Sports
Top 25 roundup: No. 1 Tennessee pulls out buzzer-beating win vs. Illinois
Dec 14, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Jordan Gainey (11) drives the ball past Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images Jordan Gainey drove the length of the court and scooped in a right-handed layup on the left side of the hoop at the buzzer to lift No. 1 Tennessee to a 66-64 nonconference victory over Illinois before a sellout crowd Saturday afternoon in Champaign, Ill.
Gainey came off the bench to deliver 18 of his game- and season-high 23 points in the second half for the Volunteers (10-0). Chaz Lanier scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half before fouling out with 3:42 to play, while Igor Milicic Jr. posted seven points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
Freshman Kasparas Jakucionis scored 22 points for Illinois (7-3), but split a pair of free throws with 5.7 seconds left to set up Gainey’s last-second heroics. Tre White contributed 11 points while Kylan Boswell and Will Riley added 10 points apiece as Tennessee’s defense limited the Illini to 29 percent shooting.
Illinois forged the game’s seventh and final tie on Jakucionis’ free throw. With Zakai Zeigler and Lanier fouled out, the Volunteers inbounded the ball to Gainey, who charged down the middle of the floor; his layup fell through the hoop as the horn sounded.
No. 2 Auburn 91, Ohio State 53
Johni Broome had 21 points, a career-best 20 rebounds and also had six assists as the Tigers routed the Buckeyes in the Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta.
Broome, among the leaders in the national player of the year conversation, controlled play with Ohio State missing 7-foot-1 center Aaron Bradshaw. Denver Jones added 14 points and was 4 of 5 from 3-point range for Auburn (9-1), while Dylan Cardwell scored 10 and added eight rebounds and four blocks. Jakhi Howard scored 11 points, all in the second half.
Devin Royal (14 points) and Micah Parrish (10) led Ohio State (6-4) in scoring. Leading scorer Bruce Thornton had just three points on 1-of-8 shooting.
No. 5 Kentucky 93, Louisville 85
Lamont Butler returned to the lineup in spectacular fashion, scoring a career-high 33 points to lead the Wildcats past the visiting Cardinals in Lexington, Ky.
The fifth-year point guard missed the last two games for the Wildcats (10-1) due to an ankle injury. Butler went 10-for-10 from the floor, including six from beyond the 3-point stripe to keep the pesky, undermanned Cardinals (6-5) from scoring an upset.
Butler became the fourth player in Kentucky history to shoot 10 or more shots and make them all. Louisville never led past the first minute but stayed in the game behind the play of Chucky Hepburn, who scored 26 points, and Terrence Edwards Jr., who scored 23. It was Edwards’ third consecutive 20-point performance, all as a reserve.
Dayton 71, No. 6 Marquette 63
Zed Key and Javon Bennett each had 15 points and led a second-half charge that helped the host Flyers erase a 13-point deficit and beat the Golden Eagles.
Key had four dunks in the second half for the Flyers (9-2), who shot 55.6 percent from the field following intermission after making just 36 percent of their first-half shots to trail 36-26 at halftime. Enoch Cheeks added 14 points for Dayton, which held the Golden Eagles (9-2) to 35.7 percent shooting overall after the break and owned a 21-10 advantage in second-chance points for the game.
Chase Ross had 19 points and star Kam Jones added 18 for Marquette, which was the highest-ranked team to visit Dayton since Pittsburgh, also ranked No. 6 at the time, lost there in December 2007.
No. 7 Alabama 83, Creighton 75
Mark Sears recorded 27 points and six rebounds to help the Crimson Tide notch a victory over the Bluejays at Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Labaron Philon added 16 points and five rebounds and Derrion Reid scored 12 points for the Crimson Tide (8-2). Grant Nelson had 10 rebounds as Alabama held a 46-32 advantage on the boards.
Steven Ashworth registered 20 points and nine assists and Ryan Kalkbrenner added 18 points and seven rebounds for the Bluejays (7-4), who had a three-game winning streak snapped.
No. 18 UConn 77, No. 8 Gonzaga 71
Liam McNeeley scored a career-best 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Huskies recorded a victory over the Bulldogs at New York.
Tarris Reed Jr. contributed 12 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots and Jaylin Stewart scored 10 points for the Huskies (8-3), who won their fourth consecutive game. The Huskies improved to 6-2 against the Bulldogs, including a memorable 82-54 stomping in the Elite Eight of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Khalif Battle scored 21 points for Gonzaga (7-3), which lost its second straight game. Ryan Nembhard had 16 points and seven assists and Michael Ajayi had 14 points and six rebounds. Gonzaga star Graham Ike had just three points and no rebounds in 12 minutes while battling foul trouble.
No. 9 Florida 83, Arizona State 66
Walter Clayton Jr. scored 25 points and the unbeaten Gators rode early 3-point shooting to knock off the Sun Devils in a Holiday Hoopsgiving game in Atlanta.
Will Richard added 16 points and Alijah Martin 15 as the Gators (10-0) tied the second-best start in program history. They also went 10-0 in 1951-52.
Adam Miller led the Sun Devils (8-2) with 18 points, and Jay Quaintance netted 14 to go with eight rebounds and four steals. Basheer Jihad chipped in 13 points.
No. 10 Kansas 75, NC State 60
Zeke Mayo had a season-high 26 points and Hunter Dickinson had 21 points and 14 rebounds as the Jayhawks defeated the Wolfpack at Lawrence, Kan.
Kansas (8-2) also got 15 points and six assists from Dajuan Harris. It was the Jayhawks’ 13th straight victory over NC State.
NC State (7-4) was led by Ben Middlebrooks with 14 points and eight rebounds. Bradley Huntley-Hatfield added 12 points off the bench and Marcus Hill scored 10.
No. 13 Oklahoma 80, Oklahoma State 65
Sam Godwin registered game highs of 20 points and 14 rebounds Saturday night, while Kobe Elvis added 15 points as the Sooners improved to 10-0 with a thumping of the Bedlam rival Cowboys in Oklahoma City.
In the first nonconference game between the two since 1958, it was all Sooners as they led for all but 25 seconds. Oklahoma shot 49.2 percent from the field and earned a 42-26 advantage in points in the paint. Jeremiah Fears contributed 17 points for the Sooners, which stifled the Cowboys (6-3) on the defensive end.
Oklahoma State hit only 39.3 percent from the field, including just 5-of-18 from 3-point range, and coughed up 16 turnovers that led to 21 points. Marchelus Avery came off the bench to score 19 points for the Cowboys, who got only 23 points from their starters.
No. 17 Texas A&M 70, No. 11 Purdue 66
Zhuric Phelps and reserve Pharrel Payne each scored 16 points as the Aggies knocked off the 11th-ranked Boilermakers in the Indy Classic in Indianapolis.
Wade Taylor IV added 15 points, five assists and five steals for the Aggies (9-2) before leaving in the final minute of the game with a leg injury. Texas A&M, which has won five in a row, forced 16 turnovers that led to 22 points.
Four players scored in double figures for the Boilermakers (8-3), led by Braden Smith with 15 points, six rebounds and six assists. Fletcher Loyer added 12 points, all in the first half, and Trey Kaufman-Renn was held to 11 before fouling out. C.J. Cox came off the bench to contribute 10 points.
Memphis 87, No. 16 Clemson 82 (OT)
Tyrese Hunter scored 23 points, including matching his career high of seven 3-pointers, as Memphis went on the road to defeat Clemson.
Colby Rogers added 22 points while PJ Haggerty chipped in 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Memphis (8-2), which shook off Sunday’s 13-point home loss to Arkansas State. Dain Dainja scored 11 off the bench.
Viktor Lakhin scored 23 points with 11 rebounds for Clemson (9-2), which had its six-game winning streak snapped. Ian Schieffelin and Chase Hunter each had 17 points, followed by Jaeden Zackery’s 11 and Dillon Hunter’s 10.
No. 19 Ole Miss 77, Southern Miss 46
Sean Pedulla canned six 3-pointers and scored 18 points as the Rebels rolled to a win over the in-state rival Golden Eagles in Biloxi, Miss.
Pedulla, a Virginia Tech transfer, added four assists against just one turnover in 31 minutes for the Rebels (9-1). Jaylen Murray chipped in 14 points, going 4-for-8 from 3-point range as Ole Miss converted 13 of 32 attempts from behind the arc as a team.
Denijay Harris scored 16 points to pace the Golden Eagles (4-6) but simply didn’t have enough help. Southern Miss made only 32.7 percent of its field-goal tries, going 4-for-23 on 3-point attempts. It also coughed up 17 turnovers that led to 24 points for Ole Miss.
No. 20 Wisconsin 83, Butler 74
The Badgers ended a three-game losing streak behind Nolan Winter’s career-high 20 points, defeating the Bulldogs at the Indy Classic in Indianapolis.
Steven Crowl added 18 points and six rebounds and Max Klesmit scored 11 points for Wisconsin (9-3), which saw all five starters score in double figures. The Badgers had a quieter shooting performance from beyond the arc, hitting six shots from deep after entering Saturday averaging 9.2 makes per game. It was a different game for Wisconsin inside the paint, thriving with 40 points.
Jahmyl Telfort finished with eight points and seven rebounds on 3-of-10 shooting for Butler (7-4). Leading Butler was Pierre Brooks II, who scored 23 points on 5-of-6 shooting inside the arc, adding two 3-pointers.
No. 22 Cincinnati 68, Xavier 65
Simas Lukosius had 11 of his team-leading 14 points in the second half and the host Bearcats rallied from a seven-point deficit to defeat the cross-town rival Xavier Musketeers.
Cincinnati (8-1) snapped a five-game losing streak to Xavier in another epic game in the rivalry. Dillon Mitchell added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Bearcats, while Aziz Bandaogo was a force inside with three dunks and a layup to finish with 12 points.
Xavier’s Zach Freemantle had a potential game-tying 3-point attempt bounce off the back of the rim as time expired. Freemantle had 16 of his team-leading 18 points in the first half while Ryan Conwell added 17 points for Xavier (8-3).
No. 24 UCLA 57, Arizona 54
Tyler Bilodeau scored a game-high 17 points as the Bruins used a second-half rally to beat the Wildcats as part of the Hall of Fame Series in Phoenix.
UCLA trailed 49-36 with 10:49 left but outscored the Wildcats 21-5 down the stretch. The Bruins (9-1) have won eight straight games, while the Wildcats (4-5) dropped to 0-5 against power-conference opponents. Skyy Clark scored 15 points and Kobe Johnson chipped in seven points and seven rebounds for UCLA.
Jaden Bradley scored 12 points, pulled down seven rebounds and dished out six assists for the Wildcats. Trey Townsend added 10 points. Arizona leading scorer Caleb Love (14.1 points per game) was held to seven points on 3-for-10 shooting from the field.
No. 25 Mississippi State 66, McNeese 63
RJ Melendez scored 18 points, Josh Hubbard added 16 and the Bulldogs held off the Cowboys in Tupelo, Miss.
The Bulldogs (9-1) overcame a sluggish first half offensively and outscored McNeese 37-34 in the second half.
Joe Charles scored 19, Sincere Parker had 16 and Javohn Garcia and Brandon Murray added 10 each for the Cowboys (5-5).
–Field Level Media
Sports
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Oct 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images LAS VEGAS — Entering her eighth season in the WNBA, Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson is poised to build on what was arguably the most dominant individual campaign in league history.
Wilson joined Cynthia Cooper (1997) as the second player in league history to win a unanimous MVP award and joined an exclusive club as the fourth player to win the award three times. She averaged 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game last season and set the all-time single-season mark for points (1,021) and rebounds (451).
Unfortunately for Las Vegas, injuries and fatigue from their two previous championship runs mounted and resulted in the team’s worst regular-season record (27-13) since 2019. The Aces’ three-peat hopes ended with a 76-62 home loss to the New York Liberty to drop their semifinal series 3-1.
It’s that loss on her home floor that served as Wilson’s motivation this offseason.
“Losing sucks, especially on your home court,” Wilson said “It still kind of burns a little bit, but I’ve used that as fuel to help my teammates understand how hard it is to win in this league. Yes, we can celebrate the two championships. They were great. But for us to move forward, we have to understand how hard this league is and value the basketball and the little things. I think that’s what we lacked last season, so we’re going to make sure that we can show up better than we did.”
While the Aces appeared to be on top of the world heading into their potential three-peat campaign in 2024, the reality inside the locker room was that both the internal and external pressure to win another championship had become suffocating. A common theme across media day was the fact that the team feels less pressure entering the 2025 season, a sentiment Wilson shared as the unquestioned leader of the team.
“(Three-peat talks) obviously impacted us, because it’s like, y’all think we don’t want to win? We’re trying as well,” Wilson said.
“I would definitely say it’s refreshing this year. I feel like this is one of my only years where it feels like there’s no weight. There’s a lot of weight to be defending champs. It’s a lot of weight to be trying to win one. We don’t have that. We actually have a clean slate to really dial into getting back to who we are culturally, like, in our system and everything.”
Leading the Aces back to the top of the mountain for a third time in four years is one of a few historically significant achievements Wilson can collect this upcoming season. Wilson could also become the first four-time MVP in league history, though the meaning of that is something she hasn’t quite allowed herself to ponder yet.
“I haven’t given it much thought, but it would be a blessing to have my name in that conversation,” Wilson said. “Every year, I try to be better than I was the year before just to give myself a chance in this league. Because the league is getting better. We’re growing. At this point, you just want to maintain your stamina. You want to maintain your mental, all of that, because the season gets hard. I can’t think too much about that just yet, but I’m definitely going to try to be better than I was last year.”
As Aces coach Becky Hammon put it, fans can expect to see an even better version of Wilson this season.
“What I see is, she went and got better,” Hammon said. “Which is hard to do when you’re already the best, but it speaks to her work ethic, her desire and her mindset this whole offseason. We talked a lot this offseason. She’s a busy lady, but I can tell you what she always does is her workouts. She’s always getting her workouts in. That comes first and foremost, she never gets her priorities jumbled up.”
When Hammon was asked what a player like Wilson would possibly need to improve after last season’s campaign, the coach did not feel like revealing too much.
“There was (something for Wilson to improve), and she did,” Hammon said. “I’m not going to tell you what it was. Actually, there were two things.”
–Will Despart, Field Level Media
Sports
Jacob Wilson joins Aaron Judge in spotlight for Yankees-A's series
May 5, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) throws to first for an out against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images The top two hitters in the majors square off Friday night when the New York Yankees face the Athletics in the opener of a three-game series in Sacramento, Calif.
It’s no surprise to see Yankees star Aaron Judge off to a superb start after winning American League MVP honors last season. He has a major league-best .400 batting average and entered Thursday’s play tied for the big-league lead with 12 homers and 34 RBIs.
But who had Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson ranking second in the majors at .357 as the season nears the quarter pole? Wilson has played in just 64 career games and quickly has solidified himself as a future All-Star, perhaps even this season.
Sharing the marquee board with Judge seems quite surreal for the 23-year-old shortstop who was the No. 6 overall pick of the 2023 draft.
“It’s a great feeling, for sure,” Wilson said of his name being mentioned with Judge. “Obviously, everybody has seen what he is doing. It’s pretty incredible watching him do his thing on a daily basis. To be up there with him is pretty cool for me.
“I’m excited to play against him this week and see what it looks like in person.”
Wilson had his first career four-hit game during Wednesday’s 6-5 home loss against the Seattle Mariners and has six multi-hit outings in the past eight games. He went 8-for-14 with one game-winning hit in the three-game series against the Mariners and is 16-for-34 (.471) with four walks during the eight-game stretch.
The hot hitting led to Athletics manager Mark Kotsay moving Wilson to the leadoff spot on Wednesday. Kotsay indicated Wilson may be sticking at the top of the lineup.
“I think you’ll see Jacob up there now,” Kotsay said. “Jacob’s earned it. … Jacob has shown enough over the last week. He’s walking and taking pitches, and, obviously, swinging the bat really well.”
Judge arrives in Sacramento in the midst of a four-game funk in which he is 2-for-15.
The two-time MVP just went 1-for-10 in a three-game home series against the San Diego Padres, but the one hit was a homer.
Judge grew up 50 miles south of Sacramento in Linden and starred for Linden High but wasn’t highly sought by major league teams. The then-Oakland Athletics selected him in the 31st round in 2010.
Judge instead went the college route and starred for Fresno State. He was chosen in the first round (32nd overall) by the Yankees in the 2013 draft.
Trent Grisham was one of the heroes of Wednesday’s 4-3, 10-inning win over the Padres. He hit a tying two-run pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning.
Grisham had two homers and five RBIs in the series against the Padres — one of his former teams — and already has 10 long balls in just 89 at-bats. He hit just nine last season in 179 at-bats.
“I’m having fun with the guys, I would say that more than anything,” Grisham said. “The clubhouse is really good in here, led by Cap (Judge). So, I would say the guys have been the most enjoyable part.”
New York is starting right-hander Will Warren (1-2, 5.65 ERA) in Friday’s series opener. Right-hander Osvaldo Bido (2-2, 4.71) will be on the mound for the Athletics.
Warren, 25, struck out a career-high eight in 4 2/3 innings while losing to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. He gave up five runs (three earned) and seven hits. Warren hasn’t previously faced the Athletics.
Bido, 29, received a no-decision against the Miami Marlins last Saturday when he gave up four runs on three hits over five innings. He is winless (0-1) over his last three starts. Bido hasn’t faced the Yankees.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao coming out of retirement
Aug 21, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada; Manny Pacquiao (right) fights Yordenis Ugas in a world welterweight championship bout at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao plans to end his retirement and return to the ring on July 19 against Mario Barrios in Las Vegas, ESPN reported Thursday.
Pacquiao, 46, will be fighting for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.
The fight will be for Barrios’ WBC welterweight championship belt. Barrios turns 30 on May 18.
Pacquiao is an eight-division champion who is slated to be inducted into the boxing Hall of Fame in June. He reportedly will formally announce his return to boxing next week. The report stated that Pacquiao has been cleared to compete by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
In recent years, Pacquiao has been focusing on his political career in the Philippines.
The boxer nicknamed “PacMan” has a 62-8-2 record with 39 knockouts during his career. He won his first major title — the WBC flyweight crown — at age 19 in 1998.
Pacquiao was 54-3-2 prior to turning 33 and 8-5 afterward. One of those losses was to Floyd Mayweather Jr. via unanimous decision in 2015, a bout that reportedly drew nearly $400 million in pay-per-view sales.
Barrios (29-2-1, 18 knockouts) fought to a 12-round, split-decision draw against Abel Ramos last November. This will be his third defense since winning the title by beating Ugas in 2023.
–Field Level Media
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
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