The Super Bowl Hangover

February 4, 2020

By: Jeff Yoder

Good Morning,

Welcome to the ‘Super Bowl hangover’ edition. The sports news cycle needs a recovery day after the big game. We’ll take a look at what’s ahead, including the sprint to March Madness in college hoops (today), the Chiefs parade (tomorrow), and the NBA Trade Deadline (Thursday). Make it down to today’s Underdog for some extra cheese…

Letter Rip!

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NCAAM

The March to the Madness

Baylor Solidifies Top Spot in Men’s AP Poll

The Super Bowl chapter closes in the book of sports and the March Madness chapter begins. Sure, there are some small stories in between — NBA All-Star Weekend, Daytona 500, Spring Training, and NFL Combine — but the next playoff-packed elimination tournament will have millions filling out brackets in March. It’s been a bizarre year in college hoops, and you’ll need to be a step ahead of your friends, family, and co-workers in order to win that bracket pool. Here’s the latest from men’s and women’s (see below) college hoops.

Monday Men’s Scores (Top-10)
#1 Baylor def. Kansas State (73-67)
#3 Kansas def. Texas (69-58)
#8 Florida State def. UNC (65-59)

Men’s Rankings Breakdown
The 1-seeds are finally taking shape after a wild start to the men’s college basketball season. We’ve seen six No. 1 teams upset in the first eight weeks, but Baylor and Gonzaga have solidified themselves at 1-2 for the moment. Meanwhile, Kansas, Louisville, and Duke are blue bloods that have regained footing atop the rankings, and the Big Ten Conference is beating up on each other with only one team remaining in the Top 10 (Maryland). Don’t forget about the mid-major darlings from Dayton, and San Diego State is still clenching the lone undefeated season (23-0).

Additional Reads
NCAA: 2020 Bracketology: Predicting the Tournament Field (Andy Katz)

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NCAAW

Oregon Makes History at UConn

Latest Women’s Top-25 AP Poll

We were going to keep the NCAAW section more general, but #3 Oregon went into #4 Connecticut and handed UConn its worst home loss since 2005 (18 points). Sabrina Ionescu nearly snagged another triple double (10 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists) in the win, 74-56. When the Ducks are firing on all cylinders, they might be the team to beat in the women’s game.

Highlights | Read More (ESPN)

Women’s Rankings Breakdown
The top of the women’s field runs 10 deep with championship contenders. The Top-10 remain the same in this week’s poll, but last night’s Oregon-UConn battle should shake things up in next week’s rankings. From South Carolina to Oregon State, no one is unbeaten and no one looks unbeatable. Baylor and Louisville — men’s and women’s — have a legitimate claim as the best hoops school in the nation right now.

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NBA

NBA Trade Deadline Rumors

Deadline: Thursday, Feb. 6 (3:00 pm ET)

It’s trade week in the Association, but no household names are on the move just yet. That should change in the next 48 hours. Non-contenders like the Pistons and Cavaliers are looking to move high-priced veterans while developing players become trade-bait for teams looking to make a championship push. Here are some of the top names in the rumor mill with validated reports on the trade block:

Trade Block
Clint Capela (Rockets), Andre Drummond (Pistons), Derrick Rose (Pistons), Tristan Thompson (Cavaliers), Kevin Love (Cavaliers), D’Angelo Russell (Warriors), Kyle Kuzma (Lakers), Marcus Morris (Knicks), Jrue Holiday (Pelicans)

Additional Reads
B/R: Andre Iguodala to Sit Out Season if Grizzlies Won’t Trade Him
Forbes: Hornets, Celtics, Knicks in Play for Drummond

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READ OF THE DAY

For Black Quarterbacks…

This is Their Time and Ours

The NFL season ended Sunday with the third black quarterback (Patrick Mahomes) to win a Super Bowl. On Saturday, Lamar Jackson won the MVP. That’s two black QBs taking the NFL’s highest honors to open Black History Month. Add in the success of Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson, and Dak Prescott and the era of the black quarterback is here.

Read Story (The Undefeated)

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HEADLINES

Former Rays Executive James Click Replaces Jeff Luhnow as Astros GM
(ESPN)

Fan Caught Napping During First Half of Super Bowl LIV
(CBS Sports)

Chiefs Favorites to Repeat in Super Bowl 55
(Bleacher Report)

LeBron Cites Daughter as Inspiration for Picking No. 2 in All-Star Game Kobe Tribute
(Sports Illustrated)

Staples Center Removes Kobe Bryant Memorial Items
(Yahoo! Sports)

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