1-11-23 roundup: Pro basketball, football and soccer, College football and basketball, High school basketball
By Richard Walker
As we drop the curtain on the 2022-23 college football bowl season, there’s lots to unpack following Georgia’s 15-0 unbeaten season that ended with the school’s eighth national title – and second straight.
Georgia’s 65-7 victory over TCU was the largest margin of victory in the modern national title era.
CarolinaSportsHub.com has kept records on college football bowls since the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) began the modern era in 1998.
Here are some notes:
… The SEC had the top bowl record of the six major conferences – the ACC, American Athletic, Big Ten, Big XII and PAC-12 are the others – with a 7-5 record. The American Athletic (4-3), ACC (5-4), Big Ten (5-4) also had winning records with the Big XII (2-7) finishing with the worst record. It’s the sixth time the SEC has had the best record – joining the 2007, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2019 bowl seasons.
… The title game victory gives the SEC 15 total national titles in the 25-year modern era. Here are the league’s title game records: SEC (15-6), ACC (4-4), Big Ten (2-3), Big XII (2-6), American Athletic (1-2), Pac-12 (1-3) and other (Notre Dame 0-1).
… Following this season, the SEC has the most wins (141), most games (237) and best winning percentage (.595) of the six leagues. They are followed in winning percentage by American Athletic (73-66 record for .525 percentage), Big XII (91-92 for .497), Big Ten (92-101 for .477), Pac-12 (73-84 for .465) and ACC (92-109 for .458).
… In the four-team College Football Playoff era that began in 2014, the committee has seeded the teams correctly based on their playoff records. The No. 1 seed is now 10-6 with three titles, the No. 2 seed is 6-6 with three titles, the No. 3 seed is 6-8 with one title and the No. 4 seed is 4-7 with two titles (and all four of the victories).
… In the 25-year modern era, only one team has appeared in a bowl game each year – Georgia. The Bulldogs are 21-7 including a 2-1 record in three CFP title games. Oklahoma and Wisconsin have made 24 appearances in 25 years and Clemson, Florida, Ohio State, Oregon and Virginia Tech have gone 23 of 25. Three schools are tied for the least with five appearances each – Kansas, Indiana and Vanderbilt.
Here is the full 2022-23 NCAA Division I FBS postseason schedule:
(College Football Playoff)
Championship – Jan. 9 at Inglewood, Cal.
No. 3 TCU vs. No. 1 Georgia – Georgia 65-7
Semifinal – Dec. 31 Peach at Atlanta, Ga.
No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Ohio State – Georgia 42-41
Semifinal – Dec. 31 Fiesta at Glendale, Ariz.
No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 TCU – TCU 51-45
(CFP Selection Committee Bowl games)
Jan. 2 – Rose at Pasadena, Cal.
No. 8 Utah vs. No. 11 Penn State – Penn State 35-21
Jan. 2 – Cotton at Arlington, Tex.
No. 10 Southern California vs. No. 16 Tulane – Tulane 46-45
Dec. 31 – Sugar at New Orleans, La.
No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 9 Kansas State – Alabama 45-20
Dec. 30 – Orange and Miami, Fla.
No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 7 Clemson – Tennessee 31-14
(Other bowl games)
Jan. 2 – Citrus at Orlando, Fla., 1 p.m. (ABC)
No. 17 LSU vs. Purdue – LSU 63-7
Jan. 2 – ReliaQuest at Tampa, Fla., Noon (ESPN2)
No. 22 Mississippi State vs. Illinois – Mississippi State 19-10
Dec. 31 – Music City at Nashville, Tenn., Noon (ABC)
Iowa vs. Kentucky – Iowa 21-0
Dec. 30 – Arizona at Tucson, Ariz.
Ohio vs. Wyoming – Ohio 30-27
Dec. 30 – Gator at Jacksonville, Fla.
No. 21 Notre Dame vs. No. 19 South Carolina – Notre Dame 45-38
Dec. 30 – Sun at El Paso, Tex.
No. 18 UCLA vs. Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh 37-35
Dec. 30 – Duke’s Mayo at Charlotte
Maryland vs. No. 23 N.C. State – Maryland 16-12
Dec. 29 – Alamo at San Antonio, Tex.
No. 20 Texas vs. No. 12 Washington – Washington 27-20
Dec. 29 – Cheez-It at Orlando, Fla.
Oklahoma vs. No. 13 Florida State – Florida State 35-32
Dec. 29 – Pinstripe at Bronx, N.Y.
Minnesota vs. Syracuse – Minnesota 28-20
Dec. 28 – Texas at Houston, Tex.
Mississippi vs. Texas Tech – Texas Tech 42-25
Dec. 28 – Holiday at San Diego, Cal.
No. 15 Oregon vs. North Carolina – Oregon 28-27
Dec. 28 – Liberty at Memphis
Arkansas vs. Kansas – Arkansas 55-53 (3 OT)
Dec. 28 – Military at Annapolis, Md.
Duke vs. Central Florida – Duke 30-13
Dec. 27 – Guaranteed Rate at Phoenix, Ariz.
Wisconsin vs. Oklahoma State – Wisconsin 24-17
Dec. 27 – Birmingham at Birmingham, Ala.
Coastal Carolina vs. East Carolina – East Carolina 53-29
Dec. 27 – First Responder at University Park, Tex.
Memphis vs. Utah State – Memphis 38-10
Dec. 27 – Camellia at Montgomery, Ala.
Buffalo vs. Georgia Southern – Buffalo 23-21
Dec. 26 – Quick Lane at Detroit, Mich.
Bowling Green vs. New Mexico State – New Mexico State 24-19
Dec. 24 – Hawai’i at Honolulu, Hawai’i
San Diego State vs. Middle Tennessee – Middle Tennessee 25-23
Dec. 23 – Gasparilla at Tampa, Fla.
Missouri vs. Wake Forest – Wake Forest 27-17
Dec. 23 – Independence at Shreveport, La.
Houston vs. Louisiana – Houston 23-16
Dec. 22 – Armed Forces at Fort Worth, Tex.
Baylor vs. Air Force – Air Force 30-15
Dec. 21 – New Orleans at New Orleans, La.
Western Kentucky vs. South Alabama – Western Kentucky 44-23
Dec. 20 – Boca Raton at Boca Raton, Fla.
Toledo vs. Liberty – Toledo 21-19
Dec. 20 – Famous Idaho Potato at Boise, Id.
San Jose State vs. Eastern Michigan – Eastern Michigan 41-27
Dec. 19 – Myrtle Beach at Conway, S.C.
Marshall vs. Connecticut – Marshall 28-14
Dec. 17 – Frisco at Frisco, Tex.
North Texas vs. Boise State – Boise State 35-32
Dec. 17 – New Mexico at Albuquerque, N.M.
BYU vs. SMU – BYU 24-23
Dec. 17 – LendingTree at Mobile, Ala., 5:45 p.m. (ESPN)
Southern Miss vs. Rice – Southern Miss 38-24
Dec. 17 – Jimmy Kimmel L.A. at Inglewood, Cal.
Washington State vs. Fresno State – Fresno State 29-6
Dec. 17 – Las Vegas at Las Vegas, Nev.
Florida vs. No. 14 Oregon State – Oregon State 30-3
Dec. 17 – Celebration Bowl at Atlanta
Jackson State vs. N.C. Central – N.C. Central 41-34 in OT
Dec. 17 – Fenway at Boston, Mass.
Louisville vs. Cincinnati – Louisville 24-7
Dec. 16 – Cure at Orlando, Fla.
No. 24 Troy vs. No. 25 UT-San Antonio – Troy 18-12
Dec. 16 – Bahamas at Nassau, Bahamas
UAB vs. Miami, O. – UAB 24-20
High school basketball
(Wednesday’s games)
-BOYS
Shelby 67, Ashbrook 50
Cherryville 85, Pinnacle 62
Kings Mountain 66, South Point 62 (Tuesday): Bradley Floyd had 20 points and Zay Smith and Eli Osborne 12 each for Kings Mountain.
-GIRLS
Shelby 53, Ashbrook 28
Pinnacle 52, Cherryville 44
College basketball
(Wednesday’s games)
Gardner-Webb 79, Presbyterian 78 (OT): D.Q. Nicholas had 20 points, Julian Soumaoro 18 and Anthony Selden 11 to lead the Bulldogs (8-9, 3-2) to the victory.
Richmond 61, Davidson 57: Sam Mennenga had 11 points and 16 rebounds to lead Davidson (9-8, 2-5).
Belmont Abbey 77, Southern Wesleyan 66: Wade Jackson (18 points, 8 rebounds), Mario Lacy, Jr. (14 points, 9 rebounds) and Charles Solomon (10 points, 10 rebounds) led the Crusaders (10-5, 6-1) to their seventh straight victory.
Gaston College 89, Double Exposure Hoops Academy 48: The Rhinos improved to 9-3.
Pro basketball
Here’s the 2022-23 Charlotte Hornets schedule:
(11-31 record)
October
19 at San Antonio (W 129-102)
21 New Orleans (L 112-124)
23 at Atlanta (W 126-109)
26 at New York (L 131-134, OT)
28 at Orlando (L 93-113)
29 Golden State (W 120-113, OT)
31 Sacramento (L 108-115)
November
2 at Chicago (L 88-106)
4 at Memphis (L 99-130)
5 Brooklyn (L 94-98)
7 Washington (L 100-108)
9 Portland (L 95-105)
10 at Miami (L 112-117, OT)
12 at Miami (L 115-132)
14 at Orlando (W 112-105)
16 Indiana (L 113-125)
18 at Cleveland (L 122-132, 2 OT)
20 at Washington (L 102-106)
23 Philadelphia (W 107-101)
25 Minnesota (W 110-108)
28 at Boston (L 105-140)
December
2 Washington (W 117-116)
3 Milwaukee (L 96-105)
5 L.A. Clippers (L 117-119)
7 at Brooklyn (L 116-122)
9 New York (L 102-121)
11 at Philadelphia (L 113-131)
14 Detroit (L 134-141, OT)
16 Atlanta (L 106-125)
18 at Denver (L 115-119)
19 at Sacramento (W 125-119)
21 at L.A. Clippers (L 105-126)
23 at L.A. Lakers (W 134-130)
26 at Portland (L 113-124)
27 at Golden State (L 105-110)
29 Oklahoma City (W 121-113)
31 Brooklyn (L 106-123)
January
2 L.A. Lakers (L 115-121)
4 Memphis (L 107-131)
6 at Milwaukee (W 138-109)
8 at Indiana (L 111-116)
10 at Toronto (L 120-132)
12 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
14 Boston, 7 p.m.
16 Boston, 1 p.m.
18 at Houston, 8 p.m.
21 at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
23 at Utah, 9 p.m.
24 at Phoenix, 9 p.m.
26 Chicago, 7:30 p.m.
29 Miami, 1 p.m.
31 at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
February
2 at Chicago, 8 p.m.
3 at Detroit, 7 p.m.
5 Orlando, 1 p.m.
8 at Washington, 7 p.m.
10 at Boston, 7:30 p.m.
11 Denver, 7 p.m.
13 Atlanta, 7 p.m.
15 San Antonio, 7 p.m.
24 at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
25 Miami, 7 p.m.
27 Detroit, 7 p.m.
March
1 Phoenix, 7 p.m.
3 Orlando, 7 p.m.
5 at Brooklyn, 6 p.m.
7 at New York, 7:30 p.m.
9 at Detroit, 7 p.m.
11 Utah, 7 p.m.
12 Cleveland, 5 p.m.
14 Cleveland, 7 p.m.
17 Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
20 Indiana, 7 p.m.
23 at New Orleans, 8 p.m.
24 at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
26 Dallas, 1 p.m.
28 at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.
31 Chicago, 7 p.m.
April
2 Toronto, 1 p.m.
4 Toronto, 7 p.m.
7 Houston, 7 p.m.
9 at Cleveland, 1 p.m.
Pro football
The Carolina Panthers have reportedly added another head coaching candidate as they’ve requested permission to interview Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
The Panthers officially interviewed former Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Lions and Wake Forest head coach Jim Caldwell and current Panthers interim coach Steve Wilks on Tuesday.
The team also has requested interviews with four current NFL offensive coordinators – Buffalo’s Ken Dorsey, Detroit’s Ben Johnson, the New York Giants’ Mike Kafka and Philadelphia’s Shane Steichen – and are also scheduled to interview with former Colts head coach Frank Reich
Here’s the 2022-23 NFL playoff schedule:
(AFC)
No. 1 Kansas City – bye
No. 5 L.A. Chargers at Jacksonville, 8:15 p.m. Saturday (NBC)
No. 7 Miami at No. 2 Buffalo, 1 p.m. Sunday (CBS)
No. 6 Baltimore at No. 3 Cincinnati, 8:15 p.m. Sunday (NBC)
(NFC)
No. 1 Philadelphia – bye
No. 7 Seattle at No. 2 San Francisco, 4:30 p.m. Saturday (FOX)
No. 6 N.Y. Giants at No. 3 Minnesota, 4:30 p.m. Sunday (FOX)
No. 5 Dallas at No. 4 Tampa Bay, 8:15 p.m. Monday (ABC ESPN)
Pro soccer
Charlotte FC announced on Wednesday it has signed forward Enzo Copetti from Racing Club to a Designated Player contract through the 2025 season with an option for 2026.
The move is pending receipt of a P-1 visa and ITC.
The 26-year-old will occupy an international roster slot on the Club’s 2023 roster.
Copetti scored 31 goals with eight assists in 96 appearances for Racing Club across all competitions since he joined in 2021, including goals in each of the premier South American tournaments – Copa Libertadores, and Copa Sudamericana in 2022.
He was the only Racing player with double digit goals in 2022, scoring 21 and adding six assists in 47 appearances, as Racing finished runner up in the highly competitive Argentina domestic league and won the Trofeo de Campeones Superliga.
“We’re delighted to complete the permanent signing of Enzo to become our next Designated Player. He’s a clinical goal scorer for one of the biggest clubs in Argentina and we are confident his physical profile and skillset will translate well to Major League Soccer,” Sporting Director Zoran Krneta said in a team news release. “Securing a top striker entering the prime of his career is a big achievement for the Club. We are always looking to improve, and with Enzo added to the mix, we continue to build a formidable attack with positional flexibility for Head Coach Christian Lattanzio to work with in 2023 and beyond.”
The 26-year-old striker had a breakout performance for Atlético de Rafaela in the 2020 Campeonata de Transción Primera Nacional, a shortened tournament to determine promotion to the Argentinian first division following the suspension of the 2020 season due to the pandemic. In seven games, Copetti scored five goals to go with two assists before Rafaela fell in the semifinals.