| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker ·Jan 05, 2021 | | 👋 Good morning! Entering Monday night, NBA teams leading by six or more points with under 25 seconds left in regulation were 8,104-2 over the past 10 seasons. Today's word count: 2,048 words (8 minutes). | | | | | | 1 big thing: 🏀 The Indiana bubble | | Photo: Found Image Holdings/Corbis via Getty Images It's official: The 2021 NCAA men's basketball tournament will be held entirely in Indiana from late March to early April. Why it matters: In terms of sheer size, the 68-team, 67-game hoops bonanza will be unlike anything we've seen during sports' pandemic era. - Venues: Lucas Oil Stadium (Colts), Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Pacers), Hinkle Fieldhouse (Butler) and Indiana Farmers Coliseum (IUPUI) will host games in Indianapolis, while Mackey Arena (Purdue) and Assembly Hall (Indiana) will host games in nearby West Lafayette and Bloomington.
- Housing: Marriott, an NCAA partner, will house teams on separate floors in hotels that are connected via skywalks to the Indiana Convention Center (where teams will practice) and Lucas Oil Stadium.
- Protocols: The NCAA will work with health officials in Marion County to determine health and safety protocols, and to administer COVID-19 tests.
- Attendance: A limited number of family members will be permitted at games. The NCAA will decide later on whether to allow other spectators.
Source: @marchmadness (Twitter) Between the lines: While leagues like the NBA, NHL and WNBA successfully employed single-site tournaments this summer, college sports is an entirely different beast — and 68 teams is a logistical nightmare of the highest order. - The National Collegiate Hockey Conference, an eight-team league with powerhouses like Denver and North Dakota, offers a glimpse of what a bubbled March Madness could look like.
- Dec. 1–21, the NCHC played in what it called a "pod" in Omaha, Nebraska. 38 games in three weeks.
- The only places teams went were the arena, the hotel (where they had their own separate lounges) and a designated restaurant. Players were tested every game day.
- The biggest challenge? Locker room space. "The equipment managers are probably going to be the heroes of this thing," NCHC commissioner Josh Fenton told ESPN.
More bubbles: - The women's tournament will also be played in a centralized location, likely San Antonio.
- Indiana will also host the D-II and D-III men's championships in Evansville and Fort Wayne, respectively.
|     | | | | | | 2. 🏀 Men's poll: Zags are hot, blue bloods are not |  Data: NCAA; Table: Axios Visuals Gonzaga and Baylor remain in the top two spots for the seventh consecutive week, and the only shock might be that the Bears are still hanging onto the Bulldogs' final first-place vote, Jeff Tracy writes. - Rounding out the top five are Villanova, who last played Dec. 23 due to coronavirus issues; Texas, in the top five for the first time since 2011; and Iowa, led by Player of the Year favorite Luka Garza.
By the numbers: Gonzaga has always been excellent under Mark Few, but this year's squad looks like the best team yet. - The Zags are the first team ever with four wins over top-2o opponents in their first seven games (Kansas, West Virginia, Iowa, Virginia).
- They're also the first team since Arkansas in 1993-94 to score 85+ points in each of their first 10 games. The Razorbacks won the national title that year.
The big picture: The Big Ten continues to dominate with seven ranked teams, but the bigger story is what's going on with the sport's biggest blue bloods. - No. 21 Duke is still ranked, but the Blue Devils are 3-2 with losses against the only two ranked teams they've played (Michigan State and Illinois).
- North Carolina is 6-4 and needed a game-winner in the closing seconds to beat Notre Dame and avoid a three-game losing streak.
- Kentucky is 2-6 despite having the nation's best recruiting class. Brutal season so far in Lexington.
Of note: The NCAA released its first NET rankings and neither Duke nor Kentucky even cracked the top 100. | | | | | | | | 3. 🏀 Women's poll: Stanford's reign continues |  Data: NCAA; Table: Axios Visuals Stanford is still the team to beat, holding its No. 1 ranking for the fifth straight week despite not playing a home game since its season opener on Nov. 25, Jeff writes. - The rest of the top five remained nearly unchanged, with No. 2 Louisville, No. 3 N.C. State and No. 5 South Carolina standing pat.
- Only UConn has a new ranking, moving up a spot to share No. 3 with the Wolfpack.
The state of play: There was no major movement in either direction, with No. 22 Northwestern (down seven) the only team to rise or fall more than three spots. - No. 11 Oregon (8-1) had its 27-game winning streak snapped and dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since the 2017-18 preseason poll, which was the fourth-longest active streak behind only Louisville, Baylor and UConn.
- The Big Ten has six ranked teams for the third straight week after enjoying only two such weeks in its entire previous history.
- Team opt outs: Duke (3-1) and SMU (0-6) have both opted out for the remainder of the season. Both decisions were player-driven.
Coming up: No. 6 Baylor hosts No. 3 UConn on Thursday in what might be the sport's best rivalry. Go deeper: Dawn Staley and South Carolina have met the moment (The Ringer) | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | How to navigate COVID-19's impact on the markets | | |  | | | | Axios markets editor Dion Rabouin provides the latest economic news and crucial insights every weekday in Axios Markets. - In turbulent times, Dion puts a sharp lens on the shifting worlds of global.
Subscribe for free | | | | | | 4. 🎾 WTA season kicks off in Abu Dhabi |  | | | Abu Dhabi skyline. Photo: Rustam Azmi/Getty Images | | | | The 2021 women's tennis season begins today at the Abu Dhabi WTA Open. The state of play: The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) is at an intriguing — and critical — stage of its evolution as it embarks on its 48th season. - The retirements of former world No. 1 superstars like Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki are a prelude to the eventual exits of two legends: Serena and Venus Williams.
- Lots of new faces have emerged in recent years, with 12 different women winning the last 15 Grand Slam titles.
The field: Four of the top 10 players in the WTA rankings are in Abu Dhabi: No. 4 Sofia Kenin (USA), No. 5 Elina Svitolina (Ukraine), No. 6 Karolína Plíšková (Czech Republic) and No. 10 Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus). - Kenin, 22, was recently named the 2020 WTA Player of the Year after winning the Australian Open and reaching the final at the French Open.
- Other Americans in the field include 2020 U.S. Open semifinalist Jennifer Brady (No. 24) and teenage phenoms Amanda Anisimova (No. 30) and Coco Gauff (No. 42).
The host: The UAE has emerged as a global sports destination in recent years, hosting everything from F1 races and soccer friendlies to golf events and rugby tournaments. - This fall, three cities — Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah — hosted the entire 2020 Indian Premier League (cricket) after lockdowns prohibited play in India.
- Fun fact: The IPL is the world's sixth most valuable sports league, per Forbes, trailing only the NFL, Champions League and Europe's four biggest soccer leagues (England, Spain, Italy, Germany).
Courtesy: WTA The backdrop: In May, Roger Federer, Billie Jean King, Rafael Nadal and others came out in support of merging the WTA and Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) to create a unified governing body for men's and women's tennis. - "It's too confusing for the fans when there are different ranking systems, different logos, different websites, different tournament categories," Federer tweeted.
- "[A]m I the only one thinking that now is the time for men's and women's tennis to be united and come together as one?"
Where it stands: There's no merger in the works, but the WTA did respond last month with a new logo (above) and rebrand that aligns with the ATP. After years of confusion, WTA tournaments are now categorized like their ATP counterparts: - WTA 1000 (formerly Premier Mandatory/Premier 5)
- WTA 500 (formerly Premier 700)
- WTA 250 (formerly International)
- WTA 125 (formerly 125K Series)
| | | | | | | | 5. 🏈 Tonight: Virtual Heisman |  | | | L to R: Devonta Smith, Kyle Trask, Mac Jones, Trevor Lawrence. Photos: Getty Images; Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios | | | | The 86th annual Heisman Trophy will be awarded during a virtual ceremony tonight (7:30pm ET) at ESPN's studios in Bristol, Connecticut — a far cry from the bright lights of Manhattan's Times Square, where the event has been held since 2005. The finalists: - Devonta Smith, WR, Alabama
- Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
- Kyle Trask, QB, Florida
- Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
The intrigue: Smith is a heavy favorite and would become just the third WR to win the award, joining Michigan's Desmond Howard (1991), Notre Dame's Tim Brown (1987) and Nebraska's Johnny Rodgers (1972). - 17 of the 20 Heisman winners this century were QBs, beginning with FSU's Chris Weinke in 2000 and ending with LSU's Joe Burrow in 2020.
- In the other three years, the award went to RBs: Derrick Henry in 2015, Mark Ingram in 2009 and Reggie Bush in 2005 (vacated).
Looking ahead: Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler is the early favorite (+300) to win next season, followed by Clemson QB D.J. Uiagalelei (+400) and UNC QB Sam Howell (+600), per SportsLine. | | | | | | | | 6. 📸 Photos 'round the world | | Photo: Codie McLachlan/Getty Images EDMONTON, Canada — Arthur Kaliyev scored with 1:16 remaining to lead the United States past Finland, 4-3, in the IIHF World Juniors semifinals. Next up: USA vs. Canada in tonight's championship game (9:30pm ET, NHLN). Photo: Adam Pretty/Getty Images OBERSTDORF, Germany — The Four Hills Tournament, held every year since 1953, comprises four consecutive ski jumping World Cup events between Dec. 28 and Jan. 6. The same four venues are used every year: Oberstdorf and Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany; Innsbruck and Bischofshofen in Austria. Photo: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — The 42nd annual Dakar Rally began Sunday, kicking off the two-week long endurance race through the deserts of Saudi Arabia. There are five competitive divisions: motorcycles, quads, cars, UTVs and trucks. | | | | | | | | 7. 📊 By the numbers |  | | | Anthony Lynn. Photo: Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images | | | | 🏈 6 job openings: Anthony Lynn and Doug Marrone were fired on Monday, meaning six NFL teams are now in the market for a new head coach: Chargers, Jaguars, Jets, Texans, Lions and Falcons. 🏀 33-16-11: Luka Dončić (33 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists in the Mavericks' 113-100 win over the Rockets) is the first player with a 30-point, 15-rebound, 10-assist triple-double since ... Luka Dončić on Aug. 4, who was the first to do it since ... Luka Dončić on March 4. ⚽️ 9-6-2: Southampton beat defending Premier League champion Liverpool, 1-0, opening the door for Manchester United to take over first place. Liverpool (9-6-2) already has more losses and draws than it had all of last season (32-3-3). 😷 7 days: After exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, Nets star Kevin Durant is facing a seven-day quarantine. In related news, the NBA will now mandate all active players wear a face mask until they enter the game. 🎿 14 years old: Kai Jones skis way out of bounds. But the 14-year-old's relentless practice on and off the slopes gives him confidence for tricks ready-made to go viral and emblematic of freeskiing's growth. Get to know him. | | | | | | | | 8. Jan. 5, 1971: 🏀 Reds 100, Globetrotters 99 | | The Harlem Globetrotters circa 1976. Kneeling (L-R): Nate Branch, Curly Neal, Meadowlark Lemon and Jackie Jackson. Standing (L-R): Dallas Thornton, Edmond Lawrence, Robert Paige, Twiggy Sanders and Jerry Venable. Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images 50 years ago today, the Washington Generals (playing as the New Jersey Reds) beat the Harlem Globetrotters, 100-99, ending the Trotters' 2,495-game winning streak. The backdrop: In 1952, Globetrotters owner Abe Saperstein approached former Baltimore Bullets player Red Klotz about forming a traveling exhibition opponent for the Trotters. - The Washington Generals were born, named after the nation's capital — which didn't have a team at the time — and General Eisenhower: "People loved Eisenhower, and he was new then," Klotz said.
- To give the illusion of beating up on more than just one team all the time, the Generals used four other names and uniforms: New Jersey Reds, Boston Shamrocks, Baltimore Rockets and Atlantic City Seagulls.
ABC's Howard Cosell with a Washington Generals player in the early 1970s. Photo: Focus on Sport/Getty Images The game: About 25% of Globetrotters games are real basketball; the other 75% is full of gags and jokes. The Generals are supposed to let the Trotters do pretty much whatever they want on offense, all but guaranteeing that they win. - That night, the formula was off. After trailing by double-digits late in the game, the Trotters came back to take a 99-98 lead with 10 seconds left.
- But the 50-year-old Klotz — who still played regular minutes — responded with one of his patented, two-handed shots to retake the lead, 100-99.
- The timekeeper stopped the clock to give the Trotters a chance to win — a standard practice at these games where rules were more like guidelines.
- Globetrotter legend Meadowlark Lemon raced down the court unimpeded (the Reds still knew they were supposed to lose!) and took the same hook shot he'd made thousands of times before. This time, he missed.
- Before the timekeeper could stop the clock again, the buzzer had sounded and the game was over. Red Klotz — the accidental hero.
The big picture: Klotz continued playing until he was 66 before disbanding the team in 1995. His Generals never won again. - In 2011, he became the first non-Globetrotter and sixth person overall to have his number retired by the team. In 2014, he passed away at age 93.
- Fun fact: Klotz remains the shortest player (5-feet-7-inches) to ever win an NBA championship.
Go deeper: | | | | | | | | 9. 🏈 NFL trivia |  | | | Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images | | | | Xavien Howard is the first player with 10 interceptions in a season since 2007. - Question: Who had 10 interceptions in 2007?
- Hint: Played for the Chargers at the time.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🎥 Monday's top play | | Giphy Hockey's "lacrosse-style" goal was invented in 1993 by Bill Armstrong, an undrafted prospect out of Western Michigan University who appeared in exactly one NHL game (cool story). - On Monday night, Arizona State's Johnny Walker executed it to perfection.
- Mr. Armstrong, who is now a realtor in London, Ontario, would be proud.
Watch. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | How to navigate COVID-19's impact on the markets | | | | | | | | Axios markets editor Dion Rabouin provides the latest economic news and crucial insights every weekday in Axios Markets. - In turbulent times, Dion puts a sharp lens on the shifting worlds of global.
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