Adam Zielonka

Jersey, New Jersey

Editor and Writer at Field Level Media

Editor, writer @FieldLevelMedia. Covering NJ college hoops in my newsletter, Guarden State. Bylines @Trentonian and more. Never fly United.

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Articles

What Rutgers needs out of its offseason after a disappointing 2024-25

1 week ago | guardenstate.substack.com | Adam Zielonka

Here’s what Rutgers fans were looking forward to at this time last year: A top-five recruiting class anchored by two five-star, NBA-level guys; a returning guard who showed off his scoring ability late in the previous season after a suspension; and transfers that included a potential stretch five who’d been to the Sweet 16, the Northeast Conference Player of the Year and the seventh-leading scorer in the country.
An All-Time Masters Finish From All-Time Great Rory McIlroy

1 week ago | deadspin.com | Adam Zielonka

Rory McIlroy nearly choked away the Masters in three different stretches on Sunday alone. Yet I think about the second shot on the par-5 15th, and I can’t access the part of my brain that dispenses snark. “He didn’t even make the eagle putt that shot set up!” you may crack. “He still nearly blew it!”Sure. Cool. The second shot on No. 15 didn’t win him the Masters, but it absolutely pulled him out of a tailspin and allowed him to stop giving the Masters away.
Overlooked Star Justin Rose on Pace To Add Masters to His Résumé

1 week ago | deadspin.com | Adam Zielonka

Hey — it’s better than taking relief in Rae’s Creek. Rose has always struck me as an unassuming, down-to-earth guy, from my days starting to follow golf as a youngster to when I watched his behind-the-scenes segments in Season 2 of “Full Swing.” Other golfers are fiery. They scowl. Rose pretends to get brain freeze in a credit card commercial. There’s your 36-hole leader at the Masters, for approximately the 30th time.
If Rory McIlroy Doesn’t Win the 2025 Masters, Will He Ever?

2 weeks ago | deadspin.com | Adam Zielonka

The 2025 major championship season sets up undeniably well for Rory McIlroy. The PGA Championship will be at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, where McIlroy has won the Wells Fargo Championship no fewer than four times. The Open Championship will return to Royal Portrush in his native Northern Ireland, where he once broke the course record by shooting a 61 at age 16. But there’s one major that McIlroy obviously pines for above all.
2025 Masters Betting Guide: Sleeper Picks, Top Debutants & More

2 weeks ago | deadspin.com | Adam Zielonka

Apr 9, 2023; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Jon Rahm waves to the crowd after donning his green jacket after winning The Masters golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Network After the NCAA Tournament and before the NBA and Stanley Cup playoffs, it’s the perfect moment to make a little time in your betting schedules for some golf.
Beware Princeton women’s basketball in 2025-26

2 weeks ago | guardenstate.substack.com | Adam Zielonka

The practice of publishing “Way Too Early Top 25” rankings the moment after a national championship game goes final does not bother me. You’d think I would criticize pumping out content for content’s sake, and how they’ve become especially unhelpful when they drop in the middle of the transfer portal window, when most rosters in the sport are fluid if not empty. But I’m still too much of a college hoops-head to mind all that much.
Stephen A. Compares Walter Clayton Jr. to NBA Star Who Doesn’t Exist

2 weeks ago | deadspin.com | Adam Zielonka

Nov 11, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) dribbles the ball against the Grambling State Tigers during the second half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images Walter Clayton Jr. put Florida on his back and willed the Gators to a Final Four victory over Auburn on Saturday. They’ll face Houston for the national title Monday.
Why a Duke vs. Auburn Final Would Be the Best 2025 NCAA Championship Game

3 weeks ago | deadspin.com | Adam Zielonka

Of the four potential matchups in the men’s NCAA national championship game, two are rematches of regular-season contests: Auburn-Duke and Auburn-Houston. Major credit to Auburn for playing the schedule it did, seeking out the Cougars in Houston and beating Iowa State, North Carolina and Memphis in the Maui Invitational. A trip to Duke was scheduled for the Tigers the week after Maui as part of the SEC/ACC Challenge.
Concocting ideal 2025-26 schedules for Rutgers, Seton Hall and Princeton

3 weeks ago | guardenstate.substack.com | Adam Zielonka

I’ve already decided that I will not cover the machinations of the transfer portal beyond a retweet or a single sentence in a newsletter. Your favorite team reached out to a high-scoring guard from the Big South Conference? Cool. So much of it is a crapshoot (and the sheer volume of players in the portal grows year by year) that I prefer to wait for the dust to settle. What, then, is there to write in a college basketball newsletter in April, when the teams I cover didn’t sniff the postseason?
Bet Against Duke? Not a Chance in This Final Four

3 weeks ago | deadspin.com | Adam Zielonka

Mar 29, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Tyrese Proctor (5) talks with forward Cooper Flagg (2) during the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the East Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images No matter where you turn, from college basketball analysts to betting experts, Duke is favored to win the national title.