Ben “Vanilla Thunder” Tynan is done with decisions.

The 31-year-old Canadian behemoth will look to return to his finishing ways when he faces Japanese wrecking ball Ryugo Takeuchi in a heavyweight MMA showdown at ONE Fight Night 40: Buntan vs. Hemetsberger II on Prime Video, which goes down live in U.S. primetime this Friday, February 13.

Coming off a frustrating decision loss in his last outing, “Vanilla Thunder” plans to author a commanding performance at Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium that will reaffirm him as a true contender for the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title.

Tynan has all the tools to be a legitimate threat to the heavyweight elite.

As a Canadian Junior Freestyle Wrestling Champion with one-punch knockout power and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu background, he possesses the skill set to finish opponents in every area of the game.

“Big Bad Vanilla,” as he calls himself, brilliantly displayed that in his promotional debut in November 2023, as he overwhelmed South Korean knockout artist Kang Ji Won en route to a submission victory. He even flatlined Australia’s Duke Didier soon thereafter, though the bout was later declared a no contest.

But his spotless record was shattered at ONE Fight Night 34 last August when he squared off against former ONE Interim Heavyweight MMA World Title challenger Kirill Grishenko. The Belarusian beast nullified his attacks and handed him his first career defeat via unanimous decision.

That setback left a bitter taste in “Vanilla Thunder’s” mouth, as he built his reputation on highlight-reel finishes rather than grinding out victories on points. Although the loss stings, he is even more frustrated that it happened by decision.

Tynan said:

“It was my first decision and kind of a pain in the a**. He’s super technical, and he was really good at winning a decision. It wasn’t until I was in the third round where I realized, ‘This guy’s not even trying to finish me or nothing.’

“I was trying to get him to engage more with big shots, I was trying to get a takedown, and he just did a great job playing from the distance and getting points, essentially.”

Tynan’s upcoming bout with Takeuchi presents the perfect opportunity for him to return to the win column and secure another stoppage victory.

The 22-year-old Japanese monster from King Gym Kobe has experienced a rough start to life in ONE Championship, but he displayed his enormous potential and immense power when he knocked out Kang last year.

Ahead of this heavyweight battle, “Vanilla Thunder” has assembled an elite crew of heavyweight training partners who push each other at High Altitude Martial Arts and Pound 4 Pound Muay Thai, both located in Colorado.

The Canadian said:

“Even though I’m splitting time between different gyms, we still have our big heavyweight group together, and we actually get together, we spar together, and we do wrestling practices together. So, we got a really high-level group of eight or nine heavyweights – legit heavyweights – and it’s been working out great.”

Tynan Promises Quick Finish At ONE Fight Night 40

Ben Tynan has studied Ryugo Takeuchi’s fighting style extensively, spotting both the strengths that make him dangerous and the tendencies that could lead to his downfall.

The punk rock fan recognizes that youth and raw power could be a frightening combination, but he also believes his experience and versatility will prove decisive when they meet in U.S. primetime this Friday.

Tynan said:

“He’s good. He’s explosive and exciting. I think he’s pretty young. He’s got knockout power, but also, that’s pretty common in the heavyweight division, right? So, I feel like experience is going to play a big factor in this fight.

“His biggest strength is his biggest weakness – he just comes out brawling right away, and I think that’s awesome. That’s exciting. He’s not coming out there to play his range and win by points. He’s looking to decapitate people, which is awesome. I love that. I think no more decisions. I’m putting this guy out in one round.”

The Canadian destroyer claims the Japanese brawler’s willingness to engage immediately will create the opportunities necessary to secure the dazzling first-round stoppage he so desperately seeks.

Tynan’s complete skill set gives him multiple paths to victory, allowing him to adjust his strategy based on how the fight develops. Whether the action stays standing or hits the canvas, he feels comfortable imposing his will in any avenue.

He said:

“The good thing about being ‘Vanilla’ is I get to choose where we want to go, right? So, if I get him worried about my takedowns, I’ll take his head off. And then if he’s worried about my hands, I’ll dump him and wreck him on the ground. So, it’s wherever I want it to go.”

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Tommy Fleetwood confirmed on Thursday that he’s an apparel free agent after his contract with Nike expired.

“It just turned out like we sort of didn't end up in a place where I'm wearing Nike stuff this year,” said the world No. 3 and reigning FedEx Cup champion. “Who knows what's going to happen in the future.”

He's enjoying the freedom to wear gear from various golf courses. This week, he visited the pro shop at Pebble Beach and has been decked head to toe in the iconic logo of the famed course.

“This is cool,” he said. “I feel like I'm a big golf fan. I really like golf stuff, so it's quite nice to be wearing like Pebble Beach clothing. I mean, my kids would absolutely love this stuff so I feel pretty lucky to have it on.”

Fleetwood said he likes to wear hats from various golf courses but hasn’t done so much in recent years because of the requirements of his apparel deal. Fleetwood sported a Masters polo in Dubai last month and has been seen wearing Lululemon and Vuori earlier this year but hasn’t inked any deals. Given his popularity with fans, world ranking and overall exposure on TV, Fleetwood should be in high demand. But then he wouldn’t be able to participate in a game of logo Bingo. 

“I mean there's some amazing logos around the world and I also think they're just like memorable pieces, right, when you come to a special place,” he said. “My collection's got a bit bigger, that's for sure.” 

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Tommy Fleetwood's Nike contract ends, now an apparel free agent

NFL analyst Colin Cowherd believes the Chargers will spend big money in free agency to improve their offensive line.

"I think the Chargers are going to feel like a Super Bowl team in September. Upgraded OC, both their tackles back, tons of cap space, and I think they're going to spend it on offense to protect Justin Herbert as they should," Cowherd said. "The defense may not be as good without Jesse Minter, it'll be fine. But I think they're going to look like a different team offensively next year."

It's never too early to think about football@colincowherd reveals his Top 10 Teams hierarchy for the 2026 NFL season pic.twitter.com/wGK0wh8uhb

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) February 11, 2026

The Chargers' biggest weakness last season was the offensive line, as quarterback Justin Herbert was under pressure more than 43% of the time. In particular, the interior should undergo some remodeling. Zion Johnson is a pending free agent, and Bradley Bozeman and Zion Johnson are potential cut candidates.

Have the Chargers Been Linked to Any Offensive Lineman in Free Agency?

The Chargers are looking to improve on the interior and the team has been linked to unrestricted free agent center Tyler Linderbaum and guard David Edwards, among others.

With Mike McDaniel running the offense, Linderbaum would make a good anchor to the line in 2026. Linderbaum has earned above a 78.0 PFF run-blocking grade in each season, emerging as one of the NFL’s premier run blockers. Edwards, on the other hand, proved to be one of the better pass-protecting guards this past season.

This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: What position will Chargers spend on in FA? NFL analyst sounds off

UFC hosted their first grappling event of the year, with UFC BJJ 5 being topped by two title bouts. Both champions retained their belts, with Mikey Musumeci attempting to offer something new during the main event.

Check here for full results from UFC BJJ 5.

Mikey Musumeci showcases top game, still wins with foot lock to defend UFC BJJ title

In the main event, leg lock specialist Mikey Musumeci came out sporting a beard and noted that he’ll be “Dagestani Mikey” this time around as he promised to showcase his top game. The UFC BJJ bantamweight champion actually decided to play from top for the first round and a half, but the match still ended like most Musumeci bouts do.

Shay Montague’s flexible guard was able to keep Musumeci at bay, but the champion eventually saw his leg available and went back to his A-game. Once he finally went for it, Musumeci got the tap due to a foot lock within seconds.

After the second round win, Musumeci called out UFC contender Arman Tsarukyan and said he’s willingly move up to his lightweight division for the match up.

“Arman (Tsarukyan) called out (Tom Hardy) for a grappling match. Tom Hardy at this time was a purple belt. He called out a hobbyist purple belt for a grappling match, how about he competes against a jiu-jitsu person in a grappling match?” Musumeci said.

Ronaldo Junior defends UFC BJJ belt, Nicholas Meregali gets win in return from injury

In the second title bout on the card, Ronaldo Junior pushed the pace as he’s been known for again and successfully defended his UFC BJJ title against no gi world champion Tarik Hopstock. Interestingly enough, while he was still the one putting on the pressure the entire match, Junior noted that he was far from 100% and was even hospitalized earlier in the week due to an illness.

Junior, one of the staples from the Atos team, noticeably walked out with different cornermen for this title bout as his Hall of Fame coach Andre Galvao is currently in the middle of a scandal.

After 17 months out since the massive upset and injury at ADCC 2024, Nicholas Meregali was successful in his return. While the Kingsway product wasn’t happy with his performance and said he felt rusty, the three-time IBJJF world champion was still fairly dominant as he earned a wide decision over the reigning no gi world champion in Nicholas Maglicic.

Meregali got a couple of slick sweeps, repeatedly passed his guard and settled into mount for several minutes. He earned multiple 10-8 rounds, as judges ended up giving him the victory with scores of 30-25, 30-26 and 29-26.

Jalen Fonacier lands fastest ever UFC BJJ submission, Andy Murasaki submits Andy Varela

Jalen Fonacier, who is one of our Best Breakthrough Grapplers of 2025, is making a habit of stealing the show in these UFC BJJ events. The Filipino grappling star not only beat a fellow world champion in Bebeto Oliveira, he also landed the fastest ever submission in UFC BJJ. It only took him 19 seconds to secure a heel hook finish.

All three of Fonacier’s UFC BJJ wins came by quick heel hook finishes, which also marked three of the four fastest submissions in the promotions. It’s a pretty insane achievement for someone who apparently just learned the submission a few months ago.

After his third straight win at bantamweight, Fonacier made his case for UFC BJJ to finally open a flyweight division and be a title contender in his natural weight class. After the match, the 20-year-old also called for a match with BJJ legend Joao Miyao.

In another key main card bout and battle between veteran champs, former Atos star Andy Murasaki submitted Andy Varela with a slick choi bar with just seconds left in the first round. The win is Murasaki’s third in UFC BJJ/FPI, as he lines himself up closer to a potential title bout.

FOR THE LATEST BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU (BJJ) AND GRAPPLING-RELATED NEWS CLICK HERE. FOR ADDITIONAL GRAPPLING CONTENT, FOLLOW @BJJBEAT ON INSTAGRAM.

OKLAHOMA CITY — As Aaron Wiggins tried to go for the closeout, Ousmane Dieng didn't need much time to let off a shot attempt. A no-dip 3-pointer swished in as he enjoyed serving a slice of revenge pie to OKC just a little over a week after he was traded.

The Oklahoma City Thunder limped into the NBA All-Star break with a 110-93 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. With both MVP winners sidelined due to injuries, the former couldn't come up with enough undermanned willpower to get one more win without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

It was pretty ugly from the start. Continuing to maneuver injuries, the Thunder were without Jalen Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein. That suddenly makes the task of overcoming Gilgeous-Alexander's absence from difficult to impossible.

The Thunder fell behind 30-25 after the first quarter. Not the bad of a deficit, but the Bucks being able to get to the rim without any resistance was a little troubling. Pausing the usual game storytelling, let's also acknowledge that Nikola Topic made his NBA debut in the opening frame.

As soon as he was on the scorer's table, the OKC crowd prepared itself. He checked in to a loud applause. Acknowledging the ovation with a hand gesture, the 20-year-old had one of the coolest moments of the NBA season as he suited up just three months after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Such a cool moment that goes beyond this game. Back to it — the Thunder eventually made a run to knot things up at 40 apiece. Wiggins found Alex Caruso for the outside jumper. Alas, that momentum was short-lived. The Bucks responded with a 14-2 run to retake a commanding lead.

To make matters worse, Dieng caught fire. On the cut to the basket, Lu Dort failed to bump him out of his spot. The new Bucks player received some shooting luck as his turnaround jumper bounced in. That put the Thunder in a 64-46 deficit with a little under three minutes left in the first half. Yikes.

The Thunder were on the wrong side of a 21-4 run that turned this from an intriguing contest into a lopsided scoreboard. They only had 30 points in the second quarter and entered halftime in a 67-55 deficit. A little bit of a blessing, if we're being blunt.

Out of the break, the Thunder returned to playing some sense of normalcy with their defense. The Bucks' hot shooting eventually cooled off. The only problem was that OKC couldn't take advantage on the other end. That was expected considering who was out. But didn't make it any less painful to see opportunities slip through its fingers.

Dort converted a physical layup to make it a single-digit contest, but that's all the Thunder could do. They only had a lowly 18 points in the third frame. Flat-out bad at the NBA level. They were in an 89-73 deficit after three quarters. Nothing from that point in the game suggested anything could change.

Less than two minutes into the final frame, the Thunder saw their deficit balloon past 20 points. Pete Nance knocked down an outside jumper to make it a 95-73 game. OKC called a timeout, but it was to no avail. It tried to see if Brooks Barnhizer could provide a spark, but nope.

Trailing by as many as 24 points, the Thunder pulled the plug with a little under five minutes to go. They only had 20 points in the fourth quarter. What a whimper to enter the All-Star break as the San Antonio Spurs are right behind them in the standings with the final one-third of the regular season left.

The Thunder shot 37% from the field and went 15-of-45 (33.3%) from 3. They shot 16-of-20 on free throws. They had 22 assists on 31 baskets. Three Thunder players scored double-digit points.

Chet Holmgren had 16 points and 13 rebounds. Isaiah Joe had 17 points and four rebounds. Jared McCain tallied 13 points and three rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Bucks shot 46% from the field and went 17-of-42 (40.5%) from 3. They shot 5-of-7 on free throws. They had 25 assists on 44 baskets. Seven Bucks players scored double-digit points.

Dieng finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. AJ Green had 17 points and three assists. Bobby Portis tallied 15 points and 12 rebounds. Kyle Kuzma had 14 points and four rebounds. Kevin Porter Jr. finished with 12 points and seven assists. Cam Thomas scored 12 points. Nance helped with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Well, this was ugly. Say what you want to say about the Thunder's absence, but that was pretty inexcusable. Felt like the entire team was mentally already at All-Star break. The juxtaposition between this game and what they did with an eight-player group last week at San Antonio really reeks. Especially against a depleted Bucks squad whose season has gone off the rails.

That said, it's impossible to have any big-picture thoughts from this stinker. If the Thunder are without Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Hartenstein, they're cooked. Simple as that. You just gotta wash away the taste of this bad loss with that in mind. That said, totally valid if you're upset with the Laissez-faire approach they had in a game they felt like was in the bag as soon as they suited up.

Let's look at Thunder player grades:

Chet Holmgren: C-minus

Crossing over Kuzma, Holmgren put his shoulders down and drove to the basket. As soon as he saw an opening, he flew off the floor for the one-handed dunk as the first half ended. That woke up an OKC crowd that was a few possessions away from falling asleep.

Alas, that turned out to be his last bucket. Holmgren finished with 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting, 13 rebounds and four assists. He shot 0-of-4 from 3 and went 6-of-6 on free throws. He also had two blocks.

Just not enough from Holmgren. As the sole NBA All-Star player on the floor, he faded too much into the background. Considering everybody who was out, these are the type of games where you wish he amped up his scoring aggressiveness. But it just feels like it's not in his basketball DNA to scale up when needed.

When Holmgren roamed around the paint, the seven-footer had an efficient night at play-finishing — which is pretty impressive considering all of the table-setters were out. He caught an alley-oop and had a few dunks and layups as he played within the flow of the offense.

How much that bothers you is up for interpretation. If you expect Holmgren to become this dynamic go-to scorer who can get you a bucket, that's based on hope and not what he's done at any level. The 23-year-old has shown that there are other ways to impact a basketball game as one of the best paint protectors who wins his minutes. The advanced metrics love him for a reason.

That segues to where you can fairly criticize Holmgren. The defense wasn't there for the Thunder. Too often, Milwaukee's perimeter scorers easily got by for lanes. They had several easy driving layups. The seven-footer has become an All-Star because of his rim protection. That just wasn't there.

None of this really matters if the Thunder have Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams back — at least from the offensive side. Let's see if both return after the All-Star break. But if you're an OKC fan, the only bright side to this dull outing is that reinforcements will hopefully be on their way for the stretch run.

Isaiah Joe: B

Faking the screen, Joe went to the top of the key. Cason Wallace threw the elementary pass. Despite Sims' contest, the 26-year-old swished in the deep outside jumper to get things going for the Thunder. Playing some of his best basketball, he's taken advantage of this hospital stretch.

Joe finished with 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting, four rebounds and two assists. He shot 4-of-9 from 3 and went 3-of-3 on free throws.

It was another hot start for Joe. He had 11 points in the first quarter. Don't think it's a coincidence that the Thunder had their best frame when it sought to feed him the ball. When you're without your three best perimeter scorers, the best way to glue together an offense is by giving more of a workload to your best outside shooters.

The Thunder got the memo early on. But as the game wore on, Joe faded into the background. Without a traditional playmaker or Hartenstein to siphon movement outside looks, the Bucks were able to eventually blanket him. Can't let that happen when you're in a scoring drought.

When Gilgeous-Alexander was ruled out for five-plus games, it provided an interesting experiment. Let's see who among the OKC role players could take on more of an offensive load. Easy to say that Joe is the most popular answer. He's been on a hot streak over the last two weeks.

Jared McCain: C

Utilizing Jaylin Williams' screen, McCain had Porter Jr. on his hip. He sprinted to the cup as Dieng couldn't help in time. The 21-year-old quickly went with the underhanded scoop layup that kissed off the glass for his first bucket of the night.

McCain finished with 13 points on 3-of-9 shooting, three rebounds and two assists. He shot 2-of-6 from 3 and went 5-of-6 on free throws.

Considering who was out, you'd hope McCain could do more with the additional opportunities. Instead, he had his worst game yet in his brief stint on the Thunder. While he scored double-digit points, he wasn't able to do so in an impactful way. Not being able to hit on his outside jumpers also resulted in OKC experiencing scoring congestion as Milwaukee pulled away.

On the other end, the Bucks went straight at McCain. The Bucks' humongous frontcourt players bullied their way through the undersized guard. He quickly got into foul trouble with badly-timed fouls that bailed out Milwaukee. How he looks on that side of the floor is the biggest question mark. While he's mostly held up, this was the worst it's looked.

Perhaps the expectations were too lofty. After all, McCain has only been in OKC for a week. But considering the state of the roster, this was a game where the Thunder badly needed him to have a breakout scoring output to at least have a chance.

Nikola Topic: A

The story of the night. As Topic checked in, the OKC crowd got on its feet and loudly applauded his NBA debut. You don't need to be a basketball sicko to know how mountainous the moment was. After being added with the No. 12 pick of the 2024 NBA draft, the 20-year-old finally logged a stat.

Topic finished with two points on 1-of-3 shooting, one assist and one rebound. He shot 0-of-2 from 3.

Meh. Whatever. What he did on the court didn't matter. We can worry about his basketball fit some other day — although he did show some tantalizing things with his jumper and playmaking. Just so cool that Topic was able to make his NBA debut three months after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

On top of missing all of last season with a torn ACL, Topic has had such an extraordinarily difficult journey to get to this point. When the Thunder announced his cancer diagnosis, the entire NBA world rallied around him. Completing his chemotherapy just last month, he's had quite the speedrun to get to this point.

Over the last month, Topic had participated in pregame warmups and the occasional practice. Earlier this week, he played a back-to-back for the G League's OKC Blue, signaling he was on the verge of a return. Now that he's checked off that milestone, he can finally flip the page and prioritize his basketball journey to the top of his life.

Nikola Topić scores his first career NBA bucket ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/xYT1kNLHvg

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 13, 2026

Highlights:

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder limp into All-Star break with 110-93 loss to Bucks

Tommy Fleetwood gets annoyed. 

Right?

“I think in general there’s probably plenty of things that annoy me,” he said, “but I’m kind of pretty relaxed off the golf course really. 

“I mean, what have I got to complain about or get annoyed about?” 

The question can be thought of as philosophical. And the question is rhetorical, because it’s good to be Tommy Fleetwood these days. Starting in late August, men’s pro golf felt as if it were Fleetwood — and everyone else. He won the PGA Tour’s Tour Championship. His European side won the Ryder Cup. In October, he won the DP World India Championship on the DP World Tour. This week at Pebble Beach, in his 2026 PGA Tour debut, Fleetwood is ranked fourth in the world, and everyone is whispering his name in major talk. 

But pre-late August? There’s always a start to lists like these. And what came before the Tour Championship breakthrough had been a question that had lingered for a while: Would he ever win on the PGA Tour? One-hundred-sixty-three starts. One-hundred-sixty-three non-firsts. Some were painful, such as the one at last June’s Travelers Championship, where he led by a stroke after 71 holes; and the one at early August’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, where he led entering the final round. Maybe one day he’d win. But that wasn’t a given. His winless streak had surpassed the number of games played in a Major League Baseball season. 

After each event, though, he answered everyone’s questions, and that gave everyone a look into just who this 35-year-old Englishman is: A nice guy. One with no excuses to be given. One with no reasons to be annoyed. All of it was undoubtedly endearing. LeBron James was even cheering for a Fleetwood W. But you know the saying about nice guys finishing last and all that, and maybe, on the road to victory, Tommy Lad became a bit of a — actually, we’ll let Rory McIlroy continue the thought. 

“I would never say that Tommy questioned how much he wanted it,” McIlroy said last November. “But he’s always been so nice. So nice. And then I’m like, Is he too nice? Because you need to have just that little bit of edge or prick in you — whatever you want to call it. I know I have it, and I feel like that’s what you need to win. I think it’s harder for Tommy to feel that because of how empathetic he is. 

“But this year, I feel like he’s developed that little bit of edge.”

Maybe McIlroy’s right. Maybe being mean is the necessary means. And that being cutthroat results in no missed cuts. And that taking no prisoners leads to making no bogeys.  

Then again, perhaps there’s room for playing like a kid. 

News

Fleetwood said that Wednesday afternoon. He’d been asked whether things, after 16 years as a pro, were starting to feel more like work. Or not a game. And Fleetwood said they hadn’t, and that he hoped they would never. “Yeah, I have my days where I feel it’s pretty rubbish, I don’t play well or the weather’s rubbish and I’m having a bad day or whatever it is,” he said. “I’m still, I think — yeah, it’s important to remember how much you wanted this life and how much you love it really.”

And perhaps there’s room for welcoming questions that are typically unwelcome. 

Fleetwood also said that Wednesday. He’d been asked whether his window to winning a major was now — and he said he was thankful for being asked that. “I always try and find the positives of whether it be, as you say, is this my window to win a major,” Fleetwood said. “Try and find the positives in that. Like I would rather you be asking me that question than not mentioning it at all because I would then not be doing that great.”

None of that makes Fleetwood sound much like McIlroy’s P word, does it?

He could have done it. He could have gone edgy. He could have buzzed off his near-shoulder-length hair. 

It’s just that it would have been, well, annoying. 

“I think it’s important to be yourself,” Fleetwood said. “I think anytime you’re trying to be something that you’re not, things get just like difficult. So again, I just try and be myself. 

“If that’s what I am, if I’m like a really nice person, then that’s great, like I’m happy with that.”

Sounds kinda nice doesn’t it? 

McIlroy be damned. 

“I don’t know what that stigma is about like too nice to win or nice guys — you know, nice guys can win, of course,” Fleetwood said. “I think I’ve always prided myself on being a good person, a nice guy, but I also love playing golf and competing. 

“I just, for whatever I hadn’t done before or hadn’t won tournaments or hadn’t gone my way, I felt like I just continued to learn and grow as a competitor as well. 

“But no, I definitely looked at things and tried to analyze what I did right and what I did wrong. Hopefully Rory still thinks I’m a nice guy.”

The post Tommy Fleetwood, the bad guy? He has some nice thoughts on that appeared first on Golf.

On the eve of the Rennes vs. Paris Saint-Germain match of the 22nd round of Ligue 1 and in light of the absences on each side, it is already possible to predict both teams' lineups. Before the Champions League playoff first leg against Monaco next Tuesday, Luis Enrique is expected to make several changes from the recent Classique against Marseille.

Leader of Ligue 1 heading into this 22nd round, PSG travels to Rennes on Friday evening. Luis Enrique will be without three players: Quentin Ndjantou, who recently underwent thigh surgery; Fabian Ruiz, still undergoing treatment after the knee injury he sustained Jan. 20; and Senny Mayulu, who has just joined the infirmary due to minor discomfort in his left calf.

As PSG played Sunday against Marseille and will play Tuesday at Monaco in the Champions League playoff first leg, the Parisian coach is expected to make several changes against Rennes to rest key players. In goal, Matvey Safonov is expected to make his fourth consecutive start, but there should be changes in front of him.

Returning from suspension, Achraf Hakimi will logically start on the right, and one of the usual center-backs could be rested and replaced by Ilya Zabarnyi. The likelier scenario is the Ukrainian in place of Marquinhos, with Willian Pacho starting on the left side of central defense and Lucas Hernandez rather than Nuno Mendes on the left. The French World Cup winner played 15 minutes against Marseille, presumably to gain rhythm ahead of this trip to Rennes.

In midfield, Vitinha could finally get some rest, and with Mayulu and Ruiz unavailable, Luis Enrique has limited options. Lee Kang-in and Warren Zaire-Emery are strong candidates to start in midfield, either in front of the defense or as box-to-box players, and the third midfielder should be Joao Neves, who twice played as a defensive midfielder against Rennes last season.

Finally, in attack, there are six contenders for three spots. Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele are expected to start against their former club — Doue on the right, Dembele through the middle — with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the left ahead of Bradley Barcola. Unused against Marseille, Ibrahim Mbaye is further down the pecking order, as is Goncalo Ramos.

PSG's predicted lineup vs. Rennes: Safonov; Hakimi, Zabarnyi, Pacho, Hernandez; Lee, Zaire-Emery, Neves; Doue, Dembele, Kvaratskhelia.

On the Rennes side, the week has been turbulent. Habib Beye was dismissed on Monday and provisionally replaced by Sebastien Tambouret, the reserve team coach, who is expected to serve as interim manager on Friday as Franck Haise's arrival has yet to be confirmed.

This interim period should allow Brice Samba — sidelined last weekend by Beye — to regain his place in the Rennes squad and in the starting 11. For the visit of PSG, Rennes will be without its two center backs, Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal and Jeremy Jacquet, both injured, as well as midfielder Glen Kamara, who sustained an ankle injury. Several players are also questionable, including Djaoui Cisse in midfield and Przemyslaw Frankowski at right wingback.

Given these numerous absences, particularly in defense, will Rennes stick with a three-man backline against PSG? That is a real question. Beye's departure could also allow certain players to relaunch themselves — namely, attacking midfielder Ludovic Blas, who has not started in Ligue 1 since late October.

Rennes' predicted lineup vs. PSG: Samba; Seidu, Rouault, Brassier; Nordin, M. Camara, Rongier, Szymanski, Merlin; Blas, Lepaul.

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Lakers get major Luka Doncic injury update before All-Star break originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Luka Doncic has missed the Los Angeles Lakers’ last four games due to a hamstring injury. 

Los Angeles is dangerously close to falling into Play-In tournament territory, as a few more losses and a couple of Phoenix Suns wins would move Phoenix to the No. 6 seed and drop the Lakers to the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. 

Simply put, the Lakers need Doncic back in the starting lineup as soon as possible to help the franchise get back on the right track. On Thursday, Los Angeles received a major update on the status of its superstar point guard before the All-Star break.

“JJ Redick says Luka is continuing to progress really well, but they just wanted to be cautious and sit him out tonight,” LakersNation’s Daniel Starkand reported on X/Twitter. "He should be good to go post-All-Star."

Considering the Lakers won’t play any more regular season games until after the All-Star break, Starkand’s report is great news for the Lakers. Following Los Angeles’ much-needed break, the 17-time NBA champions will get their recently acquired star back and attempt to find a rhythm in late February. 

Doncic is having one of the best seasons of his young NBA career. The former Dallas Mavericks superstar is averaging 32.8 points, 8.6 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game, allowing him to make a strong MVP case in Year 8. 

The Lakers should feel relieved heading into All-Star Weekend.

More NBA: Spurs predicted to pair Victor Wembanyama with $50 million ex-Warriors superstar via buyout

NFL Combine snubs: Championship standouts and postseason MVPs left out originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The NFL Combine invite list feels like a stamp of approval, but it is not the whole story.

There is always another list. The names that did not make it. The ones agents screenshot and ones players remember. This year, that list starts in Bloomington.

Indiana’s national championship roster sent plenty of players to across the state to Indianapolis. But four Hoosiers were left waiting: running back Kaelon Black, edge rusher Mikail Kamara, defensive lineman Stephen Daley and offensive lineman Kahlil Benson.

More: 2026 NFL combine: Full list of draft prospects invited

Black rushed for 1,000 yards in a rotational role and earned a Senior Bowl invite. Still no Indy call.

Kamara posted a 10 sack season and had four tackles in the national championship game. He may not look like the prototype. But, like his coach Curt Cignetti, he wins. That was not enough.

Daley brought toughness defensively until a fluke celebration injury shut him down. Benson handled his work along the offensive line. Championship tape matters until it does not.

More: Deion Sanders' grandson shakes up the latest kids rankings

Indiana was not alone.

Boston College receiver Lewis Bond competed at the Senior Bowl. Cincinnati’s Cyrus Allen caught 13 touchdowns. John Carroll’s Tyren Montgomery made the small school case. Arizona State tight end Chamon Metayer produced consistently in a Power Four offense. All are staying home.

Oklahoma running back Jaydn Ott was once one of the most talked about transfers in the country. Injuries slowed the former Cal Bear, and so did his draft momentum. Wyoming lineman Caden Barnett and Penn State tackle Nolan Rucci saw postseason exposure without an Indianapolis follow up.

Then there is the quarterback room.

More: Deion Sanders and Colorado shut out of 2026 NFL Combine

Missouri State’s Jacob Clark won American Bowl MVP. Northwestern’s Preston Stone earned Hula Bowl MVP honors. Louisville’s Miller Moss, Virginia Tech’s Kyron Drones and Iowa’s Mark Gronowski all showed up in January. Tulane’s Jake Retzlaff guided one of the most efficient Group of Five offenses in the country. None are going to Indy.

Quarterback spots are limited. Teams bet on projection. One strong week rarely changes that.

Defensively, Illinois lineman James Thompson Jr., New Mexico edge rusher Keyshawn James-Newby and Texas Tech safety Cole Wisniewski all flashed enough to land on draft boards. Still no invite.

That said, the work does not stop. Pro days and private workouts are coming. And every year, at least one name from this shadow list hears his name called in April.

Indianapolis won't be the final stop for scouts. 

More sports news: 

• Kim Kardashian spotted with Broncos minority owner Lewis Hamilton
• Deion Sanders sparks Hall of Fame debate with call for radical voting overhaul
• Former Ohio State Buckeyes star makes shocking transfer portal decision

The Los Angeles Lakers have had what has seemed like an endless string of injuries to key players this season. Austin Reaves suffered a gastrocnemius strain in late December and only returned to action last Tuesday against the Brooklyn Nets, but just one game later, Luka Doncic suffered a hamstring strain and has been out since.

He missed his fourth straight game on Thursday when the Lakers hosted the Dallas Mavericks, and his status for this Sunday's NBA All-Star Game is unknown. But coach JJ Redick said that the Slovenian superstar should be ready to return to game action when Los Angeles resumes its schedule on Friday, Feb. 20 versus the Los Angeles Clippers.

JJ Redick said Luka Doncic “should be good to go” when the Lakers open up their post All-Star schedule.

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 13, 2026

Doncic is currently leading the NBA in scoring and is putting up 32.8 points on 47.3% field-goal shooting, 7.8 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.5 steals a game. He's also leading everyone in free throw attempts and makes per game, and he's third in assists per game.

The Lakers came into Thursday with a 32-21 record, which put them in sixth place in the Western Conference. Ten of their next 13 games after Thursday will take place at Crypto.com Arena.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: JJ Redick gives update on Luka Doncic

The Seattle Seahawks are the Super Bowl champions, and with that, they are guaranteed to open their 2026 season in prime time, which is normally on Thursday night, but a report on February 12 opened up the possibility for a Wednesday night opener.More on that below…

Here are the teams slated to travel to Seattle’s Lumen Field this upcoming season, with my thoughts on each potential matchup.

New England Patriots – A Super Bowl XL rematch would have felt more likely had last night’s game been more competitive.

Kansas City Chiefs – Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Taylor Swift will surely bring eyes to the game, but they’re coming off a six-win season.

Los Angeles Chargers – This would be a fun game, but the L.A. market isn’t necessarily known for popping a huge ratings share.

Dallas Cowboys – The Cowboys opened up the 2025 season at the Philadelphia Eagles, so I doubt they get the game again.

New York Giants – Nah.

Arizona Cardinals – Nah 2: Electric Boogaloo

Chicago Bears – If the NFL wants the team that will give them the biggest rating, then the Bears are a no-brainer: Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams, and Chicago’s offense vs Mike Macdonald and Seattle’s relentless defense.

February 12 Update: Seattle’s division rivals, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers, are no longer an option for a week one game, as those two teams are reported to be playing Week 1 in Melbourne, Australia. That Rams vs ‘Niners game will either be on Wednesday or Thursday, with Seattle’s home opener taking place the other night.

If the NFL picks a team besides Chicago to travel to Seattle, then a Bears Sunday Night Football opener against the Green Bay Packers makes a lot of sense.

New coach. New young star.  New mindset.

On Thursday, Bay FC held a media day before heading into their third season. And unlike last year, when there was a lot of talk about building on the momentum of the debut season and winning a home playoff game, the talk this February centered more on regaining confidence and building something sustainable. 

"It's a fresh start," said goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz.

This is a reset for Bay FC, after last year's disappointment resulted in the exit of coach Albertin Montoya and an overhaul of the front office. But it's a reset full of promise, due to two major developments. First, the hiring of new coach Emma Coates. Then, this week's acquisition of defensive midfielder Claire Hutton, a rising star with the U.S. national team. 

"I think Claire Hutton is a generational talent," Silkowitz said. "She's such a creative, dynamic player. The leadership she brings at such a young age, you would never know she's 20. And I think just her poise and confidence on the ball is incredible. She really kind of locks down that (defensive midfield) and you need that."

Hutton turned professional right out of high school, signing a contract at age 17 with Kansas City. She got her first opportunity with the U.S. Women's National Team last year, in the She Believes Cup, and has made 13 appearances since then. Last month, against Paraguay, she wore the captain's armband after Trinity Rodman subbed out, becoming the youngest player to captain the USWNT. 

"I think she's a future captain in the making, without question," national team coach Emma Hayes said at the time. "What a great learning moment for her to have."

Hutton, in the Bay Area for just 36 hours before meeting the media, said she's learned a lot in the past year through her national team experience.

"Emma (Hayes) knows that there's going to be a growth period, that there's going to be setbacks, but just continuing to get up, get back on your horse, keep riding the waves," Hutton said. "Relentlessness is something that I try to take a lot of pride in. Every day is not perfect."

Now another English coach named Emma will have the opportunity to work with the talented young player. 

"When I met her you wouldn't know her age," Coates said of Hutton, who turned 20 last month. "You realize that she's a leader. She's really mature, she's got good football intelligence and when you watch her play, she's really dynamic."

The fresh start for Bay FC comes with eyes focused forward, not backwards on what went wrong last season. But the specifics of what players praised about the new coaching staff are an indication of what was missing last year. 

They spoke of attention to detail and tactical expertise. Of providing structure and rebuilding confidence.

"She just allows us to make decisions," forward Penelope Hocking said of Coates. "She's instilled so much confidence. It's a clean slate this year and she's treating it as a clean state. So if you started or were on the bench last year, it doesn't matter. She's given everybody confidence because she trusts her decision making and it guides our decision making. On the field, the coach is not always going to tell us what to do and be robotic."

"She brings a lot more tactical energy," midfielder Tess Boade said. "She sees the game super well."

"She's really clear on what she wants to see from us," said defender Alyssa Malonson. 

Many of the players spoke of their excitement at having a female coach, some for the very first time. 

"I love it - it's the first time in my career that I've been coached by a female coach," said midfielder Hannah Bebar. "Having role models like that, especially for younger girls, and seeing the change and growth in our sport is super important."

"This is my first female head coach, and I've loved every second of it so far," said midfielder Caroline Conti. 

The NWSL still has only a handful of female coaches - four, plus an interim in Portland - compared to 11 male coaches. It's a lopsided distribution, troubling for a league that was rocked by coaching scandals a few years back.   

Last season, Bay FC's season began to go sideways when a Chronicle investigation revealed there had been at least two formal players' complaints accusing Montoya of bullying. An independent external investigation cleared Montoya, but found issues with his communication style.

So, this season will also be a fresh start in terms of style and communication.

"I think there's an element of emotional intelligence with females, especially females who played soccer," Hocking said. "I think as much as football is the same sport, I think it is vastly different the way they play. I've had great experience with both male and female coaches, but I think the biggest part is the emotional intelligence for women in general."

Hutton, who will be playing for both Emmas, sees a similarity between their programs.

"What I've found very interesting, on the national team and Bay as well, from talking to the staff, is they understand us as athletes and also as female athletes," Hutton said. "There's more to just what we do on the field. There's a whole other 22 hours in the day. They talk about what we need off the field, what we need health-wise and food-wise and they want to provide us with what we need. 

"It's cool for me to know that they understand what we need to perform at our best."

That's the goal: perform their best. It's a reset. A fresh start. And reason for optimism.

This article originally published at Bay FC players ready to put troubled year behind them: ‘It's a clean slate'.

Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Xandra Velzeboer of the Netherlands won the gold medal in women's 500-meter short track speed skating in Milan, Italy, on Thursday, after setting a world record in the semifinals.

The 24-year-old skated the four laps of the track in a blistering 41.609 seconds in the final race to win gold.

Velzeboer took an early lead and maintained a large gap over the remaining four skaters for most of the race.

Italy's Arianna Fontana finished second with a time of 42.294 seconds and Canada's Courtney Sarault finished third with 42.427 seconds.

Velzeboer's win came on the heels of her setting a new world record of 41.399 seconds in the semifinals earlier Thursday.

Fontana had won the gold medal in the 500 meters during the last two Winter Olympics, and with Thursday's silver medal, she now has 13 Olympic medals in total.

The Arizona Cardinals have a new head coach in Mike LaFleur. No other coaching announcements have been made, although some hirings have been reported.

Nathaniel Hackett is supposed to be their offensive coordinator and Michel Ghobrial is expected to be their special teams coordinator. Some offensive position coaches are known.

But we do not yet know who will be the defensive coordinators, as they appear to still be interviewing candidates.

When can we expect an announcement?

If we look back to when Jonathan Gannon was hired in 2023 as head coach, it was February 14. The coordinators were announced one week later, on February 21. So based on that timeline, the Cardinals are behind that pace. LaFleur's hiring was announced on Feb. 1 this year. It is the 12th and no announcement for coordinators has been made.

We can presume that one could be coming next week perhaps.

As for position coaches and assistants, that came later. The rest of Gannon's staff in 2023 was not announced until March 1.

So when it comes to LaFleur's staff, perhaps sometime next week we will get official news of their coordinators, but we shouldn't get too antsy about the rest of the assistants.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: When will the Arizona Cardinals announce their coaching staff?

Chloe Kim celebrates her second place in the women's halfpipe snowboarding final with the American flag at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno, Italy, on February 12, 2026. Credit - Oliver Weiken—picture alliance/Getty Images

You’d be forgiven for disbelieving the smile on Chloe Kim’s face Thursday night in Livigno, Italy, after she finished with a silver medal in the women’s Olympic halfpipe snowboarding finals. Kim’s victories at the Olympics are typically inevitable. And after she finished first in qualifying earlier in the week, it seemed she had shaken the effects of the dislocated left shoulder she suffered back in early January. Winners refuse to accept second place, right? 

But upon further review, Kim’s jubilant reception of the silver medal at the Milano Cortina Games made all kinds of sense. In fact, this hardware may wind up meaning more to her than the golds she took home from PyeongChang in 2018 and Beijing four years ago. 

“Absolutely,” says Kim. “I mean, a month ago, I wasn’t even sure if I would be here. I could get emotional thinking about it. I really worked hard to get here. So this medal means so much.”

Following the competition, she walked down a snowy hill at the Livigno Snow Park halfpipe venue, hand-in-hand with her boyfriend, Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns, the NFL’s reigning defensive player of the year, who stood with Kim’s family and friends at the bottom of the halfpipe, snapping photos of Kim in action. “Exciting but terrifying,” Garrett said, about watching Kim contort her body in the air on a snowboard. 

She’s got reason to be happy, personally and professionally. The new Olympic gold medalist, Goan Choi of South Korea, is now the youngest Olympic snowboard gold medalist, at 17 years, 101 days. Kim, who was also 17 when she won Olympic gold in PyeongChang, has become a mentor for Choi. If Kim walks away from snowboarding—“I’m aware that I can’t do this forever,” she says—she’d leave the sport in good hands.      

“She's my baby. I've known her since she was so little, and I'm so proud of her,” says Kim. “It means so much to me to know that I've inspired a whole new generation.”

Read more: Chloe Kim on Going for Her Third Olympic Gold, Her Pet Snake, and Her NFL Boyfriend

The night began in typical Chloe Kim fashion. Seven of the 12 finalists fell in their first run in snowy conditions, which made landing tricks more of a challenge. But Kim made no such mistakes, and her run was visibly superior, even through the snowfall. Her score, at 88.00, led the competition. 

Each Olympic halfpipe finalist gets three runs, with the highest score the only one that counts. Could anyone surpass Kim in the final two runs? It had never happened before in the Games.

Kim had even held back in her first run. “I'll admit, I went pretty safe on it,” she says. “Didn't go as big as I was in practice, mainly because I was watching all these girls take slams, and I was like, let's just get to the bottom.”

Entering her second run, Kim still held the lead. She tried to stretch her limits. “I wanted to try something I'd never done before,” says Kim. “I wanted to make history.” She fell. 

Choi had a scary-looking accident in her first run; she remained in the middle of the halfpipe for a few minutes while receiving medical attention, but was able to ride to the bottom of her own accord. Choi thought about dropping out of the event. 

Instead, she stunned the Livigno Snow Park by scoring a 90.25 on her final run, upping the evening’s ante. For the first time at the Olympics, Kim trailed. So she’d have to come through in the evening’s final attempt. “My coach said, you know, you could do your first run better, or you can go for it,” says Kim. “I wanted to go for it. Because that's what I do.” 

She fell again, allowing Choi to claim the gold. “The snow really started to come down, the wall started to get a little sticky,” says Kim. “No excuses here. I should have made that mental note when I dropped in and felt it on my first hit. Yeah, I couldn't come through. But all good.” 

Kim made a beeline for Choi to congratulate her. “She took a heavy slam, got back up and won the damn thing,” says Kim. “That is badass.” Choi is not only the youngest Olympic snowboarding champion: she’s also the youngest X-Games halfpipe titleist ever, winning the event in 2023 and unseating Kim for that distinction as well. 

Kim fell short in her bid to be the first snowboarder to win three straight Olympic golds. “I don't know if there really was a weight on my shoulders,” she says. “I feel like every time I go into a competition, it's always like, ‘Oh, she can make history here. She could do this. She could do that.’ I'm just here to snowboard and whatever medal I get in doing so, great.”

On Kim’s itinerary upon her U.S. reentry: shoulder surgery. “I’m excited for it to not be popping out all the time,” she says. Kim believes the injury cost her the key pre-Games training time needed to execute a flawless plan.

Not that she’s at all bummed about it.  “In my eyes, I’m a winner,” says Kim. “Because I was able to persevere and fight through.” 

Write to Sean Gregory at sean.gregory@time.com.

Kyle Busch is kicking off the 2026 season with the serious intentions of winning races, after spending the last two years struggling to get great results. It’s been a while since he won, and his pole in Daytona seems to have lit a fire in him.

Over the past two seasons, Busch has knocked on the winning door more than once. Some days ended in wrecks when the pack stacked up. On other days, an engine let go, the car’s balance was off, or a pit stop went sideways. When he jumped from Joe Gibbs Racing to Richard Childress Racing in 2023, he hit the ground running with three wins in his first year. But since then, the tide has not flowed the same way.

Still, Busch insists that the drive never left him. Speaking toFOX8 WGHP, he pushed back on the noise that kept saying ‘he can’t do it’.

“Absolutely, I think there’s a lot of people out there that want to be detractors and want to say that you’re too old, you can’t do it, this and that. And I’m like, all I did was move from Joe Gibbs Racing to Richard Childress Racing, and when I first got here, we won three races in one year,” the 40-year-old said.

“So it’s just a matter of putting all the right people in all the right places and having the things kind of go your way,” he continued. “So again, a lot of different things that can happen in this business that can set you forward or bring you back, and so we want to get back up towards the front.”

Buschalready stands as the winningest active driver in the field, with 63 Cup wins across 750 starts over 22 years, plus titles in 2015 and 2019. The trophy case is full, but his appetite has not faded, despite the heartbreaks.

Busch is yearning to win the Daytona 500 race

The one prize that keeps Busch pacing is the Daytona 500, a trophy that continues to elude him. He has led more than 340 laps in the race without sealing the deal, the most by any driver still chasing that victory.

Days before Busch’s 21st attempt, he put it in terms anyone can grasp. “If you were eating and you haven’t eaten in 22 years, you’d be pretty hungry, right?”

“So that’s a race I certainly want to shout out on and win and check the box for, we’ve been able to accomplish it. It’s been a long time. I mean, we’ve been ‘Oh so close’ there a few times, more so since being at RCR. I’ve had some really, really good chances of winning that race,” the Richard Childressdriver declared.

In his Busch’s first Daytona 500 with RCR, he led at the 500-mile mark, running nose to tail with Austin Dillon. A caution set up over time, the field shuffled, and a last-lap crash dropped him to 19th. In 2019, he finished second behind Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin in a 1-2 result. In 2021, he lined up with a shot at the win on the final lap before a wreck triggered by Joey Logano swept him up, leaving him 14th.

And that pattern has played out more than that in his 20 tries. But now he heads back with the new Chevrolet body and the No. 8 team, aiming to put himself in the mix again. At some point, he hopes the cards fall his way and the Daytona 500 checkered flag lands in his hands.

The post “You Are Too Old You Can’t Do It”: Kyle Busch Wants to Prove Detractors Wrong appeared first on The SportsRush.

Anthony Alfredo's Daytona 500 dream has come to a bitter end. After racing his way into the 2026 season-opener, his No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet failed post-race inspection.

Alfredo finished 18th in Duel #2, besting both BJ McLeod and JJ Yeley to race his way into the 500. He failed to qualify for the race in 2025, and was extremely emotional over the prospect of competing in NASCAR's biggest race for just the third time in his career.

Instead, he will be going home alongside Corey LaJoie (RFK Racing), Chandler Smith (Front Row Motorsports), and Yeley (NY Racing Team).

NASCAR found a transaxle cooling hose that wasn't fastened properly, and another hose meant for driver cooling was completely disconnected, leading to the inspection failure.

Since the Duels are part of qualifying, this is treated differently than a normal race disqualification, and so Alfredo will have no opportunity to appeal. 

As long as his own car passes, McLeod in the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet will take his place on the grid. As long as all goes well in his own post-race inspection, this will be McLeod's sixth start in the Daytona 500 and his first since 2023. He failed to qualify for the race in both 2024 and 2025. 

More to follow...

Chase Elliott wins Duel #2 as an emotional Alfredo locks into Daytona 500

Joey Logano wins Duel #1 as Mears full-throttles into wreck to make the Daytona 500

To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.

Let’s be honest.

This past season wasn’t easy for Ryan Williams.

There were flashes of brilliance, the kind that reminded everyone why he was one of the most electric young players in the country, but there were also moments of frustration.

Drops.

Growing pains.

Learning curves.

The weight of expectations that come with wearing that script “A” on your helmet.

At Alabama, you don’t get the luxury of quietly developing.

You either shine, or people talk.

And they talked.

But here’s what matters: Ryan Williams didn’t run from it.

He didn’t transfer.

He didn’t make excuses.

He didn’t disappear.

He leaned in.

That’s why 2026 feels different. Not because of hype. Not because of preseason rankings. But because struggle does something to competitors, it sharpens them.

And Alabama needs sharpened leaders.

Under Kalen DeBoer, this program is still carving out its new identity. The Nick Saban era built a dynasty on discipline, accountability, and player-led leadership. That doesn’t just magically transfer over. It has to be owned by the guys in the locker room.

This next season can be Ryan Williams’ season, not just in production, but in presence.

Alabama doesn’t just need highlight catches.

It needs voices.

It needs someone who will speak up when practice intensity drops.

Someone who will demand details matter.

Someone who knows what it feels like to be questioned, and refuses to let his teammates fold under that same pressure.

Leadership isn’t about being perfect.

It’s about being tested and choosing growth.

Williams was tested.

Now he gets to respond.

The SEC isn’t forgiving. Bryant-Denny isn’t patient. And Alabama fans don’t celebrate potential, they celebrate results. But the players who become legends here are rarely the ones who had smooth journeys. They’re the ones who faced adversity, absorbed it, and came back stronger.

This is that moment for him.

If Ryan Williams takes that next step, vocally, emotionally, competitively, it changes more than his stat line.

It changes the locker room.

It sets a tone for young receivers.

It shows transfers what the standard really looks like.

It reminds everyone that Alabama football is built on resilience.

This isn’t about redemption headlines.

It’s about maturity.

It’s about ownership.

It’s about a player realizing that greatness at Alabama means more than talent, it means being a voice when it’s uncomfortable and a standard when it’s inconvenient.

Ryan Williams struggled at times this year.

Good.

Because now he understands what it takes.

And if he channels that into leadership?

2026 won’t just be his breakout season.

It’ll be his defining one.

Injuries cast shadow over Copa del Rey semifinal first leg

Flick faces Atletico test with depleted Barcelona side

Barcelona travel to face Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semifinals first leg with several key players ruled out through injury.

Big test in Madrid

FC Barcelona preparing for crucial first-leg clash against Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semifinals on Thursday night at the Metropolitano Stadium.

The match comes at difficult moment for the Catalan side who are dealing with several injuries in key areas. The second leg is scheduled to take place one month later adding extra importance to the result in Madrid.

Rashford ruled out, Attack hit hard

Barcelona confirmed that Marcus Rashford will miss the match due to injury. The England forward was left out of the squad list just hours before the trip adding more pressure on already weakened attack.

The absence of Raphinha continues to be concern. The Brazilian winger trained separately in the gym as he recovers from right adductor injury suffered in late January.

Although the club initially expected short recovery period, his return has taken longer than planned.

Midfield and defense also affected

The injury list does not stop there. Barcelona will also be without Pedri & Gavi leaving the midfield short of creativity and control.

Their absence puts more responsibility on the remaining players to manage possession against strong and physical Atletico side.

In defense Andreas Christensen is also unavailable reducing options at the back.

Young players join first-team session

Head coach Hansi Flick included several academy players in training to cover the gaps. Among them were Tommy, Kochen, Jofre Torrents, Juan Hernández and Brian Fariñas.

With limited options, Barcelona may rely on youth energy and tactical discipline to handle the pressure of semifinal played away from home.

The 2025 NASCAR offseason was arguably one of the most exciting periods of off-track drama in recent history, and the saga surrounding the revelation of top NASCAR officials lambasting Richard Childress behind his back was among the biggest stories. The controversy centered on insulting text messages directed at one of the most iconic individuals in the sport’s history.

The messages, which put then-Commissioner Steve Phelps in hot water for calling Childress a “stupid redneck,” became public during the antitrust lawsuit between NASCAR and 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. Phelps was forced to resign from his position, and NASCAR may have hoped the issue was behind them.

Childress, however, has refused to move on.

The RCR team owner is a highly respected individual in motorsports. Powerful people like him don’t just forget such disrespect. That said, for now, , he understands that he must remain calm and composed for the sake of the sport.

Childress said in a recent interview with Fox8 WGHP, “I have spoken to the France family, and my goal right now is to help everyone come together and build a stronger NASCAR sport. As far as the personal damages that came at me, if I tell you what I think now, you will probably be bleeping me out.

“So, that is still to be carried on in the future. I am like an old elephant. I don’t forget,” he added.

That won’t let the officials involved in disparaging him rest easily. Further in the interview, Childress was asked if he would use the insults as a motivation to drive him through the season. Richard Childress Racing isn’t exactly one of the big dogs in the sport right now and has a lot of work to do. But the benefactor will find his inspiration to do better elsewhere and not from such slanders.

Childress continued, “I think the race fans get me fired up. They keep me excited. One of them guys called me a ‘redneck’. That’s a badge I will honorably wear. I have got a lot of race fans that are solid rednecks and I think you can’t forget what built the sport was the people back in the day standing up having a beer at the top of their cars. Cheering and screaming and hollering.”

The most difficult thing for him was restraining himself from saying words that would have been bleeped out. He showed immense restraint and generosity by not putting himself above the sport. If anything, this will only elevate his legacy as a true icon of stock car racing.

The post Richard Childress Has Still Not Gotten Over the Personal Attacks Made on Him by NASCAR Executives appeared first on The SportsRush.

ALCOA, Tenn. (WATE) – The state’s No. 1-ranked Webb boys basketball team rolled past Alcoa 78-53 on the road Thursday night, heading into the postseason riding an 18-game win streak.

The defending DII-AA State Champions started red-hot from behind the three-point line and jumped to a nine point lead at the end of the first quarter. They never looked back and defeated the Tornadoes for the second year in a row.

The Spartans improved to 28-2 and will host the winner of Chattanooga Christian-McCallie on Tuesday, February 17, in the Region Semifinals. Webb is ranked by MaxPreps as No. 1 in Tennessee and No. 11 in the nation.

Alcoa fell to 15-11 but they head into the postseason a perfect 8-0 in district play.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — NCAA scoring leader Mikayla Blakes had 34 points, Aubrey Galvan added 18 points and eight rebounds and No. 5 Vanderbilt beat No. 4 Texas 86-70 on Thursday night.

Blakes raised her scoring average to 26.2 points. She reached 30 or more for the fourth straight game and ninth time this season.

The Commodores (24-2, 10-2 Southeastern Conference) won their third straight over a Top 25 team and fourth overall. They trailed early before taking control midway through the first quarter.

Madison Booker led Texas (23-3, 9-3) with 20 points and eight rebounds. Breya Cunningham had 14 points before fouling out late in the third quarter.

Vanderbilt has won 14 consecutive home games this season, further extending the school record for a season.

After falling behind 7-4 early in the first quarter, Vanderbilt went on a 14-0 run and finished the opening frame up 27-15 thanks to 9-of-12 shooting, including 4 of 5 from behind the 3-point line. The Commodores led 47-30 at the half, paced by Blakes’ 15 points and Galvan’s 13.

The Commodores led by as many as 26 midway through the third before Texas closed the gap to as few as 11 with 2:15 left in the fourth.

NO. 7 MICHIGAN 80, NORTHWESTERN 58

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Olivia Olson had 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and Michigan beat Northwestern.

Michigan (21-4, 12-2 Big Ten) shook off a slow start while bouncing back from a 69-66 home loss to No. 2 UCLA on Sunday. Next up is a big matchup with rival Michigan State on Sunday.

Syla Swords scored 16 points for the Wolverines, and Kendall Dudley had 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting.

Northwestern (8-16, 2-11) dropped its sixth consecutive game. Caroline Lau had 16 points and six assists for the Wildcats. Grace Sullivan also scored 16, and Tayla Thomas finished with 13.

Michigan erased a seven-point deficit with a 21-3 run in the third quarter. The Wolverines went ahead to stay on Swords’ driving layup with 5:42 left, and Dudley’s basket made it 56-45 with 1:19 to go.

Thomas missed two foul shots for Northwestern during the decisive sequence, and Sullivan had a costly turnover.

The Wolverines led by 23 on Olson’s jumper with 3:30 left. The sophomore guard scored 14 points in the second half.

NO. 9 LOUISVILLE 86, WAKE FOREST 67

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Laura Ziegler scored 13 points, Tajianna Roberts had 12 and Louisville held Wake Forest to just nine points in each of the first two quarters on the way to a rout.

The Cardinals (23-4, 13-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) have won their past two contests by 19 points each since their initial league loss to No. 11 Duke snapped a 14-game winning streak. They and the Demon Deacons each shot 52% overall and 44% from long range, but Louisville consistently stayed above 50% for three quarters while all 12 players scored at least one basket.

The Cardinals led by 32 late in the fourth before inserting reserves. Wake Forest outscored them 15-2 over the final 4:20.

Elif Istanbulluoglu added 10 points with two 3-pointers for Louisville, which made 11 of 25 from behind the arc.

Grace Oliver scored 20 points while Milan Brown and Aurora Sorbye had 12 each for the Demon Deacons (13-13, 3-11) who have dropped 10 of 11. Wake Forest overcame 38% shooting in the first half to make 19 of 31 (61%) after halftime and 65% in the fourth (11 of 17).

NO. 10 OKLAHOMA 81, FLORIDA 74

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Zya Vann scored 18 points and Peyton Verhulst had 16 points and nine rebounds as Oklahoma rallied to beat Florida.

Aaliyah Chavez added 16 points and seven assists and made all 10 of her free throws for Oklahoma (18-6, 6-5 Southeastern Conference), which overcame poor shooting in the first half.

Liv McGill had 29 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for Florida (15-12, 3-9), which held the Sooners scoreless for four minutes in the second quarter and led 37-26 at halftime. Me’Arah O’Neal scored 14 points and Jade Weathersby added 11 for the Gators.

Oklahoma played a forgettable first half. The Sooners made 10 of 36 shots (28%) and were one of nine from behind the arc while the Sooners’ two best players — Chavez and Raegen Beers, struggled.

NO. 14 MISSISSIPPI 80, ARKANSAS 57

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Cotie McMahon racked up 21 points and dished five assists as Mississippi cruised by Arkansas to reach 20 wins for the fifth straight season.

McMahon scored 20 or more points for the fourth straight game and has scored double figures in all but one outing this season.

The Rebels (20-5, 7-3 Southeastern Conference) bounced back from a 64-63 loss at then-No. 21 Alabama last Thursday to comfortably get back into the win column in their first home game in over a month.

Latasha Lattimore added 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season, and Denim DeShields tacked on 12 points for Ole Miss.

Ole Miss took the lead for good just 2:25 into the first quarter on a Lattimore layup and built a double-digit lead before the end of the first frame. They kept the lead the rest of the way, with a 40-27 lead at the half stretching to 20 points after a 7-0 run to open the second half.

For the Razorbacks (11-15, 0-11), Taleyah Jones led in scoring with 16 points, and Bonnie Deas had 14 with eight rebounds.

NO. 17 TCU 83, NO. 12 BAYLOR 67

WACO, Texas (AP) — Olivia Miles poured in career highs with 40 points and 10 3-pointers to lead TCU over Baylor.

Miles scored 10 points in the first half before an outrageous, 23-point third quarter in which she went 7 of 9 from behind the arc, and accounted for all but two of the Horned Frogs’ 25 points.

She turned a four-point halftime lead into a 13-point advantage by the end of the third, scoring the most points in a single quarter by any Division I player since Caitlin Clark on Feb. 15, 2024.

She hit her 10th 3-pointer with 5:31 left in the fourth quarter. It’s her second-straight game with 31 or more, in a season in which she’s never scored fewer than 12 points in a game.

Marta Suarez also added 27 points to go with six rebounds for the Horned Frogs (22-4, 10-3 Big 12).

Taliah Scott led the Bears (21-5, 10-3) with 22 points on 5-of-10 shooting, and crossed the 1,000-point threshold for her career. Jana Van Gytenbeek had 14 points to go with six assists. Darianna Littlepage-Buggs scored 14 to go with five rebounds and two blocks.

NO. 18 KENTUCKY 75, TEXAS A&M 55

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Asia Boone and Tonie Morgan each scored 19 points and Clara Strack posted a double-double as Kentucky breezed past Texas A&M.

Boone was 5-of-11 shooting, with four made 3-pointers, and Morgan added eight assists. Strack had 17 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks for the Wildcats (19-7, 6-6 Southeastern Conference).

Strack continued her double-double average at 16 points and 10.5 rebounds per game heading into the contest. She has 13 double-doubles on the year after entering tied for the 14th-most double-doubles in the country.

The Wildcats opened the game on a 16-0 run to build a commanding 27-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. Boone had eight points in the quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers during the opening run.

It was 38-18 at the half, and the Aggies never got closer than a 17-point deficit after that.

The Aggies (10-10, 2-9) have lost four consecutive games on the road.

NO. 20 MARYLAND 81, PENN STATE 62

COLLEGE Park, Md. (AP) — Yarden Garzon led with 19 points, four other Terrapins scored in double figures, and Maryland took down Penn State.

Oluchi Okananwa (15 points), Addi Mack (13), Saylor Poffenbarger (10), and Mir McLean (10) each chipped in for the Terrapins (20-6, 8-6 Big Ten), who won their third straight game.

Poffenbarger hauled in 11 rebounds and had five assists in her third double-double of the season, and Okananwa dished six assists and tied her career-high with six steals.

Maryland led 38-34 at the half, shooting 46% fro the field but just 17% from beyond the arc. An 11-0 run early in the third quarter put them up double figures, and the Terrapins opened the fourth with a 13-3 run that put the game out of reach.

Kiyomi McMiller racked up 30 points on 12-of-26 shooting for the Lady Lions (8-17, 1-13), her third straight game with 30 or more points.

NO. 21 NORTH CAROLINA 94, SMU 42

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Lanie Grant scored 15 points, Indya Nivar added 14 and North Carolina routed SMU for its eighth straight victory.

Courtney Banghart secured her 400th career win to become one of 48 active coaches in Division I women’s basketball to reach the mark.

North Carolina jumped out to a 28-9 lead by the end of the first quarter after making 6 of 8 3-pointers, while SMU went 3-for-14 overall. Five different Tar Heel players made a 3-pointer in the first quarter, with Laila Hull going 2 for 2.

Then the Tar Heels went on a 14-0 run, with 3-pointers by Nyla Brooks and Taliyah Henderson, early in the second quarter for a 31-point lead. Hull made North Carolina’s ninth 3-pointer of the first half — on just 12 attempts — for a 49-18 lead at the break.

North Carolina’s lead did not drop below 31 points in the second half.

Henderson finished with 13 points and Hull had 11 for North Carolina (21-5, 10-3 ACC).

NO. 22 TENNESSEE 98, MISSOURI 53

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Janiah Barker scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Talaysia Cooper added 17 points and four steals, and Tennessee rolled past Missouri.

Barker shot 9 of 16 from the field and 2 for 5 from beyond the arc for the Lady Vols (16-6, 8-2 Southeastern Conference), who had lost three of their last four games.

Alyssa Latham added 15 points (7-for-10 shooting), Nya Robertson scored 14, and Deniya Prawl notched her first career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 10 rebounds for Tennessee.

The Lady Vols took a double-digit lead just under eight minutes into the contest and stretched their advantage to 30 with a 9-0 run in the second quarter. They held a 53-22 lead at the half. Barker scored 16 points and shot 6 for 9 in the first half, and Latham added 10 points. Tennessee shot 55% as a team in the opening half and held Mizzou to 27%.

The Tigers (16-11, 4-8) were paced by Grace Slaughter’s 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Shannon Dowell added 11 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Mizzou dropped their second straight contest after a three-game win streak.

In the 50th edition of Mizzou vs Oklahoma on the mat since 1930, the No. 17 Tigers won 23-14 over the No. 16 Sooners. The dual also marked Mizzou’s senior night as it’s the last home meet of the season. Two of its three graduating wrestlers won their matches.

The Tigers swept the 149lbs through 184lbs divisions, including two tech fall wins. Both teams came into the dual on win Streaks, but Mizzou proved to be the hotter program.

All individual rankings are according to InterMat.

125

No. 26 R-FR Mack Mauger (MIZ) defeated by No. 32 R-SO Conrad Hendriksen (OU) via decision 4-1 SV

The first bout of the night set a precedent for how close the rest of the dual would be. Each wrestler earned an escape point when starting on bottom position in the second and third period, leading to overtime.

Mauger went for a shot at Hendriksen’s legs in sudden victory, and the latter responded with a front headlock that got him behind for a cradle into the winning takedown with 48 seconds left in the period. The Sooners took an early 3-0 lead.

133

No. 28 SO Gage Walker (MIZ) over R-SO Carter Schmidt (OU) via decision 8-6

Walker looked like he was running away with his match going into the third period with a 7-1 lead. Schmidt started on bottom in the third and strung together four points with an escape and takedown.

The last point awarded to Walker came from an escape, and Schmidt earned his last point from a stalling penalty. The win was rough overall because Walker could’ve scored more points for Mizzou, but he gathered himself after facing some adversity. The Tigers evened things up at 3-3.

141

R-JR Easton Hilton (MIZ) defeated by No. 27 JR Tyler Wells (OU) via decision 3-2

Much like the bout at 125lbs, this was one that easily could’ve gone Mizzou’s way. Hilton got out to a 1-0 lead after escaping from bottom position in the second period, but Wells got hold of Hilton’s ankle with around 20 seconds remaining in the second and drove him back for the takedown.

Hilton didn’t allow Wells to get an escape point in the third period. However, Hilton couldn’t get any offense going, only earning his second point for having riding time. The Sooners reclaimed the lead at 6-3.

149

No. 22 R-SR Joshua Edmond (MIZ) over R-FR Hunter Hollingsworth (OU) via decision 4-2

Edmond clinched his first win since Jan. 25 with a takedown in the third period. The bout was knotted at 1-1 in the third period after each wrestler earned their escape point off bottom positioning. Edmond got the takedown after switching from a double leg to a single leg hold that got Hollingsworth on his back.

The senior night victory was hard fought by Edmond in his return. The match was once again evened up, this time at 6-6.

157

No. 15 R-SR Teague Travis (MIZ) over R-FR Ty Layton Schneider (OU) via major decision 15-4

In another senior night victory for the Tigers, Travis put together one of his most complete performances donning the black and gold. The CoMo native earned his win through a variety of means: takedowns, reversals and riding time.

Travis had nearly two minutes of riding time, making his bout the most dominant of the night going into the intermission. The Tigers jumped out to the biggest lead of the night at 10-6.

165

No. 26 R-JR J Conway (MIZ) over R-FR Owen Eck (OU) via decision 8-6

Oklahoma’s usual starter at 165lbs, No. 31 redshirt senior Peyten Kellar, didn’t wrestle in the match. Conway scored early takedowns in the first and third periods against Eck. The former got to a single leg to open up the match in the first to get Eck in the air and down for the takedown.

Eck responded with a takedown in the second period, which ended with Conway holding a 5-4 lead. The winning takedown came as Conway got behind Eck and corralled him as he tried to scramble away. The Tigers increased their lead to 13-6.

174

No. 9 R-JR Cam Steed (MIZ) over FR Trae Rios (OU) via tech fall 21-3

No. 8 redshirt sophomore Carter Schubert (OU) was out for the dual. Steed took care of business against the supplement, winning the bout at the end of the second period.

He made three takedowns in the first period for a 9-3 lead. The series by Steed in the second period was masterful. Three 4-point near falls in the last 90 seconds of the period sealed the bout. The Tigers jumped to an 18-6 lead.

184

No. 3 R-FR Aeoden Sinclair (MIZ) over R-SO Eli Cordy (OU) via tech fall 22-6

In the most dominant match of the night, Sinclair grabbed the tech fall just 2:13 into the first period. No. 10 senior Brian Soldano marked another Sooner starter out from the dual.

Sinclair made seven takedowns in the first and was awarded a bonus point after Cordy threw his headgear aside. The final takedown came as Sinclair grabbed Cordy’s ankle and stumbled down to the mat, trying to scramble away. The Tigers’ lead extended to 23-6 and clinched the dual win.

197

No. 12 R-SR Evan Bates (MIZ) defeated by No. 11 SR DJ Parker (OU) via major decision 18-4

The only senior who couldn’t clinch a going-away victory was Bates. He had a quick, yet powerful opponent in front of him with Parker and he trailed from behind early.

Parker took a 10-1 lead after the first period. He made a takedown 12 seconds into the bout and turned that into a 4-point near fall. The second period went scoreless, and Parker got back to his offense in the third period. The score stood 23-10 going into the final match.

285

No. 25 R-SO Jarrett Stoner (MIZ) defeated by No. 21 SR Juan Mora (OU) via major decision 14-4

While Stoner’s bout didn’t hold any weight in the outcome of the dual, he still struggled against a bigger opponent. Stoner is on the lighter side of heavyweights and has struggled with opponents like Mora throughout this season.

This was the second time they wrestled this season, the first coming at the Tiger Style Invite in early November. Stoner lost by an 11-5 decision in the finals against Mora in that tournament.

Mizzou hits the road for its final regular season dual against No. 4 Iowa State on Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. in Ames, Iowa. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Feb. 12 (UPI) -- The American men dominated Latvia during their first game of the preliminary round of Olympic hockey in Milan, Italy, on Thursday, besting the Latvians 5-1 with two goals from Brock Nelson.

Five Americans recorded two-point nights, including Nelson, Jack Eichel, Matthew Tkachuk and brothers Jack and Quinn Hughes.

Connor Hellebuyck stopped 17 of 18 shots in the win. Latvian goaltender and Columbus Blue Jackets' property Elvis Merzlikins was pulled after letting in four goals on 32 shots in 40 minutes of play, and Arturs Silovs allowed one goal on the six shots he faced in the final frame.

"We got a lot of active D-men back there that can join the rush and attack in waves, and, you know, I thought we were doing that for the whole 60 [minutes] there," Nelson told reporters following the game.

"Obviously, you know, their [goaltender] was really good and kept it in for a while there, but we knew if we just stuck with our game plan it would eventually break."

Brady Tkachuk opened the scoring nearly five minutes, 30 seconds in the first period off a pass from his brother.

At the American blue line, defenseman Zach Werenski passed the puck to Matthew Tkachuk, who was posted up at the boards at Latvia's blue line. Sucking in Latvian defenseman Kristians Rubins, the Florida Panthers forward opened up a laneway down the middle for Brady Tkachuk, who picked up a chipped pass in the slot and rifled a shot off the left post and in past Merzlikins.

"I got a great stretch pass from Werenski. Just trying to get the line," Matthew Tkachuk told reporters about the goal after the game. "[Brady Tkachuk] was coming with speed. We kind of caught them on a change there and I just tried to get it over to him, knowing he was coming with some speed and hell of a shot."

"I don't know what to say," he continued. "You can assist on your younger brother's goal in the Olympics ... really, really, really special."

The early U.S. lead was short-lived, with Latvia pressing and scoring its first goal almost exactly two minutes later.

In the United States' end, forward Matt Boldy lost the puck under pressure coming out of the corner, coughing up to Zemgus Girgensons, who took a quick shot that was blocked in front.

With the Americans scrambling to get the puck away from the front of the net with Latvia's forwards fighting at it at their feet, Renars Krastenbergs shoveled a back-hander past Hellebuyck, who was left looking skyward.

The period ended 1-1 with two U.S. goals called back during the frame, a Quinn Hughes shot for Nelson being ruled offside and a Nelson deflection due to T.J. Miller interfering with Merzlikins.

While Merzlikins was able to keep it close in the first and much of the second, the floodgates under U.S. insistence would open with a little more than nine minutes left in the middle frame, despite big saves made by Merzlikins.

With the United States controlling play, forward Vincent Trocheck picked up a puck off the glass in the corner, backhanded it to Jack Hughes who came out on the left side of the net. Latvia puck-watching, failed to pick up Nelson, who skated into the slot, receiving a pass from the New Jersey Devils forward before freezing Merzlikins with a move and sliding the puck into a gaping net on his backhand, making it 2-1 for the Americans.

With the man advantage following a cross-checking minor by Latvia's Roberts Mamcics, Tage Thompson scored a power-play goal to put the U.S. up 3-1.

The Americans were cycling the puck. Eichel, at the left point, sent a pass down to Thompson at the goal line, who took a step out in front of the net and backhanded the puck top shelf over the right shoulder of Merzlikins.

Team USA would score its third goal of the period and fourth of the game in the dying seconds of the second frame.

At this point, the Americans were well in control of the game. Jack Hughes with Nelson with him were essentially on a two-on-one when they came over Latvia's blue line. As Nelson pulled two Latvians low into the zone, Jack Hughes dropped the puck to a trailing Quinn Hughes who hit Matthew Tkachuk with it in the high slot.

Matthew Tkachuk one-timed it to Jack Hughes at the left of the Latvian net and waited for Nelson to get open by the hash marks, where he received the puck and fired in a one-timer past Merzlikins.

In the third, with Silovs now between Latvia's posts, Team USA would score a fifth and final goal.

On the power play, Quinn Hughes, working as quarterback, fired a pass down to Eichel in the corner, who passed the puck to a wide-open Auston Matthews in the high slot, who shot it in past Silovs with more than 17 minutes to go.

The Americans play next on Saturday against Denmark, which fell 3-1 to Germany 3-1 earlier Thursday.

Their rivals, Team Canada, also won their first game of the tournament on Thursday against Czechia.

Connor McDavid had three assists and Sidney Crosby and Thomas Harley both had two in the 5-0 win. Jordan Bennington backstopped the Canadians with some big saves in the shutout, stopping all 26 shots he faced.

Macklin Celebrini, Mark Stone, Bo Horvat, Nathan MacKinnon and Nick Suzuki all scored for Canada.

Lukas Dostal stopped 31 of 36 shots in the loss.

ALCOA, Tenn. (WATE) — After losing by 28 points in December, the Alcoa girls basketball team earned revenge against a Webb School of Knoxville team ranked second in the state by MaxPreps, snapping the Lady Spartans 11-game win streak with a 76-64 victory Thursday night.

The Lady Tornadoes held a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and clinched the upset victory at the free throw line.

Alcoa head coach David Baumann said that in both matchups this season, the losing team was a bit short-handed with players out, but he was proud of his crew for defeating on of the best programs in the state.

“Now that we’re done with districts, we wanted to challenge ourselves playing teams like that,” Baumann said. And of course, it’s a big momentum boost for us going into the postseason. We still have one more game to finish up. Playing teams like this that are state champs and know how to win and know of what it takes, will help prepare us and hopefully help us make a long run.”

The Lady Tornadoes improved to 20-7 and will visit Maryville on Monday, February 16. The Lady Spartans closed their regular season at 22-6. The defending DII-AA State Champions will prepare for the postseason, aiming for a run at the program’s eighth state title.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side.

For the Boston Red Sox, there's no unit on the team that has had more turnover this offseason than the starting rotation.

The Red Sox added starting pitchers Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo in trades with the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates, respectively. Boston also signed left-handed starter Ranger Suarez to a five-year, $130 million contract.

Those players, in addition to other pitchers and catchers, reported to the team's spring training facility in Fort Myers, Fla., earlier this week.

Fans hoping to catch those aforementioned players and others in Grapefruit League action will have a lot of opportunities to do so this spring.

NESN released Boston's broadcast schedule for spring Thursday, which featured over 20 televised games.

NESN-broadcast games include:

An exhibition vs. Northeastern at 1:05 p.m. ET on Feb. 20; at the Minnesota Twins at 1:05 p.m. Feb. 21; vs. the Toronto Blue Jays at 1:05 p.m. Feb. 22; vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates at 1:05 p.m. Feb. 24; at Minnesota at 1:05 p.m. Feb. 25; at the Atlanta Braves at 1:05 p.m. Feb. 27; vs. the Twins at 1:05 p.m. Feb. 28; vs. the Baltimore Orioles at 1:05 p.m. March 1; at Toronto at 1:07 p.m. March 2; vs. Team Puerto Rico in an exhibition at 6:05 p.m. March 3; vs. the New York Yankees at 1:05 p.m. on March 4 on ESPN; vs. the Tampa Bay Rays at 1:05 p.m. March 7; at Pittsburgh on 1:05 p.m. on March 8; at Minnesota at 1:05 p.m. March 12; a Futures Game at 1:05 p.m. March 14; at the Braves at 6:05 p.m. March 14; vs. the Twins at 1:05 p.m. March 15; at the Orioles at 6:05 p.m. March 16; vs. Atlanta at 1:05 p.m. March 17; at Tampa Bay at 1:05 p.m. March 20; vs. the Braves at 1:05 p.m. March 21; at the Pirates at 1:05 p.m. March 22; vs. Minnesota at 1:05 p.m. March 23 and at the Twins at 1:05 p.m. March 24.

All games, unless otherwise stated, will be televised by NESN and/or NESN 360. The Red Sox's home games will take place at JetBlue Park in Florida. Twenty-five games will be televised in total based on the schedule.

The Red Sox TV schedule for spring training has dropped! ☀️

Looks like a total of 25 games will be televised. 📺 pic.twitter.com/w3dbkiMauo

— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) February 12, 2026

Select games will also be simulcast on radio on WEEI 93.7 FM and WEEI 850 AM, as well as several local television stations.

Fans will be able to watch the games through select TV providers or direct NESN subscriptions. 

Boston will be looking to continue the momentum from last season, where it made the playoffs for the second time in five seasons, before ultimately losing in a competitive three-game American League Wild Card series to its arch rivals the New York Yankees.

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need help at linebacker, and this will be true regardless of whether 36-year-old Lavonte David retires.

Devin Lloyd of the Jacksonville Jaguars has been linked to the Bucs, but the 2025 Pro Bowler's market value projects north of $60 million over three years. It's hard to see the Bucs paying that price.

Here are five less high-end options the Bucs could consider in free agency, starting with the least likely scenario.

No. 5: Nakobe Dean

Dean is probably the least likely player on this list to pack up and move to Tampa. The main obstacle is the length of his contract. Sportac has Dean's market value projected at $31.6 million over four years, which would be a big commitment for the Buccaneers to make for a player who has only played a full regular season once during his four-year career.

When healthy, Dean is very good and has established himself as one of the league's top blitzing linebackers with the Philadelphia Eagles (92.3 pass rush grade, per Pro Football Focus), which might complement head coach/defensive coordinator Todd Bowles' scheme.

Greg Auman, who covers the NFC South for FoxSports, recently predicted the Bucs would sign Dean.

With that said, Tampa Bay isn't known to give out these types of long-term deals to free agents -- they declined to negotiate with the franchise's best-ever receiver, Mike Evans, for longer than a two-year extension in 2024 -- so that might put Dean on the "less likely" side.

No. 4: Devin Bush

Bush, a South Florida native and son of former Atlanta Falcons safety Devin Bush Sr., is two years older than Dean, which is why his market value is three years compared to four, so that makes it a little more likely the Bucs would be willing to woo him.

Bush is coming off the season for his life with the Cleveland Browns, setting career highs in tackles (125), interceptions (three, two returned for touchdowns) and passes defended (eight).

He's the type of sideline-to-sideline linebacker who Bowles favors, and if the Bucs could get him to sign for two years instead of three, he'd be an even more realistic option.

No. 3: Quincy Williams

The Bucs probably wouldn't have to worry about signing Williams to a multiyear contract.

Sportac projects Williams to sign a one-year deal for an estimated $9.2 million.

But Williams is coming off a down year in 2025 for the New York Jets.

Williams was a first-team All-Pro in 2023, so if he can regain that form, he'd be a steal for whatever team signs him. A high-school track star, Williams is known for his speed, which makes him a blitz threat, and he had 100-plus tackles every year from 2021-2024, which speaks well of his ability to stop the run.

No. 2: Kaden Elliss

The Falcons want to keep Elliss, which first-year defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich revealed earlier this month.

The Bucs would probably enjoy stealing a key player from an NFC South team.

Dubbed by ESPN's Aaron Schatz as a "perfect" fit for the Bucs' defense, Elliss is known for his ability to blitz and rush, having totaled 73 pressures over the past two seasons.

His market value heading into free agency is roughly $27 million over three years, which the Bucs might be more willing to go for, considering who they'd be taking him from.

No. 1: Leo Chenal

The analytics love Chenal, with Pro Football Focus giving him a grade of above 70 in each of his four NFL seasons. He's been especially effective against the run, where he's graded above 90 in 2023 and 2024, and is rock solid in coverage, too, with his 72.6 grade ranking 11th out of 88 players at his position (his 48 pressures since 2022 also show that he can blitz, which is a big asset in Bowles' defense).

Chenal has done well for the Kansas City Chiefs when called on, but he's yet to have a full-time role in the defense, playing in fewer than half of the team's snaps in 2025 and never more than 600.

Chenal is only 25, which means the Bucs probably would have to sign him to a multiyear deal. At the same time, Spotrac only has his annual market value at $4.6 million per season, making him more affordable and cap-friendly option.

The Chiefs rank last in the NFL in available cap space, which could also help the Bucs if they want to pursue him.

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The 47th Annual Cobblestone Hotels Slinger Nationals presented by Lynch Buick GMC of West Bend just got bigger for 2026 with the new Slinger Nationals Bracket Challenge set to take place on the Monday evening of Slinger Nationals week this July. The bracket challenge will see 32 teams take place in a head-to-head time-trial format that will pay $5,000 to the winner and a guaranteed starting spot in Tuesday’s Slinger Nationals, as well as determine the qualifying order for Tuesday’s Slinger Nationals.

In previous years, the qualifying order for the Slinger Nationals was determined via a draw on Monday night. Track owner Travis Dassow, who is just beginning his second year of ownership of the historic high-banked Wisconsin half-mile, said this idea was hatched while watching the qualifying draw this past year.

“Last year at the Nationals on Monday night, me and a couple of officials were sitting around watching the draw go on,” said Dassow. “We were watching and wondering what we could do to make this better. We had a couple ideas and things that we could do. Finally we decided to do something on track that would help drum up more excitement leading into Tuesday. The race track is why the place is cool, right? It’s one of those race tracks where it basically puts on its own show, so why not make it the show? So we wanted to do this bracket challenge and make it mean something come Tuesday. We came up with the idea and then different ways to do it. At the end of the day on Mondays everyone usually mocks up anyway, so why not make it so it means something. We’ve got some sponsors involved, so we’re going to be able to pay five grand to win it. The top four will be able to put on a new set of tires, and they’re sponsored tires, so the last four left can go out and try to go for that five thousand dollars.”

The format is simple. The top 32 cars from Monday’s practice will be entered in the bracket challenge. In the first round, the top 32 cars from practice will be matched based on practice lap times to set up the bracket. Each matchup will run a three-lap time-trial session. The best lap turned will determine which driver moves on to the next round. There will be four total rounds, with the final round being a four-driver shootout. The final four drivers will get to put on a new set of tires and will then run another time-trial session to determine who wins the money.

The results from the bracket challenge will then be inverted to determine the qualifying order for Tuesday night’s Slinger Nationals qualifying session.

Dassow believes this new bracket challenge will give fans a reason to come out to the race track on Monday night, and will increase the overall level of excitement at the Slinger Nationals.

“I think what we’ve been missing a little bit with the Nationals is that the high profile national races have something going on every day,” explained Dassow. “The Nationals kind of missed that on Monday. We have practice for on-track activity, but nothing really exciting. You could go there and see who is racing and see their cars, but that was really it. Now you’ve got something to come to the track for. You can go on Sunday and come watch the Truck series and the other divisions race on Sunday night, then on Monday come watch practice in the afternoon and then watch the bracket challenge. And then that all leads right into Tuesday. Now we’ve got a real three-day show for fans to come check it all out and see something a little bit different every day.”

The 2026 Slinger Nationals will take place July 12-14 at Slinger Speedway. Tickets are on-sale now at slingersuperspeedway.com. Fans that cannot make it to Slinger Speedway this July can watch the race live on FloRacing for the second year in a row with their FloRacing subscription. 

Spurs predicted to pair Victor Wembanyama with $50 million ex-Warriors superstar via buyout originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The San Antonio Spurs waived forward Jeremy Sochan on Wednesday, opening up a roster spot for the contending Western Conference franchise.

In Sports Illustrated’s Joey Akeley’s opinion, the Spurs should add a 6-foot-5 former Golden State Warriors superstar to assist Victor Wembanyama.

“The Spurs are in the bottom 10 in three-point percentage, so they should have interest in Thompson if he gets bought out,” Akeley wrote Thursday. “Though Thompson is under contract for $17.5 million next season, I bet he'd be willing to give up a good chunk of that to join a contender.”

In his prime, Thompson wreaked havoc with the Golden State Warriors alongside Stephen Curry. With his ultra-quick, one-motion release and ability to properly utilize off-ball screens, Thompson quickly emerged as one of the best three-point specialists in the NBA. 

The 2014-15 season was Thompson’s breakout campaign with the Dubs, as he averaged 21.7 points on 46.3% field goal shooting and 43.9% three-point shooting on a Warriors squad that capped off the year with a championship. 

Thompson’s prolific three-point shooting and underrated on-ball defense helped Golden State win three additional titles during his 13-year tenure with the organization. While no longer a superstar, Thompson is still a valuable floor spacer who isn’t a complete defensive liability.

The four-time NBA champion is averaging 11.6 points per game while connecting on 38.6% of his field goals and 37.6% of his triples with the Dallas Mavericks this season. 

Thompson would undoubtedly be a championship-caliber addition for a Spurs team eying their first title since 2014.

More NBA: Lakers get good Daniel Gafford trade news

Daytona 500 lineup: Starting order, pole for 2026 race based on qualifying results originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Kyle Busch has won a lot of things across his glittering 22-year career. He hasn't captured a Daytona 500, though.

The two-time Cup Series champion, 63-time race winner and future NASCAR Hall of Famer is one of the most decorated drivers to ever grace a cockpit. But American stock car racing's grandest prize has eluded him thus far.

He's gotten close, to be sure. Busch placed third in the race in 2016 and second — behind teammate Denny Hamlin — in the 2019 iteration of the race.

At 40 years old, Busch likely doesn't have too many opportunities left to hoist the famous Daytona 500 trophy. He set himself up nicely ahead of the 2026 race, however, setting the Daytona International Speedway track alight with a blazing run during qualifying.

With that, here's what you need to know about the starting lineup for Sunday's Daytona 500.

Who won the Daytona 500 pole for 2026?

Qualifying for the Daytona 500 pole took place on Wednesday, with Richard Childress star Kyle Busch holding off reigning Championship 4 contender Chase Briscoe.

He avoided wrecking out during Thursday's Daytona Duels, ensuring he'd sit on the pole come Sunday afternoon.

Busch has yet to find victory lane since 2023. He also is yet to capture a Daytona 500. Daytona poles aren't quite meaningless. But they don't necessarily predict in-race success, either. After all, The Big One tends to shake things up in a major way during race day.

Nevertheless, Busch expressed delight over his car's performance on Wednesday.

“Just a valiant effort by everybody here,” Busch said, per NASCAR.com. “It would be really nice to be doing an interview like this about being No. 1 come Sunday night.”

Daytona 500 starting lineup 2026

No. 5 Vanderbilt added a necessary win to its resume as a potential No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament with an 86-70 win over No. 4 Texas on Thursday night.

Vanderbilt jumped out to a 27-15 first-quarter lead and never trailed throughout the game. Though Texas cut the lead to 11 in the fourth quarter, Vanderbilt closed it out, remaining perfect on its home floor this season.

Sophomore Mikayla Blakes was outstanding in the victory, finishing with a game-high 34 points — her ninth 30-plus-point game this season and her fourth consecutive. Through SEC play, as Blakes has led the Commodores to their best start in program history, more attention has come her way in conversation for the national player of the year, and deservedly so. Her performance against the Longhorns is one more feather in her cap.

The win was massive for the Commodores’ NCAA Tournament resume. If it comes down to it, that Texas and Vanderbilt are going head-to-head for the fourth No. 1 seed, it could get interesting. Though the Commodores now have the head-to-head result, the Longhorns have other factors that could still push them ahead. Texas has a 76-65 win over UCLA and a 66-64 win over South Carolina in non-conference play. The Longhorns and Commodores lost to the Gamecocks in SEC play, but Texas’ loss was by just three points while Vanderbilt’s was a whopping 29-point deficit.

The committee certainly considers lopsided losses, so it’s notable that Texas’ worst loss this season is its 16-point loss to the Commodores, and its other two losses came by an average of four points. Regardless, Vanderbilt needed this win over Texas to keep their March Madness seeding in their control, and the Commodores got it.

Mikayla Blakes delivers the dagger 🗡️

Oh, and that's her fourth 30-point performance IN A ROW. pic.twitter.com/DEUz7hCXrN

— Vanderbilt WBB (@VandyWBB) February 13, 2026

Vanderbilt started hot early from beyond the arc, knocking down four first-quarter triples, and finishing with 47 percent shooting from behind the arc, its second-best 3-point shooting performance this season in a win. Given the Longhorns’ limited 3-point shooting, those buckets mattered even more as Vanderbilt built a lead. The Commodores’ ability to clean up on the glass (outrebounding Texas, 40-37) allowed them to command the second half after they cooled off from the floor.

Point guard Aubrey Galvan put on an emphatic performance in her own argument for national freshman of the year. Though she wasn’t a top-100 recruit per ESPN’s rankings, the Illinois native has made an undeniable mark on the Commodores this season. Her 18-point, five-assist and eight-rebound outing was arguably her best all-around game this season.

If Vanderbilt moves to the No. 4 spot in the AP poll this weekend, it’ll be the Commodores’ highest ranking since the end of the 2002 season, when they finished the year at No. 4.

What does this mean for the SEC standings?

The Commodores remain in second place in the SEC with the win, trailing only South Carolina. However, the third- to fifth-place positions in the SEC could see a shakeup as early as this weekend. With the loss, Texas ties with LSU for fourth place in the SEC. Texas plays third-place Tennessee this weekend in Knoxville while LSU hosts South Carolina in Baton Rouge on Sunday. With the top four seeds in the SEC getting a double bye in the SEC Tournament, the jockeying between fourth and fifth place can have a significant impact.

Vanderbilt closes out its regular season with three of its four opponents ranked in the AP top-25: No. 18 Kentucky, No. 23 Alabama and No. 22 Tennessee. Texas plays just two more ranked games against No. 22 Tennessee and No. 23 Alabama.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Vanderbilt Commodores, Texas Longhorns, Women's College Basketball

2026 The Athletic Media Company

This article was first published in the Ute Insiders newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each Wednesday night.

According to financial records, the University of Utah athletic department turned a profit of $4,692,729 in fiscal year 2025, which ran from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.

In a time where plenty of college programs operate at a loss, a year with any profit turned by an athletic department is a successful one, and Utah’s latest budget surplus allows it to sock away money at a moment where the athletic department needs every dollar it can get.

“Establishing a business model that can succeed over the long term has been, and always will be, the priority. FY24’s breakup of the Pac-12 Conference was unplanned and unprecedented, leading to the one-time substantial deficit,” Utah Athletics chief financial officer John Jentz told the Deseret News.

“FY25’s positive net margin was significant to reestablish Utah’s history of solvency entering into the new era, while acknowledging that it will always be a challenge.”

Football continues to be king at Utah, bringing in $101,799,480 for the university’s athletic department in fiscal 2025. A chunk of that revenue is from the Big 12’s football media rights deal, which brought in $19,802,898, and Utah’s share of Big 12 postseason football revenue, $12,391,544.

Utah football continued its sellout streak at Rice-Eccles Stadium and collected $10,936,251 in ticket sales and added $9,380,497 from royalties, licensing, advertisement and sponsorships.

Overall, with $51,792,175 in total operating expenses, the football program turned a $50,007,305 profit.

The biggest line item on Utah’s revenue sheet, however, is a record-setting amount of contributions from donors — $63.3 million across the entire athletic department, including $39,846,967 in donations for the football program and a $14 million estate gift from an anonymous donor that will be “used to form an endowment and support the university’s women’s athletics programs.”

“The long-term generosity of Utes fans and the success of the Crimson Club has fueled an upward trend in donations over recent years, resulting in a third-consecutive record year for athletics fundraising in FY25, with $63.3 million in support from a record 11,502 donors,” said Utah athletic director Mark Harlan. “Offering a diverse stream of giving opportunities over many years helped position our department to ensure that FY25 revenues exceeded expenses.”

Men’s basketball made a $7,350,750 profit in fiscal 2025, bolstered by $3,494,629 from its share of Big 12 media rights, $2,035,791 in ticket sales, $7,381,404 in donor contributions and $1,904,268 in NCAA Tournament distributions. The men’s basketball program also made $1,668,193 in royalties, licensing, advertisement and sponsorships.

The other programs in the athletic department — aside from men’s tennis, which showed a profit of $14,440 thanks to donations of $801,214 — were in the red, as is the case throughout college sports.

In the vast majority of years, Utah’s athletic department was able to use the excess money from football and men’s basketball to fund the rest of the sports and still turn a profit.

In the new era of college sports, that model may not be possible anymore.

A changing financial model

Out of the 98 pages and thousands of numbers in Utah’s fiscal 2025 report, one figure stood out. That was the $0 next to “Institutional NIL Revenue Share.”

As noted, fiscal year 2025 ran from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. On July 1, 2025, college sports changed forever as revenue sharing payments from universities started going out to athletes.

In a fundamental change to how college sports works, players are now paid directly by universities. The cap on revenue share for 2025-26 was $20.5 million, and that number will increase in the coming years.

In an August town hall event, Harlan declined to get into specifics about how the $20.5 million is split up among Utah’s sports, but said Utah was not too far off of how the backpay in the NCAA settlement is split up among sports. Approximately 75% of the nearly $2.8 billion in backpay to athletes who played sports between 2016-2024 before revenue sharing will go to football players, with 15% going to men’s basketball.

Schools are not required to pay out the new $20.5 million number to players each year, but funding the maximum revenue sharing figure is now the minimum a Power Four school can do to be competitive. Players can also earn additional money from “true NIL” — companies paying players to promote their businesses. These deals are reviewed by the new College Sports Commission, an entity that reviews each NIL deal to make sure that it is within “fair market value.”

In theory, under the new rules, a wealthy booster can’t sign a quarterback to an NIL deal that is well over market value.

Last year, schools front-loaded NIL deals that were created before the CSC system was in place — Texas Tech had $30 million in external NIL deals in addition to revenue sharing, per a report by Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports — but starting in the 2026 season, with the NIL regulations in place, the hope is that there’s a more level playing field for schools.

Whether that actually happens remains to be seen.

The professionalization of college sports is here, in everything but name. Football and basketball programs have a “general manager” who decides how the “payroll” is split up between programs. “Free agency,” aka the transfer portal, now happens every year. Players sign NIL contracts.

While the athletes deserve their slice of the pie, the new age of college athletics comes at a big cost to schools, including Utah.

“I mentioned my relationship with the president and also the (board of) trustees to not panic when we talk about deficit spending. There’s not a school in America, I don’t care if you’re (in) the Big Ten, that’s not going into some deficit spending or relooking at athletics as just a revenue maker,” Harlan said in August.

Power Four schools across the nation — some of which are already in the red on a yearly basis — now have a $20.5 million line item added to their budget each year. For a school like Utah, which has done well to historically turn a profit, that new $20.5 million expense means operating in the red without either drastically cutting costs or drastically increasing revenue.

“The challenge was that as we kept modeling with my team and certainly with (Utah CFO Tony Wagner’s) team and everybody on the president’s team, it just wasn’t penciling out on our ability to keep up with cost because we’re going to be a powerful program,” Harlan said at December’s board of trustees meeting.

“And to be a powerful program, you have to be at the very top of the revenue share number. We have a successful football team on most every year, which means everyone comes looking for them, right? I mean, I’ve been in places where you don’t get calls about your coaches. That’s not a very fun place to be. It’s different at the University of Utah. We want to retain and we want to reward, but as we penciled everything out, it just wasn’t adding up.”

Why Utah turned to private equity

Utah’s final financial snapshot before revenue sharing went into effect paints a picture that explains part of why university and athletics leadership wanted to partner with private equity firm Otro Capital.

“To me, I felt like sitting and collecting deficits every year would eventually, as has been described here, start draining other critical parts of this university,” Harlan said at the December board meeting.

The partnership, which is expected to be finalized soon, is expected to generate $500 million-plus for the athletic department, according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports.

As part of the still-to-be-finalized deal, Otro Capital will inject infusions of money at different points — Utah won’t get the $500 million all at once — when it is needed. Utah Athletics will spin its revenue side into a new entity, Utah Brand Initiatives, which will oversee revenue sources, including trademark licensing, event-related revenues, sponsorships, ticketing and more.

Prominent donors will also have the ability to purchase a stake in the new Utah Brand Initiatives enterprise, meaning the money won’t solely come from Otro.

The monetary injection will partly be used to pay for the maximum revenue sharing allowed, allowing the university to financially compete at a high level without going into debt.

“Increased revenues will be used to help pay for maximum revenue sharing. As we move forward in this new dynamic, our goal is to maximize all opportunities to significantly elevate Utah Athletics and we will be very forward-thinking in our approach,” Harlan said.

Utah is the first Power Four school to partner its athletic department with private equity.

“The university considered many options and scenarios as it contemplated this deal. Utah is being closely watched as a leader and innovator in this space as other schools consider how to address similar financial challenges,” said Troy D’Ambrosio, University of Utah vice president for innovation and chief of staff to President Taylor Randall.

Other schools, faced with similar financial pressures, could follow suit.

“All Division I athletic departments and their university peers have been preparing for what lies ahead for the past two to three years,” Harlan told the Deseret News. “It’s likely that most have had very similar conversations on their campus to thoroughly explore each of the various options that others have announced. We intentionally selected this approach because of the unique opportunities it presented, and its alignment with institutional ambitions.”

There are risks for both parties.

Will Otro and Utah be able to raise revenue — and cut expenses — by enough to make money on the deal? Private equity companies don’t do deals to lose money.

“The university and Otro both benefit when Utah Brand Initiatives is profitable, and both share risk. The parties are highly motivated to succeed,” D’Ambrosio said.

Otro Capital’s portfolio includes the Formula 1 team Alpine Racing, sports analytics platform Two Circles, and sports and event marketing company FlexWork Sports. Otro co-founder Alec Scheiner has been the vice president of the Dallas Cowboys and the president of the Cleveland Browns.

Otro brings experience in professional sports, which is what collegiate athletics is resembling more and more with each passing year, and believes it can increase revenue and — importantly — increase the valuation of Utah Brand Initiatives.

“Stabilizing Utah Athletics in a time of uncertainty and transition,” said D’Ambrosio of the benefits of the partnership.

“We are partnering with Otro to build a world-class branding platform. We expect that by combining the various branding activities from across campus, including athletics, and by taking advantage of Otro’s deep experience at the professional sports level, we will be able to significantly enhance the university’s brand recognition and its value, driving increasing revenues.”

Added Harlan: “We expect this partnership to significantly improve the fan and student-athlete experience, including increased support for student-athletes, robust NIL development, and stabilization of revenue streams. This new partnership will professionalize and elevate the revenue-generating aspects of Utah Athletics.”

For Utah, there’s also risk involved — but the university does have some safeguards in place.

The University of Utah will have majority ownership and decision-making power in Utah Brand Initiatives. Harlan will be the chairman of the board and Utah will have four members, including Harlan, on the board. Otro will have two members on the board and one other board spot will be filled by a Utah donor/investor.

That means the university has a majority rule on all decisions. Hiring and firing coaches remains solely with Utah, as does conference membership, scholarship management, player management, revenue-sharing membership and compliance. Those aspects of the athletic department are not included in Utah Brand Initiatives.

Though the university could consult with Otro on facilities improvements, like the Jon M. Huntsman Center, decisions on the matter will be solely made by Utah.

“Decisions about university facilities rest solely with the University and its board of trustees. It would be reasonable to expect that Otro and leadership of Utah Brand Initiatives will be consulted and provide expertise on future facility planning,” D’Ambrosio said.

The university can exit the partnership within five to seven years, per Dellenger, and Utah holds the right to purchase Otro’s stake.

There is risk in the private equity partnership, but faced with a $20.5 million per year revenue sharing bill, there is also danger in piling up debt.

“I believe after looking at this for hours and turning it around 15 different times sideways, I felt like the combination of what we’re getting from Otro working with us is the best possible way to go,” Harlan said at December’s board meeting.

If the partnership succeeds, it will fundamentally change the business of college sports.

As Utah soon embarks on a first-of-its-kind partnership, the eyes of athletic departments across the country will be on Salt Lake City.

In case you missed it

Will Utah renovate the Huntsman Center instead of building a new arena? Here’s what Mark Harlan said about future plans for the 56-year-old building.

From the archives

Extra points

Weber State’s Rashid Shaheed, Utah’s Connor O’Toole win Super Bowl LX title with Seahawks

Avery Neff wins the all-around and leads Utah past Arizona on the road

Utes’ consistency issues trip them up in home loss to Iowa State

Okay, let’s talk defense.

This week, Mike Petriello is doing some Statcast projecting, and here’s an interesting tidbit: The Colorado Rockies are expected to be in the top five of improved defenses.

He writes:

“The Rockies are in the midst of changing everything, and that’ll take time. The projections adore both center fielder Brenton Doyle and shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, despite relative down seasons for each, and Hunter Goodman provided roughly average catcher defense, which is harder than it sounds. The expected improvement comes from the departure of first baseman Michael Toglia, who rated as among baseball’s weakest defenders, and the expectation that new outfielder and elite speedster Jake McCarthy might help shift Mickey Moniak into more of a DH role. Keep an eye out for third baseman Kyle Karros, who rated well in limited time last year and should get a larger opportunity this season.

So, the Rockies improved by subtraction.

I’ll turn the floor over to the Purple Row night owls: Will the Rockies see improved defensive numbers in 2026, and where will those improvements come from?

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

The Super Bowl is over, so now everybody can turn their attention to the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Washington Commanders currently own the No. 7 pick in the first round of the draft, and most mock drafts have had the team selecting a defender. Head coach Dan Quinn moved on from defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. this offseason, and it's clear the unit needs to get younger and faster as a whole.

Luckily, the top of this draft is loaded with talented defenders. Garrett Podell of CBS Sports recently published an updated mock draft, and Podell has the Commanders landing arguably the best Bobby Wagner replacement possible.

In Podell's mock, the Commander snag Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles at No. 7. Regarding that potential pick, Podell offered the following analysis:

Styles is the perfect modern inside linebacker. He played his first two seasons at Ohio State as a safety before transitioning to linebacker, so he comes ready to roll in pass coverage. Styles is able to remain in range of slot receivers in the seam, and he can go step for step with tight ends from sideline to sideline. His wingspan allows him to have nice range as a tackler in the run and pass games. Styles blitzes with a jetpack attached to his back, easily steamrolling running backs attempting to pick him up in pass protection. Styles is a slam-dunk replacement for an aging Bobby Wagner, who is headed for free agency.

As Podell mentioned, Styles may just be the perfect modern inside linebacker. Styles has experience playing safety and he has plenty of speed to cover the middle of the field. The Ohio State product is also physical enough to meet ballcarriers at the line of scrimmage.

In 2025, Styles played in 14 games for the Buckeyes and racked up 82 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and one interception. The linebacker also remarkably didn't miss a single tackle in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus. Styles was even better in 2024, as he finished that campaign with 100 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and six sacks.

The linebacker's blend of coverage skills, tackling, and pass-rush ability could make him the perfect fit for the middle of Quinn's defense.

It's clear that the Commanders cannot start Wagner again in 2025. Wagner is one of the best inside backers of all time, but he's clearly lost a step at this point. Plus, Wagner is a free agent, and there's no guarantee he will be back in Washington anyway.

The Commanders have plenty of needs, but Styles could be a leader on defense and a starter for the next decade.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Land Bobby Wagner replacement in new mock draft

Northwestern (8-16, 2-11 B1G) saw its loss streak extend to 6 as it fell 80-58 to No. 7 Michigan (21-4, 12-2 B1G) at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Thursday. Despite being up by 6 at halftime, Northwestern was outscored 49-21 in the second half by the Wolverines. 

Though the Wildcats started hot, shooting 83% from three in the first half, that clip sank to 43% at the final buzzer. Michigan (51%) outperformed Northwestern (41%) in shooting percentage despite only going 2-for-12 from beyond the arc, and outrebounded the home team 40-26. The ‘Cats also committed 20 turnovers to the Wolverines’ 12.

Michigan’s Olivia Olson led all scorers with 21 points, alongside eight rebounds and seven assists. Joining her in double digits was her teammate Syla Swords, who had 16 points of her own. For the Wildcats, both Caroline Lau and Grace Sullivan put up 16 points, while Lau also tallied six assists. Tayla Thomas contributed 13 of her own, but only three in the second half.

Tayla Thomas opened the scoring for Northwestern 30 seconds into the game off a missed Michigan shot, but Syla Swords quickly retaliated with a triple of her own. Thomas continued to show her rebound prowess as she tipped in a layup, but her efforts were diminished by a series of baskets from Michigan’s Ashley Sofilkanich and Olivia Olson, who pushed the score up to 10-4 with 7:48 to go in the quarter. 

Michigan’s chemistry in the paint throughout the opening minutes of the first quarter cost it a few possessions off turnovers and missed shots, allowing Casey Harter and Grace Sullivan to capitalize with layups. 

Northwestern’s defensive effort continued to produce opportunities on the transition, like when Caroline Lau threw a long ball to Sullivan to tie the game up at 10. Olson picked the baton back up for the Wolverines on the following play, allowing Michigan to recover its lead heading into the first timeout.

In the first play after the break, the ‘Cats kept up their strong press, but Michigan’s Brooke Daniels managed to slip in a jumper just before the shot clock ran out. Though Sullivan converted for Northwestern, two scores from Ally Vantimmeren pushed Michigan’s lead to 18-12. 

Tate Lash boosted momentum for Northwestern with a triple, but got quickly met with a two-point response from Te’yala Delfosse. Transition play was a critical component in Northwestern’s performance toward the end of the first quarter, with both teams coughing up the ball in their offensive end. Still, with the help of two free throws from DaiJa Turner, Northwestern finished the quarter down 20-17.

A three-second violation by the Wolverines early in the second quarter allowed the Wildcats to benefit from a Lau triple. Lau then quickly racked up another three points from a made free throw and layup, as Northwestern took the lead for the first time at 23-20. Two Syla Swords makes helped Michigan retake the lead 24-23 with 6:49 to go in the half, but with 9turnovers, the Wolverines remained unconvincing in the paint.

Following the media timeout, Michigan’s sloppiness extended to its defense, as Tate Lash profited off a turnover with a layup. Northwestern then made some turnover mistakes of its own, allowing Kendall Dudley and Daniels to combine for 4 points. Thomas continued her strong game in the paint for the ‘Cats and pushed the game back to near-equilibrium at 28-27 with 5:27 left in the quarter.

The rims seemed to be Michigan’s number one enemy as a nearly two-minute-long scoring drought overtook Welsh-Ryan Arena. A free throw from Thomas leveled the game at 28, but Holloway made a three-point impact for Michigan on the line and in the paint. Thomas’s impact in the second quarter cannot be understated. Her defensive effort, as well as triples from her and Lau, allowed Northwestern to head to the locker room up 37-31.

Michigan’s first-half woes were evident in their 38% field goal percentage, compared to Northwestern’s 61%. For the ‘Cats, Lau and Thomas led in scoring with 12 and 10 points, respectively, while Olson and Swords topped Michigan’s scoring leaderboard at 7 apiece. 

Despite her zero-point second quarter, Olson opened Michigan’s second-half scoring with a deuce. The Wolverines adopted an aggressive press, but they couldn’t stop Sullivan from adding two points to Northwestern’s tally. Olson responded with a turnaround jumper. Yet, she was no match for Thomas, who buried a triple the next play. Swords and Sofilkanich combined for eight, and Michigan once again retook the lead at 43-42 with 5:42 to go in the half.

Michigan’s run extended to 10-0 thanks to Daniels. During the media timeout, fans in the visiting section stood and applauded the Wolverines for their enthusiastic response to the ‘Cats. This push of support built on Michigan’s momentum, and Sofilkanich and Dudley increased the Wolverines’ lead to seven. 

Two points on the line from Sullivan ended Northwestern’s nearly five-minute-long scoring drought, but Dudley neutralized her work on the next play with a layup. Though Turner tried to answer on the line, a three-point play by Olson and a deuce by Dudley put Michigan up 56-45 at the end of the third. 

Swords, Dudley and Daniels extended Michigan’s lead to 17 to begin the fourth quarter. Though Lau and Sullivan combined for 4 points in response, Olson upped her tally on the night to 16 with a made basket and free throw to push Michigan up 65-49. 

Off a missed three-point attempt from Lau, Holloway converted a fastbreak layup that continued Michigan’s second-half rout. Sullivan added four points for the ‘Cats on the line and Lau contributed with a layup of her own, but it was no match for Swords and Olson, who combined for 5 to maintain a Michigan lead.  

A breakout star of the fourth quarter was Holloway, who, with her dribbling abilities, sent Xamiya Walton flying with 4:23 to go and converted a stepback jumper. Michigan went on another 6-0 run, increasing its advantage to 23 points. Three made free throws from Walton and Lash did little to reverse Michigan’s damage, and NU finished the game with no made baskets in open play in the final five minutes. The ‘Cats fell to the Wolverines 80-58.

Northwestern will next travel to State College this coming weekend, where it will face Penn State on Feb. 14 at 3 p.m. CST.

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Cotie McMahon racked up 21 points and dished five assists as No. 14 Mississippi cruised by Arkansas 80-57 on Thursday night to reach 20 wins for the fifth straight season.

McMahon scored 20 or more points for the fourth straight game and has scored double figures in all but one outing this season.

The Rebels (20-5, 7-3 Southeastern Conference) bounced back from a 64-63 loss at then-No. 21 Alabama last Thursday to comfortably get back into the win column in their first home game in over a month.

Latasha Lattimore added 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season, and Denim DeShields tacked on 12 points for Ole Miss.

Ole Miss took the lead for good just 2:25 into the first quarter on a Lattimore layup and built a double-digit lead before the end of the first frame. They kept the lead the rest of the way, with a 40-27 lead at the half stretching to 20 points after a 7-0 run to open the second half.

For the Razorbacks (11-15, 0-11), Taleyah Jones led in scoring with 16 points, and Bonnie Deas had 14 with eight rebounds. Arkansas struggled at 34% and 19% shooting from the field and beyond the arc, respectively.

Up next

Arkansas hosts Mississippi State on Monday.

Ole Miss plays at No. 18 Kentucky on Sunday.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

Lane Kiffin becomes Mardi Gras royalty with popular float originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Lane Kiffin has fully embraced Louisiana, and its clearly embraced him back.

Just two months after being introduced as LSU’s head football coach, Kiffin became an unlikely Mardi Gras sensation Thursday night when a float depicting the new Tigers coach rolled down the St. Charles Avenue route during the Knights of Chaos parade in New Orleans.

The satirical krewe, known for poking fun at pop culture and political figures, featured a larger-than-life version of Kiffin wearing a crop top and leggings, a headset on his head and a money-themed backdrop behind him. The float was labeled “Ole Misstake,” a nod to his departure from Ole Miss, with the caption “Who’s your daddy?” splashed across the display.

Lane Kiffin float at Chaos parade pic.twitter.com/DDP2bib2px

— Rod Walker (@RodWalkerNola) February 13, 2026

The float quickly became one of the most talked-about attractions of the evening, drawing cheers and plenty of social media reaction from fans lining the Uptown route. The Knights of Chaos are followed by the Knights of Babylon and the Krewe of Muses, but Kiffin’s likeness stood out as one of the parade’s viral moments.

Kiffin was officially introduced at LSU last december after leaving Ole Miss following an 11-1 season. He signed a seven-year, $91 million contract to replace Brian Kelly and has already assembled one of the nation’s top transfer portal classes.

More: Demond Williams bombshell could've resulted in Lane Kiffin being fired at LSU

He will continue his Mardi Gras tour Saturday as co-grand marshal of the Krewe of Endymion parade, further showing his rapid rise as Mardi Gras royalty. At least in spirit, of course. 

More college football news: 

• Oregon's Dan Lanning rips College Football Playoff, calls for major changes
• Deion Sanders buyout, contract details as Colorado Buffaloes coach
• Top 2026 NFL Draft prospect suffers broken rib in CFP quarterfinal loss
• Dabo Swinney fires Clemson coaches immediately after loss to Penn State
• Ohio State's Ryan Day faces backlash after Cotton Bowl

Another setback at a crucial moment

Inter Miami issue update on Messi fitness

Inter Miami confirmed Lionel Messi has a hamstring injury and will return to training based on his recovery.

Injury confirmed after friendly match

Inter Miami announced that captain Lionel Messi is dealing with hamstring injury.

The problem occurred during recent friendly match against Barcelona SC of Ecuador. Since that game, Messi has not taken part in team training sessions.

In official statement released on Wednesday, Inter Miami confirmed that medical tests showed hamstring issue. The club added that Messi will return to training depending on how his condition improves in the coming days.

Race against time before MLS kick-off

Inter Miami preparing to begin the new Major League Soccer MLS season on 21 February when they face Los Angeles FC.

Messi’s fitness will be closely monitored before the season opener. The club will not rush his recovery as the long campaign ahead makes careful management important.

The injury also comes at important moment for Messi on the international stage.

The Argentine star hopes to stay fully fit ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 which will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

With the tournament approaching both Inter Miami & Argentina will want to ensure Messi avoids further setbacks and remains in top condition.

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Olivia Olson had 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and No. 7 Michigan beat Northwestern 80-58 on Thursday night.

Michigan (21-4, 12-2 Big Ten) shook off a slow start while bouncing back from a 69-66 home loss to No. 2 UCLA on Sunday. Next up is a big matchup with rival Michigan State on Sunday.

Syla Swords scored 16 points for the Wolverines, and Kendall Dudley had 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting.

Northwestern (8-16, 2-11) dropped its sixth consecutive game. Caroline Lau had 16 points and six assists for the Wildcats. Grace Sullivan also scored 16, and Tayla Thomas finished with 13.

Michigan erased a seven-point deficit with a 21-3 run in the third quarter. The Wolverines went ahead to stay on Swords' driving layup with 5:42 left, and Dudley's basket made it 56-45 with 1:19 to go.

Thomas missed two foul shots for Northwestern during the decisive sequence, and Sullivan had a costly turnover.

The Wolverines led by 23 on Olson's jumper with 3:30 left. The sophomore guard scored 14 points in the second half.

Northwestern closed the first half with a 9-0 run for a 37-31 lead at the break. Lau banked home a tying 3, Thomas connected from deep and Lau hit another 3 with 59 seconds left in the first half.

Michigan missed nine of its last 10 shots from the field in the second quarter. It shot 38% (14 for 37) from the field in the first half, compared to 61% (14 for 23) for Northwestern.

Up next

Michigan hosts No. 13 Michigan State on Sunday.

Northwestern visits Penn State on Sunday.

___

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Sweden kicked off the 2026 Olympics with a 5–2 win over Italy on Wednesday.

Luca Frigo put Italy on the board first and had the crowd buzzing early, turning a lengthy shot into a chance in front of the net. Sweden quickly found its footing.

The power-play goal from Gabriel Landeskog midway through the first period tied the game up 1-1 and swung momentum in Sweden's favor. Gustav Forsling followed soon after, jumping into the rush to give Sweden its first lead.

Italy wasn’t going down without a fight, tying the game just 32 seconds into the second period. Sweden’s depth eventually took over, when William Nylander broke the tie late in the middle frame, sneaking a backhand past the goalie to give Sweden the lead for good.

The Swedes pulled away in the third, keeping Italy pinned in their own end. Mika Zibanejad added an insurance goal, and Tampa Bay captain Victor Hedman scored his first career Olympic goal into the empty net. Hedman logged the most ice time among Swedish skaters.

Atlético Madrid blew FC Barcelona away in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals at the Estadio Metropolitano on Thursday night.

Diego Simeone put on a masterclass in how to dismantle the Catalans with his team taking a 4-0 lead into March’s second leg. All four goals came within a spectacular first half that saw Atleti unlucky not to have even more.

An unfortunate own goal by Eric García kicked off proceedings, with the eternal Antoine Griezmann, new boy Ademola Lookman and star boy Julián Álvarez completing the rout. Barça had any chances of a second half comeback disrupted by a ridiculous VAR call that ruled out Pau Cubarsí’s 52nd minute lifeline. Things went from bad to worse for Eric as he was sent off late on and will be suspended for the second leg.

Fast starts to big matches

What I would give to be in a Simeone dressing room just minutes before Atlético Madrid have a big match to play. Time and again over the years we have seen his team hit the ground running in important games in cup competitions. You only have to cast your mind back to this time last year, when Atleti were two up inside six minutes at Montjuïc before going on to draw 4-4 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final.

Just a couple weeks later and Conor Gallagher had the ball in the back of Thibaut Courtois’ net within a minute when Atlético were attempting to overcome Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League last 16 second leg at home. Diego Costa had a similar pleasure when he self-assisted with two headers before smashing the ball into the roof of the Madrid goal without 60 seconds having passed in the 2018 UEFA Super Cup, played in Estonia. When Liverpool came to the Metropolitano in March of 2020 for a UCL last 16 first leg, Saúl Ñíguez slotted home just four minutes into that tie.

Roughly translated into English as “approach,” planteamiento refers to how teams set themselves up, which can often be seen in the opening moments of matches. When at home, the rousing noise of the Fondo Sur does play its important part, but the fearless nature of how the teams have come out firing at all venues listed (and more) gives more to the planteamiento of the match by the coaching staff.

It’s clear that in the big matches, particularly in knock-out situations, Simeone opts for an aggressive approach out of the blocks, and there’s no team that this works better against than Hansi Flick’s Barcelona. The famed high line coupled with a slight relaxed nature about the La Masia-majority cool kids is a perfect combination for a direct, quick team who have the ability to stun defences. With Lookman and Giuliano Simeone on the flanks of a high front three, the fast starts are very literally possible with that kind of velocity on show.

Yes, on Thursday the opening goal had absolutely zero Atleti contribution, but being 2-0 up against Barcelona inside 14 minutes of a Copa del Rey semi-final doesn’t just happen through luck. El Cholo proves his credentials once more.

But also, yes, thank you very much Mr Joan García.

You’re the Juan for me

“He is widely regarded as the best backup goalkeeper Simeone has had,” said Phil Kitromilides on the world feed commentary for this match.

In a stark contrast to what was going on in between the Barcelona goalposts, Juan Musso put down his best performance since arriving at Atlético Madrid two summers ago. Four shots saved doesn’t look wildly impressive on paper, so let me elaborate on why he was so key to his team’s success tonight.

Of those four stops, one in particular stays in the mind when he rushed out to deny Ferrán Torres with the score still at 2-0. The way he spread himself gave Torres little angle to work with, but the assuredness of the clearance of the ball left the biggest mark. His shot stopping continued this way throughout the match, routinely palming the ball away from danger, giving fans no reason to fret about not seeing the usual frame of Jan Oblak in goal.

Another element that Musso brings to the table is his quick distribution after he claims the ball in his hands. We saw in the build-up to the second goal how he found former Atalanta teammate Lookman, with a kick out of his hands that travelled well over the halfway line. According to fotmob, the Argentine was 8/18 in long ball accuracy which, although only gives him a 44% success rate, it shows a clear intention in how he was to be a key component in disrupting the Barcelona high line.

Fotmob also gave Musso their highest rating of the match with an 8.7 — a number crafted through stats more than feeling. Into the Calderón’s own Adam Saladino gave him a well-deserved 8, likely the highest figure he has received from us to date.

We have seen how Musso has stepped up when needed in the league, and of course the Copa del Rey where he is guaranteed his starts. But without regular playing time, there have been questions over his sharpness, especially with the ball at his feet. After tonight’s performance, there will be no doubt over his ability to help Atleti hold out on this four-goal lead and be the starting goalkeeper should we see Los Rojiblancos in Sevilla at the end of April.

Julián is back, plus more mini-takeaways

• Sixty-five days and 13 matches later, Julián Alvarez finally scores a goal. The phrase “he just needs one to go in off his backside” might apply to the likes of Viktor Gyökeres when needing to end a goal drought, but the truly elite strikers of the world rifle in a belter from outside the box in a cup semi-final against the best team in the competition. At one stage, it looked like things couldn’t get any worse for Alvarez as he missed a sitter with the score at 2-0. Twenty minutes later and all doubts of that affecting his confidence were put to rest. Let’s hope la araña can keep building, as this won’t mean anything if he goes another two months without netting.
• A 4-0 win with 34 percent possession can only be achieved by one club managed by one man. Finally Simeone has the contundencia (the decisiveness to finish off chances)he has been asking for all season. So much has been made of Atleti’s lack of ability to convert chances since the turn of the year, but four goals from 12 shots feels like a job well done, even if it could have been a lot more. Alexander Sørloth, I’m speaking to you.
• When I knew I would be writing the takeaways for this match, I thought about those that I did for the league fixture between the two teams last season, and how Atleti almost found a solution for the left-back issue they were facing at the time. Reinildo was the unlucky soul that day that saw a Lamine Yamal shot deflect off his back and in, but he did so much better than Javi Galán in the two previous meetings with Barcelona. Flash-forward a year and it was the turn of Matteo Ruggeri to face the tricky teen and, as the scoreline suggests, he managed to do a lot better. That was until the Italian decided to do one of his ridiculous backheels at the start of the second half which led to the goal that Barça had (inexplicably) ruled out.

• The last time FC Barcelona were four goals or more down by halftime of a Copa del Rey match was in 1943. On that day, they were 8-0 down against Real Madrid after 45 minutes and ended up losing 11-1. So things could have been worse, eh, cúlers?
• Somebody check Nahuel Molina’s footwear as I think he was playing in flip-flops. In fairness to our resident world champion, there were a number of players who fell victim to the dodgy Metropolitano playing surface, not least (defender) García as his pass back to (goalkeeper) García took a massive bobble before slipping under his foot and across the line. My particular favourite of the Molina slips was in the second half when he was ambling toward the Barça penalty area completely unmarked, and within a blink, was on his ass. He did put in one of his better displays in fairness, but comedy will forever persist with the Argentine.
• Some say Giuliano is still running around somewhere in the Barcelona half, pressing defenders that are well on their way back to Catalunya.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider endured a difficult 2025 season to say the least. After being limited to two games pitched in 2024 due to injury, Strider recorded a 4.45 ERA across his 23 2026 outings. During a recent media availability, Strider was asked how he is feeling ahead of 2026 spring training, via Mark Bowman of MLB.com.

"It's always kind of a gauge period in spring training... So far, so good," Strider said.

Spencer Strider's Outlook with Braves in 2026 Season

For Strider, the question boils down to this: Who is Spencer Strider?

Sure, it may sound confusing. However, it is a valid question.

In 2023, Strider was an All-Star and finished fourth in National League Cy Young voting after recording a 3.86 ERA and league leading 281 strikeouts. It seemed like Strider was striking out almost everyone he faced. 

Fast forward to 2026, and Strider is fresh off a down 2025 campaign following an injury-plagued '25 season. The injury element is important to note, however.

Strider very well may have been simply trying to find his rhythm once again following his injury-riddled 2024. He is likely in a much better place heading into the new season. 

It goes without saying, but the Braves will need Strider to be on top of his game. Not only did they fail to sign another starter this offseason (as of this story's writing), but Spencer Schwellenbach recently suffered an elbow injury and he will miss a significant amount of time as a result. 

Chris Sale is still an ace. Reynaldo Lopez is a reliable pitcher when healthy. In order to truly compete, though, Atlanta will need Strider to be, well, Spencer Strider once again. 

The Braves could look to sign another starting pitcher before the offseason. In all reality, that would be a smart move. Bringing in at least one veteran starter could help the team in a pivotal manner. 

As things stand at the moment, Atlanta's starting rotation has serious questions. The good news is that Spencer Strider seems to be healthy. Now it remains to be seen how he will perform in 2026. He still has the potential, but there are no guarantees that he will still pitch like an All-Star.

Braves fans will closely monitor Spencer Strider's performance throughout the upcoming campaign as he attempts to prove that he can still pitch at an ace-caliber level. 

The Los Angeles Angels reportedly re-signed Chris Taylor, a veteran of the Dodgers’ World Series runs in 2020 and 2024, after his injury-shortened 2025 season.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported the news Thursday night on Twitter/X.

MORE:Did Brock Holt reveal a shocking reason for Hanley Ramirez’s Red Sox exit?

Taylor, 35, is a veteran of 12 major league seasons. Last year was easily his worst since his breakout 2017 season with the Dodgers. He slashed .179/.278/.321 in 30 games with the Angels after he was designated for assignment with the Dodgers at midseason.

Taylor played just 10 games with the Angels when he suffered a hand fracture after being hit by a pitch in June, then spent the next month on the injured list. He returned in July, played five more games, then re-fractured the hand making a sliding catch.

Originally a shortstop in the Seattle Mariners system, Taylor established himself as a competent defender around the infield and outfield with the Dodgers in 2017. That season, he hit a career-high 21 home runs and helped the Dodgers reach the World Series for the first time since 1988.

Taylor made his only All-Star team in 2021, and eventually shifted into more of an outfield role in Los Angeles.

But by 2024 he had hit his way onto the Dodgers’ bench, and was ultimately designated for assignment last May.

With the Angels, Taylor has a chance to compete for a bench job in spring training.

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The post Former Dodgers World Series champion to sign with Angels: report appeared first on The Big Lead.

Mikel Arteta says his decision to take Eberechi Eze off at half time in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Brentford was for tactical reasons.

Eze made his first Premier League start for Arsenal since their 2-1 win over Wolves on December 13th, but only managed 45 minutes before he was replaced by Martin Odegaard.

Arteta was asked why he made the change after the match.

“Because with the way that they were pressing,” he answered. “I think we needed another kind of profile to generate many more problems for them around those areas.

“I think he [Odegaard] came on in the pitch really well, and the team went into another gear and more threat to arrive to the areas that we wanted to get into.”

Arteta was also asked whether he is worried about Eze’s form so far this season.

“Well, I think he had moments,” Arteta explained. “And it’s not easy when you move to a new club, it’s always like this. 

“When you play against a team that is like this, and the ball is a lot of times not on the floor, and you have to be constantly breaking the play and do that, especially for attacking and creative players, it’s more difficult.”

With Arsenal dropping two points against Brentford, their lead at the top has dropped from six points to four. Arteta believes that City are going to be relentless until the end of the season.

“We are going to stay calm, we’re going to be willing and preparing to win every single match,” he said. “The only thing we can do is focus on that, and raise the levels, collectively and individually, to be better than the opponent every week. 

“That’s going to carry on like this until May, regardless if we play before or after that. It’s just the things that we have to do, that’s the most important thing.”

Olympic hockey games on TV today: Schedule, times, channels, live streams to watch Friday Milan 2026 action originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

A full day of hockey is on tap Friday in Milan, highlighted by the U.S. in action as the women move into the knockout round.

After breezing through group play, the Americans will face host Italy in the quarterfinals, where they will be heavy favorites to advance. Sweden, which also went unbeaten in the opening round, will face Czechia in the other women's game Friday.

On the men's side, Canada gets a back-to-back with a late game against Switzerland following its 5-0 demolition of Czechia on Thursday. Five different players found the net for Canada in its opener, while Connor McDavid tallied three assists and Sidney Crosby and Thomas Harley had two apiece. 

The most interesting men's game Friday should be Finland vs. Sweden, as the longtime rivals face off following shaky opening performances, most notably the Finns' ugly loss to Slovakia. The last time NHL players were in the Olympics, Sweden took home silver and Finland bronze, and the Finns won gold at the 2022 Games, so plenty of pride is on the line here. 

Here's the complete schedule for Friday, including when and where to watch every game.

Olympic hockey games on TV today

Friday, Feb. 13

Where to watch Winter Olympics men's hockey today

• TV channel: USA Network
• Live stream: Peacock

The Canada and USA men's games Thursday will air on USA Network. All games can be streamed live via Peacock. 

Peacock will carry every event of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics live. The NBC-owned streaming service's sports programming features live coverage of NFL Sunday Night Football, the NBA, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Premier League soccer, Big Ten football and basketball, Notre Dame football, Big East and Big 12 basketball, PGA Tour golf, and more.

Olympics hockey schedule 2026

Saturday, Feb. 14

Sunday, Feb. 15

Monday, Feb. 16

Tuesday Feb. 17

Wednesday, Feb. 18

Thursday, Feb. 19

Friday, Feb. 20

Saturday, Feb. 21

Sunday, Feb. 22

Related Links

• Latest Olympics news and updates
• 2026 Winter Olympics medal tracker
• 2026 Winter Olympics viewer's guide
• Day-by-day TV, streaming schedule for 2026 Winter Olympics

It’s mid-February, so that means the return of Purdue baseball. This year is year seven under Greg Goff, and with a 140-130 record since taking over in 2020 the Purdue Nine is looking to take a step forward this year. The season begins This weekend in Sugar Land, Texas, Where Purdue will begin the 2026 campaign with three games against Portland.

Purdue will then stay in the Lone Star State with a midweek game next Wednesday at Rice before stepping up in weight class at the Round Rock Classic next week in Round Rock, Texas. The Boilers are slated to play #20 Southern Miss, Baylor, and #12 Oregon State there, making for a tougher than usual opening slate.

The last two seasons have seen Purdue start strong against a weaker non-conference schedule before fading late. Purdue was 33-24, 13-11 Big Ten in 2024, but it closed by losing seven of nine and fell out of first place with a late Sunday collapse against Indiana that started the spiral. Last year Purdue was 31-23, but went just 11-19 in the expanded 30-game Big Ten season.

They will open the season against a Portland Pilots team that was 22-30 last year and 13-11 in the West Coast Conference. They still played a challenging schedule that included two midweek wins over a top 25 Oregon team. The games this weekend will be at 5pm, Friday, Noon Saturday, and 1pm Sunday.

In terms of season expectations, they are not high. The Big Ten Preseason poll only projects the top six teams in the 17 team league and it is dominated by the new West Coast Schools. UCLA is the league favorite and preseason No. 1 team nationally in a few polls.  Oregon is in the top 20 and is picked second, followed by USC, Nebraska, Indiana, and Iowa.

Purdue did have three players named on the preseason “Players to Watch” list from the conference. Friday starting pitcher Cole Van Assen will anchor the rotation. Dylan Drake and Aaron Manias will handle things in the infield behind him. senior righthander Jake Kramer was among the 104 pitchers nationally named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year preseason watch list. The honor recognizes the nation’s top relief pitcher. Kramer earned 11 wins and 27 saves in 59 appearances over his first three collegiate seasons at California (PA). He was a two-time NCBWA Division II All-American.

The truth is that we really don’t know what to expect from Purdue. The lineup is loaded with promising JuCo transfers and just four players, one of them being Van Assen, are upperclassmen that started their careers at Purdue. Zach Erdman is a Texas Tech transfer expected to take over the Saturday spot in the rotation, while South Carolina transfer Jarvis Evans is expected in the Sunday spot. That gives Purdue three experienced starters on the mound.

In the lineup Manias is the top returning hitter from last year, as he batted .294 with 9 HR and 43 RBI. Brandon Rogers will look to hold things down in centerfield defensively. Jackson Bessette is an experienced catcher from Illinois-Chicago that was an all-Missouri Valley Conference selection.

Purdue should be a big favorite this weekend against Portland, but we’ll have an idea of how good the Boilers are early. The Round Rock Classic in Week 2 is a great challenge, and #23 Oregon opens the Big Ten season at Alexander Field March 6-8. That series is significant as Mark Wasikowski, who took Purdue to only its third ever NCAA Tournament in 2018, returns with the Ducks. The one West Coast trip will be at USC April 24-26, and Murray State, who was in last year’s College World Series, comes to Purdue May 1-3.

It’s hard to have any expectations with so many new names throughout the lineup, but it should be a fun season.

The Los Angeles Lakers will play their final game before the All-Star break when they host the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday. Dallas will not have rookie phenom Cooper Flagg, who is out with a foot sprain, but it will still have capable frontcourt players and big men such as Daniel Gafford, Dwight Powell, Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington.

For the Lakers, Luka Doncic and center Deandre Ayton were listed on their injury report for this game. Doncic will miss his fourth straight game due to a hamstring strain, while Ayton was listed as questionable because of knee soreness. Ayton has ultimately been ruled out for Thursday's contest.

Deandre Ayton is out tonight with right knee soreness, per the Lakers

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 12, 2026

Ayton has missed two of L.A.'s previous three games. In his place, Jaxson Hayes will start at the 5 versus Dallas. The fact that Ayton is out of action once again will likely mean more playing time for Maxi Kleber and perhaps Drew Timme.

Timme, a 6-foot-9, 235-pound big man who was called up from the G League on a two-way contract earlier this season, scored 14 points against the San Antonio Spurson Tuesday.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers make final decision on Deandre Ayton for Thursday's game

Somewhat lost in the news circus today was that Phil Castellini, son of majority Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini, was officially approved to succeed his father as controlling owner of the club. Charlie Goldsmith, formerly of The Enquirer (and now of his Charlie’s Chalkboard newsletter) relayed the news on Twitter earlier Thursday, noting that the AP had quotes about it from a Rob Manfred interview.

This comes at the same time as the 20 year mark of the Castellini family being principal owners of the Reds, and it’s hard to put a defining word, phrase, or even moment on the field alongside that era.

Frustratingly cheap? Consistantly chasing mediocrity?

Simply just glad to be here?

A 20 year old copy of the email sent to Cincinnati Reds fans upon Bob Castellini taking ownership of the team.

It remains to be seen whether the club will fundamentally change with Phil under control. You’ll notice the Williams name in the above copied image, and that’s the same Williams family where former GM Dick Williams came from, too. So, while the first names gradually change when it comes to who’s in charge of this endeavor, always remember that it’s been a consistent family affair during one of the most mediocre stints in the franchise’s otherwise successful history.

Congrats on owning the team now, Phil.

Sell the team, Phil.

Alex Pereira was made to look like a shell of himself in the first meeting with Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313.

Pereira (13-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) lost the fight and his light heavyweight title to Ankalaev (21-2-1 MMA, 12-2-1 UFC) by unanimous decision. One judge scored four rounds for Ankalaev, resulting in a clear change of the guard at 205 pounds last March.

In October at UFC 320, the pair met again, and that time, things were vastly different.

"Poatan" appeared unbothered by the outcome of the first fight against Ankalaev and entered the rematch prepared to erase the memory of what occurred months prior. All Pereira needed was 80 seconds to reclaim the light heavyweight throne after landing a huge overhand right, followed by ground and pound.

Re-watch the entire fight in the video above.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC full fight video: Alex Pereira gets revenge vs. Magomed Ankalaev

The 2025 season could have been a big year for Jasson Domínguez. The long-heralded next big thing in the Yankees outfield was well-positioned to earn a starting role following Juan Soto’s crosstown departure, and had finally recovered from the litany of injuries which plagued his previous two seasons. But while the 22-year old had his moments here and there, he was clearly the team’s fourth-best outfielder; merely adequate at the plate and unreliable in the field.

This offseason, in a concerted effort to run it back, the Yankees have welcomed Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger back to the Bronx, meaning Domínguez is once again looking at a reserve role in 2026. But the dream of a dominant Martian is not yet dead. If he can find his power stroke more consistently, flatten out his stark platoon splits, and take a step forward on defense, Domínguez could finally escape the clouds and reach his galactic potential.

2025 statistics: 123 games, 429 plate appearances, .257/.331/.388 (103 wRC+), 10 HR, 47 RBI, 26.8 K%, 9.6 BB%, -9 Outs Above Average, 0.6 fWAR

2026 FanGraphs DC projections: 26 games, 118 PA, .250/.325/.404 (105 wRC+), 3 HR, 13 RBI, 25 K%, 9.6 BB%, 0.4 fWAR

I’ve wanted to discuss Jasson for a while, since he represents one of the bigger wild cards on a team loaded with veterans and known commodities. He is a flawed player, no doubt. For one thing, the prodigious power he has always possessed was in short supply last year—just 10 homers for a guy like him came as a big surprise to me. The main culprit seems to be an inability to generate lift against fastballs. A hitter like Domínguez, possessed with freakish bat speed, should be able to drive heaters a long way, but a mere .399 slugging percentage (and .364 xSLG) against the harder stuff limited his thump.

The switch-hitter was also woeful from the right side, managing a pithy .569 OPS against left-handed pitchers. This made him effectively a platoon bat for most of the year, as the Yankees had too little margin for error in the postseason race to let Domínguez figure it out down the stretch. Since his lefty production was not spectacular either—Bellinger and Grisham simply outhit Jasson from that side of the plate—his opportunities became fewer and fewer as the season progressed.

Then came the outfield lowlights. Domínguez just couldn’t seem to figure out the right angles in left field, where he played the majority of the time. His -9 Outs Above Average ranked in the third percentile among qualified outfielders. Jasson is not lacking for speed, but he takes a shockingly long time to track the baseball and make up lost ground. Of course, Yankee Stadium is not the friendliest ballpark to a left fielder, but an OAA figure that low does not suggest his troubles are limited to his home turf.

Those are three big black clouds surrounding the longtime top prospect, but of course, time and youth are still on Domínguez’s side. Having just turned 23 a few days back, it’s far too early to write him off as a Joc Pederson-lite; though I may have grumbled something to that effect a time or two in the middle of last year. And ultimately, Domínguez was still statistically above-average at the plate with all those factors weighing against him. Posting a 103 wRC+ while not playing every day is hard to do; just recall how Trent Grisham scuffled without regular playing time in 2024.

The first issue we discussed—subpar power production—feels like by far the easiest fix. It may just take one tweak to attack angle or a stance alteration to get Domínguez firing on all cylinders in the power department once again. I also think it’s not out of the question that he improves a bunch on defense—maybe not to the point of being above-average, but competence should be the goal. If he does, he’ll get more opportunities to try his hand in the other two outfield spots, which would only increase the amount of options Aaron Boone has at his disposal.

The platoon splits are going to be a tougher challenge; since the Yankees will be jockeying for position with the Blue Jays, Red Sox, and the potentially resurgent Orioles for divisional superiority, there will, like last year, be little wiggle room for Domínguez to get the live reps he might need to start to improve as a right-handed hitter. The solace is that he would be taking the majority of his PAs from the left side anyway, but it limits his ability to settle into a full starting role in the future—and was likely a driving factor behind the Yankees’ decision to bring back Bellinger and Grisham this winter.

The ultimate X-factor for Domínguez is injuries: both for himself and for his stablemates in the outfield. Jasson is the next man up if any of their starting triumvirate—who all played at least 140 games last year—hits the shelf for an extended period. The inevitable Giancarlo Stanton injury absence would create an opportunity at DH as well. The Yankees have often started seasons with little depth beyond their starters, leaving them exposed if anybody got hurt. As Michael detailed earlier today, they’ve consciously adopted a different strategy in 2026, and Jasson is a big part of that depth. Of course, if he himself gets injured, it would just be another treacherous bend in what just a few years ago seemed to be an open road to stardom.

FanGraphs’ Depth Charts projections has a very pessimistic outlook on Domínguez’s overall playing time share in 2026—supposedly because of the possibility he starts the season in Triple-A. I’ll believe that when I see it. The ZiPS projections agree, penciling Domínguez in for a more believable 471 plate appearances; while the .246/.323/.399 triple slash it prescribes would be disappointing, it’s important to remember these systems are conservative by nature. There’s not yet a precedent for Domínguez slugging higher than .400 in a full MLB season, but we humans understand that a SLG of at least .450 can be a reasonable goal for him.

With the majority of the players on this Yankees team, you know more or less what you’re going to get. But the concrete has not yet settled on this young man. As far as 2026, the Yankees just need him to be a reliable extra option in their outfield; anything extra is gravy. But if the opportunity presents itself, Domínguez has the talent to enter the stratosphere. It’s true that he has been part of the future for going on six years now, but that possibility should still excite us.

See more of the Yankees Previews series here.

Eric Garcia was sent off late on in Barcelona’s 4-0 defeat to Atletico in the Copa del Rey to complete a miserable night for the Catalan giants.

The defender was handed his marching orders in the 85th minute for a rash challenge but it wasn’t the only decision that deserves scrutiny.

Diego Simeone’s son Giuliano Simeone escaped a yellow card for crunching Alejandro Balde in the opening minutes and was then finally booked for another poor challenge on the left-back in the second half.

Here’s what Eric made of it all:

“Did you see Giuliano’s tackle? And you think it was a red card? These decisions have been going against us lately,” he told the media.

“I was unlucky enough to slip and hit him. We know it’s going to be tough and they’re not going to make it easy for us. Playing at home with our fans, we can win.”

Garcia also spoke about the game itself and made it clear Barca had not been good enough but hasn’t given up hope of turning the tie around.

“The first half was tough for us. Obviously, the first goal was an incredible misfortune. After that, they came out more focused, with more attitude… against a rival like Atlético, it’s difficult with this advantage,” he added.

“There’s a game left at home, with our fans and with players we’ll have back. If we’re focused from the start, we can turn this around.”

“I’m not going to lie to you. They were getting into our area very easily. There were a lot of spaces. In the second half we adjusted and changed things.

“We had scored a goal… we all have questions. I saw an image, I haven’t quite figured out the frame yet, but we’re not going to use that as an excuse. At halftime, Flick told us it was a new game and we had to try to win the second half.”

The two teams meet again at Camp Nou in March.

Among the many fashion displays in the home of sprezzatura, the viral fashion hit of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy is Team USA's eagle skirt.

The eagle skirt was included in Team USA's Nike welcome merch package for the Games, USA TODAY previously reported. It features a bald eagle soaring against a Colorado mountain skyscape.

"The Team USA collection takes after the dramatic landscapes surrounding Colorado Springs, home to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, with an outdoor-inspired aesthetic that celebrates the connection between athletes and the places that shape them," Nike said in an announcement released ahead of the games.

Figure skating: Chock and Bates say scoring confusion is 'disservice' to sport

The skirt has been a sight across American Olympian social media, with skier Kyra Dosa declaring "I won't stand for the eagle skirt slander" on TikTok and fellow skier Grace Henderson saying, "Despite the controversy, the eagle skirt was in fact necessary."

The skirt's popularity has caused Nike to restock it on its website.

Contributing: Jessica Moore, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: See the 'eagle skirt,' a viral fashion hit of the 2026 Winter Olympics

The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams could face off in their historic game in Australia to kick off the 2026 NFL season according to a recent report.

Puck sports correspondent John Ourand reported the 49ers and Rams will either play Wednesday, Sept. 9 or Thursday, Sept. 10 (h/t Pro Football Talk). The Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks will play on the day San Francisco doesn't play.

It would make sense if the NFL stuck to its typical regular season opener where the Super Bowl champion opens its season and the full NFL slate at home. However, a trip to Australia for the 49ers and Rams throws a wrench into those plans and may force the NFL to veer from its usual scheduling.

The time change from Pacific Time to Melbourne is plus 19 hours, which means teams will undergo two dramatic time changes in quick succession with their flight to Australia and their flight back. The NFL may want to give the 49ers and Rams that extra day to reacclimate their body clocks before they begin their Week 2 preparations.

This year the NFL schedule is expected to be officially released in mid-May.

More 49ers: 49ers must decide on future of depth RB who missed the 2025 season

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers vs. Rams game in Australia could be opener for 2026 NFL season

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — NCAA scoring leader Mikayla Blakes had 34 points, Aubrey Galvan added 18 points and eight rebounds and No. 5 Vanderbilt beat No. 4 Texas 86-70 on Thursday night.

Blakes raised her scoring average to 26.2 points. She reached 30 or more for the fourth straight game and ninth time this season.

The Commodores (24-2, 10-2 Southeastern Conference) won their third straight over a Top 25 team and fourth overall. They trailed early before taking control midway through the first quarter.

Madison Booker led Texas (23-3, 9-3) with 20 points and eight rebounds. Breya Cunningham had 14 points before fouling out late in the third quarter.

Vanderbilt has won 14 consecutive home games this season, further extending the school record for a season.

After falling behind 7-4 early in the first quarter, Vanderbilt went on a 14-0 run and finished the opening frame up 27-15 thanks to 9-of-12 shooting, including 4 of 5 from behind the 3-point line. The Commodores led 47-30 at the half, paced by Blakes’ 15 points and Galvan’s 13.

The Commodores led by as many as 26 midway through the third before Texas closed the gap to as few as 11 with 2:15 left in the fourth.

Up next

Texas: At No. 22 Tennessee on Sunday.

Vanderbilt: At Georgia on Sunday.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

The MMA world leader’s grappling arm hosts their first event of the year, with UFC BJJ 5 happening THURSDAY (February 12, 2026) inside the UFC’s Meta Apex venue in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The event will have two title bouts, with Mikey Musumeci(finally) facing a BJJ world champion in Shay Montague, and Ronaldo Junior defending his title against Tarik Hopstock. Other BJJ champs like Nicholas Meregali and Jalen Fonacier are also on the stacked card.

The no gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) event will stream LIVE on YouTube, starting at 8 p.m. ET. You can watch the live stream for free on the video embedded here.

A late change to the card has also happened, with UFC BJJ 5 adding Jonnatas Gracie vs. Lucas Yan in the last minute.

Check here for an in-depth preview of the event.

UFC BJJ 5: Musumeci vs. Montague free live stream, full event video

UFC BJJ 5 full results, fight card, and video highlights

• Mikey Musumeci vs. Shay Montague [Bantamweight title] — Mikey Musumeci def. Shay Montague by submission (foot lock), R2

• Ronaldo Junior vs. Tarik Hopstock [Middleweight title] — Ronaldo Junior vs. Tarik Hopstock by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
• Nicholas Meregali vs. Nicholas Maglicic — Nicholas Meregali def. Nicholas Maglicic by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-25, 29-26)
• Andy Murasaki vs. Andy Varela — Andy Murasaki def. Andy Varela by submission (Armbar), R1

• Taylor Hishaw vs. Rebeca Lima — Rebeca Lima def. Taylor Hishaw by submission (Aoki lock), R2

• Jonnatas Gracie vs. Lucas Yan — Jonnatas Gracie def. Lucas Yan by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
• Landon Elmore vs. Rerisson Gabriel — Rerisson Gabriel def. Landon Elmore by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
• Mona Bailey vs. Carol Brunacio — Carol Brunacio def. Mona Bailey via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
• Jalen Fonacier vs. Bebeto Oliveira — Jalen Fonacier def. Bebeto Oliveira by submission (heel hook), R1 (19 seconds)

FOR THE LATEST BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU (BJJ) AND GRAPPLING-RELATED NEWS CLICK HERE. FOR ADDITIONAL GRAPPLING CONTENT, FOLLOW @BJJBEAT ON INSTAGRAM.

NCAA issues statement responding to the Trinidad Chambliss decision originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The NCAA is urging Congress to step in after an Ole Miss quarterback won a key courtroom victory that could reshape the future of college eligibility rules.

On Thursday, a Mississippi judge granted Trinidad Chambliss an extra year of eligibility, siding with the Ole Miss transfer in his fight for a medical redshirt. Judge Robert Whitwell’s order effectively blocks the NCAA from enforcing its eligibility decision while the broader case plays out.

Notably, the NCAA’s counsel had already left the courtroom and was not present for the ruling. Hours later, the organization released a statement warning of broader consequences.

“This decision in a state court illustrates the impossible situation created by differing court decisions that serve to undermine rules agreed to by the same NCAA members who later challenge them in court,” the statement read.

NCAA statement in response to the Trinidad Chambliss decision: "We will continue to defend the NCAA’s eligibility rules against repeated attempts to rob future generations of the opportunity..."

The association continues to urge Congress to take action. pic.twitter.com/FbUmrK5GiI

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) February 12, 2026

The NCAA said it will continue defending its eligibility standards against what it described as repeated legal challenges. But it also said that inconsistent state laws and conflicting court rulings have created instability across college sports.

“The patchwork of state laws and inconsistent, conflicting court decisions make partnering with Congress essential to provide stability for current and future college athletes,” the statement continued.

Chambliss, who previously led Ferris State to a Division II national championship before transferring to Ole Miss, had been denied three times by the NCAA in his bid for an additional season. University officials argued documented medical issues in 2022 warranted a hardship waiver.

More: Demond Williams bombshell could've resulted in Lane Kiffin being fired at LSU

The ruling now adds pressure on the NCAA, which increasingly finds its authority tested in courtrooms rather than conference offices. 

For Ole Miss, they get their No. 1 QB back at a key time before spring ball ramps up. 

More college football news: 

• Oregon's Dan Lanning rips College Football Playoff, calls for major changes
• Deion Sanders buyout, contract details as Colorado Buffaloes coach
• Top 2026 NFL Draft prospect suffers broken rib in CFP quarterfinal loss
• Dabo Swinney fires Clemson coaches immediately after loss to Penn State
• Ohio State's Ryan Day faces backlash after Cotton Bowl

Florida State softball dropped their first game go the season, after a close battle with the top ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Lineup

• SS – Isa Torres (JR)
• 2B – Marin Heller (FR)
• 3B – Jaysoni Beachum (JR)
• RF – Shelby McKenzie (SO)
• LF – Ashtyn Danley (JR)
• DP – Anna Hinde (FR)
• 1B – Hayley Griggs (FR)
• CF – Makenna Sturgis (FR)
• C – Madi Frey (SR)
• RHP – Bella Dimitrijevic (FR)

Recap

1st Inning

The pitching matchup of Kaitlyn Terry for Tech and Bella Dimitrijevic delivered in the first inning. Both starters went 3 up and 3 down in their first appearance.

2nd Inning

An Ashtyn Danley single put a runner on base with one out. Moving down the batting order, Anna Hinde knocked a double into he outfield. The hit was deep enough to score Danley all the way from first base.

In the bottom of the inning, Dimitrijevic only allowed a two out single before getting the final out of the inning on a fly out.

5th Inning

On defense in the bottom of the 5th, Terry helped herself out with a double off of Danley, who relieved Dimitrijevic a few innings before. A shallow single into the outfield brought Terry home, making it 1-1 in the middle innings.

Following the run, FSU went to the bullpen, subbing Danley for Jazzy Francik in the circle. Francik soon had the bases loaded, but a big double play finally put outs on the board for the Seminoles. A walk kept the inning going, and the second double of the inning put Tech in the lead 3-1.

6th Inning

Needing to come back for the first time this season, Madi Frey led off the inning by reaching on an error. Terry quickly got two outs, but Jaysoni Beachum launched a double off the wall, scoring Frey and making it a one run ball game.

7th Inning

Needing to work with three outs, Danley led off with a single. With a runner on base, Tech lifted Terry and replaced her with NiJaree Canady. In relief, Canady got a fly out, bringing up Hayley Griggs. Griggs sent a ball deep into left field, but it was not deep enough to cross the wall. Texas Tech was able to catch Danley on the bases for a game ending double play.

FSU dropped to Tech 3-2.

Up next

The ‘Noles will face FAU Feb. 13 at 7 pm on ESPN+

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) roster purge continues.

Today (Thurs., Feb. 12, 2025), Sherdog reporter Tom Feely revealed that two more fighters have been removed from UFC active’s roster, meaning they have been released from their respective contracts and/or the promotion decided not to extend them.

Mohammed Usman and Adam Fugitt are the latest names shown the door. Earlier this week, Alex Morono, Jailton Almeida, Lucas Almeida, and Javid Basharat were also released.

The most notable departure is Mohammed Usman — the younger brother of former UFC Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

Usman was handed a hefty 30-month suspension after testing positive for elevated testosterone levels. According to reports, he also misled investigators during the process, which contributed to the severity of the punishment.

Usman (11-4) won Season 30 of The Ultimate Fighter, knocking out Zac Pauga in the finals (watch highlights). He started his UFC tenure strong, winning his first two fights inside the Octagon before dropping back-to-back contests to Mick Parkin and Thomas Petersen.

He rebounded in his most recent appearance with a win over Hamdy Abdelwahab — in a fight that was pretty awful.

The 36-year-old exits the promotion with a 4-2 UFC record but won’t be eligible to compete again until April 9, 2028.

Fugitt (10-6), meanwhile, is coming off a first-round knockout loss to Ty Miller at UFC 324, which marked the beginning of the UFC’s Paramount+ era (watch highlights).

The 37-year-old debuted on short notice against rising contender Michael Morales at UFC 277, losing via third-round stoppage — in what was one of Morales’ toughest tests.

Fugitt also suffered defeats to highly regarded prospects Mike Malott and Islam Dulatov (watch highlights) but managed to secure two Octagon victories. He scored a knockout win over Yusaku Kinoshita as a sizable underdog and earned a split decision over Josh Quinlan.

He leaves the UFC with a 2-4 record.

To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.

Jason Kelce's latest A.J. Brown comments required quick clarification originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

When comments require clarification mere hours after they were initially made, that usually means the speaker didn’t get his point across well.

That’s apparently the case with former Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce, who made some comments about Eagles mercurial wide receiver A.J. Brown that almost immediately needed clarification.

While discussing Brown’s on-field efforts during the 2025 NFL season during an appearance on 94.1 WIP in Philadelphia, Kelce said that Brown allowed his internal frustrations to impact his on-field performance, which can be extremely frustrating for the other players on the team.

"He's just unfortunately a player who allows his internal frustrations to manifest into his play, and it makes him play worse and makes the offense worse and it makes his energy worse. Some guys can block that out and just go out and play football, he’s clearly not one of those guys,” Kelce said of Brown.

More: A.J. Brown sends clear message regarding his future with Eagles

"…How hard is it to play with a player that’s not giving full effort? It’s incredibly frustrating. Any player that’s out there when you’re seeing a teammate not go all out, that’s all you want from your teammates, and that’s all we want as fans. It’s a really hard thing to optically watch, it’s frustrating to watch. Few things are infuriating more.”

Unsurprisingly, many fans in Philadelphia interpreted these comments as a dig at Brown. This feedback caused Kelce to head to social media to clarify his words and express support for Brown. 

“It seems people are taking this as a dig on AJ Brown, which wasn’t really the intent of the response. It was apparent that AJ was frustrated, and it’s apparent that AJ lets that affect his play at times. That’s frustrating to watch as fans and people on the outside,” Kelce wrote on X.

“But it’s more important that his teammates and coaches for all of this external frustration still love and only say positive things about AJ. That probably means that his teammates understand where he’s coming from, and that’s what really matters. … I love AJ Brown, I loved him as a teammate, and I think if he ends up getting traded, the Eagles, and fans will end up regretting it majorly.”

It's good that Kelce clarified his comments in order to nip things in the bud before the comments took on a life of their own. But, he wasn't wrong in the first place. Brown clearly let his frustrations impact his effort throughout the '25 season. That was obvious to anyone with eyes, including Kelce. 

As a result, there's a chance that the Eagles could look to trade him over the offseason. If they don't and Brown remains in Philly for the 2026 campaign, hopefully it's with an improved attitude. 

More Philadelphia Eagles news: 

• Nick Sirianni releases statement regarding Eagles' decision to hire Sean Mannion
• Philadelphia Eagles predicted to retain key contributor in free agency
• Eagles urged to avoid former Pro Bowl cornerback in free agency

Emerson Hebel was supposed to be in her Film As Literature class Thursday watching “The Godfather.” But instead, the Naperville North High School senior found herself taking her very first pickleball lesson.

“I’d rather be doing this for sure,” the 17-year-old said as she practiced serving with her pickleball partner and friend, Rhyse Filip. “I’ve played a little bit of pickleball before, but just like with my family, so it’s fun to like actually learn how to do it.”

The pair were joined not only by their peers at Naperville North, but also by students at West Aurora High School, Lisle High School, Lockport High School and home school students, who were playing at Sure Shot Pickleball in Naperville.

And now those hundreds of students — brought together by Naperville-based nonprofit KidsMatter — get bragging rights to say they were part of Guinness World Records’ largest simultaneous pickleball lesson.

To qualify for the achievement, more than 250 people had to participate in a 30-minute pickleball lesson. They ended up having 227 just from Naperville North alone, and 446 total.

“I’m happy there’s an opportunity to break the Guinness World Record with other schools. … It shows that we’re willing to do something different,” Filip, 17, said.

The Naperville North junior said if she didn’t have the pickleball lesson today, she probably would have been getting extra help from her Spanish or math teachers.

“But I wanted to do something different because I don’t really do anything fun like this often at our school,” Filip said.

On top of that, her friend’s mom, Sherilyn Hebel, was the main organizer for the event.

“This has been a year in the making,” said Hebel, director of programs for KidsMatter.

Hebel said she wanted to do an activity around pickleball due to the sport’s accessibility and appeal to a wide audience.

“Pickleball is a sport that can be enjoyed by almost everyone,” she said. “It brings mental health fun. It can be played by the old, by the young, by the super athletic, by the not-so-athletic. It can be played free with so many free outdoor courts in our community.”

As a member of KidsMatter, she wanted to figure out a way to get as many people involved in this activity as possible.

“A seed was planted and then it just kept getting watered and watered and it was, ‘How can we (use) pickleball to bring the community together?’ and then, ‘How can we make it even more fun? How can we engage our partners at our area schools? How can we engage our community locations,’” she said.

Then Hebel had an idea: why not try to make it a Guinness World Record attempt?

“Sherilyn approached me about the idea of doing the world’s largest pickleball lesson … and we thought it’d be a good idea to get a lot of different schools as well as our community together,” said John Fiore, chair of Naperville North’s Wellness Department.

Thursday’s lesson was taught by Joe Canda, a coach at Sure Shot Pickleball. While Canda was physically located at Sure Shot, he taught the lesson to the other students over Zoom. At Naperville North, he was projected onto a screen in the gym as he gave students tips and tricks on proper pickleball techniques.

“Dinking is a very short shot that sets up other shots in pickleball,” he said during the lesson. “If you come take a class with me, I teach all of my students we’re going to hit it soft to be able to hit it hard, and the dink is what sets up that shot.”

While students at Naperville North did not have a net to practice with, they did have balls and paddles — just enough to let them practice the game’s fundamentals. Some of the students at Naperville North tried to mimic the coach’s actions, working on their technique, while other appeared to be more focused on hitting the ball to their friend as hard as possible.

“(Canda) had not ever done anything like this before but I will tell you from the first moment I asked him, he was all in,” Hebel said.

And the energy he had during the lesson was everything Hebel could have asked for.

“Holy smokes, he was motivating those kids, he was demonstrating, he was a phenomenal instructor,” she said.

Putting together the lesson was not easy, Hebel said, noting the extensive coordination that was required between the different community partners and Guinness World Records. But in the end, it was all worth it, she said.

“It was amazing to see what the planning had done, come to fruition,” Hebel said. “We worked really hard to make a lesson that wouldn’t have pickleballs flying all over the place … of course we had some stray balls here and there, but for the most part, the kids were able to do controlled hits and really followed the lesson.”

cstein@chicagotribune.com

The San Francisco 49ers are looking to improve their roster this offseason with the hopes of making it further than the divisional round, where their 2025 campaign came to an end.

With that, the 49ers have some critical decisions to make on 30 players who are set to hit the market when the new league year starts next month.

Among those players in running back Patrick Taylor Jr. Let's take a closer look at that decision that Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch must make regarding the running back's future in the coming weeks.

Patrick Taylor 2025 season recap

After re-signed with the 49ers in March, Taylor suffered a shoulder injury in the team's preseason matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders that required season-ending surgery and landed him on injured reserve.

Potential replacements for Patrick Taylor

San Francisco needs to bring in one or two running backs this offseason to give Christian McCaffrey a break. Some of the best backup options on the market include Kenneth Gainwell, Isiah Pacheco, Michael Carter, Tyler Allgeier and Brian Robinson Jr.

Internal candidates for the job include Jordan James and Isaac Guerendo.

What contract could Patrick Taylor receive as a free agent?

Taylor played last year on a $1.17 million deal. After missing the entire season, he'll likely make the league minimum again in 2026, which is expected to be $1.22 million.

Should the 49ers re-sign Patrick Taylor?

Taylor could be a serviceable backup for the 49ers in 2026, as he's rushed for 4.3 yards per attempt and two touchdowns while catching 17 passes for an additional 94 yards in his career.

Bringing him back on a one-year, veteran-minimum deal to compete for the job wouldn't hurt.

More 49ers: ESPN analyst predicts 49ers star will win 2026 MVP and the Super Bowl

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL free agency: 49ers must decide on future of RB Patrick Taylor

It’s not impossible that San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller will use the quality and quantity of his bullpen to acquire needed roster pieces before the season begins but he has stated his reluctance to weaken the team’s biggest strength.

The inflated player prices this offseason have made it more difficult for Preller to round out the Padres roster. The budget constraints of the organization seemingly imply that the biggest expense was re-signing starter Michael King. With what is left, the bargain bin is the most likely place to find the rotation help and another bat that Preller has repeatedly said he is looking to sign before the season.

The real question is if there is enough cash left in the budget to sign these additions without losing anyone from the current roster. So far, Preller has stayed true to his statement at the GM meetings where he voiced a desire to not lose any of his bullpen in the trade market.

The Padres 2025 bullpen finished the season with the best ERA in baseball at 3.06. The loss of closer Robert Suarez should not seriously affect this group as Mason Miller, ranked the No. 2 reliever in baseball by MLB Network, assumes that role. Jason Adam, with his 1.93 ERA last year, served as the setup man for much of the season and should again be considered the leader for that role when he returns from his season-ending ruptured quad tendon.

Behind those two dominant pitchers, the Padres have an embarrassment of riches in their bullpen. Assuming they go into the 2026 season with five starters and eight relievers, there are only six spots available to fill out the rest of the bullpen.

Options for six spots

From the current roster, both the 40-man and the non-roster invitees who are in camp, the Padres have at least 18 pitchers to fill those six roles. From that group, only Ron Marinaccio is out of options and will have to be placed on waivers if he doesn’t make the 26-man roster.

The Padres signed RHP’s Sean Boyle, Evan Fitterer and Justin Yeager to minor league contracts with invites to Spring Training. Yeager is a confirmed reliever but both Boyle and Fitterer could be used as starters and have starter histories. Of the system’s minor league relievers invited to camp, RHP Manuel Castro, RHP Francis Pena, RHP Ethan Routzhan and RHP Ryan Och all showed the stuff that got the attention of the organization and earned them an invite to major league camp. Both Castro and Pena could be close to being added to the roster during the coming season. All of these are probable to start the season in the minor leagues.

RHP Logan Gillaspie, who was a minor league pickup in 2023, has had an inconsistent career with four different organizations and was re-signed to a minor league contract with the Padres in 2024. Between injuries and poor performances, Gillaspie has stayed with the organization and gets another chance this season to take a step forward. He got a spring invite after being retained following the end of 2025.

Who makes the 26-man roster?

On the 40-man roster there are 13 relievers to compete for those six slots in the bullpen. RHP Jhonny Brito will not be ready to start the season due to his Tommy John surgery last season. He is likely to be available by mid-season. Whether he is brought back as a starter or reliever has not been discussed to this point.

The Padres signed right-handers Ty Adcock and Daison Acosta to major league contracts during the offseason. Acosta was with the Nationals organization last season but has not made his major league debut. Adcock, who pitched in three games and three innings for the Mets last season, signed with the Padres and pitched for Estrellas Orientales (Dominican Winter League) during the offseason.

RHP Garret Hawkins was added to the roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft during the offseason and is most likely starting the season with San Antonio or El Paso and would be a depth piece for the bullpen during 2026.

That leaves long-man/swing-man Bryan Hoeing to come back after an injury-riddled 2025 to reclaim his spot. His competition could be Adcock or Marinaccio who was a limited contributor last season but had a 0.84 ERA in his 10.2 innings pitched. Lefty Kyle Hart will begin by competing for a starting job. If that role does not go to him, he would also be a competitor for the long-man role with Hoeing, Adcock and Marinaccio.

The five remaining spots will be a battle between Jeremiah Estrada, Alek Jacob, Yuki Matsui, Adrian Morejon, Wandy Peralta, David Morgan and Bradgley Rodriguez. Adcock, Hoeing, Hart or Marinaccio could also be in competition as only one of them can win the swing-man or long-man job.

Estrada, Morejon, Morgan and Peralta have all pitched in high-leverage situations while Matsui, Jacob and Rodriguez can cover the middle innings. Rodriguez also has the potential for a late-inning role with his stuff. MLB Network recently listed their top 10 relievers in baseball. The Padres had Miller, Morejon and Adam all make that list. It would seem a lock for Morejon to keep his spot as a high-leverage reliever along with Adam and Miller.

Spring Training will tell the tale

Many say that six weeks is too long for Spring Training. That could be true for hitters, most of whom say that three to four weeks is plenty to get ready for a season. The six weeks is for the pitching staff to be ready. With the big decisions that this organization has to make with its pitching staff, both starters and relievers, the next six weeks will be fascinating to watch. Add to that the time that the World Baseball Classic cuts into the preparation, and those decisions will be even more interesting.

Look for all the borderline pitchers to get lots of looks during spring games. Matsui, Peralta and Miller will be gone for the duration of their WBC teams’ participation in the tournament. Miller for Team USA, Matsui for Samurai Japan and Peralta for the Dominican Republic.

Figuring out who makes this bullpen will be a great challenge for the staff. The fans can play along and see how close we get.

It certainly feels like the 2026 season will be the year in which Konnor Griffin makes his MLB debut. However, the Pittsburgh Pirates have a massive question to answer: when will that promotion come?

It isn’t wild to think that Griffin could be in Pittsburgh’s Opening Day lineup. He had a 2025 season in the Minors, is the No. 1 prospect in baseball for good reason, and the Pirates need some depth and help on the left side of the infield.

However, MLB Insider and columnist Joel Sherman doesn’t quite think that an MLB debut right out of the gate will happen for Griffin, even if the talent is there.

“My suspicion is, though they see him as a five-tool guy… and I know the fury to bring him up when you have the number one prospect, and he's getting comps to great players. But I suspect that they'll feel more comfortable if they send him down to Triple-A and see if he gets off well,” said Sherman.

“If he does, I could see an early call up, but my gut, and from whatever little reporting I’ve done on this subject, then it is a little reporting, my guess is that they hold him back just because he's 19, I think they'll go for more, but boy, are they excited about the potential of injecting a five tool, six for four shortstop, into their lineup at some point this season.”

Unless Griffin absolutely goes off during spring training and is having plenty of success off big-league level pitching, an MLB debut right at the start of the 2026 season might be pushing it.

There’s no denying that Griffin had a stellar first professional season. He quickly moved through Pittsburgh’s farm system and slashed .333/.415/.527 with 23 doubles and 21 home runs across Single-A, High-A, and Double-A in 2026. 

With the Pirates adding proven big-league hitters Brandon Lowe, Marcell Ozuna, and Ryan O’Hearn this offseason, they’re clearly trying to complete and get back to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. 

Griffin gives the team the best chance to win come October, and that may mean starting the season in the Minors in March. 

Pirates Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Pirates. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.

Indiana losing Fernando Mendoza makes Curt Cignetti, 3,000-yard QB, ready for unthinkable originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Indiana Hoosiers are losing arguably their most important asset in quarterback Fernando Mendoza, a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and national champion.

They still have coach Curt Cignetti, a fearless leader who continuously strives for perfection and not skipping a beat. They are trying to do the same this off-season, as they snagged elite 3,000-plus yard passer Josh Hoover from the TCU Horned Frogs.

One college football analyst, CBS Sports' Cody Nagel, is taking it a step further: Hoover isn't just the man in Bloomington. He's going to be the guy the college football community points to as a possible blueprint for future NFL stardom.

"Just a few years ago, the thought of Indiana producing a No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft would have seemed impossible," Nagel wrote. "Doing it twice in a row would have been absurd. With Fernando Mendoza widely viewed as the favorite to go first in 2026, quarterback transfer Josh Hoover steps into an offense that has already proven it can elevate quarterbacks to the very top of the draft board. Oklahoma is the most recent program to pull off the feat with Baker Mayfield (2018) and Kyler Murray (2019), while USC last did it in the late 1960s."

MORE: CFB analysts agree with USC's must-win game to determine CFP fate, Lincoln Riley's future

ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit validated Nagel's points further in an episode of "Crain and Cone," putting Hoover in the same category as some of the sport's best quarterbacks who are returning next season.

More specifically, Herbstreit noted Hoover as a possible "sleeper" option this fall in a potentially surprising, productive season.

“I mentioned already that Josh Hoover could be that guy,” Herbstreit said. “I really think that [Texas A&M‘s] Marcel Reed, not because he’s an MBA guy, but he’s at a school where they’re just scratching the surface of what Mike Elko is going to allow them to become. He happens to have the keys to the car right now."

Regardless of whether Hoover levels up this fall to become a No. 1 pick type-option, it seems clear he is destined to keep the Hoosiers' engine rolling.

MORE: CBS Sports sends scary warning to Ohio State, Ryan Day as pressure mounts ahead of 2026

We'll see if the move to Bloomington truly, and results-based wise, pays off.

More Big Ten news

• Illinois 2026 football schedule

• Michigan 2026 football schedule

• Ohio State 2026 football schedule

• Indiana 2026 football schedule

This post is part of a series of daily questions that we’ll ask the community here at Amazin’ Avenue throughout the month of February. We hope you find the questions engaging and that our prompts can spark some fun conversations in the comments. We’ll see you there and plan to have staff chiming in, too.

What’s your National League East standings prediction?

Real Madrid left-back Alvaro Carreras could get called up to Luis de la Fuente’s Spain squad in the next international break, according to a report from AS.

Spain play Argentina in the Finalissima, and Carreras could get a call-up to the national team to potentially make his debut.

Everything depends on Marc Cucurella’s recent injury, which he suffered while playing for Chelsea against Leeds United.

Carreras has made nine appearances for Spain’s U21 team, but has yet to wear the famous red shirt for the senior team, and his recent performances have brought him closer to his goal.

Carreras has been one of the more impressive Real Madrid players of the season, and has easily been one of the better left-backs in the country during his debut season in La Liga.

Carreras’ passing and ball-carrying will also align with Spain’s system, making him a good option if de la Fuente needs a fresh set of legs.

The Shame Rankings: How hard Jazz, Kings, Pacers, and other bad teams are pushing their tanking techniques originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

We have never seen tanking happen to the extent that is occurring this season. A full ten teams are incentivized to lose, and several of them are going to such lengths that they are destroying the integrity of the league as a whole. Commissioner Adam Silver has finally started to put his foot down, issuing a massive $500,000 fine to the Jazz and $100,000 to the Pacers on Thursday night for sitting healthy players. 

"Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition and we will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games," Silver said in a statement after announcing the league's fines.  

Teams have gone to such extremes this season because the prize at the end of the season is going to be worth it. The top five of the 2026 draft is one of the best ever. Getting one of Cameron Boozer, Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, Kingston Flemings, or Caleb Wilson could completely change the course of a franchise. 

MORE: Why this freshman class could be greatest in college basketball history

Just because it's understandable doesn't mean that it's forgivable. Fanbases of these teams probably want their teams to lose. The rest of us want to watch real basketball.

The bottom 10 haven't all tanked equally hard. There are levels to this, and some of these franchises truly deserve to be shamed. Silver's fines were a good first step, but there also needs to be more attention given to how egregious some of these maneuvers have been. 

With that in mind, here are the first inaugural shame rankings. Here's what each team is doing to manipulate the odds in their favor, and who are the worst offenders. 

Shame tanking rankings

10. Pelicans

Current wins: 15 (3rd in the tank race)

The Pelicans aren't tanking, they're just bad. They didn't trade away their veterans aside from Jose Alvarado at the deadline, they're playing their starters, and Zion Williamson has even stunningly played in every game since Dec. 14. 

The Pelicans are taking winning to extreme levels, even DNP-ing their tank commander Jordan Poole, who is having a miserable year. They have no incentive to lose given that they will likely swap picks with the Hawks at the end of the year. They are the most ethical team on this list. 

9. Bucks

Current wins: 22 (9th in the tank race)

The Bucks shouldn't be ashamed that they are tanking. They should be ashamed that they are so bad while trying to win games. They're the only team on this list with an MVP candidate on their roster. 

Milwaukee is bad mostly because they have assembled a lackluster crew of talent around Giannis Antetokounmpo. He has criticized his teammates this season for being selfish. Now Cam Thomas is supposed to help fix that problem. Thomas did lead them to win No. 22 on Wednesday against the Magic, but he's not the answer long-term. 

Milwaukee's tank is a complete accident, but a fortunate one that should help them this summer. 

MORE: 2026 NBA trade deadline winners and losers

8. Bulls

Current wins: 24 (10th in the tank race)

The Bulls started their tank too late to substantially affect their odds. They did fall out of the Play-In race after trading away veterans including Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, and Ayo Dosunmu. They strangely replaced those guys with other older win-now guys who have little future on the team such as Collin Sexton, Anfernee Simons, Guerschon Yabusele, and Nick Richards.

Much to the chagrin of their fans, they are playing those vets over some of their younger players. And the young prospects that they are playing definitely look like they have been plopped onto a brand new team. 

Jaden Ivey looks odd bringing the ball up the court, end up with a horrific pass (with a replay)

Even the Bulls announcers were laughing

Also on Youtube:https://t.co/ops4QZ2MjGpic.twitter.com/shZn42fRo2

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) February 8, 2026

Chicago is losing games, but they're tanking in the most illogical way possible. Billy Donovan is still not letting their most promising player Matas Buzelis play through all of his mistakes, although Buzelis has gotten more usage and minutes since the deadline. Theirs is a half-hearted tank at best.

7. Mavericks

Current wins: 19 (7th in tank race)

The Mavs traded away a bunch of their veterans during the deadline, including most obviously Anthony Davis. They're not doing anything egregious to lose games though -- yet.

Dallas did pull off an epic tank a few years ago, landing Derek Lively II in the 2023 draft by punting their chances of getting into the Play-In Tournament. That cost them a hefty $750,000 fine. So far, it doesn't look like they're at risk of drawing the ire of the league again. 

6. Nets

Current wins: 15 (5th in tank race)

If the Nets were really committed to tanking, they would have traded Michael Porter Jr.. He's still on the team, but he is sitting for some key tank matchups (Bulls, Pacers) while playing in others (Wizards). The same goes for their other vets. They might be making some strategic sit outs here and there, but not nearly to the extent of some of these other teams. 

Brooklyn did waive Cam Thomas, which might actually help them lose more games. He scored a ton of points, but they were getting outscored in his minutes consistently. The Nets have a ton of young players, so the losing is going to come naturally for this group.

5. Kings

Current wins: 12 (1st in tank race)

For a while, the joke was that the Kings were the only team with an ethical tank. They weren't trying to lose games, their players were just that bad. They haven't won a game since Jan. 16, and that was against another bottom-feeder in the Wizards. 

The Kings don't need to tank in order to get crushed. Their roster makes no sense, and neither do their moves. They added a win-now veteran wing in De'Andre Hunter at the trade deadline despite being the worst team in the league. They traded all of their young, promising point guards, thought Dennis Schroder was the answer, and now have a 37-year-old Russell Westbrook starting games.

The Kings have started to use some maneuvers against the very worst of the worst, sitting all of their best players for a game against the Jazz on Feb. 11. For the most part, they haven't needed to resort to anything crazy. They're going to lose no matter who's out there. 

MORE:Why Cavs, Wolves rose in NBA power rankings after trade deadline

4. Pacers

Current wins: 15 (4th in tank race)

The Pacers aren't that bad of a team. Injuries completely derailed their season, and they've started to win more here and there since getting healthy. They went for it against the Knicks to secure their 14th win, beating them in overtime and playing Pascal Siakam 37 minutes. Of course, they also sat all of their top guys the next night against the Nets and three starters against the Jazz as well on Feb. 3, which led to the $100,000 fine.

It's impressive that they are still going for it given that they have the most at stake of anyone to lose games. They will send their pick to the Clippers if it lands at 5 through 9, giving them about a coin flip of keeping it if they stay in the bottom four. 

They are also being suspiciously cautious with new trade addition Ivica Zubac, keeping him out with an ankle injury that was good enough to play on during the week of the deadline.  

3. Grizzlies

Current wins: 20 (8th in tank race)

The Grizzlies signaled a pivot away from winning after trading away Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. They're not rushing Ja Morant back from an elbow injury, and they're playing their young prospects big minutes. 

The Grizzlies took tanking to the extreme against the Warriors on Monday. They benched all of their good players and scored five points in the last eight minutes, losing on an extremely chaotic last possession after coach Tuomas Iisalo didn't call a timeout to organize his team.    

2. Wizards

Current wins: 14 (2nd in tank race)

The Wizards have to give their pick to the Knicks if it falls outside of the top eight. They're doing everything in their power to make sure that doesn't happen. 

Washington acquired Trae Young and Anthony Davis via trade but haven't played either star yet. Both players do have legitimate injuries, but the timeline for their returns are raising some eyebrows. Young in particular seems to be taking his time with his recovery. Both players might play at some point in the second half of the year, according to Marc Stein. 

The Wizards are also starting to mess with their lineups to ensure losses. They closed a game against the Kings in February with a lineup of Sharife Cooper, AJ Johnson, Will Riley, Anthony Gil, and Scal Labissiere while the Kings had their normal group on the floor. It didn't work. The Wizards won that game. 

During another matchup against the Nets, they sat all of their good players and fielded the minimum number of active players required to not forfeit the game. That strategy did pay off. They were down by as much as 34 and blown out in the loss. 

Most recently, they played a game where 6-foot-6 wing Jamir Watkins was the nominal center. The Cavs beat them by 25 points, and center Jarrett Allen went a perfect 8-for-8 in just 27 minutes.

MORE: Why the NBA fined Jazz, Pacers for roster management decisions

1. Jazz

Current wins: 17 (6th place in tank race)

Where do we even start with this team? They are the DaVinci of tanking. The Jazz have pulled out all the stops for several years now, and the lottery gods have punished them by never giving them a pick better than No. 5. 

This year, they're taking things to extremes. They haven't been playing Lauri Markkanen or Jaren Jackson Jr. (who is now out for the season after knee surgery) during fourth quarters. They've added some other starters like Jusuf Nurkic to that fourth quarter DNP list. Those substitutions are having a major effect on the outcome of games and earned them that $500,000 fine from Silver.

Add this to the tanking files. The Jazz led the Magic 94-87 going into the fourth quarter tonight. Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. had already combined for 49 points, but they were held out for the entire fourth. Utah lost the game 120-117.

— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) February 8, 2026

Will Hardy doesn't call timeouts to stop runs any more either. He is unapologetic about his strategy.

Will Hardy on how close he was to putting Jaren Jackson Jr. or Lauri Markkanen back in the game in the fourth quarter:

“I wasn’t.”pic.twitter.com/Va0RIu76QC

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) February 10, 2026

The Jazz hilariously earned their 17th win of the year on Monday in spite of using their full tanking playbook. Bam Adebayo openly acknowledged what the Heat's opponents were doing, telling reporters postgame that "we got to find a way to win even against teams that are, I guess you could say, trying to lose." 

Utah loses its pick this summer if it falls outside the top eight. That only has about a four percent chance of happening if they remain as the sixth-worst team. The ghost of David Stern might make sure that happens. 

Klint Kubiak became the final head coach hired this cycle, joining the Las Vegas Raiders this week after helping lead the Seattle Seahawks offense to the Super Bowl this past season. 

His hiring brings an end to the 2026 coaching carousel, which featured a whopping 10 teams filling head coaching vacancies. Of course, that includes the Cleveland Browns, who wound up tabbing Todd Monken for the role. 

With all the jobs now filled there seems to be a general consensus from anyone who cares to rank the hires, that Monken is the worst one of this coaching carousel. 

Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd is the latest talking head to chime in on the debate, and while it's understandable that many people simply don't trust the Browns with these types of decisions, and that the prospect of hiring a 60-year-old as a first time head coach is a bit perplexing, there's actually a pretty legitimate chance Monken outlasts many of his fellow 2026 coaching classmates. 

History even tells us so. 

10 head coaches were also hired back in 2022. It's a list that featured Lovie Smith with Houston, Matt Eberflus with Chicago, Doug Pederson with Jacksonville, Brain Daboll with the Giants, Kevin O'Connell with Minnesota, Mike McDaneil with Miami, Nathaniel Hackett with Denver, Dennis Allen with New Orleans, Josh McDaniels with Las Vegas and Todd Bowels with Tampa Bay. 

A mere four years later, only two of those coaches remain employed as the head coach of the team that hired them, O'Connell and Bowles. Another three, McDaniels, Smith and Hackett didn't even make it through two seasons before being fired.

Along with Bowles and O'Connell, Daboll was the only other coach to at least start a fourth season with their respective team. Ultimately, the newly named Titans OC was fired during this past season, in early November.

A whopping seven the 10 hires made in 2022 flamed out after just three years, establishing quite the precedent for this current class of coaches. There's a pretty good chance that in another three years, we'll be talking about upwards of two thirds of this cycle of hires suffering a similar fate, especially considering six of them are first time head coaches.

Monken is obviously one of those, along with Jeff Hafley in Miami, Jesse Minter in Baltimore, Kubiak in Vegas, Mike LaFleur in Arizona and Joe Brady in Buffalo. While everyone seems convinced Monken isn't long for the job in Cleveland, who's to say any of those first time coaches are automatic slam dunks? 

The truth is, nobody really knows how any of these six will be as head coaches. What is undeniable, though, is that Monken has more tangible years of coaching experience that has prepared him for this role, than any of the others. That does mean something. 

Situation also matters. The truth is, Monken is stepping into a situation in Cleveland where the organization seems to clesrly understand that they're starting behind the eight ball on the offensive side of things. One would think an offensive minded coach, hired to correct that situation, will have a reasonable leash to execute their vision.

Simply put, fixing the Browns offense is a multi-year project, what sense would it make to pull the plug after just a year? That bodes well for Monken outlasting some of his coaching counterparts, enough where I feel pretty comfortable saying he won't be the first coach from this cycle fired. Rankings began damned!

What if the Bills flame out early on in the playoffs in back-to-back years? Is Brady safe, when his predecessor just got fired for failing to reach the Super Bowl once after a decade in charge. 

What if likely No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza isn't the "can't miss QB" the Raiders hope he is? Will Kubiak get a second crack at finding a QB if this one fails? 

Is Minter a guaranteed slam dunk everyone thinks he is in Baltimore, where there's plenty of pressure to win now? Do people trust that teams like the Dolphins and Cardinals finally got their head coach decisions right? 

Even Pittsburgh, where veteran head coach Mike McCarthy is going to be expected to buck a long-standing trend of making the playoffs but never advancing out of the wild card round, is a precarious situation. What happens if he doesn't?

This isn't to say Monken is a lock to see a second contract here in Cleveland. In three years, the Browns may be going through this process all over again. The notion that Monken is the worst hire, though, it strictly based on organizational reputation and nothing else.

I'll take the field when it comes to which coach from this cycle is looking for work first. 

Four games concluded the third round of Brasileirão 2026, this Thursday (12).

At the criticized synthetic pitch of Arena da Baixada, Athletico-PR defeated Santos 2-1 and maintains a 100% success rate.

Meanwhile, at Maracanã, Fluminense beat Botafogo 1-0 with an incredible goal by Lucho Acosta.

In Itaquera, at Neo Química Arena, Corinthians relied on Hugo Souza saving a penalty and won 2-0 to hand RB Bragantino their first defeat of the season.

Finally, at Beira-Rio, Internacional even scored a legendary goal with Ronaldo, but Palmeiras dominated the game and won 3-1.

📅 Next Round Matches

• Wednesday (25) - RB Bragantino vs Athletico-PR
• Wednesday (25) - Remo vs Internacional
• Wednesday (25) - Cruzeiro vs Corinthians
• Wednesday (25) - Palmeiras vs Fluminense
• Wednesday (25) - Grêmio vs Atlético-MG
• Wednesday (25) - Flamengo vs Mirassol
• Wednesday (25) - Botafogo vs Vitória
• Wednesday (25) - Bahia vs Chapecoense
• Thursday (26) - Santos vs Vasco
• Thursday (26) - Coritiba vs São Paulo

📊 The Updated Brasileirão Table

*Athletico-PR and Corinthians have one game less and will face each other next Thursday (19), at Arena da Baixada.

The Z-4 includes only giants of Brasileirão, with a total of 19 national titles.

Internacional is a three-time champion (1975, 1976, and 1979), Vasco and Cruzeiro have four titles each (1974, 1989, 1997, and 2000 / 1966, 2003, 2013, and 2014), and Santos has lifted the trophy eight times (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 2002, and 2004).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

As Valentine’s Day approaches this weekend, the findings of a new study suggest that Los Angeles Chargers fans are not spending the holiday alone. Vegas Insider surveyed 3,058 NFL fans between Aug. 14-19, 2025 about their relationship statuses to figure out which fanbases are the most single.

The Chargers were tied with the New York Jets for the most married fanbase in the NFL. Both fanbases had 62 percent of fans reporting on the survey that they are married.

The Chargers are also had the second-lowest percentage of fans report that they are single.

Only 15 percent of fans who took the survey reported being single. The Atlanta Falcons had the highest percentage of single responses, with 38 percent of fans reporting being single.

Chargers Also Have the Lowest Divorce Rate

The Chargers have the lowest divorce rate in the NFL (1 percent). Meanwhile, the Chargers’ crosstown rival, the Los Angeles Rams’ fanbase, rank No. 2 for the most divorced fanbase in the NFL as 18 percent of fans reported being divorced.

The New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins had the second lowest divorce rates in the NFL, with four percent of fans reporting a divorce.

This is impressive for the Chargers, considering the franchise also had the highest percentage of reported marriages in the survey.

Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The post Chargers Fans Rank No. 1 in the NFL in Surprising New Study appeared first on LA Sports Report.

The New York Yankees have added veteran right-hander Rafael Montero in a move aimed at reinforcing bullpen depth ahead of the 2026 season. Montero, 35, brings experience, swing-and-miss stuff, and postseason exposure to a Yankees relief corps that has been retooled this winter. The signing is viewed as a low-risk, upside play for a team with championship aspirations. Montero was part of the 2022 Houston Astros World Series team.

A Veteran Arm with Closing Experience

Montero has carved out a lengthy big-league career as a late-inning reliever, highlighted by a breakout campaign in Houston earlier in the decade when he served as a high-leverage setup man and occasional closer. Known for his mid-to-upper 90s fastball and sharp splitter, Montero has the arsenal to miss bats — a trait the Yankees value heavily in their bullpen construction.

While his performance has fluctuated in recent seasons, the Yankees are betting that a change of scenery and a defined role can help him rediscover consistency. The organization has a track record of refining veteran relievers’ pitch usage and sequencing, often maximizing swing-and-miss rates through analytics-driven adjustments.

RELATED: Texas Rangers’ Nolan Ryan jersey giveaway is a bloody mess

Fit in the Yankees’ Bullpen

The Yankees’ bullpen remains anchored by elite late-inning options, but depth has been a priority after injuries and workload concerns exposed vulnerabilities late last year. Montero projects as a middle-to-late inning option who can bridge the gap to the club’s established high-leverage arms.

His ability to generate strikeouts gives manager Aaron Boone flexibility in tight situations, especially against right-handed power bats in the AL East. Additionally, Montero has postseason experience, something that carries weight in a clubhouse built around October expectations.

Low Risk, Potential Reward

Financially, the deal is not expected to significantly impact the Yankees’ payroll flexibility. It’s the type of move contending teams make to stockpile experienced arms before spring training competitions begin.

If Montero regains command of his splitter and limits free passes, he could emerge as a valuable piece in what is expected to be one of the American League’s most competitive divisions.

As spring training approaches, Montero will have every opportunity to prove he can still be a difference-maker in the Bronx.

— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead —

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The post Yankees announce signing of former World Series champion pitcher appeared first on The Big Lead.

Deion Sanders and Colorado shut out of 2026 NFL Combine originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The NFL Combine field is set with the Big 12 being represented in Indianapolis, except for Colorado. Nearly every team in the conference will have a player testing and interviewing inside Lucas Oil Stadium this month.

But Deion Sanders will be back in Boulder focused on other things. The Colorado Buffaloes’ will not have a single participant this year. No quarterback. No defensive back. No lineman. Not even a specialist.

For a program led by one of the greatest NFL players in modern history, that matters.

Sanders has built his message around a clear mantra. NFL over NIL. Development over distraction. The league is the goal. The brand and the endorsements follow the production.

More: 2026 NFL combine: Full list of draft prospects invited

However, there will be no Buffs in the building where draft momentum begins. And this is not a roster without belief. Arden Walker, Preston Hodge, Keaten Wade, Kaidon Salter, Sincere Brown and Amari McNeill all stepped into the draft pool. 

The confidence is there. But the combine validation is not.

More: Deion Sanders' grandson shakes up the latest kids rankings

Keep in mind, a combine snub doesn’t necessarily put an end to careers. Pro days can still sway scouts. The month of April still produces players who carve out roles without a combine invite. But the combine remains the most visible checkpoint in the pre-draft cycle, and visibility carries weight.

Within the Big 12, Colorado was not entirely alone. West Virginia Mountaineers football and Oklahoma State Cowboys football were also shut out. 

More: Latest bowl shutdowns raise new questions about College Football Playoff expansion

Colorado operates under the brightest spotlight of the three, and in a program that has made NFL over NIL part of its identity, the expectation is straightforward. If the message is about development and the league being the destination, the next step is simply getting Buffaloes back to Indianapolis.

Maybe 2027 will be a better year for CU to the NFL? 

More college football news: 

• Deion Sanders buyout, contract details as Colorado Buffaloes coach
• Why Deion Sanders claims the days of the student-athlete are dead
• Deion Sanders' grandson shakes up the latest kids rankings
• Coach Prime tears into Druski after Super Bowl celebrity flag football loss
• Deion Sanders sparks Hall of Fame debate with call for radical voting overhaul

Travis Steele and his Miami University squad haven’t wilted under the pressure of being ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 for four weeks as they got off to the best start in school history.

Now that they’re the last unbeaten team in Division I, Steele and the RedHawks don’t expect their approach to change.

Miami (24-0) became the last unbeaten team after top-ranked Arizona lost 82-78 at Kansas on Monday night. It also has the nation’s longest winning streak heading into Friday night’s game against Ohio on ESPN.

“It’s funny you mentioned the pressure piece because I had a family friend of ours, he has season tickets at Marshall, and he told my father-in-law, ‘I can’t believe how loose Miami is. It looks like they’re having a lot of fun.’ And that’s our group,” Steele said. “I mean, we have a true love for each other, and I think when you’re trying not to do it for yourself, but rather do it for others, you don’t feel as much pressure. I am a firm believer in that, and I think that’s why our group has not let the pressure affect us at all.”

The RedHawks are 5-0 since entering the rankings, including a 90-74 win at Marshall last Saturday. They have surpassed the best start in Mid-American Conference history, previously held by Western Michigan at 19-0 in 1975-76. Miami also holds the longest winning streak in conference history, breaking the 21-game mark set by the 2001-02 Kent State squad, which went to the Elite Eight in the 2002 NCAA Tournament.

Miami leads the nation in scoring, averaging 92.7 points per game. It is also first in field goal percentage at 53.6%, sixth in 3-point percentage at 39.8%, and eighth in scoring margin at 18.4.

Steele feels his squad has made the most gains on defense. In the past three games, Miami has held opponents to 41.2% from the field and 28.4% on 3-pointers.

Steele also wants to cut down on turnovers after having 13 in each of the last two games.

“I feel like we’ll score 90-plus in every game if we commit 10 or fewer turnovers,” he said. “We’re very efficient offensively, but I want more shot attempts. And then just defensively protecting the paint.”

Sophomore guard Brant Byers, last season’s MAC Freshman of the Year, leads the RedHawks in scoring, averaging 14.7 points per game, while senior guard Peter Suder, a first-team preseason All-MAC selection, is averaging 13.9.

Miami could have another record crowd at Millett Hall on Friday night. Its last home game on Jan. 31 against Northern Illinois drew 10,640 to the 57-year-old arena, surpassing the previous mark of 10,634 set in 1976 against Cincinnati.

At the Northern Illinois game, Ron Harper, a five-time NBA champion and the leading scorer in school history, received an honorary degree. Miami graduate and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Wayne Embry also attended the game.

The last two home games have each drawn more than 9,000 fans. Miami is tied with Akron and Duke for the nation’s longest home winning streak at 28 games.

“I think we’ve put out a good product for them to cheer on and get behind, and it’s been very fun to watch this kind of build-up to the crowds we have here at Millett,” Steele said.

___

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Villanova remains hot on the trail for one of the top players in the Class of 2027.

Four-star guard Mekhi Robertson continues to pick up steam. Despite being an early offer for him, the Wildcats remain in the mix and are viewed as one of the top contenders, according to reports.

Villanova offered Robertson in September of 2024. This was an early sign that Robertson would become coveted as his recruitment went on — and that has been the case.

Out of SoCal Academy in Castaci, Robertson is currently ranked as the No. 5 player in California and 66th player nationally, according to 247Sports.

Robertson most recently received an offer from West Virginia in January. This came right after he was offered by N.C. State. The Wildcats remain in the mix along with Oklahoma State and Mississippi State as well.

Robertson, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, is viewed as a pure scorer along the perimeter. He can score at multiple levels and that is expected to continue at the next level.

There has not been any official lists shared about Robertson’s interests as his recruitment continues. What we do know is that Villanova was one of the first teams in on the 2027 stud and remain well in the mix for the future.

On the eve of Rennes vs. Paris Saint-Germain, the capital club provided updates on its squad, and the absences will be relatively few – three, to be exact. With the return of Hakimi, the Parisian squad is rarely this complete.

On the eve of Rennes vs. PSG, which will kick off the 22nd round of Ligue 1, Luis Enrique now knows a bit more about which players he can count on. There will be only three absentees — the same injured players as last week, plus one no one saw coming. More than three weeks after taking a hit to his knee in Lisbon against Sporting (1-2), Fabian Ruiz is still in pain and "continues his treatment."

The other absentee is, of course, Quentin Ndjantou, who injured his thigh in late 2025 against Vendee Fontenay Foot (4-0) and has not fully recovered from the serious injury. PSG announced last week that he would need surgery and provided an update: "Successfully operated on his right hamstring, Quentin Ndjantou remains at rest."

The bad news came in the form of an unexpected addition to the medical report: Senny Mayulu. "Suffering from minor discomfort in his left calf, Senny Mayulu will remain in treatment in the coming days," the club said.

It remains to be seen whether the versatile central midfielder, heavily used by Luis Enrique, will be able to return in time for the Champions League playoff first leg against AS Monaco next Tuesday.

What also changes from the last match is, of course, the return from suspension of Achraf Hakimi. The Moroccan received a one-match ban plus a suspended sentence following his red card at Strasbourg, and he will make his return for this Rennes vs. PSG match. There is even a strong chance he will start, as Luis Enrique has rarely done without him since his return from AFCON in late January.

Medical report before Rennes vs. PSG:

• Successfully operated on his right hamstring, Quentin Ndjantou remains at rest.
• Fabian Ruiz continues his treatment.
• Suffering from minor discomfort in his left calf, Senny Mayulu will remain in treatment in the coming days.

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Why the NBA fined Utah Jazz, Indiana Pacers over roster management decisions originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The NBA handed out a pair of fines to teams that were accussed of tanking on Thursday, adding another chapter to what has proven to be one of the most polarizing debates in the basketball world.

The league fined the Jazz $500,000 and the Pacers $100,000 for management of their rosters in recent games. The punishment came amid calls for the NBA to take a stand against tanking -- the act of deliberately attempting to lose games.

Here's what you need to know about the league's decision to Utah and Indiana.

Why did the NBA fine the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers?

Commissioner Adam Silver cited conduct detrimental to the league and a violation of the league's Player Participation Policy as reason to levee fines on the Jazz and Pacers, respectively.

For Utah, the charges are related to two incidents. During a Feb. 7 matchup with the Magic and Feb. 9 duel with the Heat, the Jazz removed Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. at the start of the fourth quarter. The decision was a curious one. Utah was up by as many as 17 against Orlando and led by three at the start of the fourth against Miami.

Nevertheless, head coach Will Hardy pulled Jackson and Markkanen from the two contests. The Jazz went on to lose its game with the Magic and squeaked out a win vs. the Heat. According to the league office, Utah's conduct undermined the league's push to spur on competition. Hence, the Hardy-led team was hit with a $500,000 fine.

Indiana, meanwhile, was deemed to have deliberately kept Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith -- all starters -- out of their Feb. 3 loss with the Jazz. All three were ruled out with injury. However, the league found that the trio could have played under the medical standard laid out in the Player Participation Policy. Siakam and Co. played the night before and proceeded to play each of Indiana's next three games following their tilt with Utah.

"Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition and we will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games," Silver said in a statement.

MORE: Why the NBA 2026 Draft Class could be one of the best ever

Are the Utah Jazz tanking this season?

All signs point to the Jazz deliberately attempting to lose games.

The roster is fairly underwhelming, to be sure. But Utah's etiquette, particularly in its matchups against Orlando and Miami, has left something to be desired, at least among certain segments of NBA fandom.

The league has stated, quite clearly, that it expects its stars and starting-caliber players to play if they're healthy. The Jazz have fulfilled that requirement, playing the likes of Jackson, Markannen and Nurkic more than 20 minutes throughout the past five games.

But they're decision to sit the trio against the Magic and Heat had some questioning the ethics of their pursuit. There's no doubt that Utah wants to keep its first-round pick, which will go to Oklahoma City if the Jazz land outside of the top-eight in the NBA Draft. They have no incentive to win games. So, they're not.

Here's what Marc Stein wrote on his Substack regarding Utah's antics, citing a conversation with an unnamed Western Conference executive:

“Yet one executive I spoke to from another team in Utah’s conference defended what the Jazz just did, saying: ‘They played all those players against Orlando. They didn’t just sit everybody. You can’t tell a team how to use their guys during a game.'”

Are the Indiana Pacers tanking this season?

The Pacers, too, appear to be tanking, filling up their injury reports with the names of pivotal contributors.

For what it's worth, Indiana didn't plan to struggle so immensely this campaign. Prior to Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, the Pacers looked in prime position to compete atop the Eastern Conference.

MORE: Cavs, Wolves rise in latest power rankings after trade deadline while Clippers, Warriors fall

Then, Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles. The injury, coupled with Myles Turner's departure in the offseason, left the Pacers light in star power outside of Siakam. They remained competitive in spite of Haliburton's injury, although the roster's deficiencies were exposed. But with Indiana sending its first-round pick to the Clippers if it falls outside of the top-four, Rick Carlisle's side also has no reason to attempt to win.

At Beira-Rio, Palmeiras defeated Internacional 3-1 this Thursday (12th), wrapping up the third round of the 2026 Brasileirão.

The match started evenly in Porto Alegre, but with Verdão looking stronger.

Allan made a good play down the left and took a shot, which was saved by Rochet.

From Andreas Pereira’s corner kick, Gustavo Gómez headed the ball in to open the scoring for Palmeiras.

Trailing on the scoreboard, Colorado pushed forward and, still in the first half, Ronaldo scored a sensational goal at Beira-Rio.

Carlos Miguel worked to prevent a comeback, and Vitor Roque made a brilliant solo run to put Palmeiras back in the lead.

In a very similar play, but on the other side of the field, Inter almost equalized, but Bruno Gomes was denied by the Verdão’s crossbar.

At the end of the game, Inter played out poorly from the back, Luighi stole the ball from Gabriel Mercado and set up Felipe Anderson, who assisted Andreas Pereira to secure Verdão’s victory.

🚦 What’s next

With their second straight win in the championship, Palmeiras reaches seven points and takes the lead in the Brasileirão.

São Paulo, Fluminense, and Bahia have the same number of points, but a better goal difference (6 x 3 x 2 x 2).

Internacional, meanwhile, drops to second-to-last with just one point. 

Vasco, Santos, and Cruzeiro—all with one point—round out the relegation zone.

Colorado’s next two matches are away from home.

The first is against Ypiranga, in Erechim, next Sunday (15th), for the semifinals of the Gauchão, and then against Remo, in Belém, on February 25th, for the fourth round of the Brasileirão.

Verdão, on the other hand, hosts Guarani on Sunday (15th), for the last round of the first phase of the Paulistão, and Fluminense on February 25th, for the fourth round of the national championship. Both matches will be at Arena Barueri.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

When it comes to some of the biggest mismatches in college basketball history, former Wisconsin starter Frank Kaminsky was as special as they come.

As a mismatch problem that warped from a late-blooming arc, the 7-foot menace peaked at exactly the right moment for the Badgers.

The 2015 consensus National College Player of the Year - including the Wooden Award - was more than a threat in the paint, too, as he showed no fear 

He could put the ball on the floor from the perimeter, he could dish the rock out of doubles like a guard, and if you weren't paying attention, he would knock down trailing 3-pointers.

So while most college centers in that era had to live near the rim, Kaminsky had a knack for dragging opposing bigs into uncomfortable space, something most defenses weren’t ready for at the time.

Kaminsky never blew by people, nor did he play above the rim, but his footwork, timing, and decision-making were elite.

He used his height to his advantage, too, as pump fakes became advantageous, while he'd establish counters on counters in the post and always seemed one step ahead defensively.

Kaminsky did a fantastic job of punishing those who made mistakes, because if you were late to a spot on the court, smaller - which many were - or slow to adjust, he was going to cook you.

Playing for Bo Ryan’s swing offense in Wisconsin meant your game was built around spacing, reads, and unselfishness, and Kaminsky melded into perfect form by the time he emerged as the nation's top player.

While Wisconsin's offense buzzed because Kaminsky was capable of doing everything, he made sure everyone around him was better.

Kaminsky’s development arc was one of legendary lore, as he made a massive senior-year leap after opening his college career as a role player early on, becoming a solid contributor.

Out of nowhere, a National Player of the Year was born.

In 2015, Kaminsky averaged 18.8 points, led Wisconsin to the national title game and was the clear leader of the Badgers. It was that late breakout that made him feel unstoppable, something like a grown man playing chess while everyone else was playing checkers.

His big-game confidence was something to be admired by, evidenced by his play in the Final Four, during Big Ten slugfests, while facing tournament pressure. Bottom line, Kaminsky was comfortable being the go-to guy, scored 20-plus in huge moments, proving his calming nature, laced with a smug confidence, was part of his aura.

When all was said and done, what we had was a dominant and special player because we had a 7-footer who stretched the floor as a center, mastered his skill and IQ over athleticism, perfectly fit - and elevated - an elite college system in an always tough Big 10, emerged in his final year like a seasoned pro, and overall, became one of the best examples of how college basketball greatness isn’t always about providing an NBA upside, but simply being where your feet are by mastering you craft.

Expectations are high every season for North Carolina when it takes the diamond at Boshamer Stadium, and this year is no different. 

The Tar Heels are coming off a 46-15 season, including an 18-11 mark in ACC play and an ACC tournament championship. The Tar Heels’ season ended in disappointment with a loss to Arizona in Game 3 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional.

Still, there is plenty of excitement around the program, given that most of the pitching staff returns from last season. UNC’s staff had the third-best ERA in the nation at 3.47 and the best in the ACC for the second straight year.

UNC opens the 2026 season with a weekend series against Indiana on Feb. 13-15 at Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium.

Here is a look at what the starting rotation could be this season.

RHP Jason DeCaro

DeCaro returns after recording a 9-3 season with a 3.78 ERA, 70 strikeouts and 26 walks in 83.1 innings pitched. DeCaro recorded six or more strikeouts in seven of his starts and was ​​named to the All-ACC second team for the second straight season. DeCaro was rated as the seventh-best pitcher in the country by D1Baseball.

RHP Ryan Lynch

Lynch is coming off of a strong freshman campagin that saw him earn All-Freshman honors by D1Baseball and Baseball America.

He appeared in 27 games and made three starts for the Diamond Heels, spending most of the season as a key reliever before moving into the rotation in the postseason.

Lynch went 5-1 with two saves, posting a 2.92 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings. He finished in the top 10 in the ACC in several categories, including ERA (2.92, second), hits allowed per nine innings (6.46, third), appearances (27, sixth), strikeouts per nine (10.57, eighth) and WHIP (1.13, ninth).

In his three starts, Lynch compiled a 2.25 ERA with 18 strikeouts and a .167 opponents’ batting average over 16 innings. He made his first career start in the ACC tournament title game against Clemson on May 25, throwing four shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out seven to help UNC win its 27th conference championship.

LHP Folger Boaz

The only left-hander in the projected starting rotation, Boaz returns after a solid season on the mound. Used mostly out of the bullpen, he went 3-0 with a 3.90 ERA, 20 strikeouts and 14 walks in 30 innings.

Boaz was good enough to start last season, but he was coming off a season-ending injury the year before. He was a member of the starting rotation in 2024 and became the first freshman to make his pitching debut on opening day since Ryan Snare in 1998. He finished his freshman season 3-1, logging 39 innings with 38 strikeouts.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC baseball: Projected starting rotation for the 2026 season

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Lanie Grant scored 15 points, Indya Nivar added 14 and No. 21 North Carolina routed SMU 94-42 on Thursday night for its eighth straight victory.

Courtney Banghart secured her 400th career win to become one of 48 active coaches in Division I women’s basketball to reach the mark.

North Carolina jumped out to a 28-9 lead by the end of the first quarter after making 6 of 8 3-pointers, while SMU went 3-for-14 overall. Five different Tar Heel players made a 3-pointer in the first quarter, with Laila Hull going 2 for 2.

Then the Tar Heels went on a 14-0 run, with 3-pointers by Nyla Brooks and Taliyah Henderson, early in the second quarter for a 31-point lead. Hull made North Carolina's ninth 3-pointer of the first half — on just 12 attempts — for a 49-18 lead at the break.

North Carolina's lead did not drop below 31 points in the second half.

Henderson finished with 13 points and Hull had 11 for North Carolina (21-5, 10-3 ACC).

Zahra King led SMU (8-17, 1-12) with 15 points on 5-of-17 shooting. The Mustangs have lost six straight games.

The Tar Heels finished 12 of 26 from 3-point range, while SMU went 12 of 52 overall (23%).

Up next

SMU: Begins a three-game homestand on Sunday against Pittsburgh.

UNC: Goes down the road to play at No. 11 Duke on Sunday.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

Arsenal did the difficult part, but then faltered at what they’re supposed to be best at, making this title challenge that bit more testing. Except, much of that was down to Brentford. Keith Andrews’s side beat – or perhaps drew with – Arsenal at their own game.

Brentford fully deserved Keane Lewis-Potter’s set-piece equaliser, and the 1-1 draw ultimately leaves Arsenal’s lead down to just four points.

They even looked likelier to win it at the end, Gabriel Martinelli’s late chance only came after Arsenal required crucial interventions from Cristhian Mosquera and Declan Rice.

That is why Brentford are still seen as one of the Premier League’s acid tests, perhaps even more testing than ever before. It is the most classic battle, the one teams have to really work through.

Failing to win this fixture isn’t a sign you won’t win the title, but it’s a match that goes some way to showing your mettle and how you can really go through the gears in a title race.

Arsenal’s minimalism wasn’t enough here. It may end up serving as another warning.

Mikel Arteta will nevertheless be most frustrated that it should have been enough. Arsenal had the lead through Noni Madueke’s fine header, only for the team that normally shuts down games to see themselves opened up again and again.

Brentford just forced them open. On conceding the goal, they immediately upped it in so many ways. It’s rare to see Arsenal so threatened on set-pieces.

Maybe part of that was down to the absence of William Saliba.

The Gunners didn’t get going until it was too late in the game, allowing Brentford that margin.

That could be seen in the fact that they had just one shot in the first half, their lowest in an opening 45 minutes since a 5-0 thrashing to Manchester City in August 2021.

It is a balance that Arteta still has to figure out, as he too often leans towards control too often. The sense remains of a team trying to win the league on calculated probabilities rather than the true end product, of being so close now that the coach is now not taking enough risks.

You almost extend it to the expenditure.

One reason that Arsenal are where they are across all competitions is their squad depth, and yet there are moments when it’s hard not to wonder whether they could have used their budget in a slightly different way.

The starting attack in this game was a prime example. As good as Viktor Gyokeres and Madueke are in their own way, would the club have been better served pooling the money for both together, in the region of £107m, and going for one “killer”. An elevated star that they are still missing.

Even Leandro Trossard, brilliant as he’s been for the club, often feels like he should be the impact sub rather than the starter.

Eberechi Eze was signed to offer that extra stardust, but it is going to be difficult to rise to the occasion when he is constantly in and out.

And, after that first half, Arteta made the changes.

Martin Odegaard was introduced. The Norwegian did have an initial impact, which helped force the opener.

There was a sense of what might have been.

Madueke remains a tantalisingly frustrating player, as if there are still elements missing to complete his game. One is delivery.

There are so many occasions when he does wonders to beat his man, and often embarrasses them, only to try the same slowly floated cross that is so easy to defend against.

He perhaps saw the benefit of a more traditional effort on 61 minutes, which allowed the 23-year-old to show the productive player he often promises to be.

Arsenal’s changes had admittedly ensured that they were starting to pen Brentford in, with Odegaard looking especially lively.

It was his pressing that forced Andrews’s backline into an error, the ball then arriving at the feet of Piero Hincapie. He hooked over a fine cross, although one where Madueke looked like he might have stepped forward a touch too early. It was instead Caoimhin Kelleher who was wrong-footed, although only because Madueke showed impressive agility.

The winger arched back to loop a header across the goal and into the bottom corner.

That should have been that, only for Odegaard to then look a bit more culpable at the other end. He only stuck his leg out for one of Brentford’s aerial assaults, allowing Lewis-Potter to plunder a brilliant header.

Arsenal were lucky not to concede from that route again.

Brentford are more than just an awkward team, or a physical one. There’s so much calculation in everything they do, as befitting a modern club built on analytics. You can almost see the science behind every move, the manner in which the ball is played into areas of probability.

A favoured attack is one of the wingers immediately playing a first-time ball across the opposition area on the break, which tends to instantly cause angst.

Arsenal had to be on their toes, from start to especially raucous finish. The end of the game had a lot of football in it, particularly in a helter-skelter stoppage time. David Raya had already offered one of the saves of the season from Igor Thiago and had to be constantly alert as a relentless Brentford just kept roaring forward. The home side could have won it at least twice in the closing stages, Arsenal once.

Those late blocks may prove important to Arsenal in another way. It may end up a good point in the grander scheme of things. Rather than such one-off moments, though, Arteta and his staff will be looking at those two lost points.

If Arsenal wanted more, however, they should have done more.

Daytona Duels 2026 results: Joey Logano, Chase Elliott claim wins in Daytona 500 qualifying races originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Cup Series calendar kicks off in earnest with Daytona Duels. It's a welcome sight for NASCAR fans. After all, it indicates that the greatest spectacle in stock car racing -- the Daytona 500 -- is on the horizon.

Kyle Busch and Chase Briscoe embraced the spotlight during Wednesday's qualifying session, bursting around the bend to secure front-row placement in Sunday's race. They, too, will join the ranks of Daytona Duels contestants, surrounded by a cadre of drivers hoping to get their Cup Series campaigns off on the right foot.

The shortened nature of the run, coupled with the perilousness of Daytona International Speedway's winding thoroughfare, could precipitate fireworks across two heats. The Big One looms like a shadow for all those who prance inside the coliseum's hallowed halls. Thursday's outing could provide a preview.

The Sporting News is tracking live updates from Thursday's Daytona Duels. Follow below for highlights, results and more from the night races at Daytona International Speedway.

WATCH: Watch NASCAR's Daytona Duels races live with Fubo

Daytona Duels 2026 live updates, highlights

(All times Eastern)

9:54 p.m.: Elliott holds off the pack to pick up his second Daytona Duels win. Anthony Alfredo makes it into the Daytona 500 as an open car.

9:50 p.m.: The deck has shuffled a fair bit in recent laps. Briscoe got held up at pit road, seeing him fall from first to 20th. Elliott now sits at the top of the totem pole. He is surrounded by a trio of Chevrolets in Carson Hocevar, Kyle Larson and Michael McDowell. Just four laps to go.

9:36 p.m.: Briscoe is holding strong at the top of the field. He's joined by Ty Dillon and Chase Elliott. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is pushing hard on Dillon's bumper. But it looks like the Kaulig Racing talent will overtake Briscoe for P1.

9:00 p.m.: Chase Briscoe leads the green flag racing

8:30 p.m.: Joey Logano wins the first duel! Casey Mears gets in, too!

8:25 p.m.: CAUTION! Corey LaJoie twists, turns and falls out of the pack -- and contention for an open charter into the Daytona 500 -- after colliding with the wall. We'll return for one more overtime.

8:15 p.m.: CAUTION! After climbing out to the top of the pack, Bubba Wallace goes spinning after facing a bump from Austin Dillon! We're headed to overtime! Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano will set things off with just two laps left.

7:58 p.m.: CAUTION! The yellow flag billows as Casey Mears gets into Noah Gragson after spinning on the infield grass. That's the first caution of the race! And that should bring a procession of cars into pit road.

7:50 p.m.: Preece continues to hold firm as the race leader. Busch has fallen off a fair bit, dropping to sixth in the field. Things have been clean so far, with a green flag pit stop appearing to be on the horizon -- at least at the moment.

7:40 p.m.: Through 25 or so laps, Preece leads the way, pacing the pack at a speed around 190 mph. Chris Buescher isn't too far behind.

7:20 p.m.: And we're off! Kyle Busch and Ryan Preece lead the way in the first of 100 laps!

7:15 p.m.: Duel 1 drivers have started their engines! The first race will start in the next five or so minutes.

Duel 1 starting lineup

Duel 2 starting lineup

Daytona Duels 2026 start times

• Duel 1: 7 p.m. ET
• Duel 2: 8:45 p.m. ET (approx.)

Duel 1 will consist of odd-number finishers (one, three, five, etc.) from time trials. Duel 2 will feature the trial's even-numbered participants (two, four, six, etc.)

Daytona Duels 2026 TV channel

• TV networks: FS1 (U.S.), TSN5 (Canada)
• Live stream:Fubo

Thursday's races will be broadcast on FS1 nationally. Mike Joy (play-by-play) will lead the call; he'll be joined by analysts Clint Bowyer and Larry McReynolds, who will offer occasional musings from the booth.

The races can be streamed on Fubo, which offers a free trial to new users.

What is offsides in hockey? Explaining rules, meaning and how it’s determined on the ice originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

In hockey, a game can be defined by pure inches. That's especially the case at the blue line, where the margin between a scoring chance and a dead play is as thin as the edge of a skate blade. It is a boundary that demands perfect timing and absolute precision, yet it remains one of the most debated and scrutinized territories on the ice.

In the high-stakes environment of the Olympics or NHL, where games are won or lost on single sequences, this invisible line becomes a battleground for coaches, officials, and the technology designed to catch what the human eye simply cannot. There's a rule that everyone dreads: offsides.

Take Team USA's first Olympic game against Latvia, for example, where a Brock Nelson goal in the first period was overturned because the play was ruled offside. There are plenty of defining moments in recent years in the NHL, including Cale Makar’s controversial "non-offside" goal against the Oilers in the 2022 Western Conference Final. In that instance, the goal was upheld because Makar technically didn't have "possession" as he crossed the line, allowing his teammate to tag up in a split-second window.

Offsides. It can win and lose a game, and as Herb Brooks said in "Miracle": "It's a game of inches."

Here's everything you need to know about the offsides rule.

MORE: How many periods are there in hockey?

What is offsides in hockey?

In hockey, the offside rule is a puck-first policy designed to prevent players from waiting near the opponent's goal for a long pass. A play is ruled offside if an attacking player crosses the blue line into the offensive zone before the puck does.

Remember that all offsides reviews happen because this wasn't called lol pic.twitter.com/dTaW6nZMWO

— Derek Kramer (@DerekKramer49) February 12, 2026

To stay onside, a player must ensure that at least one skate is touching the blue line — or is at least over the "plane" of the line —at the moment the puck completely crosses into the zone. If a player enters too early, they must tag up by retreating and touching the blue line with their skate before they can legally rejoin the attack.

While the rule sounds simple, modern technology has turned it into a game of pixels; coaches can now challenge goals to see if a player's skate was a fraction of an inch off the ice before the puck arrived.

MORE: Explaining the NHL's goalie interference

Hockey offsides rules

Here is the breakdown of how the rule works in the NHL and International (Olympic) play:

1. The Golden Rule
   1. A play is offside if both skates of an attacking player completely cross the leading edge of the blue line before the puck does. To stay onside, a player must have at least one skate touching the blue line (or the "plane" of the line) at the instant the puck fully crosses it.
2. The "Plane" of the Line
   1. A major rule change in recent years (now standard in the 2026 Games) is that a player’s skate does not have to be physically touching the ice to be onside. As long as the skate is in the air above the blue line, they are considered onside.
3. Delayed Offside
   1. If the puck is dumped into the zone while teammates are already inside, the linesman will raise their arm to signal a delayed offside. The attacking players must all retreat and "tag" the blue line with their skates simultaneously. Once everyone has cleared the zone or touched the line, the offside is negated and they can go back after the puck.
4. The "Possession" Exception
   1. If a player has clear possession and control of the puck (e.g., skating backward with the puck or stick-handling), they are allowed to precede the puck across the blue line. This is why you will sometimes see a player cross the line before the puck without a whistle.

MORE: Gabriel Landeskog's recovery timeline

Hockey offsides review for goals 

If a goal is scored, a coach can challenge the play if they believe the attacking team entered the zone illegally at any point during that specific possession. In the scenario where a coach challenges, the refs and NHL office will review the play.

For a goal to be overturned, the offside must have occurred on the initial entry that led to the goal. If the puck leaves the zone and comes back in legally after an offside was missed, the goal stands. Moreover, there needs to be clear enough evidence to overturn the decision.

If the challenge is successful, the goal is taken off the board. If it is not, then the coach loses his challenge and the opponent is given a minor penalty.

MORE: How does the NHL Draft work?

When was offsides added to hockey rules?

The modern offside rule was born out of a chaotic "scoring explosion" during the 1929–30 NHL season.

While hockey had various rules about passing since its inception, the specific "blue line offside" we know today was established in December 1929 to fix a mistake the league had made just months earlier.

Since that original 1929 decision, the rule has been tweaked several times to keep up with the speed of the game:

MORE: The last time the Oilers won the Stanley Cup

What is a blue line? 

In simple terms, the blue lines are the boundaries that divide the hockey rink into three distinct sections. They are the most important markings for determining the flow of the game and, specifically, the offside rule. 

Both teams' offensive zones are marked by the blue lines, with the red line at the center. This splits the rink into three zones: 

• Defensive zone: The area between your own goal and the first blue line. 
• Neutral zone: The 50-foot "middle ground" between the two blue lines. Where the center-ice logo is located.
• Offensive zone: The area between the opponent's blue line and their goal.

The blue line is considered part of whichever zone the puck is currently in. If the puck is in the offensive zone, the blue line is "offensive ice" — meaning the puck isn't out until it completely clears the line.

For defensemen, the blue line is their primary workstation. They try to keep the puck inside the offensive zone. If the puck slides back over the blue line into the neutral zone, it is out, and every attacking player must leave the offensive zone before they can bring it back in.

MORE: Maple Leafs' playoff collapses

Offsides in hockey vs. soccer

While both hockey and soccer use offside rules to prevent "goal hanging" (players standing near the opponent's net to wait for long passes), the mechanics of how they are triggered are very different. In hockey, the rule is tied to a fixed line on the ice, whereas in soccer, the "line" is mobile and tied to the last defender.

In hockey, the blue line never moves. It doesn't matter where the defenders are standing; if the puck is in the neutral zone, you cannot cross that blue line until the puck does. The rule is judged the moment the puck crosses the blue line. If you are already in the zone when it crosses, you are offside.

In soccer, the "offside line" is an invisible line that moves up and down the pitch with the defenders. A player is in an offside position if any part of their body is nearer to the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-to-last opponent (usually the last outfield defender, with the goalkeeper being the first). Additionally, offsides isn't called until after the ball is kicked.

MORE: Who has won the Conn Smythe Trophy?

Arsenal and Manchester City take a break from their battle at the top of the Premier League to try and remain on course for a quadruple this weekend as Wigan and Salford seek monumental FA Cup shocks.

Aston Villa and Newcastle are aiming to end their seven-decade waits for FA Cup glory when they face off in the tie of the round.

Sixth-tier Macclesfield produced arguably the biggest ever upset in the competition's history by knocking out holders Crystal Palace in the last round and have another Premier League scalp in their sights against Brentford.

AFP Sport looks at three of the talking points ahead of fourth round weekend:

Arsenal, City on course for unprecedented quadruple

City have already matched the greatest season in English football history three years ago by joining Manchester United's class of 1998/99 in winning the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup in the same season.

But no side has ever won all three of those titles plus the League Cup.

Arsenal and City will face off for the first silverware of the season next month and the unprecedented quadruple remains on for both clubs.

The Gunners hold a four-point lead over Pep Guardiola's men at the top of the Premier League, but City have home advantage when the sides meet in April.

Both also progressed directly to the last 16 of the Champions League.

And it would be a huge surprise if they are not in the hat for found five on Monday.

The Gunners host Wigan, winners of the FA Cup in 2013, who currently sit in the League One relegation zone.

Fourth-tier Salford, co-owned by United legends David Beckham and Gary Neville, head to the Etihad hoping to avoid a repeat of the 8-0 thrashing they suffered at the hands of City last season.

Can Villa end trophy drought?

Villa are the best of the rest behind the Premier League's top two, but with winning the title now a distant dream, Unai Emery's men are aiming to end a 30-year wait to win a major trophy.

Villa's last FA Cup success was back in 1957, two years after Newcastle last lifted the trophy.

The Magpies ended their 70-year drought for domestic silverware by winning the League Cup last season.

Sitting 10th in the Premier League, Eddie Howe's side may need FA Cup glory to salvage an otherwise disappointing campaign.

However, Newcastle have struggled on the road all season and are likely to be without influential captain Bruno Guimaraes due to a hamstring injury.

Macclesfield seek another 'miracle'

The 117 places that separated Nations League North Macclesfield from Palace was the biggest gap ever overcome by the underdog in FA Cup history.

But they could break their own record on Monday when Brentford, who sit seventh in the top flight, visit Moss Rose.

"We went into the Crystal Palace game thinking it would take a miracle, but on the day the lads were outstanding and were fully-deserved winners," said Macclesfield boss John Rooney, the brother of former England and Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney.

"There will be a lot more eyes on us, expecting an upset, but that's testament to the club, to the players, to the staff, everyone who made the day possible."

Fixtures

Friday (all times GMT)

Hull v Chelsea, Wrexham v Ipswich (both 1945)

Saturday

Burton v West Ham (1215), Burnley v Mansfield, Norwich v West Brom, Manchester City v Salford, Southampton v Leicester, Port Vale v Bristol City (all 1500), Aston Villa v Newcastle (1745), Liverpool v Brighton (2000)

Sunday

Birmingham v Leeds (1200), Grimsby v Wolves (1330), Stoke v Fulham, Oxford v Sunderland (1400), Arsenal v Wigan (1630)

Monday

Macclesfield v Brentford (1930)

afp

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Jordan Spieth’s Sunday was better than most, and his Thursday wasn’t too shabby either.

Spieth missed the cut at the WM Phoenix Open on Friday and so flew in for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am early. On Sunday, he was first off the tee at Pebble Beach alongside his brother, Steven, and then headed over to Cypress Point, No. 1 on Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses list, for one of the better doubleheaders that one can possibly experience in golf.

“Just had a fun day,” Spieth said during his post-round press conference on Thursday. “Played a loop, we didn't play them all.”

Word had leaked out that Spieth had more than fun at Cypress – he made a hole-in-one at the par-3 15^th, one of the most special holes in golf.

“Yeah, ace,” he finally admitted, breaking into a wide smile. “Probably one of my top five holes in the world if you asked me where I’d want to make one on.”

Spieth’s made enough aces that he’s lost count for sure – 12 or 13 he figured – and said the last one was at the 199-yard, par-3 16th hole at TPC San Antonio during the opening round of the 2024 Valero Texas Open. 

On a sunny, warm Thursday with a barely a breath of wind, he shot 6-under 66 at Spyglass Hills Golf Club, a bogey-free that he called a testament to his short game. It was a good bounce back after the disappointment of a sloppy second round at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course, a course that often has been a springboard to a quick start to his season.

“I thought let's just forget about it and use this as our pseudo-Phoenix and try to get dialed in,” he said. “I had a fluke kind of crappy day, woke up on the wrong side of the best kind of day last Friday.” 

Spieth from DEEP! 🦅

The 2017 @ATTProAm champ is T2 thru 9!

📺 @PGATOURLIVE on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/tY69jONV3A

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 12, 2026

The highlight of Spieth’s opening round was another hole out for eagle – only this was on the par-4 18^th as he flighted a gap wedge from 116 yards for a deuce.

“I took a little off it to control the spin and it landed right a bit and had draw spin,” he said. “It was a real bonus.” 

This is a week Spieth always circles on the calendar. He has been an AT&T ambassador since 2014, sports the logo on his golf bag, received his first Tour exemption as a pro here in 2013 and won the tournament in 2017, becoming the youngest champion at age 23. All told, he has six top 10 finishes in the event, the second most of players in the field this week behind only Jason Day with nine, and tied for second most of any event in his Tour career.

Spieth entered the week with 151 birdies at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am since 2017 the most of any player during that time span. Of his fast start, he said, “Spyglass 6 under may be the best I ever shot around here so very pleased.”

Now, he has three straight rounds at Pebble, where he’s gained an average of +0.41 strokes on Approach to the Green at Pebble Beach Golf Links, tied for his fifth highest average SG: Approach the Green at a course in his career. 

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Jordan Spieth ace at Cypress Point was prelude to hole out at Spyglass

Saquon Barkley was reborn in his first season in Philadelphia. Year 2? Not so much. What should fantasy managers expect in 2026?

In 2024, Barkley became only the ninth RB in NFL history to record 480+ touches in a season (including the playoffs). It had happened only once in the previous 23 years: DeMarco Murray's historically dominant 2014 campaign. In 2015, Murray struggled as expected. Because that's what usually happens to high-usage running backs.

Based on preseason ADP, Barkley was a fantasy bust in 2025. One interesting stat that jumps out: on 280 regular-season carries, he averaged a career-low 1.6 yards after first contact. In other words, it was easier than ever to take him down.

Now, on the backside of his career, Barkley remains one of the few NFL bell cows. He's also a bigger fantasy risk due to injury history and advancing age (29 years old). His 346 touches this past season are moderately concerning based on historical data.

We should anticipate an ADP around RB6 to RB8. The fantasy market still loves him. A rebound will be anticipated. But since he's no longer the catch-friendly RB of his youth, most of his fantasy production will come on the ground and in the end zone. While a top 10 finish is doable, it's hard to envision him exceeding expectations.

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Saquon Barkley: Early 2026 ADP and scoring projections for Eagles RB

The Chargers will likely be retooling the interior part of the offensive line this offseason, and Pro Football Focus believes that they could be the best landing spot for one of the top pending free agent guards.

PFF tabbed Los Angeles as the best landing spot for Bills' David Edwards.

The Bills’ offensive success may frequently rest on the shoulders of Josh Allen, but the pieces up front play a huge role in the equation. Edwards was a key contributor to Buffalo’s success both on the ground and through the air in 2025.

Edwards, 28, is entering free agency following a career-best 2025 season with the Bills, where he established himself as one of the premier pass-blocking guards in the league. His 75.0 PFF pass-blocking grade ranked 14th among 81 qualifying guards.

Edwards played over 1,000 snaps for the second consecutive year and has postseason experience, including a Super Bowl win with the Rams.

Edwards' projected contract is for approximately 3 years and is worth $59.7 million with a $19.9 million AAV, according to Spotrac.

While pricey, the Chargers are one of the few teams with the cap space to make a signing like that, projected to have approximately $82 million in salary cap space for the offseason.

This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Chargers dubbed as best landing spot for free agent guard

Strike up the steel drums and put the Trinidad flags at full mast.

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was granted an injunction in a Mississippi court by Judge Robert Whitwell allowing him to continue playing football as the signal caller’s lawsuit against the NCAA proceeds. Chambliss’ attorneys successfully argued against the NCAA that the organization ignored a medical redshirt season and were causing harm to his chances for a career in football.

The court scene had all the makings of a John Grisham novel. A packed court room full of extremely interested folks who came to watch, praying for a win for Chambliss. The deep, measured and Southern voice of Judge Whitwell resonated as he politely asked for Ole Miss quarterback coach Joe Judge to please slow down when talking for the stenographer. “Down here you know we talk a little bit slower,” Chambliss’ attorney said.

The judge asked Chambliss pointed questions when he took the stand this afternoon. When asked if he played a single snap in the 2022 season, the Rebel quarterback said no, not one. When testifying about that season, Chambliss said his coach told him before the season began he would be medical redshirted for the year.

Chambliss’ mother detailed how her son had respiratory issues and was unable to prepare for the 2022 season losing weight down to 176 pounds in the preseason.

The NCAA made references to a recent ruling from Alabama basketball player Charles Bediako being denied eligibility after playing in a professional league, but ole Judge Whitwell is a straight ball knower and said the two cases were not similar or apples to apples comparison.

It’s really a cut and dry situation for the NCAA and Ole Miss. The powers that be wanted to exert some amount of control and draw a line in the sand with an emerging superstar in the sport. It chose poorly as it was clear Chambliss stands to gain money from his play in the 2026 season, improved odds to succeed at the next level in the NFL, and potentially boost his draft stock with NFL teams by proving the 2025 season was not just some fluke.

Now I have zero doubt the NCAA will file some appeal to this, and they’ve already put out a very long, boring and judgmental as hell statement about this case. Awesome, Trinidad is still going to be taking the field, and y’all can watch from your ivory towers in Indianapolis with clutched pearls.

The Colorado Buffaloes basketball team was flat-out embarrassed Wednesday night in Lubbock, Texas. The Texas Tech Red Raiders ran Colorado out of the building 78-44, handing the Buffs their worst loss of the season.

It was a completely forgettable showing from Colorado, and afterward, head coach Tad Boyle did not hold back. He was fired up and delivered plenty of memorable, heated quotes.

"I mean, that was a good, old-fashioned ass-whoopin," Boyle said after the Buffs fell to 4-8 in Big 12 play this season.

"There’s just no other way to say it," Boyle said. "A lot of you guys are from West Texas. You probably know what that is. We took one tonight. Credit Texas Tech. Their program has a motto: the toughest team wins. There wasn’t even a question who the tougher team was tonight."

Colorado head coach Tad Boyle didn't hold back following the Buffs 78-44 loss to Texas Tech...

"That was just a good old-fashion ass whoopin." pic.twitter.com/8pqCDQAwKk

— A David Collier (@CollieronTV) February 12, 2026

Colorado shot just 29 percent from the field, making 16 of 55 attempts, and went 6 of 25 from three-point range. Abysmal numbers for Tad Boyle's Buffaloes. Even if this was a game they were not expected to win, losing by more than 30 is not acceptable.

"I’m embarrassed by our performance," Boyle said. "I’m embarrassed for our university. I’m embarrassed for the city of Boulder. I’m embarrassed for the state of Colorado. I’m embarrassed for every former player that's worn this uniform. We’ve got to own this."

Only two Buffs reached double figures in scoring. Isaiah Johnson finished with 13 points, and Ian Inman added 12. Texas Tech dominated the glass, with star forward JT Toppin grabbing 18 rebounds by himself. Colorado's leading rebounder, Bangot Dak, had just one.

Boyle even said that he and his team did not deserve a charter flight home, that they should be catching a 6 a.m. commercial flight instead. It was a strong message from a coach who is usually measured in postgame settings.

"That’s what we deserve right now. We deserve to be on a 6 a.m. flight out of Lubbock — commercial, Southwest, or whatever airline you choose," Boyle said. "We don’t deserve a charter plane back to Boulder tonight. We got one. We paid for it, but we wasted our money. We wasted our university’s money, and that’s on me. I’ll take the ownership of this because I’m the head coach. The buck stops with me. But I’m embarrassed. I’ve not said I’m embarrassed very often, but I’m embarrassed tonight."

Boyle and the Buffaloes will try to right the ship on the road Saturday evening against the No. 22-ranked BYU Cougars and projected first overall pick AJ Dybansta.

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado basketball embarrassed by Texas Tech, Tad Boyle reacts

John Shirreffs, the soft-spoken giant who trained Zenyatta, perhaps the best mare of all-time, died in Southern California on Thursday. He was 80. No cause of death was announced.

Shirreffs was one of the top trainers in Southern California with 3,589 starts, 596 of them wins resulting in $58.5 million in purses.

He was a familiar face around local tracks, usually ponying his horses to the track during morning training and then avoiding the spotlight when his horse won by staying on the racing surface and not going to the Winner’s Circle, leaving the punditry to his wife, Dottie Ingordo.

Shirreffs first grabbed national attention when he won the Kentucky Derby with Giacomo at odds of 50-1 in 2005. The horse was partially owned by legendary record producer Jerry Moss, the M along with Herb Alpert in A&M records. Shirreffs remained Moss’ primary trainer until his death in 2023.

Then after Giacomo came Zenyatta, whose personality and skill won the hearts of Southern California race-goers in her 19-race winning streak that included an “un-believe-able” (according to race caller Trevor Denman) last-to-first win against the boys in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita in 2009.

Shirreffs, a Marine veteran, fell into horse racing by accident.

Read more:Zenyatta is 20 years old. Her legend in horse racing still shines bright

“When I got back from Vietnam, I had no place to go, but I had a friend who knew somebody, so they they said, ‘Come on out West,’” Shirreffs told The Times before last year’s Kentucky Derby.

“So here I'm in New York, I don't know anything about [horses] except I've seen a lot of cowboy movies. So here comes Jim Matthews, pulls up in his trailer, he has his horse set and he it backs his horse out of a trailer.”

Shirreffs admits to not really knowing what he was doing.

“A week or so later, Jim's just calls me and says, ‘Do you want to come to work for me?’ I said 'Yeah, that'd be great," Shirreffs said. "So, I went to work for him and didn't get paid anything, just room and board. He soon said, ‘I'll give you this horse and if you sell it, you can make some money.’

“So I'm riding this horse across this field and I get stuck in this mud box. I get the horse out of the mud and Henry Freitas [at Loma Rica Ranch in Central California] asked if I would like to work for him. I said, ‘Well, sure, I get paid here, right? This is great.

“I worked there about 11 years, and one day in he says, 'John, you wanna take my horse to the fairs?’ I said, ‘Sure, I'd love to do that.’ And that's how it all started. You know, I never planned it and the opportunity just presented itself each time and when I was fortunate enough, and had some experience with horses, and that’s how it started.”

Shirreffs was asked if Vietnam or training horses was more difficult.

“Well, we don’t want to talk about that,” Shirreffs said.

Santa Anita issued a statement regarding Shirreffs’ death.

“Every horse who races at Santa Anita must first past by the statue of John’s greatest trainee, the wonderful mare Zenyatta. While John’s victories were plentiful and prestigious, what he accomplished with Zenyatta in the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Classic was a masterpiece and deservedly was voted as the top moment in Santa Anita Park’s 90 years. Our deepest condolences are extended to John’s wife, Dottie, and his family, including those horsemen and women who worked closely with John for so many years. May his memory be a blessing.”

No funeral arrangements have been announced.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State coach Jerome Tang blasted his players after Cincinnati beat the Wildcats by 29 points Wednesday on a night many fans showed up with bags on their heads.

The Wildcats dropped to 10-14 with the 91-62 loss, including 1-10 in the Big 12 Conference.

“This was embarrassing,” Tang said. “These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform. There will be very few of them in it next year. I’m embarrassed for the university, I’m embarrassed for our fans, our student section. It is just ridiculous. We’ve got practice at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning, and we will get this thing right. I have no answer and no words."

He then said he would take only two questions from the media, adding, "Right now, I’m like pissed.”

Kansas State went 26-10 in Tang's first season and came a three-point loss to Florida Atlantic from making the 2023 Final Four. His record since then is 45-46.

The Wildcats have lost three home games in a row by at least 20 points, a big reason fans showed up with paper bags on their heads.

“I'd wear a paper, too, if I were them,” Tang said.

___

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ISLAMABAD (AP) — With a momentary pause in his delivery and his statue-like pose at the crease, Pakistan spin bowler Usman Tariq has created plenty of attention at cricket's Twenty20 World Cup.

Just enough, it seems, to throw off opposing batters.

With it has come a fair share of controversy — that his pause-and sling style of bowling is an illegal delivery, or in cricket parlance, chucking. He's already been reported twice, but cleared, by Pakistani cricket authorities.

The 28-year-old offspinner’s unconventional bowling action has already mesmerized some of the big names in shortest format of the game and has seen him taking three wickets against an inexperienced United States in Sri Lanka this week in what was his first T20 World Cup game.

As is often the case in cricket, the reasons for Tariq’s potential illegal delivery are complicated.

First there is the so-called “15-degree debate” — that bowlers cannot exceed the ICC’s 15-degree elbow flex limit, which is nearly impossible for on-field umpires to judge accurately in real time.

Another talking point has been the pause in Tariq’s delivery stride. Some critics, including former India cricketer Shreevats Goswami, compare it to a soccer penalty run-up that would be ruled illegal if the shooter stops midway.

Baffling the batters

Batters like Cameron Green of Australia and South African Dewald Brevis are a few notable players that were flummoxed by Tariq’s bowling action.

Power-hitter Brevis fell to Tariq’s only second ball in T20 international cricket in November. Green shook his head in disbelief and mocked Tariq’s bowling action close to the boundary line — but later apologized — when he walked back after slicing a wide delivery straight to the cover fielder during Pakistan’s 3-0 sweep of Australia at Lahore.

Tariq’s rise in T20 cricket has also seen him taking a hat-trick at Rawalpindi when he took 4-18 against Zimbabwe during the tri-series in November. He has taken 11 wickets off his 88 balls in only four T20 internationals.

It was no surprise when selectors included Tariq in the 15-man T20 World Cup squad, knowing that pitches in Sri Lanka would suit slow bowlers more than pacemen.

Tariq’s journey to top-level cricket wasn’t a smooth one. He was twice reported for suspect bowling action during country’s premier domestic T20 tournament — the Pakistan Super League — over the last two seasons, but on both occasions he was cleared after testing at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.

“I have two elbows in my arm,” Tariq said. "My arm bends naturally. I have got this tested and cleared. Everyone feels I bend my arm and all that. My bent arm is a biological issue.”

Tariq has also featured in the Caribbean Premier League and with his deceptive bowling action he was the tournament’s second-highest wicket taker for champions Trinbago Knight Riders.

Long pause a problem

“The batters are struggling to read Tariq because of the long pause the moment he steps on the bowling crease,” former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who has played with Tariq in the PSL's Quetta Gladiators, told The Associated Press.

“The long pause disturbs all the concentration of batters and when he bowls a fastish (delivery, after a long pause), or even a slow ball, it leaves the batters clueless.”

Less than three months ago, Tariq said he had dreamed about playing against archrival India. And after Pakistan withdrew its boycott of Sunday’s game in the T20 World Cup, Tariq's dream could come true if Pakistan uses five spinners against India.

“I wish there’s a match against India and I can win the game for Pakistan single-handedly,” Tariq said then. “My coaches have injected this thing in me that ‘you have to win matches single-handedly'.”

On Sunday against India, Tariq could do just that.

___

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

David Rubenstein, a billionaire who has owned the Baltimore Orioles since 2024, met with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2012, Front Office Sports reported on Thursday.

While Rubenstein, also a founder of the Washington, D.C.-based private-equity firm The Carlyle Group, is named in the Epstein files, he's not accused of any wrongdoing.

Among the millions of emails released by the Department of Justice last month are exchanges between Rubenstein and Epstein. Those reveal that Rubenstein met with Epstein for dinner in November 2012, four years after Epstein pleaded guilty to a state charge of solicitation of prostitution with a minor.

"Mr. Rubenstein had one meeting for 20 minutes in Carlyle’s office, at the request of people seeking Mr. Rubenstein’s participation in philanthropic endeavors, none of which were pursued by Mr. Rubenstein, a spokesperson for Rubenstein said in a statement provided tomultipleoutlets on Thursday.

"Nice meeting you finally," Epstein wrote in an email to Rubenstein on Nov. 12, 2012. Epstein and Rubenstein were reportedly introduced via email by Boris Nikolic, a physician once named as "successor executor" to Epstein's estate.

In that email, Epstein noted that Ehud Barak, a former prime minister of Israel, would be in Washington and asked whether Rubenstein would be interested in meeting with Barak to discuss the forecast for the economy following the election. 

At the time, incumbent Barack Obama had just defeated Mitt Romney in the 2012 U.S. presidential election.

Rubenstein then responded, "Thanks very much. Enjoyed the chance to meet you as well."

Later in that same message, Rubenstein added: "I need to check my schedule tomorrow. I really like ehud and I am up to speed on what congress and wh are doing — though impact on the economy is still a bit of guess work."

Rubenstein's spokesperson addressed that back-and-forth in their statement.

"A brief email thanking Mr. Rubenstein for the meeting also suggested a meeting between Mr. Rubenstein and Ehud Barak, which never occurred," the spokesperson told multiple outlets. 

"There is nothing more to Mr. Rubenstein’s involvement than that innocuous interaction."

That said, as reported by FOS, Epstein sent an email to Rubenstein two weeks later, and his reply suggested another meeting between them was in the works.

On Nov. 26, 2012, Epstein emailed Rubenstein a link to an article about Barak leaving politics. Less than two hours later, Rubenstein responded, "So no dinner this week?"

Epstein replied later that day, "dinner is a better idea now.. looking for interesting things to do."

Outside of Rubenstein's direct correspondence with Epstein, there's evidence of their connection in the files. FOS reported Thursday that, in July 2012, a "Sarah K" emailed Epstein a photo of a woman in a bathing suit, which Epstein forwarded to Nikolić and wrote "for david rubenstein."

The woman's face is redacted in the files.

Nikolić, who told The Wall Street Journal earlier this month that he "deeply" regrets associating with Epstein, responded back then to that email, "Thank you! HOT." 

A spokesperson for Rubenstein said Rubenstein had never received or seen that email from Nikolić, per FOS.

Rubenstein and fellow private-equity billionaire Mike Arougheti spearheaded the purchase of the Orioles from the Angelos family in January 2024, reportedly acquiring ownership of the club at a price that valued the team at $1.725 billion.

Peter Angelos, who led the purchase of the Orioles in 1993, died at 94 in March 2024. Soon after, Rubenstein, a Baltimore native, officially took over as the franchise's control person.

ONE Championship is kicking off Valentine’s Day weekend in style with ONE Friday Fights 142.

The world’s largest martial arts organization will broadcast ONE Friday Fights 142 live in Asia primetime from Bangkok’s iconic Lumpinee Stadium on February 13, and nearly two dozen athletes will compete for a chance to earn a six-figure contract and global roster spot.

Surging Thai knockout artists Apiwat Sor Somnuk and Panpadej NF Looksuan will throw down in the main event, and another highlight-reel stoppage in their flyweight Muay Thai tilt could land the victor a life-changing contract.

In the co-main event, Thai rising star Donking Yotharakmuaythai and Scottish slugger Gregor Thom will collide in another crucial flyweight Muay Thai battle.

Plus, in the featured attraction, former ONE World Title challengers “El Jefe” Ellis Badr Barboza and “Fighting Rooster” Zhang Peimian will meet in the ring, and the winner will inch closer to the ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Title picture.

For up-to-the-minute results and video highlights for every Muay Thai, MMA, and kickboxing match at ONE Friday Fights 142, check below. And come back later for ONE Fight Night 40: Buntan vs. Hemetsberger II on Prime Video in U.S. primetime.

Source

The Denver Broncos will be getting a brand new stadium in the coming years and we’ve got our first look at the stadium site plans now that the location at Burnham Yard has been selected. Zach Stevens of DNVR posted it on his X account below:

The plan looks pretty state-of-the-art and now doubt beautiful once completed. This location will go far beyond just a concrete paradise, with lots of green areas and points of interest. I find the tailgate area to be of interest, of course. The only concern might be parking. It does feel to be lacking in this concept, but that could also just be my lack of perspective on total area covered here.

As we noted in our quote of the post, we look forward to the renderings that are sure to follow. What are your initial thoughts of the Broncos stadium site plan here? Share in the comments below.

The Ole Miss Rebels have had a tumultuous few weeks since the end of the 2025 college football season, but Trinidad Chambliss’ latest news has the program buzzing.

While drama has ensued in regards to the longtime collegiate quarterback, Thursday’s court ruling proved to be massive for the SEC program.

ESPN insider Pete Thamel revealed that Trinidad Chambliss has been granted a sixth year to play at Ole Miss. This comes after a state court judge in Mississippi ruled in favor of the signal caller.

MORE: Ole Miss football takes major blow in NCAA’s final Trinidad Chambliss decision

The NCAA originally denied Chambliss’ plea to continue playing college football Thursday prior to the new court decision. However, Ole Miss will immediately benefit if their superstar quarterback returns to the field in 2026.

Last season, Trinidad Chambliss was a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate for much of the season and helped guide the Rebels to the College Football Playoff.

Even after Lane Kiffin departed for LSU before the season ended, Ole Miss and Chambliss proved that they were among the best teams in the national championship picture.

MORE: Five prospects who can boost their stock at 2026 NFL Combine

In 2025, Chambliss passed for nearly 4,000 yards and threw for 22 touchdown passes. The 2026 NFL Draft prospect appears to be holding off on a pro career though.

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BYU’s gymnastics team is on an upward trajectory for what could be the Cougars’ best season to date. The team just recorded its highest score since the 2024 Big 12 championships in a 196.975-196.000 win over SUU on the road last week.

That effort included season highs on vault (49.15), beam (49.375) and floor (49.30). The event highs were a nice complement to bars, which has been the Cougars’ strongest event this year.

BYU currently ranks No. 23 in the country and boasts a roster of 21 gymnasts, including 10 who call Utah home. Recruiting locally is nothing new for the Cougars, but there seems to be a momentum boost in recent years. That includes this year’s freshman class, which is arguably BYU’s most impressive.

“I chose BYU because I’m not going to be doing gymnastics forever. This was an opportunity to be part of a program that is continually climbing and one that was going to help me grow outside of gymnastics, surrounded by good people.”

BYU gymnast Scarlett Sonnenberg

Highlighting that freshman class is Scarlett Sonnenberg from Springville, Utah. Sonnenberg came to BYU with a five-star rating and was recruited by several top-25 programs. She is only the second five-star recruit in the state since the ratings system began, the other being Utah gymnast Avery Neff, who is from South Jordan, Utah.

“I think with the rating it is nice to know that I deserved it, that I got myself there and achieved something high,” said Sonnenberg. “But now, I’m really enjoying the team environment that everyone told me was a big change from club to college.

“I chose BYU because I’m not going to be doing gymnastics forever. This was an opportunity to be part of a program that is continually climbing and one that was going to help me grow outside of gymnastics, surrounded by good people.”

Sonnenberg’s ability to compete against the best gymnasts during her club career, many of whom she’s still competing against across college meets, prepared her for the mental and physical load of a college season. She is a regular in the vault, beam and floor lineups and has taken on the tough assignment of leading off events in her debut year.

“Scar is so talented,” said senior Kylie Eaquinto. “She’s been settling into the leadoff role for us on beam and floor, and she’s amazing.”

Eaquinto is another local product, who along with fellow Orem, Utah, native Brynlee Andersen-Broekman leads the Cougars. Both have already earned event titles this season as well as a Big-12 Weekly Award.

“Kylie and Brynlee are both so talented,” said BYU coach Guard Young. “Every time I watch Kylie perform on bars, I’m just like, ‘How am I going to ever replace that.’

“With Brynlee, if you ever just need something that makes you smile, watch her beam, she’s just a star,” said Young.

Andersen-Broekman is so good on beam that she qualified for nationals last season as an individual competitor after tying for the event title at regionals (with Neff and others).

She has carried over her success this season, hitting a meet-high 9.925 on beam in the win over SUU. The junior is the highest-ranked beamer from the Big 12 in the national rankings, just ahead of her former club teammate and now Utah gymnast Camie Winger at No. 17 and 18, respectively.

Eaquinto leads a strong bars lineup for the Cougars, and has a new floor routine this season that fans love. It’s a baseball themed routine that is a tribute to her five brothers and their love for the sport.

“It’s a very different vibe shift for me on floor — I never thought I would do something like this, but it’s been fun,” explained Eaquinto. “Finding music is my least favorite part of floor; I know some people love it, but I don’t. When the ”Centerfield" song played, I was like, ‘This could be fun.’ It’s gotten me out of my comfort zone and been a nice tie to my brothers.”

Eaquinto, like Sonnenberg and other teammates, was also presented with multiple offers from college programs.

“I really liked BYU because it was close to home so I could go home for Sunday dinners and because I could be surrounded by people who have the same beliefs and values as me,” explained Eaquinto. “It’s been fun to see past club teammates join the team and meet new teammates, and really watch the program grow.”

Sonnenberg, Eaquinto and Andersen-Broekman, among other Cougars, all trained at Bold Gymnastics in Utah County, which is owned by Utah gymnastics assistant coach Jimmy Pratt and his wife Makenna Pratt. Sophomore Deb Silva, from Lindon, Utah, is another local product out of Bold who just won the floor title with a 9.9 in the Cougars’ win last week.

Bold is one of several clubs in Utah, including Olympus Gymnastics, where Zoe Hale and Mya Kirkham trained prior to BYU, producing talented gymnasts. The sophomore Kirkham is fighting her way into Cougar lineups, while Hale, a four-star recruit, is part of the talented freshman class.

“I think we have a really deep roster with a lot of talent coming from all over the country, and we also have a lot of talented local kids who want to compete close to home and go to an outstanding university,” said Young.

Up next, BYU travels up the road to face No. 12 Utah this Friday in the Huntsman Center. The meet starts at 7 p.m. MST and is being aired on ESPN+.

Corinthians bounced back after their debut defeat in the Brasileirão.

Playing in front of their faithful fans for the first time in the competition, Timão defeated Red Bull Bragantino—who had been unbeaten so far this season—by 2-0 this Thursday (12th). 

This victory came in the third round of the competition, witnessed by 26,985 fans at the Neo Química Arena. 

Where’s the football?

Corinthians had the most possession in the 1st half—about 70%.

But Dorival’s team wasted the few chances they created.

For example, the persistent Yuri Alberto lacked precision.

Meanwhile, Red Bull Bragantino—superior for part of the first half—had more opportunities.

But they also failed to deliver when it came to finishing.

Hero scores, Hugo the wall, and more

Gabriel Paulista, who scored the winning goal in the Supercopa Rei, was decisive again at two minutes into the second half, taking advantage of Garro’s set piece.

Vagner Mancini’s team had the chance to equalize at the 14-minute mark.

But Hugo Souza saved Pitta’s penalty kick.

His 11th penalty save for Corinthians.

The game remained open and, as a result, unpredictable.

It was up to Corinthians to capitalize with Matheus Bidu (30’).

The Bragança team fought hard.

But the best chance belonged to Timão, with Vitinho. 

📊 Standings and schedule 📅

Corinthians reached three points, leaving the bottom of the table after playing their second match.

Red Bull Bragantino stayed at six, missing the chance to finish another round at the top. 

Both teams now shift their focus to the Paulistão.

The final round of the group stage will take place on Sunday (15th). 

In fifth place, Timão will visit São Bernardo (12th).

And Massa Bruta (3rd) will host leaders Novorizontino. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

“Poatan” might be gearing up again.

It’s been four months since Alex Pereira reclaimed his UFC Light Heavyweight title by stopping Magomed Ankalaev in their rematch at UFC 320 (watch highlights). Since that win in Las Vegas, however, things have been unusually quiet regarding his next move.

Immediately after reclaiming gold, Pereira called for a superfight with former two-division championJon Jones, even publicly campaigning for a showdown at the historic UFC White House card later this year. That momentum cooled in December when Pereira suggested he wouldn’t be competing in Washington after all.

Now, a new development.

On Thursday (Feb. 12, 2026), Pereira posted a cryptic message on Instagram:

“1-2-3 and go.”

That’s it. No context. No opponent. No weight class.

So what does it mean?

Is it simply a countdown signaling his return — or is “1-2-3” a hint at chasing a third UFC title in a third weight class?

If Pereira stays at Light Heavyweight, there’s a clear contender waiting in Carlos Ulberg. A trilogy bout with Jiri Prochazka also remains a blockbuster option.

But if he moves up to Heavyweight, things get even more interesting.

With Tom Aspinallsidelined indefinitely with another eye surgery and the division in flux, Pereira could slide directly into a title opportunity. A matchup with Ciryl Gane — possibly even for interim gold — isn’t outside the realm of possibility, especially given the UFC’s recent willingness to book high-profile fights regardless of divisional logic.

Is it fair? Probably not.

Is it realistic? Absolutely.

Of course, there is a matchup with Jones, too.

Whether Pereira is hinting at a simple return or something far more ambitious, one thing is certain: “Poatan” rarely moves without purpose.

And right now, the chess pieces are shifting.

To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.

Feb. 12—Schroeder was feeling it against Plainview-Elgin-Millville on Feb. 10. She buried five 3-pointers and finished with 27 points in a 55-54 edging of the Bulldogs.

Essig was a primary part of a 3-point assault by the Cobras in a 78-68 win over Zumbrota-Mazeppa. Triton finished with 15 3-pointers and Essig had seven of them to go with her 29 points.

Rath unloaded against Lourdes on Feb. 9, hitting six 3-pointers and scoring 28 points in a 101-61 win. The 6-foot senior guard/forward will play next season at the University of St. Thomas.

It was a three-headed attack from the Triton girls basketball team on Feb. 7. Rainey Dobbs had 26 points, Keanna Molina 25 and Reagan Essig 24 in an 80-64 rout of Plainview-Elgin-Millville.

There hasn't been a lot for the John Marshall girls basketball team to get excited about this season. The Rockets have struggled to a decidedly losing season. But sophomore 5-foot-11 guard/forward Michelle Ladu has shown some great glimpses of play recently. She scored 34 points on Feb. 5 in a 65-62 win over Winona. She also had a 32-point game in a win over Albert Lea one day later.

The sophomore standout point guard has been on a heater for the past month. Thirty-point games are becoming almost routine for her. Mills' best outing came in a big win over No. 9-ranked Northfield (Class 3A). That's when she hit five 3-pointers and scored 33 points in a 64-52 win.

Brooklyn Mitchell, the best shot put thrower in all of state Class 1A last track and field last season, can also play some hoops. On Feb. 6, Mitchell scored 25 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in an 81-47 loss to Caledonia. That put her over 1,000 rebounds for her career.

Schwartz used a 62-60 loss to Hayfield/Schaeffer Academy to go over 1,000 points in her career. She managed 15 points against the Vikings.

The senior star knocked in five of her team's 11 3-pointers in a 74-67 upset of Hayfield/Schaeffer Academy. She scored 32 points overall, getting a pack of them in a 50-point second half by the Burros.

Shindelar, the biggest star on the No. 2-ranked Tigers team, scored 31 points in an impressive 66-57 win against tough Caledonia. That helped overcome another big night from Caledonia's Aubrie Klug, who scored 29 points.

Truty is playing much older than she is, just an eighth-grader. On Feb. 2 she outdid herself by scoring 25 points in a 63-55 win over No. 7 Class 3A ranked Byron. Truty buried five 3-pointers. Lourdes senior Lauren Hust had 22 points in the same game.

Griebenow, a 6-foot sophomore center, had a game for the ages in a 77-57 win over Plainview-Elgin-Millville on Feb. 2. Griebenow finished with 36 points on 13-for-17 field-goal shooting and 9-12 shooting from the free-throw line. She had one 3-pointer, and also grabbed a tremendous 22 rebounds and blocked 8 shots. It's all been part of an awesome season for the sophomore who is averaging 17 points and 15 rebounds.

Dyer, Mayo's standout 5-foot-11 sophomore forward, scored 32 points and nailed five 3-pointers on Jan. 30 in a blasting of Mankato West.

It's been quite a year for the 5-foot-3 Christianson, who is averaging 22 points per game, up from 10 ppg. last year. On Jan. 30, the junior guard nailed four 3-pointers and finished with 26 points in an upset 91-82 win over Caledonia.

Klug, who specializes from long distance with her shooting, hit six 3-pointers on Jan. 27 in an 80-50 win over Decorah (Iowa). She finished the game with 37 points.

Ohm nearly outscored Pine Island by herself on Jan. 27 in a 79-39 win. Ohm poured in 33 points for the No. 7-ranked Bears (Class 3A).

Feb. 12—MAZEPPA, Minn. — Darren Nelson was expecting something like this.

There was an evolution happening and it was happening before his eyes. His Zumbrota-Mazeppa girls basketball team was growing up.

Draining shot after shot after shot from 3-point distance was just a part of it.

So was being defensive hounds, running the court and playing a wide-open game that also demanded good sense.

"We knew what we wanted to get better at," Nelson said. "And that was playing more transition basketball and shooting the ball better."

Consider both done.

The Cougars finished 13-15 last year. Now they are 15-9 — just two of those losses to unranked teams — and playing with all of those aforementioned attributes on their side.

"We are much better than last year," said Nelson, in his fifth year directing Z-M, and one who devotes nearly 25 minutes of each practice to shooting, with a special eye on 3-point tries. "We are reaping the rewards of more varsity experience. We are dictating things in transition and our defense has really improved."

And yes, don't forget about all of those 3-pointers shot and made by the Cougars. They shoot as many 3s as 2-pointers and have spent many a night raining long-distance makes on their opponents. Z-M averages a zesty nine made three-pointers per game, among the top couple of marks in southeastern Minnesota. Five times they have drained at least 12 of them in a game.

For the Z-M players, it's been a winning and exhilarating style.

"All of us are having a great time this season," said Z-M's Amelia Angerman (averaging 10 points and 4.5 rebounds per game), one of just two seniors on the team, the other being fellow starter Addie Liffrig (8 points, 3.2 rebounds per game). "I love all the 3s we are taking because I really like to shoot the ball. And we are supported by our teammates who let us shoot so much."

It's tough not to support something that is working. That includes starting three sophomores, all of them hotly productive guards. That is Adi Preston (already in her third year as a starter; 9.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.5 steals per game), Chloe Henn (12.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 4.8 steals per game) and Elyse Ryan (12.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.2 steals per game).

That leaves Z-M undersized, though extremely quick, with four of its starters guards.

That has also been something that has worked, as has bringing a sophomore and a freshman as its first two players off the bench.

Yes, all of them are growing up and as it happens that Cougars' win total keeps growing.

"We are making a lot (fewer) young mistakes (compared to a year ago)," Nelson said. "And we are making a lot less mistakes from the beginning of the year to now. These kids are gaining confidence as they see their success. And they all work hard."

Nelson has found everything to like about this crew.

"They do everything I ask of them," he said. "They're great kids. And when you are dealing with great kids, it's great to coach them."

The San Diego Padres have a new manager for the 2026 season, and if you ask Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, that seems likely to turn the temperature down a bit in the rivalry between the two teams.

On Thursday, as pitchers and catchers start reporting for spring training in Glendale, Arizona, Marty Caswell of Foul Territory noted Roberts has “butted heads with quite a few Padres managers” and asked him if he expects that to continue.

Roberts indicated he does not think that will be the case with Craig Stammen.

“I’m not going to butt heads with Stammen,” Roberts said. “No way. I just don’t see that happening. Don’t see it happening.”

Dave Roberts Has History With the Padres

Caswell referenced Roberts’ previous confrontations with the Padres, perhaps the most prominent of which occurred in June.

Roberts was ejected from the June 17, 2025, game with the Padres after Shohei Ohtani was plunked in the leg with a fastball.

That struck batter came one inning after Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. was hit, and Roberts confronted the umpire after he issued warnings to both teams.

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Three days later, Ohtani and Tatis were hit again, prompting the benches to clear.

That night, Roberts got into it with now-former Padres manager Mike Shildt, who later seemed to admit that Ohtani was hit in retaliation for the pitch that hit Tatis.

Southern California Rivalry to Remain ‘Competitive’ This Year

Despite the friction with his predecessor, Roberts was complimentary of Stammen, noting that despite a lack of managerial experience, his San Diego counterpart is well-regarded in the baseball world.

Stammen spent the last six years of his career with the Padres, prompting the San Diego Union-Tribune to dub the move “outside the box but from inside the organization.”

“I was surprised in the sense of, he hasn’t coached before, but not surprised with the respect he has in the clubhouse, the game, and being familiar with the organization. Great hire,” Roberts said.

For his part, Stammen has promised the Padres will be competitive with the Dodgers, which he described as a “great team.”

“We’re going to compete,” Stammen told Foul Territory earlier this year. “No doubt about that. We’re going to give them our best shot. That’s what we’ll do every year, that’s what we’re going to do every year.

Ian Machado Garry announced that he's in camp, but for who?

Machado Garry recently played matchmaker for the UFC's welterweight division, where he matched up Carlos Prates with Michael Morales, Kamaru Usman with Jack Della Maddalena, and gave himself a title shot against champion Islam Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC).

The idea of Machado Garry (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) getting a title shot is not farfetched in Michael Bisping's eyes.

"Is Ian Garry vs. Islam Makhachev the fight that is going to happen? Because it might just be," Bisping said on his YouTube channel. "Hear me out: Ian Garry is the No. 1-ranked guy on the planet and he's beaten some tremendous fighters along the way. And of course, he took Shavkat Rakhmonov in a No. 1 contender matchup, took him five rounds, almost got the submission in the fifth round.

"Since then, he's come back and the man's still fighting. Last time out, he took out Belal Muhammad, who is the former champion. Before that, he took out Carlos Prates, one of the biggest and hottest names right now in the welterweight division."

Machado Garry may have a strong campaign with his recent resume, which includes wins over Michael Page, Carlos Prates, and most recently former champion Belal Muhammad at UFC Fight Night 265.

"You can't deny what he's done in his career – you just can't," Bisping said. "As much as you might want to, you can't. ... When he got in the deep end of the division, against your 'MVPs,' against your Geoff Neal, your Carlos' and your Belals, what did he do? He won all of those fights."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Is Ian Machado Garry next for a title shot? Michael Bisping reacts

The Los Angeles Dodgers have unveiled their special ticket packages for the 2026 season, including exclusive giveaways for buying tickets to specific games.

The Dodgers are getting ready to defend their World Series title, hoping to achieve the first three-peat in more than two decades of baseball.

With the season quickly approaching, the Dodgers released their select dates for celebrating parts of the fanbase or following a theme.

For these events, the team gives away a piece of merchandise, but a special event ticket is required, so not every ticket is eligible to receive the item on the day of the giveaway.

Here are the dates designated for the “Special Events Ticket Package.”

Teacher Appreciation Night – Saturday, April 11 vs. Rangers

The first of these events is on April 11th for Teacher Appreciation Night, where fans will receive a special long-sleeve shirt in the style of a school ring tee as the Dodgers take on the Texas Rangers.

Healthcare Appreciation Night – Tuesday, April 14 vs. Mets

On April 14, the Dodgers play the New York Mets, and it will be Healthcare Appreciation Night, with a jacket included with each ticket, colored navy with Dodger blue colored lettering.

Dodgers Date Night – Friday, April 24 vs. Cubs

Dodgers Date Night includes a special blanket featuring a rose in the middle of the team’s logo, with the words celebrating love.

Japanese Heritage Night – Monday, April 27 vs. Marlins

On April 27, the Dodgers take on the Miami Marlins for Japanese Heritage Night, featuring an amazing Japanese-inspired jersey that draws on their historic art style.

Women’s Night – Tuesday, April 28 vs. Marlins

For Women’s Night, an exclusive tan women’s quarter-zip sweater will be given away on April 28.

Mental Health Awareness Night – Friday, May 8 vs. Braves

Mental Health Awareness Month will see an exclusive Back-to-Back World Champions blanket given away along with the ticket.

Star Wars NightThursday, May 14 vs. Giants

May 14 against the San Francisco Giants will be Star Wars Night, a special day featuring a Grogu bobblehead giveaway.

Mexican Heritage NightTuesday, May 26 vs. Rockies

Finally, from the first batch of reveals, the Dodgers will give away a special Mexican-themed jersey for Mexican Heritage Night on Tuesday, May 26, against the Rockies, featuring a floral print.

The following dates did not include an image upon initial release.

LGBTQ+ Pride Night – Friday, June 5 vs. Angels

Filipino Heritage Night – Monday, June 15 vs. Rays

Hawaiian Shirt Night – Tuesday, July 7 vs. Rockies

Black Heritage Night – Friday, July 10 vs. D-backs

Guatemalan Heritage Night – Thursday, July 30 vs. Mariners

Salvadoran Heritage Night – Tuesday, August 11 vs. Royals

Korean Heritage Night – Thursday, August 13 vs. Brewers

Union Night – Saturday, September 5 vs. Nationals

First Responders Night – Monday, September 7 vs. Reds

Día de Los Dodgers – Tuesday, September 8 vs. Reds

Nurses Night – Wednesday, September 9 vs. Reds

After today, all men’s hockey teams taking part in the 2026 Winter Olympics have officially played in one game during the preliminary round. Five former Vancouver Canucks made notable impressions in their respective appearances, from scoring goals to noticeably not getting any ice time. Here are some notable parts from these five former Canucks’ first games of the 2026 Winter Olympics. 

Bo Horvat

In his Olympic debut, Horvat showed fans why Canada picked him by scoring a beautiful goal off a partial break by speeding past two Czech defenders and putting the puck past Lukáš Dostál. The forward played a surprisingly short amount of time — the fourth-lowest on his team with 9:54 — but put up two shots on top of his goal. 

Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Ekman-Larsson’s return to the Olympics went the reverse of a few players’ impressions. Despite dressing for Sweden in their 5–2 win against Italy, the defenceman actually didn’t end up playing in a single shift, finishing the game with 0:00 minutes played. He wasn’t the only player to send eyebrows raising at their ice time, however, as Filip Forsberg played in only a little over one minute during this game as well.  

Gustav Forsling 

Forsling never played a game for the Canucks, but as his career has progressed, many fans likely wish that he did. The defenceman scored Sweden’s second goal in their first game of the tournament and also added an assist on Victor Hedman’s empty-net goal in the win. Forsling’s ice time was on the lower side for Sweden’s defencemen this game, coming in at 18:53, though he did still manage to put five shots on goal. 

Quinn Hughes

As well as registering his first two Olympic points off goals by Tage Thompson and Auston Matthews, Hughes was noticeable throughout the game — as he always is — calling for the puck often and jumping up into the O-zone to help his team generate more offence. He theoretically scored to give his team the 2–0 lead, though it was called back due to the entry being deemed offside. Unsurprisingly, no U.S. player came close to Hughes’ TOI today, as the defenceman logged 21:29 minutes. 

J.T. Miller

Miller’s first game at the 2026 Winter Olympics went a couple of ways. On one hand, he had a slick feed to Hughes on the defenceman’s disallowed goal. On the other hand, his presence in Latvia’s crease on what would have been Team USA’s third goal of the game (including the Hughes goal) ended up being called for goaltender interference. He finished the game with 12:12 minutes played. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site: 

Czechia Blanked By Canada, Reichel And Germany Tally First Win: Canucks At The 2026 Winter Olympics

Berard’s Beautiful Goal Highlights Abbotsford Canucks Forward’s AHL All-Star Classic

'It's Probably The Biggest Tournament In The Last Decade': Canucks David Kämpf Excited To Represent Czechia At The 2026 Winter Olympics

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Where to watch Netherlands vs. USA free live stream, TV channel, start time for T20 Cricket World Cup match originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

USA head into their third match of the T20 World Cup looking to get their first win when they take on Netherlands.

Defeats to India and Pakistan so far have left them bottom of Group A and needing results if they are to progress.

The Netherlands have won one, lost one, having beaten Namibia last time out but lost to Pakistan in their opener.

The Sporting News looks at the key details ahead of this game, including how to watch the match and start times.

Netherlands vs. USA T20 World Cup live stream, TV channel in the US and Canada

Here's how to watch this T20 match in the United States and Canada:

• TV Channel: Willow TV
• Live Stream:Fubo, Fubo Canada

Fans in the United States and Canada will be able to watch this game live exclusively on Willow TV.

Willow Sports is a cable TV channel, but if it's not included in your current package or you've cut the cord, it's available on Fubo.

Fubo offers Willow TV as part of its expanded sports offering. In addition to live matches, you can also watch replays and highlights on demand at any time from any device. 

Fubo offers a FREE trial for new subscribers in the US only, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and 100+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable. (Participating plans only. Taxes and fees may apply.)

Fubo Canada is the home of cricket for fans north of the border.

What time does Netherlands vs. USA T20 World Cup match start in the US and Canada?

This match takes place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, India, and starts on Friday, February 13 at 7 p.m. local time.

Here's how that time translates across North America:

T20 World Cup 2026: Schedule and fixtures

Group A

Group B