[Posted Sunday PM after Golf…brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.]
Super Bowl Quiz: Name the first ten winners. Answer below.
College Basketball
–Going back to Tuesday, Rutgers (9-12, 2-8) suffered a brutal 88-79 loss to No. 7 Michigan State (19-2, 9-1) in overtime, blowing a 12-point second-half lead at home and then getting outscored 15-6 in the extra period.
Indiana (14-7, 5-5) upset 12 Purdue (17-4, 7-3) 72-67, eight days after winning the national championship in football.
And 3 Michigan (19-1, 9-1) held on to defeat 5 Nebraska (20-1, 9-1) 75-72, handing the Cornhuskers their first loss, but they earned a lot of respect.
24 Miami (OH) stayed unbeaten, barely, 86-84 over UMass. So with Nebraska’s loss, it’s just Miami and No. 1 Arizona that remain undefeated.
Wake Forest (11-10, 2-6) lost at Pitt (9-12, 2-6) 80-76 in overtime, losing point guard Nate Calmese to an ankle injury in the process.
—Saturday, No. 1 Arizona (22-0, 9-0) beat Arizona State (11-11, 2-7) 87-74.
4 Duke (20-1, 9-0) beat Virginia Tech (16-7, 5-5) 72-58 in snowy Blacksburg, Cam Boozer with 24 points on 9 of 12 shooting, 8 rebounds, 5 assists. He truly is a complete player.
11 Texas Tech (16-5, 6-2) suffered a tough loss at UCF (17-4, 6-3) 88-80, a quality win for the Knights and their tournament hopes.
Surging 14 Kansas (16-5, 6-2) won a biggie against 13 BYU (17-4, 5-3) 90-82, despite Richie Saunders’ 33 for the Cougars. The Jayhawks have won five straight in the Big 12.
But freshman star guard Darryn Peterson, a top three selection in the upcoming NBA Draft, was limited to 20 minutes (18 points) by cramps. He’s been in and out of the lineup all season with nagging issues, including his ankle, calf and hamstring.
24 Miami (OH) is 22-0, 10-0, after an 85-61 thrashing of Northern Illinois (7-14, 3-7).
After its big win over Purdue, Indiana (15-7, 6-5) went out to UCLA (15-7, 7-4) and beat the Bruins 98-97.
In an important ACC contest, 20 Louisville (15-6, 5-4) beat SMU (15-6, 4-4) 88-74. I’m among those who think the Mustangs are kind of a sleeper with a strong lineup, but they are only 4-4 in conference. They need to step it up.
Wake Forest fell to .500 (11-11, 2-7), falling at home to North Carolina State (16-6, 7-2) 96-78; the Wolfpack going a super 16 of 28 from downtown.
For the Deacs, it’s still all Juke Harris, 31 points. We are so afraid he’s going to enter the portal, and I won’t blame him.
The Deacs are without point guard Calmese for weeks with an ankle sprain. We’ll be lucky to win five games in the conference.
—Sunday, 9 Illinois traveled to 5 Nebraska and could the Cornhuskers bounce back from their first loss against a quality opponent? Nooo…drat! The Illini (19-3, 10-1) prevail 78-69, Nebraska falling to 20-2, 9-2. We’ll see how far they fall in the next AP Poll tomorrow.
NBA
–The Knicks (30-18) have gotten their act together, winning their fifth straight Friday night at the Garden, blowing out the Trail Blazers (23-26) 127-97, Jalen Brunson with 26, OG Anunoby 24, and Karl-Anthony Towns with his second consecutive 20-rebound game.
Tonight, LeBron James comes to the Garden for a high-profile affair on national TV, but vs. The Grammys.
—Thursday, Dallas Mavericks rookie sensation Cooper Flagg went off for new career high 49 points in a 123-121 loss against the Charlotte Hornets.
The 49 points represent a new NBA record for points in a game by a teenager, per the league.
The top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft just turned 19 on Dec. 21.
But Flagg’s Duke teammate last year, the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, Kon Knueppel, had 34 for the Hornets, including 8 of 12 from beyond the arc. Knueppel is averaging 18.9 points per game and a sterling 42.9% from three.
–Meanwhile, where will Giannis go…that’s the question NBA fans wonder. I do not want him coming to the Knicks. Sounded like a decent move a month ago, but Giannis has really been acting strangely and we’d have to give up too much to get him and he’s no longer young.
–The NBA suspended 76ers forward Paul George for 25 games “for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program,” the league announced Saturday.
In a statement, George said: “Over the past few years, I’ve discussed the importance of mental health, and in the course of recently seeking treatment for an issue of my own, I made the mistake of taking an improper medication. I take full responsibility for my actions and apologize to the Sixers organization, my teammates and the Philly fans for my poor decision-making during this process.
“I am focused on using this time to make sure that my mind and body are in the best condition to help the team when I return.”
George won’t be able to return to action until March 25, when the 76ers (27-21) will have only 10 games left. It means he will play a maximum of only 37 games this season, after appearing in just 41 games in his first season with Philadelphia. He is averaging 16 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 27 games this season.
NFL
–Everyone was talking this week about the snub of Bill Belichick for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. It is indeed outrageous.
Among those most surprised was Tom Brady, who won six Super Bowls with Belichick, The Hoodie winning two others as a defensive coordinator with the Giants.
“I don’t understand it. I mean, I was with him every day. If he’s not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, there’s really no coach that should ever be a Hall of Famer,” Brady said in an interview.
“There’s no coach I’d rather play for,” he continued. “If I’m picking one coach, to go out there and win a Super Bowl, give me one season, I’m taking Bill Belichick.”
ESPN first reported that Belichick failed to receive 40 of the 50 necessary votes from the committee.
Belichick was said to be “puzzled” and “disappointed” upon hearing the news.
Of course there was Spygate and Deflategate, blips on his record, but Deflategate didn’t even directly involve the coach.
The NFL is embarrassed, to say the least.
–The Buffalo Bills promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady to be the franchise’s next head coach on a five-year deal.
Over the last two seasons, Brady’s offense has produced a league MVP quarterback and a rushing champion…Josh Allen and James Cook. This move makes sense.
Allen said he had surgery to repair an old injury, a broken bone in his foot.
–The Cleveland Browns hired Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken to be their new head coach, a blow to new Giants head coach John Harbaugh, who was hoping Monken would join him in New York.
—Brian Daboll, fired as the Giants’ head coach in November, is the new offensive coordinator under former Jets head coach Robert Salah in Tennessee. Kind of funny.
–Daboll had been under consideration for the head job in Vegas, but the Raiders are nearing a deal with Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, after firing Pete Carroll.
A deal, of course, can’t be finalized until after the Super Bowl.
Kubiak, 38, is the son of Super Bowl-winning head coach Gary Kubiak (Super Bowl 50 with Denver), and this leaves Arizona as the only team with a head coaching vacancy.
–New Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said he wants Aaron Rodgers to return; the two having a longstanding relationship from their time together in Green Bay, winning a Super Bowl. It’s not yet known if Rodgers wants to play another season, but this is an ideal situation for him.
—Giants co-owner Steve Tisch issued a statement Friday night about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, after emails released by the Department of Justice showed Tisch relied on Epstein to arrange encounters with women, though there are no indications they were underage. The emails were sent in 2013.
Tisch: “We had a brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women, and in addition, we discussed movies, philanthropy, and investments. I did not take him up on any of his invitations and never went to his island. As we all know now, he was a terrible person and someone I deeply regret associating with.”
Left unsaid and unacknowledged by Tisch: In 2013, Epstein was already a convicted child sex offender.
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty and was convicted in Florida of procuring a child for prostitution and of soliciting a prostitute. He served almost 13 months in custody, with extensive work release.
It remains unclear, even after Tisch’s statement Friday, whether he knew in 2013 about Epstein’s 2008 conviction.
The NFL has yet to weigh in. There are calls among the fan base for Tisch to divest his ownership stake in the Giants. But you need more facts.
That said, the language in the emails we can see thus far is rather disturbing.
College Football
–Since I last posted, Darian Mensah, as expected, enrolled at Miami, giving the Hurricanes another standout transfer at quarterback.
Mensah settled with Duke, the school agreeing to end a legal battle, terms not disclosed, that allowed Mensah to sign elsewhere. Duke receiver Cooper Barkrate (72 receptions, 1,106 yards and seven TDs) also committed to Miami.
Miami is loaded, with the nation’s top freshman, receiver Malachi Toney, and top running back Mark Fletcher Jr., returning, along with two RBs and tight end Elija Lofton.
Golf Balls
Brooks Koepka made the cut at The Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, Calif., on the number…-3.
The leader after two rounds was 45-year-old Justin Rose, four clear, at -17, with Seamus Power second at -13.
Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, and Will Zalatoris (68-75) were among those missing the cut.
For Schauffele, it was his first missed cut in 73 events, the longest such streak since Tiger’s record 142.
Koepka said in a presser before play began, addressing his return to the Tour: “I’m a little nervous about…how the fans respond to it. I hope they’re happy that I’m out here.”
“I think everybody in this room would say the same thing; it’s always good to feel wanted and to be accepted,” Koepka added.
As for the reception he’ll get from the tour’s rank-and-file, Koepka isn’t sure, but he said he’s looking forward to those conversations.”
Well he needn’t have worried about the fans, who fully embraced him. Inside the locker room we have yet to really hear. We probably will during the week.
On to Round Three…
And Rose stretched his lead further…not a lot of drama…but it’s a beautiful setting and a fun course.
Rose -21
Joel Dahmen -15
Koepka T61 -2
And in the end, Rose cruised to career win No. 13, -23.
Pierceson Coody, grandson of Charles Coody, finished T2 with 23-year-old Ryo Hisatune and Si Woo Kim at -16, Si Woo off to a quality start this year.
Brooks Koepka finished T56, -4, putting miserably, but this is an event where he had missed three of four cuts prior. We’ll see what he does next week in Phoenix, with Scottie Scheffler in the field, both loving the tournament.
As in your editor won’t give a shit about the 17 hours of Super Bowl pre-game.
—Patrick Reed officially left LIV Golf, after strongly hinting he was going to do so, and is seeing reinstatement with the PGA Tour.
For now he’ll focus on the DP World Tour. He is No. 29 in the Official World Golf Rankings, which should allow him to compete in all four majors this year.
Reed is eligible to play the PGA Tour in late August, but that’s the week of the Tour Championship, so essentially he’s eligible to play in the tour’s fall season as a non-member. According to the tour, Reed would then be able to reinstate his membership for the 2027 season, where he would play out of the past champion category.
Ironically, the news came the week of the Farmers, Reed’s last win on tour in 2021, which was controversial because of a rules issue where Reed obtained free relief from an embedded ball in the rough, but video showed the ball bouncing in the rough and some fans, media and fellow players weren’t happy.
Fellow LIV players Pat Perez, Kevin Na and Hudson Swafford have also applied for reinstatement, but they would not be eligible for return until 2027, and no gives a damn about them. Reed, on the other hand, is a needed ‘villain.’ Every sport has to have one.
Australian Open
—Novak Djokovic finally beat one of the two men who’ve been blocking his path to an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles title when he bested 2-seed Jannik Sinner in five sets to reach the Australian Open final Friday.
To get that coveted No. 25, he’ll have to beat the other: Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz.
They’re both chasing history in Sunday’s championship decider, with Alcaraz striving to become the youngest man at 22 ever to complete a career Grand Slam.
Alcaraz came through his own grueling five-setter, overcoming cramps and a sore right leg to fend off No. 3 Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-7 (4), 7-5 in a match that lasted 5 hours 27 minutes, the longest semifinal ever.
That pushed the scheduled start of the Sinner-Djokovic semifinal back a couple of hours and the 38-year-old Djokovic finally won 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 just after 1:30 AM.
Sunday, Alcaraz then completed the slam, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5, Djokovic again denied No. 25.
Alcaraz now has seven Grand Slam titles overall; his first in Melbourne, and two each at Wimbledon and the French and U.S. Opens.
–On the women’s side, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka overpowered Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-3 in her semifinal as she looked for her third Australian Open title in four years (four consecutive finals).
A rematch of the 2023 final against Elena Rybakina was set up when the No. 5 seed ousted No. 6 Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-6 (7).
Rybakina then defeated Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 for her second Grand Slam title, avenging her defeats to Sabalenka in both the 2023 Aussie Open and 2021 Wimbledon finals; Rybakina’s other Grand Slam title was Wimbledon in 2022.
Premier League
Saturday, Arsenal blew out Leeds 4-0; Chelsea defeated West Ham 3-2, and Liverpool whipped Newcastle 4-1.
Sunday, Aston Villa suffered a tough home loss to 7-place Brentford, 1-0; Manchester United defeated Fulham 3-2; and my Tottenham Spurs, thanks to two second-half goals from Dominic Solanke, pulled out a 2-2 draw against Manchester City, a devastating outcome for City’s title hopes. [Me thinks…]
Table…24 of 38 played – points….
Arsenal 24 – 53
Man City 24 – 47
Aston Villa 24 – 46
Manchester United 24 – 41
Chelsea 24 – 40
Liverpool 24 – 39
Brentford 24 – 36
Stuff
—Lindsey Vonn sat out a World Cup super-G race Saturday after crashing and injuring her left knee a day earlier but remains on track for the Milan Cortina Olympics, her coach told the Associated Press.
“No she is not racing today but preparing for Cortina as usual,” Chris Knight, Vonn’s personal head coach, said in a text message.
Vonn then posted on Instagram: “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to race today,” adding, “Thank you for all of the love and support I have received. Means the world to me.
“Doing my best right now…,” Vonn concluded with praying hands and fingers-crossed emojis.
Vonn crashed in a downhill in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Friday and ended up in the safety nets. After skiing down to the bottom of the course, haltingly, she was airlifted away for medical attention.
Hours after, Vonn wrote on Instagram: “This is a very difficult outcome one week before the Olympics…but if there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s a comeback. My Olympic dream is not over.”
She said she injured her left knee and was discussing the situation with “my doctors and team.”
Unfortunately, Vonn’s first event in Cortina is next Sunday in the women’s downhill. Almost no time to heal, but she’s had miraculous recoveries before.
Meanwhile, American Breezy Johnson took third in the super-G Saturday, her ninth career podium finish, but no wins at age 30. Like with teammate Paula Moltzan, Johnson could be a surprise Olympic medalist. We hope so!
–We note the passing of “Sanford and Son” star Grady ‘Demond’ Wilson, who died at the age of 79.
Wilson was the last surviving cast member from the show, which ran for six seasons, 1972-77, on NBC. It was one of my favorites.
The show followed Fred G. Sanford (Redd Foxx), a junk dealer, and his son, Lamont (Wilson), who ran “Sanford and Son Salvage” in Los Angeles.
Foxx died in 1991 at age 68 after suffering a heart attack on the set of his CBS sitcom “The Royal Family.”
Top 3 songs for the week 2/4/78: #1 “Stayin’ Alive” (Bee Gees) #2 “Short People” (Randy Newman) #3 “Baby Come Back” (Player)…and…#4 “We Are The Champions” (Queen) #5 “(Love Is) Thicker Than Water” (Andy Gibb) #6 “Just The way You Are” (Billy Joel…brilliant tune…) #7 “How Deep Is Your Love” (Bee Gees) #8 “Sometimes When We Touch” (Dan Hill) #9 “You’re In My Heart (The Final Acclaim)” (Rod Stewart) #10 “Emotion” (Samantha Sang…C+ week…)
Super Bowl Quiz: First ten winners….
I – Green Bay over Kansas City 35-10
II – Green Bay over Oakland 33-13
III – Jets over Baltimore 16-7
IV – Kansas City over Minnesota 23-7
V – Baltimore over Dallas 16-13
VI – Dallas over Miami 24-3
VII – Miami over Washington 14-7
VIII – Miami over Minnesota 24-7
IX – Pittsburgh over Minnesota 16-6
X – Pittsburgh over Dallas 21-17
So many of these early games were stultifyingly boring.
The Vikings would then lose SB XI, 32-14 to the Raiders, and have not been back to the Super Bowl since, 0-4.
Very Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tuesday.
