BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Tobi Lawal scored a season-high 22 points off the bench, Amani Hansberry added 21, and Virginia Tech defeated Notre Dame 89-76 on Saturday for the Hokies' ninth win in the past 10 matchups with the Fighting Irish.
Lawal and Hansberry scored 15 of Virginia Tech's 18 points during one stretch early in the second half as the Hokies extended an 11-point halftime lead to 66-48 with 12 1/2 minutes remaining.
Notre Dame got as close as 79-66 with four minutes remaining then Ben Hammond buried a 3-pointer and Hansberry finished off a layup for an 84-67 lead with three minutes left.
Hammond scored 16 points and Jailen Bedford added 14 for Virginia Tech (14-5, 3-3 ACC). Lawal grabbed 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. He is working his way back after missing all of December with an ankle injury.
The Hokies sank their first 24 free throws before Lawal missed the first of two attempts with six minutes left in the game. They finished 28 of 32 from the line. Lawal made 14 of 18.
Brady Koehler made 5 of 7 3-pointers and the freshman led Notre Dame (10-8, 1-4) with a career-high 17 points off the bench. Cole Certa, another reserve, scored 14 points and Sir Mohammed was the only starter in double figures with 12 points. Notre Dame backups scored 41 points.
Virginia Tech trailed only once, at 7-5. The Hokies went out front to stay with a 13-2 run and led 45-34 at the break.
Virginia Tech's previous six games had either gone to overtime or been decided by three or fewer points.
DALLAS (AP) — Malik Thomas had a game-high 23 points and a career-best 11 rebounds and Thijs De Ridder added 17 points, including seven of No. 16 Virginia’s eight points in the final 2½ minutes, as the Cavaliers hung on to beat SMU 72-68 in an Atlantic Coast Conference game on Saturday.
Virginia (16-2, 5-1 ACC) has won five consecutive games. SMU (13-5, 2-3 ACC) lost for the first time in 12 games at Moody Coliseum this season.
De Ridder’s two free throws with 1:07 left gave Virginia a 70-68 lead. After the Cavs’ Dallin Hall missed a 3-pointer late in the shot clock with 14 seconds left, De Ridder grabbed the rebound and was fouled. De Ridder hit two more foul shots, putting Virginia ahead 72-68.
SMU’s Boopie Miller missed a right-corner 3-pointer in the closing seconds, and De Ridder grabbed the rebound.
Jarin Pierre Jr. scored 16 points to lead the Mustangs. B.J. Edwards added 13 and Miller, the team’s leading scorer averaging 20.8 per game, scored a season-low 12.
Thomas matched a season high hitting six 3-pointers. Virginia, averaging a program-high 28.3 treys attempted per game, hit 12 of 31.
Virginia conversely shot a season-low 12 free throws, sinking 10.
SMU led by as many as seven points during the opening 13 minutes before the Cavaliers went on a 13-2 run over almost four minutes to go ahead 35-28, SMU shooting 1 for 10 with two turnovers during the span. Virginia led 35-28 at halftime.
Up next
Virginia will host No. 14 North Carolina next Saturday.
The Utah Jazz have their second game in a row against the Dallas Mavericks. Last time they played, Lauri Markkanen and Jusuf Nurkic rested, and the Jazz lost by a lot. What was lost in all the talk about the Jazz was that it was the back end of a back-to-back for the Jazz as well as the Mavericks, but Utah was on the road. Utah didn’t have their legs the whole night and shot just 27%. We’ll see if they do better in this one, but this will be the third game in four nights, so it may be a little bit of the same.
Injury Report
The Jazz will be without Lauri Markkanen again in this one. We’ll also see if Jusuf Nurkic plays or doesn’t like last time.
Jazz Injury Report:
OUT – Elijah Harkless (G League – Two-Way)
OUT – Walker Kessler (left shoulder; injury recovery)
OUT – Lauri Markkanen (illness)
OUT – Georges Niang (left foot; fourth metatarsal stress reaction)
The Mavs will also be missing some players. It’s not clear if Adam Silver will pay attention to this or if it’s just the Jazz that get the magnifying glass.
The Mavs will be out Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford again today…
LeBron James will be a free agent after this season. If he doesn't retire, many Lakers fans would prefer he not return to the team. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
In a city where he has played for the longest stretch of his life, LeBron James should be considered one of the greatest Lakers ever.
Yet, by most accounts, he’s barely in the top 10.
James set the career scoring record here, set the career longevity record here, and won a long-awaited NBA championship here.
Yet he is generally ranked behind Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, James Worthy … and maybe even Pau Gasol?
When he likely leaves the team after this season, James should get a statue. He won’t. He should get a farewell game similar to Kobe Bryant’s final good-bye. He won’t.
For eight breathtaking seasons, LeBron James has poured his soul into pleasing a passionate fan base such that he still fills Crypto.com Arena with joy and light and tomahawk dunks at age 41.
They’re tired of his drama, unconvinced of his loyalty, dissatisfied with the results, and ready to embrace fresh new franchise faces. One of those belongs to Austin Reaves, who was unwittingly pitted against James this week during unfortunate speculation from James’ agent and close friend Rich Paul.
Bottom line? If forced to choose between James and Reaves, here’s guessing the majority would choose Reaves. If forced to keep either James or Reaves, almost certainly the Lakers would keep Reaves.
These sorts of questions will matter at the upcoming Feb. 5 trade deadline, when, with the team going nowhere, perhaps James should realize that his days here are numbered and consider lifting that no-trade clause.
If unanswered, the questions will surface again this summer, when Reaves becomes a free agent and can command a maximum contract of $241 million over five years. The Lakers are going to pay him, which leaves James, who would also be a free agent, and his contract demands deep on the bench.
If James leaves the Lakers for whatever reason — retirement, seeking a title elsewhere — the Lakers can sign Reaves and still have $50 million in cap space.
Think about that.
Lakers forward LeBron James hugs teammate Austin Reaves after he was fouled on a three-point shot during a game against Utah. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Fifty million in cap space on a team that’s already locked up its two best scorers? Are you kidding me?
If James gets out of the way, the Lakers can finally fully commit to a retooling around Luka Doncic and Reaves.
It’s all pretty simple, isn’t it? It only became complicated this week when the suddenly struggling Lakers were hit with the most damaging opinion during the most detrimental of times.
Paul popped off on his podcast about trading, of all people, Reaves.
In “Game Over With Max Kellerman and Rich Paul,” Paul cited the advantages of trading Reaves to Memphis for Jaren Jackson Jr.
“This comes with a very unemotional attachment because Austin is beloved, which he should be, he's an underdog," Paul said on the podcast. "There's a world where you can do what's best for your team, and do what's best for Austin. Because Austin deserves to get paid. Now, I love him as a Laker, but if that was a situation where we're getting balance — because if you put all the money into just the backcourt and then your flexibility is restricted going forward to fill out the rest of the team…”
Paul went so far as to say Memphis would be the perfect place for Reaves.
"Memphis would definitely pay Austin," Paul said. "He would become … probably their point guard and leading scorer, for sure. … But definitely their highest-paid player."
A similar opinion urging the Lakers to trade Reaves appeared in this column last summer, but that was written before Reaves had a breakout start this season, averaging 27 points a game on 51% shooting before being sidelined with a calf injury.
He’s hot. He’s arrived. He’s him.
The idea of trading Reaves now feels foolish. Even worse, it feels like an idea that was co-signed by James himself.
Trading Reaves would give more touches to James. Acquiring Jackson would offer more room for James. The entire speculation could be summed up in one sentence that has nothing to do with Reaves or Jackson.
The Lakers should do what’s best for LeBron James.
No, they shouldn’t. No, they absolutely shouldn’t. Yet that’s what Paul was saying, and one would be naive to think that’s not what James is thinking, even though he denied any association in an interview with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“I think you all know by now, Rich is his own man and what Rich says is not a direct reflection of me and how I feel," James told McMenamin. "And I hope people know that. I hope people know that and if they're not sensible to know that, then I don't know what to tell them."
In the same interview, James also expressed his love for Reaves. Smart man.
“AR knows how I feel about him," James told McMenamin. "All you got to do is look at us on the bench. Me and AR talk every single day. So, AR knows how I feel about him and I hope AR — or his camp — don't look at me and think this is words from me are coming through Rich.”
Turns out, Reaves’ camp thought these words were exactly coming from James, witness the brief courtside meeting between Reggie Berry, one of Reaves’ agents, and Paul during a Lakers game earlier this week. According to ESPN, Berry approached Paul in search of an explanation for his comments.
Later on his podcast, Paul said he told Berry, “I want Austin to know this is not about Austin Reaves because I love the player, love the person.”
Everybody, it seems, loves Austin Reaves, and he’s not going anywhere. Meanwhile, after another tumultuous week in the passive-aggressive life of a king, it feels like LeBron James is as good as gone.
The points were shared on an evening when Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the table but almost certainly left the field feeling a modicum of regret
An email: Arsenal fans will have mixed memories of Sean Dyche teams; probably most saliently here his new-manager-bounce inspiration of a previously useless Everton side to a 1-0 win, smashing a 14-game unbeaten Arsenal run,” writes Charles Antaki. “Admittedly Arsenal haven’t been quite that consistently good this year but Forest have certainly been that consistently bad, so there are omens around for those who care to read them.”
Having paid a visit to Dr Tottenham this afternoon and surprised nobody by leaving his North London clinic with three points and a restorative sense of enormous wellbeing, West Ham have closed the gap to Forest to just four points. No pressure Dychey …
Day 2 of the 2026 Cubs Convention started out the same way it always does, with Cubs President of Baseball Operations, Jed Hoyer and General Manager Carter Hawkins taking the stage, followed by a session with Cubs manager Craig Counsell. Both sessions were moderated by Cubs play-by-play man Boog Sciambi. But the one thing that was different in 2026 were the vibes. Jed Hoyer seemed relaxed and confident as he took the stage in a Bears jersey. His answers seemed more transparent, he seemed, dare I say it: Relaxed.
It was a welcome vibe shift from the tone the front office has set in previous years. Oh, what a difference winning season makes. I slightly jest, but it did seem like the weight was off Jed’s shoulders as they discussed everything from the team’s strategy with deferred contracts to stories about the time he was a bat boy for the Reds.
Deferrals were the biggest news out of both sessions. The Alex Bregman signing was the first time this front office has inked a free agent deal with a player that had a significant amount of money deferred. Hoyer indicated that they would be willing to make those moves again:
Hoyer and Hawkins talking deferrals, sounds like the club is far more open to doing them in the future as well, not just a Bregman thing.
That’s a potentially huge development for the team and should allow them to be more competitive on the free agent market.
Craig Counsell also discussed Matt Shaw’s role on the 2026 clubs as more of a super utility player. When asked if he would play in the outfield the manager’s answer was direct: “It’s going to happen.” He referenced Kris Bryant and how he moved around with the 2016 team seeming to imply that Shaw will have a similar role for the Cubs this year. That may be good news for Shaw’s playing time, given an infield crew that rarely takes days off:
Could Nico Hoerner benefit from taking a day off with Matt Shaw in the fold?
But the most notable parts of both of these panels was, honestly, how little news was made. With the Cubs coming off a season that saw them take the National League Division Series to five games against the Brewers and clearly basking in the vibes of a big trade and an even bigger free agent signing, everyone seemed more relaxed.
Hoyer told an endearing anecdote about being dropped off for a Reds Spring Training game at nine in the morning when he was 13 and how he’d talked his way into being the bat boy by 11. Carter Hawkins took a tough question about his 2032 comment from the trade deadline and turned it into a joke saying the next day Jed mentioned he probably shouldn’t have said that, and then laughing that he did it to take the pressure off Hoyer. Honestly, it was a bit like both of them took a page from Craig Counsell’s playbook. The Cubs manager has been more carefree in these conversations the last couple of seasons.
Counsell discussed a range of issues including roster construction and bullpen management. But the most endearing moment was him discussing ejections and a moment last season against the Red Sox when Ryan Flaherty was ejected. Apparently, John Mallee sheepishly admitted he’d actually made the comment and Counsell negotiated being able to pick which coach ultimately left the dugout. The real punchline of that anecdote was absolutely the tidbit about how his family had made a coaster of Counsell arguing with an umpire that the family uses when they have guests.
There was a real sense of ease for the crew who lead the Cubs from the front office and the dugout. It was a welcome change from some of the angst that has permeated the questions from fans the front office has fielded over the past few years. As much as I hope those vibes persist after a successful 2026 campaign, I imagine the CBA negotiations could complicate a repeat of this year’s relaxed and chill environment. It’s a good reminder to enjoy these moments, and jokes, while we can.
On 65 minutes Michael Carrick’s second tenure went electric as Manchester United scored a classic breakaway goal by Bryan Mbeumo that sent the interim head coach berserk in the technical area.
After a clearing Harry Maguire header, the ball evaded Rayan Cherki and Bruno Fernandes galloped forward. He had Amad Diallo to the right and Patrick Dorgu and Mbeumo on the left; United’s streetwise captain delayed the pass, then found the Cameroonian, whose finish beat Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Coming off a 3-2 shootout win against the Los Angeles Kings on Friday, the Ducks are right back it on Saturday against the same opponent.
A strong game from Beckett Sennecke and a little bit of puck luck aided the Ducks as they erased a 2-0 deficit, with Sennecke and Mason McTavish scoring in the shootout to clinch a winning outcome.
“Second period, we had a great stretch there,” head coach Joel Quenneville said. “(Sennecke) had a great game. (Goaltender Lukáš Dostál) was outstanding. We turned some pucks over and got some pucks to the net. I thought we checked well. We played hard, knowing that this team has a way of preventing you from even getting close to the net. Scored some greasy and some ugly goals, but we did have some good looks that didn't go in as well. It was a hard fought game. All teams know what was on stake or was on the line and we get to go right back at it again tomorrow.”
Jan 16, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks right wing Beckett Sennecke (45) scores a goal against Los Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper (35) in a shootout at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Tim Washe was one of Anaheim’s goalscorers, collecting his first career NHL goal in the process. His goal tied the game at two apiece.
“We worked on making simple plays, grinding them down low, and then good things happened,” Washe said. “We got our bounces late in the second there, and we were able to put them in.”
Washe’s first NHL goal comes just one day after he was named an AHL All-Star. He had 25 points in 30 games with the San Diego Gulls this season prior to being called up to the Ducks on Jan. 7.
“Amazing feeling, right? That's what you dream of right there,” Washe said. “Credit to Ross (Johnston, who grabbed the puck) and everyone there that made it so special.”
“Pretty hard to believe. Special week and look forward to talking to my family a little bit tonight.”
Jan 16, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Tim Washe (right) celebrates with teammates after scoring the first NHL goal during the second period against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Anaheim has rolled together two consecutive wins without the likes of Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry, two of their top offensive players. Carlsson will be out of game action for approximately 3-5 weeks as he recovers from a procedure to treat a Morel-Lavallée lesion in his left thigh. Terry has missed the last four games with an upper-body injury and was placed on injured reserve on Friday, retroactive to Jan. 6.
“You could look up and down the lineup. Guys are excited for an opportunity. I know I am,” Ryan Strome, who scored Anaheim’s first goal, said. “I'm excited to play a little bit more and get a chance with some of our top players and I know some of our guys from San Diego are really excited to be up and contributing, so it's good. Everyone’s eager for more opportunity and everyone's hungry and everyone's kind of digging in.
“The thing I think I'm most proud of the boys is it’s been team-first. I think no matter who scores or who gets it done, everyone's happy for everyone. I think we've learned a lot about ourselves in this tough stretch we went through. I think we're realizing what it takes to win and it's not easy and that's a great sign for a young team to kind of figure it out. These intangibles and these little things matter, and they're adding up. I'm really proud of the boys last two games.”
Jan 16, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Mason McTavish (23) scores the game winning goal on Los Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper (35) in a shootout at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Chris Kreider missed Friday’s game with an illness and will likely be a game-time decision for Saturday’s game. If he can’t go, the Ducks will likely roll out the same 11-7 formation from Friday, with defenseman Ian Moore acting as a forward.
Tim Washe speaks to the media after their 3-2 shootout win against the Los Angeles Kings.
Ducks Projected Lines
Cutter Gauthier - Mason McTavish - Ryan Strome Alex Killorn - Mikael Granlund - Beckett Sennecke Jansen Harkins - Ryan Poehling - Sam Colangelo Ross Johnston - Tim Washe - Ian Moore
Jackson LaCombe - Jacob Trouba Olen Zellweger - Radko Gudas Pavel Mintyukov - Drew Helleson
Ville Husso (projected)
Kings Projected Lines
Jeff Malott - Alex Laferriere - Adrian Kempe Warren Foegele - Quinton Byfield - Joel Armia Kevin Fiala - Alex Turcotte - Andrei Kuzmenko Andre Lee - Samuel Helenius - Taylor Ward
Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci
"Air Force Men's Basketball Head Coach Joe Scott has been suspended indefinitely pending an investigation into the treatment of cadet-athletes. Assistant Coach Jon Jordon (USAFA '85) will serve as interim head coach," the statement read.
In his sixth season of his second tenure leading the Air Force program, Scott has the Falcons sitting 3-14 overall on the season and at the bottom of the Mountain West with a 0-6 record in league play.
He was hired back at Air Force ahead of the 2020-21 men's college basketball season following a two-year stint serving as an assistant coach on Tom Crean's staff at Georgia. He has led the Falcons to a combined 97-183 record in his two stints.
Taking over in Scott's place will be assistant coach Jon Jordon, who graduated from the Air Force in 1985. Jordon has been on Scott's staff since 2022 and was also a member of his first staff at Air Force from 2000-2004 as well.
Air Force and Nevada are slated for a 4 p.m. ET tipoff at Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Saturday.
Higgins wins three consecutive frames in 6-5 victory
Kyren Wilson seals 6-5 win on Wu Yize with century
John Higgins reeled off three straight frames as he came from behind to earn a 6-5 semi-final victory over Judd Trump in the Masters at Alexandra Palace.
Things were looking ominous for the Scot early on as Trump ensured he took a three-frame lead with a neat break of 60, which ended with Higgins conceding. Higgins gave Trump something to think about before the mid-session interval by clawing it back to 3-2, including a century break, but breaks of 70 and 57 by the world No 1 helped him move to within a frame of victory at 5-3.
CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali saved two penalties including the first from Mohamed Salah for Nigeria to beat Egypt 4-2 in a penalty shootout for third place at the Africa Cup Nations on Saturday.
Ademola Lookman scored the winning penalty.
Salah and Omar Marmoush had their penalty kicks saved by Nwabali at the start of the shootout after the teams drew 0-0 in normal time. No extra time was played for the consolation of a bronze medal.
It was the Super Eagles’ second consecutive penalty shootout following a scoreless draw after losing the semifinal to Morocco on penalties on Wednesday.
Nwabali produced a strong hand to stop a well-taken penalty from Salah, then thwarted Marmoush’s effort straight down the middle with his foot.
Salah had been kept quiet by Nigeria’s defenders and was unable to add to his 11 Africa Cup goals altogether.
Victor Osimhen remained on Nigeria’s substitutes’ bench, suggesting he was carrying an injury from the semifinal defeat to Morocco. Osimhen was taken off in extra time of that game just before the penalty shootout.
The Super Eagles ended the Africa Cup on a positive note in contrast to the last edition, where they lost in the final to host Ivory Coast.
Morocco and Senegal will contest the final in Rabat on Sunday. Sadio Mané's goal was enough to send Senegal through with a 1-0 win over Egypt in their semifinal.
The Colorado Avalanche weren't going to stay undefeated at home in regulation for the entire season. Still, many didn't think that the Nashville Predators would be the ones to end that streak.
Friday, the Predators found the back of the net seven times as it ended the Avalanche's home point streak and undefeated regulation streak in a 7-2 victory.
The Predators, being a team fighting for a Wild Card spot, the winning effort against the best team in the NHL came as a surprise to many, except for Nashville.
"That's the next step for our team. To keep stringing these really good performances together against the top teams in the league," Filip Forsberg said. "We know we can do this. We've just got to keep doing it on a regular basis."
It hasn't come easy. In addition to digging themselves out of the basement of the league, as the Predators were in mid-November, the latest wins have also been about playing more confidently.
That was abundant in the 4-3 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, where Michael McCarron dropped the gloves with Darnell Nurse 3 seconds into the game, which was followed by a Steven Stamkos goal less than three minutes into the game.
The 1-0 lead was the first time Nashville had not given up the first goal of a game in 11 straight games.
Against Colorado, associate head coach Luke Richardson said it was a similar mentality of not backing down from anything the Avalanche were going to throw at them.
"It's taken months for us to get here and it's a lot of work," Richardson said. "You can see it from the last time we were in here until now, where a team like this flexed its muscles last time, and we crumbled a little bit.
"We talked about that a little bit before the game and I think our leadership showed that we were strong...when they (Colorado) pushed back and made it 2-2, we could've easily crumbled, but that showed the maturity in this team."
Ryan O'Reilly has been a critical part of the Predators' success this season, keeping his play steady through the good and the bad. Friday, he recorded his seventh career hat trick against his former team.
He leads the Predators with 43 points in 47 games.
Jan 16, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Nashville Predators center Ryan O'Reilly (90) celebrates his hat trick goal in the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
"When we're all pulling the rope together, all five guys on the ice are working and communicating, we can compete with anyone," O'Reilly said. "Tonight, that was a great team we beat, but it's not going to get any easier."
It is what may be the Predators' most challenging two-game stretch of the season; they travel to Las Vegas 24 hours later to play the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights.
Nashville does have a win over Vegas this season, dispatching the Golden Knights 4-2 on New Year's Eve, but at the time, the Golden Knights were heavily injured and without their top scorer, Jack Eichel.
With Eichel and a handful of key players back, the Golden Knights have won six straight and gained some space between the Edmonton Oilers for the top spot in the division.
"We've got a tough one tomorrow that we kind of have to shift the focus, but you can tell for the group that it's a confidence-building win there that we can lean on."
Up next: Nashville Predators (23-20-4, 5th Central) at Vegas Golden Knights (23-11-12, 1st Pacific) on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 9 p.m. CST at T-Mobile Arena
After 34 career games, Rangers' Brennan Othmann finally recorded his first career NHL goal on Saturday afternoon against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The 23-year-old forward was able to blast a shot on the fastbreak past Flyers goaltender Aleksei Kolosov to make it a 3-1 game in the first period.
While it's his first NHL goal, Othmann has scored six times in the AHL this season with the Hartford Wolf Pack over 23 games. He has 39 career goals in the AHL across three seasons.
Some of the top names in the Detroit Tigers’ 2025 draft class may take a while to really get cooking. With the group headed by prep shortstop Jordan Yost and prep catcher Michael Oliveto, the Tigers are unlikely to see one of them rushing the upper levels anytime soon. In the meantime, eighth round pick OF Nick Dumesnil was among the few who got a brief look at Single-A Lakeland last summer. He showed enough to keep an eye on him as the California Baptist University product looks to push his way to West Michigan and beyond this year.
Dumesnil is a 6’2” 210 pound outfielder, and he was drafted at age 21, so he was on the youngish side for a junior in his draft class and won’t turn 22 until March. The Tigers paid him $214,500, just a modest bump over the minimum, so he was another pick to save money for their top targets. His college career was impressive despite his small school background. The center fielder hit 19 home runs in his sophomore year across 61 games and he showed out pretty well swinging wood bats in the Cape Cod League later that season.
By that point his draft stock had rocketed to where he was pretty universally viewed as an early round pick. However, his power output cooled as a junior as he had a little more trouble with breaking stuff. He still cracked 10 bombs in 57 games while stealing 27 bases and drew his walks. The strikeouts were up somewhat but he still made a good deal of hard contact. Even so, the down junior year chilled his draft stock in some quarters, though Baseball America still had him 52nd on their draft board in one of their final mock drafts last spring prior to the July draft.
Dumensil only played 16 games with Single-A Lakeland, so we can’t really take anything from the results, though they were modestly positive, but he showed off some interesting underlying traits. He walked much more than he struck out and his swinging strike rate was a very low 8.7 percent. He averaged 89.5 mph with his average exit velocity, which is really good by MLB standards, though again, this was just a couple weeks worth of games. Still, those are some intriguing numbers for a player who has size and also carries the speed to play a fairly solid center field right now. As a quality college hitter handling Single-A pretty quickly is mandatory, but the amount of hard contact was nice to see.
There are plenty of questions that will need to start being answered in 2026 as Dumesnil makes his full season pro debut. Still, there’s a chance that the Tigers landed a sleeper here with a lot of strong tools. He’s probably not a full-time center fielder in the long-term, but he looks like he’ll be able to capably handle all three outfield spots. His arm is solid, though not a prototypical right fielder’s cannon.
Dumesnil has a tendency to get out in front rather than sitting back to drive pitches to the pull field, but there’s time to work on it. He did produce a lot of ground balls and precious little hard contact in the air in Lakeland. Still, his size and his history say there’s a chance to develop average power, particularly if he can start driving the ball in the air more. He’s not a burner, but he has above average speed as well. Put those tools together with a history of making a lot of hard contact and pretty good zone discipline, and there’s a ton to like considering the price the Tigers paid to draft him.
We’ll just have to see how he handles a better, more consistent brand of breaking stuff and offspeed this season. A good goal would be for Dumesnil to hit his way to West Michigan by this summer and hold his own there.
LENS, France (AP) — Winger Wesley Saïd scored a brilliant goal to secure Lens' 10th consecutive win across all competitions and place atop the Ligue 1 standings on Saturday.
Lens defeated Auxerre 1-0 after Saïd controlled with his chest Malang Sarr’s cross into the box and finished with a left-footed volley from the bounce. The 65th-minute score was his eighth this season.
Lens, which claimed its only French title in 1998, stayed one point ahead of defending champion Paris Saint-Germain, which beat Lille on Friday.
Next-to-last in the standings, Auxerre was not intimidated by the buoyant crowd and posed a strong challenge to the host with intense pressing.
After a first half of few clear chances, Lens showed more intent and Matthieu Udol, set up by Adrien Thomasson, came close to breaking the deadlock. The ball fell back to Udol who struck again only for defender Fredrik Oppegård to block.
Udol then delivered a low cross toward the near post for Thomasson, whose effort went just wide. Lens kept pushing and was finally rewarded when Saïd slotted home.
Other matches
Toulouse hosted Nice later Saturday and third-place Marseille was at mid-table Angers.
PSG warmed up for next week's Champions League match at Sporting with a convincing 3-0 win over Lille on Friday. Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé scored a brace. Monaco fell to its seventh defeat in eight games, at home to Lorient 3-1.
