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🏀 Good morning to all, but especially to …
THE NO. 15 KENTUCKY WILDCATS
Shorthanded but undeterred, No. 15 Kentucky defeated No. 5 Tennessee, 75-64, finishing off a regular-season sweep of the Volunteers.
- With guards Jaxson Robinson (wrist) and Kerr Kriisa (foot) out and Lamont Butler leaving early after re-aggravating a shoulder injury, the Wildcats got big performances from seldom-used freshmen Trent Noah (11 points in 19 minutes) and Travis Perry (eight points in 12 minutes) off the bench.
- Kentucky shot 50% (12 for 24) from 3 while holding Tennessee to 17% (3 for 18) from deep.
- It’s Kentucky’s fifth top-10 win this season, two more than any other team.
The Wildcats aren’t perfect. Their defense is suspect, they don’t get to the free throw line, and the backcourt injuries are worrisome. But in a loaded SEC, every win is worth cherishing, especially ones against one of your biggest rivals.
If you’re in post-Super Bowl sports blues, I highly, highly encourage you use college basketball to snap out of it. Just last night …
- No. 1 Auburn outlasted upstart Vanderbilt, 80-68. David Cobb has an excellent story on the Commodores. Name to know: Johni Broome is the potential Player of the Year.
- Trailing by one at halftime, No. 3 Florida went on a 17-0 run and beat No. 22 Mississippi State, 81-68. Name to know: There are many, but Thomas Haugh nearly had a triple-double off the bench after starter Alex Condon left with an injury.
- No. 20 Michigan took down No. 7 Purdue, 75-73, the Wolverines’ first top-10 win in nearly three years. Name to know: Danny Wolf is a 3-point-shooting, ball-handling, dime-dropping, 7-foot whirling dervish.
👍 Honorable mentions
⚽ And not such a good morning for …
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MANCHESTER CITY
We know all too well the incredible magic Real Madrid produces in the UEFA Champions League. But for them to do it in this way, given these circumstances, against this team — Manchester City — says more about the Citizens than Los Blancos. Real rallied for a stunning (but somehow not surprising) 3-2 victory in Manchester, the Citizens’ first UCL home loss since 2018.
- City led 2-1 with 10 minutes left after Erling Haaland‘s excellent penalty kick, his second goal of the match.
- But then came the meltdown — or the comeback, depending on perspective. Ederson delivered an awful punt and only managed to chest away Vini Jr.‘s shot on the resulting counterattack. The rebound went right to Brahim Diaz, who masterfully stroked it home against his former club in the 86th minute.
- In the 92nd minute, Mateo Kovacic messily defended a long ball, Vini Jr. got behind the defense, Ederson came out to no avail, and Jude Bellingham raced onto Vini Jr.’s chip for the winner.
This was Manchester City’s 10th blown lead this season, and this one was bad as any. The Citizens’ Real Madrid-inspired game plan backfired, James Benge writes.
- Benge: “Manchester City showed all the qualities that have been the blueprint of the European champions: fly on the seat of your pants, play your best football in patches, gamble that your luck will hold for the rest, score your best chances, rely on the other team missing theirs in increasingly baffling fashion. … That is what City delivered — not good football, not in the slightest, but the Champions League meta. The outcome? They got Real Madrided.”
Elsewhere, Weston McKennie scored a stunner in Juventus‘ 2-1 win over PSV, Ousmane Dembele led PSG to a 3-0 drubbing of Brest, and Borussia Dortmund cruised past Sporting, 3-0. Here are the scenarios for the second legs of these matchups.
We have the other four knockout phase first legs today:
Here’s how to watch, and here are our expert picks and best bets
👎 Not so honorable mentions
🏈 Grading Saints’ Kellen Moore hire, plus what’s ahead for him, Eagles
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The coaching carousel has come to a halt. The Saints hired Kellen Moore two days after he won the Super Bowl as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator. It had long been heading this direction. Now it’s official.
- Moore, 36, was with the Cowboys from 2018-22, the last four years of which he was the offensive coordinator. He spent 2023 with the Chargers before heading to Philadelphia this past season.
- Moore has produced a top-seven scoring offense in four of his six seasons as an offensive coordinator. This past year, Philadelphia was seventh in points, sixth in yards and second in rushing yards.
- Moore is reportedly targeting Brandon Staley as defensive coordinator.
The Saints earned a “B+” in Will Brinson’s coaching hire grades, which are now complete with all seven hires finalized. For what it’s worth, only one team did better.
Of course, Moore enters what is far from a “B+” situation. The Saints went 5-12, their worst record since 2005, and are paying the piper after years of putting off paying their players. New Orleans is projected to be $59.5 million over the 2025 cap — worst in the NFL — according to Over The Cap’s effective salary cap. They have restructured contracts over and over again, pushing money into future years as GM Mickey Loomis tried to cling to the semblance of a competitive team. But the bottom fell out on a long-steady defense, and the team started three different quarterbacks during a miserable 2024.
It might be a rough 2025, too, but Garrett Podell outlined how Moore can things heading in the right direction.
In Philadelphia, meanwhile, Kevin Patullo is garnering heavy interest from the Eagles and the Saints to be their next offensive coordinator. Cody ranked Philadelphia’s options for Moore’s successor.
⚾ MLB spring training storylines
USATSI
Is that baseball in the air? No, it’s just snow where I live, but at Grapefruit League and Cactus League spring training locations, the beautiful sounds of America’s Pastime are arriving, with 18 MLB teams’ pitcher and catcher workouts getting underway today. Most full-squad workouts begin within the next week, too.
Whose squad will Alex Bregman be on? What about other notable names? Those questions lead Mike Axisa’s 10 spring training storylines. Also on the list is …
- Axisa: “4. ABS challenge system — MLB will test the automated strike zone challenge system this spring. With the challenge system, a human umpire calls balls and strikes, and each team has two challenges they can use to appeal to ABS (short for automated ball-strike system). … The challenge system has been tested thoroughly in the minors, and now it’s ready for big leaguers. It could be in place for MLB’s regular season by 2026.”
🏒 4 Nations Face-Off preview, predictions
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You may have noticed there were no NHL games either of the last two nights, and there are none until next Saturday, either. That’s because the 4 Nations Face-Off has arrived, the first best-on-best international tournament the NHL has participated in since 2016.
- The United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland are the four nations participating.
- Each team will play the three others in a round-robin setting. The top two advance to the final.
When we say “best-on-best,” we mean it. Chris Bengel and Austin Nivison discussed the top players to watch in the tournament, and that includes Connor McDavid (Canada) and Auston Matthews (USA) as the top names for the co-hosting countries.
So, who wins it all? In our expert predictions, Chris says…
- Bengel: “The Americans have a nice mix of shutdown defenders on their blue line … and all three defensive pairings offer offensive upside as well. The offensive depth for the American should be out in full force. While Matthews or Matthew Tkachuk could lead the scoring charge, there’s no shortage of goal scorers on the United States roster. Pick — USA def. Canada“
Finally, I enjoyed Chris and Austin’s CBS Sports’ NHL Quarter-Century team, led by Sidney Crosby (who will be at the 4 Nations Face-Off) and Alex Ovechkin.
📺 What we’re watching Wednesday
⚽ We’re watching the UEFA Champions League. Here’s how.
🏀 No. 9 St. John’s at Villanova (M), 6 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Spurs at Celtics, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Canada vs. Sweden, 8 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏀 Cal at No. 3 Duke (M), 9 p.m. on ACC Network
🏀 Arizona State at No. 12 Texas Tech (M), 9 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Warriors at Mavericks, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
