Black Panther continues to dominate at the box office with a $100 million domestic gross over the weekend.
On the field the Winter Olympics are over, and college and pro basketball playoffs are around the corner.
TINK Sports Big-3
Here are three things you need to know:
1) The politics and action-filled Winter Olympics in South Korea came to an end Sunday
2) The NBA is closing in on its playoff run with the top-four teams leading the way
3) In college basketball, March Madness is around the corner, and an FBI investigation looms over the sport
Olympics
The curtain came down on the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics that had its share of politics (e.g., the two Koreas meeting, a Russian ban) and plenty of dramatic competition.
Source: Theworldnews.net
Here are some highlights:
- Norway, with its population of just over five million ran away with the medal count winning 39 followed by Germany (31), Canada (29) and the US (23)
- The US took home nine gold medals, with the most unexpected coming in curling, a Canadian-dominated sport
- The Russians, banned initially from competing under the Russian flag, lost their bid for reinstatement but won Gold in men’s hockey and dominated figure skating
- An Austrian cross-country skier made a wrong turn, literally, and lost her chance at a Silver medal
Looking ahead to the next Olympics? The Summer Games take place in Tokyo July 24 to Aug. 9, 2020. Nihon e yokoso (Welcome to Japan).
Did you know that over 11,000 athletes from 206 nations (including North Korea) are expected to participate? The mascot will be chosen by the vote of over six million Japanese primary school students with the winner announced Wednesday. Here are some more fun facts about the Tokyo games.
National Basketball Association (NBA)
Front running…Roughly three-quarters of the way through the regular season, and the NBA’s leading teams are no surprise. The Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics sit atop the Eastern Conference (with the Cleveland Cavaliers looming in third). The Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors are dominating the West and have their fans excited about the NBA Finals.
Source: USA Today
Speaking of playoffs…One of the league’s rising young teams, the Minnesota Timberwolves, are in position to raise the curtain of the longest playoff drought in the NBA – 13 season. All isn’t hunky dory in the North Star State though as the team lost one of its top players, Jimmy Butler, to a knee injury.
National Hockey League (NHL)
Monty Hall-ing it…The NHL trade deadline arrived over the weekend and several teams were wheeling and dealing to upgrade their playoff changes.
Raising the white flag…If you know any New York Rangers fans, give them a hug. The Rangers have given up on the season and were the major sellers in free agency jettisoning their captain, Ryan McDonagh, to the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning and All-Star Rick Nash to the playoff contending Boston Bruins.
College Basketball
The regular season is coming to an end and the most exciting month of the year in college hoops (and some would say all of sports) is about to begin.
Look out for coeds and alums to be talking about “conference tournaments” and “the Big Dance,” aka “March Madness,” for the next month. The action culminates in the crowning of a National Champion, April 2nd in San Antonio.
Who paid for that meal?…Before the Madness begins, however, college basketball is wading through a mess. The FBI conducted an investigation into college basketball corruption and inappropriate benefits, and implicated 25 people (including several current star players) and at least 20 Division I men’s college basketball programs. Some of the institutions named include juggernauts Duke, Michigan State and Kentucky.
Source: AZdesertswarm
The hardest hit was Arizona whose coach Sean Miller reportedly “discussed” a $100,000 payment to star recruit and current freshman center, DeAndre Ayton. Miller did not coach in the Wildcats loss to Oregon Saturday and his future at the school may be in jeopardy.
The final week of the regular season kicks off with this AP top-5 ranking:
1) Virginia
2) Michigan State
3) Xavier
4) Villanova
5) Duke
Freshman-dominated Duke continued its inconsistent season, losing to unranked Virginia Tech Monday night.
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