Sports
No. 21 Arkansas out for revenge hosting sluggish Auburn
Auburn Tigers forward KeShawn Murphy (3) goes up for a layup on Arkansas Razorbacks forward Trevon Brazile (7) as Auburn Tigers take on Arkansas Razorbacks at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. Auburn Tigers defeated Arkansas Razorbacks 95-73. Fresh off a pair of resounding victories, No. 21 Arkansas looks to avenge its most decisive loss of the season against slumping Auburn in Fayetteville, Ark., on Saturday.
The Razorbacks went “back to the basics” defensively in a 91-62 victory at LSU on Tuesday, according to coach John Calipari, in their second straight win by at least 20 points.
Arkansas (18-6, 8-3 SEC) could benefit from a similar effort in the rematch against Auburn, which shot 56.7% from the field in a 95-73 home victory Jan. 10.
“We were so bad defensively two-three weeks ago that some of this stuff is going back to the basics,” Calipari said. “How do I get us to take unbelievable pride defensively. We’ve just got to get there.
“We go from here. We’ve got seven (SEC) games (remaining). We could lose all seven. We’ll see if we are getting better.”
The Razorbacks are one game behind SEC-leading Florida and tied with Kentucky for second, one game ahead of five 7-4 teams that are fighting for the four double-byes in the league tournament.
Auburn (14-10, 5-6) has lost three in a row after a four-game winning streak that included victories over then-No. 16 Florida and Texas. The Tigers fell to Vanderbilt 84-76 at home Tuesday.
“People are going to be panicking right now,” first-year Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “While the results haven’t been there, this team has continued to get better.”
NCAA Freshman of the Year candidate Darius Acuff Jr. scored 28 points and five assists in the win at LSU, four days after contributing 24 points and eight assists in an 88-68 victory at Mississippi State.
Acuff tied a season high with 13 field goals against LSU, and his 22 attempts were a season high. He was 1 of 4 from distance.
“Which meant either a mid-level shot, which I like him to shoot because he can make them, or he shot layups,” Calipari said. “You don’t have to live and die with the threes.”
Forward Trevon Brazile had 14 points and 12 rebounds against LSU, his fifth double-double of the season. He has averaged 16.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in the last three, his best stretch in SEC games.
“It makes us different,” Calipari said of Brazile’s impact. “For him, it’s a mindset.”
DJ Wagner (ankle) and Karter Knox (knee) have missed the last two Arkansas games, tightening Calipari’s rotation and providing more minutes for Billy Richmond III, who has scored in double figures in four of his last five games.
Reserve center Malique Ewin took four stitches in his forehead after being struck by an elbow late in the LSU game but is expected to play.
Auburn established control early in the first meeting, opening a 14-point lead with nine minutes left in the first half. The Razorbacks were never closer than 13 in the second half.
Tigers’ leading scorer Keyshawn Hall (20.7 points) scored 32 points in the first meeting, tying a season high. He was 11 of 14 from the field and 4 of 5 from deep.
Hall was not a factor against Vanderbilt, going 3 of 13 from the field and playing only 26 minutes. He sat the final 12:38 as Auburn cut the Commodores’ lead to 70-66 on Tahad Pettiford’s layup with 2:42 left.
“I just went with the guys that I thought put us in the best position to get back in the game,” Pearl said. “Our offense wasn’t really in sync when he was on the floor, so wanted to give us a different look.”
Pettiford, who averages 14.1 ppg, has scored 46 points the last two games, 21 against Vanderbilt and 25 in a 96-92 loss to Alabama last Saturday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
SMU on right side of bubble as road test against Syracuse looms
Feb 7, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; SMU MUstangs guard B.J. Davis-Ray (9) drives on Pittsburgh Panthers Damarco Minor (7) during the second half at Petersen Events Center. The Panthers lost 86-67. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images SMU takes its varied offensive attack on the road as it looks to build its resume for the postseason when it plays against host Syracuse on Saturday afternoon in an Atlantic Coast Conference game.
It’s the first time the teams will square off in Syracuse after SMU defeated the Orange twice last season — once at home and again on a neutral floor in the ACC tournament — in the only other contests between the programs.
The Mustangs (17-7, 6-5 ACC) head to central New York after an 89-81 home win over Notre Dame on Tuesday. Boopie Miller and Jaron Pierre Jr. traded off bell-cow duties in the game, with Pierre scoring 18 of his team-leading 22 points in the second half after Miller racked up 18 of his 20 before halftime.
“That’s how it’s got to be every game,” Miller said. “If I’m off, Jaron got to pick it up. And if he’s off, I’ve got to pick it up. So that’s how it’s going to be for the rest of the season. We’ve just got to keep bringing guys along so we can keep winning.”
Corey Washington added 14 points and Samet Yigitoglu racked up 11 points and 10 rebounds in the victory for SMU, which has captured back-to-back games and is back on track for an at-large spot in the NCAA Tournament.
The Mustangs are a No. 9 seed in ESPN’s latest bracketology update posted on Friday.
Syracuse (14-11, 5-7) beat Cal 107-100 at home in double overtime in its most recent outing, getting 27 points from Nate Kingz and 15 points and a career-high 16 rebounds from William Kyle III before he was forced from the game with leg cramps in the second extra period.
J.J. Starling scored 21 points and collected a season-high four steals for the Orange, who snapped a two-game losing streak and produced their second victory in a stretch of eight games. Donnie Freeman (16 points), Naithan George (14) and Sadiq White Jr. (10) all also scored in double figures.
“One thing you can’t question is this team’s fight,” Syracuse coach Adrian Autry said. “This team fights every game. They don’t give up. And you know, that’s what we’re gonna keep doing until we can’t fight anymore.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Feds allege Guardians P Emmanuel Clase fixed pitch in playoff game
Jul 18, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Athletics at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Federal prosecutors allege in an indictment unsealed Friday that former Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase rigged a pitch in a playoff game and used coded language to try to conceal his efforts to help gamblers win prop bets.
The indictment details the belief of prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York that Clase rigged more pitches during his years with the Guardians than initially thought.
They now suspect Clase, a three-time All-Star and 2024 AL Cy Young Award finalist, fixed 15 pitches between the 2023 and 2025 seasons, including in the ninth inning of the Guardians’ 2024 American League Division Series opener against the Detroit Tigers, and intended to rig pitches on three additional occasions but did not get into the game.
The documents unsealed Friday allege Clase and collaborators used words like “chicken” and “rooster” in text exchanges to mask his intention to deliberately throw certain pitches for balls.
The Athletic cited an example from May 18, 2025, when Clase, 27, received a text directing him to “Throw a rock at the first rooster in today’s fight.”
Prosecutors say gamblers netted at least $450,000 from the wagering scheme and kicked back some winnings to Clase and teammate Luis Ortiz, who face charges of wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery.
They accuse Ortiz, 27, of fixing two pitches.
MLB placed both pitchers on the restricted list and administrative leave last July ahead of their arrests in November.
Clase and Ortiz pleaded not guilty to all charges, and their trial in New York is scheduled to start May 4.
Along with requesting a later start date, counsel for Ortiz has asked the federal judge overseeing the proceedings to sever his case and allow him to be tried separately from Clase.
Clase owns a career 1.88 ERA with 182 saves in 366 games. Cleveland acquired him in a trade with the Texas Rangers in 2019.
Ortiz has a career 16-22 record and 4.05 ERA in 75 games (50 starts) with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2022-24) and Guardians (2025).
–Field Level Media
Sports
PGA Tour’s revamped schedule likely to bring more events to big cities
PGA Tour logo sign is shown at the PGA Tour Grill Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024 at Jacksonville International Airport in Jacksonville, Fla. A senior official said part of the PGA Tour’s plan to revamp its schedule is to bring tournaments to more major U.S. markets that don’t currently have one.
Lee Smith, the executive director of The Players Championship, met with reporters Thursday at a media preview day for the PGA Tour’s flagship event often billed “the fifth major.”
According to Front Office Sports, Smith described a three-step plan for remaking the PGA Tour schedule into a leaner and more streamlined product: playing in the largest U.S. cities, “starting the season big” while avoiding the football postseason and “owning the summer.”
“I think you’ll see a lot more of that that will come out, especially over the next month or two as that group continues to meet and they continue to focus on what that future model of the PGA Tour looks like,” Smith said.
The tour used to play annual events in the New York, Chicago, Washington and Boston areas, but each fell by the wayside over the years, and in some cases LIV Golf filled the void. Those four cities, plus Philadelphia, make up half of the top 10 media markets in the country and do not have a regular PGA Tour stop.
Meanwhile, the tour’s two January events in Hawaii have long been rumored to be on the chopping block as the sport considers starting its season after the Super Bowl. The WM Phoenix Open is traditionally played the weekend of the Super Bowl every year, which has become part of the popular event’s identity.
The Players Championship will be played March 12-15 at TPC Sawgrass and could be a moment for new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp to unveil schedule changes.
–Field Level Media
SMU on right side of bubble as road test against Syracuse looms
Feds allege Guardians P Emmanuel Clase fixed pitch in playoff game
