NCAAFB – College Football Playoffs – National Championship
Last Night
(8) Ohio State 34, (7) Notre Dame 23
OSU 34, ND 23 – Ohio State wins 1st national title since 2014, outlasting Notre Dame 34-23 in CFP championship
Ohio State can celebrate another title after holding off a Notre Dame comeback bid to walk away with a nailbiter of a 34-23 victory over the Fighting Irish. Will Howard hit big-play receiver Jeremiah Smith for 56 yards on a late third-and-11 to lock down a game that had been a laugher, then turned into something else. Trailing 31-7, Notre Dame scored two touchdowns and two 2-point conversions to make it a one-score game late in the fourth quarter. But Howard’s big throw to Smith set up a field goal that started the celebration in earnest. Ohio State won its sixth title and first since the 2014 season.
NCAAFB – Notre Dame’s Leonard can’t keep do-it-all pace set in monstrous opening drive
Riley Leonard opened the national championship game with a do-it-all drive that made it appear the Notre Dame quarterback could win the title by himself. As it turned out, Leonard needed more help. Leonard’s two second-half touchdown passes to Jaden Greathouse proved the Fighting Irish were resilient, but the comeback attempt was too late. Greathouse’s first scoring catch came late in the third quarter of Ohio State’s 34-23 win. Leonard was the workhorse on a monstrous 18-play touchdown drive to open the game. Riley had nine carries in the drive which lasted almost 10 minutes.
NCAAFB – Ohio State QB Will Howard played his best in run to national title
Will Howard transferred to Ohio State to win a national championship, and he reached that goal by playing the best football of his career throughout the Buckeyes’ four games in the College Football Playoff. He was never better than in the first half and at the end of Ohio State’s 34-23 victory over Notre Dame. Howard connected on his first 13 passes to set the record for consecutive completions in a CFP title game, and late in the fourth quarter he lofted a pass to Jeremiah Smith for a 56-yard gain that all but sealed the win.
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson watches during warmups before an NFL football divisional playoff game against the Washington Commanders, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)
NFL – Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson agrees to become Bears head coach
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has agreed to become the Chicago Bears head coach, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the contract was being finalized. Johnson spent three years as Detroit’s offensive coordinator under Dan Campbell and was considered the top head coaching candidate on the market. The Lions earned the top seed in the NFC at 15-2 before getting stunned by Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in a divisional playoff game on Saturday. The Bears fired Matt Eberflus on Nov. 29. Chicago finished last in the NFC North at 5-12.
NFL – Lions wanted more in playoffs and ended up with less, falling short of last year
“We want more” was the Detroit Lions’ mantra heading into the postseason. They ended up getting less, taking a step back from last year’s run in the playoffs. The Lions entered the divisional round as Super Bowl favorites and exited with a 45-31 loss to sixth-seeded Washington on Saturday night in front of a stunned and saddened crowd at Ford Field. Lions coach Dan Campbell says the team failed because it didn’t reach its goals and standards. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson agreed on Monday to become the Chicago Bears’ head coach, and Campbell says he expects to lose defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn as well.
NFL – Bills and Chiefs in AFC title game; Eagles and Commanders in NFC championship game
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills will take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game in their fourth playoff matchup in five years. Allen ran for two touchdowns and the Bills beat Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens 27-25 in a divisional game Sunday. Mark Andrews dropped a pass from Jackson on a 2-point conversion that would’ve tied it with 1:33 remaining and Buffalo held on for the victory. The Chiefs have defeated the Bills three straight times in the playoffs, including the conference title game four years ago in Kansas City. It’ll be Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles hosting Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game.
NCAAMBB – Men’s College Basketball
Tonight
Ohio at Eastern Michigan, 6:30 p.m.
Northern Illinois at Western Michigan, 7:00 p.m.
Ball State at Central Michigan, 7:00 p.m.
NBA – National Basketball Association
Yesterday
Detroit Pistons 107, Houston Rockets 96
Chicago Bulls 112, Los Angeles Clippers 99
Pistons 107, Rockets 96 – Cunningham scores 32 points to lead the Pistons over the Rockets 107-96
Cade Cunningham had 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 107-96 win over the Houston Rockets on Monday. Jalen Duren had 16 points and 14 rebounds, Malik Beasley added 17 points off the bench, and Ausar Thompson had 11 points and nine rebounds for the Pistons. Fred VanVleet scored 20 points, and Jalen Green scored 19 points. Amen Thompson, who missed the game at Portland on Saturday with left calf soreness, added 17 points for Houston, which shot 39% and struggled from 3, connecting on 11 of 39.
Bulls 112, Clippers 99 – LaVine leads Bulls over Clippers 112-99 as Chicago snaps 5-game skid
Zach LaVine scored 35 points and the Chicago Bulls defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 112-99 to snap a five-game skid. Talen Horton-Tucker added 18 points and Josh Giddey had 18 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. The Bulls improved to 2-6 in back-to-backs this season. The Clippers’ four-game winning streak ended without starters Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac. Norman Powell led LA with 27 points and James Harden added 17 points and 10 assists. The Bulls took control with a dominant third quarter in which they outscored the Clippers 36-16 to lead by 18 going into the fourth.
NBA – Spurs, Pacers make their way to Paris, where all eyes will be on Victor Wembanyama
Officially, Indiana will be the home team on the scoreboard when it plays San Antonio in Paris on Thursday. The Pacers know better. The upcoming NBA Paris Games are this week, with Indiana vs. San Antonio on Thursday and Saturday. The Pacers are the designated home team for the first matchup and the Spurs getting that distinction for the second game. The week is essentially going to be a weeklong celebration of France’s own Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio’s reigning NBA rookie of the year who likely will be an All-Star this season for the first time.
NHL – National Hockey League
Last Night
Carolina Hurricanes 4, Chicago Blackhawks 3 – OT
Hurricanes 4, Blackhawks 3 – OT – Aho scores in overtime as the Hurricanes beat the Blackhawks 4-3
Sebastian Aho scored 59 seconds into overtime, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3. Seth Jarvis, Jordan Staal and Jesperi Kotkaniemi also scored for Carolina in its second straight win. Staal picked up his 700th career point in game No. 1,300. Freddie Andersen made 22 saves for the Hurricanes in his first game since Oct. 26 and No. 500 for his career. He had been sidelined by a knee injury. The Hurricanes tied it at 3 on Staal’s 10th goal with 6:23 left in regulation.
Tonight
Detroit Red Wings at Philadelphia Flyers, 7:00 p.m.
Tennis – Coco Gauff says she has a lot more work to do after loss to Paula Badosa
Coco Gauff has lost in the Australian Open quarterfinals to Paula Badosa 7-5, 6-4. Tuesday’s result ended a 13-match unbeaten run that dated to last season for Gauff, the 2023 U.S. Open champion. Gauff was seeded No. 3 and trying to get back to the semifinals at Melbourne Park for the second year in a row. Badosa is a 27-year-old from Spain who is seeded No. 11. She will now head to her first Grand Slam semifinal. Her opponent will be two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. They were scheduled to play Tuesday night, before Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz met in the men’s quarterfinals.
MHSAA – Benton Harbor kicked out of Lakeland Conference
A lack of varsity competition has led to Benton Harbor’s expulsion from the Lakeland Conference. The current Lakeland Conference was formed in the fall of 2022 with Benton Harbor, Berrien Springs, Buchanan, Brandywine at Dowagiac. However, in the three years of the league, Benton Harbor has failed to field teams in a number of Lakeland sports, most notably boys and girls soccer. In addition, besides the Tigers boys basketball team, Benton Harbor’s varsity teams, have had poor overall records, winless seasons, and in some cases, canceling a season before or during the season. Benton Harbor does field teams in boys and girls golf, wrestling, track and field, but generally not enough players to make up a full team, and compete as individuals in league, non-conference or state tournament events. New Benton Harbor athletic director Danny Jennings was made aware of the Lakeland’s decision earlier this month, roughly the same time as he took over as A.D. Jennings says, the goal is for the school to play as an independent and build up student participation in varsity sports. Benton Harbor was a member of the Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference from 1985-2015 when they left to be an independent, and then helping form the new Lakeland in 2022.
MHSAA – Michigan High School Athletic Association
Tonight
Boys Basketball
Mattawan at St. Joseph, PPD
Buchanan at Constantine, PPD
Fennville at Lawrence, PPD
Marcellus at Martin, PPD
Battle Creek Harper Creek at Vicksburg, PPD
Vermontville Maple Valley at Delton-Kellogg, PPD
Girls Basketball
Benton Harbor at Kalamazoo Hackett, CCD
Michigan Lutheran at Buchanan, PPD
Paw Paw at Berrien Springs, PPD.
Fennville at Lawrence, PPD.
Lawton at Martin, PPD
Marcellus at Bangor, PPD
Centreville at Comstock, PPD
Burr Oak at Decatur, PPD
Vicksburg at Battle Creek Harper Creek, PPD
Tonight (Weather Permitting)
Boys Basketball
SMAC
BC Lakeview at St. Joseph, 7:00 p.m.
Kalamazoo Central at Lakeshore, 7:00 p.m.
Battle Creek Central at Mattawan, 7:00 p.m.
Gull Lake at Portage Central, 7:00 p.m.
Loy Norrix at Portage Northern, 7:00 p.m.
BCS
River Valley at Our Lady of the Lake, 7:00 p.m.
Michigan Lutheran at New Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Countryside Academy at Covert, 6:00 p.m.
Eau Claire at Howardsville Christian, 7:30 p.m.
SAC
Bridgman at Delton-Kellogg, 7:00 p.m.
Allegan at Galesburg-Augusta, 7:00 p.m.
Coloma at Gobles, 7:00 p.m.
Bridgman at Kalamazoo Christian, 7:00 p.m.
Fennville at Martin, 7:00 p.m.
Watervliet at Saugatuck, 7:00 p.m.
Southwest 10
Bloomingdale at Comstock, 7:30 p.m.
Non-Conference
Paw Paw at Kalamazoo Hackett, 7:00 p.m.
Plainwell at Lake Odessa Lakewood, 7:15 p.m.
Three Rivers at Lawton, 7:00 p.m.
Edwardsburg at Schoolcraft, 7:00 p.m.
Burr Oak at Bangor, 7:30 p.m.
Sturgis at White Pigeon, 7:00 p.m.
Battle Creek Pennfield at Parchment, 7:00 p.m.
Girls Basketball
SMAC
St. Jospeh at BC Lakeview, 7:00 p.m.
Lakeshore at Kalamazoo Central, 7:00 p.m.
Mattawan at Battle Creek Central, 7:00 p.m.
Portage Central at Gull Lake, 7:00 p.m.
Portage Northern at Loy Norrix, 7:00 p.m.
BCS
Our Lady of the Lake at Holland Calvary, 5:30 p.m.
New Buffalo at Michigan Lutheran, 7:00 p.m.
Countryside Academy at Covert, 5:00 p.m.
Eau Claire at Howardsville Christian, 6:00 p.m.
SAC
Bridgman at Delton-Kellogg, 7:00 p.m.
Gobles at Allegan, 7:00 p.m.
Galesburg-Augusta at Coloma, 7:00 p.m.
Holland Black River at Fennville, 7:00 p.m.
Constantine at Watervliet, PPD
Non-Conference
Brandywine at Cassopolis, PPD
Bangor at Wyoming Lee, CCD
Niles at Berrien Springs, 7:00 p.m.
Schoolcraft at Edwardsburg, 6:00 p.m.
Lake Odessa Lakewood at Plainwell, 7:00 p.m.
Lawton at Three Rivers, 7:00 p.m.
Parchment at Battle Creek Pennfield, 7:00 p.m.
