BY AARON YORKE & MARISSA KASCH

FEB. 16, 2024 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Happy Friday 🙌

No football? No problem! That's not just something that people say when they are trying to convince themselves that it's possible to have fun on Sundays after we name a Super Bowl champion. There really is a loaded slate of sports this weekend; it just won't be taking place on the gridiron. We've got the Daytona 500, the NBA All-Star Game, Tiger Woods playing golf, and more college hoops action than you can probably handle!

In today’s edition: We'll get you all set for the two biggest events of the weekend. Plus, Caitlin Clark just became immortal again.

Editor’s Note: The Sportsletter's primary writer, Jeff, is out the rest of this week. Aaron and Marissa will be filling in as we look ahead to NBA All-Star Weekend and the Daytona 500. Enjoy.

Letter Rip!

NCAA

Caitlin Clark Breaks Two Records in One Night

Photo: Matthew Holst / Getty Images

Caitlin Clark keeps making history and she is making it in style

That's right, the all-time women's Division I scoring title wasn't enough for the Hawkeye superstar. It only took Caitlin Clark two minutes and 12 seconds to score the eight points necessary to pass Washington's Kelsey Plum and become the college queen of scoring with an absurd pull-up three from the Iowa logo. She went on to score 49 points to set an Iowa program record and a career high in the Hawkeyes' 106-89 win over Michigan last night.

Clark finished with 13 assists and she also tied a career best with nine three-point field goals while shooting 16-for-31 overall. Her 79 points scored or assisted on is the most by any Division I player in a game for the past 25 seasons. Clark now is up to 3,569 career points, just 98 short of Pete Maravich's Division I points record for men or women.

Perhaps more impressive than all the accolades is the way that Clark has transcended women's hoops and become a superstar on a national scale. She's the biggest star in college basketball with the way she creates highlight reels every time she's on the court. She fills arenas, appears on insurance commercials (acting may be the only part of her game that can use some work), and is a role model to youngsters across America.

NIL rules and the NCAA Tournament have helped Clark become super famous while she's still an amateur player, and there's no doubt that Iowa's quest to win a national title will be one of the top stories in sports this March. When that's done, though, it will be interesting to see if Clark can raise the WNBA's profile and become must-see television as a professional. Will there be shooting contests between Clark and NBA superstars (like the one with Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu on Saturday)? A GOAT debate between Clark and Diana Taurasi? The sky is the limit for the Hawkeye with unlimited range.

NBA

NBA All-Star Weekend Preview

Photo: James Black / Getty Images

Your Guide to the 2024 NBA All-Star Game

There’s nothing better than getting back to the basics. After five years, the NBA has finally embraced that concept by restoring the original All-Star Game format in Indianapolis. This year marks the return of the classic Eastern Conference vs Western Conference matchup, along with the traditional scoring system. With the return of tradition, this All-Star Game is sure to be one of the best we’ve seen in years, especially after last year's blunders.

Speaking of tradition, we’ll be seeing a very familiar face in the All-Star Game this year as LeBron James makes his 20th appearance. With his selection, he broke the NBA record for most consecutive All-Star selections – a record he previously shared with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This year, the NBA will also unveil its digital court, which will be an LED screen that changes the color and design of the court for viewers throughout the game.

Format
Aside from the return of the classic East vs West matchup, there are a few changes to the format of the All-Star Game this year. The game will feature four 12-minute quarters rather than an untimed fourth quarter. The game will no longer end when a team reaches its final target score. Instead, teams will compete for the entirety of each quarter for a charity of their choice. The voting process to form rosters stayed the same this season, but Adam Silver said other changes were in keeping with this year’s theme of “back to basketball.”

Schedule of Events
There are three main locations for this weekend’s events in Indianapolis: Lucas Oil Stadium, Gainbridge Fieldhouse and the Indiana Convention Center.

Friday
11:30 a.m. ET - Panini Rising Stars Practice (NBA TV) - Gainbridge Fieldhouse
7:00 p.m. ET - Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game (ESPN) - Lucas Oil Stadium
9:00 pm ET - Panini Rising Stars Semifinals & Finals (TNT) - Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Saturday
11:00 a.m. ET - NBA All-Star Practice (NBA TV) - Gainbridge Fieldhouse
2:00 p.m. ET - HBCU Classic (NBA TV/TNT/ESPN2) - Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Winston-Salem State vs Virginia Union
8:00 p.m. ET - State Farm All-Star Saturday Night (TNT) - Lucas Oil Stadium
— Kia Skills Challenge
— Starry 3-Point Contest
— Steph Curry vs Sabrina Ionescu 3-point Challenge
— AT&T Dunk Contest

Sunday
11:30 a.m. ET - NBA Legends Awards (NBA TV)
1:30 p.m. ET - G League Up Next Game (NBA TV) - Indiana Convention Center
8:00 p.m. ET - 73rd NBA All-Star Game (TNT) - Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Rosters
Eastern Conference Starters
Giannis Antetokounmpo - Captain
Jayson Tatum
Joel Embiid (out due to injury)
Tyrese Haliburton
Damian Lillard
Coach - Doc Rivers

Western Conference Starters
LeBron James - Captain
Nikola Jokic
Kevin Durant
Luka Doncic
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Coach - Chris Finch

Eastern Conference Reserves
Bam Adebayo
Paolo Banchero
Jaylen Brown
Jalen Brunson
Tyrese Maxey
Donovan Mitchell
Julius Randle (out due to injury)
Trae Young (injury replacement)
Scottie Barnes (injury replacement)

Western Conference Reserves
Devin Booker
Stephen Curry
Anthony Davis
Anthony Edwards
Paul George
Kawhi Leonard
Karl-Anthony Towns

NASCAR

NASCAR Gets Rolling with Daytona 500

Photo: James Gilbert / Getty Images

Football might be over for now, but NASCAR is coming for your Sundays

Boy, NASCAR sure is funny, isn't it? What other sport has its biggest event of the year as its first event of the year? The NFL almost did that with the Super Bowl nearly being a repeat of the regular season premiere, but besides that who else?

Yeah, NASCAR is pretty unique. The Great American Race, AKA the Daytona 500 comes roaring around the corner of the sports calendar this Sunday to take the place of football. 40 drives will race around the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway track 200 times to see who can be the first driver to complete 500 miles. At the end, there is a cool trophy and eternal glory at stake, as well as some NASCAR Cup Series points that will play a role in determining a champion this November.

The Daytona 500 has a special qualifying format that features multiple rounds with the top 10 drivers from the initial round battling it out for the top two spots in the starting grid. Joey Logano earned the pole position for Ford on Wednesday night to halt an 11-year streak of Chevy drivers winning the pole. As a result, Logano has the shortest odds to win Daytona, but at 10:1, you can barely call him a favorite.

Daytona 500 Starting Grid (Top 20)
1. Joey Logano (+1000)
2. Michael McDowell
3. Tyler Reddick
4. Christopher Bell
5. Chase Elliott
6. Austin Cindric
7. Alex Bowman
8. Denny Hamlin
9. Carson Hocevar
10. John Hunter Nemechek
11. Erik Jones
12. Harrison Burton
13. Daniel Suarez
14. Zane Smith
15. Ty Gibbs
16. Brad Keselowski
17. Kyle Larson
18. William Byron
19. Chris Buescher
20. Chase Briscoe

HIGHLIGHTS 🎥

🏒NHL

Rangers def. Canadiens (7-4)

*Chris Kreider scores a hat trick

Lightning def. Avalanche (6-3)

*Tampa Bay comes from behind with four-goal third period

Maple Leafs def. Flyers (4-3, OT)

*William Nylander nets winner in overtime

🏀NBA

Grizzlies def. Bucks 113-110

*Ziaire Williams and GG Jackson score 27 each in upset win

🏀NCAA Basketball

M: #2 Purdue def. Minnesota 84-76

W: #6 NC State def. #16 Notre Dame 59-43

STORYLINES

🏈Some Think Brandon Staley Will Land in San Francisco as Next Defensive Coordinator

Few believe that 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks without having an idea as to the identity of his successor. Some around the league think Shanahan will eventually hire former Rams defensive coordinator and Chargers head coach Brandon Staley. (NBC Sports)

🏀What we Know About LeBron’s Lakers Future: Could Steph Curry, Warriors or Knicks be Involved?

Only LeBron James knows the true meaning of that infamous Jan. 30 tweet, the one with 27.9 million views (and counting) that was seen by so many as a hat tip to Father Time and a sign the 39-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star was longing for something more in his legendary basketball life. The fact that it replicated the iconic imagery of the old “Days of Our Lives” soap opera was merely a comedic bonus. (The Athletic)

⚾️MLB Players, MLBPA Addressing Complaints with Nike, Fanatics Jerseys for 2024 Season

Nike and Fanatics are "facing blowback from big leaguers and baseball fans alike" regarding the jerseys the former engineered and designed and the latter manufactured. It has reached a point that the Major League Baseball Players Association is now involved after players complained to the union. (Bleacher Report)

NEWS 📰

Pistons Center Isaiah Stewart Arrested for Punching Suns' Drew Eubanks in Face Before Wednesday's Game (Yahoo)
Kylian Mbappe to Leave Paris Saint-Germain this Summer (Sky Sports)
Former Steeler Ryan Clark Addresses ESPN Situation (SI)
Tiger Woods deals with back spasms, cards 72 at Genesis Invitational (ESPN)
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred says he will retire in January 2029 (AP)
Clippers' P.J. Tucker gets largest player fine of NBA season for public trade demands (CBS Sports)

WEEKEND SCHEDULE 🗓️

The Weekend Must-Watch List

🏀 NBA All-Star Weekend

Friday: Rising Stars Game (9:00 pm, TNT)

Saturday: All-Star Saturday Night (8:00 pm, TNT)

— Skills Challenge

— 3-Point Contest

— Curry vs. Ionescu (3-Point)

— Slam Dunk Contest

Sunday: 73rd NBA All-Star Game (8:00 pm, TNT)

🏁 NASCAR

Daytona 500 (Sun. 2:30 pm, FOX)

⚽️ Soccer

EPL: Man. City vs. Chelsea (Sat. 12:30 pm, NBC)

⛳️ PGA Tour

Genesis Open (All Weekend, CBS)

🏒 NHL

Kings at Bruins (Sat. 12:30 pm, ABC)

Oilers at Stars (Sat. 3:00 pm, ABC)

Flyers at Devils (Sat. 8:00 pm, ABC)

Jets at Canucks (Sat. 10:00 pm, ESPN+)

Hurricanes at Golden Knights (Sat. 10:30 pm, ABC)

Rangers at Islanders (Sun. 3:00 pm, ABC)

🏀 NCAA Basketball

M: Texas at #3 Houston (Sat. 1:00 pm, CBS)

M: #4 Marquette at #1 UConn (Sat. 3:00 pm, FOX)
M: #6 Kansas at #25 Oklahoma (Sat. 4:00 pm, ESPN)
M: #22 Kentucky at #13 Auburn (Sat. 6:00 pm, ESPN)

M: #2 Purdue at Ohio State (Sun. 1:00 pm, CBS)

W: #8 Colorado at #22 Utah (Fri. 8:00 pm, PAC12)

W: #9 UCLA at #11 Oregon State (Fri. 10:00 pm, PAC12)

W: #12 Virginia Tech at #18 Louisville (Sun. 2:00 pm, ESPN)

*All Times ET

THE TEAM

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

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