Screen Shots: January 2nd-8th, 2025

Welcome to Screen Shots! This is where I tell you what sporting events you should watch on TV every week! Make sure you subscribe so it comes straight to your inbox! Have your own suggestions? Shoot me an email at [email protected]!

When I decided to make this a regular series, I timed it with the start of college football season to make it a little bit easier on myself. Well, as that season winds down, I’m scared. Logically, I know there are plenty of awesome sports to write about, but the training wheels are coming off! Don’t worry, I’ll be popping wheelies in no time. To the sports!

Thursday, January 2nd, 2025

• Women’s College Basketball: #5 Texas Longhorns @ #9 Oklahoma Sooners at 9:00 pm (ET) on ESPN2

The Sooners have flown under the radar this year despite bringing back the bulk of their production from last season’s 5-seed team and adding former Oregon State star Raegan Beers to the mix. A win against their rival in a top-10 matchup would be one hell of a way to make some national noise. As a bonus, this is the SEC debut for both programs!

Friday, January 3rd, 2025

• College Football: Minnesota Golden Gophers @ Virginia Tech Hokies at 7:30 pm (ET) on ESPN

The Duke’s Mayo Bowl! They certainly get their money’s worth for their sponsorship as the product is front and center the entire time, including the especially abhorrent act of having the winning coach suffer through having a bucket of the stuff dumped on his head. This should be the standard for every bowl sponsor. I want to see a coach go full Top Gun after winning the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.

• NBA: Atlanta Hawks @ Los Angeles Lakers at 10:30 pm (ET) on NBA TV

As a Lakers fan, D’Angelo Russell has driven me crazy for nearly a decade. While he’ll occasionally have a flash of brilliance that will remind you why he was drafted 2nd overall in 2015, those moments are few and far between. Instead, you mostly get a frustrating brand of unserious basketball that will make you hate him more than Nick Young does. However, the Lakers front office decided to start my new year off right by trading him. Good riddance!

Saturday, January 4th, 2025

• Men’s College Basketball: #6 Florida Gators @ #10 Kentucky Wildcats at 11:00 am (ET) on ESPN

Nothing says college football season is almost over quite like a top-10 men’s basketball matchup before noon.

• Men’s College Basketball: #25 Baylor Bears @ #3 Iowa State Cyclones at 2:00 pm (ET) on CBS

With as global as the game of basketball has become, it feels pretty rare to see a player who is the first from their country to receive a Division I scholarship in this day and age. It’s pretty cool when that player is as good as Baylor star Norchad Omier, the first Nicaraguan to earn a Division I men’s basketball scholarship. After previous stops at Arkansas State and Miami, Omier leads the Bears in both points (16.2) and rebounds (10.6). It’s going to take one hell of an effort to take down this Cyclones team, but it would surely make former MLB pitcher Dennis Martinez proud (maybe…if he watches basketball)!

• NFL: Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers at 8:00 pm (ET) on ABC

There’s a 94% chance that this is the last time you’ll get to see Joe Burrow play football this year. When you look at the weapons they have offensively, it becomes fairly obvious that the entire defense needs to be jailed.

Sunday, January 5th, 2025

• Women’s College Basketball: #3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ #17 North Carolina Tar Heels at 1:00 pm (ET) on ESPN

If A’ja Wilson’s surprise visit doesn’t inspire the Tar Heels to pull off the upset, then it simply cannot be done. I wasn’t super high on North Carolina heading into the season, but they have the 10th-best scoring defense in the nation. Now, they will definitely have their hands full with a star-studded Notre Dame squad, but, again, never doubt the magic of A’ja.

• Women’s College Basketball: #8 Maryland Terrapins @ #23 Iowa Hawkeyes at 6:00 pm (ET) on BTN

In the previous 22 seasons at Maryland, Brenda Frese has missed the tournament for non-COVID reasons twice. Pretty good!

• NFL: Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions at 8:20 pm (ET) on NBC

People are writing articles about whether or not this is the greatest regular season matchup in NFL history. Now, I think that’s a bit much considering one of the quarterbacks is Sam Darnold, but these teams have been kicking ass all year. Also, as I wrote about last week, the winner will be the top seed in the NFC while the loser drops all the way down to the 5th seed. A best-case scenario matchup for the NFL as far as regular season finales are concerned.

Monday, January 6th, 2025

• College Football FCS Championship Game: North Dakota State Bison vs. Montana State Bobcats at 7:00 pm (ET) on ESPN

Isn’t it kind of crazy that all these coaches who quit because NIL and the transfer portal are ruining college football never drop down to coach at a lower division where it’s not as much of a factor?

Tuesday, January 7th, 2025

• Men’s College Basketball: #1 Tennessee Volunteers @ #6 Florida Gators on ESPN2

With 5 teams in the top 10, it’s fair to say that the SEC is the best conference in men’s college basketball. Back in my day, this was a premier college football matchup. How in the hell did we get here? What happened to the ACC?!? I won’t even mention the Big East.

Wednesday, January 8th, 2025

• NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder @ Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:00 pm (ET) on ESPN

If you’re tired of NBA ratings talk now, just wait until these two are playing in the NBA Finals. The Thunder have the best scoring defense in the league. The Cavaliers have the second-best offense in the league. Based on what I know about the game of basketball and life, one of these things has to give.

As always, thank you for reading! It’d be awesome if you shared this as well! See you next week!