Why is Kyle Whittingham not coaching Utah football in the Las Vegas Bowl, and with Michigan at the Citrus Bowl instead? Here's what to know.
Diego Pavia age: How old is Vanderbilt football’s standout quarterback?
How old is Diego Pavia? Here's what to know of Vanderbilt football's star quarterback:
Is Arch Manning returning to Texas for 2026 college football season?
Is Arch Manning returning to Texas football for the Longhorns' 2026 campaign, or is he off to the NFL draft? Here's what to know ahead of Citrus Bowl:
Is Diego Pavia playing in ReliaQuest Bowl? What Vanderbilt QB said
Will Diego Pavia play in Vanderbilt's bowl game? Here's a closer look at the star quarterback's decision for the ReliaQuest Bowl
What college football bowl games are on today? Full schedule, TV channels, kickoff times for December 31
There are five college football games on New Year's Eve, including a CFP quarterfinal matchup between Miami and Ohio State at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
Kalen DeBoer, Alabama enter Rose Bowl at crossroads of risk and opportunity
You cannot deny the risk. You can’t ignore the opportunity, either, for Kalen DeBoer and Alabama against Indiana in the Rose Bowl.
Is Kyle Whittingham coaching Michigan vs Texas in Citrus Bowl?
Is new Michigan football coach Kyle Whittingham coaching the Wolverines vs. Texas in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl today?
The Spin | The men’s Test cricket team of the year: from Travis Head to Jasprit Bumrah
Our selection panel’s votes have been counted to reveal the best men’s Test side from the last 12 months
Sharpen your pencils and swallow your marmalade on toast before you read on, everyone, it’s time for the Guardian’s annual men’s Test XI of the year (here’s the women’s team from last week). This year’s 13-person selection panel included Ali Martin, Vic Marks, Tim de Lisle, Adam Collins, Rob Smyth, Jonathan Liew, Tanya Aldred, Taha Hashim, Daniel Gallan, Emma John, Simon Burnton and James Wallace. Everyone taking part picked and submitted their own XI in the days after Australia’s victory in the third Ashes Test at Adelaide (statistics are from 1 January 2025 up to and including this match). When the votes were added up, Earth’s combined side to play Mars looked like this:
Travis Head: 759 runs at an average of 42. Votes (out of 13): 10
The E and the D in the end of England’s Ashes chances. The series took an early turn when Head volunteered to open the batting in the fourth innings of the first Test, and turned in the sort of innings England’s batters only spoke about playing. They had 205 runs to defend, which (easy to forget this bit) everyone reckoned ought to be enough on a tricky pitch but ended up looking pitifully inadequate. Ben Stokes flapped, and England’s fragile attack, which had bowled so well in the first innings of that same match, were smashed. The damage was so bad that some of them were still looking for their lines and lengths in Adelaide three weeks later, when Head scored the century that killed their last faint chance of winning the Ashes.
Florida blows late lead to Montreal before falling 3-2 in overtime
Over the past several seasons, the Florida Panthers have earned a reputation as the Comeback Cats.
Erasing deficits, whether they are by several goals or extremely late in a game, has become the Panthers’ jam.
Things changed on Tuesday though, as the script was flipped on Florida by the visiting Montreal Canadiens.
The Habs scored twice in the game’s final minutes to extend the contest past the third period, then claimed the bonus point with an overtime power play goal.
For much of the night, the story was about the goaltenders.
Sam Montembeault for Montreal and Daniil Tarasov for Florida each stopped all 17 shots they faced through 40 minutes of hockey, sending the game into the final frame with goose eggs on the scoreboard.
Florida’s star forward Brad Marchand, who was honored before the game for reaching the 1,000 point milestone, picked up the night’s first goal with a power play tally just past the midway point of the third period.
A sharp-angle goal by Sam Reinhart with 4:59 to go felt like it had put the game away, but those feisty Canadiens did not go quietly into the night.
HOW DOES HE DO IT? pic.twitter.com/fbiEgiXNfn
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) December 31, 2025
Young star Cole Caufield scored just 32 seconds after Reinhart, infusing life into Montreal’s bench, and then with Montembeault on the bench for an extra attacker, Nick Suzuki tied the game with just 1:22 to go.
An overtime roughing call on Marchand led to the dreaded 4-on-3 power play and Suzuki’s second goal of the game.
Now Florida will go into their two-day break before the Winter Classic with a frustrating defeat to stew on.
On to the Rangers.
LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA
Panthers Coach Provides Injury Updates On Pair Of Veterans
Panthers aim for second win in as many days, to face feisty division rival from Montreal
Panthers pick up thrilling comeback win over visiting Capitals
Panthers Named As Possible Match For Blackhawks Defenseman
Panthers' Anton Lundell Slapped With A Fine; Lightning's Scott Sabourin As Well
Photo caption: Dec 30, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki (14) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Florida Panthers during the third period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
Life after LeBron James: who will inherit the NBA’s future?
That the NBA is reckoned in seasons is apt. To measure a legacy this way is as much existential as it is symbolic. Martin Heidegger argued that time is not something we pass through, but the condition of our being – less a pathway than a pressure. Heavy stuff, yes, but the NBA has always operated under similar weight.
The millennial superstars who stabilized the league for two decades are now entering their twilight: LeBron James (who turned 41 on Tuesday), Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Chris Paul. In their wake comes something genuinely new. For the first time, the league’s next dominant generation is unmistakably international. The NBA’s gen Z elite now emerge from Slovenia, Serbia, Greece, Canada and France.
Related: The ascendant San Antonio Spurs are the gift the NBA needed
America’s domestic pipeline still produces talent, but the excesses of AAU culture, one-and-done college basketball and eroding fundamentals have dulled its once overwhelming edge. In a garden crowded by its own overgrowth, the question is which strain ultimately thrives.
Each of the millennial stars now plays under the pressure of finitude. Heidegger described this as living toward an ending – an awareness that sharpens responsibility rather than diminishing it. That sense defines the league’s aging icons. For them, responsibility means one more run. Collectively, this group has won 10 championships and appeared in 23 Finals, but the odds of one last triumph are slim. Curry is straining to extend a dynasty time is quietly dismantling. LeBron is both the Lakers’ largest contract and no longer their centerpiece. Westbrook chases relevance on a lottery-bound roster. Harden remains productive but unsettled. Only Durant, newly aligned with a rising Houston team, appears plausibly positioned for one more push.
The question of succession is unavoidable. Elder statesmen Nikola Jokić (30) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (31) understand the clock well enough to know urgency has arrived. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (27) looks capable of anchoring something durable in Oklahoma City, with Luka Dončić (26) and Victor Wembanyama (21) pressing close behind. The American presence has not vanished, but it has dimmed since the 1990s. Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Cade Cunningham and Jayson Tatum keep the idea of domestic succession alive, while 19-year-old Cooper Flagg now complicates the hierarchy entirely.
The NBA has never struggled to define its image. From its rise into national consciousness, the league’s authority flowed through Black American players who made the game modern and irresistible, even while navigating deep economic contradictions. But dominance erodes. The world has caught up.
Generation Z moves differently. Previous generations were asked to embody systems that rarely worked in their favor. These players arrive as brands unto themselves, unburdened by history. American moxie still matters, but it no longer travels alone.
For decades, only Hakeem Olajuwon briefly disrupted American supremacy, and even that required Michael Jordan’s retirement. Now the balance has shifted. The millennial generation reshaped the sport – stretching shooting, flattening positions, weaponizing collectives – but even golden eras end, and their fading has left a vacuum no single nation can easily fill.
There is an uncomfortable symmetry to the timing. As American authority softens on the global stage, so too does its basketball hegemony. Players from countries once peripheral to the sport now produce its gravitational centers.
Can an American reclaim the mantle? Until recently, the answer felt unconvincing. Then Cooper Flagg arrived. As his shooting stabilizes, his path becomes clearer – and it begins where greatness has always been defined: defense.
Across generations, the truly defining stars shared not just brilliance, but responsibility on both ends of the floor. Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James could dominate a game while guarding its most dangerous opponent. That same two-way versatility distinguishes Flagg. It is what gives his ceiling historical weight.
Thrown immediately into the burden of replacing Dončić-level expectations, Flagg initially wavered. But after Dallas moved on from general manager Nico Harrison, the collective exhale allowed him to find his footing. The Mavericks sit on the fringes of the play-in picture, but Flagg already checks the league’s most important box: trust.
What makes him viable as the NBA’s next face is the rare blend of responsibility, versatility and control at an age when most players are still learning how to stay on the floor. He plays the basketball the league prefers to elevate – two-way, connective, portable. His defensive impact resembles that of elite bigs, while his offensive reads mirror those of primary creators. He spots mismatches early, toggles between force and patience, and resists rushing possessions into waste.
The NBA crowns players it can trust. As the youngest player in the league, Flagg already plays like an old one.
If the NBA is shaped by contingency rather than ceremony, then the passing of the torch is not an event but an obligation. LeBron’s generation carried the league until their bodies gave way. The world has stepped forward to claim it. But as Heidegger reminds us, what matters is not the future we imagine, but how we handle it once it arrives.
The league is not waiting for Cooper Flagg to become something else. It is already responding to what he is.
Nikola Jokic’s injury changes everything: West playoff chase, MVP race, more
It sounds strange to say, but it is true: Nikola Jokic missing a month is great news for Denver.
Not great that he's out, but great in the sense that the hypertension of his left knee that will sideline Jokic for at least the next month is the best possible outcome from what looked like a far worse injury when it happened.
While it may “only” be a month (although don't be shocked if he is out through the All-Star break), Jokic's absence is going to change things with the Nuggets, the Western Conference playoff chase, and the MVP race (it changes everything for people betting on NBA awards futures). Let's break it all down, starting with the team itself.
How Nuggets change without Jokic
Before Monday night, the Nuggets were already dealing with a rash of injuries. Three starters were out: Aaron Gordon (hamstring strain), Christian Braun (ankle sprain) and Cam Johnson (a knee hyperextension, just like Jokic).
Despite the bad luck, the Nuggets could always rely on Jokic, one of the league's most durable players — he had played fewer than 70 games in a season only once in his career (69 in 2022-23). He hasn't missed more than five games in a row since the 2017-18 season.
Without him, Denver has to find a way to keep its head above water in a deep West. The Nuggets remain arguably the biggest threat to the Thunder in the NBA, but only if Denver enters the playoffs with everyone healthy.
Denver also needs several players to step up. For the next month at least, even more playmaking falls on the shoulders of Jamal Murray, who deserves to be a first-time All-Star this season, averaging 25.2 points and 7 assists a game, shooting 45.4% from beyond the arc. He has to be the alpha on this roster now.
Beyond Murray, this is a chance for some key guys to get paid. Peyton Watson will be a restricted free agent after this season and can make his case in the next month for a big payday. Tim Hardaway Jr. is in Denver on a minimum contract, here is his chance to prove to Denver and others that he deserves a bigger deal.
Also, Jonas Valanciunas — who was signed to back up Jokic —needs to step up and be a solid anchor in the middle on both ends of the court for the next month.
How West playoff race changes without Jokic
Denver is at 22-10 and sits as the No. 3 seed in the West, however, they remain just three games out of the play-in in a deep West. Without Jokic, the Nuggets will slide down the standings, raising two key questions.
1) How far do they slide? Can Denver win enough games in the next month to stay in the top six in the West? Or, at least stay within striking distance of the top-10? The good news for Denver is it is entering its softest part of the schedule — Tom Haberstroh noted on his podcast that the Nuggets' opponents through the end of January have just a .434 winning percentage. That helps, there are some winnable games in there. Still, the Nuggets need some guys to step up.
2) Do the Nuggets end up on the same side of the bracket as the Thunder? In an injury-free world, we would be headed for a Nuggets vs. Thunder Western Conference Finals (that would feel like the de facto NBA Finals). Now, these teams may end up on the same side of the bracket and meet in the second round — maybe even the first if things go really poorly enough for Denver in the next month.
A Denver/OKC second-round showdown would clear the path for Houston, San Antonio or another team to slide in and make the Western Conference Finals.
How Jokic’s injury changes MVP race
Jokic was the frontrunner — or at very least the co-frontrunner — with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the MVP race. In Tim Bontemps 1/3rd of the season straw poll at ESPN, voters had Jokic and SGA lapping the field.
The best people to talk about this race are the betting experts from NBC Sports, starting with Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper).
“Jokić is likely to miss a month with the hyperextension and bone bruising which will make his qualification for MVP fairly difficult on top the massive impact it will have for the Nuggets trying to avoid the play-in seeding. The clear advantage goes to SGA in this case who has somewhere between and 85% to 90% to win now; the only realistic path to victory for an outsider is if the defending champ sustains a long-term injury as well. In that black swan event, I think Cade Cunningham, Jalen Brunson and Jaylen Brown all have compelling cases and would be great long shots at current prices because the current second tier of players face qualification questions themselves as Doncic, Giannis and Wemby have already amassed significant missed time.”
Trysta Krick (@trysta-krick) takes a slightly different angle but comes to the same conclusion.
"When it comes to winning MVP, the criteria are actually pretty simple. Either you’re the best player on one of the top one or two teams in your conference, or you’re so far ahead of the field that voters are willing to overlook team record altogether.
Last season was a perfect example of how that balance plays out. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić were essentially neck and neck from a production standpoint, but Oklahoma City’s sustained dominance all year — combined with the reality that Jokić had already won the award three times — tipped the scales. The tiebreaker went to Shai.
This year, it felt like Jokić had regained momentum until the injury, and now the race once again looks like Shai’s to lose. There simply isn’t another team operating at OKC’s level, and no other player has separated himself from the pack the way Shai has over the full body of work.
The other candidates all come with caveats. Luka Dončić? The Lakers’ record just isn’t strong enough. Jalen Brunson? Same issue — the Knicks sitting as a three seed hurts his case. Jaylen Brown? Possibly, but Boston has been inconsistent at times, and the Eastern Conference is far more congested in the middle than the West.
At this point, it would take a seismic shift for the MVP to come out of the East at all. As things stand, the combination of elite individual performance and team success still points in one direction — and it’s Shai’s award to lose.
January transfer window 2026: what every Premier League club needs
Aston Villa have a decision to make about Harvey Elliott, Brentford have money to spend and Burnley and Everton need goalscorers
A busy summer with the arrival of more than £250m in reinforcements has proved to be invaluable given the number of injuries that have hit Arsenal, particularly in defence. But that also makes any more expensive incomings unlikely in January, especially after the timely return of the influential Gabriel Magalhães this week. A loan signing or two could be on the cards, however, with Arsenal not having filled either slot so far after bringing in Neto from Bournemouth and Raheem Sterling from Chelsea last season. Mikel Arteta could do with more cover at right-back and must also decide whether to allow Ethan Nwaneri to go on loan with the 18-year-old having made only three starts in all competitions. Ed Aarons
Continue reading...Bullish Bristol believe Rees-Zammit’s NFL spell has improved his rugby
Wales back returned to UK without playing NFL game
Pat Lam: ‘It’s made him a more rounded player’
The Bristol director of rugby, Pat Lam, has said Louis Rees-Zammit’s recent NFL tilt made him a stronger and more dangerous player.
The Wales back joined the NFL’s international pathway programme in January 2024, and was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs before a spell at the Jacksonville Jaguars. He returned to rugby after 18 months without playing an NFL match, signing for Bristol in July. Lam said that since signing for the Bears, the 24-year-old has been working to reach match fitness, but that his increased power has made it harder for opponents to stop him.
Continue reading...James' birthday spoiled by Lakers' loss to Pistons
LeBron James' 41st birthday was spoiled by the Detroit Pistons, who claimed a 128-106 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Cade Cunningham scored 27 points for the Pistons, who remain top of the Eastern Conference with 25 wins from 33 games after avoiding a season-worst three-game losing streak.
Luka Doncic registered 30 points and 11 assists for the Lakers, with NBA all-time leading scorer James adding 17 points.
James became just the 12th player in NBA history to compete at age 41 or older.
He has now played 1,577 career games - second only to Robert Parish's 1,611 - as he contests his record 23rd NBA season.
The Lakers end 2025 having lost four of their past five games and sit fifth in the Western Conference.
Rookie VJ Edgecombe scored with 1.7 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Philadelphia 76ers victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
The 20-year-old contributed 25 points - including his clutch three-pointer - as the 76ers earned a 139-136 victory on the road.
Team-mates Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid led their side with 34 points apiece as the 76ers ended a three-game losing streak.
Ja Morant responded with 40 points for the Grizzlies, while rookie Cedric Coward added a career-high 28 points, but the hosts fell to back-to-back defeats.
There were also wins for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.
The Clippers claimed a fifth straight victory with a dominant 131-90 win over the Sacramento Kings, while the Celtics beat the Utah Jazz 129-119.
Lakers implode in fourth quarter of turnover-filled blowout loss to Pistons
LeBron James strolled to the scorer’s table Tuesday night and went through his pregame routine of throwing chalk up in the air, an iconic moment in his NBA-record 23rd season and on his 41st birthday.
James still marvels with his abilities to be a force at this stage of his career, leaving teammates and opponents in awe.
But the Lakers were unable to give James the celebration he wanted, losing 128-106 to the Detroit Pistons at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers, who had 20 turnovers, have lost four of their last five games, and their 11 losses this season have been by at least 10 points.
James finished with 17 points and Luka Doncic had 30 points and 11 assists but they took a seat on the bench for good with four minutes and 9 seconds left when the Lakers were down 122-96.
The Lakers (20-11) were better defensively in the third quarter after struggling in the first half. After giving up 36 points in the first quarter, 34 in the second, the Lakers gave up 26 in the third and were down 96-88.
But the Lakers fell apart in the fourth, getting run over by an 18-6 Pistons run that put the Lakers in a 20-point hole midway through the quarter. Detroit went on to outscore the Lakers 32-18 in the quarter.
Lakers coach JJ Redick called a timeout with six minutes remaining, but that didn't stop the Pistons (25-8), who got 27 points and 11 assists from Cade Cunningham.
Before the game, Redick said he's had conversations with James about what it takes to play at such a high level for so long.
“He talked about, you had to sacrifice loved ones,” Redick said. “I think there's an external cost that comes with caring, and I think there's also an internal cost, and that can be exhaustion, could be burnout, could be mental fatigue, physical fatigue.
Read more:Lakers takeaways: Nick Smith Jr. shines in win over Kings with Austin Reaves sidelined
"That's why you don't see many — I don't know about in other industries — but you don't see many great athletes that can sustain it for as long as he sustained it."
Detroit also showed its ability to sustain a level of greatness, scoring 70 points in the first 24 minutes and making 67.5% of their shots and 57.1% of their threes. They had 19 fast-break points in the first half.
Doncic had 24 points in the first half, making eight of 10 free throws.
James had 15 at the half, going five of 10 from the field and three of six from three-point range.
Etc.
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura missed the game with right calf soreness and is expected to be out for about a week.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.