Sports
Fresh off rout, No. 10 Illinois keeping guard up vs. UCLA
Feb 18, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) shoots the ball against Southern California Trojans guard Jordan Marsh (7) and guard Cam Woods (13) in the first half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Illinois began a two-game road trip to Los Angeles with its biggest margin of victory in a Big Ten road game in 80 years.
But that triumph is now in the rear-view mirror for the No. 10 Fighting Illini, who will look to take down UCLA on Saturday.
Illinois (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten) routed Southern California 101-65 on Wednesday for its largest Big Ten win on enemy ground since hammering the University of Chicago 70-28 on Jan. 19, 1946.
The Illini recently stumbled with consecutive losses — their only defeats in a 16-game span — but coach Brad Underwood said he thinks his club is hitting its stride.
“It’s when you want to be playing your best,” Underwood said of late February. “It’s when you want to be mentally fresh. You’ve been through a grind, but you want to be whole, you want to be fresh. To be that is significant for us because goodness knows we’ve had a lot of turmoil with sicknesses and injuries.
“We can’t get complacent. That’s what I challenged the team within the locker room. It’s about preparation. We’ll have a very hungry UCLA team, and we have to match that intensity Saturday night.”
The Bruins (17-9, 9-6) were drubbed by an average of 26.5 points while being swept in a two-game trip to then-No. 2 Michigan last Saturday and to No. 15 Michigan State on Tuesday.
But the Bruins are a stellar 14-1 at home, with their loss coming in double overtime (98-97) against Indiana on Jan. 31.
That leaves Illinois wanting to match the effort it put up against USC when it made 13 of 29 3-point attempts and knocked down 24 of 26 free-throw tries to improve to 7-1 on the road.
Illinois’ Andrej Stojakovic returned from a two-game absence due to an ankle injury to score 22 points against the Trojans. He made 6 of 7 shots from the field while notching his sixth 20-point effort of the season.
“I was just glad to be out there,” Stojakovic said afterward. “I think when you don’t put pressure on yourself and you miss some time, your mindset kind of changes.”
Stojakovic stands second on the Illini with a 14.0 scoring average. Star freshman Keaton Wagler averages a team-best 18.1 points, while Kylan Boswell (13.9) and David Mirkovic (13.1) also are averaging over 13 per game.
UCLA coach Mick Cronin was not happy while his squad was being routed 86-56 by Michigan and 82-59 by Michigan State recently.
Cronin scorched his players for poor second-half defense against Michigan — the Wolverines were 18 of 23 (78.3%) from the field in the final 20 minutes — and was critical of his team’s preparation and effort against the Spartans.
“I didn’t like it. We don’t play hard enough,” Cronin said. “I’ve been telling you that for a long time, buddy. To be in the upper echelon of this league … we have some guys who aren’t playing to their capabilities.”
Tyler Bilodeau isn’t one of those players, as he leads UCLA in scoring (18.1) and rebounding (5.6). He scored 22 points against Michigan State for his eighth 20-point outing of the campaign.
But Bilodeau could use some consistent help, as the Bruins are struggling to find balance on offense.
“I think we just got to play smarter,” Bilodeau said. “Got to execute better. We just got to have guys making plays.”
The Bruins had won seven of nine games prior to the two dismal outings.
Illinois posted an 83-78 home win over UCLA last season. The Bruins hold a 6-5 edge in the all-time series. The first meeting was in 1949.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kylian Mbappe: Knee is 100%, 'false things were said'
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid’s game against Sevilla in Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, on Dec. 20, 2025 .
French striker Kylian Mbappe disputed reports about the severity of the left knee sprain that has limited his availability of late for Real Madrid.
“My knee is fine. It’s getting better,” he said at a promotional event in France on Monday. “It’s going quite well, and I know there’s been a lot of speculation about it and some false things have been said.
“It’s the life of a top athlete, and we’re used to people saying things without verifying them or having any basis in fact.”
Mbappe, 27, came off the bench in Real Madrid’s two most recent matches: Sunday’s 3-2 La Liga defeat of Atletico Madrid and a 2-1 win at Manchester City on March 17 in the second leg of a UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match.
His last appearance before that, and his most recent start, was on Feb. 21. In 24 La Liga matches this season, Mbappe has 23 goals and four assists.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner is on the roster for France’s upcoming friendlies in the United States against Brazil (March 26) and Colombia (March 29).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Falcons add veteran Trevor Siemian to QB room
Jan 7, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New York Jets quarterback Trevor Siemian (14) throws the ball against the New England Patriots during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images The Atlanta Falcons are signing veteran quarterback Trevor Siemian, his agent confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.
Siemian, 34, adds depth behind newcomer Tua Tagovailoa and 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix Jr.
Terms weren’t disclosed for Siemian, who last appeared in an NFL regular-season game in 2023 with the New York Jets. He spent most of the 2024 and 2025 campaigns on the Tennessee Titans’ practice squad.
Siemian is 15-18 as a starter, completing 58.5% of his passes for 7,751 yards, 44 touchdowns and 32 interceptions in 40 games with the Denver Broncos (2015-17), Jets (2019, 2023), New Orleans Saints (2021) and Chicago Bears (2022). He has rushed for 251 yards and two scores.
The Broncos drafted Siemian in the seventh round in 2015.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Arkansas freshman Darius Acuff Jr. lands historic shoe deal
Feb 25, 2026; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) drives to the basket as Texas A&M Aggies guard Pop Isaacs (2) defends during the second half at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 99-84. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images Arkansas All-American Darius Acuff Jr. has a deal with Reebok to become the first NCAA men’s athlete to land a signature shoe from a major U.S. brand while still in college.
Reebok head of basketball Jide Osifeso confirmed the historic agreement with ESPN on Tuesday.
A 19-year-old freshman for the Razorbacks, Acuff was named the 2025-26 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year after becoming the first player to lead the league in points and assists per game since LSU legend Pete Maravich in 1969-70.
After winning the SEC tournament, Arkansas has reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 4 seed. The Razorbacks (28-8) face West Region No. 1 seed Arizona (34-2) on Thursday night in San Jose, Calif.
The 6-foot-3 Acuff is averaging 23.3 points, 6.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 35 games (all starts) this season while shooting 44.6% from 3-point range.
The Detroit native is projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Acuff becomes the first men’s basketball player to receive a signature shoe with Reebok since John Wall, according to ESPN.
–Field Level Media
Kylian Mbappe: Knee is 100%, 'false things were said'
Falcons add veteran Trevor Siemian to QB room
