Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors and a glance at what's next.
Coming Home Again?
In Cleveland for All-Star weekend, LeBron James hinted at the possibility of returning to the Cavaliers for a third stint.
LeBron is back in Cleveland this weekend. His picture is on the building again. At first he said he hasnt thought about returning to play for the Cavs, but then we kept talking.
— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) February 19, 2022
The doors not closed on that, he said.
LeBron had a lot to say today. https://t.co/cdg8RIoxZb
James previously played for Cleveland from 2003-10 and again from 2014-18, helping the franchise win its first NBA championship in 2016. James also said Saturday he wants to play his final season with his son Bronny, who will not be eligible for the NBA draft until 2024.
Crean's Firing “Could Be Imminent”
Former Indiana and current Georgia men's basketball coach Tom Crean may be on his way out of Athens.
BREAKING: Tom Creans firing could be imminent
— Graham Coffey (@DawgOutWest) February 19, 2022
Sources have told me that Crean failed to report a recent physical altercation between assistants. University officials are now looking into firing him for causehttps://t.co/lqXlz2eITC
An altercation took place between assistant coach Wade Mason and director of player personnel Brian Fish at halftime of Wednesday's game against LSU, raising questions about whether Crean reported the altercation as he was required to. Mason was suspended on Friday and Crean spoke about the altercation after Saturday's loss to Ole Miss, saying "it was all handled correctly and we try to keep our focus on basketball."
"Obviously, it's an unfortunate situation that we're dealing with, but it was all handled correctly and we try to keep our focus on basketball" https://t.co/Yv3l0QzIM8
Dawgs247 (@Dawgs247) February 19, 2022
Later Saturday, Georgia officials released a statement saying that the “incident in question was reported correctly.”
Georgia has released a statement on this situation: pic.twitter.com/NUChnUBKIR
— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) February 19, 2022
We will see how this situation develops, but considering Georgia has lost seven straight and 15 out of 16, a change at the top would not be a surprise.
Texas Tech Fans Take Over Austin
Texas Tech and its fans have a lot of animosity over former head coach Chris Beard leaving them for Texas last offseason. After beating the Longhorns at home, many figured the Red Raiders would be in for a rude awakening as they traveled to Austin. Well, that isn't exactly what happened.
Is this a Texas Tech home game? pic.twitter.com/Ht0itMPgsf
— Austin Massey (@austinmassey247) February 19, 2022
Red Raiders fans found a loophole in the ticket purchasing process, going online and buying up so many tickets from a Texas season ticket holder’s online code that UT had to stop selling tickets online.
Texas Tech won the game, 61-55.
ICYMI
College Football Playoff Will Not Expand Beyond Four Teams until at Least 2026
The College Football Playoff announced Friday that it will remain at four teams for the duration of the current 12-year contract.
Gene Smith Doesn't Think Ohio State Should Host College Football Playoff Games in Winter Weather
Whenever the College Football Playoff does expand, Ohio State might not host a home playoff game at Ohio Stadium if Gene Smith has anything to say about it.
Ohio State Listed as Way-Too-Early Favorites over Both Alabama and Georgia in Hypothetical 2022 Matchup
The Action Network lists the Buckeyes as a two-point favorite over Alabama and a 17-point favorite over Georgia in hypothetical College Football Playoff matchups next season.
What's Next
- Ohio State Men’s Hoops: vs. Indiana (Monday, 7 p.m., FS1), at Illinois (Thursday, 9 p.m., FS1)
- Ohio State Women's Hoops: vs. Penn State (Thursday. 6 p.m.)
- Ohio State Men’s Tennis: ITA Indoor Nationals semifinals vs. TCU (Sunday, 3 p.m.)
- Ohio State Women’s Hockey: WCHA quarterfinals vs. St. Cloud State (Friday, 6 p.m.; Saturday, 3 p.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m.)
