Check 1,2 Check 1,2

The #1 and #2 college basketballs got checked last night. We’re going to run through some college basketball action, dig into a few surprises in the NFL, and check out the NBA as well.

Let’s go

Two For Tuesday

The University of Houston moved into the #2 spot in the college basketball rankings on Monday, and they’ll be dropping out of that 2 spot after losing just one day later.

👉️ #2 Houston lost to Iowa State 57-53 after Houston only scored 21 points in the first half. Houston would tie the game up in the 2nd, but Iowa State freshman Milan Momcilovic would drill a fadeaway shot with 30 seconds left, and the game tied up to seal the deal. Oh, and he was double-teamed! This was Houston's first loss on the season, and they were the last unbeaten team remaining.

👉️ #1 Purdue would be the next upset as they fell big time to Nebraska. Nebraska is 11-1 at home, and the Cornhuskers fans stormed the court after an 88-72 win. The Purdue offense didn’t run through 7-footer Zach Edey this game, as the Boilermakers hit 13 3-pointers. Nebraska had an even better game as they hit 14 3’s and were 60% from beyond the arc. Purdue gave their best effort in the 2nd half but couldn’t close the deficit.

NFL Surprises

Mike Vrabel was fired by the Tennessee Titans yesterday. Vrabel led Tennessee to four consecutive winning seasons after arriving in 2018, but the last two years have not met expectations. The Titans finished with a below .500 record last year and they finished at 6-11 this year. I have no doubt Vrabel will be hired quickly, the only question is where is the best fit?  

Matt Eberflus is being retained by the Chicago Bears, likely to the dismay of many Bears fans. Eberflus will be in Chicago for another season at least, but he’ll have to hire a new offensive staff as the OC, QB coach, WR coach, and RB coach were all fired. The Bears front office has a potentially massive organization-changing decision to make over the next few months as they decide what they will do with the #1 overall draft pick. Do they keep Justin Fields? Do they take Drake Maye or Caleb Williams? Maybe they’ll trade the #1 pick and get something extra for it. We’ll see. All I know is the Bears need to make a playoff run next year if Eberflus wants to keep coaching.

NBA News

Draymond Green could be making his NBA return this weekend following an “indefinite suspension” that lasted 11 games. Green was required to take some time off after hitting Jusuf Nurkic in the head and choking our Rudy Goebert earlier in the season. Green has received some professional help for his outbursts and issues and has committed to playing antic-free basketball.

The Miami Heat and Erik Spoelstra have agreed to an 8-year, $120 million extension. Spoelstra has gone 725-506 since taking over for the legendary Pat Riley in 2008-09. He's guided the Heat to six Finals appearances during his time at the helm, including back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.

Kawhi Leonard is getting paid. The Los Angeles Clippers and the star forward agreed on a three-year, $152.4-million extension. Kawhi has already been with the Clippers for five years. It sure doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.

What’s On TV Today?

NBA

🏀 New Orleans Pelicans @ Golden State Warriors, 8:30 pm ET on ABC

🏀 Denver Nuggets @ Utah Jazz, 10 pm ET on ESPN

NHL

🏒 Minnesota Wild @ Dallas Stars, 7:30 pm ET on TNT

🏒 Vegas Golden Knights @ Colorado Avalanche, 10 pm ET on TNT

College Basketball

🏀 #3 Kansas @ UCF, 7 pm ET on ESPN+

🏀 #21 Clemson @ Virginia Tech, 7 pm ET on ESPN2

🏀 #7 UNC @ NC State, 8 pm ET on ESPN

🏀 #4 UConn @ Xavier, 8:30 pm ET on FS1

🏀 #9 Oklahoma @ TCU, 9 pm ET on ESPN2

🏀 Butler @ #11 Marquette, 9 pm ET on CBSSN

Sorry for the late one today; we had another crazy day of travel coming back from the National Championship in Houston. We’ll catch up with you tomorrow.

-The Daily Breakroom