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The overarching issue among Rangers’ woes during pivotal moments

An image collage containing 1 images, Image 1 shows New York Rangers left wing Will Cuylle (50) and San Jose Sharks left wing William Eklund (72) fight for control of the puck during the third period at SAP Center at San Jose.

The Rangers’ baffling unreadiness at pivotal moments in a game dates back to last season.

It is, of course, easily identifiable, but Mike Sullivan clocked it as a reflection of the team’s shortcomings in situational play. The first-year Rangers head coach has rattled off several instances this season, such as the start and end of periods, after a goal is scored and after a fight.

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Those are critical moments in games, he’s pointed out numerous times, in which teams have an opportunity to build or stifle momentum.

Friday night at San Jose saw the Blueshirts give up their 14th goal of the season within at least the first 2:18 of a period. That includes overtime, in which they have surrendered the game-winner within the first 1:33 on three occasions.

The onus will always fall on the players who are actually taking the ice, but Sullivan took accountability from behind the bench as well.

“I think we got to have a readiness from the drop of the puck,” Sullivan said after the 3-1 loss to the Sharks on Friday night. “And trust me, I’ve thought about it because lately I think the last few games, we haven’t had the best starts. So I got to do a better job preparing them for it. I got to find a way to make sure they’re ready from the drop of the puck.”

The 14 goals do not even include the multitude of occasions the Rangers were caught slipping at the end of period.

Falling on the right side of momentum-changing moments has been a point of concern for this Rangers team. There’s a certain level of focus that is required to manage games effectively, and they have repeatedly blown critical moments.

Will Cuylle (50) and William Eklund (72) battle for the puck during the third period of the Rangers’ loss to the Sharks on Jan. 23, 2026 at SAP Center at San Jose. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Unable to avoid what’s gone on outside the locker room since the 2024 offseason, the Rangers’ on-ice product undoubtedly has been affected. Team confidence is so clearly fractured. There doesn’t appear to be much internal drive. It feels like they are anticipating defeat most nights.

As much as roster construction and chemistry are to blame as well, no club can function properly under the circumstances the Rangers have faced in the last 19 months or so.

It has been evident for some time that the team needs some fresh faces, hence the retooling announcement in “The Letter II.”

The Rangers would like to believe that clarity on the organization’s status would alleviate pressure.

Mika Zibanejad talked about enjoying the time they still have with each other as a group.

Captain J.T. Miller noted that all the “B.S.” is out in front of them now, and they can try to enjoy the game again.

Alexander Wennberg (21) attempts to shoot past goalie Spencer Martin during the second period of the Rangers’ road loss to the Sharks. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A team psyche, however, doesn’t always work so simply.

The Rangers might want to begin with starting games on time.

“It’s just they came out with more urgency,” Miller said of the Sharks. “We’re not ready to play, I don’t like saying that. Like, we were ready to play the game, but they won a couple more battles early on. They worked harder, they drew more penalties in those certain instances and capitalized on their power play. So, I mean, that was basically the start of the game. I mean, when we took the timeout, I think it was 3 ¹/₂ minutes into the game and was basically short-handed up until that point. So it’s kind of hard. But like I said, they earned their power plays in the beginning of the game, and they were just a little more urgent than we were.”

Due to the impending snowstorm, the Rangers canceled their Alumni Classic that was scheduled to take place Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

According to a news release, the organization assured that tickets purchased through Ticketmaster or directly at the MSG Box Office would be automatically refunded to the original method of payment.

Word is there are no current plans to reschedule the event, which was set to feature notable alumni such as Adam Graves, Derek Stepan, Mike Richter, Dan Girardi, Henrik Lundqvist, Marc Staal, Brian Boyle and Sean Avery.

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Nets’ Nolan Traore set to miss Clippers game with illness after coming off best game of season

An image collage containing 1 images, Image 1 shows Nolan Traore #88 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles the ball during the game against the Boston Celtics on January 23, 2026 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Coming off the best game of his rookie season, Nolan Traore will have to wait to make his next impact. 

Both Traore (illness) and Cam Thomas (sprained left ankle) were ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Clippers in Los Angeles. 

Traore’s fellow rookie Egor Dëmin showed signs earlier in the season of growing into the player the team hoped when they drafted him eighth overall out of BYU, Traore has stepped into the spotlight more recently.

In Friday’s double-overtime loss to the Celtics, the 19-year-old Traore, the No. 19 pick in last year’s draft, set career highs in minutes (36:51) and points (21).

Nolan Traore dribbles the ball upcourt during the Nets’ double overtime loss to the Celtics on Jan.23, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images

Traore was also on the floor again late in the game instead of Dëmin.

“I think as a 19-year-old, Nolan played very meaningful minutes and he did a great job,’’ Jordi Fernández said. 

The coach noted Traore’s “ability to touch the paint and how slippery he is” as the reason he used him late and believes he will develop into having a greater role.

“There [are] some mistakes and we need him to be the floor general and talk and use his voice,’’ Fernández said. “But he’s going to grow that voice and I’m going to trust him.”

Traore managed to impress some of his veteran teammates with his latest performance.

“He got to the paint, he finished well [and] he steadied the team in the clutch moments,’’ Michael Porter Jr. said. “He made some really big layups. And he used his speed to his advantage. So I thought it was a really good [game] for him to get that experience in the fourth quarter and overtimes. Egor’s been in those moments now a few times and it was good that Nolan got to be in those moments, as well.”

Nic Claxton said it was “big” for Traore to be on the court down the stretch.

Payton Pritchard shoots over Nolan Traore during overtime of the Nets’ loss to the Celtics. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

“You can show him that he belongs here,’’ Claxton said. “I remember when I first started getting those clutch-time minutes. It is a good feeling and being able to impact the game.”

Claxton added Traore “did a lot of good things for us: Getting downhill and getting in the paint, spraying it out, making some good plays… Going forward, we’re definitely going to need that level of play from him.”

Thomas’ latest absence comes in what’s been a rough season, with his future with the Nets in doubt as the Feb. 5 trade deadline approaches. 

Ben Saraf will be available in Traore’s absence.

Claxton was not listed on the injury report Saturday. He was due to get imaging on his right pinky finger on after injuring it during Friday’s game.

He initially left the game due to the injury, but later returned and was able to finish the game.

If Claxton is unavailable Sunday in Los Angeles, Day’Ron Sharpe could make his fourth start of the season. Noah Clowney was listed as doubtful with back soreness.

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The 2026 projections are in for Padres

It’s a good thing the baseball season is still two months away. San Diego Padres president of baseball operations/general manager A.J. Preller has plenty of time to upgrade the roster before the start of the new season. It could be a problem if he doesn’t make the needed improvements before March 26, Opening Day against the Detroit Tigers.

With the roster still missing a 1B/DH and at least one starting pitcher, the projections for 2026 are not favorable, according to certain projections.

There are two different projections found on the FanGraphs pages. The Steamer projections are the work of Jared Cross, Dash Davidson and Peter Rosenbloom. The definition from MLB:

Steamer uses past performance and aging trends to develop a future projection for players. It also uses pitch-tracking data to help forecast pitchers. On Fangraphs, the projections are updated daily and predict each player’s numbers over the course of the remainder of the season.

These are the objective evaluations that are available to fans and media alike.

There is another system published on FanGraphs, the ZiPS projections developed by Dave Zymborski. The Zymborski Projection System (ZiPS) is not based on human evaluation but an algorithm developed by Zymborski.

ZiPS uses growth and decline curves based on player type to find trends. It then factors those trends into the past performance of those players to come up with projections. The system uses statistics from the previous four years for players from ages 24-38, and it weights more recent seasons heavier. For younger or older players, it uses weighted statistics from only the previous three years. The system also factors velocities, injury data and play-by-play data into its equations.

These two systems can differ significantly at times. The projections begin with a preseason posting of stats for all players and teams and are updated as the season goes along, based on performance.

As of now, the Padres are projected to have a .496 winning percentage from Steamer. ZiPS is more optimistic, with a high 80s to 90-win season. They would only have 80 wins based on the Steamer numbers after removing the players that have left the team. With Michael King being the only significant returning player, the Padres rotation does not measure up as a playoff team, according to those Steamer numbers.

Both Steamers and ZiPS uses WAR as the final tool to measure a player’s value. Specific stats are also included in the projection but the overall evaluation is expressed in WAR (Wins Above Replacement). For pitchers, their ERA and WAR is the overall valuation tool as well as games pitched and innings pitched.

The Padres bullpen is already acknowledged as one of the best, if not the best, in baseball. With the rotation and lineup being the factors still in flux, I limited my research to those areas.

Offense

For the 2025 season, Fernando Tatis Jr. topped the team with a fWAR of 6.1 (FanGraphs stat). The next closest Padre was Manny Machado at 3.8 WAR. Xander Bogaerts came in at 3.2 and Jackson Merrill at 3.0. Jake Cronenworth had a 2.9 WAR but then the WAR fell off significantly to Gavin Sheets at 1.3. Ramon Laureano played only 50 games with the Padres so his WAR only reflected those games. He had a 6.0 offensive WAR but his defense brought his overall down to 0.7. All other Padres were under 1.0.

For reference, 1-2 is considered below average. 2.0 is an average player with 2-3 being a good player. 3-4 is considered All-Star level and 4-5 is a superstar. 6 or 6-plus is an MVP candidate-type player.

With the season that Tatis Jr. had offensively, the majority of his WAR was accumulated defensively as his offense was good but not MVP level.

Pitchers WAR

For the starting pitchers, Nick Pivetta topped out at 3.7 WAR and Dylan Cease had a 3.4. They were the only two starters above 1.0 in WAR in 2025.

Projections: Offense

Here are some of the numbers projected for the Padres players for 2026. I’m listing both Steamers and ZiPS for comparison and listing other notable stats projected with their WAR.

Fernando Tatis Jr. has a projected 4.9 with ZiPS and 5.1 with Steamers. He has a similar batting average projected with both (.275 with Steamers and .265 with ZiPS). He is projected to hit 30 (Steamers) or 26 (ZiPS) homers with 80 (Z) or 78 (Z) RBI.

Manny Machado has a projected 3.2 WAR (Z) or 3.3 (S) and a batting average of .258 (Z) and .268 (S). They believe his home run totals will drop again in 2026 to 23 (Z) and 26 (S) with 84 (Z) and 85 (S) RBI.

Jackson Merrill is projected to take a significant step up, undoubtedly presuming that he will have better health in the coming season. His WAR increases to 4.3 (Z) and 4.1 (S) with a .270 (Z) or .269 (S) batting average. His home run total is 20 (Z) and 23 (S) with 75 (Z) and 77 (S) RBI.

Xander Bogaerts has a 3.3 WAR (Z) versus a 2.9 (S) with a batting average of .259 (Z) and .270 (S). He is projected to hit 10 (Z) and 13 (S) homers with 52 (Z) and 57 (S) RBI.

Jake Cronenworth is also projected to take a step down from his 2025 season. His WAR is projected to be 2.0 (Z) and 1.6 (S) with his batting average dropping to .233 (Z) and .236 (S). With his home run 12 (Z) and 13 (S) numbers and his RBI 55 (Z) and 56 (S) numbers also similar. His drop would be due to an assumed decrease in his on base ability or his defense dipping.

Ramon Laureano, in his first full season with the Padres, is projected to have a 2.2 (Z) and 1.2 (S) WAR with a .242 (Z) and .243 (S) average. He is projected to hit 17 homers in both with 58 (Z) and 57 (S) RBI.

Projections: Starters

None of the Padres starters are projected to have an ERA below 3.55, with Michael King projected to have 22 games pitched and 119 innings to achieve that ERA with a 2.2 WAR. Nick Pivetta has a projected 26 games started and 156 innings pitched with a 3.87 ERA and 2.3 WAR. He is obviously not viewed as being able to replicate his 2025 success.

Joe Musgrove is viewed conservatively in his first season back after UCL surgery. He projects to 16 starts and 91 innings with a 3.87 ERA and 1.4 WAR. JP Sears is seen with a 4.0 ERA in 28 games started and 144 innings pitched and a 0.8 WAR. Randy Vasquez brings up the rear with a 4.68 ERA in 25 starts and 125 innings pitched and a 0.7 WAR.

Any significant upgrade to the roster will improve the overall team projections but it will be up to the players to outperform their individual projections.

With most of the major free agents in MLB now off the board, it could be a good time to sign the mid-tier players that Preller would presumably be aiming to target. A quality bat and mid-rotation starter is just what is needed to improve the overall projections.

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Isaiah George feels ‘good’ about first shot at securing Islanders’ defensive job

An image collage containing 1 images, Image 1 shows Isaiah George #36 of the New York Islanders and Tyson Kozak #48 of the Buffalo Sabres battle for the puck during the second period at UBS Arena on January 24, 2026 in Elmont, New York

The Islanders made the long-awaited move to call up Isaiah George before Saturday’s game, but did so in the sort of context they would have preferred to avoid.

Ryan Pulock was out with an upper-body injury and called day to day by coach Patrick Roy.

That meant instead of replacing Adam Boqvist in the lineup — which would have been the likely move had the Islanders brought home a fully healthy defensive corps from Wednesday’s 4-1 loss in Seattle — George was on a pair opposite the Swede.

Isaiah George (left) looks to keep the puck away from Tyson Kozak during the second period of the Islanders’ 5-0 loss to the Sabres at UBS Arena on Jan. 24, 2026. NHLI via Getty Images

Scott Mayfield moved up to the top pair in Pulock’s usual spot, reprising the role he played at the start of the season on the right side of Matthew Schaefer.

“I thought it was good,” George said of his performance across 13:56 of ice as the Islanders lost 5-0 to the Sabres. “Thought I had some moments, obviously, wish you had better shifts, but I felt comfortable out there. Getting back to the groove of things but I felt like I was handling the puck pretty well. Felt like I was seeing the ice.”

Before the game, Roy went through the list of players from Bridgeport the Islanders have given a chance this year: Travis Mitchell, Marshall Warren, Cole McWard and now George. Left unsaid was that part of the reason four defensemen have been called up is not one of them has seized a job for good.

George, who played 33 games with the Islanders last season, may have the best chance of doing so. Word is that the 21-year-old put on serious muscle mass since his stint with the Isles a year ago, addressing one of the issues that prevented him from finishing the season on Long Island.

The Oakville, Ontario native impressed last season with his poise and skating, but the NHL seemed to wear on him over time, in particular the physicality of the league. Roy also said that a concussion, sustained in Toronto that caused George to miss a few games, had to do with some of his struggles.

This season, George has missed time with a pair of injuries, but has impressed since returning from the latest one a couple of weeks ago in particular. In his last game before getting called up last Monday, George had two assists.

“Obviously, you’d rather not be hurt,” George said. “You want to be playing, playing good, so that was obviously a tough situation. But I’m just happy with the way I stuck with it, kept working. I feel like the last couple weeks it’s kind of gone my way.”

Bo Horvat played 19:20 and recorded four shots on net in his return from a lower-body injury.

“I felt pretty good,” Horvat said. “I think, obviously, can be better in certain areas and timing-wise and legs, but overall felt pretty good. Felt confident.”

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Knicks' OG Anunoby 'changed the game' defensively in win over 76ers, especially when guarding Joel Embiid

It looked as if the Knicks had Saturday's game against the 76ers in hand when they were up by 16 points heading into the fourth quarter, but a furious comeback by Philadelphia almost spelled disaster for New York, if it weren't for the efforts of OG Anunoby.

The Knicks forward finished with 23 points, second to Jalen Brunson's 31 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals in the team's eventual 112-109 win. But Anunoby did much more than what was shown on the stat sheet. As has often been the case, Anunoby's high-effort plays and defense were the difference between a Knicks win or loss. 

"OG obviously changed the game defensively," head coach Mike Brown said after the game. "His quick decisions with the basketball, it was beautiful to watch. Defensively, guard Paul George, guard their power forward and then guard Joel Embiid. He was phenomenal defensively." 

That last part was especially crucial for the Knicks. With Karl-Anthony Towns fouled out and Mitchell Robinson in foul trouble of his own, Brown went with a smaller lineup in the final minutes of the game, and giving Anunoby the tall task of guarding Embiid as the five. 

While it wasn't perfect, Anunoby did his job keeping the former MVP from completely taking over the game. Embiid -- who finished with a game-high 38 points -- scored just four points in the final five minutes. 

"We can’t do anything like that if you don’t have a guy like OG," Brown said of going with the smaller lineup. "OG allows us to play the basketball game in a lot of different ways. So, we were able to do it."

Anunoby's offensive contributions were also huge. With the Sixers cutting the Knicks' lead to just three points and under two minutes remaining, Anunoby had a putback dunk that seemed to settle down the team. Anunoby followed with a three-pointer in the next offensive possession before assisting on a Landry Shamet three to give the Knicks a much-needed eight-point lead. 

The Knicks would need every point of that lead, as Philadelphia cut the lead back down to three, but Anunoby came up with a steal of Embiid's pass to ice the game. 

Brown was asked his thoughts on Anunoby guarding Embiid and the first-year Knicks coach said, "It was good." 

"He’s trying to do his work early," he added. "Try to make it hard for him to catch, guys on the perimeter get up on your guys so they can’t sit there and measure a pass and throw it over the top."

The Knicks, now winners of back-to-back games after a 2-9 stretch, will look to extend their winning streak to three when they host the Kings on Tuesday night.

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Donovan Mitchell’s 27 second-half points lead Cavs to 119-105 victory over Magic

The Cleveland Cavaliers took care of business for the second night in a row. They comfortably defeated the Orlando Magic 119-105 thanks to a solid defensive effort and strong contributions from their entire rotation. Cleveland has now won six of their last eight games and 10 of their last 14.

This was an ugly game in the first half. The Cavs very much looked like a team on the second leg of a back-to-back as they struggled to establish any offensive momentum. Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, combining to go 7-22 from the field in the first two quarters, played a large role in that happening.

Mitchell turning it around in the second half led to this being the stress-free win that it was. He provided 10 points in the third quarter to push what was a seven-point advantage at the break into a 12-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Then, Mitchell put the game away in the fourth by supplying 17 points and three assists in that frame to keep Orlando at arm’s length. In total, 27 of his 36 points came in the second half. He finished the game shooting 15-30 from the field to go along with nine assists, five rebounds, and two steals.

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Cleveland won this game on the defensive end. The Magic are statistically the worst three-point shooting team in the East. The Cavs played them as such. Cleveland packed the paint and dared Orlando’s shooters to beat them from outside. They didn’t, as the Magic went just 11-40 (27.5%) from distance.

The Cavs, on the other hand, were able to knock down their outside shots. They connected on 44.1% of their triples to outscore the Magic by 12 points from beyond the arc.

Cleveland also controlled the paint on both ends. They did a good job of walling off the basket defensively, forcing the Magic to take tough in-between shots. This led to the Cavs having 10 more points in the paint.

You’re going to win most games when you hit more threes and score more points in the paint than your opponent.

Mobley wasn’t able to replicate his Shaq-like performance from Friday’s win over the Sacramento Kings. He was aggressive on the offensive end, but wasn’t able to get those shots to fall as he went just 4-14 from the field, leading to 13 points. Mobley was once again effective on the defensive end and was a large reason why the Cavs were able to keep Orlando’s attack in check.

Cleveland received positive contributions from everyone who played.

Jaylon Tyson continues to make the most of his scoring chances as he provided 17 points on 5-9 shooting. Tyrese Proctor supplied an impressive 12 points on 4-4 shooting in under 10 minutes of play. Dean Wade had a positive contribution as a scorer, as he went 4-4 from the field with 10 points to go along with three steals and two blocks.

The Magic were led by Paolo Banchero’s 27 points on 7-14 shooting. Desmond Bane had 20 points and four rebounds in the loss.

The Cavs will take on the Magic again on Monday. This time, it’ll be in Cleveland. Tip-off is at 7 PM.

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Collins scores 28 off bench as No. 19 Texas Tech women beat Utah 77-49

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Snudda Collins scored 28 points off the bench, and the No. 19 Texas Tech women rolled past Utah 77-49 on Saturday night.

Collins had 20 points by halftime, going 4 for 4 from behind the arc in the first half as the Lady Raiders built a commanding 39-20 lead. Texas Tech shot 52% from the field and 45% from 3-point range while holding Utah to 33% shooting and just 3 of 16 from deep.

Texas Tech put the game away in the third quarter, outscoring the Utes 25-12 to push the margin past 30. The Lady Raiders led 64-32 entering the fourth and never allowed Utah to threaten.

Bailey Maupin added 15 points for Texas Tech (20-2, 7-2 Big 12), and Jada Malone scored 11 off the bench. Gemma Nuñez pulled down nine rebounds and dished out five assists as the Lady Raiders forced 18 turnovers and finished with 12 steals.

Reese Ross led Utah (14-6, 5-3) with 13 points and nine rebounds. Lani White scored 10 points.

The win snapped a two-game skid for Texas Tech.

Up Next

Texas Tech faces Iowa State on Wednesday.

Utah hosts No. 22 West Virginia this Tuesday.

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Mets, Craig Kimbrel, agree to minor league deal

The Mets, who are always on the lookout for pitching depth, came to an agreement with Craig Kimbrel Saturday night, according to Jon Heyman. It is a minor league deal for Kimbrel, with an invite to MLB Spring Training. He will make $2.5m in base salary if he does make the team, according to Will Sammon.

Kimbrel, 37, likely needs little introduction to those reading this. He is in the twilight seasons of an excellent career, to say the very least. He has amassed 440 saves across 15 seasons with a 2.58 ERA, making him one of the premier relievers in the game during his prime. He started his career with the NL East rival Atlanta Braves, where Mets fans saw plenty of him — he has made 46 appearances against the Mets, earning 30 saves and a 1.46 ERA against those appearances.

Kimbrel has since bounced around since he left the Braves via trade early in the 2015 seasons, when he was dealt to the Padres alongside Melvin Upton Jr. for Carlos Quentin, Cameron Maybin, and Matt Wisler when he was a prospect (an excellent trade for Remembering Some Guys). He spent a year in San Diego before being dealt again, this time to the Red Sox, in exchange for Manuel Margot. After three years in Boston, he spent three years with the Cubs, and truly became a jouneyman, appearing in Major League games with the White Sox, Dodgers, Phillies, and Orioles, before splitting 2025 between the Braves and Astros.

Kimbrel can still miss bats despite his age, notching a 34.7% strikeout rate in 14 games (12 innings) last year, which is pretty closely in line with his career 38.8% strikeout rate. He also had a 2.25 ERA in those 12 innings, as well as a 3.00 ERA in 42 minor league games with the Braves and Rangers (who he did not appear in a Major League game with last year), acquitting himself well enough to get another chance in 2026.

For the Mets, Kimbrel gives them another interesting arm to throw at the wall while they continue to map out what the middle and front end of their bullpen looks like. For Kimbrel, the Mets give him a legitimate chance to continue his potentially Hall of Fame career, considering parts of their bullpen are not set in stone. It will be a fun side story during Spring Training.

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Pierre scores career-high 25, reaches 1,000 points in TCU's 97-90 win over Baylor

WACO, Texas (AP) — Jayden Pierre scored a career-high 25 points, Xavier Edmonds added 23, and TCU defeated Baylor 97-90 on Saturday night.

The Horned Frogs (13-7, 3-4 Big 12) rode a strong second half to the win, outscoring Baylor 59-52 after heading to halftime tied at 38. Pierre scored 14 in the second half, reaching 1,000 career points in the process.

Edmonds scored five points during a 7-0 TCU run that stretched the lead to 17, their largest of the night, with seven minutes remaining. Baylor cut the lead to single-digits late but couldn't complete the comeback, as Edmonds hit six straight free throws with under a minute remaining.

TCU shot 52% from the floor and 46% from 3-point range, and hit 26 of 32 free throws. The Horned Frogs scored 44 points in the paint and led for 25:09, taking the lead for good with 15:14 remaining in the second half during a 9-0 run.

The Bears (11-8, 1-6) were paced by Isaac Williams and Tounde Yessoufou, who each scored 21 points before fouling out. Cameron Carr added 20 points, six rebounds, and six assists.

Sophomore forward David Punch was a late scratch for TCU due to illness. He leads the team with averages of 14.6 points and 7.8 rebounds.

Up next

TCU hosts Houston on Wednesday.

Baylor visits Cincinnati on Wednesday.

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Check Out These Photos from Astros FanFest 2026

(All photos courtesy Houston Astros)

The Astros hosted a successful 2026 FanFest on Saturday, Jan. 24 at Daikin Park. The 2026 FanFest wraps up a great week of Astros Caravan stops throughout the Texas community and represents the official launch of baseball season for Astros fans.

The official kickoff of the 2026 season saw 10,420 fans participate in autograph sessions, photo opportunities, games, Fan Forums, Q&As, play catch on the field, take swings in the batting cages, and more.

“We were thrilled to welcome the greatest fans in baseball back to Daikin Park to kick off the 2026 season, and we’re grateful to our players and coaches for spending the day with them,” said Anita Sehgal, Astros Executive Vice President, Marketing and Communications.  “Fan Fest is such a special tradition, and we love creating unforgettable moments and memories for all our fans.”

Astros Manager Joe Espada participated in FanFest along with all the members of his coaching and support staff: Omar López (bench coach), Josh Miller (pitching coach), Ethan Katz (assistant pitching coach), Victor Rodriguez (hitting coach), Anthony Iapoce (assistant hitting coach), Dave Clark (first base coach), Tony Perezchica (third base coach), Jason Bell (Major League field coordinator/outfield coach), Tommy Kawamura (game planning coach), Tim Cossins (catching instructor) and Dan Hennigan (director of hitting and offensive coordinator), as well as bullpen catchers Javier Bracamonte and Caleb Nunes.

Astros General Manager Dana Brown also took part in FanFest.

The Astros had 22 players at FanFest, including IF/OF Jose Altuve, OF Yordan Alvarez, RHP Spencer Arrighetti, RHP Hunter Brown, 3B Carlos Correa, RHP Lance McCullers Jr., and OF Cam Smith. The player group also included RHP Jason Alexander, IF Nick Allen, RHP AJ Blubaugh, OF Zach Cole, IF Zach Dezenzo, LHP Colton Gordon, LHP Bryan King, IF Brice Mathews, RHP Jayden Murray, LHP Bennett Sousa, RHP Logan VanWey, LHP Brandon Walter, RHP Ryan Weiss, RHP Hayden Wesneski and IF Shay Whitcomb.

Several Astros alumni were also in attendance, including Astros Hall of Famers José Cruz, Larry Dierker, Terry Puhl, and Shane Reynolds, as well as Alan Ashby, Brandon Backe, Michael Bourn, Jason Castro, Jarred Cozart, J.C. Hartman, Art Howe, Phil Garner, and Chris Sampson.

Many members of the broadcast teams on Astros TV and Astros radio also had a presence. This group included Todd Kalas, Geoff Blum, Julia Morales, Robert Ford, Francisco Romero, Alex Treviño, Brian Bogusevic and Kevin Eschenfelder.

FanFest is also the culmination of a successful Astros Caravan from January 21-23, which gave fans the opportunity to connect with players, manager, alumni, broadcasters and front office personnel at various locations as the club approaches the start of Spring Training. This year’s caravan made visits to Tomball, The Woodlands, Corpus Christi, Central Houston, Austin, Baytown, Port Neches, Beaumont, Sugar Land, Missouri City, Ingram and San Antonio.

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Brad Marchand returns to Panthers lineup in Minnesota after 7 game absence

Marchand, you ready? Good, cause you’re going!

When the Florida Panthers took the ice for pregame warmups on Saturday night in Minnesota, there was an unexpected surprise that emerged from the locker room.

Brad Marchand, who has missed each of the past seven games with an undisclosed injury, joined his teammates for warmups.

Marchand lined up on the right side of a line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen.

A.J. Greer was moved alongside the duo of Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett, while Sam Reinhart slid to a line with Carter Verhaeghe and Evan Rodrigues.

Florida will seek their fifth road win in six tries against the Wild before heading straight to Chicago to complete a back-to-back set on Sunday.

Despite missing the chunk of time, Marchand remains tied for the team lead in assists and one point back of Sam Reinhart for the team lead in points. He’s been an integral part of Florida remaining in contention during their injury woes.

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Photo caption: Jan 6, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand (63) skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period at Scotiabank Arena. (Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images)

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Bilodeau, Perry help UCLA jump out early in 71-64 win over Northwestern

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tyler Bilodeau and Trent Perry combined for 28 first-half points and finished with 18 points apiece, leading UCLA to a 71-64 victory over Northwestern on Saturday night.

UCLA used a 10-0 surge to take a 41-27 lead late in the first half and led 41-31 at the break. The Bruins had its largest lead, 58-42 with 12:50 to play. Later in the second half, Northwestern's 7-0 spurt cut its deficit to 62-56. Jamar Brown answered with a 3-pointer and the Bruins then sealed it from the free-throw line.

Bilodeau didn't miss a shot in the first half, going 6 of 6 from the floor with four 3-pointers. He made a layup early in the second half before finally missing on a 3-pointer with 6:43 to play. He finished 7-of-11 shooting from the floor and 4 of 8 from long range. Perry scored 12 first-half points and and was 6 of 12 overall.

Donovan Dent, who scored 23 points and had 13 assists in the Bruins' 69-67 win over No. 4 Purdue on Wednesday, added 13 points and five assists against the Wildcats.

Eric Dailey Jr. chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds for UCLA (14-6, 6-3 Big Ten), which has won four of its last five games.

Nick Martinelli scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Northwestern (9-11, 1-8). Tre Singleton had 12 points and six rebounds. The Wildcats have lost six of their last seven games.

UCLA is 7-1 in the series.

Up next

UCLA: At Oregon on Wednesday.

Northwestern: Hosts Penn State on Thursday.

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Craig Kimbrel signs minor league deal with Mets as pitching depth piece

An image collage containing 1 images, Image 1 shows Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel #31 closes out the 9th inning

Craig Kimbrel agreed to a minor league deal with the Mets, which includes an invite to big league spring training, The Post’s Jon Heyman reported Saturday.

The 37-year-old Kimbrel, whose 440 career saves rank fifth all time, spent last year bouncing between Triple-A and the majors in the Rangers, Braves and Astros organizations.

In 14 big league appearances (13 with the Astros), he posted a 2.25 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 12 innings. He last closed in 2024, when he had a 5.33 ERA and 23 saves with the Orioles.

Craig Kimbrel closes out a save in the ninth inning while a member of the Phillies in the 2023 season. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Kimbrel will have a shot this spring to win a job in a remade Mets bullpen, which lost All-Star closer Edwin Díaz to the Dodgers but added ex-Yankees Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to help replace him in the late innings.

They also signed veteran reliever Luis Garcia to a major league deal earlier this week — part of a flurry of activity in which they acquired infielder Bo Bichette, right-hander Freddy Peralta, swingman Tobias Myers and outfielder Luis Robert Jr.

Among the reported non-roster invite relievers who will join Kimbrel in big league spring training are Carl Edwards Jr., Nick Burdi, Joe Jacques, Anderson Severino and Kevin Herget.