Sports
US figure skater Alysa Liu ready to show her true self in Olympic return
Feb 6, 2026; Milan, Italy; Alysa Liu of the United States competes in women’s singles short program during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images MILAN, Italy — After quitting figure skating shortly after making her Olympic debut at the 2022 Beijing Games as a 16-year-old, Alysa Liu has returned to winter sports’ biggest stage with a message to deliver.
“I know who I am as a person now. I have ideas and concepts that I want to share with the world,” Liu said at the Milan Cortina Games after finishing second in the women’s singles short program portion of the team event on Friday.
“I hope that I’m able to inspire you to do what you want to do, be who you want to be, and go for it. Like, don’t let anybody stop you, and it’s good to be different,” she said sporting a blonde fringe on her dark hair.
Liu began bleaching a band of her hair in 2023, adding a stripe in each of the following two years, creating a two-tone look that some U.S. media have described as resembling a raccoon tail.
The reigning women’s world champion said the stripes are inspired by the rings of a tree, symbolising personal growth.
The California-born skater announced she was retiring in April 2022, saying she wanted to move on with her life after achieving her goals in skating.
At the time, Liu had twice won the U.S. Championships, finished sixth overall in Beijing and won bronze at the world championships weeks before the announcement.
Liu said the current Olympic experience was completely different.
“To be on the big stage and in front of so many people you have to be an adult. It’s so hard on a kid,” she said.
“Last time I was kind of like, let’s get this over with. But now I want to be here and I don’t want this to end. I will be sad when the Olympics are over.”
Following the controversy surrounding 15-year-old Russian Kamila Valieva, whose failed drugs test came to light during the Beijing Games, the International Skating Union (ISU) voted to raise the minimum age for competitors in senior events from 15 to 17 to protect skaters’ “physical and mental health, and emotional well-being”.
Liu resumed her career in 2024 and won gold at the 2025 World Championships in Boston.
“I don’t think (my performance) stands out more than the others. I just think: if I’m someone’s cup of tea, they’ll drink it. So hopefully I reach those people.”
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Iowa vies for sixth straight win vs. visiting Northwestern
Jan 28, 2026; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Ben McCollum reacts during the second half against the Southern California Trojans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Efficient shooting and ball security have boosted Iowa to a five-game winning streak entering Sunday’s game against Northwestern in Iowa City, Iowa.
A road trip to Oregon and Washington last week showcased the trends anew, as the Hawkeyes combined to shoot 59.3% with only nine turnovers.
“We’ve got unselfish kids,” Iowa coach Ben McCollum said. “We’ve been working on it constantly. Just our drive to the basket reads and coming to stops and attacking when we don’t have a ball screen — those kind of things.”
Iowa (17-5, 7-4 Big Ten) is looking for its 11th straight home win against Northwestern. To get there, the Hawkeyes figure to be reliant on top scorers Bennett Stirtz (19.2 points per game), Tavion Banks and Alvaro Folgueiras while reading and reacting to create opportunities for the rest of the rotation.
“We’re just taking what the defense gives us,” Stirtz said. “Sometimes, they take away (Folgueiras). Sometimes, they take away the pocket. Sometimes, they take away me or the shooter. So it’s different every game because we see a lot of different coverages. But it’s the coaches’ job to put us in the right positions and just us adapting.”
Northwestern (10-13, 2-10) will aim to be more competitive than its most recent game as the Wildcats conclude a two-game road trip. Fifth-ranked Illinois thumped the Wildcats 84-44 on Wednesday, limiting Northwestern to 29.2% shooting that included a 4-for-25 effort from long range.
“Right now, we’re struggling. We’re playing a lot of young kids that aren’t really ready for this level right now,” Wildcats coach Chris Collins said. “Sometimes, you’ve got to take some lumps and go through it to figure things out.”
Collins is calling on newcomers including Tyler Kropp, Tre Singleton and Jake West — all freshmen who started against Illinois — to be more resilient, especially in games when the team slumps from the floor from the outset.
Wednesday’s contest fit that bill.
With Big Ten leading scorer Nick Martinelli limited to four points amid swarming defense from the Illini, Collins pledged to help Martinelli “get his pop and verve back.”
“The last couple games, I’ve felt like he’s played a little bit tired, and that’s on us,” Collins added. “We can help. And we need some of those guys to help him, too, because he’s seeing two and three guys on every possession.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
No. 24 Louisville hangs on against pesky Wake Forest team
Feb 7, 2026; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard J’vonne Hadley (1) drives to the basket against Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Myles Colvin (6) during the first half at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Sananda Fru scored 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting to lead No. 24 Louisville, which extended its winning streak to three Saturday by beating a pesky Wake Forest squad 88-80 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The Cardinals (17-6, 7-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) never trailed as they feasted against one of the ACC’s poorer defensive teams, shooting 52.9% (27 of 51) against the Demon Deacons (11-12, 2-8). However, Wake Forest battled back from a 15-point deficit four minutes into the second half to tie it twice.
Juke Harris scored 16 of his 25 points in the second half to lead the Demon Deacons, who lost their fifth straight contest. The sophomore also pulled down 11 rebounds but missed his last five shots from the field.
Fru, a 6-foot-11 junior, was one of six Cardinals to score in double figures. J’Vonne Hadley finished with 15 points, and Khani Rooths added 13. Mikel Brown Jr. made six free throws in the final 5:06 as part of a 12-point, eight-assist game for the freshman point guard.
Louisville listed Hadley, who left Wednesday’s game against Notre Dame after just three minutes due to a back injury, as a game-time decision Saturday. The sixth-year guard started and scored Louisville’s first five points.
He also scored six points in 33 seconds to give the Cardinals a 54-39 lead, their biggest in the game, with 15:56 remaining.
Hadley made five of his seven shots.
Louisville also made 40% (10 of 25) of its 3-pointers. Isaac McKneely made three of his four, and Ryan Conwell hit two of his four. Both scored 11 points.
The Demon Deacons, however, shot 14 of 21 over an 11-minute stretch. A pair of Sebastian Akins free throws tied the game at 80 with 4:44 remaining. However, Wake Forest missed their last 11 shots, allowing Louisville to pull away by making 10 of its 12 free throws in the final 5:06.
Omaha Biliew added 14 points off the bench for the Demon Deacons, who also got 12 points from Akins and 10 from Myles Colvin.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Lamar Wilkerson, Indiana outlast Wisconsin in OT
Feb 7, 2026; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Lamar Wilkerson (3) celebrates after the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images Lamar Wilkerson hit two free throws with two seconds left in overtime, and Indiana outlasted Wisconsin for a 78-77 victory Saturday afternoon in Bloomington, Ind.
Wisconsin (16-7, 8-4 Big Ten) held a 77-74 lead when Nick Boyd split two free throws with 56 seconds left but committed a costly turnover with 15 seconds left. After struggling to get the ball up court, Boyd’s right arm hit Connor Enright near midcourt for an offensive foul.
Following a timeout, Wilkerson drove into the paint and was met by John Blackwell, who committed the foul. Wilkerson then put Indiana back ahead by easily sinking the free throws, and the game ended when Braeden Carrington’s 3-point heave from beyond halfcourt was long.
Wilkerson led the Hoosiers (16-8, 7-6) with 25 points, though he struggled from beyond the arc. He was 1-of-8 from 3 and 8-of-20 overall but made all eight free throws, including four in the final minute of regulation after Indiana lost a 13-point lead.
Sam Alexis added a season-high 19 points, seven rebounds, and five blocks, including a key block on Boyd with 2:44 left after Wisconsin took a two-point lead on a basket by Nolan Winter a little over a minute earlier.
Tucker DeVries contributed 16 and Enright chipped in 11 as Indiana shot 47.6 percent and survived missing 17 of 22 3-point tries in its fourth win in five games.
Winter led all scorers with a career-high 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Boyd added 20, and Blackwell scored 16 of his 18 after halftime before fouling out.
Wisconsin shot 38% and made 33.3% (12-of-36) from 3-point range.
Indiana made seven straight shots and opened a 26-12 lead with 8:26 left on a reverse layup by Enright that followed consecutive 3s by DeVries. Wilkerson hit a jumper by the foul line for a 30-19 lead with 5:55 remaining and Indiana held a 36-30 lead at halftime.
Indiana stretched its lead to 52-39 on a triple from the top of the key by DeVries with 13:01 left and held a 64-56 lead on a 3-point play by Alexis with 6:07 left.
Wisconsin ripped off 10 straight for a 72-68 lead with 57 seconds left when Winter hit an open 3. Wilkerson hit four free throws and the game headed to overtime when Blackwell missed an off-balance jumper near the baseline just before the buzzer.
–Field Level Media
Iowa vies for sixth straight win vs. visiting Northwestern
No. 24 Louisville hangs on against pesky Wake Forest team
