Patriots, Seahawks reach Super Bowl; Steelers hire Mike McCarthy; Justin Gaethje claims belt at UFC 324

Good morning, everyone! Carter Bahns with you on a rather snowy Monday across several pockets of the country -- especially here in New England, where we have well beyond a foot of powder on the ground. This weekend's winter weather gave us all a perfect excuse to stay inside and watch sports, and those of you who did saw the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks punch their tickets to Super Bowl 60. You also watched three remarkable freshman performances on the college basketball hardwood and the start of the UFC on Paramount+ era.

If you got outside to enjoy better weather, missed some of the biggest stories of the weekend or want to take a deeper dive into the happenings in the sports world, then you've come to the right place.

Let's discuss.

🏆 Five things to know Monday

1. Super Bowl 60 will feature the Patriots and Seahawks. New England punched its Super Bowl ticket with a gritty 10-7 victory over the Broncos in a game that featured near blizzard conditions. Seattle clinched its spot in the final game of the season with a thrilling 31-27 triumph over their NFC West-rival Rams. Stars carried their teams in the both championship games as Drake Maye put the Patriots' win on ice by calling his own number on a play that secured the win and Jaxon Smith-Njigba went nuclear for the Seahawks with 10 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown. The Super Bowl is set for Sunday, Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
2. The Steelers hired Mike McCarthy. The Super Bowl 45 winner will be back in the league after taking the 2025 season off. Pittsburgh native McCarthy joins the Steelers as just their fourth coach since 1969. The fanbase may not be overly thrilled about the hire, but Bill Cowher gave his stamp of approval because of McCarthy's offensive acumen and ties to the city. The biggest lingering question is whether Aaron Rodgers will re-sign with the Steelers to play for his former coach.
3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant and Jonathan Kuminga all sustained injuries ahead of the NBA trade deadline. Antetokounmpo will undergo an MRI on his right calf and said he expects to miss four to six weeks, which would sideline him through the Feb. 5 trade deadline. The injury came after trade talks reportedly intensified and could mean that the "Greek Freak" has already played his last game with the Bucks. Meanwhile, Morant sprained his elbow and will be re-evaluated in three weeks, which also sets him up to reach the deadline while sidelined. The problem for the Grizzlies? Morant's trade market is reportedly quiet. Interest in Kuminga is also questionable, and he twisted an ankle and suffered a minor knee hyperextension late last week.
4. The College Football Playoff will remain at 12 teams … for now. No expansion awaits on the immediate horizon as the CFP will maintain its present format in 2026. The Big Ten (which prefers a 24-team playoff) and the SEC (which wants a 16-team field) could not reach an agreement by the Friday deadline to vote on expansion. Their stalemate is unlikely to last forever given that both, in the end, desire a larger bracket, but we will see at least one more 12-team playoff before the next round of format tweaks.
5. Numerous NBA and college basketball games were postponed. The two biggest non-sports stories of the weekend made impacts on the NBA and college basketball schedules. Winter Storm Fern forced the postponement of two NBA games (Nuggets at Grizzlies and Mavericks at Bucks) and led a handful of college teams to push games back multiple days or play them earlier than scheduled. On a more somber note, the NBA also postponed the Timberwolves' game against the Warriors after federal agents shot and killed an ICU nurse in Minneapolis. WNBA star Breanna Stewart protested after the shooting -- the second fatal one in that city this month -- holding up a sign that read "Abolish ICE" at an Unrivaled game.

🤼 Do not miss this: Justin Gaethje won the interim lightweight title in UFC's Paramount+ debut

The UFC on Paramount+ era opened with an instant classic as Justin Gaethje defeated Paddy Pimblett to secure his second stint as interim lightweight champion. Gaethje knocked Pimblett down twice and took him down three times, yet the latter withstood a number of power punches and landed more significant strikes, 156 to 144.

Gaethje will now have his sights set on the undisputed title but needs to get past reigning champion Ilia Topuria to attain that goal.

Here are the results from the UFC 324 main card:

• Justin Gaethje def. Paddy Pimblett via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
• Sean O'Malley def. Song Yadong via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Derrick Lewis via second-round TKO (punches)
• Natalia Silva def. Rose Namajunas via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Jean Silva def. Arnold Allen via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Also, Umar Nurmagomedov defeated Deiveson Figueiredo in the featured prelim but was not as dominant as many expected in the race to reach bantamweight champion Petyr Yan.

🏀 Keaton Wagler headlines historic weekend for freshmen while Charles Bediako returned to college basketball

Keaton Wagler posted one of the greatest freshman performances of all time with 46 points in No. 11 Illinois' road win at No. 4 Purdue. Kingston Flemings put up a whopping 42 points in a losing effort as No. 6 Houston fell to No. 12 Texas Tech. AJ Dybantsa exploded for 43 points in a Holy War rout as No. 13 BYU blew out Utah. It was the first time in at least 30 years that three freshmen scored at least 40 points on the same day.

In other college basketball action …

• Darryn Peterson missed his 10th game of the season, sitting out for No. 18 Kansas' Sunflower Showdown rivalry matchup against Kansas State. The Jayhawks won, 86-62, without him.
• Missouri forced overtime against Oklahoma with a buzzer-beater at the end of regulation. And then the Tigers won on another buzzer-beater in the extra period.
• Charles Bediako debuted (again) for No. 17 Alabama and scored 13 points in 25 minutes during a loss to Tennessee. Nate Oats defended his decision to play the former pro but also noted that Bediako's return to college basketball is indicative of a "clearly broken" system.

Speaking of Bediako, John Talty wrote about why his second stint with the Crimson Tide is another sign that the NCAA is a dying entity.

• Talty: "Critics believe actions like Alabama suiting up Bediako have left college basketball's foundation as shaky as ever. 'We just need some people to stand up and start taking a stand,' Florida coach Todd Golden said earlier this week. In Tuscaloosa, fans gladly stood up and cheered its erosion."

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

• It was a foregone conclusion, but Fernando Mendoza declared for the NFL Draft and is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick.
• LSU boosted its top-ranked transfer portal class with a commitment from star offensive lineman Jordan Seaton, the best tackle and No. 4 overall prospect in the cycle.
• Arch Manning underwent foot surgery. But fear not, Texas fans, as it was a minor and preventative procedure that will not impact the Heisman Trophy hopeful's spring practice availability.
• Moves on the assistant coaching carousel sent Eric Bieniemy back to the Chiefs as offensive coordinator and Jonathan Gannon to the Packers as defensive coordinator.
• College football also saw a pair of prominent assistant hires. Hall of Fame electee Gary Patterson is headed to USC as defensive coordinator, and Ohio State tabbed Arthur Smith as its next offensive coordinator.
• Scottie Scheffler won the American Express and joined Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the third player to reach 20 PGA Tour victories and four major championships before age 30.
• Callum Walsh defeated Carlos Ocampo via unanimous decision in the first Zuffa Boxing event on Paramount+.
• LeBron James brushed off Jeanie Buss' reported frustrations with him.
• Bo Nix will reportedly be sidelined for 12 weeks as he recovers from ankle surgery.
• The White Sox added a closer candidate in Seranthony Domínguez, Craig Kimbrel signed with the Mets and José Ramírez is reportedly close to an extension with the Guardians.
• Dabo Swinney went scorched earth on Pete Golding after Ole Miss allegedly tampered with Luke Ferrelli in the transfer portal. All eyes are on the NCAA and whether it will investigate and punish the Rebels.
• The Bulls retired Derrick Rose's No. 1 jersey, cementing his legacy as a franchise legend.
• Port Authority police in New York arrested Packers offensive lineman Rasheed Walker at LaGuardia Airport after he allegedly attempted to check a bag containing a handgun and ammunition.
• Dominick Cruz is the first member of the 2026 UFC Hall of Fame class.
• Australian Open officials halted play due to excessive heat, halting American Eliot Spizzirri's momentum and sparking a comeback from Jannik Sinner in the third round.
• Trinity Rodman made her return to USWNT in style, scoring a goal in a 6-0 rout of Paraguay days after signing the largest contract in women's soccer history.
• Patrick Reed said a return to the PGA Tour is not out of the question after his Dubai Desert Classic win.
• Sami Zayn defeated Randy Orton, Damian Priest and Trick Williams at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event to secure a world title match against Drew McIntyre at the Royal Rumble.
• No. 16 Oklahoma upset No. 2 South Carolina behind a 26-point outburst from Aaliyah Chavez, who asserted her Freshman of the Year candidacy. The Gamecocks responded by ending No. 5 Vanderbilt's perfect season.
• Inter Milan extended their Serie A lead while Napoli face injury troubles and AS Roma continue to improve.
• Kangaroo chaos! Marsupials caused a crash in the Tour Down Under, knocking the eventual winner of the cycling race and other riders off their bikes.
• Eight years of college football? That is the plan for Miami linebacker Mohamed Toure, who intends to return in 2026.
• Duke and Darian Mensah are in talks to potentially settle their dispute outside of the courtroom.
• Our women's college basketball experts updated their awards picks and Final Four predictions.
• More than 75,000 Bills fans signed a petition calling for Buffalo to re-hire Sean McDermott. Meanwhile, Philip Rivers interviewed for the job.
• Wizards GM Michael Winger insisted he does not regret trading breakout star Deni Avdija to the Trail Blazers.
• Jersey patches are likely coming soon to college athletics after the NCAA approved a rule change permitting commercial sponsorships on uniforms, equipment and apparel.
• Dana White announced an increase in UFC performance bonuses and the creation of a new bonus for knockouts and submissions.

📺 What we're watching Monday

⚽ Udinese at Hellas Verona, 2:45 p.m. on Paramount+
⚽ Leeds United at Everton, 3 p.m. on USA Network
🏀 Magic at Cavaliers, 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Network
🏒 Bruins at Rangers, 7 p.m. on NHL Network
🏀 No. 23 Louisville at No. 5 Duke (M), 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 17 Tennessee at No. 18 Ole Miss (W), 7 p.m. on ESPNU
⛳ Boston Common Golf vs. The Bay Golf Club, 7 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Trail Blazers at Celtics, 8 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 Florida at No. 6 LSU (W), 8 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 No. 1 Arizona at No. 13 BYU (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN
🎾 Australian Open, quarterfinals, 9 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Warriors at Timberwolves, 9:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Network