Sports
Wake Forest desperate for victory vs. Notre Dame as March nears
Feb 26, 2025; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Hunter Sallis (23) brings the ball up court against the Virginia Cavaliers during the first half at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Now that it’s March, there are a lot of teams across America that need a win this weekend to boost their NCAA Tournament hopes.
Wake Forest is certainly among the most needy.
With losses to second-tier Atlantic Coast Conference teams Florida State, North Carolina State and Virginia staining their February resume — and a visit to No. 2 Duke scheduled for Monday — the Demon Deacons (19-9, 11-6 ACC) must handle Notre Dame (12-16, 6-11) Saturday in Winston-Salem, N.C., if they have any March Madness intentions.
Considering Wake Forest sits in the 70s in the NCAA’s NET rankings as well as KenPom, it might already be too late.
“It’s not the way you want it to be,” Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said. “But, you know, here it is. Like anything in life, you have to face adversity and face it head-on and overcome it. That’s what we’re going to have to do. Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us.”
Speaking of adversity, Forbes would like his defense to get back to more adversarial ways. Per KenPom, Wake Forest boasts the ACC’s fourth-best defense at 98.7 points allowed per 100 possessions.
But NC State (85) and Virginia (83) just scored the most points the Demon Deacons have allowed all year. The Wolfpack shot 50 percent from the field and the Cavs hit 55.8 percent, which negated more good offensive work by Hunter Sallis (18.6 ppg) and Cameron Hildreth (15.0 ppg).
Wake Forest isn’t the only team with incentive Saturday. The Fighting Irish are tied for 13th in the ACC standings with Syracuse and the top 15 teams get invites to Charlotte for the ACC tournament. A win over Wake Forest would all but clinch Notre Dame’s spot.
Alas, Notre Dame has been missing two starting guards: Braeden Shrewsberry (14.0 ppg, 72 3-pointers) is done for the year with a lower abdominal strain and Matt Allocco (9.0 ppg, 3.0 apg) has been out six of the last seven games with a shooting wrist injury.
Sophomore point guard Markus Burton (20.8 ppg) stepped up with 30 points Wednesday in a loss at Clemson — and the ACC’s leading scorer will likely need to do it again.
“Right now, (Markus) is driving the ball and there’s a dude on him and four other (defenders) standing around him,” Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry said. “And he continues to keep scoring, keep going, keep playing. He’s doing his part, right? We just need more.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cards extend manager Oliver Marmol through '28 season
Feb 22, 2026; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol (37) looks on from inside the dugout against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol received a two-year contract extension through the 2028 season, the team announced Sunday.
Financial terms were not disclosed by the team, which holds an option for the 2029 season.
“As I’ve gotten to know Oli, I’ve seen someone who cares about this organization and knows what has made the Cardinals special over time — and who understands that for us to get where we need to go, we must compete relentlessly to set new standards in everything that we do,” president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom said.
“He is invested in the progress of our young core and is unafraid to challenge himself and to help those around him grow. I am energized to continue working with him towards the on-field success that we expect and that our fans deserve.”
Marmol, 39, has guided the Cardinals to a 325-323 record during his four seasons as the skipper. He led St. Louis to the National League Central title in 2022 before the team fell in the wild-card series to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Last season, the Cardinals posted a 78-84 record to finish in fourth place in the NL Central.
Marmol was a coach with St. Louis from 2017-21 under previous managers Mike Shildt and Mike Matheny.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Tyler Reif treated for heat exhaustion after Trucks race
Oct 31, 2025; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Truck Series driver Tyler Reif (41) during the NASCAR Truck Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rookie Tyler Reif was treated for heat exhaustion after Saturday night’s street race in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Reif, 18, was transported to an area medical facility after finishing 16th in the race in the No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet. He was later released.
“Tyler and his family would like to express their gratitude to the NASCAR officials, track medical workers and the local medical facility staff for their care,” Niece Motorsports said in a release.
Reif made his debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series in 2025. Saturday’s race was just his third on the circuit, including a 17th-place finish at Atlanta on Feb. 21.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: RB David Montgomery 'wants out' of Detroit
Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) looks on before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images Lions running back David Montgomery “wants out” of Detroit after three seasons, ESPN reported on Sunday.
Montgomery, however, immediately appeared to refute the report on X, posting: “Damn, Dmo told you that?”
The ESPN report claims the Lions would want “a decent Day 3 pick (possibly a fifth-rounder)” in the 2026 NFL Draft in return for Montgomery, who turns 29 in June and is owed $6 million next season.
The report follows general manager Brad Holmes’ remarks after the season about Montgomery being unhappy with his playing time in 2025. Sharing a backfield with Jahmyr Gibbs, Montgomery rushed for a career-low 716 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games (no starts).
“Those are conversations that we’re going to have to have because I’ve got a lot of respect for that player,” Holmes said of Montgomery in January. “He deserves to be in a situation where his skillset can be utilized, and so yeah would love for it to be here, but if it can’t be here then you’d just love to see where could work out best for him.”
At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Holmes said the situation with Montgomery is “fluid.” He signed a two-year extension during the 2024 season that runs through the end of the 2027 campaign.
“Yeah, I have been in touch with David’s agent, and his representation,” Holmes revealed. “Obviously, we love David, he’s a great player, we love to have him, you know, kind of want to put last year in the rear view, and just move forward. But, obviously, a player has to want to be at a certain place as well. The conversations are still fluid, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Montgomery has rushed for 2,506 yards and 33 touchdowns in 45 games (28 starts) in three seasons with Detroit (2023-25). He has 76 catches for 650 yards in that span.
He began his career with the NFC North rival Chicago Bears, who drafted him in the third round in 2019. Montgomery rushed for 3,609 yards and 26 scores in 60 games (51 starts) with the Bears (2019-22).
–Field Level Media
Cards extend manager Oliver Marmol through '28 season
Tyler Reif treated for heat exhaustion after Trucks race
