Sports
T.O. Barrett scores 28 as Missouri upends No. 22 Tennessee
Feb 21, 2026; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Dennis Gates during the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 94-86. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images T.O. Barrett scored a career-high 28 points as Missouri defeated No. 22 Tennessee 73-69 on Tuesday night in Columbia, Mo.
Mark Mitchell added 23 points as the Tigers (19-9, 9-6 Southeastern Conference) won for the fifth time in seven games to bolster their NCAA Tournament case.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie led the Volunteers (20-8, 10-5) with 19 points. Nate Ament scored 17, Felix Okpara had 15 points and eight rebounds and Bishop Boswell added 13 points.
The Volunteers, who had a four-game winning streak snapped, outrebounded the Tigers 42-30, but they turned the ball over 15 times and allowed Missouri to shoot 61.5% in the second half.
The Tigers edged ahead 36-34 with 15:58 left in the game with Trent Pierce hitting a 3-point jumper and Mitchell converting a three-point play.
Okpara scored the first 11 points for Tennessee in the half to allow the Volunteers to keep pace. But Missouri used a 13-3 surge – capped by Anthony Robinson II’s two 3-point jumpers — to pull ahead 56-48 with 7:52 left.
Barrett scored eight points in a 2 1/2-minute span to keep Missouri ahead.
After Mitchell’s three-point play extended the Tigers’ lead to 67-60 with 3:34 left, Gillespie scored the next five points.
Barrett’s drive with 57 seconds left gave Missouri a 69-65 lead. Ament answered with a put-back with 25.4 seconds left, but Crews hit four free throws in the final 18.5 seconds left to seal the victory.
Tennessee broke out to a 12-2 lead in the first 3:35. Ament scored in the lane to start that run and his corner 3-point jumper capped it.
Missouri missed four of its first five shots, committed two unforced turnovers early and allowed the Volunteers to gather six early offensive rebounds.
After another corner 3-pointer by Ament pushed the Volunteers’ lead to 21-12, the Tigers scored the next eight points with Barrett scoring three times at the rim.
Gillespie ended Tennessee’s scoring drought with a deep 3-point jumper with 4:03 left in the first half. After the Tigers moved ahead 26-24 with Trent Burns and Barrett throwing down drunks, Gillespie scored the last five points of the half to put Tennessee up 29-26.
Missouri missed all nine shots from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes. But the Tigers survived the half by outscoring the Volunteers 18-10 in the paint.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Athletics acquire catcher Jonah Heim from Braves
May 3, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Jonah Heim (20) during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images To shore up their catching situation, the Athletics acquired Jonah Heim from the Atlanta Braves on Monday, in exchange for cash considerations.
The A’s placed starting catcher Shea Langeliers on the paternity list and the switch-hitting Heim will replace him on the 26-man roster.
Earlier Monday, Heim, 30, was designated for assignment by the Braves. In 12 games, he was hitting .231 with one home run and eight RBIs. He had homered and drove in five runs in Sunday’s 11-6 Atlanta win at Colorado.
Heim had signed a one-year $1.5 million contract in February after serving as the Texas Rangers’ primary catcher since 2022.
Heim started his career with the Athletics in 2020, appearing in 13 games. He earned a spot on the Rangers’ roster in 2021 and moved into a starting role in 2022.
The Buffalo, N.Y. native earned All-Star honors in 2023, when he hit .258 with 18 home runs and 95 RBI’s. He posted an OPS of .755 for the surprise World Series champions.
For his career, Heim has played in 620 games and owns a batting mark of .225 with 69 home runs and 290 RBIs.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Red hot Knicks rout Sixers to take Game 1
May 4, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) drives to the basket against Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond (1) and forward Paul George (8) and guard Quentin Grimes (5) during the second quarter of game one of the eastern conference semifinal round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Jalen Brunson scored 27 of his game-high 35 points in the first half Monday night for the New York Knicks, who remained red-hot by routing the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 137-98 in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday night in New York.
The Knicks, who eliminated the Atlanta Hawks with a 140-89 win in Game 6 of a first-round series last Thursday night, became just the second team in NBA history to end one series and begin another with consecutive victories by at least 30 points.
In 1986, the Boston Celtics beat the Hawks 132-99 to end an Eastern Conference semifinal series before routing the Milwaukee Bucks 128-96 in Game 1 of the conference finals. The Celtics went on to win the NBA title.
These Knicks, who won the final three games over the Hawks by a combined 96 points, are the first NBA team to win three straight playoff games by at least 25 points apiece.
New York picked up Monday where it left off on both ends of the floor against Atlanta.
New York shot 63.1 percent (53-of-84), a franchise record for a playoff game. The Knicks shot 51.4 percent (19-of-37) from 3-point land, their best mark ever for a playoff game in which they hoisted at least 30 attempts.
The Knicks also allowed fewer than 100 points for the fourth straight game.
OG Anunoby had 18 points while Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges added 17 points each. Starters Towns, Bridges and Josh Hart all exited late in the third quarter while Brunson and Anunoby sat the entire fourth.
Paul George scored 17 points for the 76ers, who advanced to the conference semifinals by overcoming a three games to one deficit against the Celtics — the first such comeback in Philadelphia history.
Joel Embiid had 14 points while Tyrese Maxey scored 13 points. VJ Edgecombe and Kelly Oubre Jr. each added 12 points.
The 76ers took a one-possession lead five times in the first quarter, but Brunson hit the go-ahead basket for the Knicks every time, including the 3-pointer with 3:57 left that put New York up for good at 21-19.
The Knicks went ahead by double digits for good at 49-37 on Towns’ 3-pointer with 6:43 left in the second. Brunson ended the half on his own 11-3 run to extend New York’s lead to 74-51.
The Knicks led 109-78 at the end of the third and led by as many as 40 in the fourth.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Geno Auriemma on dispute with Dawn Staley: 'Feel like a dumbass'
Apr 3, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley argue at the end of a semifinal of the Final Four of the women’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma reflected Monday on his game-ending dispute with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley at the end of a Final Four defeat last month, saying, “I just feel like a dumbass for the way it played out.”
The Gamecocks prevailed 62-48 on April 3 in Phoenix, earning a spot in the national final and ending the Huskies’ perfect season.
As the final seconds ticked down, the two head coaches walked toward each other as though they were about to shake hands.
However, Auriemma didn’t put forward his hand, instead making a comment to Staley, who reacted angrily, and the two had to be separated. Auriemma was led away, but he soon came back past Staley, who continued to shout at him.
In his postgame interview, Auriemma complained about the Gamecocks’ physical play, adding, “Their coach rants and raves on the sideline and calls the referees some names you don’t wanna hear.”
His initial apology the next day didn’t mention Staley by name. Several days later, Auriemma apologized again, singling out Staley and saying he spoke with her about the incident. Staley issued a statement, saying she had moved on from the dispute.
On Monday, Auriemma said of actions on following the loss, “When I walked into the locker room afterward with the coaches, you are just shaking your head, thinking five more seconds, you couldn’t keep it in for five more seconds. … We are all human, and we all do dumb s—.”
The sports media and social media went after Auriemma in the days after the game.
“I didn’t see a lot of it, but (the reaction) is to be expected,” Auriemma said. “Maybe some of it was warranted and some of it was people lying in the weeds waiting for that for that moment.
“It doesn’t matter what you’ve done for the game, it’s what you just did. Unfortunately, that’s the world we live in today and it usually is one-sided. …
“I brought the criticism on myself, I didn’t bring the commotion that came after that on myself.”
Auriemma, 72, owns the all-time NCAA basketball record for coaching victories with 1,288. The Huskies have won 12 national championships during his tenure, the latest in 2025. The Final Four defeat to South Carolina last month snapped the Huskies’ 54-game win streak, and UConn ended the season 38-1.
–Field Level Media
Athletics acquire catcher Jonah Heim from Braves
Red hot Knicks rout Sixers to take Game 1
