Sports
No. 24 Louisville rising, Baylor falling ahead of nonconference tilt
Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr. (0) gets congratulated by teammate Louisville Cardinals guard Ryan Conwell (3) after Brown Jr. scored 45 points with 10-for-16 3-point shooting as the Cards roll past NC State 118-77 at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville February 9, 2026. Conwell finished with 31 points and six assists. No. 24 Louisville and Baylor will step outside of their conferences for the last time in the regular season when they meet Saturday on a neutral court in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Cardinals (18-6) and the Bears (13-11) will be playing for more than just pride in what shapes up to be a Quad 1 game. Louisville, 5-6 in Quad 1 games, has won four straight overall and six of the past seven to shore up its status as a near-certain NCAA Tournament team.
However, Baylor with its 3-9 Quad 1 record, may not even be considered a bubble team. The Bears are on a two-game skid and have lost six of their past eight.
A high-scoring affair may be in the cards as Louisville is 12th among Division I schools in adjusted offensive efficiency at 125.2 points per 100 possessions while Baylor is 23rd (122.4).
In Louisville’s 118-77 rout of North Carolina State on Monday, Mikel Brown Jr. put up 45 points to tie the single-game school record and break the Atlantic Coast Conference mark for most points in a game by a freshman.
The epic night came after Brown struggled somewhat, especially from the 3-point arc, since returning from a back injury that cost him eight games this season. He shot 27.3% (9 of 33) from the arc in his first five games after the injury. On Monday, he tied a school record with 10 treys, reaching that figure on 16 attempts (62.5%).
However, Brown (17.3 ppg) is far from the only scoring threat on coach Pat Kelsey’s team. Louisville features seven players who average seven or more points per game. Leading scorer Ryan Conwell (18.9 ppg) added 31 in the Monday win.
While the Cardinals have been on a roll, Kelsey told reporters after the NC State game that the team will keep an even keel just as it did after Duke beat the Cardinals 83-52 on Jan. 26.
“They didn’t listen to the thump, thump, thump. The noise, the rat poison,” the coach said. “And we’re not going to do it after winning a big game tonight by a lot.”
After a 10-2 start, the Bears are just 3-9, all against their Big 12 colleagues. However, they have remained close against some of the conference’s top teams. On Tuesday, No. 22 BYU visited Waco, Texas, and left with a 99-94 victory.
Depth has been an issue as coach Scott Drew has relied on seven players who average 23.1 or more minutes per game. It’s been an even bigger issue since Dan Skillings Jr. (10.2 ppg) has missed the past three games because of a knee injury.
Baylor’s starters all logged at least 29 minutes in the loss to BYU, with Tounde Yessoufou (18.5 ppg) playing the entire 40 minutes as he scored a career-high 37. Cameron Carr (19.8 ppg) went 35 minutes while scoring 24.
Carr, Yessoufou and Obi Agbim played all 40 minutes on Feb. 7 in a 72-69 loss to then-No. 7 Iowa State.
Those minutes come at a cost, according to Drew.
“I think most coaches will tell you, when you’re tired, you’re going to give it up somewhere,” said Drew, whom Louisville pursued for its head-coaching vacancy two years ago before hiring Kelsey. “Might be shot selection. Might be defense.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Knicks even series as Hawks can't contain Karl Anthony-Towns (triple-double)
Apr 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) tries to reach the basket against Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Karl Anthony-Towns totaled 20 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his first career playoff triple-double as the New York Knicks earned a 114-98 victory over the host Atlanta Hawks and evened their Eastern Conference first-round series at two games apiece on Saturday night.
Towns ensured Game 5 on Tuesday in New York will not be an elimination game for the Knicks and also ensured the series returns to Atlanta for Game 6 on Thursday.
Towns posted his fifth career triple-double in any game. He also notched the seventh postseason triple-double in New York’s history and joined Dick McGuire, Walt Frazier and Josh Hart as the fourth player with a postseason triple-double in team history.
Towns secured his 10th rebound when he grabbed a missed jumper by Jalen Brunson and converted the putback in the final seconds of the third to give the Knicks an 86-65 lead into the fourth quarter. The center recorded his 10th assist by finding OG Anunoby for an open corner 3 to put the Knicks up 90-66 with 10:46 left.
Anunoby led the Knicks with 22 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth career playoff double-double. Jalen Brunson added 19, including a 3 as the shot clock was expiring for a 104-80 lead with 5:26 left.
Miles McBridge chipped in 11 off the bench while Hart collected 10 points and nine rebounds. Mikal Bridges remained in the starting lineup after going scoreless in Game 3 and contributed eight points.
The Knicks shot 49.4%, made 14 of 31 3-pointers (45.2%) and led for the final 42:40.
CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 17 points but was held to three points after halftime. McCollum shot 8-of-15 but missed four of five shots in the second half.
Nickell Alexander-Walker added 15 and hit five 3s, but the Hawks were a dreadful 10 of 41 (24.4%) from behind the arc.
Jalen Johnson finished with 14 but shot 4 of 12. Onyeka Okongwu contributed 12, but Dyson Daniels was held to six points.
Atlanta shot 41.5% and conceded 21 points off 19 turnovers
Brunson was 3 of 10 in the opening quarter, but the Knicks clamped down defensively and held Atlanta to 36.8% (7 of 19) shooting en route to a 27-20 lead.
The Knicks took their first double-digit lead when Bridges was credited with a basket due to a goaltending call on Atlanta a little over a minute into the second. Brunson returned with 7:31 left and his open 3 pushed the lead to 41-29 with 6:56 remaining.
New York took a trio of 16-point leads in the final minutes of the second quarter and held a 58-44 lead by halftime. Atlanta cut the lead to 61-53 on a basket by Okongwu with 8:26 left, and the Knicks countered by scoring 11 straight points with Brunson on the bench.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Matt Boldy nets game-winner as Wild even series with Stars
Apr 25, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson (21) shoots the puck against the Minnesota Wild during the first period in game four of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images Matt Boldy scored with 29 seconds left in overtime to give the Minnesota Wild a 3-2 win over the visiting Dallas Stars in Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round series on Saturday evening in St. Paul, Minn.
Boldy deflected a point shot into the net by Jared Spurgeon after it appeared to be headed wide.
The best-of-seven series is even 2-2 heading into Game 5 on Tuesday in Dallas.
Brock Faber had a goal and an assist, Marcus Foligno also scored and Jesper Wallstedt made 43 saves for the Wild, who dominated the series opener 6-1 before losing two in a row, including Game 3 at home in double-overtime.
Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen scored power-play goals, Matt Duchene and Mikko Rantanen had two assists each, and Jake Oettinger made 40 saves for the Stars, who are 8-for-19 on the power play this series.
Robertson scored his fourth goal in four games on a rebound while on the first power play to give Dallas a 1-0 lead at 5:35 of the first period.
Faber became the first defenseman in Wild history to score three goals in a playoff series when he tied it 1-1 at 13:52 of the first.
Faber took a shot from the right point that clipped the glove of Heiskanen and was redirected into his own net.
Dallas went on its second power play when Duchene made a pass from below the goal line to Heiskanen above the left circle and he had room to skate to nearly the hash marks before beating Wallstedt under his left armpit for a 2-1 lead with 35 seconds left in the second period.
After getting outshot 17-5 in the second period, the Wild managed to tie it 2-2 at 14:40 of the third after a bouncing puck came off the end boards and got behind Oettinger. Foligno reached over Oettinger and swatted the puck across the goal line.
Minnesota went 0-for-4 with the man-advantage and is 1-for-15 in the past three games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ty France hits 2 homers as Padres rally past D-backs in Mexico City
Apr 12, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Ty France (25) hits a solo home run during the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images Ty France hit two bases-empty homers, Mason Miller recorded his major league-leading 10th save, and the San Diego Padres beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 6-4 in the Mexico City Series at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu in Mexico City on Saturday.
Miller has not allowed a run in 14 1/3 innings this season, and he extended his scoreless streak to a franchise-record 34 2/3 innings.
France hit his second and third homers of the season and Gavin Sheets had a two-run single in a four-run seventh for the Padres, who overcame an early 4-0 deficit. They have won 13 of 15.
Alec Thomas homered in a four-run second, his second homer in three games, and Nolan Arenado and Jose Fernandez had two hits for the D-Backs, who are the designated home team in the two-game series. They have lost three of four.
Arizona infielder Ildemaro Vargas extended his season-opening hitting streak to 19 games, the longest active streak in the majors and the second-longest since Pablo Sandoval’s 20-gamer in 2012. Vargas has a 22-game hitting streak dating to 2025.
Padres right-hander German Marquez (3-1) gave up four runs on six hits in six innings, with two strikeouts and one walk.
Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts walked around a single by Manny Machado to open the Padres’ seventh before Taylor Clarke entered to replace Brandon Pfaadt.
Sheets hit a two-run single and shortstop Gerardo Perdomo’s fielding error re-loaded the bases. Freddy Fermin and Ramon Laureano followed with sacrifice flies for a 5-4 lead. Perdomo suffered a left ankle sprain on his error and left the game.
Pfaadt replaced Arizona starter Zac Gallen in the fourth inning. Gallen suffered a right shoulder contusion when was struck by a Fermin’s 92 mph line drive with one out in the third inning. Fermin reached on a single and Gallen got the final two outs of the inning before leaving.
Clarke (1-1) allowed all three inherited runners to score and they were charged to Pfaadt, who allowed four runs on two hits and three walks, while fanning five in three innings. The run charged to Clarke was unearned.
Vargas and Arenado singled with two outs in the second inning before Fernandez lined a double to left-center to drive in two. Thomas followed with his 400-foot homer to right, extending his hitting streak to six games.
France hit his first homer of the game in the fifth to put Arizona on the board.
–Field Level Media
Knicks even series as Hawks can't contain Karl Anthony-Towns (triple-double)
Matt Boldy nets game-winner as Wild even series with Stars
