Sports
Harboring NCAA hopes, Missouri, Texas put 3-game streaks on line
Feb 11, 2026; College Station, Texas, USA; Missouri Tigers center Shawn Phillips Jr. (15) battles for a loose ball against Texas A&M Aggies forward Rashaun Agee (12) during the second half at Reed Arena. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images Missouri and Texas sit on the NCAA Tournament bubble during the stretch run of the Southeastern Conference season.
The Tigers (17-7, 7-4 SEC) have won three straight conference games. So have the Longhorns (15-9, 6-5), for the first time since moving over from the Big 12.
The showdown Saturday night in Columbia, Mo., is critical for both teams.
“I mentioned it after the South Carolina game that there are guys in our locker room who have never won three conference games in a row,” Longhorns coach Sean Miller said after Texas defeated Ole Miss 79-68 on Feb. 7. “They did that for the first time. It’s those small steps that can build a strong foundation for a program.”
Missouri coach Dennis Gates has settled on his seven-man rotation during the current upturn, starting guard T.O. Barrett over Anthony Robinson II at point guard and Trent Pierce over Jacob Crews at forward.
Center Shawn Phillips Jr. remains the team’s X-factor. He made the decisive plays at both ends of the court in the final seconds as the Tigers scored an 86-85 upset at Texas A&M on Wednesday.
He converted an alley-oop drunk on Missouri’s final possession, then blocked a last-second Aggies shot at the rim.
“I’m just trying to be the best teammate I can. Just always being there for the guys and controlling myself emotionally as well,” Phillips said. “But you know, it’s all about staying consistent. So, the next game’s on Saturday. We’ve gotta go to the crib and do it all over again.”
Phillips averages just 19.6 minutes per game due to his persistent foul trouble, both personal and technical. Keeping him on the court will be essential to Missouri’s chances.
“Man, he’s been aggressive,” Pierce said. “He’s a hard worker, he plays hard. He’s been getting rebounds and blocks. And that’s what we need, inside protection, and he brings that. I’m proud of him for that.”
Missouri’s Jevon Porter averaged 17.4 minutes in 12 games before sustaining a leg injury. Luke Northweather also played extensively in nonconference play before falling out of the rotation. Both are 6-foot-11 forwards.
So Texas will create a matchup challenge for the Tigers with center Matas Vokietaitis, who scored 27 points in the victory over Ole Miss. He averages 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
Longhorns point guard Jordan Pope encountered foul trouble against the Rebels, but backup Simeon Wilcher played 23 effective minutes. Wilcher stepped up to hit the clinching 3-point jumper as Texas executed its offense late.
“The margin in separation in a game is literally single plays,” Miller said. “For what we’re trying to accomplish in the SEC and in the bigger picture for March, it comes down to big plays.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: RHP Zac Gallen returns to D-backs on 1-year deal
Sep 26, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen (23) throws a pitch during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images After testing the open market, right-handed starting pitcher Zac Gallen is re-signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a one-year contract, multiple media outlets reported Friday.
According to The Athletic, Gallen’s deal is worth $22,025,000 — the same value of Arizona’s qualifying offer that Gallen rejected. The same report added that $14 million of the salary would be deferred.
Gallen, 30, was coming off his worst full season as a pro. He went 13-15 in 33 starts with a 4.83 ERA, 175 strikeouts and 66 walks. The losses, ERA and walks all marked career-worst numbers.
Gallen was an All-Star in 2023 and finished third in National League Cy Young Award voting after going 17-9 with a 3.47 ERA, a career-high 220 strikeouts and 47 walks in 34 starts (210 innings).
In 176 career major league appearances (all starts) for the Miami Marlins (2019) and Arizona (2019-25), Gallen is 66-52 with a 3.58 ERA. He finished ninth in NL Cy Young balloting in 2020 and fifth in 2022.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Swiss F Kevin Fiala (leg) stretchered off vs. Canada
Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics – Ice Hockey – Men’s Preliminary Round – Group A – Canada vs Switzerland – Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, Milan, Italy – February 13, 2026. Kevin Fiala of Switzerland is stretchered off by medical staff after sustaining an injury IMAGN IMAGES via REUTERS/Geoff Burke Switzerland’s Olympic hockey tournament took a brutal turn Friday, when Kevin Fiala was helped onto a stretcher and taken off the ice in the closing minutes of a 5-1 loss to Canada.
Switzerland later announced the Los Angeles Kings winger suffered a lower-leg injury that will end his Games.
“Kevin Fiala was injured in the second group game against Canada and will miss the rest of the Olympic tournament,” the Swiss team said in a post to social media.
The incident unfolded with under three minutes left at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, after Fiala got tied up along the boards with Tom Wilson and went down awkwardly. Fiala stayed on the ice as trainers rushed out, then was immobilized and transported for further evaluation.
“Obviously, it doesn’t look very good,” Switzerland coach Patrick Fischer said. “Tough, tough, tough moment for Kevin and the whole team, obviously.”
Wilson called it a routine battle that ended the wrong way. “It’s just unlucky,” he said. “It’s the Olympic Games, and I feel terrible that he may not be able to keep playing.”
Switzerland captain Nico Hischier echoed that sentiment, saying, “It seemed like an innocuous play. … It’s an unfortunate play and things like that happen.”
The loss is significant on its own — Connor McDavid scored as Canada stayed perfect in Group A — but the larger blow is what Switzerland loses going forward. Fiala logged just over 20 minutes before the injury and had already contributed an assist in Switzerland’s 4-0 opening win over France.
Fiala recorded 18 goals and 22 assists in 56 games for the Los Angeles Kings this season before the Olympic break. For his NHL career, the 2022-23 All-Star has 229 goals and 299 assists across 707 games.
Now the Swiss move on without one of their top creators, starting Sunday against Czechia, with the group standings and their medal path suddenly feeling secondary.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Minnesota, Washington chase reset as skids collide
Feb 1, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Niko Medved reacts from the bench during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images Minnesota will look to break out of a slump when it travels to Seattle on Saturday for a Big Ten tilt against Washington.
At this point, watching game film has left Minnesota coach Niko Medved feeling stuck in a loop.
Kind of like Bill Murray’s character, TV weatherman Phil Connors, in the 1993 classic “Groundhog Day.”
Only Medved is watching his Golden Gophers, a different type of burrowing rodent.
“It’s kind of the same movie,” said Medved, referring to a 67-62 loss to visiting Maryland last Sunday in which his team allowed the final seven points. “We just had to find a way to get a few more stops down the stretch, and we still would have found a way to get out of here with a win, and we just couldn’t.”
Minnesota (11-13, 4-9 Big Ten) has lost eight of its past nine games, the only win in that stretch a 76-73 upset of No. 10 Michigan State on Feb. 4.
“Just look at our entire schedule over the whole season,” Medved said. “The margin for error is really, really small. We have to play one way and have to play with a certain edge regardless of our opponent.”
Washington coach Danny Sprinkle can relate. The Huskies (12-13, 4-10) have lost three in a row, including a 63-60 decision Wednesday against Penn State — the Nittany Lions’ first Big Ten road victory of the season.
“It was a game that you have to win at home,” Sprinkle said. “We can’t have some of our best players playing like that from an energy standpoint and a production standpoint if you’re going to win. They made plays. We didn’t.”
Senior Cade Tyson leads Minnesota with 19.4 points per game and shoots a team-best 38.5% from 3-point range. Washington is paced by freshman Hannes Steinbach, who averages 17.6 points and 11.4 rebounds per game.
–Field Level Media
Reports: RHP Zac Gallen returns to D-backs on 1-year deal
Swiss F Kevin Fiala (leg) stretchered off vs. Canada
