Truth and time tells all
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Happy hump day!
On Wednesdays (and every day, really) we watch women’s sports — keep an eye out for a special edition later today detailing everything you need to know about League One Pro Volleyball (LOVB) and the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF) before the two groundbreaking leagues start their seasons over the next two days.
- And until then, let’s dig into today’s news.
— World No. 3 tennis superstar Coco Gauff, cracking jokes after investing in Unrivaled, the new 3v3 women’s basketball league that tips off later this month. Gauff joins an iconic list of fellow investors that includes USWNT legend Alex Morgan, South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley, and swimmer Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time. Decent company.
College Football Playoff
🎓🏈 Orange you glad it’s bowl season?
The GIST: And then there were four. The College Football Playoff (CFP) semis are officially here, with the Orange Bowl, featuring No. 6 Penn State and No. 7 Notre Dame, kicking off tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET and the Cotton Bowl set for Friday.
- We’ll preview Friday's matchup between No. 5 Texas and No. 8 Ohio State in our next newsletter, but for now, read on for all the juicy details about tomorrow’s showdown. Hike!
🦁 No. 6 Penn State will lean on their ground game: The Nittany Lions have been sprinting all over their opponents this season, thanks to junior running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. Both have eclipsed the 1K-yard rushing mark, helping Penn State average over five yards per carry in their first two postseason games. Literally running away with it.
- Defensively, all eyes will be on the health of junior defensive end and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Abdul Carter.
- Head coach (HC) James Franklin indicated that Carter might still play despite a lingering shoulder injury, which could be a game-changer given his team-leading 11 sacks on the season.
🍀 No. 7 Notre Dame will rely on the luck of the Irish quarterback (QB) Riley Leonard: Notre Dame’s offensive success will rest on the shoulders (and legs) of its dual-threat QB. Leonard’s thrown for 2,383 yards and 18 touchdowns this season, and he’s also basically a track star, ranking second on the team in rushing yards. Get you a player who can do it all.
- As for the Fighting Irish D, they’ll have their hands full containing Penn State’s loaded offense, including the Nittany Lions’ dynamic playmaker, tight end Tyler Warren.
- That said, Notre Dame is coming off a strong defensive showing against No. 2 Georgia, holding the Bulldogs to just 10 points in the quarter-finals.
🎓🏀 All the No. 1 UCLA women’s basketball team does is win — the Bruins stayed undefeated with last night’s 83–49 victory over Purdue and remain one of five unbeaten squads in college women’s hoops.
- One of those teams, No. 8 Maryland, faces a tall task to maintain their perfect record when they host the JuJu Watkins–led No. 4 USC Trojans tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET.
❌ Much like the limit, perfection doesn’t exist on the men’s collegiate court — the last undefeated men’s NCAA squad, No. 1 Tennessee, were upset 73–43 by No. 8 Florida last night.
❤️🩹 No. 7 UConn women’s basketball senior Paige Bueckers avoided a major knee injury during Sunday’s 83–52 rout of Villanova and is expected to be sidelined for just a week with a knee sprain. Phew.
- In other injury news, South Carolina junior Ashlyn Watkins is out for the season after tearing her ACL in the No. 2 Gamecocks’ lopsided win over Mississippi State on Sunday.
👀 It’s pink slip season in the NFL, where Jacksonville Jaguars HC Doug Pederson and Las Vegas Raiders HC Antonio Pierce were both fired this week. Meanwhile, former Tennessee Titans HC Mike Vrabel appears to be a top choice for many teams with vacancies, including the New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, and NY Jets.
🤕 Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Sunday’s loss to the Bears, a brutal blow to the Packers’ postseason hopes.
🇺🇸⚽ The USWNT’s Triple Espresso — forwards Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, and Mallory Swanson — were not named to January’s camp roster as they continue offseason recovery, giving way for six new players to be called up and make their case for the red, white, and blue.
⛳ Tomorrow’s Golf League (TGL), which features three-on-three indoor simulator play, teed off in primetime last night, marking the sport’s latest foray into the digital world. Wyndham Clark’s Bay Golf Club emerged victorious, topping Xander Schauffele’s NY Golf Club in the start of the star-studded, innovative league.
🏀 WNBA legend Candace Parker will lead Unrivaled’s TNT broadcast team, headlining a crew that also features Atlanta Dream vice president and former WNBA All-Star Renee Montgomery and women’s hoops trailblazer, the iconic Lisa Leslie. Absolute fire.
⚾ Mr. Kate Upton Veteran pitcher and three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander is on the move, signing a one-year deal with the San Francisco Giants yesterday.
🇺🇸🏒 The U18 Team USA women are rolling at the World Championships, capping off group play with yesterday’s dominant 5–0 win over Finland, the perfect momentum heading into tomorrow’s 6:30 a.m. ET quarter-final against Slovakia.
🎓🏀 NCAA women’s basketball: No. 9 Ohio State vs. No. 25 Michigan — Tonight at 7 p.m. ET — Big Ten Network
- Michigan freshman phenom, Syla Swords, has been deep in her bag, dropping a career-high 30 points on No. 1 UCLA last week. But the freshmen-laden Wolverines are 0-4 vs. ranked opponents — can she help her squad claw their way to an upset?
🏀 NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder — Tonight at 7 p.m. ET — ESPN
- The Donovan Mitchell–led and Eastern Conference best Cavs enter this heavyweight showdown on a 10-game win streak, but the Thunder, led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, have notched 15 straight themselves.
- Something has to give — and you can bet your bottom dollar it won’t be the entertainment value.
🏒 PWHL: Montréal Victoire vs. Toronto Sceptres — Tonight at 10 p.m. ET — YouTube
- The Takeover Tour continues on the West Coast, with expansion eyes shifting to Vancouver for the city’s first pro women’s hockey game since 2009.
- And this time it’s a sold-out affair, with a crowd of nearly 19K expected to watch Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin take on hometown hero, Sceptres defender Rylind MacKinnon.
🎓🏀 NCAA women’s basketball: No. 14 Duke vs. No. 19 UNC — Tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET — ACC Network
- One of a handful of ranked Thursday throwdowns, this blue blood rivalry battle never disappoints. The Blue Devils are undefeated in ACC play, while the Tar Heels have only managed a single conference win — which shade of blue will reign supreme?
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🏎️ What to read
This article about Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari. After years of dominance with Mercedes, Sir Lewis is making the switch to Ferrari for 2025. Vroom, vroom.
🍔 What we’re lovin’
The new McDonald’s commercial featuring Edmonton Oiler Connor McDavid and Toronto Maple Leaf Auston Matthews. Come for the throwback, stay for the Big Mac.
*P.S. This is a sponsored post. That gut feeling.Question of the Day
Eight days into 2025 and we’re still in our resolutions era, so we want to know: Do you plan on purchasing new fitness and/or athletic equipment in the next year?
Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Marga Sison, Megan Murray, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Laura Pastore, Emily Ohman, Emma Leishman, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Lindsay Jost. Fact-checking by Marga Sison. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Alessandra Puccio. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.