Sports
Cal aims to avoid NCAA Tournament resume pitfall vs. Georgia Tech
Jan 24, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; California Golden Bears forward John Camden (2) drives the ball around Stanford Cardinal guard Jeremy Dent-Smith (25) during the second half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images Two teams headed in opposite directions in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings will meet for the first time in Berkeley, Calif., when Georgia Tech and Cal duel on Wednesday night.
The Golden Bears (16-6, 4-5 ACC) enter the contest riding the momentum of two of their biggest wins in the last decade – an 84-78 home triumph over then-No. 14 North Carolina in their most recent home contest and an 86-85 road victory at Miami (Fla.) on Saturday.
Having won three of its last four, Cal suddenly finds itself being discussed nationally as an NCAA Tournament bubble team as it pursues its first Big Dance visit since 2016.
The focus must be on Georgia Tech, Cal coach Mark Madsen insisted in the wake of the dramatic win at Miami last weekend.
“We’re hoping for a nice, long postseason opportunity,” he assured reporters. “But we have to focus on the present right now. Our message is … focus everything on recovery, on preparation, on film, on exerting every ounce of energy on practice and the games.
“Exert yourself on the process of what we’re trying to do. If we do those things, we’re very hopeful.”
The Golden Bears will get their first opportunity to exact a measure of revenge against Georgia Tech (11-11, 2-7), which pulled out a 90-88 overtime thriller at home when the clubs dueled for the first time as ACC foes last February.
It could prove to be a tall task for the Bears, who were down to their fourth big man – seldom-used DK Dut – due to injuries and foul trouble for a key stretch of the Miami game. The South Sudan native, who had played a total of 26 minutes previously, had a difference-making tip-in and two blocks to help stall the Hurricanes.
The key to a repeat success over Cal, Georgia Tech coach Damon Stoudamire indicated this week, will be to get the type of production from big man Baye Ndongo that he had in a 26-point, 13-rebound performance against Cal in last year’s meeting.
After having been held to a total of 25 points in his previous three games, Ndongo came to life with a 27-point explosion in a 91-75 home loss to North Carolina last Saturday, which was the Yellow Jackets’ sixth defeat in their last seven outings.
It could have been a bigger game for the 2025 All-ACC selection if not for a general inability to get the ball inside which resulted in just 12 shot attempts for the dominant big man.
“We just have to be better in our decision-making,” Stoudamire said. ” … You can’t have live-ball turnovers. That’s a killer. It’s like a pick-six in football. You know what I mean? It’s draining.”
-Field Level Media
Sports
Argentina club looking to lure Lionel Messi home in 2027
Dec 6, 2025; Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA; Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) looks on with the Philip F. Anschutz trophy after winning the 2025 MLS Cup against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Chase Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Argentina club Newell’s Old Boys is working on a plan to bring two-time MLS MVP Lionel Messi home next year.
A team executive confirmed that it’s trying to entice Messi to return to his boyhood club for the first half of 2027.
“It’s a project that goes beyond Newell’s. It involves the city of Rosario, the province, and Argentine football,” first vice president Juan Manuel Medina said, according to an ESPN story published Wednesday.
Messi, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner as the world’s best player, signed an extension with defending MLS Cup champion Inter Miami in October that runs through the end of the 2028.
Messi, 38, played for Newell’s youth teams from 1995-2000 before moving to the FC Barcelona academy.
Inter Miami will open the 2026 MLS season on Feb. 21 at Los Angeles FC. Messi also is preparing to defend Argentina’s World Cup championship this summer in North America.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lindsey Vonn's coach, Stefon Diggs confident she can ski with ACL injury
[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Feb 3, 2026; Cortina d’Ampezzo, ITALY; Lindsey Vonn attends a press conference at a press conference at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in preparation for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Mandatory Credit: Leonhard Foeger/Reuters via Imagn Images Lindsey Vonn’s coach and New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs are confident that the American skiing great can compete at the Milano Cortina Olympics with a ruptured ACL in her left knee.
Vonn, 41, is set to try her luck in the women’s downhill race on Sunday
“I’m pretty confident that she can still pull off this dream,” Vonn’s head coach Chris Knight told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “I’ve got no doubts in my mind that this is going to be OK.”
Knight’s comments came one day after Vonn said that she’s not interested in discussing surgery at the moment.
“It’s not really on my radar screen right now. The Olympics are the only thing that I’m thinking about,” she said. “Every day my knee’s gotten better. And every day we’re discussing with a full medical team, doctors, physios, everyone, to make sure we’re doing everything to make sure I am making smart and safe decisions.”
Diggs knows a thing or two about a torn ACL. His lone season with the Houston Texans in 2024 was cut short by the same injury.
“Prayers to her. I hope the surgery does go well when she does have it,” Diggs said Wednesday of Vonn. “Anybody who has torn an ACL, it’s kind of a weird injury. You can run after about two weeks when the swelling goes down. … As long as she doesn’t have to (decelerate), she should be fine.”
Like Vonn, Diggs has a big day ahead on Sunday. Diggs and the Patriots will face the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, Calif.
As for Vonn, she must complete at least one official training run to take part in the Sunday downhill. Vonn is no stranger to the mountain. She collected 12 of her 84 World Cup victories there, the most of any skier.
Vonn earned gold (downhill) and bronze (Super-G) medals at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and a bronze medal in the downhill at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
Vonn retired after the 2019 world championships due to injuries. She subsequently received a partial replacement of her right knee and launched a comeback late in 2024 with the Olympics in her sights.
She has won the downhill twice this winter and leads the World Cup standings in the discipline and was considered a favorite to win the gold medal in the event in Italy.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Washington Post shutters sports department
Sep 15, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos in attendance before the Kansas City Chiefs play against the Los Angeles Chargers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images The Washington Post shuttered its venerable sports department on Wednesday, part of a larger layoff involving one-third of the newspaper’s staff.
“The Washington Post is taking a number of difficult but decisive actions today for our future, in what amounts to a significant restructuring across the company,” a Post spokesperson said in a statement. “These steps are designed to strengthen our footing and sharpen our focus on delivering the distinctive journalism that sets The Post apart and, most importantly, engages our customers.”
Executive editor Matt Murray announced the changes in a video conference with employees.
The move comes with Post reporters already on site covering Super Bowl LX and the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
“It’s like somebody taking a hammer to my heart,” Sally Jenkins, who wrote a Post sports column until she left the paper last summer, told The Ringer. “It’s not just broken. It’s broken into about 20 pieces, one for every single one of my close friends there.”
Some sports reporters are expected to move into other roles, but the exact number was not reported.
A skeleton crew will continue to produce what Murray described as features about sports as a “cultural and societal phenomenon.”
The Post has undergone repeated changes, downsizings and reinventions since Amazon chief Jeff Bezos purchased the paper in 2013.
In addition to cutting the sports pages, the Post is reducing its international footprint, making the Metro section more “nimble and focused” and eliminating the Books section.
–Field Level Media
Argentina club looking to lure Lionel Messi home in 2027
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