Yearly Archives: 2026

Boiler Alert Podcast – Isaiah Hill and Jack Benter

It was a big week for Matt Painter and the Purdue men’s basketball staff as they picked up a commitment from perhaps the highest rated recruiter of his tenure at Purdue in Isaiah Hill. The rising senior big man stands at 7’0” and is a top 10 recruit in the country according to ESPN. Purdue has not had a recruit …

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NBA Playoffs 2026, odds: New York Knicks are biggest favorite for franchise in Eastern Conference Finals since at least 1988

The New York Knicks are their second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals, and if it seems like Knicks fans are excited about their team’s prospects to advance to the franchise’s first NBA Finals since 1999, the oddsmakers agree. The Knicks opened as huge -270 favorites in the ECF (implied probability of 73%), with the Cleveland Cavaliers as +220 underdogs. It is …

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NBA Playoffs 2026, odds: Best bets for Spurs-Thunder Game 1, series

NBA fans are all getting the series we were all hoping for: A Western Conference Finals collision between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. These teams are the budding preeminent rivalry of the NBA and already played five times in the regular season — one extra game because of an NBA Cup semifinal — and are set …

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Illinois basketball continues trend with another Balkan commitment

The women’s Illinois basketball team is taking part in the overseas recruiting pipeline that has been so good to the University. Brad Underwood and the men’s basketball program became famous for this recruiting strategy, bringing in the likes of David Mirkovic, Tomislav Ivisic, and his brother Zvonimir Ivisic, among others, to the Illini. Advertisement This past Saturday, the women’s basketball …

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Why do the Cavaliers forget about Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley?

Dinners should not be where revelations take place. After a Saturday night meal, Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert told head coach Kenny Atkinson that Jarrett Allen was the team’s spark. Atkinson has since credited that conversation as a turning point. And while Gilbert was right, it’s a “no s***” observation. Frankly, the fact that it took a dinner with the …

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UCLA’s Cronin Comments on NIL and Transfer Portal Era

UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin has never been the biggest fan of the current era of college athletics. With NIL and the transfer portal running most of the show these days, college basketball is a much different place. It is worth noting that Cronin is in charge of one of the more lucrative head coaching positions in the entire …

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Guardians News and Notes: Guardians’ Turn in Detroit

After a great night for Cleveland in Detroit, the Guardians head to the Motor City to play the Tigers for four days beginning tonight. Let’s hope it goes as well for the Cleveland baseball team as it did for the Cavaliers. Yesterday was a tremendous day for the Guardians. Nicole/Deborah covered it quite well here as always. Advertisement If you …

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Jay Bilas Has No Soft Takes on College Hoops

Jay Bilas has thoughts on everything happening in college basketball right now, and none of them are softened for comfort. The Wizards hold the number one pick, AJ Dybantsa is the consensus choice, but the draft is deeper than any in recent memory and the decision Washington faces is genuinely hard. Jay breaks down every name worth knowing before June. …

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Report: Cavs plan to re-sign James Harden this offseason

As anticipated, the Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to re-sign guard James Harden once free agency starts, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. The Cavs traded Darius Garland at the trade deadline to acquire Harden, a major shake-up that shifted the outlook of the team for the near future. That includes more than the current season. Windhorst says the Cavs traded for …

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Marquette In The 2026 NBA Playoffs: Eastern Conference Finals Edition

Good news, everyone! Marquette fans everywhere still have a rooting interest in the 2026 NBA Playoffs! Our lone entrant in the Conference Semifinals advanced to the Conference Finals, so we’ve still got something to latch onto here. Advertisement Look, I’m not trying to tell head coach Mike Brown how to do his job here, but the fact of the matter …

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Do the 2026-27 Big Ten Basketball Matchups Favor or Hurt Illinois?

Illinois basketball last season played a rough-and-tumble non-conference schedule, and its NCAA Tournament draw wasn’t exactly a walk through the quad. By comparison, the Big Ten slate – usually a perilous, volcanic journey across Mordor – should have been easy-peasy, right? Not so. During their regular-season league schedule, the Illini faced Michigan (the eventual national champs); went on the road …

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