Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Tuesday, February 11.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

March is getting closer and the basketball action is heating up:

• The 1, 2, 3 ranked teams all won yesterday, so thank you to them for taking care of business. Auburn, Alabama, and Florida would be the first to tell you, however, that there are no easy games this year in the SEC…

• Isn’t that right (5) Tennessee? The Volunteers faltered late, losing 75-64 at (15) Kentucky. No one on the Wildcats scored more than 13 points, and Tennessee shot 3-18 from three-point range.

• The upsets continued in the Big 10. (20) Michigan took over first place in the conference with a fantastic 75-73 win over (7) Purdue. And Indiana secured Bobby Knight’s record for a few more nights, shocking (11) Michigan State 71-67. Tom Izzo is tied with Knight for the most wins in Big 10 history.

• Kansas State, I owe you an apology. The Wildcats of Manhattan are playing great ball down the stretch, this time taking down (13) Arizona 73-70. It’s K-State’s sixth win in a row, four of which have come against ranked opponents.

• Finally, we had the most-hyped game of the night in Omaha, Nebraska. UConn came to town to face (24) Creighton, who gave free pizza to students and sold beer for just $1. Unfortunately for the rowdy home crowd, UConn was up for the challenge. Freshman Liam McNeely scored 38 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, leading a second-half comeback that resulted in a 70-66 UConn victory.

NBA

To the pros we go!

• 76ers down two, ten seconds remaining. Joel Embiid gets the ball… oh no:

• From a struggling big man to a thriving big man– Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks to a 128-115 victory over the Indiana Pacers. KAT went for 40 in the big win.

• Congratulations to Kevin Durant, who became the eighth player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points. He joins a group who are so good you know most of them by one name– LeBron, Kareem, Karl Malone, Kobe, Jordan, Dirk, and Wilt. Unfortunately for KD, the milestone came in a loss. Memphis beat Phoenix 119-112.

• The Chicago Bulls were embarrassed 132-92 yesterday by the Detroit Pistons. And yet the social media team still posted this update at halftime:

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

American Weston McKennie scored the goal of the day for Juventus with this rocket into the top corner, but the game of the day was between the two heavyweights, Manchester City and Real Madrid. Thanks to two goals from Erling Haaland, City held a 2-1 lead late in the game. But the visiting team fought until the very end, tying the game in the 86th minute. That set up superstar Jude Bellingham in added time…

4 NATIONS PREVIEW

The best players from four of the top hockey countries in the world begin a unique competition this evening in Boston and Montreal. Finland, Sweden, Canada, and the US will each play the other country one time, before the top two teams face off in the 4 Nations final on February 20th. All the rules and rosters and schedules are at this link. But here’s a quick look at each team’s biggest strength and weakness:

USA:

STRENGTH: The US is the most well-rounded team from top to bottom. Austin Matthews, the Tkachuck brothers, and Jack Eichel lead a powerful group of forwards and Connor Hellebuyck is the best goalie in the world. Even without the injured Quinn Hughes, Adam Fox headlines a versatile defensive group, too.

WEAKNESS: It’s not often that the US comes into an international hockey tournament as the favorite. Can the Stars and Stripes handle the pressure and perform their best when the lights are brightest?

CANADA:

STRENGTH: Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, Cale Makar… I could keep going, but I think you get the point: Team Canada has the starpower. In a quick tournament like the 4 Nations, any one of these guys could take over and win the whole thing on their own.

WEAKNESS: I’m a believer in Jordan Binnington, but the Blues goalie is not the generational netminder that usually leads Team Canada. He’s got an unbelievable team in front of him, but the sometimes inconsistent Binnington has to be on his A-game against the best in the world.

SWEDEN:

STRENGTH: The Swedes are strong at the back, with captain Victor Hedman, Erik Karlsson, and Rasmus Dahlin leading one of the best defensive groups in the tournament.

WEAKNESS: While their defense is mighty, the Swedish offense is led by some guys who aren’t playing their best this season. You never know how the national jersey can change a player’s performance and the Swedes will try to win some gritty games, but it’ll be a big challenge to keep up with the firepower of the US and Canada.

FINLAND:

STRENGTH: You never want to bet against the underdog– especially when the underdog has Aleksander Barkov, one of the best players in the world.

WEAKNESS: Finland’s already questionable depth will really be tested after an injury to star defenseman Miro Heiskanen. There’s a lot of pressure on the Finnish goalies to support the most inexperienced defense in the tournament.

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

After the Mark Williams trade fell through, the Lakers have pivoted to a new big man. LA signed veteran Alex Len to provide some much-needed depth at the center position.

Deadline acquisition Brandon Ingram has signed a new three-year, $120 million contract extension with the Toronto Raptors. They aren’t the favorites in 2025, but keep an eye on what they’re building up north.

Kellen Moore was officially announced as the new head coach of the Saints, and the announcement unearthed an interesting stat– Moore was the starting QB at Boise State for a 57-7 blowout victory over Fresno State in 2011. Fresno State’s QB in that game? New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr. Who knew they’d end up here?

Two former Dodger star pitchers have signed new deals in LA. Closer Kenley Jansen has joined the Angels, while Clayton Kershaw is unsurprisingly staying with the Dodgers. This’ll be Kershaw’s 18th season in Dodger blue.

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

4 NATIONS FACE-OFF: Canada vs Sweden, 8 PM on TNT/Max

NBA:

• Spurs @ Celtics, 7 PM on ESPN

• Warriors @ Mavericks, 9:30 PM on ESPN

COLLEGE BASKETBALL:

• (9) St. John’s @ Villanova, 6 PM on FS1

• Oklahoma @ (21) Missouri, 9 PM on SEC Network

“I find pride in waking up after a hard day and having the energy to go get better,” –pro golfer Max Homa