February Sports Recap
This February, the NFL wrapped up at Super Bowl LII, the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever. The Patriots defeated the Rams 13-3 with a touchdown from Sony Michel in a predominantly defensive game. The Rams came into the matchup as one of the best offenses in the league and were shut down offensively by the Patriots, holding Todd Gurley, the best running back in the league, to merely 35 yards. Julian Edelman was the clear MVP of the matchup, with 141 receiving yards on 10 receptions, helping Tom Brady win his 6th Super Bowl.
In college basketball, the most anticipated matchup of the month was Duke vs. UNC, where ticket prices rivaled those of the Super Bowl. However, with Zion Williamson walking off with a knee injury in the first minute, Duke fell to UNC 88-72. Both Kentucky and Michigan State have recovered from slow starts (Kentucky losing its first game to Duke 118-84 and Michigan State to Kansas 92-87), moving up to #4 and #6 after big wins against Tennessee and Michigan, respectively. Tennessee has fallen considerably in the rankings after losing to both Kentucky and LSU. The regular season will wrap up in the next few weeks and will dictate the seeding order for March Madness.
In the NBA, with the passing of the trade deadline, Anthony Davis remains on the Pelicans, now injured, significantly diminishing his value for the offseason and leading to the firing of GM Dell Demps. The biggest trade was the Dallas Mavericks receiving Kristaps Porzingis, Courtney Lee, Trey Burke, and Tim Hardaway Jr. for DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr., and two first-round draft picks, signifying the Knick’s clear intentions to rebuild and clear cap space. Best case scenario, the Knicks will receive the #1 pick to draft Zion Williamson out of Duke and sign Kevin Durant and/or Kyrie Irving. However, historically, the Knicks have mismanaged their franchise so much that somehow, someway, they may screw this up. With the last championship won in 1973 (before the introduction of the 3-pointer), it’s about time the Knicks have a championship caliber team.