Stony Brook men’s basketball star Erik Pratt was suspended by the school for spitting on a fan during the team’s 82-69 loss to Monmouth Thursday.

Pratt was being heckled by fans with 2:30 left in the game with Stony Brook down 79-63. Instead of ignoring the fans, Pratt turned and spit at them and walked away.

“In light of his actions in last night’s game at Monmouth, I have made the decision in consultation with the CAA to suspend Erik Pratt for Saturday’s game at Hofstra,” Stony Brook director of athletics Shawn Heilbron said in a statement.

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“I met with Erik earlier, and he acknowledged his mistake while accepting full responsibility for his actions. While emotions were high in the moment, he understands that his behavior was inappropriate and did not meet the standards we expect of our student-athletes nor those set forth by our department, institution and the CAA. Erik has expressed his commitment to learning from this experience and moving forward in a positive manner.”

At the time of his ejection, Pratt led the team with 14 points and had eight assists. Pratt is Stony Brook’s leading scorer, averaging 19.4 points per game, and his absence for the team’s game against Hofstra on Saturday is a big one.

Stony Brook is tied for the No. 5 seed in the CAA tournament, and a loss to Hofstra could drop them in the seedings.

Pratt played at Milwaukee and Texas A&M before joining Stony Brook. 

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Pratt is not the only athlete to be embroiled in a spitting controversy over the last year. Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Carter spit on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in the first game of the 2025 NFL season.

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For all that Igor Tudor has tried to get the Tottenham squad to look forward, and look at themselves “in the mirror”, there are figures around the club who can’t get certain images from Sunday out of their heads.

The players naturally looked beaten. The hierarchy, however, were said by those present to appear “haunted”.

Obviously, the biggest home defeat to Arsenal since 1978 was bad enough, but this was obviously more.

It was the realisation that the change of manager wasn’t going to change that much, certainly as regards the negative atmosphere around the club. It was the realisation that there was evidently no quick fix. It was that Tudor has a huge job on his hands, and maybe the most difficult in the history of the club.

Above all, it was the illustration that they are right in it, that relegation is now a live possibility.

Fulham vs Tottenham Hotspur may well be the biggest game this weekend, in how it will tell us the most – much more than a north London derby – about what Tudor can actually do with this team.

If Spurs win, the mood will immediately lift. They’ll finally have breathing space, and just the positive feeling that would come from a first win of the year. A draw would at least show some progress, even if it’s not quite what they need.

Any kind of defeat, however, and it really is alarms blaring.

The tension will be suffocating. The pressure immense.

And for all that people are rightly saying that a Spurs relegation would be the biggest of the Premier League – and probably the biggest in English football since Manchester United in 1973-74 – more relevant might be how the reasons for that reflect frankly astonishing underperformance. If they really do go down, it will be one of the most remarkable feats of reverse alchemy in football history; a shocking waste.

People point to Leeds United in 2003-04, but the manner in which they had financially overextended themselves made their decline inevitable.

Tottenham have had the opposite problem. This should have been the opposite of inevitable. It should have been impossible.

They’re the ninth-wealthiest club in the world on revenue. The ownership now actively want to spend, and raise a relatively high wage bill even higher.

This comes in an era in which most of the sport has never been more geared towards those who are already wealthy. As has been stated on these pages many times in the past, it’s not like 1974 when there was relative parity in the old First Division. There’s a 90 per cent correlation between wage bill and league finish, and the gaps have never been greater.

So, in a skewed modern parallel of how United were relegated a mere six years after becoming European champions, Spurs could get relegated a mere five years after joining the Super League.

That, in its own way, says a lot about the modern game.

But of course it’s more than that.

It’s 10 years this week since they could have gone top of the league, in “the Leicester City season”.

It’s seven years since they were in the actual Champions League final, for what was supposed to have been a launch moment for the club.

That should instead now be the great regret, the ghost of what might have been.

The moment is now just a peak from which they have fallen a very long way.

A greater frustration – especially for the supporters – is that there’s been no sudden drop, no hinge date from which you can trace everything. Instead, the fans have long been complaining that the very ownership approach made this more and more likely.

Questions have persisted as to what the aim of the hierarchy is. Representatives of the Lewis family would, of course, insist it is about eventually making the club a success.

Fans would counter that by pointing to limited investment over 25 years, and question whether this has just been about having a football asset there, or something you can eventually flip in a sale.

The view among some other Premier League owners and executives is that they need a sale, for a refresh. There is too much “baggage”.

As one senior figure argues, any club can succeed in spite of the ownership, but their outlook still dictates so much. It tends to show when they are fully immersed in victory, usually in structure and appointments.

It can also go both ways. To once again draw a contrast with the other side of north London, the Kroenke ownership are said to have really come alive once Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal started winning.

The discussion is nevertheless complicated by the fact that the Lewis family imbued Daniel Levy with so much power for so long.

Ironically, it was the former chairman’s departure – something long desired by much of the fanbase – that has brought this greater collapse.

That isn’t necessarily to defend or criticise Levy. His abrupt departure nevertheless prevented a transition of responsibility, so now everything has plummeted through the cracks.

The lack of football expertise has been exposed. The lack of a football idea has been exposed. The mismatched nature of the squad has been exposed, one long conditioned by the Levy-led decision to keep the player wage bill to such a low percentage of revenue when they could have afforded much more. It’s now also a squad with considerable “scar tissue” – to quote one insider – despite last season’s Europa League success. Speculation now mounts about “cliques” in the dressing room.

Some sources would point out how Spurs employed potentially transformative figures in their recent past, such as Michael Edwards, only for them to leave.

All of which leaves Tudor in this unenviable situation, trying to make sense of something that sees confusion at all levels.

This is what is said to have “haunted” the hierarchy on Sunday, the manner in which every issue has suddenly combined to significantly escalate; the lack of time; the pressure.

It isn’t terminal, of course. There is still talent in the squad. Tudor is said to feel that the squad can also fit his formation.

One win could change everything, settle everyone down, set things right.

Nevertheless, it shouldn’t be overlooked that this is an incredible situation to be in. One of the wealthiest clubs in the world, a hierarchy once arrogant enough to think they should be in a breakaway league, are dependent on a Hail Mary appointment and the intangible of good feeling in order to escape a historic nightmare.

Naturally, discussion is already building about what relegation would bring. Spurs have a lot of very high fixed costs and partners, amid a situation where they wouldn’t have the same TV money, sponsors would change, and match-day income would dive. At the same time, some investors would see relegation as a huge opportunity to do a deal on the cheap. Spurs are seen as “set up on the business side”, which perhaps makes some difference from the rest of the club.

More interesting, if they get out of this, might be how they turn this situation around. Some football figures see it as a grand opportunity in that regard, due to the myriad advantages Spurs have.

That only sums up the situation.

To manage that, though, they need that one win to change everything back.

South Africa vs Zimbabwe Live Score: Zimbabwe will need to fix their bowling woes against a skillful South Africa as they aim to end their spirited T20 World Cup campaign on a high in their final Super 8 fixture here on Sunday.

Reaching the Super 8 as group toppers was part of the success story for Zimbabwe, and inspired by their leader Sikandar Raza, they will be determined to push South Africa to the limit.

Bowling Discipline Key Against Proteas

South Africa are the team to beat in the ICC showpiece, and if Zimbabwe are to challenge them, they must improve their bowling performance after conceding more than 250 runs in the previous two Super 8 games against West Indies and India.

Raza knows his side can only compete with the bigger teams if all three departments click.

“At the World Cup against the best teams, you need all your three departments to be working hand in hand. And unfortunately, if one lacks, then the game runs away from you.

“So hopefully in the last game, leave everything on the park and we try and sort out all our three departments and hopefully that gives us the best chance to win the game,” Raza said after the India defeat.

Errors to Correct

Zimbabwe have been guilty of bowling too many loose balls in the Super 8 stage. They need to bowl with the discipline they displayed against Australia and Sri Lanka in the group stage.

Their unbeaten run in the group stage came on slow pitches in Sri Lanka, but the margin for error drops drastically in batting-friendly Indian conditions, as they experienced in Mumbai and Chennai.

Batting Strategy: Maximising the Powerplay

On the batting front, the opening duo of Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani need to make the most of the powerplay.

Bennett, who is yet to be dismissed in the tournament, showed against India that he can also clear the ropes. He will need to find a way to tackle a wily South African attack.

South Africa’s Strengths

Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi, with 11 wickets each, have been the standout bowlers for the Proteas, complemented well by pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada, Corbin Bosch, and frontline spinner Keshav Maharaj.

The top three — skipper Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock, and Ryan Rickelton — are in top form, and it would take a special bowling effort from Raza and his team to stop them.

The middle order, including David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, and Dewald Brevis, has also made an impact in the Super 8 stage.

Venue and Context

South Africa, who have only played in Ahmedabad and Delhi so far in the tournament, return to the national capital for their final Super 8 fixture.

In the five games played here, 200 has only been breached once, with India posting 209 against Namibia.

It is effectively a dead rubber, with South Africa already through to the semifinals and Zimbabwe eliminated from the race following back-to-back losses.

Teams

Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza (captain), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer, Bradley Evans, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Ben Curran.

South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs.

Mexico’s Emanuel Navarrete stopped compatriot Eduardo Nunez in a dominant display to unify the IBF and WBO super-featherweight titles.

After outclassing Nunez for much of the contest, Navarrete, 31, added the IBF title to his WBO crown when the ringside doctor stopped the action before the 11th round.

The victory at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona was the 40th of Navarrete’s 43-fight career, while Nunez’s 19-bout win streak came to an end.

“It’s difficult to see your opponent hurting in there, but it’s also really difficult to not continue and go on to win the fight,” said Navarrete.

“You never know what might happen in those last rounds. He could catch you with a shot and it could be over. So I needed to continue doing my work.”

Navarrete controlled the action in the early rounds before landing some damaging shots in round nine, forcing the doctor to take a look at Nunez for the first time.

Following another dominant display from three-weight world champion Navarette in round 10, Nunez was deemed unable to continue after sporting a bloodied face and a severely swollen right eye.

WBC super-featherweight champion O’Shaquie Foster and WBA title holder Lamont Roach are potential options for Navarrete to face next.

Former NCAA and Team USA women’s basketball player Destiny Littleton shared footage Saturday of her experience fleeing Iranian counterstrikes in Israel. 

Her documentation concluded with a panicked scene of her and other civilians shouting in fear as drones flew overhead. Littleton, who won a national championship at South Carolina under coach Dawn Staley in 2022, and a gold medal for the U.S. in the 2017 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup, currently plays for Hapoel Jerusalem in Israel’s top division. 

She posted footage on her Instagram Saturday updating followers as she fled to a local bomb shelter when Iranian counterattacks began to strike Israel. 

After the U.S. and Israel carried out a round of military strikes on Iran, the country responded with ballistic missiles and drones targeting cities including Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem. 

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Littleton was nearly caught in the crossfire.

Sirens could be heard in her video as she fled the shelter, and at one point she even aimed her camera at what appeared to be missiles flying through the air. 

In one video, she struggled to find the shelter as sirens blared in the background. 

“Trying to find the saferoom, but I can’t find it,” she said, in a panicked voice as she scrambled through an empty alleyway. “Jesus Christ, I don’t think this is the right… I don’t think this is the right way.”

As she walked down an outdoor stone staircase, bombs exploding in the distance could be heard in the background, as she yelled, “Oh s—!”

Shortly after that, she posted a video announcing she had left the shelter and was going to a teammate’s house after feeling “uncomfortable” in the shelter she had just found.

“That B-O-M-B shelter I was just in, couldn’t fit five people, and that was it, I was like, ‘no, no, no, no,’” she said.

Littleton eventually reached her teammate’s high-rise apartment building, where she revealed she had heard several recent explosions. 

“I heard the booms all over,” she said while showing an overview of the Jerusalem skyline. 

Then, in her final video of the night, Littleton appeared frantic and sweaty, as she revealed explosions nearby.

“There’s no siren going on right now, and yet there’s these things in the sky blowing up! I’m pretty sure they’re either missiles or drones! Either way, we’ve seen them blow up in the sky, multiple of them, very very close to us actually!” she exclaimed. 

“I’m not really sure what it is… Jesus Christ.” 

Littleton and those around her then became more frantic as another apparent drones appeared nearby.

“Over there! Over there! Over there! Over there! Over there!” she shouted, before turning her camera around to show what appeared to be a drone flying nearby the building she was in. “I’m pretty sure that’s not a star.” 

Just then, five other drones came into frame, and an explosion was seen going off in the distance. 

“I think those are freaking drones bro!”

The entire room then erupted into a loud panic as a drone flew over the building they were in, as she turned the camera upwards to reveal the weapons. 

“Oh s—!” Littleton shouted. 

Another civilian nearby screamed, “Guys! Guys! What the f—!”

ISRAEL LAUNCHES PREEMPTIVE STRIKE AGAINST IRAN, DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS

The drone went on to land and exploded a far distance from her location, as seen in her footage.

Littleton and the group were later seen in the footage leaving the apartment and heading to a bunker, as she appeared visibly rattled, sweaty and overwhelmed, massaging her head, sighing. 

Littleton has not posted a follow-up post at the time of publication.

Staley said Saturday that the university is working to bring Littleton and two other players home amid the chaos, alongside WNBA veteran Tiffany Mitchell and former Phoenix Mercury forward Mikiah Herbert Harrigan. 

“Please pray for our @GamecockWBB @TiffMitch25 @2121Mikiah @dstnylttltn24 who are in a war zone in Israel,” her post said. “We are working on a plan to get home. Let us pray for our loved ones to return home safely asap! Thank you in advance.” 

The U.S. joined Israel in launching strikes against Iran on Saturday morning. In video remarks posted to Truth Social, Trump encouraged the Iranian people to take over their government once the United States and Israel finished “major combat operations” in Iran.

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Iran launched retaliatory missile strikes targeting U.S. sites throughout the Middle East. Fox News reported that approximately 40 missiles had landed in Israel. 

Fox News Digital’s Paulina Dedaj, Michael Sinkewicz and Rachel Wolf contributed to this report. 

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We all want to hit low, spinny wedge shots and wrap skip once and rip back on a putting green. Callaway’s new Opus SP+ wedge is built to do exactly that.

So should everyone be seeking out Callaway’s newest short game option?

On this week’s episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped, co-host Johnny Wunder explained why Callaway is now offering this unique wedge with an ultra-high center of gravity.

As Wunder explained, modern wedge design was primarily influenced by the Cleveland 588 wedge, which didn’t really have a super high CG. But in order to generate those low launch and high spin shots, a player could adjust their technique to play the ball back in their stance and trap it to produce the trajectory they wanted.

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“It kind of relied on the player to, if you needed to get it up, you get it up. If you need to hit it down, technique was going to allow you to do that,” Wunder said. So, SP+ is kind of baking that in for you. So, if you’re a player, if you’re a good player with good hands that wants to hit it even lower and doesn’t really want to have to play it off your right foot and just kind of hit a stock shot and bring the launch down, then that’s a great wedge to have.”

This wedge instantly becomes a great option for players who like to drive the CG as high as they can with lead tape on the top of the club, like Akshay Bhatia.

The interesting thing is the Opus SP platform already had a high CG with the hollowed out sole of the club to remove weight low in the head. SP+ takes that concept a step further by making that cavity larger and adding tungsten in the topline.

It’s not a huge difference in launch and spin, maybe a degree, Wunder said for his testing, but it gives you the option. It’s also not a replacement for the Opus SP, just another option in the family.

“It’s kind of like the comparison I would draw between if you are a [Qunatum] TD Max player and you like how that flies but you need slightly less spin, then you would go to the TD head,” Wunder said. “It just gives you that little silo over there that you can go to if you want to drive it, drive the launch down even more.”

For more from Wunder,

For more from Wunder and Morrow, listen to the full episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped here, or watch it below.

Want to overhaul your bag in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

It’s now or never for Ohio State. The Buckeyes enter Sunday on the First Four Out, according to CBS Sports bracketology. Chances like this one, with No. 9 Purdue coming to Columbus, do not come around often, and Ohio State has to take advantage of getting a resume-boosting opportunity on its home floor.

For all intents and purposes, Jake Diebler could very well be coaching for his job. Ohio State has a chance to be the No. 1 job in this spring’s coaching carousel. If the Buckeyes do not make the NCAA Tournament, Diebler’s time could very well be up.

This game means everything.

Purdue vs. Ohio State: Need to know

Wins Above Bubble outlook: Ohio State sits 46th in Wins Above Bubble. That’s right on the border for an at-large resume. Beating Purdue at home gives Ohio State a chance for approximately +0.70 Wins Above Bubble, since the average bubble team is given a 30% chance to beat Purdue at home. With a win, Ohio State would vault up to around 39th or 40th in Wins Above Bubble. This would easily be Ohio State’s best win of the season.

Will Purdue go out like this? Purdue feels a bit more wobbly after suffering its fourth home loss of the season, this time at the hands of No. 13 Michigan State on Thursday. Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn simply have to be better on both ends of the floor to help All-American point guard Braden Smith. Matt Painter has preached that all of Purdue’s goals are still on the table. Will these seniors die hard in March?

The Bruce Thornton bounce-back spot: Thornton is carrying a remarkably heavy burden for the Buckeyes. The senior guard has scored at least 16 points in seven of his last eight games and eclipsed 2,000 career points earlier this season. Devin Royal is back healthy. Juni Mobley is back in the lineup. Ohio State could also get big man Christoph Tilly (calf) back in the mix for this one, too. But Thornton is the head of the snake, and Iowa took him out of the game earlier this week. Purdue is going to get Thornton’s very best effort in his second-to-last home game. 

Where to watch Purdue vs. Ohio State live

Date: Sunday, March 1 | Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
Location: Schottenstein Center — Columbus, Ohio
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App
Streaming on Paramount+ Premium    

Purdue vs. Ohio State prediction, picks

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Ohio State has a +12 net rating with Tilly on the floor this year. It drops down to just +4.9 when Tilly sits. If the 7-footer can get back into the lineup, Ohio State matches up much better with Purdue across the board. Thornton can take Smith. Mobley can handle the Loyer assignment. Royal or Bynum can rotate onto Trey Kaufman-Renn. Tilly should be just fine against Oscar Cluff. I think Ohio State keeps this within a possession at home in an enormous spot. Outside of Michigan and Iowa, Ohio State just doesn’t get blown out very often. They’ll hang around for awhile in this one. Pick: Ohio State +6.5

Who will win and cover in every college basketball game? Visit SportsLine to get picks from the model that simulates each game 10,000 times and is up more than $1,200 for $100 players on its top-rated spread picks the past six years. 

Watch the trailer for new BBC documentary Ben Youngs Investigates: How Safe Is Rugby?

In the programme, England’s most-capped men’s player sets out to re-examine the game that has defined his life. Is there a link between concussion and long-term brain health?

Watch the documentary from Monday, 2 March on BBC iPlayer

Available to UK users only.

The final day of February saw multiple Power Five teams clinch at least a share of their league’s conference title. On Friday night, Michigan defeated Illinois to clinch its first Big Ten title since 2021 in Year 2 of Dusty May’s tenure.

Less than 24 hours later, Duke, Arizona and Florida joined the party. The No. 1-ranked Blue Devils defeated No. 11 Virginia 77-51 at home to lock up the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. Duke can clinch the outright ACC crown next week with a win over NC State or North Carolina.

For the third consecutive season, someone other than Kansas – the team that’s dominated the Big 12 for the better part of 20 years — will win the conference. With No. 2 Arizona’s dominant 84-61 win at home over Kansas, the Wildcats clinched at least a share of the Big 12 title for the first time. Houston won the Big 12 regular-season title in each of its first two seasons as a member of the conference.

Duke dominates Virginia with stifling defense as No. 1 Blue Devils clinch share of ACC title in easy victory

Kyle Boone

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Florida clinched its first regular season title since 2014 with a blowout win over Arkansas on Saturday night. The reigning national champions have now won nine consecutive games since losing to Auburn, which created separation at the top of the SEC standings.

The Big East title will likely be decided next week, with UConn and St. John’s still in contention to win at least a share of the regular season title. Now let’s get to the biggest winners and losers of the Saturday college basketball slate.

Winner: Isaiah Evans shines, Duke clinches ACC title

No. 1 Duke stayed hot with a 77-51 win over No. 11 Virginia behind a standout performance from Evans. The star guard scored 14 of Duke’s first 19 points and finished the day with a team-high 19 points. Evans knocked down 5 of his 9 attempts from the 3-point line and also dished out three assists in 29 minutes. Entering March, Duke has the best player in the sport (Cameron Boozer) on its roster, but this game was a reminder that the top-ranked team in the country isn’t just a one-trick-pony. — Cameron Salerno

Loser: Seton Hall’s misses its best remaining opportunity

Seton Hall entered the day among the “First Four Out” in CBS Sports Bracketology and with a golden opportunity on the road against No. 6 UConn. The Pirates looked poised to capitalize in the second half until UConn came to life for a 71-67 victory. Seton Hall (19-11, 9-9 Big East) might look back on the last eight minutes with some regret come Selection Sunday as UConn used a 23-11 closing run to pull away. It’s getting harder to envision a realistic path to an at-large bid for Seton Hall, which closes the regular season at Xavier and against St. John’s next week. 
—  David Cobb

Loser: Gonzaga gets shoved out of the WCC

Saint Mary’s gave No. 9 Gonzaga a firm shove out the WCC door, beating the Bulldogs 70-59 as the longtime league rivals played their final regular season conference game. With Gonzaga headed to the Pac-12 next season, one of college basketball’s great rivalries will never be the same. 

Gaels guard Mikey Lewis led the way with a career-high 31 point as Saint Mary’s turned a 36-29 halftime deficit into a convincing victory. The win also secured the Gaels a share of the league title with Gonzaga, marking a fourth straight season Saint Mary’s has claimed a conference title. The teams could still play in the WCC Tournament title game, but their final on-campus meeting as WCC foes will be remembered as a decisive Saint Mary’s win. — Cobb  

Loser: Arkansas no-shows in SEC showdown

Two games back in the SEC standings and chasing conference-leading Florida, No. 20 Arkansas had a prime opportunity to gain ground in the league with a road tilt in the swamp.

And summarily blew it.

The Razorbacks trailed by 19 at halftime and eventually fell 111-77 to Florida, effectively handing the Gators – who will likely be favorites in their two remaining regular-season games – the SEC crown.

Arkansas has largely strayed away from stinkers of late, but two in particular – a road blowout at Georgia in January and a home loss to Kentucky two weeks later – loom particularly large now. With those losses and the Saturday loss to Florida, John Calipari and Co. can kiss a shot at conference hardware goodbye. — Kyle Boone

Winner: Wounded Texas Tech won’t go down quietly

Texas Tech clearly did not hear any bell after JT Toppin‘s season-ending knee injury. The Red Raiders walked into Hilton Coliseum and emerged with an eyebrow-raising 82-73 victory over No. 4 Iowa State. It’s the Cyclones’ first home loss of the season, and reiterates just how tough of an out these short-handed Red Raiders will be in March. Texas Tech splashed 14 treys. Donovan Atwell continued his magnificent season with six triples and 18 points. Tyeree Bryan, who was buried on the bench for long stretches of Big 12 play, revitalized his season with 10 enormous points and a couple massive treys. Jaylen Petty, Josiah Moseley and Luke Bamgboye were also outstanding in expanded roles. Texas Tech has now bulldozed Kansas State, Cincinnati and Iowa State in three games without Toppin.

The Red Raiders likely do not have the firepower to win six in a row in March Madness without its All-American big fella, but this outfit is tougher than a two-dollar steak. — Isaac Trotter

Winner: UConn’s Karaban gets a fitting sendoff

Consecutive Alex Karaban 3-pointers helped spark UConn as it rallied late for a 71-67 win over Seton Hall. That was fitting considering it was Karaban’s Senior Day and since he has made so many clutch shots over the course of his Huskies career. Senior Day doesn’t always mean what it used to in the era of mass transferring and one-year rentals. But Karaban is UConn’s all-time winningest player, and he played a pivotal role on the program’s 2023 and 2024 title teams. 

The deep connection between Karaban, coach Dan Hurley and the UConn program were evident in an emotional pregame scene. But Karaban locked in and led UConn with 23 points on 8 of 11 shooting as the Huskies retained their grasp on the fourth No. 1 seed in CBS Sports Bracketology. — Cobb

Loser: Iowa suffers ugly loss vs. Penn State

On paper, Iowa‘s 71-69 loss to Penn State will go down as just a Quad 2 setback. However, losing to 12-17 Penn State isn’t great for the resume. Iowa entered the weekend as a No. 7 seed in CBS Sports’ latest Bracketology projections. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Hawkeyes take a hit because of the loss. Iowa was previously 7-0 in Quad 2 games, with the closest margin of victory coming against USC (73-72). — Salerno

Winner: New Mexico picks up key bubble win

Entering the weekend, New Mexico was among the “Last Four Out” in CBS Sports’ latest Bracketology projections. The importance of this win over San Diego State — a team that entered as a No. 11 seed in the latest Bracketology projections — is significant. New Mexico is now 10-6 against Quad 1 and Quad 2 opponents this season. There is still work to do, but picking up an 81-76 win over SDSU after trailing by as many as 11 in the first half is a solid start heading into the home stretch. — Salerno

Loser: NC State’s slide continues 

Year 1 of the Will Wade era at NC State has been a mixed bag. Sure, the Wolfpack are on track to return to the NCAA Tournament, but their recent stretch is cause for concern heading into March. NC State has now lost four of its last five games after a 96-90 loss in overtime against Notre Dame. During that stretch, NC State suffered losses to Louisville, Miami, Virginia, and Notre Dame, as well as a blowout win over in-state foe North Carolina. After getting off to a 9-2 start in ACC play, it looked like a double-bye in the ACC Tournament would be a lock. That’s no longer the case, especially with a matchup against No. 1 Duke looming next week. — Salerno

Winner: Clemson stops the tailspin

Clemson got a desperately needed 80-75 win over Louisville to stop a four-game losing streak that had dropped it from ACC title contention to the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Tigers (21-7, 11-5 ACC) led by as much as 15 late in the second half following an offensive explosion from Justin Porter. Louisville star Mikel Brown Jr. was less than 100% healthy and mostly ineffective in just 21 minutes, which certainly aided Clemson’s cause. The Tigers needed a victory in whatever form they could find one after falling to a No. 10 seed in CBS Sports Bracketology. Next up is a Tuesday night road game at North Carolina that will give this club a chance to prove that its 20-4 start was no fluke. 
— Cobb

Loser: UCLA cools off in loss at Minnesota

Just when it seemed like UCLA had steadied the ship and might even be finding its stride, the Bruins took another hit. Minnesota absolutely shredded the Bruins in a 78-73 home win, shooting 58% from the floor, which included a 12 of 23 mark from deep. It was the Gophers’ second-best shooting performance of the season. The only team which has shot it better against the Bruins this season is Michigan. UCLA entered the day as a No. 9 seed in CBS Sports Bracketology and still has a little wiggle room, but this was a reality check after momentum-building wins against Illinois and USC. — Cobb

Winner: Arizona makes a statement in win over Kansas

Less than three weeks ago, Arizona walked away from Allen Fieldhouse with its first loss of the season despite star freshman Darryn Peterson being out of the lineup. On Saturday, Arizona avenged that loss with a statement victory over No. 14 Kansas behind the stellar play of Koa Peat and Brayden Burries. With the win, the Wildcats clinched at least a share of the Big 12 title and are in line to earn the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Tournament. — Salerno

Loser: Cal takes brutal home loss

Cal entered the day as one of the “Last Four In: according to CBS Sports Bracketology and with a simple assignment: don’t lose at home to a bad Pitt team. The Bears failed the assignment, falling 72-56 in a game they never led. Cal hit just five 3-pointers, turned it over 16 teams and only attempted seven free throws. This was a horrendous showing from a bubble team that couldn’t afford a bad loss. The Bears entered at No. 43 in Wins Above Bubble (WAB), which is a vital resume metric. They will wake up on Sunday around 50th. — Cobb

Winner: A bobblehead-night game-winner

Northwestern‘s Nick Martinelli drained one of his patented ‘flippers’ in the final seconds to knock off Oregon, 63-62. The Wildcats star senior delivered the game-winner on his bobblehead night.

Yeah, that’ll play. — Trotter

Loser: Tennessee collapses at end in loss to Alabama

No. 22 Tennessee led for almost the entire 40 minutes of action against No. 17 Alabama … until the final minute. With the game tied at 69, Alabama star guard Labaron Philon got the switch he wanted at the top of the key, got to the paint and hit a jumper with 24 seconds left to give his team its first lead of the night. On the other end, Tennessee didn’t get a quality look on its final possession. After leading by as many as 13 in the second half, Alabama came away with a stunning 71-69 win. — Salerno

Loser: Louisville creeps into dangerous territory

A season filled with promise crept further into the danger zone at Louisville, which on Saturday dropped its second consecutive game – and fell for a third time in its last four outings – with an 80-75 defeat at Clemson. The Cardinals and their high-octane offense made ten 3-pointers – their fourth consecutive game to hit at least ten in a game – but their defense again failed them in yet another close loss. 

Clemson got 27 points from its bench unit, finished with a 17-point winning margin at the free-throw line and shot 50% from the field in the final 20 minutes of play. There’s plenty of time for this talented Louisville team to right the ship, but it appears to be trending the wrong direction as March Madness approaches. — Boone

Loser: BYU stumbles again down the stretch

On Jan. 14, BYU was ranked No. 11 in the AP Top 25 and 16-1 on the season.

On Feb. 28, as the calendar flips to March, the Cougars – 4-8 in their last 12 games – are 20-9 and falling apart at the seams after a 79-71 road loss at West Virginia. 

The Cougars haven’t been the same team we saw earlier in the season – and they’ve been a shell even of the team we saw in the heart of the season after losing Richie Saunders to an ACL injury earlier this month. In his absence, they are now 1-3 – and 8-8 in Big 12 play with two conference games remaining.

Freshman star AJ Dybantsa and sophomore guard Rob Wright were productive as ever on Saturday, finishing with 20 and 23 points, respectively. But this team’s depth has been laid bare on the back-end of Big 12 play. What once was one of the most fun offensive teams in the country is now a shorthanded team spiraling downward with no reprieve in sight. — Boone