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Big 12 commissioner says Notre Dame AD’s criticism of ACC is ‘egregious’

Notre Dame’s exclusion from the College Football Playoff marked the end of the season for coach Marcus Freeman’s team, but the beginning of a war of words.

On Monday, fewer than 24 hours after the Fighting Irish didn’t see their name revealed on the 12-team playoff bracket, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua went on “The Dan Patrick Show” to lash out at the ACC, saying the league that houses most of the school’s non-football sports had “done permanent damage to the relationship” between the two parties after the conference publicly lobbied for Miami to make the playoff field over the Fighting Irish.

Bevacqua’s comments received widespread criticism — including from one of his fellow power brokers in the world of college athletics.

During a sit-down interview at Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum in Las Vegas, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark slammed Bevacqua’s criticism of the ACC, describing the administrator’s words as “egregious.”

“I don’t like how Notre Dame’s reacted to it,” Yormark said. “I think Pete’s behavior has been egregious. It’s been egregious going after (ACC commissioner) Jim Phillips when they saved Notre Dame during COVID.”

While Notre Dame is an independent in football, 24 of the university’s athletic programs are members of the ACC. Additionally, the school has had a football scheduling agreement with the ACC since 2014, one in which the Fighting Irish have to play an average of five ACC programs a year over the life of the deal. In 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACC allowed Notre Dame to play 10 ACC teams on its 11-game schedule that season and be eligible for the league’s championship game. On the back of that ACC-heavy schedule, the Fighting Irish made the ACC championship game, where it lost to Clemson, and was selected for the then-four-team College Football Playoff.

As the debate waged last week over which combination of Notre Dame, Miami and Alabama should earn the final two at-large spots in the playoff, the ACC campaigned for Miami, the only one of the trio that is a football member of the conference. 

On Nov. 10, the league’s official account on X (formerly Twitter) posted a graphic comparing the respective resumes of the Hurricanes and Fighting Irish while highlighting Miami’s head-to-head victory against Notre Dame and its higher number of wins against top-25 opponents. The ACC Network also aired the Hurricanes’ 27-24 Week 1 victory over the Fighting Irish more than a dozen times last week in the days leading up to the final playoff bracket reveal. Miami ultimately earned the final at-large spot after being behind Notre Dame for each of the previous weekly ranking unveilings.

Those actions irked Bevacqua, who has voiced his displeasure with the conference of which his school’s football program isn’t a member.

‘I understand they have to stand up for their teams in football,’ Bevacqua said on Tuesday, Dec. 9. ‘We just think there’s other ways to do it, and it has created damage. I’m not going to shy away from that, and that’s just not me speaking. People a lot more important at this university than me feel the same way.”

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips had responded to Bevacqua’s comments on Monday in a statement in which he said that “when it comes to football, we have a responsibility to support and advocate for all 17 of our football-playing member institutions, and I stand behind our conference efforts to do just that leading up to the College Football Playoff Committee selections on Sunday.”

Though Notre Dame’s coaches and players may have understandably felt blindsided by the playoff selection committee’s final ranking, Yormark believes the clues for Miami leapfrogging the Fighting Irish were apparent all along. And, to him, that makes Bevacqua’s behavior even more unacceptable.

“(Playoff selection committee chairman) Hunter (Yurachek) was very transparent about it, the chair, that as Notre Dame and Miami got closer together, head-to-head would be a factor,” Yormark said. “BYU lost. They became closer and head-to-head made a difference in that decision. I think he’s totally out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the room, I’d tell him the same thing.”

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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FIFA accused of breaking ethics rules after Trump gets Peace Prize

An international human rights group filed a complaint with the ethics committee of world soccer’s governing body to look into FIFA President Gianni Infantino, accusing him of a possible breach of political neutrality.

FairSquare, based in London, which says its company promotes ‘systemic change and stops human rights abuses,’ filed an eight-page complaint with FIFA’s Ethics Committee over the organization’s decision to give its inaugural Peace Prize to President Donald Trump, a decision that was met with swift condemnation.

“The award of a prize of this nature to a sitting political leader is in and of itself a clear breach of FIFA’s duty of neutrality,” FairSquare said in its complaint.

“If Mr. Infantino acted unilaterally and without any statutory authority, this should be considered an egregious abuse of power.’

FIFA’s ethics bylaws require neutrality in all political matters, and violations can carry a two-year ban from the sport.

Infantino and Trump were together at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, for the World Cup draw. The 2026 tournament, which is being held in North America, starts June 11.

FairSquare also said Infantino’s attendance at Trump’s inauguration in January ‘indicates support for President Trump’s political agenda.’

‘This complaint is about a lot more than Infantino’s support for President Donald Trump’s political agenda,’ said Nicholas McGeehan, FairSquare’s program director.

‘More broadly this is about how FIFA’s absurd governance structure has allowed Gianni Infantino to openly flout the organisation’s rules and act in ways that are both dangerous and directly contrary to the interests of the world’s most popular sport.’

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Thomas Massie introduces bill to pull US out of NATO: ‘America should not be the world’s security blanket’

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky announced on Tuesday that he had introduced a measure to remove the U.S. from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, arguing that the decades-old alliance is obsolete, has been costly for American taxpayers and puts the nation at risk of engagement in foreign wars.

‘NATO is a Cold War relic. The United States should withdraw from NATO and use that money to defend our country, not socialist countries. Today, I introduced HR 6508 to end our NATO membership,’ Massie said in a post on X.

GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida shared Massie’s post and wrote, ‘Co-sponsoring this.’

‘NATO was created to counter the Soviet Union, which collapsed over thirty years ago. Since then, U.S. participation has cost taxpayers trillions of dollars and continues to risk U.S. involvement in foreign wars. Our Constitution did not authorize permanent foreign entanglements, something our Founding Fathers explicitly warned us against. America should not be the world’s security blanket—especially when wealthy countries refuse to pay for their own defense,’ Massie said, according to a press release.

Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah introduced the ‘Not a Trusted Organization Act,’ or ‘NATO Act’ in the Senate earlier this year — Massie is now fielding companion legislation in the House.

Article 13 of the North Atlantic Treaty stipulates that ‘After the Treaty has been in force for twenty years, any Party may cease to be a Party one year after its notice of denunciation has been given to the Government of the United States of America, which will inform the Governments of the other Parties of the deposit of each notice of denunciation.’

The proposal advanced by Lee and Massie would use this escape hatch to extract the U.S. from the longstanding NATO alliance.

‘Consistent with Article 13 of the North Atlantic Treaty, done at Washington April 4, 1949, not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall give notice of denunciation of the North Atlantic Treaty for purposes of withdrawing the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,’ the proposal declares.

‘No funds authorized to be appropriated, appropriated, or otherwise made available by any Act may be used to fund, directly or indirectly, United States contributions to the common-funded budgets of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, including the civil budget, the military budget, or the Security Investment Program,’ the text of the measure stipulates.

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JOHN YOO: Supreme Court showdown exposes shaky case against birthright citizenship

On Friday, the Supreme Court announced that it would hear challenges to President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship. The Fourteenth Amendment automatically makes all babies born on American territory citizens. Trump’s effort to overturn the traditional reading of the constitutional text and history should not succeed.

Ratified in 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment provided a constitutional definition of citizenship for the first time. It declares that ‘all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.’ In antebellum America, states granted citizenship: they all followed the British rule of jus soli (citizenship determined by place of birth) rather than the European rule of jus sanguinis (citizenship determined by parental lineage). As the 18th-century English jurist William Blackstone explained: ‘the children of aliens, born here in England, are, generally speaking, natural-born subjects, and entitled to all the privileges of such.’ Upon independence, the American states incorporated the British rule into their own laws.

Congress did not draft the Fourteenth Amendment to change this practice, but to affirm it in the face of the most grievous travesty in American constitutional history: slavery. In Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), Chief Justice Roger Taney concluded that slaves — even those born in the United States — could never become American citizens. According to Taney, the Founders believed that Black Americans could never become equal, even though the Constitution did not exclude them from citizenship nor prevent Congress or the states from protecting their rights.

The Fourteenth Amendment directly overruled Dred Scott. It forever prevents the government from depriving any ethnic, religious or political group of citizenship.

The only way to avoid this clear reading of the constitutional text is to misread the phrase ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof.’ Claremont Institute scholars (many of whom I count as friends) laid the intellectual foundations for the Trump executive order; they argue that this phrase created an exception to jus soli. Claremont scholars Edward Erler and John Eastman argue that ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof’ requires that a citizen not only be born on American territory, but that his parents also be legally present. Because aliens owe allegiance to another nation, they maintain, they are not ‘subject to the jurisdiction’ of the United States.

The Claremont Institute reading implausibly holds that the Reconstruction Congress simultaneously narrowed citizenship for aliens even as it dramatically expanded citizenship for freed slaves. There is little reason to understand Reconstruction — which was responsible for the greatest expansion of constitutional rights since the Bill of Rights — in this way.

This argument also misreads the text of ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof.’ Everyone on our territory, even aliens, falls under the jurisdiction of the United States. Imagine reading the rule differently. If aliens did not fall within our jurisdiction while on our territory, they could violate the law and claim that the government had no jurisdiction to arrest, try and punish them.

Critics, however, respond that ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof’ must refer to citizen parents or risk being redundant when being born on U.S. territory. But at the time of the Fourteenth Amendment’s ratification, domestic and international law recognized that narrow categories of people could be within American territory but not under its laws. Foreign diplomats and enemy soldiers occupying U.S. territory, for example, are immune from our domestic laws even when present on our soil. A third important category demonstrates that ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof’ was no mere surplusage. At the time of Reconstruction, American Indians residing on tribal lands were not considered subject to U.S. jurisdiction. Once the federal government reduced tribal sovereignty in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it extended birthright citizenship to Indians in 1924.

The Fourteenth Amendment’s drafting supports this straightforward reading. The 1866 Civil Rights Act, passed just two years before ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, extended birthright citizenship to those born in the U.S. except those ‘subject to any foreign power’ and ‘Indians not taxed.’ The Reconstruction Congress passed the Fourteenth Amendment because of uncertainty over federal power to enact the 1866 Act. If the Amendment’s drafters had wanted ‘jurisdiction’ to exclude children of aliens, they could have simply borrowed the exact language from the 1866 Act to extend citizenship only to those born to parents with no ‘allegiance to a foreign power.’

We have few records of the Fourteenth Amendment’s ratification debates in state legislatures, which is why constitutional practice and common-law history are of such central importance. But the few instances in which Congress addressed the issue appear to support birthright citizenship. When the Fourteenth Amendment came to the floor, for example, congressional critics recognized the broad sweep of the birthright citizenship language. Pennsylvania Sen. Edgar Cowan asked supporters of the amendment: ‘Is the child of the Chinese immigrant in California a citizen? Is the child born of a Gypsy born in Pennsylvania a citizen?’ California Sen. John Conness responded in the affirmative. Conness would lose re-election due to anti-Chinese sentiment in California.

Courts have never questioned this understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment. In United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898), the Supreme Court upheld the citizenship of a child born in San Francisco to Chinese parents. The Chinese Exclusion Acts barred the parents from citizenship, but the government could not deny citizenship to the child. The Court declared that ‘the Fourteenth Amendment affirms the ancient and fundamental rule of citizenship by birth within the territory, in the allegiance and protection of the country, including all children here born of resident aliens.’ The Court rejected the claim that aliens are not within ‘the jurisdiction’ of the United States. Critics respond that Wong Kim Ark does not apply to illegal aliens because the parents were in the United States legally. But at the time, the federal government had yet to pass comprehensive immigration laws that distinguished between legal and illegal aliens. The parents’ legal status made no difference.

President Trump is entitled to ask the Court to overturn Wong Kim Ark. But his administration must persuade the justices to disregard the plain text of the Constitution, the weight of the historical evidence from the time of the Fourteenth Amendment’s ratification and more than 140 years of unbroken government practice and judicial interpretation. 

A conservative, originalist Supreme Court is unlikely to reject the traditional American understanding of citizenship held from the time of the Founding through Reconstruction to today.

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South Korean K-pop stars BTS hit the right note of how to wield cultural power

When the South Korean boy band/K-pop sensation BTS takes the stage in Seoul this June, ending a four-year touring hiatus, it will mark more than just a comeback — it will validate one of the shrewdest soft-power decisions in recent memory.  

In 2022, at the absolute apex of their global dominance, the group’s seven members chose to fulfill their mandatory military service rather than seek exemptions, which would almost certainly been granted. Their management company, HYBE, supported the decision. The world got a masterclass in how cultural power is created. 

The cynics predicted career suicide. Instead, BTS demonstrated that soft power isn’t built on avoiding obligations — it’s built on embracing them. When they reunite on stage, they’ll do so with enhanced credibility, having proven their success didn’t exempt them from the responsibilities of ordinary citizens. Americans remember Elvis taking a similar course at the height of his fame.  

The great thing about soft power is that, while generated by creative individuals and companies, it’s to the entire nation’s benefit. Like economic and martial power, soft power generates influence that can be used to bolster a nation’s standing. Examples of soft power abound from Britain’s cricket legacy and rock ’n’ roll ‘invasion’ of the 1960s to French and Italian cinema to America’s NBA, jazz music and Hollywood’s entertainment machine. Now, South Korea is stepping up.

Thus, it is almost tragic that while BTS was serving in the military, the ecosystem that made the band possible faces mounting scrutiny. South Korea has become expert at creating cultural phenomena that captivate the world — and equally expert at treating the architects of that success with suspicion once they achieve scale. This is a pattern South Korea cannot afford.   

South Korea’s cultural preeminence did not emerge from a government plan. It sprang from creative ambition, commercial ruthlessness, and just enough regulatory space for experimentation. The K-pop system requires massive capital investment, sophisticated global distribution and executives willing to bet nine figures on whether teenagers in Jakarta and São Paulo will stream the same songs. 

Yet, there’s a reflex in South Korean public life that treats popularity itself as evidence of wrongdoing. Bang Si-hyuk, the producer who built HYBE and shaped BTS into a global phenomenon, now faces legal scrutiny over stock transactions — the kind of corporate governance questions that seem to emerge almost inevitably once South Korean companies achieve sufficient scale.   

The particulars matter less than the pattern: bold risk-taking generates soft power, then invites investigation once it succeeds. 

Executives who might build the next BTS or international TV steaming sensation like, ‘Crash Landing on You,’ watch what happens to those who came before and recalibrate their ambition accordingly. In cultural soft power, this reflex is potentially fatal. 

South Korea’s competitors are watching. China has spent billions trying to manufacture soft power through state-directed enterprises. The PRC has largely failed — because audiences smell propaganda. South Korean free enterprise is succeeding in creating cultural exports that are simultaneously local and universal, specific enough to feel authentic in Seoul and accessible enough to travel across the globe.  

This is South Korea’s opportunity. Japan was given a similar window in the 1990s with anime and video games, but largely failed to capitalize on the trend because of governmental missteps. South Korea could easily repeat that mistake and lose the global influence that comes with serious national soft power. 

South Korea needs to recognize soft-power assets as strategic resources. France protects its luxury brands because Paris recognizes these companies project French taste globally in ways no government agency could. South Korea should ask: What institutional arrangements allow us to maintain standards while protecting our champions? 

South Korea’s cultural preeminence did not emerge from a government plan. It sprang from creative ambition, commercial ruthlessness, and just enough regulatory space for experimentation. 

BTS’s decision to fulfill their national military service obligations demonstrates what’s possible when artists, companies and national interest align voluntarily. HYBE supported that choice. But South Korea can’t count on such choices being made repeatedly if the system treats success as inherently suspect.

In June 2026, when BTS embarks on a global tour generating billions in economic impact and incalculable goodwill toward South Korea, remember this moment almost didn’t happen. The members could have sought exemptions. Instead, they chose service and came back stronger. 

But South Korea can’t count on such choices if the message to cultural entrepreneurs is that success invites scrutiny. The next generation is watching, deciding whether to aim for global impact or settle for domestic safety.

South Korea stumbled into becoming a cultural superpower. It doesn’t have to stumble out of it. But that requires recognizing that the bold, imperfect figures who build global cultural enterprises are assets to be protected, not problems to be managed. 

BTS made their choice — they bet on their country. Now, South Korea needs to decide if it’s going to bet on the people who create the next BTS, or put them under investigation instead. 

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See which team won the No. 1 overall pick in 2026 MLB Draft

The Chicago White Sox won Major League Baseball’s 2026 draft lottery on Dec. 9 at the winter meetings and will have the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since 1977, and just the club’s third in franchise history.

The new Pope’s favorite team entered the lottery with the best odds (27.73%) to land the No. 1 pick, baseball’s fourth year with a draft lottery.

The Colorado Rockies had MLB’s worst record (43-119) and would have had the best odds but were ineligible for the lottery as they picked in the top six the past two years.

While the White Sox won out, two oof the teams with the worst chances – the San Francisco Giants (1.01%) and Kansas City Royals (0.84%) – defied the odds and snuck into the top six.

Here’s a look at the order for the 2026 MLB draft:

MLB draft lottery results

1. Chicago White Sox
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Minnesota Twins
4. San Francisco Giants
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
6. Kansas City Royals
7. Baltimore Orioles
8. Athletics
9. Atlanta Braves
10. Colorado Rockies
11. Washington Nationals
12. Los Angeles Angels
13. St. Louis Cardinals
14. Miami Marlins
15. Arizona Diamondbacks
16. Texas Rangers
17. Houston Astros
18. Cincinnati Reds

When is MLB draft lottery? How to watch, TV channel

Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
TV channel: MLB Network

MLB draft lottery odds 2026

White Sox: 27.73%
Twins: 22.18%
Pirates: 16.81%
Orioles: 9.24%
Athletics: 6.55%
Braves: 4.54%
Rays: 3.03%
Cardinals: 2.35%
Marlins: 1.85%
Diamondbacks: 1.51%
Rangers: 1.34%
Giants: 1.01%
Royals: 0.84%
Mets: 0.67%
Astros: 0.34%
Rockies: ineligible
Nationals: ineligible
Angels: ineligible

The Colorado Rockies had the worst record in baseball but are are ineligible for the lottery because a team can’t receive a top-six pick three years in a row, after the team had such picks in 2024 and 2025. The Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels are also ineligible as ‘payor’ teams, unable to receive back-to-back lottery picks.

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Knicks thump Raptors to advance to NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas

The East semifinals in the NBA Cup are set.

The New York Knicks thumped the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, Dec. 9 in a 117-101 victory fueled by a massive night from Jalen Brunson, who scored 20 of his 35 points in the first quarter. And so now New York will play the Orlando Magic in the NBA Cup East semifinal.

New York controlled the game after it held the Raptors to 13 points on 5 field goals in the second quarter. The Knicks outscored Toronto 34-13 in the period and never relinquished control.

The Knicks had six players reach double figures in scoring, with Josh Hart chipping in 21 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

Brandon Ingram recorded 31 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, but the Raptors were only able to get 13 points from Scottie Barnes. The Knicks blitzed Barnes with double teams to force the ball out of his hands, limiting his effectiveness on offense.

The Knicks have won eight of their last nine games, while the Raptors have lost four consecutive.

The Knicks and Magic will play Saturday, Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m. ET from Las Vegas.

Knicks vs. Raptors highlights

End Q3: Knicks 94, Raptors 79

The good news for the Raptors: they did far better in the third quarter than they did in the second. The bad news: Toronto is still carrying a 15-point deficit into the fourth quarter, and its chances at securing a berth in the NBA Cup East Semis seems unlikely.

The Raptors did cut into New York’s biggest lead in the third (24), but Josh Hart had a massive quarter and heads into the fourth with 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range, with 5 rebounds and 2 assists.

Jalen Brunson leads all players with 33, while the Raptors have struggled for players beside Brandon Ingram to score; Ingram has a team-high 27 points, and the next closest Raptor, Jamal Shead, has 17. After him, two players are tied for just 10 points.

End Q2: Knicks 69, Raptors 52

There were seven ties and nine lead changes in the first half, but the Knicks opened a monster lead in the second quarter.

Toronto started the period shooting just 1-of-9 from the floor, but the operation could not stabilize even after Brandon Ingram returned to the floor after catching a breather. The Raptors scored just 13 points in the quarter and finished just 5-of-21 (23.8%) from the field in the second.

The Knicks outscored Toronto 34-13 in the period.

After his 17-point first quarter, Ingram added just 2 points in the second, though he started the period on the bench.

The Knicks now have three players — Jalen Brunson (26), Karl-Anthony Towns (10) and OG Anunoby (10) — who have reached double figures in scoring.

End Q1: Raptors 39, Knicks 35

It was a quarter of runs, but the Raptors ended the first quarter of their NBA Cup East Quarterfinal game against the Knicks with a four-point edge.

From 5-0 (New York) to start the game, to a 7-0 (Raptors) run to close the gap, to a 10-3 Knicks spurt to pull ahead, both teams repeatedly found ways to answer. And for New York, the solution, by and large, was Jalen Brunson, who drained 7-of-9 shots in the period to open the game with 20 points.

Not to be outdone, Brandon Ingram continued his hot start to this season with 17 first quarter points of his own, adding 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in the period.

Both teams shot the ball incredibly well, with New York flushing them at a 65% clip, while Toronto hit 57.7% of its shots.

With the Magic already clinched, Knicks vs. Raptors is underway

The Orlando Magic took down the Heat to clinch the first spot in the NBA Cup East Semifinal Saturday, Dec. 13 in Las Vegas, and they’ll play the winner between the Knicks and Raptors.

New York started hot, making its first four shots, though turnovers allowed Toronto to claw back into it. The Raptors went on a 7-0 run to take an early 15-11 lead.

Knicks vs. Raptors start time update

The Knicks-Raptors game is slated to tip at 8:47 p.m. ET, the Knicks said.

New York Knicks starting lineup

Josh Hart
OG Anunoby
Jalen Brunson
Mikal Bridges
Karl-Anthony Towns

Toronto Raptors starting lineup

Jamal Shead
Scottie Barnes
Ochai Agbaji
Brandon Ingram
Jakob Poeltl

What time is Knicks vs. Raptors NBA Cup game today?

The Toronto Raptors will host the New York Knicks on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 8:30 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

How to watch Knicks vs. Raptors NBA Cup game: TV, live streaming

The game between the Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks will be live streamed nationally on Amazon Prime Video.

Date: Dec. 9, 2025
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Scotiabank Arena (Toronto)
TV: None
Streaming: Amazon Prime Video

Watch NBA Cup games with Amazon Prime

Knicks, Raptors injury updates

New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns is listed as questionable on the injury report with left calf tightness and will be a game-time decision, while Landry Shamet is out with a right shoulder sprain.

The Raptors, meanwhile, will be without RJ Barrett, who is dealing with a right knee sprain.

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BYU’s Keba Keita dunk bends rim, causes delay in Jimmy V Classic

BYU basketball and Clemson find themselves in a back-and-forth clash in an early-season men’s college basketball showcase game at Madison Square Garden in the Jimmy V Classic.

The Big 12 vs. ACC clash, however, experienced a brief delay in the second half. … And it wasn’t for an injury.

The delay at Madison Square Garden was instead because of a bent rim on BYU’s side of the court that came from an emphatic dunk from BYU forward Keba Keita.

The bent rim led to an extended delay with members of the facility staff at The Garden bringing out ladders to the court to remove the padding on the net to level the rim. For the trouble, BYU and Clemson were given three minutes each to warm up on the court before the second half resumed.

As a result of the delay, the start of Game 2 of the doubleheader at The Garden between Florida and UConn was delayed and didn’t start on time at its original 9 p.m. ET tipoff.

Here’s a look:

Clemson pieced together an impressive first-half performance against BYU, led by its 11 second-chance points and nine points off four caused turnovers.

BYU came out of halftime strong with a 12-1 run to cut the deficit to 10 points at the 15:16 mark, with nine of those points coming from Cougars star freshman AJ Dybantsa. That start to the half was enough for Dybantsa to get going in his Madison Square Garden debut, as he scored 12 of BYU’s next 16 points to force Clemson to call a timeout after he made it a one-point game with a layup at the 5:13 mark of the half.

BYU would go on to win 67-64 behind a Robert Wright game-winner, so every point counted.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

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Magic rally back, reach NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas

The Orlando Magic are headed to Las Vegas.

The Magic clamped the Miami Heat in the fourth quarter Tuesday, Dec. 9 in a 117-108 victory to earn a trip to the NBA Cup East Semifinals. Orlando will play the winner of the New York Knicks-Toronto Raptors game, set to take place later Tuesday. After missing their first seven shots of the game, the Magic launched an offensive avalanche behind Desmond Bane’s 37 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

Playing without Franz Wagner, who suffered a high-ankle sprain and will miss extended time, the Magic got a massive contribution from Wendell Carter Jr., who scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and added 10 rebounds.

Miami’s inability to knock down 3s in the second half, and its inability to stop Bane, did the Heat in. Although Miami scored the game’s first 15 points, it shot just 8-of-33 (24.2%) from beyond the arc, with only two 3-pointers converted after halftime.

The Heat (14-11) have lost four consecutive games and have hit a rough patch with their offense. After sprinting out of the gate to start the NBA season, teams have intentionally slowed Miami down, limiting their fastbreak opportunities.

This marked Bane’s third different 37-point performance over his last six games for the Magic (15-11).

The NBA Cup East Semifinal is set for Saturday, Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Heat vs. Magic highlights

End Q3: Magic 89, Heat 83

This battle for a berth in the NBA Cup East Semifinals is shaping up to be a fantastic finish.

The Magic may have taken moderate control headed into the fourth quarter, but both teams have battled in what has been an entertaining, back-and-forth game. Still, the Heat are struggling to get stops on Orlando, which is slowing down Miami’s transition attack.

The Heat lead the NBA in pace (105.42), but teams have been throwing more zone at Miami and clogging the paint. After a quiet second quarter, Tyler Herro found a rhythm late in the period, and finished with 8 points in the third.

For the Magic, it has been Desmond Bane to spark the offense. After he missed his first two 3-pointers in the game, Bane has flushed four consecutive and dropped 10 in the period. He has a game-high 22 points.

The Magic are shooting 50% from the floor, while Miami is at 43.5%

End Q2: Heat 57, Magic 56

The Heat imploded somewhat in the second quarter, going cold on their shooting, failing to pick up offensive rebounds and having the ball stagnate on offense.

That allowed Orlando to catch fire and outscore Miami by 12 in the period, though Miami clung to one-point lead headed into halftime. The Magic shot 61.5% from the floor in the second quarter, compared to Miami converting shots at just a 45% clip. Orlando also laced half of its 10 attempts from 3-point range to close the gap.

The Magic clogged the paint on defense, slowing Miami’s fastbreak attempts considerably in the second quarter. That slowed pace appeared to affect the Heat’s half-court offense and shot selection.

These teams entered the night tied for fifth in the NBA in defensive rating (111.8), and the team that clamps down better in the second half may come away with a trip to Las Vegas.

Tyler Herro and Norman Powell each lead the Heat with 12 points, while Desmond Bane paces the Magic with 12 of his own.

Magic riding run in second quarter

After committing 7 turnovers in the first quarter, Orlando has protected the ball and hasn’t given it away once in the second period. The Magic are hitting shots, too, and have opened the second on an 18-9 run, closing the deficit to just 4 points.

Miami is up 39-35 with 7:32 to play in the period.

End Q1: Heat 30, Magic 17

After hitting their first seven shots of the game, the Miami Heat cooled off some but still take a 13-point lead into the second quarter. Miami scored the first 15 points of the game and opened on a 20-4 run.

The Heat did it in the paint and on the perimeter, scoring 25 of their 30 points in the paint or from beyond the arc. Miami also protected the ball, committing just 2 turnovers.

It was a different story for Orlando. The Magic missed their first five shot attempts and clearly miss Franz Wagner, who is sidelined with a high-ankle sprain. Orlando’s star player, Paolo Banchero, struggled from the floor and didn’t hit a single field goal and scored only 2 points in the period. The Magic committed 7 turnovers in the first.

All five of Miami’s starters scored and Tyler Herro led the team with 9 points, while Norman Powell added 8.

The Heat come out on fire; Orlando: not so much

Miami opened the game on a blaze, hitting all five of its field goals. The Magic, meanwhile, have missed each of their four attempts and have turned the ball over once, leading to a quick, 13-0 run to start the game.

Early indications clearly show Orlando struggling without Franz Wagner.

What time is Heat vs. Magic NBA Cup game today?

The Orlando Magic will host the Miami Heat on Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. ET at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida.

How to watch Heat vs. Magic NBA Cup game: TV, live streaming

The game between the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic will be live streamed nationally on Amazon Prime Video.

Date: Dec. 9, 2025
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Location: Kia Center (Orlando, Florida)
TV: None
Streaming: Amazon Prime Video

Watch NBA Cup games with Amazon Prime

Heat, Magic injury updates

The Miami Heat will have their full complement of players for tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic, with Tyler Herro, Pelle Larsson, Davion Mitchell and Dru Smith all upgraded to available.

The Magic, meanwhile, will be missing Franz Wagner (high ankle sprain), Moritz Wagner (left knee) and Colin Castleton (fractured left thumb).

Orlando Magic starting lineup

Here are the starters for the Orlando Magic in the NBA Cup quarterfinal game against the Miami Heat:

G Jalen Suggs
G Anthony Black
G Desmond Blane
F Paolo Banchero
C Wendell Carter Jr.

Miami Heat starting lineup

Here are the starters for the Miami Heat in the NBA Cup quarterfinal game against the Orlando Magic:

G Davion Mitchell
G Tyler Herro
F Norman Powell
F Andrew Wiggins
C Bam Adebayo

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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MLB winter meetings news: Schwarber, Diaz of the board in Tuesday flurry

Major League Baseball’s winter meetings continued Tuesday as the game’s most powerful people convened in Orlando.

The market for top free agent Kyle Tucker is still unclear and the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte is a player whose name has been hot in trade rumors. The Washington Nationals are drawing interest for All-Stars CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore, two of the players the team acquired in the 2022 Juan Soto trade.

The Chicago White Sox won Major League Baseball’s 2026 draft lottery on Dec. 9 at the winter meetings and will have the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since 1977, and just the club’s third in franchise history.

Here’s a look back at the signings and news from Tuesday:

MLB hot stove boils over with Diaz, Schwarber contracts

ORLANDO, FL — MLB’s free agent damn broke Tuesday when slugger Kyle Schwarber signed a five-year, $150 million contract to return to the Philadelphia Phillies while free-agent closer Edwin Diaz is heading to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Phillies felt all along they had to have Schwarber back, not only for his prodigious power, but for his veteran clubhouse leadership. The Phillies were offering Schwarber a four-year deal, but once the Pittsburgh Pirates and at least one other team offered a four-year deal for about $120 million, the Phillies knew they had to up the ante.

“He was just too important to us,’ one Phillies executive said. “We had to have him back.’

The Dodgers, who spent $85 million on closer Tanner Scott and setup man Kirby Yates last year, only for them to struggle, pivoted and grabbed the best closer on the market again in Diaz.

– Bob Nightengale

Chicago White Sox win MLB draft lottery

The Chicago White Sox won Major League Baseball’s 2026 draft lottery on Dec. 9 at the winter meetings and will have the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since 1977, and just the club’s third in franchise history.

The new Pope’s favorite team entered the lottery with the best odds (27.73%) to land the No. 1 pick, baseball’s fourth year with a draft lottery.

Tarik Skubal trade? Tigers are ‘listening’

ORLANDO, FL — Tarik Skubal is the talk of the MLB winter meetings.

The reigning back-to-back American League Cy Young winner is set to become a free agent after the 2026 season. The 29-year-old left-hander projects to become the first pitcher in MLB history to receive a $400 million contract once he reaches free agency.

‘I can’t do my job without listening,’ Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said. ‘I can’t do my job without exploring anything that may or may not have legs. Some are going to be very likely moves, and some are going to be extremely unlikely, but you can’t actually fully vet those opportunities unless you’re willing to listen.’

– Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press

Scott Boras provides Cody Bellinger update

Answering a question about Cody Bellinger’s free agency, agent Scott Boras on Tuesday suggested that the Yankees have competition from the Dodgers, Reds, Angels, Blue Jays, Mets, Giants and Phillies.

Of course, the Phillies might be out after reports of Kyle Schwarber’s five-year, $150 million agreement to remain in Philadelphia, which surfaced as Boras spoke on Tuesday

Out of code, Boras added that he ‘can never predict’ the pace of negotiations for someone like Bellinger, but ‘when owners get involved, they can do things at a moment’s notice with these type of players.”

Boras would not say whether Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner had become personally involved in the Bellinger negotiations.

‘We keep those things private,” said Boras. ‘But the Yankees have reached out about Cody, and we continue to talk.”

– Pete Caldera, NorthJersey.com

Tigers pursuing Ha-Seong Kim

ORLANDO, FL — It’s not Alex Bregman. But it might be a better fit.

The Detroit Tigers have interest in shortstop Ha-Seong Kim in free agency, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The 30-year-old Kim declined his $16 million player option with the Atlanta Braves to return to the open market in the 2025-26 offseason, suggesting he could seek at least two years and $30 million, if not three years, $45 million.

This marks the second straight offseason in which the Tigers have shown interest in Kim.

– Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press

Edwin Diaz signs with Dodgers

In completing their back-to-back World Series championship run, the Los Angeles Dodgers lacked one critical element: A lockdown closer.

They took care of that Tuesday, agreeing to terms with All-Star reliever Edwin Diaz, as first reported by The Athletic.

Diaz, who will be 32 on opening day, spent the past seven seasons with the Mets after beginning his career with the Seattle Mariners.

Diaz’s exit from New York was at least partially sealed when the Mets agreed to a three-year, $51 million contract with two-time All-Star Devin Williams.

Kyle Schwarber back to Phillies

Kyle Schwarber, who hit a National League-best 56 home runs in 2025, is heading back to the Philadelphia Phillies, agreeing to a five-year, $150 million contract, according to a baseball official familiar with the agreement. The official spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been finalized.

Schwarber, who turns 33 in March, closed out his four-year, $79 million contract with Philadelphia in epic fashion, setting a career-high in home runs and leading the major leagues with 132 RBIs to finish second in NL MVP voting. He averaged nearly 47 home runs and posted an .856 OPS in his four years with Philly.

That set him up as one of the most coveted sluggers on the free-agent market this winter, and the Phillies decided they could not live without his peerless slugging ability and clubhouse leadership.

Twins ‘able to move the ball forward’

After a trade deadline fire sale, Minnesota’s intentions this offseason seemed unclear with star outfielder Byron Buxton and right-handed starters Joe Kelly and Pablo Lopez considered trade bait. But the team has indicated all three will be back in 2026 and, per Bobby Nightengale Jr. of The Minnesota Star Tribune, Twins president Derek Falvey says ‘it’s a little more clear that we have been able to move the ball forward.’

Falvey has made presentations to ownership, including the minority investors, about potential payroll plans for this offseason, and it’s still uncertain just how much the Twins might spend. They could reveal their minority ownership investors as early as next week.

‘I anticipate some news on that here in the near term where things are shaking out around ownership,’ Falvey said. ‘But I’m not currently at liberty to speak to any specifics.’

Red Sox looking for infield help

With Alex Bregman’s return to Boston uncertain, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Red Sox have shown interest in Astros infielder Isaac Paredes.

‘Bregman still appears to be the Red Sox’s No. 1 target,’ writes Rosenthal, who adds that Paredes could be Boston’s Plan B or even an option at first base if the Sox were to bring back Bregman.

Paredes was traded to the Astros by the Cubs last December in the deal that sent this year’s prized free agent Kyle Tucker to Chicago. Paredes played 102 games for Houston in 2025, with 89 of those appearances coming at third base. He last played first base with the Rays in 2024.

Rays close to deal with lefty Steven Matz

The Tampa Bay Rays are in the process of finalizing a two-year contract with left-hander Steven Matz, according to multiple media reports.

A starter for most of his 11-year MLB career, Matz transitioned to the bullpen with the Cardinals and was extremely effective in the role last season, especially after the trade to Boston.

Matz, 34, finished with a 3.05 ERA in 53 total appearances, but he had a 2.08 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in 21 ⅔ innings with the Red Sox.

The Rays will need to create a spot on the 40-man roster to add Matz once his contract is finalized.

As MLB lockout looms, Dave Roberts would support salary cap

ORLANDO, FL — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who drew the ire of the Major League Baseball Players Association last week when he voiced his support for a salary cap and floor, reiterated Monday that it’s merely his opinion and doesn’t consider his view a potential distraction among players.

“Here’s the thing,’ Roberts said, “I’m entitled to an opinion, as we all are. And so I think that’s one man’s opinion.’

– Bob Nightengale

Mets sure they’ll ‘be in touch’ with Pete Alonso

ORLANDO, FL. — Pete Alonso will be making the short trek from his home in Tampa to the winter meetings this week, but he won’t be entertaining the team where his roots had settled. David Stearns acknowledged that the longtime Mets first baseman would be attending but would let him explore his options unhindered.

‘I think Pete knows us really well. I think we know Pete really well,’ Stearns said. ‘I think he’ll take the time here to perhaps meet with organizations he doesn’t know quite as well, and I’m sure we’ll be in touch.’

– Andrew Treddenick, NorthJersey.com

Yankees-Blue Jays battle carries into hot stove

ORLANDO, FL — The Toronto Blue Jays are the reigning AL champions, and they arrived at the Winter Meetings having already made the biggest splash in free agency, signing Dylan Cease for $210 million.

“They’re really good and they’ve already gotten better,’’ Yankees GM Brian Cashman said, assessing the AL East as “the toughest division in baseball.’

“It typically is, the Beast of the East. We know our work is cut out for us.’

– Pete Caldera, NorthJersey.com

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