a lot of power at the moment, with that pick ultimately being able to turn into Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, whom many believe will be the number one selection.

But, the Bears already have a quarterback in Justin Fields.

Fields went on The Rich Eisen Show recently and was asked about that coveted pick which the Bears own. His response should not surprise anybody, though, as he kept it cool, calm and classy as usual.

“How I look at it is just controlling the controllables. No matter what happens with me, I can control what I can control, and that’s how I approach the game. That’s how I train for the game and how I carry myself within the game,” he said.

Justin Fields has said all of the right things when it comes to the Chicago Bears’ no. 1 overall draft pick

“It’s jut those three aspects to where I kind of just have to look myself in the mirror and kind of say, ‘What can I control?’ It is what it is and just move on and be the best quarterback I can be. Now is the time to where I’ve been trying to grow personally, spiritually, as a quarterback, so I’ve grown a lot these past few weeks of the offseason.”

The maturity Fields has shown since Day 1 is not a shock. That’s who he’s been for years now. And, unfortunately, he landed in a spot like Chicago where the quarterback position has historically been a joke. It’s one of the most single-ridiculed positions in all of sports, all things considered.

For a team that has never had a 4,000-yard passer or a quarterback throw for 30 touchdowns, Fields had to know he’d be under scrutiny from the beginning.

It didn’t help that his front office chose to wait a year before truly building around him, too. So, if he’s given the chance to be the starting quarterback in 2023 (which he should), I expect Fields to take a leap, so long as Poles does his best to build around him this offseason.

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