Sports
Tennessee uses 20-0 run to knock Auburn to NCAA Tournament brink
Auburn forward Sebastian Williams-Adams (33) guards Tennessee forward Jaylen Carey (23) during their Day 2 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, March 12, 2026. NASHVILLE – Nate Ament led No. 25 Tennessee in points (27), rebounds (eight), assists (four) and blocks (three) in his return to action as the Volunteers’ late 20-0 run earned them a 72-62 win over Auburn in the second round of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Thursday.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 15 points and a team-leading three steals for No. 5 seed Tennessee (22-10), which got Ament back after he missed the prior two games with a leg injury.
Tahaad Pettiford scored 28 points but also committed five turnovers for the 12th-seeded Tigers (17-16).
Tennessee trailed most of the game but put on a defensive clinic late, with the Vols’ full-court man making it tough for the Tigers to muster a decent shot.
The one good look that the Tigers got during the 20-0 run was the front end of a one-and-one, which Keyshawn Hall missed with 4:27 left. Auburn was held scoreless for 7:36, missing seven straight shots and committing four turnovers during the drought.
The blitz started when the Volunteers got eight straight points from Ament and tied the game for the first time since the 16:24 mark of the first half when Gillespie hit a fastbreak layup off an Ament assist on a possession that originated with a Felix Okpara block.
After an Auburn time out, Amari Evans hit a free throw with 6:30 left to give Tennessee the lead.
Auburn then turned it over and Jaylen Carey put back his own miss to extend the lead to three.
A Gillespie steal and fastbreak layup forced another Auburn time out with 5:31 left. The Tigers never got closer than that again.
Auburn, not known for its defense, took a 32-25 halftime lead by holding Gillespie to three points and Tennessee to 37% shooting. The Tigers also outrebounded the Volunteers 21-15 in the first period.
Pettiford (16 first-half points) hit a turnaround jumper with 3:12 remaining in the first half to give Auburn its biggest lead at 29-18.
Tennessee advances to play No. 4 seed Vanderbilt (24-7) in Friday’s quarterfinals in a rematch of last Saturday’s regular-season finale, which the Commodores won.
The Tigers will await their NCAA Tournament fate. ESPN’s bracketology had Auburn had the first team in its latest update prior to this loss.
This loss drops the Tigers to 4-13 in Quad 1 games. A team with 16 losses, like Auburn has this season, has never earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
– Chris Lee, Field Level Media
Sports
No. 23 Wisconsin slips past Washington to reach Big Ten quarters
Mar 12, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard Nick Boyd (2) reacts after scoring against the Washington Huskies during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images John Blackwell made six 3-pointers and scored a game-high 34 points as No. 23 Wisconsin eliminated Washington from the Big Ten Conference tournament with an 85-82 victory Thursday at Chicago.
Nick Boyd added 23 points and nine assists for the fifth-seeded Badgers (23-9), who advanced to a quarterfinal matchup on Friday with fourth-seeded Illinois. Wisconsin was 15 of 39 (38.5%) from 3-point range.
Freshman Hannes Steinbach scored 25 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in his 22nd double-double for No. 12-seed Washington (16-17). Zoom Diallo added 21 points and seven assists, while Quimari Peterson chipped in 14 points and made 4 of 10 3-pointers for the Huskies.
The Badgers never trailed and led by as much as 18 points at 66-48 with 13:23 remaining after Blackwell made a 3-pointer. The Huskies used a late 18-6 run to close within 83-82 with 17 seconds left when Diallo drove for a layup.
Andrew Rohde sank both ends of a one-and-one with eight seconds left for Wisconsin, requiring Washington to hunt a game-tying 3-pointer to force overtime. Diallo’s pullup 3-pointer as time expired misfired, enabling the Badgers to avoid the upset.
Playing its third straight game without its top inside player in forward Nolan Winter (ankle), the Badgers got off to a fast start. They established a 20-7 lead with 11:47 remaining in the first half when Hayden Jones converted a three-point play.
The Huskies found some traction in the next seven minutes, whittling the deficit down to 27-23 with 4:55 left in the half when Wesley Yates III made two free throws. Wisconsin expanded the advantage behind Blackwell and Boyd, who combined for 13 straight points.
Aleksas Bieliauskas sent the Badgers to the locker room at halftime with a 43-33 lead after completing a three-point play with a second left before halftime.
–Field Level Media
Sports
BetBoom, Spirit, Yandex, Liquid move on in PGL Wallachia 7 playoffs
YMCA member Austin Manengu works the keyboard as he plays a game of Fortnite during the unveiling of the new gaming lab at the Maplewood Family YMCA in Rochester Thursday, June 20, 2024. YMCA of Greater Rochester in partnership with Metro Sports & Entertainment Group will open two gaming labs for youth and teens this year. BetBoom Team, Team Spirit, Team Yandex and Team Liquid advanced to the upper-bracket semifinals on the first day of the PGL Wallachia Season 7 playoffs on Thursday in Bucharest, Romania.
BetBoom blanked HEROIC 2-0, and Spirit did the same to Vici Gaming. Yandex defeated Aurora Gaming 2-1, and Liquid rallied to beat Tundra Esports 2-1.
The double-elimination playoffs for the $1 million Dota 2 tournament run through Sunday. All matches are best-of-three until Sunday’s best-of-five grand final, with the winning team taking home $300,000.
Eight teams advanced from the 16-team group stage, which concluded Wednesday.
On Thursday, BetBoom prevailed in 37 minutes and 47 minutes on green against HEROIC. Ilya “Kiritych” Ulyanov of Russia averaged 8.5 kills, 2.5 deaths and 10.5 assists over the two maps for BetBoom.
Spirit defeated Vici in 44 minutes and 54 minutes, both on red. Ukraine’s Illya “Yatoro” Mulyarchuk led Team Spirit with an 11.0-3.0-7.0 average kills-deaths-assists ratio.
Yandex sandwiched a 37-minute win and a 40-minute win on red around Aurora’s 60-minute win on green. Alimzhan “watson” Islambekov of Kazakhstan averaged an 11.3-2.0-11.0 K-D-A to guide Yandex.
Tundra opened with a 31-minute win on green, but Liquid tied it with a 30-minute win on red and advanced by winning the third map in 29 minutes on red. On the dominant final map, Michal “Nisha” Jankowski of Poland posted a 16-0-10 K-D-A and Liquid teammate Michael “miCKe” Vu of Sweden put up an 11-0-15.
Play continues Friday with four matches:
–BetBoom Team vs. Team Spirit (upper-bracket semifinals)
–Team Yandex vs. Team Liquid (upper-bracket semifinals)
–HEROIC vs. Vici Gaming (lower-bracket Round 1)
–Aurora Gaming vs. Tundra Esports (lower-bracket Round 1)
PGL Wallachia Season 7 prize pool:
1. $300,000
2. $175,000
3. $120,000
4. $80,000
5-6. $60,000
7-8. $40,000
9-11. $20,000 — Xtreme Gaming, Natus Vincere, PARIVISION
12-14. $15,000 — Team Falcons, Yellow Submarine, OG
15-16. $10,000 — Team Nemesis, MOUZ
–Field Level Media
Sports
NHL rescinds Nathan MacKinnon's major for goalie collision
Mar 10, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) collides into Edmonton Oilers goaltender Connor Ingram (39) in the second period at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images The NHL rescinded Nathan MacKinnon’s major penalty for running over opposing goaltender Connor Ingram, the Colorado Avalanche forward told reporters Thursday.
MacKinnon was ejected from Colorado’s 4-3 loss to the visiting Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night after he flattened Ingram on a drive to the crease in the final minute of the second period.
Officials penalized MacKinnon with a five-minute major and a game misconduct despite replay showing that he was angled into the goalie by Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse.
Being absolved of wrongdoing is a boon to MacKinnon, who would have been suspended for one game if he received a second major and game misconduct within his next 41 appearances.
MacKinnon is tied for second in league scoring with 104 points (43 goals, 61 assists) in 62 games.
Ingram, who left Tuesday’s matchup to be evaluated for a concussion, was cleared to back up Oilers starter Tristan Jarry against the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.
The powerhouse Avalanche, who had won five straight before falling to Edmonton, open a two-game road trip against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.
–Field Level Media
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for March 13, 2026
No. 23 Wisconsin slips past Washington to reach Big Ten quarters
