Sports
No. 17 St. John's visits Providence intent on revenge
Jan 3, 2026; New York, New York, USA; St. John’s Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) looks to post up against Providence Friars forward Cole Hargrove (13) in the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images No. 17 St. John’s seeks revenge for its lone Big East loss when it treks north to Providence on Saturday afternoon.
The Red Storm (19-5, 12-1) have rattled off a 10-game winning streak since the Friars (11-14, 4-10) walked into Madison Square Garden on Jan. 3 and claimed a 77-71 win.
St. John’s extended its run to 10 games on Monday with an 87-82 overtime home victory over coach Rick Pitino’s son, Richard, and Xavier.
The interior duo of Zuby Ejiofor (25 points, seven rebounds, five assists) and Providence transfer Bryce Hopkins (19 points, nine rebounds) was crucial against the Musketeers, combining to shoot 13 of 22 from the field and provide St. John’s with half of its scoring.
“When the game was on the line, really, Bryce Hopkins won the game,” Pitino said. “He made big plays for us on the defensive end, and he was outstanding in the final seven, eight minutes.”
Hopkins hopes to carry that momentum into his second chance against his former team. When St. John’s and Providence met on Jan. 3, he was held to just nine points on 3-of-13 shooting. He has only one single-digit scoring effort since.
Ejiofor, who scored six of his 25 points in overtime against Xavier, leads the Red Storm in points (16.3 per game), rebounds (7.5), assists (3.5) and blocks (2.0).
“He’s one of five players that brings it every day in practice, every day in individuals, every game, in my life,” Pitino said. “He brings it every day, every game. Like Daniss Jenkins (at Iona and St. John’s), like Mark Pope of Kentucky, like Billy Donovan at Providence. When you bring it every day, you get better and better and better.”
Providence showed some good in an 87-80 Wednesday loss at Seton Hall, converting a season-high 14 3-pointers (nine in the first half) and holding a lead for more than half of the game while also outrebounding the Pirates.
Jaylin Sellers continued his emergence as one of the Big East’s top scorers, leading the Friars with 23 points on five 3-pointers. The UCF transfer has averaged 26.7 points over the last three games while hitting 14 of 24 (58.3%) from 3-point range.
But, simply, coach Kim English’s team was unable to take care of the basketball against the Pirates. Sellers committed as many turnovers (five) as Seton Hall.
“Our shooters took and made good shots (in the first half),” English said. “I didn’t feel like our shot quality in the second half was great, but 18 turnovers, you have no chance on the road.”
All those turnovers certainly do not help Providence’s defensive struggles. The Friars are allowing 85.6 points per game — 8.2 more than the next-worst Big East teams entering Saturday’s play. They also give up the most 3-pointers (240) at the worst accuracy rate (37.2%) and have the worst turnover margin in the conference (-1.6 per game).
“Our defense is already struggling, but steals don’t make it any easier,” English said.
The Friars remained short-handed from a personnel standpoint against Seton Hall. Jamier Jones (12.1 ppg) did not play and Ryan Mela was a game-time decision who played just 16 minutes due to illness.
Even on the Friars’ home floor, English knows the Storm will present a major challenge.
“They’ve had some big wins, some tough wins where they’ve had to gut it out,” English said. “Dillon Mitchell is playing as (well) as anyone in the league, Zuby is the player of the year in our league, Dylan Darling, they’re playing really well.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ilia Malinin making history with skating's first Olympic backflip in decades
Feb 10, 2026; Milan, Italy; Ilia Malinin of the United States of America competes in men’s singles short program during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images MILAN, Italy — When Ilia Malinin launched himself into a backflip at the Milan Cortina Olympics, it detonated through the crowd like a firecracker and even brought tennis great Novak Djokovic to his feet with his hands on his head in disbelief.
The 21-year-old double world champion landed the first legal Olympic backflip since American Terry Kubicka in 1976, when he helped clinch gold for the U.S. in the team event in Milan on Sunday.
The crowd will get another chance to see Malinin’s maneuver when he takes the ice for Friday’s men’s free program as the favorite for gold.
The backflip was banned for safety reasons after Kubicka did one at the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics.
The maneuver became known as the “Bonaly flip” after Surya Bonaly of France famously thumbed her nose at the International Skating Union’s restrictive rules at the 1998 Nagano Olympics.
Bonaly had sustained a groin injury the day before the free program and knew her quest for a medal was over, and so defiantly unleashed the jump with a one-footed landing.
The ISU removed the somersault ban in June 2024, saying in their meeting agenda: “Somersault type jumps are very spectacular and nowadays it is not logical anymore to include them as illegal movements.”
AERIAL SHOWMANSHIP
Malinin, the self-named “Quad God,” has drawn global attention for his aerial showmanship. He became the first skater to land seven quadruple jumps in a program at the Grand Prix Final in December. He is also the first to land the quadruple Axel in competition, considered the toughest jump in the sport.
The backflip carries no set point value, but it can contribute to Malinin’s component score – known under the old judging system as “artistic impression”.
It also gets a bigger roar from the crowd than his more technically demanding jumps because it plays to pure spectacle in a way quads simply cannot.
“It gets that audience applause, feels really suspenseful and I really just like doing it,” Malinin said last season when he began doing the maneuver.
His programs also include one-handed cartwheels and a “raspberry twist,” another zero-points move in which his body, much like a break dancer’s, rotates in the air horizontally to the ice.
However, the young skater has so far resisted the temptation to land the first quadruple Axel on Olympic ice, saying he is choosing caution over showmanship.
“I’m hoping that I’ll feel good enough to do it (on Friday),” he told reporters on Tuesday. “But of course, I always prioritize health and safety, so I really want to put myself in the right mindset where I’ll feel really confident to go into it and not have that as something that I’m going to risk.”
Malinin takes a score of 108.16 from the short program into Friday’s free skate. Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama is second on 103.07, Adam Siao Him Fa of France is third (102.55).
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
NBA suspends Suns F Dillon Brooks 1 game after 16th technical foul
Jan 2, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) reacts after being issued a technical foul during the first half against the Sacramento Kings at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images The NBA suspended Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks on Thursday for one game without pay after he received his 16th technical foul this season.
A player or coach is automatically suspended without pay for one game after a 16th technical foul in the regular season, per league rules. Every additional two technical fouls during that season results in the player or coach suspended without pay for another game.
Brooks, 30, was whistled for a personal foul and then a technical with 6:37 remaining in the second quarter of the Suns’ 136-109 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday.
He will serve the suspension after the All-Star break on Feb. 19 when Phoenix visits the San Antonio Spurs. He previously served one-game suspensions in May 2022, February 2023m, March 2023 (twice) and April 2025.
Brooks is in his first season with Phoenix and is averaging a career-high 21.2 points and career-high-tying 3.7 rebounds as well as 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 31.1 minutes in 49 games (all starts).
For his career, Brooks is averaging 14.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 29.6 minutes in 541 regular-season games (514 starts) for the Memphis Grizzlies (2017-23), Houston Rockets (2023-25) and Suns.
He was All-NBA Defensive second team with the Grizzlies in 2022-23.
Houston selected Brooks in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft out of Oregon and traded him the same day to Memphis for a second-round pick that became guard De’Anthony Melton.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Italy under no pressure ahead of uphill battle against US women’s hockey
Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics – Ice Hockey – Women’s Preliminary Round – Group B – Italy vs Germany – Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena, Milan, Italy – February 10, 2026. Justine Reyes of Italy celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates MILAN, Italy — Italy is prepared for an uphill battle after unexpectedly reaching the women’s Olympic ice hockey quarterfinals, but go into a clash with the heavily favored United States feeling no pressure.
The underdog hosts defied the odds and the doubters by winning two games, against France and Japan, which was enough to finish third in Group B and set up Friday’s meeting with the Group A winners.
The U.S. are two-time gold medalists and strolled to top their group on maximum points, beating defending champions Canada 5-0 along the way.
Italy coach Eric Bouchard was asked how difficult it was to prepare for the task ahead.
“It’s not difficult. I mean, it’s a challenge, but it’s a great one,” Bouchard told reporters after a practice session on Thursday.
“You have the chance to face the best hockey team in the world, and there’s no pressure on our shoulders right now. The only thing we can do is just go out there and perform,” he said.
“They might have a lot of talent, they have depth, but there’s something we control, and that’s the work ethic and the willingness to leave everything we have out there. That doesn’t require talent, and I think that’s the focus we have right now.”
Bouchard praised his players’ attitude in the days leading up to the game.
“They’re dialed in, honestly, this was our best practice so far,” he said.
“They were focused, they were on task, they wanted to prepare for tomorrow. They know it’s a huge challenge, but everybody’s excited.
“We’re playing for our country, and we want to make sure we play with pride for everyone who’s going to be watching out there.”
Italy was never supposed to make it this far, and goes into what most believe will definitely be its final contest of the Milan Cortina Games knowing that it will take something extraordinary in order to survive.
“We knew that we were coming in as the underdogs, the lowest-ranked team, but we also believed in ourselves,” Italy defender Jacquie Pierri said.
“It’s really cool to be here now a week later with what we’ve accomplished. And the next challenge we have tomorrow, we know we’re facing a huge uphill battle.
“Anything can happen on any given day,” Pierri said, “and we’re going to try our best to take advantage of whatever luck we get and make it as hard for them as possible, physically and mentally.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Ilia Malinin making history with skating's first Olympic backflip in decades
NBA suspends Suns F Dillon Brooks 1 game after 16th technical foul
