Screen Shots: November 28th-December 4th, 2024

Welcome to Screen Shots! This is where I tell you what sporting events you should watch on TV every week! Make sure you subscribe so it comes straight to your inbox! Have your own suggestions? Shoot me an email at [email protected]!

First things first, I dove deep into my NFL bag to place every quarterback into their proper tier. In true Beyond The Arc with Brandon Silvers fashion, I also talk about old video games, Bojangles, and take a trip down memory lane! When you’re done checking that out, make sure to read my special College Football Rivalry Week edition of Screen Shots where you can find a ranking of all the games this weekend along with some facts about those rivalries! Which rivalry had the Slab of Bacon Trophy? Don’t know? Curious now? Well, go read about it!

Now, to the sports!

Thursday, November 28th, 2024

• Women’s College Basketball: #4 South Carolina Gamecocks @ #15 Iowa St. Cyclones at 1:30 pm (ET) on Fox

Plan your holiday around this one! The Gamecocks are coming off their 1st regular season loss since December of 2021. They have struggled all season to adjust to life without Kamilla Cardoso, especially on offense, and it finally came to a head against UCLA. Now, they have to try and bounce back against a strong Cyclones team that we should see deep in March as well. Keep an eye on their trio of Audi Crooks, Emily Ryan, and Addy Brown!

• NFL: New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys at 4:30 pm (ET) on Fox

Have you ever watched two uncles fight? It’s entertaining in the sense that you can tell they know what fighting is supposed to look like but don’t have the capabilities to do it properly anymore. Maybe back in the day when you were a child, but those days are long gone. This is the football equivalent of that.

• NFL: Miami Dolphins @ Green Bay Packers at 8:20 pm (ET) on NBC

It will be 83 degrees in Miami, but the NFL decided to play this one where the temperature at kickoff will be 27. On the bright side, that’s still infinitely warmer than the wild-card game they lost to the Chiefs last year.

Friday, November 29th, 2024

• NBA: New York Knicks @ Charlotte Hornets at 12:00 pm (ET) on NBA TV

LaMelo Ball is the 2nd-leading scorer in the NBA. Now, he still takes terrible shots at times, strings together possessions where he doesn’t try on defense, and is generally an unserious individual, but new Hornets coach Charles Lee appears to be figuring out how to purge as much of that as possible from his system. If Lee ever cracks the code on how to get LaMelo to approach the game the same way his brother, Lonzo, does, look out!

Saturday, November 30th, 2024

• Holiday Movie of the Week: Home Alone (1990)

As I mentioned above, I put together an insane guide for College Football Rivalry Week. The bulk of the games will be played today, so check that out if you’re interested. However, if you’re tired of college football, then it’s a great day to get started on Christmas movies, starting with this classic. A heartwarming tale about family dysfunction, child endangerment, and home invasions!

Sunday, December 1st, 2024

• NFL: Philadelphia Eagles @ Baltimore Ravens at 4:25 pm (ET) on CBS

A matchup of the 2 best running backs in the game today. Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry have each surpassed the 1,300-yard mark for the season. No other back has rushed for 1,000 yards yet. Barkley’s year is even more incredible when you consider he’s played in 1 less game than Derrick. They were both free agents this past offseason, but the rest of the league let them go to teams that were already good.

Monday, December 2nd, 2024

• NBA: Los Angeles Lakers @ Minnesota Timberwolves at 8:00 pm (ET) on NBA TV

Let’s see if we can figure out how much worse the Timberwolves are than last season and how much better the Lakers are!

Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024

• Men’s College Basketball: Cincinnati Bearcats @ Villanova Wildcats at 6:30 pm (ET) on FS1

Villanova has struggled to find its footing since Jay Wright retired, but COVID senior Eric Dixon has not. The 2-time All-Big East selection is 3rd in the nation in points per game at 26.7. Now, you might be thinking “Whoop dee damn do. Players chuck it on bad teams all the time.” You would be correct, but Dixon's shooting splits made me think I was hallucinating. He’s hitting 55% of his shots, including nearly 54%(!!!) of his 3s on just under 7 attempts per game. He’s also hit all 24 of his free throw attempts this season. Hoopin’!

• Men’s College Basketball: Ole Miss Rebels @ Louisville Cardinals at 9:00 pm (ET) on ACC Network

Louisville hired former College of Charleston coach Pat Kelsey this offseason, so I went to check in on how things are going for him only to find out he took the entire city with him! Not only does Pat have 4 former CofC players on the roster (Reyne Smith, Kobe Rodgers, James Scott, and Spencer Legg), but he also has Charleston natives/former Bishop England High School teammates Patrick Antonelli (son of college hoops analyst Debbie) and Aidan McCool. And it’s not like Kelsey is just raiding the city for talent because A) I’m still here and B) 3 of those guys are walk-ons. Shout out to Pat for trying to put a dent in our overcrowding issue.

Wednesday, December 4th, 2024

• Women’s College Basketball: Vanderbilt Commodores @ Miami Hurricanes at 5:00 pm (ET) on ACC Network

Right or wrong, there appears to be an inverse relationship between how seriously society takes the Cavinders twins as basketball players and how aggressively they lean into living like influencers. I find this dynamic interesting on many different levels, but it will require a much deeper dive than what I typically do here. What I can tell you here is that, after a year away from the sport, they are back and they are ballin’.

This will be their toughest test of the season as they face off against Shea Ralph’s Commodores as they look to make a 2nd straight NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time in a decade. They are led by freshman Mikayla Blakes and sophomore Khamil Pierre, who are each averaging 20 points per game. Keep an eye on them in an SEC that looks more and more wide open with each passing day.

• Women’s College Basketball: Florida St. Seminoles @ Tennessee Volunteers @ 7:15 pm (ET) on SEC Network

These are the 2 highest scoring teams in the nation with the Seminoles putting up 100.7 per game and the Lady Vols dropping 98.2. The trio of Ta’Niya Latson, Makayla Timpson, and O’Mariah Gordon look more than capable of helping Florida St. win a game in the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Brooke Wyckoff. On the Lady Vols’ side, new coach Kim Caldwell has fans wondering if a return to the top of women’s college basketball is closer than they thought. Tap in!

I’m truly thankful that you’ve read this! If you’d like to go a step further, please share this with others! I hope you have a fantastic holiday and I will catch you next week!