Sports
Virginia opens vs. Wright State as Ryan Odom's arc comes full circle
Mar 14, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Ryan Odom instructs his team against the Duke Blue Devils during the men’s ACC Conference Tournament Championship at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images PHILADELPHIA — Eight years ago, Ryan Odom became the first coach to guide a No. 16 seed to upset a No. 1 in the NCAA Tournament.
On the wrong side of history that night was a stunned Virginia. Now Odom’s story has come full circle as the former UMBC coach not only has gotten the Cavaliers back to the dance in Year 1, but brought them within a few points of an ACC tournament title to boot.
This time around, Odom’s team is the hunted, not the hunters, as the No. 3 seed Cavaliers open Midwest Region play against No. 14 Wright State on Friday afternoon.
Virginia (29-5) bounced back from its embarrassment against UMBC by winning the national title one year later. The program has not won an NCAA Tournament game since then, dropping first-round upsets to Ohio and Furman in 2021 and 2023 before being drubbed in the 2024 First Four by Colorado State.
That was all before Tony Bennett’s abrupt retirement prior to the 2024-25 season. In its first year under Odom, who broadened his resume by leading Utah State and VCU to the NCAA Tournament, Virginia engineered a 14-win improvement from its lone campaign under interim coach Ron Sanchez.
“It’s tremendous. You have to have that trust between coaches and players. My best teams, we’ve had that,” Odom told WDBJ this week.
The Cavaliers play a slightly faster pace than they did under Bennett, while still maintaining top-30 adjusted offensive and defensive ratings according to KenPom.com. Perhaps the biggest change from their old style is their increased willingness to shoot 3-pointers: 46.5% of their field-goal attempts are from beyond the arc as eight players have made at least 20 triples this season.
Malik Thomas had 18 points and Sam Lewis added 17 when Virginia fell 74-70 to Duke, the No. 1 team in the country, in the ACC championship game Saturday. Thomas and sixth man Jacari White share the team lead with 61 3-pointers, while Thijs De Ridder paces Virginia with 15.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
Wright State (23-11) could be a tricky first-round opponent as previous Horizon League champions have been. Oakland took down third-seeded Kentucky two years ago, then 15th-seeded Robert Morris gave Alabama a challenge in the Tide’s 90-81 win last year.
“We know we’re playing a really good team,” Odom said. “You get to this time of year, you’re going to play a team that’s won a lot of games and believes in itself.”
Horizon head coaches didn’t initially believe in Wright State. They picked the Raiders seventh in the 11-team league’s preseason poll. However, they’ve won seven of their last eight games as they claimed the regular-season title and then beat Northern Kentucky and Detroit Mercy in the conference tournament.
“To all our fans,” Raiders coach Clint Sargent said at the team’s selection party, “we’re young, and we’re just crazy enough to go win a couple games in Philly.”
It’s not unthinkable. Wright State ranks 55th in the country in 3-point percentage (36.1) and 88th in offensive rebounding percentage (33.2), two qualities that help teams pull off tournament upsets.
Seven players have led Wright State in scoring at least once this season. The Raiders’ top scorer is freshman Michael Cooper (13.4 ppg), while TJ Burch (12.3 points, 3.5 assists, 2.5 steals), the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and tournament MVP, had 19 in the title game.
“It just keeps getting better and better,” Burch told the Dayton Daily News. “I’m excited. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We’re going to go up there and get a win.”
–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media
Sports
Cubs LHP Matthew Boyd injures knee playing with his children, put on IL
May 3, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd (16) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd hurt his left meniscus while playing with his children at home on Wednesday morning and was placed on the 15-day injured list.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that Boyd had an MRI that revealed the knee injury and the pitcher will require surgery. The move was retroactive to Monday.
“It’s kind of unexplainable,” Counsell said. “Kind of an innocent, going down to the ground and getting back up.
“He woke up this morning a healthy player,” the manager added. “He’s just trying to process it and get all the information from the doctors to figure out what’s next.”
Counsell said the timetable for Boyd’s return will be determined after the surgery, but the team expects him to play again this season.
Boyd, 35, was on the IL from April 2-21 because of a left biceps strain. He is 2-1 with a 6.00 ERA, six walks and 31 strikeouts in 24 innings over five starts this season.
An All-Star for Chicago in 2025, Boyd is 62-78 with a 4.61 ERA in 218 career appearances (204) starts for the Toronto Blue Jays (2015), Detroit Tigers (2015-21, 2023), Seattle Mariners (2022), Cleveland Guardians (2024) and Cubs.
In a corresponding move, Chicago selected the contract of right-handed reliever Trent Thornton from Triple-A Iowa. They also designated lefty Charlie Barnes for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for Thornton. Righty Yacksel Rios was sent outright to Iowa.
Thornton, 32, is 0-0 with a 3.18 ERA in 5 2/3 innings over four games (one start) with Iowa this season. He has a career record of 14-19 with a 4.38 in seven seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays (2019-23) and Seattle Mariners (2023-25).
The Cubs already have starting pitchers Justin Steele (left elbow) and Cade Horton (right elbow) on the injured list.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Rangers ace Nathan Eovaldi halts Yankees' five-game streak
May 6, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (17) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Nathan Eovaldi pitched eight stellar innings and was backed by two early homers as the visiting Texas Rangers quieted the New York Yankees in a 6-1 victory on Wednesday night.
After pitching seven innings in last Wednesday’s 3-0 home win over the Yankees, Eovaldi (4-4) struck out a season-high eight and walked none for the second time this season. The veteran right-hander allowed just three hits, including Aaron Judge’s major league-leading 15th homer in the sixth that snapped his scoreless string at 13 innings.
The Rangers scored more than five runs for the seventh time this season and ended a three-game losing streak by racing out to a six-run lead through four innings against New York’s Will Warren (4-1).
Corey Seager homered three batters into the contest and Evan Carter hit a two-run shot in the third. Seager added an RBI single after going 4-for-31 in his previous eight contests and not getting an RBI in his previous nine.
Ezequiel Duran contributed an RBI double and a bases-loaded sacrifice fly as Texas finished with more than five runs for the first time since April 23 against Pittsburgh.
Eovaldi made the lead stand up with ease. He often recorded quick outs and threw 72 of 101 pitches for strikes.
Eovaldi completed eight innings for the 16th time in his career and fourth time against the Yankees, whom he pitched for in 2015 and 2016. Jacob Latz pitched the ninth as the Rangers held the Yankees to five baserunners.
Judge hit his 12th homer in his past 23 games, but the Yankees saw a five-game winning streak stopped and lost for the third time in their past 18 games. New York scored 46 times in the previous five games, but finished with fewer than two runs for the fifth time this season.
Warren often fell behind hitters and was tagged for season highs of six runs on seven hits in four innings. Warren did get seven strikeouts, but he walked three as he threw first-pitch strikes to just 12 of 22 hitters.
Seager opened the scoring by lifting a 3-0 fastball into the right field seats and Texas added three in the third. After Duran’s double to left-center, Carter hit a 2-1 sweeper off the facing of the second deck in right for a 4-0 lead.
Following Duran’s sacrifice fly in the fourth, Seager made it 6-0 by lining a single to center.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Yankees to honor late broadcaster John Sterling with uniform patch
May 4, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees wear “JS” stitched on their hats honoring radio play-by-play announcer John Sterling during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images The New York Yankees will honor longtime radio announcer John Sterling, who died on Monday at the age of 87, with a patch on their uniforms for the reminder of the season.
The Yankees will continue to wear caps with the initials “JS” on the back through May 17. The team will switch to the patch as their tribute to Sterling on May 18, when the Yankees’ next homestand begins.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone approves of the tribute.
“I think it’s appropriate, certainly,” Boone told the New York Times after the Yanks’ 7-4 victory over the Texas Rangers. “(I’m) glad we’ll be able to honor his legacy throughout the rest of the season.”
The patch will feature Sterling’s name, as well as a microphone with the Yankee logo on a pinstriped background.
Sterling passed away from complications of heart failure on Monday, the Times reported. Sterling was honored prior to Monday’s game with a ceremony that featured a moment of silence and a video of some of Sterling’s most iconic radio calls.
After Monday’s game, Sterling’s signature call of “Thuuuuuuuuuuh Yankees WIN!” was played over the PA system at Yankee Stadium, followed by Frank Sinatra’s “Theme from New York, New York.”
Both manager Boone and Yankees captain Aaron Judge called for making that combo a permanent tradition. But Sterling’s call was not part of Tuesday’s post-game victory celebration, and it was unclear if the team intends to continue it, the Times reported.
Count Jazz Chisholm Jr. among those who feel the patch is a good way to honor Sterling this season.
“He was here for a long time,” said Chisholm. “He represented the Yankees well. We all, in our childhood, have that John Sterling call rising in our ears. I think it’s pretty cool that we, as a team and organization, get to recognize him for all the great things that he’s done here.”
–Field Level Media
The Raunchy, R-Rated 90s Comedy That Still Gets Quoted Today
Robinhood’s venture fund IPO attracted 150,000+ retail investors, CEO says
