Sports
Maxime Raynaud, Stanford to test Clemson defense
Dec 21, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) dunks against Oregon Ducks guard Keeshawn Barthelemy (right) during the first half at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Clemson coach Brad Brownell said the Tigers’ ability to stick to the defensive plan tends to be a huge factor in the trajectory of games.
That figures to be even more crucial on Wednesday when Stanford arrives in Clemson, S.C., with the Atlantic Coast Conference’s leading scorer to kick off 2025.
Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud is the ACC leader in points (21.4) and rebounds (11.8) per game, while leading the country with 10 double-doubles in 12 games. The 7-footer is bound to give Clemson concerns with his versatility as he also tops the Cardinal with 21 baskets from 3-point range.
Both Clemson (10-3, 2-0 ACC) and Stanford (9-3, 1-0) have been off since Dec. 21, when Clemson defeated visiting Wake Forest 73-62 and Stanford fell 76-61 to former Pac-12 foe Oregon in a neutral-site game.
Clemson has widespread options on offense, with four players averaging more than nine points per game.
“Every game is different,” Brownell said. “Some of it is based on how the other team guards you.”
Jake Heidbreder provided Clemson with 15 points off the bench in the Wake Forest game, though he ranks seventh in team scoring this season with 5.1 points per game.
“It’s good to see Jake getting more comfortable and knocking a few shots down,” Brownell said.
Stanford coach Kyle Smith said the Cardinal are adjusting with some roster fluctuations. There has been progress for Stanford, even in defeats.
“We had some guys that made some positive steps,” Smith said. “… I think we are going to be good.”
Clemson has the fourth-most ACC victories (74) since the 2017-18 season. Stanford is a first-year ACC member.
The Cardinal’s only ACC game thus far came against Cal, so this will be the program’s first outing of the season against a traditional ACC team. Stanford guard Jaylen Blakes is familiar with Clemson from his three seasons at Duke. He’s the second-leading scorer for the Cardinal with 15.3 points per game.
Clemson’s only two losses since mid-November have come in overtime. Brownell said with the campus on holiday break there’s the likelihood that the home crowd might not be as amped up as normal for an ACC game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
FaZe Vegas won't be denied at CDL Championship grand final
Jul 19, 2019; Miami Beach, FL, USA; A general view of custom PlayStation controllers sold by a vender during the Call of Duty League Finals e-sports event at Miami Beach Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images FaZe Vegas completed an undefeated tournament run with a 5-2 victory over OpTic Texas on Sunday in the grand final of the 2026 Call of Duty League Championship in Las Vegas.
The victory was worth $800,000 in the $2 million prize pool, with OpTic Texas collecting $480,000.
American Chris “Simp” Lehr of FaZe Vegas was named tournament Most Valuable Player.
This was the final event and the world championship of the Black Ops 7 competitive season. Eight of 12 teams qualified for the CDL Championship in the regular season from Dec. 5, 2025 to June 29, led by first-place OpTic Texas (40-12, +69).
The playoff format was a double-elimination bracket, with all matches best-of-five except for Sunday’s grand final, which was best-of-nine.
OpTic Texas took the opening map, Colossus Hardpoint, 250-216. FaZe Vegas responded by capturing the next four maps to be on the brink of the championship.
Vegas won 6-5 on Raid Search and Destroy, 4-3 on Scar Overload, 250-194 on Scar Hardpoint and 6-5 on Den Search and Destroy.
Texas stayed alive with a 4-3 victory on Den Overload, before FaZe Vegas closed out with another close outcome, 6-5 on Hacienda Search and Destroy.
Zack “Drazah” Jordan paced FaZe Vegas with a match-high 153 kills for a plus-23 kill-death differential. Teammate Jordan “Abuzah” Francois of Belgium posted 151 kills and a match-best plus-40 K-D differential. All four Vegas players had positive differentials.
All four OpTic players were in the negative, with Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro recording a team-best 129 kills but also a team-worst 156 deaths for a minus-27 K-D differential.
FaZe Vegas went unscathed in the tournament, downing G2 Minnesota 3-1, the Riyadh Falcons 3-0 and OpTic Texas 3-2 in the upper bracket to advance to the grand final.
OpTic Texas opened with a sweep of the Miami Heretics 3-0, then topped the Paris Gentle Mates 3-1. After losing to Vegas and dropping to the elimination side of the bracket, Texas beat the Falcons 3-1 on Saturday to get another shot at FaZe.
Call of Duty League Championship prize pool
1. $800,000, FaZe Vegas
2. $480,000, OpTic Texas
3. $320,000, Riyadh Falcons
4. $160,000, Paris Gentle Mates
5-6. $80,000, Miami Heretics, G2 Minnesota
7-8. $40,000, Los Angeles Thieves, Toronto KOI
–Field Level Media
Sports
IndyCar Series race at Nashville postponed to Monday
NTT IndyCar Series Santino Ferrucci’s car his pushed back to the garage during a weather delay at the Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn., Sunday, July 19, 2026 The Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix was postponed to Monday at 3 p.m. ET after inclement weather delayed the start of the race Sunday evening before a second round of storms made racing impossible.
The 12th race of the IndyCar season was slated for Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn.
The official X account of the IndyCar Series initially posted that the race, scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start, was on hold until the end of the FIFA World Cup final. Fox broadcasts both the World Cup and the IndyCar series, and the Spain-Argentina final required extra time and went past 5:30 ET before Spain prevailed 1-0.
Then came the rain. Race organizers worked to dry the track after a storm passed through the Nashville area, and because the track has floodlights, there was a chance to fit in the race Sunday night.
But another powerful storm ripped through. As a Fox host describing the scene put it, “The dry track has been utterly sodden in a sudden and almighty deluge.”
Andretti Global driver Kyle Kirkwood will hold pole position when drivers bring their cars to the starting line Monday afternoon.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Paige Buckers leaves game after collision, hitting head on floor
Jul 19, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) and Los Angeles Sparks guard Erica Wheeler (17) react after a play during the second half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images Dallas Wings star guard Paige Bueckers suffered a scary fall late in her team’s 90-82 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday in Arlington, Texas, leaving with 3:33 to play and not returning.
As Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike was dribbling down the court, she was fouled and lost her balance. She tumbled into the legs of Bueckers and the second-year player fell straight back, landing on her back.
The back of Bueckers’ head appeared to hit the floor when she fell and the 24-year-old immediately grabbed her head.
After lying face down on the floor briefly, Bueckers walked off the court on her own but with members of the Wings’ staff flanking her as she continued to hold her head and had a slight limp.
Before walking off the court, she hugged Ogwumike after the two got up. Both players were selected to the WNBA All-Star Game on July 25 in Chicago.
Bueckers finished with a game-high 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting, including 2 of 4 from 3-point range, as well as five assists and four rebounds in 32 minutes. Ogwumike led the Sparks (10-15) with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
There was no update provided on Bueckers’ status after the game. Last season’s rookie of the year after being selected No. 1 overall out of Connecticut, Bueckers entered the day averaging 20.7 points and 6.3 assists while shooting 38.1% from distance.
The Wings are now 17-8, fourth in the WNBA and a half-game behind the Las Vegas Aces for third place.
–Field Level Media
FaZe Vegas won't be denied at CDL Championship grand final
IndyCar Series race at Nashville postponed to Monday
