Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Tuesday, January 28.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

The big game last night in college hoops was (12) Kentucky taking on (8) Tennessee. Even with three of their leading players out injured (Kerr Kriisa, Lamont Butler, and Andrew Carr) the Wildcats came to Knoxville ready to play. Kentucky closed out a huge win over Tennessee 78-73. Six other ranked teams were in action last night, and they all won. A rare day for the favorites in college basketball!

NBA

Time for the pros–

• Apologies to the Lakers, because I may have jinxed their win streak last night. Tyrese Maxey went nuclear in Philly last night, scoring 43 points and leading the 76ers to a 118-104 victory over LA.

• Giannis had 39 points last night for the Bucks… and Milwaukee lost. Deni Avdija scored 30, Deandre Ayton had 21 points and 14 rebounds, and the Portland Trailblazers won 125-112.

• With another game on the schedule this evening, the Warriors chose to rest Steph Curry and give his knees a break for last night’s game against Utah. The Golden State lineup stepped up in Curry’s absence, as five different players scored double-digits and the Warriors took down the Jazz 114-103.

NHL

And now we head to the ice…

• Here’s a weird one: the New York Rangers were the first team to allow a point to every player involved in the Mikko Rantanen trade. After playing the Avalanche on Sunday, New York lost to Rantanen, Taylor Hall, and the Carolina Hurricanes last night.

• Two different Sabres scored hat tricks last night. Tage Thompson and JJ Petercka each scored three goals, leading Buffalo to a 7-2 win over the Boston Bruins.

• It hasn’t been the best season for the Chicago Blackhawks, but they had a nice 4-1 win last night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The game also gave us the highlight of the night– watch this goal by Connor Bedard:

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

Remember a few weeks ago when it was rumored that Neymar might join the MLS? And I warned you not to take that news too seriously? Well, it looks like that warning was correct. The Brazilian superstar is set to join his hometown club of Santos this week. Since Neymar left PSG in 2023, he’s played in Saudi Arabia, although his time there was been defined by injuries– Neymar played just seven games and score one goal.

The Dodgers got another one… this time, it’s a one-year deal with reliever Kirby Yates. So just in case one of their eight incredible starters has a bad day, LA has yet another trusted veteran that can come in from the bullpen.

Another big day at the beginning WNBA free agency! The Phoenix Mercury made a trade for five-time all-star Alyssa Thomas, sending a package of players and the 12th pick to the Connecticut Sun. That cleared the way for Brittney Griner to leave the Mercury in free agency and join the Atlanta Dream. A 10-time all-star, Griner had played her entire career in Phoenix.

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

COLLEGE BASKETBALL:

• (17) Wisconsin @ Maryland, 7 PM on Big Ten Network

• (4) Alabama @ (14) Mississippi State, 9 PM on SEC Network

• Texas @ (23) Ole Miss, 9 PM on ESPN2

NHL:

• Flyers @ Devils, 7 PM on TNT/Max

• Penguins @ Utah Hockey Club, 9:30 PM on TNT/Max

NBA:

• Nuggets @ Knicks, 7:30 PM on ESPN

• Thunder @ Warriors, 10 PM on ESPN

“It’s difficult for most of us owners to be able to do the kind of things that they’re doing,”-Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, discussing the offseason spending of the Los Angeles Dodgers