Sports
Patriots Opening Night notebook: DC Terrell Williams happy to be back
Feb 2, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; The New England Patriots during Opening Night for Super Bowl LX at San Jose Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images SAN JOSE, Calif. — Terrell Williams is back with the New England Patriots in time for the Super Bowl.
The defensive coordinator missed most of the season after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in September. He took a leave of absence after being on the sideline for New England’s Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Williams attended meetings at the Patriots’ facility during his recovery period, but he didn’t travel with the team this season. Inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr filled in as New England’s defensive play-caller.
Williams, 51, was declared cancer-free during the playoffs.
“Honestly, my thoughts are about the game and not really about me or the Super Bowl or anything,” he said. “This could be a preseason game and I’d be happy to be here with these guys after kind of what I’ve been through, what we’ve been through.”
The Patriots have allowed an average of 8.6 points per game in their three playoff contests. They forced eight turnovers in those wins over the Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and Denver Broncos.
–One of the subplots to the Sunday game will be how the Patriots choose to defend Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who led the NFL this season with 1,793 yards while catching 10 touchdown passes among his 119 receptions.
New England could mix coverages, but the Patriots may also assign Christian Gonzalez to Smith-Njigba. Gonzalez, who has become one of the top cornerbacks in the league, intercepted a pass on Denver’s final possession to secure New England’s 10-7 victory in the AFC Championship Game.
“He can do everything from every spot on the field,” Gonzalez said of Smith-Njigba. “He’s a smooth route-runner, can run every route, and he’s just an amazing player. I (have) the utmost respect for him, and I’m excited for Sunday.”
–New England wide receiver Stefon Diggs has 80 receptions for 982 yards and five touchdowns in 17 career playoff games, and he is looking to become the 19th NFL player to reach 1,000 postseason receiving yards.
Diggs, who is in his first season with the Patriots, is currently 20th on the NFL’s all-time postseason list for receiving yards. He enters the Sunday game tied for 12th with 80 postseason receptions and needs six more catches to move into the top 10.
Diggs had 85 receptions for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns in the 2025 regular season.
“I’ve been in the league a long time,” Diggs said Monday night. “As far as the corners, I’ve seen some of the best corners in the game, Hall of Fame corners, Patrick Peterson, Richard Sherman — all those guys.
“I took a lot of lumps earlier in my career, so understanding what I’ve seen, I come with a little bit of experience, I guess, to kind of show out in the game.”
Diggs played for the Minnesota Vikings, the Buffalo Bills and Houston before he signed with New England last March.
–Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels owns six Super Bowl rings, so he knows a bit about planning for the contest.
McDaniels pointed out the oddity of there being a long layoff leading up to the game.
“We don’t have any games during the season where we have two weeks to prepare,” he said, “so you’ve got to be careful you don’t overdo it.”
New England head coach Mike Vrabel earned three Super Bowl rings as a linebacker, but this is his first trip to the Super Bowl since his playing days.
“Josh has been a good resource, obviously,” Vrabel said. “He’s coached in these with the extended break.”
–Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane didn’t practice Monday at Stanford, but he is optimistic his ankle injury won’t prevent him from playing on Sunday. He is listed as questionable.
“I’m doing what I need to do,” Spillane said. “We have a plan scheduled for me to return to play. I’m just trying to do everything I can to make sure we’re right on it.”
Spillane had 97 tackles and two interceptions in 13 regular-season games. He aggravated the nagging ankle injury during the AFC Championship Game.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Georgetown puts Big East win streak on line vs. Villanova
Georgetown Hoyas guard Jeremiah Williams (25) smiles Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, during a basketball game at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Georgetown Hoyas defeated the Butler Bulldogs, 77-64. Once one of the premier powerhouses of the Big East Conference, Georgetown has not won five straight league games since 2013.
Saturday in Washington, D.C., the Hoyas (13-10, 5-7) have a chance to accomplish the feat, but it won’t be easy as they face Villanova (17-5, 8-3).
The sudden turnaround of Georgetown came after it lost six straight, with the final defeat of that skid coming at Villanova 66-51 as the Hoyas committed 17 turnovers and made just 34.0% of their shots from the field.
The Hoyas have shown vast improvement over the past two weeks, topping two of the teams that beat them last month. Now they have a chance to avenge another defeat.
The most recent win came at home Tuesday over Creighton 76-68 as KJ Lewis and Malik Mack scored 22 and 20 points respectively and combined for 13 rebounds and seven steals.
“It’s not where we started, it’s where we’re going and what we’re trying to do,” Georgetown coach Ed Cooley told his team afterward in a video-taped session in the locker room. “Take care of one another. Little by little, we’re making steps.”
Vince Iwuchukwu, Georgetown’s 7-foot-1 center who missed 10 games earlier this year when he underwent a medical procedure, has scored in double figures in each game of the Hoyas’ streak, including a 14-point, 10-rebound performance against Creighton.
While Georgetown needs to keep winning to enter the NCAA Tournament discussion, Villanova has strong credentials at No. 32 in the NET Rankings.
Not that coach Kevin Willard is satisfied.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Willard said Tuesday after completing a regular-season sweep of his former team, Seton Hall, with a 72-60 win.
“You should be looking at your team right now in February and saying, ‘What do I need to improve? What do I need to fix?’ Willard added. “I’m not satisfied with anything.”
The balanced Wildcats have six players averaging between 9.5 and 13.6 points per game and are the best 3-point shooting team in the Big East at 36.5%.
The top threats are backcourt mates Bryce Lindsay (13.6 points), who has 58 triples, and Tyler Perkins (13 points), who has made 39 3-pointers.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Missouri intends to draw a line in visit to South Carolina
Jan 31, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates gestures to players against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the second half of the game at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images As Missouri battles to make the NCAA Tournament’s field of 68, perhaps the most important number it needs to pay attention to is 332.
That is where the Tigers currently sit, out of 361 Division I teams, in free-throw shooting percentage as coach Dennis Gates’ team faces South Carolina in Columbia, S.C., on Saturday.
Missouri (15-7, 5-4 Southeastern Conference) has made just 67.4% of its shots from the free-throw line, making the team dead last in the SEC. That includes an atrocious 34.8% (8-for-23) showing in a 90-64 setback at Alabama last month.
The Tigers rebounded in an 84-79 victory over Mississippi State last week, making 75.8% (25 for 33) of their free throws, including 10 of 12 in the final two minutes to hold off the Bulldogs.
It is not the sexiest statistic, but it could end up making the difference as Missouri tries to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
“That’s good coaching. I was able to telepathically get into their brain right there on the line and start whispering, ‘Calm down, calm down.’ And you just saw a swish. So, the coaching. I’ll take that today,” Gates said.
Mark Mitchell led Missouri with 19 points and seven rebounds in the triumph over Mississippi State. T.O. Barrett added 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.
Trent Pierce, who made 19 starts last season but missed this year’s entire nonconference schedule, started for the first time in nine appearances this year and made two early 3-pointers on the way to 13 points.
Mitchell leads the team with 17.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. He has scored in double figures in 20 of 22 games. Jayden Stone is averaging 14.6 points and 5.3 rebounds.
The Tigers are just 1-3 on the road in the conference, but in South Carolina, they are facing a spiraling squad poised to miss the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in nine years. The Gamecocks have lost four straight and eight of 10.
South Carolina has dropped two straight and four of five at home and lost its last outing 84-75 at Texas on Tuesday despite jumping out to an early lead.
“We did a lot of right things that allowed us to be in a position to win the game. … Our first responsibility was to do enough right things that when it got to game-winning time, you were right there to win the game,” Gamecocks head coach Lamont Paris said. “It stings to be in that position and then in the last 2 1/2, 3 minutes, not be in a position to win the game.”
Meechie Johnson scored a career-best 35 points while shooting 12 of 21 from the field and 10 of 14 from the free-throw line. Elijah Strong added 12 points.
Johnson leads the team with a career-best 16.5 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.3 steals. He is averaging 22.6 points over his last seven games.
“Meechie has had a good year. He’s been getting better at his one-on-one attacking,” Paris said. “So he’s been doing that a lot more, I’d say, in the last few games, especially getting to the rim and finishing strong. That’s been a point of emphasis for him to try to improve.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Missouri intends to draw a line in visit to South Carolina
Jan 31, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates gestures to players against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the second half of the game at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images As Missouri battles to make the NCAA Tournament’s field of 68, perhaps the most important number it needs to pay attention to is 332.
That is where the Tigers currently sit, out of 361 Division I teams, in free-throw shooting percentage as coach Dennis Gates’ team faces South Carolina in Columbia, S.C., on Saturday.
Missouri (15-7, 5-4 Southeastern Conference) has made just 67.4% of its shots from the free-throw line, making the team dead last in the SEC. That includes an atrocious 34.8% (8-for-23) showing in a 90-64 setback at Alabama last month.
The Tigers rebounded in an 84-79 victory over Mississippi State last week, making 75.8% (25 for 33) of their free throws, including 10 of 12 in the final two minutes to hold off the Bulldogs.
It is not the sexiest statistic, but it could end up making the difference as Missouri tries to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
“That’s good coaching. I was able to telepathically get into their brain right there on the line and start whispering, ‘Calm down, calm down.’ And you just saw a swish. So, the coaching. I’ll take that today,” Gates said.
Mark Mitchell led Missouri with 19 points and seven rebounds in the triumph over Mississippi State. T.O. Barrett added 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.
Trent Pierce, who made 19 starts last season but missed this year’s entire nonconference schedule, started for the first time in nine appearances this year and made two early 3-pointers on the way to 13 points.
Mitchell leads the team with 17.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. He has scored in double figures in 20 of 22 games. Jayden Stone is averaging 14.6 points and 5.3 rebounds.
The Tigers are just 1-3 on the road in the conference, but in South Carolina, they are facing a spiraling squad poised to miss the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in nine years. The Gamecocks have lost four straight and eight of 10.
South Carolina has dropped two straight and four of five at home and lost its last outing 84-75 at Texas on Tuesday despite jumping out to an early lead.
“We did a lot of right things that allowed us to be in a position to win the game. … Our first responsibility was to do enough right things that when it got to game-winning time, you were right there to win the game,” Gamecocks head coach Lamont Paris said. “It stings to be in that position and then in the last 2 1/2, 3 minutes, not be in a position to win the game.”
Meechie Johnson scored a career-best 35 points while shooting 12 of 21 from the field and 10 of 14 from the free-throw line. Elijah Strong added 12 points.
Johnson leads the team with a career-best 16.5 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.3 steals. He is averaging 22.6 points over his last seven games.
“Meechie has had a good year. He’s been getting better at his one-on-one attacking,” Paris said. “So he’s been doing that a lot more, I’d say, in the last few games, especially getting to the rim and finishing strong. That’s been a point of emphasis for him to try to improve.”
–Field Level Media
Georgetown puts Big East win streak on line vs. Villanova
Missouri intends to draw a line in visit to South Carolina
