For those of you unfamiliar with my work, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dan Gartland. For the past three years, I’ve written SI:AM, a daily column intended to provide readers with everything they need to know in the world of sports. It was previously distributed as a newsletter, prior to SI’s acquisition by Minute Media earlier this year. We’re very close to resuming SI’s newsletter offerings, so keep an eye out for more information on that if you’re interested in receiving SI:AM directly in your inbox each morning.
Writing SI:AM can be a challenge for me. Finding something interesting to write about each day isn’t easy. But it also reminds me why I’m a sports fan. Every day, I consume the best news, analysis and highlights from a wide variety of sports and am reminded of how much fun it is to follow sports on a daily basis.
But not all sports days are created equal. There are some where you have to settle for a handful of mid-summer baseball games, or a Thursday Night Football matchup between two lousy teams. Of course, there are also days when you’re treated to hours of wall-to-wall excitement. This post is about those days—the best sports days of 2024.
Jan. 1
New Year’s Day is always one of the most entertaining sports days of the year, and the first day of 2024 did not disappoint. As always, it was ruled by college football, with five bowl games, including the final two semifinals of the four-team College Football Playoff era. The LSU Tigers came from behind to beat the Wisconsin Badgers in the ReliaQuest Bowl in the first game of the day, and the Oregon Ducks stomped the Liberty Flames in the Fiesta Bowl. But if you’re a real college football sicko, the non-Playoff game that offered the most enjoyment was the Tennessee Volunteers’ 35–0 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Citrus Bowl. Why? It marked the end of a truly bizarre season for the Hawkeyes in which they ranked second-worst in the nation in scoring (15.4 points per game, ahead of only the Kent State Golden Flashes) and yet somehow still won 10 games.
Both playoff games were thrillers, with the Michigan Wolverines eliminating the Alabama Crimson Tide in overtime and the Washington Huskies outlasting a late push from the Texas Longhorns to secure their spot in the title game.
It was an especially great day for sports fans in Seattle, who also saw their Kraken beat the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL’s Winter Classic at T-Mobile Park.
Jan. 21
The second and final day of the NFL’s divisional playoffs was the headline attraction on this Sunday and featured two entertaining games. The Kansas City Chiefs again got the better of the Buffalo Bills in another installment of their budding rivalry when Tyler Bass’s 44-yard game-tying field goal attempt was blown wide right with less than two minutes left to play. In the other game, the Detroit Lions advanced to the conference championship game for the first time since 1991 with a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that was sealed by a Baker Mayfield interception on the second play of the Bucs’ final drive.
The real star of the day, though, was Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark, who erupted for 45 points in a wild 100–92 overtime loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes. It was, at the time, a season high for Clark, although she’d eclipse that number three weeks later with 49 against Michigan—in regulation.
Jan. 22
Speaking of basketball scoring outbursts, the following day saw a historic barrage of points in the NBA as Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid scored 70 points in a win over the San Antonio Spurs and Karl-Anthony Towns dropped 62 as the Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the Charlotte Hornets. It was only the fourth time in NBA history that multiple players scored at least 60 points in the same night. Both players set their respective franchise single-game scoring records, and Embiid became just the third 7-footer to drop 70 in a game, joining David Robinson and—of course—Wilt Chamberlain.
Embiid’s night wasn’t the highest-scoring game in the NBA that season, though. It wasn’t even the highest-scoring game that week. Four days later, Luka Dončić put up 73 on a bonkers 25-of-33 shooting.
Feb. 2
Anyone worried that women’s college basketball would suffer after the departure of stars like Clark had their fears assuaged with the emergence of USC’s JuJu Watkins, who finished second in the nation in scoring behind only Clark—as a freshman. Watkins routinely lit up the scoreboard, recording 14 30-point games. Her best was on Feb. 2 in an upset win over No. 4 Stanford when she scored 51 points—in a game that finished 67–58. She also had 11 rebounds, two assists and four steals.
Meanwhile, in the NBA, the Spurs–Pelicans game featured one of the best one-minute closing sequences of the season, as Victor Wembanyama and Zion Williamson went toe-to-toe. Wemby blocked one Williamson shot attempt with 1:02 to play, but Zion’s game-winning layup attempt with four seconds left went just over Wembanyama’s outstretched arm and gave New Orleans the victory.
Feb. 11
The Kansas City Chiefs winning their second straight championship would have been momentous under any circumstances, but to do it in one of the most thrilling Super Bowls in history made it an extra special moment.
Harrison Butker’s 29-yard field goal in the closing seconds of regulation sent the game to overtime—just the second Super Bowl in history (after the 2017 game between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons) to require more than 60 minutes to be decided.
Jake Moody gave the San Francisco 49ers the lead with a field goal on the opening possession of OT, but then Patrick Mahomes marched the Chiefs down the field on a 13-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with a three-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman with just three seconds on the clock.
What more can you ask for from a Super Bowl than to have it go to overtime? How about the longest game in Super Bowl history?
March 21 and 22
Allow me to cheat and combine these two days into one, because is there really any way to distinguish between the first two days of March Madness? You’re on the couch from noon until midnight and the days begin to blend together.
The first day of the men’s tournament saw the ascension of a couple of classic March folkheroes: Oakland Grizzlies guard Jack Gohlke and NC State Wolfpack big man D.J. Burns. Gohlke, a D-II transfer, came off the bench and hit 10 of 20 three-point attempts as No. 14 seed Oakland knocked off No. 3 Kentucky. In a win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Burns showed off his smooth low-post game that would be the key to NC State’s run to the Final Four. The Wolfpack’s success came at the expense of the Grizzlies, though, as NC State knocked off Golhke and Oakland in the second round.
The second day of the men’s tournament saw 12 vs. 5 upsets, as the James Madison Dukes beat the Wisconsin Badgers and the Grand Canyon Antelopes beat the Saint Mary’s Gaels. The best game of the day, though, was the Colorado Buffaloes’ 102–100 win over the Florida Gators. It was the first time since 2004 that both teams scored at least 100 points in a regulation men’s tournament game.
Not to be outdone, the opening day of the women’s tournament on Friday the 22nd saw plenty of excitement. The North Carolina Tar Heels and Nebraska Cornhuskers held on for close victories (over the Michigan State Spartans and Texas A&M Aggies, respectively). The No. 11 seed Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders pulled off the lone upset of the day, beating the six-seed Louisville Cardinals. The star of the day was Iowa State Cyclones forward Audi Crooks, who put up 40 points on 18-of-20 shooting, joining Caitlin Clark as the only players in women’s NCAA tournament history to score at least 40 points on 20 or fewer field goal attempts.
March 31
This was another of those special days when the men’s and women’s tournaments overlap—and an extra special day for NC State, which saw both programs punch their tickets to the Final Four. On the men’s side, Purdue star Zach Edey continued his dominant tournament run with 40 points in a win over the Tennessee Volunteers as the Boilermakers reached their first Final Four in more than 40 years.
April 1
The pair of women’s games the following day that marked the end of the Elite Eight round were among the two best games of the season. All the biggest stars in women’s hoops were in action—and they lived up to the hype.
The first game pitted Clark and Iowa against Angel Reese and LSU in a rematch of the previous year’s national championship game that was just as enticing as everyone hoped it would be. Reese was a force on the boards, recording 20 rebounds to go along with 17 points. But Clark was even better, putting up 41 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds in a 94–87 Iowa win.
Clark and Reese may have been the two biggest names in women’s basketball, but the second game had no shortage of star power as USC’s JuJu Watkins and UConn’s Paige Bueckers squared off in another nail-biter. Watkins had a game-high 29 points, but Bueckers played all 40 minutes and scored 28 in an 80–73 Huskies win.
Clark and Reese would graduate and move on to the WNBA after the season, but Bueckers and Watkins were there to remind us that the women’s game would be just fine after the departure of those stars.
April 7
Clark was the unquestioned best player in the country in 2024, but South Carolina was the unquestioned best team.
The Gamecocks wrapped up a historic undefeated season with a win over Clark and Iowa in the national championship to become the 10th team in NCAA women’s history to complete an unbeaten championship season.
It was also a great day in the NBA, though. Dante Exum hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime and allow the Dallas Mavericks to pick up a big win in a tight playoff race. The Philadelphia 76ers won a wild one in double overtime over the San Antonio Spurs. With Joel Embiid sidelined, Tyrese Maxey took over for the Sixers and scored 52 points, including the game-tying layup with less than a second remaining in regulation. Paul George also came through in the clutch, sending Evan Mobley to the floor with some sick ballhandling before burying a midrange jumper to lift the Los Angeles Clippers over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
April 22
One of the best times in the sports calendar is early spring, when the NBA and NHL playoffs overlap with early-season MLB action.
Fans in New York had their Monday get off to a lousy start when the Oakland Athletics beat the Yankees, 2–0, in an exciting matinee in the Bronx that was decided on Zack Gelof’s two-run homer in the top of the ninth. But that was just one loss in April for a team that went on to win the AL pennant. The biggest game in New York that day was the Knicks’ come-from-behind playoff victory over the Sixers. Knicks fans will never forget Donte DiVincenzo’s clutch three-pointer to take the lead in the closing seconds, or MSG Network announcer Mike Breen’s epic “double bang” call.
But DiVincenzo’s shot wasn’t even the best of the night. That honor belongs to Jamal Murray, whose fadeaway jumper at the buzzer gave the Denver Nuggets a win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Meanwhile, in the NHL, Edmonton Oilers star Zach Hyman had his first postseason hat trick in a win over the Los Angeles Kings.
May 14
If you’re thinking, Gee, it’s probably a bit early to see Caitlin Clark’s name on this list again, you might be right. But barely a month after her college career ended, Clark made her regular-season pro debut in a loss to the Connecticut Sun. It was an up-and-down night for Clark, who had 20 points but also 10 turnovers.
Jalen Brunson’s night, on the other hand, was all up. He went off for 44 points as the Knicks took a 3–2 series lead over the Indiana Pacers (although that series didn’t end well for New York). Another New York athlete made history more quietly. Juan Soto, then of the Yankees and soon to be of the Mets, drew his 669th career walk, breaking Mickey Mantle’s record for most free passes before the age of 26.
It wasn’t quite a buzzer beater, but Evan Bouchard’s goal with 38 seconds left gave the Edmonton Oilers the win and a 3–1 series lead over the Vancouver Canucks in their first-round playoff series.
June 17
It isn’t controversial to say that the 2024 NBA Finals were a dud. Three of the five games were blowouts, including the Boston Celtics’ decisive Game 5 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. But Boston’s championship was a significant moment, regardless of how it came about. It was the franchise’s 18th, but its first since 2008, and came after numerous close calls in recent years. The Celtics had advanced at least as far as the conference finals in five of the previous seven seasons and undergone several roster overhauls in the interim. Finally, Boston found a winning formula to finish the job.
June 24
In contrast to that series, the 2024 Stanley Cup Final was among the best ever played, as the Edmonton Oilers overcame a 3–0 series deficit against the Florida Panthers to force a decisive Game 7.
That final game lived up to the massive hype, too. It was a close, intense game that ended 2–1 in favor of Florida to give the Panthers their first championship in franchise history and extend Canada’s Stanley Cup drought to 31 years.
July 30
Late July is usually the nadir of the sports calendar. But in 2024, it might have been the pinnacle.
After the previous two Olympics were dampened by the pandemic, the Paris Games were a roaring success. Organizers showcased the beauty of the city with creative venue choices and enthusiastic French fans provided the energy that the Tokyo and Beijing Games had been lacking.
The fourth day of competition was among the most noteworthy. The most dramatic moment of the day was Alex Sedrick’s score on the final play of the women’s rugby bronze medal match that won the game for the United States in an upset over Australia. It was the first medal for U.S. rugby since the sport debuted at the 2012 Olympics.
Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen also made history with a gold medal in the 800m freestyle, becoming the first Irish male swimmer to win an Olympic medal and the first Northern Irish athlete to win an individual gold medal since 1972.
The best moment of the day, though, was at the very end of the women’s gymnastics team all-around competition, when the great Simone Biles got to take a victory lap of sorts. Biles was the last athlete to perform during the final segment of the competition, the floor exercise. The U.S. team had built a sizable lead and all Biles needed to do to secure the gold medal was finish her routine. What she did was complete a picture-perfect routine that earned the highest score of the competition. The disappointment of the Tokyo Olympics was finally behind her.
Aug. 4
There should be no argument over what the best day of the Olympics was.
The second Sunday of competition will always be remembered for the iconic finish to the men’s 100 meters, which saw American Noah Lyles defeat Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by five one-thousandths of a second to win the gold medal. It wasn’t the only gold won by a razor-thin margin that day, though. The men’s individual archery competition went down to a single “golden arrow” shoot-off in which South Korea’s Kim Woojin beat Team USA’s Brady Ellison by five milimeters. It was a tough break for Ellison, who was forced to settle for the third silver medal of his career.
But it wasn’t all bad news for Team USA. In the pool, Bobby Finke set a new world record in the men’s 1,500 meters to win gold and salvage what had been a disappointing Olympics for U.S. men’s swimming.
Earlier in the day, the women’s cycling road race rolled past some of Paris’s most iconic sights en route to a thrilling finish. The winner was American Kristen Faulkner, a relative newcomer to competitive cycling who had expected only to take part in indoor competition in Paris. But when a teammate pulled out of the race at the last minute, it cleared the way for Faulkner to take her spot in the field. She made an aggressive move with about two miles left in the race to separate from the pack and surge into the lead to claim one of the most unlikely gold medals of these Olympics.
Elsewhere in Paris, a couple of global superstars provided a reminder of how much a gold medal means to even the most accomplished pro athletes. Golfer Scottie Scheffler and tennis player Novak Djokovic, who have combined career earnings of more than $250 million, were both moved to tears after winning gold in their respective events.
Aug. 5
There was no greater showman at the Paris Olympics than Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis. The reigning Olympic champion didn’t just defend his crown—he also bested his own world record. Not that he needed to. Having already clinched the gold medal, Duplantis had the option to keep raising the bar in pursuit of the record. He first set the Olympic record, then had the bar raised again to surpass the record he had set three months earlier. His first two attempts were unsuccessful, but he cleared the bar on his third and final attempt to walk away with a new world record on top of his second gold medal.
Meanwhile, back stateside, Josh Smith of the Texas Rangers hit what was statistically the most dramatic home run of the season. Down 3–2 with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning against the Houston Astros, Smith hit a walk-off two-run homer to win it. That one swing had the biggest Win Probability Added of any play last season and was one of only three walk-off homers in 2024 that came with a team trailing two outs in the 10th inning or later.
Sept. 19
Shohei Ohtani set out to prove in 2024 that there’s nothing he can’t do on the baseball field. While his recovery from reconstructive elbow surgery kept him from pitching in his debut season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ohtani decided to add another element to his game: aggressive baserunning.
Ohtani more than doubled his previous career high in stolen bases, notching 59 while also hitting an NL-best 54 home runs to become the first player in MLB history with 50+ homers and 50+ steals in the same season.
That accomplishment alone is outstanding, but the way Ohtani achieved it was one of the most memorable individual performances in MLB history. He notched both his 50th homer and his 50th steal in an epic game against the Miami Marlins that could fairly be called the best single game any player has ever had. Ohtani went 6-for-6 with three home runs, two steals, two doubles and 10 RBIs. No wonder the ball he hit for his 50th home run sold at auction for $4.4 million.
Sept. 30
Recent changes to MLB’s postseason structure have eliminated one of the league’s most entertaining wrinkles: the tiebreaker game. But 2024 gave us an unexpected return to the days of the decisive Game 163 when Hurricane Helene forced the postponement of two games between the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets that were made up as part of a doubleheader on the day after the rest of the league concluded the regular season.
The stakes were clear: If either team swept the doubleheader, the winner would be in the playoffs and the loser would be eliminated (with the other wild-card spot going to the Arizona Diamondbacks). If the teams split, both would qualify for the postseason.
Against that backdrop, the Braves and Mets played one of the most entertaining games of the year in the opener—a back-and-forth affair that the Mets won on Francisco Lindor’s home run in the top of the ninth. The Braves won the nightcap, though, and secured their spot in the playoffs.
Oct. 5
The folks at the college football podcast Shutdown Fullcast have a term for what happened in Week 6 of this season. They call it “Blood Week.” As Jason Kirk, one of the show’s cohosts, explains, the minimum threshold for declaring a Blood Week requires at least three top-10 teams to get upset. It’s a rare occurrence, happening every other year on average, and this year’s Blood Week was one of the bloodiest on record.
To recap:
- No. 1 Alabama lost to Vanderbilt
- No. 4 Tennessee lost to Arkansas
- No. 9 Missouri lost to No. 25 Texas A&M
- No. 10 Michigan lost to Washington
- No. 11 USC lost to Minnesota
- No. 22 Louisville lost to SMU
It wasn’t just the sheer number of upsets that made this a memorable week, though. It was also the magnitude of those upsets. Alabama had not lost to Vanderbilt since 1984. Michigan was the defending national champion. Tennessee had been a two-touchdown favorite over an Arkansas team that went on to finish 6–6. The combination of those results led Kirk to conclude that this was one of the six most chaotic weeks of college football on record.
If you’re not a college football fan, that’s fine. There was still plenty of entertaining playoff baseball to seize your attention. The first day of the divisional series round saw Shohei Ohtani hit the first postseason home run of his career, the Yankees pick up a come-from-behind win over the Royals, the Guardians shut out the Tigers and the Mets top the Phillies thanks in part to a surprise appearance from pitcher Kodai Senga.
Oct. 12
It wasn’t a Blood Week, but Week 7 was another great week of college football, headlined by the showdown between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Oregon in Eugene, which the Ducks won 32–31. Alabama narrowly avoided a second straight loss by holding off South Carolina’s upset bid, and No. 13 LSU prevailed in another high-profile SEC game against No. 9 Ole Miss. Texas cruised to victory in its annual rivalry game against Oklahoma as that matchup was played under the SEC banner for the first time. The most exciting finish came in Illinois’s win over Purdue when the Boilermakers made the gutsy call to attempt a two-point conversion in the first overtime. The Illini stopped it with a sack and escaped with the victory.
Elsewhere, the Guardians and Tigers played a winner-take-all Game 5 and the expansion Utah Hockey Club improved to 3–0 in the franchise’s brief history with a win over the New York Rangers.
Oct. 25
The 2024 World Series was a perfect storm of hype. It pitted the two teams with the best records in their respective leagues (the Yankees and Dodgers), led by two best hitters in the game (Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge) in the 12th Fall Classic meeting all-time between two teams that used to share a city.
The opening game of the series was one for the history books—a back-and-forth affair that had a little bit of everything. There were clutch hits, costly blunders and even an instance of fan interference before Freddie Freeman ended it in the bottom of the 10th inning with the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history. It was just as good as everyone had hoped it would be.
College football fans had their own high-stakes game that night, as the Boise State Broncos took on the UNLV Rebels in a critical showdown between the top two teams in the Mountain West Conference. Boise State was already looking like a potential College Football Playoff team at that point in the season, but the Broncos needed a road win over a strong UNLV team to avoid finding themselves on the bubble come December. And they got it. Star running back Ashton Jeanty, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, led the way with 128 rushing yards and the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Oct. 27
The best play of the NFL season was made in Week 8 at the end of what was otherwise a sloppy and unmemorable game. The Washington Commanders trailed the Chicago Bears, 15–12, with 25 seconds on the clock and one time out. After two complete passes by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Commanders found themselves on their own 48-yard line with two seconds left to play. It would take a miracle for Washington to win the game—and Daniels delivered.
Daniels took the snap and danced around the backfield for what seemed like an eternity before firing the ball toward the mass of players gathered near the goal line. It was deflected and landed in the arms of Noah Brown for the game-winning touchdown.
A;FK;JD;KJF;LAKEJFLKJVAL;KEJL;JF;EFJ;LFAKJ
— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024
JAYDEN DANIELS HAIL MARY! @COMMANDERS WIN! pic.twitter.com/BsQ0Z84Rko
It was an incredible play that immediately bolstered the reputation of the rookie Daniels. It also was a reputation-ruining moment for Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson, who was seen jawing with Washington fans during the play and ignoring his defensive assignment. It was Stevenson who deflected the ball, allowing Brown to catch it for the winning score.
Nov. 23
The college football regular season ended with a pair of chaotic weeks that completely upended the Playoff picture. No game in Week 13 was more bonkers than the four-overtime bonanza between Texas A&M and Auburn, a game won by the Tigers that knocked the Aggies out of the running for an at-large CFP bid.
That Saturday saw plenty more carnage in the SEC as Alabama was blown out by Oklahoma to put the Tide’s postseason hopes on life support and Ole Miss’s loss to Florida knocked the Rebels out of the running. In the Big 12, Colorado’s defeat against Kansas torpedoed the Buffaloes’ Playoff aspirations, but Arizona State’s win over BYU and Iowa State’s road victory against Utah kept those conference title hopefuls in contention.
While it didn’t impact the postseason picture, No. 25 Illinois’s win over Rutgers in Piscataway was also a fun one. The Illini pulled off a miracle comeback with a 40-yard touchdown pass on fourth down in the final seconds of the game.
It was also a fun day in college hoops as No. 6 Notre Dame beat No. 3 USC in an early-season showdown of women’s championship hopefuls. And on the men’s side, Jaylen Blakes made the game-winning jumper with two seconds left to give Stanford the victory over Santa Clara as the Cardinal improved to 7–0 and Albany’s DeMarr Langford Jr. had a gritty buzzer beater to win the game against Kansas City.
Nov. 30
College football’s rivalry week, played on Thanksgiving weekend, is one of the great traditions in sports. Or at least it is if you aren’t an Ohio State fan. The Buckeyes lost to Michigan this year for the fourth year in a row, ending their hopes of a conference championship and first-round Playoff bye. It was a similar situation for Miami (minus the decades of tradition), which tumbled out of Playoff contention with a shootout loss to Syracuse.
South Carolina came away with a win over hated rival Clemson on quarterback LaNorris Sellers’s 20-yard touchdown scramble with a minute left, and Missouri earned a late victory over new-ish rival Arkansas on a 30-yard touchdown scramble by Brady Cook (in the snow!).
The biggest game of the weekend was the renewal of the rivalry between Texas and Texas A&M, a game that had not been played in 13 years. The Longhorns’ move to the SEC put this classic rivalry back on the calendar and the stars aligned to give it some massive stakes, as the winner would go on to play in the SEC title game. The atmosphere in College Station was electric, but the Longhorns sucked the air out of the building by smothering A&M defensively and coming away with a 17–7 win.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Best Sports Days of 2024.