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
Report: Chiefs get help at CB with signing of Kader Kohou
Sep 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Miami Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou (4) celebrates following an interception against the Seattle Seahawks during the first quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images The Kansas City Chiefs are signing cornerback Kader Kohou, a former starter with the Miami Dolphins who missed all of last season with a partially torn ACL, ESPN reported on Thursday.
Kohou, 27, can help the Chiefs replace departed cornerbacks Trent McDuffie (trade) and Jaylen Watson (free agency), both now on the Los Angeles Rams. He played both nickel and outside corner roles with the Dolphins.
Kohou stared 38 of his 47 regular-season games with Miami from 2022-24, totaling 180 tackles, three interceptions, 28 passes defended, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one sack. He also started two playoff games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Reports: Bengals signing DT Jonathan Allen to 2-year, $26M deal
Aug 17, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (93) warms up before a preseason game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images The Cincinnati Bengals are set to sign defensive tackle Jonathan Allen to a two-year, $26 million contract, according to multiple reports Thursday.
The deal could be worth up to $28 million with incentives for the two-time Pro Bowl selection, ESPN reported.
Allen, 31, started all 17 games for the Minnesota Vikings last season and had 68 tackles with 3.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits and one fumble recovery.
The Vikings released Allen on Wednesday, the first day of the new league year, for salary cap considerations. Last offseason, the former Washington Commanders standout signed a three-year, $51 million contract with $31 million guaranteed.
Allen joins new Bengals edge rusher Boye Mafe, who left the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent and signed a three-year contract in Cincinnati valued at a reported $60 million.
Allen has 469 career tackles with 45.5 sacks, 67 tackles for loss, 129 QB hits, one interception, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in 126 regular-season games (125 starts). He played his first eight seasons with the Commanders.
Washington selected Allen with the 17th overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Alabama. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2021 and 2022.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Trump advises Iran team to skip World Cup for 'their own life and safety'
[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Dec 5, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; FIFA President Gianni Infantino and United States of America President Donald Trump arrive on the red carpet ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Ernst-Reuters via Imagn Images President Donald Trump suggested Thursday that Iran’s national soccer team should withdraw from the upcoming FIFA World Cup as a personal safety measure.
Trump wrote on Truth Social, the social media platform he owns, that Iran is welcome to play this summer in the United States, “but I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Each of Iran’s three group stage matches is scheduled to take place on American soil.
The Iranians open Group G play in Inglewood, Calif., against New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21. They are slated to face Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.
The U.S. and Israel initiated war with Iran on Feb. 28 with a series of airstrikes that killed the longtime Iranian supreme leader, Ali Khameini, and other officials.
Iran’s national sports minister, Ahmad Donyamali, reportedly told state television this week that the country could not participate in the World Cup following Khameini’s death.
The White House did not immediately explain the reference to “safety” in Trump’s post, which seemed to conflict with what he said in a recent meeting with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
“President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” Infantino wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
“We all need an event like the FIFA World Cup to bring people together now more than ever, and I sincerely thank the President of the United States for his support, as it shows once again that Football Unites the World.”
The 48-team World Cup, the largest in tournament history, runs from June 11 to July 19 in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Iran planned to train in Tucson, Ariz., before the group stage.
Ranked No. 20 in the world, the Iranians qualified for the World Cup for the fourth consecutive time last March as one of the top sides in the Asian Football Confederation. They were eliminated from the group stage in 2022 with a 1-0 loss to the U.S. in Doha, Qatar.
Iranian athletes and coaches are exempt from the travel ban Trump imposed against their country last June.
–Field Level Media
Report: Chiefs get help at CB with signing of Kader Kohou
Reports: Bengals signing DT Jonathan Allen to 2-year, $26M deal
