Caitlin Clark to return from injury; our 2025 college football Hot Seat Rankings; NFL All-Quarter Century Team

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🏀 Good morning to all but especially to …

CAITLIN CLARK AND THE INDIANA FEVER

After missing five games with a groin strain, Caitlin Clark will return today when the Fever host the Valkyries.

• Clark is averaging 18.2 points, 8.9 assists and 5.0 rebounds this season, a campaign interrupted by multiple injuries. She previously missed about three weeks with a quad strain.
• Prior to this season, Clark hadn’t missed a game since high school.
• Indiana has struggled offensively without Clark, but it did win the Commissioner’s Cup championship without her thanks to a terrific defensive effort.
• Clark isn’t the only Fever player to deal with injuries, but for now, the team is as healthy as it’s been as it pushes ahead of the All-Star Game.

Here are the rosters for said All-Star Game, as picked by the captains, Clark and Napheesa Collier of the Lynx.

😃 Honorable mentions

🤕 And not such a good morning for …

A’JA WILSON AND THE LAS VEGAS ACES

The Aces are off to an underwhelming 9-10 start, and their climb back up the standings might have just gotten harder. Three-time MVP A’ja Wilson left last night’s eventual loss to the Liberty in the second quarter and did not return due to a right wrist injury. 

• Wilson fell awkwardly on a drive to the rim and tried to brace her fall with her hands. She stayed in the game to shoot free throws and play a few possessions thereafter before leaving for good. She sat on the bench with a large wrap on her wrist in the second half.
• Becky Hammon said Wilson will have an MRI today. 
• Wilson entered the game averaging 21.9 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 2.6 blocks. Her points, rebounds, steals and blocks averages were leading the team and top-five in the WNBA.
• The Aces play the Mystics tomorrow.

😟 Not so honorable mentions

🔥 College football’s annual Hot Seat Rankings

It’s the two words coaches hate to think about, even if they insist they’re not thinking about it: “hot seat.” They may not like it, but we sure do. CBS Sports’ annual college football Hot Seat Rankings are back, with experts across the sport ranking coaches on a 0-5 scale.

Only one coach landed a “perfect” 5, aka “Win or be fired,” but eight — including some big names — landed between 4 and 4.99, a.k.a “Start improving now.” Shehan Jeyarajah runs us through a few: 

• Brent Venables, Oklahoma (4.67) — “Oklahoma hired Venables to get SEC ready, and the program responded with its worst run of the 21st century. … The main reason for optimism is the transformative investments in quarterback John Mateer and running back Jaydn Ott.”
• Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State (4.33) — “The offseason didn’t inspire much optimism and the coordinator hires are mediocre. But can Oklahoma State really fire Gundy, the face of the program?”
• Sam Pitman, Arkansas (4.22) — “Out of the top hot seat contenders from last season, Pittman did the least to assuage concerns.”
• Hugh Freeze, Auburn (4.22) — “Hiring Freeze was uncomfortable enough after the way things ended at Ole Miss, and one of the worst starts to a tenure in program history only makes matters worse. Freeze went 11-14 in his first two seasons as Auburn faces its worst stretch since the 1950s.”

🏀 Why it’s time for Trae Young to step up alongside best supporting cast

The Hawks‘ offseason has drawn rave reviews, and for good reason.

• They fleeced the Pelicans in an all-time stunning draft night trade.
• They acquired Kristaps Porziņģis on the cheap as part of the Celtics‘ salary dump.
• They added Nickeil Alexander-Walker in a sign-and-trade with the Timberwolves, picking up a versatile defender and solid perimeter shooter — the exact archetype you look for in today’s NBA.
• They signed Luke Kennard, a premier shooter who is 43.8% from 3 for his career.

All of that helped the Hawks jump up in Colin Ward-Henninger’s NBA Power Rankings.

This is the best team Atlanta has ever put around Trae Young. But there hasn’t been a lot of talk regarding Young, an incredible individual offensive talent but apathetic-at-best off-ball player/defender and overall divisive player when discussing if he’s a “winning” player.

But Atlanta wants to win, and win now. As such, Brad Botkin says Young has no more excuses.

• Botkin: “It’s gotten worse in the playoffs, where the Hawks have been positively pounced with Young, even counting the memorable 2021 run, shooting barely 40% including 29% from 3 over 37 career playoff games. Shooting isn’t everything, of course. Young’s threat level remains high, and he has averaged huge numbers in two of his three postseasons (roughly 29 points and 10 assists). But this only further begs the question if he’s ultimately a good-stats-bad-team guy, as most of the evidence to this point has suggested. … This year, he has an honest chance to flip that script.”

🏈 NFL All-Quarter Century Offense

We’ve been working on a bunch of stories celebrating the first quarter of the 21st century, and we’re reaching one of my favorites: the NFL All-Quarter Century Team, starting with the offense. Some calls were easier than others at “starter” but things get a bit hairy when filling out the depth chart, especially at quarterback. Bryan DeArdo explains his picks.

• DeArdo: “Starter: Tom Brady; Reserves: Peyton Manning, Patrick Mahomes — Brady is largely considered the ‘GOAT,’ but Manning also belongs in any conversation about the Mount Rushmore of quarterbacks. No one has won more league MVPs than Manning’s five. … The third quarterback spot came down to Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers. Really, it came down to Mahomes having three Super Bowl wins to Rodgers’ one, along with the fact that Mahomes has played in four more Super Bowls than Rodgers.”

The cuts at wide receiver might have been even harder, with Randy Moss, Marvin Harrison and Larry Fitzgerald getting starting spots and Terrell Owens, Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson being named reserves. Julio Jones and Antonio Brown earned “honorable mention” status. Jones at his peak was as good as anyone I’ve ever seen, except for maybe Moss.

And don’t be surprised if 25 years from now, for the All-Half Century Team, Justin Jefferson is a starter. His 96.5 receiving yards per game ranks first all-time. Maybe Ja’Marr Chase is on there, too.

Bryan did excellent work on this. Plus, the offseason is a perfect time for lists that start debate, just like this one does. If it leads you down a rabbit hole of highlight videos … well … that’s not the worst outcome, either.

📺 What we’re watching Wednesday

🏀 Valkyries at Fever, noon on NBA TV
⚾ Dodgers at Brewers or Blue Jays at White Sox, 2:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Mets at Orioles, 7 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Mariners at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. on Prime Video