Sports
Iowa State runs roughshod over Arizona State in Big 12 tourney
Mar 11, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (5) protects the ball during the first half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images Milan Momcilovic scored 21 points and Joshua Jefferson added 20 points and 12 rebounds as No. 7 Iowa State walloped Arizona State 91-42 on Wednesday in a Big 12 Conference tournament second-round game in Kansas City, Mo.
The fifth-seeded Cyclones (26-6) advance to play fourth-seeded Texas Tech, No. 16 in the latest AP poll, in the quarterfinal round on Thursday afternoon.
Iowa State led by as many as 33 points in the first half and by 29 at halftime as it held the 12th-seeded Sun Devils to 31.8% shooing from the floor while forcing 15 turnovers that led to 18 points for the Cyclones.
The second half was not much better for Arizona State, as Iowa State eventually expanded the margin to 49 points, with the margin of victory the largest in Big 12 tournament history.
Blake Buchanan added 17 points for the Cyclones, while Tamin Lipsey scored 11.
Santiago Trouet led Arizona State (17-16) with 13 points and was the only Sun Devil in double figures. Maurice Odem, who came into this tournament averaging more than 17 points per game, scored just two on Wednesday after producing nine in a win over Baylor on Tuesday.
The Sun Devils lost to Iowa State twice in the past five days by a combined total of 70 points.
Iowa State set the table early on, scoring the game’s first seven points before going upon 13-2 on a layup by Momcilovic at the 13:28 mark of the first half. Lipsey’s 3-pointer with 9:20 to go in the half stoked the margin to 14 points. A jumper from beyond the arc by Jamarion Batemon on the break after a steal by Lipsey put Iowa State ahead 27-10 with 7:51 left.
The Cyclones continued to expand on the lead as Momcilovic hit a free throw and then a 3-pointer, the latter with 4:03 still to play before halftime, to go up 33-10. Iowa State’s run eventually reached 16 consecutive points and built the lead to 40-10 before a jumper by Massamba Diop ended a six-minute scoreless stretch for the Sun Devils.
Bryce Ford’s jumper with 1 second left cut Arizona State’s deficit to 45-16 at the break.
Momcilovic led Iowa State’s attack with 12 points while Buchanan and Bateman added nine each before halftime. No player had more than four points for the Sun Devils in the first half as they shot just 7 of 22 from the field and missed all 10 of their 3-point attempts.
–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.
Sports
Golf Glance: Elite field for The Players' $25M purse; LIV returns to Singapore
Scottie Scheffler tees off on the 17th hole during the second round of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach on Friday March 14, 2025. Scheffler is the only back-to-back winner of The Players. The smallest field in the history of The Players Championship tackles the iconic TPC Sawgrass with the PGA Tour’s largest purse at stake, while Jon Rahm looks to keep his red-hot LIV Golf streak going in Singapore.
PGA TOUR
THIS WEEK: The Players Championship, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., March 12-15
Course: TPC Sawgrass (Par 72, 7,352 Yards)
Purse: $25M (Winner: $4.5M)
Defending Champion: Rory McIlroy
FedEx Cup Leader: Collin Morikawa
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV: Thursday-Friday: 1-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday: 2-7 p.m. (NBC); Sunday: 1-6 p.m. (NBC)
Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. ET; Saturday: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday: 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
X: @ThePlayers
NOTES: Each of the past six winners of The Players entered the week inside the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking, and this week’s field includes 46 of the top 50 players. … This is the first of five events this season that offer 750 FedExCup points to the winner, and the winner earns a five-year PGA Tour exemption. … Seven of the first nine events have been won by players in their 20s. … Five of the past six Players were decided by no more than one shot. … Joel Dahmen, Taylor Moore, Seamus Power and Andrew Putnam qualified for the field through their FedExCup ranking through the Cognizant Classic. … Only three players have converted the 54-hole lead/co-lead into a victory at The Players since 2016: Jason Day (2016), Webb Simpson (2018) and Scottie Scheffler (2023). … Brooks Koepka is in the field as part of his return to the PGA Tour via the Returning Member Program. To round out threesomes, the field was expanded to 123 with the addition of Patton Kizzire and Seamus Power. It still marks the smallest field in tournament history. … 2021 Players champion Justin Thomas will make his second start in his return from November back surgery. … Fourteen players are making their tournament debut, including seven tour rookies… Greg Norman holds the tournament scoring record of 264 set in 1994.
BEST BETS: Scottie Scheffler (+435 at DraftKings) won at TPC Sawgrass in 2023-24 and seeks to join Jack Nicklaus as the only three-time winners of The Players. … Rory McIlroy (+1475) is also a two-time winner of The Players, but did not arrive at TPC Sawgrass until Wednesday after withdrawing from the Arnold Palmer due to back spasms. … Collin Morikawa (+2050) leads the FedExCup standings following his T-7 at the Genesis and solo fifth at the Arnold Palmer in addition to his win at Pebble Beach. … Ludvig Aberg (+2900) is coming off a T3 at Bay Hill and finished solo eighth here in 2024 before missing the cut last year. … Chris Gotterup (+4700) offers intriguing odds for the only two-time winner on tour so far this season. … Sepp Straka (+5600) provides longshot odds despite entering the week ranked ninth in the world. He had a T-2 at Pebble Beach and finished T-13 last week.
Last Tournament: Arnold Palmer Invitational (Akshay Bhatia)
Next Tournament: Valspar Championship, Palm Harbor, Fla. (March 19-22)
LIV GOLF LEAGUE
THIS WEEK: LIV Golf Singapore, March 12-15
Course: Sentosa Golf Club (Par 71, 7,406 Yards)
Purses: Individual: $30M (Winner: $4M); Team: $10M (Winners: $3M)
Defending Champions: Individual: Joaquin Niemann; Team: Fireballs GC
2026 Season Leaders: Individual: Jon Rahm; Team: Ripper GC
HOW TO WATCH
TV: Wednesday: 9-11 p.m. ET (Fox Sports app), 11 p.m.-2 a.m. (FS1); Thursday: 9-11:30 p.m. (Fox Sports app), 11:30 p.m.-2 a.m. (FS1); Friday: 9:30-10:30 p.m. (FS2), 10:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. (FS); Saturday: 9 p.m.-2 a.m. (FS1)
X: @livgolf_league
NOTES: This is the fourth of 14 events this season as LIV Golf returns to Singapore for the fourth consecutive year. … Rahm has four runner-ups and a win in his past five LIV events. … HyFlyers GC captain Phil Mickelson will miss his fourth consecutive event due to an undisclosed family matter and will be replaced by Wade Ormsby. … The daily shotgun start includes 13 teams and 57 total players, including five wild cards. … Thomas Detry (No. 61) and Elvis Smylie (No. 73) have two events remaining to climb into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking and earn a spot into the Masters.
Last Event: LIV Golf Hong Kong (Individual: Rahm; Team: 4Aces GC)
Next Event: LIV Golf South Africa, Steyn City, March 19-22
LPGA TOUR
THIS WEEK: OFF.
Race to CME Globe Leader: Jeeno Thitikul
Last Tournament: Blue Bay LPGA (Mi Hyang Lee)
Next Tournament: Fortinet Founders Cup, Menlo Park, Calif., March 19-22
DP WORLD TOUR
THIS WEEK: OFF.
Race to Dubai Leader: Patrick Reed
Last Tournament: Joburg Open (Dan Bradbury)
Next Tournament: Hainan Classic, Hainan Island, China, March 19-22
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
THIS WEEK: OFF.
Charles Schwab Cup leader: Stewart Cink
Last Tournament: James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational (Zach Johnson)
Next Tournament: Cologuard Classic, Tucson, Ariz., March 20-22
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Oregon State to tab Michigan assistant Justin Joyner as coach
Michigan forward Will Tschetter (42) talks to assistant coach Justin Joyner during the second half against Washington at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. Oregon State is expected to hire Michigan assistant Justin Joyner as its next head coach, multiple media outlets reported on Wednesday.
Joyner effectively will replace head coach Wayne Tinkle. The university announced on Feb. 26 that it planned to part ways with Tinkle at the end of the 2025-26 season.
The Beavers (17-16, 9-9 West Coast Conference) saw their season come to an end with a 65-56 setback to Gonzaga on Monday in the semifinals of the conference tournament.
Joyner, 38, is no stranger to the West Coast, having spent seven seasons at Saint Mary’s before working as an assistant with Dusty May in Michigan. Joyner’s wife, Tracy, is the women’s soccer coach at Oregon.
Tinkle completed his 12th season leading the Beavers, over which he has amassed a 177-206 record. He led Oregon State to just two NCAA Tournament appearances but made a famous run in one of them, taking the Beavers to the first Pac-12 tournament championship in program history and their first Elite Eight appearance since 1982 during the 2020-21 season.
Tinkle, 60, previously was the head coach at Montana, his alma mater, from 2006-14, leading the Grizzlies to NCAA Tournament appearances as the Big Sky Conference champion in 2010, 2012 and 2013.
–Field Level Media
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with Privacy Display launches today. Its already a #1 best seller.
Why Bam Adebayo’s 83-Point Game Isn’t the Same as Kobe Bryant's Historic Night
