Basketball – NBA: Busy week of NBA Games. Big streaks of wins. Standings.
Basketball – NCAAM: Not a lot of games this week so very few losses in the Top 25.
Football – NCAAF: Top 25 losses – only 2. Other bowl highlights
Football – NFL: Final week of regular season. Games almost all week. Only 3 close games on Sunday.
Golf: Scheffler hurts hand.
Olympic Sports: Gumbel dies. World Cup skiing.
Basketball-NBA:
- This week’s games: on Monday, Embiid got ejected before halftime for arguing with one of the refs. It was unclear if he made contact with her but still, the 76ers get the W by 5 over the Spurs. No games were on Tuesday. On Wed, the Spurs/Knicks had a player each score over 40 points in a tight game. The Spurs would lose again this time by 3. On that same thought, the 76ers got another W but this one was an upset of the Celtics on Christmas. The headliner of the Christmas day games was the Lakers/Warriors matchup. It was a back and forth classic – literally tied at the end of the 1Q. the Lakers then won the middle 2Qs. But the Warriors came back in the 4Q but the Lakers scored the go-ahead basket with less than 6 seconds to go.
- SGA put up 45 points in Thursday’s game against the Pacers to win 120-114. The Heat upset the Magic by 1 in a low scoring affair 89-88 the same night. The Hawks had an incredible 50 point 4Q to complete the comeback against the Bulls. The Grizzlies put up 155 on the Raptors to win easily. Friday had the Celtics high scorer Jaylen Brown scoring 44 in their win over the Pacers. That game was the biggest win of the season, winning by 37 points. The Cavaliers/Nuggets game was the most points scored in the NBA so far this season with the Cavs winning 149-135.
- Technically the highest scorer of the week was Jalen Brunson for the Knicks on Saturday. But that was also because the Wizards took the Knicks to OT. That win would get the NY team their 7th straight win. The Magic cameback to win against the Nets, outscoring them 34-18 in the 4Q. They would only win by 1 though. Thunder won their 11th game in a row in Sunday (remember NBA Cup doesn’t count towards the regular season).
- Standings:
- In the East, the Cavaliers sit at the top with 27-4 record. The Celtics and Knicks are 23 and 22 respectively. At the bottom, the Wizards only have 5 wins. The Hornets and Raptors both only have 7 wins.
- In the West, the Thunder have 26 wins with 5 losses. The Grizzlies, Rockets and Mavs all have above 20 wins. The Pelicans bring up the bottom with 5 and the Jazz only have 7.
Basketball – NCAAM:
- NCAAM: there were not a lot of games this week. Only 1 ranked team in action on Monday and Friday. Saturday though we had some drama – 3 games with ranked teams and we had a ranked loss in all of them! #20 San Deigo State started well, leading by 11 over Utah St at half. But then they faltered in the 2H only scoring 23 to lose by 1 to the Aggies. #22 UCLA upset #14 Gonzaga in a slow 1H and a better 2H for both teams. Memphis moved to 7-1 against AP top 25 teams having beating #16 Ole Miss with a 49 point 2H. There were no losses in the Top 25 on Sunday.
Football-NCAAF:
- Losses in the Top 25:
- The Pop-Tarts Bowl was an entertaining one and Im not just talking about the commentary on favorite pop-tart flavors. #13 Miami and #18 Iowa St went back and forth. There was very little defense in the 1H with Miami leading 31-28 at half. Things levelled out in the 2H but it was still neck and neck. The Cyclones would score the go ahead TD with just 56 seconds left on a 4th & goal! They would win by 1.
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- #17 BYU destroyed the #23 Colorado Buffs including a punt return in the 2Q. the Cougs scored the first 27 points before finally Colorado got on the board with a Travis Hunter 43 yard pass. Hunter played 84% of all of Colorado’s snaps in this game. BYU would win 36-14 with 3 turnovers.
- Other bowl highlights: UConn celebrated their first bowl win since 2010. TCU kepts Louisiana out of the endzone winning 34-3 in the NM Bowl. Boston College would run back a PAT for 2 points. That was their only points before the 4Q, Nebraska would win the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. NIU and Fresno St took the Potato Bowl into 2OT before the Huskies would win.
- But that was outdone on the day after Christmas. In the GameAbove Sports Bowl, Pitt would run back a PAT for 2 points and would be up 12-6 before Toledo would get 2 TDs in 14 seconds of game time. That made it 20-12 Toledo at half. Not that this game was back and forth but we would be tied 3xs in the 2H including at the end of regulation to take us to OT. It then got ridiculous. Toledo would finally get the W in the 6OT.
- That same day, Kansas State would comeback on Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights would be leading 34-17 midway through the 3Q and 41-29 until the final 8 minutes of the game! K State would score the winning TD with 4 min left and a successful 2-point conversion to win 44-41.
- Friday Dec 27th was a day for football too. #21 Syracuse QB Kyle McCord broke Clemson’s QB Deshaun Watson’s season passing record after throwing for 453 yards in the DirecTV Holiday Bowl win 52-35 over Wazzu. Oklahoma scored in their first 2 drives but then gave it all back ad more. The Sooners scored with 6 seconds left and went for the win with the 2-point conversion. They would fail. Navy wins by 1. Georgia Tech/Vandy was an awesome one as well with a thrilling 4Q where both teams would score 2 TDs. Vandy gets the win 35-27. Arkansas ran away with the Liberty Bowl 39-26 over Texas Tech. In the Las Vegas Bowl, Texas A&M threw 2 INT in the 1H but still tied up USC at half. The Aggies scored 17 points in the 3Q to be up 24-7. USC would return the favor and score 21 unanswered points to take the lead by 4 with less than 5 min to go. The Aggies went down and scored 1:49 left but the Trojans crushed the Aggie dreams with another TD in the final 8 seconds.
Football – NFL:
- Wrapping up week 16 MNF: This one will be quick. The Packers trounced the Saints, shutting them out 34-0.
- Wednesday: the Ravens killed the Texans who couldn’t make it into the endzone once. They did manage a tackle in the endzone to get a safety but those were their only points. Lamar Jackson broke the NFL QB rushing record in that game. One of the rushing TDs for Jackson, he reached a top speed of 21.25 mph, which is a career high for him. The Chiefs also managed an easy win over the Steelers 29-10. Go figure as Pittsburgh has 10 wins and should’ve been harder than some of the other games that have been close.
- TNF was so boring! There were no TDs at all by either team! The Seahawks won 6-3 and no points were scored in the entire 2H.
- We had 3 games on Saturday this week as well. The Chargers crushed the Pats 40-7. That clinched their playoff spot. The Rams scored 10 points in the 2Q and that would be enough to beat the Cardinals 13-9. The Broncos just needed a tie or a W to get their playoff spot. The Bengals made it hard on them with 499 yards of offense and being tied 3xs during the game. The 4Q got a bit crazy. The Bengals scored first. The Broncos only needed 5 plays to tie it back up. Joe Burrow then led Cincinnati on a TD drive and scored with just 1:29 to go. The Broncos then drove down the field and threw a 25 yard hail mary-ish pass to send the game to OT. We almost made it to the end of the 10 minutes with no score after the Bengals missed a 33 yard FG. But with a minute left, Burrow found the endzone again and the Bengals are still alive in the playoff hunt.
- There were 3 close games on Sunday (week 17):
- First, the Jags managed to sack the Titans QB 3xs in their 20-13 win.
- The next two were much more interesting. The Vikings had a 20-3 lead on the Packers in what was surely a playoff showdown. The Packers finally managed to get into the endzone with 5 min left in the 3Q but they did mount a comeback in the 4Q to get it close, 25-27 final score. The Vikings win a big one as a .5 underdog even with missing 2 FGs.
- The Falcons first drive in their game against the Commanders was an INT which Washington capitalized on. The Falcons returned the favor before halftime who lead 17-7. But then Commanders took control in the 2H, having the ball for 41 minutes of gametime. The Falcons managed to score a TD with 1:19 to go. The Commanders went 3 & out and then the Falcons missed a 56 yard FG to go into OT. Washington then won the toss and took 7 minutes to score a TD to win.
- The not so close ones:
- The Bills won handily over the Jets who turned the ball over 3xs and only scored 2 TDs in garbage time. It still wasn’t close 40-14.
- The Saints did manage to score 10 points in the 2Q but that was all and the Raiders put up 25 points.
- The Cowboys scored a TD on their first full drive, well after the one where they threw a pick 6. That was just 1 of 4 turnovers. It would also be the only TD they would score all night, losing 41-7. Saquon Barkley rushed for 167 yards and is now just 101 away from Eric Dickerson’s record (2105 back in 1984 for the Rams).
- The Giants scored a 100 yard kickoff return to start the 2H to pull 15 points ahead. They could never pull away more than that even though the Colts tried to give it to them with 2 turnovers on their final 2 drives. Giants upset the Colts 45-33.
- The Bucs put on an offensive show, scoring 48 points (one of 4 teams to score 40+ on Sunday). They would beat the Panthers 48-14.
- The Dolphins killed the Browns, not letting them into the endzone once winning 20-3.
- The Chiefs have solidified their bye in the first round now. In the NFC, the Eagles won the East, the Rams won the West. The Bills won the AFC East, the Texans the AFC South. This is the final week of the regular season. Wild Card games will be next week.
Golf:
- Scottie Scheffler had a minor surgery to remove glass from a wound on his hand after prepping something on Christmas. He will have to miss the Sentry and is scheduled to return for the Amex.
Olympic Sports:
- Long time CBS sports caster Greg Gumbel has died of cancer this past week. He spent 50 years in the business and was one of the first black play by play announcers (specifically for SB 35 – first major sports championship). He joined ESPN in 1981 to start his prolific career (CBS, NBC, etc) and didn’t miss an NCAA tournament since 1997 until this past year. He hosted everything – the Olympics, Figure Skating worlds, MLB games, Super Bowls, college bball, etc.
- ITA Federica Brignone won the giant slalom by a big 0.57 seconds in the World Cup on Saturday. This put her as the first ITA winner in 22 years in the AUT event, Semmering. SUI Marco Odermatt made a costly mistake in the downhill this past weekend, letting Alexis Monney to victory. 3 skiers were then hospitalized in the men’s Super-G in ITA this weekend as well. This is the same slope that is scheduled to be the scene of the Olympics in 2026.
What to watch this week
Basketball – NBA:
- Thurs 1/2
- Celtics at Timberwolves @ 6:30pm on TNT
- 76ers at Warriors @ 9pm on TNT
NCAAM: (only ranked teams and on normal TV)
- Mon 12/30
- Western Michigan at 18. Michigan St @ 2pm on BTN
- Oakland at 23. Arkansas @ 7pm on ESPN2
- 3. Iowa St at Colorado @ 8pm on CBSSN
- Tues 12/31
- Brown at 10. Kentucky @ 1pm on ESPNU
- VTech at 4. Duke @ 3:30pm on ACC
- 8. Marquette at Providence @ 5pm on FS1
- Wed 1/1
- 11. UConn at DePaul @ 1pm on CBSSN
- Thurs 1/2
- 21. Purdue at Minnesota @ 7pm on FS1
- 24. Illinois at 9. Oregon @ FS1
- Fri 1/3
- 18. Michigan St at Ohio St @ 7pm on FOX
- Creighton at 8. Marquette @ 8pm on ESPN2
- Sat 1/4
- 6. Florida at 10. Kentucky @ 10am on ESPN
- UGA at 16. Ole Miss @ 11am on SEC
- 23. Arkansas at 1. Tennessee @ 12pm on ESPN
- 25. Baylor at 3. Iowa St @ 1pm on CBS
- South Carolina at 19. Mississippi St @ 1pm on SEC
- 22. UCLA at Nebraska @ 1pm on FOX
- 4. Duke at SMU @ 1:15pm on CW
- Arizona at 17. Cincinnati @ 1:30pm on ESPN2
- Mizzou at 2. Auburn @ 3pm on SEC
- 20. San Diego St at Boise St @ 3pm on CBS
- 12. Oklahoma at 5. Alabama @ 5pm on SEC
- Texas at 13. Texas A&M @ 7pm on SEC
- Sun 1/5
- Providence at 11. UConn @ 1pm on NBC
- Northwestern at 21. Purdue @ 1pm on BTN
- Maryland at 9. Oregon @ 3pm on Peacock
- 24. Illinois at Washington @ 3pm on BTN
NCAAW: (ranked on TV only)
- Wed 1/1
- Nebraska at 4. USC @ 2pm on BTN
- 23. Michigan at 1. UCLA @ 4pm on BTN
- Thurs 1/2
- 2. South Carolina at Mizzou @ 6pm on SEC
- 5. Texas at 9. Oklahoma @ 8pm on ESPN2
- 6. LSU at Arkansas @ 8pm on SEC
- Sat 1/4
- 1. UCLA at Indiana @ 11am on FOX
- Sun 1/5
- Pitt at 14. Duke @ 11am on ACC
- 2. Notre Dame at 17. UNC @ 12pm on ESPN
- 3. South Carolina at Mississippi ST @ 1pm on SEC
- 9. Oklahoma at 15. Tennessee @ 2pm on ESPN
- Auburn at 6. LSU @ 3pm on SEC
- 8. Maryland at 24. Iowa @ 5pm on BTN
- 21. Cal at SMU @ 5pm on ACC
- 4. USC at Rutgers @ 7pm on BTN
Football – NCAAF:
Football – NFL:
- Mon 12/30
- Lions at 49ers @ 7:15pm on ESPN & ABC
- Sat 1/4
- Browns at Ravens @ 3:30pm on ESPN&ABC
- Bengals at Steelers @ 7pm on ESPN&ABC
- Sun 1/5
- 8 games @ 12pm on CBS/FOX
- CBS: Panthers at Falcons, Texans at Titans, Bills at Pats, Giants at Eagles
- FOX: Commanders at Cowboys, Bears at Packers, Jags at Colts, Saints at Bucs
- 5 games @ 3:25pm on CBS/FOX
- CBS: Chiefs at Broncos, Chargers at Raiders,
- FOX: Seahawks at Rams, Dolphins at Jets, 49ers at Cardinals
- Vikings at Lions @ 7:20pm on NBC
- 8 games @ 12pm on CBS/FOX
Golf:
- Thurs 1/2
- The Sentry – Round 1 @ 5pm on Golf Channel
- Fri 1/3
- The Sentry – Round 2 @ 5pm on Golf Channel
- Sat 1/4
- The Sentry – Round 3
- @ 3pm on NBC
- @ 5pm on Golf Channel
- The Sentry – Round 3
- Sun 1/5
- The Sentry – Final Round
- @3pm on NBC
- @ 5pm on Golf Channel
- The Sentry – Final Round
Hockey:
- Tues 12/31
- Blues at Blackhawks @ 4pm on TNT
- Thurs 1/2
- Maple Leafs at Islanders @ 6:30pm on hulu
- Sat 1/4
- Rangers at Capitals @ 11am on ABC
- Sun 1/5
- Rangers at Blackhawks @ 2pm on ABC
Olympic Sports:
- Fri 1/3
- NCAA Gymnastics: Iowa St vs LSU @ 6:30pm on SEC
- Sun 1/5
- NCAA Gymnastics: Michigan vs Denver @ 4pm on ESPN2
Soccer:
- Mon 12/30
- Premier League: Newcastle vs ManU @ 3pm on USA
- Wed 1/1
- Premier League: Brentford vs Arsenal @ 12:30pm on USA
- Sat 1/3
- Premier League: Tottenham vs TBA @ 7:30am on USA
- Premier League: Bournemouth vs TBA @ 10am on USA
- Sun 1/4
- Premier League: Teams TBA @ 9am on USA
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