Sports
No. 6 UConn dismantles No. 15 St. John's in battle of Big East's best
Feb 25, 2026; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies forward Tarris Reed Jr. (5) drives the ball to the basket against the St. John’s Red Storm in the first half at PeoplesBank Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images Tarris Reed Jr. totaled 20 points and 11 rebounds as No. 6 UConn used a pair of big runs in both halves and rolled to a dominating 72-40 win over 15th-ranked St. John’s Wednesday night Hartford, Conn. in a possible preview of the Big East tournament championship game.
After being listed as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA’s first bracket reveal over the weekend, UConn (26-3, 16-2 Big East) moved a game ahead of St. John’s for the conference lead.
The Huskies won their 27th straight in Hartford, led by as many as 36 in the second half and earned their largest margin of victory over St. John’s, eclipsing a 29-point win in Feb. 1998.
Reed made 9 of 14 shots and contributed a dunk to the 18-0 run in the first half along with a layup in the 16-0 run in the second half. He finished two shy of his season high and posted his seventh double-double this season.
Alex Karaban added 14 by hitting a 3-pointer and converting a dunk during the first half run and a pair of baskets in the second half outburst.
Solo Ball contributed a 3 during the second half and finished with 11. Braylon Mullins scored all nine of his points by hitting 3 3-pointers in the two runs.
Silas DeMary Jr contributed seven points, eight rebounds and five of UConn’s 20 assists.
St. John’s (22-6, 15-2) saw a 13-game winning streak stopped and had a 11-game Big East road winning streak halted. The Red Storm played their worst game under coach Rick Pitino and were held under 45 points for the first time since scoring 40 at Notre Dame on March 5, 2013.
The Red Storm missed their final 24 shots, shot 2-of-28 (7.1%) in the second half and 19.6% overall. It was their lowest field goal percentage in any game since 1938-1939.
Joson Sanon (10 points) was the lone double-figure scorer for the Red Storm, who also shot 5-of-20 from 3. Bryce Hopkins shot 3-of-14 while Zuby Ejiofor was held to six points, including the Red Storm’s last basket with 17:28 left in the second half.
UConn took a 31-11 lead on a 3 by Mullins with 6:37 lead and led 41-26 at halftime as St. John’s missed 16 straight shots at one point in the opening 20 minutes.
UConn continued dominating and officially put things away by scoring 16 straight points for a 61-31 lead on Ball’s corner 3 with 10:10 left. The lead reached 33 on two free throws by DeMary with 5:11 left and a few minutes later, UConn pulled its starters.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Why The Darryn Peterson Backlash Has Gone Too Far
There’s been so much backlash to Kansas star Darryn Peterson missing time that we’ve reached the backlash-to-the-backlash portion of the public discourse.
Jay Bilas called the criticism of Peterson “unfair” and said if he really wanted to shut it down for the season, he’d do so and still go No. 1 in the NBA draft. His coach Bill Self, whose bluntness a week ago gave credence to many of these narratives about Peterson’s availability, has taken the national media to task for those exact narratives.
So I’m here to provide the backlash to the backlash to the backlash.
It can probably be summed up in one sentence: If we accept that no questions can be lodged about Peterson’s heart, then something is really worrisome about Peterson’s body.
The freshman phenom has been terrific when he’s on the court. But after hurting his hamstring early in his season, he’s also missed time with cramping, ankle and quad issues and flu-like symptoms.
He’s played 465 minutes of a possible 1,130 — for comparison, teammate Melvin Council Jr. has been out there for 968 minutes. It’s earned him an undeniably funny nickname from the haters based on his initials: DNP.
This really hit a fever pitch earlier this month. Before Kansas faced undefeated No. 1 Arizona, Peterson was ruled out with flu-like symptoms 10 minutes before the game. The Jayhawks handed the Cats their first loss anyway. Then he scored 23 points at Oklahoma State but removed himself early in the second half and watched the rest of the game.
At that point, Self — who’s stuck up for his player all season and said he agreed with Peterson’s family that the guard should only play when close to 100% — made his revelatory comments.
“I thought we were past it, but obviously we’re not,” Self said. “It’s certainly a concern. You get into the NCAA Tournament, you’re playing a team just as good as you and you need to have all your best players available, so to speak.”
Ah, proof! Peterson (specifically, any “protect yourself” advice from his agent) was wearing on the Hall of Fame coach. The internet ran wild. What a bad teammate. These guys are paid now, so we can criticize them like professionals. And so on.
Peterson even did one of the rarest things imaginable and got “First Take” to talk about college basketball before March, Stephen A. Smith declaring that “no team in hell” should draft Peterson No. 1.
I agree, but not for the reason everyone seems to be settling on.
First of all, this class is loaded. AJ Dybantsa was the big thing coming out of high school. Cameron Boozer now looks like the can’t-miss prospect of this group. Wait, I meant Caleb Wilson at North Carolina. Then Arkansas’ Darius Acuff dropped 49 points – 41 in regulation! – after wearing a walking boot for two days, and the same night Peterson had a little cramp against Oklahoma State.
You, a tanking, rebuilding NBA franchise, don’t have to feel tied to Peterson at Nos. 1, 2 or 3. There are tons of great flavors of ice cream out there this year.
And moreover, the availability thing does not have to be a reflection on Peterson’s character or competitiveness. It can simply be about his body’s ability to withstand an 82-game NBA season, when he can barely play two-thirds of a college season. Why is he cramping so often and why can’t he get through it with some electrolytes and massage guns? It’s stumping Self, so it sure as hell stumps me.
It doesn’t help that Peterson has rarely spoken to the media throughout this campaign, leaving a vacuum for Reddit threads and conspiracy theories. He gave ESPN an interview before the Jayhawks’ game Monday, and said, “Basketball is my life… If you would have asked me last year, what were my goals for this year, I would never mention missing games.”
Then Kansas toppled No. 5 Houston on Monday, and Peterson (14 points) said afterward he ignores the internet’s criticism. “I’ve kind of been an anti-social loner my whole life, so I just kind of deal with it on my own,” he said.
I don’t know, I get Kawhi Leonard vibes when I hear him talk, but maybe I’m being unfair. I’m sorry, Jay Bilas!
Kansas has won and lost without Peterson. It’s won in impressive fashion and lost in embarrassing fashion with Peterson. One thing you shouldn’t do is pick the Jayhawks to go all the way in your bracket. We can take Peterson at his word that he wants to be out there, but you never know when the cramping will take hold.
Sports
U.S. Olympian Brady Tkachuk leads Senators against Red Wings
Feb 22, 2026; Milan, Italy; Brady Tkachuk (7) of the United States celebrates after defeating Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal game during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images The Detroit Red Wings visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night in a matchup of teams beginning their final sprint for spots in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Red Wings, looking to snap a nine-year playoff drought, are tied for second place in the Atlantic Division with the Montreal Canadiens but have played one more game. The Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins are two and three points behind Detroit, respectively.
The Senators sit fifth in the Eastern Conference wild-card race, six points behind the second-place Bruins.
Ottawa welcomes back forward Brady Tkachuk after the Canada residents rooted against him Sunday in the gold-medal game at the Olympics.
“They’re not the happiest with me right now,” Tkachuk said on Fox News after helping the United States defeat Canada for gold. “I’m just going to go back and give them everything that I’ve got. It’s a funny feeling when you feel their support every day, and then, within two weeks, you’re Public Enemy No. 1.
“I’m going back with a smile on my face, and I’m getting ready for a playoff push.”
Ottawa rolled into the Olympic break, winning five of six, but faces a tough road — literally — as play resumes. After hosting the Red Wings, Ottawa embarks on a five-game road trip with stops in Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Seattle and Vancouver.
After a full week of practice for those who did not go the Olympics, play resumes
“I think once Thursday comes, we’ll be ready,” Senators forward Nick Cousins told Sportsnet. “I think I can speak for the guys in the room. I think everybody’s kind of itching to get going here and play some games.”
“The guys are sick of practice,” he joked.
After returning from a leave of absence, goalie Linus Ullmark played two games before the break. He won both, stopping 40 of 43 shots. Ullmark is 9-2-2 with a 2.13 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage in 13 games versus the Red Wings.
The Senators have allowed just 11 goals over their past six games.
Detroit stumbled into the Olympic break, losing four of five (1-3-1) and scoring a total of seven goals, but remain in control of its post-season fate.
“You work all season to be in that spot, and now we’re in a great position to hopefully do some damage along the way,” Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider said following his return from the Olympics. “I think everyone is looking forward to it.”
Red Wings goalie John Gibson is 6-3-2 with a 2.20 GAA and .926 save percentage in 11 games against the Senators.
Olympian Lucas Raymond also returned to Detroit practice on Tuesday.
“You kind of get pumped up to get back, and I think that kind of brings it up a notch,” he said. “We’ve had a tough (couple of weeks) here, where maybe we haven’t been playing up to our standard.”
After a stop in Ottawa, the Red Wings travel to Carolina and Nashville.
It’s the third of four meetings between the Atlantic Division rivals. The Red Wings beat the host Senators 5-3 on Jan. 5 behind a goal and two assists from James van Riemsdyk. On Jan. 19, Alex DeBrincat scored 36 seconds into overtime to lift host Detroit to a 4-3 win.
The Red Wings are 10-4-2 against the Atlantic Division.
–Field Level Media
Sports
ATP roundup: Tallon Griekspoor knocks off No. 2 seed in Dubai
May 31, 2025; Paris, FR; Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands returns a shot during his match against Ethan Quinn of the United States on day seven at Roland Garros Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands used his strong serve to upset No. 2 seed Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the Round of 16 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Wednesday.
Griekspoor fired off 14 aces without a double fault and won 35 of 40 first-service points (87.5%). He also saved three break points and had just 10 unforced errors to 30 winners. Bublik had 29 winners but committed 23 unforced errors.
In another pair of upsets, Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech toppled No. 4 Jack Draper of Great Britain 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-4, and Jenson Brooksby beat No. 7 Karen Khachanov of Russia 7-6 (6), 6-4. In similar fashion to Griekspoor, Rinderknech racked up 20 aces without one double fault.
No. 1 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada moved on to the quarterfinals by beating French qualifier Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 6-4, while Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev defeated Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3. No. 5 seed Andrey Rublev of Russia beat Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3, while a pair of Czech natives, No. 6 Jakub Mensik and No. 8 Jiri Lehecka, advanced in straight sets.
BCI Seguros Chile Open
A pair of upsets saw the fourth and seventh seeds bow out in the Round of 16 in Santiago, Chile.
Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann racked up a 28-12 edge in winners in beating No. 4 seed Camilo Ugo Carabelli of Argentina 6-4, 6-3. Italian qualifier Andrea Pellegrino benefited from his opponent’s 50 unforced errors, including 11 double faults, in a 7-6 (3), 6-7 (2), 6-3 win over No. 7 seed Francisco Comesana of Argentina.
Lithuania’s Vilius Gaubas rallied past Croatia’s Dino Prizmic 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in a match lasting three hours, two minutes. The final match of the day was set to pit No. 2 seed Luciano Darderi of Italy against Mariano Navone of Argentina.
–Field Level Media
Why The Darryn Peterson Backlash Has Gone Too Far
U.S. Olympian Brady Tkachuk leads Senators against Red Wings
