Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Wednesday, January 8th.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Let’s start this morning with one of the best hoopers in the country:

• JuJu Watkins and (4) USC won a close game 79-74 at (8) Maryland. Watkins led the Trojans with 21 points, just enough to give Maryland their first loss of the season.

• In other ranked matchups, (12) Kansas State crushed (22) Utah 71-47, and (9) Ohio State came back from an early deficit to beat their rival (25) Michigan 84-77.

A few notable results in the men’s game yesterday, too:

• (10) Texas A&M won a close one against (17) Oklahoma. Zhuric Phelps hit a go-ahead three with just under 20 seconds left, and the Aggies held on for a 80-78 victory.

• The game of the day, however, was just outside Philadelphia. Unranked Villanova led (9) UConn by one point with three seconds left when two-time national champion and potential first-round pick Alex Karaban was fouled. Who would have guessed that this would happen (Nova won the game 68-66):

NBA

Many games were played yesterday in the NBA, but one stood above the rest. The team with the best record in the Eastern Conference played host to their Western Conference counterparts last night in a massive showdown. And the action lived up to the hype. Oklahoma City dueled Cleveland until the final whistle– new MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 31 points, the underrated Jalen Williams added 25, and Lu Dort played stellar defense on Donovan Mitchell, who was held to just 3-16 shooting. But even with an off-night from their best player, the other members of the Cavs defended homecourt. Dean Wade and Max Strus went a combined 8-10 from three, Ty Jerome was a sparkplug off the bench with 15 points, and Jarrett Allen’s all-star campaign took a major step forward, as the big man dropped 25 points with 11 rebounds and six assists. In this potential NBA Finals preview (pretending Boston doesn’t exist), Cleveland beat Oklahoma City 129-122. While OKC’s 15-game winning streak has ended, Cleveland’s 11-game streak has only just begun… well, until these two play again next Thursday!

NHL

You want a quick recap of the three games from last night? Here’s a quick recap of the three games from last night:

• The Washington Capitals beat the Vancouver Canucks 2-1 in overtime. Pierre-Luc Dubois scored both goals for the victors.

• Colorado was upset 3-1 by the Chicago Blackhawks. Connor Bedard had a goal and an assist.

• And the Florida Panthers cruised to a 4-1 win over the Utah Hockey Club. More importantly for Florida, the NHL announced both of next year’s outdoor games will be held in the Sunshine State:

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

Learner Tien became the first American male teenager to qualify for the main draw of the Australian Open since 2012, advancing through qualifying ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year. In addition to Tien, the Remix is keeping an eye on Brazilian youngster Joao Fonseca. He’s going to make a run at a big event at some point this year, watch out. To see the full draws for both the men and women’s Australian Open, click here. Plenty of exciting matches are on the way!

With my preseason pick eliminated from the College Football Playoff, it’s time to make some new predictions. First, tonight’s Orange Bowl: Notre Dame and Penn State have similar strengths, but the Fighting Irish are stronger. Especially given the questionable status of Abdul Carter, I’ll take Notre Dame. In tomorrow’s Cotton Bowl, we have the hottest team on the planet going up against a group that almost blew a massive lead and hasn’t been on this big of a stage since I was in kindergarten. Sorry Longhorns, but you and Arch Manning will get another chance next season.

So, my pick for the National Championship: Ohio State 27, Notre Dame 13. Remember to gamble responsibly

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL:

• (6) LSU @ (16) Tennessee, 6:30 PM on SEC+

• (14) Duke @ (19) North Carolina, 7 PM on ACC Network

• (18) Alabama @ (5) Texas, 8 PM on SEC+

• (21) NC State @ (24) California, 10 PM on ACC Extra

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL: THE ORANGE BOWL

Notre Dame vs Penn State, 7:30 PM on ESPN

Today’s closing line is a choose-your-own-adventure, coaching edition. Option one is UCLA men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin:

Option two is Detroit Lions head coach Dan Cambpell:

I know what I would choose! Have a wonderful Thursday