Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo ripped the NCAA's decision to grant former NBA draft pick James Nnaji immediate eligibility at Baylor.
Tom Izzo blasts NCAA over controversial Baylor-NBA draft pick decision
Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo ripped the NCAA's decision to grant former NBA draft pick James Nnaji immediate eligibility at Baylor.
Sabres Notes: Rasmus Dahlin Out, UPL Starts Against Bruins
The Buffalo Sabres hope to resume their winning ways after the Christmas holiday break against the Boston Bruins at KeyBank Center on Saturday, but will have to do it without Rasmus Dahlin. The Sabres team captain travelled to Sweden to visit his fiancee over the break, and is making his way back to Buffalo. Head coach Lindy Ruff indicated it was doubtful that he would play against Boston, but that he should be back for the club’s upcoming three-game road trip starting in St. Louis on Monday.
Bowen Byram, who had three points and the game-winning overtime goal in Ottawa on Tuesday moved to the top pairing with Mattias Samuelsson at the club’s morning skate on Saturday and quarterbacked the first power-play unit. Jacob Bryson and Zach Metsa will play against the Bruins, and defenseman Ryan Johnson has been recalled from AHL Rochester.
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Forward Jason Zucker skated with the club for the first time since being injured in Calgary on December 8, the last time the Sabres lost. The veteran winger indicated that he is unsure how long it will be before he returns to the lineup, and that he might not travel with the club next week, but said in jest that there is no hurry.
"They got rid of the dead weight,” Zucker said. “ "It's been fun to watch, obviously terrible watching, but it's been great to see the guys playing really well throughout the lineup, everyone from goaltenders on out, are playing really well."
In a bit of a surprise, the Sabres will not be starting Alex Lyon – winner of six straight –, but will instead go with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen between the pipes. Luukkonen started in the 3-1 win in New Jersey on December 21, but is .500 (5-5-1) on the year. The Bruins did not skate on Saturday, do to travel restrictions because of the holiday break, and according to Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe, backup Joonas Korpisalo will start for the Bruins.
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Tommy Freeman hat-trick topples Bath and sends Northampton to Prem summit
Bath 21-41 Northampton
Visitors run in six tries at Rec to leapfrog rivals in table
The champions have been mugged at home by the team they deposed. Well, not quite the team. Northampton rung the changes for this match, but the understudies proved the stars of the show to terrorise their hosts. Six tries, a hat-trick for Tommy Freeman and the lead, no less, of the Prem for good measure.
The bookies gave Northampton a 20-point head start for this one. In the end it was Bath who needed it. Bath were at full strength, the Saints some way short of it, but this will surely prove one of the performances of the season.
Continue reading...Two teams drop out of trade talks for potential Mets target Edward Cabrera: report
As the 2025-26 offseason continues, the market for starters continues to evolve and it looks like the number of suitors for Marlins RHP Edward Cabrera has shrunk.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Orioles and Astros are "no longer involved" in trade talks for Cabrera. Jackson reports the Marlins don't want to sell short on Cabrera.
The 27-year-old Cabrera had a career year for the Marlins in 2025. He pitched to a 3.53 ERA and 1.228 WHIP with a career-high 150 strikeouts and 48 walks in 137.2 innings over 26 starts last year. He has a career 4.07 ERA over 89 outings (87 starts) after breaking into the league during the 2021 season. He was injured twice this past season, but the big selling point is the team control.
Cabrera is under contract for three more seasons, something that could potentially pique the Mets' interest.
Earlier this month, The Athletic reported that the Marlins were "progressing" in their efforts to find a trade partner to acquire Cabrera. The Orioles' involvement was known then, but there were other clubs inquiring with the Marlins.
Of course, the Mets are in the market for starting pitching, whether in the free agency or trade markets. They, along with the Giants and Orioles, were among the teams that reportedly met with free agent Framber Valdez.The former Astros lefty is arguably the biggest starting pitching name remaining in the free agent market. Other free agents include Ranger Suarez, Zac Gallen and Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai.
As for the trade market, the Brewers' Freddy Peralta is a name that has been thrown out there in addition to the Marlins' Sandy Alcantara and Ryan Weathers. Marlins trade reports surrounding those two heated up on Dec. 5, when it was reported that the Marlins were in the market to trade one of their starting pitchers. However, it seems Miami is less likely to deal Alcantara.
The Miami Herald's report included that Miami wants to keep Alcantara, and it would take an incredible offer for the team to consider dealing the former NL Cy Young winner.
Currently, the Mets have a starting rotation that includes Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Clay Holmes and Nolan McLean. They have depth pieces like youngsters Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong, who made their MLB debuts late this past season, and Christian Scott, returning from 2024 Tommy John surgery.
Bucks list Antetokounmpo as questionable for Saturday’s game as he nears return from calf strain
CHICAGO — Giannis Antetokounmpo may be on the verge of returning from the right calf strain that has kept the two-time MVP from playing in the Milwaukee Bucks’ last eight games.
The Bucks issued an injury report that listed Antetokounmpo as questionable for Saturday’s game at Chicago rather than ruling him out entirely.
Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since injuring his calf less than three minutes into the Bucks’ 113-109 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 3. The injury came on Antetokounmpo’s fourth game back after a left adductor strain caused him to miss four games.
“Maybe it was a mistake of me coming back a little bit earlier, because once I come back, now you’re overcompensating,” Antetokounmpo said on Dec. 18. “The only way you can pop your soleus is by overcompensating and then having an extreme amount of load or play a lot of games in a short period of time. Again, I think all of the things that I was thinking and trying to come back led to the incident that I had with my soleus.”
The Bucks have gone 2-6 in the eight games Antetokounmpo has missed because of the calf issue. So far this season, the Bucks are 9-8 with Antetokounmpo and 3-11 without him.
Antetokounmpo, who turned 31 on Dec. 6, has averaged 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists this season.
Blackhawks Vs Stars: Projected Lineup, How To Watch, & More Ahead Of Game 37
The Chicago Blackhawks come out of the holiday break in dead last, 32nd place, of the NHL standings. At 13-17-6, they are trying to break a six-game losing streak against the 25-7-6 Dallas Stars.
The break could not have come at a better time for Chicago. Their downward spiral came after a strong start to the season, but it is clear that the team has a long way to go at the NHL level.
Scouting Dallas
The Dallas Stars are one of the best teams in the league. They have a handful of elite players spread across a lineup filled with depth at forward and defense. Their goalie, Jake Oettinger, is one of the best in the world at the position. He is projected to start against Chicago.
Steel - Johnston - Rantanen
Robertson - Hintz - Bourque
Hryckowian- Duchene - Benn
Bäck - Faksa - Bastian
Lindell - Heiskanen
Harley - Lundkvist
Capobianco - Petrovic
Oettinger
Mikko Rantanen is starting to look like himself now that he’s been in Dallas for a while. Other star forwards in their prime are around him, like Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, and Jason Robertson.
On defense, it’s an amazing group led by Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley. The two of them play on different pairs, meaning one of them is on the ice for 3/4ths of the game. They are hard to create offense against, create chances themselves, and know how to cause a breakout.
Veterans like their captain, Jamie Benn, and Matt Duchene are still incredibly productive, and they also provide leadership that allows the young players to learn how to play the right way. It’s a brilliant mix that the Blackhawks would love to find one day in the future.
Projected Lines, Defense Pairs, & Goalie For Chicago
The NHL schedule features a number of challenging tasks for certain teams throughout the year. One of them is being the road team the day after the holiday break. It’s extra difficult for Chicago because they have to take a long flight to Dallas.
As a result, they have not hit the ice in four days. Their first time on will be warmups ahead of Saturday night’s game against the Stars. We won’t know line combinations until then. It is fair to assume that Spencer Knight will start after the long layoff; however, everything remains fluid.
Ahead of the flight, the Blackhawks recalled forward Landon Slaggert to take the trip with them. With a back-to-back situation coming up (home vs the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday), it makes sense to have extra bodies.
How To Watch
The game can be heard locally on AM 720 WGN in the Chicagoland area. To view this game, it can be found locally on CHSN. Nationally, it can be streamed on ESPN+.
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Justice Haynes not with Michigan football for first bowl practice
Michigan football star running back Justice Haynes and linebacker Ernest Hausmann were not with the team for the first bowl practice.
From First to Worst: Jets Earning Failing Grade in Overly Critical Holiday Report Card
The Winnipeg Jets have gone from first to worst.
Coming out of last year's holiday break, the 25-10-1 Jets sat comfortably atop the Central Division, the Western Conference and the entire NHL league standings as a whole.
Fast forward one calendar year, and the same team is sitting nearly dead-last in the 32-team league, unable to string together wins, and playing as a complete shadow of its former self.
Currently at 15-17-3, Winnipeg is second-last in the league, just one point higher than the 32nd-place Chicago Blackhawks.
It has been a disastrous first third of the season for Winnipeg, which captured the Presidents' Trophy last season by a considerable margin.
With Connor Hellebuyck out for three weeks following arthroscopic knee surgery, the Jets plummeted below the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Utah Mammoth and Nashville Predators in a powerful Central Division. Backup netminder Eric Comrie did not do his part, but the fault was not solely on the shoulders of the long-time AHL backstop.
Defensive lapses, a lack of offence and a failure to generate strong possession play has the Jets in a seemingly never-ending downward spiral, even with the return of their reigning Hart Trophy and Vezina and Jennings winning goaltender.
Head coach Scott Arniel has found himself at a loss for words more often than not following less than ideal home and road performances, while his captain (who has clearly rushed himself back into the fold following his offseason hip surgery) has attempted to take the brunt of the blame for his team's dreadful start.
General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff's offseason gambles have come up empty, spearheaded by the loss of speedster Nikolaj Ehlers, all the way through the depth, veteran signings of Jonathan Toews, Tanner Pearson and Gustav Nyquist. Chevy's lone salvageable signing has been Cole Koepke, who continues to finish checks, while providing a smooth-skating wing as a flank to whichever centreman he is paired up with in the team's bottom-six.
The Jets' top trio of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Gabe Vilardi have produced exactly as expected, but the offence pretty much stops after the top line. Josh Morrissey continues to dominate on the back-end, as he should, while Logan Stanley's offensive outburst has somehow managed to mask his daily defensive blunders enough to keep his place in the lineup, over the strong skating Haydn Fleury, or the youngster Elias Salomonsson.
Lowry, Luke Schenn and Cole Perfetti might actually be the three slowest skaters in the NHL at this given moment. None of the three players are seemingly able to find that top gear, with or without the puck. Oh, and when Perfetti does collect the disc, he actually finds a way to skate slower than when he was opening up to receive it.
Schenn has seen his moment of greatness flicker, while sources say that Lowry has admitted to returning sooner than he should have, and continues to deal with the effects of going under the knife this offseason.
Vlad Namestnikov and Alex Iafallo have been 'alright', but it is Morgan Barron who has shone in his penalty killing, depth forward role, as he continues to do everything he should to get a better look at a top-six role - something his coach appears unwilling to consider.
Dylan DeMelo, Neal Pionk and Dylan Samberg have played hockey this season. Not great hockey, not bad hockey. They have simply played hockey for the Jets this year. Not much memorable thus far.
Where this goes from here will fall on the shoulders of Arniel, Cheveldayoff and Co. to decide if a season-long tank job is a better choice for the organization that currently holds the No. 3 selection in the 2026 NHL Draft, or if its veteran roster can pull up its collective socks to right the quickly sinking ship in time for a season-long postseason push.
Given the draft-and-develop mentality that has worked at times for the organization, and at other times, driven away top prospects, there is no time like the present to Waive some under-producers, give some of its top minor-league producers a chance, while allowing a few of the ECHL's striking crew to play meaningful AHL minutes as the farm works its way up to the big leagues.
Whether the team decides to show out for Arniel over the next month, or opts to maintain its inconsistent evening showings, one thing is for certain, these are not the same Jets that we have seen over the course of the past two-plus seasons. And they will not return to that form unless some serious soul searching and changes occur.
For now, it's an 'F' rating following the Christmas break.
SEC football transfer portal tracker: Who’s in, who’s out?
Here's a running list of SEC player movement, players who have either announced intention to transfer or it's been reported they will enter portal.
Big Ten football transfer portal tracker: Who’s in, who’s out?
Here's a running list of Big 10 player movement, players who have either announced intention to transfer or it's been reported they will enter portal.
Big 12 football transfer portal tracker: Who’s in, who’s out?
Here's a running list of Big 12 player movement, players who have either announced intention to transfer or it's been reported they will enter portal.
ACC football transfer portal tracker: Who’s in, who’s out?
Here's a running list of ACC player movement, players who have either announced intention to transfer or it's been reported they will enter portal.
Russell Westbrook not considering retirement after new milestones in Kings' win
Russell Westbrook not considering retirement after new milestones in Kings' win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO – It seems almost every time an NBA discussion involves Stephen Curry or LeBron James, inevitably their age gets brought up. Seems reasonable enough considering what the two superstars are doing at this stage of their respective careers.
At 37 years old and in his first season with the Kings, Russell Westbrook also is showing he still can get it done at a high level, though his age is rarely brought up.
Retirement is not something the nine-time NBA All-Star is even remotely considering.
“I just take it day by day,” Westbrook said after Sacramento’s 113-107 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday at Golden 1 Center. “I make sure I take care of my body and make sure I’m able to play at a high level. And then I’ll keep going until I feel like I had enough.”
Clearly Westbrook hasn’t had enough.
Now in his 18th NBA season, Westbrook is doing the same things he’s always done. The Kings are his seventh team in eight seasons, and he’s playing at times like he’s still in his 20s.
Against the Mavericks, Westbrook slipped past the great Magic Johnson into seventh place on the NBA career assist list and inched closer to moving past Dominique Wilkins on the all-time scoring list.
Whenever he does decide to call it quits, Westbrook is guaranteed an invitation into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. That’s unquestioned.
Until then, though, the mercurial point guard wants to keep cooking like he always has.
Westbrook grew up watching Johnson work his own magic on the court, so to pass the Hall of Famer in any statistical category was kind of mind-boggling.
“Before I speak and say anything, I’m truly blessed and thankful to the man above for just allowing me and gifting me with the time to go out and play basketball,” Westbrook said. “As for passing Magic … it’s an honor. Magic is one of the greats. I’m grateful to be able to pass him just because he’s such a legend in so many different ways.”
Ironically, Westbrook as become a legend in a sport that wasn’t even his first love.
“I grew up wanting to play football,” Westbrook said. “I grew up playing football, taking a bus, going to the park, playing just being a normal kid in the city. And things happened so fast to me. I always knew if given the opportunity to be able to be somebody, I would take full advantage of it. That’s why every time I step on the floor, I don’t take anything for granted. I don’t take plays or anything for granted.
“This was given to me, not just for basketball, but to use as a platform to be able to help and inspire other people. So I hope the way I play the game, I hope the way people see it be competing. Yes, the records are all great, but I hope it inspires other people, people across the world, to do great things in their lives as well.”
Westbrook clearly is comfortable in the state capital. He averaged 14.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists with four triple-doubles in Sacramento’s first 30 games.
Against the Mavericks, he was in vintage form with 21 points, five rebounds and nine assists. Westbrook also recorded the 2,000th steal of his career, one of 14 players in NBA history to reach that plateau.
Kings coach Doug Christie didn’t sound very surprised considering the work ethic that Westbrook has shown during his time in Sacramento.
“He gets in, he gets his work when you see him at practice, but he also comes back at nighttime,” Christie said. “That’s how you get to be that great. He truly believes in himself. He works his butt off, on his game and on his body. He watches film like he does.
“He’s a pro. He wants to win more than anything, and that’s where you see that nastiness at and I’m all for it. His ability to go out on a night-to-night basis and compete the way that he does just says so much about him as a professional. And I think that his teammates also really, really respect that.”
Westbrook owns the record for most triple-doubles – currently with 207, with the great Oscar Robertson next with 181 – and is getting closer to moving ahead of the Big O as the NBA’s top-scoring point guard. Robertson has the top spot with 26,710 while Westbrook is closing in quickly with 26,659.
There’s a good chance that record will be broken this season. If not, Christie is all in favor for bringing Westbrook back for another run for the 2026-27 NBA season.
“I’m a big fan,” Christie said. “I hope that he’s here because I think everything that he stands for, how he goes about his business, for our young players, as we build this thing out, is super, super important. The competitiveness, the anger after a loss … the things that they see with him are really good, so it’s an honor and a blessing to have him.”
Can The Money Saved On Tomasek Be Used On a Game-Changer in Goal?
The Edmonton Oilers will be placing David Tomasek on waivers when the NHL roster freeze lifts at midnight on Saturday. He's already back in Sweden, getting ready to play games for his former team, while the Oilers will free up $1.2 million in cap space.
On the surface, this money saved could be used to address some of the team's cap issues when the roster returns to full health. But could it also be used to sign a game-changing UFA?
Speculation around a potential Marc-André Fleury NHL comeback is gaining momentum as injuries and goaltending questions remain in Edmonton. The buzz intensified following Tristan Jarry’s injury, forcing the Oilers to lean on Connor Ingram and Calvin Pickard. So far, the returns on both netminders has been strong, but there's going to be a temptation to consider Fleury, if he wants to return to the NHL and the Oilers somehow wind up on his radar.
Oilers Officially Announce Plans to Terminate David Tomasek's ContractDavid Tomasek's NHL tenure ends as the Edmonton Oilers will terminate his contract, clearing cap space for his return to Europe.Why The Oilers for Fleury?
Insiders like Pierre LeBrun and Frank Seravalli have talked a lot about Fleury in recent days, both suggesting the Oilers make a lot of sense. LeBrun wrote, "Probably not surprising, but hearing that some teams have checked in on Marc-Andre Fleury to see if there’s any chance at all he would consider playing again. Again, not surprised teams with goalie needs would want to check on it."
Seravalli, specifically connected the Oilers, noting, “I think he’s got the itch to keep playing, and I think for a guy who really has made it home in Minnesota, there’s no room for him there with [Jesper] Wallstedt and [Filip] Gustavsson.” He added, Fleury is “going to be with a team that has an authentic chance to win, and that’s got the Oil written all over it."
The organization might not feel the same sense of urgency as some analysts do, but if Fleury becomes an affordable option, would the Oilers not at least entertain a conversation? They probably should.
Related: Retired Goaltender Coming to Oilers?: Maybe We Should Pump the Brakes a Little
Those same insiders speculate that Fleury would only want to join a legitimate contender, making Edmonton a logical match. No one has gone so far as to comment on the cost or the kind of salary Fleury is looking for, but one would imagine it's not outrageous, given that half the season is over and there are question marks about how effective the veteran would be.
Coming off a solid 2023–24 season with the Wild, Fleury represents a low-risk, high-reward option, especially if he can be had for around the $1.2 million the Oilers no longer have to worry about with Tomasek off the roster.
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