Sports
No. 14 Mississippi State bids to keep guard up vs. No. 20 Missouri
Jan 29, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Josh Hubbard (12) drives to the basket against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images No. 14 Mississippi State has suffered two close losses at home this season against top-tier Southeastern Conference teams.
But the league will provide the Bulldogs (16-5, 4-4) many more opportunities to win at home, such as Saturday afternoon against No. 20 Missouri in Starkville, Miss.
The Bulldogs will try to respond positively to their 88-84 home loss to No. 4 Alabama on Wednesday. As with their 95-90 defeat to then-No. 6 Kentucky on Jan. 11, they let a potential hallmark victory slip away.
“At this point, I would just say we are not a Top 10 team,” Mississippi State coach Chris Jans said. “I don’t like saying or admitting that because I like this team. I am confident and believe in this group. We have to stay the course.”
The Bulldogs already have a strong case for an NCAA Tournament bid, given their victories at Memphis and Vanderbilt and at home against Pitt and Ole Miss.
Now Mississippi State is in a stretch of facing four ranked teams in a span of five games. Missouri (16-4, 5-2) has two Top 10 victories this season, over Kansas at home and at Florida, in addition to wins over conference foes Vanderbilt and Ole Miss at home.
The challenges just keep coming in the SEC.
“We just have to stay the course,” Mississippi State guard Claudell Harris Jr. said. “Just keep our head in the right space and remember we are still that team who has beat ranked teams. SEC play is a gauntlet, and you will have your ups and downs, but at the end of the day, you just have to keep fighting. We will get back.”
The Bulldogs are led by guard Josh Hubbard, who averages 17.3 points and 3.0 assists per game. He scored 38 points against Alabama.
KeShawn Murphy (10.8), Harris (10.6) and Riley Kugel (10.2) also are averaging in double figures in scoring.
Missouri, meanwhile, rebounded from a 61-53 loss at Texas on Jan. 21 by beating then-No. 16 Ole Miss 83-75 at home last Saturday.
After bogging down offensively against the Longhorns, the Tigers re-established their ball movement vs. the Rebels. Missouri coach Dennis Gates wants his team attacking the basket in its half-court offense and earning free throws.
Against Ole Miss, the Tigers did a better job of passing the ball out to 3-point line after drawing double-teams in the lane.
“I felt like there was a lot of times where someone drove in there, they played off two feet, they drew two (defenders), kick, kick, and we were getting open looks when we were attacking the paint,” said Missouri guard Caleb Grill, who scored 22 against the Rebels.
Missouri has been a much-improved defensive team this season, which has helped them overcome stretches of cold shooting.
“Our mindset was to not let the defensive side of the ball be dictated on if we were making or missing shots or not,” said Tigers guard Tamar Bates, who scored 26 points against Ole Miss. “Because we came in with a mindset to get stops and play defense, and to stop the man in front of us, and to help the helper if somebody gets beat, that in turn gave us energy and gave the ball energy and just helped us make shots.”
Bates leads the balanced Missouri offense with an average of 13.5 points per game. Mark Mitchell (13.1), Grill (12.7) and Anthony Robinson II (10.2) also are averaging in double digits.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Hurricanes’ Jordan Staal wins 2026 Conn Smythe Trophy
Jun 14, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal (11) raises the the Stanley Cup after the win against the Vegas Golden Knights in game six of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images Carolina captain Jordan Staal was voted the 2026 Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the most valuable player in the playoffs following the Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup-clinching 3-0 Game 6 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights Sunday evening in Las Vegas.
Staal, 37, had scored goals in five straight games coming into the deciding contest, tying a Stanley Cup Final record which had stood for 70 years.
He had six goals in the finals overall and two goals in previous rounds, which coupled with his four assists gave him 12 points during his team’s championship run.
Staal became the oldest player to ever win the award.
“I learned a lot about perseverance and trusting God,” Staal said in a postgame interview. “It’s been such a grind.
“I just wanted to win so bad.”
In his 14th season with the Hurricanes after six seasons with Pittsburgh, Staal totaled 36 points (20 goals) during the 2025-26 regular season.
The center won his second Stanley Cup, 17 years after his first. That gap marked the largest in NHL history.
“This is something I’ve been going after ever since we got the first one,” Staal said in the postgame broadcast. “You want to win it again and again and again.”
Selected by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, the Smythe award is named for former Toronto Maple Leafs coach, manager, president and owner-governor Conn Smythe.
The Florida Panthers’ Sam Bennett was the 2025 winner of the award. Prior to that in 2024, the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid became just the sixth player to ever win the award playing for the finals loser.
Previous notable winners include Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby — each of whom won the award twice) — Patrick Roy (the only three-time winner), Steve Yzerman and Alex Ovechkin.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Forget 2026 … Hurricanes favored to win it all in 2027
Jun 14, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour celebrates holding the Stanley Cup after the win against the Vegas Golden Knights in game six of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images After completing one of the most dominant runs in Stanley Cup playoff history in Las Vegas on Sunday, the Carolina Hurricanes found themselves atop another list synonymous with Sin City.
The betting odds.
Shortly after the Hurricanes defeated the host Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 to win the Stanley Cup Final in six games, the oddsmakers placed Carolina as the early favorite to win the Cup next season.
DraftKings put the Hurricanes at +700 (a winning bet would return $7 for every $1 wagered), slightly ahead of the Colorado Avalanche (+800) and then the Golden Knights (+850). They are the only teams with odds better than +1000.
If the Hurricanes were to repeat, they would do so on the heels of the Florida Panthers, who won the Cup in each of the previous two seasons. Another team in the Southeast — the Tampa Bay Lightning — won back-to-back Cups in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
A repeat would also make the Hurricanes the fourth team in the last 12 years to go back-to-back, as the Pittsburgh Penguins lifted the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017.
The Hurricanes need just 19 games to run through the playoffs, sweeping the Ottawa Senators in the first round and the Philadelphia Flyers in the second before dropping the first game of the Eastern Conference finals to the Montreal Canadiens. They responded with four straight wins, then split the first four games with Vegas before winning the final two.
The Edmonton Oilers hold the record for fewest playoff games needed to win the Cup, going 16-2 in the 1988 postseason.
DraftKings places the Panthers and Oilers at +1100 to win it all next season, followed by Tampa Bay at +1200.
DraftKings odds to win the Stanley Cup in 2027
Carolina Hurricanes (+700)
Colorado Avalanche (+800)
Vegas Golden Knights (+850)
Florida Panthers (+1100)
Edmonton Oilers (+1100)
Tampa Bay Lightning (+1200)
Minnesota Wild (+1400)
Dallas Stars (+1500)
Ottawa Senators (+1600)
Montreal Canadiens (+2200)
Buffalo Sabres (+2500)
Anaheim Ducks (+2500)
Utah Mammoth (+3000)
New Jersey Devils (+3000)
Los Angeles Kings (+3000)
Columbus Blue Jackets (+3500)
Toronto Maple Leafs (+4000)
Washington Capitals (+5000)
Philadelphia Flyers (+5000)
Pittsburgh Penguins (+5500)
Boston Bruins (+6000)
San Jose Sharks (+6500)
New York Islanders (+6500)
Winnipeg Jets (+7000)
St. Louis Blues (+7500)
New York Rangers (+8000)
Detroit Red Wings (+8000)
Nashville Predators (+10000)
Seattle Kraken (+20000)
Chicago Blackhawks (+25000)
Vancouver Canucks (+50000)
Calgary Flames (+50000)
–Field Level Media
Sports
Team Liquid still unblemished at OWCS Stage 2
YMCA member Austin Manengu works the keyboard as he plays a game of Fortnite during the unveiling of the new gaming lab at the Maplewood Family YMCA in Rochester Thursday, June 20, 2024. YMCA of Greater Rochester in partnership with Metro Sports & Entertainment Group will open two gaming labs for youth and teens this year. Team Liquid is alone atop of the standings at 2-0 after regular-season play Sunday for Stage 2 of North American qualifying for the Overwatch Champions Series.
A 3-1 win over LuneX Gaming kept Team Liquid at the top, while Dallas Fuel notched their first win in sweeping last-place The Kafe, 3-0, in the day’s other match.
The six teams in contention will engage in round-robin matches during the regular season, with the top four qualifying for the regional playoffs, which will be double-elimination. All matches are best-of-five until the grand final, which will be best-of-seven.
In addition to the $75,000 prize pool, the top four Stage 2 finishers will advance to Stage 3. The three finishers will also qualify for the Midseason Championship.
To kick off Sunday play, Dallas Fuel handled The Kafe, winning 2-0 on Ilios, 3-1 on New Junk City and 3-2 on Numbani.
Team Liquid rebounded from a 2-1 loss to LuneX Gaming on Ilios with three straight victories on Rialto (4-3), King’s Row (5-4) and Runasapi (138.25m-125.14m).
Week 2 schedule
June 20
–LuneX Gaming vs. Disguised
–Spacestation Gaming vs. The Kafe
June 21
–Spacestation Gaming vs. LuneX Gaming
–The Kafe vs. Disguised
–Dallas Fuel vs. Team Liquid
Standings (team, record, match differential)
1. Team Liquid, 2-0, +4
2. Spacestation Gaming, 1-0, +3
3. LuneX Gaming, 1-1, +1
4. Dallas Fuel, 1-1, 0
5. Disguised, 0-1, -2
6. The Kafe, 0-2, -6
Prize pool:
1. $30,000, qualifies for Midseason Invitational, qualifies for NA Stage 3
2. $15,000, qualifies for Midseason Invitational, qualifies for NA Stage 3
3. $12,000, qualifies for Midseason Invitational, qualifies for NA Stage 3
4. $8,000, qualifies for NA Stage 3
5-6. $5,000, qualifies for NA Stage 2 promotion/relegation
–Field Level Media
Hurricanes’ Jordan Staal wins 2026 Conn Smythe Trophy
Forget 2026 … Hurricanes favored to win it all in 2027
