Sports
Santa Clara eager to prevail in final WCC meeting with No. 12 Gonzaga
Jan 8, 2026; Spokane, Washington, USA; Santa Clara Broncos guard Sash Gavalyugov (2) shoots the ball against Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15) in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images Santa Clara is enjoying a memorable season, but it can boost its success to another level when it hosts No. 12 Gonzaga on Saturday night in a battle for first place in the West Coast Conference.
The Broncos have won nine straight games since losing 89-77 to the Bulldogs on Jan. 8 in Spokane, Wash. This contest also marks the last regular-season battle between programs that have been in the same conference for the past 46 seasons and first met in 1959.
“We’ll keep it straightforward,” Santa Clara guard Sash Gavalyugov said. “It’s our last game against Gonzaga in the WCC, so we look to beat them for a goodbye. We look to be undefeated for the rest of the season.”
The Broncos (22-5, 13-1 WCC) stand a half-game ahead of the Bulldogs (24-2, 12-1) with Saint Mary’s (22-4, 11-2) looming close behind in third place.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few feels Santa Clara shouldn’t have any trouble being part of March Madness despite the school last qualifying in 1996.
“They’re an NCAA Tournament team,” Few said. “They pass the eye test.”
The Steve Nash-era Broncos went to the tournament three times in the 1990s and went 2-3, including the still-talked about upset of No. 2 seed Arizona in 1993.
Santa Clara is 13-0 at home entering the clash with Gonzaga, and coach Herb Sendek is doing his best to downplay the hype.
“It’s the next game on our schedule,” Sendek said after the Broncos’ 84-72 home win over Seattle University on Wednesday. “We don’t look at the name on the jersey or the tip time or the weather or whether it’s a holiday or any other thing that can enter someone’s mind.
“When it’s time to play, our conference schedule demands the best of us.”
Gavalyugov, a freshman, made five 3-pointers and scored 21 points against Seattle. He had scored in single digits seven straight times since his explosive 37-point outing against Loyola Marymount on Jan. 10.
One game ahead of his career-best outing, he had eight points on 2-of-7 shooting against Gonzaga. Bulldogs star Graham Ike scored 34 points on 13-of-17 shooting and collected 11 rebounds in the Gonzaga win.
“We guarded them really, really good and rebounded the ball well,” Few said of the contest that was tied at halftime and saw the Bulldogs lead by as many as 23 in the second half.
Ike has scored 30 or more in three of his past six appearances and has made 21 of 28 field-goal attempts over the past two games. He matched his career best of 35 points while making 13 of 18 shots in an 81-61 rout of Oregon State on Feb. 7, and he followed up with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting in an 83-53 home shellacking of Washington State on Tuesday.
Freshman Davis Fogle added 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting off the bench vs. the Cougars and was lauded by Few for his defense. Fogle had a season-high three blocked shots and matched his high of three steals in 23 minutes.
“I think on the defensive end, the game’s slowed down a lot,” Fogle said. “… Still working on it every day in practice and taking all the advice I can from coaches.”
Despite the Broncos splitting the regular-season series with the Bulldogs the past two campaigns, this is another one of those WCC rivalries long owned by Gonzaga.
The Bulldogs had won 26 straight matchups and 35 of 36 prior to the recent splits.
Gonzaga has won 22 of the past 24 meetings at Santa Clara. The Broncos won in 2011 and 2024.
Gonzaga will move into the rebuilt Pac-12 next season.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Oklahoma State takes on TCU facing tough hill for tourney bid
Oklahoma State coach Steve Lutz shouts at Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Anthony Roy (9) during a BIG 12 men’s college basketball game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the BYU Cougars at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. Oklahoma State coach Steve Lutz knows his Cowboys must make the most of all their remaining games to have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.
The hill they must climb starts Saturday when the Cowboys (16-8, 4-7 Big 12) face TCU (15-9, 5-6) in a Big 12 game in Stillwater, Okla.
Oklahoma State only has one road win in the Big 12 since Lutz took over last season. Three of the Cowboys’ last seven games are on the road and two of the remaining home games are against No. 9 Kansas and No. 3 Houston.
That makes the game with the Horned Frogs a must-win after being swept in Arizona, 84-47 against No. 1 Arizona Saturday and 85-76 against Arizona State Tuesday.
The Cowboys trimmed the deficit in the latter game to 69-68 late, but the Sun Devils scored nine straight to lead by 10 with 1:35 left.
“The game was lost way before then when we turned the ball over 17 times and gave them 26 points and gave up offensive rebounds for 24 points,” Lutz said. “In this league, you can’t give people 50 points. You can’t spot people 50 points and expect to win. So that’s on us.”
Arizona State shot just 40% from the floor and hit only 23.8% from behind the 3-point line (5 of 21) but made 28 of 35 free throws and outrebounded the Cowboys 45-34, including grabbing 19 offensive boards.
Lutz knows how steep a hill the Cowboys face the rest of the way.
“This is not a two-hand-touch league. This is a tackle football league,” Lutz said. “If you’re not going to fight and you’re not going to scrap and you’re not going to rebound, you got no shot.”
The Horned Frogs may have saved their season with a 62-55 upset of No. 5 Iowa State Tuesday.
Coach Jamie Dixon’s decision to start highly recruited sophomore forward Micah Robinson for just the second time this season paid off in a big way.
Robinson poured in 17 points, had five rebounds and two steals, and made two sensational dunks down the stretch to put the Cyclones away.
“It definitely means a lot,” Robinson said of the opportunity to start. “It shows the trust the coaching staff and my teammates have in me. It meant a lot to be able to come out there and compete.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Raptors waive veteran G Chris Paul
Jan 2, 2026; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chris Paul in attendance during the HoopHall West Tournament at Skyline High School. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The Toronto Raptors waived 12-time All-Star guard Chris Paul on Friday.
The move was expected after Toronto acquired Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers as part of a three-team deal with the Brooklyn Nets at last week’s trade deadline. The trade for Paul, in the eyes of the Raptors, was done for financial reasons.
Paul, 40, plans to retire at season’s end.
Signed to a one-year, $3.6 million contract last offseason, Paul rejoined a Clippers franchise with which he spent six seasons from 2011-17. This season, he averaged 2.9 points, 3.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 16 games off the bench. He has not played in a game since Dec. 1.
Paul ranks second in NBA history in assists with 12,552 and second in steals with 2,728, trailing only Basketball Hall of Famer John Stockton in both categories.
Paul, then with New Orleans, was named Rookie of the Year in 2006. He is a four-time All-NBA first-team selection, five-time NBA assists champion and six-time steals champion. A member of seven first-team All-Defensive teams, he also was the MVP of the 2013 All-Star Game.
Paul won Olympic gold medals with the United States in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012 and was named to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team in 2021.
He played with New Orleans for six seasons, then was traded to the Clippers in 2011. He later played for the Houston Rockets (2017-19), Oklahoma City Thunder (2019-20), Phoenix Suns (2020-23), Golden State Warriors (2023-24) and San Antonio Spurs (2024-25).
Paul has career averages of 16.8 points, 9.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 1,370 games (1,314 starts). He has not won an NBA title, getting to the Finals only once when his Suns lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Sahith Theegala gets Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption at The Genesis
Feb 8, 2026; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; Sahith Theegala of the United States tees off on hole 3 during the final round of the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images Tournament host Tiger Woods announced Sahith Theegala as the recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption into the Genesis Invitational.
Theegala, 28, will compete in the tournament from Feb. 19-22 at The Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
The Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption is awarded annually to “a deserving golfer from a minority background,” according to the Genesis Invitational.
“During Charlie’s playing days, all he wanted was an opportunity to compete with the best players in the world so he could showcase his game, and Sahith shares those same characteristics,” Woods said. “I am proud to welcome Sahith to the field for the Genesis Invitational, a tournament that shares a lot of meaning for us both.”
Born to parents who immigrated from India, Theegala was raised in Chino Hills, Calif. He became one of the sport’s top amateurs while attending Pepperdine, and he made his PGA Tour as a sophomore in college at The Riviera Country Club in 2017 via exemption by virtue of his Collegiate Showcase victory.
“Receiving this special invitation from Tiger is an honor,” Theegala said. “The Genesis Invitational has played an important role in my journey to the PGA Tour, and I truly appreciate the opportunity to compete in Charlie’s memory.”
Theegala won the 2023 Fortinet Championship for his lone victory on the PGA Tour. He is 92nd in the current Official World Golf Ranking.
–Field Level Media
Oklahoma State takes on TCU facing tough hill for tourney bid
Raptors waive veteran G Chris Paul
