The Sportsletter - Conference Chasers 🏀

BY JEFF YODER

FEB. 24, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  BROWSER VIEW

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Good Morning

One of the best college basketball games of the season went down last night in the Big East, and Providence is on the doorstep of their first regular season conference title. That had me looking ahead to all the conference title chasers in the final week of the college hoops season. Stay tuned for a jam-packed Friday edition with a big weekend of basketball on the way…

Letter Rip!

NCAA

The Friars on Fire 🔥

Photo: Dylan Buell / Getty Images

#11 Providence Tops Xavier in Triple-OT Epic (99-92, 3OT) to Pull Within 1 Game of 1st Big East Crown

A stunner in Rhode Island! On a busy night of college hoops, one game stole the show. Providence and Xavier danced to the tune of a triple-overtime epic on Wednesday. After play was suspended for more than 20 minutes due to a leak in the roof of Alumni Hall, one of the most exciting games of the NCAA season took shape. The Friars forced overtime at 70-all in regulation. Al Durham’s game-winner attempt at the end of OT1 hit the top of the backboard. In OT2, Providence missed a free throw with six seconds left and a 3-point lead, and Xavier’s Paul Scruggs went the length of the court for a pull-up 3 to force triple overtime. Deep breaths…

Finally, after a near-four-hour marathon, Providence’s Jared Bynum hit a dagger from the logo to seal the win. Bynum had a game-high 27 points off the bench, and the Friars (23-3) walked away with their 13th win in Big East play — the most in program history. Providence is now 14-1 this season in games decided by single digits. They need to win one of their final two games for their first Big East regular-season title in school history, but those two games won’t be easy (Creighton & #8 Villanova).

Watch: Providence Beats Xavier in Triple-Overtime Thriller (99-92, 3OT)

The March to March…

We’re only a few days away from the greatest month in college basketball, and all of sports. Here’s a look at the league leaders for each of the notable conferences with just a few regular season games left. These are the teams likely to be hoisting regular-season conference titles in the coming days.

Conference Leaders (Men’s)

ACC: #7 Duke (14-3) / Notre Dame (13-4)

Big 12: #5 Kansas (12-2)

Big East: #11 Providence (13-2) / #8 Villanova (14-4)

Big Ten: #4 Purdue (13-4) / #13 Wisconsin (13-4) / #15 Illinois (12-4)

Pac-12: #2 Arizona (14-1)

SEC: #3 Auburn (13-2) / #6 Kentucky (12-3)

Conference Leaders (Women’s)

ACC: #3 NC State (16-1) / #4 Louisville (14-2)

Big 12: #5 Baylor (12-3) / #9 Iowa State (12-3)

Big East: #7 UConn (14-1)

Big Ten: #6 Michigan (12-3) / 4 Teams at 12-4

Pac-12: #2 Stanford (14-0)

SEC: #1 South Carolina (13-1)

NCAA Men’s Basketball Highlights

#3 Auburn def. Ole Miss (77-64)

#6 Kentucky def. LSU (71-66)

#7 Duke def. Virginia (65-61)

NCAA Women’s Basketball Highlights

#5 Baylor def. Oklahoma State (65-58)

#7 UConn def. Marquette (69-38)

#9 Iowa State def. Kansas (85-59)

Stay tuned for an influx of college hoops highlights in the coming weeks. You can also refer three friends to The Sportsletter using your unique Team ID in order to receive our Sunday newsletter and get even more March Madness content.

SOCCER

USWNT Win SheBelieves Cup

Photo: Robin Alam / Getty Images

USWNT Cap Special Week by Dominating Iceland (5-0) to Claim Fifth SheBelieves Cup Title

Add another piece of hardware to the USWNT’s trophy case! The women’s soccer juggernauts paced Iceland on Wednesday (5-0) to secure their fifth SheBelieves Cup crown in seven tournaments. The U.S. and Iceland both entered the final match with a shot at the trophy. Iceland needed only a draw to secure it with the U.S. boasting a win and a draw in their first two matches, but Wednesday’s deciding match was just that — decisive.

The U.S. punched two first-half goals, both off the foot of Catarina Macario (37’, 45’) before Mallory Pugh fired two more in the second half (60’, 75’). Kristie Mewis tacked on one for good measure in the late goings (88’) as the USWNT posted a no-doubter to round out the tournament. And with the USWNT already winning the landmark settlement for equal pay earlier this week, the backdrop for a trophy-winning night couldn’t have been sweeter.

Watch: USWNT def. Iceland (5-0) to Win SheBelieves Cup

SheBelieves Cup Final Standings

United States (7 Points)

Iceland (6 Points)

Czech Republic (2 Points)

New Zealand (1 Point)

Additional Storylines

CBS Sports: USWNT Routs Iceland to Win Another Trophy

The Guardian: Catarina Macario’s Screamer Helps USWNT Seal 5th SheBelieves Cup

Other Soccer Highlights

Champions League Knockouts

Atletico Madrid draw Man. United (1-1)

Ajax draw Benfica (2-2)

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THE STORYLINES

🏀 10 Biggest Surprises of NBA’s 1st Half

With the league on a collective pause until Thursday night, we’ll use this opportunity to zoom out and take a look at the players whose breakouts have come to define the 2021-22 fantasy basketball season. (Yahoo! Sports)

🏈 USFL Draft: Every Pick From Day 1

The 35-round inaugural draft is an exciting two-day event taking place in Birmingham, Alabama. Day 1 was on Tuesday, with 101 players selected across 12 rounds. The Michigan Panthers were first on the clock… (FOX Sports)

⛳️ Tiger Woods & A Complicated Comeback

When Woods was confined to a hospital bed for three months after his 2021 car crash, he said what he missed most of all wasn't the competitive rush of professional golf… Despite the passage of time, we still aren't any closer to understanding why it happened. (ESPN)

📰 THE HEADLINES

Alexander Zverev Disqualified From Mexican Open After Attacking Ump Chair

(ESPN)

New York Mayor Plans to Lift Vaccine Mandate Soon, Allowing Nets’ Kyrie Irving to Play Home Games

(NBC Sports)

MLB Owners Say Monday is ‘Hard Deadline’ to Avoid Shortened 2022 Season

(Yahoo! Sports)

Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson Asks Public for Help Finding Missing Father

(Sports Illustrated)

Odell Beckham Jr. & Lauren Wood Announces Birth of First Child

(Bleacher Report)

USA to Name Zach Johnson Next Ryder Cup Captain

(CBS Sports)

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