Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast! Episode 121 - "The Super Bowl Episode" includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics: - NCAA: News & Storylines - - NCAA College Basketball: In this particular segment, JD & Spencer introduce and have a brief discussion on the most recent and/or updated Week 13 release of the AP Men's College Basketball Top 25 Poll - - as well as to dive into a few of the most notable NCAAM basketball games from across the country this past week, including but not limited to: (1) last Friday's Top-25 matchup between the Michigan Wolverines & Michigan State Spartans, (2) the Top-10 battle between Big Ten Conference foes, Illinois & Nebraska, and finally, (3) Sunday's SEC Conference showdown between the Crimson Tide & the reigning national champion Florida Gators. . .As we entered into this week, or the first week of February - and with "March Madness" just around the corner - the Arizona Wildcats & the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks are the last two unbeaten teams standing, and with the release of the Week 13 AP Top 25 poll, only four (4) teams' rankings remain unchanged from the previous week - - The Wildcats held on to the unanimous No.1 ranking for a third consecutive week, as Arizona has its best start in program history, and it's 22-0 record is also tied for the longest winning streak in school history (i.e., The Wildcats won 22 straight games in 1914-17) - - Saturday, Jan. 31st: No.1 Arizona Wildcats at Arizona State Sun Devils - - Koa Peat scored 21 points, fellow freshman Brayden Burries came off the bench to add 17, and No.1 Arizona defeated in-state rival Arizona State 87-74 on Saturday, setting a school record with their 22^nd straight win to start the season - - Arizona (22-0, 9-0 Big 12) is one of just two undefeated teams in the nation, along with No.23 Miami (Ohio) - - **NOTE: The Wildcats' winning streak also tied the Big 12 record to start a season, which was originally set by the Kansas Jayhawks in 1996-97- - Arizona State led for much of the first few minutes of the game, but the Wildcats used a 13-2 scoring run to take a 25-18 lead with 7:00 left in the first half, as Koa Peat made a layup to cap the run, finishing through contact that left him bloodied around his left eye - - The Sun Devils recovered, tying the game at 38-all just before the halftime break when Sun Devils G Noah Meeusen made a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining - - The Wildcats, who shot 60% from the field in the second half, scored the first six (6) points to begin the second half, to take a 44-38 lead & never trailed again - - While the gritty Sun Devils cut into the deficit several times, they never could generate enough offense to keep pace with the Wildcats - - Stat Leaders: Noah Meeusen scored 16 points, while guard Maurice Odom added 15 for the Sun Devils, and Arizona State (11-11, 2-7 Big 12) has dropped nine (9) of its last 11 games, whereas C Motiejus Krivas fought through foul trouble to finish with 15 points, and forward Tobe Awaka had a career-high 13 rebounds - - **NOTE: The Sun Devils fell to 2-10 all-time against the nation's No.1 team, as their last win over a top-ranked program came when Arizona State knocked off Kansas in Dec. 2018. . .In the Week 13 AP Poll, the Wildcats are followed by the Michigan Wolverines, which flipped spots with the UConn Huskies (No.3) to move up to the No.2 spot, following their conference wins over previously-unbeaten No.5 Nebraska, as well as their in-state rival in Tom Izzo's Spartans, as the Wolverines are 5-0 against ranked teams this season - with four (4) of those wins coming by double-digits - - As for the No.3 Huskies, they improved to 11-0 in Big East Conference play for the first time since its' 1998-99 NCAA title run - - **NOTE: UConn is on a 17-game winning streak, its longest single-season win streak since winning 19 in a row in the 1998-99 season - - Friday, Jan. 30th: No.3 Michigan Wolverines at No.17 Michigan State Spartans - - Prior to tipoff, Michigan State fans serenaded Michigan HC Dusty May with expletive-filled chants, but it was the Wolverines' HC that would ultimately have the last laugh in this one: Forward Yaxel Lendeborg had 26 points & 12 rebounds, guards Elliot Cadeau scored 17 and Morez Johnson added 12 points to lead No.3 Michigan to an 83-71 victory over the 17th-ranked Spartans in East Lansing on Friday night - - With the win, the Wolverines (20-1, 10-1 Big Ten) moved into sole possession of first place in the Big Ten Conference, whereas the Spartans (19-3, 9-2 Big Ten) missed 14 of their 18 shots (22%), and they finished the first half with more turnovers (11) than FGM (7) and trailed the Wolverines by 16 points at the halftime break - - Michigan State went on a 13-2 run early in the second half to pull within three (3) points and F Jaxon Kohler, who finished the game with 12 points, made a game-tying 3-pointer with 7:57 left in regulation - - G Jeremy Fears, who scored a career-high 31 points, had a steal and a layup that put the Spartans ahead 57-55 with 7:27 to go for their first lead of the game. . .but that didn't last too long. . .as Michigan responded with clutch shooting, making 5 of 6 shots, while holding Michigan State scoreless for more than three (3) minutes to seal its sixth straight victory, and as Michigan finished the game on a 19-8 run in the final four (4) minutes of regulation - - Stat Leaders: Forwards Coen Carr & Jordan Scott each scored 10 points for the Spartans, whose seven-game winning streak was snapped by the Wolverines - - Michigan had a big advantage in outside shooting, making 8 of 21 (38%) of their three-point shots, while Michigan State missed 19 of 23 (17%) shots from beyond the arc - - "No Love Lost:" Michigan HC Dusty May & Michigan State HC Tom Izzo accused each other's team of "dirty play" after the Wolverines' 83-71 victory on Friday, as during one particular sequence in the game, Michigan State star guard Jeremy Fears made contact with Yaxel Lendeborg, appearing to trip the Michigan star forward, and with May claiming that the act was "intentional," whereas Izzo responded that it was "the result of heated competition," but this back & forth between the two coaches will most certainly stir the pot and/or add fuel to the fire of this in-state rivalry between the Wolverines and Spartans. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the accusatory comments made at the press conference on Monday by Michigan HC Dusty May and Michigan State HC Tom Izzo? - - At No.4 in this week's AP Top 25 poll is Duke, as the Blue Devils are 20-1, its fewest games required to reach 20 wins since the 2007-08 season, and at No.5 is the Illinois Fighting Illini - - **NOTE: The Big Ten Conference continues to have two teams the top five, with Illinois replacing Nebraska as the final team, after the Cornhuskers dropped two straight games this past week (i.e., at Michigan, vs. Illinois): Illini freshman guard Keaton Wagler is the first player in AP poll history to score 25 or more points in multiple road wins against top five opponents this season (i.e., 46 in road win over Purdue & 28 points this weekend over Nebraska) - as the Cornhuskers remain in the top 10, however, they did slide down four (4) spots to No.9 this week - - Sunday, Feb. 1st: No.9 Illinois Fighting Illini at No.5 Nebraska Cornhuskers - - Freshman guard Keaton Wagler scored 28 points as No.9 Illinois won its 11^th straight game, defeating No.5 Nebraska 78-69 on Sunday in the first top-10 matchup the Cornhuskers have hosted - - The Fighting Illini (19-3, 10-1 Big Ten), who haven't lost a game since an 83-80 loss at home to Nebraska back on Dec.13, held the Huskers to four (4) FGs in the first 13 minutes of the second half - - The Cornhuskers (20-2, 9-2 Big Ten) lost its second consecutive game, after they lost to No.3 Michigan on the road last Tuesday, which ended their 24-game win streak dating back to last season - - Stat Leaders: F Jake Davis finished with 13 points for Illinois, C Tomislav Ivisic scored 12 and F David Mirkovic had 10, whereas F Braden Frager - who returned for the Cornhuskers after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury - scored 20 points, F Pryce Sandfort added 14 points, guards Sam Hoiberg & Jamarques Lawrence scored 13 and 10 points, respectively - - Nebraska hit 11 of 20 (55%) of its 3-point attempts before halftime to take a 39-33 lead into the halftime break, however, the 'Huskers came out flat, only making four (4) 3-pointers in the second half against a tightened Illinois defense - - The Illini outscored Nebraska 18-8 to open the second half, as Keaton Wagler nailed a 3-pointer with 13:05 remaining to put Illinois ahead 49-47, a lead it did not relinquish - as the Huskers trailed by at least seven (7) points the rest of the way - - While Illinois made nine (9) 3-pointers to 15 for Nebraska, the Illini dominated the free-throw line, outscoring the Huskers 21-4, and they also had a 10-point edge in the paint & 40-27 advantage in rebounds - - Gonzaga remained at No.6, while Iowa State & Houston climbed one spot apiece (No.7 and No.8, respectively) - - Following their loss to in-state rival Michigan, the Michigan State Spartans fell three (3) spots to No.10 - - Tuesday, Feb. 3rd: No.23 Miami (Ohio) RedHawks at Buffalo Bulls - - Guard Luke Skaljac scored a career-high 19 points as No.23 Miami (Ohio) once again avoided the upset, held on for the 73-71 victory over Buffalo on Tuesday night, extending the longest winning streak in MAC Conference history to 23 games - - Stat Leaders: G ...