Sports
Late first-half rally and bench strength pulls Louisville past Notre Dame
Louisville Cardinals forward Sananda Fru (13) blocks the shot of Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Sir Mohammed (13) in the first half at the KFC Yum! Center Wednesday night Feb. 4, 2026 The evening didn’t start well for Louisville, but a late first-half run and solid bench play led the No. 24 Cardinals to a 76-65 home win over the Fighting Irish on Wednesday.
Louisville (16-6, 6-4) fell behind 10-2 to open the game and saw starting guard J’vonne Hadley exit due to an apparent aggravation of a back injury after playing just three minutes.
Louisville led 30-28 with two minutes to go in the first half but an 8-0 run over the next minute opened up a margin the Cardinals wouldn’t relinquish. A dunk from Sananda Fru, a lay-up from Adrian Wooley and then a 3-pointer and a free throw from Isaac McKneely gave Louisville a 38-28 edge with 1:01 before halftime.
Notre Dame pulled within three points on a couple occasions early in the second half, the last coming at 45-42 on a Carson Towt lay-up with 15:33 to play.
The Irish were still within five points at the eight-minute mark, but a late Louisville run finished the matter.
McKneely led the Cardinal attack with 13 points, including 4-for-8 3-point shooting. Fru added 12 points, five rebounds, and three blocked shots. Ryan
Conwell also scored 12 points but shot just 4-for-14. Khani Rooths added a second consecutive double-double off the bench with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Louisville’s bench tallied 33 points in all. Kasean Pryor notched 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting and grabbed five rebounds in the most playing time he’d seen since before Christmas (15 minutes).
Notre Dame (11-12, 2-8) lost for the eighth time in nine games. The Irish season has been a struggle since the loss of Markus Burton to injury in early December.
Guard Cole Certa paced the Irish with 18 points, including 5-for-14 3-point shooting. Brady Koehler tallied 11 points and four steals. Jalen Haralson added eight points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
The Irish shot just 38.7% for the game (24-for-62) and connected on just 6 of 14 free throw attempts (42.9%).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: 76ers trade veteran G Eric Gordon to Grizzlies
Feb 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Eric Gordon (23) controls the ball against the Miami Heat in the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images The Philadelphia 76ers traded veteran guard Eric Gordon to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday for a 2032 second-round draft pick swap in 2032, multiple outlets reported.
The Sixers also land the rights to Justinian Jessup, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia. Jessup, who is playing for Bayern Munich in Germany, was a second-round draft pick by the Golden State Warriors in 2020, with his rights traded to the Grizzlies in July 2025.
Gordon, 37, was scoring 5.5 points in six games off the bench for the Sixers this season. In 18 career NBA seasons, including seven with the Houston Rockets, Gordon has averaged 15.2 points with 2.7 assists in 931 games (665 starts).
–Field Level Media
Sports
After near-upset last month, No. 2 Michigan locked on Penn State
Jan 6, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) drives the ball to the basket during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images No. 2 Michigan rightfully has been basking in the glow of a terrific week.
The Wolverines beat a pair of Top 10 teams last week – recording a 3-point home win over then-No. 5 Nebraska on Jan. 27 before going to archrival Michigan State’s floor and claiming a 12-point win over the then-No. 7 Spartans last Friday. The latter victory made Michigan head coach Dusty May an even more popular figure among Michigan faithful.
It also propelled Michigan (20-1, 10-1 Big Ten) to the top of the league standings with Illinois, a position it will attempt to maintain on Thursday when the Wolverines host Penn State in Ann Arbor, Mich.
While the game appears to be a mismatch on paper, so did the teams’ first meeting on Jan. 6 in State College, Pa. Yet the Nittany Lions rallied from an eight-point deficit with just over three minutes remaining to make it a one-point game in the final minute before Michigan prevailed 74-72.
“We’ve got a Penn State team that gave us everything and then some,” May said. “We’re focused on that game.”
While May is locked on Penn State, the Michigan fanbase gets to enjoy the big-picture excitement enhanced by Friday’s win over Michigan State.
With fewer than six weeks to go until Selection Sunday, Michigan finds itself on everyone’s short list of national championship contenders thanks largely to the four NBA prospects who transferred in during the offseason: Yaxel Lendeborg (team-leading 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game), Morez Johnson Jr. (13.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg), Aday Mara (10.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.6 blocks per game) and Elliot Cadeau (10.4 ppg, 5.3 assists per game).
“I love our guys last year, but we just didn’t have enough dog,” May said. “So we were able to solve that issue in recruiting. We were close. We just didn’t have enough. I think our staff did a great job of being intentional about fixing the things that needed to be fixed instead of just hoping that things change or go away.”
Penn State also comes in feeling good about itself, having snapped an eight-game losing streak on Sunday with a 77-75 home win over Minnesota.
The Nittany Lions (10-12, 1-10) will be at a size disadvantage against Michigan’s massive frontline but will try and give the Wolverines problems with the smaller, quicker lineup that trapped and pressed Minnesota effectively.
“If we play on our heels, we’re going to lose,” Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades said. “If we’re going to play little and don’t be aggressive and hawk the ball, we’re probably going to lose. It’s not rolling the dice. It’s how I always want to play anyway.”
Penn State has three players averaging double figures: Kayden Mingo (14.1 ppg, 4.7 apg), Freddie Dilione V (13.9 ppg) and Josh Reed (10.0 ppg). Mingo, who leads the Big Ten with 2.1 steals per game, did not play in the teams’ first meeting.
Penn State has lost the last three games it has played in Ann Arbor. The last time Penn State won at Michigan was a 72-63 triumph on Jan. 22, 2020.
The only road game Penn State has won this year came on Nov. 8 at New Haven, which is in the Northeast Conference.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Eagles OL coach Jeff Stoutland to vacate role on staff
Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Philadelphia Eagles offensive line coach and run game coordinator Jeff Stoutland announced Wednesday that he will vacate his longtime role as new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion arrives.
“Philadelphia, I’ve decided my time coaching with the Eagles has come to an end,” Stoutland posted to X. “When I arrived here in 2013, I did not know what I was signing up for. I quickly learned what this city demands. But more importantly, what it gives back.
“The past 13 years have been the great privilege of my coaching career. I didn’t just work here, I became one of you. Stout out.”
Stoutland, 63, was exclusively a college coach before joining the Eagles’ staff in 2013 after serving as the offensive line coach at Alabama. Philadelphia went to the playoffs eight times during his run with the team and won two Super Bowls.
According to NFL Network, Stoutland will not completely sever ties with the organization, although no future role was specified.
–Field Level Media
ElevenLabs CEO: Voice is the next interface for AI
Substack confirms data breach affects users’ email addresses and phone numbers
