Sports
Stung by St. John's loss, No. 6 UConn turns to struggling Butler
Feb 6, 2026; New York, New York, USA; UConn Huskies guard Silas Demary Jr. (2) drives past St. John’s Red Storm guard Ian Jackson (11) and forward Bryce Hopkins (23) in the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Coming off its first loss in nearly three months, No. 6 UConn stays on the road with a trip to Indianapolis, Ind. on Wednesday to take on Butler.
The Huskies (22-2, 12-1 Big East) lost their perfect conference record Friday night when they fell 81-72 to St. John’s at Madison Square Garden. The loss snapped an 18-game win streak.
The loss wasn’t for lack of accuracy in live-ball action as the Huskies shot 54.7% from the floor, which included 9 of 19 from 3-point range. However, they went just 5-for-12 at the free-throw line and piled up 15 turnovers — nine by point guard Silas Demary Jr.
Demary had committed just eight turnovers in UConn’s five previous games combined.
“To go on the road against that defense and shoot 54%…the turnovers killed us,” said Huskies coach Dan Hurley. “When you go minus-17 point-wise at the foul line and get out-rebounded, you’re not going to win on the road.”
Another potential piece of concern for UConn was the lack of production from the bench unit, which combined to score just six points as Hurley allotted his reserves just 29 minutes.
“I thought the bench was skittish,” Hurley added. “We got off to a pretty good start, went to the bench and it was an immediate 7-0 run (for St. John’s). If you’re a bench player and that happens, you get a little tight with that rotation.”
It’s hard to fault Hurley for sticking with a starting lineup that features everyone in double figures. Solo Ball and Tarris Reed Jr. lead the way with 14.0 points per game while Demary ranks fifth with an 11.2 average.
Butler (13-11, 4-9) has endured four consecutive losses, all by double figures, which includes Saturday’s 70-55 defeat at Marquette. The Bulldogs had not scored so few points since a 60-52 loss on Feb. 4, 2023, at Marquette.
They shot just 32.8% from the floor and 6-for-21 from beyond the arc. Finley Bizjack led with 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting, though he was the lone Bulldog in double figures.
Butler played without two starters as point guard Azavier Robinson missed his second straight game with a wrist injury. His absence forced Bizjack into the point guard role.
“It made a difference, no doubt,” coach Thad Matta said. “He handled (Marquette’s) pressure well at our place.”
“It’s hard to lose point guards and still take care of the ball like you want to in every possession,” Bizjack said. “If they want me to bring it up, I’ll bring it up. If they want me off the ball, I’ll be off the ball, whatever I need to do to hopefully help us get back on the right track.”
Bizjack averages a team-high 17.9 points while Michael Ajayi delivers 15.8 points and 11.6 boards per game. The latter figure ranks third nationally.
UConn has never lost to Butler. The Huskies’ run began with the 2011 NCAA championship game and improved to 12-0 with their 79-60 win on Dec. 16 in Hartford.
That game broke a stretch of four straight games in the series that were decided by single-digit margins, including an overtime battle UConn squeaked out last January at home.
–Field Level Media
Sports
'No regrets': Lindsey Vonn speaks post-crash, needs multiple surgeries
Feb 7, 2026; Cortina d’Ampezzo, ITALY; Lindsey Vonn of the United States during women’s alpine skiing downhill training the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images Lindsey Vonn has a complex tibia fracture that will “require multiple surgeries to fix properly,” Vonn said in an Instagram post Monday.
The post is Vonn’s first public statement since her gruesome crash during Sunday’s women’s downhill skiing final at the Milan Cortina Games. Vonn had to be airlifted off the course after crashing in the first 20 seconds of her run.
“While yesterday did not end the way I had hoped, and despite the intense physical pain it caused, I have no regrets,” Vonn wrote. “Standing in the starting gate (Sunday) was an incredible feeling that I will never forget. Knowing I stood there having a chance to win was a victory in and of itself.”
“I also knew that racing was a risk. It always was and always will be an incredibly dangerous sport.”
Vonn, 41, had completely ruptured her ACL and suffered meniscus damage on the same leg in her final World Cup race before the Olympics on Jan. 30. She had decided to race on it anyway, but made it clear the ACL didn’t cause this crash.
“I was simply 5 inches too tight on my line when my right arm hooked inside of the gate, twisting me and result(ing) in my crash,” Vonn wrote.
Vonn was airlifted and treated nearby in the Ca’ Foncello Hospital in the northern Italian city of Treviso. She underwent surgery later that day and was in stable condition, U.S. Skiing as well as the hospital said in statements.
Vonn has had a history of serious injuries, so much so that it forced her to initially retire in 2019. A partial knee replacement in April 2024 helped her start her comeback to the sport and to compete in these Olympics.
“Similar to ski racing, we take risks in life. We dream. We love. We jump. And sometimes we fall. Sometimes our hearts are broken. Sometimes we don’t achieve the dreams we know we could have. But that is also the beauty of life; we can try,” Vonn wrote.
“I tried. I dreamt. I jumped.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Celtics star Jayson Tatum (Achilles) cleared to return to practice
Oct 15, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) reacts during the first half against the Toronto Raptors at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images Jayson Tatum hit an important benchmark in his recovery from an Achilles tear Monday, as the Boston Celtics sent him to take part in the G League affiliate Maine Celtics’ practice in Boston.
The team said in a statement that after Tatum participates in “portions of” Maine’s practice, he will immediately be recalled to Boston to continue his rehab process with the Celtics.
The Celtics’ statement did not give any further details about Tatum’s timeline to return to game action.
Tatum suffered his Achilles tendon tear during the Eastern Conference semifinals last May against the New York Knicks.
Tatum was an All-Star each of the past six years, and in the past four MVP races he finished fourth in balloting twice and sixth twice. He averaged 26.8 points along with career highs of 8.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game in 2024-25.
Without Tatum available for most or all of this season, the Celtics were not expected to be competitive. But Jaylen Brown’s career year has helped them start 34-19, tied for second in the East with the Knicks.
Brown is fourth in the NBA in scoring at 29.4 points per game and also has career-high averages in rebounding (6.9) and assists (4.7). Tatum himself said on a recent podcast appearance that he was concerned trying to return late in the year would upset the Celtics’ current chemistry.
Brad Stevens, Boston’s president of basketball operations, sees it another way.
“Obviously, any team with Jayson Tatum’s going to be better,” Stevens said Friday. “If he needs it, I’ll tell him every day. Because every team — all 30 of us — would be way, way better with him on the team.”
The Celtics also assigned Hugo Gonzalez and Amari Williams to practice with Tatum and the Maine Celtics on Monday.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Suns take aim at recent home woes against retooled Mavs
Feb 7, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) shoots over Philadelphia 76ers forward Dominick Barlow (25) during the first half of an NBA game at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images The Phoenix Suns plan a simple remedy for their miserable shooting performance Saturday.
“Keep shooting,” guard Devin Booker said after a 109-103 home loss to Philadelphia, when the Suns made 11 of 46 attempts from 3-point range.
“We have good shooters that space the floor very well. We encourage everybody to keep letting it fly around here, and a majority of the nights aren’t going to look like (this).”
The Suns’ 23.9% mark from distance was well below their 36.5% success rate on the season.
The Suns’ first chance at redemption comes Tuesday in a home game against the new-look Dallas Mavericks. While the Mavs arrive on a seven-game losing streak, they added to their rotation with the haul gained by sending Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards at the trade deadline.
Power forward Marvin Bagley III, one of Dallas’ new arrivals, had 16 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots off the bench in his first game with the Mavs, a 138-125 loss Saturday at San Antonio.
“Just getting a feel for how the guys play,” said Bagley, a Phoenix native. “Just trying to figure guys out and doing it on the fly at the same time. I think once we figure that out, it will be great.”
The Suns are on a three-game home losing streak as they approach the midpoint of a stretch in which they play 16 of 19 games in their own building. Tuesday’s game is the ninth in that run.
The Suns have not been in sync recently. They have been outrebounded in each of the last four games and have been unable to compensate with their distance shooting and harassing defense.
The Suns shot 39.8% from the field against the 76ers. They made only one of their first 19 attempts from 3-point range to fall into a hole in Booker’s return from a seven-game absence with a right ankle injury.
Booker had 21 points in 32 minutes, going 5 of 12 from the field and 1 of 7 from the 3-point line. Dillon Brooks (28 points) and Collin Gillespie (six points) each went 2 of 10 on 3-point attempts.
“A lot were catch-and-shoot from our best shooters,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said. “Almost as high-quality as you can get from really good shooters. But it’s a recurring thing. We got to get to the rim.
“We love 3s, but we love getting to the rim, too, and all that does to your offense. The rim is still more valuable.”
The Suns average 14.6 made 3-pointers per game, ninth in the NBA heading into Monday’s play.
Suns guard Jalen Green had eight points, three assists and three rebounds in 17 minutes Saturday during his return from a three-game absence, while Grayson Allen (knee) did not play. He will be reevaluated after the All-Star break.
The Mavs are looking to build around Rookie of the Year candidate Cooper Flagg, with Bagley appearing to be part of the new future.
Flagg had 14 points Saturday, when he played only 26 minutes because of a back issue. He scored 32, 36, 34 and 49 points in his previous four games, in that order.
“Just understanding there was his back,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “It stiffed up on him, so we couldn’t bring him back in.”
Flagg’s status against the Suns remains undetermined, though he did participate in practice Monday.
–Field Level Media
