UNC beats Duke in huge college basketball weekend; Sixers’ Joel Embiid to miss extended time

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🏀 Good morning to everyone but especially …

NORTH CAROLINA AND OTHER BIG COLLEGE BASKETBALL WINNERS

Entering Saturday night, No. 7 Duke hadn’t won three straight games at No. 3 North Carolina in over 20 years. Armando Bacot made sure it stayed that way. The Tar Heels’ big man tallied 25 points — his most since the season-opener — 10 rebounds and five assists to lead the hosts to a 93-84 win in Chapel Hill.

It’s been a bit of a quiet year for Bacot, but this was a vintage performance from the fifth-year star, writes Gary Parrish. Bacot wasn’t alone either, with Harrison Ingram adding 21 points (with five 3-pointers) and 13 rebounds. These Tar Heels are every bit a top-tier title contender.

No. 8 Kansas, meanwhile, reminded us it should never be counted out of that conversation, even when it has some struggles. The Jayhawks cruised past No. 4 Houston, 78-65, and earned a spot in our weekend winners, courtesy of Kyle Boone.

• Boone: “Winner: Kansas remains king in Allen Fieldhouse — No. 8 Kansas was an underdog at home for just the second time ever under Bill Self as No. 4 Houston came to Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday, and the Jayhawks made quick work of the visiting Cougars. … The win moved Self and KU to 11-1 against AP top five opponents in Allen Fieldhouse and 19-1 when facing an opponent ranked higher than KU – including 16 straight wins dating back to 2006. “

The Jayhawks also earned an “A+” in Kyle’s weekly grades. No. 10 Kentucky found itself on the other end of the spectrum: an “F” after a two-loss week, including a 103-92 home loss to No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday. The Volunteers, meanwhile, finally showed offensive firepower outside star Dalton Knecht, writes Cameron Salerno.

Elsewhere in a loaded weekend …

• Zach Edey joined Patrick Ewing and David Robinson as the only players with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 200 blocks while shooting 60% or better in their careers as No. 2 Purdue beat No. 6 Wisconsin, 75-69.
• No. 1 UConn pulled away from St. John’s for a 77-64 win. Madison Square Garden was the perfect venue, writes Matt Norlander.

👍 Honorable mentions

• Bill Belichick wrote a thank-you letter to Patriots fans.
• The Commanders are hiring Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator and Joe Whitt Jr. as defensive coordinator.
• More offensive coordinator news: The Chargers are hiring Greg Roman, and the Raiders are hiring Luke Getsy.
• The Dolphins hired Anthony Weaver as defensive coordinator.
• Shohei Ohtani is “very confident” he’ll DH for the Dodgers on Opening Day.
• Here are the results from NFL Pro Bowl weekend and NHL All-Star Weekend.
• MetLife Stadium will host the 2026 World Cup final on July 19, 2026. The USMNT’s group-stage games will be at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (June 12), Lumen Field in Seattle (June 19) and SoFi Stadium again (June 25).
• The Kylian Mbappé-to-Real Madrid rumors are at fever pitch.
• Here’s Team USA’s FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament roster.
• Five-star 2024 wide receiver Gatlin Bair committed to Oregon. He’ll join the Ducks in 2026 after serving an LDS mission.
• Five-star 2025 cornerback Na’eem Offord committed to Ohio State.
• Wyndham Clark won the Pebble Beach Pro-Am after the final round was canceled due to weather.
• Joaquin Niemann won LIV Mayakoba.

😕 And not such a good morning for …

JOEL EMBIID AND THE PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (YES, AGAIN)

Another injury, another procedure, another big question about Joel Embiid‘s availability. The 76ers superstar and reigning NBA MVP will undergo a procedure on his injured left knee that will cause him to miss “an extended period of time.”

• Embiid suffered the injury Jan. 31 against the Warriors after returning from a separate knee injury.
• Philadelphia said this injury — a displaced flap of the meniscus — is different from the one he had been dealing with. Several players, however, ripped the NBA’s 65-game minimum for MVP and other individual honors in the aftermath of Embiid’s injury, hinting at the idea he returned too quickly. Obviously, we’ll never know if that was the case.
• Embiid is certainly out of the running for those accolades now.
• The 76ers are 26-8 when Embiid plays this season and 4-10 when he doesn’t. At 30-18 overall, they’re fifth in the East.

We’ll have a better timeline for Embiid’s potential return after the procedure.

It’s another devastating blow for Embiid and the 76ers. They have been legitimately awesome this season, with Tyrese Maxey blossoming into a star alongside Embiid, who has been even better than his MVP-winning 2022-23 campaign.

Even if/when Embiid is cleared health-wise, he’ll have to get back into shape before even thinking about playing. Embiid’s injury history is long and well-documented, and it has been a huge reason why Philadelphia hasn’t made it past the second round with him. We’ll see if that’s the case once again.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

• Stephen Curry became the latest player with a 60-point game this season Saturday, but it came in a 141-134 overtime loss to the Hawks. It’s the sixth 60-point game this season, already the most in a single season, and we haven’t even hit the All-Star break. Brad Botkin says scoring binges are becoming less impressive.
• Zach LaVine (foot surgery) is done for the season.
• Stefon Diggs casted doubt on his Bills future.
• Zay Flowers got fined for taunting.
• There was drama between the Commanders and head-coaching candidate Ben Johnson.
• Dodgers prospect Nick Frasso (torn labrum) is out for the year.
• Johni Broome apologized for an awkward interaction with Morgan Freeman.

🏈 Happy Super Bowl week! Five burning questions for 49ers-Chiefs

Congratulations! You made it through a weekend without NFL action. Now we’re six days from Super Bowl LVIII, and Tyler Sullivan has five burning questions for 49ers-Chiefs. My favorite is …

• Sullivan: “Who wins the matchup: Travis Kelce or 49ers LBs? — San Francisco is allowing the seventh-fewest yards per reception (9.4) and second-fewest yards after catch per reception (3.9) against tight ends this season. The 49ers boast some of the best all-around linebackers in the league, headlined by Fred Warner, who’ll likely be asked to help contain Kelce in order to lower the ceiling of the Chiefs offense. “

I was lucky enough to watch Kelce in person in the AFC Championship. On paper, the Ravens had the perfect personnel to limit him in Pro Bowlers Roquan Smith and Kyle Hamilton. Kelce responded with 11 catches on 11 targets for 116 yards and a touchdown, proving his link with Patrick Mahomes is truly second to none.

(P.S. The Chiefs could also get another weapon back.)

This isn’t the only pass-catcher vs. defense strength-on-strength matchup I’m super excited for. The 49ers’ receivers break tackles like crazy. The Chiefs’ defensive backs tackle like crazy. Jeff Kerr has the breakdown.

🏈 Senior Bowl winners, takeaways

The 2024 Senior Bowl has come and gone, and as always, the game’s result (16-7, National Team) was far less important than the individual performances. And there were some really good showings. With several top quarterbacks not participating in the actual game, a former potential No. 1 overall pick stole the show, writes Ryan Wilson.

• Wilson: “Spencer Rattler only played two series but was a clinical 4-for-4 for 65 yards, and Saturday’s performance put a bow on a solid week of work for the South Carolina quarterback who endured in the last four years what some players don’t face over an entire playing career. He was solid during the three days of practice, and even though he measured just a shade over 6-feet, his arm is as good as advertised, and he showed the ability to layer throws to the second and third level. … We’re still early in the pre-draft process, but Rattler could not have asked for a better start.. 

Ryan has five winners from the practice sessions, too.

• Matching top prospects with teams
• Florida State‘s Braden Fiske made some history.
• Evaluating small-school prospects

We also have Shrine Bowl takeaways.

📺 What we’re watching Monday

🏀 Warriors at Nets, 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 No. 16 Louisville at No. 5 NC State (W), 7 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 No. 8 Kansas at Kansas State (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN