The Sportsletter - Gobbling Up Sports 🦃

BY JEFF YODER

NOV. 24, 2021  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  BROWSER VIEW

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Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

The Sportsletter team will be off for the next four days, but you’ll need to be ready for everything on the sports calendar. Lucky for you, we’ve got it all in today’s Thanksgiving Week Must-Watch List. But first, the 1-2 matchup in college hoops didn’t live up to the billing. Is another Gonzaga-dominant college hoops season coming?

PROGRAMMING

The Sportsletter will not be published on Thursday (Nov. 25) or Friday (Nov. 26).

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NCAA

The Gonzaga Revenge Tour

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

#1 Gonzaga Routs #2 UCLA (83-63) to Stay Unbeaten

Last year’s Gonzaga Bulldogs were the No. 1 team all year long en route to a nearly perfect season. They fell one game short, losing only to Baylor in the National Championship. Now, the Zags are in revenge mode, and the early-season consensus is this: They’re head and shoulders above the competition. Gonzaga blew out No. 2 UCLA on Tuesday night (83-63) in a shocking 1-2 matchup that was never close. They were up 20 at the break before playing the second half on cruise control. Andrew Nembhard (24 points) and Drew Timme (18 points) combined for 42 while seven-foot freshman Chet Holmgren had 15 points and four blocks.

Watch: Gonzaga Blows Out UCLA in 1-2 Matchup (83-63)

The Zags Revenge Path: Just like last year, Gonzaga has a solid path to another potential undefeated campaign. They’ll get two more non-conference litmus tests before a conference schedule that features just two matchups against currently ranked teams (both #18 BYU).

Gonzaga’s Notable Upcoming Games

#1 Gonzaga vs. #5 Duke (Fri. 10:30 pm ET)

#1 Gonzaga vs. #10 Alabama (Dec. 4, 8:00 pm ET)

If Mark Few’s squad makes it through the next two weeks unscathed, let the undefeated chatter begin.

Additional Storylines

USA Today: Gonzaga Shows National Championship Potential in Impressive Demolition of UCLA

ESPN: Gonzaga Beats UCLA: What We Learned & What It Could Mean for College Basketball in March

CFB

CFB Playoff Rankings

Image via @CFBPlayoff Twitter

Ohio State Surges Heading Into Matchup With Michigan, Cincinnati Moves Into Top-4

Halfway through the CFB Playoff Rankings (3 of 6) and there’s another shakeup in the Top-4. Ohio State jumped Alabama to take the No. 2 spot after destroying Michigan State last weekend. Meanwhile, Cincinnati made history on Tuesday as the first ever Top-4 ranking for a non-Power 5 conference team. Their bid for an undefeated season has two games remaining, but Michigan, Notre Dame and Oklahoma State aren’t out just yet.

CFB Playoff Rankings (3 of 6)

1. Georgia (11-0)

2. Ohio State (10-1)

3. Alabama (10-1)

4. Cincinnati (11-0)

5. Michigan (10-1)

6. Notre Dame (10-1)

7. Oklahoma State (10-1)

8. Baylor (9-2)

9. Ole Miss (9-2)

10. Oklahoma (10-1)

Full CFB Playoff Rankings

Additional Storylines

SI: Cincinnati Now Controls Its Own Destiny in CFB Playoff

ESPN+: How the Playoff’s Final Eight Contenders Make or Miss the Top-4

SOCCER

Pitch Notes: Around the Globe

Photo: NurPhoto / Getty Images

Champions League Matchday 5 & MLS Cup Playoff Recaps

A busy day on the pitch brought Matchday 5 in the Champions League and a pair of first-round matchups in the MLS Cup Playoffs. For the sake of time, we’ve got highlights to every soccer game on Tuesday and a look-ahead to today’s action.

MLS Cup Playoff Highlights

Nashville SC def. Orlando City SC (3-1)

Real Salt Lake def. Seattle Sounders (0-0, 6-5 PKs)

Champions League Highlights

Bayern Munich def. Dynamo Kiev (2-1)

Manchester United def. Villareal (2-0)

Barcelona draw Benfica (0-0)

Chelsea def. Juventus (4-0)

Lille def. FC Salzburg (1-0)

Zenit draw Malmo (1-1)

Sevilla def. Wolfsburg (2-0)

Young Boys draw Atalanta (3-3)

Champions League Schedule (Today)

Ajax vs. Besiktas (12:15 pm)

Inter vs. Shakhtar Donetsk (12:45 pm)

Sporting vs. Dortmund (3:00 pm)

Man. City vs. PSG (3:00 pm)

Atletico Madrid vs. Milan (3:00 pm)

Liverpool vs. Porto (3:00 pm)

Club Brugge vs. RB Leipzig (3:00 pm)

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🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

🏀 NBA: Knicks Top LeBron-Less Lakers in the Garden

LeBron James missed Tuesday’s Lakers-Knicks showdown while serving a one-game suspension, and his team missed him in Tuesday’s marquee matchup. The Knicks jumped out to a 10-0 lead for a wire-to-wire win (106-100) thanks a monster night from Julius Randle (20 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists).

🏒 NHL: Stars Snap McDavid’s Point Streak at 17

Connor McDavid was riding a 17-game point streak to start the NHL season, but the Dallas Stars put a stop to it with a 4-1 win over the Oilers on Tuesday. Roope Hintz recorded a goal and an assist while John Klingberg tallied three assists.

THE STORYLINES

⚾️  MLB vs. Players Union

Dec. 1 draws ever nearer, and that date has major significance for Major League Baseball this offseason. That's the date on which the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires. So what will the players union ask for? (CBS Sports)

🏈  NFL Power Rankings

Some weeks, everything goes according to plan in the NFL. Contenders win. Pretenders lose. All is right with the universe. Week 11 was most assuredly not one of those weeks. Here’s where every team stands entering Week 12. (Bleacher Report)

🏀  6 Observations From Around the NBA

How Tyrese Maxey’s come-up impacts the Ben Simmons standoff. The Russell Westbrook problem isn’t going away. Karl-Anthony Towns needs more shots. The Pelicans can start praying for Paolo Banchero, and more… (The Ringer)

📰 THE HEADLINES

Rays Sign Wander Franco to Massive Extension Worth Over $200 Million

(SI)

Giants Fire Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett After Monday Night Football Blowout

(ESPN)

NFL Analyst Michael Strahan to Join Blue Origin’s Next Space Flight

(USA Today)

Bettor Turns $50 Bet Into $1.1 Million With Ridiculous 15-Leg Parlay

(CBS Sports)

Cardinals Sign Pitcher Steven Matz to 4-Year, $44 Million Deal

(Yahoo! Sports)

Chicago Red Stars Coach Rory Dames Steps Down Amid Emotional Abuse Complaints

(The Athletic)

THANKSGIVING SCHEDULE

The Must-Watch List

The extended watch list for Thanksgiving break brings plenty for everyone. Time to gobble up some sports all weekend long. Have a great holiday!

NFL Week 12 (Thanksgiving Day)

Bears at Lions (12:30 pm)

Raiders at Cowboys (4:30 pm)

Bills at Saints (8:20 pm)

NFL Week 12 (Sunday)

Bucs at Colts (1:00 pm)

Titans at Patriots (1:00 pm)

Steelers at Bengals (1:00 pm)

Rams at Packers (4:25 pm)

Browns at Ravens (8:20 pm)

Full NFL Schedule

College Football (Saturday)

#2 Ohio State at #6 Michigan (Noon)

#3 Alabama at Auburn (3:30 pm)

#10 Oklahoma at #7 Oklahoma State (7:30 pm)

#5 Notre Dame at Stanford (8:00 pm)

Full College Football Schedule

NCAA Basketball

M: #5 Duke at #1 Gonzaga (Fri. 10:30 pm)

W: #5 NC State at #2 Maryland (Thurs. 11:00 am)

W: #4 Indiana at #7 Stanford (Thurs. 1:30 pm)

Soccer

UCL: Man. City vs. PSG (Wed. 3:00 pm)

INT: USWNT vs. Australia (Fri. 11:00 pm)

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

MLS Cup Playoffs Schedule

NBA Schedule

NHL Schedule

*All Times Eastern

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