The Sportsletter - 1-And-Done: Down Goes Duke

BY JEFF YODER

DEC. 1, 2021  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  BROWSER VIEW

Good Morning,

Welcome to December. We’ve got the Heisman, CFB Playoffs and the NFL stretch run to look forward to before the holiday season. It’s the mid-week edition, and it’s another upset of No. 1 in college basketball.

Letter Rip!

NCAA

1-And-Done: Down Goes Duke

Photo: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images

Ohio State Shocks No. 1 Duke; No. 2 Purdue Rolls in Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Just one game after Duke took down Gonzaga to claim the top spot in the polls, the Blue Devils got a dose of heartbreak. Tuesday’s action in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge saw Ohio State play spoiler while No. 2 Purdue crushed Florida State. The Boilers should be next week’s No. 1 barring a loss this week. Here are the top highlights from college hoops’ inter-conference clash.

Ohio State def. No. 1 Duke (71-66)

The top-ranked Blue Devils were cruising through 30 minutes of Tuesday’s showdown at Ohio State, but the Buckeyes erupted for a 14-2 to end the game and pull the upset. Ohio State outscored Duke by 18 in the second half. Zed Key led the game with 20 points while E.J. Liddle packaged 14 points and 14 boards for the Buckeyes. OSU (5-2) can expected a top-25 ranking next week.

No. 2 Purdue def. Florida State (93-65)

The nation’s second-ranked team had no trouble with their foe in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Boilermakers rolled Florida State behind five players in double figures and a near 60-percent shooting night, including 48 percent from deep (12-for-25). The Boilers (7-0) have scored 90-plus in six of their seven wins. With a win against Iowa on Thursday, Purdue should secure their first-ever No. 1 ranking in program history next week.

Big Ten/ACC Challenge Scores

Iowa def. Virginia (75-74)

Illinois def. Notre Dame (82-72)

Minnesota def. Pittsburgh (54-53)

Syracuse def. Indiana (112-110, 2OT)

Rutgers def. Clemson (74-64)

Wake Forest def. Northwestern (77-73)

The Big Ten leads the Challenge (6-2). They won it each of the last two years, but the ACC holds the overall advantage (12-7-3) dating back to 1999.

Today’s Schedule

Louisville at #22 Michigan State (7:15 pm ET)

Nebraska at NC State (7:15 pm ET)

Virginia Tech at Maryland (7:15 pm ET)

Miami at Penn State (9:15 pm ET)

#24 Michigan at North Carolina (9:15 pm ET)

#23 Wisconsin at Georgia Tech (9:15 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

USA Today: Ohio State Upsets No. 1 Duke With 2nd-Half Rally

ESPN: What Duke’s Loss Means for the Buckeyes, Blue Devils & College Basketball

CFB RANKINGS

Michigan Surges Into Top-4

Image via @CFBPlayoff Twitter

Michigan Replaces Ohio State at No. 2 in Latest CFB Playoff Rankings

There’s a newcomer in the College Football Playoff picture as we head into November, and it’s no surprise. Michigan jumped from No. 5 to No. 2, replacing Ohio State — who fell to No. 7 — after their win against the Buckeyes last Saturday in the Big House. Meanwhile, Teams 1, 3 and 4 stayed the same while Oklahoma State leapfrogged Notre Dame to take its place in the on-deck circle. The final CFB Playoff picture will come into focus in just two weeks.

CFB Playoff Rankings

1. Georgia (12-0) | —

2. Michigan (11-1) | ↑5

3. Alabama (11-1) | —

4. Cincinnati (12-0) | —

5. Oklahoma State (11-1) | ↑2

6. Notre Dame (11-1) | —

7. Ohio State (10-2) | ↓5

8. Ole Miss (10-2) | ↑1

9. Baylor (10-2) | ↓1

10. Oregon (10-2) | ↑1

Full CFB Playoff Rankings

Additional Storylines

Yahoo! Sports: Think, Know, Believe on the Penultimate CFP Top-25

ESPN: Michigan Romps Its Way Into College Football Playoff Top 4

MLB

Free Agency Deals & Rumors

Photo: G Fiume / Getty Images

Javier Baez Heads to Detroit, But Plenty of Talent Remains in Free Agency

Another top target has inked his deal. Shortstop Javier Baez is joining the Detroit Tigers in Tuesday’s biggest free-agent acquisition. Baez split last season between the Cubs and Mets while leading the majors as baseball’s defensive runs saved leader (16) at the shortstop position — a position that haunted the Tigers last year. And while Baez was the only major name to move on Tuesday, there is plenty of talent still remaining, including Freddie Freeman and Carlos Correa. Things could heat up today before the impending work stoppage at 11:59 pm ET.

SS Javier Baez — Detroit Tigers

Deal: 6 Years, $140 Million

Top Remaining Free Agents

SS Carlos Correa

1B Freddie Freeman

SS Trevor Story

3B Kris Bryant

P Clayton Kershaw

OF Nick Castellanos

Additional Storylines

B/R: Yankees, Blue Jays Interested in Free-Agent 1B Freddie Freeman

MLB: Marlins Acquire All-Star Infielder Joey Wendle from Rays

CBS Sports: Everything to Know About Baseball’s Impending Work Stoppage Before CBA Expires

🎥 OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

🏀 NBA: Suns Top Warriors for 17th Straight

The Suns and Warriors met Tuesday for a battle of the NBA’s top two teams, and Phoenix came out on top with their franchise-record 17th consecutive win (104-96). The Suns got it done despite losing Devin Booker to a hamstring injury in the first half. Chris Paul (15 points, 11 assists, 5 steals) and the Suns held Steph Curry (12 points) to a 4-for-21 shooting night. Both teams are now 18-3 and tied for the lead atop the NBA standings.

🏀 NBA: Nets Beat Knicks in Battle for New York

Tuesday’s other marquee matchup took place in the Big Apple where the Nets held off the Knicks (112-110) in Brooklyn. James Harden (34 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals) was dominant on his way to becoming the fourth player in NBA history to reach 2,500 career 3-pointers.

🏒 NHL: Four for Forsberg in Preds’ Win

A busy night in the NHL saw two hat tricks and a pair of incredible rallies, but no performance was bigger than Filip Forsberg’s four-goal outing in the Predators’ 6-0 blasting of the Blue Jackets. Forsberg scored all four goals in the first two periods to reach 400 career points in the shutout.

🏒 NHL: The 4-Goal Rally for Florida

The Florida Panthers put together the biggest comeback of the year in the NHL with a four-goal comeback in the 3rd period against the Capitals on Tuesday (5-4). After tying the game with eight minutes to play, Sam Reinhart tallied the game-winner with just 15 seconds left in the third to complete an epic rally.

⚽️ MLS: NYCFC Edge Revolution in PKs

The MLS Cup Playoff semifinals are now set after New York City FC survived a wild one Tuesday in New England. After entering extra time at 1-1, both teams scored again (2-2) to force a shootout before NYCFC converted all five penalties. They advance to the semis for the first time in franchise history.

MLS Cup Playoff Bracket (Semifinals)

THE STORYLINES

🏈 Top Candidates for Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish are likely spinning their wheels after Brian Kelly ditched them for LSU. Here are the top names who could replace him in South Bend. (CBS Sports)

🏅 Omicron’s Effect on Winter Olympics

The emergence of the new omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus is presenting yet another challenge to the 2022 Winter Olympics in China. (Yahoo! Sports)

⛳️ Tiger Woods’ Unfortunate Reality

Tiger Woods conducted his first in-depth interview since the car accident in February, and he made it clear that nine months later, he's still not ready to play golf at all, let alone full-time. (FOX Sports)

📰 THE HEADLINES

NWSL’s Kansas City Current Acquire USWNT Star Sam Mewis in Trade for Draft Picks

(CBS Sports)

LeBron James to Miss Several Games After Being Placed in COVID-19 Health & Safety Protocols

(USA Today)

Jack Hughes Signs 8-Year, $64 Million Extension With New Jersey Devils

(NBC Sports)

Novak Djokovic Likely to Skip Australian Open Due to Vaccine Rules

(Bleacher Report)

Washington Hires Kalen DeBoer as Next Football Coach

(SI)

Virginia Tech Names Penn State DC Brent Pry New Football Coach

(ESPN)

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