Sports
No. 5 Illinois rolls to 12th straight win, routing Northwestern
Feb 4, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) drives past Northwestern Wildcats forward Tre Singleton (8) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images Andrej Stojakovic scored 17 points to lead five players in double figures as fifth-ranked Illinois blitzed visiting Northwestern 84-44 on Wednesday in Champaign, Ill., to earn its 12th straight win.
Torrid long-range shooting and effective ball movement boosted Illinois (20-3, 11-1 Big Ten), which led by as many as 49 points.
The Illini had 20 assists on 28 made baskets while shooting 48.3%. That included 17 3-pointers.
Ben Humrichous, Zvonimir Ivisic and Keaton Wagler each scored 13 points while swishing three treys apiece. David Mirkovic hit four 3s and finished with 12 points.
Northwestern struggled to 29.2% shooting while falling 14 points shy of its previous season low. The Wildcats (10-13, 2-10) started 1-for-16 from 3-point range and finished 4-of-25.
Nick Martinelli, who entered play as the top scorer in the Big Ten at 23.7 points per game, had four points on 2-for-10 shooting. Tre Singleton paced the Wildcats with eight points and Jayden Reid scored seven.
Tomislav Ivisic grabbed 12 rebounds to help the Illini finish plus-27 on the glass. He added five assists to match Wagler for the team lead.
Northwestern stayed afloat in the early going, taking a 7-5 lead on a Tyler Kropp jumper with 15:57 to go in the first half. Jake Davis hit a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession and the Illini never looked back.
The trey sparked Illinois to a 25-2 run over the next seven minutes, a surge that included long-distance makes from five different players. Humrichous paced the barrage with three 3s during the spurt.
Illinois rolled to a 47-19 lead at the break behind 51.7% accuracy from the floor that featured 11 first-half treys. Wagler punctuated the dominance and sent the State Farm Center crowd into a frenzy when he banked home a 3 from just inside midcourt to beat the buzzer.
Wagler led all scorers with 10 first-half points.
Illinois earned a sweep of Northwestern for the first time since 2021-22 while defeating its in-state rival in Champaign for the 10th straight game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bucks waive Cam Thomas to convert Pete Nance's contract
Suns guard Jalen Green (4) drives against Bucks forward Pete Nance (35) during a game at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on March 21, 2026. The Milwaukee Bucks converted forward Pete Nance’s two-way contract to a fully guaranteed deal.
The Bucks waived guard Cam Thomas in a corresponding move prior to their game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. Thomas, 24, signed with the team as a free agent on Feb. 8 and averaged 10.7 points in 18 games off the bench with Milwaukee.
As for Nance, he was elated with the notion of receiving a new deal. The contract made him available to play in the team’s final 11 games this season and runs through the 2026-27 campaign.
“To be able to be in this spot is just awesome,” Nance said after the Bucks’ shootaround, per the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “Obviously I’m super thankful for the Bucks for giving me the opportunity. I think it’s just a testament to growth and the work that I’ve done and the experience that I’ve had over the years.”
Nance, 26, is averaging 4.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 12.1 minutes in 37 games off the bench this season.
Thomas was benched after playing just three minutes against the Atlanta Hawks on March 14. He was held out of consecutive games on March 15 and 17 due to what was listed as a coach’s decision before returning to the court against the Utah Jazz last Thursday.
“There are things we don’t need to talk about,” Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said, per the newspaper. “That’s not anybody’s business. Like I said before, that’s where as a coach you have to make decisions on what’s best for the team at that time. People don’t understand that. They start talking about other stuff. And, that’s not for anyone to know.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Buccaneers, LB Lavonte David schedule news conference
Jan 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) warms up before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Veteran Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David is scheduled to hold a news conference on Tuesday afternoon at the team facility.
The Buccaneers did not divulge an official reason for the conference, however speculation is strong that David will announce his retirement from the NFL.
David, 36, is a free agent after spending his entire 14-year career with Tampa Bay.
He recorded 114 tackles, 3.5 sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries while starting all 17 games last season. It was his 12th season with triple-digit tackles.
An All-Pro selection in 2013 and a Pro Bowl selection in 2015, David has 1,716 tackles, 42.5 sacks, 14 interceptions, 33 forced fumbles and 21 fumble recoveries in 215 games (all starts).
David was selected by Tampa Bay in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft out of Nebraska.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Mikaela Shiffrin on cusp of season World Cup title
Feb 18, 2026; Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy; Gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States celebrates during the medal ceremony for the women’s slalom during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-Imagn Images Mikaela Shiffrin will ski Wednesday for the season World Cup overall title.
Heading into the giant slalom, the final race of the season, Shiffrin has an 85-point lead over Emma Aicher of Germany.
Shiffrin won her ninth slalom in 10 World Cup starts this season on Tuesday, earning 100 points. She increased her overall lead on Aicher, who finished third to grab 60 points.
To take the title, Aicher must win the race — a discipline in which she never has finished higher than fourth — and hope that Shiffrin finishes worse than 15th.
Shiffrin, 31, is striving to win her sixth overall World Cup title, which would tie her with Annemarie Moser-Proll. The Austrian won five season titles from 1971-75 and the final one in 1979.
The 2026 Olympic champion in the slalom, Shiffrin won the World Cup title in consecutive years from 2017-19 and again in 2022 and 2023.
With her slalom win on Tuesday, Shiffrin earned her 110th career victory on the World Cup circuit, extending her lead over Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden, who won 86 before his retirement in 1989.
–Field Level Media
Wordle today: Answer, hints for March 25, 2026
Hurdle hints and answers for March 25, 2026
