Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Monday, February 17.

4 NATIONS FACE-OFF

Canada needed a win against Finland to secure their spot in the finals of the 4 Nations Face-Off. Three goals in the first period and a 4-0 lead heading into the third was a pretty good start. Things got a little crazy at the end, as that 4-0 lead was cut to 4-3 with just over a minute remaining. But captain Sidney Crosby slotted home an empty-netter and Team Canada advanced with a 5-3 victory.

The US lost 2-1 to Sweden in a game that didn’t have any impact on the tournament. America rotated their goalies and played short-handed, as Matthew Tkachuck sat out and Brady Tkachuck left the game early with an injury. Both are expected back in the lineup for Thursday’s can’t-miss finals rematch against Canada, with world hockey supremacy on the line.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Two of the best hoopers in the country took center stage last night– one led (3) Duke to a victory, and the other defeated (11) Duke. I’m talking about Cooper Flagg and Hannah Hidalgo, the two favorites for national player of the year. Flagg had 17 points and 14 rebounds, leading the Blue Devils to a comfortable 80-62 win over Virginia. Hidalgo had a tougher task against the Duke women’s team, but she led Notre Dame to a 64-49 victory, scoring 19 points in the Fighting Irish’s first game as the number one team in the country.

The game of the night was a late one in Texas. (19) Arizona went on the road to face a very talented but struggling Baylor squad. Although the Bears put up a good fight, the Wildcats rebounded from a tough weekend loss to Houston to win this one 74-67.

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

February baseball, where hope springs eternal. Fans of (almost) every team can convince themselves that this might be the year they win it all. And we’ve already got some very classic spring training headlines to talk about:

After consecutive seasons marred by injury, Mike Trout is making the move to right field. The three-time MVP met with Angels manager Ron Washington and general manger Perry Minasian this week, with all three agreeing that leaving his post in center field was the best way to keep the generational talent on the field. “I can still play the game hard. That’s the only way I know how to play. But just limit the overall beat down and the wear and tear. I think that's best you can do,“ Trout explained.

Longtime Astros second baseman Jose Altuve started his spring with some reps in left field. It’s more of a just-in-case thing for the 34-year old, but as Altuve said, “I want to get rid of this left-field conversation and try to answer every question possible and move on and start preparing for what we all care about, which is preparing for the season and winning.”

Boston, however, gives us a much different story. Rafael Devers isn’t very good defensively, but when the Red Sox third baseman was asked about switching positions as a result of his team signing Alex Bregman last week, he had a very direct response–

We’ll see what transpires this spring, but it’s not a good thing when your most talented and highest-paid player is unhappy. Manager Alex Cora looks thrilled with the situation.

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL:

• Oklahoma @ (2) Florida, 7 PM on ESPN2

• (7) Texas A&M @ (21) Mississippi State, 7 PM on SEC Network

• (13) Purdue @ (14) Michigan State, 7 PM on Peacock

• Illinois @ (11) Wisconsin, 8:30 PM on FS1

• (23) Kansas @ BYU, 9 PM on ESPN

"If you don't draft me, that's your fault. You've got to remember you're the same team that's got to play me for the rest of my career, and I'll remember that,” –Miami quarterback and top NFL prospect Cam Ward