Sports
No. 1 Arizona travels to Arizona State with history on the line
Iowa State Cyclones center Dishon Jackson (1) and Arizona Wildcats forward Henri Veesaar (13) battle for a rebound during the first half in the Big-12 men’s basketball showdown at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday March 1, 2025 in Ames, Iowa. No. 1 Arizona will try to achieve the best start in program history and match the record for its longest winning streak when the Wildcats play at rival Arizona State in Tempe on Saturday.
Arizona (21-0, 8-0 Big 12) is tied for the best start in program history with the 2013-14 team. The school’s longest winning streak, 22 games, stretched from 1914 to 1917.
Arizona State (11-10, 2-6) has lost four of its last five games, including Tuesday’s 79-76 defeat at UCF.
Arizona beat No. 13 BYU 86-83 on Monday in Provo, Utah, behind 29 points from Brayden Burries and 26 from Jaden Bradley.
The Wildcats, who led by 19 points with close to 10 minutes remaining, withstood BYU’s late rally, which included a 12-2 run in the last 1:01.
The win was the closest of the season for Arizona, which is defeating opponents by an average margin of 21.3 points.
“It’s a big-time finish for us,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “We’ve been talking a lot about that from going back to this summer that there’s going to be some games that come down to getting one stop, and then we haven’t been in a lot of them. So it was great to experience that and have it come out our way.”
Burries, who averages 15.2 points a game, and fellow freshman Koa Peat (14.5) are the leading scorers for the Wildcats.
Peat, who hails from the Phoenix area, will experience a homecoming in Tempe.
Burries struggled in the first meeting with Arizona State, in which Arizona won 89-82 in Tucson on Jan. 14. He scored six points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field, 0 of 3 from 3-point range.
He has averaged 20.4 points a game in the four games since, including shooting 50% from the field (25 of 50) and from 3-point range (10 of 20).
“I feel like we are just getting better each and every day,” Burries said. “I feel like we have the best freshmen on our team in the whole nation. … It’s just getting better every day. We just continue to have that growth mindset.”
Arizona State kept it close at Arizona, cutting the lead to three points with 56.3 seconds remaining following a 3-pointer by Maurice Odum. A jumper by Bradley and two free throws by Tobe Awaka sealed the win for Arizona.
Odum is the Sun Devils’ catalyst, leading the team with 17.2 points and 6.6 assists per game.
Arizona State freshman center Massamba Diop competed well against counterpart Motiejus Krivas in the previous meeting. Diop had 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field.
Krivas finished with four points after making the only shot from the field that he attempted and going 2 of 4 from the free-throw line.
Against UCF in its most recent game, Arizona State lost Tuesday despite leading 70-58 going into the final six minutes.
“It’s brutal to lose,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said. “It always is. This was certainly a winnable game. We played very well. We probably played near the level that we played at Arizona, and that one again, we were down three with 50 seconds in that game.
“We only have what, like, 10 games left in league play? It’s getting late, just to feel good that we played well. I mean, it’s time where you have to capitalize and try and win these kinds of games.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
No. 17 St. John's earns win at Providence marred by brawl, ejections
Feb 14, 2026; Providence, Rhode Island, USA; St. John’s University Red Storm forward/guard Bryce Hopkins (23) shoots during the first half of the game against the Providence College Friars at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Natalie Reid-Imagn Images In a game that featured a bench-clearing altercation that led to six ejections, Dylan Darling scored 18 of his season-high 23 points in the second half to lead No. 17 St. John’s to a 79-69 Big East win over host Providence on Saturday afternoon.
With Providence clinging to a 40-39 edge with 14:25 to play, the Friars’ Duncan Powell clotheslined former Providence standout Bryce Hopkins as he went up for a breakaway layup. As Hopkins got up off the floor and stood up to Powell, players and coaches flew off both benches to try to restore order.
Following a lengthy delay for a video review and discussion, Providence’s Powell and Jaylin Sellers were ejected along with Dillon Mitchell, Kelvin Odih, Ruben Prey and Lefteris Liotopoulos for St. John’s – the latter three dismissed for leaving the Red Storm’s bench.
St. John’s (20-5, 13-1) sank three of the four ensuing free throws to start an 8-0 run and take a 47-40 lead as Providence (11-15, 4-11) never got closer than four points again. Darling finished that stretch with his first of back-to-back 3-pointers and stole an inbounds pass for a layup.
Darling sank three 3-pointers, went 8 of 9 from the foul line and added eight rebounds en route as the Red Storm extended their winning streak to 11 since a Jan. 3 home loss to Providence. Zuby Ejiofor scored 14 points, Oziyah Sellers added 11 and Hopkins had nine points and nine rebounds.
Stefan Vaaks had 20 points, Ryan Mela scored 14 and Jaylin Sellers added 13 for Providence, which has lost six of its last eight.
Before the brawl, Providence had been on an 18-5 run dating back to the final two minutes of the first half. A Jaylin Sellers 3-pointer highlighted the spurt and kicked off a back-and-forth stretch during which the game was tied two other times.
After the altercation, Providence got within 47-43 after Vaaks’ outlet feed led to a Jamier Jones 3-point play with 13:55 left, but Darling scored the game’s next five points and Ejiofor answered multiple Mela baskets midway through the half.
Oziyah Sellers’ midrange jumper with 5:52 left gave St. John’s a double-digit lead again as part of a 9-3 run that put the game out of reach.
The Red Storm stormed out of the gates, responding to Oswin Erhunmwunse’s opening layup with a 10-0 run. Two Providence turnovers extended the segment, with Hopkins scoring the first of back-to-back baskets off steals.
After Mela’s layup stopped the run, Ian Jackson sank a 3-pointer and turned another turnover into a dunk for a 15-4 St. John’s lead less than five minutes in. A 5-0 burst brought Providence within seven, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Darling and Joson Sanon gave the Storm a 13-point lead.
A Jones three-point play and a Vaaks trey bookended Providence’s longest first-half run, making it 25-20 with 7:09 to play. St. John’s answered a nearly six-minute field-goal drought with a 9-2 run including a Hopkins transition dunk, but five Jaylin Sellers points and a Powell triple ended the first half with the Red Storm clinging to a 34-29 edge.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Villanova wins fifth straight, avenges loss to Creighton
Feb 14, 2026; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Villanova Wildcats forward Duke Brennan (24) drives against Creighton Bluejays forward Isaac Traudt (41) during the first half at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images Duke Brennan had 21 points and 12 rebounds and Tyler Perkins had 17 points and 11 rebounds as Villanova extended its win streak to five with an 80-69 victory over Creighton on Saturday afternoon in Omaha, Neb.
Deven Askew had 13 points off the bench for the Wildcats (20-5, 11-3 Big East Conference), who ended a four-game losing streak to the Bluejays (13-13, 7-8). Villanova is 6-1 on the road in conference play and avenged a 76-72 home loss to Creighton last month.
Back-to-back Askew 3-pointers gave the Wildcats a 25-10 lead with 7:17 to play in the first half as Villanova used a 16-3 run to take control. The Wildcats never led by less than seven points the rest of the game.
Both teams struggled offensively early. Villanova started 5 for 17 from the field.
Creighton, whose team attended the funeral of guard Josh Dix’s mother Friday, struggled for nearly all of the first half. Isaac Traudt, one of the Bluejays’ key long-range shooters, was 0 of 4 from beyond the arc early.
Nik Graves led Creighton with 15 points, scoring 13 after the break. Dix chipped in with 14 points.
Austin Swartz made two 3-pointers and scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half for the Bluejays, who have lost seven of 10 and are in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
Villanova secured the game late, finishing 14 for 19 (74%) from the foul line, markedly better than recent performances.
Malachi Palmer came off the bench to score all 10 of his points in the second half for the Wildcats. Acaden Lewis, one of just five freshmen in the country to average 12.5 points and at least five assists, had eight points, four assists and two steals.
Brennan posted his 11th double-double to lead Villanova.
Jasen Green had a team-high 11 rebounds for Creighton. Hudson Greer added eight points and five rebounds and Fedor Zugic scored all seven of his points in the second half.
Villanova is holding opponents to a Big East-leading 29.9% shooting percentage from beyond the arc, and Creighton finished 8 for 27 (29.6%).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Padres agree to deal with RHP German Marquez
Jul 5, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies relief pitcher German Marquez (48) delivers a pitch in the second inning against the Chicago White Sox at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images The San Diego Padres agreed to a one-year deal with right-hander German Marquez, according to ESPN.
Marquez has played all 10 of his MLB seasons for the Colorado Rockies. He owns a career record of 68-72 with a 4.67 ERA and 1.334 WHIP.
He earned his sole All-Star selection in 2021, in which he posted a 4.40 ERA, 1.272 WHIP, 176 strikeouts and a league-leading three complete games across 32 starts.
The 30-year-old is looking to bounce back from an underwhelming 2025 campaign. Across 26 games, he went 3-16 with a 6.70 ERA, 1.710 WHIP and 83 strikeouts in 126 1/3 innings pitched.
The metrics were concerning, as well. He ranked in the bottom five percentile in pitching run value (-42), fastball run value (-29), breaking run value (-11), xERA (5.81), xBA (.287) and strikeout percentage (14.0).
Pitching at Coors Field is a well-known challenge, and Marquez’s away splits are slightly better. For his career, he has a 5.17 ERA at home and a 4.22 ERA on the road.
–Field Level Media
No. 17 St. John's earns win at Providence marred by brawl, ejections
Villanova wins fifth straight, avenges loss to Creighton
