While the biggest prize in college hockey clearly is the national championship trophy, in one corner of the sport’s landscape, that accolade has a rival: the Beanpot.
The 72nd tournament, which features Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern and Harvard, concludes Monday at TD Garden with BC facing BU in the championship game (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+).
Both teams are ranked in the top 10 in the country (BC is No. 1, BU is No. 8 in the most recent polls), but even in years when the Beanpot doesn’t have national implications of that magnitude, the energy, desire and hatred boil over for the schools and their fans.
This year’s final has a different twist, however. Nine of the players — six from BC, three from BU — were teammates at the IIHF World Junior Championship, where they won the gold medal for Team USA in January. At least one member of the Eagles or Terriers scored or assisted on all but one of the 37 goals the U.S. scored in the tournament.
Any friendships will be on hold Monday night.
“It’s just understanding that you can’t have any friends out there,” BC freshman James Hagens told the Boston Globe last month. “You might play with them for a while. They might be your best buddies, but you just have to understand it’s a hockey game, and you have to go out there and win.”
BU’s Cole Eiserman expressed similar sentiments. “You battle with those guys, get close to those guys, but I think we’re all competitive guys,” he told the Globe. “We want to win for our own school.”
The teams met in a home-and-home series in January, with BC sweeping by scores of 6-2 and 2-0. But BU will gladly accept those results in exchange for a trophy-lifting win Monday night. The Terriers last won the Beanpot in 2022, while BC’s most recent championship was in 2016. Northeastern has won five of the last six tournaments.
While Monday’s game will not count in the Hockey East standings, conference races are heating up around the country as the selection of the NCAA tournament field nears.
The NCAA field includes the winners of the six conference tournaments — Atlantic, Big Ten, CCHA, ECAC, Hockey East and NCHC — and 10 at-large teams based on the PairWise rankings.
Conference tournament championship games are scheduled for March 22, with the NCAA tournament selections to be announced March 23. Regionals will be held March 27-30, with the Frozen Four on April 10 and 12 in St. Louis. Every NCAA tournament game, including the selection show, will be on ESPN networks and streamed on ESPN+.
Here’s a look at where the NCAA field stands, with teams listed in order of the PairWise rankings as of Feb. 9.
Dozens of men’s and women’s college hockey games, including games from Hockey East and the ECAC plus full coverage of the NCAA tournaments, are available to stream on 
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The head of the class this season, these teams are odds-on favorites to make it to St. Louis.
No. 1 Boston College
Record: 21-4-1, 13-3-1 Hockey East
Last week’s results: Beat Northeastern 8-2; won at New Hampshire 4-2
Key games: Feb. 10 vs. BU (Beanpot championship)
No. 2 Michigan State
Record: 22-5-3, 13-4-3 Big Ten
Last week’s results: Lost to Michigan 2-1; beat Michigan 6-1
Key games: Feb. 21-22 vs. Penn State
No. 3 Minnesota
Record: 21-6-3, 12-4-2 Big Ten
Last week’s results: Did not play
Key games: Feb. 14-15 at Michigan; Feb. 21-22 vs. Ohio State
These teams are all but assured a spot in the NCAA field as either a conference champion or via an at-large spot.
No. 4 Maine
Record: 18-5-4, 10-3-4 Hockey East
Last week’s results: Tied at Providence 3-3; won at Providence 1-0 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 21 at UConn; March 7-8 at UMass
No. 5 Western Michigan
Record: 20-5-1, 13-2-1 NCHC
Last week’s results: Beat St. Cloud State 4-0 and 6-1
Key games: Feb. 14-15 vs. Omaha; Feb. 21-22 at Arizona State
No. 6 Providence
Record: 16-7-5, 6-6-5 Hockey East
Last week’s results: Tied Maine 3-3; lost to Maine 1-0 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 14-15 home-and-home vs. BU; Feb. 22 vs. UMass-Lowell
No. 7 Ohio State
Record: 18-8-2, 11-6-1 Big Ten
Last week’s results: Won at Notre Dame 5-1 and 5-1
Key games: Feb. 21-22 at Minnesota; Feb. 27-28 vs. Michigan
No. 8 UConn
Record: 15-10-3, 8-8-3 Hockey East
Last week’s results: Lost to UMass 5-4; beat UMass-Lowell 5-4 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 21 vs. Maine; Feb. 25 vs. BU
No. 9 Denver
Record: 20-7-1, 9-6-1 NCHC
Last week’s results: Won at Arizona State 5-4 (OT); lost at Arizona State 6-5 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 14-15 vs. North Dakota; March 7-8 home-and-home vs. Colorado College
No. 10 Boston University
Record: 15-10-1, 10-6-1 Hockey East
Last week’s results: Beat Harvard 7-1; lost at Merrimack 2-1 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 10 vs. BC (Beanpot championship); Feb. 14-15 home-and-home vs. Providence
UMass-Lowell has slipped a few notches with three losses in four games, while Michigan and Arizona State improved their standing this past weekend with splits against Michigan State and Denver, respectively.
No. 11 UMass-Lowell
Record: 14-10-3, 7-8-2 Hockey East
Last week’s results: Lost to Vermont 5-3; lost at UConn 5-4 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 22 at Providence; Feb. 27-March 1 home-and-home vs. UMass
No. 12 Michigan
Record: 16-12-2, 10-9-1 Big Ten
Last week’s results: Won at Michigan State 2-1; lost to Michigan State 6-1
Key games: Feb. 14-15 vs. Minnesota; Feb. 27-28 at Ohio State
No. 13 Arizona State
Record: 17-10-1, 12-6-0 NCHC
Last week’s results: Lost to Denver 5-4 (OT); beat Denver 6-5 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 21-22 vs. Western Michigan; Feb. 28-March 1 at Omaha
It’s looking more and more likely we’ll have three one-bid leagues — the ECAC, CCHA and Atlantic. Quinnipiac and Minnesota State are on the fringes of the at-large bubble, but if they fail to win their conference tournaments, the losses along the way seem likely to dash their at-large hopes.
Quinnipiac leads a tight ECAC race, with the top five teams within five points of each other, while Minnesota State has a solid hold on first place in the CCHA. So we’re penciling the Bobcats and Mavericks in the NCAA field for now.
In the Atlantic, Sacred Heart, Holy Cross and Bentley are within one point of each other in the league standings — although Holy Cross and Bentley have played two fewer games than Sacred Heart — and are bunched together in the PairWise. We gave the nod to the Crusaders, who are one spot ahead of Bentley in the PairWise, but as with the other three leagues in this group, it will all come down to the conference tournament.
Quinnipiac
Record: 17-9-2, 11-4-1 ECAC (No. 15 in PairWise)
Last week’s results: Beat St. Lawrence 6-1; lost to Clarkson 3-2 (OT)
Key games: Feb. 14 at Union; Feb. 28 at Clarkson
Minnesota State
Record: 20-8-2, 15-5-2 CCHA (No. 17 in PairWise)
Last week’s results: Beat Augustana 4-1 and 2-1
Key games: Feb. 21-22 at Lake Superior State
Holy Cross
Record: 17-11-2, 16-4-2 Atlantic (No. 30 in PairWise)
Last week’s results: Won at RIT 9-2 and 3-0
Key games: Feb. 20 vs. Bentley; Feb. 24 vs. AIC
Assuming there will be three conference champions outside of the top 16 in PairWise, teams below No. 13 will be out of luck in terms of grabbing an at-large NCAA bid. But the standings in this range are very tight, with positions changing with almost every result. These teams will have opportunities for key wins to gain critical PairWise capital, but the margin for error is slim.
No. 14 UMass
Record: 15-11-2, 6-8-2 Hockey East
Last week’s results: Won at UConn 5-4
Key games: Feb. 14-15 home-and-home vs. BC; Feb. 27-March 1 home-and-home vs. UMass-Lowell
No. 16 Penn State
Record: 14-11-3, 5-10-3 Big Ten
Last week’s results: Won at Wisconsin 2-0 and 6-2
Key games: Feb. 21-22 at Michigan State; Feb. 28-March 1 vs. Minnesota
No. 18 New Hampshire
Record: 11-12-3, 3-11-2 Hockey East
Last week’s results: Lost to BC 4-2; lost to Merrimack 5-4
Key games: Feb. 14-15 at Maine; Feb. 28-March 1 home-and-home vs. BC
The NCAA men’s hockey tournament bubble is heating up as teams compete for a spot in the Frozen Four. One of the most anticipated matchups is the Beanpot final, featuring some of the top college hockey programs in the country.
If you’re looking to catch all the action from the Beanpot final, here’s how you can watch:
1. TV Broadcast: The Beanpot final will be broadcast on ESPN or ESPN2. Check your local listings for the exact channel and time.
2. Online Streaming: If you don’t have access to a TV, you can stream the game online through the ESPN app or website. Just log in with your cable provider information to watch live.
3. Watch Parties: Gather your friends and fellow hockey fans for a watch party to cheer on your favorite team. Host a viewing party at home or head to a local sports bar to catch all the action.
4. Social Media: Follow the NCAA men’s hockey tournament and participating teams on social media for live updates, highlights, and behind-the-scenes content.
Don’t miss out on the excitement of the Beanpot final and support your favorite team as they battle for college hockey supremacy. Let the madness of March continue on the ice!
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It’s Indiana vs Wisconsin in a men’s Big Ten basketball showdown tonight on Peacock – part of a three-game thriller which kicks off with Purdue vs Iowa at 7:00 PM, followed by Indiana vs Wisconsin at 9:00 PM ET, and Michigan State vs UCLA at 10 PM ET. See below to find out how to live stream tonight’s games as well as additional information on how you can keep up with all of the Big Ten college basketball action this season.
RELATED: Big Ten men’s Bracketology – Wisconsin, Maryland, Illinois are undervalued
The Hoosiers are coming off a disappointing 81-76 loss against No. 10 Purdue on Friday. Indiana held a one-point lead with just 12 seconds left on the clock but allowed Purdue to score six straight points to claim the win. This was the second straight game in which the Hoosiers dropped the lead with under 15 seconds remaining.
“It’s very frustrating,” expressed fifth-year guard Trey Galloway after the loss. “We’re right there. We have to finish. It’s making the right plays down the stretch. That’s the difference.”
Indiana (14-8), having now lost five of its last six games, looks to bounce back tonight. However, Wisconsin has won 20 straight home games against Indiana dating back to March 2000. The last time the Hoosiers won at Wisconsin was during the 1997-1998 season.
The No. 21 Wisconsin Badgers are coming off a 75-69 victory against Northwestern on Saturday. Graduate guard John Tonje led the team with 27 points, while senior guard Carter Gilmore posted a career-high 15 points.
Tonje, who was one of 50 Division I players named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association 2024-25 Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List on Monday, has led the Badgers in scoring in the last four consecutive games. The North Omaha, Nebraska native is tied for fifth in the Big Ten in scoring this season with 18.6 points per game.
When: Tonight, Tuesday, February 4
Where: Kohl Center, Madison, WI
Time: 9 PM ET
Live Stream: Peacock
Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 PM ET with College Countdown
You can watch Big Ten basketball games by first subscribing to Peacock. Then, either go to PeacockTV.com/Sports in your web browser or download the Peacock app on your phone, tablet, or streaming device and navigate to the Sports section. Find the LIVE game you want to watch and start streaming.
Peacock will stream 56 men’s basketball games and 26 women’s basketball games across the 2024-2025 season. Peacock subscribers will also get the first rounds of both the Big Ten Men’s & Women’s tournament live.
You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices. View the full list of supported devices here.
Students, now you can get Peacock at a special discount — just $1.99/mo for 12 months. Visit Peacock to learn more and get started
Are you ready for some exciting Big Ten basketball action? The Indiana Hoosiers are set to take on the Wisconsin Badgers in what promises to be a thrilling matchup tonight. If you can’t make it to the game in person, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered with all the live stream info you need to catch every basket, steal, and slam dunk.
To watch the Indiana vs Wisconsin game live, you can tune in to ESPN or stream the game online through the ESPN app or website. The game is scheduled to tip off at [insert time] and is sure to be a can’t-miss showdown between these two powerhouse teams.
In terms of a preview, both Indiana and Wisconsin have been performing well this season, with each team boasting a solid record in conference play. Indiana will be looking to build on their recent successes and secure a key victory on the road, while Wisconsin will be aiming to defend their home court and continue their winning streak.
Key players to watch include [insert key players from each team], who have been instrumental in their team’s success so far this season. With their talent and determination, this game is sure to be a nail-biter from start to finish.
So don’t miss out on the action – be sure to tune in tonight to catch all the excitement of the Indiana vs Wisconsin matchup. Let’s see who comes out on top in this battle of Big Ten titans!
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Here we are, folks! It’s almost the first Monday of February, which means it’s time for the first round of the Beanpot. The Eagles will take on the Northeastern Huskies — the defending Beanpot champions — in the first round on Monday night.
WHO:
#1 Boston College Eagles (19-4-1) vs Northeastern University Huskies (9-12-3)
WHERE:
TD Garden, Boston, MA
WHEN:
Monday, February 3. Puck drop is at 8PM.
HOW TO WATCH:
The game will be live on NESN.
FOLLOW ALONG:
@bcinterruption and @bc_mhockey on Twitter.
PREVIEW:
The Eagles have already taken on the Huskies earlier this season, beating them 3-0 at home before falling 4-2 to them at Matthews Arena. Since then, the Huskies have gone 7-6-0 — they are 4-3-0 in January, and are entering this matchup off of two straight Hockey East losses to Merrimack and Maine.
On offense, the Huskies are led by junior Jack Williams, who has 29 points in 24 games, followed by junior Cam Lund who has 26 points.
In net, sophomore Cameron Whitehead has a .915 save percentage in 24 games, and made 30 saves in the Huskies’ win against BC last semester. Their freshman goaltender, Quentin Sigurdson, has appeared in relief twice this season, and has a .800 save percentage in two games.
The Boston College Men’s Hockey team is gearing up for a highly anticipated matchup against Northeastern in the Beanpot Semifinal. The Eagles have had a strong season so far, sitting at the top of the Hockey East standings with a 16-4-1 record. They are led by top scorers Alex Newhook and Marc McLaughlin, who have been key contributors on offense.
On the other side, Northeastern has also had a successful season, currently sitting in second place in the Hockey East standings with a 14-7-2 record. The Huskies are led by standout forward Dylan Jackson, who leads the team in points.
This semifinal matchup promises to be a thrilling battle between two of the top teams in the conference. The Eagles will need to bring their A-game in order to come out on top against a talented Northeastern squad. The winner of this game will advance to the Beanpot Final, where they will face off against either Boston University or Harvard.
Fans can catch all the action live at TD Garden on February 7th. Be sure to tune in to see which team will come out on top and advance to the Beanpot Final. Let’s go Eagles! #BCEagles #BeanpotSemifinal.
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#Boston #College #Mens #Hockey #Northeastern #Beanpot #Semifinal #Preview
Northeastern, which has created a Beanpot dynasty while winning five of the past six tournaments, faces a tough test at 8 p.m. Monday against the top-ranked Eagles.
Northeastern has won five of the past six men’s Beanpots, marking an era of domination unequaled in school history. Now the Huskies are seeking to add to that legend by pursuing a third straight title at the expense of the top team in the country.
Northeastern takes on No. 1 Boston College at 8 p.m. Monday at TD Garden (televised by NESN and streaming on ESPN+).
The talented Eagles (19-4-1), having retained many of the stars who drove them to the NCAA final last season, are led by Hobey Baker player-of-the-year candidates Ryan Leonard (22 goals) and Gabe Perreault (32 points), as well as Jacob Fowler, who is arguably the best goaltender in the nation.
The Huskies (9-12-3) have spent much of this season working 15 new players into the program. That investment yielded a recent streak of five wins in six games that gives Northeastern hope of maintaining its run of success at the Beanpot.
Feeding that optimism are two juniors who have never experienced a loss at the Beanpot — team captain Jack Williams (12 goals and 29 points) and assistant captain Cam Lund (11 goals and 26 points). They also happen to be the team’s most productive forwards.
“There’s so much hype and pressure that goes into it,” says Northeastern coach Jerry Keefe, who is 5-1 at the Beanpot. “You’ve got to know how to win pressure games, tight games. You look at last year, we won two overtime games — and the year before we went to a shootout (to win the 2023 Beanpot).
“So the experience part is huge. And I think once you win one, you get the taste of it, it makes you even hungrier to win more,” Keefe adds.
Williams grew up in Biddeford, Maine, with the dream of representing Northeastern at the Beanpot.
“It was a lifelong goal coming to the school,” says Williams, who attended multiple Beanpots before hoisting the trophy on the TD Garden ice the past two years. “The team is able to get up for big-time games. We’ve had great success in this tournament and we’re looking to keep that rolling this year.”
The Huskies split two November games against BC, losing 3-0 on the road and winning 4-2 at Matthews Arena.
“It’s a challenge every year in this tournament, right?” Keefe says. “They’re obviously very good in transition. We’ve got to make sure that we manage the puck really well, and we’re going to have to bear down on our chances because they’ve got a very good goaltender.
“So it’s going to take a great effort — but that’s what you need in these games. If you’re going to win, you’ve got to play your best and that’s what we’re going to have to do against them,” he continues.
Williams’ partnership with Lund will be crucial. The two friends have devoted a lot of practice time to learning how to complement each other.
“We play so well together and it starts off the ice,” says Williams, a 5-foot-11-inch forward. “We spend so much time together. So there’s nothing that I don’t feel I can say to him at any moment, and I think it’s the same [from] him to me. We can keep each other accountable while trying to be the best players that we can be.”
The 6-foot-2 Lund has spent the past three summers at the development camps of the San Jose Sharks, who picked him in the second round (No. 34 overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft.
“My defensive zone is something I’ve tried to take a lot of pride in since I’ve gotten to college,” says Lund, who grew up watching the Beanpot in his hometown of Bridgewater, Massachusetts, an hour south of Northeastern’s Boston campus. “The older guys, we lead by example and I think all the guys buy into it.”
The Huskies had a deep, seasoned rotation when they beat Harvard to win the 2023 title. Last year as underdogs they knocked off No. 3 Boston University.
Getting a full team effort against BC will be crucial for the Huskies, who have been seeking consistency all season.
“When things aren’t going right and things are tough — and there’s been a lot of those moments, especially this year for us — it’s about going back to the basics of the game,” Williams says. “Just having fun with it, being a kid, remembering why you play. It’s the love of the game that’s always driven me to keep getting better.”
If they need that little bit of extra motivation, the Huskies will be counting on the DogHouse to deliver it.
“The Northeastern fans are unreal,” Lund says. “We have the best fans out of all the teams, so having them behind us definitely helps us. We really appreciate them.”
February has arrived and with it comes one of Boston’s most iconic college sports events: the annual Men’s Beanpot, now marking its 72nd year. The ice hockey tournament pits four major greater Boston college teams against one another.
The 2025 Dunkin’ Beanpot begins Monday, February 3. The No. 10 Boston University men’s hockey team will take on the tournament’s only nonconference opponent when they play Harvard at 5 pm at TD Garden. The two teams met earlier this season in an October 19 exhibition game: a 2-2 nailbiter shoot-out.
Following Monday’s semifinal matchup, reigning champion Northeastern will battle No. 1 Boston College at 8 pm in a top-billed matchup. The winners of each game will return on Monday, February 10, at 7:30 pm to crown a champion, with the losers playing a consolation game, at 4:30 pm. “I don’t think it matters how any of the four teams are doing throughout the course of the year. This tournament takes on a life of its own,” BU head coach Jay Pandolfo (CAS’96) said during the January 27 Beanpot Media Day. “You can’t replicate this tournament anywhere else.”
Here’s what you need to know about each team heading into the semifinals:
The Terriers have had an up-and-down season to date. Looking to fill the glaring vacancy left by last season’s departing point leaders Macklin Celebrini, winner of the 2024 Hobey Baker Award (given to the top NCAA men’s ice hockey player), and Lane Hutson, the team reloaded with a crop of new talent, including eight freshmen and two transfers. The team stands at 14-9-1 on the season, ranking third in Hockey East standings.
The program’s youth was on display throughout the roller-coaster first half of the season before they began to find their groove as the new year started. The Terriers won four straight games before the late January high-tension Boston College series, where the Terriers dropped two to their crosstown foe.
Two freshmen who have stood out for the Terriers are forward Cole Eiserman (CAS’28) and defenseman Cole Hutson (CAS’28). The two, along with forward Brandon Svoboda (SHA’28), won a gold medal as part of Team USA in the World Juniors Championship over winter break. Eiserman leads the team in goals, with 15, and Hutson leads the team in assists, with 17.
Three members of the team’s leadership group round out the top five in scoring for the Terriers. Assistant captain Quinn Hutson (SHA’26) leads the team with 30 points, followed by cocaptains Ryan Greene (COM’26) at 26 and Shane Lachance (SHA’27) at 23.
In net, goaltender Mathieu Caron (CAS’25) has started for the majority of the season, posting a .898 save percentage and a 3.17 goals-against average. Freshman goaltender Mikhail Yegorov (CAS’28), who arrived at BU just last month, earned the start in BU’s January 25 game against Boston College. He dominated in that one appearance, with 23 saves and one goal allowed.
It’s unclear whether Pandolfo will lean on experience or the hot hand for the first Beanpot game. He wasn’t shy about praising the new netminder’s performance during Beanpot media day, however.
“We gave [Yegorov] the opportunity, and I thought he was excellent. The composure, the confidence,” Pandolfo said. “Never playing a college team and playing against the No. 1 team in a hostile environment on the road, he was pretty damn good.”
When the Terriers, who own the most Beanpot Championships, with 31, take on Harvard in the opening round of play, they’ll have history on their side: they own a 30-18 Beanpot record against the Crimson. And, they are in search of their first Beanpot title since 2022, when they defeated Northeastern 1-0.
“This is when the season starts to ramp up and starts to get more fun, more competitive games, more meaningful games, so we’re really excited,” says assistant captain Devin Kaplan (SHA’26).
The top-ranked Eagles enter the Beanpot with a 19-4-1 record and a 5-1 record against Beanpot teams this season. The only outlier is the team they face on Monday—Northeastern, who bested them 3-0 on November 22.
While the Eagles find themselves a national championship contender year after year, they haven’t found much success in recent Beanpots. They haven’t played in a championship game since 2019, when they lost to the Huskies 4-2, and their last Beanpot title came in 2016.
This year’s team is one of the program’s most formidable in recent memory. Its top line,which includes sophomore Gabe Perreault and freshmen James Hagens and Teddy Stiga, is one of the best in the nation. Sophomore assistant captain Ryan Leonard leads the NCAA in goals per game and is a front-runner for this year’s Hobey Baker award.
Sophomore goaltender Jacob Fowler is a brick wall in net and leads Hockey East in save percentage. He earned his sixth shutout of the year against BU on January 25.
While the Huskies have the fewest Beanpot titles of the four participating teams, they’ve been on a hot streak in recent years. They’re in search of their third-straight Beanpot title, their sixth in the last seven years.
But Northeastern has skated to an underwhelming 9-12-3 record on the season, ranking ninth in Hockey East.
Forward Jack Williams leads Northeastern in scoring, with 12 goals and 17 assists, ranking fifth in the conference. The team’s top-six scorers enter the tournament with championship experience.
The Huskies are 14-34 against BC in the Beanpot, but their recent tournament magic and experience defeating the Eagles earlier this season could be all they need to pull off a win.
The Crimson are the only non–Hockey East team in the tournament and their 7-11-2 record places them sixth in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). Harvard has won 11 Beanpot titles, their most recent in 2017, marking the longest drought among the four teams.
The last time BU and Harvard met in the semifinals, the Terriers won 4-3, en route to the 2022 championship.
Junior forward Joe Miller leads the Crimson in scoring, with 15 points, while junior Casey Severo leads the team in goals, with 8. The team runs a two-goalie system, with freshman Ben Charette, who owns a .920 save percentage, and junior Aku Koskenvuo, who is at .903.
A key for Harvard will be discipline since their 41st-ranked penalty kill may struggle against BU’s 7th-ranked power play. Luckily for the Crimson, the team owns the second-least penalty minutes per game in the NCAA.
The BU Student Alumni Association is hosting a free watch party for students at Sunset Cantina during the Beanpot semifinal game, starting at 4:30 pm. Light appetizers will be provided. Advance registration is required; register here. The first 100 students to arrive will receive a specialty Beanpot swag item.
The 72nd Dunkin’ Men’s Beanpot semifinal games are Monday, February 3, at TD Garden, 100 Legends Way, Boston. BU will take on Harvard at 5 pm; Northeastern will face BC at 8 pm. The consolation and championship games will be Monday, February 10, at 4:30 pm and 7:30 pm. All games will be played at TD Garden. Purchase tickets for the men’s Beanpot tournament here; all games will be broadcast live on NESN and streamed live on ESPN+
The 2025 Men’s Beanpot hockey tournament is set to kick off on Monday, and fans are gearing up for an exciting week of intense competition on the ice. Here’s everything you need to know to stay in the loop:
1. The tournament will feature four teams: Boston University, Boston College, Harvard University, and Northeastern University. These powerhouse programs will battle it out for bragging rights and the coveted Beanpot trophy.
2. Games will be held at the TD Garden in Boston, with the first matchup starting at 5:00 PM on Monday. The tournament will continue on Thursday, with the championship game scheduled for next Monday.
3. Boston University is the defending champion, having claimed victory in the 2024 tournament. Will they be able to defend their title, or will a new champion emerge this year?
4. Tickets are still available for the tournament, so be sure to grab yours and join in on the action. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just looking for a fun night out, the Beanpot is always a thrilling experience.
5. Can’t make it to the games in person? Don’t worry – you can catch all the action live on TV or online. Stay tuned to your favorite sports network for broadcast details.
Get ready for a week of fast-paced hockey and unforgettable moments at the 2025 Men’s Beanpot tournament. Let the games begin!
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TALLAHASSEE — Florida State men’s basketball coach Leonard Hamilton shared his intentions to resign from his position at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season on Monday. The University confirmed the news via a release. The regular season for the Seminoles, who are currently 13-9 (4-7 ACC), will conclude on Saturday, March 8th at home against SMU.
Hamilton has been guiding FSU Basketball since 2002. His tenure began on March 19, 2002. He is currently in his 23rd season with the Seminoles. He is 434-290 (.599) during his time as FSU’s head coach. He is 196-186 (.513) in ACC regular season games during that same span.
“I am deeply thankful for the tremendous support of our fans, alumni, and everyone associated with Florida State throughout my time here,” Hamilton said via release. “I am proud of the quality of the young men that it was my privilege to lead, for their faith in this program and in their belief in the philosophy that we tried to instill in them over the years. I have been blessed beyond words for the opportunity and the experience we’ve had here.
“My family and I truly love this place, this institution, and its people. I’m very fortunate to be able to have given this job my all with no regrets. Every head coach inherits a legacy and is obligated to leave the job better than they inherited it. I’m very proud of what we have been able to accomplish here over the last 23 seasons. We were a consistent contender, and we created success for our players during their time here. So many of them have gone on to be successful in life. I hope that it will be remembered as my legacy. I look forward to working with our administration during this transition and being as helpful as possible through this process.”
He won ACC Coach of the Year honors in 2009, 2012, and 2020. He received multiple National Coach of the Year honors during his time with FSU.
Hamilton will depart Tallahassee as the most successful coach in FSU Basketball history. He is the all-time winningest coach at FSU. He became the Seminoles’ winningest coach as Florida State defeated Pittsburgh on March 7, 2015.
Under Hamilton, the Seminoles won at least 20 games in 12 of his past 22 years and have advanced to the postseason in 16 of his 22 prior seasons at Florida State. FSU had a run of nine consecutive postseason appearances (NCAA and NIT) from 2006 to 2014).
Florida State has had at least one player selected in the NBA Draft in 14 of the last 22 seasons. He developed 19 NBA Draft selections at FSU, including nine first-round picks led by No. 4 overall selections Patrick Williams in 2020 and Scottie Barnes in 2021. He has coached 24 All-ACC selections, 13 ACC All-Defensive Team selections, four ACC Sixth Man of the Year recipients and two ACC Defensive Players of the Year.
Some career highlights and best seasons under Hamilton are discussed below:
In 2020, he led Florida State to the first ACC Regular Season Championship in school history. The Seminoles finished ACC play with a 16-4 record — the 16 wins established a school record for ACC wins in a season. The Seminoles finished the 2020 season ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press poll – the highest final national ranking in school history.
In 2019, he guided the Seminoles to a school-record 29 victories. The Seminoles’ 2019 team also defeated six nationally ranked teams, advanced to the ACC Tournament Championship game and to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Coupled with the Seminoles’ appearance in the Elite Eight of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, the 2019 season marked the second time in school history the Seminoles had advanced to at least the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons.
In 2018, Florida State advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Hamilton and for only the third time in school history. The Seminoles finished with a 23-12 record, a 9-9 mark in ACC play, won the Jamaica Classic and played in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season and for the sixth time in that 10-year period.
Hamilton led the Seminoles to the first ACC basketball championship in school history in 2012. He led the Seminoles to a school-record fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, to a 12-4 record in ACC play, to a third consecutive third place finish in the ACC standings, to two wins each over Duke and North Carolina (two of the top four winningest programs in college basketball history), to wins over an ACC-leading six nationally ranked teams and to victories over each of the four Tobacco Road teams in the ACC (Duke, North Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest) for the first time in school history.
He enters Tuesday’s game against Notre Dame ranked fifth in ACC history with 434 overall wins, fifth in ACC regular season and ACC Tournament victories with 211, tied for ninth with 15 ACC Tournament victories, fifth among ACC coaches with 18 career NCAA Tournament victories, fourth in the ACC with 127 ACC homecourt wins, and sixth with 94 ACC road wins.
Hamilton needs just four regular season ACC victories to become just the fourth coach in the history of the ACC to win 200 regular season ACC games. He is the fourth-winningest coach in ACC history with 196 regular season victories and took sole possession of fourth place in the annals of the ACC with the Seminoles’ win over Syracuse on January 4th in Tallahassee.
Beyond his team’s on-court success, Hamilton’s players excelled in the classroom and graduated at an insanely high rate – 97 percent of Hamilton’s players who completed their eligibility earned their degrees and 20 student-athletes were named to the All-ACC Academic Team. His players stayed out of trouble. He developed players on the court and made them better men off of it, something he always wanted to celebrate more than wins.
FSU Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford also commented on Hamilton’s history with the Seminoles.
“Coach Hamilton’s personal character and integrity, and his leadership, set a tremendous standard for all of FSU Athletics,” Alford said. “Few people have been as important in building the positive reputation of Seminole Athletics. FSU’s stature as one of the leading brands in college sports has been possible, in part, to his leadership of our men’s basketball program. He steadily developed a culture of excellence that reflects his personal values: commitment to academic success, competitive success, community service, leadership, and ongoing personal excellence. The success of the men who have been part of our basketball program is proof of that legacy.”
“Leonard Hamilton is a beacon of class and integrity whose leadership serves as an indelible example that competitive excellence, academic achievement and community service are attainable at a leading public institution,” said FSU President Dr. Richard McCullough. “Coach Hamilton’s legacy extends far beyond Tallahassee and college basketball. He is one of the most respected and beloved ambassadors of FSU across the nation and in his profession.”
Prior to being head coach at FSU, Hamilton also guided Miami from 1991 to 2000, going 144-147 (.495). He was also the head coach at Oklahoma State from 1987 to 1990, going 56-63 (.471) in that time. For his career as a head coach, he is 634-500 (.559). He has 37 total seasons as a collegiate head coach. In 37 seasons as a head coach, he earned 22 postseason bids, leading his teams to five Sweet 16 appearances, and three conference championships.
He was the Washington Wizards head coach in 2001.
He also has had stints as an assistant coach at Kentucky and Austin Peay State during his time in coaching, which began in 1971 as a graduate assistant at Austin Peay State.
FSU will now begin this search for the eighth head coach in men’s basketball history. Coinciding with the announcement of future resignation on Monday, Alford announced that the University will immediately begin a national search for Hamilton’s successor.
After 19 seasons at the helm of the Florida State Seminoles men’s basketball team, head coach Leonard Hamilton has announced that he will be resigning at the conclusion of this season. Hamilton, who is the winningest coach in program history, has led the Seminoles to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances and a Sweet 16 run in 2018.
During his tenure, Hamilton has developed a reputation for his strong recruiting efforts and emphasis on defense. He has also been praised for his ability to develop players and maximize their potential on the court.
Hamilton’s decision to step down comes as a surprise to many, but he has expressed a desire to spend more time with his family and pursue other opportunities in the basketball world. As the Seminoles look to finish the season strong and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, they will undoubtedly be motivated to send their beloved coach out on a high note.
The search for Hamilton’s replacement will undoubtedly be a crucial one for Florida State, as they look to maintain their status as a top program in the ACC and continue their success on the national stage. But for now, Seminoles fans can only reflect on the incredible impact that Leonard Hamilton has had on the program and look forward to celebrating his legacy in the final games of the season.
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Auburn and Duke remain 1-2 atop The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for the third straight week, while Maryland is back in the rankings for the first time in nearly two years.
Bruce Pearl’s Tigers (20-1) held the No. 1 ranking for the fourth consecutive week in Monday’s poll and the third in a row as the unanimous choice. Auburn has claimed 246 of 248 first-place votes over the past month while remaining unbeaten in a rugged Southeastern Conference with nine ranked teams.
Auburn’s only loss came to Jon Scheyer’s Blue Devils (19-2), who enter the week with the nation’s longest winning streak at 15 games after rolling past rival North Carolina.
The two teams offered the only stability after 15 teams in last week’s AP Top 25 lost last week, with three of those losing twice.
The top tier
Alabama moved up a spot to No. 3, followed by Tennessee jumping four spots to No. 4 in an SEC-heavy top tier. Houston climbed one spot to No. 5 despite an overtime loss to now-No. 13 Texas Tech to end a 33-game home winning streak.
Florida was next at No. 6, followed by Purdue, Iowa State, Michigan State and Texas A&M to round out the top 10.
Rising
Texas Tech (17-4) had the biggest jump among last week’s ranked teams, rising nine spots to 13th after beating TCU at home and then beating the Cougars despite coach Grant McCasland and forward JT Toppin being ejected early.
Two-time reigning national champion UConn climbed six spots to No. 19 after winning at Marquette, while Missouri jumped five spots to No. 15 after beating Mississippi State.
In all, 10 teams moved up from their positions last week. That included Rick Pitino’s St. John’s team rising three spots to No. 12, the highest ranking for the program since finishing the 1999-2000 season at No. 9.
Sliding
Mississippi State had the week’s biggest tumble, falling eight spots to No. 22 after home losses to Alabama and Missouri. Iowa State joined the Bulldogs in a two-loss week, falling five spots after losses to Arizona and Kansas State.
No. 16 Kansas and No. 23 Illinois also fell five spots, pushing the list of sliding teams to 10.
Welcome
No. 18 Maryland, No. 20 Arizona and No. 24 Michigan were the week’s three new additions.
Kevin Willard’s Terrapins (17-5) jumped into the poll at No. 18 after pushing its winning streak to four games, a stretch that includes winning at then-No. 17 Illinois and beating then-No. 17 Wisconsin at home last week.
That gave Maryland its first poll ranking in nearly two years, the last coming with a week at No. 21 in late February 2023.
Arizona (15-6) returned to the poll for the first time since November. The Wildcats opened the year at No. 10 and peaked at ninth, but they’re back in after winning 11 of 12 — including against Iowa State after Caleb Love hit a halfcourt shot to force overtime.
Michigan (16-5) has two previous stints in the poll this season, peaking at No. 14 in early December.
Farewell (for now)
Oregon was one of the three departures from this week’s poll, falling out from No. 16 after being one of the trio to lose twice last week by falling at UCLA and at home to Nebraska. Louisville (No. 21) and Vanderbilt (No. 24) also fell out after losses to unranked foes.
Conference watch
The SEC had at least nine teams in the poll for the seventh straight week, including three weeks with 10 teams to make up 40% of the poll. The SEC has also had at least half of the top 10 eight times in nine weeks, peaking at six teams on Jan. 6. No other league has had more than six ranked teams in any week this season.
Maryland’s arrival pushed the Big Ten to six ranked teams, followed by the Big 12 with five and the Big East with three. The Atlantic Coast and American Athletic conferences each had one.
Auburn and Duke continue to dominate the college basketball scene as they hold onto the top two spots in the latest AP Top 25 men’s poll. The Tigers and Blue Devils have been consistently impressive throughout the season, and their strong performances have solidified their positions at the top of the rankings.
Auburn, led by standout players like Jabari Smith Jr. and Walker Kessler, has been on a tear with an impressive record and key victories over top teams. The Tigers have shown their ability to compete with the best and are poised to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
Duke, with a talented roster featuring Paolo Banchero and Wendell Moore Jr., has also been a force to be reckoned with. The Blue Devils have been dominant in conference play and have proven themselves as a legitimate title contender.
As the regular season winds down and March Madness approaches, all eyes will be on Auburn and Duke as they look to maintain their positions at the top of the rankings and make a run for the national championship. Stay tuned for more exciting basketball action from these powerhouse teams.
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#Auburn #Duke #remain #atop #latest #Top #mens #poll
Nine of the teams ranked third through 14th on my last ballot lost this week. That made it tough to sort this week’s Top 25, but it’s not hard up top. There is a clear top three, and No. 1 isn’t a difficult decision either.
Auburn continues to perform at an elite level in a league that’s viewed as head and shoulders above everyone else.
Ken Pomeroy has a trusty tool for comparing the strength of conferences across seasons: the adjusted efficiency margin of a team that would be expected to go .500 in conference play in that league. Currently, this year’s SEC has the best rating in the database, which dates back to 1997. And that got me to thinking it’s possible Auburn is doing something historically awesome, considering the Tigers are undefeated in this stacked league.
Let’s compare Auburn’s start to the eventual champions of the seven leagues with the eight adjusted efficiency margins higher than 18 since 1997. The first record in the second and third columns is where each champions was eight conference games in, and the second is how it finished.
| League record | Overall record | League rating | NCAA finish | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Auburn (2025 SEC) |
8-0/?? |
20-1/?? |
21.45 |
??? |
|
Duke (1997 ACC) |
5-3/12-4 |
14-4/24-9 |
21.37 |
Second round |
|
Duke (2004 ACC) |
8-0/13-3 |
20-1/31-6 |
20.32 |
Final Four |
|
Kansas (2017 Big 12) |
7-1/16-2 |
18-2/31-5 |
19.81 |
Elite Eight |
|
Kansas (2022 Big 12) |
7-1/14-4 |
18-3/34-6 |
18.74 |
National champion |
|
Duke (2001 ACC) |
7-1/13-3 |
19-2/35-4 |
18.69 |
National champion |
|
Duke (1998 ACC) |
8-0/15-1 |
19-1/32-4 |
18.46 |
Elite Eight |
|
Michigan St. (1999 Big Ten) |
7-1 |
18-4 |
18.11 |
Final Four |
The best comps for Auburn seem to be 2004 Duke and 2010 Kansas, which both were both undefeated in the best conference in college basketball that year through eight games. Both entered the NCAA Tournament ranked as the top team at KenPom (Auburn is currently No. 1), and neither won the NCAA Tournament.
I’m betting the SEC and Auburn perform very well in this year’s NCAA Tournament, but neither team nor league success is a sure thing. The ACC flamed out in the 1997 NCAA Tournament despite being loaded with talent that year: Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison at UNC, Tim Duncan at Wake Forest. Duke didn’t have its usual handful of future NBA stars but did have Trajan Langdon, who was a great college player. Five of the league’s nine teams finished in the top 12 at KenPom. This was a very, very good league. But the ACC went 8-6 in the NCAA Tournament.
That, plus a dominant Kansas team from 2010 getting Farokhmaneshed in the second round by Northern Iowa is a reminder that you should not always judge a team and/or league by what happens in the NCAA Tournament.
Reminder: Below my Top 25, I give nuggets on an unspecified number of teams each week. So when a team appears in the table but not in the text below, that’s why. Scroll on for notes on Duke, Alabama, Purdue, Texas Tech, Michigan State, Missouri, Arizona and UCLA
Duke’s length can make you feel claustrophobic in the half court, and North Carolina struggled to get quality shots early on in Saturday’s runaway win for the Blue Devils. It’s been written about ad nauseam that every player in Duke’s rotation is 6-5 or taller, but it’s not just the length that makes Duke’s switching scheme work. Combine the strength and physicality of guards Sion James and Kon Knueppel with the lateral quickness of Khaman Maluach and Maliq Brown, plus Cooper Flagg’s ability to play safety and cover a ton of ground, and you’re cooking with gasoline. But James and Knueppel are the two who play an underappreciated role in making it all work.
To understand why the length/physicality combo matters for the guards, watch what happened when either James or Knueppel switched onto a center against the Tar Heels.
When Jalen Washington rolled on this early trip, Flagg was tasked as the tag to help against the roller. Elliot Cadeau was reading Flagg and assumed that he was going to creep into the paint, which meant Cadeau could hit Seth Trimble with a skip pass for a wide-open 3.
Flagg got the steal because he knew he could stay more in the gap as soon as he saw that James was in position and didn’t need any help. The trust that James could fend for himself freed up Flagg for the interception.
Later in the half, when Knueppel switched onto Ven-Allen Lubin, the automatic read was to go to the post against a guard. That’s what UNC did. But does this look like a mismatch?
When James and Knueppel are both off the floor, Duke’s defense allows 99.2 points per 100 possessions, compared to 87.1 when both are on the floor, per CBB Analytics. And when you put them with Flagg and Maluach, that grouping is plus-115 in 196 minutes and holding opponents to 84.8 points per 100 possessions. I wrote earlier this season about the impact of coach Jon Scheyer’s move to put James into the starting point guard role, and the numbers and film continue to justify that decision.
One thing that makes Alabama’s offense so good: Nate Oats will find a play that works against an opponent and keep going back to it. That approach helped the Crimson Tide win at Mississippi State on Wednesday.
The play was a pick-and-roll with Mark Sears and Grant Nelson, combined with an exit screen on the left side of the floor for a shooter and Chris Youngblood spotted up on the right side of the floor. Alabama ran it early, and Nelson got an easy dunk:
Coming out of a timeout on the last possession of the half, Oats went to it again and got the same result:
Now fast-forward to the last minute of the game, with Alabama again coming out of a timeout, ahead by just one:
Nelson ended up missing those free throws, leaving the door open for the Bulldogs, but this is why the Crimson Tide are so hard to guard. Their shooters make you focus so much on defending the 3 that a roller can slip to the basket and get to the rim three times on the same play. After two games in a row finishing over 40 percent from 3, the Crimson Tide are now shooting 36.9 percent from deep after a cold start in nonconference play. They’ve been the most efficient offense in SEC play, are up to No. 2 in adjusted efficiency nationally and just seem to be hitting their rhythm with Youngblood finally finding his place — he made seven 3s in Starkville.
Braden Smith is having one of the most impressive seasons for a point guard in recent memory. Smith currently leads college basketball in assist rate (46.5), which is assists divided by the field goals made by the player’s teammates while he’s on the floor. KenPom tracks assist rate leaders going back to 2004, and if Smith were to finish with his current rate, he’d rank sixth in that time among high-major point guards.
And when you measure him against those other five using other categories, you could argue Smith is impacting winning more than anyone above him.
| ARate | PPG | ORtg | W-L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Kris Dunn, Providence (2015) |
50 |
15.6 |
103 |
22-12 |
|
Josh Watkins, Utah (2012) |
49.2 |
15.6 |
86.7 |
6-25 |
|
Trae Young, Oklahoma (2018) |
48.5 |
27.4 |
112.1 |
18-14 |
|
Maurice Watson, Creighton (2017) |
48 |
12.9 |
108.5 |
25-10 |
|
Cassius Winston, Mich. State (2017) |
46.7 |
6.7 |
106 |
20-15 |
|
Braden Smith, Purdue (2025) |
46.5 |
15.8 |
116.9 |
17-5 |
Smith got a first-team nod on The Athletic’s midseason All-America squads last week, and if he keeps this up or anything close to it, he’d be a lock to make the Associated Press first team at the end of the season, which would lead to a cool accomplishment for the Boilermakers. Purdue would become just the 12th school to produce an AP first-team All-American in three straight seasons without it being the same player for all three years. Adding to the unlikelihood of the feat for Purdue: Both Zach Edey and Smith were three-star, sub-top-150 recruits coming out of high school.
Not only did Texas Tech break Houston’s nation-leading 32-game home winning streak and do it without leading scorer JT Toppin and coach Grant McCasland — both of whom were ejected three minutes, 50 seconds in after Toppin accidentally kicked Joseph Tugler in the groin — the Red Raiders adjusted their game plan to do something you just don’t do against Houston: going at the Cougars in isolation.
Prior to Saturday, Houston was allowing 0.584 points per possession in isolation this season, according to Synergy. Only once in the last two seasons had anyone scored in double digits in iso plays against the Cougars, and that was Texas Tech, with 10 points on isos last season. No team this year had scored more than seven.
The Red Raiders scored 17 points on 12 isolation plays for a 1.42 points per possession success rate. They picked out matchups they liked, spread the floor and went at the Cougars. Look at the intentional spacing here with three shooters off the ball:
Texas Tech’s offense excels in transition and pick-and-roll, but without Toppin and going against an elite defense, this why-would-you-try-it-against-Houston strategy ended up winning the game. Texas Tech went a perfect 4 for 4 in overtime, scoring nine points on iso plays, including six points for Chance McMillian. And get this: The senior guard had scored only five points on iso plays all season.
Michigan State’s 13-game winning streak ended on Saturday at USC, and while the run was impressive, it was somewhat aided by the schedule. Since losing to Memphis at the Maui Invitational, Michigan State has played only two top-40 teams in KenPom net rating, and its only win all season against a team currently in my top 25 was against Illinois at home.
Over the final 10 games of the regular season, the Spartans play eight top-40 teams, including seven teams currently in my top 25. No need to apologize for winning, but we should get a much clearer picture of how good the Spartans are over the next five weeks.
Mizzou is winning by leaning heavily on the 3-ball in conference play, with an SEC-high 3-point rate of 46.2 percent and an average of 10.2 3s per game in conference games. It has helped that Caleb Grill has turned into a modern-day Reggie Miller. Grill is shooting 49 percent from 3 on the year and has made 21 of his 40 shots from deep over the last five games.
Grill is so hard to guard because he can shoot on the move and gets it off quickly:
And when he’s spotted up, he’s been automatic, making 8 of those 9 attempts over the last five games — doesn’t matter the distance:
The key for someone with this kind of range and ability to sprint into shots is leg strength. Grill was a high jumper in high school and won the state title, clearing 6-8.
Grill has been on one heck of a journey. I met him six years ago when he was a senior in high school who had suddenly become a coveted recruit after T.J. Otzelberger left South Dakota State, where Grill was committed, for UNLV. Grill went from Iowa State to UNLV to play for Otzelberger, back to Iowa State to follow Otzelberger, then was kicked off the team in 2023 and landed at Mizzou, where he fractured his wrist last season and was granted a medical redshirt for a sixth year. Now he’s one of the most feared shooters in college basketball coming off the bench for the Tigers. That much player movement can leave some skittish, but his college career’s story is getting quite the ending.
Arizona has become the team everyone thought it would be in the preseason. The Wildcats have cut down on their fouling, and they’ve started shooting and making more 3s with the insertion of Anthony Dell’Orso into the starting lineup. Using Bart Torvik’s sorting tool, here’s a look at the data:
| FTRD | 3P% | 3PR | Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dell’Orso off the bench |
32.9 |
30 |
32.9 |
4-5 |
|
Dell’Orso starting |
26.1 |
34.5 |
37 |
11-1 |
In addition, 6-foot-8 freshman wing Carter Bryant and sophomore 7-footer Henri Veesaar have seen their minutes go up. The offense is thriving, but it feels like the defense could go to another level, especially with Bryant and Veesaar on the floor. Using on-off numbers, they’ve been the Wildcats’ two best defenders.
This week posed one of the season’s more challenging decisions on who should be No. 25. Let’s do a blind resume test to show my work.
Torvik has a handy tool that gives an average for resume-based metrics (KPI, strength of record and wins above bubble) and then an average for metrics that measure quality (BPI, KenPom and Torvik). I’ve also included the teams’ Quad 1 record and a stat of my creation, which is the wins over teams currently in my top 25. Let’s take a look at the teams in contention this week:
| Resume | Quality | Average | Q1 record | WOT25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Team A |
22.3 |
31.3 |
26.8 |
4-5 |
0 |
|
Team B |
27 |
27.3 |
27.15 |
2-2 |
1 |
|
Team C |
28.3 |
27.3 |
27.8 |
5-5 |
2 |
|
Team D |
27.7 |
30.3 |
29 |
4-4 |
2 |
|
Team E |
33.7 |
23 |
28.35 |
4-6 |
2 |
|
Team F |
38.7 |
27.7 |
33.2 |
4-3 |
1 |
|
Team G |
11.3 |
37.7 |
24.5 |
8-4 |
3 |
|
Team H |
27 |
26.3 |
26.65 |
2-1 |
0 |
|
Team I |
13.7 |
40.7 |
27.2 |
5-1 |
3 |
Usually I lean more on the quality metric than the resume, but Team I is in my Top 25 because of its Quad 1 record and its wins over current Top 25 teams. Does Team G deserve the same treatment?
What if I were to tell you that Team C just swept Team G, winning the latest matchup by 26, and has won five in a row? And if Team G were in, that would bump Team C’s WOT25 up to four? Justification for Team C, right?
That’s the conclusion I came to, and why UCLA got the final spot this week.
Here’s who was who: Louisville (Team A), Clemson (B), UCLA (C), Creighton (D), Baylor (E), UConn (F), Oregon (G), Saint Mary’s (H) and Memphis (I).
Dropped out: Oregon, Louisville, Clemson.
Keeping an eye on: Creighton, Baylor, UConn, Saint Mary’s, Drake.
(Photo: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
Duke’s men’s college basketball team has been making waves this season with their dominant defense, and one key player who often goes unnoticed is Mark Williams. The 7-foot sophomore center has been a crucial part of the Blue Devils’ defensive success, using his size and shot-blocking ability to disrupt opponents’ game plans.
Williams may not always light up the stat sheet with points, but his presence in the paint is felt every game. He leads the team in blocks and alters countless shots, making it difficult for opposing players to drive to the basket or get easy looks inside.
In addition to his shot-blocking prowess, Williams is also a strong rebounder, pulling down boards on both ends of the court and helping Duke limit second-chance opportunities for their opponents.
While stars like Paolo Banchero and Wendell Moore Jr. garner much of the attention for Duke, it’s players like Williams who do the dirty work on defense and allow the team to be successful. His contributions may not always show up in the box score, but they are crucial to the Blue Devils’ success.
As Duke continues to climb the rankings and make a push for the NCAA tournament, keep an eye on Mark Williams and the impact he has on the team’s defense. He may not get the same recognition as some of his teammates, but his importance to the Blue Devils cannot be overstated.
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A Vox reader asks: Why do people pay more to watch men’s sports than women’s sports?
For all of Caitlin Clark’s feats on the basketball court — breaking all-time scoring records, taking the Iowa Hawkeyes to two national championships and getting the Indiana Fever to the WNBA playoffs — what might be more impressive is the attention she’s captured and the sheer amount of people who want to see her play and are willing to pay top dollar to watch her dish dazzling assists and launch 3-point daggers from the logo.
In her rookie season, Clark helped the Fever achieve the best attendance in the league — over 17,000 people per game, a 265 percent increase over last season — and their televised games regularly reached over 1 million viewers per contest. Scalpers were selling tickets outside the arena. At one point in the season, they were asking $250 for a ticket that usually went for under $100, while some secondary market sellers were looking for up to $9,000, CNN reported.
Clark’s emergence alongside a new generation of exciting rookies and ultra-talented, already-established veterans has created momentum for women’s basketball and more generally women’s sports. Mainly: People are finally willing to pay more to see women’s basketball? That raises the question: Why weren’t they already?
At the heart of this question is a pretty simple answer: Men have had decades-long head starts when it comes to sports and professional sporting leagues. To put it in perspective, women were allowed to compete in the 1900 Olympics in five sports; it wasn’t until the 2012 London Olympics that women competed in all of the sports that the men were.
Similarly, in the US, experts specifically point to Title IX — the federal law that bans gender discrimination at schools receiving federal aid — and its passing in 1972 as a watershed moment for gender equality in sports. Before that, US schools had no obligation to provide the same athletic opportunities to girls that they did for boys. It broke down existing barriers to entry, allowing women not only to compete but also receive equal financial opportunity tied to sports (e.g., college scholarships ). But when Title IX solidified women’s rights into law and protected them from discrimination, the NBA was already over 20 years old.
“The easy way to think about it is to look at the overall lack of investment,” Lindsey Darvin, an assistant professor at Syracuse University, told me. Darvin studies women’s sports and gender equity in the intercollegiate and professional sports industry. She said that the NBA, and any other major sports league, have had decades upon decades of resources, both external and internal, infused into them. Women’s leagues are, relatively speaking, still so young and don’t (yet) gather the same kind of attention.
“The amount of investment that’s been put into the NBA — it dwarfs what’s been put into the WNBA,” Darvin said. The WNBA was founded in 1996, almost 30 years ago. The same number of years on the NBA timeline would be the late ’70s, when the league was finally established and on the verge of a massive leap in popularity. While the WNBA is growing, it hasn’t seen the same kind of trajectory — at least not yet.
It took decades for teams like the Lakers, Yankees, Arsenal, Bruins, and Packers to become lucrative sports franchises that generate millions in revenue each year and play in arenas and stadiums in front of thousands of people. Some professional leagues count revenue in the tens of billions of dollars. Decades of investment — money, advertising, promotion, television deals, sponsorships, etc., — have turned teams and leagues into brand names.
That’s what you’re paying for when you’re purchasing a ticket. That’s also why a men’s pro sports ticket is usually going to be more expensive than a women’s.
The last couple of years in women’s college basketball have shown us that women’s sports can challenge men’s in popularity — like, right now. At the 2024 Final Four, tickets for the women’s tickets on the secondary market were going double for the price of the men’s games.
The Caitlin Clark effect was in full motion, and the ratings for Clark and her cohort were at an all-time high. Clark’s last two games were the most-watched in history, averaging close to 14 million and, as The Athletic reported, eclipsed men’s sporting events like every World Series since 2019, every NBA Finals game since 2017, and every Daytona 500 since 2006.
“As a researcher, I don’t like to say the phrase that ‘the stars align’ because that just seems so kind of out there — but the stars aligning is a piece of it, and that’s what happened, right?” Darvin said, noting that Clark’s skill and flashy, appealing game; the success of the Iowa basketball team; and Clark’s marketability and her team’s underdog story were all factors in becoming a phenomenon.
But what intrigues Darvin is now that Clark has graduated and driven similar sellouts in the WNBA, is whether this can convince people — especially those in charge — that people are willing to spend more money to see women’s sports.
One of the trickier reasons about why men’s sports are valued over women’s is because that’s what we’ve been told they were more important for so long. Clark and Iowa basketball are one of the rare examples when investment, promotion, and media hammered home that Clark’s games were worth watching, worth paying for, and even more exciting than the men’s teams.
“You’re steered in directions through marketing, advertisements, and the media — you are basically told what you’re supposed to like and what you should pay for, and what you’re going to enjoy,” Darvin said. “And what is cool to enjoy and pay for has always been men’s sports.”
Essentially, we were told to value Caitlin Clark’s senior season in a way that hadn’t happened in women’s college basketball. But while Clark is the most recent barrier-breaker, she isn’t alone.
During her career, Serena Williams and her rivals were at times bigger stories than male tennis players. (Not unrelated: Tennis has been one of the better sports at striving for equal pay.) Simone Biles and the US women’s gymnastics team are bigger stories than the American men, and similarly, women’s figure skating is usually as popular as men’s at the Olympics. Those are all examples, Darvin said, where women athletes fare better when it comes to marketing and publicity.
The more women’s pro sports are publicized and marketed, the more people are willing to pay to see pro women athletes, and ostensibly the idea is that all this capital turns into growth, opportunity, and equality for women. With more money, perhaps the WNBA will be able to pay rookies more than $76,000 for their first season! A possible sign of progress: Unrivaled, a stateside professional 3×3 women’s league debuted in January with a $200,000 average salary per player and a multiyear media deal with TNT. Darvin also notes that college women athletes signing lucrative NIL deals are also changing the playing field and upping their media profiles.
If there’s one drawback it’s that if all goes according to plan, eventually we’ll get to the point (in the distant future) where women’s pro sports won’t be as accessible. Currently one of the debates around the NBA is that the ratings are down and whether that’s due to it being very expensive to watch or even attend a game. One of the best things about women’s pro sports and women’s basketball is that it’s affordable.
The WNBA’s Caitlin Clark has changed the game between men’s and women’s sports
Caitlin Clark, a rising star in the WNBA, has been making waves in the world of sports with her exceptional talent and skill on the basketball court. As one of the top prospects in the league, Clark has been proving that women can compete at the same level as men in professional sports.
With her incredible scoring ability, court vision, and leadership on the court, Caitlin Clark has been breaking down barriers and changing the perception of women’s sports. She has shown that women are just as capable as men when it comes to excelling in athletics and that gender should never be a limiting factor.
Clark’s success in the WNBA has not only inspired young girls to pursue their dreams in sports but has also sparked important conversations about gender equality in the world of athletics. By dominating on the court and earning respect from her peers and fans alike, Caitlin Clark has proven that women’s sports deserve just as much recognition and support as men’s sports.
As Caitlin Clark continues to make headlines and leave her mark on the WNBA, she is setting a new standard for what it means to be a female athlete in today’s society. With her determination, talent, and passion for the game, Clark is paving the way for future generations of women to thrive in the world of sports and beyond.
Tags:
WNBA, Caitlin Clark, women’s sports, men’s sports, gender equality, basketball, sports history, female athletes, game changer, sports industry, sports culture, athlete spotlight
#WNBAs #Caitlin #Clark #changed #game #mens #womens #sports
Key events
The eagle eyed amongst you will have spotted that Shivam Dube is playing today, less than 48 hours after failing that concussion test. Chicanery afoot! No doubt that is what prompted Buttler to list his subs bench. Bit of neeeeedle today at the Wankhede I reckon.
“I caught you listing out your impact subs…”
There’s a pointed and quite funny moment at the toss as Jos Buttler insists on listing his four impact subs with a bit of a twinkle in his eye and the beginnings of a smirk on his face.
Is this a sign of the new mischievous/larky Buttler? He did say before the series that he’d been practicing smiling in the mirror. Seriously. Give him a a few more matches and he’ll be doing witty little monologues like ‘Cinch’ slathered Tony Hancock.
Teams:
India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy.
England: Phil Salt (wk), Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
Mark Wood comes back in for Saqib Mahmood for England despite the latter impressing in the last match and Mohammed Shami replaces Arshdeep Singh for India.
Joss Buttler calls the coin correctly at the toss as Ravi Shastri’s voice echoes around the stadium like a sonic boom. Buttler says he’s excited for the match, the crowd should be large and loud and they hope there’s a bit of dew around early doors to get the ball zipping.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav says he wanted to bat first so everybody is happy. Nice little mental flex from Sky there. Teams news incoming!
James Wallace
Hello and welcome to the fifth and final T20 of this series between India and England. Actually, excuse me whilst I take the afternoon off, I’m not feeling it. Here’s Rob Smyth to OBO in my place. He’s vastly more experienced at this stuff, has more stats and facts at his disposal than almost anyone, is a really quick typer and isn’t hungover/sleep deprived/racked with a perennial nag of existential ennui… you don’t mind do you? Over to you Rob!
I’m being facetious (but truthful about Rob) of course, in case you missed it there was some controversy in the last match as Shivam Dube was conked on the helmet whilst batting, prompting a concussion replacement for India, Harshit Rana came in for his Twenty20 international debut during the England innings. Now, Rana is a far better bowler than Dube, this was no ‘like-for-like change’, as the rules state.
Jos Buttler didn’t go full sour grapes after the match, England should have won the match regardless and squandered an opportunity to tie the series and set up a shootout at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai today, but he made his feelings clear:
It’s not a like-for-like replacement, we don’t agree with that…either Shivam Dube has put on about 25mph with the ball or Harshit has really improved his batting. It’s part of the game. I still think we should have gone on to win the match. But we disagree with the decision. We’ll ask Javagal [Srinath, the match referee] some questions just to get some clarity around it.”
So the series might be gone but there’ll be a bit of frisson and an England side looking to prove a point coming up against and Indian side wanting to put any questions about the validity of their series win to bed with a 4-1 victory overall.
I’m afraid you are stuck with me, Jim here in a sunny south London (i’m not hungover… promise). Play begins at 1.30pm GMT – a little over half an hour’s time. I’ll be back imminently with news of the teams and toss.
India and England are set to face off in the fifth men’s T20 cricket international match, and the excitement is palpable. Both teams have shown remarkable skills and determination throughout the series, making this final match a showdown not to be missed.
The series has been closely contested so far, with both teams showcasing their strengths and weaknesses. India will be looking to make a statement with a strong performance in the final match, while England will be aiming to finish the series on a high note.
The match promises to be a thrilling encounter, with both teams fielding their best players and giving it their all to secure a victory. Fans can expect to see some intense competition, brilliant batting, and exceptional bowling as the two teams battle it out on the field.
Stay tuned for live updates and commentary as India takes on England in the fifth men’s T20 cricket international match. It’s bound to be a nail-biting finish to what has been an exciting series so far. Don’t miss out on the action!
Tags:
#India #England #mens #T20 #cricket #international #live #Cricket
