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Today’s Rundown

Everything you’ll get from today’s edition, and more:

• 🏀 UConn Dominates South Carolina in Columbia!

• ⛳️ Ludvig Aberg wins Genesis Invitational!

• 🏀 NBA All-Star Game Recap!

• 🪣 55-point EXPLOSION in the SEC

On This Day

On This Day…

♟️Take that, Computers!

Yeah, computers are really cool. But wanna know what’s cooler? Beating a computer in chess. That’s right! On this day in 1996, world chess champion Garry Kasparov defeated Deep Blue, the IBM chess computer.

The two battled in a six-game chess match in Philadelphia, and Kasparov won 4-2. The two rematched just a year later in 1997, Deep Blue barely won that six-match series 3 1/2-2 1/2.

🧠 Test your sports knowledge…

Yesterday’s Trivia Answer: (D) Kobe Bryant! That’ right, the Mamba had that mentality even in All-Star games! LeBron currently sits at 3, the most among active NBA players! Will he try to tie the record this year?

Before We Dive In…

👀 Here’s Yesterday’s MUST-See’s

• 🪣 Curry from half-court is all too easy

• 🤲 Jalen Hurts’ pre-game speech was so real and emotional

• 🏀 100K winner at the All-Star Game!

• ⌚️ Dame time WINNER! Ice-cold

The Hot Stove

NBA All-Star

⭐️ Team Shaq Takes it Home, Curry MVP

What to know: Another year, another different NBA All-Star format. This time around, the All-Star game featured four teams in a tournament style format, each game being played to 40 points. Here are how the four teams looked:

• Team Shaq: Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Steph Curry, Dame Lillard, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James (Did not play due to injury)

• Team Candace (Rising Stars Team): Jaylen Wells, Zach Edey, Keyonte George, Steph Castle, Dalton Knecht, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Amen Thompson, Ryan Dunn

• Team Kenny: Jaren Jackson Jr., Evan Mobley, Jaylen Williams, Jalen Brunson, Tyler Herro, Darius Garland, Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards (did not play due to injury)

• Team Chuck: Pascal Siakam, Nikola Jokic, Karl Anthony Towns, SGA, Donovan Mitchell, Alperen Sengun, Wemby, Trae Young, Gianna (Did not play due to injury)

Team Chuck defeated Team Kenny in the first round, and Team Shaq defeated Team Candace, to set up a Chuck vs Shaq finals. Team Shaq started red hot and never looked back. Shaq nicknamed his team the OGs, as he had all the old heads out there balling. They balled their way to an NBA All-Star Championship victory.

Steph, like always, showed up and showed out. He took home his third All-Star Game MVP. He had 12 of his team’s 41 in the championship game.

It was an interesting theory and idea for the NBA to try out, but I’m not sure if it’ll stick. I’d suspect that they go back to the old format next year of East vs West.

Women’s College Basketball

🏀 UConn Dominates in Columbia

What to know: In the world of Women’s College Basketball, there are two titans: UConn and South Carolina. In recent years, South Carolina has had the Huskies’ number. So common knowledge would say that the Gamecocks, riding a 71-game home win streak, would be able to handle the Huskies once again. Unfortunately for South Carolina, the Huskies came to Columbia riding a flaming hot fireball.

The No. 7 Huskies used a vintage performance to dominate SC from start to finish. UConn was seeking a signature win this season against a top-tier team, as they had already suffered losses to Notre Dame, USC, and Tennessee this season. The Huskies hadn’t beaten a top-5 team on the road since 2018 but obtained their marquee victory of the season by dominating in just about every facet of the game.

UConn benefitted from a scoring explosion from Azzi Fudd, who started ice cold but ended the game 6-10 from three with a game-high 28 points. AP National Player of the Year winner Paige Bueckers did all the little things for UConn, scoring 12 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds.

Arguably, what was most impressive for the Huskies was their rebounding, a category that SC historically dominates, which was lopsided in favor of the Huskies (48-29). It was an absolute clinic from UConn. There will be more to come from both of these squads as the season winds down.

PGA Tour

⛳️ Ludvig Aberg Wins Genesis Invitational!

What to know: After a clutch back nine, Ludvig Aberg won his second tournament on the PGA TOUR and was crowned the 2025 Genesis Invitational Champion!

After turning Pro in June of 2023, Ludvig Aberg quickly became one of the TOUR’s strongest players. He put himself further onto the map during his first Masters last year when he came in solo second only behind Scottie Scheffler. He became a household name and has started this season off hot as well. Just three weeks ago, he was tied for the lead after two days of play at Torrey Pines before he got taken down by an illness! Just three weeks later, he got redemption at the exact same course.

Day 4 started with some fireworks from Maverick McNealy, who birdied 9 of his first 13 holes! He surged up the leaderboard and was in contention to get the W! This was until Abreg went bogey-free for his last 14 holes, which included 6 birdies of his own!

He was absolutely nails down the stretch! He went BIRDIR BIRDIE BIRDIE on 13, 14, and 15, and then won it on a CLUTCH 7-foot putt on the 18th to keep him from going to a playoff with McNealey.

At only 25 years old, Aberg may be primed to be one of golf’s next superstars! With an electric name like Ludvig Aberg, it might just be perfect!

Check out his final-round highlights here!

BONUS: Vandy Basketball

🏀 MiKayla Blakes

What to know: It just wouldn’t be right if we didn’t give Mikayla Blakes her own little section here! SHE DID WHAT YESTERDAY?!?

It was a see it to believe it type of box score yesterday for Vandy Women’s Hoops! Freshman guard MiKayla Blakes had already had some eye-opening performances so far this season, but what she did last night topped them all.

She scored a D1 Freshman record 55 POINTS, in what was a 98-88 OT victory over Auburn! She isn’t doing the way Caitlin Clark took souls last year, she only made 2 threes! She went 15 for 28 from the field and absolutely nuts 23 for 24 from the free-throw line!

Can’t even say that there is a star in the making because she already is a star! She broke Elena Delle Donne’s freshman record of 54 points!

Check out her highlights here!

Quick Hitters

• 🏎️ William Byron wins his second straight Daytona 500!

• ⚾️ Soto arrives at Mets camp

• ⛳️ Tiger Woods hoping to play in tournaments soon!

• 🚓 Seven more accuse Ravens’ Justin Tucker of sexual misconduct

What We’re Watching

🏀 NBA is officially in it’s All-Star Break, games will return Thursday!

🏒 4 Nations Face-Off… Who makes it to the finals?

• Canada vs Finland (1:00 PM on TNT)

• Sweden vs USA (8:00 PM on TNT)

🏀 College Basketball ranked action:

• Men’s: (3) Duke @ Virginia (8:00 PM on ESPN), (13) Arizona vs Baylor (10:00 PM on ESPN)

• Women’s: Iowa @ (9) Ohio State (12:00 PM on FOX), (14) Kansas State @ (18) West Virginia (2:00 PM on FOX), (13) Duke @ (2) Notre Dame (6:00 PM on ESPN), Texas A&M @ (21) Alabama (8:00 PM on SECN)

⚽️ International Futbol!

• Spanish LALIGA: Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano (3:00 PM on ESPN+)

• Serie A: Genoa vs Venezia (2:45 PM)

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