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Weekly sports update: Jan 21-27

NFL playoffs

The NFL divisional games this past weekend set up the  conference championship games to take place on Sunday, Jan. 30. 

Both No. 1 seeds lost in the divisional round. The Green Bay Packers lost to the San Francisco 49ers 13-10. In the AFC, the Tennessee Titans lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 19-16. This is the first time the Bengals have advanced to the AFC championship since 1988 when they lost in the Super Bowl. 

Out of the four divisional playoff games, three were decided by a game-winning field goal as time expired. The only exception was an overtime game between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs, which featured 26 points scored in the final two minutes of play. Patrick Mahomes found Travis Kelce in the back of the endzone to win the game in overtime. The Chiefs advanced to their fourth straight AFC title game and became the only team in history to host four straight conference championship games. 

The AFC championship game is between the Chiefs and the Bengals, and the NFC championship is between the 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams.

MLB Hall of Fame

The 2022 MLB Hall of Fame class was announced on Tuesday, Jan. 25. In his first year on the ballot, former Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz was the only player to receive 75% of the votes, which is the requirement to be inducted. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling and Sammy Sosa were all denied admission in their 10th and final year on the ballot. 

MLB lockout update

For the first time since the MLB lockout began on Dec. 2, the players association and the owners held negotiations on back-to-back days. During these talks, the players made a counter-offer to the proposal the owners submitted in early January.

MLB deputy commissioner, Dan Halem, informed the players union that the owners are willing to sacrifice games over key issues. 

Mike Axisa of CBS Sports said the negotiations are revolving around the players wanting more money for those early on in their careers. 

“At minimum, the MLB does not want to give up any of the gains they made in the last few collective bargaining agreements,” Axisa said.   

Changes in NBA power rankings

In the latest NBA power rankings submitted by NBA.com, the Phoenix Suns reclaimed the No. 1 spot, with the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 2. The biggest jumps include the Dallas Mavericks who moved up four spots to No. 7, while  the Los Angeles Clippers moved down four spots. 

NBA all-star voting

The NBA All-Star Game starters were announced on Thursday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. Lebron James and Kevin Durant were named captains of the Western and Eastern conferences respectively. 2022 will mark James’s 18th All-Star team and Durant’s 12th. Joining James as starters for the Eastern conference are Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, Ja Morant and Andrew Wiggins. In the Western conference joining Durant are DeMar DeRozan, Trae Young, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokoumpo. 

College basketball update 

In the latest college basketball rankings, Auburn overtook Gonzaga for the No. 1 spot. Kansas moved up to No. 5 to replace Purdue, who dropped to No. 6.

The annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge is taking place on Saturday, Jan. 29 with the marquee game being Kentucky vs. Kansas. Other matchups include Baylor vs. Alabama, Tennessee vs. Texas, Mississippi State vs. Texas Tech and West Virginia vs. Arkansas. 

The challenge has taken place every year since the 2017-2018 season and matches up SEC and Big 12 teams against each other in the middle of conference play. The SEC won the challenge last year by winning five of the nine games against the Big 12 teams, so the Big 12 is looking to re-establish itself in 2022.

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