VJ Edgecombe is exactly what the 76ers need // Ava Nicholas, Senior Staff Writer

Only nine games into the 2025-2026 NBA season, Philadelphia 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe is already making a compelling case for Rookie of the Year consideration with a historic start to his professional basketball career. The Bahamian guard wasted no time securing the support of the City of Brotherly Love and immediately began breaking records. 

The third overall draft pick from Baylor scored 34 points in his debut game against Boston — the third-highest scoring debut in NBA history, and the most since Wilt Chamberlain’s 43 points in 1959. Edgecombe also broke LeBron James’ record for most points scored in a quarter during an NBA debut. And most impressively, through his first three games, the 20-year-old guard totaled 75 points — outpacing Michael Jordan’s points scored in his first three games. 

Currently averaging 16.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists, Edgecombe’s emergence continues a theme of breakout rookie guards for the Sixers. Last season, Jared McCain earned Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors and was emerging as a frontrunner for Rookie of the Year before a season-ending knee injury. 

With McCain healthy and ready to compete, Edgecombe hitting his stride and the offense around Tyrese Maxey clicking, Philadelphia has assembled the dynamic roster necessary to compete for a championship this season. 

Giants finally make the right call, Daboll out in New York // Kaitlyn Griffin, Staff Writer

To really no one’s surprise, the New York Giants blew another significant lead in Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears to fall to 2-8, last in the NFC East. If you have been paying any sort of attention to the Giants this year, blowing another lead of this proportion seems to be becoming the norm for this football team. 

Giants fans had a lot to look forward to this season, with rookies Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo bringing some much-needed energy to the team, but even this eccentric duo could not outplay poor coaching decisions. 

Before Skattebo was sidelined with a season-ending ankle injury, the Giants blew double-digit leads to both the Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints. Even more notably, New York became the first team in NFL history to blow an 18-point lead with less than six minutes to play in their loss to the Denver Broncos. 

Continuing their trend, the Giants fell to the Chicago Bears this past Sunday, despite leading by 10 with less than four minutes remaining to play. Dart also exited the game after three quarters with a concussion, something that seemed inevitable with the rookie’s reckless style of play. 

The loss to the Bears was the final breaking point. The Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll on Monday morning after his embarrassing 11-33 record with the team, since taking them to the postseason in 2022. 

His questionable coaching decisions, including the one to forgo a fourth-and-one attempt for a field goal in Sunday’s loss, left New York fans begging for some kind of change. While any hopes of a postseason appearance for New York are long gone, maybe some staff changes can break the city out of its slump next year.

The Ohio State University’s schedule does not prepare them to repeat the Natty // Patrick Diana, Staff Writer

Ohio State stands alone at the top of the AP poll for good reason. Starting its season off of a National Championship win, the Buckeyes beat Texas, who, at the time, were ranked No. 1. Since this win, OSU has stayed at the top of the AP poll. 

While I think this ranking is fair based on other teams’ unexciting wins and unexpected losses, the Buckeyes have not set themselves up for a successful National Championship run. 

Their game against Texas was smart on their part, by effectively starting the season against a very difficult opponent. The rest of their schedule in conference left much to be desired. They were only slated to play two teams that made the top five in the Big 10 rankings, Penn State and Illinois. Now that Penn State is playing terribly this year, there is even more letdown for the Buckeyes. 

Ohio State playing rival Michigan at the end of the conference schedule should do well to prepare them. But the Buckeyes have a big climb ahead of them in terms of the SEC teams they may have to play in the playoffs. Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia, and Ole Miss follow Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana in the rankings. Theoretically, the Buckeyes playing easily winnable games early on can set up a team for a playoff run and likely motivate players-especially younger players. However, in the long run, avoiding difficulty can make a team unprepared for said playoffs. 

Chaotic ACC collapses opens the door for consistent Pitt football // Lily Goldstein, Staff Writer

As the college football season winds down, the rankings and ACC standings have changed drastically over the past two weeks of play. Pitt, once found in the middle of the conference, is now tied for first and ranked 23rd nationally following a bye week. Looking ahead to the final three games of the season, Pitt faces the toughest remaining schedule in the ACC, with all opponents ranked in the top 20.

A combination of wins and losses across the conference could put Pitt in a position to take the ACC crown. The Panthers will need to win out to have a legitimate shot. As proven over the past five weeks, Pitt has developed into a consistent, gritty team led by a talented first-year quarterback who continues to impress under pressure. 

Their defense, which has steadily improved each week, has become a key factor in their resurgence and ability to compete with top-tier programs. The Panthers have clawed their way back into the national conversation, and finishing the season strong doesn’t seem out of reach. 

If they continue their momentum and close out with statement wins, fans could expect a postseason run that would shock the conference. Win out and find out — Pitt is ready to prove they belong.