A sparkling unbeaten 84 from India captain Suryakumar Yadav and three wickets from late call-up Mohammed Siraj in Mumbai helped India avoid a shock defeat to the United States as they opened their defence of the T20 World Cup.
Pierre Jr. and Miller combine to score 41 as SMU downs Pittsburgh 86-67
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jaron Pierre Jr. and Boopie Miller combined to score 41 points as SMU rolled 86-67 past Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Pierre Jr. scored 21 on 8 of 11 shooting with five rebounds for the Mustangs (16-7, 5-5 Atlantic Coast Conference). Miller had 20 to go with nine assists and three steals. Samet Yigitoglu scored 15 to go with eight rebounds.
SMU, which leads the ACC in scoring offense (86.5 points per game entering the contest), shot 57% from the field (32 of 56) and 43% from behind the arc (9 of 21). The Panthers (9-15, 2-9) shot just 36% and 24% from deep.
The Mustangs held a slim, 34-32 lead at halftime, but opened the second half on a 24-9 run, building their lead to as much as 24. Pierre had 14 in the second half, making all five of attempts, while Miller had 11.
The Mustangs also held a 44-26 advantage on points in the paint, and a 25-9 edge on fast break points.
The Panthers were led by Cameron Corhen's 15 points. Barry Dunning Jr. added 12 points and seven rebounds.
Up nextSMU will host Notre Dame on Tuesday.
Pittsburgh will host No. 4 Duke on Tuesday.
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Can You Predict the St. Louis Cardinals Win-Loss Record for 2026?
While I believe that many are very satisfied with what Chaim Bloom has accomplished with his many roster moves during the offseason, we’re about to begin the 2026 season with some fear and trepidation about how competitive or not the St. Louis Cardinals will be. Knowing what we know now, what do you think the St. Louis Cardinals win-loss record will be for 2026?
Before I share my guess, let’s look at what the latest professional projections say about the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals team. According to a share a week and a half ago by Fangraphs, the latest ZiPS projections say the St. Louis Cardinals will finish 4th in the National League Central with a record of 77-85 only 3 games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates. FanDuel and other Vegas odds say the St. Louis Cardinals are only a 70 to 71 win team. Bernie Miklasz shared what several other betting sites were predicting, but this was a week and a half ago and all of these predictions were posted before the Brendan Donovan trade.
I have a difficult time separating my emotions from my mind when it comes to trying to nail down what the St. Louis Cardinals 2026 record will be. My heart is thrilled that the team has finally stopped settling for mediocrity and made big changes to insure the St. Louis Cardinals will be perennial serious contenders at some point in the future, but my mind has to realistically accept the fact that we’re not built to win this year. My prediction is a 76-86 St. Louis Cardinals team that will be fortunate to finish above the Pittsburgh Pirates. I think that will look optimistic once the new projections are done post-Brendan Donovan trade, but I’m overall bullish on this team.
I do think there is a scenario (albeit an unlikely one) where the St. Louis Cardinals surprise everyone and become a .500 or better team this season, but that involves a lot of daydreaming. If Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman both wake up and live up to their potential, this could get interesting. JJ Wetherholt would need to have the type of season where he’s a legitimate rookie of the year candidate. We would need Michael McGreevy and Matthew Liberatore to go next level and the Cardinals bullpen to become something it doesn’t appear to be on paper. This daydream also requires Masyn Winn to remain fully healthy and add impressive offensive pop to his gold glove defense. Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera would also need to backup strong 2025 showings and remain healthy. If all of those elements line up, the St. Louis Cardinals could be much more than the predictions say they will be in 2026, but I think it’s best to embrace what looks like our reality for the next couple of years and that’s not what my heart hopes will happen.
We can revisit this once the St. Louis Cardinals break camp after Spring Training, but as of today, what is your guess of what the St. Louis Cardinals win-loss record will be in 2026 and how do you think they’ll rank in the National League Central?
Ozzy-Momodu's 16 points help No. 22 Maryland women cruise past Nebraska 78-60
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu scored 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting, and No. 22 Maryland pulled away down the stretch for a 78-60 win over Nebraska on Saturday.
Oluchi Okananwa scored nine of the Terrapins’ 15 first-quarter points, and Maryland (19-6, 7-6 Big Ten) led 45-28 at halftime after a 30-17 second quarter.
Nebraska closed within 50-33 early in the third, but Maryland answered with Addi Mack’s layup off a steal and a Yarden Garzon 3-pointer to stretch the margin back to 52-33. The Terrapins won the third 25-18 and pushed the lead past 30 on a Rainey Welson 3 with 5:09 left in the period.
Okananwa had 14 points and four steals, Garzon scored 11 points with six assists and Kyndal Walker added 13 off the bench. Welson finished with 13 points, a career high.
Ozzy-Momodu added nine rebounds, and Maryland finished with a 44-22 advantage in points in the paint. The Terrapins shot 50% from the field, outrebounded Nebraska 39-26 and forced 22 turnovers.
Logan Nissley led Nebraska (16-8, 5-8) with a career-high 22 points, including 13 by halftime, and hit six 3-pointers for her first 20-point game. Britt Prince made her 54th straight free throw in the third quarter, a Nebraska school record.
Up nextMaryland hosts Penn State on Thursday.
Nebraska travels to Minnesota this Thursday.
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Red Wings Draft Gem Erupts For Hat Trick To Increase Team-Leading Goal Total
Since returning to the Detroit Red Wings as general manager in 2019, Steve Yzerman has assembled one of the top prospect pools in the National Hockey League.
His first-round selections in the 2019 (Moritz Seider) and 2020 (Lucas Raymond) NHL Drafts have emerged as two of the best players in their respective draft classes and have become foundational building blocks for the organization.
Selecting with the 13th overall pick in 2025, Yzerman selected forward Carter Bear of the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips. Bear, who led the Silvertips with 40 goals and 82 points last season, continues to display the scoring touch that fans in Hockeytown hope that he'll eventually have in the Winged Wheel.
Bear recorded a hat trick in Everett’s recent 6–3 victory over the Kamloops Blazers, boosting his season totals to 23 goals and 48 points in 35 games.
Carter Bear(1st round’25)
— Red Wings Prospects (@LGRWProspects) February 7, 2026
Hat Trick 🚨🚨🚨🎩🎩🎩#LGRWpic.twitter.com/MMUe1WErz3
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Naturally, he was named the first star of the game.
Carter Bear. Taco Hat. MAGIC. #GreenMeansGOpic.twitter.com/V58v42D3Io
— Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) February 7, 2026
Bear was signed by Yzerman to a three-year, entry-level contract shortly after being drafted, and he participated in Detroit's Development Camp in late June.
"A very intelligent hockey player, extremely competitive," Yzerman said of Bear in June. "At the junior level, he really can score. We think all of his game translates to the NHL as well."
Yzerman also expressed optimism that it wouldn't take long for Bear to endear himself to Red Wings fans when his NHL career eventually begins.
"I think our fan base will really take to him when the time comes that he is playing for the Red Wings, because he competes hard, and he’s a really good person. We are very excited about this pick. "
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Canadiens Trade Deadline Strategy Is Not Shocking
In a lengthy interview with Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, Montreal Canadiens’ president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton discussed a lot of topics. Still, one was particularly interesting: the organization’s approach to the trade deadline.
While on the ice, the team has shown plenty of signs of progress despite being the youngest outfit in the league and overcoming subpar goaltending and numerous injuries, the Habs’ brass remains realistic. As Engels writes, Gorton and his partner in crime, Kent Hughes, are not under the illusion that adding a player or two at the trade deadline would launch their window of opportunities; they are not there yet.
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This realistic, prudent approach is exactly why Geoff Molson made the right move by hiring the duo, and it stands in stark contrast to Marc Bergevin's past approach. Year after year, we heard the former GM say that once you get in the playoffs, anything can happen, and year after year, he went out to get some complementary pieces at the deadline.
It doesn’t mean they won’t be active at all. Gorton acknowledges that Hughes has his finger on the pulse and checks reported availabilities, adding that the duo spends a lot of time analyzing its next move. If they do make moves, they won’t be just for the now; the duo always has its objective of making the Canadiens a perennial contender at the forefront of their minds, as it should be.
Like the coach they’ve hired, Gorton and Hughes are very much of the “what’s next?” approach, and they’re not leaving anything to chance. Their recent moves have shown how they are thinking. They signed Alexandre Texier to a one-year contract initially, but extended his contract by two more years after he demonstrated his potential. They identified an issue with their penalty kill and a need for a left-shot center, so they went out and got Phillip Danault, without sacrificing too many assets, and it’s a good stop-gap option with another year on the contract of the soon-to-be 33-year-old.
The trade deadline may not be very exciting for Canadiens’ fans, but as the saying goes, good things come to those who wait, and Montreal is already seeing some of those good things, but the best is yet to come.
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VanSlooten records double double for No. 12 Michigan State women in 81-70 win over Penn State
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (AP) — Grace VanSlooten recorded her fifth double-double of the season, Jalyn Brown scored 16 points and Rashunda Jones added 14 in No. 12 Michigan State’s come-from-behind 81-70 win over Penn State on Saturday afternoon.
VanSlooten was the leading scorer for the Spartans (20-4, 9-4 Big Ten), with 20 points and 14 rebounds. She shot 9 of 18 from the field. Kennedy Blair added 12 points.
Kiyomi McMiller scored a career-high 37 points for Penn State (8-16, 1-12) on 16 of 33 shooting. She was 3 of 4 from beyond the arc and 2 of 4 from the free throw line. Freshman Tea Cleante added 10 points for the Nittany Lions.
The Nittany Lions took their largest lead of the game in the second quarter, up 45-29 off a 6-0 run. The Spartans scored the final two buckets of the half to cut the deficit to 45-33. After the break, Michigan State went on a 16-0 run to close out the third quarter and take a 54-52 lead, holding Penn State scoreless for over six minutes.
McMiller scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, but Michigan State led by double digits over the final three minutes.
Michigan State’s 16-point comeback is its largest since 2005, when the Spartans beat Tennessee 68-64 to advance to the national championship.
Up nextMichigan State: Visits No. 2 UCLA on Wednesday.
Penn State: Visits No. 22 Maryland on Thursday.
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Stone scores 22, Mitchell has 20 and 11 rebounds for Mizzou in 78-59 win over South Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Jayden Stone scored 22 points, Mark Mitchell added 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Missouri took down South Carolina, 78-59 on Saturday.
Stone was an efficient 7-for-9 shooting from the field (3 for 4 from deep), and Mitchell went 7 for 11 (1 for 2 from deep) for the Tigers (16-7, 6-4 Southeastern Conference). Mizzou was 25-for-54 shooting from the field overall.
T.O. Barrett added 14 points and seven rebounds, but struggled shooting (4 for 12).
The Tigers did not trail for the entire game, taking their first lead 37 seconds into the contest. They led 34-30 at halftime, and a 10-3 run to start the second half pushed their lead to double-digits.
Stone hit a 3-pointer with 7:17 remaining to start an 8-0 run that gave Mizzou a comfortable 15-point lead.
Meechie Johnson scored 13 points for the Gamecocks (11-13, 2-9), but was just 2-for-13 shooting from the field and 1 for 7 from beyond the arc. Kobe Knox and Elijah Strong each added 12 points, and Eli Ellis had 11.
Up nextMizzou visits Texas A&M on Wednesday.
South Carolina visits Alabama next Saturday.
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Lamar Wilkerson's free throws in OT give Indiana 78-77 win over Wisconsin
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Lamar Wilkerson made two free throws with 2.8 seconds left in overtime to lift Indiana to a 78-77 victory over Wisconsin on Saturday.
Wilkerson finished with 25 points, Sam Alexis added 19, Tucker DeVries 16 and Conor Enright 11 for Indiana (16-8, 7-6 Big Ten).
Nolan Winter had a career-high 26 points plus 12 rebounds to lead the Badgers (16-7, 8-4). Nick Boyd added 20 points, including five 3-pointers, and John Blackwell had 16 of his 18 points in the second half.
Wilkerson shot 1 for 7 in overtime but scored all six of Indiana's points in the extra period, four in the final 30 seconds after the Badgers had taken a 77-74 lead.
Wilkerson's bucket with 30 seconds left ended a 10-minute field-goal drought for the Hoosiers. Boyd was called for an offensive foul with 15.1 seconds left and Blackwell fouled Wilkerson as the latter tried to find an opening to the hoop. After Wilkerson's free throws, Braeden Carrington’s half-court heave wasn’t close.
Wilkerson finished 1 of 8 from the arc but made all eight of his free throws that came in the final minute of regulation and overtime.
Indiana led all of regulation until Blackwell hit a jumper for a 69-68 lead with 1:48 remaining. Winter followed with a 3-pointer but Wilkerson sank four free throws to tie the game at 72 and Blackwell missed a short jumper at the buzzer.
Indiana led by as many as 13 in the second half and were up 66-59 after an Alexis bucket with 5 1/2 minutes to go but then didn't a get another field goal until Wilkerson's bucket in overtime.
Up nextWisconsin is at No. 5 Illinois on Wednesday.
Indiana is home against Oregon on Monday.
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Canucks Rookies Have Been A Bright Spot Throughout 2025–26
In a season filled with disappointment, it’s the ideal set of players who have provided the most positivity for the Vancouver Canucks; their rookies. Given the fact that this franchise’s future will likely be driven by a big chunk of these players, this can mean nothing but good things. If positive things keep going the way they have been for these Vancouver rookies, then the Canucks will be in good hands throughout the long-term future.
Linus Karlsson Has Been One Of The Biggest Surprises For The Canucks This Season
No Canuck has more 5-on-5 points than Linus Karlsson, who has scored nine goals and 11 assists in those situations. Despite bouncing around throughout Vancouver’s lineup this season, the forward has been one of the Canucks’ most consistent point producers, tallying a total of 11 goals and 13 assists. Karlsson’s play this season earned him a two-year contract extension, which he signed in January, as well as some looks on Vancouver’s first-unit power play. The forward is one who works his hardest and does what he needs to in order to find success at the NHL level.
Tom Willander Is Playing Himself Into A Future Top-4 Role
When Tom Willander made his NHL debut on October 28, many believed it’d be a one-off, and that he’d be back with the Abbotsford Canucks soon after. This isn’t a slight to Willander, but rather in consideration to his young professional career that only started this season. However, Willander has impressed so much that he’s played himself into a solid spot in Vancouver’s D-core, even serving as the quarterback on their first-unit power play for an extended period of time. While it was never a question in the first place, if anything, Willander’s play this season has only solidified the fact that he needs to be part of Vancouver’s future moving forward.
Liam Öhgren Sets The Canucks’ Pace
The Canucks received a valuable package of prospects and future potential when they traded Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild back in December. While Marco Rossi and Zeev Buium may have initially been the most noted names returning in the deal, Liam Öhgren has since proven himself as a big piece in this blockbuster deal. The forward’s no-quit motor and high-energy style of play has made him a mainstay in the lineup. The fact he’s been solid defensively doesn’t hurt, either. With connections throughout the organization and a positive first-impression, Öhgren’s first 26 games as a Canuck have gone excellently.
Zeev Buium Has Shown The Potential To Become Vancouver’s Next Star On The Blueline
Buium’s time with the Canucks has been filled with promise. Offensively, the defenceman has shown great potential and has even been given a good chunk of power play minutes to try and elevate that. While the defensive side of his game could still use some work, this isn’t a bad thing. After all, Buium only just turned 20 at the start of December and is still in the midst of his first NHL season. If there’s any time for him to be making mistakes, it’s now. With more NHL playing time, Buium will be able to apply his experience towards fixing past mistakes — something that will ultimately impact his play for the better in the long run.
Jonathan Lekkerimäki Is Flashing His Goal-Scoring Skill
Jonathan Lekkerimäki got his first taste of NHL action last season, playing in 24 games and scoring three goals and three assists. Since then, it’s clear he took his experiences in the NHL and AHL and applied them to his game. A 10-goal run in 16 games with the Abbotsford Canucks brought Lekkerimäki back up to the NHL this season, where he’s played with the confidence and shot of a top-six sniper in the making. While it’s unclear how long he could be with the Canucks for this season, Lekkerimäki’s goal-scoring efforts have shown lots of promise for the future.
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Liverpool v City is no longer the Premier League’s big show: how have the mighty fallen? | Jonathan Wilson
Pep Guardiola has led the way with his tactics for a decade but he has changed course and Arsenal have taken advantage
Great rivalries are always more about feel than about numbers. There have been only four Premier League seasons in which Manchester City and Liverpool have finished in the top two positions in the table (and one of those occasions was 2013-14 when the managers were Manuel Pellegrini and Brendan Rodgers, which is not a duel anybody is writing books or making documentaries about).
Yet for most of the decade that Pep Guardiola has been at City, it has felt that English football was defined by his struggle with Jürgen Klopp and Liverpool, and by a form of the game that developed as each learned from the other.
Continue reading...Open vent thread
This will be the last weekend without baseball, potentially until November, with Game 7 of the 2026 World Series scheduled for October 31. The Super Bowl is tomorrow (though we’re going to the RenFair), and football will then be done – mercifully, if you’re a Cardinals fan. The off-season is, effectively, over. So, before players start to show up at Salt River Fields next week, this is your change to say whatever you want. Be that about the Diamondbacks, baseball in general, or even random off-topicness. Though not too off-topic: the usual SnakePit prohibitions still remain in effect!
Open vent thread: Get it all out before pitchers and catchers report!
Have the Diamondbacks done enough? How thin ice are Torey Lovullo and Mike Hazen skating on this season? What is your go-to ballpark food and drink? Is the NL West a pointless procession to another Dodgers title? Why is Zac Gallen still unsigned? Has the way you watch baseball changed over the years? What’s your favorite baseball movie? Feel free answer absolutely none of these questions, and go your own way instead.
Wizards at Nets discussion
The Washington Wizards play the Brooklyn Nets today on the road in the Big Apple. Tip off is at 3 p.m. ET, basically, right now. Let’s see if the Wizards can take care of business today while we stay hunkered down at home with extreme wind and cold warnings outside in the DMV. Go Wizards!
Dango Ouattara tips seesaw contest Brentford’s way to sink Newcastle
What price Keith Andrews for manager of the season? Thomas Frank’s surprise successor certainly added to his fanclub as he choreographed Brentford’s fourth win in six Premier League games to leave Eddie Howe even gloomier than the unremittingly wet Tyneside weather.
While outstanding performances from Dango Ouattara and Keane Lewis-Potter left Andrews’s seventh-placed side appearing genuine European contenders, Howe’s Newcastle have won only one of their last eight matches in all competitions and lost four of their past five.
Continue reading...Terrance Gore, Royals postseason legend, dead at 34
Terrance Gore, Royals postseason legend and three-time World Series champion, died last night. He was 34 years old. Gore is survived by his wife, Britney, and three children.
Gore leaves behind an incredible baseball legacy as one of the greatest baserunning specialists of recent memory. Despite rarely coming to the plate, Gore stole 48 bases across the regular season and playoffs at an 82.7% success rate across his eight-year MLB career. But when playing for the Royals across their 2014 and 2015 campaigns, Gore was otherworldly: during those two years, he stole 12 bases and was only thrown out once. One of those stolen bases came in the best Royals game of all-time: the 2014 AL Wild Card Game.
Gore went on to become a postseason fixture with multiple other teams, lending his legs to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2020 World Series campaign as well as the Atlanta Braves’ 2021 World Series season.
But Gore is equally well known within the game for being a kind and wonderful human. Gore’s wife shared a post on Facebook about Gore, who passed away from complications after a routine surgery.
This post is extremely tough to write. Last night, I lost my best friend/husband from complications after what was supposed to have been a simple procedure. Our hearts are shattered, my babies are shattered. Our whole family is lost. This was so unexpected. Everything Zane does is centered around his dad. Baseball, hunting, fishing. Skylyn said, “I don’t have a daddy anymore, he’s up in heaven in the stars.” I don’t know where to go from here. I feel like I’m living my biggest nightmare and feel so lost. He loved his children with everything in him. He loved coaching the youth and those boys absolutely loved him. Please keep our family in your prayers for the coming days and for the strength to get through this. Life is precious and is too short. What I would do to give you one more hug or kiss. We had so many more memories to make. I love you forever Terrance Gore and I’ll continue to watch over our babies.
Rest in peace, Terrance. Thank you.