Posted on January 3, 2022

First post of 2022 – Weekly Update – Week of January 3, 2022

Basketball-NBA: Irving is back – Wednesday. DeRozan hits 2nd buzzer-beater. Brown career high 50 points. Rockets suspend 2 players.

Basketball-NCAAM: Boring week with no unranked upsets and 14 Top 25 games rescheduled.

Football-NCAAF: National Championship is set. New Years 6 bowls. Bowl mania. Herbie’s controversial comment. OU QB in transfer portal.

Football-NFL: Week 17 recap. Antonio Brown’s melt down. Eagles railing issue. Last week of regular season this week. Who still has a chance at playoffs?

Olympic Sports: Olympics just a month away! Tennell out of nationals (this wk). US Hockey team announced. USA luge wins another medal. Taylor ends winless streak.

Basketball-NCAAM:

NCAAM season. Wednesday was a busy day! #11 Auburn beat #16 LSU by 15 points and now both teams are 12-1. #19 Alabama beat #14 Tennessee despite being tied at half. #21 Providence upset #15 Seton Hall in a showdown of the two ranked teams in the Big East. #1 Baylor stays undefeated after being #8 Iowa St 77-72. #15 Seton Hall had a rough week after losing to Providence and #22 Villanova. No top 25 team lost to an unranked team this week.
- Rescheduled or canceled in the Top 25: 14
Rescheduled this next week: 27 total
Ranked teams by conference:
- American, ACC, MW, West Coast: 1
- Pac 12: 3
- Big East, Big 10: 4
- Big 12 & SEC: 5

Basketball – NBA:

Oh the tangled webs we weave: The Nets have announced that they will allow Kyrie Irving to play in games outside of NY and Toronto starting Wednesday of this week. Despite still being unvaccinated, the team decided in that being down 7 players was enough reason to throw out their morals. Kyrie could play 24 road games.
DeMar DeRozan, Bulls small forward, hit another game-winning buzzer-beater 3-pointer for the 2^nd straight Saturday 120-119 over the Wizards. This win was the 7^th
Jaylen Brown, of the Celtics, had his best day of his career putting up 50 points and helping the team come back in a 116-111 OT win over the Magic. The Boston team looked to be at the start of one of the worst losses (96-82 with 4:20 remaining) of the season before turning it around.

The Rockets sat 2 players on Saturday against the Nuggets and both players are still suspended for the game vs 76ers tonight. Kevin Porter Jr and Christian Wood were suspended for bad behavior in separate incidents. Porter has anger management issues and had some kind of halftime confrontation with an assistant coach on Saturday, driving him to leave the arena. Wood was benched for the start of the game due to missing daily COVID testing and proceeded to pout about it and when called upon to go into the game, didn’t want to. He did eventually go in but went scoreless for 8 minutes (he is the Rockets leading scorer and rebounder). The assistant coach and at least 1 other player challenged Wood to be a better example, which he did not take kindly to. Houston we have some problems. The Rockets are currently last in the West with a 10-27 record.

Football – NCAA:

The National Championship is set Georgia vs Alabama rematch. CFP Semifinals were played… Cincinnati was the only undefeated team in the FBS until they met the Crimson Tide on NYE.
Bowl games are almost over. Clemson beat Iowa St in the Cheez-It Bowl to extend their 10 win season streak to 11 straight seasons. They also snap the ACC losing bowl game streak from 2019. In the Peach bowl, #10 Michigan St scored 21 points in the 4^th quarter to clinch the win over Pitt who was Kenny Pickett-less. Shane Beamer got mayo bath after South Carolina won the Duke’s mayo bowl over UNC. In the Music City Bowl, Purdue won 48-45 in OT after Tennessee was denied a TD in a questionable call on the goal line. It was the most points scored in that bowl game in its history.
- #GFHint: Rule was he was down due to forward progress being stopped. The blown whistle is not the ultimate decider of forward progress or the end of the play.

The New Years 6 bowl games were awesome! Oklahoma St had their biggest comeback in history to beat the Irish 37-35. OSU trailed 28-7 before scoring 24 unanswered points to book their first 12 win season under HC Mike Gundy. In the grandaddy of them all, Ohio St started slow losing 21-35 at half before coming back to win with a walk off FG. #7 Baylor won the Sugar Bowl after Ole Miss Heisman candidate QB Matt Corral goes down with a sprained ankle in Q1. Although back up QB Altmeyer did well. This was Baylor’s first season with 12 wins win school history.
- Losses in Top 25: #2 Michigan, #4 Cincinnati, #5 Notre Dame, #8 Ole Miss, #11 Utah, #12 Pitt, #14 Oregon, #15 Iowa
- Bowls left: We have the championship next Monday, Jan 10^th. And LSU vs K St on Tuesday.

#ICYMI: Kirk Herbstreit said something controversial this weekend in his coverage before the Rose Bowl… He said some players ‘don’t love football the way the way players used to.’ This has caused quite the stir. But he is right. Players have more distractions now – football isn’t life – like it used to be.

Also OU QB Caleb Williams is officially in the transfer portal now. Sooners have no QB for next year that has seen any playing time after having a season with 2 in the Heisman discussion.

Football – NFL:

Week 17 recap: The Bills hit 10 wins after beating the Falcons 29-15. The Giants fumbled the first play setting the tone for a Bears win 29-3. The Chiefs gave up their 28-17 lead at half to lose in a close one 34-31 to the Bengals. The Titans clinch the AFC-South with their 34-3 win over the Dolphins. The Pats destroyed the Jags 50-10. The Rams beat the Ravens in the final minute, handing the Baltimore team its 5^th consecutive loss. The Cowboys had their 4^th double-digit penalty game and it hurt them this time losing to the Cardinals 25-22. The Seahawks QB Russell Wilson and DJ Metcalf had 3 TDs to embarrass the Lions 51-29. The Packers secured their first-round bye in playoffs with their 37-10 win over the Vikings.
The Eagles had some railing issues. No not as in a bad tackle during the game but after the game, the FedEx Field (home of Washington) railing collapsed as QB Jalen Hurts was heading to the locker room. Fans did fall but luckily no one was hurt including Hurts. This isn’t the first time FedEx Field has had some issues…
Antonio Brown ran off the field in the middle of the game while both teams were on the field after throwing off his pads, jersey and shirt. Needless to say he is no longer a Buccaneer. The Bucs did go on to win 28-24 over the Jets although they were trailing heading into the 4^th Q. Most analysts and announcers think that will be the last time you will see the Super Bowl champ and 7x Pro-Bowler in the NFL.

Teams with playoffs on the line: In the AFC, the Browns cant make playoffs but in their game tonight vs the Steelers, they can act as spoilers. The Steelers are in competition with the Ravens and Colts for one of the last playoff spots. The Colts, Chargers and Raiders are all locked in a dead heat, sitting at 9-7. Luckily for NFL fans, the Chargers and the Raiders play each other on Sunday with the winner getting the playoff spot. If the Colts win on Sunday, they are in as they have the tie breaker with the Chargers (better win percentage in conference games). The Steelers need to win out and need the Colts to lose. The Saints and 49ers are the only ones from the NFC with uncertain futures. The Saints are 8-8 while the 49ers are 9-7.

- Standings:
  - AFC – East: Bills and Patriots are tied – both are in playoffs
    - The Bills would win the tie breaker as they have the better win percentage in division games
  - AFC – North: Bengals won the division* – first time in playoffs since 2015
  - AFC – South: Titans won the division *
  - AFC – West: Chiefs won the division
  - NFC – East: Cowboys won the division
  - NFC – North: Packers won the division & have now locked up a first round bye*
  - NFC – South: Buccaneers won the division
  - NFC – West: Rams are leading by 1 over the Cardinals who have also clinched their playoff spot
    - * indicates new
  - Teams that are eliminated from playoffs: Dolphins*, Browns*, Broncos*, Washington*, Giants*, Vikings*, Falcons* & Seahawks, Panthers, Lions, Bears, Texans, Jaguars and Jets

Olympic Sports

Welcome to another Olympic year! Beijing 2022 is just a month away! Feb 4th
2x US Nationals Figure Skating Champ Bradie Tennell has withdrawn from nationals next week due to a right foot injury. This doesn’t mean she is out of the Olympics but she will have to get a spot through a petition but it doesn’t look good. Top contenders for the team are now Alysa Liu, Karen Chen, Mariah Bell and Amber Glenn as the favorites for the team.
Hilary Knight has qualified for her 4^th Olympics which ties the US hockey record. She is one of the 15 players with previous winter games experience wanting to defend their Olympic gold from 2018. There are 8 first time Olympians on the team with an average age of 25.9. The full roster of Olympians can be found here.
Team USA medaled for a second time in the team relay finishing behind Latvia and Austria. The home favorites, Germany, got 4^th. The Americans on the team were Summer Britcher (who also finished 5^th in the womens race – enough to qualify her to be nominated on the US Olympic team), Tucker West, Chris Mazdzer and Jayson Terdiman. The US Luge team will be announced later this month.
Elana Meyers Taylor, one of the most recognized faces and names of Team USA bobsled, finally broke her winless drought from 2019. She won the WC this weekend with partner Lake Kwaza to make it her 19^th in her career.
2022 World Hockey Juniors has been canceled.

What to watch this week

Basketball-NBA:

Wed 1/5
- Warriors at Mavericks @ 6:30pm on ESPN
- Jazz at Nuggets @ 9pm on ESPN
Thurs 1/6
- Celtics at Knicks @ 6:30pm on TNT
- Clippers at Suns @ 9pm on TNT
Fri 1/7
- Bucks at Nets @ 6:30pm on ESPN
- Hawks at Lakers @ 9pm on ESPN

Basketball – NCAAM: Only Top 25 on TV are listed

Mon 1/3
- 24. Wisconsin at 3. Purdue @ 6pm on BTN
Tues 1/4
- 9. Auburn at South Carolina @ 5:30pm on SEC
- Oklahoma at 1. Baylor @ 6pm on ESPN2 – ranked just outside top 25
- 16. Kentucky at 21. LSU @ 6pm on ESPN
- 24. Seton Hall at Butler @ 7pm on CBSSN
- Georgia Tech at 2. Duke @ 8pm on ACC
- 6. Kansas at Oklahoma State @ 8pm on ESPN2
- 16. Providence at Marquette @ 8pm on FS1
Wed 1/5
- Nebraska at 10. Michigan St @ 6pm on BTN
- 12. Houston at South Florida @ 6pm on ESPN+
- Ole Miss at 18. Tennessee @ 6pm on SEC
- 15. Alabama at Florida @ 6pm on ESPN2
- Creighton at 19. Villanova @ 7:30pm on FS1
- 25. Texas Tech at 11. Iowa St @ 8pm on ESPNU
- Arizona St at 5. UCLA @ 9:30pm on FS1
Thurs 1/6
- 13. Ohio St at Indiana @ 6pm on FS1
Fri 1/7
- 20. Colorado St at Boise St @ 9:30pm on FS1
Sat 1/8
- John’s at 21. Providence @ 11am on FS1
- 3. Purdue at Penn St @ 11am on BTN
- Wichita St at 12. Houston @ 11am on CBS
- UConn at 24. Seton Hall @ 11am on FOX
- 19. Villanova at DePaul @ 1pm on FS1
- 14. Texas at Oklahoma State @ 1pm on CBS
- 10. Michigan St at Michigan @ 1:30pm on FOX
- 15. Alabama at Mizzou @ 2:30pm on SEC
- 6. Kansas at 25. Texas Tech @ 3pm on ESPN2
- 8. Arizona at Arizona St @ 3pm on FS1
- 11. Iowa St at Oklahoma @ 5pm
- 18. Tennessee at 21. LSU @ 5pm
- Georgia at 16. Kentucky @ 5pm on SEC
- Miami at 2. Duke @ 7pm on ACC
- 5. UCLA at Cal @ 7pm on Pac12
Sun 1/9
- Northwestern at 13. Ohio St @ 4:30pm on BTN
- 23. Wisconsin at Maryland @ 6:30pm on BTN

Football- NCAAF:

Tues 1/4 – TaxAct Texas Bowl: LSU vs Kansas St @ 8pm on ESPN

Football-NFL:

Mon 1/3
- Browns at Steelers @ 7:15pm on ESPN
Sat 1/8 – final week of regular season
- Chiefs at Broncos @ 3:30pm on ESPN & ABC
- Cowboys at Eagles @ 7:15pm on ESPN & ABC
Sun 1/9
- 7 games on @ 12pm depending on location on CBS/FOX
  - FOX:
    - Bengals at Browns
    - Packers Lions
    - Beats at Vikings
    - Washington at Giants
  - CBS:
    - Colts at Jaguars
    - Steelers at Ravens
    - Titans at Texans
- 6 games @ 3:25pm depending on location on CBS/FOX
  - FOX:
    - Saints at Falcons
    - 49ers at Rams
    - Seahawks at Cardinals
  - CBS:
    - Jets at Bills
    - Patriots at Dolphins
    - Panthers at Buccaneers
- Chargers at Raiders @ 7:20pm on NBC

Golf:

Thurs 1/6
- Sentry Tournament of Champions – Round 1 @ 5pm on Golf Channel
Fri 1/7
- Sentry Tournament of Champions – Round 2 @ 5pm on Golf Channel
Sat 1/8
- Sentry Tournament of Champions – Round 3 @ 5pm on Golf Channel
Sun 1/9
- Sentry Tournament of Champions – Final Round
  - @ 3pm on NBC
  - @ 5pm on Golf Channel

Hockey:

Wed 1/5
- Blues at Penguins @ 6:30pm on TNT
Thurs 1/6
- Wild at Bruins @ 6pm on ESPN

Olympic Sports:

Wed 1/5
- US Winter Olympic Trials @ 5pm on USA
Thurs 1/6
- US Figure Skating Championships: Pairs Short @ 4pm on USA
- US Winter Olympic Trials @ 6pm on USA
- US Figure Skating Championships: Ladies Short @ 7:30pm on USA
Fri 1/7
- US Figure Skating Championships: Rhythm Dance @ 3:30pm on USA
- US Winter Olympic Trials @ 5pm on USA
- US Figure Skating Championships: Ladies Free @ 8pm on NBC
Sat 1/8
- US Figure Skating Championships @ 4pm on NBC
- US Figure Skating Championships: Dance Free & Pairs Free @ 6pm on USA
Sun 1/9
- US Figure Skating Championships @ 2pm on NBC
- US Winter Olympic Trials @ 4pm on USA

Soccer:

Mon 1/3
- Premier League: ManU vs Wolves @ 11:30am on USA
Sat 1/8
- La Liga: Monterrey vs Queretaro @ 5pm on FS1
- La Liga: Santos Laguna vs Tigres UANL @ 7pm on FS1