James Buckley of The Sydney Morning Herald talked about what to look for in the Monday night matchup between the Sydney Kings and the Utah Jazz.
"Australian NBA championship winner Matthew Dellavedova caused widespread debate in the U.S. two years ago about his physical playing style, and Sydney Kings coach Andrew Gaze has warned the Utah Jazz to expect a similar approach from his side next week," wrote Buckley.
After talking about the other games between NBL and NBA teams, Buckley continued, "But the Kings have first crack at an NBA opponent, and while the contest looks a major mismatch on paper, Gaze said his side would not roll over and be easybeats."
He then quoted Gaze, who talked about how he hopes his team will play against the Jazz, saying, "Hopefully we'll go out there and demonstrate a very fierce, competitive nature that's not going to take a backwards step, albeit that we're up against some guys with some very solid reputations and guys that have done a lot of fantastic things in the game."
BYU moving up the 'Misery Index'
Dan Wolken of USA Today Sports released his Week 5 college football Misery Index, and the BYU Cougars landed in the top group along with 2017 opponents LSU and Mississippi State as well as North Carolina and Tennessee.
Speaking of the Cougars, Wolken wrote, "The Cougars once had an ambitious vision for being a football independent. As their great rival Utah ascended to the Pac-12, BYU wanted to forge its own course, building an attractive national schedule and collecting a big check from ESPN while it waited for an invitation into a power conference."
He then described what independence has actually been like for the Cougars, saying, "But the reality of independence for BYU is far less attractive than the fantasy. Since leaving the Mountain West, the Cougars have been forced to play most of their elite opponents in September, when Power Five teams have openings to play non-conference games. While BYU has had some big wins as an independent, it has left the Cougars beaten up physically after the first month of every season."
Wolken then talked about this year's team specifically, saying, "This particular BYU team, now 1-4 after losing to Utah State with a third-string quarterback, is just plain bad in addition to being undermanned and injured. Though the Cougars will end the season with six consecutive games they can win, BYU football is a joyless enterprise these days."
Other links
- Donovan Mitchell's ROY chances examined
- Aggies' Jalen Davis earns National Player of the Week
- Looking at the four Jazz players entering contract years
And finally ...Former Utah Utes forward Kyle Kuzma had a big preseason debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
He finished with 19 points on 9 of 12 shooting from the floor while grabbing five rebounds in 26 minutes of action in the 108-99 loss.