| | | | | | | Presented By SiriusXM | | | | Axios Sports | | By Jeff Tracy · Feb 21, 2023 | | 👋 Good morning! Kendall is on vacation until early next week, so you're stuck with me until then. Today's word count: 1,745 words (7 minutes) Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: ⛳️ Rahm's well-timed hot streak |  | | | Photo: Michael Owens/Getty Images | | | | Jon Rahm (-17) held off Max Homa (-15) to win the Genesis Invitational on Sunday at Riviera Country Club, returning to No. 1 in the world on the strength of his third win in five starts this year. Why it matters: The Spaniard picked a great time to play some of the best golf of his career, capturing massive prizes in these first couple months of the PGA Tour's new "elevated" era. By the numbers: Rahm has already earned a career-best $9.86 million this season — more than four of the past five PGA Tour money leaders earned in the entire season. It's still February. - That's thanks largely to his success in "elevated events" with larger purses like the Genesis, where he earned $3.6 million for his victory. Last year, he would have won $2.16 million for the same event.
- He also won the Sentry Tournament of Champions (the first elevated event) and finished third at last week's Waste Management Phoenix Open (the second), earning twice as much for those finishes this year ($4.1 million) as he would have last year ($2.1 million).
Looking ahead: Rahm's wallet will thank him if he keeps this up in the coming weeks, as there are three more elevated events before the end of March: - Arnold Palmer Invitational (Mar. 2-5): $20 million purse (last year: $12 million)
- The Players Championship (Mar. 9-12): $25 million ($20 million)
- WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play (Mar. 22-26): $20 million ($12 million)
|     | | | | | | 2. 🏀 G Leaguer turned Slam Dunk champ |  | | | Photo: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images | | | | No one had a better weekend in Salt Lake City than Mac McClung, the longtime viral sensation who became the first G League player ever to win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. ICYMI: McClung — a 6'2" guard for the Delaware Blue Coats (76ers) — stunned the crowd on Saturday night with four spectacular dunks, including three that scored a perfect 50. - Not bad for someone who's played in just two NBA games.
The backdrop: McClung, 24, went undrafted in 2021 after three solid years at Georgetown and Texas Tech. He eventually signed with the Lakers and then the Bulls, playing one game with each last year. - But before that, the uber-athletic guard was a high schooler from the tiny town of Gate City, Va., where his viral mixtapes labeled him as "the most exciting player in America."
State of play: As a player, he's much more than a highlight reel, averaging 19.1 points this season as one of just two G Leaguers shooting at least 55% from the field, 50% from three and 80% from the line. - In fact, he's played well enough to earn a two-way contract with the Sixers, which he signed just a few days before his star turn over the weekend.
The big picture: The dunk contest has become largely forgettable in recent years, as superstars increasingly forego the event to protect their bodies, and those who do participate have struggled to put on a good show. - But perhaps McClung's excellent performance will reinvigorate the competition, whether as a de facto challenge to established stars or as a new blueprint for the NBA, which could continue inviting hungry, talented G Leaguers like McClung to its once-marquee event.
Photo: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images More from All-Star weekend: - LeBron finally loses: Team Giannis beat Team LeBron, 184-175, in Sunday's All-Star Game. It was the first time LeBron — who's been a captain all six years under the current format — ever lost.
- Tatum breaks scoring record: Jayson Tatum won MVP with an All-Star Game-record 55 points, breaking the previous mark set by Anthony Davis in 2017 (52).
- Dame wins 3-point crown: Damian Lillard beat Pacers sharpshooters Buddy Hield and Tyrese Haliburton in the final, becoming the first Trail Blazer to win the 3-Point Contest.
Go deeper: Winners and losers (The Ringer) | | | | | | | | 3. 🏀 Previewing the Madness: Top 16 reveal |  | | | Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios | | | | The NCAA Selection Committee revealed its March Madness bracket preview on Saturday, announcing who the top 16 men's teams would be for next month's tournament if the season ended today. The top 16: - 1 seeds: Alabama (No. 1 overall), Houston, Kansas, Purdue
- 2 seeds: Baylor, Texas, Arizona, UCLA
- 3 seeds: Virginia, Tennessee, Kansas State, Iowa State
- 4 seeds: Indiana, Xavier, Gonzaga, Marquette
Why it matters: Historically speaking, this preview provides a pretty accurate indicator of how the bracket will actually shake out on Selection Sunday, which is just 19 days away. - 65 of the 80 teams revealed since the first such preview in 2017 remained in the top 16 of the official bracket, including 15 of 16 last year.
- As for No. 1 seeds, exactly three of four every year held onto the top spot in the actual bracket.
Go deeper: Top 16, by the numbers (NCAA) | | | | | | | | A message from SiriusXM | | Get free access to music, sports, news and more | | |  | | | | Subscribe to SiriusXM Streaming and get access to 3 months of free: - Expertly curated ad-free music.
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More info: Listen on your phone, at home and more with the SXM App. See offer details. | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Photo: Bai Xuefei/Xinhua via Getty Images | | | | 🎾 Djoker matches Graf: Novak Djokovic remained atop the latest ATP rankings released on Monday, equaling Steffi Graf's record of 377 weeks as the No. 1 player in the world. 🏀 HOF finalists revealed: Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki and Gregg Popovich headline the group of 12 Basketball Hall of Fame finalists (six players, six coaches) announced on Friday. Inductees will be revealed in April during the Final Four. 🏈 Bieniemy to D.C.: The Washington Commanders on Friday named former Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy as their new OC and assistant head coach. Bieniemy, who was not the primary play-caller in KC, will have complete control of Washington's offense. 🏳️🌈 Comás comes out: White Sox minor leaguer Anderson Comás came out publicly as gay on Sunday, becoming just the second active player affiliated with an MLB team to do so, per NYT. 🏀 Griner returns to Phoenix: Brittney Griner signed a one-year deal with the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday, returning to the team where she spent her entire nine-year WNBA career before missing all of last season while detained in Russia. | | | | | | | | 5. 🏒 The two Connors |  | | | Connor McDavid (L) and Connor Bedard. Photos: Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images; Dennis Pajot/Getty Images. | | | | Connor McDavid and Connor Bedard gave hockey fans a thrill on Friday night when they both reached the 100-point mark within an hour of each other. Why it matters: Though they currently dominate different leagues, it's not hard to imagine these two superstars battling it out for scoring supremacy at the highest level in the not-too-distant future. - McDavid, 26, is a two-time NHL MVP with the Oilers who's heavily favored to win the award a third time this season.
- Bedard, 17, is the presumptive No. 1 pick in this summer's NHL Draft. He plays for the Regina Pats of the WHL, one of the three major junior hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL).
By the numbers: McDavid has 102 points in 57 games; no one else in the NHL has more than 82. The only player to reach 100 points faster in the past 17 years? McDavid, two seasons ago. - With six career 100-point seasons, McDavid is tied with Sidney Crosby for the most among active players. But while Crosby is in his 18th season, McDavid is only in his eighth.
- Bedard is up to 105 points in just 42 games; no one else in the WHL has more than 81.
- Bedard also scored 100 points last year, making him just the fifth player in CHL history with back-to-back 100-point seasons before turning 18.
Go deeper: Analyzing Bedard's NHL potential (The Athletic) | | | | | | | | 6. 🇺🇸 Photos across America | | Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the longest Daytona 500 ever on Sunday after the race went to double overtime following a late crash. The victory snapped a 199-race winless streak for Stenhouse, the fourth-longest span between wins in Cup Series history. Photo: Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Fans and players observed a moment of silence before Michigan and Michigan State's game on Saturday — an 84-72 Wolverines win — in the Spartans' first game since last week's shooting that claimed the lives of three students. - Elsewhere: There was a similar tribute before the Spartans' women's home game on Saturday against Maryland.
Photo: Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images RALEIGH, N.C. — The Hurricanes beat the Capitals, 4-1, on Saturday at N.C. State's Carter-Finley Stadium in the NHL's annual Stadium Series — the Canes' first-ever outdoor game. Photo: Sam Hodde/Getty Images ARLINGTON, Texas — Week 1 of the relaunched XFL, owned by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, is in the books after an electric weekend of football. The highlight? The St. Louis BattleHawks using the 4th-and-15 onside kick alternative to complete an epic, last-minute comeback win. | | | | | | | | 7. 🌎 Photos around the world | | Photo: Christian Liewig/Corbis via Getty Images PARIS — Lionel Messi's perfectly placed free kick in the 95th minute on Sunday gave PSG a 4-3 win over Lille. It was his 40th league goal from outside the box since the 2017-18 season, twice as many as any other player in Europe's top five leagues in that time. Photo: Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images BUENOS AIRES — World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, who'd been sidelined nearly four months with a leg injury, beat No. 12 Cameron Norrie in straight sets on Sunday at the Argentina Open for his seventh ATP Tour title. Reminder: He's only 19! Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty Images COURCHEVEL, France — Greece's A.J. Ginnis won silver in the slalom on Sunday at worlds, giving Greece its first-ever Olympic or World Championships medal in any winter sport. Photo: Patrick Goosen/Orange Pictures APELDOORN, Netherlands — Femke Bol, 22, broke a 41-year-old world record on Sunday — the longest-standing record in track — winning the 400-meter final at the Dutch indoor championships with a time of 49.26 seconds. | | | | | | | | 8. 📺 Watchlist: Stacked college hoops slate |  Data: AP; Chart: Axios Visuals There are four ranked-on-ranked men's hoops matchups tonight, including two in the mighty Big 12, which leads all conferences with six teams in the top 25. More to watch: | | | | | | | | 9. 🏀 NBA trivia |  | | | Photo: Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images | | | | Kevin Love, who is signing with the Heat after agreeing to a buyout with the Cavaliers, has the fourth-most career rebounds (8,946) among active NBA players. - Question: Which three active players have more?
- Hint: All three have the letters "e," "n" and "r" in their first name.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🍿 Top plays: Weekend edition | | Giphy - 🥎 Kristen White!
- ⛳️ Slam dunk Xander!
- ⚽️ Impossible angle
- ⚾️ What a robbery
- 🏀 At the buzzer!
- ⚽️ Lionel. Messi.
- ⚽️ What a save!
- ⚽️ Kylian. Mbappé.
- 🥍 Behind the back!
- 🏀 LeBron self-oop
Watch all 10. | | | | | | | | A message from SiriusXM | | The premium content you want | | |  | | | | SiriusXM gives you access to premium content available on the SXM App, including 400+ channels and videos. Catch the latest Howard Stern episodes, ad-free music, plus exclusive comedy, talk, and the best in podcasts and news. Next steps: Subscribe now and get 3 months free. See Offer Details. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Jeff "Would love to win an elevated event" Tracy Trivia answer: LeBron James (10,589 rebounds), DeAndre Jordan (10,309), Andre Drummond (9,827) 🙏 Have a great day! Follow us for more (@kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy). Friends can sign up here. Thanks to Matt Piper for copy edits. |  | | Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters.
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