Chelsea Gray, of the United States, grabs the ball from Italy’s Matilde Villa during the Women’s Basketball World Cup match between the United States and Italy in Berlin, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

BERLIN — The United States faced its stiffest challenge in nearly two decades in the women’s Fiba World Cup and escaped with a win over Italy thanks to a few timely baskets late and a key defensive play by Chelsea Gray.

Jackie Young scored 10 points to lead the struggling offense in the 55-52 win on Sunday. It was the fewest points the Americans had scored in a World Cup win since they beat Australia 42-38 in 1967.

“You have to be able to win different ways in this tournament because every team stylistically plays a little bit different,” U.S. coach Kara Lawson said. “You do have to be able to win when you don’t have your fastball. We didn’t have a fastball tonight, but we figured it out late and we’ll grow from it.”

READ: Mali shocks Spain in Fiba Women’s World Cup

Needed it, got it.@paigebueckers1 x #FIBAWWC 🏆 pic.twitter.com/EOQJf0gQWX

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) September 6, 2026

The U.S. (2-0) has won 32 straight World Cup games dating to a loss to Russia in the 2006 semifinals. Only one team had come within single digits of the Americans during this run before Sunday, when Australia lost by eight points in 2010.

“Obviously, Italy really kind of mucked up the game for us a little bit,” Breanna Stewart said. “It made it difficult for us to score. They are a tough team. Tons of respect to what they’ve done. And, just proud of the resiliency of this group.”

The world has been closing the gap on the U.S. The Americans pulled off their eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal in 2024, edging France by one point in the title game.

“We’ve seen that through the tournament that every game feels like a dogfight,” Lawson said. “It’s really hard. On any given night, if you’re not prepared to play, you’ll lose. That’s awesome for our sport.”

The U.S. trailed 50-48 with 4:29 left before going on a 7-0 run. Stewart, who missed her first eight shots, scored her first basket of the game to put the Americans up 51-50. Young then hit a layup after Gray drew that offensive foul with 3:03 left.

“I thought that late charge Chelsea took was a big momentum changing play,” Lawson said. “It was an incredible winning play by Gray there.”

READ: Record-setting Japan, US start Fiba Women’s World Cup with wins

Gray’s jumper with 1:07 left made it a five-point game. Matilde Villa scored to get Italy back within three with less than a minute to go. The U.S. had a couple of chances to make it a two-possession lead but couldn’t convert.

Italy (1-1) had one last chance to tie it, but Cecilia Zandalasini’s 3-pointer was off at the buzzer.

Italy’s 2-3 zone defense caused the U.S. fits. The Americans couldn’t get into any rhythm and shot 29% from the field, including 1 for 12 from 3-point range. They missed a ton of layups too.

“I think we missed some shots. We missed some layups, some shots that we have made in the past,” Gray said.

The Americans were up early, leading 23-8 in what looked to be another blowout victory. Italy then switched to a zone defense and went on a 16-7 spurt to close the half down 30-24.

The Italians kept it going in the third quarter with an 11-2 run to go up 35-32. The Americans led 42-39 heading into the fourth.

Italy, which lost to the Americans by 34 in a tournament qualifier in March, wouldn’t go away and was up 50-48 in the fourth quarter before the Americans’ final push.

Zandalasini scored 14 points to lead Italy, which is making its first World Cup appearance since 1994. She apologized after the game for emotion she showed at the buzzer toward an official at the lack of a foul call.

“I would like to apologize for how I reacted in the end,” Zandalasini said. “It was a lot of emotions today, but I should have kept them inside of me a little better.”

In other games on Sunday, China edged the Czech Republic in overtime, Australia topped Turkey and Belgium beat Puerto Rico.

Tyson Fury has suggested his all-British blockbuster bout with Anthony Joshua is off and has challenged Oleksandr Usyk to a third fight.

Fury and Joshua have been locked in negotiations over a mega-money bout but the ‘Gypsy King’ has grown impatient at a lack of confirmation, calling his rival a “coward” earlier in the week.

Fury has now said Joshua has “s**t his pants” and turned his attention to Usyk, who he lost twice to on points in 2024.

“AJ has s**t his pants again, yet again,” he told his followers in a post on social media. “After 11 years he has finally s**t his pants yet again.

“This will only lead me to a fight with Oleksandr Usyk. Oleksandr you’re his (Joshua’s) trainer and his sensei and you know he is a weak minded piece of s**t and that he would never fight the Gypsy King, which you have had the guts to do twice.

“You got the decisions last time, fair play to you. Good luck to you, let’s do it again. Let’s run it back in November. The ball is now in your court… do you want to fight me this year, 2026, or are you calling quits? Let me know because I am now looking for a new opponent.”

Joshua’s promotor, Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn, has previously said an agreement hinged on his client’s net purse.

New York’s Madison Square Garden was widely expected to be announced as the venue despite Joshua’s camp preferring Wembley Stadium as Sela, the Saudi state-owned promotional company financing the fight, wanted a bigger American audience on Netflix.

The only ranked-on-ranked matchup of the Week 1 college football schedule comes on Sunday evening as the No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels and No. 24 Louisville Cardinals meet in Nashville. Ole Miss made the College Football Playoff last year but is beginning a new era with Pete Golding in charge for his first full season after he took over in the playoff run following Lane Kiffin’s exit to LSU. Heisman candidate quarterback Trinidad Chambliss returns, giving Ole Miss a sky-high ceiling this season. Louisville has been a consistent contender in the ACC under Jeff Brohm as the Cardinals have won at least nine games in all three of his seasons. Visit our DraftKings promo code review and get $200 in bonus bets as a new user after $5+ in wagers here:

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. The Rebels are 6.5-point favorites in the latest Ole Miss vs. Louisville odds, while the over/under is 55.5 points. The Rebels are at -255 on the money line (risk $255 to win $100). Before making any Louisville vs. Ole Miss picks, check out the Louisville vs. Ole Miss predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model. 

The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. It is on a 32-19 run on top-rated CFB money-line picks on betting sites since the 2024 season, and it has been upgraded for the 2026 season to even better factor in the transfer portal. Anybody following its college football betting picks could have seen strong returns. 

Now, the model has set its sights on Louisville vs. Ole Miss. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the FBS college football odds and trends for Ole Miss vs. Louisville.

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Top Ole Miss vs. Louisville predictions

After simulated Louisville vs. Ole Miss 10,000 times, SportsLine model is going Under (55.5 points) on the total at the best betting apps. Ole Miss has arguably the best backfield in the nation with Chambliss at quarterback and Kewan Lacy at running back. Louisville, however, is projected to be stout defensively this year after finishing in the top 40 in scoring and total defense last year. Anchored by NFL prospects such as Clev Lubin and A.J. Green on the defensive front, Louisville appears have the personnel to at least slow this high-powered Ole Miss attack.

The Rebels might have bigger names on offense, but they were one of the better defenses in the nation last year, and they reinforced that side of the ball with several big transfer portal additions. SportsLine’s model has neither team scoring more than 30 points as they combine for 49, making the Under the value play in 60% of simulations in an A-rated pick. See the model’s spread and money-line picks at SportsLine.

How to make Louisville vs. Ole Miss picks

In addition to going Under on the total, the model also says one side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time. You can only get the pick at SportsLine. 

So who wins Ole Miss vs. Louisville, and which side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that’s on a 32-19 run on top-rated CFB money-line picks, and find out.

Top trainer Kenny Ellis has highlighted a key attribute which, if Conor Benn nullifies the left hook of Ryan Garcia, could lead to a major upset victory for the Brit.

The 29-year-old has, indeed, been made a sizable underdog as he approaches his maiden world title challenge at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on September 12.

Not only are his world-level credentials somewhat questionable, but Benn has also not made 147lbs since his second-round stoppage of Chris van Heerden in 2022.

Later that year, ‘The Destroyer’ tested positive for banned substance clomifene, before eventually rescheduling his middleweight contest with Chris Eubank Jr for April 2025.

And despite losing a unanimous decision, Benn received immense credit for the character he showed in the heat of battle, where it appeared, at times, that he was getting the better of Eubank, who he widely outpointed in their immediate rematch.

Because of this grit, American coach Ellis, who helps train the likes of Gervonta Davis, has told FightHype that he is predicting a shock defeat for Garcia, who will make a first defence of his WBC welterweight title against Benn.

“I like Ryan – he’s a better boxer [than Benn] – but I think Conor Benn has a better tolerance for pain. He might overcome Ryan’s boxing skills.”

“If he can get past the left hook, he should be good.”

Garcia became a world champion at 147lbs in February, dethroning Mario Barrios with a unanimous decision victory after scoring a first-round knockdown.

This followed his points defeat to Rolando Romero in May 2025, which arrived after the American served a year-long doping ban.

This the week was not a week where the Big Ten covered itself in glory. The league was involved in the two largest upsets of the opening weekend with UMass beating Rutgers and Western Michigan stunning Michigan in the Big House (more on that later). We have some actual data now on every team in the conference, so why not rank the league on where everyone is after a game (or in USC’s case, two games).

1. Ohio State (1-0, beat Ball State 56-3) – As expected, the Cardinals were a mere speed bump. At least my former pastor got to see his kid play in the horseshoe since his son is a junior safety for Ball State.

2. Indiana (1-0, beat North Texas 52-16) – There was a brief moment there in the third quarter where North Texas was threatening to make it a game. They had it at 24-13, then IU pulled away.

3. Oregon (1-0, beat Boise State 34-27) – Though it was much closer than expected, should we really be surprised that Boise can hang with Oregon in Autzen? They’ve been doing it for a long time now.  

4. Iowa (1-0, beat Northern Illinois 40-0) –A Kirk Ferentz offense scored 20 points in the first quarter of a game. That’s probably weirder than Indiana currently being a national power.

5. Penn State (1-0, beat Marshall 45-0) – Another team that had a light week and was never seriously threatened. A solid debut for Matt Campbell.

6. USC (2-0, beat Fresno State 39-0) – I really expected more from Fresno here, but it appears that USC might be playoff worthy. They are going to be a problem for other teams.

7. Northwestern (1-0, beat South Dakota State 34-18) – This was my surprise team of the week, as I expected them to lose to an always tough South Dakota State team. They blew open a close game late with a couple of big plays.

8. Nebraska (1-0, beat Ohio 49-21) – Another team that blew things open late. The Huskers only led 14-13 at the half, but got four touchdowns from Anthony Colandrea.

9. UCLA (1-0, beat California 45-24) – Bob Chesney gets a big road win at a power conference opponent in year one after UCLA wasn’t great for a while? Great, we have another Cignetti in the conference.

10. Minnesota (1-0, beat Eastern Illinois 59-7) – Javon Tracy returned two punts for a TD in the same game. As a result, no one should punt to him the rest of the year.

11. Washington (1-0, beat Washington State 24-10) – It has to be hard to begin a season with a rivalry game. The Cougars kept this much closer than expected, but two missed field goals played a big difference.

12. Illinois (1-0, beat UAB 42-23) – What a Hail Mary catch to end the half for the Illini! It helped them pull away from a game that was pretty close beforehand.

13. Maryland (1-0, beat Hampton 62-0) – I swear every year Maryland beats Hampton, Howard, or Towson 62-0.

14. Wisconsin (0-1, Lost to Notre Dame 41-13) – I will give the Badgers credit for hanging around for a half. It gave me some hope under the weird transitive logic of “if Purdue is expected to be somewhat close to Wisconsin’s level this year, maybe it can push Notre Dame like this.” The thought was fleeting.

15. Michigan State (1-0, beat Toledo 30-20) – The MAC almost got another Big Ten pelt as the Rockets did lead in the fourth quarter 20-19.

16. Purdue (1-0, beat Indiana State 44-19) – Purdue did its job and got the only win that was a virtual guarantee. For one Saturday, at least, we can be happy.

17. Rutgers (0-1, lost to UMass 37-21) – UMass broke a 16-game losing streak and it really wasn’t even this close. Rutgers got absolutely embarrassed.

18. Michigan (0-1, lost to Western Michigan 12-7) – I know what happened. I refuse to recognize it. A complete and utter screwjob among the worst I have ever seen in sports. I am mad on behalf of WMU.

Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne (PTI photo)

Marnus Labuschagne has survived another selection scare, with Cricket Australia retaining the struggling batter in its 16-member Test squad for the upcoming three-match series against South Africa.The decision came despite growing calls for Labuschagne to be dropped. Australia greats Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden have both questioned his place in the side, but chief selector George Bailey has opted to continue backing the right-hander.Labuschagne’s recent record has done little to strengthen his case. It has been more than three years since he last scored a Test century, with his most recent hundred coming in July 2023. Across his last 43 Test innings, he has averaged just 24.69.His struggles have already cost him his place in Australia’s ODI squad for the series against South Africa. However, the selectors have continued to show faith in him in the longer format.That backing comes despite Labuschagne managing scores of only 1, 31 and 4 across his three innings against Bangladesh.

Australia add three players to Test squad

The upcoming series will be the first meeting between Australia and South Africa since last year’s World Test Championship Final at Lord’s. The results in this series could have a major bearing on which teams eventually qualify for next year’s WTC decider at The Oval.Alongside Labuschagne, the selectors have retained 13 players from the squad that featured in Australia’s most recent Test against Bangladesh in Mackay, which Pat Cummins‘ side won inside two days.Cooper Connolly, Michael Neser and Matthew Kuhnemann are the three additions to the 16-man group.Connolly’s inclusion is notable given his limited experience in first-class cricket. The left-hander is yet to score a first-class century and has batted at No.3 only once. He was also recently dropped by Western Australia for their final Sheffield Shield match last summer.Neser, meanwhile, returns after recovering from a calf strain sustained during a training camp in early August. His inclusion gives Australia five fast-bowling options, with Neser joining captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland.Cameron Green and Beau Webster are the two all-rounders included in the squad and are expected to feature in Australia’s playing XI for the opening Test in Durban.Matt Renshaw has also retained his place as an opener. The left-hander had previously come into the squad in place of Jake Weatherald after Weatherald struggled in the first Test against Bangladesh.Explaining the selection, Bailey highlighted the demands of the South Africa tour, with the Test series coming after six ODIs and featuring short gaps between matches.“This is a reasonably condensed three-game series, on the back of six one-day internationals, with only short breaks between each game. The squad provides balance and options for each Test and the variety of conditions we may face,” Chair of Selectors George Bailey said in an official statement.The three-Test series will begin in Durban on October 9, before moving to Gqeberha and Cape Town.The tour marks Australia’s first Test trip to South Africa since the infamous 2018 series, when the sandpaper gate scandal rocked the team.Only five members of the current touring party have previously been part of an Australian squad that travelled to South Africa for a Test series: Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith and Matt Renshaw.Australia Test squad for tour of South Africa: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.

The Colorado Buffaloes helped kick off college football Week 1 by going into Atlanta as underdogs and shocking the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

With a packed slate of games this weekend, should fans and bettors anticipate more upsets?

Let’s take a glance at five matchups to watch this weekend, with odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of Sept. 4.

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(All Times ET)

Saturday, Sept. 5

Spread: Indiana -40.5
Moneyline: N/A
O/U: 56.5

What To Know: Indiana’s title defense begins this weekend. Led by their bold head coach Curt Cignetti and by eventual Heisman winner and NFL No. 1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza at quarterback, the Hoosiers’ championship run in 2025 was absolutely magical. Based on the odds, they shouldn’t run into any road blocks in Week 1 as 40.5-point favorites. Last season, Indiana opened up its year by cruising past Old Dominion, 27-14.

Spread: Oregon -24.5
Moneyline: Oregon -2400, Boise State +1200
O/U: 51.5

What To Know: The pressure is on for head coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks. Not only are they the No. 2 team in the country, they’re fourth on the board to win the College Football Playoff. Starting QB Dante Moore is also one of the Heisman favorites, sitting third on that board behind Notre Dame’s CJ Carr and Texas’ Arch Manning. FOX Sports betting analyst Geoff Schwartz explained that Oregon’s defensive line is one of the best in the sport, and that could spell trouble for Boise State in this game as the Broncos rely heavily on the run game.

Spread: Texas -29.5
Moneyline: Texas -9000; Texas State +2500
O/U: 59.5

What To Know: The Texas Longhorns have high expectations going into 2026. They’re third on the oddsboard to win the championship and starting quarterback Arch Manning is neck-and-neck with CJ Carr at the top of the Heisman oddsboard. Texas opened up last season with a loss at Ohio State, but the Longhorns get to play an over-matched Texas State squad to open up 2026. Based on the odds, the heavily favored Horns should hook ’em without much trouble.

Spread: Penn State -23.5
Moneyline: Penn State -3200; Marshall +1400
O/U: 52.5

What To Know: Penn State’s 2025 took a turn for the worse, as the Nittany Lions went on a six-game losing streak after winning their first four. They ultimately fired head coach James Franklin, but the damage had already been done in a year when they opened as one of the favoirtes to win it all. FOX Sports betting analyst Will Hill noted that, even though they failed to meet expectations last season, they’re still a good bet to at least make the College Football Playoff in 2026. They are No. 18 in the AP Poll currently and are favored to win big in Week 1. The showdown against Marshall should give Penn State a chance to start getting back on track with an easy non-conference win.

Sunday, Sept. 6

Spread: Ole Miss -6.5
Moneyline: Ole Miss -270; Louisville +220
O/U: 55.5

What To Know: The Sunday night, primetime game features two ranked squads — one of which is coming off a solid College Football Playoff showing. After defeating Georgia in the CFP quarterfinal round, the Rebs fell 31-27 to Miami in the semis. Now, veteran Trinidad Chambliss is back as the starting QB for Ole Miss, while Louisville will be trotting out Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz. However, FOX Sports betting analyst Will Hill is backing underdog Louisville to cover the spread, as the Cardinals and their “new-look” roster try to bring down Ole Miss in Nashville.

“I’m done. I’m canceling everything. It’s done.”

After 20 years as a Rutgers football season-ticket holder, one Scarlet Knights fan had finally reached his breaking point.

And Thursday night’s 37-21 loss to UMass — a program that finished 0-12 in 2025 and entered 2026 as the 138th team in FOX Sports’ RJ Young’s Ultimate 138 — was it.

An anonymous caller unloaded on Rutgers during an appearance on “The Zach Gelb Show,” ripping the team’s defense, calling for head coach Greg Schiano and his entire staff to be fired and vowing to cancel everything he had planned for the season.

This wasn’t a casual Rutgers fan. He had plans to follow the Scarlet Knights across the country this season. A ticket to Boston College next Friday. An Airbnb booked in Madison, Wisconsin, for the Nov. 7 game against the Badgers. He was even planning to watch Rutgers alum Kyle Monangai, now a running back for the Chicago Bears, live in action.

No more. 

The Minutemen had just piled up nearly 400 yards of total offense, including 200 on the ground.

“What I saw tonight was the most deplorable, despicable, horrible adjustments on defense,” the caller said. “From being the worst team in college football last year, defensively, to what they did tonight, to what they did this year, I’m done.”

He wasn’t done.

His next call, he said, would be to Rutgers athletic director Keli Zinn.

“My opinion means nothing,” the caller said. “But I’m sorry. I want to root for a home team. I want to root for a New Jersey team.

“We have a great fan base, a great rooting section, people I’ve known for years, but I’m done.”

Rutgers’ struggles have become even more glaring in the NIL era. Zinn recently said the program is somewhere between $20-$30 million in NIL spending on football and believes the Scarlet Knights are “headed in the right direction” financially.

But Thursday’s loss will raise plenty of questions about the direction of Schiano’s program. Rutgers entered the game as a 29.5 favorite against a UMass team that had never defeated a Big Ten program (0-7) or a Power Four conference opponent since transitioning to FBS in 2012.

Greg Shiano has coached Rutgers to a 31-42 record since returning to the program in 2020. (Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Schiano led the Scarlet Knights to an 11-2 season during his first stint in New Brunswick in 2006, but he hasn’t found the same form since returning to the program in 2020, and throughout the NIL era. 

“Absolutely should be fired tomorrow,” the caller said. “The whole staff.” 

But the caller saved his best line for last, referencing the awkward fireworks show that played for an empty crowd following Thursday’s loss.

“Forget fireworks,” he added. “We need a firing squad.”