Sports
JT Toppin, No. 11 Texas Tech hope for better returns against No. 14 Kansas
Jan 31, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders forward JT Toppin (15) shoots against against the UCF Knights during the first half at Addition Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images Star forward JT Toppin and No. 11 Texas Tech will look to get back on track in Big 12 play Monday when they host No. 14 Kansas in Lubbock, Tex.
The Red Raiders (16-5, 6-2 Big 12) will need a much better performance all around after losing Saturday’s high-noon affair at UCF, which led almost the entire contest and stood strong at the end to record its second win over a ranked team.
Toppin, who averages a double-double, did his part with 27 points and 10 rebounds in the 88-80 setback that snapped the Red Raiders’ five-game winning streak.
“We were not ready to play, and that’s 100% on me,” said Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland, whose crew did not have a midweek matchup before the UCF game. “We had a week to get prepared for this. … We did not overlook this game. We lost in here the last time we played. They beat us to start conference play last year.”
Texas Tech was outrebounded 35-23 and committed 13 turnovers while forcing six. UCF held an 18-2 advantage in points off turnovers.
“What we communicated and how we practiced was not how we did in the game,” added McCasland. “I thought UCF was just more physical, more aggressive, and tougher than we were for 40 minutes.”
The 6-foot-9 Toppin produces 22.4 points per game and 10.9 rebounds. His scoring ranks him third in the Big 12 behind Kansas State’s P.J. Haggerty (23.0 per game) and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa (23.3).
Red Raiders guard Christian Anderson totals 19.6 points and 7.5 assists per game.
The loss, combined with Kansas’ 90-82 win over No. 13 BYU, left the Jayhawks (16-5, 6-2) effectively tied with Texas Tech and Iowa State for third place in the Big 12 standings.
Kansas played two completely different halves Saturday at home as it hosted College GameDay for the 13th time in school history.
The matchup featured two of the nation’s most sensational freshmen — the Jayhawks’ Darryn Peterson and Dybantsa.
The 6-foot-6 Peterson only played 20 minutes, but the guard was unstoppable in the first half.
He scored 18 points and made 6 of 7 from the floor plus chipped in three steals as Kansas led 53-33 at the break.
“We played great, you know, for 20 minutes,” Kansas coach Bill Self said after the team’s fifth straight win. “That’s the best we’ve played all year long. And then we just kind of had to piece it together to end it.”
However, Peterson’s cramps, an issue that sidelined him early during the nonconference part of the campaign, resurfaced by halftime and forced the explosive guard to miss 17 minutes of the second half.
“It’s disappointing that he couldn’t go because of cramps,” said Self, whose squad had to fend off BYU after once leading by 21. “And he didn’t cramp last game, but he did today. I certainly hope we can still figure that out.”
Bryson Tiller, a 6-foot-11 freshman forward, stepped up in Peterson’s absence and helped preserve the victory with a career-high 21 points and a team-best seven boards.
“I thought he was aggressive,” said Self of Tiller, who averages nine points and 5.8 rebounds. “When you play a big guy the way we’re playing him… I think sometimes he can get a little bit lost and float. Tonight, I didn’t see that at all. I thought he was aggressive the whole game.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees acquire IF Max Schuemann in trade with Athletics
Sep 8, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics third baseman Max Schuemann (12) throws the ball to first against the Boston Red Sox during the third inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images The New York Yankees acquired infielder Max Schuemann in a trade with the Athletics on Monday, sending right-handed pitching prospect Luis Burgos as the return.
Schuemann, 28, has appeared in 234 major league games over the 2024-25 seasons for the Athletics, who drafted him in the 20th round of 2018 MLB Draft.
He has a .212 career batting average and .306 on-base percentage with nine home runs, 18 doubles, 47 RBIs and 154 strikeouts to 69 walks. Last season, he hit .197 with two homers and 13 RBI in 101 games.
After largely playing shortstop (93 games) in 2024, Schuemann played his most games (39) at second base followed by third base (27) in 2025. He’s also played each of the outfield spots, bringing some real positional versatility to the Yankees.
Burgos, 20, was a Yankees undrafted-free-agent signing out of the Dominican Republic in June of 2024. He’s posted a 4-4 record and 3.39 ERA over 25 games (10 starts) in two seasons in New York’s farm system.
To make room for Schuemann, the Yankees designated outfielder Yanquiel Fernandez for assignment.
–Field Level Media
Sports
No. 21 Arkansas rides depth into SEC encounter with LSU
Feb 7, 2026; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari talks with guard Meleek Thomas (1) during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Arkansas has been one of the more successful teams in the Southeastern Conference recently.
The No. 21 Razorbacks (17-6, 7-3 SEC) have won four of their last five games and are just one game behind conference-leading Florida going into their contest against LSU on Tuesday night in Baton Rouge, La.
Their most recent loss came against Kentucky on Jan. 31, but they bounced back with an 88-68 road victory against Mississippi State on Saturday. The victory came without two injured players, guards D.J. Wagner and Karter Knox, both of whom have started 18 games.
“We know we’re a deep team,” Arkansas forward Nick Pringle said, “so when we’ve got a guy out, next man up.”
Razorbacks freshman Isaiah Sealy played 15 minutes, the most he has played in an SEC game, and had six points, three blocks, two assists and one rebound against the Bulldogs.
“He was ready,” Pringle said. “He’d been locked in all week.”
Sophomore Billy Richmond III made his first start in three weeks and tied his SEC career high with 14 points.
Head coach John Calipari, who used just seven players against Mississippi State, said Wagner and Knox were questionable against LSU.
Even though Calipari was operating with a shortened bench, he still got a team effort. Darius Acuff Jr. had 24 points and eight assists, Trevon Brazile added 19 points and eight rebounds, Meleek Thomas scored 17 and Pringle grabbed a season-high 11 boards.
Arkansas, which defeated visiting LSU 85-81 on Jan. 24, missed its first five shots against Mississippi State.
“We’ve got to get better at (starting),” Calipari said.
LSU started just fine in its most recent game, but quickly saw things turn. The Tigers (14-9, 2-8) rolled to a 31-16 lead against visiting Georgia as they sought consecutive SEC wins for the first time this season.
But Georgia scored the last 11 points of the first half, took a 42-37 halftime lead and led by as many as 17 points in the second half as LSU absorbed an 83-71 defeat.
“I thought there were two things in the difference to the game,” LSU head coach Matt McMahon said. “After a nine (assists) to two (turnovers) ratio, we were three to 12 the rest of the game. Then, after only giving up four offensive rebounds in the first half, we give up 12 in the second.”
Inconsistency within games has plagued the Tigers all season. It doesn’t help that starting point guard Dedan Thomas Jr., who leads the team in scoring (15.3) and assists (6.5), has missed the last two games, and seven of 10 SEC contests, because of a lower-leg injury. His status for Tuesday is uncertain.
Thomas had 18 points, five assists and three rebounds in the Jan. 24 loss to the Razorbacks, which was his first SEC start.
“We can’t separate,” said LSU forward Marquel Sutton, who had 14 points as one of just two double-figure scorers against Georgia. “We’ve got to stay together as a group, as a team, just like we’ve been doing all season.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
After stunning defeat, No. 4 Duke out to bounce back vs. Pitt
Feb 7, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) and Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) fight for the ball in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images After seeing a 10-game winning streak snapped Saturday in a last-second loss to its rival, No. 4 Duke will aim to bounce back on Tuesday night when it travels to Pittsburgh.
Duke’s road loss to North Carolina, on a last-second shot by the Tar Heels, was just the second of the season for the Blue Devils (21-2, 10-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). Duke was outscored by 15 points in the second half and 9-0 over the final 2:25.
A point of contention after the game between the two rivals was the discrepancy in fouls.
North Carolina was whistled for just seven, the lowest for a Duke opponent this season. The Tar Heels also were called for just one foul in the second half. North Carolina is averaging the fewest fouls per game (14.5) in the ACC.
Duke was called for 15 fouls, with starting forward Patrick Ngongba II fouling out in just 16 minutes. Instead of complaining about the officiating, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer used the foul numbers to challenge his players to work harder.
“For me, I don’t know if I’ve been a part of a game where there’s one foul in a half. I thought we were attacking the paint. Clearly, our guys have to play stronger and play better through contact,” Scheyer said. “Let me be very clear, that is not the reason (Duke lost). It’s hard to win, though, if you’re not drawing fouls at all and we’re fouling out. Again, not at all why we lost, but that’s something we have to do a better job with.”
Duke again was led by freshman Cameron Boozer, who finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season and seventh with at least 20 points. Boozer leads the ACC in scoring (23.3 points per game) and rebounding (10.0) this season.
“Get Cam downhill. You just know he’s going to make the right play,” Scheyer said. “Sometimes it goes in, sometimes it doesn’t. I’m taking what we got every day of the week, twice on Sunday.”
Recent meetings between Duke and Pitt (9-15, 2-9) have been family reunions of sorts. Pitt coach Jeff Capel was an All-ACC guard for the Blue Devils in the mid-1990s and spent seven seasons on Duke’s bench as an assistant to longtime coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Scheyer and Capel were on the Blue Devils’ staff together for four seasons.
This season, Capel’s eighth at the helm of the Panthers, has been a struggle. Pitt has its second-worst single-season winning percentage of his tenure at .375. The Panthers have lost nine of their last 11 games, most recently falling at home 86-67 to SMU on Saturday.
Pitt ranks 302nd in scoring with 70.8 points per game.
“For a team that’s struggling like we are, a lot of times guys get energy when they see the ball through the basket,” Capel said. “If it’s not going through the basket, it can drain the energy and suck the energy from them … and then that affects everything. That’s where we have to grow. That’s where our immaturity and inexperience really has to grow.”
Pitt leading scorer Brandin Cummings (12.5 points) has missed the past two games with an ankle injury. Cameron Corhen, who scored 15 points against SMU, delivers 12.3 points per game with a team-best 7.4 rebounds.
–Field Level Media
Yankees acquire IF Max Schuemann in trade with Athletics
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