Feb 7, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores guard Tyler Tanner (3) and Oklahoma Sooners guard Dayton Forsythe (7) fight for the loose ball during the second half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Searching for a bounce-back performance, No. 15 Vanderbilt will look for its first victory at Auburn in a decade when the Southeastern Conference opponents meet on Tuesday.

Vanderbilt (19-4, 6-4 SEC) had its three-game winning streak snapped on Saturday by lowly Oklahoma, which had lost its last nine games. The Commodores never led in the surprising home loss and trailed by 15 with 2:20 left before rallying in a 92-91 setback.

Vanderbilt still is off to its best 23-game start since 2007-08 (also 19-4 before reaching 24-4), but head coach Mark Byington knows his team can’t afford a slide in conference play.

“In this high level of sports, you get what you deserve, and we did not play well,” Byington said. “We obviously didn’t play well, and we weren’t ready to play. … We’ve got to go back and figure it out and learn from it and we’ve got to fix some things. We can’t ever do this again.”

The Commodores, who haven’t won at Auburn since Feb. 13, 2016, are led by breakout sophomore Tyler Tanner. After averaging 5.7 points per game in a reserve role as a freshman, Tanner ranks fifth in the SEC with 18.6 points per game.

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Tanner has shouldered the load of Vanderbilt’s injured backcourt, as second-leading scorer Duke Miles (16.6 ppg) has missed the last three games with a knee injury and Frankie Collins (7.8 points, 4.7 assists per contest) hasn’t played since Dec. 17 as he also deals with an injured knee.

“I’m just proud of his resiliency,” Byington said of Tanner, who poured in a career-high 37 points against Oklahoma, 15 in the final two minutes. “He was fighting and playing as hard as he could, and he almost got us back into it.”

Byington noted that Miles and Collins don’t have timetables for returns, but they could be back before the end of the regular season.

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Auburn (14-9, 5-5), meanwhile, is out to avoid its first set of consecutive home losses since February 2021. A year removed from their second Final Four appearance in program history, the Tigers are 11th in the SEC standings with a month remaining in the regular season.

First-year head coach Steven Pearl’s team held a 10-point first-half lead against rival Alabama on Saturday, before allowing 59 points after halftime in a 96-92 home loss. Auburn won’t have much time to lick its wounds with another Quad 1 opportunity around the corner.

“You’ve got to have a short memory because you’ve got such a quick turnaround on Tuesday against another really good offensive team,” Pearl said. “Vanderbilt runs a ton of offensive sets, so it’s going to be really hard to break that down to show the guys. I’ve got to do a good job of really identifying areas that we got exposed.”

Vanderbilt ranks 12th in the nation with 88.9 points per game, while Auburn allows 78.4 ppg — third most in the SEC.

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Hoping to steer the Tigers away from the NCAA Tournament bubble has been Keyshawn Hall, who ranks second in the conference at 21 points per game. Playing on his fourth team in four years, Hall is averaging 23.8 points across the last five outings.

–Field Level Media

There may end up being just six or seven fights at the White House this summer, despite Donald Trump claiming “eight or nine championship” bouts are in the UFC’s plans for 14 June.

That is the provisional date for an unprecedented fight card, which would mark a unique celebration of the US president’s 80th birthday and 250 years of his nation’s existence

And Mr Trump suggested in December: “They’re gonna have eight or nine championship fights, the biggest fights they’ve ever had. Every one’s a championship fight, and everyone’s a legendary type of fighter.

“[UFC president Dana White] is actually holding back fights right now, for six months, so he can do it for [14] June.”

But according to Ari Emanuel – the CEO of the UFC’s ownership group, TKO – that might have been an optimistic prediction by Mr Trump, or changes might have been made since then.

“Dana’s working on it right now,” Emanuel said on The Pat McAfee Show. “There’s going to be, approximately, six to seven fights, 14 June.

“He hasn’t said to us what the card is gonna be, but I know they’re working pretty hard at it right now […] It’s gonna be CBS, Paramount+. I mean, I don’t know who is not watching that fight [card].”

Mr Trump had also said, “I think the arena’s gonna be 5,000 or 6,000 seats, right in front of the front door of the White House, and 100,000 people in the back, where they’re putting up eight or 10 very big screens.”

But Emanuel suggested: “At the White House, I think it’s 3,000-4,000 [attendees], and then there will be other areas [to watch the fights].”

UFC president White has said the Octagon will be built on the South Lawn, and he previously hinted at “snipers” while discussing security measures. Furthermore, there will be no ticket sales, per TKO president Mark Shapiro.

Currently, no regular UFC champions are scheduled to defend their titles at any upcoming events. On 7 March, Max Holloway will defend the “Baddest Motherf*****” belt against Charles Oliveira, but none of the official, divisional titles are linked to scheduled fights.

The only title bout so far this year have seen Alexander Volkanovski retain his featherweight belt against Diego Lopes and Justin Gaethje win the interim lightweight strap against Paddy Pimblett. Kayla Harrison was due to defend her bantamweight title against Amanda Nunes in January, but the champion suffered an injury that derailed the fight.

Jon Jones and Conor McGregor are among the former champions to have called for a spot on the White House card, but White has been coy on their involvement. White suggested that Jones, who retired last summer after a career full of legal troubles and failed drug tests, might not be reliable, while McGregor has had his own legal issues since his last fight five years ago.

Former West Indies cricketer Ian Bishop warned that England are one of the most dangerous teams in the T20 World Cup because of their powerful batting and smart bowling options. Speaking on JioStar’s show, he said, “We’ve seen across franchise cricket that experience counts for a lot. And sometimes, we’re still trying to work out whether this is an old man’s game or a young man’s game. England are one of the teams that scare me… because they’ve got so much power. Their philosophy, starting with Harry Brook, is very similar, boundary and six-hunting quite often.”

Bishop also praised England’s bowling attack and their ability to use the field cleverly. He added, “Jofra Archer will bring some much-needed cutting edge to that England line-up… Adil Rashid… is still playing very, very well. Jacob Bethell is another one who can throw his name into the mix. They are scoring, utilising areas that traditionally have not yielded runs for many teams, which is part of why they scare me.”England showed that strength in a close four-run win over Nepal in Mumbai. Jacob Bethell and captain Harry Brook shared a key partnership and scored half-centuries, helping England reach 184 runs. Jos Buttler also climbed the list of top T20 World Cup run-scorers.Nepal chased bravely, with Rohit Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee putting pressure on England. However, England’s bowlers took crucial wickets at the right time, and despite a late push from Lokesh Bam, Nepal fell just short, finishing on 180/6.

David Benavidez wants nothing more than to fight the best and, with his star power growing and the WBC Light-Heavyweight World title around his waist, he is becoming hard to ignore.

‘El Monstro’ is set to move up in weight again this summer, facing Gilberto Ramirez for the WBO and WBA belts at cruiserweight. He is then planning to drop back down to 175lbs to face Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. Both Russians have expressed their interest in fighting with the 29-year-old pressure fighter.

Despite big main events on the horizon, Benavidez has still failed to secure the signature of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, and that is something that will always irk him.

Asked on The Danza Project if he felt not fighting Alvarez would leave a hole in his career, Benavidez said yes.

“100%. Always in boxing, or whatever sport, everybody has their arch nemesis. Canelo is my arch nemesis, basically. That’s exactly how it’d be. It’d be an unfortunate moment that never happened in boxing. If it doesn’t happen, there’s really nothing I can do about it.”

Benavidez – who has campaigned for the fight for a number of years now – then admitted that the delay has already seen it lose some appeal, given Alvarez’s loss to Terence Crawford last year.

“[Crawford] took a lot away from it. At the time Crawford beat him, Canelo was basically looking invincible. If I could’ve got in there, beat him, it would’ve been more of an impact. Now that Crawford came in and beat him, you don’t know what Canelo is gonna show up – if he’s gonna be extremely prepared or he doesn’t really seem like he’s hungry.”

Despite the consistent calls from both fans and Benavidez to make the fight happen, Canelo has demonstrated that he will make his own decisions in the sport. With a September return date locked in, and a shot at one of his previous super-middleweight world titles likely, it’s anybody’s guess whether or not he will venture back up to light-heavyweight again.

If he does so, he has made it clear that a rematch with Dmitry Bivol is higher on his list than facing Benavidez.

In a final that demonstrated the strength of women’s freestyle skiing, Mathilde Gremaud successfully defended her Olympic title by only 0.38 points.

China’s Eileen Gu – arguably a bigger star off the slopes – took silver, but crashed on her final run to allow Gremaud a victory lap, a Switzerland flag tied around her neck, billowing in the wind as she soaked up her moment on the course.

Muir is one of Team GB’s best medal hopes at the Milan-Cortina Games, and has another shot at the podium when she competes in the big air starting on Saturday.

Four years ago in Beijing, Scotland’s Muir was GB’s youngest competitor at 17, but she finished fifth in the big air and eighth in the slopestyle.

After Beijing Muir achieved three World Cup podiums, but in December 2023 an MRI scan showed she had been competing with a fully torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

An operation followed in early 2024, as well as surgery on a shoulder problem that had troubled her for some time.

Eleven months later she was back on snow, and her maiden World Cup gold arrived in Tignes in March 2025.

Two more have followed this season, as well as slopestyle gold and big air silver at the invitation-only X Games on the eve of the Olympics.

“I’m going to look forward to big air, but I just need to take this one in,” Muir said.

“I got to see my famly. They were hugging me a bit too tightly – I was getting a bit claustrophobic. They’re proud of me no matter what, so I can take that away.”

South Africa vs Canada Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: The opening clash between South Africa and Canada at the T20 World Cup 2026 sets up a classic contest between pedigree and ambition. South Africa arrive in Ahmedabad carrying the weight of expectation, fuelled by unfinished business from the 2024 edition where they fell heartbreakingly short in the final. Nine members of that squad return, bringing continuity and experience, and the Proteas will be keen to make a statement straight away.

T2O World Cup Schedule:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/icc-mens-t20-world-cup/schedule

Despite mixed results in T20Is since mid-2024, South Africa boast a settled and formidable core. Quinton de Kock has rediscovered his rhythm at the top, while Aiden Markram continues to lead with calm authority. Dewald Brevis, now playing with renewed freedom, is expected to be a key figure in the middle order after an outstanding SA20 2026, where he finished as the second-highest run-scorer and struck a century in the final. The fast-bowling quartet of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi gives South Africa genuine firepower, even if they opt to go with a single specialist spinner in Keshav Maharaj.

T20 World Cup Points Table
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/icc-mens-t20-world-cup/points-table

Canada, though, are not simply here to make up numbers. Under new captain Dilpreet Bajwa, they are aiming to test stronger opponents whenever the opportunity arises. While warm-up losses to Italy and Nepal exposed areas for improvement, Canada possess enough power and belief to compete. Yuvraj Samra’s aggressive approach at the top, Navneet Dhaliwal’s experience and the all-round value of Saad Bin Zafar and Jaskaran Singh provide a solid framework.

With three of South Africa’s four group games scheduled in Ahmedabad, adapting quickly to the surface will be crucial. For Canada, this match represents a chance to challenge perceptions. For South Africa, it is about starting strongly and laying down a marker in their quest to finally lift the trophy.

India’s newest Davis Cup hero Dhakshineswar Suresh says his dream run for the country is “just the beginning” as he prepares to step into full-fledged competition on the ATP Tour after completing his studies at a US university.

Pursuing communication studies at the Wake Forest University, the 25-year-old will complete his degree in May this year.

In just two ties since making his debut in September 2025, Dhakshineswar boasts an impressive 4-0 record, with three of those wins coming against the Netherlands in Bengaluru last weekend.

“It’s a long way to go. It’s just the beginning,” said Dhakshineswar, who matched Leander Paes’ feat of winning three matches in a single tie back in 2004 against Japan.

 

Following Dhakshineswar’s superlative show, India edged the Netherlands 3-2 to progress to the second round of the Davis Cup Qualifiers, where they will meet Korea in September.

“I’ll go back to the US to finish my studies, then come down in May and figure out my schedule. Once that’s sorted, I’ll start getting into the Tour and prepare for the next Davis Cup,” he said.

On Dhakshinewar’s remarkable record, captain Rohit Rajpal said, “There aren’t many players who go 4-0 in Davis Cup rubbers, especially against quality opponents. He keeps coming up with big serves and big forehands. I hope he keeps enjoying his tennis and keeps performing.” 
Dhakshineswar said representing India had brought out a different side of his game.

“It’s a different feeling when you’re playing for your country. You’re not just playing for yourself, you’re playing for the whole nation. I played some different tennis in these matches and I’m really proud of that,” he said.

The tall Chennai-born player, who played marathon singles and doubles matches over two days, credited the support staff and team environment for his recovery and consistency.

“The physios and everyone took care of me really well. Team chemistry on and off the court makes a huge difference. Everyone trusting me helps me play good tennis,” he added.

Rajpal also lauded an injured Sumit Nagal for leading the team despite being far from full fitness.

“Sumit was not even 50 per cent fit. He had a grade two tear in his hip and we were working day and night with the physios. But he fought like a tiger and led the team like an India number one should.” 
Rajpal singled out the contribution of the support staff, especially the physios, and said the tie underlined India’s growing depth.

“With these guys, a strong doubles team and the bench strength we now have, India is a tough team to beat. If we play to our potential, we can take on anybody in the world,” he said.

Nagal, who lost both his singles matches after a three-week injury layoff, admitted it was a tough week but felt encouraged by his fight.

“It was disappointing to get injured before such an important tie, but to come out and compete after not playing or practising was not easy. The doubles point was crucial and DK played amazing tennis,” he said, adding that he would resume preparations in Chennai.

Looking ahead to the next tie against Korea, Rajpal said planning would begin after the celebrations.

“We’ll start strategising tomorrow, where they play us, on what surface. I stay in constant touch with the players. Team selection and planning is a collective process,” he said.