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On LeBron James, Dan Gilbert, Cleveland Cavaliers: DMan chats with Nick Wilson Experiment on 92.3 The Fan

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LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are fun topics of discussion, as usual.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- I chatted with Mike "Chico'' Bormann, sub-hosting for Nick Wilson on the Nick Wilson Experiment on 92.3 The Fan, as part of my regular hit Monday night.

Among the topics:

Cavaliers' annual January soap opera.

LeBron James.

LeBron James and Dan Gilbert.

LeBron James and David Griffin.

 


Kyrie Irving calls Cleveland Cavaliers' poor January a 'learning experience'

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The it's-only-January mantra makes sense. The Cavs have approached this season just like every other since LeBron James returned in the summer of 2014, with a big-picture mentality. Watch video

DALLAS -- When the Cleveland Cavaliers left Dallas in the early hours of Tuesday morning, heading home to Cleveland, it was finally the last day of January -- an off day to regroup and put the miserable month behind them.

"Learning experience. That's it," Kyrie Irving said of the Cavs' 7-8 record, cemented with Monday's 104-97 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

The it's-only-January mantra makes sense. The Cavs have approached this season just like every other since LeBron James returned in the summer of 2014, with a big-picture mentality.

After losing in the NBA Finals two years ago, general manager David Griffin felt the team peaked too soon. Last year, the Cavs went through similar strife this time of year, leading to a coaching change, with Tyronn Lue replacing David Blatt. 

The goal is to be at their best in April, to find a way to continue that steady climb all the way to the Finals. And nothing that's happened this month impacts that. 

"This team expects to be there at the end and that's good. That's what you want," Kyle Korver told cleveland.com. "Obviously everything around this team is talked about quite a bit and that's part of it. I don't sense anything negative with our team. I think everyone sees the bigger picture and I think there's a sense of urgency that we have to play better and continue to form that identity. But no one around here seems to be panicking so as the new guy I'm definitely not going to do that."

Still, the reigning champions having a non-winning month is unexpected.

"I've had better months, I've had worse months in my career," James said Monday. "Never get too high, never get too low about it. Stay even keeled and just be better and make the next game or the next month better than the last month."

It's hard to see things getting worse.

During the 15-game stretch, Kevin Love first battled food poisoning and then started to deal with back spasms, which forced him out of two games early and caused him to miss a pair altogether, with a third coming on Wednesday when the Cavs host his former team. Irving, who talked of heavy legs earlier this season, missed two contests with a tight hamstring. 

Mixed in was a season-long roadtrip where the Cavs finished 3-3, capped by arch rival Golden State's thumping, a Korver trade, which continues to be a process when it comes to implementing him into the rotation, and James' eruption following an inexplicable road loss against New Orleans where he questioned the front office and called for another playmaker.

"If it happens, it happens but we got what we got," James reiterated Monday when asked about potential moves. "We got to get better every day. We need to do that."

How the Cavs' treat this month is ultimately more important than their ugly record. If they go on to win the title in June few people will remember these struggles. They're still leading the East. But the goal now is to use this stretch the proper way, make these hardships turn into a good thing, something James talked about a few days ago. 

With February approaching, it's time for the Cavs to start developing an identity, which seems to have been lost somewhere along their journey. It's also time to start building championship habits, ones that they can draw back on when the postseason comes around.

It's a process, no doubt, and the good news is there's plenty of time to correct their flaws. But it's up to them to make those changes. 

"I think right now we need to be the desperate ones," Channing Frye said. "I think we need to not rest on our laurels and continue to play above and beyond ourselves. I think we need to be more aggressive and play like we're the underdogs and make sure we're paying attention to detail and communicating."

So how do the Cavs regain that mentality? 

"Look each other in the eye and know you have to be emotionally committed to not only every game, but every play," Frye said. "To dig deep and to know each possession has a value for us."     

After back-to-back wins, including an impressive showing Sunday against the Thunder, a likely playoff team, it looked like things were getting back to normal.

James was playing music, players were dancing on the sidelines and the ball was hopping from side-to-side. It looked like Cavaliers basketball. 

And while the loss against Dallas doesn't erase the good from the previous two games, it means the Cavs go into February with a 3-5 mark in their last eight, having their momentum halted and facing some uncertainty with their third All-Star.

"It's going to be a tough road for us," Frye said. "We have to continue to try and get better. We have to continue to try to match and figure things out. We're pretty stop-and-go right now. We do two things good and one thing bad and then two things bad and one thing good so we're staying positive with each other. All of us need to step up.

"I think anytime a guy like Kevin goes out, no excuses, we have to step up and we need to figure it out, especially in that second unit. I think right now we're putting a lot of pressure on LeBron and Kyrie to create for all of us. We need to step up and be above and beyond ourselves. These are challenges we can do. We're a good group of guys, we're going to work hard, we believe in each other so we just have to continue to do that and enjoy the game."

The Cavs have reached uncharted waters.

It's first time in the new James era the Cavs have finished with more losses than wins in a month. Even during James' January hiatus his first season back Cleveland rebounded and closed with a flurry. For James, it's the first time he's had a losing record in a calendar month in more than 10 years, having dealt with it in February 2006.

James played every game this January, averaging 38.5 minutes. The Cavs played four teams with a winning record. And still finished 7-8.

"It means we didn't play well in the month of January," Lue said. "We have to be better in February."

Kevin Love's absence created a domino effect and turnovers problematic again: Fedor's five observations

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Still, Love's absence was felt in a variety of ways during Monday's loss against the Dallas Mavericks. Watch video

DALLAS -- Shortly after tipoff the Cleveland Cavaliers got some positive news about Kevin Love's MRI results.

There was no structural damage and even though he will miss Wednesday's game, with an uncertain return at this point, it was the kind of report that allows the organization to breathe a sigh of relief.

Still, Love's absence was felt in a variety of ways during Monday's 104-97 loss against the Dallas Mavericks.

Here are five observations:

Rotation change - Head coach Tyronn Lue finally started to get his lineups settled.

Iman Shumpert was flourishing with the starters and the LeBron James-led second unit finally gained stability after swapping DeAndre Liggins for Kay Felder.

Then Lue was forced into a change, putting Richard Jefferson, one of the mainstays of that five-man second unit, in the starting lineup.

"It's the way they started their last game against San Antonio, starting Harrison Barnes at the 4 and Dirk (Nowitzki) at the 5 so that'd be a tough matchup for James Jones trying to guard Harrison Barnes," Lue said. "We decided to go with R.J."

Before the game, Lue admitted he didn't know what to expect because of the change and turned out to be prophetic.

"Starting R.J. at the 4 was good for us, but then again you can't run all the sets you're accustomed to running because he doesn't really know the 4 that good," Lue said. "The other thing is it limits your rotation. Your rotation goes down, especially on a back to back when guys didn't have it tonight and we clearly didn't have it."

Doing more - Not having Love also put more of a burden on James and Irving, which is probably the last thing the team needs at the end of an ugly month.

And if one of the All-Stars has an off night it's hard for the Cavs to find enough production elsewhere, which is what happened against the Mavericks.

"We're down a few guys right now so for us we just, we all have to be better and it starts with myself and being more efficient," Irving said. "I started pressing a little bit when team got down a little bit and was taking a few tough shots, but still have to shoot them and shoot them with confidence. Just go through my preparation. In order for us to be great, especially when guys are down, I have to be more efficient."

Irving scored 18 points, snapping a streak of six straight games with at least 20. He was 7-of-21 from the field, including 1-of-8 from 3-point range. He finished with more turnovers (six) than assists (five).

As for James, he finished one assist and one rebound shy of a triple-double. But was pulled out of the game around the six-minute mark of the fourth quarter, the beginning stages of Lue waving the white flag.

Rebounds - While Love's scoring is the best it has been since coming to Cleveland, his impact on the game stretches far beyond that. And sometimes the other areas get overlooked.

"I think we needed to crash the glass better," Channing Frye said when asked where Love was missed most. "I think we needed to get back and communicate on defense. I felt like we needed to get a little more physical on defense as they were running their offense pretty well."

Love averages 11.0 rebounds per night and likely would have been able to make Dallas pay, both on the glass and in the post, for using a small lineup, choosing to start Barnes at power forward and Nowitzki at center.

Instead, the Mavericks were not only able to get away with the small-ball approach with Andrew Bogut sidelined, but also they dictated matchups.

"Tonight I thought we tried," Lue said. "They had a lot of tough matchups for us. We go to the second unit and they come out with three point guards. Kyle is trying to guard a point guard and then you have Jordan (McRae) trying to guard a point guard. With your rotation -- Kevin out and J.R. out -- your rotation is smaller so now you have to play guys in certain positions you normally wouldn't. For me, just one of those games. They were faster than us. I mean, just up and down the floor, attacking the basket and everything they did was harder and faster than us."

That's, in part, because Dallas never used a true center until two minutes left in the game. And the trio of playmakers -- Yogi Farrell, Seth Curry and Devin Harris -- playing at the same time was unexpected.

"It was new because Bron was at the 5 so it was a crazy lineup, but we have to be professionals about it and just be ready to adjust on the fly," Irving said. "Obviously, there were some matchups and miscues on the defensive end, but if we ever have to go small-ball again like that I think we will be better prepared."

Oftentimes when the Cavs downsize, wanting to take Tristan Thompson out, they put Love at the 5, with James at the 4. That, obviously, wasn't an option Monday.

Turnovers - Near the top of the list of things not to do on the road is commit turnovers.

After being so great at valuing possessions Sunday against Oklahoma City, the Cavs had 17 miscues, which the Mavericks turned into 25 points.

Irving was the main culprit. But James also had five.

"We have some guys in different situations than they've been in," James said. "We got in some foul trouble early with Tristan and (R.J.) and we had to go deeper into our bench so we had some lineups out on the floor that was kind of unusual but at the end of the day when a number is called, when a guy's number is called, we got to figure it out.

"For myself and Kyrie to have 11 of our team's turnovers together it's uncalled for and we'll get better with it."

Jordan McRae - Looked at as a promising youngster this off-season, McRae has had a tough time cracking the rotation. But Lue hinted at him playing more against Dallas. That proved true.

Off the bench, McRae scored 11 points on 5-of-9 from the field, including 1-of-3 from 3-point range.

"Offensively you saw him tonight," Lue said. "He can score the basketball and he can get to where he wants to on the floor."

That's never been questioned. Lue even pointed out his underrated passing ability. However, McRae was at the center of a handful of defensive breakdowns, which helps explain his poor rating despite the scoring lift.

"Just have to keep working with him to get better defensively," Lue said. "When he's able to do that then he's able to play extended minutes and be on the floor."

Copley RB and Michigan State commit Weston Bridges describes his progress of rehabbing from ACL injury

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Michigan State football commit Weston Bridges is continuing to progress in his rehab from a torn left ACL as he prepared to sign his letter of intent on National Signing Day 2017 on Wednesday.

COPLEY, Ohio — Copley senior running back Weston Bridges said he felt like it was “the end of the world” when he found out he had torn his ACL in his left knee in his team’s 28-25 Division II regional quarterfinal to Hudson in November.

Nearly three months later, Bridges no longer needs crutches or even a knee brace.


Bridges, who will sign his National Letter of Intent to Michigan State on National Signing Day on Wednesday,, is a month and a half into his recovery following a mid-December surgery.


“It’s like after surgery, it does feel like the end of the world,” Bridges said. “You feel like you can’t do anything. But as time goes on, it gets better and better. You just get happier and happier as time goes on.


“I’m leg pressing. I’m able to balance on it now, on the treadmill now. So I’m doing a lot now.”


Bridges goes to physical therapy two to three times per week. He added that he doesn’t plan on rushing a return from his injury and thinks his timetable is six to nine months.


He said he has no problem taking a redshirt year in 2017 to make sure he’s healthy for the rest of his career.


“I just hope just to learn, honestly, just to go in and learn as much as I can, then help the other players get better around me,” Bridges said. “But definitely learning, that’s the No. 1 thing is to learn because the more you learn, the more you can do.”


Since the injury, Michigan State’s coaching staff, including head coach Mark Dantonio, has kept in contact with Bridges and has been encouraging him throughout his rehab and recovery process.   



“That’s a staff that I truly appreciate. It’s a blessing,” Bridges said. “That’s really like the best staff in the world.”


Bridges finished his high school career with back-to-back seasons of more than 1,600 yards rushing and 29 touchdowns. As a senior, he rushed for 1,651 yards and had eight games of more than 100 yards.


Bridges committed to Michigan State on April 27, 2016. He is one of seven Ohioans to commit to the Spartans, including Clearview TE/DE DeAri Todd.


Bridges received his Michigan State offer four days before committing and is excited to fulfill his commitment, which has never wavered since his verbal.


“I honestly don’t know how to explain the feeling,” Bridges said. “But I’m definitely very, very happy. Truly blessed to be in this situation. And I’m going to take full advantage of it.


“It’s definitely stress relieving because you know this process is not always fun to recruits. You have a lot of people in your ear. You have a lot of people telling you what to do and you have a lot of coaches in your ear also telling you this and that. So it definitely is a stress reliever. But at the same time I definitely enjoyed the process.”

Is change for the better finally going to happen for the Cleveland Browns? -- Bud Shaw's You Said It

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Cleveland sports fans wonder about the Browns strength and conditioning, what LeBron James means by top-heavy and when Jimmy Haslam will make good on his guarantee to bring the town a winner.

Ohio State basketball vs. No. 17 Maryland preview: TV info, key players, stats, prediction

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The Buckeyes are back home on Tuesday night for a game against No. 17 Maryland. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State basketball is back home on Tuesday night for a game against Maryland. Here's everything you need to know before tip-off:

GAME INFORMATION

Who: No. 17 Maryland Terrapins (19-2, 7-1 Big Ten) at Ohio State Buckeyes (13-9, 3-6).

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Where: Value City Arena (18,809).

TV: ESPN, with Dave Flemming, Dan Dakich and Molly McGrath on the call.

Twitter: Follow cleveland.com's Bill Landis for updates from the game.

Latest line: Ohio State -1.

Series record: Ohio State leads the all-time series 5-4, but since Maryland joined the Big Ten, the Terps are 2-1 against the Buckeyes. Maryland swept the season series last year, including a 100-65 win in College Park, Md.

PROJECTED STARTERS

Maryland: G Melo Trimble (6-3, Jr., 17.1 ppg); G Anthony Cowan (6-0, Fr., 10.8 ppg); G Kevin Huerter (6-7, Fr., 8.7 ppg); F Justin Jackson (6-7, Fr., 11.0 ppg); C Damonte Dodd (6-11, Sr., 6.5 ppg).

Ohio State: G JaQuan Lyle (6-5, Soph., 12.3 ppg); G Kam Williams (6-2, Jr., 10.3 ppg); F Marc Loving (6-8, Sr., 11.4 ppg); F Jae'Sean Tate (6-4, Jr., 14.0 ppg); C Trevor Thompson (7-0, Jr., 10.5 ppg).

Thad MattaCan Thad Matta and the Ohio State Buckeyes bounce back from a tough loss at Iowa? They host Maryland on Tuesday night.  

* RECAP: Ohio State comes out flat in 85-72 loss at Iowa

GAME NOTES

* Ohio State is coming off an 85-72 loss to Iowa on Saturday. Maryland is coming off an 85-78 win over Minnesota on Saturday. In Big Ten play, the Buckeyes are 2-2 at home, while the Terps are 4-0 on the road with wins at Michigan, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. This will be Maryland's fifth road date in its last seven games.

* Maryland is top 40 in the country in Ken Pomeroy's adjusted defensive efficiency, and the Terps have been arguably the best defensive team in the Big Ten in conference play. In Big Ten play, Maryland is No. 3 in defensive efficiency, No. 2 in opponent effective field goal percentage (45.0 percent) and No. 3 in opponent 3-point shooting percentage (33.3 percent).

* With the loss to Iowa on Saturday, Ohio State fell to 3-8 this season when allowing the opponent to score 70 or more points. Maryland has scored 70 or more in five of its eight Big Ten games.

* Maryland typically goes much deeper than Ohio State. The Terps have 11 players averaging at least 10 minutes per game, while the Buckeyes only have eight. Ohio State's JaQuan Lyle, Jae'Sean Tate, Kam Williams and Marc Loving are each averaging more than 30 minutes per game in Big Ten play.

PREDICTION

Bill's pick: Maryland 74, Ohio State 71. This Buckeyes team is hard to get a read on, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if they came out and won on Tuesday night. The last time they had an Iowa-like letdown on the road was against Wisconsin earlier this year. They came back with their best effort of the season in a home win over Michigan State in the next game. That's at play here.

Good guard play has given Ohio State trouble all season, and Maryland's got some good guards. I'm not sure how Ohio State contends with Trimble, Cowan and Huerter. So I'm picking another close home loss for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State basketball: 7 types of bad plays that keep hurting the Buckeyes

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Ohio State basketball needs to find more consistency to avoid missing the NCAA Tournament again. Here are some things the Buckeyes can fix.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A closer look at seven types of bad plays that have been hurting Ohio State basketball (13-9, 3-6 Big Ten), as the Buckeyes prepare to host No. 17 Maryland on Tuesday night.

1. Passing up good shots for more difficult ones: There are two main culprits here, JaQuan Lyle and Marc Loving. But everyone has taken their turn. These things happen in college basketball. Ohio State has turned it into a bit of an art form.

Here are two examples from the Buckeyes' loss to Iowa, both from Loving. On the first he uses a pass fake when it looked like he could've got off a quick shot. After the fake he drives on three defenders and gets tied up for a jump ball.

On the second, Lyle drives into Iowa's zone and kicks to Loving in the corner. The pass is a bit off target, which eliminates an immediate catch-and-shoot opportunity for Loving. But he uses that same pass fake again -- this time wisely -- to create room for a jumper. Instead of using the jumper, he drives on two defenders.

These are two Loving plays, but he's not the only offender. Lyle's had his share, which has driven Thad Matta a little crazy.

"I'm comfortable with him having the basketball, but I don't like the step-backs, the fade-aways," Matta said of Lyle. "We're trying to get him to go more into an attacking mentality in that situation, try to bring the defense in and let him find people."

The troubling part is that what's Lyle did in that second video and it still led to a bad shot.

2. One bad read throwing off everything else: Here's Loving and Lyle hooking up again against Northwestern. Loving drives baseline, drawing two defenders to him. The smart play is to leave it off for Trevor Thompson for a layup. Instead Loving jumps, putting himself in a position where he needs to get rid of the ball. He tries to pass to Kam Williams, and the ball is tipped.

But everything should still be fine, because the ball luckily ends up in the hands of Lyle with 10 seconds left on the shot clock. That's enough time to quickly survey the situation and make a decision. Instead Lyle rushes things and forces a pass to Loving that gets intercepted.

3. Offensive rebounds: They kill Ohio State. The opponent comes in knowing it's going to get a couple second-chance buckets every night. Here's just one from the Iowa game.

A quick shot from Jordan Bohannon is off-target. Lyle is the only Buckeye who actually puts a body on a man. Loving doesn't block out Dom Uhl, who gets the rebound and feeds to Cordell Pemsl for a layup.

You'll notice on the play, too, that C.J. Jackson and Andre Wesson start to leak out when the shot goes up. Matta would like to see that change.

"The biggest thing is getting our guards to rebound," Matta said. "Our guards like to leak out, and they've gotta go in there and rebound the ball. We need those guys to maybe lead us in rebounding a game. That's one of the bigger challenges we've had. Our rotations haven't been great, and a lot of times it's the guards not sinking down."

4. Unforced errors: These add up for Ohio State. Here's one from the Iowa game in which Lyle throws a lazy pass to Loving, who really wasn't open. He wasn't open because Wesson didn't screen hard enough. But this is Lyle just assuming Loving will be there without being aware of what's happening on the floor. Totally avoidable.

5. Out of sync possessions: These mount up for Ohio State too, and this possession from the Buckeyes' loss to Northwestern loomed large. Lyle gets stuck in the corner with no other outlet than to pass to Loving, who's 40 feet from the basket with 11 seconds left on the shot clock.

There's no movement on this possession, and Loving isn't the guy you want trying to break somebody down off the dribble late in the shot clock. His best bet, because nobody helped him, might have been to get a little closer and try a long jumper. But Loving instead drives, gets a weak screen from Thompson (these are another theme), picks up his dribble, gets off-balance and has to get rid of the ball before he travels. He throws a bad pass that's picked off and taken down the other end for a layup that effectively sealed the win for Northwestern.

6. One good, one bad: Matta lamented the fact that Iowa kept making good plays immediately after Ohio State did. Well, the Buckeyes weren't exactly helping themselves. He's another easy fix for Ohio State -- don't get caught walking.

Here's a sequence from the Iowa game in which the Buckeyes put together a decent looking fastbreak, and then immediately give up a bucket on the other end because Pemsl beat every Ohio State player down the floor.

7. Defensive confusion: Ohio State's defense has been up and down all season, but it looked especially bad against Iowa. That starts with a lack of energy, but Matta also said there was some confusion about what exactly the Buckeyes were supposed to do defensively.

"We broke our system, guys were switching when we weren't switching. We didn't switch when we were supposed to," Matta said.

Here's a breakdown similar to the ones that happened routinely against Iowa, and throughout the season. Loving starts guarding Nicholas Baer in the near corner. Baer cuts baseline, and it appears Loving is expecting Jackson to switch with him, or it at least appears Loving is calling for that. Jackson doesn't switch, Loving runs into a screen and Baer gets the ball on the wing with nobody on him. So Andre Wesson helps down on Baer, opening up Brady Ellingson for a wide open 3-pointer.

That initial confusion on the switch with Loving and Jackson set up the whole thing.

Boys basketball Game Balls: Vote for top performance from Jan. 23-29, 2017

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Player of the Week candidates include Jayvon Graves of St. Vincent-St. Mary, Lorain's Jalil Little and Brunswick's Keith Simmons.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Here are the latest boys basketball top performances nominated for “Game Balls” from Jan. 23-29.

Oberlin senior forward Donald Johnson won last week’s contest, receiving 2,566 votes — 41.1 percent of 6,238 votes cast.


Players are nominated by coaches and selected by the cleveland.com staff. Voting is open until noon Friday.


Marquise Bridges, Ellet: Bridges’ 32 points Friday led a 63-61 comeback at Firestone. The 5-foot-10 senior guard had 48 points in two wins for the Orangemen, who are playing without injured standout A.J. Gareri.


Trey Brooks, Open Door: A 6-2 sophomore forward, Brooks put up 22 points, 17 rebounds, three blocks, three assists and two steals in the Patriots’ 58-53 win Friday against Northeast Ohio College Prep.


Chad Elliott, Berea-Midpark: The senior guard’s 25 points Friday at North Ridgeville provided the Titans with a 59-48 win that pushed them back into a share of the Southwestern Conference lead with Avon.


Jayvon Graves, St. Vincent-St. Mary: In three games, Graves helped STVM to wins against Warrensville Heights, Buchtel and Cincinnati Walnut Ridge. He had 28 points, seven steals and five rebounds against the Tigers. The Buffalo commit followed with 30 points against the Griffins and 16 vs. Walnut Ridge.



Garrett Houser, Archbishop Hoban: The Knights’ junior point guard scored 20 points, including 11 in a critical third-quarter run, to boost Hoban on Friday past North Coast League rival Benedictine, 56-51. The performance put Hoban in control to win the NCL Blue Division with their 13th straight win. Houser’s performance was reminiscent of what he did to the Bengals last fall on the football field. He was just adjusting from football and a state title run in December when Hoban beat Benedictine on the hardwood early in the season.


Josh Hufstetler, North Olmsted: The Eagles scored a 37-36 upset Friday at SWC leader Avon. Hufstetler scored a game-high 14 points in a defensive battle. He had four steals and added a defensive stop in the final seconds. His effort came a week after becoming North Olmsted’s all-time assists leader. The previous record stood since 1982, set by Pat Lima. Coincidentally, Hufstetler now plays with Pat Lima’s son, Ben.


Jack Korsok, Mentor: The 6-1 senior guard broke Mentor’s single-game record with 10 3-pointers in an 88-79 win Friday at Euclid. Korsok scored a career-high 44 points. He added six steals, five rebounds and five assists. On the season, Korsok is averaging 23.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.0 steals. His 10 3s broke the previous Mentor record of nine, set by 2011 graduates Cole Krizancic and Colin Barth.


Jalil Little, Lorain: A 6-0 senior guard, Little scored 24 points Friday in a 69-67 comeback win on the road vs. Cleveland Heights. Eight of Little’s points came during the Titans’ 13-3 fourth-quarter surge to close the game.



Mason Lydic, Woodridge: A junior, Lydic registered 27 points, seven rebounds and four blocks in a 55-50 win Jan. 24 against Crestwood. He hadded 12 points and eight rebounds Friday against Cloverleaf, improving the Bulldogs to 16-0.


Keith Simmons, Brunswick: The senior point guard provided Brunswick with a buzzer-beating layup for a 43-41 home win Friday against Elyria. Simmons added five assists and four rebounds to the effort, helping the Blue Devils top the Pioneers a second time this season.




See the next video for coach Joe Mackey’s assessment earlier this season of Simmons. 





Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on Twitter (@mgoul) or email (mgoul@cleveland.com). Or log in and leave a message below in the comments section.


How Urban Meyer assembled Ohio State's best recruiting class ever, part 2: Conquering Texas

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Meyer is going to sign three of the top six players from Texas regardless of what Marvin Wilson, the No. 1 overall player in the state, does

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- This will probably never happen again. Ever. 

When Ohio State earned a verbal commitment from three-star wide receiver Elijah Gardiner on Monday, that gave the Buckeyes their fifth player from the state of Texas in the 2017 recruiting class. And on National Signing Day, if Ohio State can add five-star defensive tackle Marvin Wilson of Bellaire (Texas) Episcopal to the class, that would be six. Six. 

Which brings us to the second part of our investigation as to how Meyer has assembled the best recruiting class -- at least on paper -- in the history of Ohio State football: Conquering Texas. 

By comparison, Ohio State has six prospects from Ohio committed and will sign no more than seven. So there's a chance that more than a quarter of the class is comprised of talents from the Lone Star State. 

And it's not just about the number of players Ohio State took from Texas. It's about the quality, too. Meyer is going to sign three of the top six players from Texas regardless of what Wilson, the No. 1 overall player in the state, does. Ohio State is also going to sign one of the best junior college talents in the country in four-star corner Kendall Sheffield, who attended Blinn College in Brenham, Texas. 

How did this happen? 

Part of it has to do with the timing. Of course, this is Texas coach and former Ohio State assistant Tom Herman's worst nightmare, but he was hired too late in the process to overcome the progress the Buckeyes made in his backyard. 

The other reason is Tim Beck, the Buckeyes former quarterbacks coach who recruited Texas very well before leaving to work with Herman at Texas.

The Longhorns have reinforcements now to prevent this from happening again in 2018. Herman is the new, hot-shot head coach who understands locking the border (see what he did at Houston). And Beck, of course, will fit right in there. 

Which is why this will probably never happen again for Ohio State. But in the quest to understand how Ohio State put this incredible class together, it's important to note it took advantage of the opportunity at Texas to the greatest possible extent. 

Let's look closer at the Ohio State kids from Texas: 

* Five-star CB Jeffrey Okudah of Grand Praire (Texas) South: Rated the No. 2 player in Texas and No. 7 overall in the country, Okudah is the highest-rated player in the class. Ohio State was the overwhelming favorite for basically his entire recruitment, but it did have to fight off pushes from Oklahoma, Florida State and Georgia. Okudah is enrolled early at Ohio State and is good enough to figure into the looming cornerback battles that will begin this spring. Pulling a dynamic talent like that all the way to Ohio isn't easy, but Meyer and his staff made it look easy. 

* Five-star LB Baron Browning of Kennedale, Texas: Browning is the No. 4 player in Texas and No. 11 overall nationally, so like Okudah, he is about as elite of a prospect as you can get. To be ranked that high matters, and it's important to note for both players. Browning considered Florida State, UCLA and others, but like with Okudah, Texas wasn't a factor, which of course helps. A flight is a flight. Browning is also enrolled early and will definitely see the field as a freshman. 

* Four-star RB JK Dobbins of La Grange, Texas: Rated the No. 6 player in Texas and No. 43 nationally, Dobbins committed to Ohio State before ever setting foot on campus. Though there were rumors that he was considering leaving Ohio State's class, the versatile runner was sold on becoming the next Ezekiel Elliott. Like the other two, Dobbins is enrolled early. 

* Three-star WR Elijah Gardiner of Kemp, Texas: Ohio State wouldn't be involved with the 6-foot-5 Gardiner if it didn't lose a commitment from five-star receiver Tyjon Lindsey of Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman earlier this month. However, the Buckeyes were put in a jam and they went to Texas to fill a need late. Gardiner isn't rated like the three names above, but Meyer flipped him from Missouri as a developmental recruit with crazy upside. 

* Four-star CB Kendall Sheffield of Brenham (Texas) Blinn College: Ohio State recruited Sheffield when he went to high school at Missouri City (Texas) Fort Bend Marshall and were unsuccessful in landing him. Sheffield ended up at Alabama, but after he redshirted a season, he decided to transfer to junior college. Sheffield is a top-level talent who chose Ohio State specifically to be a starter in his first year in the program. 

Super Bowl 51 (LI): 51 facts about New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons

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We offer 51 facts about Super Bowl 51. By Marc Bona

Report: LeBron James rips Charles Barkley after Dallas loss

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LeBron James tore into Charles Barkley to ESPN Monday night.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- LeBron James tore into Charles Barkley to ESPN Monday night, recalling the former NBA great's personal shortcomings off the court while signaling he would no longer allow criticisms from TV commentators like Barkley to go unchallenged.

"I'm not going to let him disrespect my legacy like that," James told ESPN, after the Cavs lost 104-97 to Dallas on Monday. "I'm not the one who threw somebody through a window. I never spit on a kid. I never had unpaid debt in Las Vegas. I never said, 'I'm not a role model.' I never showed up to All-Star Weekend on Sunday because I was in Vegas all weekend partying.

"All I've done for my entire career is represent the NBA the right way. Fourteen years, never got in trouble. Respected the game. Print that."

Last week, Barkley, who is a commentator on TNT's popular pre and postgame NBA coverage on Thursday nights, was sharply critical of James for publicly calling for the Cavs' front office to add to the roster.

Among other things, Barkley said James was "inappropriate," "whiny," and questioned his will to compete. James initially said Barkley's role as a TNT analyst forced him to say such things because they were good for ratings.

Obviously, James has changed his mind.

"He's a hater  What makes what he says credible? Because he's on TV?," James said. "I know he wanted to retire a long time ago, but he can't. He's stuck up on that stage every week."

 James also apparently invited Barkley to discuss the issue in person, more along the lines of a Mike Ditka invitation than, say, former President Barack Obama's beer summit from years ago.

"And if this makes him want to talk to me, the schedule's out there," James said. "He knows every road arena I'll be in. Don't just come up to me at All-Star and shake my hand and smile."

James is a three-time champion, four-time MVP and 13-time All-Star. He has (mostly) stewed privately over the criticism he takes from former players-turned-analysts, given his long-standing status as the face of the sport.

But his feelings shone through earlier this season when he snapped back at Knicks president Phil Jackson for referring to him and his friends as a "posse," and James apparently had more to say about that on Monday night, too.

"I went to see Melo at the Garden two years ago when we were in New York," James recounted. "They played Portland. I went up to a suite at halftime, and Phil Jackson didn't say one word to me."

And then there was this: "I'm tired of biting my tongue," James said. "There's a new sheriff in town."

OK, then.

All the Cleveland Browns players who will become NFL free agents on March 9 (video)

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See a video on all of the Browns' unrestricted, exclusive rights and restricted free agents. How many of them should be a priority, and to what extent? Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- cleveland.com Browns writer Scott Patsko compiled a breakdown of each player's contract status entering the 2017 off-season.

The list included a rundown of Browns players who will become NFL free agents on March 9. 

The video above features all of the Browns' unrestricted, exclusive rights and restricted free agents. How many of them should be a priority, and to what extent?

Here's what each label means.

Unrestricted free agents: Unless player signs a contract extension with the Browns, he can sign with any team once the free agency period begins March 9.

Exclusive rights free agents: The Browns must make a contract offer by March 9 or player becomes unrestricted free agent.

Restricted free agents: Player can sign an offer sheet with any team once the free agency period begins, and the Browns have seven days to match.

National Signing Day 2017: Ranking the decommitment kings of college football

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Decommitments are a part of recruiting, but which schools are the best at losing prospects? Check our cleveland.com list of the 21 schools that waved goodbye to the most recruits in the Class of 2017.

$4.7 billion to be bet on Super Bowl - most wagers will be placed illegally, gaming association says

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Americans will bet $4.7 billion on the Super Bowl 51 battle between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons, according to the American Gaming Association.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Americans will bet $4.7 billion on Sunday's Super Bowl 51 battle between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons, according to the American Gaming Association.

That is an 11 percent increase from last year, the association said Tuesday.

About 97 percent of all bets will be placed illegally because Nevada is the only state allowed to offer traditional sports betting. People will wager through bookies and offshore, illicit web sites, the association said.

In 2016 Americans wagered an estimated $154 billion on all sports, nearly all of it outside of Nevada.

The association is a national trade group representing the U.S. casino industry. Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the association, opposes the federal prohibition that he says pushes sports fans to a rapidly growing illegal betting market.

"A regulated marketplace would generate tax revenue and jobs, protect consumers and leverage cutting-edge technology to strengthen the integrity of the games we all love," Freeman said in a statement.

A 2016 report advocated for a legal, regulated sports betting market that's transparent and capable of detecting suspicious betting activities, the association said.

The United States Supreme Court is considering hearing New Jersey's appeal to offer sports betting in the state. The association previously submitted an amicus brief urging the court to consider what it called an unconstitutional sports betting ban.

The National Council of State Legislatures and U.S. Conference of Mayors have urged regulation of sports betting. The association is leading the effort through the website SportsBettingInAmerica.com.

To determine illegal gambling estimates on the Super Bowl, the association said it took annual illegal sport betting estimates from a study and applied it to the proportion of gambling in Nevada.

 

Is John Greco a Cleveland Browns building block? (poll)

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John Greco is the latest Browns player to go before a jury of the fans.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Before the Browns can build the foundation of a winning franchise, they must identify which players will be part of that foundation. Who are the building blocks?

Cleveland.com is trying to figure that out, and we'd like your help. This series will take a look at veterans and rookies alike to see if they will be Cleveland Browns building blocks. Your feedback will help us determine who is in and who is out.

TODAY: John Greco

Pro

Greco might be one of the few success stories in the Browns' 1-15 season. His talents at guard were rated 22nd in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, and his ability to switch to center helped keep the Browns' line afloat multiple times.

That No. 22 rating by PFF sounds even better when you realize that the Browns were one of just two teams with both guards ranked in the top 22 (Joel Bitonio landed at No. 16).

Greco's willingness and ability to switch from guard to center is a luxury. He first moved to center in 2014 to replace Alex Mack after a season-ending injury in Week 5.

Greco has been a mainstay on the offensive line since 2012, when he started 10 games. If continuity counts for anything, keeping Greco among the core members of the line should be a priority going forward.

Con

Greco has finished the last two seasons on IR. In 2015 it was an MCL injury in Week 14. This season it was a foot injury after 12 games. While Greco's versatility and overall play have been helpful, the last thing the Browns need is to commit to a guard who might be breaking down. The 2017 season will be Greco's 10th in the NFL, and his seventh with the Browns.

And while Greco is not solely to blame, the Browns did lead the NFL with 45 sacks allowed at the time of his injury.

You make the call on whether we anoint Greco the fifth Browns Building Block. So far, four players have been accepted and four rejected. A yes vote of 67 percent is required to make it. We'll be back on Friday with the final results.

Add your opinion in the comments and we'll take the most interesting thoughts there, pro and con, and include them in the final Greco analysis.

Accepted Browns Building Blocks

* Terrelle Pryor
* Jamie Collins
* Danny Shelton
* Christian Kirksey

Rejected Browns Building Blocks

* Cameron Erving

* Joe Haden

* Isaiah Crowell

* Cody Kessler


Inside Terry Francona's head - spring training speeches for the Indians: Bud vs. Doug

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Bud Shaw and Doug Lesmerises in this Prepare for List Off get their advice ready for the start of spring training. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio - What do you say to the team that won (almost) everything?

Spring training is on the way, and soon Terry Francona will gather a Cleveland Indians team that should be more talented than last year's World Series team and advise them on the season to come.

What should he say?

In this Prepare for List Off, Bud Shaw and I crawl in the skin of the Indians manager to get the players prepped and pumped up for a run at defending their American League title.

Do we have what it takes to lead a professional baseball franchise?

Watch the video at the top to find out.

Cleveland Cavaliers cap rough January with 104-97 loss to Dallas Mavericks

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The Cavs finished with a losing month, going 7-8 in January.

DALLAS -- The Cleveland Cavaliers' bumpy January finished with a performance befitting their month, losing to the 18-win Dallas Mavericks, 104-97.

Playing without Kevin Love, who stayed in Cleveland to undergo an MRI on his lower back Monday afternoon, the Cavaliers trailed for much of the night and couldn't find enough offense, as they capped a losing month, going 7-8 in January.

LeBron James led the way, scoring 23 points on 9-of-19 from the field in 37 minutes. He added nine assists and nine rebounds before getting pulled for good at the 5:37 mark of the fourth quarter.

Kyrie Irving chipped in with 18 points, snapping a streak of six consecutive games scoring at least 20 points. 

Down 13 early in the fourth quarter and in need of an offensive jolt, the Cavs had Channing Frye bury back-to-back 3-pointers, cutting the Mavericks' lead to seven and forcing them to call timeout with 10:26 left.

Frye followed with another triple moments later, as he tallied 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter.

But following in the trend for much of the night, Dallas kept responding, pushing the lead to 17 points before coasting to the seven-point victory.

As has been the case recently, the Cavs' defense reverted back to its generous ways, allowing another opponent to reach the 100-point mark.  

The Mavericks, playing without starting point guard Deron Williams (toe) and center Andrew Bogut (hamstring), shot 39-of-86 (45.3 percent) from the field and had 19 fastbreak points.

Harrison Barnes led the way for the Mavs, scoring a game-high 24 points on 9-of-16 from the field. He added 11 rebounds. 

"Just having his own team and putting the team on his shoulders and now the offense is being ran through you and you're not the third or fourth option on a great team," head coach Tyronn Lue said of Dallas' off-season pickup. "It's his team with Dirk (Nowitzki) getting older and they're running a lot of things through him and he's producing. Just seeing a young player like that getting an opportunity to carry a team and show the talents he has."

Wesley Matthews chipped in with 21 points. Yogi Ferrell, making his second NBA start since signing a 10-day contract, poured in 19 points, including the dagger 3-pointer to push the Dallas lead to a game-high 17 in the fourth. Seth Curry scored 16.

Turnovers were also an issue for Cleveland, which committed 17 that the Mavericks turned into 25 points. 

Irving had a game-high six while James tallied five. 

Shortly after tipoff, the Cavaliers did receive some good news in a month that hasn't been filled with much, as Love's MRI revealed no structural damage to his lower back. Love has been dealing with back spasms since early January, forcing him to miss the second half of Sunday's win against Oklahoma City.

Richard Jefferson started in Love's spot Monday, as Lue liked the matchup better against Dallas' small-ball starting five. Jefferson scored 11 points on 4-of-5 from the field. 

Jordan McRae also saw his minutes increase in Love's absence. McRae scored 11 points off the bench in 30 minutes.  

NEXT

Cleveland comes back home for Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. on ESPN. 

Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James and his feud with TNT's Charles Barkley: Bill Livingston

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Cleveland Cavaliers' superstar LeBron James and TNT basketball analyst Charles Barkley had cutting comments to make about each other recently. None of this should obscure what both are really like. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Charles Barkley and LeBron James, two players accustomed to drawing attention to themselves and creating controversy, are at odds with each other.

Hoo, boy, Are they.

Barkley in the past has questioned James' competitiveness in leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to stack a Miami Heat team and recently accused him of ingratitude to the Cavaliers' front office after the franchise acceded to all his off-season requests.

James retorted Monday night in Dallas, listing one of Barkley's several fights with fans and an incident in which he spat on a young fan by mistake.

Then James impugned Barkley's own competitive nature because of his friendship with Michael Jordan.

A Chicago Bulls insider said years ago that Jordan gave Barkley an expensive diamond earring before the Bulls-Phoenix Suns 1993 NBA Final. His reward was reduced contact from Barkley on drives.

James mentioned that series, including joking between Jordan and Barkley during the close-out game in the Bulls' 4-2 victory.

"I'm tired of biting my tongue. (Expletive) Charles Barkley," said James.

Barkley told James after the roster criticism exactly what a friend of mine, NBA.com's Fran Blinebury, wrote in a round table on the site about James' remarks: "Shut up and play."

Plain Dealer colleague Terry Pluto, although he admonished the entire team, not just James, said much the same in a recent column.

The battles of Barkley

The list is long of incidents involving the glib, often outspoken Barkley, who once said (see video, even if it is on the controversial Brietbart.com website) that every one of the eight fans he punched deserved it.

James is right that he has never been in trouble with the law, while Barkley, who too often wound up in dust-ups in bars, was a serial offender.

The distractions of James

But critics of James are right about the "drama King" and his sometimes voracious appetite for either attention or what he construes as creative tension. This is reflected by comments he has made in interviews and on Twitter since his return to the Cavs.

The remarks can be blunt, as in the roster criticism.

They can also be cryptic. His explanation, in the case of what was almost universally interpreted as criticism of Kevin Love in a Tweet during the 2014-15 season, left most reporters unconvinced.

James' growth

James' charity work and support of education in this area amount to far more than a photo-op-and-go situation. 

He has grown up before our very eyes and become the face of the league, an ambassador for the game, and -- like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar before him and Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade alongside him now -- possesses the conscience of an idealist and political activist.

Barkley's gregariousness

The essential love of people that got Barkley in trouble in so many at-risk settings made him the most popular member of the 1992 Dream Team, which transformed basketball on a global scale, at the Barcelona Olympics.

Barkley, without bodyguards, happily mingled with the throngs of tourists and ordinary Spanish fans on the city's most famous boulevard, Las Ramblas.

He was always available for interviews as a player, which made him extremely popular with media members. Once, Barkley was nearly physically dragged away to the team bus by a Rockets functionary during an interview with a Houston reporter and me after a double-overtime victory over the Cavs.

When a personal friend of mine, the late Phil Jasner of the Philadelphia Daily News, the 76ers beat reporter for the paper, underwent serious back surgery, the only Sixers player to call him at the hospital to wish him well was the most famous one, Barkley.

Former Cavs general manager Wayne Embry, a shrewd judge of character, after Barkley was involved in one of his many scrapes, said, "Charles is not just a good guy. He's a great guy."

Not so dissimilar

At heart, both Barkley and James are compassionate men. Those who know Barkley often mention his kindness. That is stupidly seen as a sign of weakness by some fans. Both competed hard on the court, despite fraternizing occasionally with opponents. 

Provoking one another is a small thing in the scale at which both live. James and Barkley are two people who are flawed, as we all are, but who have shown a greater capacity for good works than many.

Why isn't Ohio State's class rated No. 1 in the country? Explaining 247Sports' composite rankings

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Ohio State's average player rating is a 94.62, which is the highest in the history of modern-day recruiting.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State's 2017 recruiting class is tied with Alabama for the most five-star prospects, has the fewest amount of three-stars and has the highest average individual player rating. 

It's not rated the No. 1 class in the country. Like every year since Meyer took over, Ohio State is still looking up at Alabama. 

Why? 

Since National Signing Day is Wednesday, now is as appropriate of a time as ever to explain how 247Sports composite team rankings work to give a better understanding as to why the Buckeyes' best recruiting haul ever likely isn't going to amount into the nation's top-rated class.

First, let's start with the word "composite." All that means is that player rankings are averaged based on the rankings from all four major recruiting services -- Rivals, Scout, ESPN and 247Sports. All are weighted evenly. 

Now to the individual player ratings. Yes, every player is given a star rating, but the stars don't factor into the rankings. The players are also given a numeric value that range from 1-110. 

According to an explanation from 247Sports, here is how each player is rated: 

110-101, Franchise Player: One of the best players to come along in years, if not decades. Odds of having a player in this category every year is slim. This prospect has "can't miss" talent.

(There has never been a player rated in this category. The best rating ever is 100.0, which has been attained by a few players, including five-star defensive end Rashan Gary last year.)

100-98, Five-star prospect: One of the top 30 players in the nation. This player has excellent pro potential and should emerge as one of the best in the country before the end of his career. There will be 32 prospects ranked in this range in every football class to mirror the first round of the NFL Draft.

(Five-star cornerback and Ohio State early-enrollee Jeffrey Okudah of Grand Prairie (Texas) South is rated individually 99.54.) 

97-90, Four-star prospect: One of the top 300 players in the nation. This prospect will be an impact-player for his college team. He is an All-American candidate who is projected to play professionally.

89-80, Three-star prospect: Among the top 10 percent players in the nation. This player will develop into a reliable starter for his college team and is among the best players in his region of the country. Many three-stars have significant pro potential.

79-below, Two-star prospect: This player makes up the bulk of Division I rosters. He may have little pro potential, but is likely to become a role player for his respective school.

As of Tuesday, Ohio State's average player rating is a 94.62, which means 247Sports views the average talent of the class as a high-end four star. That's by far the highest rating Meyer has had at Ohio State, which is clear because no team in the history of modern-day recruiting has finished with an average of 94.00 or higher. For comparison purposes, the 2013 class -- which played a big role in the 2014 national title -- had an average player rating of 89.10. So you can see how good the quality is in Ohio State's class. 

Here's where things get confusing. 

The average player rating isn't what determines the top-rated class. Ohio State's average player rating is higher than Alabama's this year but the Buckeyes are behind the Crimson Tide in the rankings. Size of class also pays a major part.

Here's the technical explanation -- directly from 247Sports -- because, well, frankly it's based on really confusing math I'm not even going to pretend to understand.  

Screen Shot 2017-01-31 at 12.56.54 PM.png
 

If you look at the rankings, you'll see each commitment gives a value to each class. And though a player may be rated 90.12 individually, it's value contributed to the class could be 29.12. That's confusing, but it's all in line with the formula above that rewards the classes with heavier values for its best players. As you go down the list of players, the values decrease based on their ratings. 

But it's also important to understand that quantity in a class is important. The formula above exists so that a class can't simply win by having the most players, but quantity still matters. 

Ohio State's class only has 20 players and will sign, at most, 22. Alabama's class has 24, so it's getting mathematical contributions to its overall class rating from four extra players. 

Bottom line: If you want to know how solid a class is across the board, look at the average player rating.

Ohio State's player average is the highest in modern day recruiting for a reason. 

17 Cleveland neighborhood bars where you can watch the Super Bowl

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Super Bowl is a time for friends and family. Like Thanksgiving, except you never get to see the Detroit Lions play.

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