Sports
Missouri intends to draw a line in visit to South Carolina
Jan 31, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates gestures to players against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the second half of the game at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images As Missouri battles to make the NCAA Tournament’s field of 68, perhaps the most important number it needs to pay attention to is 332.
That is where the Tigers currently sit, out of 361 Division I teams, in free-throw shooting percentage as coach Dennis Gates’ team faces South Carolina in Columbia, S.C., on Saturday.
Missouri (15-7, 5-4 Southeastern Conference) has made just 67.4% of its shots from the free-throw line, making the team dead last in the SEC. That includes an atrocious 34.8% (8-for-23) showing in a 90-64 setback at Alabama last month.
The Tigers rebounded in an 84-79 victory over Mississippi State last week, making 75.8% (25 for 33) of their free throws, including 10 of 12 in the final two minutes to hold off the Bulldogs.
It is not the sexiest statistic, but it could end up making the difference as Missouri tries to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
“That’s good coaching. I was able to telepathically get into their brain right there on the line and start whispering, ‘Calm down, calm down.’ And you just saw a swish. So, the coaching. I’ll take that today,” Gates said.
Mark Mitchell led Missouri with 19 points and seven rebounds in the triumph over Mississippi State. T.O. Barrett added 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.
Trent Pierce, who made 19 starts last season but missed this year’s entire nonconference schedule, started for the first time in nine appearances this year and made two early 3-pointers on the way to 13 points.
Mitchell leads the team with 17.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. He has scored in double figures in 20 of 22 games. Jayden Stone is averaging 14.6 points and 5.3 rebounds.
The Tigers are just 1-3 on the road in the conference, but in South Carolina, they are facing a spiraling squad poised to miss the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in nine years. The Gamecocks have lost four straight and eight of 10.
South Carolina has dropped two straight and four of five at home and lost its last outing 84-75 at Texas on Tuesday despite jumping out to an early lead.
“We did a lot of right things that allowed us to be in a position to win the game. … Our first responsibility was to do enough right things that when it got to game-winning time, you were right there to win the game,” Gamecocks head coach Lamont Paris said. “It stings to be in that position and then in the last 2 1/2, 3 minutes, not be in a position to win the game.”
Meechie Johnson scored a career-best 35 points while shooting 12 of 21 from the field and 10 of 14 from the free-throw line. Elijah Strong added 12 points.
Johnson leads the team with a career-best 16.5 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.3 steals. He is averaging 22.6 points over his last seven games.
“Meechie has had a good year. He’s been getting better at his one-on-one attacking,” Paris said. “So he’s been doing that a lot more, I’d say, in the last few games, especially getting to the rim and finishing strong. That’s been a point of emphasis for him to try to improve.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Why WrestleMania Season Doesn’t Feel Like WrestleMania Right Now
We are days away from April.
The Masters are in full swing, the PWHL is skating through its season, and the MLS/NWSL are dribbling through theirs. The playoffs for the NBA and NHL are in high gear. The NFL Draft is underway in Pittsburgh, and MLB players are just getting their cleats in the dirt.
Am I missing something? Oh, I almost forgot. It is WrestleMania season! Except that if you ask a fan or a media personality, they would tell you it sure doesn’t feel that way.
For the second year in a row, WrestleMania is taking place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. WWE has sold around 37,000 tickets for both nights. It was not always that high, and fans did not respond well to the high prices WWE presented.
In a viral video online, a fan interacted with Randy Orton and told him she spent $30,000 to attend last year’s WrestleMania. Orton was flabbergasted and called it “embarrassing.” One year later, and it feels like WWE may have finally learned its lesson. On “3:16 Day,” which was also the same day as Monday Night Raw, the company offered 31.6% off tickets for WM. It turns out that when you lower the threshold, fans are willing to use their credit cards.
Outside of ticket prices, it is not particularly optimistic right now. Eight matches have been officially announced. Triple H and company are planning at least 14 matches total, with six of them involving women.
Speaking of these matches, only three have hit hard, while the others have fizzled out quickly. First, a highly anticipated showdown between Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar. The Ruler answered the Beast’s challenge and took him out in back-to-back weeks. Brock even told Femi to put his foot on him while he pointed at the sign.
Another fiery matchup is for the Raw Women’s Championship. Stephanie Vaquer made Liv Morgan cry on Raw, in a backstage interview with Michael Cole. The two brawled for a few minutes on Monday Night Raw a few weeks ago, intensifying their rivalry.
Jacob Fatu and Drew McInyre brawled their way inside and outside the arena. This led to GM Nick Aldis announcing an Unsanctioned Match at WrestleMania. Sami Zayn won the US Title and is set for a clash with Trick Williams. It is rumored that this is set up for a double turn down the line.
The rest of the card has not lived up to expectations. Rhea Ripley and Jade Cargill had a Twitter spat after the former won the EC match. Their rivalry has been ice cold since, and now B Fab/Michin joined Jade Cargill because if you cannot beat’em, join’em.
Roman Reigns and CM Punk started hot, with Punk saying he would bury Roman next to his father. Now, the Bloodline looks like it is headed to a reunion, and Reigns is calling Punk OLD. At least they got physical, but Punk laughing after receiving a powerbomb through the table was questionable.
Punk’s wife, AJ Lee, is facing Becky Lynch again despite tapping her out three straight times. The two will fight for the Women’s IC title, and hopefully, they will add a stipulation to keep things interesting. This will be Lee’s first WrestleMania match in over ten years.
Randy Orton’s heel turn has backfired on WWE because fans continue to cheer him anyway. Orton takes on Cody Rhodes for the WWE title in pursuit of his 15th reign. This rivalry has at least been ok. We still do not know who Randy is on the phone with, but Kevin Owens, The Rock, or Cowboy Bob Orton seem like popular answers. Cody’s friend Matt Cardona has received a beating from the Viper, but WWE has not given fans any reason to back Cardona.
That is what we have so far, folks. You know who is missing from this year’s build to WM? The Ring General Gunther. Remember the guy who retired Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles? He is nowhere to be found. WWE wanted him to face Rey Mysterio, but the luchador is injured.
Another superstar in jeopardy of missing WM is LA Knight. Triple H does not like him, but the guy is over. Maybe he could be Gunther’s opponent. Meanwhile, Seth Rollins has been running around with a bunch of masked men looking to take down the Vision. Or whatever is left of it. He could still face Bron Breakker at ‘Mania.
Lastly, how is Jelly Roll getting more airtime than the last three people I mentioned? He beat Kit Wilson in a surprisingly decent match, but got hit with an RKO to end the show on Friday. WWE’s obsession with having celebrities at WM continues. Legendary QB Tom Brady had some choice words about WWE in an interview, and he could be a part of it. iShowSpeed is another celebrity with ties to the company, and is a third celebrity poised for ‘Mania. Bad Bunny is not planned to appear this time around.
With three weeks to go, they still have time to build excitement for ‘Mania. Triple H and Nick Khan need to step it up. With Monday Night Raw at Madison Square Garden tomorrow, look for them to go all out. If not, we could be in store for one of the weakest builds in the modern era to WrestleMania. Stay tuned for Raw on Netflix at 7 pm, and SmackDown is in Randy’s hometown, so perhaps the American Nightmare Cody Rhodes could get booed.
Sports
UConn returns to Final Four after rolling past Notre Dame
Mar 29, 2026; Fort Worth, TX, USA; UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd (35) drives to the basket as Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Cassandre Prosper (8) defends during the first half at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images Sarah Strong scored 21 points and Blanca Quinonez added 20 off the bench as top-seeded UConn handled its business with a 70-52 in over No. 6-seed Notre Dame on Sunday afternoon in an NCAA Tournament Regional 1 final at Fort Worth, Texas.
UConn (38-0), the defending national champion, won its 54th consecutive game and advanced to the Women’s Final Four on Friday in Phoenix where it will play either South Carolina or TCU.
The Huskies earned an 85-47 victory over Notre Dame at home on Jan. 19 but this game was more competitive as the stakes were much higher.
UConn took its first lead at 5-6 with 4:45 remaining the first quarter and slowly wore down Notre Dame, going up 20-11 after one quarter and 32-25 at halftime.
After a Fighting Irish rally midway through the third period, the Huskies led 47-36 heading into the forth. Quinonez’s 3-pointer with 5:43 remaining in the game increased the Huskies’ lead to 63-44 and UConn cruised to the finish.
Azzi Fudd added 13 points for the Huskies, while Quinonez had a team-high eight rebounds. UConn scored 19 points off 18 Notre Dame turnovers and had a 35-29 rebounding advantage.
Hannah Hidalgo led Notre Dame (25-11) with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Vanessa de Jesus had eight points with five rebounds.
Fudd’s steal and assist to Quinonez produced a layup on the final possession of the first quarter and sent the Huskies to their 20-11 lead.
Notre Dame reeled off an 11-4 spurt that started late in the first quarter and was punctuated by a 3-pointer by Hidalgo that trimmed UConn’s advantage to 24-20. The Huskies responded with three straight baskets to lead 30-20 after Strong canned a jumper at the 2:34 mark before settling into a seven-point halftime advantage.
Quinonez has season-high 14 points before halftime to lead all scorers and was the only player from either team in double figures. Hidalgo paced the Fighting Irish with nine points in the first half.
Strong’s layup on the break with 8:43 to play in the third period gave UConn a 38-26 lead before the Fighting Irish clamped down, holding the Huskies scoreless for nearly five minutes. But Notre Dame only scored four points over the stretch.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Adam Sykora helps Rangers knock off Panthers
Mar 29, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones (3) and New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck (16) battle for the puck during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images Rookie Adam Sykora scored for the second straight game, Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves and the host New York Rangers recorded a 3-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Sunday afternoon.
The Rangers (30-35-9, 69 points) won their second straight following a season-high six-game skid, and did so after struggling to generate many chances in the opening 40 minutes.
Sykora broke the deadlock by getting through the slot and slightly past Florida’s Noah Gregor. As defenseman Adam Fox lifted a shot from the middle of the right circle, Sykora lifted his stick up just enough to deflect the puck into the net from in front of goalie Sergei Bobrovksy.
Playing in his third NHL career game since debuting Wednesday in Toronto, Sykora netted his first career game-winning goal. He scored New York’s third goal in its 6-1 rout of the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday by finishing off a 2-on-1 with Will Cuylle.
Conor Sheary scored on a shorthanded breakaway with 8:46 left in the third. Fox capped the scoring with a shorthanded empty-net tally with 3:54 left in the third.
Shesterkin nearly recorded his second shutout this season and stopped a four-game losing streak.
He highlighted the game with consecutive pad stops on Matthew Tkachuk with about 12 1/2 minutes left and used his glove to snatch an attempt from Vinnie Hinostroza during a Florida power play midway through the first.
Mackie Samoskevich scored in the final minutes as The Panthers (35-35-3, 73 points) fell to 2-6-0 in their past eight games.
Bobrovsky made 18 saves.
Mika Zibanejad nearly scored for New York during a power play with 95 seconds left in the second period but saw his shot from the right circle stop on the goal line. After the shot got by Bobrovsky, Gustav Forsling swept the puck away from the goal line.
The Panthers nearly took the lead 3:22 into the third when Tkachuk finished off a 2-on-1 with Carter Verhaeghe. The Rangers challenged for offsides and the goal was disallowed.
After Sykora’s goal, J.T. Miller stole the puck from Tkachuk at the blue line in the offensive zone and found Sheary. Sheary skated into the zone ahead of Florida defenseman Mike Benning and sent a shot from between the circles by Bobrovsky.
–Field Level Media
Why WrestleMania Season Doesn’t Feel Like WrestleMania Right Now
UConn returns to Final Four after rolling past Notre Dame
