Sports
Top 25 roundup: No. 1 Auburn tops No. 2 Alabama, leads SEC
Feb 15, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome (4) and Alabama Crimson Tide center Clifford Omoruyi (11) struggle over a rebound during the first half at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images Johni Broome bundled 19 points with 14 rebounds and six assists as Auburn outdueled rival Alabama 94-85 on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in the first-ever Southeastern Conference matchup between the Associated Press’ top two teams.
Denver Jones added 16 points for the top-ranked Tigers (23-2, 11-1 SEC), who withstood a second-half rally by the No. 2 Crimson Tide (21-4, 10-2) to seize sole possession of first place in the conference.
Mark Sears netted 18 points and Grant Nelson paired 12 points with 12 boards to lead Alabama, which went from trailing 59-45 with 13:43 left in the game to tying it twice with less than eight minutes to play.
But after Chris Youngblood’s trey leveled the game at 68, the Tigers scored the next seven points and never looked back.
No. 3 Florida 88, South Carolina 67
Denzel Aberdeen scored 13 of his career-high 22 points after halftime in Gainesville, Fla., as the Gators pulled away for a victory over the Gamecocks, who remain winless in Southeastern Conference play.
After matching his career high of 20 at No. 22 Mississippi State on Tuesday, when he started in place of Alijah Martin, Aberdeen made 8 of 12 shots to help Florida (22-3, 9-3 SEC) earn its fourth straight win. Martin returned Saturday after missing two games due to a hip pointer and Aberdeen finished with his third career 20-point game.
South Carolina (10-15, 0-12) faded after a quick start. The Gamecocks made 12 of their first 17 shots and shot 44 percent (22 of 50) for the game. Jacobi Wright led South Carolina with 13 points, while Nick Pringle and Collin Murray-Boyles added 12 apiece.
No. 3 Duke 106, Stanford 70
Tyrese Proctor scored 23 points and the Blue Devils ran away from the visiting Cardinal in Durham, N.C., for their second straight win after their 16-game winning streak was snapped.
Cooper Flagg chipped in with 19 points and six assists and Khaman Maluach racked up 17 points on 8-for-9 shooting for Duke (22-3, 14-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), which matched the most points scored under third-year coach Jon Scheyer.
Maxime Raynaud poured in 18 of his 19 points in the first half for Stanford (16-10, 8-7). Oziyah Sellers had 11 points and Donavin Young notched 10.
No. 5 Tennessee 81, Vanderbilt 76
Zakai Zeigler scored 22 points, all in the second half, to help the Volunteers rally from 16 down and avoid a season sweep at the hands of the Commodores in Knoxville, Tenn.
Zeigler shot 7 of 9 overall in the second half after missing both of his attempts in the first half. He added eight assists for the Volunteers (21-5, 8-5 Southeastern Conference), who avenged a 76-75 loss to the Commodores on Jan. 18.
Jason Edwards paced Vanderbilt (17-8, 5-7) with 24 points and shot 6 of 10 from beyond the arc. Devin McGlockton (11.2 points per game) was held scoreless, playing just 18 minutes after getting into early foul trouble.
No. 6 Houston 62, No. 13 Arizona 58
Milos Uzan scored a season-high 19 points to help the Cougars rally for a win over the host Wildcats in Big 12 play. The victory gave first-place Houston (21-4, 13-1) a two-game lead over Arizona (17-8, 11-3) in the conference race.
The Cougars connected on 43.1 percent from the field and were 5-of-17 (29.4 percent) from behind the arc while winning for the 17th time in the past 18 games. L.J. Cryer added 15 points for Houston in the first meeting between the national powers since both programs joined the Big 12. Houston owns the nation’s longest active road winning streak at 11 games.
Caleb Love recorded 17 points and seven assists and KJ Lewis added 13 points for the Wildcats, who lost their second straight game after winning 13 of its previous 14 games. The Wildcats dropped to 11-2 at home this season.
No. 16 Wisconsin 94, No. 7 Purdue 84
John Tonje scored 21 of his 32 points in the second half to lift the Badgers over the Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Ind. Tonje made 10 of 15 shots from the floor — including 4 of 9 from 3-point range — to offset a 30-point performance by Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn, who sank 12 of 16 shots and had five assists and four rebounds.
Max Klesmit scored 17 points and Nolan Winter added 12 for Wisconsin (20-5, 10-4 Big Ten), who erupted for 58 points in the second half en route to recording its fourth straight victory. The Badgers shot a robust 61.5 percent from the floor. Jack Janicki, who entered the game averaging 1.7 points, sank three of four shots from 3-point range and finished with 11 points off the bench. He received additional playing time following the ejection of Kamari McGee in the first half.
Fletcher Loyer scored 15 points and C.J. Cox had 13 for the Boilermakers (19-7, 11-4), who have lost two straight following an 11-1 stretch.
No. 8 Texas A&M 69, Arkansas 61
Wade Taylor IV scored 18 points and keyed a late surge as the eighth-ranked Aggies pulled away over the final eight minutes to win a Southeastern Conference clash in College Station, Texas.
Texas A&M never trailed after the 12:30 mark of the first half. The game was tied at 50 with just over eight minutes to play until the Aggies (20-5, 9-3 SEC) reeled off a 9-0 run culminated by a putback layup by Henry Coleman III with 5:08 remaining. Arkansas never got closer than seven points the rest of the way as the Aggies won their fifth straight game. Zhuric Phelps added 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds for A&M while Garcia had 11 points.
Karter Knox led the Razorbacks (15-10, 4-8 SEC) with 17 points while Zvonimir Ivisic added 13 and Adou Thiero had 10 points before he fouled out with 2:45 to play. Arkansas has dropped two of its past three games.
No. 10 Iowa State 81, Cincinnati 70
Curtis Jones scored 22 points and made all 12 of his free-throw attempts as the Cyclones topped the Bearcats in their Big 12 Conference matchup in Ames, Iowa.
Joshua Jefferson added 13 points and seven rebounds for Iowa State (20-5, 10-4 Big 12), which won its third straight game after losing the previous three in a row. Milan Momcilovic scored 12 and Tamin Lipsey finished with 11. Iowa State posted a 37-19 advantage on the glass, including a 12-5 edge in offensive rebounds. The Cyclones outscored Cincinnati 17-2 in second-chance points.
Jizzle James scored 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting to lead the Bearcats (15-10, 5-9), whose three-game winning streak ended. Day Day Thomas chipped in 13 points.
No. 11 Michigan State 79, Illinois 65
Jaxon Kohler scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Spartans gave coach Tom Izzo his record-setting 354th Big Ten win with a victory over the Fighting Illini in Champaign, Ill.
The Spartans (20-5, 11-3 Big Ten) trailed by 16 points in the first half but closed the game on a 15-0 run to enable Izzo, in his 30th season, to surpass Bob Knight as the league’s winningest coach. Tre Holloman posted 14 points, Jase Richardson contributed 11 and Coen Carr added 10.
Kasparas Jakucionis and Morez Johnson Jr. led Illinois (17-9, 9-7) with 17 points apiece while Will Riley added 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists off the bench. The Fighting Illini missed their last 19 shots of the contest and didn’t score for the final 8:28.
No. 12 Texas Tech 93, Oklahoma State 55
JT Toppin poured in 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Red Raiders rolled to an easy win over the reeling Cowboys in Stillwater, Okla.
The Red Raiders (20-5, 11-3 Big 12) led by 19 points after a dominating first half and never let up, opening the second half with an 8-0 run, eventually stretching the lead to 36.
Toppin has scored a combined 94 points in Tech’s past three games. Marchelus Avery’s 13 points led the Cowboys (12-13, 4-10) in the loss, their second straight and third in their past four games.
Texas 82, No. 15 Kentucky 78
Tre Johnson poured in a career-high 32 points, eight of them in the final 3 1/2 minutes, as the Longhorns roared back to upset the 15th-ranked Wildcats in a key Southeastern Conference game in Austin, Texas.
Texas (16-10, 5-8 SEC) trailed by five with 3:51 to play but leapfrogged to the front for good via a 14-1 run. Johnson, the Longhorns’ freshman phenon, also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and Tramon Mark scored 26 as the Longhorns snapped a three-game losing streak. Texas played without Arthur Kaluma, its second-leading scorer and top rebounder.
Otega Oweh led Kentucky with 20 points while Amari Williams added 18 and 12 rebounds and Ansley Almonor had 11 points. The Wildcats (17-8, 6-6), who were missing second-leading scorer Jaxson Robinson and Lamont Butler due to injuries, had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Utah 74, No. 17 Kansas State 67
Gabe Madsen scored 24 points to help the Utes defeat the Jayhawks in Salt Lake City, marking the team’s first victory over a ranked foe this season.
The Utes lost their first three games against teams in the top 25, but they never trailed against the Jayhawks (17-8, 8-6 Big 12). Kansas has alternated wins and losses over its past eight games overall.
Utah (14-11, 6-8) also got 12 points from Ezra Ausar and 10 points and 12 rebounds from Jake Wahlin. Kansas was led by Zeke Mayo, who finished with 15 points. Dajuan Harris Jr. added 14 and Hunter Dickinson chipped in 12 to go along with seven boards.
No. 22 Mississippi State 81, No. 19 Ole Miss 71
RJ Melendez scored 17 points to lead a balanced scoring effort and the Bulldogs defeated the Rebels in Oxford, Miss., to sweep the season series from their in-state rivals.
Josh Hubbard added 14 points and Riley Kugel scored 11 for the Bulldogs (18-7, 6-6 Southeastern Conference), who had lost three of their last four.
Jaylen Murray scored 14, Sean Pedulla had 13 and Jaemyn Brakefield added 10 for the Rebels (19-7, 8-5), who had won three in a row but got outscored 54-40 during the final 23 1/2 minutes.
No. 21 Missouri 87, Georgia 74
Anthony Robinson II collected 15 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals, helping the Tigers earn a win over the Bulldogs in Southeastern Conference play in Athens, Ga.
Caleb Grill added 15 points and four steals, while Mark Mitchell had 14 for Missouri (19-6, 8-4 SEC), which won its second straight game. Tamar Bates chipped in 13 points for the Tigers, who outscored Georgia 49-33 in the second half.
Asa Newell led Georgia (16-10, 4-9) with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Silas Demary Jr. scored 16 and Blue Cain had 14 as the Bulldogs dropped their third in a row.
No. 23 Clemson 72, Florida State 46
Dillon Hunter netted a career-high 17 points as the surging Tigers breezed to a 72-46 Atlantic Coast Conference rout of the Seminoles in Tallahassee, Fla.
The sixth-leading scorer for Clemson (21-5, 13-2 ACC) at 5.6 points per game, Hunter made 7 of 11 shots, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range, for his fifth double-digit performance this season. Ian Schieffelin produced 14 points and 12 rebounds to notch his 10th double-double for the Tigers, who won for the ninth time in the past 10 contests and moved to 6-1 on the road in ACC play. Clemson’s top scorer, Chase Hunter (17.6 ppg), tallied just three points but had four of the team’s 10 steals.
Jamir Watkins had 14 points and matched Taylor Bol Bowen’s team-leading seven rebounds for Florida State (15-10, 6-8). DaQuan Davis added nine points and Malique Ewin paired six points with six boards.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Steady Yandy Diaz, Rays aim for series sweep of Guardians
Jul 25, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Yandy Diaz (2) hits a foul ball during the first inning against Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Pablo Robles-Imagn Images Yandy Diaz bolstered his case as one of the best players in Tampa Bay Rays history on Saturday, and the veteran designated hitter shows no signs of slowing down.
Diaz and the Rays look to wrap up a successful weekend on Sunday when they go for a three-game sweep of the Cleveland Guardians in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Cleveland has lost four straight games and scored a total of four runs in its last three.
Diaz, 34, became the fourth player in franchise history to reach 1,000 hits with a first-inning single on Saturday. Diaz also hit a fifth-inning double in the 3-0 victory.
Tampa Bay won for the fifth time in its last six games and boasts the American League’s best record at 61-43. Diaz, who is batting team-best .306 along with 14 home runs and 61 RBIs, has been a model of consistency throughout his eight seasons with the Rays.
“To watch him do what he does every single year, man, it’s incredible,” Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan said. “I think I can speak for the rest of the team and say that Yandy Diaz is special. We love him and we’re glad he’s with us.”
The Rays have won 10 of their last 17 home games against the Guardians, who were limited to five singles in Saturday’s loss.
“We need to keep working and keep battling,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “It’s been a tough couple days for us offensively, but we just need to keep going.”
Cleveland will send left-hander Parker Messick (8-5, 2.68 ERA) to the mound in the series finale. He allowed two runs (one earned) over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Minnesota Twins last Tuesday.
Messick, 25, was making his first start since pitching a scoreless inning in the All-Star Game on July 14.
“Parker just does what he does,” Vogt said. “He just continues to go deep into games and I just can’t say enough about the job Parker’s doing. He still feels like he doesn’t have his best stuff right now and he’s still navigating games. It’s just really impressive what he’s doing.”
Junior Caminero is 1-for-9 against Messick, who is 2-0 with a 0.96 ERA in three career starts versus Tampa Bay. He allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision against the Rays on April 27.
Tampa Bay will counter with right-hander Drew Rasmussen (8-5, 3.28), who yielded two runs over five innings in a 12-2 road win over the Toronto Blue Jays last Tuesday.
Rasmussen, 30, escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the first inning before the Rays’ offense took control.
“That was huge, because they very easily could have grabbed some momentum,” Tampa Bay catcher Nick Fortes said. “For him to be able to buckle down and keep the runs off the board, that was huge. That’s just the kind of pitcher he is. He competes.”
Steven Kwan is 3-for-9 against Rasmussen, who is 0-1 with a 3.57 ERA in seven career games (five starts) versus Cleveland.
Rays shortstop Taylor Walls has been held out of the starting lineup for each of the past three games with a finger injury, but he entered as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning of Saturday’s win.
–Field Level Media
Sports
LYON open LCS Summer Split with convincing win
Nov 5, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Fans react during the League of Legends World Championships between T1 and DRX at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images The League of Legends LCS Summer Split kicked off Saturday in Los Angeles, and LYON wasted little time asserting its dominance in the opening match of the event.
In a stark contrast, Sentinels and Dignitas needed a third map to decide their match, the second of the opening-day doubleheader.
The LCS Summer Split is an eight-team event beginning Saturday and running through the finals in October. The seven-week round-robin regular season — in which each all teams play each other once in a best-of-three match, will set the field for the six-team playoffs.
The top two teams in the regular season will advance to the semifinals in the playoffs, while the third- through sixth-place teams will advance to the quarters. The bottom two teams in the standings are eliminated.
The playoffs, which run Sept. 12 through Oct. 4, are best-of-five and double elimination. The top three teams will advance to the World Championships, played in New York, Los Angeles and Allen, Texas, from Oct. 15 through Nov. 11.
In Saturday’s first match, LYON dominated from the start, winning in 28 minutes on red and 33 minutes on blue. South Korean Kim “Berserker” Min-cheol led all players with 16 kills across the two maps, posting a 16/7/12 kill/death/assist ratio. Jonathan “Armao” Armao led all players with 24 assists in the win.
The second match opened with a tightly played first map, which Dignitas ultimately won in 37 minutes on red. Sentinels bounced back with a 27-minute on red then won the deciding match on blue, wining in 30 minutes.
Ham “HamBak” Yoo-jin of South Korea led the winners with a 27/5/24 K/D/A.
Week 1 continues Sunday with a pair of matches.
LCS 2026 Summer Split Schedule
Sunday
–Team Liquid vs. Cloud9
–Shopify Rebellion vs. Disguised
LCS 2026 Summer Split Standings
Place, Team (Match Record, Map Record)
1. LYON (1-0, 2-0)
2. Sentinels (1-0, 2-1)
T3. Team Liquid (0-0, 0-0)
T3. Dignitas (0-0, 0-0)
T3. Disguised (0-0, 0-0)
T3. Shopify Rebellion (0-0, 0-0)
7. Dignitas (0-1, 1-2)
8.. FlyQuest (0-1, 0-2)
–Field Level Media
Sports
Braves, Orioles set for rubber match of closely contested series
Jul 25, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles right fielder Dylan Beavers (12) is sprayed with water by teammates after a walk-off single in the ninth inning against Atlanta Braves at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Lexi Thompson-Imagn Images Maybe the way Saturday night’s game played out, there will be special momentum for the Baltimore Orioles as they close out the weekend.
They’ll take on the visiting Atlanta Braves again Sunday afternoon following a thrilling 3-2 triumph.
“Any win is a big win, but a tight game like that (especially),” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said, emphasizing the importance.
Baltimore, which swept a three-game series last year in Atlanta, will try to win this year’s series when the teams meet in the rubber game.
The teams have played a pair of one-run games. Atlanta won 7-6 in 10 innings Friday night and Baltimore responded by scoring the winning run in the ninth inning of Saturday night’s escape.
That final run came on Dylan Beavers’ two-out hit which plated Jackson Holliday.
“I think everyone in this clubhouse believes we can be really good,” Beavers said. “We just need to be better more consistently, all around. We’re all kind of in agreement on that. But I think, every day, we’ve got to win the day.”
Few things have come easily for the Braves lately, but despite Saturday’s result, they’ve won seven of their last 10 games.
“You’ve got to play well to beat teams in this league,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said. “There are some good things happening right now. It’s well documented, the tough June we had. But after the break, we’ve really turned it around and we’re playing well in pretty much all phases.”
The Orioles like what they’re seeing from third baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who has played in six games for the team. He has hit three home runs, driven in nine runs and has at least one hit in five of those games.
“It has been really impressive,” Albernaz said. “It has been fun to watch. He hasn’t been missing good pitches to hit, and that’s a testament to him.”
The Braves will have right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (4-3, 3.95 ERA) in a starting role for Sunday’s series finale. He has come out of the bullpen in 13 of his 23 appearances this year, but he has worked into the fifth inning in each of his four starts in July.
Lopez has been roughed up for nine total runs in 9 1/3 innings in his last two outings. All-time against the Orioles, he’s 2-2 with a 2.38 ERA in 10 matchups, including three starts.
The Orioles have right-hander Shane Baz (4-9, 4.05) ready for another start. He has been sharper in his last two outings, allowing a combined three earned runs over 10 2/3 innings, recording 15 strikeouts without issuing a walk. Still, Baz is without a victory since June 12 — and the Orioles have won a game in only one of his last six stints.
Baz will be facing the Braves for the first time in his career.
The Orioles, who will be concluding a three-game homestand, might want to stay away from using reliever Rico Garcia for at least a game. In each of the last two games, he surrendered a game-tying home run in the eighth inning, running his streak of consecutive appearances with a homer allowed to three.
There was concern late in Saturday’s game about Atlanta outfielder Eli White, who fell while making it to second base on what turned out to be a pinch-hit double in the seventh inning. He later left the game.
–Field Level Media
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