Sports
Fletcher Loyer lifts No. 12 Purdue over Oregon
Feb 7, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter talks with guard Fletcher Loyer (2) during the first half against the Oregon Ducks at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images Fletcher Loyer scored 18 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 51 seconds left, as No. 12 Purdue edged visiting Oregon 68-64 on Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.
Trey Kaufman-Renn contributed 12 points and eight rebounds for the Boilermakers (19-4, 9-3 Big Ten) in a game that saw the teams combine for 27 turnovers while shooting a collected 10-for-43 from long range. Braden Smith added 13 points.
Oregon center Nate Bittle shined in his return to the lineup to help keep the skidding Ducks afloat. Out for the past five games with an ankle injury, Bittle led all scorers with 23 points.
Takai Simpkins followed with 14 points but the Ducks (8-15, 1-11) struggled to build scoring depth behind the duo. Oregon lost its ninth straight game.
Bittle swished two free throws to give Oregon a 57-56 lead with 5:33 left to set up a tight finish. Kwame Evans Jr. grabbed seven rebounds for the Ducks, who went without a field goal over the last 4:38.
The Boilermakers missed their first five shots coming out of the break and shot just 35% from the floor in the second half.
Loyer went 3-for-4 from the line over the final 19 seconds to seal the result.
Purdue capitalized on an early edge in turnovers and points in the paint to seemingly seize control down the stretch of the first half.
Oscar Cluff hit a hook shot with 7:06 left before the break to give the Boilermakers a 27-18 advantage, but the Ducks regrouped to hold Purdue to just three more field goals ahead of halftime, including zero over the last 2:05.
While the Boilermakers took a 36-34 lead into the locker room, the Ducks had momentum behind a 6-0 run to end the half.
Bittle led all scorers with 14 first-half points. Smith followed with 11.
Kaufman-Renn and Smith both dished four assists. Smith reached the 200-assist mark for the season.
The Boilermakers have claimed both meetings since the Ducks joined the Big Ten for the 2024-25 season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
US, Italy win to boost curling playoff hopes
Cory Thiesse of the United States (pictured) and partner Korey Dropkin defeated the team of Harri Lill and Marie Kaldvee of Estonia on Sunday at the Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Olympic champions Amos Mosaner and Stefania Constantini of Italy edged closer to qualifying for the mixed doubles curling playoffs at the Milan Cortina Games on Sunday, while Britain had their winning run ended by Switzerland.
Reigning Olympic and world champions Italy delivered a strong performance against the Czech Republic to win 8-2 in just six ends, with Constantini clinching a three-pointer in the second end to put them on the path to victory early.
The Italian duo are second in the round-robin standings with five wins from their seven games, tied with Americans Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse, who defeated Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill of Estonia 5-3.
Britain’s Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat, who are the only team so far to have sealed their spot in the semifinals after winning their first seven games, slipped to a 7-6 defeat at the hands of Switzerland.
Switzerland had an early lead but fell behind heading into the final end, with Briar Schwaller-Huerlimann taking two points with the last throw to grab a win.
“I thought to myself ‘don’t let the momentum change.’ They were coming back and even were ahead a bit,” said Schwaller-Huerlimann’s partner, Yannick Schwaller.
“For future games, if we can have a bit more control, even in those moments, and not let them get close again, that would be really important.”
Sweden’s Isabella and Rasmus Wrana also improved their chances of finishing in the top four, beating fellow playoff contenders Brett Gallant and Jocelyn Peterman of Canada 7-6.
In Sunday’s morning session, the Czech Republic and South Korea claimed their second wins of the mixed doubles competition.
The Czechs beat two-time Olympic medalists Magnus Nedregotten and Kristin Skaslien of Norway 6-3, while South Korea clinched a 9-3 win over Estonia.
Teams play nine times in the round-robin stage at the Cortina Olympic Curling Centre, with the semifinals taking place on Monday and the medal matches scheduled for Tuesday.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Super Bowl LXI: Seahawks set as early favorite in 2027
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half in the 2026 NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images Super Bowl LXI in the Los Angeles area falls on Valentine’s Day next year, and 31 teams will again be going home with heartbreak.
With a little more than a year to go, sportsbooks are still feeling a lot of love for the NFC West.
The Seattle Seahawks are favored on consensus odds for Super Bowl LXI to again represent the NFC by a slim margin at +750 over the Los Angeles Rams (+800). The Buffalo Bills (+1000) have the best odds on the AFC side.
The Rams would be playing at their home field, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., where they won Super Bowl LVI, if they can overcome the Seahawks and the rest of the NFC to get back to the big game. Seattle eliminated Los Angeles in the NFC title game 31-27.
Buffalo’s biggest competition comes from the reigning AFC champion New England Patriots, as well as the Baltimore Ravens (+1200). The Ravens made a coaching change after missing the playoffs in an attempt to catch lightning in a bottle as the Patriots did by hiring Mike Vrabel following consecutive 4-13 seasons.
The Green Bay Packers (+1300) are followed by the Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs on the next rung at +1500. The Lions and Chiefs missed the playoffs but still have the core pieces and foundational players from recent runs of success. A big question for the Chiefs is Patrick Mahomes’ recovery from a torn ACL.
Four 2025 playoff teams — the San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, Jacksonvulle Jaguars and Houston Texans — are all +2000 to win the Lombari Trophy in 2027.
On the other end of the spectrum, the New York Jets have the longest odds to win the Super Bowl at 250-1 or plus +25000.
They are below the Miami Dolphins (225-1), Arizona Cardinals (200-1), New Orleans Saints (175-1), Carolina Panthers (150-1) and Tennessee Titans (150-1).
The Las Vegas Raiders hold the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and are 125-1, even with the Cleveland Browns.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Felix Auger-Aliassime defends title, sets Canadian record
Jan 19, 2026; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada in action against Nuno Borges of Portugal in the first round of the men’s singles at the Australian Open at John Cain Arena in Melbourne Park. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime successfully defended his Open Occitanie championship on Sunday with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory over Adrian Mannarino in Montpellier, France.
Auger-Aliassime, 25, recorded 13 aces and won 87% of his first-serve points to dispatch the Frenchman in 1 hour, 35 minutes. The ninth career ATP title for Auger-Aliassime is one more than Milos Raonic for the most tour-level titles by a Canadian in the Open Era.
A strong service game was nothing new for Auger-Aliassime, who delivered 20 aces while posting a 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 victory over French qualifier Titouan Droguet on Saturday.
Auger-Aliassime will elevate one spot to No. 6 in the ATP rankings on Monday.
–Field Level Media
US, Italy win to boost curling playoff hopes
Super Bowl LXI: Seahawks set as early favorite in 2027
