Sports
No. 8 Tennessee eyes revenge in rematch vs. No. 5 Florida
Jan 7, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh (10) drives to the basket past Tennessee Volunteers guard Darlinstone Dubar (8) during the second half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images Tennessee was unbeaten and the top-ranked team in the land when it was annihilated by 30 points by Florida on Jan. 7.
Three-plus-weeks later, the No. 8 Volunteers will try to avenge that shellacking when they face the No. 5 Gators on Saturday afternoon in Southeastern Conference play at Knoxville, Tenn.
Tennessee (17-4, 4-4) has lost three of its past four games, but its decline began with the 73-43 loss at Florida. The Volunteers never led, trailed by as many as 36 points, and shot just 21.4 percent (12 of 56) from the field.
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes knows the Gators (18-2, 5-2) will be itching to finish a regular-season sweep.
“It won’t get any easier,” Barnes said of his team being 3-4 after the 14-0 start. “I know our guys are disappointed — which, I know how much they care, I know how hard they work. … So we can get better and we’ve got to get better. And, knowing what I know about these guys, I think we will get better.”
The Volunteers lost 78-73 at home against No. 12 Kentucky on Tuesday, three days after dropping a 53-51 decision at top-ranked Auburn.
Tennessee was just 11 of 45 from 3-point range against Kentucky, with Zakai Zeigler making just 1 of 11 and Chaz Lanier hitting 3 of 10.
Igor Milicic Jr. led the Volunteers with 19 points and nine rebounds. He ranks fourth on the squad in scoring (10.4) and leads in rebounding (8.1).
Lanier leads Tennessee in scoring (17.8) and 3-pointers (74). Zeigler is averaging 12.3 points and a team-leading 7.4 assists, and Jordan Gainey chips in 10.8 points per game.
Though the Volunteers were blasted by the Gators, their other three setbacks are by a combined eight points.
“You know, we’re in the best league in the country against a team that has had big wins,” Barnes said of Florida. “There’s no given that we’re going to win every game, even if we play well. We want to win every game, but that team we’re playing? They want to win, too.”
The Gators have won three straight games and five of their last six. They are well-rested, as they did not have a mid-week game this week.
Florida coach Todd Golden also feels relieved after the school cleared him of wrongdoing in a Title IX investigation. The 39-year-old Golden was accused of stalking, sexual exploitation and sexual harassment by multiple women, including sending unwanted photos and videos of his genitalia.
“Happy to put it behind us,” Golden said during a Thursday press conference. “Moving forward, we’ll continue to have our full attention on our team and then the game on Saturday. Look forward to talking about basketball with you guys.”
Sweeping Tennessee would be quite an achievement for the Gators, and Golden said the earlier victory should boost his team’s confidence.
“Just going into one of the best venues in college basketball and holding on to your guts enough for 40 or 45 minutes, whatever it takes to find a way to win,” Golden said of the approach. “It would be a great feather to put in our cap. And I think if we can somehow find a way to win on Saturday, I think we, at this time, should be a (No. 1) seed (in the NCAA Tournament), to be honest.”
The Gators are coming off an 89-59 rout of visiting Georgia on Saturday. Walter Clayton Jr. (17 points, five steals) and Alijah Martin (17 points, four steals) led five Florida players in double digits in scoring.
Clayton leads the Gators with a 17.8 scoring average, and Martin averages 16.1.
The recent win was just Florida’s third in the past 11 meetings with the Volunteers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cards extend manager Oliver Marmol through '28 season
Feb 22, 2026; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) looks on from inside the dugout against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol received a two-year contract extension through the 2028 season, the team announced Sunday.
Financial terms were not disclosed by the team, which holds an option for the 2029 season.
“As I’ve gotten to know Oli, I’ve seen someone who cares about this organization and knows what has made the Cardinals special over time — and who understands that for us to get where we need to go, we must compete relentlessly to set new standards in everything that we do,” president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said.
“He is invested in the progress of our young core and is unafraid to challenge himself and to help those around him grow. I am energized to continue working with him towards the on-field success that we expect and that our fans deserve.”
Marmol, 39, has guided the Cardinals to a 325-323 record during his four seasons as the skipper. He led St. Louis to the National League Central title in 2022 before the team fell in the wild-card series to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Last season, the Cardinals posted a 78-84 record to finish in fourth place in the NL Central.
Marmol was a coach with St. Louis from 2017-21 under previous managers Mike Shildt and Mike Matheny.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tyler Reif treated for heat exhaustion after Trucks race
Oct 31, 2025; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Truck Series driver Tyler Reif (41) during the NASCAR Truck Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rookie Tyler Reif was treated for heat exhaustion after Saturday night’s street race in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Reif, 18, was transported to an area medical facility after finishing 16th in the race in the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet. He was later released.
“Tyler and his family would like to express their gratitude to the NASCAR officials, track medical workers and the local medical facility staff for their care,” Niece Motorsports said in a release.
Reif made his debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series in 2025. Saturday’s race was just his third on the circuit, including a 17th-place finish at Atlanta on Feb. 21.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: RB David Montgomery 'wants out' of Detroit
Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) looks on before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Lions running back David Montgomery “wants out” of Detroit after three seasons, ESPN reported on Sunday.
Montgomery, however, immediately appeared to refute the report on X, posting: “Damn, Dmo told you that?”
The ESPN report claims the Lions would want “a decent Day 3 pick (possibly a fifth-rounder)” in the 2026 NFL Draft in return for Montgomery, who turns 29 in June and is owed $6 million next season.
The report follows general manager Brad Holmes’ remarks after the season about Montgomery being unhappy with his playing time in 2025. Sharing a backfield with Jahmyr Gibbs, Montgomery rushed for a career-low 716 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games (no starts).
“Those are conversations that we’re going to have to have because I’ve got a lot of respect for that player,” Holmes said of Montgomery in January. “He deserves to be in a situation where his skillset can be utilized, and so yeah would love for it to be here, but if it can’t be here then you’d just love to see where could work out best for him.”
At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Holmes said the situation with Montgomery is “fluid.” He signed a two-year extension during the 2024 season that runs through the end of the 2027 campaign.
“Yeah, I have been in touch with David’s agent, and his representation,” Holmes revealed. “Obviously, we love David, he’s a great player, we love to have him, you know, kind of want to put last year in the rear view, and just move forward. But, obviously, a player has to want to be at a certain place as well. The conversations are still fluid, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Montgomery has rushed for 2,506 yards and 33 touchdowns in 45 games (28 starts) in three seasons with Detroit (2023-25). He has 76 catches for 650 yards in that span.
He began his career with the NFC North rival Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the third round in 2019. Montgomery rushed for 3,609 yards and 26 scores in 60 games (51 starts) with the Bears (2019-22).
–Field Level Media
Cards extend manager Oliver Marmol through '28 season
Tyler Reif treated for heat exhaustion after Trucks race
