Start every morning with The Pulse in your inbox. Sign up here.
Good morning! I already planned your weekend. TGIF?
Watch Guide
NFL playoff days, ranked
You’re a busy person. We all are. And unless you’re paid to watch the games, you probably can’t commit to three days in front of the TV. Let’s plot out your weekend:
1. Make time for Saturday’s slate.
In the Pulse’s eyes, Seahawks-Niners and Chargers-Jaguars are this round’s best games. Seattle’s a tough out for the 13-4 Niners and pretty healthy heading into the game, a status Kyle Shanahan’s team cannot claim. LA and Jacksonville have a chance to just get really stupid, in the best way.
Pulse picks: Seahawks and Jaguars. Upset city, baby.
2. Plan some errands Sunday.
We might get three blowouts. Miami without Tua Tagovailoa faces Buffalo, the Giants limp into a matchup with the charmed Vikings and Lamar Jackson confirmed he won’t be able to play against the Bengals. It would be something if any upset happened, but don’t bet on it.
Pulse picks: Bills, Vikings and Bengals. Snooze.
3. Strap in for Monday night.
I apologize to Cowboys and Bucs fans, but everything about this game makes me groan. The uber-talented Cowboys love to step on rakes, while the Bucs — even with Tom Brady under center — are one of the worst playoff teams in recent memory, thanks to this year’s putrid NFC South. We’ll probably get a bad game and heavy-handed narratives to go with it. Bleh.
Pulse pick: Cowboys 12, Bucs 10.
Circling back
Kentucky’s no-good year
Remember the Wildcats’ bad losses from last week? You might be surprised to learn arguably the most passionate fan base in college basketball is boiling mad about an awful year so far.
Kyle Tucker, an authority on the Wildcats, fielded the wrath in this week’s mailbag, which is worth a read to see how bad things really are in Lexington. A couple points I want to highlight:
- John Calipari really might be on the way out. Staffing changes have led to poor talent development. Kentucky could miss the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years, which might as well be a death sentence for any UK coaching tenure. His departure might come via another job (Texas, anyone?), but make no mistake: The separation is very possible.
- Who could replace him? Anyone is fair game for a place like Kentucky. Scott Drew, Bruce Pearl, Eric Musselman and Nate Oats are all mentioned as candidates. But it’s early.
Naturally, Calipari’s 2023 recruiting class is ranked No. 1 right now. Is that enough to keep the status quo? We’ll see.
Briefs
NFL picks neutral site for AFC title
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will host the AFC Championship if the Chiefs and Bills face each other, the NFL announced yesterday. Sources told The Athletic that Las Vegas and New Orleans were also considered for the unique potential occurrence, which stems from last week’s Bengals-Bills cancellation.
Leonard to work out for the Lakers
It’s been two years since we’ve seen Meyers Leonard play in the NBA, but if he impresses Lakers officials in a workout today, he could fill a much-needed spot for middling Los Angeles. Leonard was released in March 2021 after saying an anti-Semitic slur during a live stream, although he has since apologized and immersed himself in the Jewish community. Both Leonard and DeMarcus Cousins are set to work out today.
High schooler goes no. 1
Angel City FC selected 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson with the No. 1 pick in the NWSL Draft yesterday. Thompson is somewhat of a wunderkind — she’s already seen playing time with the US women’s national team and played in MLS Next on a U-19 boys’ team. ACFC head coach Freya Coombe called Thompson “the future of Angel City.”
Public Relations
Harbaugh maybe definitely wants to stay
For the second straight offseason, Michigan fans must feel like their parents are getting a divorce, which is especially brutal, considering how good the team’s been.
- Head coach Jim Harbaugh sure seems like he wants an NFL job. He pursued the Vikings’ vacancy last year (interviewed on National Signing Day, no less), and has reportedly expressed interest to multiple NFL teams this offseason.
- Michigan loves Harbaugh, a former player who has taken the Wolverines to two straight Playoff appearances and, more importantly, beaten Ohio State two years in a row. Things could not be better.
So it’s been darkly hilarious to watch Harbaugh and Michigan publicly issue sweet nothingburgers to each other, like trying to tell a child their parents definitely still love each other.
- Unprompted, Michigan president Santa Ono tweeted yesterday that the school wants “to see Jim Harbaugh stay as the head football coach.”
- Harbaugh, via the team Twitter account, said he’s in “full support” of Ono’s message, which sounds nice but means little. Oof. Anyone who’s been in a serious relationship knows nothing means if Harbaugh finds an exit, he’s out.
Cherish the good times you’ve had, Michigan fans. And if Dad comes back and acts like nothing happened (probably after securing a fat new contract), be happy about that, too.
Pulse Picks
・How do you guard a 7-foot-4, 285-pound kaiju? Big Ten teams are still trying to figure out how to slow Purdue star Zach Edey. Good luck.
・Mr. Irrelevant leads our NFL All-Rookie Team. Not bad.
・Vic Tafur has a good look at Derek Carr’s awkward Raiders goodbye and issues some proper context on a weird nine years.
・The NCAA’s top priority for 2023? Get help from Congress. Nicole Auerbach has the details.
・Kevin Harvick will be sorely missed in NASCAR, writes Jordan Bianchi.
・Clemson fired its offensive coordinator and already has a replacement candidate in mind: TCU’s Garrett Riley.
・Joe Vardon has a fantastic story about the tiny college in Manhattan that’s hosted countless NBA stars who just need to get up some shots.
(Photo: Joe Nicholson / USA Today)
.