TALKING POINTS

Editor’s Note

Due to space constraints, the Numbers Game page could not make it into today’s paper. It will return in Wednesday’s edition.

Also, the Monday Night Football Game between the Seahawks and the Eagles can be found online at www. avpress.com.

UCLA postpones men’s basketball home opener

The UCLA men’s basketball home opener has been postponed.

The Bruins were set to host Long Beach State on Monday night. UCLA spokesman Alex Timiraos says the game is off “out of an abundance of caution” based on COVID-19 protocols in the Long Beach State program.

There was no immediate word on when the game might be rescheduled.

USA Basketball clinches AmeriCup berth, beats Mexico

USA Basketball went into a bubble and emerged with a berth in the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup.

Yante Maten scored 21 points, Josh Maggette added 19 and the U.S. topped Mexico 94-78 on Monday, moving to 4-0 in Group D qualifying and securing a spot in the tournament that serves as the championship of the 44 teams in the FIBA Americas zone — comprised of nations from North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean.

“It means a lot because I get to represent for my country,” Maten said. “I think everyone can represent in a different way and I represent mine through basketball. I’m very honored to be here and to be able to say that I helped accomplish something big.”

John Jenkins scored 16 points, Travis Trice had 14 and Levi Randolph added 12 for the Americans, who ended their weeklong stay in Indianapolis — inside a bubble, where players and coaches were all tested often for the Coronavirus and fans were kept away — with a pair of wins in two days under coach Mike Fratello. As has been the case throughout qualifying, the U.S. used a team of players with primarily G League experience for the games.

Davis scores 16 to help No. 14 UNC beat UNLV 78-51

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Freshman RJ Davis scored 16 points and No. 14 North Carolina recovered from an ugly start to beat UNLV 7851 on Monday night in the first round of the relocated Maui Invitational.

Garrison Brooks added 14 points and surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career in the first half for the Tar Heels (2-0), who fell behind 13-0 and didn’t score for the first 6½ minutes. But UNC gradually

closed the gap, then had a 28-4 run spanning halftime to build its own big lead on the way to a rout.

Ramey helps No. 17 Texas slip past Davidson

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Courtney Ramey had the go-ahead driving score with 20 seconds left for No. 17 Texas to defeat Davidson 78-76 in the opening game of the Maui Invitational on Monday.

Ramey’s score broke a 76all tie, then the Longhorns (2-0) came up with a pair of stops on the final possession, when the Wildcats (1-1) had a chance to tie or win.

Davidson’s Sam Mennenga missed a contested 3-pointer from the wing, but the Wildcats got another shot when the ball went out of bounds with 3.8 seconds left.

Ravens-Steelers rescheduled again by COVID-19 to Wednesday

The Baltimore Ravens’ struggle to contain an extended outbreak of the Coronavirus forced their rescheduled game Tuesday night against the unbeaten Pittsburgh Steelers to be moved back to Wednesday afternoon.

It’s the third fix to a matchup originally slated to be played Thanksgiving night. The game will remain on NBC, but at 3:40 p.m. ET.

Also, the Steelers’ home game in Week 13 against Washington has been moved from Sunday to Dec. 7 at 5 p.m. The Ravens home game against Dallas will be on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 8:05 p.m. on Fox and NFL Network. It was originally set for Thursday night, then moved to Dec. 7.

Ravens-Steelers was moved back one more day for medical reasons, but now Baltimore gets some time for workouts. The NFL permitted the Ravens to return to their facility on Monday night under doctors’ supervision, which is similar to what happened when the Tennessee Titans had a Coronavirus outbreak earlier this season. The Titans got three days of workouts in that scenario.

Bengals rookie QB Burrow to have knee surgery this week

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow is expected to have surgery on his injured left knee this week, coach Zac Taylor said Monday.

Burrow’s season ended Nov. 22 when he was sandwiched between two Washington pass-rushers and his leg was bent severely. The structural damage in his knee requires surgery and extensive rehabilitation.

“I just know that it’s the middle of week sometime,” Taylor said without discussing any more details of the procedure.

Taylor said he expects Burrow to be ready to play again at some point next season.

“He’s just ready to get this process going and get healthy for next year,” said friend Sam Hubbard, a Bengals defensive end. “He’s about as positive and upbeat as you could be with the circumstances and the injury.”

Burrow led LSU to the 2019 national championship and won the Heisman Trophy. He was the top overall draft pick by Cincinnati.

He threw for 2,668 yards and 13 TDs and five interceptions in his rookie year.

Florida heads to ‘Bubbleville’ for hoop games

Florida’s men’s basketball team has signed on for a trip to Mohegan Sun in Connecticut for two midweek games in “Bubbleville.”

The Gators will face Army on Wednesday and Boston College on Thursday night.

Florida had been scheduled to open its season at “Bubbleville” on Nov. 25 and 27, but it was forced to pull out and pause team activities because of COVID-19 test results and contact tracing. The 11-day event maintained enough scheduling flexibility that the Gators were able to get back in the mix.

Florida had been scheduled to play at Oklahoma on Wednesday, but the Sooners had to cancel because of their own COVID issues.

Boise State set to resume football practice today

Boise State says it will resume football practice on Tuesday following the latest round of COVID-19 testing results.

The school announced the decision on Monday night after receiving the results of testing conducted Sunday.

The Broncos game against San Jose State last Saturday was canceled just a few hours before kickoff after testing and contact tracing ruled out nine players for the game and left Boise State with limited numbers at specific position groups.

The Broncos are scheduled to play at UNLV on Friday night.

Tennessee State postpones start of men’s basketball season

Tennessee State has postponed the start of its men’s basketball season because COVID-19 test protocols mean the Tigers won’t have enough players available.

The Tigers had been scheduled to host Belmont on Wednesday night, but Tennessee State announced Monday that game now has been postponed to Dec. 18.

Athletic director Mikki Allen says the decision was made with the Ohio Valley Conference’s medical advisory group and Tennessee State’s pandemic task force. Allen says it’s unfortunate the home opener will be delayed but the health and safety of the players matter most.

Pepperdine mens basketball’s schedule suddenly open

It’s shaping up to be a quiet week for the Pepperdine men’s basketball team.

The Waves’ home opener against San Jose State on Wednesday has been canceled because of new COVID-19 policies in Santa Clara County, where San Jose State is located. The county has imposed a three-week ban on practices and games for contact sports and is requiring players to quarantine for 14 days anytime they travel over 150 miles.

Fresno State won’t be traveling to Malibu for Saturday’s game because its program has been halted for two weeks after positive COVID-19 cases.