The NBA’s trade deadline turned general managers into full-blown adrenaline junkies. Players were moved at breakneck speed with little warning and even less time for fans to process the fallout. Franchise superstars have been shipped to seemingly ready-made winning situations, while the development paths of rising young players are suddenly up in the air after being uprooted from the cultures they’d grown comfortable in. Meanwhile, a handful of key role players now find thems

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 2/4/3036 Photo by Doug Pensinger/ Getty Images 10. 2015 Denver Broncos 12-4 (#1 in AFC) 19th Offense 4th Defense The craziest part of this list is that this team may have the best defense of the bunch. Even still, the 2015 Broncos take the wooden spoon and DEFINITELY have the worst offense. This Broncos' team was part-Peyton Manning and part-Brock Osweiler and somehow, Osweiler was much better. Manning was 39 and in the final year of his career,

by Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 2/3/2026 Photo graphic by WMTW Well, Brad Stevens has done it again... In what was an unexpected return package, the Boston Celtics have traded away guard and 6th Man of the Year candidate Anfernee Simons to the Chicago Bulls for center Nikola Vučević and a future second-round pick. For Boston, I really like this move. Vučević is a proven scorer, rebounder, and floor spacer that can fit into the Celtics' playstyle perfectly. He is an expiring con

by Joseph McLaughlin Sportz Nation - 2/3/26 Photo Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images. The NHL's Stadium Series game on Sunday had a little bit of everything. Fancy entrances, goals, comebacks, a goalie fight, controversy, history, and the coldest day in Tampa Bay since 2018. It was thrilling from start to finish, and many fans are calling it one of the best outdoor games in NHL history. It started when the players arrived. The hometown Tampa Bay Lightning dressed as thei

March Madness is approaching and the spotlight on women’s basketball is growing brighter. A new wave of elite scorers is beginning to separate itself from the pack. Some are rising stars ready to make the leap from McDonald's All-Americans to collegiate standouts. Others are seasoned bucket-getters who have been putting it on for their university's program for years and are legitimate WNBA draft prospects. Whether it’s a short burst of consecutive explosive scoring nights or

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 2/2/2026 Alexander Volkanovski vs WINNER of Lerone Murphy vs Mosvar Evloev Photo by Jeff Bottari/ Zuffa LLC Matt Hylen After watching his post-fight octagon interview, it seemed to me that Volkanovski assumed that he would face the winner of a potential title eliminator between Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy. He was right to assume that, as a title eliminator between the two was announced on Monday afternoon. Whoever the winner

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 1/31/2026 Risers Quarterbacks Garrett Nussmeier LSU Photo by Butch Dill/ Associated Press Nussmeier was one of the top QBs of the class heading into the season but has since moved down to about a 2nd round prospect after a mediocre and injured 2025 season. Coming into the Senior Bowl, Nussmeier needed to show veteran-like leadership on the field and all-around leadership on the field and that's exactly what he did. Nussmeier was clearly the best

SATURDAY: 13 BYU vs 14 KANSAS Photo by Colin E. Braley/AP Photo On Saturday afternoon, the Kansas Jayhawks played their 1,000th game at the iconic Allen Fieldhouse. This game was headlined by two NBA lottery picks facing off in Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa.   All five of the Kansas starters finished with double figures as the Jayhawks defeated the Cougars, 90-82 in a packed Allen Fieldhouse. In the first half, it was all Jayhawks. Halfway through the first h

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 1/30/2026 (All odds are via Caesar's Sportsbook on 1/29) Last week Zak went 5-1 and Matt went 4-2 in picking the winners of UFC 324 with both getting 2 methods right as well. For UFC 325 this week, the boys will predict __ fights in their ongoing series of UFC Predictions ALL YEAR Points To Date: Zak - 7 Matt - 6 Photo by Chris Unger/ Zuffa LLC C Alexander Volkanovski vs #2 Diego Lopes 2 Featherweight Championship (Volkanovski -

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 1/30/2026 Here in New England, we are delighted but not shocked that the Patriots are back in the Super Bowl. We might have a young team led by a new Head Coach and a Quarterback only in his second year, but WE have what THEY don't... Championship DNA. We just win in New England. While everyone else is talking about how we shouldn't be here and every reason we don't deserve this Championship appearance, cough Cam Newton cough cough We've set ou

The NBA has spent the last few years searching for a way to revive the All-Star Game by making it competitive, meaningful and worth tuning in to for both fans and players. They may have cracked the code this season with a new round-robin tournament format, pitting U.S.-born players against international stars in a three-on-three series, adding real stakes and a fresh edge to the event. It also reignites the skill debate between U.S. born and international players: the last Am

By Elias Meredith 1/29/26 - Sportz Nation Photo by Nick Rahlman/The Gazette via AP Wednesday night, the USC Trojans finished their Midwest trip in Iowa after a narrow two-point win over Wisconsin last Sunday. USC looked to bring momentum into the matchup against the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes came into the matchup 10-1 at home, which made them favorites. Senior guards Bennett Stirtz and Tavion Banks led the way for Iowa, each scoring 20 in the comeback victory. The first hal

Joseph McLaughlin 1/29/26 - Sportz Nation Photo Credit: David Butler II/Imagn Images. Former Patriots Head Coach, Bill Belichick, received a phone call from the Professional Football Hall of Fame on Friday afternoon that left him disappointed. He was told he would not be inducted into Canton during his first year of eligibility.  Belichick did not receive the 40 of 50 votes required to be inducted during his first year on the ballot. Several sources who talked to Belichick ov

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 1/29/2026 Team Leaders Passing Sam Darnold 67.7% completion 4,048 pass yards 25 pass TDs 14 INTs Rushing Kenneth Walker 221 carries 1,027 rush yards 4.6 yards per carry 10, 20+ yard rushes 5 rush TDs Receiving Jaxon Smith Njigba 119 receptions 163 targets 1,793 rec yards 4.4 yards after catch average 10 rec TDs Tackling Ernest Jones IV 126 combined tackles 4 tackles for loss 5 interceptions 7 pass deflections 1 Touchdown S

On Sunday, July 26, 2026, three new names will be etched in baseball history in Cooperstown, New York. Tuesday night, National Baseball Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch announced that outfielders Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones will join Contemporary Baseball Era Committee electee Jeff Kent in the 2026 MLB Hall of Fame Class.  Carlos Beltran Photo by Robert Deutsch/Imagn Content Services, LLC Career Statistics: BA: .279 | OBP: .350 | SLG: .486 | OPS: .837 | H: 2,725 | HR:

Photo Credit to Ian Maule via Getty Images Justin Gaethje vs Ilia Topuria Lightweight Championship Zak Drapeau I still believe we will see Makhachev vs. Topuria, but now that Gaethje is the interim champ, this fight should probably happen first. This also has Fight of the Night and Knockout of the Night written all over it as the probable heaviest and most technical strikers of the division square off. Who knows what Topuria's future holds and how his style, skill, and prowe

by Zak Drapeau 1/26/26 - Sportz Nation Finally the Patriots are back in the Super Bowl and will take on the Seattle Seahawks for the 2025 Championship. Photo by John Locher/ Associated Press Just last night, the Patriots finished a clean sweep of the best defenses in the AFC by defeating the Broncos 10-7 in Denver. With that one out of the way, the Patriots playoff resume now includes the #7 ranked defense of the Chargers, the #3 in Houston and #2 in Denver. With the final ga

-A Sportz Nation Special Report 🏁 Rebuilding—it has to start somewhere. Some franchises are set up like they cheated the system: one pick in the draft, and suddenly the next decade looks wide open. Other teams haven't been so lucky and are still searching, clinging to a “maybe” prospect and hoping their timeline finally reaches the promised land. And then there’s the middle: teams with a real threat in place, but he doesn't have enough help or hasn't developed yet to be the

Photo Graphic by Clutch Points And then there were two... The AFC Championship game is set, with the 2-seeded New England Patriots heading to Denver to take on the 1-seeded Broncos. New England, who are coming off a tough win against the Texans, will be looking for some more offense against a Broncos defense that is among the best in football. For Denver, they are, of course, without their quarterback Bo Nix this week, making backup Jarrett Stidham the starter on the biggest

Joseph McLaughlin 1/24/26 Sportz Nation Photo Credit: Charles Krupa/AP Photo via Spectrum News. Hockey’s greatest rivalry will be getting another chapter as the Boston Bruins prepare to take on the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. The matchup will be the third time the Original Six rivals have squared off this season. The Bruins took the first matchup in Montreal on November 15 by a score of 3-2, while the Habs got revenge on December 23 in a 6-2 blowout win in Boston. Now, bo