Sports
Oquendo's 25 points help SMU steamroll Notre Dame
Feb 19, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; SMU Mustangs forward Matt Cross (33) grabs a rebound in the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images Kario Oquendo scored 15 of his 25 points in the first half, and behind an offensive onslaught, SMU had little trouble dispatching Notre Dame, 97-73, on Wednesday night in South Bend, Ind.
Despite the unavailability of leading scorer Boopie Miller — who missed a second consecutive game with a foot injury — SMU (20-6, 11-4 ACC) shot 58.6 percent from the floor, and made 17 of its first 25 field goal attempts to take a 50-25 lead into halftime.
The Mustangs galloped away from the Fighting Irish behind their efficient shooting, as Oquendo, Samet Yigitoglu, Matt Cross and Chuck Harris scored in double figures.
SMU reached the 20-win mark with the victory, recording consecutive 20-win campaigns for the first time since 2015-2017.
Notre Dame (11-15, 5-10) lost for the fifth time in the last six games, struggling to contain the ACC’s top-scoring offense, as the Irish allowed 90 points at home for the first time since Feb. 11, 2023.
Offensively, while Notre Dame closed on a 14-8 run and outscored SMU, 48-47, in the second half, the Irish were just 7-of-22 in the first 20 minutes. Braeden Shrewsberry led Notre Dame with 21 points.
SMU flexed its offensive strength often in the first 10 minutes, putting together a game-shifting 19-2 run over an eight-minute span that took the Mustangs’ lead from 6-3 to 25-5.
Oquendo stepped up in that stretch, hitting a 3-pointer at the 15:38 mark and scoring on a three-point play that bookended the run. And that came after he slammed a two-handed dunk off a B.J. Edwards steal in the first two minutes of the half. By the intermission, Oquendo had 15 points, shooting a flawless 6-of-6 from the field.
The Mustangs maintained the offensive momentum, including a 7-0 run late in the half. Yigitoglu’s short-range floater was followed by a 3-pointer from Harris and a fast-break layup from Edwards. From the 5:59 mark until halftime, SMU’s lead remained above 20.
In control, the Mustangs cruised through the second half. While unable to replicate their first-half shooting percentage of 72.4 percent, the lead was never in question. SMU widened its advantage to as many as 34 with 8:09 left, when Oquendo’s third 3-pointer of the evening dropped.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope joining 76ers after Grizzlies buyout
Feb 11, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (3) in the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is set to reunite with former teammate LeBron James after agreeing to a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies and planning to sign a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, ESPN reported on Saturday.
Caldwell-Pope, 33, who played with James on the 2020 NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, must clear waivers before signing with Philadelphia.
Per the report, the Grizzlies and Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul — Caldwell-Pope’s agent — finalized the buyout on Saturday, a day after Sixers agreed to sign James to a two-year, $8 million deal.
Caldwell-Pope, who also won an NBA title with the Denver Nuggets in 2023, missed the last 31 games of the 2025-26 season after surgery to fix a misalignment on his right pinkie finger. He finished with averages of 8.4 points, 2.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 21.3 minutes in 51 games.
A 13-year veteran selected eighth overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2013 NBA Draft, Caldwell-Pope has averaged 11.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 29.2 minutes with the Pistons, Lakers, Washington Wizards, Nuggets, Orlando Magic and Grizzlies in 963 games (784 starts).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Trey McBride says Cardinals fans not so bad after all
Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride speaks to the press during training camp at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on July 25, 2026. Arizona tight end Trey McBride made some waves with criticism of the Cardinals’ fan base earlier this offseason. On Saturday, he attempted to walk back some of his earlier remarks following training camp practice.
In a June appearance on Will Compton and Taylor Lewan’s podcast “Bussin’ with the Boys,” McBride noted that a significant portion of Arizona’s population is transplants, and he criticized the Cardinals’ fan base for being too focused on other teams.
“Living in Arizona, no one’s from Arizona,” McBride had said. “Everyone has kinda moved in from another state, so they’re all fans of their own teams, so now you have the Arizona that sits there and there’s no Arizona fans in Arizona.
“So, it’s a tough deal. Hopefully, we start winning some games and we can bring some of those fans back.”
Saturday, possibly because of some backlash, McBride was singing a different tune.
“Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have said that,” McBride said. “It came out wrong, and obviously the fanbase is great. We have a tremendous fanbase. Arizona’s been here, loyal fans to all the sports teams here, and we’re very lucky to have a lot of these guys, and we’re going to have a great season.
“I love it here in Arizona, and I hope they love me too, but it’s a special place. The fans are great, and I’m excited for this year to give them something to be proud of.”
In 2025, McBride signed what was the richest deal for a tight end in NFL history, re-signing with the Cardinals for four years and $76 million.
He backed that figure up last fall, posting career highs with 126 receptions for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns, leading the Cardinals in each category while earning his second straight Pro Bowl berth and being named first-team All-Pro.
A second-round draft pick in 2022, the 26-year-old has exceeded 1,000 yards receiving in each of the last two seasons.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Ty France drives in 3 as Padres sustain Marlins losing streak
Jul 25, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Ty France (25) hits a two-run single against the Miami Marlins during the third inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Ty France drove in three runs to help the visiting San Diego Padres hand the Miami Marlins their franchise-record tying 11th straight loss, 7-2, in the middle game of their three-game series on Saturday.
The Marlins have dropped 11 in a row three other times in team history, most recently in June of 2011.
Jackson Merrill had two doubles, a single and scored two runs, and Jake Cronenworth had a single, two walks, an RBI and two runs scored for the Padres, who improved to 4-5 coming out of the All-Star break.
Randy Vasquez was used as an opener for San Diego and went 2 2/3 innings, allowing one run and one hit with no strikeouts and two walks.
JP Sears (3-3), who was originally scheduled to start, followed with 3 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win.
Esteury Ruiz had two hits and scored twice for Miami.
Marlins right-hander Eury Perez (5-8) went seven innings, allowing three runs and seven hits. He struck out two and walked one on a season-high 104 pitches.
Perez walked Cronenworth with two outs in the third. Manny Machado followed with a check-swing double just inside the right-field line, putting runners on second and third. France then lined a two-run single to left, scoring both runners for a 2-0 lead.
Ruiz was hit by a pitch to start the bottom half of the third and he took third on a single by Jakob Marsee. Otto Lopez followed with a sacrifice fly to right to cut it to 2-1.
Merrill went the other way for a double to start the seventh, moved to third on a flyout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Gavin Sheets to extend the lead to 3-1.
Cronenworth walked again to start the eighth and immediately stole second off left-hander Dax Fulton. France stepped to the plate with one out and grounded an RBI single up the middle to make it 4-1.
The Padres loaded the bases later in the inning off Fulton and pinch-hitter Jase Bowen lined the first pitch he saw into right field for a two-run single, extending the lead to 6-1.
Kyle Stowers delivered an RBI single in the eighth to cut it to 6-2, but Lopez was thrown out going from first to third for the second out.
San Diego got the run back in the ninth on an RBI single by Cronenworth to make it 7-2.
–Field Level Media
Report: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope joining 76ers after Grizzlies buyout
Trey McBride says Cardinals fans not so bad after all
