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No. 24 Miami (Ohio) improves to 21-0 by holding off UMass 86-84

OXFORD, Ohio (AP) — Eian Elmer scored a career-high 30 points and No. 24 Miami (Ohio) improved to 21-0, rallying in the second half and then holding on for an 86-84 victory over UMass on Tuesday night.

Miami is one of two unbeaten teams in Division I after fifth-ranked Nebraska lost 75-72 at No. 3 Michigan earlier Tuesday night. Top-ranked Arizona is 21-0 following an 86-83 win over No. 13 BYU on Monday night.

The victory also tied the RedHawks with the 2001-02 Kent State squad for the longest in-season winning streak in Mid-American Conference history.

Elmer was 9 of 14 from the field, including 6 for 11 on 3-pointers. The junior shooting guard, who also grabbed seven rebounds, had 18 points in the first half.

Peter Suder added 13 points and nine assists. Freshman guard Justin Kirby also scored 13 as Miami improved to 9-0 in conference play.

Leonardo Bettiol had 22 points and 16 rebounds for UMass (13-9, 4-6), which had won four of five. Marcus Banks Jr. scored 18 and Daniel Hankins-Sanford added 16.

Miami extended its lead to 82-75 with 2:07 remaining before the Minutemen made one final charge. K'Jei Parker sank three free throws with 8.8 seconds remaining after getting fouled by Kirby at the top of the key.

Suder was fouled with 4.4 seconds left. He hit the first free throw, but missed the second. Bettiol grabbed the rebound and passed to Isaiah Placide, whose desperation shot from halfcourt went off the glass, allowing the RedHawks to earn another close win after prevailing in overtime in their previous two games.

UMass was up 65-60 midway through the second half before Miami went on an 8-4 spurt. Elmer's 3-pointer with 8:40 remaining gave the RedHawks a 69-68 lead, their first since the first minute of the game.

Up next

UMass hosts Eastern Michigan on Saturday.

Miami (Ohio) hosts Northern Illinois on Saturday.

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Huff, Eaglestaff help lift West Virginia past Kansas State 59-54

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Honor Huff scored 17 points and Treysen Eaglestaff scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds and West Virginia beat Kansas State 59-54 on Tuesday night.

Brenen Lorient scored 10 points for West Virginia (14-7, 5-3 Big 12), which has won three of four and six of its last nine games. It was the third fewest points scored this season for Kansas State.

P.J. Haggerty scored 16 points, David Castillo scored 15 points and Nate Johnson 13 for Kansas State (10-11, 1-7). The Wildcats have lost seven of their last eight.

West Virginia led 57-54 with 22 seconds left before the Jayhawks intentionally fouled Huff. He missed the front end of a one-and-one and Kansas State took possession.

Lorient blocked Haggerty's layup attempt with 14 seconds left. Kansas State maintained possession but Haggerty's 3-point attempt with 10 seconds left was off the mark.

Taj Manning fouled Huff and he made both foul shots with eight seconds left to seal the win.

Up Next

Kansas State: Hosts No. 8 Iowa State on Sunday.

West Virginia: Hosts Baylor on Saturday.

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Utah women never trail, beat No. 22 West Virginia 71-64

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — LA Sneed scored 15 points, Reese Ross had a double-double, and Utah never trailed in a 71-64 victory over No. 22 West Virginia on Tuesday night.

Sneed made three of the Utes’ 10 3-pointers. Ross scored 12 points to go with 10 rebounds and four assists. Lani White added 14 points and Chyra Evans scored 12 for Utah (15-6, 6-3 Big 12).

Jordan Harrison scored 18 points and had eight assists to lead West Virginia (17-5, 7-3), which ended a three-game win streak. Gia Cooke added 11 points and Carter McCray scored 10.

The Utes closed the second quarter on a 14-5 run for a 36-24 lead at the break. Sneed made two 3-pointers and scored eight points for the Utes, who hit six 3-pointers and shot 58% (15 of 26) in the the half.

Utah had its largest lead, 48-30, with 5:11 to play in the third quarter. West Virginia scored the first seven points of the fourth to pull to 55-49 with 6:30 left but didn't get closer.

Up next

West Virginia: Host No. 14 Baylor on Sunday.

Utah: At BYU on Saturday.

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Kane ties Modano as highest-scoring American-born NHL player in Red Wings loss to Kings

DETROIT (AP) — Anton Forsberg made 26 saves and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Red Wings 3-1 on Tuesday night as Detroit winger Patrick Kane moved into a tie with Dallas’ Mike Modano as the highest-scoring American-born players in NHL history.

Kane matched Modano by recording his 1,374th point on an assist on a goal by Alex DeBrincat late in the third period. He accomplished the feat just a couple of months after turning 37, while Modano was 40 when he scored a goal to register point No. 1,374. For his career, Kane has 500 goals and 874 assists in 1,341 NHL regular-season games. Modano retired in 2011 with 561 goals and 813 assists in 1,499 games.

Samuel Helenius, Andrei Kuzmenko and Corey Perry scored for the Kings, who won their third straight game.

Detroit’s John Gibson made 19 saves and had his eight-game win streak halted, surrendering a goal midway through the second period and a power-play score early in the third.

The Kings have earned points in their last six games (3-0-3). The Red Wings lost for just the second time in six games and third time in their last 11.

JETS 4, DEVILS 3

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Mark Scheifele scored his 26th goal of the season, reigning MVP Connor Hellebuyck stopped 26 of the 29 shots he faced and Winnipeg ended its two-game skid by beating New Jersey.

The Devils have lost back-to-back games after winning three in a row at the start of their Western Conference road trip. They traded veteran winger Ondrej Palat to the New York Islanders in a deal that was consummated before he left the arena prior to warmups and finalized during the first period.

Winnipeg, which entered the night eight points back of the second and final wild-card spot in the West, won for just the second time in five games. Scheifele got the Jets on the board 1:33 in, then Gabriel Vilardi, Cole Koepke and Nino Niederreiter scored in the second.

Hellebuyck, who is in line to be the U.S. starter at the upcoming Olympics, was sharp in bouncing back from allowing four goals in a 5-1 home loss to Detroit on Saturday.

New Jersey got goals from rookie Lenni Hameenaho and Swedish Olympian Jesper Bratt, and captain Nico Hischier scored with 1:46 left to make things interesting, but the offense couldn’t quite make up for a series of mistakes. Hours after coach Sheldon Keefe credited defensive commitment and “giving up way less on the rush” for his team’s recent success, all four goals against came on odd-man rushes.

BRUINS 3, PREDATORS 2, OT

BOSTON (AP) — David Pastrnak scored 15 seconds into overtime and Boston beat Nashville.

Pastrnak tipped a pass from Charlie McAvoy past Juuse Saros for the winner as the Bruins held on after Nashville rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force overtime.

Pastrnak scored his 22nd goal and had an assist, extending his point streak to eight games one night after becoming the sixth Boston player to reach 900 career points. Pastrnak has 10 assists in his last six games.

Morgan Geekie scored his 30th of the season and Hampus Lindholm also scored for Boston after being added to Sweden’s Olympic roster earlier in the day.

Jeremy Swayman stopped 28 shots for the Bruins, who improved to 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.

Roman Josi and Nick Blankenburg scored for Nashville, which has lost four of five since a three-game winning streak. Steven Stamkos had an assist and Saros finished with 25 saves.

Blankenburg’s goal at 13:17 tied it and ended up forcing the overtime, which didn’t last long.

CANADIENS 3, GOLDEN KNIGHTS 2, OT

MONTREAL (AP) — Jake Evans scored at 3:58 of overtime, leading Montreal to a victory over Vegas.

Cole Caufield, with his 30th goal of the season, and Phillip Danault also scored for Montreal, as the Habs halted a two-game losing skid.

Mike Matheson ran his point streak to a season-long five games with an assist on Caufield’s goal.

Jakub Dobes made 32 saves in his first career start against Vegas. The 24-year-old boasts a 6-0-1 record over his past seven games, with his last regulation loss coming against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 9.

Pavel Dorofeyev scored both goals for the Golden Knights, who lost their third straight game against Montreal, dating back to last season.

Akira Schmid stopped 23 shots in the losing effort. The Swiss netminder lost for the second time in as many starts against Montreal this season.

MAMMOTH 4, PANTHERS 3

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Mikhail Sergachev scored in the third period to put Utah ahead to stay in a win over Florida.

Nick Schmaltz, Sean Durzi and Barrett Hayton also scored goals for the Mammoth, who have won nine of their last 11 games and played without top goal-scorer Dylan Guenther, who has a lower-body injury. Vitek Vanecek made 25 saves and Durzi also had an assist.

Sandis Vilmanis, Cole Schwindt and Carter Verhaeghe scored goals and Sergei Bobrovsky made 16 saves for Florida, which had a three-game winning streak snapped.

Sergachev’s goal with 8:55 to play gave Utah a 3-2 lead and Hayton made it 4-2 with an empty-netter with 56 seconds to play. Verhaeghe scored with 16 seconds left to pull the Panthers within 4-3, setting up a frantic final few seconds.

SABRES 7, MAPLE LEAFS 4

TORONTO (AP) — Rasmus Dahlin had the first hat trick of his NHL career to go along with two assists and Buffalo beat Toronto.

Tage Thompson, with a goal and an assist in his 500th NHL game, Josh Doan, Alex Tuch and Jack Quinn also scored for Buffalo, which has won four straight.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed two goals on five shots before leaving with a lower-body injury in the first period. Colten Ellis made 16 saves in relief. Mattias Samuelsson added three assists.

Auston Matthews and Max Domi each had a goal and two assists for Toronto. Bobby McMann, with a goal and an assist, and Matthew Knies also scored. Joseph Woll stopped 24 shots.

The Maple Leafs came home last week off a successful road trip, but finished their disastrous five-game homestand with a solitary point (0-4-1) and have dropped seven of eight overall.

STARS 4, BLUES 3

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Thomas Harley’s goal with just over a minute left short-circuited a late rally by St. Louis and lifted Dallas to a win.

Matt Duchene scored a pair of goals for his first multigoal game since Feb. 8. Roope Hintz also scored and Jake Oettinger made 23 saves, as the Stars won for the third time in their last four games and improved to 10-2-1 against St. Louis going back to Nov. 28, 2022.

Brayden Schenn scored twice and Robby Fabbri also scored in the third period as St. Louis attempted to rally from a 3-goal deficit. Jordan Binnington made 20 saves for the Blues, who dropped their fifth straight game.

Duchene’s power-play goal for the Stars at the 3:20 mark of the second period broke a scoreless tie.

Duchene recorded his seventh of the season 40 seconds later with the help of a lucky bounce to make it 2-0. Duchene threw the puck in front of the net, where it deflected off Blues defenseman Logan Mailloux, who was tied up with Jamie Benn in the crease.

WILD 4, BLACKHAWKS 3, SO

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Kirill Kaprizov scored the shootout winner as Minnesota defeated Chicago.

Kaprizov was Minnesota’s second shooter and beat Spencer Knight with a wrist shot. Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt stopped all three shootout attempts as the Wild came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat Chicago for the 17th time in 18 games.

Yakov Trenin, Joel Eriksson Ek and Jared Spurgeon scored for Minnesota. Wallstedt stopped 29 of 32 shots.

Teuvo Teravainen, Ryan Donato and Ilya Mikheyev scored for Chicago. Knight made 20 saves.

The Blackhawks took a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Teravainen and Donato.

Mikheyev made it 3-0 nearly six minutes into the second period, when he beat Wallstedt with a wrist shot.

Trenin began the Minnesota comeback when he broke in alone and beat Knight with a wrist shot at 12:33 of the second.

Minnesota cut the Chicago lead to 3-2 early in the third when Quinn Hughes fired a shot that hit Marcus Johansson’s skate and deflected to Erikson Ek, who got his stick down in time to tap it into the net.

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Thunder's Lu Dort, Pelicans rookie Jeremiah Fears scuffle late in game

Well, these two won’t want to see each other any time soon.

Chippy, physical play between Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort and New Orleans Pelicans rookie guard Jeremiah Fears bubbled throughout Oklahoma City’s 104-95 victory on Tuesday, Jan. 27 before a shoving match erupted after regulation.

As the Pelicans were trying to score a late basket in garbage time, Fears collected an offensive rebound and tried to put up a scoop layup before he drew contact from Dort. Fears immediately turned to face Dort, who shoved Fears twice, first lightly, and then with more force once Fears didn’t back down.

Eventually, both players clasped the other’s jersey in balled fists and were trying to shove the other backward before teammates, assistant coaches and officials stepped in to try to deescalate the situation.

At its height, around 40 people were in the scrum, trying to separate each side. Dort and Fears continued to jaw toward each other, though players and assistants did a good job of separating the two, until Fears broke free and continued to chase Dort down the floor.

Dort eventually walked toward the locker room, while Fears was ushered toward the New Orleans tunnel by two staffers.

There had been another altercation, a minor one, prior to the one between Dort and Fears. During an inbounds play with 1:18 left in the game, Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey and Thunder forward Jaylin Williams shoved each other as they were battling for positioning.

“Good guys, good (officiating) crew, but I thought they lost control of the game in the final minutes,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said after the game. “I thought that altercation at the end started well before that.

“The second thing is: I think that’s a foul on Dort,” Daigneault continued, speaking about the last shot attempt Fears took in the final seconds. “And if it was, they should put a whistle on that play regardless of the score and the time, because, if they do that, everybody stops playing and you can legislate the situation as you normally would.”

As Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was sinking a pair of late free throws to ice the game, he said he overheard Fears and Dort jawing at each other during the dead ball.

“I wasn’t too sure what happened,” Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters after the game. “I had heard them going back and forth after they made the last two free throws, but I wasn’t sure what happened. And then, I turned around and they were face-to-face. I’m sure it was nothing crazy, though. Typical basketball scuffle.”

Fears scored 7 points on 3-of-9 shooting and added 3 steals, 2 rebounds and 1 assist.

Dort, a defensive-minded player whose physicality often pushes the limits of what’s acceptable, scored 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting and had 8 rebounds and 3 assists.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lu Dort, Jeremiah Fears scuffle after Thunder vs. Pelicans game

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Purple Row After Dark: Jake McCarthy makes his Rockies (Fest) debut

Rockies Fest must have been weird for Jake McCarthy.

Just over two weeks ago, the Colorado Rockies traded for him, and last Saturday, he found himself in a Rockies jersey answering questions from a very Rockies crowd on a very cold day in Denver.

Still, McCarthy, like any good baseball player, showed up and did his job.

First, he appeared on a panel with other positions players during afternoon. In that panel, he was funny and shared that his walk-up song had been Kurt Angle’s WWE song; that at least it’s easy for him to turn right rather than left at the Salt River Fields Training Facility; and that he’s eager to start playing with the Rockies.

After Rockies Fest ended, he along with Hunter Goodman and Kyle Freeland met with media.

Here’s a clip from that session courtesy of Guerilla Sports:

Below are some highlights of McCarthy’s conversation with media.

On playing at Coors Field

I was initially very excited. I’m so excited. I always loved coming to play here. Obviously, it’s a beautiful park. The fans are good. But, you know, when you talk about the big outfield, the elevation, I do think that plays to my game pretty well. And I think this team, especially, too, it’s very athletic team. . . . So I’m just excited to be a part of it. Whatever that role looks like, I just want to make an impact offensively, defensively, on the base paths, and put my game on display.

On changes the Rockies are making

It’s super exciting to be a part of something new. . . . I just think a lot of people in this building are hungry, and I have a lot of respect for this organization. I’ve been here, played against the Rockies at all the levels of the minor leagues up to this point, so I’ve got a lot of respect for the coaches and players that I played against for so long. And again, I’m really excited to be a part of it, really, really happy to be a part of what’s ascending here.

On making adjustments

I honestly can’t tell you what the adjustment of life is going to be so far because I’m just going to the same building in a different door. . . . I just go a little further to go into a different gate in the building. So that’s pretty convenient spring training part of it. But I think this team has played against me a lot, so I’m sure they have a lot of evaluations, but they traded for me, and I’m really grateful for that, and I want to make them really look good in this trade. And again, I’m just grateful for an opportunity here to sort of go out and [get a] fresh start just making my own impact here and helping this team. So I keep repeating myself, but I’m just really excited.

On what he worked on during the offseason

I think getting back to what makes me go as a player, and I think it could be dynamic, and I think that means getting on base for guys like this guy to the left of me [Goodman] and playing good defense, especially in a field like this. So, I think there were parts of last season that maybe I got away from that a little bit. So again, just eager to kind of get back on track.

On getting comfortable at Coors Field

I’ll say I’ve always sort of bounced around all three outfield positions, and there’s been no communication of like, exactly what the role will be, but I’m totally okay with doing that, and I’ve always done it. I take pride in playing all three outfield positions, and then, yeah, it’s a big outfield, whether it’s left, right, center, it’s a lot of lot of room to cover. So I’m looking forward to the challenge, and I’m excited to play alongside other good defensive outfielders, and I’m excited to sort of make that a reputation of us playing the outfield really well.

On Warren Schaeffer

I just met him for the first time in person five minutes before this. But he seems like a go-getter. Seems like the right guy to put this organization going in the right direction. And, you know, I love it. I love a straightforward manager, a guy who’s just going to shoot you straight and try to win some ball games. So I think that’s the type of guy we need, and I’m excited for it.

After the session ended, McCarthy found himself surrounded by Denver media introducing themselves to him. He smiled, shook everyone’s hand, and said, “Sorry, but I’m not going to remember your names.”

It was a drinking-from-a-fire-hose kind of day, but McCarthy handled it with grace.

Now to see how it plays on the field.

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Hammond, Bedford help Virginia Tech hold off Georgia Tech 71-65

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Ben Hammond scored 20 points and Jailen Bedford scored 14 points and Virginia Tech nearly squandered a double-digit lead late and held on to beat Georgia Tech 71-65 on Tuesday night.

Reserve Christian Gurdak scored 11 points and Tobi Lawal 10 before fouling out. Surprisingly, the Yellow Jackets outshot Virginia Tech 44% to 34%, but the Hokies (16-6, 5-4 ACC) made up for the shooting deficit and outscored Georgia Tech 24-9 from 3-point range.

Jaeden Mustaf posted a double-double and scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Baye Ndongo scored 14 points, Lamar Washington added 12 points and Kam Craft had 11 for Georgia Tech (11-10, 2-6).

Lawal made two foul shots to give Virginia Tech a 65-50 lead with 4:26 remaining before Georgia Tech went on an 11-0 run to get within four points after Washington drove the lane uncontested for a layup with 1:09 left.

Neoklis Avdalas made 1 of 2 foul shots for a 66-61 lead before Ndongo reduced the deficit to three with a layup with 29 seconds left.

Bedord made 1 of 2 for a 67-63 lead, Washington followed with a layup with 19 seconds left and the Yellow Jackets never got closer.

Hammond and Bedford each made two foul shots to seal it.

Hammond's 3-pointer with 13:59 remaining gave the Hokies their first double-digit lead at 50-40. He followed that 23-foot shot with a 24 footer less than a minute later to stretch the lead to 13.

Up Next

Georgia Tech: Hosts 16th-ranked North Carolina on Saturday.

Virginia Tech: Hosts fourth-ranked Duke on Saturday.

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Michigan pulls out tough win, but Nebraska shows it's legit in loss

Nebraska was the first one to tell you it was eventually going to lose.

As the Cornhuskers marched to their best start in program history with a 20-0 record, players told USA TODAY Sports in December "we're not going to go undefeated." A loss would happen, it was just a matter of when.

It finally happened Tuesday, Jan. 27 with Nebraska, in the top five of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll for the first time, falling on the road to No. 2 Michigan in a monster Big Ten clash.

We were going to learn a lot in the contest. Is Nebraska legit? Is Michigan still the Big Ten and national championship favorite?

Turns out, both are true.

It was an entertaining contest that showed Michigan is still on the path to the Final Four, and the Cornhuskers cannot be ignored anymore. The Wolverines are real. So is Nebrasketball − even in a loss.

“That just proved to everybody, most importantly to those guys in the locker room, that we can compete with anybody in this country," Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Berke Buyuktuncel (9) Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) and guard Sam Hoiberg (1) look for a rebound in the first half at Crisler Center.

Michigan had to really work for this one. The team that started the season blowing every team out of the water was the one trying to swim out of a rip current. After Michigan took a 3-2 lead in the first two minutes, Nebraska took control and were comfortably holding the lead.

The Cornhuskers were on fire. Jamarques Lawrence was money from deep and the rest of the team seemingly drilled every shot that went in the air. Nebraska averages 10 made 3-pointers a game, and it achieved that in just 18 minutes. The Wolverines looked shell shocked. They couldn't keep up, trailing by as much as 11 points in the first frame and down at halftime. Oh, and all of this came with Nebraska's second and third leading scorers in Rienk Mast and Braden Frager out.

It was an ugly second half. However, that suited Michigan, and Nebraska's inexperience showed.

The Cornhuskers couldn't maintain their hot shooting, allowing the Wolverines to hang around. The game turned from a fast-paced shooting frenzy to a physical one that didn't suit Nebraska. Michigan got to the foul line while ratcheting up the defensive intensity.

Despite Michigan shooting just 6-for-24 (25%) in the second half with 11 turnovers, it went 14-for-17 from the free throw line. Nebraska shot just four free throws all game, and the magic wore off with a 1-for-13 mark from deep in the second half. Michigan only made one shot in the final five minutes, but the Cornhuskers didn't score in the final three minutes.

It wasn't pretty, but that can happen. The great teams find ways to win even when everything is going wrong. You need wins like this to prepare you for March, when it will inevitably happen as the competition gets stiffer each round.

As January nears an end, Michigan still remains the class of the Big Ten. It's the best candidate to be the first from the conference to win a national championship since 2000. It has had some not-so-incredible performances in the first month of Big Ten play and it only has one loss. If the Wolverines are firing on all cylinders, there's little hope for opponents.

At the same time, Nebraska proved its legitimacy. People have been cautious to believe the Cornhuskers are for real, and wanted to see how they measured up against a top-tier foe. The Cornhuskers nearly beat Michigan without two of their top three scorers.

“That team is projected by a lot of people to win a national championship," Hoiberg said. "You fight them all the way to the finish, you lose by a basket. That shows the character of our team and it also shows we can compete with anybody in the country."

Michigan has to admit it was outplayed most of the game. The Cornhuskers just couldn't close the deal late, as they ran out of steam. There is such a thing as finding a win in a loss, and Nebraska still is poised to contend in the Big Ten and make some program history in the NCAA Tournament.

"We're going to compete for the Final Four, and I think we just put ourselves in that conversation," said Nebraska guard Sam Hoiberg.

It was a great battle, and you could only imagine what this game would be like in Lincoln with the Cornhuskers at full strength. Or even better, in a postseason contest.

"Hopefully we’ll see them in March, April," Michigan coach Dusty May said postgame on the Peacock broadcast.

Let's hope so, because both of these teams are capable of some magical things.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why both Michigan and Nebraska are winners of their top five matchup

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3 storylines to watch as the Mavericks host the Minnesota Timberwolves

As the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex emerges from its three-day winter standstill, the Dallas Mavericks (19-27) get back to regularly scheduled basketball programming on Wednesday, when they host the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves (28-19) at American Airlines Center.

The sudden onset of winter weather caused the Mavericks to miss their game on Sunday in Milwaukee, giving the team an extra day of rest after Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped the Mavs’ four-game winning streak on Saturday, 116-110, with a furious fourth-quarter comeback.

The Lakers outscored the Mavericks 37-17 in the game’s final 9:35 on Saturday, and wintry precipitation in DFW kept the team’s plane from taking off the following day, giving Dallas an extra day to stew in the melting puddle of misery that has been the 2025-26 season.

With the recent fingy injury suffered by Mavs forward Anthony Davis, we don’t even have much excitement to look forward to with the NBA Trade Deadline little more than a week away. Around these parts, trade deadline hysteria season has given way to injury management season, as both Cooper Flagg (ankle) and Anthony Edwards (foot) are listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game on the NBA’s injury report as of 8:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

The basketball gods have spoken. We do not, in fact, deserve nice things. Even still, here are three storylines to watch when the Timberwolves come to town.

The best ability

Edwards has played through ongoing right foot issues in recent games, but missed Monday night’s 108-83 win over the Golden State Warriors with what was listed as “right foot injury maintenance.” The fact that he’s generally been able to play through any pain associated with the foot injury, but got the night off on Monday, may point to the superstar guard being available on Wednesday in Dallas. Edwards is averaging 29.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game coming into Wednesday’s matchup. His 29.7 points-per-game average is good for third in the NBA though 46 games, just a hair ahead of Boston’s Jaylen Brown.

Flagg is also listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game, getting the same “injury management” designation as Edwards on the latest NBA injury reports. He missed a pair of games, both against the Utah Jazz, less than two weeks ago, so who knows when the rookie star’s next off-day will come. Dallas seems to have two feet traveling in opposite directions, with some remarkable recent wins against seemingly quality opponents but a dismal outlook in the Western Conference standings with little, if any, hope of making noise down the stretch.

If both stars are available for their respective teams on Wednesday, the matchup clearly favors Minnesota, but the Wolves were mired in a muck of their own making before Monday’s win over the Warriors. They came into that game losers of five straight, including losses at Utah and at home to the Chicago Bulls. They’re part of the Western Conference contingent made up of teams that might be good enough to make a deep run even if they’re not laying out a particularly convincing case at the moment.

Shooting ability

The Timberwolves come into Wednesday’s game fourth in the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage (37.2%) as a team. Much has been made of the Mavericks’ inability to shoot the long ball this year and how much the lack of shooting has held the team back in the standings. Entering Wednesday’s game, the Mavericks sit 24th in the NBA in the same category, at 34.5%. Dallas’ recent four-game win streak was largely fueled by 3-point heaters from Klay Thompson and Max Christie. Christie has been the Mavs’ lone bright spot from long range this year, shooting it at a 45.5% clip, good for sixth in the league as a sharpshooter.

Both Edwards (41%) and Jaden McDaniels (42.3%) shoot the 3-ball at above 40% for the Wolves, while big man Naz Reid comes into the game shooting it at a 39% clip. The Timberwolves own most of the matchup advantages against the injury-depleted Mavericks and have the ability to run the home team out of its own gym. What’s plagued Minnesota during its recent run is a lack of focus and leadership that presents itself on the floor as a tendency to turn the ball over and let struggling teams stay in the game long enough for the tide to eventually turn.

Neither team shot it particularly well when the Wolves dominated the Mavericks in the teams’ first meeting, 120-96 on Nov. 17. The Mavericks looked lost with 20 turnovers that night, falling behind by 33 points before the reserves played for most of the fourth quarter in the blowout.

The ability to dictate terms

The Mavs enter Wednesday’s game with a distinct disadvantage in firepower, with or without Flagg, but the Wolves’ own tendency to coast may be Dallas’ path to another unlikely win. The Mavs have proven their own ability to absorb blows this year. They’re a try-hard bunch. They nip at the heels of superior rosters, and sometimes it works.

All it takes is one or two hot stretches from this or that unsung role player, and the Mavs just have a knack for making games of what on paper appears to be a lopsided matchup. If the Wolves don’t dictate the terms of the Mavericks’ surrender from the opening tip, the Mavs will once again make a game of what should be a blowout loss.

And we’ve seen it a number of times this year — anything can happen if Dallas finds a way to stay in the game when crunch time rolls around.

How to watch

The Mavericks host the Timberwolves on Wednesday, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised locally on KFAA Channel 29 and regional sister stations throughout the Mavericks’ viewership area, or you can catch the stream on MavsTV or NBA League Pass where available.

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No. 3 Michigan beats No. 5 Nebraska 75-72 to hand the Cornhuskers their first loss

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Trey McKenney made a tiebreaking layup with 1:07 left and No. 3 Michigan rallied past No. 5 Nebraska 75-72 on Tuesday night to hand the Cornhuskers their first loss this season.

Morez Johnson Jr. had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Wolverines (19-1, 9-1 Big Ten), who trailed for 36-plus minutes before holding Nebraska scoreless over the final 3:15.

Jamarques Lawrence missed a 3-pointer with 4 seconds remaining for the short-handed Cornhuskers (20-1, 9-1), and Sam Hoiberg missed a jumper just before the buzzer.

Nebraska had won 24 straight games dating to last season, including four victories in the inaugural College Basketball Crown tournament at Las Vegas last April. That was the longest winning streak in Division I since the 2014-15 Kentucky team went 38-0 before losing to Wisconsin in the Final Four.

The previous defeat for the Cornhuskers came in their regular-season finale last year, 83-68 to Iowa at home on March 9.

McKenney finished with 11 points for Michigan. Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara scored 10 apiece.

NO. 2 UCONN 87, PROVIDENCE 81

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Tarris Reed Jr. scored seven of his 19 points in the final five minutes as UConn beat Providence 87-81 to become the first team to open 10-0 in Big East play in seven years.

Solo Ball had 17 points, Silas Demary Jr. added 15 points and six assists, and Eric Reibe had 14 points and eight rebounds for UConn. The Huskies opened a season 20-1 for the sixth time, but the first since 1998-99. Villanova in 2018-19 was the last team to start 10-0 in the Big East.

Malachi Smith, 1 for 8 from 3-point range in his previous 13 games, made his first four and had 12 points and seven assists as the Huskies won their 16th straight game.

Jamier Jones had 20 points and Jaylin Sellers added 18 for Providence (9-12, 2-8).

NO. 7 MICHIGAN STATE 88, RUTGERS 79, OT

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Jeremy Fears scored 27 of his career-high 29 points in the second half and overtime, and Michigan State outlasted Rutgers.

Fears also had nine assists, including a pass to Divine Ugochukwu for the tying 3-pointer from the corner with 11 seconds left in regulation.

When the Spartans (19-2, 9-1 Big Ten) scored the first points of overtime on two free throws by Jaxon Kohler, it was their first lead since they were ahead 9-8. Michigan State pushed ahead 78-73 and led comfortably from there on the way to its seventh straight win.

Tariq Francis scored 23 points and missed a floater at the regulation buzzer that could have won it for Rutgers, (9-12, 2-8) which has lost four in a row.

Fears was 16 of 17 from the free-throw line and 6 of 12 from the field. Coen Carr scored 13 points for the Spartans, and Carson Cooper had 12 points and 14 rebounds.

Harun Zrno added 16 points for the Scarlet Knights, Jamichael Davis had 15 and Darren Buchanan Jr. scored 14.

INDIANA 72, NO. 12 PURDUE 67

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Lamar Wilkerson had 19 points, Nick Dorn added 18 and Conor Enright scored five of his eight points in the final 71 seconds to help Indiana hold off Purdue.

Indiana won its second straight game and gave coach Darian DeVries the biggest win of his first season with the Hoosiers (14-7, 5-5 Big Ten). It came in his first matchup against Indiana’s biggest rival and on the same night college football’s new national champions were honored during a pregame ceremony on the same court where coach Curt Cignetti once proclaimed “Purdue sucks.”

The Hoosiers have beaten ranked Boilermakers teams in four of their last five matchups at home.

Trey Kaufman-Renn led Purdue (17-4, 7-3) with 23 points and Braden Smith added 14 points, five rebounds and five assists. But it wasn’t enough for the Boilermakers to avoid extending their losing streak to a season-worst three games.

NO. 15 ARKANSAS 83, OKLAHOMA 79

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Freshman star Darius Acuff Jr. had 21 points and nine assists, and Arkansas held off Oklahoma.

Meleek Thomas added 16 points for the Razorbacks (16-5, 6-2 Southeastern Conference), who have won four of their past five games.

Arkansas shot 55.6% from the field despite making just 2 of 17 3-pointers.

Nijel Pack scored 22 points for Oklahoma (11-10, 1-7 SEC), which lost its seventh straight. The Sooners were coming off a heartbreaking loss at Missouri on Saturday that included buzzer-beaters by the Tigers to tie late in regulation and win in overtime.

NO. 17 VIRGINIA 100, NOTRE DAME 97, 2OT

SOUTH BEND, Ind.. (AP) — Thijs De Ridder scored a career-high 32 points and Virginia matched the biggest comeback in school history, rallying from a 19-point first-half deficit to beat Notre Dame in double overtime.

Sam Lewis added 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Cavaliers (17-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), and his 3-pointer with 3 seconds left in the first OT tied it at 85-all. Lewis also scored Virginia’s final four points after De Ridder fouled out with 45 seconds left in the second OT.

Virginia also had a 19-point comeback on Nov. 12, 2006 to beat Arizona in the inaugural game at John Paul Jones Arena.

Cole Certa led Notre Dame (11-10, 2-6) with a career-high 34 points. Jalen Haralson added 20, Braeden Shrewsberry scored 18 and Brady Koehler had 16 for the Fighting Irish, who have lost six of seven.

NO. 18 VANDERBILT 80, KENTUCKY 55

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tyler Tanner and Tyler Nickel each scored 19 points, and Vanderbilt rolled to its largest victory over Kentucky since 2008.

Devin McGlockton added 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Commodores (18-3, 5-3 SEC), who raced to a 20-point lead at halftime and never let the cold-shooting Wildcats in the game.

It was the Commodores’ largest halftime lead and win over Kentucky (14-7, 5-3) since Feb. 12, 2008, when they led 40-11 at the break and went on to win 93-52. The 18-3 start to the season is Vanderbilt’s best through 21 games since 1973-74.

Otega Oweh scored 20 points for Kentucky, which shot for just 32% (19 for 59) from the floor and 25% (6 for 24) from 3-point range.

NO. 21 SAINT LOUIS 79, GEORGE WASHINGTON 76

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Robbie Avila scored a season-high 22 points and hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3 seconds left to lift Saint Louis to a victory over George Washington.

Trey Green matched career bests with 23 points and six 3-pointers for the Billikens (20-1, 8-0 Atlantic 10), who won their 14th straight game and are off to the best 21-game start in school history.

Tyrone Marshall and Christian Jones each scored 15 points, and Rafael Castro had 12 points, 18 rebounds, four blocks and three steals for George Washington (13-8, 4-4). The Revolutionaries were seeking their first road win against a Top 25 team in 24 tries, dating to an upset of top-ranked Massachusetts in 1996.

NO. 23 ALABAMA 90, MISSOURI 64

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Latrell Wrightsell scored 21 points, all on 3-pointers, and Labaron Philon Jr. had 18 as Alabama routed Missouri.

Aiden Sherrell added 16 points and Charles Bediako had 14 for the Crimson Tide. Wrightsell went 7 for 10 from 3-point distance and took only one shot inside the arc.

Alabama (14-6, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) debuted a new starting lineup with the 7-foot Bediako, allowed to play again after a judge delayed a hearing in his eligibility case against the NCAA. Bediako also grabbed six rebounds in 18 minutes on the court.

After its lowest-scoring output of the season last Saturday against Tennessee, Alabama responded with an efficient offensive showing. The Crimson Tide knocked down 15 shots from 3-point range, shot 88% at the free-throw line, well above its season average of 74%, and recorded 19 assists after a season-low nine last Saturday.

The Crimson Tide closed the final 6:53 of the first half on a 17-6 run that extended a 26-23 lead to a 42-29 halftime advantage. A 16-2 second-half run, sparked by 12 points from Wrightsell, gave Alabama a 70-46 lead with 8:10 to play.

Missouri (14-7, 4-4) was led by T.O. Barrett’s 13 points and 11 from Mark Mitchell. It was the fourth loss in six games for the Tigers, and this was their worst offensive performance in SEC play. Missouri’s 64-point output was its lowest in a conference games this season.

NO. 24 MIAMI (OHIO) 86, MASSACHUSETTS 84

OXFORD, Ohio (AP) — Eian Elmer scored a career-high 30 points and Miami (Ohio) improved to 21-0, rallying in the second half and then holding on for a victory over UMass.

Miami is one of two unbeaten teams in Division I after fifth-ranked Nebraska lost 75-72 at No. 3 Michigan earlier Tuesday night. Top-ranked Arizona is 21-0 following an 86-83 win over No. 13 BYU on Monday night.

The victory also tied the RedHawks with the 2001-02 Kent State squad for the longest in-season winning streak in Mid-American Conference history.

Elmer was 9 of 14 from the field, including 6 for 11 on 3-pointers. The junior shooting guard, who also grabbed seven rebounds, had 18 points in the first half.

Peter Suder added 13 points and nine assists. Freshman guard Justin Kirby also scored 13 as Miami improved to 9-0 in conference play.

Leonardo Bettiol had 22 points and 16 rebounds for UMass (13-9, 4-6), which had won four of five. Marcus Banks Jr. scored 18 and Daniel Hankins-Sanford added 16.

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Rapid Recap: 76ers 139, Bucks 122

The Milwaukee Bucks put up a good fight against the Philadelphia 76ers with Giannis out, executing at a pretty high level for most of the game, but eventually falling 139-122. Myles Turner had his best game as a Buck, ending the night with 31 points on 62.5% shooting. Paul George led the Sixers with 32 points, five assists, five rebounds, and two steals.

NBA.com Box Score

Game Recap

After getting down 9-2 in the opening minutes, the Bucks battled back to tie the game due to Ryan Rollins and Myles Turner. Turner, in particular, was excellent in the first, dropping 12 points on 4/7 shooting. The Bucks stayed within arm’s length of the 76ers for most of the period, but about two-thirds of the way through the quarter was when Philly made their move, with Joel Embiid being the catalyst. Embiid looked surprisingly spry considering his injury history, manoeuvring his way to 18 first-quarter points (including a bunch of free throws, as per usual). The Bucks were down 42-34 after one.

Milwaukee opened the second with a lineup consisting of Anthony, Trent, Harris, Portis, and Sims (with Rollins entering a few minutes in). To my surprise, this crew got the deficit back to just three about four minutes in, with GT nailing two huge transition bombs. The Sixers would immediately answer with a 5-0 run after that, though, up 53-45—Bucks timeout. Unfortunately, the Sixers’ run extended to 10-0 out of the timeout, with AJ Green halting the run with a three off Kyle Kuzma’s penetration to cut the deficit from 13 to 10. Both teams traded buckets for the rest of the quarter, with nothing truly notable to report other than a funny sequence in which Embiid and Portis—both known high flyers—traded monster jams on consecutive possessions, later laughing about it in a stoppage. Philly led 62-71 at half.

The third quarter featured an offensive explosion from both teams in the opening four minutes. Paul George came out on fire for Philly, dropping 10 quick points in that span. For the Bucks, it was the trio of Turner, Portis, and Rollins that combined to have the Bucks tie the game at 81 about halfway through the frame. A key piece of the comeback was Doc electing to go to the zone, which slowed the 76ers’ offense down in a major way—credit where it’s due. By the same token, the Sixers figured the zone out somewhat in the minutes that followed, opening a 90-84 edge following an Edgecombe corner three and a Maxey drive. Turner kept the Bucks close, though, making it rain off a kick-out three for a season-high 26th point with minutes to play in the third, Milwaukee down 94-91. Much to the Bucks’ dismay, a late flurry from Paul George had Philly up 106-95 after three.

Sixers second-year man Jared McCain—who had struggled in the early season after returning from injury—opened the fourth with a triple to put the 76ers’ lead at 14, threatening to blow the game open, but Kuzma and Anthony scored consecutively to get it back down to 10. Unfortunately, the Bucks could only hold the Sixers off for so long, with George and McCain combining to hit four threes over the next two minutes, actually blowing the game open—Milwaukee down 123-104 with eight minutes to play. The Bucks got it back to 12 with four minutes to play, but the hill was just too steep to climb in the end.

Stat That Stood Out

The Bucks lost the possession battle tonight, with Philly besting Milwaukee 101-86 in attempts. This was largely because the 76ers had 15 offensive rebounds to the Bucks’ eight, and Milwaukee also turned it over 11 times to Philly’s six.  

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Sixers’ offense hums as they win 25th game vs. Giannis-less Bucks

When you adjust for snowstorms this has been a great start to the week for the Sixers.

Philadelphia bounced back with a decisive 139-122 win over the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday night.

Paul George, just shy of the franchise record for three-pointers in a game, dropped a game-high 32 points with five rebounds and five assists shooting 11-of-21 from the floor and 9-of-15 from three. Joel Embiid, off another brilliant first half, put up 29 points and nine rebounds going 11-of-24 from the field

Tyrese Maxey did a good job of putting the last one behind him, going for 22 points and nine assists on 9-of-19 shooting. Myles Turner led the Bucks with 31.

Quentin Grimes was out with an ankle sprain while the Bucks were without Taurean Prince, Kevin Porter Jr. and most importantly, Giannis Antetekounmpo.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

  • Maxey walking into an open midrange jumper off an Embiid screen to get on the board was certainly a palette cleanser compared to his outing against the Hornets. The Sixers got plenty of open jumpers early and were able to convert for a decent start. VJ Edgecombe hit his first long range shot of the night and PG hit two early threes as well.
  • It was nice to see Jared McCain get early minutes. With Quentin Grimes out that wasn’t a surprise, but Justin Edwards seeing the floor early was a bit more of a shock. He converted on an open corner three when the ball was swung to him just like George.
  • He wasn’t hitting as many shots from outside, but the most efficient start for the Sixers was from Embiid, who put up 18 points on 12 shots. He also helped McCain have his best five-minute stretch in quite some time. McCain used Embiid as a screener to knock down his first open three of the night, then get to the basket on a drive. On the other end they did struggle again with dribble penetration, helping the Bucks shoot 54.5% in the quarter, but the Sixers were hot enough to get out to an eight-point lead.

Second Quarter

  • When they held on to the ball, the Sixers’ process on offense was good enough to overcome the Bucks making three of their first five threes to start the second. Maxey drives opened up easy baskets for both himself and Kelly Oubre Jr. They weren’t getting a ton from their front court defensively, but Adem Bona was able to get on the board with an and-1 putback. When he missed the free throw, a fresh-into-the-game Dominick Barlow was able to grab another offensive rebound and dish it out for an open Edgeceombe. Barlow got on the board himself with yet another putback layup on the following possession.
  • The Sixers extended the lead and then some with Embiid on the bench, and Maxey looking more like Tyrese Maxey was the biggest reason for that. He played really well off of George, taking turns drawing the attention of the defense to get each other open.
  • Of course when Embiid returned, that only helped Maxey even more. Maxey threw a transition lob to Embiid, and they just looked so excited that that’s a play they were able to make happen again. As much as they continued to hum offensively, they never locked in defensively, allowing the Bucks to only be trailing by nine at the half.

Third Quarter

  • George made his first four jumpers of the second half, and the Sixers needed every one as their defense looked even worse than the first half. Turner started the half with baskets inside before Kyle Kuzma started going wherever he wanted off the dribble.
  • Suddenly needing to be perfect, the Sixers offense finally started to slow down. For the first time ever, they found a groove again when the Bucks threw a zone at them. Edgecombe was able to handle a double and find Oubre wide open at the rim. They swung it around on the next possession to fine a wide open Edgecombe in the corner before an Oubre transition basket and Maxey layup forced a timeout.
  • Maxey and Embiid went to their two-man game to keep the offense afloat, but PG keeping the hot hand from the start of the quarter gave the offense a big boost with two consecutive threes. Maxey capped things off with a pair of lightning fast drives to put the Sixers back at an 11-point lead.

Fourth Quarter

  • George’s production started to become well-rounded as he set Bona up for a bucket at the rim and McCain for a pair of threes. Edgecombe ran quick off a Bucks miss to hit McCain in transition for yet another three. Hitting his fourth out of five tries was just the type of night he needed — both himself and the building seemed to feed off of that energy.
  • Piling on in the best way, an offensive rebound found McCain coming out of a timeout and he buried the open corner three. The offense did stall for a bit ,with jumpers going cold and a dump-off to Bona being there only field goal for a couple of minutes.
  • It seemed like Nick Nurse wanted to give Embiid the fourth quarter off, but the Bucks made it just close enough to put him back out there for a couple of minutes. He immediately buried a corner three to keep up with Turner. He missed a midrange pull-up to cross the 30-point threshold again, but Edgecombe slamming back the miss was plenty enough of an exclamation point for this game.
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Blackhawks Legend Patrick Kane Ties Mike Modano For Most Points By An American

The Chicago Blackhawks were fortunate enough to select Patrick Kane with the first overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft. To say he lived up to that pick would be an understatement. He was everything the Blackhawks needed him to be and more. 

After leaving the Blackhawks and a quick cup of coffee with the New York Rangers, Patrick Kane landed with the Detroit Red Wings. 

On Tuesday, while playing for Chicago's century-old rival, Kane earned a secondary assist on a goal scored by another former Blackhawk, Alex DeBrincat. This isn't just any assist, though. 

On this goal, Kane earned career point number 1374, tying him with Mike Modano for the most ever by an American-born player. One more will make him the USA's all-time leading NHL scorer. 

Modano is expected to be in the building when Kane breaks his record, which will surely cement him as the greatest American-born player in league history. Add all of the championships and personal accolades on top of his gaudy statistics, and it leaves no doubt where he stands in history. 

Kane will look to break Modano's mark on Thursday night, when the Red Wings host the Washington Capitals. Whenever it happens, it is sure to be a special moment for Kane, USA Hockey, and the many folks who helped him reach that milestone. 

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Wednesday's Time Schedule

All Times EST

Wednesday, Jan. 28

NBA

Chicago at Indiana, 7 p.m.

L.A. Lakers at Cleveland, 7 p.m.

Atlanta at Boston, 7:30 p.m.

New York at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.

Orlando at Miami, 7:30 p.m.

Charlotte at Memphis, 8 p.m.

Minnesota at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

Golden State at Utah, 9 p.m.

San Antonio at Houston, 9:30 p.m.

NHL

N.Y. Rangers at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.

Colorado at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m.

Philadelphia at Columbus, 7:30 p.m.

T25 MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

No. 10 Houston at TCU, 9 p.m.

No. 19 Florida at South Carolina, 9 p.m.

No. 25 St. John's vs. Butler, 7 p.m.

T25 WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

No. 1 UConn vs. Xavier, 8 p.m.

No. 2 UCLA at Illinois, 7 p.m.

No. 16 Maryland vs. No. 25 Washington, 7 p.m.

No. 21 Texas Tech vs. Iowa St., 7 p.m.

PWHL

Toronto at Montreal, 6:30 p.m.

New York at Boston, 7 p.m.

Seattle at Ottawa, 7 p.m.

Vancouver at Minnesota, 9 p.m.

_____

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Cubs BCB After Dark: Where can the Cubs break?

It’s Tuesday night here at BCB After Dark: the grooviest hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in out of the cold. We’re so glad to see you. There’s no cover charge. We can check your coat for you. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night I asked you which recent deal for a starting pitcher do you wish the Cubs had made? Most of y0u thought the Cubs made the right move as 55 percent of you picked Edward Cabrera. The deal the Mets made for Freddy Peralta finished in second with 34 percent.

On Tuesday nights/Wednesday morning, I don’t normally write about movies. But you still have time to vote in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classicmatchup between The Matrix and Back to the Future. But I always have time for jazz. I guess that time is now.

Tonight we’re featuring some funky rock fusion from Snarky Puppy, the supergroup led by bassist Michael League. This is from 2022 and is an original composition from League called “Bet.”

Welcome back to everyone who skips the music.

Some of you may disagree with me, but I think the Cubs are a very good team this year without any real weaknesses. I go through the projected starting lineup, starting rotation and bullpen and there isn’t one guy on the team whom I think “He needs to be replaced.” This is a team that can make the National League Championship Series and beyond.

But “can” is a very different word than “will.” The Cubs have a good plan for 2026, but as Mike Tyson famously said “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” And trust me, the Cubs are going to get punched in the mouth. Metaphorically, of course.

Last year, Justin Steele going down with elbow surgery was a punch in the mouth. Then the Cubs got another punch in the mouth with Shōta Imanaga went down with a hamstring injury. The Cubs managed to cover that over with a combination of Colin Rea and eventually Cade Horton, but come September, Horton was injured, Imanaga was not as effective after his injury and he really seemed to lose it by October. The Cubs ran out of starting pitching by the Division Series with the Brewers and that brought the 2025 season down.

So what I’m asking you to do is stress test the Cubs 2026 season. What’s most likely to go wrong? Where does the front office need to add extra redundancies to prevent disasters? Where, if something goes wrong, are the Cubs most screwed?

Obviously the starting pitching rotation is one place to worry about and yes, pitchers are going to get hurt. But the Cubs traded for Edward Cabrera and Justin Steele’s return is ahead of schedule. Javier Assad and Jordan Wicks are waiting in the wings and top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins should make his major league debut sometime this season. Is that enough?

Then there is the bullpen, which was a source of strength last season but has almost been completely rebuilt after most of the relievers left as free agents. Daniel Palencia and Caleb Thielbar are back. We hope Porter Hodge is healthy. Almost everyone else is new. Relievers are also very volatile from year to year. Have the Cubs done enough to make sure that they have the arms to get the final 9-to-12 outs every game?

Catching was a source of strength last year, but that was almost entirely because Carson Kelly had a career year. Can he do that again at 31? The Cubs suffered a huge blow last year when Miguel Amaya missed most of the season with two injuries. They lucked out when Reese McGuire stepped in and served as a solid backup to Kelly. Will the Cubs be as lucky again? Or maybe they’ll be luckier and Kelly and Amaya will be healthy all season and Moisés Ballesteros can fill in when necessary.

The infield looks pretty solid to me with the Alex Bregman signing and Matt Shaw moving to a utility role. I suppose there is the issue of how Michael Busch will do against left-handed pitching, but that’s what Tyler Austin is for. But maybe you see infield problems where I don’t.

Finally, the starting outfield is set with Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki. But what if one of them gets hurt? The Cubs traded away Owen Caissie, so he won’t be there for depth. He couldn’t play center field anyways, although I suppose Happ could in a pinch. There’s top prospect Kevin Alcántara, but the Cubs might prefer he gat at-bats in Iowa to sitting on the bench in Chicago. Are Dylan Carlson or Chas McCormick enough cover is something happens?

So what I’m asking you is what do you want keeping team president Jed Hoyer up nights worrying about. Where is the Cubs 2026 season most likely to break? What part of the team needs added reinforcements? Where are they most vulnerable?

Thank you for stopping by tonight. Please don’t forget your coat or anything else you may have checked. Get home safely. Stay warm. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow for more BCB After Dark.