Sports
Ice dancers help US hold lead in team skating event
Feb 6, 2026; Milan, Italy; Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States compete in ice dance rhythm dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images MILAN — Ilia Malinin made his anticipated Olympic debut at the Milan Cortina Games on Saturday and despite being upstaged by Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, the U.S. extended their lead in the team event thanks to the ice dancing of Madison Chock and Evan Bates.
Going on to the ice last in the men’s short program, Malinin executed two soaring quadruple jumps and a crowd-pleasing backflip but his performance was far from flawless.
The American, who is expected to become the first competitor ever to land a quadruple Axel at the Olympics when the men’s individual competition begins on Tuesday, opted to play it safe by executing a triple Axel – but even that did not go to plan as he failed to land it cleanly.
The 21-year-old looked stunned when his score of 98.00 points flashed up on the big screen, leaving him well behind his closest rival Kagiyama, who delivered an exhilarating performance for 108.67 points.
But a sensational skate by ice dance veterans and team leaders Chock and Bates lifted the U.S. as they notched a season-best score of 133.23, prompting a beaming Malinin to wrap his arms around the couple in the Kiss and Cry area.
The U.S. lead the standings with a total of 44 points, followed by Japan (39), Italy (37), Canada (35), and Georgia (32). Medals will be decided after the final three events on Sunday.
France, South Korea, China, Britain and Poland were eliminated from the competition earlier in the day.
PACING HIMSELF
Malinin sought to downplay the upset, saying he was building up to the individual competition, where the two-time world champion is the runaway gold-medal favorite.
“I presumed to come into this team competition with only 50% of my full potential,” he told reporters.
“So that’s what I felt like here today. That’s the way I paced myself leading up to the individual.”
Asked about some of his landings being shaky, he said: “It’s Olympic ice. I’m sure a lot of people would feel that.”
Kagiyama could not contain his excitement, leaping to his feet when his score was posted and enthusiastically embracing his teammates.
“I did a perfect performance,” the 2022 Beijing Games silver medalist said.
“I did well today, so I’m satisfied, but for the individual competition, I have to make it even better.”
Thanks to his quad-heavy programs and explosive style, Malinin is one of the Games’ top draws.
But the Vienna, Va., native also comes into his first Olympics shouldering a heavy weight of expectation after winning 14 competitions in a row and going undefeated since Nov. 2023.
CHOCK AND BATES SHINE
Chock and Bates, who won a gold in the team event in Beijing four years ago, sent a message that they are coming for gold in their individual event with an aggressive dance to an instrumental version of the Rolling Stones’ classic “Paint it Black.”
“I believe in momentum. I think it’s proven to work in sports, and it feels like there’s something special out there in that atmosphere, on Olympic ice,” Bates said.
“We’re really happy with how we skated so far at this event, and especially happy to contribute meaningfully to the team.”
Sunday’s team finale will feature pairs, women’s and men’s free skates.
Malinin did not know whether he would perform on Sunday.
“I haven’t decided yet,” he said.
“I’ll go back and talk with a lot of people and really just make a decision whether it’s going to be worth it for me.”
Chock, who is competing in her fourth and possibly final Games with husband Bates, said she was confident in the team regardless of who takes the ice on Sunday.
“I think our team is incredibly strong, arguably as strong as it’s ever been,” she told reporters.
“I have the utmost faith in them, and I’ll be proud of them no matter what the outcome is.”
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Cubs place RHP Cade Horton (forearm) on 15-day IL
Mar 28, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Cade Horton (22) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images The Chicago Cubs placed right-handed starter Cade Horton on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a right forearm strain.
The move is retroactive to Saturday for Horton, who exited Friday’s start against the host Cleveland Guardians after one-plus inning and 17 pitches.
Horton retired the side in order in the first inning before walking Kyle Manzardo on five pitches to open the second. He left the game with the Cubs’ head trainer. The Guardians went on to win 4-1.
“I had some tightness in my wrist and as the game went on, it went into my forearm,” Horton said on Friday. “I wanted to err on the cautious side and not hurt anything else. I just wanted to be smart about it and make a smart decision.”
Horton lowered his ERA to 2.45 on Friday after he yielded two runs in 6 1/3 innings in the Cubs’ 10-2 win over the Washington Nationals on March 28. It is the 24-year-old’s second season in the major leagues.
He was 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA in his rookie season.
Also on Sunday, the Cubs recalled left-hander Riley Martin from Triple-A Iowa and tabbed right-hander Ethan Roberts as the 27th man for Sunday’s doubleheader against the Guardians.
Martin, 28, has yet to pitch in a major league game. He is 24-13 with a 3.76 ERA in 174 career appearances (three starts) in the minors.
–Field Level Media
Sports
UConn G Solo Ball nursing foot injury, uncertain for title game
Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; UConn Huskies guard Solo Ball (1) dunks against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second half of a semifinal of the Final Four of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images UConn guard Solo Ball’s availability for Monday’s national championship game against Michigan is in question as he deals with “some type of a foot sprain,” per head coach Dan Hurley.
Hurley told reporters that Ball was in a walking boot and will not practice Sunday, one day after the Huskies’ 71-62 victory over Illinois in the Final Four.
“It’s going to be tough to get an MRI on Easter, on a Sunday,” Hurley said.
Ball contributed 13 points and two assists in 28 minutes during the win over the Fighting Illini. The 6-foot-4 guard is averaging 12.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 38 games (all starts) this season for UConn, which will vie for its third national title in four years Monday.
If Ball is unable to play, it likely would put more of the onus on freshman guard Braylon Mullins. Malachi Smith and Jayden Ross likely will see additional playing time as well.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Michigan heavy favorite to complete dominant title run vs. UConn
Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) high fives forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) during the second half in a semifinal of the Final Four of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images UConn has won two of the past three national championships but will enter Monday night’s title game against Michigan as a heavy underdog.
That’s because the top-seeded Wolverines have blitzed through their first five games of the NCAA Tournament, winning by an average of 21.6 points. That includes an 18-point dismantling of fellow No. 1 seed Arizona on Saturday night in a game that wasn’t even as close as the final score.
UConn, the No. 2 seed in the East, followed a dramatic upset of No. 1 Duke in the Elite Eight with a systematic breakdown of No. 3 seed Illinois. Still, the Huskies will enter Monday night as the underdog for their third consecutive game.
Michigan was a consensus 7.0-point favorite across major sportsbooks on Sunday, with the Wolverines seeking to become the first Big Ten team to win the national title since the 1999-2000 season.
The line was sitting at 6.5 points at both BetMGM and DraftKings, where the line opened at 7.5. The total points line at 144.5 at both books. At DraftKings, the shortest odds on the winning margin was Michigan to win by 3-6 points at +425, followed by a Wolverines victory by 10-13 points at +450. UConn’s shortest odds for a victory were 3-6 points at +800.
The Wolverines are the 10th Big Ten team to reach the final in a season that began this century, but the most recent team to cut down the nets remains Michigan State in 1999-2000. Michigan looking to complete a turnaround that saw the program stumble to an 8-24 finish just two years ago.
UConn is in the final for the third time in four years, but will go up against a Michigan team that already is the first in history to score at least 90 points five times in a single NCAA Tournament.
“We know it’s just one more, so we’re going to try to get it,” Michigan’s Aday Mara said after Saturday’s beat down of Arizona.
The Huskies certainly have recent history on their site, and coach Dan Hurley will enter Monday night with a 350-179 career coaching record along with that pair of national titles. No program has won three in a four-year span since the 1972-75 UCLA Bruins.
UConn has 18 wins this season in which it has held its opponent under 40 percent shooting, and the Huskies held Illinois to 33.9% shooting from three-point range on Saturdya.
“We’re a group of fighters. It’s not appealing to everyone,” Hurley said. “I’m sure there’s some people in here that it’s off-putting for. But we are a group of fighters. We are incredibly tough. We’ve got incredible will. We go into these games, we’re ready for battle.
“Again, for us it’s not a game that we’re just kind of running around in uniforms throwing the ball around, hoping it goes in. That’s not what we’re doing out there. We’re fighting. It’s a life-and-death struggle for us to get to Monday night for the opportunity to win a championship, and then just to be able to prolong this season with each other and to make the people of Connecticut proud, to make the university proud and all the former great players.”
–Field Level Media
Cubs place RHP Cade Horton (forearm) on 15-day IL
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