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No. 11 Wisconsin aims to stay in 'attack mode' vs. No. 8 Michigan State

Syndication: Peoria Journal StarWisconsin guard John Blackwell (25) drives past Illinois forward Ben Humrichous (3) during the second half of their game Tuesday, February 18, 2025 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin beat Illinois 95-74.

Wisconsin finished a nearly perfect February with a resounding victory over Washington on Tuesday.

The Badgers will face perhaps their biggest test of the Big Ten season in their March opener, however.

No. 11 Wisconsin, which went 6-1 in February, will visit East Lansing, Mich., on Sunday afternoon for a showdown with No. 8 Michigan State.

The Badgers (22-6, 12-5), who have three games remaining before the conference tournament, have a longshot chance of sharing the regular-season title. They’ll have to defeat the Spartans (23-5, 14-3) to stay in contention.

Michigan State and arch-rival Michigan enter Sunday’s action tied for first place in the Big Ten.

Wisconsin bounced back from its only February loss, a 77-73 overtime heartbreaker to Oregon, by thumping the Huskies 88-62.

The Badgers led by as many as 32 points.

“We were in attack mode from start to finish,” coach Greg Gard said. “I’ll go through the film and look at the possessions, but I don’t think we ever really relented or backed off, even when we had a large lead. It was a mindset in all of the timeouts to continue to attack and play aggressively.”

The Badgers scored 42 points in the paint and made 10 3-pointers.

“It shows how dynamic we are and the confidence we have in each other,” said John Blackwell, who had 24 points and 10 rebounds. “It shows that we can score without threes, play great defense and get transition buckets. We just have to keep doing it.”

Blackwell is the Badgers’ second-leading scorer at an average of 15.2 points per game. Slowing down guard John Tonje will be an even bigger concern for the Spartans. He’s averaging 19.5 ppg, highlighted by four games in which he’s exceeded the 30-point mark.

Michigan State is coming off its most exhilarating victory of the season, a 58-55 road win over Maryland that was decided on Tre Holloman’s last second, 3-point heave from beyond halfcourt.

“I felt we deserved to win the game,” Spartans coach Tom Izzo said. “I don’t think it was a lucky shot at the end. I thought we played inspired basketball. … All in all, an ugly game. But for us, a pretty win is better than an ugly loss. And it was an ugly game because both teams played so hard.”

The Spartans, who have won four straight games, control their own destiny in terms of the conference title. They’ll visit Iowa on Thursday before a rematch with the Wolverines on March 9. Michigan State secured a 13-point victory in Ann Arbor on Feb. 21 before its win over the Terrapins.

“I feel like myself and the team are in a really good spot right now,” Spartans forward Xavier Booker said. “We’ve just got to keep stacking up games. We’ve gone on a little stretch here where we’ve won our past few games, so we’ve just got to keep it going. The Big Ten title is what we want; it’s what all of us want.”

The Spartans rely on balance offensively, but freshman guard Jase Richardson has emerged as their top threat, leading the team in scoring four of the last six games. He’s averaging 16.8 points during that stretch.

–Field Level Media

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Top 25 roundup: No. 2 Arizona avenges 1st loss, beats No. 14 Kansas

NCAA Basketball: Kansas at ArizonaFeb 28, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) celebrates during the first half of the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Jaden Bradley scored six of his 10 points in a 16-0 scoring run as No. 2 Arizona took charge to deliver an 84-61 victory over No. 14 Kansas on Saturday at Tucson, Ariz.

The Wildcats (27-2, 14-2 Big 12) avenged their loss at Kansas on Feb. 9, which was their first of the season after a program-record 23-0 start. The victory also clinched at least a tie for the regular-season Big 12 title for Arizona.

Brayden Burries led Arizona with 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Koa Peat, who missed the Wildcats’ last three games with a lower-leg muscle strain, had 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Darryn Peterson, out with flu-like symptoms in the previous meeting, finished with 24 points for the Jayhawks (21-8, 11-5). Tre White and Melvin Council Jr. each added 13 points.

No. 1 Duke 77, No. 11 Virginia 51

Isaiah Evans had a hot start on the way to 19 points, and the Blue Devils contained the Cavaliers for much of Saturday afternoon’s showdown in Durham, N.C.

Cameron Boozer racked up most of his 18 points on free throws for Duke (27-2, 15-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), which built its lead as large as 28 points in the second half. Boozer also had a team-high nine rebounds, while Patrick Ngongba II added 11 points.

Thijs De Ridder had 16 points for Virginia (25-4, 13-3), which was bidding to pull even atop the ACC standings. Instead, the Cavaliers’ nine-game winning streak was halted as they were held to a season-low point total.

No. 16 Texas Tech 82, No. 4 Iowa State 73

Donovan Atwell scored 18 points, hitting six 3-pointers, as the Red Raiders handed the Cyclones their first home loss of the season in Ames, Iowa.

Luke Bamgboye delivered his best game since stepping in as a starter for the injured J.T. Toppin with 13 points and Christian Anderson scored 12 points and dished out seven assists as Texas Tech (22-7, 12-4 Big 12) moved into a tie for second place in the conference with Houston.

Iowa State (24-5, 11-5) got 22 points from Joshua Jefferson and 20 from Milan Momcilovic, but couldn’t quite dig out of a hole that grew as deep as 45-25 late in the first half.

No. 5 Houston 102, Colorado 62

Milos Uzan poured in 26 points while hitting on five of his seven 3-point shots as the host Cougars snapped their three-game skid with a beatdown of the Buffaloes.

Houston (24-5, 12-4 Big 12) shrugged off a ragged start to build a 26-point lead at halftime and was ahead by 21-plus for the entire second half. Joseph Tugler added 14 points for the Cougars, who shot 59.6% from the floor and 58.8% from 3-point range.

Isaiah Johnson led Colorado with 19 points. Bangot Dak added 15 and Sebastian Rancik had 11 for the Buffaloes (16-13, 6-10), who had a two-game winning streak snapped.

No. 6 UConn 71, Seton Hall 67

Alex Karaban made 5 of 6 3-point attempts and scored a game-high 23 points, lifting the Huskies to a victory over the Pirates in Storrs, Conn.

Solo Ball added 14 points for UConn (27-3, 17-2 Big East), which trailed by eight points midway through the second half before responding with a 10-0 run,

Seton Hall (19-10, 9-9) received 20 points from A.J. Staton-McCray and 12 from Elijah Fisher. Adam Clark, who entered the game averaging a team-high 12.5 points per game, was held to four points on 2-of-10 shooting.

No. 7 Florida 111, No. 20 Arkansas 77

Thomas Haugh scored 22 points, Rueben Chinyelu had 12 points and 16 rebounds for his 17th double-double, and the Gators clinched at least a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season title with a rout of the Razorbacks in Gainesville, Fla.

Florida (23-6, 14-2 SEC) placed seven players in double figures in its highest scoring game of the season and has won nine straight games, eight of them by 13-plus points. The Gators shot 56.5% from the field and had a 51-31 rebounding advantage.

Billy Richmond scored 22 points and Darius Acuff Jr. added 17 for Arkansas (21-8, 11-5), which had won five of six. The 34-point margin of defeat was tied for the biggest of John Calipari’s coaching career.

Saint Mary’s 70, No. 9 Gonzaga 59

Mikey Lewis established career highs of 31 points and seven 3-pointers and the Gaels clinched a share of the West Coast Conference regular-season title with a home win over the Bulldogs at Moraga, Calif.

Joshua Dent added 14 points and made four 3-pointers for Saint Mary’s (27-4, 16-2 WCC), which has won or shared the title in each of the past four seasons. Saint Mary’s shared the regular-season crown with Gonzaga in 2023 and won the league outright each of the past two seasons. Mantas Juzenas had 12 points on four treys and the Gaels outscored the Zags 41-23 in the second half.

Graham Ike scored 17 points before fouling out with 3:44 remaining for the Bulldogs (28-3, 16-2), who previously clinched a share of the crown and will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming WCC postseason tournament. Saint Mary’s will be the No. 2 seed. Adam Miller scored 14 points and Tyon Grant-Foster added 13 points and three blocked shots.

No. 12 Nebraska 82, Southern California 67

Pryce Sandfort scored 32-plus points for a second time in the last week to help the Cornhuskers rally from a second-half deficit in Los Angeles to hand the Trojans their fifth consecutive loss.

Nebraska (25-4, 14-4 Big Ten) exploded out of the intermission, taking the lead with a 12-2 surge and establishing full control with a 15-0 run. Braden Frager joined Sandfort in double-figures with 17 points to go along with eight rebounds off the bench.

Chad Baker-Mazara scored 14 first-half points for USC (18-11, 7-11) before leaving with an injury early in the second half after a hard fall. Alijah Arenas also tallied 14.

No. 15 St. John’s 89, Villanova 57

Zuby Ejiofor totaled 16 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists for his first career triple-double as the Red Storm relentlessly defended and overwhelmed the Wildcats in New York.

St. John’s (23-6, 16-2 Big East) bounced back impressively from Wednesday’s 72-40 loss at No. 6 UConn. Ejiofor made 6 of 12 shots after being held to six points Wednesday. Ian Jackson came off the bench and contributed 19 and a career-high five steals, and Oziyah Sellers contributed 14 as St. John’s won for the 14th time in 15 games.

Duke Brennan led Villanova (22-7, 13-5) with 12 points while Bryce Lindsay and Devin Askew added 10 apiece. Standout freshman Acaden Lewis was held to eight points and committed five of the Wildcats’ 16 turnovers.

No. 17 Alabama 71, No. 22 Tennessee 69

Labaron Philon Jr. gave the Crimson Tide their lone lead by sinking a jumper with 22.8 seconds remaining as the visitors recovered from a 13-point second-half deficit to post a victory over the Volunteers in SEC play at Knoxville, Tenn.

Philon scored 15 of his 23 points in the second half as Alabama (22-7, 12-4 SEC) extended its winning streak to eight games. Latrell Wrightsell Jr. scored 14 of his team-high 25 points in the second half for the Crimson Tide.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie had 26 points, seven assists and matched his own school record of eight steals for the Volunteers (20-9, 10-6), who lost their second straight game. J.P. Estrella added 12 points and Jaylen Carey contributed 10 points and nine rebounds.

No. 18 North Carolina 89, Virginia Tech 82

Henri Veesaar matched his career high with 26 points as the Tar Heels pulled away from the Hokies in the second half for a victory in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Seth Trimble put up 20 points as the Tar Heels (23-6, 11-5 ACC) won for the fourth time in their last five games without top scorer and rebounder Caleb Wilson, a star freshman who is out with a broken left hand.

Neo Avdalas supplied 19 points and five assists for Virginia Tech (18-11, 7-9), which came up short of gaining its third Quad 1 victory in its pursuit of a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

West Virginia 79, No. 19 BYU 71

Honor Huff scored 19 points and dished out six assists to lead the Mountaineers to an upset of the Cougars in Morgantown, W. Va.

Brenen Lorient racked up 18 points and pulled down nine rebounds and DJ Thomas scored 13 points off the bench for West Virginia (17-12, 8-8 Big 12), which snapped a three-game losing streak.

Robert Wright III led BYU (20-9, 8-8) with 23 points. AJ Dybantsa scored 20 points, with 16 coming in the second half, while Aleksej Kostic added 12 for the Cougars, who have dropped seven of their last 10 games.

No. 23 Saint Louis 91, Duquesne 76

Robbie Avila had 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to help the Billikens stave off the visiting Dukes for a victory in Atlantic 10 Conference play.

Quentin Jones added 17 points and Trey Green scored 14 for Saint Louis (26-3, 14-2 A-10), which had dropped two of its previous three games. The Billikens, who trailed by 12 points early in the first half, made 16 of their 28 3-point attempts (57.1%). Paul Otieno scored 13 points off the bench.

Tarence Guinyard led Duquesne (16-13, 8-8) with 27 points, followed by Jimmie Williams’ 16 and David Dixon’s 12.

Clemson 80, No. 24 Louisville 75

Powered by Jestin Porter’s 16 points, the Tigers came away with a win over the visiting Cardinals to snap their four-game losing streak.

Porter scored all of his points after halftime and made four three-pointers. RJ Godfrey scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Clemson (21-8, 11-5 ACC), which secured its second ranked win of the season.

Ryan Conwell extended his double-digit scoring streak to 22 games as he scored 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting for Louisville (20-9, 9-7). Leading scorer Mikel Brown Jr. scored a season-low five points on 2-of-10 shooting, coming off the bench due to a back injury.

Kentucky 91, No. 25 Vanderbilt 77

Colin Chandler scored a career-high 23 points and made six shots from 3-point range as the Wildcats exacted some revenge with a victory over the Commodores at Lexington, Ky.

Otega Oweh also scored 23 points, Denzel Aberdeen had 15 and Malachi Moreno added 11 as the Wildcats (19-10, 10-6 SEC) delivered some payback after an ugly 80-55 loss to the Commodores earlier this season.

Tyler Taner scored 19 points and Jalen Washington added 16 for Vanderbilt (22-7, 9-7), which has dropped three of its past five games in conference play. Tyler Nickel scored 13 points, AK Okereke added 12 and Duke Miles had 11 points for the Commodores.

–Field Level Media

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NHL roundup: Stars sink Predators in OT, win 8th straight

NHL: Nashville Predators at Dallas StarsFeb 28, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson (21) celebrates with his teammates after he scores the game winning goal against the Nashville Predators during the overtime period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Jason Robertson’s goal 1:47 into overtime capped a comeback and gave the host Dallas Stars a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.

Wyatt Johnston had a goal and an assist and Nathan Bastian also scored for the Stars, who trailed 2-0 with less than four minutes left in the second period. Jake Oettinger stopped 25 shots in Dallas’ eighth win in a row.

Michael Bunting and Steven Stamkos scored the goals for the Predators, who led 2-0 but are now 1-1-2 in their last four. Luke Evangelista had two assists and Juuse Saros made 22 saves.

With his team-leading 33rd goal of the season, Robertson converted a cross-crease pass from defenseman Miro Heiskanen for the OT winner.

Rangers 3, Penguins 2 (SO)

Vincent Trocheck scored in the first round of the shootout as New York snapped a five-game losing streak by rallying for a victory over visiting Pittsburgh.

Trocheck scored the only goal of the shootout when he cut from the lower edge of the left circle, and his shot beat goalie Stuart Skinner to the glove side.

The Rangers chipped away at a 2-0 deficit after allowing goals to Anthony Mantha and Ryan Shea in the opening three minutes of each of the opening two periods.

Mika Zibanejad started the comeback with a power-play goal with ten minutes remaining in the second period and Taylor Raddysh tied it 2:57 into the third.

Flyers 3, Bruins 1

Philadelphia scored back-to-back goals to start the third period and held on to defeat the visiting Boston, snapping the Bruins’ eight-game point streak (5-0-3).

Travis Konecny and Jamie Drysdale both scored and assisted on each other’s goals for Philadelphia, which got 26 saves from Dan Vladar and has won two of its three games since the Olympic break.

Boston’s Charlie McAvoy extended his point streak to nine games with a third-period goal that cut the hosts’ lead to 2-1. Jeremy Swayman made 14 saves.

Sharks 5, Oilers 4

Shakir Mukhamadullin scored the game-winner on a slap shot midway through the third period as San Jose defeated visiting Edmonton.

Michael Misa had a goal and an assist, and 12 different players recorded points for the Sharks, who ended a five-game losing streak, their second longest of the season. Yaroslav Askarov made 20 saves for San Jose.

Connor McDavid, the NHL’s leading scorer, led Edmonton with three assists, while Evan Bouchard had a goal and two assists and Connor Ingram stopped 28 shots.

Islanders 4, Blue Jackets 3 (OT)

Simon Holmstrom scored with 3:12 left in overtime for visiting New York, which remained perfect in the extra session and earned another comeback win by beating Columbus.

Anders Lee, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Scott Mayfield also scored for the Islanders, who trailed 2-0 before earning their fourth straight win and improving to 8-0 in games decided in overtime. Three of New York’s last four victories have been of the comeback variety. Goaltender Ilya Sorokin made 27 saves.

Isac Lundestrom, Mason Marchment and Adam Fantilli scored for the Blue Jackets, who have lost two straight (0-1-1) following a seven-game winning streak. Jet Greaves recorded 22 saves.

Devils 3, Blues 1

Jacob Markstrom made 25 saves as New Jersey snapped its five-game losing streak with a win over host St. Louis.

Timo Meier, Dougie Hamilton and Nico Hischier scored for the Devils and Luke Hughes earned an assist in his first game since Jan. 19. He had been sidelined with an upper-body injury.

Pavel Buchnevich scored for the Blues, who lost for the ninth time in 11 games. Jordan Binnington stopped 30 of 32 shots in defeat.

Avalanche 3, Blackhawks 1

Cale Makar scored twice, Gavin Brindley also had a goal, and Colorado beat Chicago.

Mackenzie Blackwood turned away 14 shots and Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas had two assists each for Colorado, which bounced back from a disappointing home loss to Minnesota on Thursday night. The Avalanche have an NHL-best 87 points.

Connor Bedard scored and Spencer Knight made 32 saves for Chicago, which has lost eight of its last nine. The Blackhawks are averaging just 1.5 goals in those eight losses.

Hurricanes 5, Red Wings 2

Taylor Hall and Shayne Gostisbehere each finished with a goal and two assists as Carolina extended its winning streak to five games with a victory over Detroit in Raleigh, N.C.

Frederik Andersen finished with 27 saves, while Jackson Blake, Sebastian Aho and Eric Robinson also scored as the Hurricanes extended their point streak to 12 games (9-0-3).

Simon Edvinsson and Patrick Kane scored for the visiting Red Wings. Cam Talbot made 31 saves in the loss.

Sabres 6, Lightning 2

Josh Norris scored twice as Buffalo found the net four times in the first period, and the visitors easily won their third straight outing since the Winter Olympics break in a rout of host Tampa Bay.

Rasmus Dahlin hit the net and had two assists, while Zach Metsa had a goal and a helper. Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch also scored, and goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 36 saves.

Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman tallied one goal and had an assist, and Dominic James scored. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy surrendered five goals on 14 shots in 21:54 of ice time. Jonas Johansson stopped 20 of 21 shots in relief.

Kings 2, Flames 0

Anton Forsberg made 29 saves for host Los Angeles in a shutout of Calgary.

Forsberg, who had allowed 16 goals while losing his previous four starts, posted his second shutout of the season and 10th in his 11-year NHL career. Alex Laferriere and Adrian Kempe scored for the Kings, who had lost five in a row, most recently an 8-1 drubbing against the visiting Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.

Dustin Wolf made 35 saves for the Flames, who had won two in a row and three of four.

Canadiens 6, Capitals 2

Cole Caufield scored two first-period goals and host Montreal went on to beat Washington for points in seven straight games (5-0-2).

Nick Suzuki had a goal and two assists for the Canadiens. Mike Matheson, Kirby Dach and Jake Evans also scored goals. Jakub Dobes made 27 saves and improved to 9-0-2 in his past 11 starts.

Alex Ovechkin scored both goals for the Capitals, who had won three straight. Anthony Beauvillier had two assists and Charlie Lindgren made 19 saves for Washington, which was playing the second of a back-to-back after a 3-2 home win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday.

Senators 5, Maple Leafs 2

Dylan Cozens had two goals and an assist, Drake Batherson scored twice and Ottawa defeated host Toronto.

Thomas Chabot added a goal and an assist for the Senators, who are 1-0-1 since the Olympic break. Linus Ullmark stopped 21 shots.

Morgan Rielly and William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs, who are 0-3-0 since the break. Joseph Woll allowed five goals on 28 shots before Anthony Stolarz replaced him late in the second period and made 12 saves.

Kraken 5, Canucks 1

Jordan Eberle had two goals and an assist and Chandler Stephenson had a goal and two assists as Seattle opened a six-game homestand with a resounding victory over Vancouver.

Vince Dunn and Matty Beniers also were credited with goals for the Kraken, who snapped a two-game skid. Goaltender Joey Daccord made 27 saves and nearly scored into an empty net, but his attempt rolled just wide left of the net.

Liam Ohgren scored and Kevin Lankinen stopped 20 of 24 shots for the Canucks, who have lost five in a row and are 2-15-4 in their past 21 games.

–Field Level Media

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Tundra Esports advances to grand final of DreamLeague Season 28 playoffs

Tundra Esports swept Team Liquid in the upper-bracket final on Saturday to advance to the grand final of the DreamLeague Season 28 playoffs.

The grand final on Sunday will pit Tundra Esports against the winner of the lower-bracket final earlier in the day between Team Liquid and Aurora Gaming in the double-elimination format.

The $1 million Dota 2 event began with 16 teams competing in a round-robin stage split into two groups of eight teams. All series consisted of two games, and the top four teams from each group advanced to Group Stage 2, a single round robin featuring best-of-three matches that ran through Friday.

The playoffs feature best-of-three matches until the grand final, which will be best-of-five.

The championship team will receive $250,000 in prize money and a $40,000 club reward. The runner-up side will get $100,000 and a $30,000 club reward.

Aurora Gaming opened play on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Xtreme Gaming in the lower-bracket semifinal. Xtreme Gaming opened with a win in 40 minutes on red before Aurora Gaming rallied to wins in 47 and 29 minutes, both on red.

Russia’s Egor “Nightfall” Grigorenko logged a 21-4-28 kill-death-assist ratio for Aurora Gaming, while teammate Artem “Lorenof” Melnyk of Ukraine post a 23-8-30 K-D-A over three games. Wang “Ame” Chunyu of China had a 23-9-13 K-D-A ratio for Xtreme Gaming, which finished fourth in the tournament.

Tundra Esports dispatched Team Liquid 2-0 in the upper-bracket final, winning in 46 minutes on red and 39 minutes on green.

Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko of Russia posted a 32-2-19 K-D-A ratio for Tundra Esports and teammate Neta “33” Shapira of Israel had a 24-5-30. Michael “MiCKe” Vu of Sweden posted a 13-10-6 ratio for Team Liquid.

Dream League Season 28 prize pool, with prize money and club reward

1. $250,000, $40,000

2. $125,000, $30,000

3. $80,000, $25,000

4. $60,000, $20,000 — Xtreme Gaming

5. $45,000, $15,000 — Team Falcons

6. $35,000, $15,000 — PARIVISION

7. $30,000, $12,500 — BetBoom Team

8. $25,000, $12,500 — MOUZ

9-10. $20,000, $10,000 — OG, Natus Vincere

11-12. $17,500, $10,000 — Team Yandex, Team Spirit

13-14. $15,000, $10,000 — paiN Gaming, GamerLegion

15-16. $10,000, $10,000 — Yakult Brothers, Execration

–Field Level Media

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