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Good Morning 👋
Today’s edition boasts a hat trick of soccer storylines as the MLS, Gold Cup and Champions League help reignite a spring of kicking. We’ll also take inventory before the NBA’s final third of the season — the stretch run. And alas, another top-ranked team was upset in college basketball (it’s almost unbelievable). From unanimous to upset in 24 hours? We start there… Letter Rip! |
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#15 Creighton Shocks #1 UConn (85-66)
We’ve said it all year in college basketball — No one is safe! #15 Creighton dismantled unanimous #1 UConn last night by 19 points in a game that was never close. The Blue Jays caught fire and shot 50 percent from 3, including five triples from Steven Ashworth (20 points). The upset comes two days after #2 Purdue fell to Ohio State and UConn became the first unanimous No. 1 team all season. The nation’s top two teams have now lost in less than 72 hours. Fun Fact: Creighton’s upset was the largest margin of victory by an underdog against a No. 1 team since UMBC shocked 1-seed Virginia in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. |
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Pitch Notes: A Hat Trick of Storylines |
Photo: Rich Storry / Getty Images |
Soccer Storylines: MLS Season Kickoff (Tonight), Champions League Knockouts & USWNT Dominates Gold Cup Opener
A long winter is starting to near its bitter end (anytime please), and that means soccer’s return is inevitable. Alongside the Champions League Knockout Stage — which returned last week — the USWNT is back in action and looking good. The 2024 MLS season is also about to begin tonight in Miami. Messi Mania Part II has arrived. Here’s a three-pack of our seasonal “pitch notes” to keep you updated on all things kicking in a busy week of soccer. |
⚽️ MLS Season Kicks Off Tonight
The 2024 MLS season starts kicking tonight with a single-game opening night featuring — who else? — Lionel Messi. Messi and the revamped Miami roster are 8-2-4 in 14 games since he joined the club last July, but they've since added former Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez to the reunion tour. The rest of the MLS will begin their 2024 campaigns on Saturday and Sunday. MLS Season Opener (Tonight) Inter Miami vs. Real Salt Lake (8:00 pm ET, AppleTV) |
🏆 Champions League Knockout Recaps The Champions League continued on Tuesday with another pair of Leg 1s. Inter showed a bit of dominance against Atletico Madrid (1-0) in a lopsided stat sheet that only produced one goal from Marko Arnautovic (79’). PSV and Dortmund played to a draw (1-1) as both teams appeared to settle for a Leg 1 stalemate. More to come.
Yesterday's Highlights Inter def. Atletico Madrid (1-0)
PSV draw Borussia Dortmund (1-1)
Today's Schedule Porto vs. Arsenal (3:00 pm ET, CBS) Napoli vs. Barcelona (3:00 pm ET, CBS) |
🇺🇸 USWNT Delivers Gold Cup Thrashing
The U.S. Women’s National Team paced the Dominican Republic last night in California (5-0) for a solid opening for their 2024 Gold Cup run. Olivia Moultrie scored twice in her first USWNT start while Lynn Williams, Jenna Nighswonger and Alex Morgan also scored. It was the sixth win under interim coach Twila Kilgore who’s filling in until Emma Hayes takes over this summer. Watch: USWNT def. Dominican Republic (5-0) Gold Cup Schedule USWNT vs. Argentina (Fri. Feb. 23) USWNT vs. Mexico (Mon. Feb. 26) |
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Final 3rd: The NBA's 'Stretch Run' |
Photo: Winslow Townson / Getty Images |
The Post-All-Star Break Look-Ahead to the NBA’s Playoff Push (By Marissa Kasch)
After a whirlwind All-Star weekend, the NBA is finally getting back on the court tomorrow (Thursday). By this point, we already have a preliminary playoff picture, but the regular season is far from over. We still have about two months of basketball (30-plus games) before things are set in stone, and there are definitely some teams, players and storylines to watch down that stretch. NBA Playoff Picture / Play-In Tournament
The NBA Play-In Tournament doesn’t start until April 16. The tournament will give the No. 7 and 8 seeds in each conference a chance to win a game (against 9 and 10 seeds) and earn a playoff spot. The No. 9 and 10 seeds in each conference would need two consecutive wins to earn a playoff spot. While the tournament is roughly two months away, the playoff picture is becoming a bit more clear. Teams will shift, but we know the basics of what to expect. Here’s what the brackets would look like if the playoffs started today:
Eastern Conference (1) Celtics vs. (8/9/10 Seed TBD) (2) Cavaliers vs. (7/8/9 Seed TBD) (3) Bucks vs. (6) Pacers (4) Knicks vs. (5) 76ers Western Conference (1) Timberwolves vs. (8/9/10 Seed TBD) (2) Thunder vs. (7/8/9 Seed TBD) (3) Clippers vs. (6) Pelicans
(4) Nuggets vs. (5) Suns Sleeper Teams to Watch We already have a feel for some teams, but there are others that may not be on your radar yet, and they should be. The Mavericks
have been fun to watch this year, but they really went on a run before the All-Star break. They won five consecutive games before entering the break with a 35-point win over the Thunder. Dallas also acquired PJ Washington just before the trade deadline. Another thing I’ve learned from watching the NBA these past ten years: Never count the Warriors
out. Though they got off to a rough start and lost Draymond Green for a big chunk of the season, they’re getting it together now. Prior to the All-Star break, the Warriors won seven of their last eight games. The return of Draymond Green has bolstered this defense, which is exactly what Golden State needed. The Heat
is another team that’s found themselves playing deep into the postseason in recent years, regardless of seed. It appears they’ll find themselves there again. There is nothing new or exciting happening in Miami. Instead, there is consistency and talent among Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo. And they aren’t scared of anybody. |
Eastern Conference 1. Boston Celtics (43-12) 2. Cleveland Cavaliers (36-17)
3. Milwaukee Bucks (35-21)
4. New York Knicks (33-22)
5. Philadelphia 76ers (32-22)
6. Indiana Pacers (31-25)
7. Miami Heat (30-25)
8. Orlando Magic (30-25)
9. Chicago Bulls (26-29)
10. Atlanta Hawks (24-31) Outside the Playoff Picture: Brooklyn Nets (21-33), Toronto Raptors (19-36), Charlotte Hornets (13-41), Washington Wizards (9-45), Detroit Pistons (8-46) Western Conference 1. Minnesota Timberwolves (39-16)
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (37-17)
3. Los Angeles Clippers (36-17)
4. Denver Nuggets (36-19)
5. Phoenix Suns (33-22)
6. New Orleans Pelicans (33-22)
7. Dallas Mavericks (32-23)
8. Sacramento Kings (31-23)
9. Los Angeles Lakers (30-26)
10. Golden State Warriors (27-26) Outside the Playoff Picture: Utah Jazz (26-30), Houston Rockets (24-30), Memphis Grizzlies (20-36), Portland Trail Blazers (15-39), San Antonio Spurs (11-44)
Roughly 30 games to play! The NBA’s final third starts tomorrow. Read More The Ringer: The 6 Biggest Questions of the NBA’s Stretch Run
FOX Sports: NBA Power Rankings: Stretch Run Begins With Celtics Back on Top |
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💰 The Sports Betting Industry Boom
As the American sports betting industry continues to expand, it has reached a high water mark, posting a record $10.92 billion in revenue for 2023, according to the American Gaming Association's annual report. (ESPN) 🥊
The UFC 300 Letdown
By the time UFC president Dana White announced the main event for UFC 300, even he didn’t seem excited about it anymore. Mostly what he seemed was relieved. This much-hyped, much-anticipated event had a headliner at last. (Yahoo! Sports) 🏀 2024 NCAA Tournament Projections
We are officially 26 days away from Selection Sunday. UConn (East), Houston (South), Purdue (Midwest) and Arizona (West) remain on the top line, despite the Boilermakers falling to unranked Ohio State this past weekend. Let’s see the field. (FOX Sports) |
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⚽️ MLS Season-Opener Inter Miami vs. Real Salt Lake (8:00 pm ET, AppleTV) ⚽️ Champions League FC Porto vs. Arsenal (3:00 pm ET, CBS) Napoli vs. Barcelona (3:00 pm ET, CBS) 🏒 NHL
Flyers at Blackhawks (7:30 pm ET, TNT) Bruins at Oilers (10:00 pm ET, TNT) 🏀
NCAA Basketball M: #8 Duke at Miami (7:00 pm ET, ESPN) M: #24 Floria at #13 Alabama (7:00 pm ET, ESPN2) M:
#17 Kentucky at LSU (9:00 pm ET, ESPN) W: #22 W. Virginia at #10 Kansas State (7:30 pm ET, ESPN+) W: Texas Tech at #5 Texas (8:00 pm ET, LHN) W:
Kansas at #24 Baylor (8:00 pm ET, ESPN+) |
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The 2024 MLS season kicks off tonight with Lionel Messi and Inter Miami carrying the torch. After his mid-season introduction to the MLS last fall, a handful of former stars were added to the Miami roster. Their short MLS Cup window officially begins with Messi now 36 years old. So we ask: Who will win this year’s MLS Cup? Messi & Inter Miami The Field (Any Other Team) |
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