Sports
Top 25 roundup: Themus Fulks leads UCF to upset of No. 19 BYU
Feb 24, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; UCF Knights guard Themus Fulks (1) shoots the ball while being defended by BYU Cougars forward Kennard Davis Jr. (30) during the second half at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images Themus Fulks scored 24 points and handed out 11 assists to lead hot-shooting UCF to a 97-84 upset win over No. 19 BYU on Tuesday in Provo, Utah.
Jordan Burks also rang up 24 points, Jamichael Stillwell contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds and George Beale Jr. pitched in 10 points for UCF (20-7, 9-6 Big 12), which won its third straight game.
UCF never trailed in the game and led by as much as 36 points. The Knights shot 56.3% from the floor and 58.3% (14 of 24) from 3-point distance.
AJ Dybantsa led BYU (20-8, 8-7) with 29 points and eight rebounds. Robert Wright III tallied 20 points and seven assists, and Aleksej Kostic pitched in 14 points as the Cougars lost for the sixth time in nine games.
No. 1 Duke 100, Notre Dame 56
Cameron Boozer piled up 24 points and 13 rebounds as the Blue Devils ran away from the Fighting Irish in South Bend, Ind.
Boozer collected his 16th double-double of the season and added two assists and three steals for the Blue Devils (26-2, 14-1 ACC). Darren Harris scored a career-best 16 off the bench.
Brady Koehler and Cole Certa netted 14 points apiece to pace Notre Dame (12-16, 3-12), which has lost 12 of its past 14 games. Coach Micah Shrewsberry injured his Achilles at some point near the end of the first half, and he wore a black walking boot on his left foot in the second half.
No. 2 Arizona 87, Baylor 80
Jaden Bradley scored 25 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out six assists as the Wildcats rallied for a victory over the Bears in Waco, Texas.
Brayden Burries added 24 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Wildcats (26-2, 13-2 Big 12), who overcame a seven-point halftime deficit, sealing the victory in the final minutes. They swept a two-game road trip to Texas after knocking off then-No. 2 Houston on Saturday.
The Bears (14-14, 4-11) have dropped five of their last six. Cameron Carr produced a game-high 26 points, Isaac Williams IV finished with 16 points and Tounde Yessoufou had 12.
No. 3 Michigan 77, Minnesota 67
Elliot Cadeau scored 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting as the Wolverines pulled away for a win over the Golden Gophers in Ann Arbor, Mich.
L.J. Cason added 14 points for Michigan (26-2, 16-1 Big Ten), which clinched at least a share of the conference’s regular-season title. It marked the program’s first share of a regular-season conference title since 2021.
Cade Tyson scored 20 points to lead Minnesota (13-15, 6-11). The injury-riddled Golden Gophers played with only six players, and Michigan’s bench outscored Minnesota’s bench 35-0.
No. 4 Iowa State 75, Utah 59
Joshua Jefferson recorded 21 points and six rebounds, record-setter Milan Momcilovic added 14 points and the Cyclones cruised to a victory over the Utes in Salt Lake City.
Jamarion Batemon added 13 points for Iowa State (24-4, 11-4 Big 12), which has won three of its past four games. Momcilovic made four 3-pointers to raise his season total to 104, passing Dedric Willoughby (102 in 1996-97) for the single-season school mark.
Terrence Brown scored 18 points and Don McHenry added 14 for Utah (10-18, 2-13), who lost for the 14th time in 16 games. Keanu Dawes added 10 points and 12 rebounds.
No. 11 Virginia 90, NC State 61
Thijs De Ridder scored 19 points and the Cavaliers completed a season sweep of the Wolfpack with a wire-to-wire win in Charlottesville, Va.
The Cavaliers (25-3, 13-2 ACC) won their ninth straight game. They stayed one game behind No. 1 Duke in the ACC heading into Saturday’s showdown in Durham, N.C. Sam Lewis added 16 points, Jacari White scored 15, Malik Thomas had 12 and Chance Mallory chipped in 11.
The Wolfpack (19-9, 10-5) shot a season-worst 29.4% (20 of 68) from the field. They shot 36.0% in a 76-61 home loss to the Cavaliers on Jan. 3. Paul McNeil Jr. led NC State with 22 points, Darrion Williams added 14 and Ven-Allen Lubin had 11.
No. 16 Texas Tech 80, Cincinnati 68
Christian Anderson crafted an outstanding all-around game, tallying 31 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists as the Red Raiders ended the Big 12’s longest active winning streak by overcoming the Bearcats in Lubbock, Texas.
The point guard set a personal Big 12 career high by making 11 of 19 shots, including 3 of 8 from deep, as the Red Raiders (21-7, 11-4) moved to 2-0 without star forward J.T. Toppin. LeJaun Watts notched 13 points and five boards, while Donovan Atwell had 12 points, all on 4 of 9 long-range shooting.
Coming off a 16-point win at then-No. 8 Kansas on Saturday, the Bearcats (15-13, 7-8) arrived in Texas with momentum but wasted a hot start to lose for the first time in five games. Moustapha Thiam totaled 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Jalen Celestine had 15 points.
No. 21 Miami (Ohio) 74, Eastern Michigan 64
Brant Byers scored 16 points to help lead the RedHawks to a win at the Eagles in a Mid-American Conference contest.
Miami (28-0, 15-0 MAC) kept its perfect season alive, although it was held to less than 80 points for only the sixth time this season. Antwone Woolfolk scored 14 points, Peter Suder had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Almar Atlason added 12 points for Miami.
Greg Lawson scored a game-high 29 points for Eastern Michigan (10-19, 4-12), which has lost 10 of its last 11 games.
Missouri 73, No. 22 Tennessee 69
T.O. Barrett scored a career-high 28 points as the Tigers bolstered their NCAA Tournament case by beating the Volunteers in Columbia, Mo.
Mark Mitchell added 23 points as the Tigers (19-9, 9-6 Southeastern Conference) won for the fifth time in seven games and won for the second in three straight games against ranked opponents.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie led the Volunteers (20-8, 10-5) with 19 points. Tennessee, which had a four-game winning streak snapped, outrebounded the Tigers 42-30, but turned the ball over 15 times and allowed Missouri to shoot 61.5% in the second half.
Dayton 77, No. 23 Saint Louis 62
Amael L’Etang scored a career-high 26 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, sparking the Flyers to a home upset win over the Billikens.
Javon Bennett added 17 points and Jordan Derkack put up 14 points for Dayton (19-9, 10-5 Atlantic 10), which won its fourth straight game.
Kellen Thames led Saint Louis (25-3, 13-2) with a career-high 24 points. Dion Brown contributed 15 points and Robbie Avila chipped in 10 points for the Billikens, who have lost two of three games after an 18-game winning streak.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Bengals Have No More Excuses Entering the 2026 NFL Season
For the Cincinnati Bengals, it’s time for results to meet expectations.
They had a more productive offseason of re-tooling its defense and tweaking a roster that underperformed in 2025, which was a disappointment with a 6-11 record and third straight season out of the playoffs in the Joe Burrow era.
The Bengals entered the offseason at a critical crossroads.
Their star quarterback missed more than half of last season — nine games following turf toe surgery — and the Bengals’ defense ranked in the bottom five of several significant categories, The organization faced intense media scrutiny and fan pessimism … Are the Bengals ever going to build a winner around Joe Burrow?
Bengals ownership, led by Mike Brown and his daughter, Katie, have traditionally chosen conservative, baseline adjustments to tweak the roster. That was definitely not the case starting with free agency in March and continuing through the draft.
Veteran impact free agents like Cincinnati native and Super Bowl champion safety Bryan Cook, defensive edge Boye Mafe, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and safety Kyle Dugger were added. They then stunned the NFL by trading away their first-round draft pick (No. 10 overall) for defensive tackle and front four anchor Dexter Lawrence II, and extending him another year at $28 million for 2028. Then they did something they almost never do – they restructured Burrow’s contract to free up approximately $10 million in critical cap space.
All of the moves are a signal that those inside the organization understand that the championship window is wide open. An influx of high-tier talent has fundamentally altered the external narrative and internal expectations in Cincinnati as training camp approaches.
“A lot of urgency this year,” Burrow said. “We have everything we need. We’re deep at just about every position on the team.”
Following the departure of longtime star pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson to division rival Baltimore for four years and $112 million in free agency, the Bengals adjusted from relying on a singular dominant edge rusher to utilizing a committee of quick-pressure and flexible edge defenders.
Mafe brings immediate speed off the edge from the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahwaks. Defensive coordinator Al Golden is counting on him being and every down edge. The Bengals added to their pass rush options by taking Texas A&M edge and SEC Defensive Player of the Year Cashius Howell in the second round (No. 41 overall). Howell adds a highly athletic edge threat to the rotational mix. Mafe and Howell join a group that also features 2023 first-round edge Myles Murphy and 2025 first-rounder Shemar Stewart.
For Burrow, the overhauled roster brings back familiar pressure and expectations to win, and win big.
“Put pressure on guys. I love it. I thrive in it,” Burrow said. “We’ll find out who else does. I know we have the kind of people who want to be in that spot. I want everybody talking about the Bengals. You go back and watch what I said before the 2019 (national championship) season at LSU. I feel very similarly about this team. I’m so excited to get started and get moving.”
Burrow’s confidence is fueled by a completely revitalized supporting cast on both sides of the ball. Burrow acknowledges that the increased financial commitment from ownership eliminates excuses, placing the responsibility on leadership to execute.
With a bolstered roster, expectations have risen to a championship standard, the standard by both Burrow and head coach Zac Taylor repeated often following their Super Bowl run in 2021 and their run to a second straight AFC title game appearance in 2022. Taylor has echoed this optimism, successfully accomplished its objectives regarding scheme implementation and personnel preparation during the offseason workout and practice program.
“We accomplished everything we set out to accomplish,” Taylor said at the end of mandatory minicamp in June.
The 2026 season is viewed as a critical juncture for the Bengals to capitalize on its heavy roster investments and win the first Super Bowl title in the franchise’s 59th season.
Sports
'Frustrated' Blue Jays eager to reverse course vs. Rays
Jul 12, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider (14) argues with home plate umpire Jen Pawol (95) during the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images The Toronto Blue Jays will be out to salvage what they can from a guaranteed losing homestand Wednesday night when they continue their series with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Blue Jays dropped to 1-4 on their seven-game homestand with a 12-2 setback to the Rays on Tuesday.
Tampa Bay is 7-1 against Toronto this season to clinch the season series.
While the Rays sit atop the American League East, the Blue Jays are last in the division, with their hopes of a wild-card spot fading.
“I think everyone is frustrated,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “There’s no secret, this is not going to be easy. It’s going to be hard. You just want to find some small wins for one, and two, you just make sure everyone understands that this is going to be hard and you’ve got to dig your way out of this.”
The Blue Jays have only eight runs over their first five games since returning from the All-Star break.
After the Rays scored three runs in the first inning Tuesday against Kevin Gausman, the Blue Jays failed to score against Drew Rasmussen in the bottom of the inning despite loading the bases with one out. That is a microcosm of Toronto’s season.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was 0-for-4 on Tuesday and is in an 0-for-13 funk in a disappointing season. The Rays’ pitchers have been tough on Guerrero this season, holding him at 2-for-27.
The Blue Jays’ defense also has been a problem against the Rays. Toronto has committed five errors over the two games of the four-game series.
That number could have been higher. One error call on Tuesday — third baseman Kazuma Okamoto on Nick Fortes’ grounder in the seventh — was changed to a hit.
Schneider said the fielding mistakes are more a result of the Rays’ style than his team pressing.
“This team really plays the game fast,” Schneider said of Tampa Bay. “I don’t think that it’s us playing tight. I think it’s them forcing the issue.”
The Rays also have been hitting for power in the series. They had three homers on Monday. Fortes, who went deep in his second consecutive contest, joined Yandy Diaz — who was playing in his 1,000th MLB game — by belting a three-run homer on Tuesday.
“That’s pretty special to play 1,000 games at this level, and he’s done it at an incredibly high level,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of Diaz. “I appreciate Yandy, certainly the hitter he is, the way he’s evolved as a teammate, as a leader on this team, the energy that he provides on a daily basis, and the way he carries himself is really special.”
Chandler Simpson and Ben Williamson each had four hits for Tampa Bay, and Junior Caminero had two hits and three walks. The Rays had a season-best 21 hits.
“It just attests to everything that we can do in the lineup,” Simpson said. “We can win it with speed, put the bat on the ball. We can also use the power game as well to win games.”
The Blue Jays will go with an opener on Wednesday, with right-handed reliever Braydon Fisher (3-3, 3.65 ERA) getting the call. In 10 career relief appearances against the Rays, he is 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA.
Right-hander Griffin Jax (5-7, 4.08) is Tampa Bay’s scheduled starter on Wednesday. He is 1-2 with a 3.80 ERA in 17 career games (two starts) against Toronto.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Martin Perez returns for Braves, to pitch against Padres
Jun 30, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Martin Perez (33) throws against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Veteran Martin Perez will come off the injured list to take his spot in the starting rotation when the Atlanta Braves host the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.
The Padres beat the Braves 8-3 on Tuesday to even the four-game series at a game apiece. San Diego has won four of five games against the Braves on the season.
Perez went on the injured list after being hit in the arm by a line drive by Juan Soto of the New York Mets on July 5. He threw a bullpen session on Sunday and was deemed ready to return.
“He rebounded well,” Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said. “To be honest, it’s not a terrible thing that he got a little break. Threw 50 innings last year, so I think probably good timing there if there is such a thing for something like that. Chances are he was going to need a break at some point this year anyway.”
Left-hander Perez (6-6, 3.54) will face off against San Diego right-hander Michael King (6-7, 3.34). Perez has thrown 81 1/3 innings this season.
Perez made his last start against the Mets on July 5 and allowed five runs (four earned) in 4 1/3 innings. He had to leave the game after absorbing the line drive off his left forearm. X-rays showed no broken bones, but it was severe enough to require a trip to the injured list.
Perez has never beaten San Diego. In four career appearances (three starts), he is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA. He lost to the Padres on June 24 when he pitched four innings and allowed three runs on four hits and four walks.
King received no decision in his most recent start on Friday against the Kansas City Royals, a 7-6 loss in 10 innings. He pitched five innings and allowed one run on four hits and two walks, striking out four. He has allowed two or fewer runs in 12 of his 20 starts.
King has made three career appearances against the Braves, going 1-0 with a 2.03 ERA. He beat Atlanta 1-0 on June 22 in San Diego when he threw seven scoreless innings.
The Padres continue to tinker with the lineup. On Tuesday they batted struggling veteran Xander Bogaerts No. 8 in the lineup, something he has done just 48 times in 1,761 career games. He went 1-for-4 and was robbed of a home run by Atlanta center fielder Michael Harris II.
“We’re taking a little bit of the pressure off Bogey,” manager Craig Stammen said. “That’s probably the biggest thing. We’ve got to get him going somehow. Thought moving him up in the lineup might get him going. He’s still taking good at-bats.”
Bogaerts said, “What can I say? Play better.”
Manny Machado doesn’t have that problem. He has homered three times in the series and has hit safely in 12 straight games. During the streak he has five homers, 11 RBIs and eight runs scored, and he has raised his average from .187 to .204.
The Atlanta offense, which entered the series having scored five-plus runs in nine consecutive home games, was limited to four hits for the second straight game. Two of those came from rookie shortstop Jim Jarvis.
The Braves released veteran designated hitter Kyle Farmer, an Atlanta native, on Tuesday when they activated outfielder Mike Yastrzemski. Farmer appeared in only 12 games and went on the injured list in May with a right forearm strain. He made two brief appearances after his return earlier this month.
Yastrzemski was on the 10-day injured list due to an elbow ailment.
–Field Level Media
Bengals Have No More Excuses Entering the 2026 NFL Season
'Frustrated' Blue Jays eager to reverse course vs. Rays
