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
Curtis Mead, Keibert Ruiz help Nationals tame Giants
Apr 19, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals first baseman Curtis Mead (45) rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Curtis Mead hit a two-run homer, Keibert Ruiz had two hits and the Nationals beat the San Francisco Giants 3-0 in Washington on Sunday to avoid a series sweep.
Andrew Alvarez (1-0), called up earlier in the day from Triple-A Rochester, pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings for the win, allowing three hits and striking out five without a walk.
PJ Poulin opened for Washington and was replaced by Miles Mikolas with two outs and two on in the first. Mikolas, who began the day with an 11.49 ERA, pitched four scoreless innings while allowing four hits in his best outing of the young season.
Rafael Devers and Drew Gilbert had two hits each for the Giants, who had won three straight, but went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
San Francisco’s Robbie Ray (2-3) gave up three runs on seven hits over six innings. He struck out seven and walked one.
The Giants put runner on first and second with two outs in each of the first two innings but did not score.
The Nationals got an infield single and a walk to open the third inning but couldn’t cash in. Curtis Mead hit a blooper to shallow left field that dropped, but Keibert Ruiz briefly broke back towards second and was thrown out at third. Brady House flied to the warning track in center and CJ Abrams flied out.
Washington took a 3-0 lead in the fifth. Nasim Nunez reached on a bunt single and stole second. Ruiz hit shot to left center and Heliot Ramas made a diving effort but couldn’t come up with it. Nunez scored and Mead lined the first pitch he saw from Ray out to left for a two-run homer.
The first two Giants reached base in the eighth inning on an error and a single, but Casey Schmitt grounded into a double play and pinch hitter Jerar Encarnacion struck out.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Best Value Betting Picks Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft
It’s hard to believe that the 2026 NFL Draft is already almost here. It’s the perfect time to cash in on some draft betting picks.
Over the last few months, countless NFL mock drafters have taken stabs at where these top prospects could be selected.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best value on the board, utilizing FanDuel Sportsbook odds. Remember, this doesn’t mean that we’re predicting these players will be drafted in these spots.
Rather, we’re going to try to cash in on some valuable plus money opportunities for the NFL Draft, an event that is always capable of a few surprises.
No. 3 Overall: Francis Mauigoa (+650)
The Arizona Cardinals have the No. 3 overall pick – and they have needs all over their roster.
David Bailey (+110) and Arvell Reese (+260) are the betting favorite to come off of the board in this spot. But what if the Cardinals want to hook up new offensive minded head coach Mike LaFleur with a player to help fix his offense?
That could lead the Cardinals to Mauigoa, who was a standout right tackle for the Miami Hurricanes. 31-year-old veteran Elijah Wilkinson is expected to start at right tackle for the Cardinals.
They’ll probably take an edge rusher. But if they don’t Mauigoa would be the play at +650.
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No. 6 Overall: Caleb Downs (+1200)
The Cleveland Browns don’t need a defensive player. But Browns general manager Andrew Berry continues to float the idea of the team trading down. It’s a safe bet to expect the Browns to try and trade back.
Who would be worth another organization deciding to trade up for? Ohio State star safety Caleb Downs, who should still be on the board if the New York Giants select his Buckeyes teammate, Sonny Styles, at No. 5 overall.
Obviously, a lot has to go right for this selection to cash. But Downs is one of the best players in the draft. If he’s still available outside of the top five selections, he won’t last much longer.
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No. 10 Overall: Jordyn Tyson (+440)
Tyson is the one player in this class that could cause a major shakeup inside the top 10 picks.
According to reports, 20 teams attended the Arizona State star’s private workout, where the consensus seemed that most teams were comfortable with his medical situation.
The Giants just acquired the No. 10 selection from the Cincinnati Bengals. The NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that Giants GM Joe Schoen had dinner with Tyson the night before the private workout.
If Tyson is still available at No. 10 overall, the Giants could load up on offense for Jaxson Dart.
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Sports
Timberwolves look to shake off rust in Game 2 vs. Nuggets
Apr 18, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) dribbles the ball up the court during the first half against the Denver Nuggets in game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images The Denver Nuggets’ halftime adjustments in Game 1 on Saturday spurred them to a 116-105 win over Minnesota. Now, it’s the visiting Timberwolves’ turn to adjust for Game 2 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series on Monday night.
Minnesota missed 14 of its first 16 shots in the third quarter, when Denver built a 15-point lead. The Timberwolves cut it to 97-95 in the fourth quarter, but two turnovers contributed to a Nuggets’ run that put it away.
It is only one game, and No. 6 Minnesota has an opportunity to steal one from No. 3 Denver before heading home for Games 3 and 4.
“No one wants to have a moral victory, but we understand we had every opportunity to win that game and down the stretch, we cut it to two,” Ayo Dosunmu said. “We just have to be better.”
Composure and the ability to defend without fouling will be vital if the Timberwolves want to even the series. Jaden McDaniels hit a turnaround jumper that ended a Minnesota drought in the third quarter, and then drew a technical for pushing Nuggets star Nikola Jokic in the back after the bucket.
The Timberwolves had 25 personal fouls that led to 33 free-throw attempts for Denver, 16 by Jamal Murray. He didn’t miss from the line, and the Nuggets missed just three overall.
Minnesota’s chances to pull off the upset in the series hinge on star guard Anthony Edwards. He missed 11 of the final 14 games of the regular season due to a balky right knee, and Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said Edwards looked “rusty” Saturday.
Edwards acknowledged he struggled.
“I haven’t played in like a month, month and a half, so, I was a little fatigued,” he said despite tallying 22 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three blocks.
Denver is hoping to get fully healthy for the rest of the series if forward Peyton Watson can return from a right hamstring strain. Watson has not played since aggravating the hamstring injury on April 1. He initially sustained the injury Feb. 4 and missed more than six weeks.
The Nuggets do have Jokic and Murray healthy, and they were a force in Game 1. Jokic recorded the 22nd triple-double of his playoff career, and Murray scored 30 points despite going 7-for-22 from the field. He did most of his damage from the line and disputed Minnesota’s grumblings in the disparity of foul calls.
“I thought I got fouled on every single one of them. I don’t know what everybody is talking about,” Murray said. “They were real fouls.”
Denver has been on a roll since losing to Memphis on March 18. The Nuggets won their final 12 games of the regular season to overtake the Los Angeles Lakers for the third seed and secure a third playoff meeting in four years against the Timberwolves to build on a budding rivalry.
“I think some people say it’s the same teams. I don’t think it’s the same teams,” Jokic said. “People are more experienced, different players. One player can change the whole situation, the whole rotation, the whole momentum of the team.”
–Field Level Media
