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Miami (Ohio) has 'home game' in Dayton as First Four slate set

NCAA Basketball: Ohio at Miami (OH)Feb 13, 2026; Miami, Ohio, USA; Miami (OH) RedHawks forward Antwone Woolfolk (13) reacts with teammate forward Brant Byers (22) during a stop in play against the Ohio Bobcats in the second half at Millett Hall. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The First Four that opens the NCAA Tournament this week in Dayton, Ohio includes a program famous for knocking off a top seed, one team that has never won in the Big Dance, another which is approaching a 40-year NCAA Tournament win drought and one school that practically has a home game.

That latter team, Miami (Ohio), faced great scrutiny before Sunday’s reveal of the brackets because the previously unbeaten RedHawks (31-1) had lost in the Mid-American Conference tournament quarterfinals and missed out on the automatic bid. Instead, the MAC got in both tournament winner Akron and Miami, the regular-season champion.

The RedHawks play fellow No. 11 seed SMU (20-13) in the late game on Wednesday, with the winner traveling to Philadelphia to face sixth-seeded Tennessee in the first round of the Midwest Region.

“Obviously, very excited to be selected as an at-large team,” Miami head coach Travis Steele said. “Huge honor — happy for our guys.

“It’s going to be a great environment,” Steele said in reference to Dayton being about 40 miles from Miami’s campus in Oxford, Ohio. “Hopefully … the RedHawk nation will be showing up there on Wednesday night to support us.

“I’m sure they will; it will be a home game for us.”

SMU last played in the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and its most recent win was in 1988.

UMBC, which faces Howard in the early Tuesday game, has one NCAA Tournament win in its history, and it was a shocker. The Retrievers ousted top-seeded Virginia 74-54 in 2018, which was the last time UMBC made the NCAA Tournament. Before that game, No. 16 seeds were 0-135 against No. 1 seeds in tournament history.

Howard (23-10), the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference winner, has never won. The winner between the Bison and America East champion UMBC (24-8) advances to play No. 1 seed Michigan on Thursday in the Midwest Region in Buffalo, N.Y.

Prairie View A&M (18-17), the Southwestern Athletic Conference representative, has never won in the tournament in two previous bids, the most recent in 2019. The Panthers face Patriot League champion Lehigh (18-16) in Wednesday’s early game, with the winner playing South Region No. 1 seed Florida on Friday in Tampa.

Power conference programs North Carolina State (20-13) and Texas (18-14) will determine, in the Tuesday nightcap, the 11th seed in the West Region and the opponent on Thursday for sixth-seeded BYU in Portland, Ore.

The Wolfpack and Longhorns played earlier this season at the Maui Invitational, with Texas winning 102-97 on Nov. 26.

–Field Level Media

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Hurricanes start rookie Brandon Bussi for Game 4 of Stanley Cup Final

Jun 6, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) looks on during the third period against the Vegas Golden Knights in game three of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn ImagesJun 6, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi (32) looks on during the third period against the Vegas Golden Knights in game three of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Carolina Hurricanes made a change in net for Tuesday night’s Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Carolina gave rookie Brandon Bussi his first career playoff start as the Hurricanes look to level the series at 2-2 in Las Vegas, with the announcement becoming shortly before the game began.

ESPN reported that Frederik Andersen, who was 12-1 in the team’s first three playoff series, is a healthy scratch with no injury designation.

Andersen allowed four second-period goals in Saturday’s Game 3 loss. He was replaced at the start of the third period by Bussi, who stopped 18 of 19 shots as the Hurricanes rallied before falling 5-4 in double overtime.

Bussi, 27, was acquired off waivers from the Florida Panthers last October. He entered the season with no NHL experience, but became a critical member of the Hurricanes’ goalie rotation, amassing a 31-6-2 record, 2.47 goals-against average and .895 save percentage.

–Field Level Media

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Nick Martinez, Rays hold down Red Sox to seal series win

Jun 9, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) avoids the tag of Boston Red Sox shortstop Marcelo Mayer (11) in the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn ImagesJun 9, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) avoids the tag of Boston Red Sox shortstop Marcelo Mayer (11) in the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Ryan Vilade went 3-for-4 and Nick Martinez turned in seven-plus strong innings to help the Tampa Bay Rays defeat the Boston Red Sox 4-3 on Tuesday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Martinez (6-2) held Boston to three runs on six hits, departing after the first three Red Sox hitters reached base in the eighth. He struck out two without issuing a walk. Bryan Baker retired the Red Sox in order in the ninth to earn his 18th save.

Tampa Bay’s Ben Williamson and Nick Fortes each contributed two hits and an RBI. Yandy Diaz singled and walked to extend his on-base streak to 23 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the major leagues.

Boston’s Payton Tolle (3-3) pitched six innings and allowed four runs on nine hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Isiah Kiner-Falefa had two of the Red Sox’s six hits and scored twice.

Tampa Bay, which has won the first two games of the three-game series, finished 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Boston took its third loss in a row.

The Red Sox grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Kiner-Falefa doubled with one out and scored on Jarren Duran’s two-out single.

A three-run fourth put the Rays in front. Vilade doubled and scored on Cedric Mullins’ two-out single. Williamson doubled to drive in Mullins and give Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead, and Williamson came home on Fortes’ double.

The Rays added a run in the sixth for a 4-1 edge. Williamson reached base on an infield single, took second when Fortes was hit by a pitch and scored on Richie Palacios’ single.

Boston made it a one-run game by scoring twice in the eighth. After singles by Caleb Durbin and Kiner-Falefa, Marcelo Mayer doubled home both runners to cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 4-3. Kevin Kelly replaced Martinez on the mound, and Mayer moved to third on Duran’s groundout — the first out of the inning — but he was still on third when the inning ended.

–Field Level Media

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Reports: NHLPA wants investigation before Oilers hire Mike Babcock

Jul 1, 2023; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets introduce Mike Babcock as their new head coach during a press conference at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Robertson-USA TODAY NETWORKJul 1, 2023; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets introduce Mike Babcock as their new head coach during a press conference at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Robertson-USA TODAY NETWORK

The NHL Players’ Association has requested that the league conduct an investigation of coach Mike Babcock as the Edmonton Oilers move toward hiring him, TSN and The Athletic reported Tuesday.

Independent hockey insider Frank Seravalli added that the union specifically asked the NHL to step in and delay the Oilers’ hiring of Babcock until the league can complete an investigation into allegations stemming from his brief stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

In 2023, Babcock was hired to take over the Blue Jackets for what would have been his first NHL job since the Toronto Maple Leafs dismissed him in 2019. But that September, reports emerged that some players felt Babcock invaded their privacy by asking to see their cellphone camera rolls in one-on-one meetings.

Babcock resigned before the season began, so the NHL did not investigate the claims.

At the time, Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner and the late Johnny Gaudreau confirmed Babcock asked to see photos on their phone, but they were not pressured to do so and understood it to be in the spirit of getting to know one another. Babcock reportedly also showed players photos from his phone.

However, younger players reportedly felt uncomfortable with Babcock’s approach, and he already had a reputation for controversial motivational tactics while with the Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings.

Per The Athletic, the NHL will only move forward with investigating Babcock once the Oilers confirm they are intent on hiring the 63-year-old.

Babcock has a 700-418-164 career record (19 ties) as the head coach of the then-Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2002-04), Red Wings (2005-15) and Maple Leafs (2015-19). He led the Red Wings to the 2008 Stanley Cup title.

–Field Level Media

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