The Cincinnati Bengals have signed defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins to a two-year contract, the team announced on Monday. The Cincinnati Enquirer said that the transaction is for $26 million. Rankins, who turns 30 on April 2, was an unrestricted free agent after one season with the Houston Texans in 2023. He had 37 tackles, six sacks, nine tackles for loss, and ten quarterback hits in 15 games (all starts).
\TheThe New Orleans Saints selected Rankins with the 12th overall choice in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Louisville. In 109 regular-season games (66 starts), he has 228 tackles, 29.5 sacks, 43 tackles for loss, 68 quarterback hits, five forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. –Field Level Media.
UC Irvine and Utah will play an NIT first-round game in Salt Lake City on Tuesday after both failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament due to conference tournament defeats. UC Irvine (24-9) was stunned as the Big West tournament’s No. 1 seed, losing to No. 4 Long Beach State in the semifinals. The Anteaters won the Big West regular-season championship with a 17-3 record. Utah (19-14) was seeded sixth in the Pac-12 tournament and would most likely need to run the table to make the NCAA Tournament. However,
The Utah Utes were eliminated in the quarterfinals by third-ranked Colorado. The Utes’ NCAA Tournament drought now stands at eight years, with their most recent appearance coming in 2015-16 under Larry Krystkowiak. Craig Smith is finishing his third season as Utah’s coach. This is the Utes’ first postseason appearance under him. “At the end of the day, not playing in the NCAA Tournament is difficult,” said Smith, who is 47-49 at Utah after going 74-24 in three seasons at Utah State and getting to the NCAA
Tournament is held each year. Smith says his squad likes the prospect of competing in the NIT following their 72-58 loss to Colorado in the Pac-12 championship. “These people love to play and compete,” he remarked. Branden Carlson, Utah’s best scorer and rebounder (17.1 points, 6.8 rebounds per game), is likely to play despite having a strained elbow. He wore an elbow brace during the Pac-12 tournament. UC Irvine has a balanced team with two players averaging double-digit points per game: Justin Hohn (12.7) and Andre Henry (10.6). The anteaters won six.
of their last seven regular-season games before falling 83-79 to Long Beach State, who was led by Dan Monson, who had been sacked earlier in the week but remained to coach the team in the tournament. Monson led the 49ers to the Big West championship. “They were better than we were; it wasn’t because they wanted it more or we were terrified,” UC Irvine coach Russell Turner said. “We didn’t defend as we normally do. We missed our free throws (10 of 19), and we weren’t good enough on the glass against a talented rebounding team like Long Beach (letting 11 offensive rebounds, resulting in 15 second-chance points).” –Field Level Media.
Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse will host the NIT semifinal and championship games in early April. The Bulldogs’ presence in the 32-team field means the storied Indianapolis venue will host at least one more playoff game. Butler, seeded fourth in the tournament, will face Minnesota on Tuesday. The Bulldogs (18-14) won four more victories this season than they did during the 2022-23 campaign and are keen to try to add on that total against the Golden Gophers (18-14). Butler coach Thad Matta stated, “I haven’t had as much joy coaching a basketball team as I have with these guys in a long, long time.” “What
We wanted these people — 11 new guys — to do something, and we came into a program that had not won. And to be where we are in Year 2, I am really proud of these men.” Butler has been idle since losing 76-72 to Xavier in the Big East tournament opening last Wednesday. Pierre Brooks II, who averages a team-high 15.0 points per game, scored 21 to lead five Bulldogs in double figures. The Butler-Minnesota winner will face the winner of Wednesday’s game between top-seeded Indiana State and SMU. “We’re really happy to be invited to the prestigious NIT,” Golden Gophers coach Ben Johnson stated. “This is an excellent opportunity for our team to continue to develop, improve, and compete. Our team is delighted and looking
Looking forward to prepping for it this week. It’s the next big step for our program, and we’re eager to get back on the floor.” Minnesota enters on a three-game losing streak, with each loss by double digits. Dawson Garcia scored a game-high 19 points for the Golden Gophers on Thursday in the Big Ten tournament’s second round, but it wasn’t enough as Michigan State outscored Minnesota 45-33 after halftime to win 77-67. Garcia leads the Golden Gophers with an average of 17.7 points and 6.6 rebounds. Minnesota leads the all-time series against Butler 3-1. –Field Level Media.
