Jack Nunge had 23 points and 14 rebounds as No. 16 Xavier held off No. 17 Providence 85-83 in an overtime thriller Wednesday night. Colin Castleton had 20 points and nine rebounds, Kyle Lofton added 14 points and Florida used a 13-0 run late in the second half to upend No. 2 Tennessee in Gainesville.

In a perfect world, Tom Brady's would've stuck with retirement. He certainly did nothing to enhance his legacy by returning for another season. And, of course, we'll never know if that regrettable decision also cost him his marriage. But Brady's farewell year will quickly fade from our collective memories, overwhelmed by the enormity of his accomplishments over an unprecedented career. The seven Super Bowl titles. The three MV)P awards. The five Super Bowl MVP awards. The unquestioned legacy as the greatest quarterback there ever was. And Brady being Brady, even his final season with Tampa Bay was hardly an embarrassment.

The Kansas City Chiefs are playing in the Super Bowl largely because they refused to give up on anyone, including players that few but their most-passionate fans know about. That includes Skyy Moore, their fumble-prone rookie punt returner, whose return last Sunday night set up the winning field goal in the AFC title game. 

The prolific pace of school-switching among college players has helped some NFL prospects have breakout seasons and demonstrate they can adapt to a new system. Players like Florida offensive tackle O'Cyrus Torrence are hoping their moves pay off in the draft. Torrence and dozens of others who played for multiple schools are trying to improve their draft stock at the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl this week. They have to answer questions about why they transferred. Some, like Torrence, Washington State linebacker Daiyan Henley and Cincinnati linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., had big seasons.

The opening of college football's traditional signing period for high school prospects brought an apparent end to two of the cycle's most notable recruitments. Blue-chip quarterback Jaden Rashada, who signed with Florida in December and then asked to be released from the commitment when a name, imagine and likeness deal fell through, announced he is going to Arizona State. Also in the Pac-12, Cormani McClain, previously committed to Miami, signed with Colorado to make it two straight years that coach Deion Sanders has landed a five-star cornerback.

Max Abmas of Oral Roberts won the NCAA scoring title as a sophomore in 2020-21 and helped his team become just the second No. 15 seed in history to reach the Sweet 16. Abmas is among the national scoring leaders again — and one of the top college players with questions to answer before an NBA future beckons. The biggest one for him and other top scorers like Jake Stephens of Chattanooga, Drew Timme of Gonzaga and Antoine Davis of Detroit Mercy seems to have a familiar theme? Can they defend at the next level?

Breanna Stewart is coming to the New York Liberty. The most coveted free agent this offseason, who won the WNBA MVP award in 2018, announced on social media that she was going to New York with a photo of her in a Liberty shirt on Wednesday. Wednesday was the first day that free agents could sign. 

It’s only fitting that the top two quarterbacks in the regular season based on All-Pro voting are the last two quarterbacks standing in the NFL this season. First-team All-Pro quarterback Patrick Mahomes will take his Kansas City Chiefs into the Super Bowl against second-team All-Pro Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Pat Riley puts it this way: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar never had any potential. Riley says, “he only had greatness." Abdul-Jabbar’s reign of nearly four decades as the NBA’s most prolific scorer is coming to an end. LeBron James is closing in on taking the top spot that Abdul-Jabbar claimed in 1984. Riley coached Abdul-Jabbar with the Lakers and brought James to Miami as a free agent in 2010.