Category: Sports Fox

GLENDALE, Ariz. — He has made five All-Star teams, won four MVP Awards and two World Series championships and just followed up Major League Baseball’s first ever 50-homer, 50-steal campaign by becoming the first player ever with 50 homers as a hitter and 50 strikeouts as a pitcher. Now, after back-to-back record-setting seasons to start his 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers, what’s left for Shohei Ohtani to accomplish? “I think it’s fair to say he expects to be in the Cy Young conversation,” said manager Dave Roberts. MLB’s top pitching honor is the only major award that has eluded Ohtani during his unprecedented eight-year career. He claims that winning his first Cy Young in 2026 is not his primary focus, but as he gears up for his first full season on the mound since undergoing his latest elbow surgery in September 2023, opportunity beckons for baseball’s unicorn. “If, at the end, the result is getting a Cy Young, that’s great,” Ohtani said through his interpreter after throwing a bullpen session on Friday. “Getting a Cy Young means being able to throw more innings and being able to pitch throughout the whole season, so if that’s the end result, that’s a good sign for me. What I’m more focused on is just being healthy the whole year.” Ohtani has gotten close to winning the award once before in his career. In 2022, he went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA and 219 strikeouts in 166 innings over 28 starts for the Angels and finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting. That was the only time in Ohtani’s MLB career that he has made more than 23 starts or thrown more than 132 innings, primarily due to the two major elbow reconstructions he has undergone since the end of his rookie year in 2018. Ohtani was named the National League MVP in his first year as a Dodger in 2024 despite serving only as a designated hitter. After the season, he needed surgery on his non-throwing shoulder and did not record his first start on the mound as a Dodger until June 2025 — 22 months after his last big-league pitching appearance with the Angels. The Dodgers handled him carefully and built him up slowly. He made two one-inning appearances, then two two-inning appearances, then three three-inning appearances, eventually working his way up to a five-inning outing at the end of August. He ultimately threw just 47 innings over 14 regular-season starts, but he finished the year with a 2.87 ERA and a 33.2% strikeout rate, which tied a career high. Ohtani entered the 2025 postseason coming off three scoreless September outings, the last of which was his first six-inning appearance in over two years. “I think the thing that was most surprising from last year was his command,” Roberts said. “I’ll say that he still feels his command wasn’t up to par, but given the Tommy John and what typically command looks like the year after, it was above that.” In the playoffs, Ohtani recorded one of the greatest all-around performances in MLB history in Game 4 of the NLCS when he hit three home runs and struck out 10 batters in six scoreless innings to send the Dodgers to the World Series. The Fall Classic was more of a struggle on the mound for Ohtani, who allowed seven runs in 8.1 innings over two starts. He admitted Friday that he “did feel the effect” of playing deep into October as a two-way player for the first time. “I think playing the postseason as a DH only, which I did two years ago versus what I did last year, did feel different,” Ohtani said. “In that sense, it’s an experience that I plan to hold onto.” This year, Ohtani is expected to be ready for a full pitching workload and be handled more normally after his first fully healthy offseason in years. He reported to camp at the beginning of the month and has already thrown three bullpen sessions, though it’s unclear at this point how the World Baseball Classic might impact his throwing progression. Ohtani will hit but won’t pitch for Team Japan, which begins pool play on March 6. “I’m sure [pitching coach] Mark [Prior] will be talking to the pitching coach over there and kind of stick to our plan, and we’ll be in lockstep,” Roberts told me. “I’m not too concerned about it. Shohei’s very well aware of what he needs to do.” It has yet to be determined when Ohtani will depart for the WBC or whether he’ll start in a Cactus League game before he goes. He said he is planning to ramp up as much as he can now to be ready to face hitters sometime next week. The Dodgers will likely operate with a six-man rotation once the season begins. They’re not going to rush Ohtani or put a date on his 2026 pitching debut yet, but if all goes to plan, he could be ready to take the mound on Opening Day or shortly thereafter as he prepares to write the latest chapter of an unparalleled career. “We just want him to be healthy and make starts,” Roberts said. “All the numbers and statistics will take care of themselves.” Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Here’s what’s happening this week Inside The Garage: Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beach, Fla.) — Winning the Daytona 500 automatically makes it a historical moment no matter the year, no matter the number of times a driver or team has won it. But the first time? That’s next level. The 2026 Daytona 500 will go down as a seminal moment in not just the career of driver Tyler Reddick but also in 23XI Racing. There have been others: the first race win by Bubba Wallace at Talladega in 2021, Reddick winning the 2024 regular-season title, Wallace winning the 2025 Brickyard 400. And now a victory in the team’s sixth season at the Daytona 500. “We’re only starting our sixth season, so I feel like getting that done, especially coming off a Brickyard 400 win — two crown jewels in a row, so to speak,” 23XI Racing President Steve Lauletta told me. “A lot of people on the team, it’s their first Daytona 500 win. That makes a big, big difference in terms of how they’re going to pay attention and focus for the rest of the season.” Even veterans of the sport were still emotional Monday morning as they took photos by the car before it went to the track museum for a year. “I’ve lost track how many years I’ve been in the sport. It’s 27 [or] 28 and this is the first time I’ve been in Daytona on a Monday pushing a car into the museum,” 23XI Racing Senior Director of Competition Dave Rogers told me. Lauletta fielded calls from sponsors Sunday night who were ecstatic. Reddick said when he looked last night, he had 900 texts and had not started to go through them to start responding. For an organization with 10 victories, they can use the Daytona 500 victory to show they can execute on the biggest stage, giving them something to build momentum on for the entire season. The team is co-owned by driver Denny Hamlin (although Hamlin races for Joe Gibbs Racing) and basketball legend Michael Jordan. “This is where the most eyes are on our sport,” three-time Daytona 500 winner Hamlin said in his post-race news conference. “This is good for our partners. It’s good for everyone on our race team. Winning races certainly helps a lot of things. But when you can win the Daytona 500, I’ll tell you, just early in the season — because I’ve done it — it really helps with momentum to start the year because now you’re not chasing anything. “You’re in a good spot. You can race a lot freer.” They could race a little bit differently. With the change in NASCAR’s championship format, the win doesn’t guarantee Reddick a spot in the postseason, but he was already considered a likely participant, as finishing 16th in the standings would be a considerable drop from where he has run the last couple of years. “For us in particular, I think we always had the goal of multiple wins even before the playoffs start,” Reddick crew chief Billy Scott told me. “This is a nice start in the points, a nice momentum builder. But I think we’ll treat the rest of the season as we always have. We’re here every week to win.” The team celebrated at a Daytona Beach bar last night and there will be another celebration at the shop in the coming weeks. “[Our sponsors] will put more plans behind promoting the win, which is good for the sport and good for us,” Lauletta said. “I’m excited to get back to the halls of [our shop] Airspeed and see how everybody is there. “I know they’re excited. It’s just a massive push forward in the momentum you need to start the season.” Reddick, in his post-race news conference, indicated that would happen. “We’ve done a really good job of setting ourselves up for success. And I think this just, if anything, is going to motivate us to work that much harder at the start of this year as we get going,” Reddick said. Kyle Larson extends through 2031 Two-time Cup champion Kyle Larson signed a contract extension through 2031, and team owner Rick Hendrick had hoped it would be for longer. Larson (or at least his agent) knows things can change even if he can’t see it. So five years is long enough. He turns 40 in 2032. “I don’t get too wrapped up in the duration or all of that,” Larson said in the news conference about his new contract. “It’s nice to know that I will be here for at least five years and hopefully more. And that is kind of it. I just get to work on trying to win more races and win more championships in the time that I am there. “I’m grateful and I feel like it’s a very long-term contract compared to what you see these days. I am very happy with all of that. That gets me close to 40 and then we will see after that.” Anthony Alfredo’s Long Week Anthony Alfredo has to be wondering who he made angry last week. He thought he had raced his way into the Daytona 500, only to get disqualified for a couple hoses not sealed following his qualifying race. He then failed to qualify for the O’Reilly Series race after a parts issue on his qualifying lap. The Viking Motorsports team was able to get Alfredo into the Alpha Prime Racing car driven by Cesar Bacarella. On the first lap of the O’Reilly race, he was involved in an accident. But he rallied to finish 11th. “I think that’s just part of the test of my resilience,” Alfredo told me and other reporters after that 11th-place finish. “I’m never going to give up. I want this so bad, and until these opportunities don’t continue to come together, I’m never going to give up.” Why The Call? It was a pretty clear-cut decision to disallow the qualifying result for Alfredo, according to NASCAR Cup Series Director Brad Moran. A transaxle hose was completely loose and a driver cooling hose was not tightly sealed. “We have many rules that no parts can fall off the car for obvious reasons,” Moran said during a news conference. “We don’t say what the intent is, but these parts have to be fastened properly. “Unfortunately, this one piece wasn’t on the right side. There was also another hose disconnected for driving cooling, which affects airflow. Superspeedways, we all know the importance of that [aerodynamically].” Alfredo said he did talk to NASCAR about it, although he wondered whether, since the qualifying races pay points to the top 10, there should have been an opportunity for an appeal. NASCAR treats it like a qualifying call, where there is no appeal. “It came loose from either getting bump drafted or turbulent air,” Alfredo told me and other reporters. “And rules are rules. The rule is they cannot come loose. It did. … It had no effect on our race or our performance. “But it’s the rule. I can live with that because if they’re going to be consistent moving forward, that’s what this sport’s all about. So I appreciate that and I respect that. Just wasn’t meant to be. I’ll accept my fate on that side of things.” News Of The Week — Dale Coyne Racing solidified its 2026 INDYCAR lineup with the hiring of former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean, who competed in INDYCAR from 2021-24 and served as a reserve driver for Prema Racing last year. Grosjean will be in the No. 18, while Dennis Hauger will drive the No. 19. — The future of Prema Racing remains in flux as the team tries to find an investor or funding for the 2026 INDYCAR season. INDYCAR President Doug Boles: “I don’t think we believe that they’re going to be able to answer the bell, at least at the beginning portion of the season.” Prema fielded cars for Robert Shwartzman and Callum Ilott last year. — Arrow McLaren Racing announced that former Penske executive and strategist Kyle Moyer will be the strategist for Christian Lundgaard this season. Long-time INDYCAR team executive and strategist Tim Keene will work with the young Nolan Siegel. — The Daytona 500 was the last race for the retiring Stu Grant, Goodyear’s GM for global race tires and a fixture in the sport. Justin Fantozzi will assume that role. — The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame announced its 2026 class: Scott Dixon and Giampaolo Dallara They Said It “We still have a lot of growing and maturing to do as a company, but I’m confident it will be noticed this year as we get into the schedule and get racing.” — Legacy Motor Club co-owner Jimmie Johnson Stat of Note Tyler Reddick led only the last lap, the fourth time a driver won the Daytona 500 after leading only one lap. Social Spotlight In Inside The Garage, Bob Pockrass takes us behind the scenes of the motorsports world the way only he can.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Michigan is No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the first time in 13 years, ending Arizona’s nine-week reign. The Wolverines (24-1) claimed 60 of 61 first-place votes in Monday’s poll to climb one spot and supplant the Wildcats, who were unbeaten entering last week before falling at Kansas and at home to Texas Tech. “Not much,” coach Dusty May said when asked by the AP after Saturday’s rout of UCLA about the significance of potentially topping the poll. “It means we haven’t drank our own Kool-Aid. We’ve put ourselves in a position to be playing the types of games in mid-February that we want to be in, but we’ve got to continue to improve.” Michigan had been ranked No. 2 behind Arizona for six of Arizona’s nine weeks at the top but was No. 1 in analytics rankings by KenPom, Evan Miyakawa and Bart Torvik last week. Now the Wolverines have their first AP No. 1 ranking since January 2013. Houston and Duke each moved up one spot to sit behind Michigan, with the second-ranked Cougars claiming the remaining first-place vote. The Wolverines and Blue Devils are set to meet this weekend in a marquee nonconference matchup in the nation’s capital. [Casey Jacobsen’s Men’s College Basketball Rankings: Purdue, Texas Tech Make Massive Jumps] Arizona dropped three spots to No. 4. UConn was next at No. 5, followed by Iowa State, Purdue, Kansas, Nebraska and Illinois to round out the top 10. Wisconsin went from receiving no votes in last week’s poll to No. 24 after back-to-back wins against top-10 opponents Illinois and Michigan State last week. Wisconsin became the first team with three top-10 wins this season, and are now tied for fifth in the Big Ten with No. 10 Michigan State. Alabama was the other new addition at No. 25. Clemson (No. 20) and Kentucky (No. 25) fell out of last week’s poll. Clemson still received 55 votes, but No. 25 Alabama had 104. Utah State (45), Tennessee (36), Villanova (29), Kentucky (15), Miami (10), Saint Mary’s (3) and VCU (1) also received votes this week. Here is the full top 25: 25. Alabama, 18-7, SEC24. Wisconsin, 18-7, Big Ten23. BYU, 19-6, Big 1222. Miami (OH), 25-0, MAC21. Louisville, 19-6, ACC20. Arkansas, 19-6, SEC19. Vanderbilt, 21-4, SEC18. Saint Louis, 24-1, A-1017. St. John’s, 20-5, Big East16. North Carolina, 20-5, ACC15. Michigan State, 20-5, Big Ten14. Virginia, 22-3, ACC13. Texas Tech, 19-6, Big 1212. Florida, 19-6, SEC11. Gonzaga, 25-2, WCC10. Illinois, 21-5, Big Ten9. Nebraska, 22-3, Big Ten8. Kansas, 19-6, Big 127. Purdue, 21-4, Big Ten6. Iowa State, 22-3, Big 125. UConn, 24-2, Big East4. Arizona, 23-2, Big 123. Duke, 23-2, ACC2. Houston, 23-2, Big 121. Michigan, 24-1, Big Ten Conference breakdown The Big Ten and Big 12 lead with six teams each in the top 25, followed by the ACC and SEC with four teams a piece. The Big East has two representatives, while the West Coast Conference, Atlantic 10 and MAC have one team each. The Associated Press contributed to this report.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Geno Auriemma tied Tara VanDerveer for most appearances in the AP women’s basketball Top 25 poll when UConn remained No. 1 on Monday. Auriemma has led the Huskies to 654 appearances in the poll during his 41-year Hall of Fame career to match VanDerveer, who retired from Stanford in 2024. UConn has been ranked for the past 619 consecutive weeks, dating to the preseason 1993-94 poll, and once again was a unanimous choice at No. 1 from the 31-member national media panel. Monday was the 900th poll in the 50-year history of the rankings. UCLA and South Carolina remained second and third behind the Huskies. Texas and Vanderbilt were next as the top five remained unchanged. The Commodores beat the Longhorns last week before losing to Georgia on Sunday. Michigan, LSU and Louisville were next. Duke moved back into the top 10 at No. 9 as the Blue Devils are riding a 16-game winning streak after beating rival North Carolina on Sunday. Ohio State dropped two places to 10th after losing to Maryland on Sunday. The Terrapins jumped up six spots to 14th. Washington and Princeton both fell out of the poll entirely, with the two receiving 22 and 14 votes this week, respectively. No. 25 Alabama had 53. Richmond (12), Fairfield (7), North Dakota State (2), Iowa State (2), Illinois (2), Syracuse (1) and Columbia (1) each received votes, as well. Here is the full top 25: 25. Alabama, 20-6, SEC24. Georgia, 20-26, SEC23. Minnesota, 20-6, Big Ten22. North Carolina, 21-6, ACC21. Tennessee, 16-7, SEC20. Texas Tech, 23-4, Big 1219. West Virginia, 21-6, Big 1218. Michigan State, 20-6, Big Ten17. Ole Miss, 20-6, SEC16. Kentucky, 20-7, SEC15. Baylor, 22-5, Big 1214. Maryland, 21-6, Big Ten13. Iowa, 19-5, Big Ten12. TCU, 23-4, Big 1211. Oklahoma, 19-6, SEC10. Ohio State, 22-4, Big Ten9. Duke, 19-6, ACC8. Louisville, 24-4, ACC7. LSU, 22-4, SEC6. Michigan, 22-4, Big Ten5. Vanderbilt, 24-3, SEC4. Texas, 24-3, SEC3. South Carolina, 24-2, SEC2. UCLA, 25-1, Big Ten1. UConn, 27-0, Big East In and out Minnesota entered the Top 25 for the first time this season as the Golden Gophers came in at No. 23. They have an eight-game winning streak but a difficult week ahead with games against Ohio State and No. 18 Michigan State. Minnesota was ranked for two weeks last season. Georgia also came back into the rankings this week, appearing at No. 24 after its win over Vanderbilt. Princeton and Washington fell out of the poll following an upset by Columbia and a loss to Iowa, respectively. Conference supremacy The SEC remained the top conference with 10 teams in the poll. The Big Ten is next with seven. The Big 12 has four teams, the Atlantic Coast Conference has three and the Big East one. Games of the week No. 6 Michigan at No. 13 Iowa, Sunday. A battle for second place in the Big Ten as the Wolverines and Hawkeyes are a game apart in the loss column in the conference standings, trailing UCLA. No. 7 LSU at No. 17 Mississippi, Thursday. A key SEC matchup with the Tigers looking to rebound from a loss to South Carolina. The Rebels have a busy week with games against Tennessee, LSU and South Carolina this week. The Associated Press contributed to this report.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The Miami Dolphins have made it clear they’re turning the page and entering a new era. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill has been released by the Dolphins, the team announced Monday afternoon. The news came shortly after it was reported that the team plans to cut edge rusher Bradley Chubb. Miami is also reportedly cutting guard James Daniels and wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Following his release, Hill is now FOX Sports’ 27th-best free agent this offseason and the seventh-best wide receiver set to hit the open market. With Hill getting cut, the Dolphins will save $22.8 million in cap space. Hill, who’ll turn 32 in March, had one season remaining on his three-year, $90 million deal. Hill from a dislocated knee and an ACL tear he suffered early in the 2025 season. That injury ended Hill’s season after four games, and it also ended his streak of seasons with 800-plus receiving yards at eight. While Hill rehabs from the major injury, he vowed that he’ll return in 2026. “Every chapter in life has taught me something,” Hill wrote in an Instagram post. “This one taught me leadership, resilience, and mostly gratitude. The love I have for this game is unexplainable. And right now, this off season, for the first time ever, The Cheetah is all the way turned up and locked in. Focused. “The Cheetah don’t slow down. Ever. So to everyone wondering what’s next… just wait on it. The Cheetah will be back…Born Again.” Hill was traded to the Miami Dolphins from the Kansas City Chiefs ahead of the 2022 season. He continued to be one of the game’s top receivers while he was in Miami and was arguably the top wide receiver in the NFL for a bit. He was named first-team All-Pro twice in his four years in Miami, logging 4,733 receiving yards and 28 total touchdowns during that time. Miami’s decision to move on from Hill, Chubb and other veteran players came after it hired a new head of football operations and head coach. It hired Green Bay Packers executive Jon-Eric Sullivan to replace Chris Grier as its general manager and Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to replace Mike McDaniel at head coach. The Dolphins decided to make those moves following a 7-10 season, which caused them to miss the playoffs for a second consecutive year. In totality, the Dolphins cleared $66.98 million in cap space and over $56 million in 2026 cap space with the moves they made Monday.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Every week, we have incredible storylines this season in men’s college basketball. This week, previously undefeated and top-ranked Arizona lost back-to-back games to bring the Wildcats back down to Earth a bit. Miami (Ohio) now remains the lone unbeaten team, so I need to address why I still don’t have them ranked in my rankings. I have tremendous respect for the RedHawks and coach Travis Steele for what they’ve accomplished. No matter the conference, going undefeated into late February is difficult to do. It’s a great story, and we love the underdog in America. However, I don’t believe Miami is one of the 25 best teams in college basketball. The word “undefeated” does matter, but not so much that I feel obligated to rank them. I’m still rooting for them to win, and I believe they should be included in the NCAA Tournament field — even if they don’t win their conference. That said, here’s the latest edition of my men’s college basketball rankings, as of Feb. 15. Utah State is tied with San Diego State for first place in the Mountain West. On Saturday, the Aggies flexed their muscles against a struggling Memphis team, beating the Tigers by 24 points. Louisville is back in my rankings after winning five consecutive games, including dropping 118 points against NC State and then beating Baylor handedly in a random non-conference game in February. (More of this, please!) Tennessee moved up two spots in my rankings after beating Mississippi State and LSU, which was expected. The Vols’ defense is still one of the toughest around. This Saturday’s contest at Vanderbilt is a big one. Alabama has won four games in a row in the SEC and made 31 3-pointers combined this week. Next up is a conference matchup against Arkansas on Wednesday. That will be a fun one! Wisconsin seems too low here, right? The backcourt duo of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell is wreaking havoc on the Big Ten right now. Wisconsin now has road wins at Michigan and Illinois, the conference’s two most talented teams. [COLLEGE HOOPS: 4 Takeaways From Wisconsin’s Dominant Big Ten Win Over Michigan State] Arkansas freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. is one of the best players in the country — period. Auburn had no answers for him on Saturday night, but they aren’t the only ones. I’m so bummed that one of the best players in the country, Caleb Wilson, is injured (hand) and out indefinitely. He’s the heartbeat of this team, while also being the most talented performer. I had to drop North Carolina because of this. Saint Louis played two bad teams this week but smashed them both by a combined 51 points. The Billikens are dominating the Atlantic 10 and rank 23rd in KenPom. St John’s win at Providence was marred by a fight followed up with the dirtiest play I’ve seen all year. Lost in some of the aftermath was the stellar play of St. John’s Dylan Darling, who had 23 points and eight rebounds off the bench. After its three-game skid a couple of weeks back, Vanderbilt is back to playing its fun brand of offensive basketball, and the Dores are winners of five of their past six games. Forward Tyler Nickel had 25 points against Texas A&M on Saturday. I watched Virginia beat an average Ohio State team on Saturday, but the Cavaliers did it very methodically. That’s meant to be a high compliment; Virginia plays both ends of the ball and doesn’t beat itself. Gonzaga is the most difficult team to rank. I understand those who think that the Zags have no business in my top 15 after Braden Huff’s injury (knee) and their loss to lowly Portland. However, I still believe this is a good team — but they are slowly falling in my rankings. Michigan State has lost three of its past four, including a road loss to Wisconsin on Saturday. The good news is that the Spartans get to host UCLA and Ohio State this week to get right. My early skepticism about Nebraska was well documented, but I’ve come around. Despite a home loss to an excellent Purdue team, Nebraska is one of the toughest teams in the country. No lead is safe, because the Huskers put five guys on the floor that can all shoot from 3. Illinois lost at home to a surging Wisconsin team but recovered on Sunday against Indiana, so it didn’t drop far. Home losses matter, of course, but I would still take the Fighting Illini on a neutral floor in the NCAA Tournament against all the teams that are below them right now. Texas Tech picked up the second-best win of any team this season by taking down top-ranked Arizona in Tucson. (Iowa State beating Purdue by 23 at Mackey Arena is still my No. 1.) That goes nicely with the Red Raiders’ neutral-court win over Duke. Kansas beat Arizona at home without Darryn Peterson (illness) and then got dominated at Iowa State with Peterson playing (only 10 points), so I kept the Jayhawks right where they were last week. The Arizona win means a lot about where this team can go. Florida’s 5-4 start to this season seems like another lifetime ago at this point, and I won’t hold it against the Gators because none of the losses were bad. The Gators are every bit what we thought they could be at the start of the season and are now the favorite to win the SEC. I was ready to leave Purdue out of the title contender conversation a few weeks ago, but their overtime win at Nebraska followed by a Saturday demolition of Iowa has the Boilermakers back in my top 10. UConn barely beat Georgetown at home on Saturday. Not that impressive — I know — but other than that entertaining loss at St John’s last week, UConn is one of the most consistent teams in the nation. Duke might be underrated at No. 5 because the Blue Devils’ defense is elite (and their NET is 2). They completely shut down a good Clemson team on Saturday. Their defense will give them a chance to win every game, but their offensive depth is what worries me. My feelings about who Iowa State is (top five) and what the Cyclones are capable of (national title) haven’t wavered much since the start of the year. Their revenge win against Kansas just confirmed that. Milan Momcilovic’s corner fade-away 3 in the first half was the most ridiculously made shot I’ve seen this season. Back-to-back losses aren’t ideal for Arizona fans, but I think it could be a good thing for this group. I think the Wildcats will regroup. Koa Peat’s injury (lower leg) is way more concerning, however. We’ll keep an eye on that. Houston is now in the lead in the Big 12. This will be an intriguing race and a fascinating conference tournament in March. The Cougars will host Arizona this week, which is one of the most important regular-season games of the year. Michigan demolished an improved UCLA team by 30 points on Saturday, a result that surprised no one. That’s why this team is the best in the land. Aday Mara got to beat up on his old coach, too. That had to be fun for him.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Chase Elliott could see the finish line of the 2026 Daytona 500. He was running up front and feet away from taking his first checkered flag in The Great American Race on Sunday. He was in perfect position — until he wasn’t. When the white flag flew signaling the last lap of the NASCAR Cup Series season-opening race, Elliott in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was running 10th amid several three-wide rows. But as race leaders Carson Hocevar, Michael McDowell and Erik Jones began wrecking, a path opened for Elliott on the outside lane. As they exited Turn 2, Elliott and Zane Smith in the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford behind him had momentum, and Elliott cruised down the backstrech out front. “I’m not really sure what happened with the first wreck,” Elliott told FOX Sports’ Josh Sims after the race. “That’s a little further around. But we ended up kind of getting gifted the lead, and [No.] 38 and I had got out by ourselves down the back. “He had given me a good shove off into [Turn] 3, and then it was kind of just he and I. And at that point I just felt momentum shift, like there was going to be another run coming behind us there at some point. Unfortunately, that was accurate.” In the final two turns, Tyler Reddick popped out from behind Smith and found the outside lane behind Elliott, who threw a block to maintain the lead. But when Reddick in the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota slid down to the inside lane to fight Elliott for the lead, the cars behind them began wrecking. They collected NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver, as Reddick took the checkered flag, delivering a win for team owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, who finished 31st in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Elliott was credited with a fourth-place finish. “At that point in time, you’re just on defense,” Elliott told Sims. “Man, that’s a really, really tough place to be, truthfully. Obviously, looking back, you can run it through your mind 1,000 times — do you do something different? I feel like if I had thrown a double block on [Reddick], probably would have just crashed us at that point in time. “So I felt like you had to pick your battles. I thought maybe if somebody would pick me up on the top, you might have one more run to the line, but unfortunately ended up getting turned around. … This really sucks to be that close and come off Turn 4 with the lead and not finish it off. But that’s part of this event, and unfortunately we were on the bad end of it today.” Elliott’s quest to win his first Daytona 500 will have to wait another year.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Michael Jordan has won his seventh title, or at least that’s how he’s feeling after Tyler Reddick’s Daytona 500 victory. Reddick was able to outlast multiple crashes on the final lap of Sunday’s 2026 Daytona 500, driving by Chase Elliott at the end to give Jordan’s 23XI Racing its first victory in the “Great American Race.” Following the race, Jordan compared the victory to winning an NBA championship. “I’m ecstatic. I don’t even know what to say,” the six-time NBA champion told FOX Sports’ Jamie Little. “It feels like I won a championship. But until I get my ring, I won’t even know.” Reddick’s victory came after a trying 2025 season for the driver and Jordan’s 23XI Racing. Reddick didn’t win a single race last season, while 23XI Racing was stuck in a legal battle with NASCAR over a lawsuit that was eventually settled in December. [REDDICK’S VICTORY Tyler Reddick Gives Michael Jordan, 23XI Monumental Win] With the lawsuit behind 23XI Racing, the team wound up having a strong day to open the 2026 season on Sunday. Bubba Wallace led the race for 40 laps, claiming victory for Stage 2. He ultimately finished in 10th. It was a different driver for 23XI Racing who wound up securing the victory for Reddick. After Reddick moved from fourth to first on the final lap, Riley Herbst caused some chaos to prevent Chase Elliott from re-taking the lead. Herbst wound up finishing in eighth, but Jordan wanted to make sure he got his due for helping Reddick get the victory. “I thought Riley did a really unbelievable job by pushing at the end,” Jordan said. “That shows you what teamwork can really, really do. He won’t get enough credit, but we feel the love. We understand exactly what he did. We just hung in there, all day. We had a great strategy by the team and we gave ourselves a chance at the end.” In Wallace’s post-race interview with FOX Sports, he expressed some disappointment in himself for losing the lead. But he also gave credit to Reddick, Jordan and the rest of their team for prevailing on Sunday. “I can’t even believe it. It was so gratifying,” Jordan added. “We had four guys that were really fighting, that were helping each other out. You never know how these races are going to end. You’re just trying to survive.” As for that ring Jordan wants for being the owner of the team that won the Daytona 500, Little asked him what his ring size is. “Size 13,” Jordan said, smiling as he now anticipates getting his seventh title ring.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Tyler Reddick led the 2026 Daytona 500 for just one lap, and that was all he needed to claim victory in the “Great American Race.” The No. 45 car was able to outlast some chaos on the final lap, which saw leader Carson Hocevar get knocked out of the leader’s spot when a crash occurred. Reddick, who was in fourth at the time of the incident, still needed to get around Chase Elliott entering the final turn. Reddick was able to get right by Elliott on the final turn and escape another crash behind him, with 23XI teammate Riley Herbst able to make way for him at the end. Here’s how a dramatic 2026 Daytona unfolded. The Winner Is … Tyler Reddick won his first Daytona 500 on Sunday. It’s also the first Daytona 500 win for the Michael Jordan co-owned 23XI Racing. Reddick started the race in 26th. The final lap was the only lap Reddick led in Sunday’s race. How The Race Was Won Reddick was able to outlast a pair of crashes on the final lap, which helped him go from fourth to first. He also wasn’t one of the 20 drivers that was involved in “The Big One” on Lap 124. One Big Moment Top-10 Finishers 1. Tyler Reddick2. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.3. Joey Logano4. Chase Elliott5. Brad Keselowski6. Zane Smith7. Chris Buescher8. Riley Herbst9. Josh Berry10. Bubba Wallace What’s Next The Cup Series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Autotrader 400 on Feb. 22 (3 p.m. ET on FOX).​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Winning NASCAR’s most prestigious race, the Daytona 500, comes with a pretty penny. The purse for the Daytona 500 has increased for the fourth consecutive year, with the 2026 total set at $31,045,575, per FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass. That’s the largest in the 67-year history of The Great American Race and over a $700,000 increase from last year’s figure ($30,331,250 in 2025). [2026 Daytona 500: Live Updates, Leaderboard] It remains unclear how much the winner of the event receives from the overall purse, as NASCAR doesn’t disclose the exact amount allotted to drivers. The last time NASCAR disclosed the winner’s prize was in 2015, when Joey Logano captured the win and $1.58 million, per Yahoo Sports. However, some recent court documents have shed light on what the possible base payouts could be. The Daytona 500 winner will take 5.160% of the purse, which would total $1,601,950 this year, according to Racing News. Pockrass previously reported in 2023 that Dayonta 500 winners received between $1.5 million and $2 million. The overall purse for the Daytona 500 has jumped more than $13 million since 2015, when it was just $18 million.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports