Sports
Iowa rides Cooper Koch, 21-0 run to move past Maryland
Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Darius Adams (1) defends Iowa Hawkeyes guard Isaia Howard (23) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images Iowa exploded past Maryland in the second half, capitalizing on turnovers and the tandem of Bennett Stirtz and Cooper Koch to advance to the third round of the Big Ten tournament on Wednesday afternoon in Chicago.
Koch wasn’t bothered by a bloody nose, as the freshman forward scored team-best and career-high 19 points, and Stirtz added 17 after a quiet first half. Stirtz also had eight assists and six rebounds.
Koch cashed his fifth 3 of the game in transition to put ninth-seeded Iowa up 59-47 with under seven minutes remaining.
Iowa (21-11) ended a three-game losing streak. The Hawkeyes are first on the court again Thursday with a noon ET against eighth-seeded Ohio State (20-11) at United Center. Iowa defeated the Buckeyes 74-57 on Feb. 25.
Maryland (12-21) had 16 turnovers and missed 14 of its 21 3-point tries.
Isaiah Watts had four 3s and finished with 12 points and Darius Adams scored a team-high 14 for the 17th-seeded Terrapins. Surging scorer Andre Mills was 1 of 13 from the field for Maryland, which trailed by double digits most of the second half.
Iowa took control with a 21-0 run and had Maryland coach Buzz Williams shaking his head with a second timeout in 80 seconds when Stirtz found Koch on the right wing for a 3 — his third of the second half — and buried the Terrapins in a 50-34 hole.
Maryland held Stirtz, the Big Ten’s third-leading scorer at 20.2 points per game, to four points in the first half. He ignited Iowa with back-to-back 3s as part of a the run that staked the Hawkeyes to a 42-34 lead with 14 minutes to play.
Streaky Maryland trailed early but turned to a 2-3 zone defense and knocked down open shots as part of a 15-0 run to build a double-digit, first-half lead, 21-10. Iowa cut it to 26-25 in the final minute of the half with an 11-2 run of its own thanks to Maryland’s eight turnovers in 33 first-half possession.
Maryland started the Big Ten schedule with a 1-10 record. The Terrapins picked up momentum with a close loss to No. 9 Illinois in the regular-season finale and led wire to wire in Tuesday’s tournament victory over Oregon.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Florida International fires coach Jeremy Ballard
Nov 8, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Florida International Panthers head coach Jeremy Ballard talks during a timeout in the first half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images Florida International fired men’s basketball coach Jeremy Ballard on Wednesday after eight seasons and a 113-141 record.
Ballard, 44, guided the Panthers to just one postseason appearance, reaching the CIT second round in his first year at the Westchester, Fla., program in 2018-19.
Florida International just completed a 15-17 campaign (8-12 Conference USA) with a 75-72 loss to Missouri State in the first round of the conference tournament on Tuesday.
Including a 20-14 record in his debut season at FIU, Ballard’s only other winning record came the following season at 19-13. The Panthers have not been to the NCAA Tournament since their lone appearance in 1995.
“I want to thank Jeremy for pouring his heart and soul into the program the past eight years, and for the genuine and respectful manner in which he operated every day,” FIU athletic director Scott Carr said. “Jeremy is one of the best human beings and leaders I have ever encountered, and his authenticity carried over into the student-athletes he coached and the culture he established.
“Jeremy has left the program in a better position than what he inherited, and I want to thank him for that improvement. However, the on-court success has not been to the level we aspire to; we want to be competing for conference championships and NCAA Tournament berths. With that standard in place, a comprehensive national search will begin immediately, and there will be no further comment until that is completed.”
Ballard was an assistant coach at VCU, Pitt, Illinois State, Tulsa and his alma mater, Colgate, before taking over at FIU.
Associate head coach Jesse Bopp has been named the Panthers’ interim head coach.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Returned to sender: Maxx Crosby at Raiders' facility, sides mending fences
Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) on the field after loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Signs point to the Las Vegas Raiders welcoming Maxx Crosby back into the fold as a result of the return-to-sender rejection of a trade with the Baltimore Ravens.
Sports Illustrated reported the star defensive end was back at the team facility to rehab from left knee surgery at 8 a.m. on Wednesday and considers himself an employee of the Raiders going forward.
The Raiders agreed to a trade on Friday with the Ravens, sending Crosby to Baltimore in exchange for multiple first-round picks. But the deal was pending the results of Crosby’s physical and was not official until Wednesday, the first day of the league year. On Tuesday night, the Ravens informed the Raiders the deal was off, according to multiple reports, because of questions surrounding Crosby’s health and what they considered a “failed physical.”
On Wednesday morning, the Ravens reportedly agreed to a four-year contract with free agent defensive end Trey Hendrickson. The 31-year-old is also coming back from surgery. He played in seven games last season and underwent core muscle surgery. The terms of the agreement, with a value of around $112 million according to multiple reports, matches the total compensation remaining on Crosby’s deal.
NFL Network reported the Chicago Bears were willing to part with two first-round picks to acquire Crosby but were outbid. The Ravens likely jumped ahead because Baltimore’s 2026 first-round pick is 11 slots better than Chicago’s No. 25 overall pick.
The Raiders and Crosby, 28, had been at odds since fired head coach Pete Carroll decided to sit him late in the 2025 season when the fiery Pro Bowl talent argued he wasn’t hurt.
By reversing direction, the Ravens retained the No. 14 overall pick and their 2027 first-rounder promised in the handshake agreement.
The Raiders signed two edge rushers — Malcolm Koonce and Kwity Paye — but remain responsible for Crosby’s contract and the $35.7 million cap hit for 2026, per Spotrac. Las Vegas also signed Ravens free agent center Tyler Linderbaum.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Why Bam Adebayo’s 83-Point Game Isn’t the Same as Kobe Bryant's Historic Night
On Tuesday night, Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo scored 83 points against the Washington Wizards.
Adebayo’s big game dethroned Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game as the second-best individual performance in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game. By dropping 83 points, Adebayo also became the highest-scoring living NBA player.
It’s a moment that deserves celebration. Clearly, it meant something to Adebayo, who was hunting baskets on a random Tuesday in March against one of the worst teams in the NBA.
But that last part is exactly why Adebayo won’t get all of the flowers for this feat. Because partially, his 83-point game is what’s wrong with the NBA.
The Wizards deserve to be relegated.
Seriously.
Of course, the NBA has evolved over the years. There are plenty of players in the league capable of scoring 50, 60, 70, and clearly 80+ points on a given night. But on the list of players capable of surpassing Bryant’s 81 points? Adebayo’s name is pretty far down on that list.
A 31-point first quarter gave this feat hope on Tuesday evening. But it just goes to show that the Wizards aren’t even trying to win games at this point in the season.
With the defeat, Washington devolved to 16-48. They’re two losses away from their 50th loss of the season. Unfortunately for the NBA, the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings have already claimed their 50th loss.
For casual NBA fans, there was no reason to tune into Tuesday night’s game against the lowly Wizards and Heat. Miami is the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, but there’s no reason to believe they’ll do anything of substance in the postseason.
Did Adebayo’s 83-point game really change anyone’s belief about the Heat this season? No.
Adebayo shot 43 free throws against the Wizards. He’s a great player who proved capable of an incredible feat. But beyond that? The Wizards are actively trying to lose games and had no intentions on stopping him even before the opening tip.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver is likely to step in at some point this offseason to try and fix tanking in the NBA. It’s a difficult issue. But teams like the Wizards, who have been bad for seemingly forever, need to find a way to get themselves off the mat.
Adebayo deserves his moment in the limelight for what he accomplished on Tuesday night.
But let’s not pretend this feat is anywhere near what Bryant did when he scored 81.
Florida International fires coach Jeremy Ballard
Returned to sender: Maxx Crosby at Raiders' facility, sides mending fences
