No luck needed

The GIST: And just like that, one half of January 20th’s college football National Championship is set after No. 7 Notre Dame clinched their spot with last night’s 27–24 Orange Bowl win over No. 6 Penn State.

• Here’s how the Fighting Irish got the job done and a preview of tonight’s 7:30 p.m. ET Cotton Bowl before No. 5 Texas takes on No. 8 Ohio State for the second spot in the title game.

Notre Dame victorious after back-and-forth fourth quarter, will play for first national title since 1988: Penn State’s ferocious defense had the Fighting Irish in the first half, limiting ND to just three points — but quarterback (QB) Riley Leonard can’t be silenced for long.

• The senior returned from an injury scare and capped off an explosive fourth quarter by leading his squad down the field in the final minute and setting up a game-winning field goal for kicker Mitch Jeter.

• The Orange Bowl dub didn’t come easy though, especially with a relentless rushing attack from Nittany Lions running back (RB) Nick Singleton, who scored three touchdowns, and a Penn State defensive line that sacked Leonard five times.

• Now, Notre Dame head coach (HC) Marcus Freeman is on the brink of making history, with the chance to become the first Black HC to win a football natty. How’s that for a birthday present?

Explosive offense expected in tonight’s Cotton Bowl: In contrast to last night’s initially slow affair, Texas vs. Ohio State could be a touchdown fiesta from the jump, pitting dynamic Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers (who transferred out of Ohio State back in 2022) against ever-consistent Buckeyes QB Will Howard.

• Both teams have excelled under the playoff pressure, but only one has absolutely dominated their competition in the postseason — and that’s Ohio State, the squad that routed then–undefeated No. 1 seed Oregon 41–21 in the quarter-final.

• Texas, on the other hand, needed double overtime — and a little magic from tight end Gunnar Helm — to clinch their semis spot. Who will rise to the occasion tonight?

The GIST: The women’s and men’s basketball schedules are in full conference play mode, delivering must-see matchups night after night. Why let March have all the fun? There’s plenty to go mad about right now.

🐅 No. 6 LSU women survive No. 16 Tennessee in narrow 89–87 victory: The Volunteers had their pesky full-court defense on display, but LSU endured the pressure to remain unbeaten — thanks to a clutch, acrobatic last-second shot from junior guard Kailyn Gilbert. She finished with 22 points, while teammate Flau’jae Johnson added 20 to secure the W. Phew.

👣 No. 19 UNC women top No. 14 Duke in low-scoring affair: It took overtime, but North Carolina defeated their rival Blue Devils 53–46 last night in a game that had just 32 total points at the half. With 47 combined turnovers, it wasn’t pretty, but the Tar Heels came out on top in the end. Better to win ugly than lose pretty…right?

🐱 Villanova men stun No. 9 UConn: Nova capitalized on UConn missing its third-best scorer, Liam McNeely, who’ll be out for “weeks” with an ankle injury. The Wildcats pulled off the 68–66 upset on Wednesday, led by senior forward Eric Dixon, who lived up to his reputation as the nation’s leading scorer with 23 points.

🤠 No. 10 Texas A&M holds off No. 17 Oklahoma: Despite Oklahoma’s red-hot shooting performance (including 14 made three-pointers), the Aggies escaped with an 80–78 win on Wednesday, largely thanks to Zhuric Phelps. The senior guard dropped a career-high 34 points, capped off by the game-winning three. Ice in his veins.

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🏒 Women’s hockey: No. 6 Cornell vs. No. 5 Colgate — Today and tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET — ESPN+

• Colgate’s fifth-year forward Kristýna Kaltounková leads the nation in goals with 21 on the season. Meanwhile, Cornell sophomore goaltender Annelies Bergmann has one of the best save percentages in college hockey, stopping 93.5% of the shots that come her way. Who doesn’t love a little offense vs. defense?

🏒 Men’s hockey: No. 7 Maine vs. No. 8 UMass Lowell — Tonight at 7:15 p.m. ET and tomorrow at 6:05 p.m. ET – ESPN+

• Hosting this major Hockey East matchup, Lowell will have their hands full trying to contain Maine senior forward Harrison Scott, who has 13 goals and 11 assists on the season.

• That said, the Black Bears are vulnerable after suffering a loss to No. 6 Denver last week. Can the River Hawks rise to the occasion?

🤸 Women’s Gymnastics: Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad Session Two — Tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET — ESPN+

• The name may be a mouthful, but if you like talent, this is the meet for you. Last season’s defending natty champs No. 2 LSU, No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 4 Utah, and No. 6 California will all face off in session two. Yeah, this is gonna be good.

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