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Arizona beats Houston to claim 1st Big 12 tournament championship

NCAA Basketball: Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship - Houston vs ArizonaMar 14, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) drives to the hoop past Houston Cougars forward Chase McCarty (24) during the first half during the men’s Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images

Koa Peat scored 21 points before fouling out and Brayden Burries also had 21 as top-seeded Arizona defeated second-seeded Houston 79-74 on Saturday night in Kansas City to win the Big 12 conference tournament and claim the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Jaden Bradley scored 13 points and Ivan Kharchenkov added 12 for No. 2 Arizona, which won its ninth straight game. The Wildcats (32-2) are in the running for the No. 1 overall seed after winning their first Big 12 championship in their second year in the league, avenging last year’s title game loss to Houston.

“I’m just doing whatever the team needs me to do,” Peat said on ESPN. “We worked for this and we deserve this.”

Joseph “JoJo” Tugler scored a career-high 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the No. 5 Cougars (28-6), who had a five-game winning streak snapped. Mercy Miller had 13 points and seven rebounds, Chase McCarty had 10 points and Emanuel Sharp also scored 10 before fouling out for Houston.

The Cougars led for just 59 seconds. Still, they are expected to be a No. 2 seed when the bracket is revealed on Selection Sunday.

Miller drained a 3-pointer with 1:05 remaining and Milos Uzan buried a trey with 53.8 seconds left as Houston moved within 75-72.

Motiejus Krivas sank two free throws to give Arizona a five-point lead with 22.9 seconds remaining. McCarty’s two free throws with 13.2 seconds left pulled Houston within 77-74.

Burries made two free throws with 8.3 seconds left to seal it for the Wildcats.

Arizona shot 46.3% from the field, including 6 of 13 from 3-point range.

The Cougars made 43.8% of their shots and were 8 of 21 from behind the arc.

Arizona led by eight at halftime before scoring the first seven points of the second half to take a 51-36 lead. Burries made two free throws to cap the half-opening run.

The Wildcats again led by 15 with just over 14 minutes left before Houston rattled off 14 consecutive points.

Sharpe buried a 3-pointer to start the run and Uzan later converted a three-point play to move the Cougars within 59-54 with 9:32 remaining. Tugler and Miller followed with layups as Houston trailed by one with 7:08 to play.

Burries scored on a runner and made the ensuing free throw with 6:41 left to end the Arizona scoring drought at seven minutes, 23 seconds.

A basket by Flemings brought Houston within two before Kharchenkov banked in a long 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 65-60 lead with 5:52 to play.

The long trey started a 9-2 run for Arizona. Kharchenkov had seven of the points and Peat ended it with a short jumper to make it 71-62 with 3:51 left.

Burries scored the final 10 Arizona points of the first half as the Wildcats led 44-36 at the break. Burries had 12 points in the half, one behind Bradley’s 13 and one ahead of Peat’s 11.

Tugler had 10 points in the half for the Cougars.

–Field Level Media

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No. 17 Arkansas needs OT to end Ole Miss' SEC tournament run

NCAA Basketball: SEC Conference Tournament Semifinal-Mississippi vs ArkansasMar 14, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Malique Ewin (12) blocks the shot of Mississippi Rebels forward Corey Chest (1) during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

NASHVILLE — Third-seeded Arkansas got 29 points from Meleek Thomas, 24 from Darius Acuff Jr. and double-doubles from Trevon Brazile and Malique Ewen to escape with a 93-90 overtime victory over 15th-seeded Ole Miss on Saturday in the Southeastern Conference tournament semifinals.

Ewen scored 14 and pulled down a game-high 13 boards while Brazile scored 16 with 10 rebounds as No. 17 Arkansas (25-8) advanced to face No. 22 Vanderbilt (26-7) in Sunday’s final. The fourth-seeded Commodores bounced top-seeded Florida 91-74 in the day’s first semifinal.

AJ Storr scored a team-high 24 points for Ole Miss (15-20), which included a basket with one second left to send the game into overtime. Malik Dia chipped in 16 points for the Rebels, who nearly pulled off their fourth upset in as many days. They also got 15 from Patton Pinkins and 13 from Ilias Kamardine.

Arkansas outrebounded the Rebels 44-31 and shot 74.2% from the line, though its 4-of-8 shooting in overtime left the door open for the upset.

With five seconds left in regulation and Ole Miss trailing 79-77, Storr took the ball the length of the floor and banked in a left-handed layup with one second left.

Arkansas never trailed in overtime, but Storr’s drive and dunk with nine seconds left kept Ole Miss in position to win by cutting the lead to 91-90.

Acuff hit the second of two free throws and then Storr missed a 3-point attempt from the right side. Brazile got the rebound and hit the second of two foul shots, which gave Arkansas a chance to set its defense.

Travis Perry’s mid-court heave crashed off the backboard as time expired.

Arkansas built an 11-point lead midway through the first half, but couldn’t put away Ole Miss. The Rebels trailed 37-36 at half after shooting 11 of 15 on layups.

Arkansas held a 70-60 lead with 5:43 to play in regulation after Thomas hit two foul shots.

Kamardine hit two free throws with seven seconds left to get Ole Miss within one.

Two seconds later, after a timeout, Kamardine fouled out, sending Thomas to the line where he hit one of two for Arkansas’s last points of regulation.

– Chris Lee, Field Level Media

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Connor Hellebuyck, Jets get crucial win vs. NHL-best Avs

NHL: Colorado Avalanche at Winnipeg JetsMar 14, 2026; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets center Adam Lowry (17) checks Colorado Avalanche center Nazem Kadri (91) in front of Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) in the first period at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images

Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the visiting Colorado Avalanche 3-1 on Saturday afternoon.

Kyle Connor picked up a goal and an assist, while Alex Iafallo and Cole Perfetti also scored for Winnipeg. Mark Scheifele added two assists as the Jets moved within five points of the second and final wild card in the Western Conference.

Martin Necas got Colorado’s lone goal. Mackenzie Blackwood made 15 stops for Colorado, which holds the best record in the NHL.

In the first period, neither team was able to find the back of the net, but the Avalanche held an 8-5 edge on shots.

The Jets opened the scoring 2:05 into the middle frame when, on the rush, Scheifele found a streaking Connor in the slot, who drove a wrist shot into the net to give Winnipeg a 1-0 lead. The goal marked Connor’s 30th of the season and Scheifele’s 50th assist.

Winnipeg extended its lead to 2-0 with 8:08 remaining in the second when Iafallo took a one-timer off the chest from Scheifele, who fired the puck on net from high in the zone, and was able to spin around and tuck the puck home past Blackwood.

Colorado’s best chance to get on the board up that point came from Brock Nelson, who missed a wide-open net when he slid the puck across the crease and wide with 10 seconds left in the second period.

That miss allowed Winnipeg to maintain its 2-0 advantage after 40 minutes. Colorado held a 16-12 edge in shots heading into the third period.

Hellebuyck’s bid for his first shutout of the season ended with 1:16 left in regulation when Necas pulled in a long pass from Nathan MacKinnon across the zone and wired it past the Jets netminder to cut the deficit to 2-1.

The hope for a comeback didn’t last long, however, as MacKinnon lost the puck near the blue line. Cole Perfetti corralled it and fired a long shot into the empty net 34 seconds later, with 42 seconds remaining, to seal the 3-1 final.

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Report: Three asylum seekers choose to leave Australia, return to Iran

Syndication: Tallahassee DemocratA small crowd of people gathered in front of the Florida House of Representatives hold signs and flags as they advocate to free Iran, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.

Three of the five players from the Iran women’s soccer team, who had attempted to seek asylum earlier this week while the team was in Australia, have elected to return home, The Australian newspaper reported Saturday.

The Iranian team was in Australia for the Women’s Asian Cup when the war between Iran, Israel and the Unites States began. Five players left the team and were given humanitarian visas in Australia.

Australia’s Home Affairs department gave the three players requesting a return home multiple chances to reconsider before their request was honored.

“While the Australian government can ensure that opportunities are provided and communicated, we cannot remove the context in which the players are making these incredibly difficult decisions,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said, according to the Australian. “The Australian government has done everything we could to make sure these women were provided with the chance for a safe future in Australia.”

Iran’s women’s team started play in the Women’s Asian Cup just after the war in their home country started. The team lost all three games it played and were eliminated from the event.

–Field Level Media

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