(Atlanta, GA) — A pair of struggling teams meet today (Monday) in Atlanta. The Hawks have lost three straight games, and the visiting Milwaukee Bucks have dropped four out of five. There was a brief surge when Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to the lineup, but the team has not only been losing lately – it’s been losing big. Atlanta is expecting to play without three injured significant players: Dyson Daniels, Kristaps Porzingis, and Zaccharie Risacher.
Pregame at 11:30am. Tipoff at noon on AM1240 & 96.5FM
(Madison, WI) — Guard Nick Boyd led Wisconsin to a high-scoring win over Rutgers Saturday by pouring in 32 points. The Badgers have won four games in a row. Boyd’s 3-pointer and two free throws helped Wisconsin build a 14-point lead with three minutes left in the game. He also had nine assists. The Badgers are off until Thursday when they travel to Penn State.
(Milwaukee, WI) — Marquette welcomes Providence to the Fiserv Forum for a Big East Conference game tonight (Monday). The Golden Eagles are trying to end a streak that has seen them lose nine of their last 10 games. All Big East teams this week will be honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior at their games. Marquette will carry a 6-and-13 record into the contest, including seven losses in eight conference contests.
(Green Bay, WI) — The Packers have reached an agreement on a multi-year extension with head coach Matt LaFleur. Details of the deal haven’t been released. CBS Sports reports that there had been questions about the coach’s future after the collapse against the Chicago Bears. Those have been answered. LaFleur calls his situation in Green Bay “one of one,” saying it is a unique situation.
CHICAGO (AP) — Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams survived an incredible throw by Caleb Williams that forced overtime, beating the Chicago Bears 20-17 to advance to the NFC championship game. Harrison Mevis kicked a 42-yard field goal in OT after Kam Curl intercepted a deep pass by Williams on the Bears’ first possession of the extra period. Stafford completed a 16-yard pass to Puka Nacua to get the Rams into field-goal range and set up Mevis. The Rams will visit NFC West rival Seattle next Sunday in their first trip to the conference championship game since the 2021 team won the Super Bowl.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes, Marcus Jones returned one of C.J. Stroud’s four interceptions for a TD and the New England Patriots defeated the Houston Texans 28-16 to advance to the AFC championship game for the first time in seven years. They will play at Denver next Sunday. Their last AFC title game trip was during their run to their sixth Super Bowl title in the 2018 season. Maye finished 16 of 27 for 179 yards, but had an interception and fumbled four times, losing two. The eight combined turnovers were the most in a playoff game since 2015. The Texans have lost in the divisional round in three straight seasons under coach DeMeco Ryans.
NFL Championship Sunday is set. It’ll be Rams vs. Seahawks and Patriots vs. Broncos. It’s an NFC West showdown between Los Angeles and Seattle, and the AFC matchup is a rematch from 10 years ago when Tom Brady lost to Peyton Manning. This time, Denver has to turn to backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham because Bo Nix broke his ankle, while New England has second-year sensation Drake Maye. The Patriots are 5 1/2-point favorites, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, while the Seahawks are 2 1/2-point favorites.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Indiana and Miami are playing for the national title Monday night, and if that has you scratching your head thinking “Who?” or “What?” then you are not alone. Even though a new world of paying players and rapid-fire transfers from school to school has shuffled the deck in college sports, nobody thought it would get mixed up this much. And even though both schools have been trending upward of late, both were listed as 100-1 long shots to win the championship at some point this season. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and the Hoosiers head into the game being played on Miami’s home field at Hard Rock Stadium as 8 1/2-point favorites, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
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SUNDAY SCHEDULE
>>College Basketball
–Division I Men
Purdue-Ft Wayne 100, UW-Milwaukee 82
Oakland 88, UW-Green Bay 63
–Division I Women
Oregon @ Wisconsin 94, Oregon 92 (2ot)
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
HS Hockey
Rice Lake 6, Medford 0
>>College Basketball
–Division I Men
Wisconsin 96, Rutgers 87
–Division I Women
Georgetown 63, Marquette 54
UW-Green Bay 76, UW-Milwaukee 61
–Division II Men
Purdue Northwest 82, UW-Parkside 61
–Division III Men
Edgewood 74, Illinois Tech 73
Rockford 74, Marian 63
UW-Superior 76, Martin Luther 59
Augustana 80, Carroll 73
Millikin 77, Carthage 74
Maranatha Baptist 72, Kuyper 70
Illinois College 61, Beloit 51
Grinnell 109, Ripon 71
Monmouth 75, Lawrence 62
Concordia-Chicago 70, Lakeland 67
Aurora 114, Milwaukee Engineering 74
Benedictine 61, Wisconsin Lutheran 58
St. Norbert 64, Dominican 54
UW-Oshkosh 104, UW-River Falls 86
UW-Whitewater 72, UW-Stout 54
UW-Eau Claire 77, UW-La Crosse 74
UW-Platteville 63, UW-Stevens Point 61
>>College Hockey
–Division I Women
Wisconsin 5, St. Thomas 1
MONDAY SCHEDULE
>>Pro Basketball
–NBA
Milwaukee @ Atlanta
>>College Basketball
–Division I Men
Providence @ Marquette