ESPN Daily

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit last March, it forced sports everywhere to shut down. And while the NBA, NHL and MLB were all eventually able to return to action, college basketball was forced to cancel the rest of their season...including their marquee event, the NCAA Tournament. Now, more than eight months later, college hoops makes its cautious return with a tipoff on Wednesday. Myron Medcalf tells us the teams and players to look out for on the court, and also whether the sport itself will be able to complete its season...and what March Madness might look like in a pandemic. Then, Heather Dinich sets the scene for tomorrow’s college football playoff rankings, amidst another round of postponements and positive COVID tests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Week 11 in the NFL brought plenty of drama. Two overtime finishes, a last-second touchdown on the Vegas strip, a devastating injury to Cincinnati Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow, and the benching of Miami Dolphins signal caller, Tua Tagovailoa. Oh and Taysom Hill made his long-awaited debut as a starting quarterback in New Orleans. ESPN NFL Insider Dan Graziano joins the show to break down Sunday’s action. Plus, more on the legacy of the Ice Bucket Challenge, and saying good-bye to its second co-founder, who just died from ALS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Pittsburgh Steelers (9-0) are the NFL's last remaining unbeaten team, thanks to a stingy defense and an offense loaded with talented skill players. After narrow victories over Tennessee, Dallas, and Baltimore created quite a bit of skepticism, the question still remains: can the Pittsburgh Steelers go undefeated? Former Steelers defensive back Ryan Clark joins the show to discuss the evolution of Ben Roethlisberger, the rise of Chase Claypool, why Mike Tomlin is under-appreciated, and whether a team that is carried by its defense can prevail over the high-powered offenses in today’s NFL. Then, on the news of the Warriors' Klay Thompson's injury, Andre Iguodala weighs in on his friend’s road to recovery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

No athlete in the NFL is quite like Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf. He’s a terrifying combination of size, and strength, and speed. But how did Metcalf become this incredible threat for Seattle? ESPN senior writer Dave Fleming tells us what drives 22-year-old Metcalf, and how the Seahawks are turning him into even more: Fleming profiled Metcalf for ESPN Cover Story, out today on ESPN.com. Then, Tim Keown talks to us from inside the Ball family compound, on the night LaMelo Ball is drafted into the NBA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tonight, in a studio in Bristol, Connecticut, the 2020 NBA Draft will (finally) unfold. After a five month postponement, tonight’s draft will no doubt look different from drafts past: no cheering fans or players shaking the commissioner’s hand on stage. But with top prospects Lamelo Ball, James Wiseman, and Anthony Edwards all still in play for the number one pick, and players still donning their finest suits over Zoom, there will be no shortage of entertainment. ESPN’s Mike Schmitz, who scouts draft prospects around the globe, tells us what to expect from the top three picks -- Minnesota, Golden State, and Charlotte -- and shares which prospects will have an immediate impact on the league. Then, Pablo shares the story of a racing pigeon who was sold at auction for a record *beaking* $1.9 million. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NBA’s trade moratorium ended Monday, with rumored trades of huge stars like James Harden and Russell Westbrook, and the shuffling of Chris Paul to the Suns. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski brings us the latest as he doggedly works his sources and gets trade tips. Plus, as the draft approaches, Woj dishes about his new series on reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the 2013 draft that brought him to the NBA. Hear how Giannis got into basketball as a child in Greece, and what he’s done in two seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NFL’s play of the season is being called the “Hail Murray.” Kyler Murray’s 43-yard prayer was answered by DeAndre Hopkins among and above three Bills defenders to give the Cardinals a 32-30 win. It was perhaps the craziest moment in an already wild day in the NFL...a day that saw the return of Jameis Winston after Saints starter Drew Brees left the game with a rib injury, as well as a Ravens-Patriots game that was almost invisible at times, thanks to some wacky New England weather. ESPN analyst and former NFL cornerback Domonique Foxworth takes us through Sunday’s biggest moments, and examines the NFL’s new proposal for diversity in coaching and management. Then, Pablo discusses the path of new Marlins GM Kim Ng, MLB’s first female GM. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He’s maybe 5’ 10”....he’s just 23 years old...but in only his second season, Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray has been playing at MVP level. The first overall pick from the 2019 draft is starting to deliver success to a Cardinals team that hasn’t been competitive since Carson Palmer was under center. Coached by Kliff Kingsbury, who mentored QBs like Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield in college, much of the Cardinals’ magic relies on the relationship between Kingsbury and Murray. Ahead of their matchup with the 7-2 Buffalo Bills, we examine what’s made Murray so effective this season, his unique abilities (including his baseball background), and if 2020 has the makings of a Murray MVP season, with ESPN Cardinals reporter Josh Weinfuss. Then, Bob Ryan shares a special tribute to late Boston sports legend Tom Heinsohn.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, news of recently re-hired White Sox manager Tony La Russa’s second drunk driving arrest sent shockwaves through the baseball world. La Russa is among a group of MLB decision makers which includes newly rehired Red Sox manager Alex Cora, and former Astros GM AJ Hinch, who seem to be getting second chances, in spite of their past questionable actions. As we make our way through this MLB offseason, Jeff Passan joins the show to bring us the latest on the La Russa story, and also break down new Mets owner Steven Cohen’s introductory press conference. Then, Katie Barnes explains women’s college basketball prospect Azzi Fudd, and her decision to commit to UConn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For generations, countless men and women from around the sports world have served in our nation’s military. But none have a story quite like Rocky Bleier. Bleier won a college football national championship with Notre Dame, but during his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. Three months into his deployment to Vietnam, Bleier was shot through the thigh and suffered a grenade blast to his foot. Doctors told him he’d never play football again. But Bleier would go on to rejoin the Steelers and win four Super Bowls with the team in the 1970s. In 2018, Bleier and ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi traveled to Vietnam, to the Hiep Duc Valley, where Bleier served, and where many of his fellow soldiers were killed in an ambush. Today, in honor of Veterans Day, Tom Rinaldi joins the show to recount Bleier’s incredible football comeback in the wake of a devastating combat injury, and how his return to Vietnam helped him reconcile with the past. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices