Today’s Cheat Sheet is powered by leftover Christmas cookies and the last of the egg nog
When is the latest it is acceptable to eat Christmas cookies? I think I’m safe, but I’ll have to get back to you about the egg nog because the store-bought egg nog I’ve been consuming lately (I know, it doesn’t compare to homemade egg nog) just hit its sell by date on the carton. So we’ll see how this goes.
Butler hands No. 1 Villanova first loss of season
The defending national champions and top-ranked Villanova have finally suffered a loss on the court. It came Wednesday night on the right against feisty and scrappy No. 18 Butler in Big East play. Kethan Savage went on a tear to power Butler in the second half to outpace the Wildcats in a 66-58 victory. Butler’s strategy was to muck things up a bit and win an ugly game, and it worked out well for the Bulldogs. Josh Hart had a rough night from the field for Nova, shooting just 3-for-11 and making just one of his five three-point shots.
Things got a little hot under the collar for the always-well-dressed Jay Wright, who let his emotions fly to draw a technical, but Wright took to Twitter to compliment Butler on the victory afterward.
Great atmosphere tonight at @HinkleFH !! Congrats to @ButlerMBB for a well deserved win ! pic.twitter.com/vQszrs9KTr
— Jay Wright (@VUCoachJWright) January 5, 2017
Villanova wasn’t the only ranked team to go down with a loss on Wednesday. No. 11 Virginia lost by 12 on the road at Pitt and No. 9 Louisville took a seven-point loss at No. 23 Notre Dame.
It seems impossible that Rick Pitino, one of the best coaches in college basketball history, has never won at Notre Dame. 0-7 (0-1 with UK)
— Tim O'Malley (@timomalleyND) January 5, 2017
Not to be outdone, there was one more upset loss in the ACC, with No. 21 Virginia Tech getting blown away on the road by NC State, 104-78. No. 2 Baylor held on for a nailbiter of a win over Iowa State to improve to 14-0 this season, and Grayson Allen returned to the Duke starting lineup and the No. 8 Blue Devils dominated Georgia Tech, 110-57. Yikes.
Who says Cricket is boring?
I say every so often that I’d love to try and understand the sport of cricket, and every time I fail to follow through on that mission. But after watching this clip, maybe I’ll come around and finally do something about it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoK0MDgP1MQ
Quick Hits
– The Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists have been announced, and I shared what five players I think should get the call. This is a good time to remember that LaDainian Tomlinson was insanely good.
– A ton of college football underclassmen are declaring for the NFL Draft (too many to keep up with), but some of the names to pay close attention to declaring yesterday include LB Raekwon McMillan, LB Alex Anzalone, DE Garrett Sickels, DE Carl Lawson, WR Speedy Noil (a great wide receiver name, of course). But Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett is coming back to Columbus in 2017.
– If I live to the age of 105 years old, I can personally guarantee you I will not be setting any records for longest distance covered in an hour the way French cyclist Robert Marchand just did.
– Orlando City FC of the MLS unveiled a special section of seats dedicated to the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting from last June, and it looks fantastic.
– Colin Kaepernick hot takes are never going to be out of season, are they? Joe Thiesman sounds off after Kaepernick was named a team award winner.
– This is just a cool, well-timed photo of some wind turbines…
– That time Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr. and Kenny Lofton showed off their hoop skills. Oh, and Justin Timberlake can shoot the rock too.
– Things are not going so well for the Portland Trail Blazers, and the concern about locker room chemistry seems to be reaching a boil.
– There are researchers who have taken time to study and analyze the foul language children are using. Science!
– America loves tacos from Jack in the Box.
One last gratuitous moment of procrastination