Week 11 saw some separation appear between the top and bottom teams in the East, while the West becomes further and further mired in a competitive log jam. The West's records may seem mediocre, but that's just a function of how good that conference is right now.
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Iowa Barnstormers (1-8) @ Sioux Falls Storm (5-4) 26-77: There's not a whole lot to be said or learned from this game. We knew Iowa was terrible and we knew Sioux Falls had a strong run game. Lorenzo Brown, Xavier Jackson and Donnie Corley were all terrific for the Storm, and even backup qb Seth Collins got in on the fun, throwing for 2 touchdowns. Defensive backs Byron Edwards and Eugene Ford feasted, each getting a pick and multiple breakups. The Storm played pretty much flawless football against the worst team in the league, which should bring their spirits up a bit, as should seeing Green Bay lose to QC.
Player of the game: Xavier Jackson, RB, Sioux Falls; Donnie Corley Jr, WR, Sioux Falls
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Green Bay Blizzard (4-5) @ Quad City Steamwheelers (7-3) 56-63: This game never really got too out of hand, but you also never really felt like Green Bay actually had a chance to win. Both teams basically just traded touchdown drives, oftentimes one-play drives the whole game with no turnovers, with the difference eventually being just a couple missed field goals by Green Bay. The Blizzard's defensive line has been very bad all season, and tonight gave up 200 yards rushing, including 126 to newcomer Shane Simpson. EJ Hilliard was his usual efficient self and Quad City cruised to another victory.
Player of the game: EJ Hilliard, QB, Quad City
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Northern Arizona Wranglers (5-4) @ Duke City Gladiators (4-5) 40-47: The Wranglers, coming off a blowout loss to the Rattlers, had a chance to redeem themselves against an easier team and take back control of the west. Instead, they went down early again, thanks to a couple Garrett Kettle turnovers. Kettle, who had his worst outing since week 1 had trouble throwing downfield and a lot of times was either running it for small gains or checking it down. However, NAZ was able to fight their way back from 3 scores down, and even recovered an onside kick down just 7 points with a minute left. Kettle then threw his third interception of the night, a catchable pass that RCB couldn't quite handle, tipping it to the defender and sealing the Wranglers' loss.
Player of the game: Roderick Chapman, DB, Duke City
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Bay Area Panthers (6-3) @ Tucson Sugar Skulls (4-4) 44-42: With the help of some great defensive plays, Tucson was able to build a two score lead late in the second half. However, Bay Area was able to fight back, intercepting Ramone Atkins twice and taking the lead for good in the fourth quarter. This was an especially tough loss for Tucson, plunging them even further into the goulash that is the western conference. For Bay Area, this win, coupled with a NAZ loss gives them sole possession of the West.
Player of the game: Justin Rankin, RB, Bay Area
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Massachusetts Pirates (6-3) @ Tulsa Oilers (1-8) 54-48: You gotta feel kind of bad for the Tulsa defense, who did enough to get the Oilers the win, but their offense was just unable to get the job done. The Oilers D was able to intercept Anthony Russo twice and get another key stop on downs, but Vince Espinoza and the Oilers offense scored zero points off of those drives. A questionable coaching decision to go for the deuce with less than a minute left, rather than an onside kick allowed the Pirates to seal what should have been a relatively easy win. Midway through the season, Tulsa looks like they've got some pretty good chemistry going and some solid playmakers. The home crowd looks great as well. They just need to fire their camera operator because it's obvious this person has never seen a football game before this season.
Player of the game: Isaac Zico, WR, Massachusetts
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Vegas Knight Hawks (4-5) @ Arizona Rattlers (5-4) 39-63: Arizona was out for revenge after losing to Vegas two weeks ago, and they didn't disappoint. Their offense was unstoppable and their defense was ferocious, leaving Daquan Neal with nowhere to run. The Knight Hawks kind of just folded midway through the third quarter, pulling Neal, and the Rattlers pulled Powell soon after. Powell went 11-13 passing for 5 touchdowns, and his receivers were constantly making incredible catches. Add to that 71 yards by Jamal Miles, including a 45 yard touchdown run for their first score of the game, and the Rattlers appear to be back in top form.
Player of the game: Drew Powell, QB, Arizona
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San Diego Strike Force (3-6) @ Frisco Fighters (8-1) 56-70: As you can tell from the score, this was a defensive slug fest- nah I'm just kidding. Both teams scored quickly and often, as the first half ended 50-42. It seemed like neither team had any real interest in playing defense, and each team's secondary took the half off. However, Frisco I guess made some adjustments at halftime and were able to start getting pressure on Nate Davis and throwing him off rhythm. The Fighters held San Diego to just 1 touchdown in the second half as the Fighters showed why they're still the best team in the league.
Player of the game: TJ Edwards, QB, Frisco
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Power Rankings:

1. Frisco Fighters (8-1)~
2. Bay Area Panthers (6-3)~
3. Quad City Steamwheelers (7-3)~
4. Massachusetts Pirates (6-3)~
5. Arizona Rattlers (5-4)+2
6. Northern Arizona Wranglers (5-4)-1
7. Tucson Sugar Skulls (4-4)-1
8. Vegas Knight Hawks (4-5)~
9. San Diego Strike Force (3-6)+1
10. Sioux Falls Storm (5-4)+1
11. Duke City Gladiators (4-5)+1
12. Green Bay Blizzard (4-5)-3
13. Tulsa Oilers (1-8)~
14. Iowa Barnstormers (1-8)~

Not much movement this week, aside from some shuffling around the middle. Arizona jumped up 2 spots just because it looks like they have returned to last year's dominant form. Green Bay's 3 spot plummet is mostly to due how they've played without Jarome Johnson. Meylor is decent but nowhere near as electric as Johnson. Some people will question having a 4-5 and a 3-6 team ahead of 5-4 Sioux Falls, but look me in the eyes and tell me you could see SF beating either Vegas or San Diego.

22nd Century: Context
Earth, deeply overpopulated, polluted and prey to continuous massacres, has long been plagued by a series of wars for the control of the last resources. The planet is almost a “slave” of a group of powerful corporations and industrial groups being an empty shell of its former might and seeing the decadence more and more closely. Up to date, only the Moon, with a few small mining and industrial installations, and Mars, on which wars raged even worse than those on Earth, with the various powerful industrial organizations contending the exploitation rights and mineral resources, have been colonized. The 21st Century lifestyle is now just a memory, millions of people live in the slums and degraded suburbs of huge metropolises such as Delhi, Beijing, Los Angeles, Moscow, and Paris, struggling against devastating unemployment and increasingly powerful crime syndicates. The civilian administrative bodies no longer have any real power while the military apparatus and the entire system of terran governments are directly controlled by the large industrial and financial groups, directing the states’ policies according to their interests. World population has been fluctuating for about fifty years between 9 and 10 billion, depending on wars, famine and epidemics that are becoming, together with starvation and malnutrition, increasingly virulent. Moreover, the religious message has largely lost its appeal to the masses after the Great Jihad of the mid-21st century, oppressed also by a continuous campaign of secularization and anti-clericalism carried out by the terran polities.
The largest power-centres are the shades of their former strength, flawed by corruption and driven by desperation in trying to control the last natural resources on Earth. The major recognized powers on Earth are:

• Atlantic Alliance: based on the former United States of America, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Ireland and Iceland has a light grasp on all the Americas, northwestern Europe and footholds across the whole world. Moreover, the AA (short for Atlantic Alliance) has several bases on the Moon and five big colonies on Mars.
• China Republic: heir to the Chinese powerhouse of the 21st Century, controls mainland China, Taiwan, Mongolia and has a larvate protectorate of the various Indochina states and solid alliance with the United States of Indonesia and various African allies. China controls two large, heavily populated, Martian colonies, and smaller Lunar colonies.
• Indian Union: born after the final victory of India on Pakistan during the 2040-2050 wars, spans its control on the whole Indian subcontinent and can rely on the Philippines and minor allies in Africa and central Asia. Despite being the latest power to arrive on Mars, it has established big colonies and exploitation areas.
• Eurasian Alliance: based on the geopolitical Eurasian heartland premises, is a large collection of confederated states spanning from Belarus and Ukraine to the west, to Georgia to the south and to Siberia to the East. Eurasian Alliance has also minor colonies on the Moon developed by the Russian states and on Mars by the Amur state.

2159:

Escalation of the quarrel on Hellas Planitia. the start of the 3rd Martian War: Free communities of Atlantic Alliance settlers on Mars had expanded well beyond the official boundaries between the two spheres of influence, Atlantic and Chinese, settled in the Nairobi Treaty of the 2144 after the Second Martian War. Already in 2156 and 2158, clashes were recorded among regular Chinese troopers and Atlantic settlers, resulting in casualties among both parties.
The important region of Hellas Planitia was thought to be indispensable by the Chinese, and they couldn't tolerate any infringement of their mining and water drilling rights to support the rest of their own colonies. On July 4th, 2159, the umpteenth Atlantic attempt in expanding their range of settlement in the contested area resulted in a military action led by the 3rd Chinese Martian Brigade, that pushed deep into the area and then rounding up the settlers and destroying all the Atlantic structures in the region.
The answer of the Atlantic Alliance President, John Marshall Bradley, was dire: the Atlantic Alliance, fed up with the confrontation on Mars and confident in its own military capabilities, declared the state of war to the Chinese Republic on July 7th, 2159. Following this, the Chinese establishment retaliates with heavy shelling of Atlantic Alliance positions on Mars already the very day after.
Heating & escalation, the Martian Theatre: Despite the meagre military forces present on Mars for both the Atlantic Alliance and the Chinese Republic, the conflict escalates quickly, with reported gun-fighting across the whole planet throughout July and August. A significant Chinese success is attained on September 12th, 2159: the 2nd Chinese Martian Brigade managed to seize the control of the of the Ius Chasma, a significant gateway towards the core Atlantic colonies of the Valles Marineris.
The reduced level of manpower on Mars, linked also to the combat being carried out in extra-terrestrial conditions, was also worsened by the immediate escalation of the drilling preparations on Earth, stopping any shipping of resources and troops to Mars. Another major power decided to take advantage of the war between Atlantic Alliance and Chinese Republic on Mars: The Indian Union unilaterally started another front on Bosporos Planum on September 23rd, attacking Chinese backward stations successfully.
Arm wrestling on the Rhine: The rising power of the German Confederacy was again worrying the French Republic like in the previous three centuries: the Germans were very close to attaining the status of prime power on continental Europe after their successful annexation of Switzerland in 2145 and the joining of Denmark and Sweden in their confederation in 2154
Moreover, the tightening of the relationships between the Netherlands under Chancellor Dietmar Proch, opening the chance of the German Confederacy enlarging further west, was met by deep worry by the French, who deployed all their land armies on the border on March 2159, under the executive order of President Philippe Godard. Following this upsurge of mobilization, the Germans proceeded in starting mobilization two days after.
Songda typhoon: An extensive typhoon, reached the Ryukyu archipelago with enormous force, killing over 2,000 and causing damage for over $ 12.5 billion.
Sahel famine: Failure of crops due to extensive drought struck heavily the Sahel area, with starvation-related casualties peaking over a million in Sudan, Mali and Chad.
Eurasian Federation elections & calls for change: Ekaterina Rozanova of the Eurasian Reform Party is elected president, defeating the incumbent Pyotr Prokopenko, leading the Eurasian Patriot Front. The elections are referred to be very violent and partially rigged in favour of Rozanova, especially in peripheric republics.
Astana Conference and diplomatic attempts to solve the Martian question: Under the peacekeeping attempt of the only major power still out of the conflict, the diplomats from Atlantic Alliance, Chinese Republic and Indian Union met to try to sort out a peaceful end of the surging war. The broker of this conference was Eurasian President Ekaterina Rozanova and the city hosting was Astana, between October 14th and October 18th.
Despite the drafting of a joint declaration of intent to sort out the differences in a peaceful way, the distrust and the will to achieve a dominance position on Mars was just fuelling the fire of war. Moreover, despite the official sharing of a memorandum aimed to not involve Earth in the war, the build-up of military forces and mobilization was already undergoing.
Indian-Atlantic sea war: Just a few weeks after the Astana Conference, on November 2nd, 2159, Indian and Atlantic navies clash in the Battle of Diego Garcia, with the Indian attempt to neutralize the Atlantic foothold in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The local Atlantic Alliance Indian Fleet was forced to flee, in the aftermath of the heavy engagements, towards South African and Israeli bases due to the Indian pressure carried out by joint aerial strike forces.
Additional clashes were reported off the Omani coast, with the sinking of the HMS King William V super-carrier in the ensuing battle of Salalah on November 8th, when the 2nd Division of the Atlantic Alliance Indian Fleet was mauled by the overwhelming force of the joint Indian and Omani air forces. Moreover, another confrontation, this time between Indian submarines and the 1st Naval Division led by Admiral James Chapman occurred off the eastern shores of Madagascar (Battle of Cape Masoala) on December 2nd, when the fleet managed to avoid severe casualties thanks to the support of air forces stationed in South Africa.
Invasion of Burma and Chinese-Indian land war: After extensive preparations, a Chinese army composed of armoured and specialized infantry divisions, passed the border between Chinese Republic and Kingdom of Burma (a neutral state, leaning more towards Eurasian politics) on December 5th, 2159. In the same day, large airstrikes dissolved at soil the small Burmese air force and jeopardized most of the communication between military depots and supply centres, promoting a lower degree of responsiveness of the Burmese Army. The latter was already routed during the Battle of Lashio on December 6th and with the Chinese putting Mandalay under siege on December 10th.
Another push into Arunachal Pradesh was started on December 11th, in glacial and high-altitude battles, the Chinese prong managed to rout the Indian forces garrisoning the Brahmaputra/Siang upper valley, getting to Dibrugarh and managing to cross the river towards Bengal Bay on December 18th, disorganizing coordinated resistance in the area. In the meanwhile, the Chinese attained additional successes against the Burmese, occupying Naypyitaw on December 17th and forcing King Soe Wi to surrender and opening Burma for Chinese occupation on December 22nd.

2160:

Fiscal strike in Catalonia: Following the increased tax pressure on Catalonia, the local populace started to avoid paying due taxes towards central Spanish authority. On the eve of February 2160, several protesters attacked local tax agencies raising the Senyera flag. In the aftermath, Spanish police intervened in force, killing several protesters and arresting thousands of Catalonian separatists/nationalists.
Netherlands signs the Aachen Concordate: King Willem VII of the Netherlands signed the official document that promoted the progressive integration of the Netherlands within the German Confederacy as an associate state with immediate effects and as a Bundesland within 2170. The day after the Aachen Concordate signing (March 6th, 2160), French Republic forces crossed the border in Wallonia and Dunkerque.
Fusion power attempts go bad: An Indian attempt to turn on an experimental fusion power reactor in the outskirts of Indore turned out to be very dreadful: the uncontrolled reaction, due to inefficient magnetic fields, broke out in a firebomb that engulfed over 10 square kilometres, killing over 50,000 people on March 22nd.
The Martian theatre: Despite the fact that this massive war was named in books as the Third Martian War very few actions involved the Red Planet in 2160. Minor Chinese incursions were repelled by the prompt response of Atlantic Rapid Deployment Units while the Indian were bogged down by a trailing and failing logistical train.
Burma and Bengal Campaign: Chinese forces, coming from Burma, passed the border on January 5th, advancing in Mizoram and Manipur states of the Indian Union. The local Indian resistance was quickly overwhelmed by the mass usage of aerial support and close-by cruise missiles. Not even an Indian retaliatory bombing of Chengdu that exacted dozens of thousands of casualties stopped the Chinese advance.
In the north, the Chinese overcame the last organized Indian forces in Assam and Meghalaya in the battle of Shillong between January 15th and February 2nd, effectively opening the road towards Bengal Bay. Advancing Chinese troops met themselves on February 10th in Silchar: the Chinese were quickly encroaching the Bengal area.
An extensive Indian counter-offensive in April made the Chinese stop in their fast push towards Chittagong (Chittagong Campaign, Battle of Cox's Bazar). In the north instead, an effective assault led to the fall of Sylhet on June 23rd. The Chinese then halted their advance due to the tropical rain season and the difficulties in upkeeping the logistics of the invasion.
Cyberwarfare on electronic appliances: The three major powers involved in the Third Martian War unleashed their cyberwarfare capabilities in the Spring of 2160, disabling billions of devices and compromising energy grids, logistic chains and everyday life. These operations began to affect also other countries, with several breaking off diplomatic relations as a result.
Spill of war: the Philippines on flames: President Agapito Libunao, leading a cabinet leaning on the Indian Union's politics, was faced by extensive riots and dissent stirred up by Atlantic agents in the spring of 2160, with sudden shortages of food and power across the entire Philippines. The harsh reaction of Libunao's government included the institution of curfews and the arrest and execution of the rebellion leaders.
India-Iran conflict: Imperial Iran, a solid Chinese ally, decided to throw its weight, declaring war on Indian Union on April 24th, 2160. Iranian troops, backed by a Chinese Army start to advance into Kashmir from Aksai Chin. Attacking from the Pashto areas in Afghanistan, the Iranians captured Peshawar on May 5th. In the meantime, the Chinese offensive bottled up itself in a trench war in Baltistan and Ladakh at high altitudes.
The southern Baluchistan front was opened only in late May, with Indian attempts to push west of Karachi, aiming to attain more solid defensive positions to avoid a quick assault that would have delivered the city itself to the Iranians.
Reprise of Basque insurgency: Taking advantage of the movement of troops towards Catalonia, local Basque nationalists attacked police stations, barracks and, post offices between May and June 2160, achieving some successes in more remote municipalities. The leader of the Basque nationalists, Aitor Uriburu, declared the rebirth of the Second Basque Republic on June 11th, 2160. This declaration is met by extensive rounding-ups in Bilbao and San Sebastian by the Spanish military police, with the first official casualties of the insurgency.
African turmoil: Sudden bush wars started in Africa, with Atlantic-supported “freedom movements” disrupting the Chinese supply chain and resource stockpiles in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Congo.
Change in Japan government: The Empire of Japan saw a change in the cabinet in September 2160, with the resignation of Prime Minister Akio Yamashita and the appointment of Prime Minister Takashi Ichikawa. Ichikawa, an expression of the aggressive military and economic establishment, immediately began to evaluate the options on the table: the concurring war between Atlantic Alliance, the Chinese Republic and, Indian Union opened interesting opportunities to reassert Japanese dominance in the upper Pacific area.
Heating of Caribbeans: Mass revolts and discontent shook the Caribbean countries: local dissent against Atlantic Alliance's protectorate grew more vocal. Behind the rebellion, the Chinese Republic was seeding confusion, deception, and bribing plenty of political officers, while more and more citizens were going for the jungle, secretly armed by Bolivarian proxies, aligned to the Chinese's aims.
Krakow negotiations and Transylvanian crisis: The nationalist states of Romania and Hungary have had a grudge about Transylvania and Banat since the early 20th Century. Hungarian Republic regent Janòs Molnar and Romanian strongman Anton Mirescu were invited by the Polish president, Szymon Wieczorek, to attend a conference in Krakow on October 10th to square out their respective claims.
While the two stubborn leaders were heatedly debating among themselves, their troops started shooting themselves on border patrols. Once the news arrived in Krakow, both Molnar and Mirescu left the meeting to take command of their respective military.

2161:

Resolution of Moscow: under the goodwill of Eurasian president Ekaterina Rozanova, all the major powers ambassadors sign a binding resolution that enforces the denial of the use of nuclear, biological, and hypersonic missiles on Earth, leaving the war to conventional methods only.
Transylvanian War outbreak: Despite the efforts made in the Krakow Conference, Hungarians and Romanians were fighting on the border since the very same day of the meeting. Due to the reduced military strength of both countries, the build-up of forces required more time than expected on both sides: unfortunately for the Romanians, they were trailing in military preparations, and the Hungarians managed to strike first. In their first offensive, the Hungarians overwhelmed Romanian static defences with artillery and aerial strikes, advancing deep in the Romanian territory.
Arad fell in a few days: opening the route towards Timisoara in March, while in the north Oradea was stormed quicker, with the troops of General Laszlo Seres advancing for more than one hundred kilometres in the direction of Cluj. Despite the attempts of Anton Mirescu's generals, the Romanians were in bad shape and desperate to stop enemy attacks. The Hungarians, after a month of re-grouping, pushed again during summer. Cluj was surrounded and put under siege while the entire Banat was occupied following the fall of Timisoara in July.
The Romanian focused on a massive counter-attack in the surroundings of Cluj in September. After three weeks of heavy fighting, the attempt was thwarted by the Hungarians, who finally entered the city after four months of siege. Both the contenders were too much worn out to perform any major action in the Winter of 2161 after eight months of the intensive war, with a dramatically increasing body count on both sides.
Fusion Power Breakthrough: Close to Detroit, an old, polluted, and sullen metropolis, the brilliant designers of General Ford Motors, assisted by Japanese, European and Australian engineers and physicists, developed a new type of nuclear fusion reactor able to allow net energy gains compared to the amount required to stabilize and control the reaction. It is the start of the 22nd Century breakthrough.
Basque insurgency continues: The self-proclaimed president of the Basque Republic, Aitor Uriburu, announced that the insurgency would have gone on the mountains and deep into the cities, followed by three weeks of continuous harassment, ambushes and make-shift bombs on the Spanish forces that had occupied the rebellious region. Spanish local military command instituted curfew and martial law, with hundreds of summary executions, thousands of arrests and extensive property damage, and looting.
Franco-German War, the Flanders, Lorraine & Wallonia campaigns: The aftermath of the Aachen Concordate heated the front between the German Confederacy and the French Republic: following the French advance in Flanders, the German Army managed to stop the enemy's tide towards Brussels and Antwerp in several minor clashes during late 2160 (Battle of Waregem, Siege of Ostend) and to regain the initiative in the war.
A strong German force had been gathered in Limburg during the Winter of 2160 at the command of Feldmarschall Hans-Friedrich Dürer, beginning its offensive in February 2161, after a feint attack on the Lorraine Theatre (Storming of Thionville, Battle of Forbach). Preceded by a massive artillery barrage and surgical airstrikes on the rear of the bulk of the French forces, the Germans managed to rout three French armies in the following two months, conquering major cities like Liege and Namur. Feldmarschall Dürer's Army Group pushed deep into Wallonia, being stopped only by the commitment and self-sacrifice of French troops in the summer eve of 2161, with the front on the Haine river (Battle of Mons).
The emergency urged the French leadership to an immediate change in military command: the former Maréchal François Guillou was substituted by Maréchal Thierry Renard, who promoted an immediate re-organization of the Army and logistics to avoid another defeat at the hands of the Germans. On the other side of the front, an additional push, promoted by German General Staff, was launched in October 2161, with the assault occurring in the French's centre at Charleroi. The very mobile and heavy German armoured columns are stopped by the deliberate use of scorched earth and the self-sacrifice of the French infantry in urban warfare, de facto interrupting the German initiative in November.
Italian entanglement in the Franco-German war: In the need to re-assert Italian importance in the European balance of power, Prime Minister Giorgio Acciaroli ordered Italian General Staff to take advantage of the context in any possibility while trying to avoid a full-blown war with the quarrelsome neighbours in the North. Only after six months of extensive preparations, in early October, small Italian Alpine troops detachments breached the German-Italian border at San Bernardino pass. Saint Gotthard pass and Simplon pass, occupying the first layer of small villages on the other side.
Dhaka siege: Chinese finally manage to conquer Chittagong and in a rush, blitzkrieg campaign, supported by heavy aerial superiority, reach the Meghna river, east of Dhaka. Moreover, starting from Sylhet in the north, they reach the shores of Brahmaputra River northwest of Dhaka. In the south, some very mobile units reach the line of the Padma (Ganges) river.
Dhaka is completely encircled and suffers tremendous pressure until it is partially relieved by a desperate, last resort force mustered west of the Brahmaputra, launched in frontal assaults that achieve the conquest of several bridges on the river and pushing deep for 50 kilometres, creating a weak link between the sieged Dhaka and the Indian rear positions.
Martian Theatre, the Valles Marineris campaign: Chinese troops finally manage to push through the thin, defensive line put up by the Atlantic Alliance in Ius Chasma, penetrating in deep within the Coprates Chasma region. There, a massive counter-attack by the Atlantic Alliance Marine Corps allowed them to regain some breath for the Atlantic. Notwithstanding, now reinforced by the 4th Martian Brigade, the Chinese relaunch a tactic offensive to re-assert defendable lines that indeed results in a strategic breakthrough: the Marine Corps is overwhelmed and forced to abandon the passes leading directly to Valles Marineris.
Manoeuvres in the Pacific, the battle of Nauru: Chinese Navy had already started its deployment in the Micronesia region, taking advantage of the losses in naval assets of the Atlantic Alliance throughout the Indian Ocean campaign of 2159-2160. Nevertheless, the Atlantic managed to rally a Task Force from Australian and Hawaiian bases led by Admiral John Brooke, moving forward to reinforce the Atlantic Pacific Fleet in New Guinea and Micronesia. During their course, the Atlantic ships are involved in an ambush by the mighty High Sea Chinese fleet around Nauru, who manages to rout the Task Force and sink around a third of its force.
Philippines civil war: President Libunao’s loyalist troops clash with militia across several islands, armed by Atlantic Alliance agents in the bid to overthrow the Indian puppet. Suspect Chinese agents are also arrested by both sides.
India-Iran conflict, the new Chinese initiative: The Persians manage to seize the important port of Gwadar on the Indian Ocean, allowing their Chinese allies to have an outlet on the strategic sea. Moreover, in the North, Chinese troops try to connect themselves with Persian troops in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa but are repelled with heavy losses.

2162:

Mackievič reforms: the Deputy President of the Eurasian Federation, Stanislav Mackievič, presents the new federalization reforms, which allows each republic of the Eurasian Federation a higher degree of autonomy, leading to the growing unrest of Russian elites and to the entrenchment of a disenchanted attitude from the outer republics (especially Amuria and the Central Asian ones) towards the Eurasian Federation, deeming the Mackievič reforms as insufficient.
3rd Martian War (Mars theatre): The Chinese, having finally entered the Valles Marineris region, start to siege the major Atlantic centres of population and industry, with minimal resistance. In any case, the Atlantic launch an immediate insurgency campaign, aimed to cripple Chinese logistic in the area.
Indians, suffering deeply in terms of manpower, define a pincer movement to overwhelm the nearby Atlantic colony of Hesperia Planum. In doing so, they are thwarted by the resistance of the small German Colony, partially invaded in the movement of the northern pincer.
At the end of the year, the Atlantic have managed to reinforce their crucial Valles Marineris structures with new manpower retrieved from abandoned, smaller installations and outposts, the Chinese are spilling litres of blood to try to win the confrontation in the very same area, while the Indians have de facto exhausted their supplies and manpower in the Hesperia Planum offensive. The Martian War on the very Red Planet will go stalemate for the three following years.
Signing of Kodiak memorandum: the Japanese Empire envoy, Kenzo Toshida, signs a memorandum of military assistance with the Atlantic Alliance at the presence of the High Representative for Foreign Diplomacy Dana Cartwright. The Japanese pledge their military support in anti-Chinese fashion, obtaining in exchange the right to seize the control of Korea and install a protectorate over Taiwan. In the clauses, the Atlantic are recognized with the right to gain Philippines and to arrange the new Chinese government once the victory has been achieved. The Kodiak memorandum is secret, and the Japanese aim to enter war in 2164, starting immediate drill and rearm activities. In any case, Chinese intelligence is well aware of the threat and top brass begin to act accordingly.
Caribbean problems for the Atlantic Alliance: the continuous rebellions, backed by Chinese and Indian agents, of the different polities of the Caribbeans achieved a first success; the Dominican Republic dictator, José Fernández De la Torre, is overthrown. Atlantic Alliance immediately dispatch aerial fleets to flat Santo Domingo with high-yield warheads and begin to mount an aeronaval invasion to be carried out within the following year.
Africa bush wars soar to direct confrontations: Ethiopia, solidly Chinese-aligned, expand its quarrel with Sudan (Atlantic-oriented military dictatorship) in a hot war, with the conquest of Kassala, just a shot from the border. South Africa, a major component of Atlantic Alliance, launch some “police operations” in nearby Mozambique and seizes the control of major Madagascar airbases and harbours, partially opposed by Indian commandos and local military.
Shutdown of global networks: the War, already involving three of the four major powers and plenty of their satellite states, leads to the shutdown of the global network, with information and news becoming more and more scarce and directly provided by a more and more hardcore propaganda.
Invasion of Papua: despite the defeat of the Atlantic Task Force in the sea battle of Nauru, the Atlantic Alliance launches an expedition to Papua, from New Guinea and Australian bases, against the Indonesian troops, propped up by Chinese aerial and naval assets. The Australian troops obtain some success in their initial thrust, stopped only by the heavy involvement of Chinese aerial and missile assets.
Battle of Marshall Islands: a more serious attempt of the Atlantic Pacific Fleet, led by Admiral Grace Billingsley, to connect Australia and New Guinea to Hawaiian bases is performed: the result is the direct confrontation with the High Sea Chinese Fleet led by Admiral Zhang Yong in the Marshall Islands. There, thanks to the direct intervention of gunships and missiles launched from Hawaii, the Atlantic manage, at high cost, to have the upper hand in the battle.
Dramatic famine in Korea: Korea, solidly under the Chinese heel for around a century, suffers a widespread famine, involuntarily engineered by the Chinese: the flow of agricultural products from Korea to China is increased as the mobilization has created a significant drop in food production. The Chinese officials and their local allies, led by President Myeong Ki-Woo, seize the large part of the annual production, with the starvation of around 2.5 million Koreans between 2162 and 2163.
Indian theatre of war: Dhaka stills resists the Chinese attempts to conquer it, even if the provision link across the Brahmaputra is several times broken by Chinese coup-de-main. In the west of the country, the war straggles in a high-altitude confrontation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and in continuous advances and retreats in Baluchistan by very mobile columns of Persian and Indian armies.
The dramatic change of momentum in the Franco-German War: the energic re-organization of the French Army by Maréchal Renard allowed the French to gather four strong armies in the sector of Dunkerque-Tourcoing-Valenciennes. After a feint towards Mons, met by the amassing of German strategic reserves in the area, the 7th and 8th Army push through the Flanders region. It’s a strong success: the French steamroll second line German and Dutch troops, leading to an endless rout to Antwerp, despite the opening of the dams on the Scheldt.
In the south of the theatre, the Germans are forced to abandon Mons, Charleroi and the Wallonia, retreating to the Meuse in Liege and establishing a precarious line between Antwerp and Maastricht, leveraging on the Albert Canal.
In Switzerland, the Italians cautiously advance in Valais and Graubünden, occupying Sion and Chur, meeting minimal resistance by the Swiss German militia in Thusis.
Fusion-powered warships: the Atlantic Alliance has immediately understood that the Fusion power may allow a massive military advantage and funnels strong funds to the development and commissioning of the supercarriers named “Trump Class”, a project stopped more than 60 years before that involved the appliance of a fusion drive to the ship. General Ford Motors was urged to provide 30 engines within the end of 2164 to equip ten new supercarriers, already under construction in the American west coast shipyards.
Minor European wars: the Basque insurgency is still alive despite the thousands of arrests and executions, with additional terrorist bombings in Madrid and Sevilla. In the Transylvanian War, the Hungarians have still the upper hand in the war, despite having less available manpower than the Romanians. Mirescu’s plans for the year, with the finally completed mobilization, are thwarted by the lack of fuel and weaponry, leading to massive human waves attacks, easily repulsed by the well-entrenched Hungarians.
The Holding: in a secret location on the American East Coast, over 150 executives of the largest AA corporations agree on the incorporation of an overseeing structure aimed to reinforce their profits and their grasp on AA government and, in their vision, of the entire Earth. As a first decision, the Holding decides to prop up AA effort in the 3rd Martian War and use the Alliance as a proxy for their desired world domination.

2163:

Indonesia campaign: The Australian troops, now supported by the entire Southern Pacific Fleet led by Admiral Grace Billingsley, sweep the Chinese and Indonesian resistance in Papua (naval engagements of Maluku Islands, Battle of Palau), allowing the forces at the command of General Joseph Cowan to capture the whole island.
Atlantic Alliance forces executed several minor landings on Timor and Maluku islands, with the Australians, now supported by American and Canadian troops, facing severe resistance from Indonesians. Throughout their “island-hopping” strategy, both sides suffer horrible casualties.
Aerial terror campaign on major Indonesian cities is also a significant cause of the crumbling Indonesian morale, with Jakarta, Medan, Makassar, and Surabaya almost incinerated by Atlantic air assets, now not countered by the Chinese air force, too absorbed in the Indian and Micronesian campaign.
Chinese intervention in the Philippines: Libunao’s government, already facing a significant rebellion stirred up by the Atlantic-oriented opposition, is now invested by a massive aeronaval Chinese lift to Luzon, aimed to secure the south-eastern flank of the Chinese front against the Atlantic Alliance. The invasion includes three weeks of terrific bombing with stealth bombers and a rain of cruise missiles, killing around two million Filipinos. Chinese forces, led by General Hong Min, composed of the 11th and 12th armies land unopposed, starting the Luzon Campaign.
Chinese overstretch and relief of Dhaka siege: due to a massive eruption of rebellion and sabotage actions in Burma and Vietnam, performed by Indian agents and their minions, the Chinese deal with a shortage in supplies in the Bengal campaign, also because of the extended engagements in the Philippines and the need to reinforce the Indonesian war effort. Therefore, a new push led by the Indian Field Marshal of Army Irin Paruchuri manages to break the southern Chinese positions at the Padma River banks, connecting Dhaka from the south, beyond the weak links on the Brahmaputra River north.
Japanese fleet patrol in force: at the command of Admiral Hiroshi Ono, the Okinawa Fleet exits the bases on the Ryukyu islands to patrol the East China Sea, immediately being engaged by Chinese aerial fleets on Taiwan and gunships and destroyers departing from Ningbo and Taizhou bases. The Chinese Republic officially declared war on the Empire of Japan a few days later.
The bloodbath in Switzerland: the Germans, severely engaged in Flanders, can nothing against the Italians, which are penetrating more and more into the Swiss plateau, occupying Interlaken, Luzern, and Vaduz. The French, looking south to re-assert their dominance on the Romandie, advance to Bern and Basel from Geneve and Mulhouse. The French and the Italians meet in the outskirts of Aarau with reinforced probing forces, resulting in a battle that saw the French winners. In the meanwhile, the Germans launched minor border skirmishes in Tirol and Friuli to keep the Italians under pressure, while amassing manpower in the Saar region, to break in half the massive French armies.
Transylvanian war: with the help of German equipment, sourced through the booty of the razed Romanian cities, the Hungarians push again, entering Sibiu. The attempt of Mirescu to secure the alliance of the Serbian President, Mihajlo Nedić, are unsuccessful: neither the promise of Banat and Vojvodina are sufficient to convince the Serbian leader, that is fearing the immediate involvement of the Bulgarians (towards Northern Macedonia) or, worst, of the Italians, advancing from their strongholds in Kvarner and Dalmatia to depose him.
Rise of authoritarianism: the formerly “democratic” governments of Atlantic Alliance are more and more open about the compression of personal and social rights in the name of the “greater good” in the war. The Holding, through its own companies and fronts support the agenda of the politicians, seeking to extract the maximum profit from the war and to extend even more its grasp on the society.

As far as I know nobody from the XFL or the USFL has said anything at all about a merger. So I'm definitely not saying that this will happen or should happen. I just thought it would be fun to imagine how it might work as a pure hypothetical. So please don't jump down my throat if you don't want this to happen. Again, not at all saying it will happen or should happen. Just a fun hypothetical exercise.
For your hypothetical USFL-XFL merged league, please list:

1. How the divisions/conferences will work in your hypothetical league.
   
2. How the playoffs would work
   
3. What stadium each team would play in (even if it's not realistic, again this is just hypothetical)
   
4. Any teams you would move or change
   

Since the only market where the USFL and XFL overlap is Houston, I think 15 of the 16 teams can stay in their current city. It doesn't make sense to have two teams in Houston, so either the Gamblers or the Roughnecks need to move. I'm choosing to move the Gamblers since they have yet to actually play a game in Houston. For my hypothetical league, I'm choosing to make them the Oklahoma Outlaws, but you can do something different in your hypothetical league. Since the USFL seems to want to stay in Canton, for my hypothetical league I'm having the Maulers stay in Canton and changing their name to the Canton Bulldogs. In your league though, you can have them actually play in Pittsburgh or do something completely different with them.
As for how the conference championships/playoffs would work, I'm going to present two different scenarios.
The easiest way to would be to have the XFL and USFL become conferences, and have the champions play each other. So for that way, the divisions would look like this (I'm going to give each team a hypothetical record based on the USFL records for last year and the XFL records from this year):
USFL South Division
-1. Birmingham Stallions (9-1)
Home Stadium: Protective Stadium
-2. New Orleans Breakers (6-4)
Home Stadium: Yulman Stadium
-3. Memphis Showboats (4-6)
Home Stadium: Liberty Stadium
-4. Oklahoma Outlaws (3-7)
Home Stadium: H.A. Chapman Stadium
USFL North Division
-1. New Jersey Generals (9-1)
Home Stadium: MetLife Stadium
-2. Philadelphia Stars (6-4)
Home Stadium: Lincoln Financial Field
-3. Michigan Panthers (2-8)
Home Stadium: Ford Field
-4. Canton Bulldogs (1-9)
Home Stadium: Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
XFL South Division
-1. Houston Roughnecks (7-3)
Home Stadium: TDECU Stadium
-2. Arlington Renegades (4-6)
Home Stadium: Choctaw Stadium
-3. San Antonio Brahmas (3-7)
Home Stadium: Alamodome
-4. Orlando Guardians (1-9)
Home Stadium: Camping World Stadium
XFL North Division
-1. DC Defenders (9-1)
Home Stadium: Audi Field
-2. Seattle Sea Dragons (7-3)
Home Stadium: Lumen Field
-3. St. Louis Battlehawks (7-3)
Home Stadium: The Dome at America's Center
-4. Vegas Vipers (2-8)
Home Stadium: Cashman Field
The top two teams from each division make the playoffs. Here are how the hypothetical playoffs would work:
USFL North Championship Game: Philadelphia Stars defeat New Jersey Generals
USFL South Championship Game: Birmingham Stallions defeat New Orleans Breakers
XFL North Championship Game: DC Defenders defeat Seattle Sea Dragons
XFL South Championship Game: Houston Roughnecks defeat Arlington Renegades
USFL Conference Championship Game: Birmingham Stallions defeat Philadelphia Stars
XFL Conference Championship Game: DC Defenders defeat Houston Roughnecks
USFL-XFL Championship Game: Birmingham Stallions defeat the DC Defenders
Now, that would be the easiest way to do the divisions and playoffs, but I thought it would be fun to do a different way too that mixes USFL and XFL teams.
North Division

1. New Jersey Generals (9-1)
   
2. Seattle Sea Dragons (7-3)
   
3. Michigan Panthers (2-8)
   
4. Canton Bulldogs (1-9)
   

South Division

1. Houston Roughnecks (7-3)
   
2. New Orleans Breakers (6-4)
   
3. Memphis Showboats (4-6)
   
4. San Antonio Brahmas (3-7)
   

East Division

1. Birmingham Stallions (9-1)
   
2. DC Defenders (9-1)
   
3. Philadelphia Stars (6-4)
   
4. Orlando Guardians (1-9)
   

West Division

1. St. Louis Battlehawks (7-3)
   
2. Arlington Renegades (4-6)
   
3. Oklahoma Outlaws (3-7)
   
4. Vegas Vipers (2-8)
   

The top two teams from each division make the playoffs, and face each other in a division championship game.
North Division Championship Game: New Jersey Generals defeat Seattle Sea Dragons
South Division Championship Game: New Orleans Breakers defeat Houston Roughnecks
East Division Championship Game: DC Defenders defeat Birmingham Stallions
West Division Championship Game: St. Louis Battlehawks defeat Arlington Renegades
From there, the team with the best record remaining faces the team with the worst record remaining, and the other two teams face each other in the second semi-final.
Semi-Final #1: New Jersey Generals defeat New Orleans Breakers
Semi-Final #2: DC Defenders defeat St. Louis Battlehawks
USFL-XFL Championship Game: New Jersey Generals defeat DC Defenders
Again, this was just a fun hypothetical exercise and I'm not saying this will actually happen. Come up with your own hypothetical merged league in the comments. Move around whatever teams you want, it's just hypothetical. How would you do it differently than me?

Acolyte
“KILL BILL MEETS Frozen”. That was the one-line, back-of-the-envelope, sum-it-upin- four-words summary that showrunner and filmmaker Leslye Headland used to make her pitch for The Acolyte.

“It is sort of a joke,” smiles Headland, speaking to Empire. “But it was my elevator pitch to Kathy [Kennedy]: ‘I want to take that revisionist version of female villains that you see in a fairy-tale media and tell it through that lens.

Just as Frozen reimagined Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen with a more ambiguous take on its icy antagonist, so The Acolyte aims to look at the bad guys of Star Wars in a different light. And while there won’t be any songs per se, there will be plenty of samurai/wuxia-influenced fight scenes. “Here’s the thing,” Headland points out. “What is an action sequence, if not a musical number?”
This series looks to answer one question: how did the Sith infiltrate the highest echelons of the Republic without anyone even blinking an eye? The answer involves “a lot of Jedi”, Headland promises, investigating a series of mysterious crimes (‘CSI: Jedi?’).
The show revolves around a former Padawan reuniting with her Jedi Master, played by Amandla Stenberg (Bodies Bodies Bodies) and Lee Jungjae (Squid Game) respectively.
Cast:
*Charlie Barnett as a Jedi Knight (“I’m allowed to say what rank of Jedi I am,” he beams proudly)
*Dafne Keen as a half-alien, half-human “bi-species” Jedi - Theelin (“Dafne’s character could definitely kick my ass,” Barnett notes, to Keen’s visible enjoyment). Hesland loved the magenta-skinned, flame-haired Theelin woman in Jabba’s Palace in Return Of The Jedi, and was keen to return to the species for Dafne Keen’s character. Keen describes her as “David Bowie meets Star Wars: I have a little mullet, I have horns, it’s cute.”
*Rebecca Henderson as Vernestra Rwoh
*Dean-Charles Chapman as a Jedi with “great hair”, according to his co-star Jodie Turner-Smith
*a Wookiee Jedi, played by regular fuzzball actor Joonas Suotamo.
*Carrie-Anne Moss, also said to be playing a Jedi, was seen using Force powers in the footage screened at Celebration
*Turner-Smith confirms her own character has a decent Midi-chlorian count, too. “I do use the Force,” she reveals, “but I’m not a Jedi or Sith”
*The Good Place’s Manny Jacinto plays “just a regular guy,” he explains, “trying to have a good time, who gets swept up into the High Republic world and the Jedi, whether he likes it or not.”
*The visual references for Stenberg’s character, for example, are described as “Joan Of Arc meets Gogo Yubari”, according to Headland, referring to the 13th-century French military martyr and the deadly 17-year-old, meteorhammer- wielding schoolgirl played by Chiaki Kuriyama in Kill Bill. Stenberg says the character wears “clay-rolled dreadlocks, which is a North African reference”.
​
Headland is a lifelong Star Wars obsessive who wrote fan-fiction in high school.
Headland is keen to emphasise the focus will be on the female villains:

“When I was a young queer girl, I was just hanging out with Ursula the sea witch [from The Little Mermaid],” she explains. “As a queer girl growing up, if you don’t identify with the heroes, and the villains show up and they’re all queer-coded, you’re like — yes, that’s me!”
Headland acknowledges, “As a queer filmmaker, you’re gonna see some camp. Inevitably! But I would say that tonally, our references are darker.”

Headland promises a mystery thriller that reflects our own world.

“When you’re doing something completely original, like we are, you want to question the status quo of the era that you live in,” she explains. “What I think is so interesting right now is that everybody thinks they’re right! The Jedi really think they’re right — and George [Lucas] tells us that they’re wrong in Phantom. They missed a huge aspect of the dark side rising. That just felt like fertile ground to look into what’s going on for all of us right now.”

Skeleton Crew
Ford on the kids:

“But overall, they’re all kids who are looking for an adventure. To them their planet is normal, and they want more, but that’s notalways a good thing to want.”
“The way Kathy explained Amblin to us was that they never thought of those as kids’ movies,” says Ford. “They just happened to have kids. So all the stakes are as real as possible: the kids think they’re in Andor.”

While there’s plenty of comedy in the show, occasionally Law needed to steer the mood on set in a graver direction.

“I’d get all serious and they’d be looking around thinking, ‘Uh-oh, is Jude in a bad mood?’” the actor laughs. “But it was setting the tone: ‘This is really serious. We’re at risk.’ Of course, what’s wonderful about children is they believe.”

His favourite character? “Han Solo!” he blurts out without hesitation. “Did I say that fast enough?”
Footage shown at Star Wars Celebration gave a glimpse of his mysterious, still unnamed character wearing an Obi-Wan esque robe and seemingly using Force powers, but he teases that there’s Han DNA in the mix too:

“I hope so! What I wanted to imbue was the humour and the sardonic nature of Solo. The slight tone of, ‘Aw, this is all rubbish. What am I doing here?’ I think that’s a very Star Wars thing, the lovely irony that someone in it is a little throwaway about the whole thing.”

Of his character’s dynamic with the young heroes, Law uses one word: “Complicated.” Will he help steer them through interplanetary perils? Or will he ditch them, or worse?

“They need guidance, but they’re vulnerable,” Law says. “And so throughout, the people they meet, you question all of them. Is my character nice? Is he not? You just want them to be alright and get back home. But if you know Jon and Chris’ work, you’ll know that the kids aren’t always safe.”

Andor S2
Genevieve O’Reilly, as Imperial senatosecret Rebel financier Mon Mothma, tells us she felt like she was in a political thriller, only being shaken out of it when, one day, she came to work in a big scene “and the room was populated with creatures”. Because there really aren’t many aliens in Andor. It’s all about the humans, and it digs deep. “Mon’s fight is a different fight — her weapon is her voice,” continues O’Reilly. “And to have time not just to see her as a senator, as a decisionmaker, but as a wife and a mother, navigating empire not just at work but in her home, is endlessly fascinating.”
Adria Arjona, who plays mechanic Bix Caleen, tortured by Denise Gough’s sadistic Imperial lieutenant Dedra Meero towards the end of Season 1, promises that as a result, Season 2 will see her undergoing a heavy psychological excavation.
Gough says Andor’s cast is populated by actors who thrive on going in unexpected directions. “In one world, it could be that Bix is now just all fucked up. But there’s a kind of a sugar way, and then there’s a protein way. Tony always talks about the protein. And he has hired lots of actors who are on high-protein diets. Adria is on a very high-protein diet.”
Andy Serkis: Let’s just say that Narkina 5 is a very lonely place without other people.

The season at Naismith Island is finally ready to begin! The non-conference scheulde for Matchday 1 has been drawn and posted, and as luck would have it, we open with not one, but two battles between Top 25 powers! It's going to be a hot start, so let's look at that doubleheader:
#25 Villanova Wildcats at #22 Texas Longhorns.
The Wildcats find themselves as part of a muddled middle in the Big East. While Connecticut is the class and Georgetown a competitive second, Villanova feels confident third place is there for the taking. "We're not afraid," star player Paul Arizin told reporters. "We can compete with Marquette, Saint John's, DePaul, Providence, all of them. We know any of them can win on any night, but so can we."
Arizin has been boosted by relatively recent additions to the squad. The development of Kyle Lowry and Randy Foye gives the Wildcats a legitimate starting backcourt, and they still have the stars of the 1985 title team as depth. "This is a complete team," claimed coach Jay Wright. "We're not afraid of anyone."
Texas, meanwhile, finds themselves in a four-way race atop the 14-team Big XII. With Houston and Cincinnati joining the league, there's more competition for them and for prohibitive favorite Kansas to win the conference. "We're ready," Kevin Durant told reporters. "When conference time comes, we're gonna have big games every day. But we gotta get there, and non-con is part of the drill."
While Arizin vs Durant is the key matchup in this game, it's expected that Villanova's outside shooting will have to make up for Texas' depth in the middle. LaMarcus Aldridge, LaSalle Thompson, Jarrett Allen, and others are going to carry the Longhorns up front, bruising in the paint and hoping to take advantage of their strengths. "We're pounding it this season," coach Rick Barnes mentioned. "We got shooters, but we got the bigs, and we'd be crazy not to use them."
ROSTERS
Note: for ease of officiating, each player has been assigned a number from 0-14, somewhat like the Olympics. For ease of avoiding conflict, the numbers were assigned in alphabetical order.
​

VILLANOVA (0-0)	#	TEXAS (0-0)
Paul ARIZIN	0	LaMarcus ALDRIDGE
Mikal BRIDGES	1	Jarrett ALLEN
Dante CUNNINGHAM	2	D.J. AUGUSTIN
Chris FORD	3	Avery BRADLEY
Randy FOYE	4	Kevin DURANT
Tom HOOVER	5	Maurice EVANS
Kerry KITTLES	6	T.J. FORD
Kyle LOWRY	7	Cory JOSEPH
Bill MELCHIONNI	8	Slater MARTIN
Ed PINCKNEY	9	Chris MIHM
Howard PORTER	10	Johnny MOORE
Rory SPARROW	11	LaSalle THOMPSON
Omari SPELLMAN	12	Tristan THOMPSON
Tim THOMAS	13	P.J. TUCKER
Jim WASHINGTON	14	Myles TURNER

LINE: Texas by 5 1/2
#3 Kentucky Wildcats at #15 Southern Cal Trojans
One point. Coach Adolph Rupp has spent the entire offseason telling his team that even one point can make a difference, and no wonder: the Cats came within one point of spoiling UCLA's perfect season at the Final Four. Russell Westbrook's three-pointer at the buzzer dashed the Wildcats' dreams and put the Bruins on the way to history. But for the losers, there's nothing but the grind. "I'm not happy with how it ended," Rupp told reporters. "We're coming back stronger than ever; we believe we're the best team in this league."
The good news for Kentucky against everyone else is their incredible depth. Just about anyone on their team can be the man, and Rupp has found himself doing hockey-style substitutions during the game. The hard part for the team has sometimes been which of their lines should start. "We compete every day at practice," point guard John Wall told the press. "Three lines all wanna be the starters, we all have positives, and we can all compete."
Proof of this begins back in Los Angeles, but not against the Bruins -- against their cross-town rival USC. Southern Cal, coming off a third-place finish in the Pac-12, hope to improve on the prior season as the conference expands from 16 to 18 games. "Two more chances," guard Nick Young said when asked about it. "What we need is more shots to prove we belong in the big time. Last time didn't go our way; we're gonna do it now."
Forward Cliff Robinson says the team's conditioning will be a major factor in their success. "Bill [Sharman] and Coach [Sam] Barry have been drilling us on keeping at top shape," he told NIBL reporters. "We think any one of us can play 40 [minutes] if we have to. This is the chance to prove it. Starting with one of the best."
ROSTERS
​

KENTUCKY (0-0)	#	SOUTHERN CAL (0-0)
Eric BLEDSOE	0	John BLOCK
Devin BOOKER	1	Mack CALVIN
Rex CHAPMAN	2	Dewaune DEDMON
DeMarcus COUSINS	3	DeMar DEROZAN
Louie DAMPIER	4	Taj GIBSON
Anthony DAVIS	5	Alex HANNUM
Cliff HAGAN	6	Bill HEWITT
Dan ISSEL	7	O.J. MAYO
Jamal MASHBURN	8	Robert PACK
Tayshaun PRINCE	9	Cliff ROBINSON
Julius RANDLE	10	Bill SHARMAN
Rajon RONDO	11	Nikola VUCEVIC
Karl-Anthony TOWNS	12	Paul WESTPHAL
Antoine WALKER	13	Gus WILLIAMS
John WALL	14	Nick YOUNG

LINE: Kentucky by 14
-----
TOP 25 GAMES:
Appalachian State at #23 Notre Dame
#11 Arizona at Charleston Southern
Chicago State at #9 Ohio State
#8 Connecticut at Eastern Washington
#21 Georgia Tech at Nicholls State
Grambling at #16 Maryland
#17 Houston at Tulane
#12 Illinois at Incarnate Word
#5 Kansas at Hawaii
#3 Kentucky at #15 Southern Cal
#10 Michigan State at Austin Peay
#1 North Carolina at Mississippi
Oklahoma State at #6 Indiana
Rutgers at #18 LSU
San Francisco at #13 Georgetown
Stephen F. Austin at #19 Marquette
South Dakota at #20 Minnesota
South Florida at #24 DePaul
Stetson at #7 Michigan
#14 Syracuse at North Florida
#2 UCLA at Presbyterian
#25 Villanova at #22 Texas
Western Kentucky at #4 Duke
​
-----
I will post results to the spreadsheet on the night of the games. Included in the post will be a quick recap of any Top 25 loss. If you would like a writeup, here's the place to request it.
LR

I know the league hasn’t made any announcements about where each team will play next year but last I heard they were joint to have all eight teams in their own cities. I thought it would be fun to speculate about where each team could play.
For starters, it makes no sense to keep the Gamblers in Houston. They won’t be able to compete with the XFL there given that the Roughnecks already have a year actually in Houston under their belts. It would make the most sense to move the Gamblers to a city where they won’t be directly competing with the XFL. Of the trademarks the USFL filed recently, the two that make the most sense to me are the Denver Gold and the Oklahoma Outlaws. The only stadium I can think of in Denver where they could potentially play is Mile High. There’s nowhere the Outlaws could play in Oklahoma City, but they could potentially play at H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa. I believe that’s where the Outlaws of the 1980s played.
The Gamblers are the only team that I think it makes sense to move. The others can all stay where they are unless they have stadium issues.
The Stallions can stay put in Protective Stadium. Not really anywhere else for them to play.
Likewise, the Panthers can stay at Ford Field. It’s nice that they were able to get them an NFL stadium.
The Showboats can stay at Liberty Stadium. I think if Memphis were smart they would build an NFL quality stadium for the Showboats and attempt to attract an NFL expansion team, but I doubt there’s the money for that. And Liberty Stadium is more than sufficient for a spring league football team.
As for the Maulers, they need to move them to Pittsburgh if they want to keep them as the Maulers. Calling Canton “Greater Pittsburgh” is pretty ridiculous. If they want to keep them in Canton, they need to make them the Canton Maulers, or perhaps they could even revive the Canton Bulldogs name. Acrisure Stadium seems to be the only option if they wanted to put them actually in Pittsburgh. So my prediction is either they play at Acrisure as the Maulers, or we get the Canton Bulldogs.
While they did file trademarks for the Boston and Portland Breakers, I believe they’ll try to keep them in New Orleans. The Superdome would be ideal, but Yulman Stadium is also an option. If those both fall through, however, they could look for places in Boston or Portland.
While they did file a trademark for Baltimore Stars, I also believe they’ll try to keep the Stars in Philly. Lincoln Financial would be ideal, but they could also potentially play at Subaru Park. If those both fell through they may look for a stadium in Baltimore.
The Meadowlands would make sense for the Generals, they could draw fans from the New York area and that’s where the Generals played in the 80s. Maybe they could play at Rutgers stadium if that didn’t work out? Can’t think of where else in Jersey they could go.
What do you think? Will the league move the Gamblers to avoid competing with the XFL? Will the Maulers actually go to Pittsburgh or stay in Canton? Are the Breakers and Stars going to stay put?

Updated for 2023 results
36- Chapin, Lexington
35- Dorman
34- Hartsville
33- Byrnes
32-
31- Sumter
30- Boiling Springs
29- Northwestern
28- Pendleton, Rock Hill
27-
26- Fort Mill
25- Travelers Rest
24- Hanahan
23- Newberry, Gilbert, Clover
22- Spring Valley, Goose Creek, Cheraw, Dutch Fork
21-
20- Irmo, Easley, Stratford
19- Spartanburg, Camden, Ridge View, Mid Carolina
18- Summerville, Wando, Midland Valley, Silver Bluff, White Knoll
17- Lugoff Elgin, Walterboro (Colleton County), Chapman, Mauldin
16- Pickens, Batesburg Leesville, Dreher, W. Florence
15- Laurens
14- Brookland Cayce, Middleton, Ninety Six, D. W. Daniel, Nation Ford
13- N. Augusta, Indian Land
12- Chesterfield, Swansea, Blue Ridge
11- Pelion, York
10- Bamberg Ehrhardt, Waccamaw, James Island
9- St Andrews, Richland NE, Barnwell , S. Pointe, Powdersville, Riverside
8- Aiken, Wilson, Ashley Ridge, Ware Shoals, River Bluff
7- Saluda, Columbia, Greenwood
6- Parker, Myrtle Beach, Strom Thurmond, Jonesville, Clinton, Great Falls
5- Edisto, Greer, Seneca, Walhalla, Blythewood
4- Airport, Georgetown
3- Lower Richland, Bishop, Blackville Hilda, West Ashley, Wade Hampton (Hampton), St James, Chesnee, Aynor, Cane Bay, West Oak, Fort Dorchester
2- Dixie, Dillon, Stall, Johnsville, Marion, Wren, Orangeburg, Wade Hampton(Greenville), Socastee, Carolina Forest, Andrew Jackson, J. L. Mann, N. Central, Lucy Beckham
1- Graniteville, Fox Creek, May River, Edisto, Lake City, S. Florence, Berea, Green Sea, Wagener, Abbeville, Phillip Simmons, Latta, Woodmont, McBee, Woodruff, Greenville, T L Hanna

Welcome to Reading The Big Book of Modern Fantasy!
Each week we (u/FarragutCircle and u/kjmichaels) will be reading 5 stories from Ann and Jeff VanderMeer’s The Big Book of Modern Fantasy, which includes a curated selection of fantasy stories written from 1946 to 2010! We’ll include synopses of the stories along with instructions on where these stories can be found in print. Feel free to read along with us or just stop by and hear our thoughts about some modern fantasy stories to decide if any of them sound interesting to you.
Every once in a while, we reach out to people who have more insight, due to being fans of the author or have some additional context for the story. (Or we just tricked them into it.) So please welcome u/thequeensownfool who will be sharing their thoughts on "The Window" by Tatyana Tolstaya!
“Tan-Tan and Dry Bone” by Nalo Hopkinson (published 1999; also available in her collection Skin Folk or as part of her novel Midnight Robber)
SynopsisTan-Tan is forced to constantly feed an ever-demanding Dry Bone until she’s helped by a friendly buzzard.

• Farragut’s thoughts: Hopkinson is a Jamaican-born Canadian writer, and I first read this story in her collection Skin Folk, but it’s apparently incorporated into her science fiction novel Midnight Robber. Without that context, though, it’s a purely fantastical story, featuring elements of Caribbean or Yoruba culture (Dry Bone himself for example). The writing was different enough that it took me a bit to get used to the patois she uses, but it does a great job at setting the tone and feel of the story. Tan-Tan is both the tricked and the tricker in this story, and I loved the turning of the tables. I’m definitely curious to try Midnight Robber now.
  
• kjmichaels' thoughts: Yes, the biggest hurdle is getting used to the dialect but once you get the feel for it, the story hums along nicely. There are a few fun moments of levity that make this stick out after the sludge of last week’s stories. My big complaint is that it had a rather slow start for how short it is (though that’s part of the dialect playing a role again). I felt like I didn’t fully get into the action until it was basically all over. [Farragut’s note: Time for a reread!]
  

“Where Does the Town Go at Night?” by Tanith Lee (1999; also available in her collection Legenda Maris)
An insistent beggar tells Gregeris about how the town goes wandering at night, and Gregeris sees its final night.

• F: Despite her prolific writing, I don’t think I’ve ever read a Tanith Lee story before, and this was just really, really interesting to me. The mysterious tale told by the beggar to the stranger Gregeris was engaging enough, but the way Lee takes Gregeris’s messy life and weaves it into the finale was quite striking. I’m not sure why this story resonated so much with me (maybe after Week 13’s stories, I just needed something magical) [kjmichaels’ note: Time for another week break].
  
• K: I’m a sucker for stories where one character tells another something unbelievable and then that second character tries to prove or disprove it. The setup may be simple, but it adds such fun layers and tension having a character actively trying to figure out a tall tale. Lee is apparently known for her expansive prose and I did enjoy how great a job she does setting scenes and describing the way people look and act. The bittersweet ending really helped seal this as a great story that’s worth reading.
  

“Pop Art” by Joe Hill (2001; also available in his collection 20th Century Ghosts)
The narrator makes friends with the inflatable kid until tragedy strikes.

• F: We’ve finally made it to the 21st century! (Ironically, given the name of the collection it can be found in.) Joe Hill is probably best known as a horror writer who is also the son of Stephen King [K: weird that the VanderMeers didn’t mention that connection in the intro when in other intros we get info like “Yes, she is the author who inspired that hit Steely Dan song”]. This story was great–in a world just like our own, certain people have a genetic condition that makes them inflatable people, complete with seams and an inflation valve, and Hill tells a great “childhood memory”-type of story where a boy remembers his friend Art. Due to discrimination and bullying, Art eventually starts losing air and he carries out his final wish to try to reach space. I just really liked the nostalgic writing with the ridiculousness of inflatable people.
  
• K: It is a good story. Hill can write well (something I’m sure he gets tired of hearing he must get from his dad). The story really focuses on the negative effects of bullying and emotional abuse plus subtler themes of religion and connection. It’s worth reading and doesn’t go quite where you’d expect it to go. Once I’d read the title and learned Art was the name of an inflatable person, I figured I knew exactly what would happen but Hill managed to make the road twistier and more surprising than I thought.
  

“State Secrets of Aphasia” by Stepan Chapman (2002; also available in the anthology Leviathan Three edited by Jeff VanderMeer & Forrest Aguirre)
The empress Alba must remember her real past before she can save the realm.

• F: I’m familiar with Chapman’s name, but not his work, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The first few pages seemed a little rough at first as we’re introduced to a thousand silly terms that are meant to evoke a variety of things, but once Alba shows up, and then Skronk [K: not to be confused with everyone’s favorite Emperor’s New Groove himbo, Kronk], everything clicks into place and the story leaps into the air after that. The Black Glacier is destroying the cloud continent of Aphasia, and our heroes attempt to keep one step ahead of everyone as we slowly get Alba to remember her real self so that she can save the world. I really liked it, and I thought the revelations to be quite sad. It was a fairy tale with absurd and science fictional trappings.
  
• K: I enjoyed this story for the most part right up until the twist. I guessed early on that the silly nonsense would probably be a misdirection for something more serious (and it sure was) and even guessed fairly close as to what caused the silly frame story. Maybe this type of twist was more shocking when the story was written but I think by now this type of twist is pretty played out. [F: I had to chat with K to even nail down which twist we were talking about, there are so many] That said, I do enjoy just how inventive Chapman got with his characters and storytelling in the more nonsensical parts.
  

“The Window” by Tatyana Tolstaya (2003, translated from Russian by Anya Migdal)
A man finds he can get things for free from a mysterious window, but he can never get rid of them.

• Special Guest Queenie: I've been meaning to read Tolstaya's novel The Slynx since 2017 but have never gotten around to it much to the shame of the languishing ebook on my Kobo. So I thought that I could redeem my intentions with this short story. I liked “The Window” a lot and appreciated the absurdity of the main character having to hold onto all this stuff in fear of never getting anything good in the future. As someone who is currently trying to declutter for spring, it struck a chord. The realization at the end was a nice twist. The story did feel familiar though. I've read other translated works either from the USSR or influenced by it and this genre of man (it's always a man) having something magical absurdly influence the mundane and he cannot tell anyone is a story I've read multiple times before. Maybe there's more breadth of stories in Russian but the ones I've read translated into English primarily touch on this. So even though I enjoyed “The Window,” it didn't feel very new to me.
  
• F: Tolstaya is a Russian author whose career began in the Gorbachev era of the Soviet Union. She’s also our 3rd and last Russian of this Big Book. We had 8 Russian stories in the Classic Fantasy readalong, so it’s sad to see them a bit reduced in this volume, but this was a great story. When Shulgin discovers a mysterious window that will give you free things once a day if you say “Deal!” to whatever’s offered, he digs right in, but the trick is that you won’t get anything good if you get rid of anything. In a post-Soviet/early Russian capitalist type of setting, it’s easy to see a metaphor of material consumption. But it’s also really funny, especially once Shulgin is fed up and says “No deal” and he finally learns the rules of the window.
  
• K: Can’t believe she somehow got the rights to Deal or No Deal and didn’t even have to include Howie Mandel. As for the story itself, it is a fairly slight and silly tale for a Russian. Anyone who has stuck with us this long knows how many sad and epic stories we’ve had in these anthologies from that country so it’s a little sad to see them going out with something of a whimper. [F: And we’re also avoiding talking about what’s going on today over there.] That’s not to say that it’s a bad story, only that there’s not much to it besides the humor of the situation.
  

That’s it for this week! Check back the same time next week where we’ll be reading and discussing "The Weight of Words" by Jeffrey Ford, "All the Water in the World" by Han Song, "The Kite of Stars" by Dean Francis Alfar, "Mogo" by Alberto Chimal, and "The Malady of Ghostly Cities" by Nathan Ballingrud.

FT: Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 2-1 New Mexico United

Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC scorers: Harry Swartz (67' OG), Drew Skundrich (70')
New Mexico United scorers: Santi Moar (46')
Venue: Weidner Field
Auto-refreshing reddit comments link
LINE-UPS
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
Christian Herrera, Oskar Agren, Duke Lacroix, Mathew Mahoney, Patrick Seagrist, Maalique Foster, Devon Williams, Steven Echevarria (Dennis Erdmann), Jairo Henríquez (Jimmy Ockford), Drew Skundrich, Romario Williams (Aaron Wheeler).
Subs: Dillon Clarke, Joe Kuzminsky, Jay Chapman, Deshane Beckford.
^{____________________________}
New Mexico United
Alexandros Tabakis, Kalen Ryden, Will Seymore, Austin Yearwood, Harry Swartz (Josh Suggs), Sergio Rivas, Justin Portillo, Sam Hamilton, Josh Dolling (Greg Hurst), Santi Moar (Daniel Bruce), Amando Moreno.
Subs: Alexander Waggoner, Milo Garvanian, Ford Parker, Kyle Colonna.
MATCH EVENTS via ESPN
46' Goal! Colorado Springs Switchbacks 0, New Mexico United 1. Santi Moar (New Mexico United) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner.
67' Own Goal by Harry Swartz, New Mexico United. Colorado Springs Switchbacks 1, New Mexico United 1.
68' Substitution, New Mexico United. Greg Hurst replaces Josh Dolling.
68' Substitution, New Mexico United. Daniel Bruce replaces Santi Moar.
70' Goal! Colorado Springs Switchbacks 2, New Mexico United 1. Drew Skundrich (Colorado Springs Switchbacks) left footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Devon Williams.
76' Substitution, Colorado Springs Switchbacks. Aaron Wheeler replaces Romario Williams.
81' Substitution, New Mexico United. Josh Suggs replaces Harry Swartz.
82' Substitution, Colorado Springs Switchbacks. James Ockford replaces Jairo Henríquez.
88' Will Seymore (New Mexico United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
90'+2' Substitution, Colorado Springs Switchbacks. Dennis Erdmann replaces Steven Echevarria.
^{Don't see a thread for a match you're watching? Click here to learn how to request a match thread from this bot.}

Comp: Premiership
Venue: Kingsholm
View TV providers, weather info and previous results

London	Paris	Jo'burg	New York	Sydney	Auckland
17:30	18:30	18:30	12:30	02:30	04:30

Gloucester	Pos	Sale
Santiago Carreras	15	Joe Carpenter
Louis Rees-Zammit	14	Tom Roebuck
Chris Harris	13	Robert du Preez
Seb Atkinson	12	Manu Tuilagi
Jonny May	11	Tom O Flaherty
Adam Hastings	10	George Ford
Stephen Varney	9	Gus Warr
Mayco Vivas	1	Simon McIntyre
George McGuigan	2	Akker van der Merwe
Kirill Gotovtsev	3	Nick Schonert
Freddie Clarke	4	Jean-Luc du Preez
Matías Alemanno	5	Jonny Hill
Jack Clement	6	Tom Curry
Lewis Ludlow	7	Ben Curry
Ben Morgan	8	Jono Ross
Seb Blake	16	Ewan Ashman
Harry Elrington	17	Bevan Rodd
Jamal Ford-Robinson	18	Coenie Oosthuizen
Cameron Jordan	19	Josh Beaumont
Freddie Thomas	20	Sam Dugdale
Charlie Chapman	21	Raffi Quirke
Billy Twelvetrees	22	Sam James
Alex Hearle	23	Arron Reed

Most of us probably know that the average PER in any season is 15. I thought it would be interesting to go back to see which players were considered exactly league average (r 15.1/14.9 if no 15 player) in any given year (going back to 1980). Definitely some "remember that guy?" guys in there. Threw in highest and lowest PERs for each season as well. All #s from Basketball Reference. Stat qualifiers here.
Jordan had the highest PER in the league 8x and was highest 1987-1993. Lebron had highest 7x and was highest 2008-2013. Shaq was highest 1998-2002. Highest PER since 1980 was 2022 Nikola Jokic. Lowest PER was 2007 Jason Collins.
​

Season	Higher PER	Average PER (15)	Lowest PER
2023	Nikola Jokic (31.5)	Monte Morris; Gary Trent Jr.	P.J. Tucker (5.7)
2022	Nikola Jokic (32.8)	Bruce Brown; Kyle Lowry; Russell Westbrook; Andrew Wiggins	Reggie Bullock (9.2)
2021	Nikola Jokic (31.3)	Daniel Theis; Andrew Wiggins	P.J. Tucker (5.5)
2020	Giannis Antetokounmpo (31.9)	Brook Lopez	Jordan Poole (7.2)
2019	Giannis Antetokounmpo (30.9)	Aaron Gordon; Jason Tatum; J.J. Redick (all t-15.1)	Terrance Ferguson (6.4)
2018	James Harden (29.8)	Dwyane Wade	Frank Ntilikina (7)
2017	Russell Westbrook (30.6)	Taj Gibon; Amir Johnson; Alex Len	Domantis Sabonis (6.9)
2016	Stephen Curry (31.5)	Luol Deng	Randy Foye (7.6)
2015	Anthony Davis (30.8)	Nerlens Noel	Dante Exum (5.7)
2014	Kevin Durant (29.8)	Brandon Bass; Marco Belinelli; Trevor Booker	Ben McLemore (7.7)
2013	Lebron James (31.6)	Jeff Green	Norris Cole (7.9)
2012	Lebron James (30.7)	Shawn Marion; Mo Williams; Dorell Wright	Norris Cole (7.9)
2011	Lebron James (27.3)	Jason Richardson; Luke Ridnour; Dorell Wright	Steve Blake (7.5)
2010	Lebron James (31.1)	Channing Frye; Kendrick Perkins; JJ Redick; JR Smith	Keith Bogans (7.7)
2009	Lebron James (31.7)	Andray Blatche; Matt Bonner; Tayshaun Prince	Bruce Bowen (5.4)
2008	Lebron James (29.1)	Nick Collison; Eddy Curry; Jamario Moon	Bruce Bowen (7.0)
2007	Dwyane Wade (28.9)	Monta Ellis; Jason Williams	Jason Collins (3.0)
2006	Lebron James (28.1)	Chris Kaman; Zaza Pachulia; Kenny Thomas; Jason Williams; Mo Williams	Jason Collins (5.5)
2005	Kevin Garnett (28.2)	Ricky Davis; Cuttino Mobley; Joe Smith	Tony Battle; Jason Collins; Ira Newble (8.6)
2004	Kevin Garnett (29.4)	Al Harrington; Mike Miller (tied 14.9)	Bruce Bowen; Trenton Hassell (t-8.2)
2003	Tracy McGrady (30.3)	Shane Battier; Doug Christie; Drew Gooden	Michael Curry (5.7)
2002	Shaquille O'Neal (29.7)	Kelvin Cato; Mike Miller; Scot Pollard	Michael Curry (6.2)
2001	Shaquille O'Neal (30.2)	Scot Pollard	Bruce Bowen (8.1)
2000	Shaquille O'Neal (30.6)	David Wesley	Dickey Simpkins (5.5)
1999	Shaquille O'Neal (30.6)	Andrew DeClerq; Otis Thorpe	Michael Curry (8.7)
1998	Shaquille O' Neal (28.8)	P.J. Brown; Rony Seikaly	Anthony Johnson & Aaron McKie (8.6)
1997	Karl Malone (28.9)	Dell Curry; Avery Johnson; Robert Pack	Doug West (8.5)
1996	Michael Jordan & David Robinson (t-29.4)	Dan Majerly & Charles Oakley (t-15.1)	Anthony Avent (6.9)
1995	David Robinson (29.1)	Scott Burrell; Juwan Howard; Derrick McKey; Walt Williams	Lee Mayberry (9.9)
1994	David Robinson (30.7)	Terrell Brandon; Craig Ehlo	Mike Brown (7.2)
1993	Michael Jordan (29.7)	Dale Ellis; Derrick McKey; Glen Rice; Clarence Weatherspoon; Walt Williams	Walter Bond (9.0)
1992	Michael Jordan (27.7)	Michael Cage; Alvin Robertson; Kenny Smith; Buck Williams	Jeff Turner (7.2)
1991	Michael Jordan (31.6)	Nick Anderson (15.1); Benoit Benjamin (15.1); Rex Chapman (15.1); Johnny Newman (15.1); Rik Smits (14.9)	Greg Kite (7.4)
1990	Michael Jordan (31.2)	Terry Catledge	Greg Kite (7.0)
1989	Michael Jordan (31.1)	Frank Brickowski; Chris Morris; Paul Pressey	Elston Turner (7.8)
1988	Michael Jordan (31.7)	Bernard King; Sam Perkins; Steve Stipanovich	Albert King (7.2)
1987	Michael Jordan (29.8)	Darrell Griffith	T.R. Dunn (7.8)
1986	Larry Bird (25.6)	Thurl Bailey; Byron Scott; Gus Williams	Danny Vranes (7.8)
1985	Larry Bird (26.5)	Alton Lister; Jeff Malone; Sam Perkins	Danny Vranes (8.3)
1984	Adrian Dantley (24.6)	Lester Conner (15.1); Edgar Jones; John Long; Doc Rivers; Paul Thompson; Al Wood (all t-14.9)	Marc Iavaroni (8.1)
1983	Moses Malone (25.1)	Otis Birdsong; Tom Chambers; Dave Corzine; Terry Tyler (all t-15.1); Butch Carter (14.9)	Marc Iavaroni (7.3)
1982	Moses Malone (26.8)	Tom Chambers; Clemon Johnson	Chris Ford (7.8)
1981	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25.5)	Darwin Cook; Mike Dunleavy; Mike Glenn	Armond Hill (8.0)
1980	Julius Erving (25.4)	George Johnson	Larry Demic; Charlie Scott (t-7.4)

Comp: Premiership
Venue: Kingsholm
View TV providers, weather info and previous results

London	Paris	Jo'burg	New York	Sydney	Auckland
19:45	20:45	20:45	14:45	04:45	06:45

Gloucester	Pos	Bath
Santiago Carreras	15	Tom de Glanville
Louis Rees-Zammit	14	Joe Cokanasiga
Chris Harris	13	Ollie Lawrence
Seb Atkinson	12	Max Ojomoh
Ollie Thorley	11	Matt Gallagher
Billy Twelvetrees	10	Orlando Bailey
Stephen Varney	9	Ben Spencer
Mayco Vivas	1	Beno Obano
Seb Blake	2	Tom Dunn
Jamal Ford-Robinson	3	Will Stuart
Freddie Clarke	4	Josh McNally
Matías Alemanno	5	Gerrit-Jan van Velze
Jack Clement	6	Ted Hill
Lewis Ludlow	7	Chris Cloete
Ben Morgan	8	Miles Reid
Henry Walker	16	Niall Annett
Harry Elrington	17	Valery Morozov
Ciaran Knight	18	D Arcy Rae
Cameron Jordan	19	Fergus Lee-Warner
Freddie Thomas	20	Sam Underhill
Charlie Chapman	21	Max Green
George Barton.	22	Piers Francis
Jonny May	23	Josh Bayliss

Comp: Champions Cup
Venue: Stade Marcel-Deflandre
View TV providers, weather info and previous results

London	Paris	Jo'burg	New York	Sydney	Auckland
17:30	18:30	18:30	12:30	02:30	04:30

La Rochelle	Pos	Gloucester
Brice Dulin	15	Santiago Carreras
Teddy Thomas	14	Louis Rees-Zammit
Raymond Rhule	13	Chris Harris
Jonathan Danty	12	Seb Atkinson
Jules Favre	11	Ollie Thorley
Antoine Hastoy	10	Billy Twelvetrees
Tawera Kerr-Barlow	9	Stephen Varney
Joel Sclavi	1	Mayco Vivas
Pierre Bourgarit	2	Seb Blake
Uini Atonio	3	Kirill Gotovtsev
Thomas Lavault	4	Freddie Clarke
Will Skelton	5	Matías Alemanno
Ultan Dillane	6	Ruan Ackermann
Levani Botia	7	Lewis Ludlow
Gregory Alldritt	8	Jack Clement
Quentin Lespiaucq	16	Henry Walker
Reda Wardi	17	Harry Elrington
Georges-Henri Colombe	18	Jamal Ford-Robinson
Romain Sazy	19	Cameron Jordan
Yoan Tanga	20	Freddie Thomas
Paul Boudehent	21	Ben Morgan
Thomas Berjon	22	Charlie Chapman
Hugo Reus	23	Jonny May