Sports
No. 24 Miami (Ohio) rallies past UMass to stay perfect
Miami (OH) RedHawks head coach Travis Steele communicates with players in the first half of a NCAA men’s basketball game between the Miami RedHawks and Buffalo Bulls, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, at Millett Hall in Oxford, Oh. Trailing for much of the game, No. 24 Miami (Ohio) rallied behind Eian Elmer’s 30 points to remain one of two Division I unbeaten teams with an 86-84 win over Massachusetts on Tuesday night before a raucous home crowd in Oxford, Ohio.
The RedHawks (21-0, 9-0 Mid-American Conference), pressed to overtime in their last two wins, had to play from behind for most of the first half and the first 10 minutes of the second half against the Minutemen. But unlike wins over Buffalo and at Kent State, Miami didn’t have to rally in the final two minutes. Instead, the RedHawks had to hold off UMass (13-9, 4-6).
Leonardo Bettiol led UMass with 22 points while Marcus Banks finished with 18 for the Minutemen before he fouled out with 1:25 remaining. K’Jei Parker had a chance to give UMass the lead with 26 seconds remaining, but his 3-pointer was short.
Elmer grabbed the rebound and then converted a pair of free throws to push the Miami lead to 85-81. Parker was fouled taking a three and made all three free throws to cut the deficit to one with 8 seconds left.
Peter Suder converted one of two free throws with 4 seconds left, and Isaiah Placide’s half-court heave fell short at the final buzzer.
The RedHawks played their ninth game without starting point guard Evan Ipsaro. They also were without starting guard Luke Skaljac (illness) on Tuesday. Skaljac hit a running bank shot seven days earlier to force overtime at Kent State, a game Miami won 107-101 in overtime.
Suder and Justin Kirby and Suder each had 13 for Miami, which was playing its first home game at Millett Hall as a nationally ranked team, and its first home game on its Oxford campus as a ranked team since playing Xavier as the No. 12 team in the country on Feb. 25, 1953.
A crowd of 9,223 turned out at Millett Hall, which opened in December 1968. Miami entered with a school-record 26-game home winning streak.
UMass raced out to a 22-13 lead thanks to the Banks’ sharpshooting. The guard connected on 3 of 4 from beyond the arc, and went 4 of 5 from the field in the opening 20 minutes. His team-leading 13 first-half points helped the Minutemen build a 10-point lead at 45-35 with 2:18 left in the half.
UMass maintained control of the game thanks to its work on the glass, out-rebounding Miami 20-12 in the first half. But Miami recovered just before halftime, going on an 8-2 run to cut UMass lead to 47-43 at the break. Elmer kept the RedHawks close, draining 5 of 7 from 3-point range and going 6 of 8 from the field on his way to an 18-point first half.
Daniel Hankins-Sanford drained a three from the right wing with 11:45 left in the second half to put UMass up five, 63-58.
Miami drew even at 65 on a pair of Suder free throws with 9:26 left. After a UMass response, Elmer drilled a left wing three with 8:40 remaining to give Miami its first lead since 2-0.
Banks drained a turnaround with 4:36 left to give UMass its last lead at 76-74.
Antwone Woolfork finished off a three-point play with 4:19 left to put Miami up for good, 77-75.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Best NBA Bets Today: Game 7 Picks for Cavs vs Raptors, Magic vs Pistons
Feb 19, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) after the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images Two Game 7’s take place on Sunday in the NBA playoffs for the right to advance to the second round.
Both do-or-die contests feature Eastern Conference squads, starting with the top-seeded Detroit Pistons returning home to battle the Orlando Magic.
The night affair showcases the Cleveland Cavaliers, looking to avoid an early exit against the injury-riddled Toronto Raptors. The winners of each of these games face each other in the conference semifinals.
We’ll break down two plays for the Sunday action. Remember to monitor the odds throughout the day, as the sides and totals market is constantly changing.
Here are the free NBA picks for Sunday, May 3. Odds Courtesy of DraftKings.
Best NBA plays today
- Magic/Pistons Over (201.5)
- Cavaliers (-8.5) vs. Raptors
Magic/Pistons Over (201.5) – 3:30 p.m. ET
Orlando’s offense disappeared in the second half of Friday’s 93-79 home loss to Detroit, preventing the Magic from advancing. The Magic led by 22 points at halftime, but were outscored in the second half, 55-19 as Detroit forced a Game 7 back at home.
How bad was Orlando’s offense in the second half of Game 6? The Magic missed 23 consecutive field goal attempts at one point and finished 4-of-37 in the final 24 minutes.
Will things turn around in Game 7 back in the Motor City? The total closed at 209.5 in Game 6 and never threatened the Over. Sunday’s total has dipped to 202.5, as two games in Detroit finished with 213 points (Game 1) and 225 points (Game 5).
The teams combined for 51 points in the first quarter of Game 6 before Orlando outscored Detroit, 35-12 in the second quarter. It’s unlikely the Pistons will have another quarter like that and the Magic certainly won’t put up 19 points in a half again.
As long as these teams avoid a major cold spell, this game can hit the Over on Sunday afternoon.
Our Current Best Offers
Channel debug: betting
Cavaliers (-8.5) vs. Raptors – 7:30 p.m. ET
The Raptors stunned the Cavaliers in the final seconds of overtime in Game 6 on Friday behind R.J. Barrett’s go-ahead 3-pointer. Toronto returns to Cleveland for Game 7 on Sunday night as the home team owns a perfect 6-0 record in the series.
Toronto’s leading scorer Brandon Ingram missed Game 6 with a heel injury and is questionable for Game 7. Barrett has stepped up to be the Raptors’ top scoring option at 24.3 points per game, while posting at least 22 points in each of the three games in Cleveland.
The Cavaliers have not covered in the last four games since cashing in each of the first two wins at home. Cleveland squandered late leads in two of the losses in Toronto with the only bad performance coming in the 22-point Game 3 loss.
Since the 2023 playoffs, nine of the last 11 Game 7 winners have advanced with a victory margin of at least 10 points. Chances are Cleveland won’t win a close game here, so we’ll lay the points with them to grab a blowout and advance to the second round.
Our Current Best Offers
Channel debug: betting
Sports
Canadiens D Noah Dobson game-time decision for Game 7
Apr 11, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens defenseman Noah Dobson (53) skates during the warmup before the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images Montreal Canadiens defenseman Noah Dobson is considered a game-time decision for Game 7 of the team’s Eastern Conference first-round series versus the host Tampa Bay Lightning.
Dobson has been sidelined with an upper-body injury after blocking a shot against the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 11.
“He’s been a big player for us this year,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “I’m confident that if he plays, he’s going to bring something.”
Dobson, 26, recorded 47 points (12 goals, 35 assists) and averaged 22:29 of ice time in 80 games during the regular season.
The Canadiens acquired Dobson in a sign-and-trade agreement with the New York Islanders on June 27, 2025, as he agreed to an eight-year, $76 million contract.
In return, the Islanders received forward Emil Heineman and both of Montreal’s first-round picks (Nos. 16 and 17) in the 2025 NHL Draft. The Islanders used those selections on Swedish right winger Victor Eklund and defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson of Barrie (OHL).
Dobson has totaled 277 points (62 goals, 215 assists) in 348 career games since being selected by the Islanders with the 12th overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Predicting Second Round Stanley Cup Playoff Surprises
As the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs readies to kick into full gear, it is time to pull out the old Upset-O-Meter.
Now that the NHL is (almost) down to its elite eight, the championship chase hits another gear.
We have seen some trends already. All four division champions advanced, with the Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche handily dispatching all four wild-card squads.
Curiously, three — and possibly four — of the third-place finishers knocked out the second-place squads. The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota Wild eliminated the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks beat the Edmonton Oilers. Plus, the Montreal Canadiens are taking their best swing at the Tampa Bay Lightning, with Sunday’s Game 7 to decide that extremely tight, and exciting series.
So who will reach the final four?
The underdog with the best chance is the Anaheim Ducks. As well as the Golden Knights finished the regular season and pushed out the Utah Mammoth, do not simply award them the title from the Pillow Fight … sorry … Pacific Division.
Sure, Vegas has looked more like the club we all expected, but there are some cracks for the Ducks to expose, namely, the Vegas goaltending. The Golden Knights are a better defensive team than the Oilers, but Carter Hart’s sub-.900 save percentage will not scare a talented Anaheim team that lit up Edmonton’s netminders, especially when on the power play.
Throw into the mix Anaheim’s speed and size, and the Golden Knights will have their hands full, even with their experience.
On the other side of the spectrum in terms of upset potential, we have the Hurricanes-Flyers series, which opened with a 3-0 Carolina victory on Saturday.
Full credit to the Flyers for beating their state rivals in the opening round, but the Hurricanes showed in the opener why they finished atop the Eastern Conference.
By no means would it be fair to expect Carolina to sweep Philly, but the Hurricanes are poised to have this series done and dusted in five.
Looking at the other Eastern Conference semifinal, we do not know yet who the Sabres will meet, but whether it is the Canadiens or Lightning, it will be a tight series.
The Sabres will deservedly be the favorites, but not by much. No matter the opponents, Buffalo’s goaltending will be considered second best, even with Alex Lyon having a lights-out run upon taking the net in Game 2 of their series against the Boston Bruins. Also of concern is Buffalo’s power play, which scored only one goal on 24 chances against Boston.
In Buffalo’s favor will be the fatigue factor of whatever club advances.
Which brings us to the series that could top them all: Colorado versus Minnesota.
The marquee matchup within the marquee matchup will be the battle of the two best defensemen in the game, Colorado’s Cale Makar and Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes.
And that’s only the beginning of the cavalcade of stars. Colorado was the league’s highest scoring team in the regular season thanks to Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Makar, but showed its ability to defend against the Los Angeles Kings in its first-round sweep.
Granted, it will not be as easy for the Avalanche against a Wild team with far more firepower than the Kings, led by Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Hughes.
Unfortunately for the Wild, injuries to shutdown center Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Jonas Brodin put them on the back foot before the puck even drops.
Minnesota will put up a fight, but expect Colorado to be too much.
Best NBA Bets Today: Game 7 Picks for Cavs vs Raptors, Magic vs Pistons
Canadiens D Noah Dobson game-time decision for Game 7
