Add it to the Burn Book
From The GIST College Sports (hi@thegistsports.com)
Welcome to the week!
Congrats to No. 1–seed South Dakota State football, who capped their undefeated season by bagging their second straight FCS natty with a monster 23–3 dub over No. 2 Montana yesterday. Impressive AF.
- Next up? The College Football Playoff National Championship between No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Washington (the FBS’ title game), which kicks off tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Check out yesterday’s Sunday Scroll to prep for NCAA football’s grand finale.
— Florida State’s British-Nigerian women’s soccer star Onyi Echegini after winning the 2023 MAC Hermann Trophy (college soccer’s MVP award) on Monday.
- Echegini and the men’s winner, Clemson’s Ousmane Sylla (from Senegal), are both going pro, proving the NCAA’s developmental pipeline is an international affair. The American dream goes global.
Basketball
🏀 MVP goes to the ref
The GIST: With conference play in full swing, the fight for standings supremacy upped the ante in this weekend’s jam-packed schedule, especially on the men’s court: A whopping seven ranked squads fell to unranked opponents, bringing heat to the dead of winter.
Chaos reigns in the Big East…: The “Power Six” conference continues to be a gong show, with No. 7 Marquette falling to Seton Hall 78–75 and Creighton beating an injury-hobbled No. 23 Providence 69–60 on Saturday. These guys love mess.
…and in the Big 12: Upsets also rocked the south-central conference, where Cincinnati and Texas Tech earned decisive Saturday road wins over No. 12 BYU and No. 20 Texas, respectively.
- But earlier that day, the Big 12 narrowly avoided the upset of the season when No. 2 Kansas escaped TCU 83–81 thanks to senior center Hunter Dickinson (and the refs).
No. 1 Purdue tops No. 9 Illinois 83–78: The Boilermakers shut down the Illini’s second-half surge, capturing their fourth Top-10 dub on Friday. This runaway train shows no signs of slowing down as senior center Zach Edey, who put up 10 points and 15 rebounds, builds his repeat–Player of the Year campaign.
No. 3 Houston stays perfect: The Cougars are the only undefeated Division I (DI) men’s team still standing after No. 19 James Madison and No. 22 Ole Miss suffered their first losses on Saturday.
- On that note, six unbeaten DI women’s teams entered the weekend, but only three survived: No. 1 South Carolina, No. 2 UCLA, and No. 6 Baylor. No. 24 West Virginia and Oregon State both saw their undefeated seasons slip away, and as for the sixth…
Buzzer-beaters upend the women’s court: A pair of one-point upsets brought down the house yesterday. No. 13 Virginia Tech ruined No. 3 NC State’s perfect record 63–62 with center Elizabeth Kitley’s last-second layup, and unranked Arizona took down No. 15 Utah 71–70 after guard Kailyn Gilbert’s two free throws delivered the dagger in overtime’s final second. Chills.
Women's gymnastics
🤸 Okay, Boomer (Sooner)
The GIST: The season’s first big meet — this weekend’s four-session, Mean Girls–themed Super 16 — is officially in the (burn) books, and it served dominance…and disappointment. If the rest of the season brings similar vibes, we could be in for a new group of Plastics.
Who impressed: Oklahoma, obviously. The top-ranked reigning champs crushed the other three teams in Friday’s Session Two, racking up a jaw-dropping score of 197.85 (out of a possible 200). More surprising was new–No. 4 Alabama, who surged to an upset win in Saturday’s Session Four behind sophomore Gabby Gladieux’s near-perfect floor routine.
- As for individual athletes, No. 14 Michigan State sophomore Sage Kellerman took the season’s second perfect 10 with her flawless vault on Friday. So fetch.
Who struggled: No. 12 UCLA and No. 20 Michigan, perennial national title contenders, raised eyebrows with last-place finishes that sent them plummeting seven and 14 ranking spots, respectively. Whether rustiness or roster shake-ups are to blame, these powerhouses better figure their sh!t out, and fast — especially UCLA, who faces Regina George Oklahoma next weekend.
Here’s what has GIST HQ buzzing:
🏒 What to check out
The PWHL home opener schedule, which continues until January 13th. It’s been an action-packed start to the year, and we’re here for it!
📚 What to read
The Wild Pitches series. If you’re a baseball fan and a book lover, this series from Megan Cousins is literally made for you.
🌺 How to embrace tranquility
With Bluelotus Chrysanthemum Rose Flower Tea by Qi, a floral blend promising serene vibes. Perfect for fostering a sense of relaxation amidst the New Year's hustle.
Today's email was brought to you by Katie Kehoe Foster, Ruth Lenzen, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Lindsay Jost and Isabella Troia. Fact checking by Mikaela Perez. Ops by Lisa Minutillo and Elisha Gunaratnam. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Lauren Tuiskula, and Dee Lab. Managing edits by Dee Lab. Head of Content Ellen Hyslop.