Pre-Madness & Sportswriting’s King

February 27, 2024

By: Carlos Alvarez

Good Morning!

We’ve got a fun edition for a slow Tuesday in February. The March Madness countdown is on (19 days to Selection Sunday), and R.J. Davis just dropped 42 in a historic night for #9 UNC. Plus, \’The Underdog\’ returns for a special tribute to Peter King at the bottom of today\’s edition.

Letter Rip!

The Underdog\’s Return (Editor\’s Note)

We\’re attempting to reincorporate ‘The Underdog’ features back into the newsletter more consistently without stealing the spotlight and coverage from important mainstream events, and we need your help.

Poll: Do you want more frequent short underdog features (1-2 per week)? Or more of the day-to-day newsworthy updates? More Underdogs | More Breaking News (click to vote)

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NCAA

Pre-March Polls: Madness Awaits

\"\" — *Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images*

Houston Supplants UConn as Men’s No. 1 Team; South Carolina on the Doorstep of Undefeated Season

Just two days remain before we flip the calendar to March, and you know what that means. The ‘Madness’ is almost here. Selection Sunday (Mar. 17) is less than three weeks away. Our final AP Polls of February show us where teams stand prior to a few final regular-season matchups and conference tournaments. What’s the takeaway? Let’s go deeper for the men’s and women’s hoops collective.

Men’s AP Poll

1. Houston (24-3) | ↑1

2. Purdue (25-3) | ↑1

3. UConn (25-3) | ↓2

4. Tennessee (21-6) | ↑1

5. Marquette (21-6) | ↑2

6. Arizona (21-6) | ↓2

7. Kansas (21-6) | ↑2

8. Iowa State (21-6) | ↓2

9. North Carolina (22-6) | ↑1

10. Duke (21-6) | ↓2

Men’s Poll Takeaways: Three teams are jockeying for the No. 1 overall seed down the stretch, and it’s been those three squads who have traded places at the top of the poll for the second half of the season. Houston, Purdue and UConn are all three-loss teams with a sizable advantage over the field. Someone will nab the fourth No. 1 seed, but it could be anyone. For now, Houston has supplanted UConn after the Huskies fell to Creighton last week and Purdue lost to Ohio State. UConn has held No. 1 for the longest duration of the year, but Purdue holds the highest NET ranking and strength of schedule out of the three. Beyond that, the rest of the top-10 could all make claims for the fourth 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament, if they finish strong.

Women’s AP Poll

1. South Carolina (27-0) | —

2. Ohio State (24-3) | —

3. Texas (26-3) | ↑2

4. Stanford (24-4) | ↓1

5. Virginia Tech (23-4) | ↑3

6. Iowa (24-4) | ↓2

7. USC (21-5) | —

8. UCLA (21-5) | ↑4

9. LSU (24-4) | ↑4

10. UConn (24-5) | ↑5

Women’s Poll Takeaways: It’s still South Carolina against the field. And despite Caitlin Clark’s record chase — now targeting all-time NCAA scorer Pete Maravich — the Hawkeyes continue to fall down the polls with some rare losses in the past two weeks. Ohio State and Texas have solidified themselves as should-be 1-seeds. UCLA (8), LSU (9) and UConn (10) are all rising fast as we sprint towards March. Unless someone pulls the giant-slayer card, it’s the Gamecocks and Dawn Staley en route to 36-0 and another national title.

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POLL

Question of the Day: Perfect SC?

South Carolina Women’s Basketball is just two games away from a perfect 29-0 regular season (and a tournament run away from 36-0). Only 16 teams (7 men, 9 women) have ever completed a perfect season in college basketball. Do you think South Carolina will run the table for the 17th perfect season? (click to vote)

Yes | No

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SOCCER

Mexico Breaks the Streak

\"\" — *Photo: Omar Vega / Getty Images*

Concacaf Gold Cup: Mexico Beats USWNT (2-0) for 1st Time Since 2010

The U.S. Women’s National Team lost 2-0 against Mexico last night in Los Angeles for the third and final match of the Concacaf Gold Cup group stage. No big deal? Think again. It’s the first time Mexico has toppled the USWNT since 2010, and only the second time ever in 43 meetings. Mexico entered Monday 1-1-40 against the U.S. all-time, but they were up to the task against a makeshift U.S. roster with an interim manager. Lizbeth Ovalle put La Tri on the scoreboard in the 38th minute. The U.S. scratched and clawed for opportunities, but to no avail. Mayra Pelayo-Bernal (90+2’) added an insurance goal in stoppage time to secure an upset for the ages.

Group A (Final Standings)

1. Mexico (2-1-0) — (7 points)

2. USA (2-0-1) — (6 points)

3. Argentina (1-1-1) — (4 points)

4. Dominican Republic (0-0-3) — (0 points)

Watch: Mexico Shocks USWNT (2-0) to Win Gold Cup Group Stage

*The USWNT will still advance to the knockout stage of the Concacaf Gold Cup as the Group A runner-up (Mar. 2-10).

CBS Sports: USWNT’s 80-Match Unbeaten Streak at Home vs. Concacaf Teams, Snapped

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HIGHLIGHTS

NBA

Knicks def. Pistons (113-111)

*DET HC Monty Williams Furious Over Late No-Call

Raptors def. Pacers (130-122)

*Scottie Barnes’ Triple Double (21-12-12) Fuels TOR

Nets def. Grizzlies (111-86)

*BKN Has 7 Players in Double Figures

Heat def. Kings (121-110)

*Adebayo (28-10-7) & Jaquez Jr. (26) Lead MIA

NHL

Oilers def. Kings (4-2)

*Draisaitl (1G, 1A) & Bouchard (1G, 1A) Pace EDM

Islanders def. Stars (3-2, OT)

*Bo Horvat Scores OT Winner for NYI

Capitals def. Senators (6-3)

*WAS Scores Twice in 14-Second Span

Kraken def. Bruins (4-3, S/O)

*Kailer Yamamoto Scores Shootout Winner

Golf

Rory McIlroy Wins ‘The Match 9’

*Defeats Homa, Thompson & Zhang in Closest-to-Pin Sudden Death for $2.4 Million in Charity

NCAA Basketball

M: #9 N. Carolina def. Miami (75-71)

*RJ Davis Scores Dean Center Record 42 Points

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STORYLINES

CFB Helmet Comms Coming

The NCAA Football Rules Committee this week is likely to propose the use of coach-to-player sideline communications. What are widely known as \”helmet comms\” have been used by the NFL for quarterbacks since 1994. Thirty years later, it might be finally be time. (CBS Sports)

March Madness Bracket Predictions

This year’s Final Four is April 6-8 at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix. UConn, Houston, Purdue and North Carolina are our current No. 1 seeds. Right now our last four in are Northwestern, Wake Forest, Seton Hall and Colorado. Who is our Field of 68? (Sporting News)

Rugby League Comes to Vegas

As Australia\’s National Rugby League prepares to bring its rugged brand of physicality to American soil this coming weekend, the biggest challenge it faces is the most obvious. Namely, the task of educating Americans on the basic question: \”What is rugby league?\” (FOX Sports)

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NEWS

Bengals Place Franchise Tag on WR Tee Higgins (ESPN)

Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani to Make Spring Training Debut on Tuesday (B/R)

Clippers Reveal New Nautically-Themed Logo, Uniforms Ahead of Move to Inglewood (Yahoo! Sports)

NFL Reportedly Considering Adopting XFL-Style Kickoff Rule (CBS Sports)

Cristiano Ronaldo Being Investigated for Obscene Gesture to Heckling Saudi Fans (SI)

Reigning WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart Takes Pay Cut to Re-Sign With NY Liberty (FOX Sports)

Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels & Marvin Harrison Jr. to Skip Combine Workouts (CBS Sports)

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SCHEDULE

Today\’s Must-Watch List

NBA

Mavericks at Cavaliers (7:00 pm ET, NBALP)

76ers at Celtics (7:30 pm ET, TNT)

Pelicans at Knicks (7:30 pm ET, NBALP)

Spurs at Timberwolves (8:00 pm ET, NBALP)

Rockets at Thunder (10:00 pm ET, TNT)

NHL

Golden Knights at Maple Leafs (7:00 pm ET, ESPN+)

Lightning at Flyers (7:00 pm ET, ESPN+)

Stars at Avalanche (9:30 pm ET, ESPN+)

Penguins at Canucks (10:00 pm ET, ESPN+)

Concacaf Gold Cup (Women)

Columbia vs. Puerto Rico (7:00 pm ET, Par+)

Brazil vs. Panama (10:15 pm ET, Par+)

NCAA Basketball

M: Cincinnati at #1 Houston (7:00 pm ET, ESPN2)

M: #16 Kentucky at Miss. State (7:00 pm ET, ESPN)

M: BYU at #7 Kansas (8:00 pm ET, ESPN+)

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THE UNDERDOG

Sportswriting\’s King Pen

\"\" — *Photo: Scott Halleran / Getty Images*

Legendary NFL Columnist Peter King Puts Down the Pen After 44 Years

What if I told you the world’s most famous football columnist never actually played football? Crazy, right? That guy might be labeled an “armchair quarterback.” And that’s precisely who he is — the original. And don\’t you forget it.

Peter King was a voice for the everyman football fan on Monday mornings for 27 years (44 total as a sportswriter). Today, after announcing his retirement, he gets the sports media equivalent of a Tom Brady sendoff. King put down the pen yesterday, on a Monday morning (of course), in a fitting final column and tribute to his loyal following. The King and his armchair, no more.

Peter King: Monday Morning Quarterback

King was one of the most talented and fascinating sportswriters to ever pick up a pen. Part of the reason (well, my reason) is because this lifelong football wordsmith never strapped on the pads or played a single snap. He never coached, scouted or sat in a front office (at least not on payroll). He wasn\’t a footballer who became media. He was a writer who loved football from the eyes of a fan. King was a three-sport athlete at Enfield High School in Connecticut — basketball, baseball, and soccer — before getting a journalism degree and bulldozing a path into football sportswriting most could only dream of. Forty straight Super Bowls? Amazing.

How simple, yet contradicting. A high school soccer player used penmanship to infiltrate America’s biggest macho sports club? At the NFL Combine this week, 321 college athletes will put their muscles, speed and skills on display to try and gain entry through physical force into this exclusive fraternity. Meanwhile, King used writing to tackle his opponents. And those words, like literary touchdown highlights, became buttery-smooth Monday morning soliloquies to transform a sometimes-barbaric sport into poetic play-action. Mwah! $\"👌\"$ (chef\’s kiss)

King played every position in football coverage since long before the NFL became the media behemoth it is today. Sports Illustrated’s decorated NFL columnist penned the ‘Monday Morning Quarterback’ page for more than 20 years (1997-2018), earning National Sportswriter of the Year three times in the middle of a 44-year sportswriting career made from dust. Most recently, King went to NBC in 2018 to write \’Football Morning in America\’ — a spinoff of his beloved MMQB notebook.

He spent season after season dabbling in other positions across football media, too, joining HBO’s Inside the NFL and NBC’s Football Night in America. His Sirius Radio show The Opening Drive ran for a number of years. He wrote five books, all about the NFL. He\’s attended the last 40 Super Bowls, and he shared those experiences in his final column. Peter King is synonymous with NFL coverage, and his exit marks another sad day in sports journalism\’s reckoning.

\”Who’s complaining? Not me. I’m the luckiest man on the face of the earth. To be a long-termer in an increasingly short-term business, to write this column for 27 years and to be a sportswriter for 44, well, that’s something I’ll always be grateful for. Truly, I’ve loved it all.\” — Peter King

One thing he said yesterday struck me: “I’m someone you read, not someone you watch.” I love that. He wanted his writing to be the experience, not himself. No screaming for clicks. No talk-show tirades. No big media agenda. No drama.

Peter King… just a man with a pen, and no need for attention. Pure underdog.

FMIA: It’s Time. Who’s Complaining? Not Me. (Peter King)

NBC: Peter King Announces Retirement From Sportswriting (Video)

SI: MMQB Founder Peter King Retires: The NFL Columnist Who Set the Bar ‘Impossibly High’