Sports
No. 1 Duke hosts No. 11 Virginia in ACC main event
Feb 24, 2026; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) drives as Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Cole Certa (5) defends during the second half at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images The rate of showdowns for No. 1 Duke isn’t waning as the second-to-last weekend of the regular season arrives.
The Blue Devils will face No. 11 Virginia in a battle for first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference on Saturday afternoon in Durham, N.C.
“Every conference win that you can get is a big one,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said.
If Duke (26-2, 14-1 ACC) wins, it clinches the top seed for the ACC tournament. Streaking Virginia (25-3, 13-2) can pull even in the standings with a win.
“I think the big key is how we continue to get better,” Scheyer said. “I think that’s a big thing for us. Just not staying the same. We call it winning the details. How can we win the details, win in the margins, where we’re better in two and a half weeks than we are right now?”
The tuneups for this matchup were impressive from both teams.
Duke went to Notre Dame and slammed the Fighting Irish 100-56 on Tuesday. At the same time, the Cavaliers stretched their winning streak to nine games by drilling visiting NC State 90-61.
“We’re just going to do what we always do, and that’s get ready for the next one,” Virginia coach Ryan Odom said. “We know the challenge that lies ahead there. The No. 1 team in the country, extremely well coached, extremely talented and together and tough.”
Duke received the No. 1 national ranking this week for the first time this season. That’s a nice tag, but there are more important goals at the moment for the Blue Devils.
“We’re playing for something bigger and we’ve got to keep growing,” freshman forward Cameron Boozer said. “Good win (Tuesday), big game Saturday. We’re taking steps in the right direction, for sure.”
Duke scored a season-high 54 first-half points in the Notre Dame game. Even with Duke reaching the 100-point mark in its last two ACC outings, Scheyer said the emphasis needs to be what the Blue Devils can do defensively.
“We have to continue to have that edge on the defensive end,” he said, “and then we have to continue to be able to work and fight for great shots against defenses that are going to make it hard for us.”
Boozer’s 22.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game are huge lifts for the Blue Devils. Virginia will try to clog the lane with 7-footers Johann Grunloh and Ugonna Onyenso, who combined for 12 blocked shots in Tuesday’s game.
The improvement angle is one that is embraced by Virginia’s players as well.
“I think we’re starting to get better at the right time, which is really important,” Cavaliers guard Dallin Hall said. “We just want to keep (improving) every day, stacking days.”
Virginia is more balanced offensively than Duke, with Thijs De Ridder averaging a team-high 16.0 points per game. He also gathers a team-best 6.3 rebounds.
Virginia is 8-1 on the road but hasn’t won in Durham since 2022. This will be Odom’s first clash with the Blue Devils since taking over the Cavaliers.
“We’re going to have to play our best to have a chance to win,” Odom said.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: RB David Montgomery 'wants out' of Detroit
Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) looks on before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Lions running back David Montgomery “wants out” of Detroit after three seasons, ESPN reported on Sunday.
Montgomery, however, immediately appeared to refute the report on X, posting: “Damn, Dmo told you that?”
The ESPN report claims the Lions would want “a decent Day 3 pick (possibly a fifth-rounder)” in the 2026 NFL Draft in return for Montgomery, who turns 29 in June and is owed $6 million next season.
The report follows general manager Brad Holmes’ remarks after the season about Montgomery being unhappy with his playing time in 2025. Sharing a backfield with Jahmyr Gibbs, Montgomery rushed for a career-low 716 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games (no starts).
“Those are conversations that we’re going to have to have because I’ve got a lot of respect for that player,” Holmes said of Montgomery in January. “He deserves to be in a situation where his skillset can be utilized, and so yeah would love for it to be here, but if it can’t be here then you’d just love to see where could work out best for him.”
At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Holmes said the situation with Montgomery is “fluid.” He signed a two-year extension during the 2024 season that runs through the end of the 2027 campaign.
“Yeah, I have been in touch with David’s agent, and his representation,” Holmes revealed. “Obviously, we love David, he’s a great player, we love to have him, you know, kind of want to put last year in the rear view, and just move forward. But, obviously, a player has to want to be at a certain place as well. The conversations are still fluid, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Montgomery has rushed for 2,506 yards and 33 touchdowns in 45 games (28 starts) in three seasons with Detroit (2023-25). He has 76 catches for 650 yards in that span.
He began his career with the NFC North rival Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the third round in 2019. Montgomery rushed for 3,609 yards and 26 scores in 60 games (51 starts) with the Bears (2019-22).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees LHP Ryan Yarbrough joins U.S. roster for WBC
Jun 18, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Ryan Yarbrough (33) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images New York Yankees left-hander Ryan Yarbrough was added to the Team USA roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic on Sunday.
The 34-year-old reliever replaces Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan, who is dealing with low back tightness. Ryan moves into the designated pitcher pool, meaning he is eligible for a call-up after each round of the WBC.
Yarbrough went 3-1 with a 4.36 ERA and one save in 19 games (eight starts) during his first season with the Yankees in 2025, striking out 55 batters and walking 19 in 64 innings.
Ryan Yarbrough has been added to our roster for the World Baseball Classic!#ForGlory???? pic.twitter.com/RrtKJQ20gz
— USA Baseball (@USABaseball) March 1, 2026
Team USA will play its first game of the 2026 WBC on Friday night, meeting Brazil in a Pool B contest in Houston.
Yarbrough has a career record of 56-41 with a 4.22 ERA and four saves in 215 games (76 starts) with the Tampa Bay Rays (2018-22), Kansas City Royals (2023), Los Angeles Dodgers (2023-24), Toronto Blue Jays (2024) and Yankees. The side-arming southpaw signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal in November to return to New York in 2026.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ex-pitcher Dan Serafini gets life sentence for '21 murder
Dan Serafini (file photo) pitched in MLB with seven teams. He was convited of first-degree murder. Former major league pitcher Dan Serafini was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Friday for the 2021 shootings of his in-laws in North Lake Tahoe, Calif.
Serafini, 52, was convicted in July of the first-degree murder of father-in-law Gary Spohr and the attempted first-degree murder of mother-in-law Wendy Wood during a burglary. Spohr, 70, died from a single gunshot and Wood, then 68, survived but died by suicide the following year.
In the courtroom on Friday in Auburn, Calif., Placer County prosecutor Morgan Gire described Spohr and Wood as loving grandparents.
“The impact of this attack has extended far beyond the immediate victims, deeply affecting family members and the broader community, and highlighting the lasting harm caused by deliberate violence,” Gire said.
Serafini, who pitched for six MLB teams from 1996 to 2007, addressed the court and maintained his innocence. He said he was out partying with his wife, Erin Spohr, at the time of the shooting and referred to himself as a “broken, imperfect man that makes mistakes,” according to MyNews4.
The Minnesota Twins selected Serafini, a native of the San Francisco area, with the No. 26 overall pick in the 1992 MLB Draft. He made his debut in 1996 and went on to appear in 104 games (33 starts) with the Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies before his retirement in 2007.
He had a 15-16 record with a 6.04 ERA and one save. He threw 263 2/3 innings and struck out 127 batters.
–Field Level Media
Report: RB David Montgomery 'wants out' of Detroit
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