Basketball-NBA: Grayson gets suspended for a game. Westbrook gets benched.
Basketball-NCAAM: So many good games! LSU and Iowa St struggle. Marquette does not. Zags HoF Stockton’s tickets revoked.
Football-NFL: Championship games are set! And man these games were awesome!
Golf: Swafford wins Amex again.
Olympic Sports: Tonga gets relief attention from flag bearer. White back for 5th Olympics. Goggia eyeing Beijing return.
Tennis: Quarterfinals are set! Cornet makes her first Qfinal in 63 attempts. Nadal still in but as is Medvedev.
Basketball-NCAAM:
- NCAAM season. #6 Duke continues to struggle losing to Florida St in OT by 1 point on Tuesday. #15 Iowa St was upset by #18 Texas Tech, who will continue to climb up the rankings. #23 Texas lost to K St. Marquette beat #11 Villanova and #13 LSU lost to recently unranked Alabama on Wed. #4 Purdue lost to Indiana after a string first half by the Hoosiers outscoring the Boiler Makers 37-28. Both ranked games on Friday were in the Big 10 and were upsets. #8 Wisconsin got beat up on by #14 Michigan St after a dismal first half (42-26). #17 Illinois also lost to Maryland 81-65. #12 Kentucky lost to #2 Auburn. The Tigers put up a monstrous 51 points in the second half to stage a huge comeback. #13 LSU and #15 Iowa St had bad weeks after losing twice in the same week. LSU lost to Alabama on Wed and then #24 Tennessee on Sat. While the Cyclones lost to Texas Tech and then TCU on Sat. Marquette capped off what was already a good week, beating Villanova with another Top 25 win on Sunday beating #20 Xavier.
- Gonzaga HoF and retired #12, John Stockton, no longer has season tickets… for this season anyway. After refusing the wear a mask, the school has suspended his tickets. Good thing for Stockton, the Zags only have 5 more home games anyway.
- UTA will be joining the WAC this summer, moving over from the Sun Belt after 9 years in that conference. This conference will now have 15 schools.
- In NCAAW, K St Ayoka Lee scored 61 points in the game against #14 Oklahoma. Oklahoma only scored 61 points in total. Oh and she only played 35 minutes…
Basketball – NBA:
- Lakers Russell Westbrook got his ass benched this week due to his poor game play and shooting. In the Pacers loss earlier in the week, Westbrook went 5-for-17 and was failing on the defensive side as well. That was his 10th straight games scoring under 20 points.
- Grayson Allen of the Bucks has been suspended for a game after he caused Bull’s player Alex Caruso to break his wrist. Allen was obviously ejected but the Bucks still came out on top 94-90.
Football-NFL:
- Both teams with first round byes lost this week in the post season!
-
- The Packers looked in control after the first drive was too easy and they were leading the 49ers… until 4:47 left in the game when the 49ers blocked a punt and scored a TD to tie. The Packers then went 3 and out and the 49ers made it into FG range to kick the 45 yard game winner. The final score was 13-10.
-
- The Titans got RB Derrick Henry back but it didn’t matter. First play of the game, Tannehill threw an INT. The Bengals only managed a FG off that turnover however. The Titans were the first ones to score a TD (missed PAT) with 5:10 left in the 1H. Score was 9-6 at half Bengal’s up. Bengals QB Joe Burrow led his team to a TD to start the 2nd half to take the lead 16-6. The Titans tied the game up at the end of the 3rd but a late INT led to the Bengals kicking the game-winning FG. Final score was Bengals 19-16.
-
- Brady did what Brady does but this time it wasn’t enough. The Rams were leading 27-3 at half and the crowd in Tampa was done. But slowly and surely thanks a lot to the Bucs rush defense, they clawed their way back. With 42 seconds left in the game on 4th and inches, RB Leonard Fournette not only got the inches to extend the game but ran it into the end zone. This tied the game at 27-27. With 1 timeout and after 4 lost fumbles in the game, QB Stafford went down the field in 2 big plays and set up the game winning FG. It was a great game even with the 6 total turnovers – its worth watching all these highlights.
- Also TB received the first unsportsmanlike penalty of his career
- Brady did what Brady does but this time it wasn’t enough. The Rams were leading 27-3 at half and the crowd in Tampa was done. But slowly and surely thanks a lot to the Bucs rush defense, they clawed their way back. With 42 seconds left in the game on 4th and inches, RB Leonard Fournette not only got the inches to extend the game but ran it into the end zone. This tied the game at 27-27. With 1 timeout and after 4 lost fumbles in the game, QB Stafford went down the field in 2 big plays and set up the game winning FG. It was a great game even with the 6 total turnovers – its worth watching all these highlights.
-
- And the final game of the weekend did not disappoint either. The Chiefs vs Bills went into OT due to 25 points and 3 lead changes in the last 2 minutes of the game. The Chiefs got the ball back with 13 seconds left and stil managed to get into FG range to take it to OT. Then remember the NFL OT rules are terrible. First team to score a TD or Safety ends the game. And that’s exactly what happened. The Cheifs won the toss, got the ball and scored. Bills QB Josh Allen never got a chance at rebuttal.
Golf:
- Hudson Swafford won the Amex and this is not a new update. He won the Amex 2017 and this new Amex title is his 3rd PGA Tour win. His final score was -23 and he won by 2 strokes after starting the final day 3 strokes behind the leaders.
Olympic Sports:
- Remember the shirtless flag bearer from the Rio games? Well that is the most famous person from Tonga, Pita Taufatofua, and he is helping his home country after the deadly volcano and tsunami. He was also in the Pyeongchang games in cross-country skiing and then went to the Tokyo games back in his original sport of taekwondo. He is the first athlete to be at 3 straight games since the Winter Games began in 1924.
- ITA Olympian and favorite for the downhill and Super G, Sofia Goggia, is aiming to be back for the downhill in Beijing after her crash in Cortina. She sprained her knee, partially tore a ligament and had a minor fracture in her fibula after a high-speed crash. She will start rehab today with the goal of being back for at least 1 practice run of the downhill (the latest being Feb 14th) before the competition starts on 2/15.
- Snowboarding heavyweights, Shaun White, Chloe Kim and Jamie Anderson are both going back to the Olympics. This is Shaun’s 5th Olympics; the only one he didn’t win the gold in the half pipe was in Sochi. (anyone else remember the too warm weather controversy?). Chloe Kim was one of the shining stars of the Pyeongchang game where she won the halfpipe. Jamie Anderson is the 2x reigning gold medalist in slopestyle and silver in the 2018 Big Air. Slopestyle has only been competed since 2014. The US team was announced this week and has 26 team members.
Tennis:
- Quarterfinals are next! And the Australian Open comes to a conclusion this weekend.
- On the women’s side: FRA Alize Cornet (ah-lee-zay) had appeared in 63 GS but had never made a Quarterfinal until her 17th AUS Open (yesterday). She beat former world #1 Halep to make it. Her 63 attempts is the highest record for making a first Quarterfinal ever in the Open era. She had made the 4th round in all the Opens previously including the US Open in 2020.
- Quarterfinals are World #1 Barty vs USA Pegula; Krejcikova vs USA Keys; USA Collins vs Cornet; Swiatek vs Kanepi
- On the men’s side: there are no Americans left. But 2 familiar names are. Rafael Nadal is still in and can take the most GS titles record to himself if he wins. Also Medvedev, reigning US Open champ, is on the other side of the bracket.
- Quarterfinals are Monfil vs Berrettini; Shapovalov vs Nadal; Sinner vs Tsitsipas; Auger-Aliassime vs Medvedev.
- On the women’s side: FRA Alize Cornet (ah-lee-zay) had appeared in 63 GS but had never made a Quarterfinal until her 17th AUS Open (yesterday). She beat former world #1 Halep to make it. Her 63 attempts is the highest record for making a first Quarterfinal ever in the Open era. She had made the 4th round in all the Opens previously including the US Open in 2020.
What to watch this week
Basketball-NBA:
- Tues 1/25
- Lakers at Nets @ 6:30pm on TNT
- Mavericks at Warriors @ 9pm on TNT
- Wed 1/26
- Knicks at Heat @ 6:30pm on ESPN
- Suns at Jazz @ 9pm on ESPN
- Thurs 1/27
- Lakers at 76ers @ 6:30pm on TNT
- Timberwolves at Warriors @ 9pm on TNT
- Fri 1/28
- Lakers at Hornets on 6:30pm on ESPN
- Knicks at Bucks @ 9pm on ESPN
- Sat 1/29
- Nets at Warriors @ 7:30pm on ABC
Basketball – NCAAM: Only Top 25
- Mon 1/24
- 18. Texas Tech at 7. Kansas @ 8pm on ESPN
- Arizona St at 16. USC @ 10pm on ESPN2
- Tues 1/25
- DePaul at 11. Villanova @ 4pm on FS1
- Clemson at 6. Duke @ 6pm on ESPN2
- 14. Michigan St at 17. Illinois @ 6pm on ESPN
- Kansas St at 5. Baylor @ 7pm
- Southern Illinois at 22. Loyola Chicago @ 7pm
- 2. Auburn at Mizzou @ 7:30pm on SEC
- Georgetown at 25. UConn @ 7:30pm on CBSSN
- Mississippi St at 12. Kentucky @ 8pm on ESPN
- 23. Texas at TCU @ 8pm on ESPNU
- 3. Arizona at 9. UCLA @ 10pm on ESPN
- Wed 1/26
- Florida at 24. Tennessee @ 5pm on ESPN2
- 21. Providence at 20. Xavier @ 5:30pm on CBSSN
- 15. Iowa St at Oklahoma St @ 7pm
- Texas A&M at 13. LSU @ 8pm on SEC
- Thurs 1/27
- 8. Wisconsin at Nebraska @ 3pm on BTN
- 19. Ohio St at Minnesota @ 7pm on ESPN
- 22. Loyola Chicago at Southern Illinois @ 7pm
- 4. Purdue at Iowa @ 8pm on FS1
- Cal at 9. UCLA @ 8pm
- Loyola Marymount at 1. Gonzaga @ 10pm on CBSSN
- Stanford at 16. USC @ 10pm on FS1
- Sat 1/29 – SEC/Big 12 Challenge this weekend!
- 6. Duke at Louisville @ 11am on ESPN
- 13. LSU at TCU @ 11am on ESPN2
- Michigan at 14. Michigan St @ 11:30am on CBS
- Mizzou at 15. Iowa St @ 1pm on ESPNU
- Oklahoma at 2. Auburn @ 1pm on ESPN
- 20. Xavier at Creighton @ 1pm on FS1
- Arizona St at 3. Arizona @ 1:30pm on CBS
- 5. Baylor at Alabama @ 3pm on ESPN
- John’s at 11. Villanova @ 3:30pm on FOX
- 17. Illinois at Northwestern @ 3:30pm on BTN
- Marquette at 21. Providence @ 3:30pm on FS1
- 12. Kentucky at 7. Kansas @ 5pm on ESPN
- Mississippi St at 18. Texas Tech @ 5pm on ESPN2
- 25. UConn at DePaul @ 5:30pm on FS1
- Cal at 16. USC @ 6pm on Pac12
- 10. Houston at UCF @ 7pm on ESPN2
- 24. Tennessee at 23. Texas @ 7pm on ESPN
- Portland at 1. Gonzaga @ 8pm
- Stanford at 9. UCLA @ 8:30pm on Pac12
- Sun 1/30
- 19. Ohio St at 4. Purdue @ 11am on CBS
- Minnesota at 8. Wisconsin @ 12pm on BTN
- 22. Loyola-Chicago at Drake @ 1pm on ESPN2
Football-NFL:
- Sun 1/30
- AFC Championship Game: Bengals at Chiefs @ 2pm on CBS
- NFC Championship Game: 49ers at Rams @ 5:30pm on FOX
Golf:
- Wed 1/26
- The Famers Insurance Open – Round 1 @ 11:30am on Golf Channel
- Thurs 1/27
- The Famers Insurance Open – Round 2 @ 2pm on Golf Channel
- Fri 1/28
- The Famers Insurance Open – Round 3
- @ 2pm on Golf Channel
- @ 4pm on CBS
- The Famers Insurance Open – Round 3
- Sat 1/29
- The Famers Insurance Open – Final Round
- @ 2pm on Golf Channel
- @ 3:30pm on CBS
- The Famers Insurance Open – Final Round
Hockey:
- Wed 1/26
- Blackhawks at Red Wings @ 6:30pm on TNT
- Bruins at Avalanche @ 9pm on TNT
Olympic Sports:
- Fri 1/28
- LSU at Georgia @ 7pm on SEC
- Arkansas at Florida @ 8:30pm on SEC
- Alabama at Auburn @ 9pm on ESPN2
- Sat 1/29
- Mizzou at Kentucky @ 4pm on SEC
- Sun 1/30
- Michigan St at Michigan @ 2pm on ESPNU
- Denver at Oklahoma @ 5pm on ESPN
Soccer:
- Thurs 1/27
- FIFA CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying: USA vs El Salvador @ 6pm on ESPN2
Tennis:
- Mon 1/24 – Quarterfinals
- @ 1pm on ESPN2
- @ 6pm on ESPN2
- Tues 1/25 – Quarterfinals
- @ 1pm on ESPN2
- @ 8pm on ESPN2
- Wed 1/26 – Women’s Semifinals @ 2:30pm on ESPN
- Thurs 1/27 – Men’s Semfinals
- @ 9:30am on ESPN
- @ 2:30pm on ESPN
- Fri 1/28 – Women’s Final @ 2:30pm on ESPN
- Sat 1/29 – Men’s Final @ 2:30pm on ESPN
- Replay @ 8am on ESPN & @ 5pm on ESPN
