
By Stephen Vilardo, SuperWest Sports
Sports
Derailed by Injuries, Ducks Hoping to Finish Strong
In his first 15 seasons as head coach of the Oregon men’s basketball program, Dana Altman strung together 15-straight 20+ win seasons, never missing a postseason appearance.
Those streaks have come tumbling down in Season 16, a campaign in which many expected the Ducks (8-16, 1-12) to compete for a Big Ten title and make a run in the NCAA Tournament.
The expectations were largely predicated on the health and play of Altman’s top two players, Jackson Shelstad and Nate Bittle, both of whom have struggled through injuries.
Here’s a look at the season no one saw coming.
Oregon’s 2025-26 season took a hit before the first preseason game, when Jackson Shelstad broke his right hand in October.
He returned after missing only a few contests, and hopes remained high—but not for long.
The star guard not only showed signs of rust but also sustained ligament damage to the same hand on December 28 against Omaha, sidelining him for the season.
Nate Bittle has faced significant setbacks as well, including an ankle injury in late November 2025 and a more serious foot injury on January 13, 2026, against Nebraska.
As if the Ducks haven’t been banged up enough, Bittle’s backup, Ege Demir, has missed the last five games, while Devon Pryor has dealt with a groin injury for the last two weeks.
In short, the Oregon roster has been beaten up all season.
Bittle returned to the floor last weekend against Purdue after missing the better part of the last month, leading the team with 23 points in 34 minutes as UO nearly upset the 13th-ranked Boilermakers.
Despite the promising outing at Purdue, the Ducks followed the close loss with a blowout defeat at Indiana two days later, stretching their losing streak to 10 games.
Currently the fifth-longest skid in the nation—and the longest among all Power Five programs—it marks the first time in Dana Altman’s 37-year career that his troops have dropped 10 straight.
It is also Oregon’s longest losing streak since the 2008-09 season, before Altman’s arrival, when the Ducks lost 14 in a row en route to dropping 17 of their last 19 games.

The bugaboo for Oregon all season long has been their struggles from the floor. The Ducks rank 309th in the nation in shooting percentage at 42.5%.
That was an issue again on the most recent road trip.
Against Purdue, they lit it up in the first half, only to connect on just 37% of their shots after halftime, allowing the game to slip away in the end.
Their shooting woes continued for much of Monday night as they shot just 40% against Indiana in the first half.
In the second half, they managed to knock down 50% from the floor, but it’s little help when you allow the opposition to connect on 81.8% of their shots.
And that brings us to another recurring problem this season: The Ducks have struggled to protect the hoop.
Oregon has allowed opponents to shoot 49.2% from the floor during their 10-game slide. On the season, they are 239th nationally in FG defense.
Again, a big reason for that has been injuries and the loss of their All-Big Ten-caliber defender for a significant time. Bittle has not been playing at the all-conference level on that side of the ball.
But who can blame him?
He is playing on not one, but two bad ankles at the moment, and he just doesn’t have the lift he needs to contest shots. He has been plagued by a foot injury of some kind all season.
Credit the fifth-year senior for continuing to battle. It would have been easy for him to pack it in for the season.

Missing a pair of All-Big Ten-caliber performers is never easy to overcome; add in the numerous other injuries and missed time in the lineup, and the result has been predictably disastrous.
It has certainly shown on the offensive end of the floor. The Ducks just don’t have the firepower to keep up when the defense gets away from them.
This figures to be the first time in Altman’s tenure in Eugene that his Ducks fail to win at least 20 games.
Yet, much like Bittle, the team is still playing hard and battling, as was evident in taking Purdue to the wire in West Lafayette.
The Schedule will ease up slightly with four of the last seven games at home and only two away from the West Coast.
Over the next month of the season, Altman can hope the effort remains steady, enabling his squad to climb out of the league’s cellar.
That would allow Oregon to build some momentum to carry into the offseason.
The opportunity for a positive result is there for the taking on Saturday as fellow Big Ten bottom-dweller Penn State (11-14, 2-12) visits Matthew Knight Arena.
That outcome could signal the start of a strong finish, or signify a new low in a season full of valleys.
Sports
McLaughlin: Ducks ‘Best Set Up’ for Success in Next 3 Years?
J.D. PicKell of On3 picked Oregon as the program best set up for success in the next 3 years in the country.
His confidence in the Ducks is well-founded, but is it too much?
On today’s episode of Locked On Ducks, I discuss incoming 5-star freshman safety Jett Washington and what his role could be.
Plus, names to know in the 2027 class. Oregon Basketball is having its worst season ever under Dana Altman, heading to a potential last-place finish in the Big Ten.
How can he avoid that next year?
06:37 Playoff Hurdle for Dan Lanning
13:19 Oregon’s Defensive Depth and Talent
14:09 Oregon Secondary Development Praised
18:09 Jett Washington vs. Kingston Lopa
26:15 Dana Altman Must Adapt
28:50 “Challenges in Oregon Recruitment.”
32:11 Facing Talent and Style Gaps
Sports
This iconic golf backdrop plays essential Winter Olympics role
Sports
FOX sports announces World Baseball Classic broadcast schedule
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The World Baseball Classic is right around the corner, and FOX Sports just announced the broadcast schedule.
There are five teams in each pool, and each team will play four games across six days during pool play. The tournament begins on March 4 and ends on March 17.
The FOX Sports family of networks (FOX, FS1, FS2, FOX Deportes), the FOX Sports App and Tubi will combine to air all 47 games of the World Baseball Classic.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

A general view during the opening ceremonies of the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship game between Team USA and Team Japan at LoanDepot Park. The event took place in Miami, Florida, on March 21, 2023. (Daniel Shirey/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Eight of the 20 teams will advance to the quarterfinals, which are single elimination. The semifinals begin a day after the quarterfinals end, with the final on Tuesday, March 17.
Puerto Rico, Cuba, Canada, Panama and Colombia are in Pool A. They will play their pool games at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The United States, Mexico, Italy, Great Britain and Brazil are in Pool B. They will play their pool games at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. Japan, Australia, Korea, Czechia and Chinese Taipei are in Pool C. They will play their pool games at the Tokyo Dome, in Tokyo, Japan.
Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Israel and Nicaragua are in Pool D. They will play their pool games at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.
DEREK JETER RECALLS THE ONLY TIME HE PLAYED AGAINST YANKEES TEAMMATES – AS TEAM USA’S SHORTSTOP

Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (16) of Japan celebrates hitting a three-run home run in the fifth inning during the World Baseball Classic exhibition game between Japan and Hanshin Tigers at Kyocera Dome Osaka. The game took place in Osaka, Japan, on March 6, 2023. (Kenta Harada/Getty Images)
Here is the schedule for the tournament:
Wednesday, March 4
Chinese Taipei and Australia – 10:00 PM ET – FS1/FOXD
Thursday, March 5
Czechia and Korea – 5:00 AM ET – FS1/FOXD
Australia and Czechia – 10:00 PM ET – FS1/FOXD
Friday, March 6
Japan and Chinese Taipei – 5:00 AM ET – FS1/FOXD
Cuba and Panama – 11:00 AM ET – FS2/FOXD
Netherlands and Venezuela – 12:00 PM ET – Tubi
Mexico and Great Britain – 1:00 PM ET – FS1/FOXD
Puerto Rico and Colombia – 6:00 PM ET – FS1/FOXD
Nicaragua and Dominican Republic – 7:00 PM ET – FS2
USA and Brazil – 8:00 PM ET – FOX/FOXD
Chinese Taipei and Czechia – 10:00 PM ET – FS2
Saturday, March 7
Korea and Japan – 5:00 AM ET – FS1/FOXD
Colombia and Canada – 11:00 AM ET – FS2/FOXD
Nicaragua and Netherlands – 12:00 PM ET – Tubi
Brazil and Italy – 1:00 PM ET – App
Panama and Puerto Rico – 6:00 PM ET – FS1/FOXD
Israel and Venezuela – 7:00 PM ET – FS2
Great Britain and USA – 8:00 PM ET – FOX
Chinese Taipei and Korea – 10:00 PM ET – FS2
Sunday, March 8
Australia and Japan – 6:00 AM ET – FS1/FOXD
Colombia and Cuba – 12:00 PM ET – FS2
Netherlands and Dominican Republic – 12:00 PM ET – FOX/FOXD
Great Britain and Italy – 1:00 PM ET – Tubi
Panama and Canada – 7:00 PM ET – FS2
Nicaragua and Israel – 7:00 PM ET – Tubi
Brazil and Mexico – 8:00 PM ET – FS1/FOXD
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Trea Turner (8) of Team USA hits a grand slam in the top of the eighth inning during the 2023 World Baseball Classic quarterfinal game between Team USA and Team Venezuela at LoanDepot Park. The game took place in Miami, Florida, on March 18, 2023. (Gene Wang/Getty Images)
Monday, March 9
Korea and Australia – 6:00 AM ET – FS1/FOXD
Colombia and Panama – 12:00 PM ET – FS2
Dominican Republic and Israel – 12:00 PM ET – FS1/FOXD
Brazil and Great Britain – 1:00 PM ET – Tubi
Cuba and Puerto Rico – 7:00 PM ET – FS1
Venezuela and Nicaragua – 7:00 PM ET – FS2
Mexico and USA – 8:00 PM ET – FOX/FOXD
Tuesday, March 10
Czechia and Japan – 6:00 AM ET – FS1/FOXD
Canada and Puerto Rico – 7:00 PM ET – Tubi
Israel and Netherlands – 7:00 PM ET – App/FOXD
Italy and USA – 9:00 PM ET – FS1/FOXD
Wednesday, March 11
Canada and Cuba – 3:00 PM ET – FS2/FOXD
Italy and Mexico – 7:00 PM ET – Tubi
Dominican Republic and Venezuela – 8:00 PM ET – FS1/FOXD
Friday, March 13 – Quarterfinals
Tokyo Runner-Up and Miami Winner – 6:30 PM ET – FS2/FOXD
San Juan Runner-Up and Houston Winner – 8:00 PM ET – FOX/FOXD
Saturday, March 14 – Quarterfinals
Houston Runner-Up and San Juan Winner – 3:00 PM ET – FS1/FOXD
Miami Runner-Up and Tokyo Winner – 9:00 PM ET – FOX/FOXD
Sunday, March 15 – Semifinals
Semifinal #1 – 8:00 PM ET – FS1/FOXD
Monday, March 16 – Semifinals
Semifinal #2 – 8:00 PM ET – FS1/FOXD
Tuesday, March 17 – Championship
Championship Game – 8:00 PM ET – FOX/FOXD
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Sports
Latvian challenges negate two U.S. goals in Olympic opener
And the early frontrunner for Olympic gold in men’s hockey is… the Latvian video coaches?
Thanks to reviews initiated by Latvia, two goals by Team USA were wiped off the scoreboard during their preliminary-round opening game on Thursday: One for offside and one for goaltender interference, both in the first period.
The early offside challenge on Quinn Hughes’ goal was fairly standard — Brock Nelson entered the zone before the puck — but Latvia used it to their advantage to tie up the game on the ensuing shift.
It was the goaltender interference call just under five minutes later, however, that left some fans scratching their heads.
Nelson thought he had scored the go-ahead goal for the Americans with some commotion in front of goalie Elvis Merzlikins. But Latvia called for goaltender interference and, after a review by on-ice officials, the goal was called back as a result of contact made by American forward J.T. Miller on Merzlikins in the crease just prior to the goal.
While that goal might have stood had it occurred in the NHL, the IIHF has a zero-tolerance policy for contact in the crease. Per rule 69.1 of the IIHF rulebook, goals will be disallowed if:
I) an attacking Player, either by their positioning or by a “relevant contact,” impairs the Goalkeeper’s ability to move freely in their Goal Crease or defend their goal; or
II) an attacking Player initiates intentional or deliberate contact with a Goalkeeper, inside or outside their Goal Crease
Furthermore, the rule states that the referee has the power to blow down play if an attacking player enters the opposing crease and does not immediately leave.
Ultimately, the U.S. was no worse for wear despite the two called-back goals, with three straight second-period goals to give them a comfortable 4-1 lead heading into the third period.
Sports
South Korea’s Choi Ga-on upsets Chloe Kim to win women’s halfpipe gold
Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics – Snowboard – Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe Final – Livigno Snow Park, Livigno, Italy – February 12, 2026. Choi Ga-on of South Korea in action during run 1 LIVIGNO, Italy — Choi Ga-on of South Korea won the gold medal in the women’s snowboard halfpipe after recovering from a frightening crash in her first run at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Thursday.
Double defending champion Chloe Kim of the United States took silver and the bronze went to Mitsuki Ono of Japan in the Alpine town of Livigno.
Choi, 17, was nearly knocked out of the contest after the first round when she flipped upside down and landed on her head. She sat on the ground for several minutes as medical staff attended to her before standing up and riding down on her own.
In the second round of three, she flubbed a landing and fell backward.
In the third round, Choi put a stunning 90.25 on the board, elevating her above Kim’s leading 88.
Kim, recovering from a recent shoulder injury, had a final chance to grab the gold but fell backward on a landing. Choi began crying when she realized Kim’s misstep guaranteed her the gold.
The halfpipe features riders sliding across a 22-foot-tall, U-shaped ramp and performing acrobatic maneuvers in the air. Kim took halfpipe gold in Pyeongchang in 2018 and at Beijing 2022.
No snowboarder – not even men’s great Shaun White – has been able to win three straight Olympic golds. White, who was in the crowd on Thursday night, claimed three but they were in 2006, 2010 and 2018. He is now retired from the sport. While Kim missed out on a three-peat, she smiled and laughed at the bottom of the halfpipe as she stood with the other medalists.
Kim was competing with her shoulder held in place by a brace and has said she will need surgery soon.
A steady snow fell during the contest. Seven of the 12 riders fell during the first round.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Blue Jays Spring Training (Feb. 12)
Blue Jays Spring Training (Feb. 12)
Sports
Arianna Fontana: Italian phenomenon wins 13th Olympic speed skating medal
While an unknown teenager in Turin, she is one of the faces of this year’s Games 20 years on. Fontana carried the Italian flag at the opening ceremony at San Siro, leading the home nation as tens of thousands of compatriots cheered in the crowd.
It was the second time Fontana was honoured to be the opening ceremony flagbearer, having also carried the flag at Pyeongchang 2018.
On how she has kept winning Olympic medals and maintained her place at the top end of speed skating since before Instagram was invented, Fontana says it comes down to a love of the sport – and a love of herself.
“I do have experience, but I have the same drive I did when I was 15. I never get on the ice just to show up,” she added.
“With time, I have been able to understand my body, and my mental fitness – I have taken more time off from racing, more breaks, because mentally it can be tough.
“Elite athletes, we put pressure on ourselves easily, we have high expectation and it can be hard mentally.”
She needed that mental fortitude in the build-up to the Games as a series of injuries – including a hip issue in October – hampered her preparations.
It put paid to Fontana’s plan to also enter long track events, forcing her to concentrate on her signature shorter disciplines.
It was a decision she took with her coach and husband Anthony Lobello after spending four years travelling the world to various competitions.
“We understand each other, he understands exactly what I need,” said Fontana. “We do try not to talk about work at home.”
Sports
Politics, penis injections, broken medals: A week of controversy at the Winter Olympics

Alongside displays of sporting excellence, numerous controversies have flared this week at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. FRANCE 24 takes a look at the biggest scandals.
Sports
White Sox GM Chris Getz swears he knows Luisangel Acuña isn’t a switch-hitter
After almost two years of rumors and speculation, the White Sox finally traded center fielder Luis Robert Jr. last month, sending him to the Mets for utility man Luisangel Acuña and righty Truman Pauley. Considering Robert hit 38 home runs and was a 4.9 WAR player in 2023, it’s an underwhelming return, but his last two years were full of injuries and ineffectiveness.
Acuña is Ronald‘s younger brother and he’s a utility guy who does his best work on the bases and in the field. Last season, he authored a .567 OPS with the Mets, but also went 16 for 17 stealing bases and played four positions (second base, shortstop, third base, center field). The White Sox figure to play Acuña most of the time in center field this season.
White Sox GM Chris Getz has spoken highly of Acuña since the trade, as GMs are wont to do, but there is one small problem: Getz keeps calling Acuña a switch-hitter, which he most certainly is not. He’s a righty bat. Four times — four! — Getz has publicly called Acuña a switch-hitter:
If it happens once, fine. People misspeak. But four times — again, FOUR! — is a bit of a problem. Getz doesn’t know his player and also his staff has not bothered to correct him, which is another problem in and of itself. Things got to the point that Getz issued a statement Thursday regarding Acuña’s handedness as a hitter.
“So I probably have been getting carried away describing his versatility,” Getz told Sox Machine. “Why does it have to stop there? I called Luisangel and told him that even though he’s just right-handed, we still love him.”
On one hand, this is so stupid and silly that all you can do is laugh. On the other hand, the GM had to call a player and mend fences because he didn’t seem to know which side of the plate he hits from. It’s not a great look for Getz. It’s not the end of the world either — this will be forgotten in about a week — but a basic detail like this should not escape the GM.
Getz’s White Sox went 60-102 last season. That represents a 19-win improvement from their modern record 121-loss season in 2024. After trading Robert, the ChiSox used the savings to sign Seranthony Domínguez, Erick Fedde, and Austin Hays.
Sports
UNC star freshman Caleb Wilson sidelined with broken hand
Feb 10, 2026; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) looks on against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images North Carolina star freshman forward Caleb Wilson is out indefinitely with a fracture in his left hand, the school announced Thursday.
He suffered the injury on Tuesday in the first half of a 75-66 loss at Miami.
Wilson leads the No. 11 Tar Heels in scoring (19.8 points per game), rebounding (9.4), steals (1.5) and blocks (1.4). He ranks in the top five of the ACC in scoring, rebounding, field-goal percentage (57.8) and double-doubles (11) and leads the nation in dunks (66).
Wilson originally returned in the second half of the Miami game after X-rays were negative. Additional imaging upon the team’s return home revealed the fracture.
Per the school statement announcing the injury news, the evaluation process is ongoing to determine the timetable for Wilson’s return.
As a prospect, Wilson was ranked by the 247Sports composite as the No. 3 power forward and the No. 5 player overall in the 2025 class.
North Carolina (19-5, 7-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) is a No. 4 seed in ESPN’s latest bracketology update, but that was posted Tuesday morning before the Miami loss.
Three of the team’s final seven regular-season games are against currently ranked opponents.
–Field Level Media
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