Racers take on Tigers
Looking to extend a four-game winning streak, Murray State visits Memphis at 7:05 tonight for their most challenging game of the season. The Tigers have produced back-to-back stellar recruiting classes and were nationally ranked until dropping out of the top-25 road losses at Georgia and Ole Miss last week extended their losing streak to three. Airtime for the game is at 6:30 on Froggy 103.7 with streaming coverage beginning at 7 on ESPN Plus.
UK To Face ND On The Road
(Notre Dame, IN) – The 12th-ranked UK basketball team will be on the road tomorrow evening. The Wildcats will face unranked Notre Dame. The two schools have played each other more than 60 times with the ‘Cats holding a 43-to-20 series advantage. The game is set for 5:15 Eastern Time.
UofL To Face DePaul At KFC Yum! Center Tonight
(Louisville, KY) — The UofL basketball team is preparing to play at home for the first time this month. The Cardinals will face DePaul at the KFC Yum! Center tonight. The Cards are 6-and-2 overall this season, including a 1-and-0 mark in ACC play. The game is set for 8 o’clock.
UT Basketball Team Returns To Thompson-Boling Arena Tomorrow
(Knoxville, TN) — The UT basketball team is preparing to play at home for the first time this month. The Volunteers will face UNC-Greensboro at Thompson-Boling Arena tomorrow afternoon. The Vols are 6-and-2 so far this season after dropping their last game to Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. The game against the Spartans is set for 4:30.
Blues Rout Red Wings
(St. Louis, MO) — The Blues are extending their home winning streak to six with a 6-2 rout of the Red Wings in St. Louis. Nathan Walker posted his first career hat trick to lead the offensive attack for the Blues, who improved to 14-8-and-4 on the season. The Blues will try to make it seven straight tomorrow when they host Montreal.
Titans Host Jaguars In AFC South Duel
(Nashville, TN) — The Titans welcome the Jaguars to Nashville for another AFC South battle. Both teams are struggling as Tennessee has dropped its last two games and Jacksonville has lost four straight. The 8-and-4 Titans will be looking to find their groove on offense after scoring just 13 points in both of their last two losses. Offense has been an issue for the Jaguars too, since they have not reached 20 points in six games.
Short-handed Grizzlies Beat Lakers
(Memphis, TN) — Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 25 points as the Grizzlies beat the Lakers 108-95 in Memphis. Jackson help Memphis overcome five players being out, with Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks headlining those sidelined. Desmond Bane made five 3-point shots en route to 23 points. The Grizzlies have won six of their last seven to improve to 15-and-11. Memphis hosts the Rockets tomorrow night.
Predators Stun Islanders With Late Goal
(Elmont, NY) — With 12 seconds remaining in the third period, the Predators stunned the Islanders with the game-winning goal as Nashville collected a 4-3 victory over New York. Eeli Tolvanen scored the game-deciding goal for his fourth of the season to lift the Predators to a third straight win. Ryan Johansen, Colton Sissons, and Yakov Trenin also scored goals for the Preds. Nashville plays the Devils in Newark tonight.
Local Basketball Round-Up
The Laker Boys, and Girls take on Christian Fellowship tonight in a dubleheader at 7:30, that game can be heard on WBZB. The Murray Boys take on West Carroll Tennessee in the Murray Bank Hardwood Classic tomorrow morning with tip coming at 10:30, that game can be heard on WNBS Am, and FM. The Murray Girls take on Muhlenberg tonight at in the Farmers-Bank-and Trust tip off classic.
THURSDAY’S SCOREBOARD
NFL
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Minnesota Vikings 36, Pittsburgh Steelers 28
NBA
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Utah Jazz 118, Philadelphia 76ers 96
Memphis Grizzlies 108, Los Angeles Lakers 95
San Antonio Spurs 123, Denver Nuggets 111
NHL
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Tampa Bay Lightning 5, Toronto Maple Leafs 3
Chicago Blackhawks 2, Montreal Canadiens 0
Anaheim Ducks 2, Columbus Blue Jackets 1 (SO)
Nashville Predators 4, New York Islanders 3
St. Louis Blues 6, Detroit Red Wings 2
Carolina Hurricanes 2, Calgary Flames 1 (OT)
Boston Bruins 3, Edmonton Oilers 2
Winnipeg Jets 3, Seattle Kraken 0
Los Angeles Kings 4, Dallas Stars 0
Minnesota Wild 5, San Jose Sharks 2
NCAA Men’s Basketball (Top-25 Coaches Poll)
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Rutgers Scarlet Knights 70, #1 Purdue Boilermakers 68
#5 Gonzaga Bulldogs 80, Merrimack Warriors 55
#25 Seton Hall Pirates 64, #11 Texas Longhorns 60
#19 Iowa State Cyclones 73, Iowa Hawkeyes 53
Nationals Headlines
Vikings Escape With Win Over Steelers
(Minneapolis, MN) — The Vikings are celebrating Thursday Night’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 36-28 win in Minnesota. Dalvin Cook ran for two touchdowns in his return from injury. Ben Roethlisberger passed for three touchdowns in the second half to bring the Steelers within a score on the final play of the game. Minnesota snapped its two-game skid to improve to 6-and-7. Pittsburgh has now dropped three of its last four to fall to 6-6-and-1.
Former NFL Wide Receiver Demaryius Thomas Dead At 33
(Atlanta, GA) — Former NFL wide receiver Demaryius Thomas is dead at the age of 33. Thomas was taken was drafted in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He would go on to win the Super Bowl in 2015 with the Broncos before playing for the Texans and Jets. The wide receiver announced his retirement from professional football in June of this year. No cause of death has been released.
Coyotes Pay Taxes, Can Play In Home Arena
(Glendale, AZ) — The Arizona Coyotes are paying their taxes and avoiding a lockout. After a report surfaced Wednesday that the NHL team owed more than 1.3 million dollars in unpaid city and state taxes, the Coyotes have paid everything they owed. The team was told it would lose access to Gila River Arena if the bills weren’t paid by December 20th. Arizona issued a statement and blamed the accounting issues on “human error”.
Pacers’ Rick Carlisle Enters Health And Safety Protocols
(Undated) — The Indiana Pacers could be without their head coach for a bit. Rick Carlisle was placed into the NBA’s health and safety protocols after he tested positive on a rapid COVID-19 test Wednesday. Carlisle did take a PCR test Thursday, which will dictate him missing multiple games. The 62-year-old is dealing with “mild symptoms” and is reportedly fully vaccinated and has received a booster shot.
Bryce Young Wins Maxwell Award
(Undated) — Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is adding to his collection of accolades ahead of Saturday’s Heisman Trophy ceremony. Young won the Maxwell Award given to the college football player of the year. The Crimson Tide signal caller beat out Pitt quarterback Kenny Pitckett and Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker the Third. Young was also named the winner of the Davey O’Brien Award given to the nation’s best quarterback.
Jobe Out For College Football Playoff
(Tuscaloosa, AL) — Alabama is going to be without starting cornerback Josh Jobe for the College Football Playoff. Jobe underwent foot surgery to address a turf toe injury that he had been dealing with over the last month of the regular season. The senior from Miami will not be available for the Crimson Tide’s CFP semifinal against Cincinnati on New Year’s Eve, or the National Championship on January 10th if the Tide advance.
Report: Oregon Eyeing Chip Kelly As Next Head Coach
(Eugene, OR) — A familiar face could be roaming the Ducks sideline next season. ESPN is reporting that Oregon is making a push to bring back Chip Kelly as the team’s head football coach. Kelly is in his fourth season as head coach of the UCLA Bruins and next season is the final year of his contract with the Bruins. Kelly went 46-and-7 in his four seasons with the Ducks and led the program to the BCS National Championship Game in 2010.
Rutgers Stuns #1 Purdue At Buzzer
(Piscataway, NJ) — The top team in the country is going down for the third straight week. Ron Harper Jr., son of former NBA guard Ron Harper, nailed a shot just inside half-court at the buzzer to lift Rutgers past number-one ranked Purdue 70-68 in Piscataway. Harper ended with a career-high 30 points for the Scarlet Knights, who improved to 5-and-4 on the season. The Boilermakers, who were making their first-ever appearance as the top-ranked team in the country, dropped to 8-and-1 on the season.
Gonzaga-Washington Men’s Basketball Game Canceled
(Spokane, WA) — Washington and Gonzaga won’t be playing each other this season. Number-5 Gonzaga’s game against the Huskies on Sunday has been canceled due to COVID-19 protocols in the U-dub program. The schools said Thursday that they are working to find a date to play each other in Spokane next year. Washington’s COVID issues have already caused it to cancel a game against number-4 UCLA and postpone a game against number-8 Arizona.
