Ivy League Could Change NCAA Sports – February 16

It has been attempted in the past, but one Ivy League school’s men’s basketball team will try to unionize. Dartmouth University men’s basketball team filed paperwork to join the local 560 Chapter of the Service Employees International Union. The filing occurred back in September and the National Labor Relations Board just recently ruled last week that student-athletes at the New Hampshire Ivy League school are considered employees. That means that they can bargain collectively.

Sports Hub reported on Darthmouth men’s basketball team seeking to unionize back in September. The move is a big deal because it opens the door for student-athletes to be categorized as employees of a university. The NCAA has always maintained that student-athletes are just that – students and athletes. They are in school primarily to get an education. However, college sports has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry on the backs of student-athletes like those in the Ivy League.

How the NLRB Decision Affects the Future

Recently, court decisions have been breaking down the NCAA model that has existed since the beginning of college athletics. Interestingly, the oldest of all college institutions are the Ivy League schools. Just this week, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) put another chink in the NCAA armor.

The NLRB ruled that student-athletes at Ivy League Dartmouth College were, in fact, employees of the university. As employees, they would have the right to unionize. Two Dartmouth players, Romeo Myrthil and Cade Haskins, have stated that they would like to expand to form an Ivy League Players Association. Ivy League schools forming a union would be unprecedented in college sports.

The move could spur other schools around the country to do the same. Northwestern actually tried to unionize but was shut down because the Wildcats play in the Big Ten. The Big Ten, unlike the Ivy League, includes public universities which are not under the jurisdiction of the NLRB. 

Can You Believe These Sports Hub Cappers?

Yes, once again, Sports Hub handicappers absolutely crushed the books last night cashing tickets left and right for win after win. You can go 16 deep on yesterday’s leaderboard and all are exclusive to Sports Hub. All of these experts were winners yesterday and the biggest was SWJ Sports.

It doesn’t take an Ivy League graduate to figure out the skills of our expert handicappers. If you like wins, these guys can help you get more of them. Just become a member of Sports Hub and you will gain access to all of their daily picks. It’s that simple.

Here’s a look at yesterday.

• Three-day bender: We’ve mentioned this before, but Scott at SWJ Sports is a regular contributor at Sports Hub. Over the last three days, he has been on point with his picks. Yesterday, SWJ Sports went 6-1 and added $845 to the bankroll. That gives Scott a three-day total of $1600 with a record of 17-5. It’s also a big weekend with Scott’s specialty, UFC, as UFC 298 is this Saturday. Check out SWJ Sports’ picks for the event here in our members’ area.
• Sal is still killing it: Sal Lombardi has been at or near the top of our 30-day leaderboard for most of this New Year. Yesterday…another stellar performance from Sal. He went 11-5 and won $575. Sal is still at the top of the 30-day leaderboard. He’s won 56.8 percent of his picks and has earned $2840 for the month.
• Free picks & Dan Jones: Dan Jones was in yesterday’s Daily Report for his 3-1, $357 day. He makes today’s Daily Report with a 4-0, $400 day. That’s a two-day total of 7-1 and $757 earned. Our Sports Hub Free Picks has had similar success. Yesterday, our Free Picks also went 4-0 and earned $400. Sports Hub Free Picks are 8-3 over the last three days and 14-8 over the last seven. You could access these free picks with a Sports Hub membership…just sayin’.
• Back again: Sean Kuchman made yesterday’s Daily Report as the No. 1 capper from the day before. He followed that up with a 7-4 performance yesterday that netted him $335. That earned him the No. 5 spot on yesterday’s leaderboard. He’s also No. 5 on our 3-day leaderboard (18-12, $510).
• More winners: Coach Rick, The Bookie, Patrick Doyle, James Anderson, and many more were also winners yesterday. Our cappers are like the Ivy League of the handicapping industry. When you want the best, come right here to Sports Hub and watch your bankroll grow.

Clark Breaks NCAA Scoring Record

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark hit a deep three-pointer to surpass Kelsey Plum and become the NCAA women’s college basketball all-time leading scorer. Clark’s record-breaking night may have been the biggest thing to happen last night, but it was not the only thing. 

Here’s today’s trending sports news.

• Clark’s record: As mentioned Caitlin Clark broke the NCAA all-time scoring record last night. She wound up with 49 points as she led Iowa to a 106-89 victory over Michigan. The Hawkeyes have four regular season games left. 

• Geno Smith gets paid: Seattle QB Geno Smith will collect $12.7 million in base salary next season. The $12.7 million becomes fully guaranteed today with Smith still on the Seatle roster. Smith has another $9.6 million in roster bonuses coming on March 18, unless the Seahawks work to trade the veteran quarterback before then.
• Win in an elevator: You might remember Fairleigh Dickinson as the No. 16 seed that beat No. 1 Purdue in last year’s March Madness. Last night, the Knights were in Brooklyn to play LIU. On their way from the court back to their locker room, The FDU men’s basketball team got stuck in an elevator at the Steinberg Wellness Center. The opening tip-off was delayed 17 minutes, but FDU got out and went on to beat LIU, 84-82.
• Danilo Gallinari: After stints with Washington and Detroit this season, Gallinari will finish the 2023-24 campaign as a Milwaukee Buck. He chose the Bucks because he can have an impact in the front line rotation. Gallinari has averaged 15.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in his NBA career.

It’s Ivy League Friday

All eight Ivy League teams will be in action tonight. Friday is typically a slow night for college basketball and tonight is no exception. Ivy League basketball is not the only thing on the sports schedule tonight. The NBA is off due to the All-Star break. The NHL, international soccer, tennis, and golf can all be found on betting boards today. 

Sports Hub handicappers can help you determine where the value is tonight. Check out the members’ area and see how our expert cappers are betting tonight.

Let’s take a look at the Friday schedule.

1. NCAAB: There are only 15 college basketball games tonight. The entire Ivy League will play tonight. Ivy League leader Yale (16-6, 7-0) plays Penn (9-13, 1-6). The best Ivy League game tonight pits Harvard (12-8, 3-4) at Cornell (17-4, 6-1). Dartmouth (5-15, 1-6) is at Columbia (12-8, 3-4).

2. NHL: Friday is always a light night on the ice. Tonight, there is just one NHL game on the schedule. Colorado, which is in second place in the Central Division, is in Arizona to take on the Coyotes. Arizona has lost seven straight and is just 2-7-1 in its last 10 games.
3. Soccer: International soccer gets ready for a big weekend. There is a single match each in La Liga, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, and Serie A, four of the top professional soccer leagues in the world.
4. Golf: Patrick Cantlay leads the field at the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Cantlay shot a 7-under 64 and holds a one-stroke lead over Cam Davis, Jason Day, and Luke List. Tiger Woods carded a 72 and is tied for 49th place.
5. Tennis: Three ATP Tour events – the IEB+ Argentina Open, the AB Amro Open, continue today with quarterfinal action. The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships also start today. The semifinals of the Qatar Total Energies Open are today on the WTA Tour. The women also start the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships today.