Sports
No. 20 Clemson focused on 'daily work,' won't look past Virginia Tech
Feb 4, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Clemson Tigers guard Ace Buckner (21) smiles after making a free-throw against the Stanford Cardinal during the second half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images No. 20 Clemson is tied atop the Atlantic Coast Conference standings with No. 4 Duke ahead of their showdown this weekend, but first the Tigers have to get by visiting Virginia Tech on Wednesday night.
The story for Clemson (20-4, 10-1 ACC) has been defense. The Tigers are allowing just 64.1 points per game, 11th in the nation, and have won four in a row. The Tigers’ only ACC loss came to North Carolina State in overtime.
Clemson is coming off a West Coast swing where it knocked off Stanford by two last Wednesday and dominated Cal 77-55 on Saturday. Tigers coach Brad Brownell was asked after the win over the Golden Bears if his team has peaked.
“I don’t think we talk about it,” Brownell replied. “We talk about daily work, daily improvements and focusing on what we can control and our players, but we’re also trying to enjoy the experience. It’s a long, hard season. We want our guys to be energized. We know there is a long way to go in league play.”
Clemson put on a defensive master class, holding the Bears without a field goal for almost 13 minutes in the first half and building a 19-point halftime lead. Brownell called it one of his team’s best performances of the season.
“We don’t have a bunch of guys who are big-time scorers. We have guys that are good players and guys who have bought into their roles,” Brownell said. “There are guys on our team who could play more minutes, but they sacrifice that in order for us to play the best way we think to play, which is playing a lot of guys. It’s something we have been talking about and working on since June. I think we have grown as a team.”
Clemson has a balanced scoring attack with three players averaging in double figures: RJ Godfrey (11.9), Jestin Porter (10.5) and Carter Welling (10.1).
Clemson redshirt freshman Ace Buckner, the son of former Clemson star Greg Buckner, is coming off two strong performances off the bench for the Tigers with 11 points against Stanford and 13 against Cal.
“We’re not surprised,” Brownell said of Buckner. “He’s an extremely hard worker, he’s extremely competitive. He’s had big games on both ends of the floor. I think his maturity level is probably higher than most guys his age. It’s no surprise to our staff.”
Virginia Tech (16-8, 5-6) has lost three of its last four and struggled against NC State in an 82-73 road loss Saturday.
Amani Hansberry leads the Hokies at 15.2 points per game. Neoklis Avdalas, a freshman from Greece, is averaging 12.6 points.
Avdalas had 14 points against NC State and, according to veteran coach Mike Young, was a bright spot in the defeat.
“He was great, he looked a little more like himself. He was (2-for-3) from three, he struggled early,” Young said of a player shooting 29.1% from beyond the arc this year. “If we can get him going along with (Tobi) Lawal, he had 15 rebounds, 17 points. Those are good numbers. We had some positive things we can build on.”
Clemson has won four of the last five meetings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rams OT Rob Havenstein retires after 11 seasons
November 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Rob Havenstein (79) after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Rob Havenstein announced his retirement from the NFL after 11 seasons on Tuesday.
Havenstein, who won Super Bowl LVI with the Rams in the 2021 season, started all 148 regular-season games and 13 playoff games he has played since 2015 — the last season the franchise was in St. Louis.
“What a ride it’s been!” Havenstein, 33, posted on Instagram. “I can look back on my career and smile knowing I have given everything I had and more to the game I love. In saying that, I am officially retiring from the NFL.”
He thanked his wife, parents, teammates, coaches, the team’s fans and the Rams organization.
“I have had the time of my life with the Los Angeles Rams (formerly known as the St. Louis Rams) and can’t thank the whole organization enough for giving me a shot back in 2015,” he wrote. “Although some in the organization weren’t totally convinced.”
Havenstein played in only seven regular-season games this season (seven starts) as he dealt with knee and ankle bursitis. He was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 19 and the Rams designated him to return to practice on Jan. 22 ahead of the NFC Championship game at Seattle on Jan. 25, but he didn’t play and the Seahawks won 31-27.
A member of the 2015 NFL All-Rookie Team, Havenstein was a foundational part of the offensive line at right tackle. He played on 100% of the offensive snaps in games he played across the 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2025 seasons, and at least 90% in the others.
The Rams also reached the league championship game in the 2018 season, falling to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII, 13-3. Los Angeles beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 three years later.
“As this chapter ends, I couldn’t be more grateful, hopeful, and excited to see what comes next!” Havenstein said.
–Field Level Media
Sports
LeBron James (foot) out; ineligible for awards, All-NBA honors
Feb 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) passes the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) during the third quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Los Angeles Lakers standout LeBron James will miss Tuesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs due to left foot arthritis, an absence that makes him ineligible for All-NBA recognition and major awards this season.
The game is James’ 18th missed contest of the season and prevents him from playing in 65 games, the minimum number of games to be eligible for All-NBA and other honors. James has been named to an All-NBA team in a record 21 straight seasons.
James, 41, has played in 35 games this season and is averaging 21.8 points, 6.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds. He was second-team All-NBA last season. His most recent first-team All-NBA selection was the 2019-20 season.
Lakers star guard Luka Doncic (left hamstring) will sit out for the third straight game. He leads the NBA with a 32.8 scoring average.
Doncic remains hopeful of playing in Sunday’s All-Star Game.
Guards Austin Reaves (left calf) and Marcus Smart (right ankle) also were ruled out against San Antonio. Center Deandre Ayton (right knee) is questionable.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tiger Woods' son, Charlie Woods, commits to Florida State
Charlie Woods of Jupiter, Fla. tees off on the eighth hole during the second round of The Junior Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Miles Russell of Jacksonville Beach, Fla. finished atop the leaderboard heading into Sunday’s final round at 6 under par. Charlie Woods, the son of 15-time major champion and golf legend Tiger Woods, announced Tuesday that he has committed to play for Florida State in 2027.
It is a major recruiting win for the Seminoles, who were among several prominent programs aggressively pursuing Charlie Woods. In November, Florida State golf coach Trey Jones spent time walking the course with Tiger as Charlie Woods shot a team-best 68 and helped his team claim the Florida 1A state title.
Charlie Woods, who turned 17 on Sunday, is currently a junior at The Benjamin School, a private school in Palm Beach, Fla. He will join an FSU recruiting class that already includes Jacksonville, Fla.’s Miles Russell, the top-ranked amateur in the world. Woods, who is No. 23 in the AJGA rankings, won the AJGA Team TaylorMade Invitational last May.
BREAKING: CHARLIE WOODS -> FSU
Posting on his Instagram account, Charlie Woods, the son of @TigerWoods, has committed to @FSUGolf.
https://t.co/MP6Qa2CPG3 pic.twitter.com/RhlxbwdJMg
— Warchant.com (@Warchant) February 10, 2026
Tiger Woods said in December that his son had been hearing for a number of college coaches, and that it was far different than his recruitment in the 1990s.
“It’s been very different, the recruiting process. Now you have cell phones,” Tiger said. “We didn’t have cell phones. We would have written letters that would show up in the mailbox. ‘Oh, my God, I got a letter.’ It’s just very different how fast coaches can communicate with the family members and the player that they’re trying to recruit. It’s just a different world. Not saying it’s good or bad. It’s just different.”
Tiger Woods played at Stanford, won his first collegiate event and was an All-American from 1996-98 before turning pro. His daughter, Sam, was a member of Benjamin School’s state-title soccer team before enrolling at Stanford.
–Field Level Media
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