Sports
Virginia Tech's task? Slow No. 4 Duke's blowout roll
Jan 26, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) dunks in front of Louisville Cardinals center Aly Khalifa (15) during the second half at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images Duke experienced some close calls early in its ACC schedule, but the nation’s No. 2 team in the NET rankings has dominated opponents of late.
The No. 4 Blue Devils attempt to run their winning streak to nine games and remain unbeaten in conference play Saturday afternoon when they visit Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.
Duke (19-1, 8-0 ACC) has not lost since blowing a 17-point lead in an 82-81 loss to Texas Tech on Dec. 20 at Madison Square Garden. The Blue Devils won their first four ACC games by a combined 28 points before dominating California, Stanford, Wake Forest and Louisville by a combined 97 points.
“I feel you get a chance to really learn about the identity of your team and who we can be,” coach Jon Scheyer said of Duke’s recent blowouts. “That doesn’t mean winning and losing. I think it just means understanding the process and understanding the areas you have to grow and get better.”
Duke has shot at least 50% in each of its last games and finished at 50.8% during Monday’s 83-52 home win over No. 20 Louisville. Cameron Boozer led the Blue Devils in scoring for the third straight game as part of a 19-point, 10-rebound, four-assist night.
Duke dominated the second half by a 45-24 margin when it shot 58.6% (17 of 29). In its past four second halves, the Blue Devils outscored opponents 172-119 while shooting 54.2% (58 of 107).
On Monday, Duke held prized Louisville freshman Mikel Brown to 1-of-13 shooting and the Cardinals to 29.6% shooting overall. The Blue Devils also outrebounded the Cardinals 47-26.
Virginia Tech (16-6, 5-4) opened league play with a 10-point triple-overtime win over Virginia on Dec. 31. The Hokies followed that by losing three of the next four, though the setbacks to Wake Forest, Stanford and SMU came by a combined five points.
Since those close losses, Virginia Tech has won three of four and bounced back from an 85-71 loss Jan. 24 at Louisville by earning a 71-65 home win over Georgia Tech on Tuesday. Despite this recent surge, the Hokies remain outside the Top 50 in the NET rankings at No. 54.
The Hokies trailed by nine less than two minutes into Tuesday’s contest before using a 15-1 run to get the lead for good, though they survived some shaky moments down the stretch. Virginia Tech held a 15-point lead with 4:26 left before giving up 11 straight points. Coach Mike Young’s squad hit 6 of 8 at the free-throw line in the final 40 seconds to clinch it.
“I’ve got the most poised, smart basketball team that I’ve had in a long, long time, and we are anything but poised and smart down the stretch,” Young said. “We’ll get better.”
Virginia Tech earned the win despite a quiet night from leading scorer Amani Hansberry, who got into foul trouble. Hansberry, who averages 14.8 points, was held to a season-low five points on 1-of-5 shooting.
Ben Hammond led the Hokies in scoring for the second time in three games by finishing with 20 and is shooting 51.4% (28 of 54) since entering the starting lineup on Jan. 14. That includes a 13-for-23 showing from 3-point range.
“He’s awesome,” Young said of Hammond, who averaged 5.6 points last season as a freshman. “He’s doing it every night.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Oklahoma State takes on TCU facing tough hill for tourney bid
Oklahoma State coach Steve Lutz shouts at Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Anthony Roy (9) during a BIG 12 men’s college basketball game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the BYU Cougars at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. Oklahoma State coach Steve Lutz knows his Cowboys must make the most of all their remaining games to have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.
The hill they must climb starts Saturday when the Cowboys (16-8, 4-7 Big 12) face TCU (15-9, 5-6) in a Big 12 game in Stillwater, Okla.
Oklahoma State only has one road win in the Big 12 since Lutz took over last season. Three of the Cowboys’ last seven games are on the road and two of the remaining home games are against No. 9 Kansas and No. 3 Houston.
That makes the game with the Horned Frogs a must-win after being swept in Arizona, 84-47 against No. 1 Arizona Saturday and 85-76 against Arizona State Tuesday.
The Cowboys trimmed the deficit in the latter game to 69-68 late, but the Sun Devils scored nine straight to lead by 10 with 1:35 left.
“The game was lost way before then when we turned the ball over 17 times and gave them 26 points and gave up offensive rebounds for 24 points,” Lutz said. “In this league, you can’t give people 50 points. You can’t spot people 50 points and expect to win. So that’s on us.”
Arizona State shot just 40% from the floor and hit only 23.8% from behind the 3-point line (5 of 21) but made 28 of 35 free throws and outrebounded the Cowboys 45-34, including grabbing 19 offensive boards.
Lutz knows how steep a hill the Cowboys face the rest of the way.
“This is not a two-hand-touch league. This is a tackle football league,” Lutz said. “If you’re not going to fight and you’re not going to scrap and you’re not going to rebound, you got no shot.”
The Horned Frogs may have saved their season with a 62-55 upset of No. 5 Iowa State Tuesday.
Coach Jamie Dixon’s decision to start highly recruited sophomore forward Micah Robinson for just the second time this season paid off in a big way.
Robinson poured in 17 points, had five rebounds and two steals, and made two sensational dunks down the stretch to put the Cyclones away.
“It definitely means a lot,” Robinson said of the opportunity to start. “It shows the trust the coaching staff and my teammates have in me. It meant a lot to be able to come out there and compete.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Raptors waive veteran G Chris Paul
Jan 2, 2026; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chris Paul in attendance during the HoopHall West Tournament at Skyline High School. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The Toronto Raptors waived 12-time All-Star guard Chris Paul on Friday.
The move was expected after Toronto acquired Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers as part of a three-team deal with the Brooklyn Nets at last week’s trade deadline. The trade for Paul, in the eyes of the Raptors, was done for financial reasons.
Paul, 40, plans to retire at season’s end.
Signed to a one-year, $3.6 million contract last offseason, Paul rejoined a Clippers franchise with which he spent six seasons from 2011-17. This season, he averaged 2.9 points, 3.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 16 games off the bench. He has not played in a game since Dec. 1.
Paul ranks second in NBA history in assists with 12,552 and second in steals with 2,728, trailing only Basketball Hall of Famer John Stockton in both categories.
Paul, then with New Orleans, was named Rookie of the Year in 2006. He is a four-time All-NBA first-team selection, five-time NBA assists champion and six-time steals champion. A member of seven first-team All-Defensive teams, he also was the MVP of the 2013 All-Star Game.
Paul won Olympic gold medals with the United States in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012 and was named to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team in 2021.
He played with New Orleans for six seasons, then was traded to the Clippers in 2011. He later played for the Houston Rockets (2017-19), Oklahoma City Thunder (2019-20), Phoenix Suns (2020-23), Golden State Warriors (2023-24) and San Antonio Spurs (2024-25).
Paul has career averages of 16.8 points, 9.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 1,370 games (1,314 starts). He has not won an NBA title, getting to the Finals only once when his Suns lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Sahith Theegala gets Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption at The Genesis
Feb 8, 2026; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; Sahith Theegala of the United States tees off on hole 3 during the final round of the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images Tournament host Tiger Woods announced Sahith Theegala as the recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption into the Genesis Invitational.
Theegala, 28, will compete in the tournament from Feb. 19-22 at The Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
The Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption is awarded annually to “a deserving golfer from a minority background,” according to the Genesis Invitational.
“During Charlie’s playing days, all he wanted was an opportunity to compete with the best players in the world so he could showcase his game, and Sahith shares those same characteristics,” Woods said. “I am proud to welcome Sahith to the field for the Genesis Invitational, a tournament that shares a lot of meaning for us both.”
Born to parents who immigrated from India, Theegala was raised in Chino Hills, Calif. He became one of the sport’s top amateurs while attending Pepperdine, and he made his PGA Tour as a sophomore in college at The Riviera Country Club in 2017 via exemption by virtue of his Collegiate Showcase victory.
“Receiving this special invitation from Tiger is an honor,” Theegala said. “The Genesis Invitational has played an important role in my journey to the PGA Tour, and I truly appreciate the opportunity to compete in Charlie’s memory.”
Theegala won the 2023 Fortinet Championship for his lone victory on the PGA Tour. He is 92nd in the current Official World Golf Ranking.
–Field Level Media
Oklahoma State takes on TCU facing tough hill for tourney bid
Raptors waive veteran G Chris Paul
