NCAAFB – College Football
Last Night
College Football Championship Game presented by AT&T – Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, IN
(3) Georgia 33, (1) Alabama 18
(3) Georgia 33, (1) Alabama 18 – Georgia snaps 41-year title drought with 33-18 win over Bama
Stetson Bennett delivered the biggest throws of his storybook career and Georgia’s defense sealed the sweetest victory in program history, vanquishing rival Alabama 33-18 to win the College Football Playoff title game. The Bulldogs won their first national championship in 41 years. Bennett connected with Adonai Mitchell on a 40-yard touchdown to give Georgia a 19-18 lead with 8:09 left. He then hooked up with Brock Bowers for a 15-yard TD on a screen to put the Bulldogs up with with 3:33 left. The final blow came from the defense. Kelee Ringo intercepted an underthrown deep ball down the sideline by Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young and returned 79 yards for a touchdown.
NCAAFB – CFP talks stall, dimming hopes of expansion before 2026
College Football Playoff expansion talks remain stalled and the possibility of implementing a new format by the 2024 season dimmed after three days of meetings failed to produce an agreement. Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby says there are ‘entrenched issues that are no closer to be resolved.’ While Bowlsby says it is looking unlikely that expansion would come before the end of the current CFP contract that expires in 2026, it was not ruled out altogether. Executive Director Bill Hancock says the talks are going into overtime and the conference commissioners are expected to meet again the coming week.
NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Detroit Pistons 126, Utah Jazz 116
Boston Celtics 101, Indiana Pacers 98 – OT
Pistons 126, Jazz 116 – Cunningham’s career-high 29 leads Pistons over Jazz 126-116
Cade Cunningham scored 18 of his career-high 29 points in the third quarter to help the Detroit Pistons erase a 22-point deficit and beat the Utah Jazz 126-116 on Monday night. Saddiq Bey added 29 points for Detroit, which is 4-2 in 2022 after finishing 2021 with 18 losses in 19 games. Lead assistant coach Rex Kalamian took charge with coach Dwane Casey having entered COVID-19 protocol. Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points for Utah, and Hassan Whiteside had a season-high 21 points as well as 14 rebounds.
Celtics 101, Pacers 98 – Brown, Tatum carry Celtics over Pacers 101-98 in OT
Jaylen Brown scored 26 points and Jayson Tatum had 24, carrying the Boston Celtics to a 101-98 overtime victory over the Indiana Pacers in the first of a home-and-home series between the teams. Robert Williams III had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Boston, including a key block in OT. The Celtics won for the fourth time in six games. Torrey Craig led the Pacers with 19 points and Lance Stephenson scored 14 but missed a potential tying 3-pointer late in OT. Indiana has lost 7 of 8.
Tonight
Detroit Pistons at Chicago Bulls, 8:00 p.m.
NBA – Nuggets trade Bol Bol to Pistons for McGruder, draft pick
The Denver Nuggets finalized a trade with Detroit that will send big man Bol Bol to the Pistons. The Nuggets acquired guard Rodney McGruder along with a 2022 second-round pick via Brooklyn in exchange. The 7-foot-2 Bol is the son of the late Manute Bol, who played 10 years in the NBA. Bol Bol was the 44th overall pick by Miami in the 2019 NBA draft and was acquired by Denver in a draft-night trade. He played in 53 games over three seasons with the Nuggets and averaged 2.7 points. McGruder saw action in 17 games for the Pistons this season. He averaged 2.5 points and 1.6 rebounds.
NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
Chicago Blackhawks at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7:00 p.m.
Detroit Red Wings at San Jose Sharks, 10:30 p.m.
NFL – Bears make sweeping changes, fire GM Pace, coach Nagy
The Chicago Bears have fired general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy, hoping new leadership in the front office and on the sideline will lift a struggling franchise. Nagy’s fate seemed sealed as Bears struggled through a 6-11 season that ended with a loss at Minnesota on Sunday. But it was not clear if Pace would also be let go or retained in either his current role or a different capacity. Whoever the Bears hire will need to develop rookie quarterback Justin Fields and surround the former Ohio State star with more talent to help him grow. Nagy went 34-31 in four seasons.
NFL – Lions’ relatively strong ending gives hope for 2022 season
The Detroit Lions can take some solace in the way their disappointing season concluded. Detroit started the season 0-8 but went 3-5-1 in its final nine games. That improvement coincided with coach Dan Campbell taking over the offensive play-calling from coordinator Anthony Lynn. Campbell fired Lynn on Monday. The Lions have hope for the future in part because of the strong play from quarterback Jared Goff and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown down the stretch. Detroit has the No. 2 overall selection in the draft and could fill a void at defensive end with Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson or Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux.
NFL – Late-season collapse proves costly, Colts miss playoffs
The Indianapolis Colts opened the season with three losses. Losing the last two games on the schedule doomed their playoff hopes. After charging back from yet another slow start, Indy blew opportunities in each of its final two games to win and get in. Instead of preparing for their third postseason game in four years the Colts spent Monday cleaning out their lockers, figuring out what went wrong and how they can fix it next season.
NFL – From north to east, NFL firings begin on day after finales
From the NFC North to the AFC East, the firings began almost immediately after the NFL’s first 17-game season concluded. The Vikings fired coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman on Monday following an 8-9 season. Division rival Chicago parted with coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace after going 6-11. And in a relative surprise, Miami dismissed coach Brian Flores, whose Dolphins went 9-8, including a sweep of archrival New England. Indeed, the career coaching records for each total 130-112-1.
NCAAMBKB – Men’s College Basketball
Tonight
Buffalo at Western Michigan, 7:00 p.m.
Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan, 7:00 p.m.
(7) Purdue at Michigan, PPD
NCAAMBKB – Baylor remains unanimous No. 1 in AP Top 25; USC hits No. 5
Baylor is once again the unanimous No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, and fifth-ranked Southern California climbed to its highest ranking in nearly five decades. The reigning national champion Bears earned all 61 first-place votes in the poll for the fourth time in five weeks. Baylor has won 21 straight games dating to last year’s title run in the Indianapolis bubble. Gonzaga, UCLA, Auburn and USC rounded out the top five. The Trojans have their highest ranking since December 1974. No. 25 Illinois rejoined the poll as the week’s lone addition.
NCAAWBKB – South Carolina still No. 1 in AP women’s basketball poll
South Carolina beat two more ranked opponents to strengthen its grip on the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll. The Gamecocks topped then-No. 13 LSU and No. 21 Kentucky this past week to raise their record to 8-0 against Top 25 teams this season. South Carolina remained the No. 1 team Monday, garnering 26 of the 30 first-place votes from a national media panel. Stanford and Louisville were the next two teams in the poll. The Cardinals received the other four No. 1 votes. N.C. State moved up to fourth while Tennessee was fifth. It’s the Lady Vols’ highest ranking since Nov. 23, 2015.
NASCAR veteran Aric Almirola to retire at end of 2022 season
NASCAR veteran Aric Almirola will retire from competition at the end of the 2022 season to spend more time with his young family. Almirola revealed his plans to the employees at Stewart-Haas Racing at the same time Smithfield Foods announced its 11th season sponsoring the driver. Almirola turns 38 in March. He has two children who are involved in their own activities that Almirola would like to be present for in the future. Almirola has three career Cup wins but has qualified for the playoffs every year since joining Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018.
MHSAA – High School Sports
Last Night
Boys Basketball
Michigan Lutheran 74, Covert 70
New Buffalo 74, River Valley 62
South Haven 72, Wyoming Lee 39
Fennville 60, Delton-Kellogg 38
Girls Basketball
Mattawan 60, Kalamazoo Loy Norrix 30
Buchanan 60, Constantine 34
Delton-Kellogg 50, Fennville 19
Tonight
Boys Basketball
SMAC
Battle Creek Lakeview at St. Joseph, 7:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Central at Lakeshore, 7:00 p.m.
Battle Creek Central at Mattawan, 7:00 p.m.
Kal. Loy Norrix at Portage Central, 7:00 p.m.
Gull Lake at Portage Northern, 7:00 p.m.
Wolverine
Otsego at Edwardsburg, 7:15 p.m.
Plainwell at Niles, 7:15 p.m.
Paw Paw at Sturgis, 7:15 p.m.
Allegan at Three Rivers, 7:15 p.m.
Vicksburg at Dowagiac, PPD
Non-Conference
Brandywine at Benton Harbor, 7:00 p.m.
LaPorte-LaLumiere (IN) at Bridgman, 7:15 p.m.
Countryside at Kalamazoo Phoenix, 6:00 p.m.
GR West MI. Homeschool at South Haven, 7:00 p.m.
SAC
Saugatuck at Coloma, 7:00 p.m.
Fennville at Watervliet, 7:00 p.m.
Lawton at Gobles, 7:00 p.m.
Parchment at Constantine, 7:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo Hackett at Galesburg-Augusta, 7:00 p.m.
Martin at Kalamazoo Christian, 7:00 p.m.
Delton-Kellogg at Schoolcraft, 7:00 p.m.
BCS
Lawrence at Eau Claire, 7:30 p.m.
Southwest 10
Centreville at Cassopolis, 7:30 p.m.
Mendon at Comstock, 7:30 p.m.
Marcellus at Decatur, 7:30 p.m.
Bloomingdale at Hartford, 7:30 p.m.
Bangor at White Pigeon, 7:30 p.m.
Girls Basketball
SMAC
St. Joseph at Battle Creek Lakeview, 7:00 p.m.
Lakeshore at Kalamazoo Central, 7:00 p.m.
Mattawan Battle Creek Central, 5:45 p.m.
Portage Central at Kal. Loy Norrix, 5:45 p.m.
Portage Northern at Gull Lake, 7:00 p.m.
Wolverine
Edwardsburg at Otsego, 7:15 p.m.
Niles at Plainwell, 7:15 p.m.
Sturgis at Paw Paw, 7:15 p.m.
Three Rivers at Allegan, 7:15 p.m.
Dowagiac at Vicksburg, 6:30 p.m.
Non-Conference
Bronson at Buchanan, 7:00 p.m.
SAC
Coloma at Saugatuck, 7:00 p.m.
Watervliet at Fennville, 7:00 p.m.
Gobles at Lawton, 7:00 p.m.
Parchment at Constantine, 6:00 p.m.
Galesburg-Augusta at Kalamazoo Hackett, 7:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Christian at Martin, 7:00 p.m.
Schoolcraft at Delton-Kellogg, 7:00 p.m.
Southwest 10
Cassopolis at Centreville, 7:30 p.m.
Comstock at Mendon, 7:30 p.m.
Decatur at Marcellus, 7:30 p.m.
Hartford at Bloomingdale, 7:30 p.m.
White Pigeon at Bangor, 7:30 p.m.
