Wiggins leads Heat past Grizzlies 136-120 — and more

Norman Powell added 25 points for Miami, while Tyler Herro contributed 14. Wiggins reached 15,000 career points during the game as the Heat outscored Memphis 39-26 in the third quarter.

The #6 Nebraska softball team continued their strong weekend performance with an 8-2 victory over #13 Texas A&M. The Huskers, who had already secured run-rule wins against South Carolina and Hawaii, extended their weekend winning streak to three games.

Texas A&M entered the matchup with a 9-4 record but struggled against the Husker pitching and defense. Nebraska's offense came alive in the third inning when Lauren Camenzind reached on an error, followed by an RBI single from Jordy Frahm. Hannah Camenzind's double and Ava Kuszak's RBI double helped build an early lead that Nebraska maintained throughout the game.

In 1979, the incidents on the final lap of the Daytona 500 catapulted NASCAR into the national sports spotlight, and its popularity exploded due to Cale Yarborough fighting with brothers Bobby and Donnie Allison on the third-turn apron while Richard Petty charged to victory to break a 45-race winless streak.

Now, nearly five decades later, it will be interesting to see if the same thing can be accomplished with this year’s Daytona 500 since the owner of the winning car is one of the most famous athletes of all time.

Ever since Michael Jordan entered NASCAR Cup racing in 2021 as the co-owner of 23XI Racing he has garnered attention for the sport, both on and off the track. He attends races, watches his teams and the races intently from one of the organization’s pit boxes, and never misses victory lane when one of his drivers wins.

Jordan’s federal antitrust suit against NASCAR brought attention to the sport from media that probably hadn’t paid attention to stock car racing in decades. A settlement reached on the trial’s ninth day provided a good ending for both sides. Jordan cited “level heads” as the impetus for the settlement. That cold December day on the federal courthouse steps in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jordan and NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France solemnly stood side-by-side.

A little more than two months later, both men were smiling in victory lane as France congratulated Jordan on winning the Daytona 500 with driver Tyler Reddick. Reddick’s victory snapped the driver’s 38-race winless streak and triggered a whirlwind media tour for the Daytona 500 champion. He appeared on Good Morning America, CNN World Sport, FOX & Friends, ESPN’s Get Up, Live with Kelly and Mark, Barstool, The Weather Channel, ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike, and El Universal. He toured and attended a social at the College Football Hall of Fame and participated in a fan event at the Atlanta Braves complex.

Reddick’s most enjoyable moments were interacting with the analysts or the anchors who didn’t know a great deal about racing, who were “genuinely curious about racing… or the number of athletes that were drawn to understand and learn more because they saw Michael (Jordan) in victory lane… getting to tell them about Michael and to tell them about NASCAR.”

This year’s Daytona 500 on FOX averaged 7.489 million viewers, an 11% increase over the 2025 event which was 6.76 million. That made it the most-watched Daytona 500 since 2023. It peaked at 9.15 million viewers, outperforming the Winter Olympics in its timeslot, and made it the most-watched motorsports event since 2023.

Whether or not NASCAR can build on this will be determined as the season progresses. Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing, maintains they want to return the sport to the days when the grandstands and suites were sold out for every event. During those decades there were numerous corporate sponsors, especially R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., that bought hundreds of tickets and distributed them to customers and contest winners. Corporate hospitality villages were in abundance, but the average fan felt displaced by corporate America.

It has yet to be seen if Jordan and his team’s 2026 Daytona 500 victory can cause the popularity surge in the sport that was triggered by the 1979 Daytona 500. However, it will attract people who have never watched it before because they will be curious as to why the internationally famous athlete who globalized the NBA and basketball chose to own a NASCAR team.

Donovan Dent's go‑ahead layup with 1 second remaining in overtime gave UCLA a 95‑94 victory over No. 10 Illinois, completing a 23‑point comeback from the first half. The Bruins rallied from an 11‑point deficit early in the second half, tying the game six times and staying within two points in OT.

Eric Dailey Jr. led the Bruins with 20 points, while Tyler Bilodeau added 18 and Trent Perry 17. Freshman Keaton Wagler scored 19 points for Illinois, but the Bruins’ late surge, capped by Dent’s clutch play, secured the win. The victory improves UCLA’s home record to 15‑1 and keeps them in the Big Ten race.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Duke's 11th victory in program history over the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 was already secure when Isaiah Evans elevated for a dunk at the buzzer and screamed in joy toward the Blue Devils fans along the baseline.

The basket was ultimately waved off for being a fraction of a second too late, but No. 3 Duke had already made its point by outhustling and outplaying top-ranked Michigan for a 68-63 win Saturday night before a riveted crowd of 20,537 in the nation's capital.

“That was a game that didn't feel like it was played in February,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “That felt like a March or April game.”

Evans, freshman star Cameron Boozer and the Blue Devils could be back inside Capital One Arena five weeks from now, playing in the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament. Duke was projected earlier Saturday as the No. 1 seed in the East, and now it can make the case as the top overall seed.

Fans traded chants of “Let’s go Duke!” and “Let’s go Blue!” for the rare must-see matchup in a city starved for meaningful basketball. ESPN’s “College GameDay” was broadcast from inside the arena during the teams’ morning shootaround, and tickets for upper-level seats were selling in the $600 range in the hours before the game, with courtside seats upwards of $6,000.

“This game helped us understand what a tournament environment is all about,” Scheyer said. “I'm thankful for this, just this whole event, because I think it really simulates what it's going to be. And whether we have an opportunity to play in Washington or not, this helped us a lot.”

Further complicating the top of the March Madness bracket, No. 2 Houston also lost Saturday, falling at home to No. 4 Arizona. It was the first time since Feb. 8 of last year that the top two teams in the AP poll lost on the same day.

Two weeks removed from losing at rival North Carolina on a buzzer-beater, the Blue Devils ended the 11-game winning streak of another blueblood — one they hadn't faced in a dozen years. Michigan fell to 0-7 in neutral-site meetings with Duke, a series that includes the 1992 national title game, when the Wolverines' “Fab Five” freshmen were blown out by Grant Hill, Christian Laettner and the experienced Blue Devils.

It's Michigan coach Dusty May who has the more veteran squad this year, with Duke led by the 18-year-old Boozer and sophomores Evans and Patrick Ngongba II. In this rare late-February nonconference blockbuster, the Blue Devils had more toughness and poise.

Had Duke fallen apart in the second half, it had a ready-made excuse. Boozer picked up his fourth foul with 8:42 left, and a turnover on Duke’s next possession prompted the loudest cheers of the night by Wolverines fans.

“This guy, he's doing everything. Assists, rebounds, scoring it, taking care of the ball. Fouling,” Scheyer said of Boozer. “We can't have that happening.”

But Michigan’s next two trips ended with a turnover and a missed 3-pointer, both by ex-Tar Heel Elliot Cadeau. Duke still led 57-53 when Boozer reentered with 4:47 remaining.

“When Boozer goes out, you've got to find a way to capitalize and we weren’t able to do that for a number of reasons,” May said. “We had some timely errors defensively that gave them easy baskets.”

While Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg dominated early — he had 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting in the first 5:23 — it was Boozer who took over down the stretch. Caleb Foster found him for a wide-open 3-pointer with 1:55 left to make it 64-58.

After Cadeau responded with a 3, Boozer got free inside and his short jumper was ruled good when Michigan's 7-foot-3 Aday Mara was called for goaltending. Boozer finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds as he withstood the physicality of Lendeborg and Michigan's other big men.

“Obviously they're a great front line, but that's not on my mind,” Boozer said. “On my mind is making winning plays, helping our team win. I feel like I did that tonight.”

The matchup was hyped both for the meeting of name-brand schools but also by the analytics crowd. Michigan and Duke are the only two teams rated in the top eight by KenPom in both offensive and defensive efficiency.

But while the Wolverines came in with five players averaging in double-figure scoring, Duke was more resourceful on offense and connected on defense. Too often, the Wolverines settled for contested 3-pointers, leading to one-and-done possessions — Michigan shot 6 of 25 from long range and lost the rebounding battle 41-28.

“We have a versatile group that's different. I think game to game, it can be different things that work for us,” Scheyer said. “Matchups are important, who’s guarding who, and you’re just trying to create an advantage. And then trust these guys to make the right play.”

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