We can't keep UConn out of the news!

Good Morning! It’s back to work after a nice little Monday off, and the good news is…. It’s a short week!

The NBA is almost back in action, but we’ve still got basketball news that is pretty much just UConn, UConn, and more UConn. Don’t let us catch these Huskies on bad behavior!

After a little UConn talk, we will follow up on some other college basketball news, do a little baseball update, and round out the day with a look at a 17-goal night in the NHL!

UConn = Winners

It’s been over 25 years of things just going “right” in Storrs, Connecticut, the home of the University of Connecticut Huskies. We can’t seem to keep them out of the news. A men’s team that had won 5 NCAA March Madness titles since 1999 and a women’s team that has won more championships in 30 years than I can count on my hands(it’s 11 btw).

Now check this out.

👉️ The Men’s team is the first team this season to become the unanimous #1 ranked team in the AP poll. Yup, after UConn destroyed Marquette (is that enough credit?) and Ohio State upset Purdue this weekend, all 62 AP voters selected UConn as their #1 team.

🍾 Geno Auriemma, head coach of the women’s squad, passed Duke’s hall of fame coach Mike Krzyzewski for second-most wins by a head coach in D1 basketball. The UConn Women’s team beat #21 Creighton 73-53 last night, and Auriemma now has 1,203 wins. He needs just seven more wins to get ahead of Tara VanDerveer, who currently holds the all-time record.

🏀 Being the next guy up after an all-time coach retires is so difficult, and it doesn’t really matter the sport. Remember that dude who took over for Jim Calhoun at UConn, won a National Championship, and then got fired two seasons later because he had two rough years? Kevin Ollie? Yeah, that guy. Well, Ollie is doing pretty good these days. He was just named the interim head coach for the Brooklyn Nets after they fired Jacque Vaughn yesterday. The Nets are 21-33 and haven’t been great under Vaughn’s tutelage. They made the playoffs last year but got swept in the first round. The organization is hoping Ollie is a guy who can connect with the players and get a spark out of them for the remaining 28 games. Everyone who touches the programs in Storrs seems to be a winner. Can Ollie get that winning touch to transfer to Brooklyn? We shall see.

Pitino ≠ Pleased

Rick Pitino was not pleased after St. John’s lost to Seton Hall 86-62 at home on Sunday. Pitino followed up the game with some comments that people thought was him “ripping his players”. Pitino said his guys weren’t tough, and they weren’t playing athletically. He even mentioned how sh**ty the facilities were, but it had nothing to do with how terrible their defense is.

Now, the basketball world and the media are up in arms because of Pitino’s comments, and I just want to remind everyone that this is what you signed up for. He was a dude caught in the middle of a sex scandal at Louisville because he would do anything to win and get players that could win. He then went to Iona and won. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. If you’re lucky, you might win.

P.S. We know we’re skipping over Pitino’s international stints between Louisville and Iona. Shush! 🤫 

MLB News

We’re back in action with spring training in the MLB, and games start on Thursday. Here’s a little rapid fire on what’s been happening in the league.

⚾️Wouldn’t you know it, The LA Dodgers new pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto apparently has some “electric stuff”. Yamamoto signed a 12-year $325 million deal with the Dodgers this offseason and has never thrown a pitch in the MLB. What else would anyone say? He’s not throwing great pitches? Let’s see what type of juice this guy’s got come April

⚾️ Staying on the Dodgers, we won’t see Shohei Ohtani for a bit. He’s still recovering from his elbow surgery, so seeing him bat won’t be a thing for a few weeks. He does expect to be ready to go by the unofficial opening day, which is set for March 20th, when the Dodgers and Padres will face each other in games on back-to-back days in Seoul, South Korea. The actual opening day across MLB will be a week later.

⚾️ After the Yankees traded for Juan Soto, they are looking to grab another former Padres player. The Yankees are looking to sing free agent ace Blake Snell. We don’t have numbers yet on the proposed contract, but Snell is also being targeted by the Dodgers and the Giants.

A WILD Win!

🏒 I thought the weekend was getting crazy with a few 11 goal games but last night exceeded that.

The Vancouver Canucks traveled to Minnesota to face the Wild, and it started like a normal hockey game. We won’t run through every goal, but here’s what we’ll say. The Canucks had a 5-3 lead at the end of the 2nd period. After 5 minutes and 12 seconds went by in the 3rd, the Canucks were down 8-5. The Wild continued to pour more goals into the net and after a total of 9 goals were scored in the 3rd period, the Wild would win by a field goal.

What’s on TV Tonight?

College Basketball

🏀 #1 UConn @ #15 Creighton, 8:30 pm ET on FS1

🏀 #11 Baylor @ #25 BYU, 9 pm ET on ESPN

🏀 #19 San Diego State @ Utah State, 9 pm ET on CBSSN

🏀 TCU @ #23 Texas Tech, 9 pm ET on ESPN2

🏀 San Francisco @ #18 Saint Mary’s, 11 pm ET on ESPN2

NHL (various games streaming on ESPN+)

We’ve got several games streaming tonight, but these two games below are worth watching. These teams are at or near the top of their divisions.

🏒 Dallas Stars @ NY Rangers, 7 pm ET on ESPN+

🏒 Vancouver Canucks @ Colorado Avalanche, 9 pm ET on ESPN+

Have a great Tuesday, and happy birthday to Charles Barkley and my brother.

-The Daily Breakroom