Kelsey Plum hit the game-winning shot for Phantom in a 72-68 win over Rose in Unrivaled on Friday night. The victory clinched the top seed for Phantom in the Unrivaled playoffs, who finish the regular season 11-3.

With the target score set at 72 after Phantom finished the third quarter with a 60-56 lead, Rose cut its deficit to 64-63 on a layup by Sug Sutton. Plum and Angel Reese then traded 3-pointers to keep it a one-point game at 67-66. But Plum then followed with another 3 to put Phantom one basket away from the win.

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A Lexie Hull layup made it a 70-68 game, but Rose couldn’t get the defensive stop it needed on Phantom’s next possession. Dribbling off a screen by Kiki Iriafen at the left wing, Plum drove into the lane and hit a short jumper over Hull for the win.

Wolves boss Rob Edwards understands the significance of his side moving past Derby’s record-low Premier League points tally after a 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Molineux.

It had looked for much of the season that Wolves would struggle to match the meagre 11 points the Rams posted in the 2007/08 season.

But second-half goals from Joao Gomes and Rodrigo Gomes gave them just a second win in 29 games, which takes them to 13 and beyond the possible notoriety of being the worst-ever Premier League team.

Asked if it means a lot to lose that tag, he said: “It does. It’s not something I’ve been focusing on, but being aware of it.

“Of course, I know it means a lot to the supporters. You don’t want that tag. Clearly we don’t. No one wants that.

“That’s just obvious. But it’s not something that’s been weighing me down or I’ve been thinking about too much, but if that releases a little bit more tension or whatever, and helps you more, then great.

“I know it’s important to the supporters. I know it’s important to the football club. It’s not something that I’ve been really focusing on or talking about too much all of the time.”

Wolves opened the scoring with their first shot on target when Joao Gomes thrashed home but Rodrigo Gomes’ last-gasp second sparked mass scenes of celebration, with Edwards sprinting down the touchline.

Edwards added: “At the end, that was incredible. It was a special moment in a really difficult season. It’s nice to be able to show some emotion and build that connection that we’re desperate to do that.

“That’s why I came here. Nights like that. Really special moments and that’s a moment that will live with me forever.”

Villa boss Unai Emery did not enjoy it as much and stormed straight down the tunnel when the second goal went in and was not around to shake Edwards’ hand at full-time.

Edwards added: “I get it. The two games that we have won in the league this year, both managers have disappeared.

“I think everyone expects just to turn up and win, which is understandable the way the season’s gone. So two guys have not been that happy.”

Emery was not happy with what he saw from his side after a dire performance, which saw their Champions League qualification hopes suffer a blow.

They have now won just one of their last five games and are now looking over their shoulders at the chasing pack.

But Emery called for perspective.

He said: “Of course, it’s getting balance. We are doing a great season, a great season, and this is the moment I want to tell our supporters, now we need the supporters.

“We need the energy, we are grateful for them being with us, but again playing in Villa Park on Wednesday, we need again their help, and we need to be together.

“The players, coaches, supporters, everybody, because the season is being fantastic, and we can remind ourselves now how we were in in September, how we are now.

“Maybe now we are a little worse than two months ago. We are losing the opportunity to compete for the title in the Premier League, two months ago you were asking about it.

“Some supporters maybe they were dreaming it. Now we are not with the possibility to fight for the Premier League, some can feel frustrated, even myself because I have my dreams.”

With speculation around Pep Guardiola’s future continuing to do the rounds, one Manchester City icon has urged the club to make one certain decision

Former Manchester City ace Stuart Pearce has urged the club to keep Pep Guardiola for as long as possible. Guardiola, 55, has repeatedly insisted he will stay at City until the end of his contract.

In November 2024, Guardiola signed a two-year contract extension, keeping him at the Etihad Stadium until the summer of 2027. Nevertheless, there has still been speculation around Guardiola’s time at the club coming to an end, particularly after Erling Haaland appeared to hint the end may be nigh for the ex-Barcelona manager.

A few months previously, it also came to light that ex-Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca had held talks with City, which proved to be part of the reason why the west Londoners chose to sack the Italian. However, despite all the rumours, Pearce has insisted City should do whatever they can to keep Guardiola.

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Speaking to Betway, the ex-City manager said: “When you look at all football clubs around the world and look at how stable certain clubs are, Manchester City are one of the most stable of the lot. With the manager, you don’t see the owners clamouring for headlines.

“But it’s going to be a big, big ask to replace him when he leaves. Whether you look at a like-for-like replacement potentially, they’ve got feeder clubs around the world, but have they got managers around the world that might come in from their other clubs?

“That might be something going forward. A total change of style might set them back slightly. Can you replicate what he’s achieved already? It’s been absolutely incredible.

“Obviously, I was at City prior to the wealth and the riches arriving. So you can see the impact he’s had. I would try and hang on to him as long as humanly possible.

“There’s been talk over the last few years about him packing it in. Personally, if I was City, I would just keep him there – you might even want to keep him there as a director of football afterwards.”

In a recent interview, Haaland appeared to suggest he and his City team-mates are bracing themselves for Guardiola to depart the club in the near future. The Norwegian goal machine said: “When I talk about good people around me, it’s not just my friends but the people at the club.

“I’m lucky to be at a club with so many good people, and with Pep, who pushes us every single day. I’m lucky to have worked with Pep for three-and-a-half years.

“It’s been an amazing time, as we all know, and no matter what happens in the future, we still need to keep pushing. I need to keep pushing myself and others around me to get better.”

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USA Rugby, the nation’s governing body for the sport of rugby, announced Friday it will be introducing a new “open” gender division to accommodate trans athletes.

The new rule comes more than a year after President Donald Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order and nearly seven months after the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s (USOPC) new requirement for all governing bodies to comply with it.

“USA Rugby will now have three competition categories; Men’s Division, Women’s Division and Open Division. The Open Division will permit any athlete, regardless of gender assigned at birth and gender identity, to compete in USA Rugby-sanctioned events, whether full contact or non-contact,” the organization said in a statement. 

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Cassidy Bargell of the United States passes the ball during a women’s rugby World Cup 2025 match against Samoa at LNER Community Stadium in Monks Cross, York, Sept. 6, 2025. (Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto)

The organization’s policy also seemingly allows any hopeful competitors to simply select their gender when registering, with potential vetting by officials.

“Division status will be determined during the membership application and registration process, when an athlete selects the ‘gender’ option in Rugby Xplorer. When applying for membership or registering as ‘Female’ or registering for an event in the Women’s Division, an athlete represents and warrants to USA Rugby that they are Female.”

“This representation creates a rebuttable presumption that the individual’s sex identified at birth was female,” the organization’s member policy states. 

Gabriella Cantorna, Ilona Maher and Emily Henrich of the U.S. before a women’s rugby World Cup 2025 match against Samoa at York Community Stadium Sept. 6, 2025, in York, England.  (Molly Darlington/World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

“The determination of whether an individual is Female may be established through records from authoritative sources. Only USA Rugby shall have the right to contest the individual’s Women’s Division status or challenge the presumption of an athlete registered as ‘Female.’”

In July, the USOPC updated its athlete safety policy to indicate compliance with Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order. 

However, Trump has also pushed for mandatory genetic testing of athletes to protect the women’s category at the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics amid concerns over forged birth certificates allowing biological males to gain access to women’s sports.

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The USA Rugby goal line flag before a match between the United States and Scotland at Audi Field July 12, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images for Scottish Rugby)

USOPC Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Finnoff said at the USOPC media summit in October the SRY gene tests being used by World Athletics and World Boxing are “not common” in the U.S. but suggested the USOPC is exploring options to employ sex testing options for its own teams and that he expects other world governing bodies to “follow suit.” 

“It’s not necessarily very common to get this specific test in the United States, and, so, our goal in that was helping to identify labs and options for the athletes to be able to get that testing. And (it was) based on that experience and knowing that some other international federations likely will be following suit,” Finnoff said. 

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The third round of the 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches gets underway Saturday, February 28, at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., a little earlier than usual, thanks to some expected inclement weather on Saturday afternoon in South Florida. You can find full Cognizant Classic tee times for Saturday’s third round at the bottom of this post.

Featured tee time for Round 3

Thirty-one-year-old Austin Smotherman only has one career top 5 on his PGA Tour resume — the 2023 Mexico Open at Vidanta — but thanks to an excellent start in Florida, the Southern Methodist alum may be adding to that tally this weekend with something even better: a win.

Smotherman opened with a sizzling round of nine-under 62 on Thursday and followed that performance with a two-under 69 to reach 11 under overall. He now leads the field by three shots heading into the weekend.

Smotherman’s closest competitor is Taylor Moore (-8), followed by A.J. Ewart and Nico Echavarria (both -7), and Joel Dahmen (-6).

Smotherman will play alongside Moore and Ewart in Saturday’s final grouping at 9:40 a.m. ET.

You can watch Saturday’s third round of the 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches from 10-3 p.m. ET on Golf Channel. PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will provide exclusive early streaming coverage beginning at 7:45 a.m. ET on Saturday, in addition to featured group and featured hole coverage.

Check out the complete Round 3 tee times and groupings for the Cognizant Classic below.

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2026 Cognizant Classic tee times for Saturday: Round 3 (ET)

Tee No. 1

7:28 a.m. – Zecheng Dou, Matthieu Pavon, Max McGreevy
7:40 a.m. – Mackenzie Hughes, Chan Kim, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen
7:52 a.m. – Ryan Gerard, Brooks Koepka, Ben Silverman
8:04 a.m. – Steven Fisk, Ricky Castillo, Eric Cole
8:16 a.m. – Max Homa, Thorbjorn Olesen, Kevin Streelman
8:28 a.m. – Matti Schmid, Takumi Kanaya, Kevin Roy
8:40 a.m. – Seamus Power, Chad Ramey, Carson Young
8:52 a.m. – William Mouw, Michael Brennan, Daniel Berger
9:04 a.m. – Aaron Rai, Shane Lowry, Jimmy Stanger
9:16 a.m. – Kristoffer Reitan, Pontus Nyholm, Hank Lebioda
9:28 a.m. – Nico Echavarria, Joel Dahmen, Mark Hubbard
9:40 a.m. – Austin Smotherman, Taylor Moore, A.J. Ewart

Tee No. 10

7:28 a.m. – Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Alex Smalley, Danny Walker
7:40 a.m. – Rasmus Hojgaard, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Dan Brown
7:52 a.m. – John Parry, Austin Eckroat, Beau Hossler
8:04 a.m. – Lee Hodges, Matt Wallace, Keith Mitchell
8:16 a.m. – Davis Thompson, Jackson Suber, Adrien Saddier
8:28 a.m. – Patrick Fishburn, Zach Bauchou, Dylan Wu
8:40 a.m. – Emiliano Grillo, Adam Schenk, Chandler Phillips
8:52 a.m. – Tom Kim, Patton Kizzire, Haotong Li
9:04 a.m. – David Ford, Billy Horschel, Garrick Higgo
9:16 a.m. – Joe Highsmith, Nicolai Hojgaard
9:28 a.m. – Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Jordan Smith

On January 30th, three and a half weeks after the end of the 2025 regular season, the Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah after four seasons. Reasons for his termination ran rampant, but thanks to ESPN’s Peter Schrager, the cause is known: Adofo-Mensah’s quarterback decision-making was not trustworthy for the long haul.

The firing elevates Kevin O’Connell’s influence, and it compresses the timeline to get the quarterback call right.

Executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski now holds the interim general manager title, and fans will merely hope he’s better in the director’s chair. Fans will get a verdict rather soon, as the NFL’s “legal tampering” period of free agency gets cracking in 10 days.

Schrager’s Explanation Points Back to the Quarterback Bet

Schrager succinctly explains the Vikings’ decision.

Schrager on Kwesi’s Downfall

Speaking to Get Up on ESPN, Schrager explained Adofo-Mensah’s termination: “This was a 14-win team a year ago, and they fired their GM less than 12 months later. And it’s not because of paternity leaves or the relationship with Kevin O’Connell.”

“They fired the GM because he had Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, and an interested Aaron Rodgers in the building, and he said, ‘No, we’re good with JJ — and Max Brosmer and Carson Wentz are gonna be his backups. They’re not going to make the same mistake twice.”

It’s also worth noting that Adofo-Mensah had an approximate 15%-20% success rate in the draft, which did not help his cause for long-term employment.

The Working Theory — Explained

These are the Cliff Notes of Schrager’s comments, extrapolated with a little flair from VikingsTerritory:

1. Kevin O’Connell recommended the Vikings trade up for Drake Maye in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Vikings tried, but the New England Patriots wouldn’t move off the third overall pick. With O’Connell’s blessing, Minnesota then drafted J.J. McCarthy.
2. After the 2024 campaign, when Sam Darnold delivered 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdowns, O’Connell urged his boss to re-sign Darnold; Adofo-Mensah didn’t want to spend $33 million per season on a quarterback who played like trash in the two most important games of the season. After all, Adofo-Mensah had drafted McCarthy 11 months prior.
3. O’Connell also nudged his team to re-sign Daniel Jones, but Jones picked the Indianapolis Colts over the Vikings, knowing he could win the starting job over Anthony Richardson, whereas Minnesota seemed committed to McCarthy.
4. Then, O’Connell and Aaron Rodgers had talks about a one-year relationship, but Adofo-Mensah never took the bait.
5. Every step of the way — Maye, Darnold, Jones, and Rodgers — O’Connell came up with the right solution — but was ignored.

That’s what the tea leaves point to — and explain why Adofo-Mensah was fired five days after Darnold helped the Seattle Seahawks win the NFC Championship.

One Chance for O’Connell to Make It Right

All of that said, O’Connell doesn’t have a clean slate. With Adofo-Mensah’s departure, the pressure on O’Connell to deliver results has intensified. Now wielding greater control over roster decisions, the head coach bears full accountability for the team’s performance, and the quarterback situation demands immediate attention — either a full commitment to McCarthy or the identification of a viable alternative.

Entering his fifth year, still seeking his first playoff victory, the 2026 season looms large for O’Connell. A playoff berth feels essential, and a January win could be crucial for his long-term job security, as few coaches survive beyond Year 5 without demonstrating some level of playoff success.

Historically, head coaches rarely outlast the general manager who hired them. Teams that dismiss the GM often move on from the coach shortly thereafter if significant improvement isn’t evident. Recent examples include Tennessee and Carolina, and Miami nearly followed suit before ultimately firing Mike McDaniel.

Minnesota now finds itself in a similar position. A season mired around 6-11 or 7-10, particularly if attributed to a poor quarterback selection, could trigger further organizational changes. Achieving a 9-8 record or better and demonstrating genuine playoff potential likely represents the minimum requirement for stability, especially given ownership’s increased reliance on O’Connell as the primary decision-maker.

Adofo-Mensah Back on His Feet

As a side note, Adofo-Mensah didn’t wallow in unemployment long. The San Francisco 49ers hired him this week, naming him a “personnel executive.” The club will evidently give him a more suitable job title after the draft.

Adofo-Mensah’s stock is low, but the job in San Francisco will keep him relevant and perhaps in the mix to reapply for general manager jobs in a few years.

Per the NFLPA Player Report Card, players assigned Adofo-Mensah an ‘A’ grade in 2025 for his general management.

Manchester City and Arsenal have both seen games moved as a result of the Champions League draw

Manchester City and Arsenal may have been kept in separate halves of the Champions League draw, but the frantic March fixture list looks set to throw up a seismic Saturday night showdown involving both clubs.

Pep Guardiola’s side are battling the Gunners for the Premier League title and the two teams will also meet in the Carabao Cup final next month. The pair could yet meet in the Champions League final, while both remain in the FA Cup ahead of a potential meeting in the latter stages of that competition.

It means the next few weeks and months will be crucial for both clubs, with both still hunting an unprecedented quadruple. And amid all the key dates, another looks to be looming with a fixture quirk plunging both sides into Saturday night action on March 14.

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City face West Ham that day in the capital with the game selected for TNT Sports coverage and handed a 12.30pm kick off slot. But that was under the proviso that the Blues were not away from home in the Champions League on the Wednesday before. UEFA have now confirmed the dates for the last-16 ties and City will visit Real Madrid on Wednesday, March 11, meaning that trip to West Ham will move to 8pm on the Saturday.

Arsenal, meanwhile, were due to host Everton on Sunday, March 15 (2pm). But that game was also subject to being moved to accommodate Champions League fixtures and has been given a new date because the Gunners will face Bayer Leverkusen in Europe on Tuesday, March 17, meaning they cannot play on the Sunday. The Emirates Stadium fixture has moved to Saturday, March 15, with a 5.30pm start.

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That means Arsenal and City are in action on the same day in the same city in what could prove a pivotal evening in the title race given the fixtures are sandwiched between Champions League ties and come a week before the Carabao Cup final.

The Premier League released a statement earlier this week around those two fixtures. It read: “The Premier League confirmed the above fixtures on 21 January (Fixture Amendment 14) and advised UEFA that clubs scheduled to play on Sunday 15 March would not be available to play Champions League fixtures on Tuesday 17 March.

“Unfortunately, UEFA has not been able to provide any guarantees on its scheduling ahead of the draw. As a result, the Premier League now faces the possibility of re-scheduling its fixtures at even shorter notice, at the inconvenience of supporters and clubs.”

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Bryce Heys, the trainer, may have felt tension as Zac Lloyd masterfully took an inside rail run with burgeoning sprinter Banjora at Wednesday’s Rosehill races, but the rider faced no such concerns.

“Plenty of room,” Lloyd said.

“He’s a big horse, so he needs a bit more room than an average horse. He was just going that well he was able to bulldoze his way in there.”

The bold charge succeeded, with the $2.50 top pick shoving aside third-finisher Astronomix ($2.70) to power through on the fence and win by a length from $51 shot Beau Bandit, still keen at the wire.

Lloyd and the gelding had pulled off an identical feat at Gosford in their prior outing, and Heys noted he’d welcome drawing the unbeaten type off the inside.

“He is more than brave,” Heys said.

“Two starts in a row I can’t say he was looking pretty, and that I had any confidence we’d get the result, despite the horse’s ability, but to overcome that twice in a row now, not many can do it.”

The gelding’s probable next target is the 1200m Provincial-Midway Championships qualifier at Gosford March 14, potentially opening doors to the Provincial-Midway Championships Final (1400m) at Randwick in April.

“I was going to go to the Gosford qualifier for the Provincial Midway,” he said.

“The 1400 might be a query, but I thought against that class of horse, he might be alright.”

“Hopefully he ends up in the Provincial-Midway Championship.”

Chris Waller and James McDonald entered the day’s action one win from 500 mutual successes, denied narrowly when Almaaz was beaten a head by Fireball Miss and Soverato caught in the dying stages by Aisle Two.

They face four more bids for the achievement at Friday night’s Canterbury meeting.

Secure the best online bookmakers options for betting on Banjora’s Provincial-Midway Championships qualifier at Gosford.