Sports
Political tensions surface at slick Milan Cortina opening ceremony
[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Feb 6, 2026; Milan, ITALY; Fabric pours out from three tubes of paint from above as performers walk on stage during the opening ceremony during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Mandatory Credit: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters via Imagn Images MILAN/CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Italy launched the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday with a slick and colorful ceremony that celebrated the country’s history, arts and fashion but where global political tensions surfaced in the crowd reaction.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella formally declared the Games open at the main event in Milan’s San Siro stadium as part of an unprecedented show that also linked to celebrations in co-host Cortina d’Ampezzo, more than 250 miles away in the Dolomites.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were among the crowd in the iconic soccer stadium for the performance entitled “Armonia” (Harmony) that lasted three and a half hours.
Vance, who has been strongly critical of Europe, drew jeers in the stadium when an image of him waving the U.S. flag appeared on a big screen.
The announcement of the Israeli team prompted some booing in Milan over the loud soundtrack, but there were cheers in Cortina. Israel has a team of 10 in Italy.
The group of five athletes from Ukraine in Milan drew huge cheers.
TWIN CAULDRONS LIT IN MILAN AND CORTINA
International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry said the Games should bring people together.
“Let these Games be a celebration of what unites us — of everything that makes us human,” Coventry said.
“This is the magic of the Olympic Games: inspiring us all to be the best that we can be — together,” she added.
For the first time, two Olympic cauldrons, one of the symbols of the Games, were lit simultaneously and will burn throughout — one at Milan’s Arco della Pace (Peace Arch) and the other in Cortina’s Piazza Dibona.
Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni, two of Italy’s most successful Alpine skiers who both won three Olympic gold medals, lit the cauldron at the 19th century Milan monument.
Sofia Goggia, one of Italy’s top medal hopes for these Games, did the honors in Cortina. She became the first Italian woman to win an Olympic downhill gold at the 2018 edition.
MARIAH CAREY GOT THE PARTY STARTED
U.S. pop diva Mariah Carey had gotten the party started in a unique opening ceremony combining elements from the co-hosts, seeking to reflect both city and mountain life.
Carey performed the 1950s Italian song “Nel blu, dipinto di blu” (“In the blue, painted in blue”) with its famous “Volare” (“To fly”) refrain to cheers in the stadium.
Mattarella had been introduced to the fans via a recorded video clip in which the 84-year-old was seen traveling through the city on one of Milan’s historic trams.
The show also included a tribute to the late Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who made Milan his base and died last September.
The ceremony celebrated the diversity of Italian life, from fashionable Milan to the smaller mountain towns in the Alps that host the outdoor events at the Games, which run until Feb. 22.
Athletes also paraded in the mountain venues of Livigno and Predazzo, in a Games spread over 22,000 square kilometers.
INITIAL CONFUSION IN CORTINA
There was some initial confusion over access in Cortina.
Loredana Vido, from Padova, owner of a second home in Cortina, was blocked at the start of Corso Italia, the town’s main street, and said: “We were not told that everything would be closed off. We were told it was free entry.”
But some competitors in Cortina were pleased to get a slice of the action without having to trek to Milan, and they mixed with one another after their parades.
“Do I wish I was at the full one? Kind of. Am I happy I don’t have to spend 10 hours on a bus that day? Yes,” said Austin Florian, part of the U.S. skeleton team.
In the outdoor event in Livigno, at the foot of the snowboard and freeski runs, a thin crowd of locals and tourists gathered to watch the main ceremony in Milan on screens, as athletes in the small Alpine town walked in the snow, in sync with delegations at the San Siro.
PROTESTS IN MILAN
A series of protests took place on Friday, with more planned over the weekend, in the Italian financial capital to oppose the presence of analysts from a department that falls under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Italy’s government has said the controversy is unfounded, with ICE personnel not on the streets during the Olympics and only operatives from its Homeland Security Investigations in Italy working out of U.S. diplomatic missions.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has also said no agents from ICE were providing security for Team USA.
More local issues such as the closure of schools and streets in the city have also irked some Milanese.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Marquette, Butler seek to turn fortunes around in Big East battle
Jan 27, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles head coach Shaka Smart looks on during the second half against the Creighton Bluejays at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images While little has gone right for Marquette this season, it has found some success on its home court of late.
The Golden Eagles (8-15, 3-9 Big East) hope that carries over into Saturday’s game against Butler in Milwaukee.
Marquette could be getting the Bulldogs (13-10, 4-8) at the right moment as they enter on a three-game losing streak.
Barring a conference tournament miracle, the Golden Eagles’ run of four NCAA Tournament appearances in as many seasons under coach Shaka Smart will come to an end.
But since a 1-7 start to conference play, Marquette has won two of its last four games, both at home. Last time the Golden Eagles played at home, they delivered a surprising 86-62 thrashing of Creighton on Jan. 27.
Overall, Marquette has won three of its last four home games. The Golden Eagles have had a week off since their last game, a 69-64 loss at Seton Hall in which they led by eight at halftime but failed to secure their first road/neutral-site win.
“Coming out of the half, especially when we’re up, we got to continue to, we always say, ‘Step on their throats,'” forward Ben Gold said. “Be the aggressive team.”
Marquette freshman Nigel James Jr. continues to be a bright spot in a down season. He scored 16 points in the loss and averages a team-high 15.4 points per game.
Butler has lost three straight games since the last time it faced Marquette, an 87-76 win in Indianapolis on Jan. 23.
That has sent the Bulldogs spiraling towards the bottom of the Big East pack.
Butler has been struggling despite being led by a pair of All-Big East frontrunners in Finley Bizjack (second in the Big East with 17.7 points per game) and Michael Ajayi (conference-leading 11.3 rebounds per game, fourth in scoring at 16.2 ppg).
Bizjack went off for a season-high 30 points in the team’s last game at Providence on Feb. 4. However, he missed a pair of free throws with 1.3 seconds left in regulation after he had been 12-for-12 at the line, and the Bulldogs lost 97-87 in double overtime.
It was the culmination of Butler blowing a six-point lead with 3:06 left in regulation.
“By no means, obviously, did that cost us the game,” Butler coach Thad Matta said. “We had other plays we needed to make along the way.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Texas-Ole Miss marks Chris Beard's first game back in Austin
Ole Miss basketball coach Chris Beard is escorted off the after being ejected for getting two technical fouls during an NCAA college basketball game against Tennessee on February 3, 2026, in Knoxville, Tennessee. Texas will face its former coach Chris Beard when it hosts reeling Ole Miss on Saturday afternoon in a Southeastern Conference clash in Austin, Texas.
The Longhorns (14-9, 5-5 SEC) have won two consecutive games and three of their past four, with the most recent victory an 84-75 decision at home over South Carolina. Dailyn Swain amassed team highs of 22 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
Tramon Mark added 18 points for Texas in the win while Matas Vokietaitis and Camden Heide each had 12. The Longhorns earned a 40-25 edge on the glass and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds.
“It was great to see (Mark) step up and find his rhythm — we’re much more difficult to defend when he’s scoring as well,” Texas coach Sean Miller said. “And the other guy that’s just really playing well right now is (Heide). His ability to shoot the ball, his 3-point shots when South Carolina went to the zone, broke the game open.”
It will be the first trip back to Austin on the Ole Miss bench for Beard, who was fired at Texas in January 2023 after a domestic violence charge a month earlier.
“We expect to have a game against a really good team playing their best, prepared, and we have to be equally prepared and juiced up and ready to go and try to take advantage of our home atmosphere,” Miller said about Saturday’s game and Beard’s return.
With his Texas tenure in the rearview mirror, Beard’s focus these days is on getting his Rebels team back on track.
Ole Miss (11-11, 3-6) has dropped four straight games, most recently an 84-66 dismantling on the road by Tennessee on Tuesday. The Rebels got 15 points apiece from Patton Pinkins and AJ Storr while Ilias Kamardine added 11 and Eduardo Klafke had 10 in the loss.
Ole Miss trailed by just six points eight minutes into the second half before surrendering a run over the middle of the half that doomed its chances at a comeback.
Beard was not around at the end of the Tennessee game after being ejected with 6:15 remaining.
“All we ask for is a consistent whistle,” Beard said. “The free-throw differential in (the Tennessee) game and the foul differential is just frustrating from a coaching standpoint and a playing standpoint. At some point as a coach, you have to fight for your players.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
SMU tries to avoid slip-up against cellar-dwelling Pitt
Jan 17, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; SMU Mustangs guard Boopie Miller (2) reacts to being knocked to the floor during the second half against the Virginia Cavaliers at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images SMU needs to avoid jeopardizing its NCAA Tournament hopes as it visits Pitt for an Atlantic Coast Conference clash on Saturday afternoon.
The Mustangs (15-7, 4-5 ACC) have dropped two in a row with a loss at Louisville and a tough 84-83 setback at home to North Carolina State on Tuesday night.
The Mustangs sit 34th in the NCAA’s NET rankings, but know they need to get back on track and avoid what could be a damaging loss to Pitt (9-14, 2-8 ACC), which has also lost two in a row and has a NET ranking of 114.
Boopie Miller, SMU’s leading scorer at 19.1 points per game, scored 14 points against the Wolfpack, but his game-winning attempt in the closing seconds was blocked, sealing the Mustangs’ defeat.
“The league is certainly better this year,” SMU coach Andy Enfield said of the depth of the ACC. “More quality teams from top to bottom, meaning on a national scale, some of these teams, including SMU, won big out-of-conference games in November and early December… So every game we play now is a pretty important game for us on the regional and league scale, but also nationally.”
The Panthers, who are led by Brandin Cummings (12.5 points per game) and Cameron Corhen (12.1), find themselves in the conference’s cellar, tied with Notre Dame and Georgia Tech heading into the weekend. Pitt is looking for more consistent play that can lead to wins instead of just valiant efforts.
Lack of depth and size have hurt Pitt as well as other factors, such as poor free-throw shooting (66.1%) and turnovers. The Panthers committed 17 turnovers in their most recent loss, 67-47 at Virginia, and surrendered 13 offensive rebounds.
Pitt athletic director Allen Greene recently spoke to the media about Pitt’s disappointing season, which could foreshadow changes ahead if there’s no noticeable improvement.
“We have high expectations for our men’s basketball program, and we haven’t lived up to those expectations this year,” Greene said. “Obviously, Coach (Capel) knows that, the staff is aware of that, the players are aware of that. They want more out of what we got going on, and I know they’re working their tails off to try to fix it.”
–Field Level Media
Marquette, Butler seek to turn fortunes around in Big East battle
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