Category: Sports Fox

For most of the season, we’ve seen statistics that encapsulate why Drake Maye is one of one. He’s the first NFL quarterback, for example, to ever have a game with a 90-plus completion percentage, 250-plus passing yards and five touchdowns. There are several more examples. But it’s not the specific stats that matter, really. It’s that Maye did something unprecedented: the first. On Sunday, he has the chance to be the 35th quarterback to win a Super Bowl. The 35th. But he’d also be the first, in a way. At age 23, he’d be the youngest QB to win a Super Bowl. I wonder if these different ways to measure Maye stem from what’s also inescapably true: He’d be the second Patriots quarterback to win a Super Bowl. You know which Patriots quarterback was the first to win a Lombardi Trophy. And the second. And third, fourth, fifth, sixth. And you know that being No. 2 to that guy is actually something of an achievement. When talking about a quarterback’s legacy in New England, there is obviously a gold standard. It’s Tom Brady. Most NFL quarterbacks don’t even enter the conversation when discussing Brady’s greatness. And if they do, they do so undeservedly. We have seen Patrick Mahomes slide into the chat, deservedly so. Time will tell if the three-time Super Bowl champion Chiefs QB is a real competitor. But by playing for the Patriots and on the same field where Brady’s banners hang, Maye’s legacy will always live in proximity to Brady’s. The question is whether it’s a dynamic where Joe Montana and Steve Young upheld an organization from one era to the next in equally respectable ways. Or whether it’s a dynamic totally unto itself. But, OK, back to Drake Maye. This Super Bowl is about him — if he wins it. So let’s look more closely at his (short) career. And we’ll do what we can to ignore that other guy. This is Maye’s chance to begin his own era of Patriots history. And what a way to open it. There will be naysayers who claim this Patriots team is one of the worst in Super Bowl history. Those naysayers weren’t watching this season. Those naysayers don’t know how hard it is to win 18 games — even with an easy schedule. And those naysayers are ignoring the defenses Maye faced. He’s the first QB — there’s that phrase again — to beat three top-five total defenses in a single postseason run. There’s a myth that Maye didn’t beat any good quarterbacks along the way. Again, I’m not sure I understand that argument. Yes, he avoided Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Bo Nix due to their injuries. But Maye took down Josh Allen, Justin Herbert and Baker Mayfield this season. And if the Patriots win the Super Bowl, Maye will add Sam Darnold. Allen may be the only elite quarterback on that list, but we can all agree that’s a quality group of signal-callers. Haters will hate. Especially when you win it all. There’s so much to like about what Maye did this year. He was the most improved quarterback in the NFL, rising into the MVP conversation after looking extremely raw last year — throwing 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 12 games. That second-year improvement was so exponential that it is unlike anything I’ve seen covering the league. It’s a rise that Allen took in his third year. It’s a rise that Mahomes took in his second year — though he was a backup in Year 1. He sat back and watched. Maye dropped back and took 34 sacks in 12 starts and 13 appearances last season. As far as developmental prospects go, Maye is unlike anyone we’ve seen — he’s progressed from below average quarterback to, arguably, the NFL’s best. A part of what Maye has accomplished is about those who’ve supported him, from coach Mike Vrabel to offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to tight end Hunter Henry and running back Rhamondre Stevenson. Another part of what Maye accomplished is about who he supported. Every team wants a quarterback who can lift his supporting cast. That’s what most appealed to Patriots de-facto general manager Eliot Wolf about Maye’s time at North Carolina. It’s what has materialized in New England this year, with Maye making do without any bona fide playmakers. Every other Patriots offensive skill player comes with a “yeah but,” from veteran WR1 Stefon Diggs (ACL recovery and age) to Henry (past his prime) to Stevenson (splits time with rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson) to Henderson (change-of-pace back) to receivers Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas (who?). Maye makes those guys look good. It’s a similar story for the offensive line, which the front office revamped this year with four new starters. Maye has enhanced their performances. New England had the sixth-worst rushing success rate (37%) going into the Super Bowl and the eighth-worst rush EPA per play (-.108), per RBSDM.com. Despite that, Maye posted the best EPA per dropback (.25) — and that was despite pressure on 38.6% of those dropbacks — a number that put him with the likes of J.J. McCarthy (38.9%), Geno Smith (37.2%) and Cam Ward (37.2%). New England does not boast a world-beating offensive line. So you can choose to see the ways that Maye’s schedule didn’t challenge him. Which — by the way — is completely beyond his control. Or you can choose to see the ways in which Maye excelled at all the things he could control — the ways he found the answers to the test in 2025. And then there’s one way that Maye would give us no choice but to discuss him in terms of Brady: Don’t just win on Sunday. Win two Super Bowls. Heck, win three. I held out as long as I could when it came to Brady. But let’s end with story time about Tom. During a Fanatics event in May 2024, Maye and other NFL rookies got to sit down with Brady and ask questions. Maye, who’d only been a Patriot for a month, asked about something Brady once said, which was that his favorite Super Bowl was “the next one.” How did Brady maintain that mentality for two entire decades? “I never looked back and said, ‘Hey we won the Super Bowl last year so we’re good this year,’” Brady told Maye. “If I wanted to win the next Sunday, the previous Sunday didn’t matter. … You’re going to win a game on opening weekend and, if you don’t do the exact same preparation — if you don’t step your game up — in Week 2, then you’re gonna get your ass handed to you. “You better f—ing figure it out. You can’t learn only from your losses. You’ve got to learn from your wins, too. You’re going to get your ass kicked in some wins. There’s going to be games where you don’t play great and you win. You better learn from those.” Something tells me that advice sunk in. And here’s why: Ahead of the AFC Championship Game, Maye was asked to share his favorite throw of his career. “Probably the next deep one,” he replied. In the same press conference, he was asked about the AFC championship being the biggest game of his career. “It’s the biggest game because it’s the next one,” Maye said. Sounds familiar. And maybe Super Bowl Sunday will look familiar, too. In the Big Picture, we contextualize key moves and moments so you can instantly understand why they matter.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

San Jose, Calif. — Seattle Seahawks kicker Jason Myers had known Sam Darnold since the time he entered the NFL as a rookie first-round draft pick by the New York Jets in 2018. So, when Myers learned Darnold had signed with Seattle in free agency, the two Southern California natives decided to connect a few weeks later for a round of golf at The Bridges Golf Course in San Diego to discuss their new squad. Myers soon discovered Darnold hadn’t changed much since entering the league seven years earlier. However, that resilience hardened through tough times over five NFL stops and led to a breakthrough this season for the USC product. Darnold’s been one of the primary reasons for Seattle reaching the Super Bowl again for the first time in 11 seasons. “It was not a shock when he walked into the locker room and clicked with everybody,” Myers told me. “That’s what makes Sam great — he’s the same person. Sam’s the same guy every day, no matter what the situation is.” Seahawks general manager John Schneider told me that during the offseason, Darnold committed to holding walk-arounds in the locker room — setting up one-on-one conversations with players to get to better know his teammates and build connectivity within the team. It’s a reason players didn’t flinch when Darnold struggled, publicly backing up their quarterback like Pro Bowl linebacker Ernest Jones IV’s profanity-laced affirmation of Darnold after he threw four interceptions in a midseason road loss to the Los Angeles Rams. “He has this self-awareness,” Schneider told me. “A team awareness through self-scouting. In the offseason, he really wanted to focus on team building — building relationships and continuity. “He has these walk-rounds, with guys getting to know each other. It’s the ultimate team sport. The Xs and Os aside, he really wanted to focus on 12 as One and what that means. And that’s guys playing for each other and loving each other up.” With an up-close look at Darnold’s relationships inside the locker room, quarterback Jalen Milroe echoed those comments from Schneider. “I did the same thing when I was at Alabama,” Milroe told me. “You’ve got to know your guys on the team. It takes all of us, and he understands that. He’s done a really good job of dealing with all the guys on the team, on offense and defense.” Darnold finished with a league-high 20 turnovers during the regular season. But undaunted, he played his best football in the postseason, completing 70% of his passes and throwing for nearly 470 yards, with four passing touchdowns and no interceptions, for a league-best 122.4 passer rating. “It’s just being true to who I am,” Darnold said at the podium at Opening Night. “I’m not trying to be anymore than that. I’ve never been much of a rah-rah guy, but if something needs to be said in front of a group, I’m not afraid to do that. “I think it’s just understanding who I am as a person. And I think over the past eight seasons in the NFL I’ve done a better job of continuing to learn myself in that way.” Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck certainly knows what it takes to lead a team to the Super Bowl after joining a new team in the middle of his career. Hasselbeck helped the Seahawks reach Super Bowl XL 20 years ago, breaking through in his fifth season in Seattle. But Hasselbeck recognized that there are multiple ways a quarterback can rally a locker room around them, noting that he was a different type of leader than Darnold when he played in Seattle. “He just kind of seems like a golden retriever, where I’m probably more like an otter,” Hasselbeck told me. “With a golden retriever, you just need like one or two best friends, and you’re comfortable staying by them, having these intimate, deep conversations. “I’m a little bit more like, ‘Yo! Fire pit I my house tonight and everybody’s invited.’ Whoever shows up, shows up. And I’m going to kind of know all of you a little bit. And that’s going to be our normal deal. Who wants to play pick-up hoops? Who wants to play horse? Shaun Alexander and myself, we were the otters. And there were some beavers, there were lions — it takes all types.” While Darnold might be a golden retriever in his leadership approach, he might played like a lion in the NFC Championship Game. He threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns in the victory, and Hasselbeck pointed to that performance as another step in Darnold’s growth. “In the 49ers game, he didn’t throw for 200 yards and didn’t turn the ball over,” Hasselbeck told me. “But then he played in the NFC Championship Game, and that wasn’t the assignment. The assignment in that game is we’re going up against the MVP (Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford), with two amazing wide receivers and a tight end that’s a problem. We need you to cut it loose, but we still need you not to turn the ball over. “We need you to run, and if you get a 1-on-1 with No. 22 (Rashid Shaheed), take it. Anytime JSN (Jaxon Smith-Njigba) has a 1-on-1, take it. That’s the mindset. And he answered. It was like, just play free.” So, even though Darnold’s leadership style may be different, his teammates have been united in their support of him. Because of that, Darnold has served as a catalyst for why the Seahawks are playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday. “I don’t think one leadership style is necessarily better than the other,” Hasselbeck said. “But I think what I’ve seen from Sam, he doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low. He seems really genuine. And you can tell that the locker room really respects him and loves him.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

This is college football. At some point, the games pause, but the news and drama never does. Here’s an offseason tracker for buzz across the college football landscape, including coaching changes, injury news, personnel moves and more. Kentucky lands a top QB recruit Momentum has been building for the Kentucky Wildcats football since the hiring of coach Will Stein and now the program has its first major recruiting win to show for it. The Wildcats landed a commitment from four-star quarterback Jake Nawrot out of John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He is the No. 2-ranked quarterback and No. 40 overall recruit in the 2027 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. Nawrot chose the Wildcats over Missouri, Oregon, Washington and Florida State, among several other Power Four programs. Nawrot is coming off a strong junior season. He led the Huskies to a 9-3 record while completing 71% of his passes for 3,078 yards and 41 touchdowns with just two interceptions, along with adding eight scores on the ground. Stein is entering his first season as the Wildcats’ head coach after spending the past three years as offensive coordinator at Oregon under coach Dan Lanning. Nawrot’s commitment marks one of the biggest recruiting wins in program history. With Nawrot’s commitment, the Wildcats’ 2027 recruiting class now ranks among the top 20 nationally. Virginia extends head coach Tony Elliot Virginia football coach Tony Elliott, coming off a school-record 11-win season, has agreed to a contract extension through the 2030 season. The extension was announced Wednesday by athletic director Carla Williams. The Cavaliers finished 11-3 overall and 7-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2025 and No. 16 in the final AP Top 25 poll. It was Virginia’s highest ranking in the last poll of the season since 1995, and Elliott was named AP ACC coach of the year. “We are extremely fortunate to have Tony Elliott continue to lead our football program,” Williams said in a statement released by Virginia. “His commitment to the values of the University of Virginia and his commitment to developing the whole person through football have been a blessing. His vision of building the model program has never wavered, despite extraordinary adversity. The future is bright for UVA football and we’re excited to continue this work together.” Virginia capped its season with a 13-7 win over Missouri in the Gator Bowl after losing to Duke in the ACC championship game. It was Virginia’s first bowl victory since 2018. Elliott is 22-26 in four years at Virginia. “The commitment to football at the University of Virginia is real and palpable throughout our building,” Elliott said. ‘I’m proud of the foundation that we have laid and excited for what we can do together in the years to come.” TCU extends coach Dykes TCU and coach Sonny Dykes have agreed to a contract extension after back-to-back 9-4 seasons, the school said Friday. The private Big 12 school does not disclose contract terms, but his previously extended deal went through the 2028 season. This multiyear agreement would take Dykes at least a couple of years past that. Dykes is 36-17 in his four seasons with the Horned Frogs, who set a school record for wins while going 13-2 and making the four-team College Football Playoff at the end of his 2022 debut season after replacing long-time coach Gary Patterson. Dykes originally got a six-year contract, which was extended after that first season when they finished No. 3 in the final AP Top 25 college football poll. They were 25th in the final poll last season. “The opportunity to pursue a national championship, the College Football Playoff, and Big 12 championships exists right here in Fort Worth, and my family and I, as well as our entire staff, are excited to continue that pursuit as Horned Frogs,’ Dykes said. The Frogs will open next season against North Carolina in Ireland on Aug. 29, when they will have a new starting quarterback and new offensive coordinator. They finished last season with a three-game winning streak capped by a win over Southern California in the Alamo Bowl after their three-year starting quarterback Josh Hoover had entered the transfer portal and later joined national champion Indiana as the likely replacement for Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. Offensive coordinator Kendal Briles left for South Carolina and was replaced by former UConn OC Gordon Sammis. Virginia Cavaliers QB Chandler Morris denied seventh year Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris was denied in his bid for a preliminary injunction as he seeks a seventh season of eligibility. Morris had filed a lawsuit in Charlottesville (Virginia) Circuit Court last month seeking the injunction after the NCAA denied his medical redshirt waiver and appeal. A circuit court judge ruled against Morris on Thursday. “The NCAA is pleased by the court’s decision today, which protects the integrity of collegiate competition,” the NCAA said in a statement. “As additional lawsuits challenging common-sense, academically-tied eligibility rules are filed, the NCAA will continue to defend against attempts to rob high school students across the nation of the opportunity to compete in college and experience the life-changing opportunities only college sports can create. “The NCAA and its member schools are making changes to deliver more benefits to student-athletes, but the patchwork of state laws and inconsistent, conflicting court decisions make partnering with Congress essential to provide stability for all college athletes.” Morris’ case is one of 71 eligibility lawsuits that have been filed. Of those cases, 33 preliminary injunctions have been denied and 13 have been granted. Twelve eligibility lawsuits are still pending in lower courts and 13 have been voluntarily dismissed prior to a decision on a preliminary injunction. The dispute surrounding the 25-year-old Morris involves his 2022 season with the TCU Horned Frogs and whether it should count against his eligibility. Morris suffered a knee injury that season and applied for a medical redshirt, but the NCAA denied that request after Morris made limited appearances in three games later that season. West Florida moves up to Division I West Florida will begin the transition from NCAA Division II to Division I on July 1 and compete in the United Athletic Conference in football and the Atlantic Sun Conference in other sports, the school announced Thursday. The Argonauts have had one of the top Division II athletic programs and lead the Gulf South Conference in all-time championships and all-sports trophies. Their 15-sport program has won 11 national and 136 conference championships. The United Athletic Conference was established in 2023 as a single-sport football conference through a partnership between the ASUN and the Western Athletic Conference. The UAC plays in the Football Championship Subdivision. The eight-team ASUN was founded in 1978. West Florida will not be eligible for NCAA postseason tournaments during the three-year reclassification process. The school will be eligible for ASUN and UAC championships immediately. NCAA sued by Heinecke over eligibility Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Owen Heinecke is suing the NCAA for an additional year of eligibility, according to court documents. Heinecke played briefly in three games of lacrosse at Ohio State in February 2022, costing him a year of eligibility. He transferred to play football at Oklahoma, then sat out a year because of injury. He was mostly a special teams player in 2023 and 2024 before breaking out last season with 74 tackles, including 12 for loss, and three sacks. Oklahoma submitted a request for an eligibility waiver, but it was denied in January, and an appeal was denied in February. An emergency hearing is set for April 16 in Norman, Oklahoma. The timing is critical — Oklahoma’s Spring Game is April 18 and the NFL Draft is April 23-25. Heinecke has hired an agent and participated in the Senior Bowl, Oklahoma Pro Day and the NFL Scouting Combine while trying to regain the year of college eligibility. Heinecke’s lawyers say he should get the additional year because of factors beyond his control. They say Heinecke lost his year of eligibility as a freshman because the Ohio State’s lacrosse coach ignored his request to redshirt so he could recover from high school injuries. They say the NCAA “breached its duty of good faith and fair dealing owed to Owen, and acted in bad faith, in denying Owen an additional year of eligibility so that he can compete as an intercollegiate athlete in the year 2026-27.” The filing says Heinecke wants to return to school to improve his draft stock and seek his master’s degree in accounting. Oklahoma is backing his quest. “OU fully supports Owen and his pursuit of a fair opportunity to continue playing the game he loves,” Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny said in a statement. “We’ll stand firmly beside him as he works to do just that.” Warren Sapp leaving Colorado Pro Football Hall of Famer Sapp is no longer on Deion Sanders’ staff at Colorado after two seasons. Sapp joined CU during the 2024 season as the team’s senior quality control analyst and served this past season as its defensive pass rush coordinator. “Warren Sapp has resigned from the CU football coaching staff to pursue other opportunities,” Colorado’s athletic department said in a statement Feb. 26. “CU Athletics thanks Warren for his contributions to our football program over the last two seasons and for his commitment to our student-athletes.” Cincinnati suing former QB Brendan Sorsby The Bearcats are suing their former starting quarterback of two years, claiming that he breached his NIL contract by failing to pay Cincinnati a $1 million exit fee for transferring to Texas Tech in January, per ESPN. Sorsby reportedly signed an NIL contract with Texas Tech in the range of $4-6 million for next season and is being advised to not pay Cincinnati $1 million in estimated liquidated damages. Last season, Sorsby totaled 2,800 passing yards, 27 passing touchdowns, five interceptions and a Big 12-high 155.1 passer rating for the Bearcats, while completing 61.6% of his passes in 12 games. He also rushed for 580 yards and nine touchdowns. Sorsby spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Indiana (2022-23) before transferring to Cincinnati for the 2024 season. Virginia QB Chandler Morris seeking seventh year of eligibility Morris continued his fight for a seventh season of eligibility by filing a lawsuit against the NCAA, his agent confirmed. The NCAA denied Morris’ medical redshirt waiver and appeal last month, and he is seeking a preliminary injunction in Charlottesville Circuit Court. The NCAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Morris could be making an argument similar to Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who received a preliminary injunction from a Mississippi judge on Feb. 12. Chambliss’ case was based on injuries severely limiting his playing time and not allowing him to make the most of his athletic eligibility. The 25-year-old Morris applied for a medical redshirt for the 2022 season at TCU after suffering a knee injury. The NCAA denied that request after Morris made limited appearances in three games later that season. Philip Rivers’ son commits to NC State Quarterback Gunner Rivers has committed to NC State — his father’s alma mater — he announced on Feb. 23. Rivers is a four-star quarterback at St. Michael Catholic in Fairhope, Alabama. His father coached his high school team as well, doing so before he made his return to the NFL in 2025. The younger Rivers threw for 2,813 yards, 44 touchdowns and five interceptions this season, leading his high school to the state title game. Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar denied sixth season Aguilar’s injunction for a sixth season of eligibility has been denied, and he will now go pro, per ESPN. Aguilar was previously granted a temporary restraining order in his lawsuit against the NCAA as he sought an extra year of eligibility, which would’ve enabled him to continue playing for the Volunteers this fall. Aguilar played the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Diablo Valley (2021-22), followed by two seasons at Appalachian State (2023-24) before transferring to Tennessee for the 2025 season. Indiana HC Curt Cignetti gets a raise The Hoosiers have raised their head coach’s salary to $13.2 million through the 2033 season, per ESPN. This deal comes in the wake of Indiana winning its first national championship in program history in January and already raising Cignetti’s salary to $11.6 million in October 2025. Moreover, this raise makes Cignetti the second-highest paid coach in college football. Since Cignetti took over in Bloomington for the 2024 season, the Hoosiers are a combined 27-2, highlighted by going 16-0 en route to winning the national championship last season. North Illinois head coach Thomas Hammock leaving for NFL Hammock is leaving NIU to become the running backs coach for the Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks, according to CBS Sports. Over Hammock’s seven seasons as NIU’s head coach (2019-25), the Huskies went a combined 35-47, a stint highlighted by three bowl game appearances and a win at South Bend against Notre Dame in 2024. Hammock, who played running back at NIU, was previously a running backs coach for the Baltimore Ravens from 2014-18, among other assistant coaching stints. Four-star prospect de-commits from Michigan Peter Bourque, a four-star quarterback out of Massachusetts in the 2027 class, reopened his recruitment on Feb. 17. Bourque had been verbally committed to Michigan in Aug. 2025 under previous head coach Sherrone Moore. Michigan finds its DT coach The Wolverines are hiring Vanderbilt defensive line coach Larry Black to be new head coach Kyle Whittingham’s defensive tackle coach, per ESPN. Black was Vanderbilt’s defensive line coach from 2022-25 and previously held the same role at Toledo from 2019-21. In other news, Michigan has reportedly parted ways with general manager Sean Magee. Michigan is also expected to part ways with Sam Popper, its director of recruiting, and Albert Karschnia, its director of player personnel. SEC cuts massive checks to its members The SEC is distributing more than $1 billion to its 16 universities for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which ended last August. The total distribution jumped more than $200 million from the previous year. The current total includes $37.4 million retained by universities that participated in the College Football Playoff and bowl games. The amount distributed from the conference office, including bowl revenue retained by participants, averaged $72.4 million for schools with full year financial participation. Oklahoma and Texas, which joined the conference in July 2024, received distributions of $2.6 million and $12.1 million, respectively, related to CFP and bowl participation and designated NCAA funds. The $72.4 million average per school is approximately $18.6 million above the 2023-24 average of $53.8 million for full members. The payout for the 14 schools receiving a full share consists of revenue generated from television agreements, postseason bowls, the CFP, the SEC title game, the SEC men’s basketball tournament and NCAA championships. The Associated Press contributed to this report.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Beginning Jan. 27, when then-No. 5 Nebraska traveled to the Crisler Center for a date with then-No. 3 Michigan, the Big Ten ushered in a wave of high-leverage games that pitted the league’s best teams against each other at the midway point of the conference schedule. First, the Wolverines upended the previously unbeaten Cornhuskers, whose roster that night was diminished through injury. Then, Michigan scored its second victory over a top-10 opponent in the span of four days with an emphatic, emotional rivalry win against then-No. 7 Michigan State at the Breslin Center. And finally, on Sunday afternoon, white-hot Illinois, previously ranked ninth, conquered a raucous atmosphere at Pinnacle Bank Arena to hand Nebraska a second consecutive loss and extend its own winning run to 11, the seventh-longest streak in the country. What amounted to an in-season round-robin began to establish a more legitimate pecking order in the Big Ten after teams entered the weekend at 9-1 in league play. Michigan and Illinois, who have combined for just one loss since Nov. 28, are playing like favorites entering the back half of their respective conference schedules. That leaves Nebraska and Michigan State jockeying for position behind them, with both teams seeking to address the issues that cost them in marquee moments last week. And then there’s Purdue, winners of the regular-season title in 2023 and 2024, lurking in the background following an uncharacteristic three-game skid. Our newest Men’s College Hoops Spotlight sizes up the Big Ten race with five weeks remaining in the regular season: Big Ten title race: The frontrunners Michigan Even though Michigan’s win over Nebraska came against an injury-depleted squad — the Cornhuskers were without two of their three leading scorers in Rienk Mast (flu) and Braden Frager (knee) — a subsequent victory over rival Michigan State was particularly convincing, especially considering the Wolverines hadn’t won in East Lansing since 2018. They led for more than 35 minutes against the Spartans and withstood a ferocious second-half comeback before pulling away in the closing stages. Head coach Dusty May’s group will now enter its game against Penn State on Thursday night as the most balanced team in the conference, according to KenPom, ranking ninth nationally in offensive efficiency and first in defensive efficiency. The latter is a spot Michigan reclaimed from the Spartans following last week’s head-to-head matchup in which it limited Michigan State to 37% shooting overall and 17% from 3-point range. But the Wolverines have arguably the most difficult finishing stretch of anyone in the Big Ten with remaining games against No. 12 Purdue, No. 4 Duke (non-conference), No. 5 Illinois, Iowa and the rematch with No. 10 Michigan State, among others. So while it’s unlikely that Michigan can navigate that stretch unscathed — especially with games against Duke, Purdue and Illinois all on the road — May’s team has already racked up enough wins to remain in the thick of this year’s conference championship race. Coach quote: “I think we proved that we can still win in different ways,” May said in a news conference following his team’s win over Michigan State on Friday. “We haven’t been in two games like we were in this week where there’s so little movement. You’re challenged for every inch of the court. You’re challenged for every step. And so last year’s team, we didn’t respond very well once the Big Ten got into this part of the season. And we addressed that through recruiting. Our guys were able to do that tonight. They were able to get just enough space and separation and create the angles, and guys stepped up and made plays.” Illinois Even though Illinois has suffered three times as many defeats as Michigan this season, the quality of opponents its lost to can’t be questioned: a neutral-site game against then-No. 11 Alabama on Nov. 19, a neutral-site game against then-No. 5 UConn on Nov. 28 and a home game against then-No. 23 Nebraska on Dec. 13. Two of those teams — UConn and Nebraska — are ranked among the top-10 nationally in the latest AP Poll, though Alabama has since slipped to No. 27 overall. Still, few teams in the country — if any — are as hot as the Illini amid their ninth season under head coach Brad Underwood. A scorching offense that is averaging 131.2 points per 100 possessions currently leads the nation in efficiency by nearly two full points over second-place Purdue and nearly four full points over third-place Alabama. Underwood’s team is on pace to record the most efficient offense this sport has seen across 30 years of data tracked by KenPom, with last year’s Duke squad (130.1 points per 100 possessions) being the only other program to top 130 during that span. For the Illini to be doing this without starting point guard Kylan Boswell (14.3 points per game), who suffered a broken hand in practice on Jan. 19 and will miss at least a few more weeks, adds to the impressiveness of the feat. Without him, true freshman guard Keaton Wagler, a former three-star recruit, has morphed into one of the most dynamic players in the country and is averaging 21.2 points per game over his last 13 outings. Coach quote: “I think we’ve got some toughness,” Underwood said in a news conference following his team’s win over Nebraska on Sunday. “I think we’ve got some connectivity. Every game [has] its own identity, and we’ve got to solve different problems [each night]. I think this team has tremendous problem-solving ability. I think our basketball IQ is pretty high. I think our toughness is growing. I think we’ve got a little of that [toughness already], but I think we’ve still got some room to improve.” [NCAA TOURNAMENT: Kansas Looking Strong, Nebraska Drops in New Bracket] Big Ten title race: Next in line Michigan State The Spartans saw their seven-game winning streak snapped in a disappointing home loss to then-No. 3 Michigan, falling behind by 16 in the first half and then running out of steam down the stretch after clawing back to take a 57-55 lead with 7:27 remaining. Head coach Tom Izzo spent plenty of time in the post-game news conference lamenting his team’s performance — particularly in a turnover-ridden first half — while also alluding to the idea that certain flaws he and the staff had recognized earlier in the month were finally exposed by a quality opponent. It’s possible Michigan State’s lofty conference record is somewhat overinflated given that the Spartans have now lost their only two Big Ten games against ranked opponents so far this season. So what are some of the pitfalls? For starters, Michigan State is the most imbalanced of the five primary contenders for the Big Ten title. Michigan, Illinois, Purdue and Nebraska all rank among the top 27 nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency, according to KenPom, which is something the Spartans can’t match. Izzo’s group sits 48th in offense and second in defense entering Wednesday’s game against Minnesota. There are also ongoing issues surrounding subpar backcourt play from everyone not named Jeremy Fears Jr., who is a legitimate Player of the Year candidate in the conference, and a team-wide 3-point shooting percentage of 35% that ranks 117th nationally. Moving forward, Izzo suggested the Spartans will introduce freshman wing Jordan Scott to the starting lineup in an effort to jump start the offense. Coach quote: “We got guys that are trying to do stuff they can’t do,” Izzo said in a news conference following his team’s loss to Michigan on Friday. “That’s why in the last [few] games, our bigs have had 10 turnovers and nine turnovers. It’s hard to do that. It’s hard to do that. That means they’re trying to do more than they can do. We’re gonna have to talk about that. There’s things I’ve wanted to do for a couple weeks because I saw some things coming, and we’ll do that now. And yet I’m not gonna panic over getting beat in a game that we had that one stretch where it was just a bad stretch, there, in the first half. And then the second half, we battle all the way back [but] to not quite get it done at the end.” Nebraska A dream-like run of 20 consecutive wins to begin the season finally came to an end for Nebraska last week during a difficult stretch in which the Cornhuskers fell to Michigan and Illinois in the span of six days, tumbling from No. 5 to No. 9 in the national rankings. In some respects, the idea that head coach Fred Hoiberg’s team remained undefeated through late January was something of a miracle, considering Nebraska had been picked to finish 14th in the Big Ten preseason media poll. The Cornhuskers have never won more than 23 games in a season under Hoiberg, who is partway through his seventh year, and have only finished above .500 in Big Ten play three times since rejoining the conference ahead of the 2011-12 campaign. But because Nebraska played so well for so long to begin this season, the nature of those back-to-back defeats rang particularly hollow. Despite injuries to two of their three leading scorers, the Cornhuskers led, 50-48, at halftime on the road against Michigan before scoring just 22 points in the second half. Then they led, 39-33, against Illinois at home on Sunday afternoon — this time at full strength — only to go cold once more in the second half, leaving Hoiberg & Co. feeling like they let another game slip away. Nobody seemed to embody that Jekyll-and-Hyde demeanor more than sharpshooting forward Pryce Sandfort, the team’s leading scorer at 17.2 points per game. Sandfort scored 26 combined points on 8-for-16 shooting from beyond the arc in first halves against Michigan and Illinois. But in the second halves of those games, he scored just 8 points on 1-for-9 shooting from 3-point range. Hoiberg told reporters he believed officiating was a significant part of that equation. Coach quote: “They’ve got to let Pryce run, you know?” Hoiberg said in a news conference after his team’s loss to Illinois on Sunday. “He’s getting held, he’s getting grabbed. Our offense, freedom of movement, that’s gotta be enforced, you know? We run, I think, a pretty aesthetically pleasing offense, you know? But when you’re being held, you can’t run it. So we’re gonna continue to try to do it — cut, force, do everything we can to get these guys open and free them up — but it’s tough at times when you’re out there.” [MEN’S HOOPS RANKINGS: Florida, Illinois Climbing; Purdue Falls] Big Ten title race: The dark horse Purdue Entering a road game at UCLA on Jan. 20, the Boilermakers were comfortably positioned among the best teams in the country. They’d won nine consecutive games to improve to 17-1 overall and 7-0 in the Big Ten with an impressive résumé that included noteworthy non-conference victories over then-No. 8 Alabama, then-No. 15 Texas Tech and then-No. 21 Auburn. At that point, the only team to beat Purdue was then-No. 10 Iowa State, a team now ranked seventh in the latest AP Poll. Head coach Matt Painter’s team was firmly in the mix for both another Big Ten regular season title and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. But then came three consecutive losses in a calendar week by 13 combined points — first to UCLA, then to Illinois, finally to Indiana — and suddenly, somewhat inexplicably, it seemed like the West Lafayette sky was falling. It marked just the second time in the last six seasons that Purdue suffered a losing streak of three games or longer, and this one sunk the Boilermakers into a tie for fifth in the Big Ten standings. A dominant, 30-point win over lowly Maryland on Sunday vaulted Painter’s team, which still ranks second nationally in offensive efficiency, back in the right direction, but there are plenty more challenges to come. The Boilermakers’ finishing kick includes games against No. 9 Nebraska, Iowa, No. 2 Michigan, No. 10 Michigan State and Wisconsin. It might be difficult for Purdue to win a third Big Ten regular season title in four years given where Painter’s group currently sits, but the roster certainly has enough talent to make a push down the stretch. Coach quote: “You get yourself in a position where you’re 7-0 in the league, and you’re 17-1, then you lose three straight, and you find out a lot about your guys,” Painter told reporters following his team’s win over Maryland on Sunday. “And that’s the type of adversity you’re going to see at times. You’ve got to be able to weather through it and play better. But also, I think, our concentration hasn’t been at a high tilt. That’s come in and out. If you can hold your concentration and have discipline and embrace the physicality of the game and go out there and compete, you know, we’ve been a pretty good team, right? So that’s what we have to keep doing and keep building off that. You never have that figured out, but you’re always working on those areas.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball – there’s no shortage of college ball, every night. Don’t worry, we’re here to help you figure out what you missed but shouldn’t have. Here are all the best moments from last night in college basketball. UConn finally handling the Big East with ease UConn ranks No. 3 in the poll this week, as well as third in FOX Sports analyst Casey Jacobsen’s rankings. The Huskies finally broke their extended streak of coming in 8th in the NCAA Evaluation Tool, moving up to 7th in NET, thanks to a huge win over Creighton that saw Connecticut beat a Big East team by more than a few points. That last point is important, as there had just been too many close wins of late to consider UConn any kind of lock for a deep run in March, considering that the Big East is weaker in 2025-2026 than in most years. The Huskies keep on winning — their one loss remains against No. 1 undefeated Arizona — but an overtime win against Providence, beating Seton Hall 69-64, topping Georgetown by just 2 points, letting Villanova take them to OT, another close W against Providence… well, none of that engenders confidence, no matter UConn’s rankings. The good news for Huskies fans is that UConn seems to be coming out of whatever funk was causing them to play down to the competition for basically a month straight. Connecticut crushed Creighton, 85-58, and on Tuesday followed that up with a similarly dominant win over Xavier, which the Huskies won 92-60. No one player starred for UConn — junior guard Silas Demary Jr. led with 17 points — five players reached double-digits in scoring and two others fell a single point shy of joining them while the team as a whole shot 57%. Now, this does not mean everything is fixed and there is no cause for concern when it comes to UConn taking on other possible top seeds in March, but the further away the team gets from the idea of “could be easily upset in the Big East tournament,” the better. The first real test in a while — one meant to be a test — is the next game on the schedule, against No. 22 St. John’s. While the Red Storm struggled earlier in the season, they have bounced back in a big way as a post-roster refresh squad started to gel. Whatever the outcome — against a ranked conference opponent, on the road — it will say a lot about UConn’s overall chances this season. Miami (OH) does it again Miami (OH) is ranked No. 23. It now also has a 23-0 record after taking down Buffalo on Tuesday, which is not only very noticeably an undefeated one, but also represents the longest-ever win streak in Mid-American Conference history. It was not an easy victory, but the RedHawks already have a few games like that behind them in this streak. Miami (OH) would win, 73-71, and it was that close despite a significant disparity in shooting percentage — 55% for the RedHawks, 42% for the Bulls — due to free throws. Buffalo was fouled just two more times than Miami (OH), but the when and where of the fouls the RedHawks committed mattered, as the Bulls went to the line 18 times and sank 14 of them, or, 12 more attempts and 11 more makes than the RedHawks had. Miami (OH) dominated in the paint, however, 48 to 28, and that focus on high-percentage shots ended up allowing the RedHawks to survive the significant free throw advantage. Still, they let Buffalo hang around long enough for a last-second 3-point attempt out of the hands of junior guard Ryan Sabol to be a potential game-winner. The contested 24-footer didn’t find the mark, though, and Miami (OH) came away the winner for the 23rd time this season. Sophomore guard Luke Skaljac led the way for the RedHawks with 19 points on 9-for-15 shooting, and added 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals to those figures. The Bulls got 18 from sophomore guard Daniel Freitag and a game-high 22 from senior guard Angelo Brizzi, and both teams’ starters played fairly equally, but the RedHawks got a little more out of their bench — 16 points to 9 — and that made as much of a difference as anything. A 24-rebound performance The Charleston Cougars are 18-3 overall and now 10-0 in Coastal Athletic Association play following a win over Campbell — their 11th-straight victory. While twin sisters and junior guards Taryn and Taylor Barbot did a lot of the heavy lifting on the scoring end, combining for 32 of the Cougars’ 61 points, neither was the star of the W. That would instead be junior forward Grace Ezebilo, who scored 8 points with 2 assists, 3 steals and a block, and oh, 24 of the Cougars’ 41 rebounds. Those 24 boards represent a program record for the College of Charleston, and are also a career-high for Ezebilo, who is in her first year of Division I ball. Before transferring to Charleston, Ezebilo played for Tyler Junior College, where she averaged 12.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore. She’s not quite at that figure in D-I ball, but Ezebilo is pretty close: enough so that, at 11.8 per game, she’s leading the CAA by 3.5 boards a night and is sixth in all of Division I women’s basketball. It’s pretty easy to point to her performance this year as a significant part of why Charleston — already 14-4 in conference play last year — is in position to be both the regular season champ and maybe find itself in the NCAA Women’s Tournament in March, as well. Boise State wins key conference game in OT Boise State ranks 59th in NET, but you wouldn’t know that from its conference performance. Entering play on Tuesday, the Broncos were just 5-6 against Mountain West competition, with UNLV and Fresno State a little too close for comfort at 5-5 and 4-6 despite both of them being considerably further behind in NET. Tuesday presented a must-win game, then, as far as these things go in the regular season: Boise State was facing off against an 8-3 Nevada squad that was the Broncos’ equal in NET — the two were one after the other in the rankings — but had a firm hold on the fifth spot in the Mountain West standings. Meaningful because just the first five teams get a bye to the quarterfinals. The Broncos and Wolf Pack couldn’t settle things in regulation, as Nevada senior guard Tayshawn Comer hit a 10-foot floater as time expired to send things to overtime at 79 all. While the Wolf Pack got nothing from the bench — 3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal in a combined 58 minutes — the starters did plenty of heavy lifting to force things to this point. Comer had 24 points, with sophomore forward Elijah Price adding 17 on 6-for-11 shooting with 9 rebounds. But it was senior guard Corey Camper Jr. that caused the most trouble for Boise State, as he scored a game-high 35 points on 14-for-22 shooting while grabbing 4 boards, dishing out 2 assists and stealing the ball 3 times. Boise State got a combined 48 points out of seniors Javan Buchanan and Dylan Andrews, however, and its own bench added 23 points and 15 rebounds in 66 minutes. The Broncos also outlasted Nevada in OT, and would win 91-87 as Andrews picked up 8 of his 25 points in the extra period — the senior guard also scored the 1,000th point of his career amid all this chaos. Now, Boise State is 6-6 and still in sixth in the Mountain West, but has narrowed the gap between it and Nevada to two games. The two won’t face off again in the regular season, but Boise State did what it had to do in direct competition; the rest depends on how the Broncos handle their remaining eight games. Tulsa keeps pace with W Tulsa is in for a bit of an uphill climb to the top of the American Conference, but that’s also where it probably needs to be in order to make it to March Madness. While a team like Rice might sneak in with an at-large bid — if one is even available — owing to its bubble-team status in NET, Tulsa ranks 133rd. A conference championship is the only way. Getting there will be a lot easier with a bye, and the Golden Hurricane are now tied for the better bye — the one that skips a team to the semifinals — after defeating Wichita State to improve to 8-2 in conference play. [Get to Know a Mid-Major: The American Conference] Tulsa downed the Shockers, 75-65, on the strength of a huge night from senior forward Hannah Riddick. She tied her career-high with 27 points that also led all scorers, and did so on 10-for-12 shooting while adding 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal and block each. She also shot 6-for-7 from the line, which was a team-wide deal against Wichita State: Tulsa sank 18 of its 21 free-throw attempts, which proved to be a huge advantage since the Shockers went to the line just 11 times themselves. Rice remains atop the conference at 9-0, but Tulsa doesn’t need to finish with a better record than them to get the better bye. So long as the Golden Hurricane can keep pace with East Carolina, the team they are currently tied with, then destiny will be in their own hands come the regular season finale: Tulsa wraps up its season at home against East Carolina, and can secure second place there. Saint Louis wins 16th-straight No. 19 Saint Louis lost on Nov. 28 to Stanford, to drop its record to 6-1. Since then? Nothing but wins for the Billikens. They are now 22-1 and 10-0 in conference play after defeating Davidson on Tuesday, 91-82. And Saint Louis isn’t just a product of a mid-major conference dominating lesser competition, either: the Atlantic 10 leaders rank 16th in NET, and 24th in KenPom. While the win against Davidson was by “just” 11 points, the Wildcats are nearly a top-100 team, and this W came on the road, too, which made up for not beating them by more as far as NET’s calculations are concerned. Sophomore forward Brady Dunlap was the star, as he came off the bench and scored a game-high 22 points in 22 minutes, hitting 6-for-6 from 3 while grabbing 5 boards. Saint Louis, as a team, shot 51%, and were able to withstand Davidson hitting 10 3s of its own — and 16 of 21 free throws — thanks to that high-percentage shooting. Saint Louis is comfortably atop the A-10 at 10-0, with George Mason and its 8-1 record in second, followed by VCU in third at 8-2. All three are tourney-caliber teams, and all three might get there, too, given the A-10 sent four teams last March, but the preferable way is as conference champion. The way things are going, that very well could be Saint Louis. 30 3-point shots?! You read that right. Thirty of ‘em, from one person. Specifically, Aysia Hinton, who managed as much despite coming off the bench for North Carolina Central on Tuesday. The Eagles were in competition against a Division III school to sneak another game into the schedule amid conference play, and ended up defeating William Peace, 103-51. That part isn’t surprising. What is a shock, even with it being a D-I school against a D-III one, is that Hinton not only took 30 3s, but that she sank a dozen of them. Your brain now has to try to make the seemingly disparate ideas of “a player missed 18 3-pointers, she shot 40% on 3s” work. Good luck. Hinton, a junior guard, had 6 3-pointers and 18 points at halftime, at which point it became clear that both the scoring record for North Carolina Central and the 3-point record were both hers if she shot enough. And she shot, a lot. Every single one of Hinton’s 30 shots was a 3-point attempt, and she made 12 of them. That gave her 36 points — the program record — as well as the Eagles’ 3-point record. She is averaging 6.6 3-point attempts a game right now, and averages 2.3 makes per, as well — she almost never takes shots from inside the arc, since the guard averages 7.2 attempts a game. At 34.1%, Hinton is leading the MEAC in 3-point shooting percentage, and yet, North Carolina Central loves to play her off the bench: in 19 games this season, she’s started just one of them, and averages 20 minutes per night. A potent weapon if you can deploy it off the bench, that’s for sure, and one that now holds multiple program records.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

For some, the two-week-long wait between the conference championship game and the Super Bowl might be too laborious. But for Tom Brady, he found the time between games helpful — and there’s one instance where the wait really helped the seven-time Super Bowl winner. In an interview with FS1’s “The Herd,” Brady shared how he and New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels came up with four plays just hours before Super Bowl XLIX that proved to be a difference maker in the team’s 28-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks. After going out to dinner with his family on the Friday night before the game, Brady said that he called McDaniels just before 10 p.m. in order to draw up some red zone plays. “I called Josh and said, ‘I’m not feeling great about the red area. There’s a lot of moving parts, and I feel like if I look to the right, the defense is going to move to the right and that’s going to take away the guys I’m thinking about. If I look to the left, they’re all going to move. They’re just going to move with my eyes and cover our receivers and I don’t think we’re going to gain any leverage. Can we just go through the plan one more time?'” Brady recalled. “He and I, at 10 o’clock on Friday night, after seven days [of practice], are watching red area film of the Seahawks’ defense. All the hay’s in the barn. Practice is over. We had no more shots at practice. Josh and I come up with about three or four plays on that Friday night between 10 and 11 o’clock at night. We walked through the plays we installed on the Saturday morning before the game and we threw touchdown passes on two of the plays that we installed on that Saturday morning.” Brady said that one of those touchdown passes was his pass to wide receiver Brandon LaFell in the first quarter of that game. He didn’t specify what the other one was, but those last-minute changes helped Brady throw for 328 yards and four touchdowns in Super Bowl XLIX, taking home Super Bowl MVP honors. Now, as the Patriots and Seahawks meet up again in Super Bowl LX, Brady wants that message to be a lesson to Drake Maye, Sam Darnold and everyone else that you can’t do too much work before the game. “You talk about feeling you can be overprepared. Nah, you can be prepared, but then you can go to the next level, which is crossing every T and dotting every I,” Brady said. “That game came down to the smallest of margins. What does it take? Sometimes, that’s what it takes. And that’s the trust and confidence that he and I built in one another.” Maye will have McDaniels by his side as he prepares for his first Super Bowl on Sunday. McDaniels returned to the Patriots to become their offensive coordinator again over the offseason, helping Maye emerge as one of the game’s top quarterbacks and become an MVP candidate. As Maye gets his first taste of preparing for a Super Bowl with McDaniels, Brady couldn’t help but smile when Colin Cowherd asked him to reminisce about what it was like to work with the offensive coordinator in the lead-up to the Super Bowls they reached together. “They were some of the coolest things I ever remember, working with Josh in those moments and having those two weeks to prepare, knowing the magnitude of what we were playing for,” Brady said. “You have 60 to 70 plays left in the entire season, so why have 300 calls on the call sheet? You’re not going to call them all, anyway. Why don’t you just try to thin it out to the plays that you feel give you the best chance to win and for your team to play well?” McDaniels isn’t the only person on the Patriots’ coaching staff with whom Brady has a connection, either. Of course, he was teammates with Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls alongside Brady. Even though Brady was never a part of a team that Vrabel was a coach for, he suspects how his former teammate might approach Super Bowl LX with the Patriots being 4.5-point underdogs. “Knowing Vrabel, he’s probably got every bit of underdog material up everywhere,” Brady said. “We were 14-point underdogs in 2001, and Vrabes was a part of that team. Believe me, Colin, if you pick the Seahawks, I’m sure he’s going to be telling the entire team, ‘Colin Cowherd picked the Seahawks. We’re underdogs.’ That’s just the mentality, and that’s OK. Someone’s gotta be that. The Patriots have had an incredible season. What they’ve done has surprised everybody. “They certainly deserve to be representing the AFC in this Super Bowl.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Perhaps Darnell Haney was right. In last week’s Women’s College Hoops Spotlight, we highlighted a comment the Georgetown coach made about UConn being the “best team they’ve had” since he’s been coaching against them. While that seemed like quite a statement to make at the time, UConn — the No. 1 team in the country — backed that up this week when it crushed then-No. 15 Tennessee, 96-66, at home Sunday. As we also previously mentioned, the last time the Huskies lost a game was to these same Volunteers almost exactly a year ago. The result didn’t matter in the grand scheme of the season because UConn went on to win the national championship, the program’s 12th overall and first since 2016. The Huskies’ current winning streak is now up to 39 straight games, and they’re one win away from tying Texas and cracking the top-10 longest win streaks in NCAA history — though the program also has four of the top-5 longest streaks. UConn is the only undefeated team left in the country, and it’s supremely talented, with players like Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong leading the Wooden Award midseason top 25 list. In Sunday’s win over Tennessee, the two combined to put up 53 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals and three blocks. As a team, UConn shot 58% from the field while holding the Lady Vols to 38%. They also had double the amount of steals (14-7) and had six blocks while Tennessee had none. Yes, the final score was lopsided, but the teams were tied 42-42 at halftime and UConn only led 57-53 midway through the third quarter. That’s when Strong got a run started and UConn outscored Tennessee 39-13 over the final 15 minutes of the latest edition of this storied rivalry. [NCAA: Women’s College Hoops Top 10, Bubble Team NET Rankings] “You play these games to be really tested, to find out a little bit about what your team is made of,” UConn coach Gene Auriemma told reporters after the game. “It’s good that you have to kind of regroup and find yourself.” That first half was one of the very few times the Huskies have experienced adversity this season. Auriemma’s team has been blowing past opponents all year — their average margin of victory is 39.3 points through 23 games, with a 72-69 win over then-No. 6 Michigan back in November being the closest game they’ve played. UConn only has eight regular season games left, none of which are against ranked opponents. Will a weaker schedule over this final stretch hurt the Huskies once they reach the NCAA tournament? Who’s to say, but winning back-to-back titles will require Auriemma’s group to potentially beat some combination of physical and tough teams like South Carolina, UCLA, Texas, LSU and/or Louisville.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The last time the Seahawks were on the Super Bowl stage, they fell just short — in heartbreaking fashion — to the Patriots. Malcolm Butler’s goal-line interception of Russell Wilson in the closing seconds of Super Bowl XLIX remains one of the most shocking and league-defining plays in NFL history. With a title back within Seattle’s grasp 11 years later, what will it take to finish the job this time? No doubt Seattle stars Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba will have to play well, but let’s dive deeper. Here are three keys to victory for the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX: 1. Attack Patriots LT Will Campbell Drake Maye was the fourth-most sacked quarterback in the NFL this season (47), and his pass protection has continued to show vulnerabilities against strong defensive fronts in the playoffs. He’s been sacked 15 times this postseason (five apiece in the wild card, divisional and AFC Championship Game), the most by any player to reach a Super Bowl since 1970, according to Next Gen Stats. And Campbell may be New England’s weakest link. Including the playoffs, the No. 4 overall pick has allowed 12.5 sacks, the third-most among left tackles in 2025, per NGS. So don’t be surprised to see Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald find multiple ways to attack Campbell, who allowed five pressures against the Chargers in the wild-card round and two sacks against the Texans in the divisional round. Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence should be a common matchup for the Patriots rookie. Lawrence aligned on the left edge on 321 snaps this season (48.0%) — but Seattle could deploy a variety of stunts, twists and blitzes to the left side to put stress on New England’s communication up front. The Seahawks certainly have the personnel to do it, even without sending extra pass rushers. They had six defensive linemen generate at least 30 pressures in the regular season, per NGS. [RELATED: Inside Patriots QB Drake Maye’s Bond With His Offensive Line] 2. Lean on RB Kenneth Walker III Star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is clearly the Seahawks’ best offensive weapon, but Walker has been the engine of the team’s run to the Super Bowl. The standout running back has had 100-plus scrimmage yards in three straight games and has four rushing touchdowns in the playoffs. Continuing to lean on him will be paramount for Seattle’s title hopes. Not just because New England will likely do everything it can to take Smith-Njigba out of the game, but because of weaknesses in the Patriots’ run defense. Yes, New England was elite at stopping the run during the regular season, giving up just 101.7 rushing yards per game in 2025 (sixth-best in the NFL), but it’s vulnerable in the red zone. Inside the 20, the Patriots stuffed ball carriers for a loss or no gain on just 15.1% of their designed runs, the lowest rate in the NFL, per NGS. Walker is positioned to take advantage. Among the 48 qualified running backs, the fourth-year pro ranked in the top nine in both yards per carry and rushes of 10-plus yards in the red zone, according to Next Gen Stats. 3. Target Patriots CB Carlton Davis III The Patriots have primarily aligned their cornerbacks by side this season, with Davis on the left (76.2% of time, per NGS) and Pro Bowler Christian Gonzalez on the right (71.8%). Signed to a three-year, $60 million deal last offseason, Davis gave up 13 receptions for 167 yards and four touchdowns with a 103.0 passer rating allowed on passes that traveled between 10-19 air yards, according to Next Gen Stats. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold threw 11 touchdowns on passes that traveled within that air yardage range, more than at any other distance.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The Patriots are not shying away from the underdog label in Super Bowl LX. “Somebody has to [be],” coach Mike Vrabel said Monday during opening night festivities. “I don’t think we dislike it.” But schematically, what will it take for the Patriots to actually topple the favored Seahawks in the fight for the Lombardi Trophy? Here are three keys to victory for New England: 1. Drake Maye must use his legs With 1:57 left in the AFC Championship Game, the Patriots faced a third-and-5 and were looking to ice a grind-it-out 10-7 victory over the Broncos. Drake Maye faked a handoff to running back Rhamondre Stevenson on his right and then booted to his left. In the open field, the Patriots quarterback outraced Broncos outside linebacker Jonah Elliss to the sideline, where he secured the game-clinching conversion. It capped a 10-carry, 65-yard rushing performance. Maye’s legs were pivotal in getting New England past Denver, and they will be just as vital in getting the Patriots their seventh Super Bowl title. While he’s most lauded for his efficient throwing and deep-ball prowess, the MVP finalist is also one of the league’s most mobile quarterbacks. He led the league in scramble first downs (27) and ranked third in total scramble rush yards (423) during the regular season, according to Next Gen Stats. Maye averaged 26.5 rushing yards per game for the year, but since Week 15, that’s up to 38.9 rushing yards per game (on 6.6 carries per contest). In the regular season, the Seahawks allowed 5.3 rushing yards per carry to opposing quarterbacks, the fourth-most in the league, per NGS. So that’s something for the Patriots to exploit. 2. Blitz Sam Darnold The Patriots aren’t a heavy blitzing team — they blitzed on 26.6% of dropbacks in the regular season, which tied for 18th in the NFL — but it’s a viable option for slowing down the Seahawks quarterback, who played the best game of his career in the NFC Championship Game. Darnold completed 62.5% of his passes when blitzed during the regular season, posting a 10-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio with a 93.6 passer rating, per NGS. Not bad, sure, but certainly not as deadly when defenses sent four or fewer passer rushers at him. Under those circumstances, Darnold posted a 15-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio with a 102.1 passer rating. So blitzing at a higher rate than normal may provide New England with the best opportunity to get Darnold to cough up the ball, which he did at a high rate during the regular season. He had a league-high 7.2% turnover rate on pressured dropbacks in 2025, per NGS. Patriots defensive backs Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III and Marcus Jones have all made a play on the ball on a higher percentage of their targets in the playoffs than in the regular season, according to Next Gen Stats. Gonzalez, Davis, Jones and safety Craig Woodson have four pass breakups apiece this postseason. 3. Use multiple running back sets Playing Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson together in the backfield is a way for the Patriots to both shore up Drake Maye’s protection and put stress on the Seahawks’ vaunted defense. New England has struggled to keep Maye upright in the playoffs. He’s been sacked 15 times this postseason (five times apiece in the wild card, divisional round and AFC title game), the most by any player to reach a Super Bowl since 1970, per Next Gen Stats. Two running back sets would give Maye an extra chipper/blocker up front against Seattle’s strong pass rush and an outlet in the quick/short passing game to find a rhythm. That could bring up Maye’s passer efficiency, which is down significantly in the postseason. Jumbo formations, with multiple running backs and tight ends, could be a great option for New England in short-yardage situations as well. Stevenson and Henderson thrived in jumbo during the regular season, averaging 9.8 and 5.8 yards per carry on such rushes, respectively, per NGS. Of players with at least 20 carries in such formations in 2025, Stevenson ranked first in the NFL in yards per carry and Henderson ranked fourth. The Patriots had a league-high 10 touchdowns out of jumbo formation this season.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

FOX Sports released its expanded 2026 LIV Golf schedule, featuring nearly 300 hours of live competition across FOX Sports platforms. LIV Golf will deliver a 2026 season featuring 14 events across 10 countries and five continents. For each tournament, FOX Sports will deliver live coverage across 72 holes and four days of competition across the network’s platforms for each tournament, highlighted by live network coverage from Adelaide, South Africa, and Mexico City on FOX. “As we unveil the 2026 LIV Golf League schedule on FOX, we’re proud to continue and deepen our relationship with FOX Sports, which recognizes the unique competitive structure that makes LIV Golf distinctive among sports leagues,” said Chris Heck, President of Business Operations of LIV Golf. “FOX Sports is excited to continue its coverage of the LIV Golf League, which delivers elite competition and innovative storytelling to fans nationwide,” said Jordan Bazant, Executive Vice President, FOX Sports. The LIV Golf League makes its first U.S. appearance of the season in May at Trump National Golf Club, Washington, D.C., in Potomac Falls, VA, beginning Thursday, May 7. After one international stop, a return to the heralded Real Club Valderrama course in Andalucía, the League makes its Louisiana debut at Bayou Oaks at City Park in New Orleans, LA, beginning Thursday, June 25. The League then travels to the United Kingdom, highlighted by live coverage Saturday, July 25 at 8:00 AM ET on FOX. LIV Golf returns stateside the following week at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in Bedminster, NJ, beginning Thursday, Aug. 6. The LIV Golf League then turns to Indianapolis for the regular season finale and Individual Championship at The Club at Chatham Hills, beginning Thursday, Aug. 20. The season concludes with the Aramco LIV Golf Michigan Team Championship at The Cardinal at Saint John’s Resort in Plymouth, MI, beginning Thursday, Aug. 27. In addition to live event coverage, FS1 will once again air a one-hour recap show following each tournament, highlighting the week’s biggest shots and storylines. Coverage also includes expanded year-round storytelling through the airing of specialty content such as the inaugural LIV Golf Showcase, and other features coming later this year. LIV Golf telecasts continue to be produced by the League’s in-house team, featuring its distinctive live Team and Individual leaderboard, enhanced drone coverage, statistics-driven graphics, and fast-paced presentation that delivers nearly twice as many shots per hour as traditional golf coverage. All LIV Golf coverage will also stream live on FOX One, the FOX Sports App, and to LIV Golf+ subscribers. LIV Golf Broadcast Schedule: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Riyadh Golf Club, Feb. 4-7 Adelaide, Australia: The Grange Golf Club, Feb. 11-14 Hong Kong: Sentosa Gulf Club, March 11-14 South Africa: The Club at Steyn City, March 19-22 Mexico City: Club de Golf Chapultepec, April 16-19 Virginia, USA: Trump National Golf Club, Washington, D.C. May 7-10 Andalucia, Spain: Real Club Valderrama, June 4-7 Louisiana, USA: Bayou Oaks at City Park, June 25-28 United Kingdom: JCB Golf and Country Club, July 23-26 New York, USA: Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, Aug. 6-9 Indianapolis, Indiana: The Club at Chatham Hills, Aug. 20-23 Team Championship: Play-In: The Cardinal at Saint John’s Resort, Michigan, Aug. 27-30​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports