| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker ·Jan 12, 2021 | | 👋 Good morning! Let's sports. 🇺🇸 Headline: Bill Belichick says he will not accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom that Trump was set to award him on Thursday. Today's word count: 1,708 words (6 minutes). | | | | | | 1 big thing: 🏈 Tide roll to 18th title |  | | | Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images | | | | Alabama capped a strange college football season with an immaculate performance, crushing Ohio State, 52-24, to win its 18th national championship. - 👑 The king: It's the seventh title for Nick Saban, moving him past Crimson Tide legend Paul "Bear" Bryant for the most ever. He's the only coach to win a national championship in three different decades.
- ⭐️ The star: Heisman winner DeVonta Smith caught 12 passes for 215 yards and three TDs — all in the first half. He left early in the third quarter with a dislocated finger and watched the final minutes in street clothes.
- 🤯 The stat: Alabama outscored 11 SEC teams and their two playoff opponents by an average margin of 49-19. See all the records this team broke.
Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images What they're saying: "I think we're the best team to ever play," Alabama QB Mac Jones said following a game in which his offense scored TDs on seven of its first nine possessions and gained 621 total yards. The backdrop: Smith and RB Najee Harris (158 total yds, 3 TD) were among a handful of Alabama players who returned rather than leave early for the NFL. - There was a time this summer when that decision likely tortured them, as they watched former teammates earn paychecks as professionals while the college season faced grave uncertainty.
- But in the end, they not only boosted their NFL stock but erased the bad taste of the 2019 season, when the Tide lost twice in the regular season and missed the playoff for the first time.
The scene in Tuscaloosa... Source: @_HaileySutton (Twitter) Go deeper: |     | | | | | | 2. 🏆 The year of no asterisks | | Giphy Everything about sports in 2020 was weird — except who won. The big picture: Despite all the upheaval that would seem to work against favorites and in favor of flukes, "this was probably the most dominant season for top teams in recent memory," writes FiveThirtyEight's Neil Paine. - In college football, Alabama had the third-best preseason title odds (+500) and beat Ohio State, the preseason co-favorite (+275).
- In the NHL, the preseason favorite Lightning (+675) won the Stanley Cup.
- In the WNBA, the co-favorite Storm (+450) won the championship.
- In the NBA, the champion Lakers (+450) ranked No. 2 in preseason.
- In MLB, the champion Dodgers (+385) were also No. 2 in preseason.
- In the NFL, the preseason favorite Chiefs (+450) finished with the league's best record and have the best odds to win the Super Bowl.
The last word, via Paine: "Somehow, after the dust settles on the chaos of 2020, we should remember it as the year of no asterisks — at least as far as its champions were concerned." | | | | | | | | 3. 🏀 The NBA's frontline workers |  | | | Photo: Scott Taetsch/Getty Images | | | | The NBA's COVID-19 protocol is necessarily rigorous, but it's thus far had a disproportionate effect on teams' training staffs, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. The state of play: The league's 153-page document includes myriad new responsibilities, with team employees in charge of testing, contact tracing and more. - These roles tend to land on trainers, stretching them thin on a daily basis and hindering their ability to perform their actual job.
- A typical trainer's game day can last up to 16 hours, including two separate prep sessions (one for the morning shootaround; one for the game) and four treatment sessions per player.
- Now, on top of that, they're also responsible for the time-consuming, logistical aspects of corralling players for testing and compliance.
What they're saying: ESPN's Baxter Holmes interviewed trainers and league officials about their experience so far this season. - Decline in player care: "What scares me — and I know it's happening — is that their normal job of doing health care on players [is impaired]," said one league health source. "I've had some trainers tell me, 'I haven't touched a player in two weeks because I've been so busy doing all this logistics and testing and all that.' That's concerning."
- Trainers' mental health: "Every waking hour seems to be committed to [the protocols]," said one head athletic trainer. "You wonder, 'God, I barely got through today, how am I going to do this another 100-something times?'"
The big picture: Trainers bear the brunt of the daily rigors, but they're just part of a larger system whose efficacy trails its intent. - NBA contact tracing follows the CDC guidance that 15 minutes of exposure within six feet of a known positive in a 24-hour period constitutes close contact, which then requires isolation.
- Yes, but: While on-court tracking shows opponents don't spend more than six minutes in close contact during a game, it doesn't take into account the increased viral shedding caused by high intensity exercise, infectious disease expert Amesh Adalja told The Athletic (subscription).
The bottom line: NBA training staffs are stretched thin despite employing up to eight people. So you can imagine what this is like at the college or high school levels, where there are far fewer trainers, but the risk of COVID-19 is no less real. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Coming soon: Axios Local | | |  | | | | This year, Axios will deliver free daily newsletters in U.S. cities. Sign up to be one of the first subscribers — and to read about the most consequential stories happening in your own backyard. | | | | | | 4. 🏈 Playoff preview: Packers vs. Rams |  | | | Graphic: Axios Visuals | | | | Four Divisional Round games; four days until Saturday. It's NFL preview week. The Divisional Round begins Saturday afternoon at Lambeau Field as the top-seeded Packers host the sixth-seeded Rams, Jeff writes. - Kickoff: 4:35pm ET (Fox)
- Lines: GB -6.5 | O/U 45.5
- Attendance: ~8,000
How they got here: - The Packers' season (13-3) divides nicely in thirds, with a 4-0 start leading into a 3-3 blip before cruising to a 6-0 finish to lock up the NFC's lone bye.
- The Rams (10-6) were far messier, never winning more than two straight but stepping up when it mattered with their win-or-go-home Week 17 victory over the Cardinals followed by their Wild Card win over Seattle.
Personnel: Both teams boast major star power — they just live on opposite sides of the ball. - The Packers have the presumptive MVP (Aaron Rodgers), a favorite for OPOY (Davante Adams) and one of the NFL's top rushers (Aaron Jones).
- The Rams employ one of the league's premier cornerbacks (Jalen Ramsey) and its best all-around defender (Aaron Donald).
The intrigue: No team scored more points this season than Green Bay (509); no team allowed fewer than L.A. (296). Doesn't get much better than that. | | | | | | | | Bonus: 🚀 Jared's wild ride |  | | | Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig/Getty Images | | | | Less than two weeks ago, Jared Veldheer was coaching high school football. - On Saturday, he started for the Colts.
- On Monday, he signed with the Packers (made possible by COVID practice-squad rules).
- This weekend, he could become the first player in NFL history to suit up for two teams in the same postseason.
| | | | | | | | 5. 🏀 Men's poll: UConn returns to the rankings |  Data: NCAA; Table: Axios Visuals Gonzaga and Baylor sit atop the poll for the seventh straight week, while UConn returns to the rankings for the first time since the 2016-17 season. Top prospects: Did you know Jalen Rose's mom invented the name Jalen by combining the names of his dad (James) and uncle (Leonard)? 47 years later, Jalens are everywhere. - Cade Cunningham, G, Oklahoma St.
- Jalen Suggs, G, Gonzaga
- Jalen Green, G, G League
- Evan Mobley, C, USC
- Ziaire Williams, F, Stanford
📆 Tonight: No. 9 Wisconsin at No. 7 Michigan (7pm ET, ESPN); No. 19 Duke at No. 20 Virginia Tech (7pm, ACCN) | | | | | | | | 6. 🏀 Women's poll: Wazzu ranked for first time |  Data: NCAA; Table: Axios Visuals Stanford's reign continues, while conference foe Washington State enters the top 25 for the first time ever after knocking off Arizona with an OT buzzer-beater. Top prospects: - Charlie Chollier, C, Texas
- Aari McDonald, G, Arizona
- Awak Kuier, C, Finland
- Rennia Davis, F, Tennessee
- Arella Guirantes, G, Rutgers
Go deeper: Biggest surprises of the season so far (ESPN) | | | | | | | | 7. 📊 By the numbers |  | | | Photo: Koji Watanabe/Getty Images | | | | ⚽️ 54 years old: Kazuyoshi Miura will play on at the age of 54 after extending his contract with Yokohama FC. It will be his 36th season as a professional after starting his career with Santos in Brazil in 1986. 🏈 376 days: The Eagles shockingly fired Doug Pederson, meaning the longest-tenured head coach in the NFC East is now Washington's Ron Rivera, who was hired one year and 11 days ago. 🏟 $157 million: The cost of building Polar Park, the new home of the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, has ballooned to $157 million, making it the most expensive minor league baseball stadium ever built. 🎓 10 ADs: How did Division I athletic directors confront the unique challenges of 2020? Some answers can be found in their electronic work calendars, 10 of which were obtained by Sportico through public records requests. Dive in. 🏒 $26.8 million: Despite signing a seven-year, $49 million extension in 2018, Sharks winger Evander Kane has filed for bankruptcy with $26.8 million of debt, The Athletic reports (subscription). | | | | | | | | 8. Jan. 12, 1992: 🏀 Troy 258, DeVry 141 | | Giphy 29 years ago today, Troy State beat DeVry (yes, that DeVry), 258-141, in the highest-scoring NCAA basketball game ever. The backdrop: Troy State (now just Troy) head coach Don Maestri was known for his high-octane offense that averaged a D-II best 121.1 points per game. - As a rule, his players aggressively hunted steals every possession. If they failed, they allowed easy baskets then quickly sprinted up the court to jack up shots — mostly threes — at a blistering pace.
- Maestri's strategy required frequent subbing and excellent conditioning, but the idea was that opponents would eventually tire from the constant pressure.
The game: The Trojans (12-3) were heavily favored over the Hoyas (3-15), who had just seven healthy players. This track meet was about to get ugly. - At halftime, the Trojans led 123-53 on the strength of 21 made threes, breaking their own record for points in a half.
- They scored 26 points in the first three minutes of the second half and were off to the races, breaking their previous scoring record with 10 minutes left.
- They cracked 200 points with 7:53 remaining, prompting some creativity from the scorekeepers given the scoreboard wasn't designed to surpass 200 (they went back around to zero).
"It's ironic this happened in the 100th year of basketball. I don't think Dr. Naismith ever expected to see the ball go through the peach basket this often." — Coach Maestri By the numbers: The teams combined to set 13 NCAA records, with the Trojans demolishing a few of their own in the process. - Most notably, they went 51-109 from beyond the arc, more than doubling the previous record for made threes.
- Eight of Troy's 11 players scored at least 20 points, led by Terry McCord's 41. Full box score.
The aftermath: The Trojans made it to the D-II national championship game the following year, where they mustered just 72 points in a loss to Cal State-Bakersfield. One year later, they became a D-I program 🎥 Watch: | | | | | | | | 9. 🏒 NHL trivia |  | | | Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images | | | | When the NHL season begins tomorrow, the Lightning will attempt to become just the fifth back-to-back Stanley Cup champions since 1980. - Question: What four franchises would they join?
- Hint: Only one did it this century.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🎥 Monday's top plays |  | | | Photo: Alika Jenner/Getty Images | | | - 🏈 DeVonta's sideline catch
- 🏀 SMU's reverse alley-oop
- 🏀 Gordon over Giannis
- 🏈 Fields to Ruckert
- 🏀 Beal's up-and-under
Watch all 5. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Coming soon: Axios Local | | | | | | | | This year, Axios will deliver free daily newsletters in U.S. cities. Sign up to be one of the first subscribers — and to read about the most consequential stories happening in your own backyard. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "College football ends, hockey begins" Baker Trivia answer: Penguins, Red Wings, Oilers, Islanders | | Invite friends to follow Axios Sports Use your personal link to track how many readers you bring into the community  You currently have 00 referrals. Share with a friend For questions email referralsupport@axios.com. Participation in the Axios Sports Referral Program constitutes your acceptance of the Axios Terms and Conditions of Use, which can be viewed here. | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters.
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