Hawkeye Hunting History

February 3, 2024

By: Carlos Alvarez

Good Morning

What a night in college hoops. Two men’s top-10 teams went into overtime and the women\’s No. 2 team went down. Ranked upsets are almost a nightly occurrence this year. Plus, Caitlin Clark (Her Beakness!) is officially on history watch.

In other news: Damian Lillard’s return to Portland didn’t go as planned. The Seahawks found their new head coach. And today’s must-see soccer match is a must-wait for fans around the globe.

Letter Rip!

NCAA

The Hawkeye Hunting History

\"\"/ — *Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images*

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark Passes 3rd & 2nd in Same Game on NCAA Women’s All-Time Scoring List

Her Beakness! Not sure where that Caitlin Clark nickname came from (I think ESPN\’s John Anderson), but it’s stuck with me. The Hawkeyes\’ deadeye shooter claimed another piece of college basketball history on Wednesday in a 2-for-1 special. Clark scored 35 points on the road at Northwestern and moved from 4th to 2nd on the NCAA Women’s all-time scoring list. She entered the game with 3,389 points before jumping Missouri State’s Jackie Stiles (3,393) and Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell (3,402). Clark’s final stat line read 35-10-6-2-1 to notch her fifth-straight 30-point game. Iowa won easily by 36 (110-74), and Clark now sets her sights on another 103 points for the all-time record. She has eight regular season games to get there (12.8 ppg). Piece of cake.

NCAAW All-Time Scoring List

1. Kelsey Plum (Washington) — 3,527 points

2. Caitlin Clark (Iowa) — 3,424 points

3. Kelsey Mitchell (Ohio State) — 3,402 points

4. Jackie Stiles (Missouri State) — 3,393 points

5. Brittney Griner (Baylor) — 3,283 points

Watch: Caitlin Clark (35 Points) Jumps From 4th to 2nd on NCAA Women’s All-Time Scoring List

The Athletic: The Men Who Try to Guard Caitlin Clark Can’t Stop Her Either

NCAAW Highlights

Oklahoma Shocks #2 Kansas State (66-63)

#11 UConn Buries Villanova (81-60)

#10 Indiana Handles Maryland (87-73)

NCAAM

#1 UConn Keeps Streaking, Beats Providence (74-65)

#2 Purdue Survives Northwestern Scare (105-96, OT)

Florida Downs #10 Kentucky in Overtime (94-91, OT)

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NFL

Seahawks Snag Mike Macdonald

\"\"/ — *Photo: Todd Olszewski / Getty Images*

Seahawks Make Ravens Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald NFL\’s Youngest Head Coach

The Seattle Seahawks hired Mike Macdonald on Wednesday, effectively going from the oldest head coach in the NFL (Pete Carroll, 72) to the youngest (Macdonald, 36). Macdonald is only three years older than QB Geno Smith and LB Bobby Wagner. But most importantly, that once-nasty Seattle defense could be coming back. Macdonald produced the top scoring defense in 2023 with the Ravens, and he would be coaching in the Super Bowl next week if not for two second-half turnovers by the Ravens offense.

Fun Fact: Macdonald\’s Baltimore defense became the first team in the NFL\’s Super Bowl era to lead the league in points allowed (16.5), sacks (60) and takeaways (31).

Return of the Ball ‘Hawks

Once nicknamed the ‘Legion of Boom,’ Seattle’s secondary had long been regarded as the best in the league. The franchise puts a strong focus on drafting corners and safeties who wreak havoc on the new-age NFL passing attacks. Macdonald should be the right coach to get the most out of a loaded secondary that includes young stars Julian Love, Tariq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon — all 25 years or younger.

NFL Coaching Carousel

Macdonald’s hiring means seven of the eight NFL head coaching vacancies have been filled. Only the Washington Commanders remain. And Bill Belichick is still available.

Seahawks: Mike Macdonald

Chargers: Jim Harbaugh

Falcons: Raheem Morris

Panthers: Dave Canales

Raiders: Antonio Pierce

Patriots: Jerod Mayo

Titans: Brian Callahan

Commanders: *TBD

Read More

CBS Sports: NFL Head Coach & GM Tracker

B/R: Ravens’ Mike Macdonald Agrees to Replace Pete Carroll as Seahawks Next Head Coach

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NBA

Blazers Bust Dame\’s Reunion

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Blazers Beat Damian Lillard & Bucks (119-116) in Star’s Return to Portland

A 10-game NBA slate on Wednesday night had plenty to offer, but one game was circled on the calendar since October — Bucks at Blazers. The reason why is obvious. It was Milwaukee’s first trip to Portland this season, and ultimately Damian Lillard\’s first trip back to where he spent 10 seasons. The Portland faithful welcomed Dame back with a pre-game tribute, to which he felt “respected” and “bittersweet.” Then the game tipped, and you could tell the Blazers players wanted to send a message. Lillard was pretty cold (25 points, 3-for-13 from 3-pt) and the Blazers stole an upset (119-116) courtesy of a few late buckets by Anfernee Simons.

Does Doc Have the Answer?

Milwaukee (32-15) is off to an ugly start in the Doc Rivers era. The team fired head coach coach Adrian Griffin last week and instantly added Rivers to the role. Since that day, the Bucks are just 1-3.

Watch: Blazers Spoil Damian Lillard’s Return to Portland (119-116)

Other NBA Highlights

Battle of No. 1 Picks: The Magic and Spurs met Wednesday for a showdown between Paolo Banchero (25-9-7) and Victor Wembanyama (21-8-5) — the last two No. 1 overall picks in the draft. (Magic def. Spurs, 108-98)

Chet On Ice : The Thunder outlasted the Nuggets without Nikola Jokic last night, and Chet Holmgren knocked down a dagger 3 in crunch time to seal a five-point win. Both teams are 2nd and 3rd in the West. (Thunder def. Nuggets, 105-100)

KD Thrashes Nets: Another return game, although not as memorable as Lillard’s. Kevin Durant and the Suns went into Brooklyn and paced the Nets behind KD\’s 33 and a night where the Suns shot a ridiculous 62 percent. (Suns def. Nets, 136-120)

Spida Splashes 45: Donovan Mitchell was Wednesday’s high-point man with 45 in the Cavs’ win over the Pistons. Don\’t look now, but Cleveland has won 11 of their last 12. (Cavs def. Pistons, 128-121)

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SOCCER

\"\"/ — *Photo: Lluis Gene / Getty Images*

Today\’s Messi-Ronaldo Friendly Was Supposed To Be Epic — Will They Ever Play Again?

Today’s friendly match between Al Nassr and Inter Miami CF (1:00 pm ET) on AppleTV was supposed to be a global phenomenon. It was billed as Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi for their own \’Last Dance\’. Instead, it appears Ronaldo’s recent calf injury will keep him sidelined, leaving soccer fans in shambles. Al Nassr already canceled two friendlies in China last week due to the star’s injury. Ronaldo is obviously the team’s international ticket sales draw, so an Al Nassr lineup sans Cristiano doesn’t quite pull the same. Now, we wait.

The Last Dance

The former La Liga stars used to square off 3-4 times per year in various domestic and international club matches between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Their careers took them elsewhere — back to Manchester United for Ronaldo and a stint with PSG for Messi — until pulling them even further apart. Last year, both Messi (36) and Ronaldo (38) went to opposite sides of the planet (U.S. and Saudi Arabia) to live out the twilight years of their careers, destined to never share the pitch again unless their respective clubs made it happen, or a potential World Cup dream scenario.

Will Miami and Al Nassr try again in the future? They should. Soccer fans deserve one last Messi-Ronaldo moment.

The GOAT Debate

Messi: 1047 Games | 821 Goals | 8 Ballon d’Ors

Ronaldo: 1204 Games | 873 Goals | 5 Ballon d’Ors

Sporting News: Messi vs. Ronaldo: Which GOAT Has the Better Numbers?

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STORYLINES

The PGA Tour’s $3 Billion Deal

The PGA Tour and Strategic Sports Group — a collection of U.S. sports team owners — reached a new deal this week that provides players with equity shares under the new ‘PGA Tour Enterprises.’ Talks with the Saudi PIF are still ongoing.(CBS Sports)

Tennessee Fights Back

News broke Tuesday that the NCAA was investigating Tennessee and an unofficial sponsor for recruiting violations centered around NIL (name, image and likeness). The State of Tennessee, and Virginia, just filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA.(SI)

Updated NFL Draft Big Board

The Ringer’s 2024 NFL Draft Guide continues to get updates. Big boards. Mock drafts. Scouting reports with in-depth player analysis. NFL player comparisons. Team needs. It’s the best place to get all the NFL Draft info before April.(The Ringer)

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NEWS

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SCHEDULE

Today\’s Must-Watch List

NBA

Lakers at Celtics (7:30 pm ET)

Pacers at Knicks (7:30 pm ET)

76ers at Jazz (10:00 pm ET)

NHL All-Star Draft(Thurs. 6:00 pm ET)

4 Teams Selected by 4 Division Captains

Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon & Jack Hughes

Soccer Friendly

Al Nassr vs. Inter Miami CF (1:00 pm ET)

*Cristiano Ronaldo Won’t Play Due to Injury

PGA Tour

Pebble Beach Pro-Am (Thursday-Sunday)

NCAAW

#1 South Carolina at Auburn (8:00 pm ET)

#24 North Carolina at #5 NC State (8:00 pm ET)

#12 Texas at #13 Baylor (8:30 pm ET)