The Sportsletter - 3,664 Is Not Enough

BY JEFF YODER & MATTHEW CAHILL

MAR. 3, 2023  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Happy Friday 🙌

A scoring record older than Kareem's was almost broken last night in the Horizon Conference Tournament of all places. March is three days old and there is already major college basketball drama. Get used to it for the next few weeks, there's going to be plenty more to come.  

Letter Rip!

NCAA

The Ghost of Pistol Pete Prevails

Photo: Mitchell Layton / Getty Images

Antoine Davis Falls Short of All-Time Scoring Record…For Now

So close! University of Detroit Mercy guard Antoine Davis entered last night with 3,642 career points, 26 points shy of breaking Pete Maravich’s Division 1 record that has stood for 53 years (3,667). On top of that, his team’s season was on the line, as they were facing the #1 seed in their conference, the Youngstown State Penguins, in the Horizon Conference Tournament. Unfortunately for Davis, he had an off night, finishing with just 22 points on 7-26 shooting, four points shy of breaking the record. To make matters worse, Detroit lost 71-66, effectively ending their season and Davis’s collegiate career. However, there is a chance that Detroit Mercy is selected to play in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) in a few weeks, which would give Davis another chance to pass Maravich in the record books. 

A Look at Maravich's Insane Record 

Antoine Davis coming so close to the record should serve as a reminder of how absurdly good Pistol Pete was during his LSU days. Due to COVID-19 cutting the 2020 season short, Davis was given a fifth year of eligibility, which is ultimately what allowed him to come so close to making history. Maravich on the other hand only had three years of eligibility because freshmen weren’t eligible to play in the late 60s. Despite that, he averaged an absurd 44.2 points a night in just 83 games played, none of which included a three-point line or shot clock. It’s hard to imagine the numbers that the late legend would have put up if these modern additions to the game were around during his college years.

Additional Storylines

Detroit Free Press: Antoine Davis's Bid for NCAA Career Scoring Record Scorned by Youngstown State in 71-66 UDM Loss

CBS: College Basketball Power Rankings: Surging Duke Makes Top-10 Appearance

NHL

Trade Tracker: The Rich Get Richer  

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

Bruins Trade for Tyler Bertuzzi Ahead of Trade Deadline 

With the NHL’s trade deadline quickly approaching at 3:00 PM ET later today, teams have been extremely active either going all in to contend or offloading assets in wake of a rebuild. Most notably, the NHL’s best team got even stronger yesterday, as the Boston Bruins acquired forward Tyler Bertuzzi from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a 2024 first-round and a 2025 fourth-round pick. Boston was already loaded at the forward position, but the injuries of Nick Foligno and Taylor Hall briefly gave Bruins fans something to potentially worry about in what has been a dream season thus far. Adding Bertuzzi will allow Foligno and Hall to take their time recovering and keep them fresh for a run at the Stanley Cup trophy this spring.

Latest NHL Trade Tracker 

F Tyler Bertuzzi (Red Wings) → Bruins

Red Wings Get: 1st & 4th-Round Picks

F Jakub Voracek (Blue Jackets) → Coyotes

Blue Jackets Get: Jon Gillies, 6th-Round Pick

F Anders Bjork (Sabres) → Blackhawks

Sabres Get: 'Future Considerations'

F Nick Bjugstad (Coyotes) → Oilers

Coyotes Get: Michael Kesselring, Cam Dineen, 3rd-Round Pick

F Dylan Sikura (Blackhawks) → Ducks

Blackhawks Get: Max Golod

F Max Domi, G Dylan Wells (Blackhawks) → Stars

Blackhawks Get: Anton Khudobin, 2nd-Round Pick

Additional Storylines

ESPN: Bruins Become Fastest Team to 100 Points in NHL History

NY Post: Rangers Fall to Senators in Patrick Kane’s Debut

NBA

40 Squared 

Photo: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images

Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic Both Drop 40+ in Mavs’ Victory over 76ers (133-126)

The Mavericks have had a bit of a rough time thus far figuring out how to properly utilize Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic together. Heading into last night, the duo was just 1-4 in games played with one another, as it’s taken longer than expected for the two to find some chemistry. Just when we thought it might be time to potentially hit the panic button, Kyrie (40 points) and Luka (42 points) torched Philadelphia to show the world why this duo is so dangerous. When both of these guys have their shots falling, Dallas is quite simply going to be unstoppable offensively. But the biggest question won’t be about this team’s offensive capabilities. It will be about whether or not they can put together enough stops on the defensive side of the ball come playoff time to compete with the juggernauts of the West.

Fun Fact: Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are the 1st pair of teammates in NBA history to each record 40+ points and 6+ 3pt FG while shooting 55%+ from the field

Watch: Luka Doncic & Kyrie Irving Combine For 82 Points vs. 76ers

Additional Storylines

Yahoo!: LeBron James to Miss at Least Three Weeks With Foot Injury

NBA.com: Nikola Jokic, Jalen Brunson Named Kia NBA Players of the Month

🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

🏀 NCAA: Haymaker Thrown in Wild Fight 

DeeJuan Pruitt and Rifen Miguel got into some trash talk midway through UT Martin and SIU Edwardsville's matchup in the OVC Championship quarterfinal. But before the two could be separated, Pruitt landed a punch to Miguel's face, leading to his ejection. 

THE STORYLINES

🥊 Inside Jon Jones’ Heavyweight Journey

Jones will fight Ciryl Gane for the vacant UFC heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 285 on Saturday in Las Vegas. With a victory, Jones would become just the eighth fighter in UFC history to win undisputed titles in two weight classes. (ESPN)

🏈 NFL Franchise Report Cards

According to NFLPA president JC Tretter, around 1,300 players participated in grading their own teams with a 60-question survey that covered eight different categories. It’s the first time the NFLPA has launched an insider “report card” for each team. (NFLPA)

🏈 The Jalen Carter Saga: What We Know

NFL draft prospect Jalen Carter faces misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing in connection with the January crash that killed two members of the Georgia football team. He turned himself in on Wednesday, but now he’s back at the NFL combine. (USA Today)

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Giannis Antetokounmpo Purchases Stake in MLS Club Nashville SC (USA Today)
• Lionel Messi Receives Threatening Note After Attack at Family Store in Argentina (ESPN)
• Joe Montana Super Bowl Jersey Smashes Auction Record Set by Tom Brady (CBS Sports)
• Eagles Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson Blasts Former DC Jonathan Gannon for SBLVII Strategy (SI)
• Bruins Sign David Pastrnak to Huge 8-Year Contract Extension (Yahoo! Sports)
• Jaguars to Use Franchise Tag on TE Evan Engram (NBC Sports)

• Tennessee Guard Zakai Zeigler Suffers Season-Ending ACL Tear (FOX Sports)

THE SPORTSLETTER

The Must-Watch Calendar 🗓️

Sports are constantly moving, and knowing when the biggest events are happening shouldn’t be a chore. The Sportsletter’s Must-Watch Calendar delivers a one-stop destination for users to see how each sport’s biggest events fit into their day simply by adding it to the place they check the most — their personal calendar. With the events added to your own Google calendar, you will be able to easily see when certain events occur, and it will be even easier to fit them into your busy schedule. If you read The Sportsletter each week, you’re familiar with our “Must-Watch List” on Fridays. It just got bigger and better.

If you have any feedback on the calendar, please email us (team@thesportsletter.com) with any questions or concerns.

🗓️ WEEKEND SCHEDULE

The Must-Watch List

It’s the spring swing! There’s a little something for everyone this weekend — from NFL combine to NCAA conference tournaments and the final month of regular season NBA and NHL action. All three racing leagues are also back on the track with Formula 1 and IndyCar joining NASCAR on the racing circuit. Here’s what we’re watching this weekend:

NBA

Grizzlies at Nuggets (Fri. 10:00 pm)

76ers at Bucks (Sat. 8:30 pm)

Suns at Mavericks (Sun. 1:00 pm)

Knicks at Celtics (Sun. 7:30 pm)

Full NBA Schedule

NHL

Devils at Golden Knights (Fri. 10:00 pm)

Rangers at Bruins (Sat. 1:00 pm)

Avalanche at Stars (Sat. 3:30 pm)

Lightning at Hurricanes (Sun. 3:00 pm)

Full NHL Schedule

NFL Scouting Combine

Friday: Defensive Backs & Special Teams

Saturday: Quarterbacks, Receivers & Tight Ends

Sunday: Running Backs & Offensive Linemen

NCAA Men’s Basketball

M: #3 Kansas at #9 Texas (Sat. 4:00 pm)

M: #8 Arizona at #4 UCLA (Sat. 10:00 pm)

M: #1 Houston at Memphis (Sun. Noon)

NCAA Women’s Basketball

Conference Tournaments

Soccer

EPL: Liverpool vs. Manchester United (Sun. 11:30 am)

MLS: LAFC vs. Portland Timbers (Sat. 4:30 pm)

Racing

Formula 1: Bahrain Grand Prix (Sun. 10:00 am)

NASCAR: Pennzoil 400 (Sun. 3:30 pm)

IndyCar: Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Sun. Noon)

UFC 285

Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane (Sat. 10:00 pm)

PGA Tour

Arnold Palmer Invitational (All Weekend)

*All Times ET

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Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Technical Lead: Kevin Lonergan

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