We are getting close to Championship Week and this year could be wild. Teams will battle for improved seeding in the big dance. There are a few bubble teams that are surprising. North Carolina was preseason #1 and now 0-9 vs. Quad 1 opponents. The Tar Heels need a strong showing in the ACC tourney.
The NBA had its all-star break and the Bucks have been hot, winning 12 straight.
I had a great time calling the Duke-Syracuse game. Thanks to Orange AD John Wildhack, my former ESPN boss.
Congratulations to LeBron James on becoming the NBAs all-time scoring leader. He passed Kareem ABDUL-Jabbar.
Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs on a Super Bowl win over the Eagles.Patrick Mahomes was the first player to win NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP since 1999.
The NBA trade deadline saw plenty of moves. Kyrie Irving went to Dallas, Kevin Durant went to Phoenix, Russell Westbrook landed in Utah, Mo Bamba went to the Lakers while James Wiseman went to the Pistons. Eric Gordon ended up a Clipper..
There was Hoosier Hysteria as Indiana beat #1 Purdue. There was enthusiasm and energy in Bloomington, a special environment.
There were a number of big college games Saturday. Duke edged North Carolina, Tennessee got past Auburn, Texas beat Kansas State and St. Mary’s beat Gonzaga in overtime.
Tom Brady announced his retirement. He won a record seven Super Bowls and set numerous passing records. Enjoy retirement Tom.
Tennessee had a great win over Texas. I was so impressed with Rick Barnes’ team defense. Kansas got a big win over Kentucky.
Congratulations to the Super Bowl participants Philadelphia and Kansas City.
Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka won the Australian Open singles titles.
The Australian Open saw plenty of upsets. Rafael Nadal lost to Mackenzie McDonald. Case Ruud fell to Jenson Brooksby. Ons Jabeur also lost in round two.Four American men advanced to the round of 16!
Notre Dame basketball coach Mike Brey announced his retirement at the end of this season, his 23rd with the Irish. Gonzaga saw its 75-game home win streak ended by Loyola-Marymount. The Zags had won 93 straight vs. unranked teams.
Congratulations to the Georgia Bulldogs, winners of consecutive national football championships. They blew out TCU, 65-7 in the title game as Stetson Bennett starred.
The Jaguars rallied from a 27-0 deficit to beat the Chargers. The Giants upset the Vikings.
College basketball saw many upsets. One team that survived was Kansas, edging Iowa State.
Congratulations to the Jacksonville Jaguars, winners of the AFC South thanks to a win over the Titans. The Dolphins made the playoffs with an 11-6 win over the Jets plus a Patriots loss.
Kansas State had a special week, winning at Texas and at Baylor. Iowa State won at Oklahoma and at TCU. Another school needing PR is Florida Atlantic, leaders in Conference USA and winners of 13 straight.
Congratulations to Novak Djokovic, who won his 92nd ATP title in an Australian Open warmup.
Georgia and TCU advanced to the national championship game. The Bulldogs rallied to beat Ohio State. TCU won a wild one over Michigan.
I’ve watched lots of hoops in my lifetime and I witnessed the GREATEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE I have ever seen. Luka Doncic had a magical effort with 60 POINTS-20 REBOUNDS and 11 ASSISTS in a game where each point-rebound-assist was needed in a close win over the Knicks.
Connecticut fell from the unbeaten ranks, losing at Xavier. Purdue and New Mexico started 2023 as the lone unbeaten left in Division 1.
I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I enjoyed time with mybfamily in the Cayman Islands.
The NFL and NBA were busy during the holidays. The Niners and Bengals extended their win streaks. The Bills won the AFC East. The Texans snapped a nine-game losing streak. The NBA saw the Sixers knock off the Knicks as Joel Embiid starred.
There were many college hoop surprises. Eastern Illinois, a 31 1/2-point underdog, won at Iowa. Wofford stunned Texas A&M. Utah Valley won at Oregon. North Alabama won at Mississippi. Drake beat previously-unbeaten Mississippi State. Saint Louis fell against SIU-Edwardsville.
It was a great week in sports.
Congratulations to USC’s Caleb Williams, who won the Heisman Trophy.
Britney Griner was finally released from a Russian prison.
College basketball saw plenty of exciting moments. Alabama won at Houston. Illinois rallied to beat Texas. Arizona knocked off Indiana.
The World Cup gave many thrilling memories as Argentina, Croatia, France and Morocco made the semifinals.
The Philadelphia Eagles continued to dominate, putting up 48 against the Giants. The Bucs continued to struggle, falling to the Niners.
It was a great week in sports.
Congratulations to USC’s Caleb Williams, who won the Heisman Trophy.
Britney Griner was finally released from a Russian prison.
College basketball saw plenty of exciting moments. Alabama won at Houston. Illinois rallied to beat Texas. Arizona knocked off Indiana.
The World Cup gave many thrilling memories as Argentina, Croatia, France and Morocco made the semifinals.
The Philadelphia Eagles continued to dominate, putting up 48 against the Giants. The Bucs continued to struggle, falling to the Niners.
The football playoff is set as Georgia, Michigan, TCU and Ohio State made it. Georgia won the SEC football championship while Michigan won the Big Ten title. There were upsets as TCU lost to Kansas State in the Big 12 while USC lost to Utah in the Pac-12.
The US was eliminated in the World Cup, falling to the Netherlands. France and England advanced to the quarterfinals.
The Eagles continued to impress, blowing out the Titans. The Bengals got past the Chiefs. The Niners knocked off the Dolphins.
The World Cup saw one of the biggest upsets ever. Saudi Arabia, ranked 51st in the world rankings, stunned one of the tourney’s favorites, Argentina, 2-1.
There were other shockers as Costa Rica, coming off a 7-0 loss, stunned Japan. Belgium was beaten by Morocco.
College basketball saw a wild week too. Purdue impressed with easy wins over Gonzaga and Duke. North Carolina lost twice, including a four-overtime battle vs. Alabama. Tennessee knocked off Kansas in the Bahamas. Arizona beat Creighton to win the Maui Invitational. I called Oklahoma’s win over Mississippi at Disney.
It was a great week in college basketball. Kansas beat Duke, Michigan State beat Kentucky and Villanova. Texas took care of Gonzaga. Indiana edged Xavier. Virginia beat Illinois and Baylor in Las Vegas.
College football saw several contenders challenged. TCU, Michigan, Ohio State and USC survived. Tennessee was blown out at South Carolina.
The Lions were impressive in beating the Giants. The Eagles rallied to beat the Colts. The Cowboys buried the Vikings.
Congratulations to Novak Djokovic on winning the ATP final. He beat Casper Ruud in Italy.
Tuesday night in Indianapolis was so special. I had been thinking about that night since the day Dr. Rick Brown says I was cancer free and Dr. Steven Zeitels aid my vocal cord surgeries were successful. I was finally cleared to return to the sidelines, calling basketball games for ESPN..
I was thrilled to join my buddy Dan Shulman and Holly Rowe to call the Michigan State-Kentucky game at the Champions Classic in Indianapolis. It was a thrill to see Tom Izzo and John Calipari face-off in a great early-season test. They are two of the best in the business!
Of course the game went double overtime, with Michigan State getting a big win. Quite a performance coming off the Gonzaga loss.
The game changed when Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe fouled out after posting his 17th straight double-double. Michigan State is tough and tenacious and gets good guard play. Then add H squared, Malik Hall and Joey Hauser. Izzo celebrated with some pasta after the W!
College football saw Tennessee set a school-record for offense. TCU remained unbeaten by taking down Texas. There were several home teams that lost, including Illinois, Wake Forest, Oregon, NC State, Mississippi, Kentucky and UCLA. The Wildcats lost to Vandy, which snapped a 26-game SEC losing streak.
College hoops saw several surprises. Cal-Irvine over Oregon, Colorado over Tennessee, Temple over Villanova, Alcorn State over Wichita State, Bellarmine and Wright State over Louisville , Stetson over Florida State, Sam Houston State over Oklahoma, Southern Illinois over Oklahoma State, Grambling over Colorado, Quinnipiac and Texas State over Rhode Island, Wagner over Temple, SE Missouri State over South Florida, Florida Gulf Coast over USC and UC-Davis over California.
The Vikings won a wild game at Buffalo. The Packers rallied the beat the Cowboys in overtime. The Dolphins were impressive over the Browns.
Congratulations to the World Series champion Houston Astros. They beat the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. Dusty Baker got his first title.
Lots of college football excitement. LSU beat Alabama in OT. Georgia took care of Tennessee. Notre Dame handed Clemson its first loss. Texas knocked off Kansas State.
Holger Rune had an incredible week, beating Novak Djokovic, Felix Auger-Alissime, Carlos Alcaraz and Andrei Rublev to win an ATP event in Paris.
The NFL had news as the Jets stunned the Bills. Joe Mixon scored five touchdowns in a rout of Carolina. Justin Fields set a regular season QB rushing game record in a loss to Miami.
Congratulations to the Philadelphia Phillies on making its first World Series since 2009. Bryce Harper hit a clutch HR late in the deciding game. The Phillies will meet the Astros in the World Series as Houston swept the Yankees in the ALCS.
The NFC East continues to surprise. The Giants moved to 6-1 by beating the Jaguars. Dallas and Washington also won.
Tough times for Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. The Bucs lost to the lowly Panthers. The Packers lost to the Commodores.
Brian Kelly has LSU on a roll. The Tigers gave Mississippi its first loss.