Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Tuesday, January 21.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

You hear that? It’s the sound of teams getting caught in the bubble as they race towards March Madness. So many impactful results last night– let’s get into it:

• Two minor upsets in the Big 10, as (11) Purdue lost 73-70 to Ohio State and (18) Wisconsin was beaten at UCLA 85-83.

• Three other ranked teams also fell last night: (22) Missouri lost 61-53 at Texas, Arizona State beat (23) West Virginia 65-57, and (6) Tennessee took down (14) Mississippi State 68-56. (19) UConn almost joined this list, but the Huskies escaped Butler 80-78 in overtime.

• The ACC wrapped up the evening with two more notable scores: first, (25) Louisville absolutely crushed SMU 98-73. It was a spectacular display by the Cardinals on the road, as Chucky Hepburn set a program record with 16 assists and Reyne Smith set a program record with 10 three-pointers. Then, even though UNC had arguably the highlight-reel dunk of the season, Wake Forest moved to 10-0 at home with a 67-66 victory over the Tar Heels. Watch out for the Demon Deacons!

TENNIS

I was so, so close to predicting the score of last night’s blockbuster quarterfinal between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz… but Djokovic was able to advance over his rival by a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. "I just wish that this match today was the final," Djokovic said. "One of the most epic matches I've played on this court. On any court.“ I know Alcaraz wins the rally, but this incredible point sums up the match:

The final four quarterfinals were played last night– here’s what went down in the first three:

• When Madison Keys plays her best tennis, few players can match her. Against the ultra-competitive and always steady Elina Svitolina, it was that special version of Keys who closed out the match. The American advances to the semifinals with an impressive 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.

• After gritting through multiple three-set victories, American Emma Navarro ran into the unstoppable force known as Iga Swiatek. Iga hasn’t lost a set this tournament– she’d only dropped 11 total games going into this match. Her dominance continued with a 6-1, 6-2 victory.

• The third American on the schedule was Ben Shelton, taking on the unranked Italian Lorenzo Sonego. One of the biggest servers on tour, Shelton won the first two sets 6-4, 7-5. An uncharacteristically timid game allowed Sonego to break Shelton and win the third set 6-4, but Shelton rebounded for a 7-6 victory and a spot in the semifinals. Regardless of how the match ended, a big shoutout to Sonego, who came up with one of the shots of the tournament:

And number one seed Jannik Sinner takes on the hometown hero Alex de Minaur in the (early morning) nightcap. No prediction for this one– just hoping for a great match!

NBA

This is not copied from Monday, I promise– Nikola Jokic had yet another triple-double in just three quarters. Jokic had 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists, leading the Nuggets to a 144-109 victory over the slumping Philadelphia 76ers.

LeBron James had a triple-double last night, too! The Lakers superstar recorded 21 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds as LA beat the Washington Wizards 111-88.

NHL

The New York Rangers beat the Ottawa Senators 5-0 last night, but the win was not without fireworks. Watch here as Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin gets physical with Senators captain Brady Tkachuk:

This is a sentence I never thought I’d write… Oilers forward Corey Perry scored a goal that was disputed by Washington Capitals goalie Logan Thompson after Thompson was distracted by a plate of nachos that had been thrown onto the ice. Washington won this game 3-2, but the star of the night was undoubtedly a pile of chips and queso:

SOCCER

The Champions League has a new format this year and it’s pretty confusing. But all you need to know before watching these highlights is that a win by Barcelona would secure them a place in the next round. I’m not sure which goal is more impressive– first is the strangest score you’ll ever see, and the goal which ignited the rally:

And then the game-winner, capping one of the more unlikely and improbable comebacks of this new year:

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

The Baseball Writers Association elected three new players to the Hall of Fame: closer Billy Wagner, starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia, and outfielder Ichiro Suzuki. Wagner is just the ninth primary reliever to join the exclusive club, and the first lefty. Another lefty, Sabathia was elected in his first year on the ballot. But Ichiro is the headliner of this class. The first Japanese player to make the Hall of Fame, Ichiro was just one vote away from becoming the second player in history to be elected unanimously (Mariano Rivera is the only unanimous selection). You can read more about the illustrious careers of these three ballplayers here. Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones were the players on the ballot who came closest to the 75% threshold required to be elected.

Josh McDaniels has reunited with the New England Patriots yet again. This is the third time McDaniels will take on the role of offensive coordinator for the organization. For those keeping track at home, leading the Patriots offense next year will be the duo of Drake (Maye) and Josh. I only wish I had come up with that joke on my own…

Naomi Girma became the first female soccer player to be transferred for a fee over $1 million. The defender is heading overseas from the San Diego Wave to join Chelsea.

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

NHL: Panthers @ Kings, 10 PM on TNT/Max

COLLEGE BASKETBALL:

• MEN: (13) Texas A&M @ (16) Ole Miss, 9 PM on ESPN2

• WOMEN: (24) Michigan @ (23) Minnesota, 8 PM on BIG 10+

NBA:

• Timberwolves @ Mavericks, 7:30 PM on ESPN

• Warriors @ Kings, 10 PM on ESPN

AUSTRALIAN OPEN (ESPN2):

• Aryna Sabalenka vs Paula Badosa, 3:30 AM

  • Remix pick: Badosa hasn’t beaten her good friend Sabalenka in almost four years… expect that streak to continue

• Iga Swiatek vs Madison Keys, following the conclusion of the first match

  • Remix pick: The only person playing better than Keys right now is Swiatek. It might be a victory for the American just to keep this one close

Have a wonderful Wednesday!