A junior college men’s basketball player in Oklahoma died after suffering an injury during a game, school officials announced.

Ethan Dietz, a sophomore forward at Connors State College in eastern Oklahoma, died Tuesday, Nov. 25 after he suffered an injury in the Cowboys’ game on Saturday, Nov. 22 against Grayson College. It is unclear how Dietz was injured, but Shannon Rigsby, a spokesperson for the college, told USA TODAY Sports initial reports indicated he suffered a head injury in the game.

The school said in a statement Dietz ‘exemplified what it means to be a Cowboy, to value hard work and being part of a team.’

From Conway, Arkansas, Dietz was in his second season with the Cowboys after he played in 36 games in 2024-25 — 29 of which he started — and averaged 7.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. This season, he started in all eight games and averaged 11 points with a team-high 9.4 rebounds per game.

“Ethan Dietz was the kind of player a coach always hopes for’ Connors State athletic director and men’s basketball coach Bill Muse said in a statement. ‘He was talented athletically and academically and he understood the importance of hard work. If you ever saw him smile, you knew he was all heart. He was a person of character as well as a great teammate. Our hearts and prayers continue to be with Ethan’s family, friends and our team as we process this heartbreaking loss.’

In wake of Dietz’s death, Connors State canceled its games against Southern Arkansas University Tech on Wednesday, Nov. 26 and against Grayson College on Monday, Dec. 1. The women’s basketball team also canceled two contests.

Connors State announced it will hold a candlelight vigil for Dietz on Dec. 1.

It’s a Thanksgiving tradition: the Detroit Lions in action for the NFL’s holiday slate of games.

The league leaned even more into tradition with its matchup choice, the Green Bay Packers. These teams have played each other 190 times – the third-most of any two-team matchup in the NFL. The only two matchups to see more games in NFL history are between these two teams and NFC North rival Chicago.

These teams last played each other on Thanksgiving in 2023, with the Packers earning a 29-22 win on the holiday that year to deny Lions coach Dan Campbell his first Thanksgiving win.

These two teams faced off to open the regular season. In Week 1, the Packers’ defense featuring recent trade acquisition Micah Parsons held the Lions’ offense in check to earn a 27-13 win. Twelve weeks later, the teams are even with seven wins each. Both franchises figure to be prominently featured in the NFC playoff race.

During the halftime break in play between these two playoff contenders, football fans can enjoy some entertainment from Ford Field by a Detroit native.

Who did the Lions pick for their halftime show? Here’s what to know about the halftime performer for the Thanksgiving matchup between the Lions and Packers.

Who is the Lions’ Thanksgiving halftime show performer?

Jack White will provide the halftime entertainment during the Lions’ Thanksgiving game against the Packers.

Detroit announced that the Grammy Award-winning musician would headline the show on Nov. 16. The franchise touted White, a Detroit native, and his ‘innovative guitar work and raw vocal style’ that have brought him international fame. White is one half of the rock duo The White Stripes and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Nov. 8.

Who is Jack White?

White is a 50-year-old musician who rose to prominence with his then-wife Meg White in the late 1990s as The White Stripes. The duo released a self-titled album in 1999 and followed that with ‘De Stijl’ a year later. They divorced in 2000 but continued to make music together.

The White Stripes’ following two albums, ‘White Blood Cells’ and ‘Elephant,’ brought the band to international prominence. Those albums featured some of the most popular songs in the band’s discography, including ‘Seven Nation Army,’ ‘We’re Going to Be Friends’ and ‘Fell in Love With a Girl.’

The duo won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album for ‘Elephant’ in 2004 and ‘Icky Thump’ in 2008.

‘Elephant’ is the band’s most successful album, reaching double platinum status with more than 2 million copies sold as of March 2023, per the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). ‘Icky Thump’ and ‘White Blood Cells’ both went platinum in October 2011 and January 2011, respectively.

The White Stripes broke up in 2011 but White continued to make music.

In 2005, White founded The Raconteurs with more Detroit-based musicians. White and Brendan Benson wrote the band’s most successful song ‘Steady, As She Goes’ and then created a band with Jack Lawrence on bass guitar and Patrick Keeler on drums. White and Lawrence then formed The Dead Weather in 2009. The Raconteurs disbanded from 2014 to 2018 and The Dead Weather have been on hiatus since 2015.

White’s also released six studio albums as a solo artist:

Blunderbuss (2012)
Lazaretto (2014)
Boarding House Reach (2018)
Fear of the Dawn (2022)
Entering Heaven Alive (2022)
No Name (2024)

Is Jack White a Lions fan?

White hasn’t spoken publicly about his Lions fandom. He’s an avid Detroit Tigers fan and his brother worked in concessions at Tiger Stadium for years. In May, White joined the broadcast for a Tigers’ game against the Colorado Rockies following the announcement that The White Stripes would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

White went viral for his clips talking about the Tigers’ players and his earliest memories at Tigers Stadium.

He threw out a first pitch for the Tigers in July 2014.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk is a candidate for the head football coach position at Southern University.
Faulk is currently the running backs coach at Colorado under head coach Deion Sanders.
If hired, Faulk would join a trend of former NFL stars with limited coaching experience leading HBCU football programs.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk is on track to become the new head football coach at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with a news conference to announce his hiring set for Monday, Dec. 1.

A university official confirmed to USA TODAY Sports Wednesday that Faulk was a candidate for the job and that a news conference was being scheduled for Monday. The same university official said late Wednesday the parties are in final negotiations, though nothing has been signed as of yet. A local TV station in Baton Rouge, WAFB, confirmed the hiring, citing an unnamed source.

Faulk, 52, currently is the running backs coach at Colorado under head coach Deion Sanders. He was in his first year as a college coach after not having coached previously. The Buffaloes are 3-8 and conclude the season Saturday at Kansas State.

Faulk has personal ties to Louisiana. He is from New Orleans and attended high school there before moving on to play at San Diego State.

His hiring would be the latest in the line of Deion Sanders-style hires at Historically Black Colleges and Universities — former pro football stars with limited or no coaching experience who are given a chance and also bring attention to their new jobs because of their NFL fame. Sanders was hired at Jackson State in 2020 before moving to Colorado in December 2022.

The list includes:

∎ Former NFL running back Eddie George was hired at Tennessee State in 2021 before moving to Bowling Green earlier this year. His team is 4-8 this season. His record at Tennessee State was 24-22.

∎ Former NFL receiver DeSean Jackson, who was hired at Delaware State last year. His team is 8-4 this season.

∎ Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick, who was hired at Norfolk State last year. His team is 1-11 this season.

∎ Former NFL safety Ed Reed, who was hired at Bethune-Cookman in late December 2022 before parting ways with the school shortly afterward.

Sanders is 16-20 at Colorado in three seasons after compiling a 27-6 record at Jackson State.

Southern has been looking to replace coach Terrence Graves, who was fired in October after a 1-6 start to the season.

Faulk played for the Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams in an NFL career that stretched from 1994 to 2005.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

LSU football has officially closed the book on the Brian Kelly era in Baton Rouge… Again.

According to multiple outlets, including ESPN’s Pete Thamel, LSU put in writing on Wednesday, Nov. 26 to Kelly that the university terminated his contract without cause, which means he’ll receive his full buyout pay of approximately $54 million as long as he continues to search for a new job.

The 64-year-old coach was dismissed by the Tigers Sunday, Oct. 26.

The decision by the Tigers to solidify that Kelly was fired without cause comes after Kelly filed a lawsuit against LSU on Nov. 11, claiming the school was trying to fire him for cause to avoid paying him his approximate $54 million buyout fee, which is according to his contract obtained by the USA TODAY Network. 

Kelly’s approximate $54 million buyout is second second-most-expensive buyout in college football history, only behind Jimbo Fisher’s $76.8 million at Texas A&M in 2023.

He was relieved from his duties by former LSU athletic director Scott Woodward on Oct. 26, one day after the Tigers dropped their third-straight top-25 ranked game of the season, a lopsided 49-25 loss to No. 3 Texas A&M at home.

It marked the first time that Kelly had been fired in his coaching career, which has included stops at Central Michigan, Cincinnati and Notre Dame.

There are currently seven Power Four conference jobs other than LSU still open for Kelly this coaching carousel in Florida, Arkansas, Penn State, Auburn, UCLA, Stanford and Cal. Virginia Tech and Oklahoma State have already filled their openings with James Franklin and Eric Morris, respectively.

‘Moving to Baton Rouge four years ago, my family and I were clear. There would be no halfway. We would be all-in for LSU and for Louisiana. This journey began with great expectations with my own vision of how to get there. Sometimes the journey does not end the way we hope,’ Kelly said in his first public statement since his firing on Nov. 6. ‘… The losses will always hurt, but I will always remember all of the wins.’

In four seasons at LSU, Kelly finished with a 34-14 overall record and missed out on the College Football Playoffs in each season. He led the Tigers to one SEC championship game appearance, which came in his first season.

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Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons have been one of the NBA’s biggest stories in the early going.

But the Pistons’ winning streak finally came to an end Wednesday, the team falling just short of setting a new franchise record with 14 consecutive wins.

The Boston Celtics held off the Pistons 117-114 in a back-and-forth contest at TD Garden. The Pistons hadn’t lost since Oct. 27, a 116-95 home defeat against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pistons are now 15-3 after a 2-2 start to the season.

The game was tied at 97 with 5:48 left in the game. The Celtics led the Pistons 111-110 with 12.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter, when Cunningham had the ball stolen by Derrick White. The two teams would go on to exchange free throws, with both Cunningham and White making their respective free throws.

After a shooting foul, Cunningham was back at the line with 4.4 seconds left and his team down three. He made just two of his three free throw attempts, though, giving the game away.

The Pistons tied a franchise record on Monday with their 13th consecutive win, tying their highest mark from the 1990 and 2004 championship seasons. In 2023, Cunningham and the Pistons suffered through a historic 28-game losing streak.

Pistons winning streak

Oct. 29: vs. Magic, 135-116
Nov. 1: vs. Mavericks, 122-110
Nov. 3: at Grizzlies, 114-106
Nov. 5: vs. Jazz, 114-103
Nov. 7: at Nets, 125-107
Nov. 9: at 76ers, 111-108
Nov. 10: vs. Wizards, 137-135 (OT)
Nov. 12: vs. Bulls, 124-113
Nov. 14: vs. 76ers, 114-105
Nov. 17: vs. Pacers, 127-112
Nov. 18: at Hawks, 120-112
Nov. 22: at Bucks, 129-116
Nov. 24: at Pacers, 122-117

Five matchups will take place between teams ranked in the US LBM Coaches Poll Top 25.
Key rivalry games include Ohio State at Michigan and Texas A&M at Texas.
Only one of the top 10 ranked teams, Oklahoma, will be playing at home.

Fittingly for this holiday weekend, the college football schedule offers a fully laden buffet table. Every team in the US LBM Coaches Poll Top 25 is in action, with five ranked matchups highlighting the menu that will impact the College Football Playoff. That means there are 20 games for our panel of pigskin prognosticators to ponder.

As is usually the case, the final weekend features a number of the sport’s most intense rivalries. Topping the list are No. 1 Ohio State heading up north to meet No. 15 Michigan, and No. 3 Texas A&M putting its unblemished record on the line at No. 16 Texas. In other ranked matchups, No. 4 Georgia heads to Atlanta to meet No. 19 Georgia Tech, No. 18 Tennessee hosts No. 12 Vanderbilt, and No. 13 Miami (Fla.) heads to No. 24 Pittsburgh.

Oh yeah, there are a few other notable neighborhood contests. No. 6 Mississippi braves the cowbells for the ‘Egg Bowl’ showdown with Mississippi State, No. 10 Alabama looks to avoid an upset at nemesis Auburn, and No. 5 Oregon travels to Seattle to face Washington.

In a curious quirk of the calendar, only one of the top 10 squads will conclude the regular season at home as No. 8 Oklahoma hosts LSU. Does that mean there’s a greater potential for surprises? Read on to see if our staffers think so.

College football predictions for Week 14

Quarterback Joe Burrow will be back on the field for the first time since mid-September this week against AFC North rival Baltimore. The team confirmed as much today ahead of the Thanksgiving triple-header capped off by Ravens-Bengals.

Burrow last played in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He suffered a Grade 3 turf toe injury in the second quarter and missed the subsequent nine games as the Bengals fell to 3-8 after a 2-0 start.

Burrow’s surgery had a timetable that predicted a return in mid-December so this is a faster turnaround than many expected. Cincinnati needs him – plus some luck with the rest of the schedule – to have a shot at making the playoffs in a competitive AFC wild-card race.

Thanksgiving marks the first of two games between the Bengals and Ravens over the next three weeks. Cincinnati will take on the Buffalo Bills on the road next week, giving Burrow two marquee matchups immediately upon his return to the field.

Who is Joe Burrow’s backup?

Joe Flacco will be Burrow’s backup as he makes his return to the field. The Bengals acquired Flacco from the Cleveland Browns earlier this season after multiple losses with Jake Browning at quarterback for Burrow.

Cincinnati’s operated with three quarterbacks on its active roster with Burrow out: Flacco, Browning and Sean Clifford. Clifford will likely be moved off the active roster with Burrow back in action.

Cincinnati Bengals schedule

AFC North standings

Baltimore Ravens: 6-5 (2-0 AFC North)
Pittsburgh Steelers: 6-5 (2-1)
Cincinnati Bengals: 3-8 (2-1)
Cleveland Browns: 3-8 (0-4)

USA Hockey unveiled its 2026 Olympic jerseys for the men’s, women’s and Paralympics teams, and they are reaching back to a successful chapter.

The Milan Cortina jerseys are inspired by the ones worn by the 1960 Olympic men’s hockey team that won the Americans’ first gold medal.

The jersey features diagonal ‘USA’ lettering across the chest and a gold-accented USA Hockey crest. Inside the collar are the words ‘land of the free home of the brave.’

The jerseys were designed by Nike and are available in white and royal blue.

The U.S. men’s hockey team will be seeking its first gold medal since the Miracle on Ice team in 1980. NHL players will take part for the first time since 2014.

The U.S. women’s team won a silver medal in Beijing in 2022 and won gold in the inaugural 1998 tournament and in 2018. The Paralympics team has won five gold medals, including the last four.

Nearly two million tickets have been sold ahead of the 2026 World Cup this summer, FIFA announced on Wednesday, Nov. 26, and the first round of ticket sales involving specific matches at soccer’s biggest global event is approaching next month.

FIFA said the third phase of 2026 World Cup tickets will begin on Dec. 11 at 11 a.m. ET as part of an update about its ticket sales inventory. This buying period, called the Random Selection Draw, will occur six days after the official draw for the 2026 World Cup is held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. It is the initial phase in which fans can submit applications for tickets after the group-stage matchups are revealed.

The window to apply for tickets during this period closes on Jan. 13, 2026 at 11 a.m. ET. Timing of a fan’s entry into the Random Selection Draw during the entry period will not impact the chances of success, according to FIFA. Fans of a specific national team may also be eligible to apply for Participating Member Association (PMA) supporter tickets beginning on Dec. 11, depending on the requirements of each individual team.

There are teams from 48 countries in this year’s tournament, with 42 teams qualified as of Wednesday. World Cup ticket sales began with the Visa presale in September and more than 1 million tickets were sold. An early ticket draw period then started on Oct. 27 and ended earlier this month.

There are other opportunities to buy 2026 World Cup tickets closer to the start of the tournament, but chances are running out. Here’s a breakdown of how to buy tickets:

Buy your FIFA World Cup tickets

How to buy 2026 World Cup tickets

The random selection draw is slated to begin Dec. 11 after the 2026 World Cup draw is determined on Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. During this phase, fans can submit applications for specific matches once the group-stage matchups are revealed.

FIFA will also offer a last-minute sales phase closer to the start of the 2026 World Cup in June. Fans will be able to purchase any remaining ticket inventory on a first-come, first-serve basis.

World Cup tickets can also be bought through secondary ticket marketplaces, including the official FIFA resale/exchange and Stubhub.

Teams involved in the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Only six spots in the 2026 World Cup remain up for grabs as of Nov. 26. The following nations have already qualified for group play:

Co-hosts: Canada, Mexico, USA
AFC: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan
CAF: Algeria, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia
Concacaf: Curaçao, Haiti, Panama
CONMEBOL: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay
OFC: New Zealand
UEFA: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland

The premier multi-team event of Thanksgiving week is set to crown a champion on Wednesday, Nov. 26 in the Players Era Festival.

A 18-team tournament has played two full days of hoops in Las Vegas, providing early season tests to March Madness hopefuls. While it appears like a tournament, it’s far from a traditional setup with an obvious bracket that determining a champion and other placings.

Instead the format uses formula to determine if teams have a chance at the crown, meaning teams that win all three of their games may still not win the championship.

It’s caused quite a bit of confusing in the college basketball world − and brought questions as to if it’s good for the sport. With the Players Era Festival reaching its final days, here’s what to understand about it.

How Players Era tournament championship is determined

The Players Era uses standings created after every team played its first two set games on Monday, Nov. 23 and Tuesday, Nov. 24. The order is determined by:

Win/loss record
Head-to-head record
Point differential (capped at 20 points per game)
Total points scored
Total points allowed
Associated Press ranking as of Monday, Nov. 24

The tournament encourages not just winning, but winning by a lot. It is similar to how the NBA Cup determines its teams.

Players Era tournament results, standings and bracket

Players Era tournament championship, third place game

Given the criteria, the games for Wednesday match the top four teams.

Michigan vs. Gonzaga in the Player’s Era championship game
Tennessee vs. Kansas in the Player’s Era third-place game

The rest of the consolation matchups use different criteria. Most notably, the matchups are made to avoid games against teams from the same conference and avoid contests between teams that have already played or are scheduled to play each other later this season.

A majority of the consolation games will take place on Nov. 26, with the bottom four teams playing their games on Thursday, Nov. 27.

There is so confusion and frustration since not every team played the same teams or caliber of opponent. For example, Tennessee had arguably the best win of the tournament against No. 2 Houston, but the Volunteers won’t get to play for first place.

Also, Kansas gets into the third-place game despite not playing any ranked opponents, while unbeaten Iowa State was denied despite a ranked win over St. John’s.

Players Era tournament payout: How much are players paid?

Tournament CEO Seth Berger said every team in the tournament will receive ‘over $1 million on average’ in name, image and likeness compensation, although exact value remains unclear. However, those in the championship and third-place game will get a bigger prize.

Berger added the tournament winner will receive an additional $1 million in NIL compensation, while the second-place finisher gets $500,000. Third place will receive a$300,000 and the fourth-place finisher gets $200,000.

Players Era tournament schedule

Wednesday, Nov. 26

Syracuse vs. No. 13 Iowa State | 1 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Houston | 3:30 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
Third-place game: Kansas vs. No. 16 Tennessee | 7 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
No. 16 St. John’s vs. No. 25 Auburn | 8 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
Championship game: No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 10 Gonzaga | 9:30 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)
Baylor vs. San Diego State | 10:30 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)
Maryland vs. No. 9 Alabama | 11:59 p.m. | TNT (Sling TV)

Thursday, Nov. 27

Oregon vs. Creighton | 2 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)

UNLV vs. Rutgers | 4:30 p.m. | truTV (Sling TV)