Sports
Women's Top 25 roundup: Minnesota upsets No. 10 Iowa
Minnesota women’s basketball defeats Iowa on Feb. 5, 2026, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Grace Grocholski scored a team-leading 21 points and Amaya Battle posted 12 points, 14 rebounds and six assists as Minnesota upset 10th-ranked Iowa 91-85 in Iowa City on Thursday.
Mara Braun scored 16 points and Tori McKinney added 15 for Minnesota (17-6, 8-4 Big Ten), which has won five straight games.
Ava Heiden had 24 points and Chazadi Wright added 20 points and 12 assists while playing 40 minutes for Iowa (18-5, 9-3), which has dropped three straight games. The Hawkeyes had an eight-point lead early in the first quarter but scored only 14 in the second and 16 in the third as the Golden Gophers took control.
No. 3 South Carolina 88, Mississippi State 45
Joyce Edwards posted 21 points and Ayla McDowell added 16 as the Gamecocks had little trouble against the Bulldogs in Columbia, S.C.
Raven Johnson tallied 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds for South Carolina (23-2, 9-1 Southeastern Conference), which has won four straight. The Gamecocks shot an impressive 55% from the field, 43% from beyond the arc, and 93% from the charity stripe.
Madison Francis had a team-high 12 points and Kharyssa Richardson added 11 for the Bulldogs (16-8, 3-7), losers of three of their last four. They were held to just six points in the third quarter.
No. 17 Duke 59, No. 6 Louisville 58
The Blue Devils scored just nine points in the third quarter but a late-game rally helped them secure edge the host Cardinals in Louisville.
Toby Fournier scored a game-high 15 points and Riley Nelson and Taina Mair each had 13 points and nine rebounds for Duke (17-6, 12-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), which has won 14 straight after a 3-6 start to the season.
Elif Istanbulluoglu posted 13 points and six rebounds for Louisville (21-4, 11-1), which saw its own 14-game winning streak end. Laura Ziegler and Reyna Scott each contributed 11 points.
No. 7 Vanderbilt 84, No. 16 Kentucky 83
Mikayla Blakes posted a whopping 37 points and Aubrey Galvan added 16, including two free throws in with 12 seconds to play, to push the Commodores past the host Wildcats in Lexington.
Galvan also had a team-leading seven assists while Sacha Washington added 15 points for Vanderbilt (22-2, 8-2 SEC), which has won two straight games after losing two straight. The Commodores outscored the Wildcats 30-25 in the fourth quarter despite Kentucky having a far better shooting night from the and beyond the arc.
Teonni Key had 27 points and 12 assists for Kentucky (18-6, 5-5), which has lost four of five. Clara Strack added 14 points and 15 rebounds, and Amelia Hassett added 19 points.
No. 19 Tennessee 82, Georgia 77 (OT)
Zee Spearman posted 23 points, including eight in overtime, as the Lady Volunteers rallied to defeat the host Bulldogs in Athens, Ga.
Mia Pauldo added 21 points and Janiah Barker scored nine points to go with a team-leading 13 rebounds for Tennessee (15-5, 7-1 SEC), which lost its last two games.
Dani Carnegie posted 25 points for Georgia (18-5, 4-5), tying the game 68-68 on three free throws with five seconds left in regulation. The Volunteers outscored the Bulldogs 14-9 in overtime.
No. 25 North Carolina 53, Clemson 44
Nyla Harris scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds — both game-high totals — as the Tar Heels rallied for a big second half to defeat the Tigers in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Lanie Grant added 16 points for North Carolina (19-5, 8-3 ACC), who has won six straight games. The Tar Heels were held to just nine points in the second quarter and trailed by as many as six points in the third.
Rusne Augustinaite had 15 points and Raven Thompson added eight for Clemson (16-8, 7-5), which saw its three-game winning streak end. The Tigers shot just 27% from the field and were held without a field goal for the final 9:01 of the game as they were outscored 31-20 in the second half.
–Field Level Media
Sports
U.S. loads World Baseball Classic roster with MVPs, Cy Young Award winners
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) watches from the dugout in the sixth inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. The Reds won, 2-1. The United States finalized its roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic on Thursday, locking in a group that features both reigning Cy Young Award winners, multiple Most Valuable Players and retired Los Angeles Dodgers icon Clayton Kershaw.
Most players already had confirmed their plans to compete in the tournament that begins March 5, but Thursday’s announcement revealed the Americans’ complete arsenal of arms and deep collection of infielders to go with just four primary outfielders.
“We constructed this roster with one goal in mind: to bring home a WBC Championship for the U.S. fans,” Team USA general manager Michael Hill said in a statement. “I would like to thank the Major League Clubs for trusting us with this incredible group of talented players.”
“Building this team was never easy, but it was done with purpose and pride,” Team USA manager Mark DeRosa added. “These players know what it means to wear USA across their chest, and we’re ready to go to work and bring the World Baseball Classic trophy back home.”
The U.S. has won only one WBC, in 2017. The Americans lost to Japan in the 2023 final — the last time the tournament was played.
New York Yankees star Aaron Judge serves as the team’s captain and will be joined in the outfield by veteran Byron Buxton and up-and-comers Corbin Carroll and Pete Crow-Armstrong.
The 37-year-old Kershaw, who retired from his legendary MLB career after the Dodgers’ World Series title, previously had said he would pitch in this WBC. It’s not clear to what extent he will be used.
The Americans don’t have to worry about starting pitching. American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes will anchor the rotation.
The United States opens pool play against Brazil on March 6 in Houston before facing Mexico on March 9 and Italy on March 10. The championship game will be played March 17 in Miami. Here’s the team’s 30-man roster:
Catchers
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners
Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers
Infielders/utility
Alex Bregman, 3B, Boston Red Sox
Ernie Clement, UTIL, Toronto Blue Jays
Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, free agent
Bryce Harper, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies
Gunnar Henderson, SS, Baltimore Orioles
Brice Turang, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers
Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Kansas City Royals
Outfielders
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins
Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks
Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Designated hitter
Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies
Pitchers
David Bednar, RHP, New York Yankees
Matthew Boyd, LHP, Chicago Cubs
Garrett Cleavinger, LHP, Tampa Bay Rays
Clay Holmes, RHP, New York Mets
Griffin Jax, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays
Brad Keller, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
Clayton Kershaw, LHP, retired
Nolan McLean, RHP, New York Mets
Mason Miller, RHP, San Diego Padres
Joe Ryan, RHP, Minnesota Twins
Paul Skenes, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Tarik Skubal, LHP, Detroit Tigers
Gabe Speier, LHP, Seattle Mariners
Michael Wacha, RHP, Kansas City Royals
Logan Webb, RHP, San Francisco Giants
Garrett Whitlock, RHP, Boston Red Sox
–Field Level Media
Sports
No. 2 Michigan crushes Penn St.; Nimari Burnett drops 31 in 21 minutes
Feb 5, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Nimari Burnett (4) dunks in the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images Nimari Burnett scored a career-high 31 points to lead No. 2 Michigan to a 110-69 rout of Penn State in a Big Ten contest on Thursday in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Burnett went 11 of 16 from the field overall and 7 of 10 from 3-point range while playing just 21 minutes. L.J. Cason, Trey McKenney and Morez Johnson each scored 12 points for Michigan (21-1, 11-1 Big Ten), which is now off to its best start in school history.
Michigan shot 60.6% from the field overall (40 of 66), including 51.7% from 3-point range (15 of 29), and held a 44-21 rebounding advantage.
Freddie Dilione V scored 19 points and Josh Reed and Melih Tunca each had 15 points in defeat for Penn State (10-13, 1-11), which shot 2 of 20 from 3-point range and 37.1% overall (23 of 62).
Going up against a bigger Michigan frontline was going to be challenging enough for Penn State, but the task got harder for the Nittany Lions at the beginning of the game when 7-foot freshman center Ivan Juric was ruled out with an illness.
Michigan dominated the first half, taking a 56-24 lead into the locker room. The Wolverines shot 21 of 32 from the field overall and made 7 of 13 shots from 3-point range in the half. Meanwhile, Penn State was 0 of 10 from the 3-point line in the first half.
The second half wasn’t much different, as Michigan built a 42-point lead on Burnett’s triple that made it 76-34 with 14:40 remaining.
The Wolverines reached the 100-point mark with 3:23 left when a 3-pointer by Will Tschetter gave Michigan a 100-59 lead.
It was the eighth time this year that Michigan has scored at least 100 points in a game.
Michigan left little doubt from the start, opening the game on a 15-2 run and going up 26-10 with 8:50 remaining in the first half.
The Wolverines later went on a 9-2 run to grab a 44-18 lead with 3:38 until halftime.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Super Bowl LX: Patriots work on red-zone offense, 2-minute drill
Feb 5, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel talks to media members at the Santa Clara Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images PALO ALTO, Calif. — As quarterback Drake Maye and the New England Patriots’ first-team offense jogged onto the field for the first of nine plays focused on red-zone situations in practice at Stanford Stadium on Thursday, the team employee in control of the playlist had a song ready to go: “Be Legendary” by Pop Evil.
The track wasn’t Mike Vrabel’s choice, but New England’s head coach did have one request for the DJ: crank the music loud. The Patriots haven’t pumped in crowd noise through the stadium speakers, but turning the volume of the music up can in part simulate the crowd noise the Patriots expect to hear when they are on offense during the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
“We’ll have to be ready for anything that comes up,” Vrabel said.
The Patriots spent 75 minutes running through an up-tempo practice session with a focus on the two-minute drill, red zone situations and special teams. The team will finish its on-field preparations for Super Bowl LX on Friday.
“We wanted to try to get some of those things with speed and in the red zone, the plays that we’ll have to come back to and hit again (on Friday), but those are obviously critical plays down there,” Vrabel said.
Maye was sharp during that red-zone series, as the team worked through plays from the high red zone down to the goal line. But that wasn’t the case during a sloppy two-minute drill for the offense.
“We’ll have to have better execution on Sunday, without a doubt,” Vrabel. “There’s going to be mistakes, they just can’t pile up and we can’t let one mistake turn into another mistake and another mistake. So it’s going to be about how we regroup, and I thought they did that.”
Maye was once again a full participant in practice, though he remains on the injury report because of the right shoulder ailment. Linebacker Robert Spillane returned to practice and was a limited participant after sitting out on Wednesday with an ankle injury. Linebacker Harold Landry III did not practice after he was limited on Wednesday due to a knee injury.
Other players on the Thursday injury report include starting right tackle Morgan Moses (limited, rest), backup offensive tackle Thayer Munford Jr. (limited, knee) and defensive tackle Joshua Farmer (full, hamstring).
–Pro Football Writers of America
U.S. loads World Baseball Classic roster with MVPs, Cy Young Award winners
No. 2 Michigan crushes Penn St.; Nimari Burnett drops 31 in 21 minutes
