NCAAFB – College Football Playoffs – National Championship Game
Last Night
2021 National Championship Game – Hard Rock Stadium – Miami Gardens, FL
(1) Alabama 52, (3) Ohio State 24
Crimson Tide 52, Buckeyes 24 – Alabama wins national title 52-24 over Ohio St
No. 1 Alabama has won the College Football Playoff national championship game 52-24 against No. 3 Ohio State. It was the final game of a season played entireply in a pandemic. Alabama went 13-0 as coach Nick Saban won his seventh national championship and sixth as coach of the Crimson Tide, all in the last 12 years. Justin Fields and the banged-up Buckeyes just could not keep up. Devonta Smith, the Heisman Trophy winner, had catches for 12 catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half.
NCAAFB – Carson Palmer, Bob Stoops lead college Hall of Fame class
Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer and former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops are among the 13 former players and coaches who make up the latest College Football Hall of Fame class. The National Football Foundation announced the class that will be inducted in December. Joining Palmer and Stoops will be running backs Darren Sproles of Kansas State and C.J Spiller of Clemson; offensive tackles Harris Barton of North Carolina and Aaron Taylor of Notre Dame; defensive stars David Fulcher of Arizona State and Dan Morgan of Miami; Kenneth Sims of Texas; Andre Tippett of Iowa and Al Wilson of Tennessee. Former Eastern Illinois quarterback and current CBS NFL analyst Tony Romo was also selected for induction to the Altanta-based hall along with former Florida A&M coach Rudy Hubbard.
NCAA – NCAA D1 Council holds off on athlete compensation, transfers
The NCAA has delayed votes on legislation that would permit college athletes to cash in on their popularity for the first time and to transfer to another school without having to sit out one year. The issues were expected to be the main storylines of this week’s NCAA annual convention. They were put on hold after the association received a warning from the Department of Justice about potential antitrust violations. Under the NCAA’s current proposal, schools could block athletes from entering sponsorship agreements that conflict with their schools’ deals. Athletes also would not be permitted to endorse products or companies such as alcohol or gambling that conflict with NCAA values.
NFL – Bears facing decisions on Pace, Nagy after wild-card loss
The Bears head into the offseason with some big issues to address after going 8-8 in the regular season for the second year in a row. They start with whether general manager Ryan Pace or coach Matt Nagy will be retained. Though the Bears made the playoffs for the second time in three years, they got knocked out in convincing fashion by New Orleans in a wild-card game on Sunday. The Bears dropped eight of their final 11 games counting the playoff loss. A six-game skid following a 5-1 start turned up the heat on Pace and Nagy.
NFL – Eagles fire coach
The Philadelphia Eagles have fired coach Doug Pederson less than three years after he led them to the franchise’s only Super Bowl title. Pederson was 42-37-1 in five seasons. He led the Eagles to two division titles and three playoff appearances before going 4-11-1 in 2020. The Eagles hired him in 2016 after abruptly firing Chip Kelly. Pederson led the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory over New England in just his second season with backup quarterback Nick Foles filling in after Wentz was injured. Pederson was a starting quarterback in Philadelphia in 1999 and later served as an Eagles assistant coach under Andy Reid.
NCAAMBB – Men’s College Basketball
Tonight
Buffalo at Western Michigan, 2:00 p.m.
Kent State at Central Michigan, 4:30 p.m.
Eastern Michigan at Toledo, 7:00 p.m.
(9) Wisconsin at (7) Michigan, 7:00 p.m. News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 6:30
NCAAMBB – Gonzaga, Baylor stay atop AP Top 25; UConn in at No. 25
Gonzaga and Baylor remain atop The Associated Press men’s basketball poll for the seventh consecutive week in the regular season. The Zags received 63 first-place votes from a national media panel and the Bears had one. Villanova, Texas and Iowa rounded out a top 5 that remained the same from last week. Sixth-ranked Kansas is followed by Michigan, Creighton, Wisconsin and Tennessee. No. 25 Connecticut moved into the poll for the first time since reaching No. 18 in 2016-17. Louisville is back in the rankings at No. 16 and Ohio State returned at No. 21. Rutgers, Michigan State and Florida State tumbled out.
NCAAWBB – No. 25 Washington St earns 1st ranking in women’s poll
Washington State has earned its first ranking ever in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll, entering at No. 25. The Cougars knocked off then-No. 7 Arizona in overtime on Sunday. While Washington State was enjoying its first ranking, Stanford tightened its grip on the No. 1 spot in the poll. The Cardinal received 29 of the 30 first-place votes from a national media panel. They were followed by Louisville, North Carolina State, UConn and South Carolina. The Wolfpack received the other No. 1 vote.
NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Sacramento Kings 127, Indiana Pacers 122
Kings 127, Pacers 122 – Kings hold off Pacers 127-122 with replay help
Buddy Hield made a 3-pointer moments after Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis had a basket taken away following a replay review, and the Sacramento Kings beat the Pacers 127-122 on Monday night. Hield finished with 18 points on six 3s as the Kings won for the second time in seven games. Harrison Barnes had a season-high 30 points and eight rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox added 21 points and nine assists.
Tonight
Boston Celtics at Chicago Bulls, PPD
NBA – ‘Uncharted waters’: More NBA games off as virus issues grow
The NBA has called off two more games because of COVID-related and contact tracing issues. The league postponed Monday’s game in Dallas between the Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans as well as Tuesday’s matchup in Chicago between the Bulls and the Boston Celtics. Those moves come one day after Miami’s game in Boston was called off because of contact-tracing issues within the Heat, who were bracing to be without eight players for the next several days.
NHL – The wait is almost over for NHL teams that missed playoffs
It has been a long 10 months for Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils and more than 100 other NHL hockey players who missed the playoffs last August. They have not played a meaningful hockey game since March. For the players from New Jersey, Buffalo, Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Ottawa and Detroit, the end of the pause is in sight. The season begins this week and they can’t wait. Hughes says playing hockey is like riding a bike.
NHL – Taxi! NHL taxi squads to help teams stay on ice in pandemic
The NHL is bracing for bumps as it aims to pull off a season during the COVID-19 pandemic. The league hopes taxi squads will help. The defending Western Conference champion Dallas Stars have already had to postpone their season-opening game later this week because six players and two staff members tested positive for the coronavirus. NHL teams get to have four to six players on taxi squads after they clear waivers. That essentially expands the size of the team beyond the 23-man limit when teams submit their rosters to the league ahead of the season on Wednesday.
NHL – Milbury out, Babcock in for NHL broadcasts on NBC
Mike Milbury is no longer a presence on NBC Sports’ NHL coverage in the aftermath of a comment he made last summer that drew widespread criticism. The general manager and coach-turned-analyst in August said there were “not even any women here to disrupt your concentration” and stepped away from broadcasting the rest of the playoffs. NBC Sports did not reveal details as to why Milbury was gone other than executive producer Sam Flood saying, “It was time to separate for a number of reasons.” Stanley Cup-winning coach Mike Babcock is joining NBC’s studio coverage more than a year since being fired by Toronto.
NHL – NHL to host 2 outdoor games in Lake Tahoe this season
The NHL is taking its outdoor series to Lake Tahoe. The league announced it will hold two games on an outdoor rink set up at Edgewood Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada. Vegas will play Colorado on Feb. 20 and Boston faces Philadelphia on Feb. 21 on a temporary rink set up on the 18th hole at Edgewood, site of the annual American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament. The NHL has been conducting outdoor games since 2003 and the two in the NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe event will be the 31st and 32nd in the series.
NHL – Red Wings ECHL affiliate opts out for 2021
The Detroit Red Wings secondary affiliate, the Toledo Walleye have voluntarily opted out for the upcoming 2021 ECHL season. This does not affect Detroit’s primary affiliate in Grand Rapids. The ECHL has offered the assistance program for teams that do not wish to participate in the upcoming season due to continuing concerns with COVID-19. The Kalamazoo Wings have already announced they are also suspending operations for this season as well. The ECHL teams that have suspended are Kalamazoo, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Worcester, Maine, Reading, Adirondak, Brampton, Norfolk, NewFoundland. Indianapolis and Fort Wayne will be playing this season.
