Sports
No. 23 Arkansas rides hot shooting to win over Oakland
Dec 30, 2024; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Boogie Fland (2) shoots a shot as time expires in the first half against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images Adou Thiero tallied 16 first-half points, Boogie Fland scored 21 in the second, and the No. 23 Arkansas Razorbacks routed the Oakland Golden Grizzlies 92-62 Monday night in Fayetteville, Ark.
In winning its sixth consecutive game, Arkansas (11-2) got a game-high 22 points from each player and pulled away in the second half for the 30-point victory, its third all-time in three meetings against Oakland (4-10).
In crafting his sixth 20-point showing, Thiero added six rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks.
Fland, who had one point at halftime, made 8 of 15 field goals and dished out six assists.
Karter Knox added 17 points as the Razorbacks went 35 of 58 from the field (60.3 percent) while holding Oakland to 40 percent (24 of 60).
Trevon Brazile had seven rebounds and six blocks off the bench in the win.
Coach John Calipari’s Razorbacks will open Southeastern Conference play this Saturday at the No. 1-ranked Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville.
Oakland’s Tuburu Naivalurua recorded 18 points and a game-best nine rebounds. Allen Mukeba had 17 points and six boards as the Golden Grizzlies lost for the sixth time in seven games.
In a tight opening five minutes, Oakland and Arkansas traded baskets, including a trey by Malcolm Christie gave Oakland an 11-10 lead. But Jonas Aidoo made it 12-11 Arkansas immediately after, sparking a 15-6 Razorbacks run.
But after the home side built a 25-17 lead on two free throws by Fland at 9:53, the Horizon League school battled back and tied it on a dunk by Jaylen Jones at 6:55.
Both clubs were proficient on the offensive end in a first half that ended with a 42-39 Arkansas lead, but no one was better than Thiero.
The 6-foot-8 Thiero was tenacious on both ends of the court with three rebounds, two steals and a block to go with his 16 points, while Knox scored 10 in the first half.
Arkansas hit 16 of 28 field shots (57.1 percent) in the half. Oakland’s Mukeba and Naivalurua had 12 points apiece as the team had 16 makes but missed one more shot than did Arkansas (55.2 percent).
After missing his first six shots, Fland banked in a reverse layup and hit a jumper for a 51-43 edge nearly four minutes into the second half.
Arkansas built the lead to double digits and eventually 15, at 60-45, on Fland’s jump shot at 13:13.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees option RHP Elmer Rodriguez to Triple-A
May 5, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Elmer Rodriguez (71) pitches against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images The New York Yankees optioned right-hander Elmer Rodriguez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre on Monday.
Rodriguez, 22, was recalled Sunday before the second game of a split doubleheader against the Los Angeles Dodgers to fill the designated 27th roster spot. He did not pitch in the game.
After making his major league debut April 29, Rodriguez is 0-2 with a 4.76 ERA over 17 innings across four starts.
–Field Level Media
Sports
St. Louis City sign D Jaziel Orozco to contract extension
Mar 1, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; St. Louis CITY SC defender Jaziel Orozco (99) controls the ball against the San Diego FC during the second half at Snapdragon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images St. Louis City SC signed defender Jaziel Orozco to a contract extension through the 2028-29 MLS season.
The deal announced Monday with the 22-year-old Mexico native includes an option for 2029-30.
Orozco has recorded one goal in 17 appearances for St. Louis since signing with the club in 2025. He appeared in four matches for Real Salt Lake in 2022.
“Jazi has put in consistent performances this season and it is clear he has a good understanding of what is being asked of him tactically,” sporting director Corey Wray said. “Over the last six months, he has shown qualities that we value with his tactical flexibility and versatility both in and out of possession. We are excited to keep him at the club for years to come and help him continue developing as a player.”
St. Louis will return from the FIFA World Cup break on Wednesday night against the host Los Angeles Galaxy.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Commish: SEC conversations 'real' about split from NCAA
Jul 20, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images SEC commissioner Greg Sankey kicked off conference media days in Tampa on Monday with a clarification for anyone doubting the seriousness of internal conversations about splitting from the NCAA.
“So they’re real. People have talked about that,” Sankey said. “They’ve opined about the frustrations that bring them to the point of saying we should look at something significantly different. I do not believe that is a leverage point. I think that’s just honest communication.
“I would prefer that stay in a meeting room or on a videoconference, not be part of the D1.ticker the next morning, but I don’t control all of that. What I think is important is those comments represent a high level of frustration with the circumstance in which we find ourselves. We have regulated ourselves more progressively than other colleagues by choice, across our league. We’ve had different academic eligibility restrictions in the past. So we have different transfer restrictions in the past. Some of what you hear comes out of a culture that we can regulate ourselves.”
Sankey said the NCAA must function “in a healthy manner” or risk simmering frustrations becoming more significant.
As the top official in one of the most consistently successful sports conferences, Sankey openly shared the SEC is at odds with portions of the NCAA membership on several matters. Those include possibly discontinuing conference championship games — Sankey wants the SEC to keep the league title game — the size of the College Football Playoff and how other leagues handle scheduling.
“We had what I’ll call an unsatisfactory conversation with members of the College Football Playoff staff and some of their advisers in Destin,” Sankey said of the challenging nine-game SEC schedule compared to less-challenging paths to the playoff for some peers. “That’s rehashing from a couple months ago, that’s not a secret. That’s a reminder of that process needing to continually improve.
“My confidence is that people will act with integrity. I do think we have questions about the understanding of the strength and rigor associated with competing in the Southeastern Conference.”
Legislative discussions are part of Sankey’s new reality, with visits to Capitol Hill and video calls to maintain a voice at the table around the Protect College Sports Act.
Introduced with support from former Alabama head coach Nick Saban and others with direct or indirect college sports ties, the bipartisan bill drew immediate opposition from the SEC and Big Ten in June before Congressional hearings were held.
Among the passionate pleas from Sankey on behalf of the SEC to Congress are national standards for eligibility and transfer limits, expectations for student-athlete health and safety, supporting educational opportunities, providing scholarship protections and overseeing agent activity. Provisions to the proposed bill remain under discussion, and Sankey believes the current framework of the legislative measure is far from perfect.
“We support the effort behind the Protect College Sports Act. However, we believe changes to the act are necessary to make it most effective,” he said. “If Congress is going to act, and again I believe it should for the reasons identified, we have one opportunity to get this legislation right. If Congress passes a bill and it’s signed into law, we won’t be returning to DC in a year or two asking and receiving help to correct the gaps that exist. That’s why it’s important that these commonsense areas be addressed now before the bill becomes law.”
–Field Level Media
Yankees option RHP Elmer Rodriguez to Triple-A
St. Louis City sign D Jaziel Orozco to contract extension
