The Sportsletter - Fastest to 50 & The Bayou Buzzer-Beater

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BY JEFF YODER

FEB. 22, 2024 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

I’m not a gambling man, and we don't do much sports betting in our newsletter. But if I was (and if we did), college basketball underdogs are printing money right now. Last night featured six ranked vs. unranked games, and the unranked squads went 4-2. Bracket season should be a treat (stay tuned).

Plus, Lionel Messi and crew helped kick off the 2024 MLS season last night, and one NHL superstar is closing in on history. Let's roll some hockey and soccer before the NBA returns tonight.

Letter Rip!

  NHL  

Fastest to 50 (And Beyond)

Photo: Mark Blinch / Getty Images

Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews Becomes Fastest Player to Reach 50 Goals in a Season Since Mario Lemieux (1995-96)

There have been a lot of hockey records being rewritten over the past two seasons, and we can add another to the list. Auston Matthews tallied his 50th goal of the season on Wednesday in the Maple Leafs’ 6-3 win over the Coyotes in Toronto. He actually added his 51st, too. That’s 51 goals in just 54 games this season for Matthews as he became the fastest player to score 50 in an NHL season since before he was born -- 28 years. Mario Lemieux did it in 50 games with the Penguins (1995-96). Wayne Gretzky holds the record at just 39 games (1981-82). It’s the fastest any American-born player has reached 50 goals in NHL history, and the chase doesn’t stop there for Matthews.

Matthews Chasing History

Toronto’s 26-year-old is having his best season yet after putting together back-to-back hat tricks coming out of the All-Star break. He’s scored nine goals in the last four games, and the Leafs have won five straight. Matthews is currently on pace to score 76 goals by season’s end. That would put him in elite company as just the seventh player ever to surpass the 75-goal milestone in a season. That list includes names like Gretzky, Hull, Lemieux and Esposito.

Watch: Auston Matthews Notches 50th Goal in 54 Games as Leafs Romp Coyotes (6-3)

🏒 Other NHL Highlights

Sabres def. Canadiens (3-2)

Flyers def. Blackhawks (3-1)

Blue Jackets def. Ducks (7-4)

Bruins def. Oilers (6-5, OT)

*Charlie McAvoy Finishes OT Winner

  NCAA  

The Bayou Buzzer-Beater 🤯

Photo: Eakin Howard / Getty Images

LSU Sinks #17 Kentucky With Crazy Game-Winner (75-74) as More Unranked Teams Blow Up Ranked Resumes

The closer we get to March, the more chaos continues to annihilate college basketball’s best. What if I told you unranked teams went 4-2 against ranked opponents last night? That’s a .667 winning percentage for the underdogs, and the madness that is college basketball just can’t seem to stop. As upsets galore poured in around the country, one particular SEC battle stole the show. LSU took down #17 Kentucky with a buzzer-beater from Tyrell Ward on a tipped, blocked, rebound, not-sure-what-to-call-it-alley-oop sequence you have to see to believe. LSU fans stormed the court, and the ‘Bayou Buzzer-Beater’ rang long and loud throughout the SEC. It was LSU's second straight win against a top-20 team after beating #11 South Carolina last Saturday, and that was just one of Wednesday’s amazing finishes.

Watch: LSU Stuns #17 Kentucky on Tyrell Ward’s Buzzer-Beater (75-74)

🏀 Men’s NCAA Highlights

#7 Marquette def. DePaul (105-71)

#8 Duke def. Miami (84-55)

Penn State def. #12 Illinois (90-89)

#13 Alabama def. #24 Florida (98-93, OT)

George Mason def. #16 Dayton (71-67)

New Mexico def. #22 Colorado State (68-66)

🏀 Women’s NCAA Highlights

#5 Texas def. Texas Tech (77-72)

#10 Kansas State def. #22 W. Virginia (73-64)

#24 Baylor def. Kansas (69-61)

  SOCCER  

Clean Start for Messi & Co. 👏

Photo: Megan Briggs / Getty Images

Inter Miami Starts MLS Campaign With 2-0 Win Over Real Salt Lake

Messi Mania is back! The 2024 MLS season kicked off last night in Miami to put the league’s biggest star on display, as well as his band of former Barcelona teammates. It was all Inter Miami in the opener against Real Salt Lake (2-0). Lionel Messi didn’t score, but he helped orchestrate both scoring opportunities with fancy footwork and passing. Messi assisted Robert Taylor on a run into the box in the first half (39’) before a late insurance goal came via quick 1-2 touch passing between Messi and Luis Suarez to tee up Diego Gomez (83’). That looks like the Miami formula entering the season — using Messi to break defensive schemes and drop it off to teammates for goal-scoring chances. Miami is now 9-4-2 since Messi joined the club, and they’re officially 1-0-0 to open 2024. Let’s kick it!

Watch: Inter Miami def. Real Salt Lake (2-0)

MLS Opening Weekend: The rest of the MLS begins their 2024 season on Saturday and Sunday (Feb. 24-25).

Champions League (Knockouts)

Another set of timid Leg 1s appeared to be the story in the Champions League on Wednesday. Just like Tuesday’s games, only three goals were scored as clubs dip their toe in for a two-leg heat. Napoli and Barcelona played to a 1-1 draw with second-half goals in a pretty even contest, but FC Porto stunned Arsenal (1-0) with a stoppage-time strike from Galeno (90+4’). The Brazilian Galeno hit a curler from outside the box that sent Estadio de Dragao into bedlam. There’s still much to be settled in Leg 2s (beginning in March).

⚽️ Champions League Highlights

FC Porto def. Arsenal (1-0)

Barcelona draw Napoli (1-1)

Knockout Stage (Round of 16, Leg 2)

March 5-6 & March 12-13

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  STORYLINES   

⚾️ Potential MLB Expansion Cities

While the timeline for MLB to go to 32 teams remains a bit murky, commissioner Rob Manfred recently said he hopes to have a process "in place" for the league to expand to 32 teams before he retires in 2029. So what cities could be next? (ESPN)

🏈 Meet the UFL Coaches

The United Football League has announced the coaching staffs for its inaugural 2024 season, confirming the returns of several coaches who led their respective squads in the XFL and USFL last year before the two leagues merged this winter. (FOX Sports)

🏀 NBA Summer Trade Block

There was a sense around the league last summer that the 2024 offseason had a chance to be among the wildest in recent memory. A slow trade deadline should lead to a fun summer. Here are five stars who might be on the move. (CBS Sports)

  NEWS   📰 

• MLB Players ‘Frustrated’ With New Uniforms, Want Fix Before Season (B/R)
• Tiger Woods’ 15-Year-Old Charlie to Play in PGA Pre-Qualifier Today (ESPN)
• Joaquin Niemann & 2 Other LIV Players Get Special Exemptions for The Masters (Yahoo! Sports)
• Kevin Durant Teases Possible Role in Seattle SuperSonics NBA Expansion Team (SI)
• Former Royals Reliever Kelvin Herrera Elected Mayor of ‘Beloved’ Hometown in Dominican Republic (CBS Sports)

• Southland Conference Suspends 8 Players for Brawl on Monday Night (ESPN)

• Justin Fields Says Clearly: “I Want to Play for the Bears” (B/R)

  SCHEDULE   🗓️

Today's Must-Watch List

🏀 NBA

Knicks at 76ers (7:00 pm ET, NBALP)

Suns at Mavericks (7:30 pm ET, TNT)

Clippers at Thunder (8:00 pm ET, NBALP)

Lakers at Warriors (10:00 pm ET, TNT)

🏒 NHL

Capitals at Lightning (7:00 pm ET, ESPN)

Rangers at Devils (7:00 pm ET, ESPN+)

Panthers at Hurricanes (7:00 pm ET, ESPN+)

Maple Leafs at Golden Knights (10:00 pm ET, ESPN+)

🏀 NCAA Basketball

M: Rutgers at #3 Purdue (7:00 pm ET, FS1)

M: #21 Wash. State at #4 Arizona (11:00 pm ET, FS1)

W: #2 Ohio State at Penn State (6:00 pm ET, BTN)

W: Alabama at #1 S. Carolina (7:00 pm ET, SECN)

W: #4 Iowa at #14 Indiana (8:00 pm ET, Peacock)

W: #6 NC State at N. Carolina (8:00 pm ET, ACCN)

W: #18 Utah at #12 UCLA (9:30 pm ET, ESPN)

  POLL   📊

Question of the Day

Which NBA team is under the most pressure to win the NBA Finals this year? (click to vote)

Boston Celtics

Milwaukee Bucks

Los Angeles Clippers

Philadelphia 76ers

Phoenix Suns

Yesterday’s Results

Yesterday, we asked: Who will win this year’s MLS Cup (Messi or 'The Field')?

Messi & Inter Miami — 48.2%

The Field (Any Other Team) — 51.8%

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

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