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Big Ten’s indecisiveness leads Ohio State DB Shaun Wade to opt out, Nuggets-Clippers prepare for historic Game 7, and more sports news

Wade originally chose to return to Ohio State as the team's No. 1 corner this season, but the Big Ten's indecisiveness on playing this fall led to him choosing the NFL instead.

Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade is a projected first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade is a projected first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.Read moreAdam Hunger / AP

As Big Ten coaches and players continue lobbying for a chance to play this fall, other players are opting out.

Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade, a potential first-round pick, has opted out of his senior season and declared for the 2021 NFL Draft. Wade joins All-American offensive lineman Wyatt Davis as Buckeyes who will now be preparing for the NFL.

Wade is arguably the second-highest profile player from the Big Ten to opt out behind Penn State’s Micah Parsons.

Wade’s decision comes at an interesting time. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and Penn State’s James Franklin have been outspoken about playing in the fall, and last week there seemed to be progress.

Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields is also leading the push with Big Ten players. His actions are an indication that he wants to compete for a championship, but now he’ll be missing the team’s top offensive lineman and defensive back.

Penn State and Ohio State were the two highest-ranked Big Ten teams in the preseason AP Top 25, and both lost impact players who might have been there if the conference was still planning a fall season.

Wade spoke with ESPN and noted the Big Ten’s indecisiveness as a reason he chose not to play.

“I was being patient, but it was a time-consuming thing and time doesn’t wait on no man, so I felt it was the right decision," Wade said. "We talked every day about what was going on behind the scenes, but time was ticking.”

History on the line for Nuggets and Clippers in Game 7

The phrase “Game Seven” is often referred to as the two best words in sports.

For Nuggets fans, those words may provide more excitement. On the Clippers side, it’s probably a little more nail-biting. Denver made it here after being down 3-1 for the second consecutive series. The Clippers blew double-digit leads in Games 5 and 6.

Tuesday’s Game 7 will be historic. Okay ... all Game 7′s are technically historic, but the magnitude of this game could carry weight for years to come.

Most of that is because of what’s at stake for the Clippers. All season long, the talk has been about a potential Western Conference Finals showdown with the Lakers. Each regular-season matchup was televised in primetime, with the Clippers winning the first two and the Lakers winning the last two. The Kawhi Leonard vs. LeBron James matchup is also what many fans want to see.

But the Nuggets aren’t just some pushover. They deserve respect. Many people already knew Nikola Jokic was one of the best centers in basketball, but Jamal Murray’s lethal scoring ability, Gary Harris' pesky on-ball defense, and the emergence of Michael Porter Jr. has caught some by surprise.

History will be made one way or another on Tuesday. Either the Nuggets will become the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit twice in a single postseason, or the Clippers will end their heartbreaking curse and reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time in their 50-year history.

Alec Mills throws 16th no-hitter in Cubs history

On Alec Mills' 114th pitch Sunday, a ground ball was hit up the middle. Reading this, you probably assume it was a hit because, for around 100 years of baseball, it was.

But in today’s analytical era, shortstop Javier Baez was positioned perfectly to field the ball and cap off the 16th no-hitter in Chicago Cubs history.

The last Cubs no-hitter was in 2016, when current Phillies starter Jake Arrieta stifled the Reds. Arrieta also threw a no-hitter in 2015 against the Dodgers.

Mills' story to get here is even more impressive. He walked on at the University of Tennessee-Martin and became a 22nd-round pick. He pitched a total of 57.1 innings in the majors before this season, and he’s already thrown 52 ⅔ innings across nine starts in 2020.

Going from a college walk-on to a starter on the NL Central-leading Cubs is an amazing journey. Now Mills has a no-hitter to add to his improbable story.