AMES, Iowa (AP) — Freshman Jamarion Batemon scored 17 points off the bench to lead six Iowa State players in double figures, and the No. 8 Cyclones used an early flurry to take a big lead and go on to a 97-67 victory over Colorado on Thursday night.
Iowa State (19-2, 6-2 Big 12) won by 30 points for the second time in three games and has beaten all but two of its opponents by double digits. The Buffaloes (12-9, 2-6), who have dropped six straight and eight of their last 10, suffered their most lopsided conference loss since rejoining the Big 12 in 2024.
Colorado’s Sebastian Rancik opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, and then Iowa State outscored the Buffaloes 30-1 over the next 6 1/2 minutes and the rout was on.
Batemon, scoreless in Saturday’s game against Oklahoma State, hit a 3-pointer and converted a four-point play on consecutive possessions, and then Tamin Lipsey’s 3 and Nate Heise’s dunk put the Cyclones up by 26 points eight minutes into the game.
Milan Momcilovic scored 16 points for the Cyclones. Tamin Lipsey had 14 points and five assists and Joshua Jefferson had 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Freshmen Dominykas Pleta and Killyan Toure had 12 points apiece.
The Cyclones shot 61% from the field, their best mark in a conference game in four years.
Freshman Isaiah Johnson led the Buffaloes with 24 points and Barrington Hargress added 11.
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 20: San Francisco Giants pitcher Kai-Wei Teng (66) walks off the mound in between innings during the MLB game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 18, 2025 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
After agreeing to a contract with free agent center fielder Harrison Bader on Monday, the San Francisco Giants had work to do trimming their roster. They would need to trade or waive a player to accommodate Bader on the 40-man roster, and on Thursday they found the solution. As first reported by Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the Giants agreed to send right-handed pitcher Kai-Wei Teng to the Houston Astros in exchange for catching prospect Jancel Villarroel. The Giants have since announced the move, and added that they also received international slot money in the deal.
Villarroel is an intriguing prospect who signed with the Astros out of Venezuela after the 2022 Dominican Summer League season. The right-handed hitter, who turned 21 a few weeks ago, spent the bulk of the year with Houston’s Low-A affiliate, where he hit .258/.360/.385 for a .746 OPS and a 123 wRC+. He played a few weeks with the Astros’ High-A affiliate to end the year, and figures to open the upcoming season with High-A Eugene. He has a decent amount of raw power — though that hasn’t really shown itself yet on the stat sheet — and decent bat-to-ball skills. He had just a 17.2% strikeout rate in Low-A last year. In the midseason 2025 rankings, Villarroel ranked as the Astros No. 13 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and their No. 20 prospect according to Fangraphs. Earlier this month, Baseball America ranked the catcher as the No. 19 prospect in Houston’s system.
He’s a little bit of a project defensively at catcher, but also has experience all over the diamond. In his brief Minor League tenure, he’s seen time at every position except shortstop and pitcher.
As for Teng, it’s the end of a long, up-and-down tenure. And as the leader of the Kai-Wei Teng Believers Club, I’m pretty bummed seeing him leave. The righty came to the Giants in 2019, during his first full season of affiliated ball, in the Sam Dyson trade. He rose through the system as one of the organization’s top strikeout arms, but often struggled to control his walks and keep his ERA down.
The Giants rostered him as a Rule 5 protection prior to the 2024 season, but everything fell apart for him that year. He stopped striking people out, sported an awful 8.60 ERA in AAA, was even worse in his brief Major League stint, and was designated for assignment.
He re-signed with the Giants last offseason, and started to turn his career around. He was excellent for AAA last year, splitting time between the bullpen and rotation, where he had a 3.63 ERA and a 2.95 FIP, while his 14.05 strikeouts per nine innings were among the best in the Minor Leagues. That earned him another MLB opportunity, and the results in eight games were hot-and-cold: on the bad side, he had a 6.37 ERA and issued 5.16 walks per nine. On the good side, he had a 3.81 FIP, a 4.00 xERA, and 11.83 strikeouts per nine.
With the Giants entering the year with a full rotation, Teng was scheduled to join a very large group of unproven arms who would battle for a spot in the rotation and/or the sixth and seventh starter roles. That group includes fellow 40-man arms Hayden Birdsong, Carson Whisenhunt, Carson Seymour, Trevor McDonald, Blade Tidwell, and Keaton Winn. Given his strikeout ability, I thought Teng might have the inside position for a bullpen role, but either the Giants disagreed, or the Astros saw things similarly. It’s always hard to gauge with trades like this whether Teng was the outgoing piece because he was the player the Giants were ready to move on from, or he was the player that Houston was targeting.
Either way, the recently-turned 27-year old is headed back to the American League, and will get a chance to solidify his role in the Majors with the Astros. I, for one, will be rooting for him.
It happened. Patrick Kane already had a case to be considered the greatest player in USA Hockey history, but now he is the leading scorer of every NHL player to ever come from the United States of America.
On Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena, playing for the Detroit Red Wings, Kane collected an assist on a goal scored by Ben Chiarot that tied the game at one. This was point 1375 for Kane, which passed Mike Modano for the American scoring record.
THIS ONE COUNTS ✅
PATRICK KANE HAS PASSED MIKE MODANO FOR MOST POINTS BY AN AMERICAN-BORN PLAYER! pic.twitter.com/UAeTo6lLUg
Earlier in the game, Kane had an assist wiped off the board as the goal that was scored was waived off for offside after a challenge. The celebration had to wait for a period, but nobody doubted that Kane would find a way to get it done in this match.
When he scored it, the entire Red Wings bench spilled over the boards to congratulate their legendary teammate. A video from Mike Modano himself played on the Jumbotron to congratulate Kane and speak of his impact on the game for young Americans.
Patrick Kane's 1375 points that broke the record are comprised of 500 goals and 875 assists. 446 of those goals and 779 of those assists came while wearing a Chicago Blackhawks sweater.
This record, three Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and many other individual awards will be marks on his resume that make Kane a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he's done playing.
Next up for Kane is leading this Red Wings team back into the playoffs, which will end the second-longest drought in the league. It's been a couple of years since he last suited up for the postseason himself, so hockey fans will be treated to "Showtime" on the biggest stage once again.
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Kane, 37, had an assist in the second period on Thursday, Jan. 29 against the Washington Capitals to give him 1,375 points, one more than Modano, the former Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars standout who finished his career in Detroit.
It was the second milestone that Kane reached this month. He scored his 500th goal on Jan. 8, becoming the fifth U.S.-born player and 50th overall to hit that mark.
He drew the second assist on a goal by Ben Chiarot to break the points record Thursday. Teammates poured onto the ice to congratulate him.
Kane looked like he might have the record early in the first period when he set up an Alex DeBrincat power play goal, but the play was ruled offsides after a Capitals challenge.
Of all things, just as Patrick Kane is celebrated for setting up DeBrincat and reaching 1,375 points, video review shows it was offside. pic.twitter.com/HzBmm5naqP
It was the second time in three games in which he lost a point. He was originally awarded an assist on a goal against the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 24, but it was later taken away. He had an assist late in that game to move within one point of Modano and then tied the record on Jan. 27 with an assist against the Los Angeles Kings.
Patrick Kane vs. Mike Modano
Modano, who was born in Michigan, played 1,499 games. Kane has played 1,343. Modano had been the U.S. leader for 18-plus years, passing Phil Housley in November 2007 shortly after Kane's NHL debut.
Modano (1988) and Kane (2007) are former No. 1 overall picks. Modano won a Stanley Cup with the Stars in 1999 and Kane won with the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He won a scoring title with 106 points in 2015-16, the only American to do so, and also took home the Hart Trophy that season, ending a 91-year drought for U.S.-born players. His career best was 110 points in 2018-19.
Kane had a brief stint with the Rangers after a 2023 trade, then had hip surgery in the offseason. He signed with the Red Wings in November 2023 after recovering and has been in Detroit since.
Modano was not in the building but the Red Wings played a video message in which he praised Kane's skill level and the influence he has had on young American players.
"They all wanted to be Patrick Kane growing up," Modano said.
Mike Modano with a message to Patrick Kane after he broke his all-time scoring record among U.S.-born players 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/vltRjnvL27
Modano's U.S. record of 561 goals (Brett Hull, who played internationally for the USA, was born in Canada) might hold up as the standard for a while. Kane is the next-closest active player at 500. Between him and Modano are Joe Mullen (502), Jeremy Roenick (513) and Keith Tkachuk (538).
Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthew is the next active U.S.-born player at 427 goals and 772 points. He's averaging 1.14 points per game to Kane's 1.03.
Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane continues to set records in his illustrious career, and now, he's officially the highest-scoring U.S.-born player of all time.
With an assist on Ben Chiarot's second-period goal on Thursday evening against the Washington Capitals, Kane picked up the 1,375th point of his career, passing Mike Modano for the major milestone.
HISTORY IN DETROIT 🚨
Patrick Kane passes Mike Modano for the most points EVER by a US-born player in NHL history (1,375)
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CLEVELAND, OHIO - DECEMBER 31: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives to the basket around Royce O'Neale #00 of the Phoenix Suns during the fourth quarter at Rocket Arena on December 31, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Suns 129-113. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing some of their best basketball of the season. That will be put to the test on Friday as they embark on a five-game Western Conference road trip that starts Friday when they take on the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns have been a pleasant surprise this season. They’ve exceeded expectations and are heading in the right direction under the leadership of former Cavs assistant Jordan Ott. They are, however, expected to be without the services of Devin Booker. He’s dealing with an ankle injury. And, they’ll also be playing the second end of a back-to-back as they take on the Detroit Pistons on Thursday.
The Cavs will also be without two starters, with Darius Garland and Evan Mobley unavailable. We’ll see if they can keep the momentum going from their impressive performance on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Lakers.
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports Network App, NBA League Pass
Point spread: Not yet set
Cavs injury report: Evan Mobley – OUT (calf), Darius Garland – OUT (toe), Max Strus – OUT (foot), Tristan Enaruna – OUT (G League), Luke Travers – OUT (G League)
Suns injury report for Thursday’s game against Detroit: Devin Booker – OUT (ankle), Collin Gillespie – QUESTIONABLE (hand), Jalen Green – QUESTIONABLE (hamstring)
Cavs expectedstarting lineup: Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson, Dean Wade, Jarrett Allen
Suns expected starting lineup: Jordan Goodwin, Grayson Allen, Dillon Brooks, Royce O’Neale, Mark Williams
ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Essence Cody scored 16 points and Ta'Mia Scott added 13 for No. 24 Alabama in a 68-53 win over No. 23 Georgia on Thursday night.
Cody, who put up 10 points in the first half, shot 6 for 7 from the field and a perfect 4 for 4 from the free throw line. Karly Weathers scored 11 points, eight rebounds and two steals and blocks each. Jessica Timmons added 10 points and eight rebounds for Alabama (19-3, 5-3 Southeastern Conference).
Mia Woolfolk scored 13 points for the Bulldogs (18-4, 4-4) before fouling out. Rylie Theuerkauf added 11. Dani Carnegie, who leads Georgia in scoring with a 19.2 points per game, was held to only six points.
The Crimson Tide led 31-28 heading into halftime and built its lead over the second half. A 12-2 run in the fourth quarter that lasted more than five minutes helped Alabama pull ahead by double digits. The Bulldogs didn't score for the final 6:11, going 0 for 11 from the field.
Alabama now has a five-game winning streak over Georgia, the longest in program history.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Kharyssa Richardson scored 21 points and Mississippi State downed No. 15 Tennessee 77-62 on Thursday night.
Richardson was 9 of 11 from the floor and scored 16 in the second half. Trayanna Crisp added 15 points to go with five rebounds and three steals. Madison Francis added 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, while Favour Nwaedozi notched 11 points, 14 rebounds and two steals.
It's the second win of the season for the Bulldogs (16-6, 3-5 SEC) against a ranked opponent. The Volunteers won the earlier meeting between these sides 90-80 on Jan. 8.
It's the first home loss and conference loss for the Vols (14-4, 6-1 SEC) after entering on a seven-game winning streak and the last remaining team undefeated in SEC play. Their previously slated game on Monday — a contest with No. 17 Ole Miss — was postponed due to weather.
With 2:31 left in the first half, the game was knotted at 26 points apiece. The Bulldogs closed on a 9-0 run with a pair of 3-pointers from Crisp, and continued with an 11-3 run at the start of the second half to build a 14-point lead at the 5:53 mark of the third quarter. The Bulldogs' lead grew to as much as 20, and never dropped below double digits from that point on.
Talaysia Cooper led with 19 points for the Vols. Mia Pauldo had 13 and four steals, and Janiah Barker added 10 and six rebounds.
The Bulldogs, who entered 12th in the country with 43.9 rebounds per game, dominated the glass with a 50-31 rebounding advantage against a Tennessee team that entered 19th in the nation in rebounds per game (42.7). They outscored the Vols 35-11 on the fast break.
Up next
Mississippi State will host Missouri on Sunday.
Tennessee's next game is Sunday, on the road against the No. 1 Connecticut Huskies.
Former Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo is joining NBC as part of their MLB coverage team, according to multiple reports on Thursday.
The three-time All-Star will have a role on the network’s studio show as the lead MLB analyst during “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcasts, Opening Day, as well as some postseason games carried by NBC, Sports Business Journal reported.
Anthony Rizzo at-bat for the Yankees during the 2024 postseason. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
The former first baseman’s ability to navigate the tough New York media market during his tenure with the Yankees helped make him an attractive analyst option to network executives.
“Rizz played the New York media better than anybody — and that’s not easy,” a source told Front Office Sports. “He always had a smile on his face.”
Rizzo played 14 years in the major leagues, 10 with the Cubs and three and a half in the Big Apple. He finished his career with 303 home runs and 965 RBIs.
The well-liked Gold Glove winner is best remembered for being a member of the 2016 World Series-winning Cubs who helped break the infamous Curse of the Billy Goat that lasted 71 years.
Anthony Rizzo is set to join NBC as an MLB analyst. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
News of Rizzo’s hiring comes shortly after Front Office Sports broke the news that Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw is also being added to the network’s MLB coverage.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein was set to return Thursday night against Minnesota after missing 16 games because of a strained right calf.
Hartenstein last played Dec. 28 in a victory over Philadelphia. The defending champion Thunder were 11-5 in his absence.
The return of the 7-foot Hartenstein gives Oklahoma City added size to pair with 7-foot-1 big man Chet Holmgren. Hartenstein leads the Thunder in rebounding at 10.4 per game and had an 11.2 scoring average.
“He’s an elite offensive rebounder, elite screener, great pocket passer, above the rim finisher on the rolls. He obviously brings a lot of stuff to the table for us and expands our optionality as a team,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “We welcome him back. We’re certainly thrilled to have him back.”
Sep 16, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (33) throws out Cincinnati Reds third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (3) (not pictured) at first base in the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | Joe Puetz-Imagn Images
As of today, we’re almost exactly two weeks from the day when pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. I would say there’s at least an even chance that Brendan Donovan will remain a St. Louis Cardinal once the season begins. If that’s the case, what do you think the St. Louis Cardinals opening day infield should be?
Until I have reason to believe otherwise, let’s assume for the sake of argument that Brendan Donovan remains a St. Louis Cardinal through Spring Training and remains untraded once the regular season starts. What should the team’s infield look like on opening day? There are some easy assumptions, but there are also some complicated questions, too. I’ll share what I think this might look like, but I’m more interested in what moves (or not) you would make. Here’s my St. Louis Cardinals starting infield against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, March 26:
If Brendan Donovan is still a part of the St. Louis Cardinals roster on that day, I start him in left field with Victor Scott II in center and Jordan Walker in right field. If Lars Nootbaar were healthy and ready for opening day, I’d start him in right and let Jordan start the season in AAA. I still think one more trip to Memphis would help Walker until he shows consistent plate discipline, but I’d be thrilled if I had to change my mind because he was so impressive in Spring Training.
For my opening day infield, I’ve made the assumption that JJ Wetherholt is ready for the show. If there’s an unforeseen hiccup with Wetherholt’s development, then Brendan is the obvious choice to be opening day starter at second base. I’m also frustrated that I don’t have a place for Thomas Saggese. I would like to see what Thomas would do if given the chance to be an everyday player. I’m fine with José Fermín being the off-the-bench utility man to fill in roster holes.
I need to add one additional thought. I am fine with Nolan Gorman being the DH instead of our third baseman. 20/20 hindsight being what it is, I prefer that to Nolan playing the field, but I think it’s important for him to have a consistent lineup presence one way or another so we can determine once and for all if he can become a successful major league player. Having Nolan at DH then brings the debate of who plays third. Do you then bring Brendan in at third and leave JJ at second or reverse the roles? I think that wherever you play JJ initially is where you need to leave him. I’m in agreement with many that he should not have to figure out multiple positions his rookie year.
I’m torn on how I feel about the St. Louis Cardinals possibly hanging on to Brendan Donovan. On one hand, we are no doubt a better team with him on our roster and in our lineup, but I also think his trade value will never be higher than it is right now. As I was trying to envision what the St. Louis Cardinals infield would look like, I understand why Chaim Bloom isn’t in a rush to trade him. Beyond opening day, Brendan is a great solution to take over third base if Nolan Gorman fails to solve his strikeout woes. He’s also insurance if JJ Wetherholt isn’t ready for the big league roster and the team needs Brendan at second base. His versatility also means he’s a backup if Masyn Winn were to be injured again. The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly says the San Francisco Giants “remain engaged” with the St. Louis Cardinals on Brendan Donovan, so where he fits in the opening day lineup may become a non-issue soon, but we also have to anticipate that the Giants (or any other team) won’t meet the Cardinals demands.
If you were making the call, what do you think the St. Louis Cardinals opening day infield should look like? I look forward to see what you think the priorities should be and how you would fill in the missing pieces.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Olivia Miles had 20 points and six assists, Donovyn Hunter added 15 points, and No. 12 TCU never trailed Thursday night in a 79-77 win over Kansas.
TCU starters Clara Silva and Marta Suarez fouled out 32 seconds apart on back-to-back offensive fouls with a little more than five minutes to play and Miles fouled out in the closing seconds. Suarez had 13 points and eight rebounds and Silva added nine points for TCU (20-2, 8-1 Big 12).
Kansas, which went into the game shooting 36% (second in the Big 12) from 3-point range, made a season-low two 3s on 12 attempts.
Jaliya Davis, the four-time reigning Big 12 freshman of the week, had 29 points — her ninth 20-point performance in 12 games played this season — and nine rebounds for Kansas (13-9, 3-7). The 6-foot-3 Davis, who made 11 of 19 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free-throw line Thursday, is averaging 22.7 points since she returned from a lower-leg injury on New Year's Day in a 79-72 loss to West Virginia.
S’Mya Nichols added 24 points for the Jayhawks.
Kansas scored nine of the first 11 fourth-quarter points, seven by Davis, to trim its deficit to 67-65 with 3:58 remaining but Miles answered with a three-point play and Clara Bielefeld hit a 3-pointer that gave the Horned Frogs a six-point lead with 2:14 to go. Miles added a short pull-up jumper with 18 seconds left before Veronica Sheffey made a free throw that made it 78-74 with nine seconds left.
Up next
Kansas: The Jayhawks host Colorado on Sunday.
TCU: The Horned Frogs play Sunday at No. 21 Texas Tech.
