Sports
Top 25 roundup: No. 8 Michigan State stuns No. 16 Maryland at buzzer
Feb 26, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; Michigan State Spartans celebrate after a shot by Michigan State Spartans guard Tre Holloman (5) goes in at the buzzer against the Maryland Terrapins during the second half at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images Tre Holloman made a shot at the buzzer from just beyond halfcourt as No. 8 Michigan State stunned No. 16 Maryland 58-55 in College Park, Md., on Wednesday.
Holloman’s Hail Mary came after Maryland’s Ja’Kobi Gillespie missed a 3-pointer with two seconds left. The Spartans’ Jaxon Kohler got the rebound and passed to Holloman, who dribbled once and fired.
Jase Richardson scored 15 points for Michigan State (23-5, 14-3 Big Ten), which won its fourth straight. The last three have come against ranked teams. It also was the Spartans’ seventh straight victory over Maryland and third in a row in College Park.
Rodney Rice scored 20 points to pace Maryland (21-7, 11-6), which had won eight of its previous nine games. Gillespie scored 15 points and Derik Queen contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Terrapins.
No. 1 Auburn 106, Ole Miss 76
Johni Broome scored 24 points in a milestone outing, Auburn set a season high in points, and the Tigers hammered the visiting Rebels.
The shooting was outstanding for the Tigers (26-2, 14-1 SEC), who connected on 34 of 57 shots (59.6 percent) and hit 11 of 21 from long range. Broome, who added nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks, sank a free throw in the first half to become the 86th player in DI history to reach 2,500 career points. Chad Baker-Mazara had 22 points and was 4 of 5 from deep.
For the Rebels (19-9, 8-7), Sean Pedulla totaled 14 points, four assists and four rebounds. Jaemyn Brakefield had 13, while Matthew Murrell and Dre Davis had 12 each. Malik Dia added 11 in the team’s third straight defeat.
No. 7 St. John’s 76, Butler 70
RJ Luis Jr. scored 24 points to lead the Red Storm to a win over the Bulldogs in Indianapolis, clinching at least a share of the Big East regular-season title for the first time since 1992.
Luis shot 9-for-16 from the field for St. John’s (25-4, 16-2 Big East). The Red Storm can claim their first outright Big East crown since 1985 if they can beat visiting Seton Hall on Saturday.
Jahmyl Telfort led Butler (13-15, 6-11) with 13 points and seven rebounds. Pierre Brooks II and Boden Kapke each added 12 points.
Vanderbilt 86, No. 12 Texas A&M 84
Tyler Nickel scored 21 points on a career-high seven 3-pointers and the Commodores held on to upset the Aggies in College Station, Texas.
MJ Collins Jr. added 16 points and Jason Edwards contributed 15 for Vanderbilt (19-9, 7-8 SEC), which had to survive foul trouble.
Pharrel Payne led Texas A&M with 23 points and Wade Taylor IV contributed 21 points and six assists. Zhuric Phelps chipped in 14 and CJ Wilcher had 12 for Texas A&M (20-8, 9-6), which has lost three games in a row.
No. 13 Clemson 83, Notre Dame 68
Ian Schieffelin scored a career-high 24 points and the Tigers defeated the visiting Fighting Irish for their fifth win in a row.
Viktor Lakhin had 18 points, Jake Heidbreder notched 14 off the bench and Jaeden Zackery added 11 for Clemson (23-5, 15-2 ACC), which is one game behind Duke in the conference standings.
Markus Burton fired in 30 points and Tae Davis had 15 for Notre Dame (12-16, 6-11), which had won two of its previous four games.
No. 17 Kentucky 83, Oklahoma 82
Otega Oweh flipped in the game-winning layup with six seconds left to give the Wildcats a hard-fought win over the Sooners in its first-ever game at Norman, Okla.
Oweh, who played the previous two seasons with the Sooners, scored a career-high 28 points and pulled down six rebounds for the Wildcats (19-9, 8-7 Southeastern Conference). Brandon Garrison chipped in 12 points, three steals and three blocks off the Kentucky bench. He blocked Jeremiah Fears’ attempt for a game-winning layup at the buzzer.
Jalon Moore scored 20 points, Fears added 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists and Brycen Goodine chipped in 13 points for Oklahoma (17-11, 4-11).
No. 18 Memphis 84, Rice 72
Dain Dainja had game highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds as the Tigers pulled away in the last two minutes for an American Athletic Conference win over the visiting Owls.
PJ Haggerty added 21 points and five assists for the Tigers (23-5, 13-2 AAC), while Nicholas Jourdain contributed 19 points and nine rebounds. Memphis shot 49.2 percent from the field in securing a season sweep of the Owls.
Caden Powell scored 19 points to lead four players in double figures for Rice (13-16, 4-12). Denver Anglin added 14 points, Andrew Akuchie had 12 and Kellen Amos came off the bench for 11.
No. 22 Arizona 83, Utah 66
Caleb Love hit six 3-pointers and scored 23 points to help the Wildcats cruise to a victory over the Utes in Tucson, Ariz.
Tobe Awaka (10 rebounds and two blocks), Henri Veesaar (seven boards) and Jaden Bradley each scored 12 points as the Wildcats (19-9, 13-4 Big 12) bounced back from a one-point home loss to BYU on Saturday in impressive fashion. Love scored 17 first-half points to help Arizona jump out to an early double-digit lead. He finished 7 of 15 on field-goal attempts, including 6 of 12 from 3-point range, and logged seven assists and four rebounds for the Wildcats, who had lost three of their previous four games.
Keanu Dawes produced 18 points and 10 rebounds off the bench and Ezra Ausar collected 18 points and five boards for the Utes (15-13, 7-10).
No. 25 BYU 91, Arizona State 81
Richie Saunders sank six 3-pointers while scoring 26 points in the Cougars’ win over the Sun Devils at Tempe, Ariz.
BYU hit half of its attempts 34 from beyond the arc. Trevin Knell shot 5-for-6 from long range and finished with 18 points as the Cougars (20-8, 11-6 Big 12) increased their winning streak to five games.
Arizona State (13-15, 4-13) was short-handed in its eighth consecutive Big 12 home loss. BJ Freeman was recently dismissed from the squad, and the Sun Devils also were without Jayden Quaintance (knee) and Alston Mason (illness). Basheer Jihad led Arizona State with 19 points.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Plenty at stake as No. 8 Purdue sets sights on Ohio State
Feb 26, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) looks at a referee during the first half of a game against the Michigan State Spartans at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images While No. 8 Purdue and Ohio State are coming off losses, they still have goals in front of them when they convene on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio.
The Boilermakers (22-6, 12-5 Big Ten) have their eyes on a top-four finish going into the conference tournament. However, they find themselves in fifth place after a 76-74 home loss to No. 13 Michigan State on Thursday.
Nebraska and Michigan State are tied for second with 13-4 conference records with Illinois (13-5) a half-game back. The top four teams receive triple byes into the tourney.
“Most disappointing for us is you’re trying to jockey for that triple bye. Now you’re playing fewer games,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “Last year was the first time in 10 years that we didn’t get there.
“That’s important leading up to the NCAA Tournament because you want to be a little more pristine, like three games in three days instead of four games in four days. It’s not the end of the world but that’s what you’re jockeying for.”
Purdue likely will need to win out beginning with its game versus the Buckeyes (17-11, 9-8 Big Ten) who are in a more dire situation. While Painter can talk about the NCAA Tournament with certainty, Ohio State is wobbling on the bubble.
A 74-57 setback at Iowa on Wednesday marked the first time the Buckeyes lost two straight games this season. It also left them with a 1-10 record against Quad 1 opponents.
Ohio State is in ninth place in the Big Ten, one game back of Iowa (10-7) for the double bye which goes to teams seeded five through eight.
In order for the Buckeyes to upset Purdue, they must get a full team effort. Playing without center Christoph Tilly (ankle) against Iowa — his status for Sunday’s game is unknown — the Buckeyes did not get much out of Bruce Thornton.
Thornton did not score in the first half, during which Ohio State found itself trailing 37-23 at intermission. His first points came with just over 12 minutes left in the game. He had 10 points, half his season average.
“He’s got to be aggressive, stay aggressive,” Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said. “We moved him around a little bit. I thought he passed up some opportunities in the first half to attack. Did a much better job getting the ball in the paint in the second half.”
The Buckeyes are looking for consistency but Diebler said that has been difficult because players have been in and out of the lineup due to injuries.
“We’ve got a little time now to have some great prep heading into our next game and hopefully we can get healthier and get some time to practice some of these lineups that we’re having to play,” he said.
Purdue’s Braden Smith, who has totaled 1,004 assists, needs four more to pass Long Island’s Jason Brickman for fourth on the NCAA all-time list.
“(Smith’s) a fabulous player. He’s great,” Painter said. “He’s put a lot of time into it and sacrificed a lot. Basketball’s an important piece in his life. I’m honored to coach him and he’s been great for us, fabulous, and done a lot for this university.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Austin looks to continue successful history against D.C. United
Feb 21, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; DC United forward Tai Baribo (9) in action against the Philadelphia Union at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images Austin FC will look to continue their successful history against D.C. United and break into the win column when the sides square off on Sunday afternoon in Austin, Texas.
The Verde (0-0-1, 1 point) kicked off the 2026 season with a 2-2 draw at home with Minnesota United on Feb. 21. Austin got goals from Brendan Hines-Ike and Myrto Uzuni and an assist from their flash offseason signing Facundo Torres but gave up the tying goal in the 90th minute and settled for spitting the points.
“We just have played one game and I think we see a team already that is more vertical, that is more going forward,” Austin coach Nico Estevez said Thursday. “We don’t want to lose much time on building if it’s clear that we can be vertical, but we also use the building up to create the spaces in between the lines.
“We want to be a team that is fun to watch and a team that goes forward and wants to score goals, and this is the work that we keep doing.”
The Verde announced Friday that they have acquired forward Christian Ramirez from MLS waivers. Ramirez played last season with the LA Galaxy and started 10 of 25 games, scoring four goals and adding an assist.
Austin has won each of its three all-time meetings with D.C. United, most recently a 4-2 victory last season in the nation’s capital.
D.C. United began their campaign with a 1-0 win at home against the Philadelphia Union, with the game’s lone goal scored by Tai Baribo in the 23rd minute. Baribo signed with the Black and Red in the offseason after he played 2025 with the Union, which added insult to injury in the Week 1 victory.
D.C. coach Rene Weiler lauded his new scoring threat after the win.
“As a striker, you have to be decisive and he scored the goal, it was the decisive goal, so he did his job,” Weiler said. “It’s uncomfortable to play against him, so, it helps us a lot.”
Sean Johnson was sharp in his first competitive start in goal for D.C. United, producing three saves to earn a clean sheet, the 113th of his MLS career.
D.C. United finished last in the Eastern Conference in 2025 but are already off to a better start.
“We want to be unpredictable, so we played some diagonal balls and then we played some long balls,” Weiler said. “So that is an option to open the field.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Seattle game breaks U.S. arena attendance record for women's hockey
Mar 27, 2023; Seattle, WA, USA; A general overall view of the Space Needle and Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images A sold-out crowd of 17,335 fans at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena broke the U.S. attendance record for a women’s hockey game on Friday night.
In the first game back from the Olympic break for both PWHL teams, the host Seattle Torrent fell 5-2 to the Toronto Sceptres.
The Torrent played without captain Hilary Knight, who led the U.S. women’s team to a gold medal in the Milan Cortina Olympics. She was placed on long-term injured reserve due to a lower-body injury she suffered during the Games.
The previous record of 17,228 fans came on Jan. 18 when the Montreal Victoire faced the New York Sirens at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
The Torrent also broke their own attendance mark, set when 16,014 fans filled the Seattle arena for the expansion club’s inaugural home opener on Nov. 28, 2025.
Overall attendance across the PWHL for the league’s third season was up 17 percent through 61 games at the Milan Cortina Olympics break, according to the league.
–Field Level Media
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