Washington Wizards center Anthony Davis is not expected to play the rest of the season, NBA TV reports.

According to the report, Davis will use the time off to get fully healthy for the 2026-27 season.

Davis has not played since he was injured late in the fourth quarter on Jan. 8 in a loss against the Utah Jazz when he was a member of the Dallas Mavericks, scoring 21 points with 11 rebounds in 35 minutes.

He was expected to return from ligament damage in his left hand in about six weeks.

Once Davis is healthy enough to play, he is expected to team up with guard Trae Young, who was traded from the Atlanta Hawks. Young has been sidelined since Dec. 27 with knee and quadriceps injuries and will be re-evaluated after the All-Star break.

The 32-year-old Davis, a 10-time All-Star, is averaging 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.7 blocks in the 20 games he has appeared in this season.

Washington (14-36) has the league’s worst point differential and is giving up 122.6 points a game, second worst in the NBA. The Wizards have missed the postseason in each of the last four seasons.

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Three out of six American skiers, including Lindsey Vonn, were able to race in Saturday’s downhill training run at Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre before the event was canceled due to weather.

The first training run, scheduled for Feb. 5, was also canceled after heavy snowfall in Cortina the day before. Friday’s second training run proceeded in its entirety, though not without multiple delays (one for a crash and another for fog).

Twenty-one of 46 skiers raced Saturday, the final training run before the women’s downhill medal event Sunday, Feb 8. Two hours passed between today’s initial weather delay due to fog and FIS’s decision to call the event.

American Breezy Johnson posted the fastest time Saturday, clocking in at 1:37.91. Vonn finished third in 1:38.28. Jackie Wiles came in last at 1:41.85 after topping Friday’s training run.

Scroll below for full results from every skier as well as highlights from the session. 

Downhill training canceled for half the field

Race organizers made the decision to cancel the rest of the training run because of the snow and fog on the Olympia delle Tofane.

Skiers who had not yet gone were allowed to go to a lower portion of the hill so they could get more time on the Olympic course ahead of Sunday’s downhill. Their times did not count, however, since they did not race the same course as the other skiers. 

The decision will not affect Sunday’s downhill because one training run was already completed. At least one training run has to be done for a downhill to happen. 

Women’s final Olympic downhill training results

Twenty-one skiers completed runs down the course, and two other participants elected not to start, before the training run was canceled due to fog and snow:

Breezy Johnson, USA ….. 1:37.91
Kira Weidle-Winkelmann, Germany ….. 1:38.12
Lindsey Vonn, USA ….. 1:38.28
Ariane Raedler, Austria ….. 1:38.34
Emma Aicher, Germany ….. 1:38.75
Sofia Goggia, Italy ….. 1:38.77
Federica Brignone, Italy ….. 1:38.84
Kajsa Vickhoff Lie, Norway ….. 1:38.88
Laura Pirovano, Italy ….. 1:38.91
Cornelia Huetter, Austria ….. 1:38.96
Nina Ortlieb, Austria ….. 1:39.02
Mirjam Puchner, Austria ….. 1:39.12
Ilka Stuhec, Slovenia ….. 1:39.12
Jasmine Flury, Switzerland ….. 1:39.46
Elena Curtoni, Italy ….. 1:39.64
Nicol Delago, Italy ….. 1:39.67
Alice Robinson, New Zealand ….. 1:39.76
Romane Miradoli, France ….. 1:39.95
Malorie Blanc, Switzerland ….. 1:40.39
Corinne Suter, Switzerland ….. 1:40.72
Jackie Wiles, USA ….. 1:41.85
Marte Monsen, Norway ….. DNS
Ester Ledecka, Czechia ….. DNS
Janine Schmitt, Switzerland ….. DNS
Isabella Wright, USA ….. DNS
Keely Cashman, USA ….. DNS
Laura Gauche, France ….. DNS
Delia Durrer, Switzerland ….. DNS
Nadia Delago, Italy ….. DNS
Valerie Grenier, Canada ….. DNS
Julia Pleshkova, Individual Neutral Athletes ….. DNS
Rosa Pohjolainen, Finland ….. DNS
Camille Cerutti, France ….. DNS
Elvedina Muzaferija, Bosnia and Herzegovina ….. DNS
Jordina Caminal Santure, Andorra ….. DNS
Cande Moreno, Andorra ….. DNS
Barbora Novakova, Czechia ….. DNS
Elisa Maria Negri, Czechia ….. DNS
Cassidy Gray, Canada ….. DNS
Matilde Schwencke, Chile ….. DNS
Mary Bocock, USA ….. DNS
Nicole Begue, Argentina ….. DNS
Alena Labastova, Czechia ….. DNS
Katarina Srobova, Slovakia ….. DNS
Anastasiia Shepilenko, Ukraine ….. DNS
Rebeka Jancova, Slovakia ….. DNS

Fog delays downhill training

Fog rolled in to the top of the Olympia delle Tofane course in Cortina, putting the training run on hold with roughly half the field still to go. Twenty-one skiers had completed their runs and two did not start when the course was put on hold.

Lindsey Vonn cruises in downhill run

Lindsey Vonn was shaky in a couple of spots, including near the bottom of the course where she also had an error Friday. But she again showed no obvious sign of her wrecked left knee, and she shaved two full seconds off her time, finishing today’s run in 1:38.28. 

She’s currently third, 0.37 seconds behind leader and American teammate Breezy Johnson.

Vonn gave a small fist pump when she finished – as if to say, check – before walking through the mixed zone and stopping briefly to tap Johnson on the shoulder. “Nice run,” she told her teammate, before moving along.

Near-crash derails American Jackie Wiles

Jackie Wiles topped the leaderboard in Friday’s first downhill training session, but she was not as successful today after she nearly crashed in the top section.

Wiles posted a time of 1:38.94 Friday to lead the field. Her time today was almost three seconds slower: 1:41.85.When Wiles finished her run, she took off her goggles, put her hands on her hips and did the little “choke” hand signal by her neck.

American Breezy Johnson takes early lead

Great run for Breezy Johnson. Looked smooth and in control whole way down and her time of 1:37.91 put her in first place. (With many skiers still to come.) Her time was almost three seconds better than the first training run Friday.

Johnson raised her fist in celebration after she’d finished.

Italian star goes from cauldron to slopes

Sofia Goggia had a bit of a rough run, having to save herself at least twice. Understandable, given she couldn’t have gotten much sleep. The Italian lit the cauldron in Cortina. 

World Cup race rescheduled for after Olympics

The downhill that was scrubbed after Lindsey Vonn’s crash will now be held in March.

Organizers cancelled the downhill in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, after three of the first six skiers – Vonn included – crashed. Vonn suffered a torn ACL, bone bruising and meniscus damage in her left knee, but is determined to still ski at the Milano Cortina Olympics.

The International Ski Federation said Saturday the race is being moved to Val di Fassa, Italy, and be held on March 6. That means there will be two downhills and a super-G at Val di Fassa, the final speed races before the World Cup finals.

What time does Olympic women’s downhill training start today?

The final women’s Alpine skiing downhill training session is scheduled to begin Saturday, Feb. 7 at 5:30 a.m. ET in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

Eileen Gu is a three-time Olympic medalist in freestyle skiing, competing for China.
She is the highest-paid Winter Olympics athlete, earning $23 million in 2025.
Gu, who was born in the United States, has not publicly clarified her citizenship status.
In addition to being an athlete, she is a student at Stanford University and a fashion model.

Model. Student. Gold medalist.

Women’s free ski superstar Eileen Gu is on the record saying she wants to do it all, and at 22 years old, she has.

Gu, born in the United States but a competitor for China, where her mother Yan – who raised her – is from, studies at Stanford in non-Olympic years. She is also a three-time Olympic medalist, with gold medals in the big air and halfpipe events and a silver medal in slopestyle.

Eileen Gu at 2026 Olympics

Gu’s success at the Beijing Games made her one of the most recognizable athletes in China, where she can’t go anywhere without being mobbed by the public.

As Gu continues to sidestep citizenship questions, she enters these Games with three Olympic medals from Beijing 2022 (big air gold, halfpipe gold, slopestyle silver), when she was 18. She became the most successful women’s free skier ever this year, with 20 victories on the World Cup circuit. She also won at the inaugural Snow League event in China in December.

How much does Eileen Gu make?

According to Sportico, Gu is the highest-paid Winter Olympics athlete and made $23 million in 2025, putting her fourth on the earnings list among female athletes. The first three are tennis players.

Why does Eileen Gu compete for China?

Gu, whose father is American, spent her summers in Beijing and chose to compete for China in 2019. Gu will be a junior at Stanford when she returns to college and studies international relations.

She refuses to comment on her citizenship status, although she competes for China, which does not allow dual citizenship with another country. Born in the States, Gu would have had to renounce her American status, unless China is making an exception. (The Chinese Olympic governing body has also refused to comment on Gu’s eligibility but is happy to have her medals count for the team.)

Does Eileen Gu model?

Gu is also involved in the fashion industry, with modeling credits for Victoria’s Secret and Louis Vuitton. According to Time Magazine, she opened and closed the Bosideng show in Milan, closed the Brunello Cucinelli show in Shanghai and posed for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Her sponsors include brands such as Red Bull, Tiffany, and Porsche, and Chinese companies Anta Sports, Mengniu Dairy, and Luckin Coffe.

Her connection to the fashion industry, passion for food and the skiing make it an ideal location for Gu.

‘I love Milan,’ she told Olympics.com. ‘Obviously, we have fashion weeks here. One particularly special experience was a show I opened and closed a couple of Milan fashion weeks ago, which took place where (Leonardo da Vinci’s) ‘The Last Supper’ was painted. It was this gorgeous, picturesque vineyard with a beautiful villa.”  

What makes Eileen Gu so good?

Gu landed a double cork 1620 to delight the home crowd in China four years ago to claim her big air gold. No woman has ever won more World Cups than her (20) and she also won the inaugural Snow League competition (started by Shaun White) at Secret Garden in December.

She told Olympics.com she was entering the 2026 Milano Cortina Games with ‘no chip on my shoulder.’

‘There’s no burden,’ she told Olympics.com. ‘There is nothing to defend, no defending gold medalist. I’m here to compete just like everyone else, do my very best, and we’ll see what happens.’

BORMIO, Italy – Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen reduced the home country cheers, but he didn’t silence them completely. Two Italian skiers won medals behind von Allmen’s gold in the men’s downhill Saturday at Stelvio Ski Centre, the first medal event of the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.Giovanni Franzoni and Dominik Paris of Italy cracked the top three on back-to-back runs in front of roaring Italian fans. But neither could overtake von Allmen’s time of 1:51.61.

‘Super happy. Feels kind of like a movie,’ von Allmen said on the NBC broadcast just before securing the win. He also said he thought a lot about his father today, who died when von Allmen was 17.Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Team USA’s best hope in the event, struggled to post a 1:53.65, well back of the leaders in 18th place. Kyle Negomir (1:53.20) posted the best time of the four Americans in the field for a 10-place finish.

The other two U.S. skiers, Bryce Bennett (1:53.45) and Sam Morse (1:53.68), placed 13th and 19th, respectively.

MILAN — Princess and Peep. Pyeong and Chang. Sochi.

This isn’t a nursery rhyme, or a trip down Olympic memory lane. They’re the names of some of the top sheep behind the wool that’s on full display at the 2026 Winter Olympics for Ralph Lauren’s Team USA collection. Of which, you can trace directly back to the American West.

‘It’s such an honor. It’s humbling, it’s exhilarating — all at the same time,” said Jeanne Carver, founder and president of the Shaniko Wool Company, which has been a sustainable supplier of wool to Ralph Lauren for its Team USA uniforms since 2014.

‘I hope they feel that they’re wrapped not only in wool, but the love of the nation.’

The Ralph Lauren x Team USA Olympic collection bypassed fancy fashion innovations, like heated jackets. Instead, opting for all natural, tried-and-true wool for their coats, pants, hats, mittens and sweaters. The clothing company uses a range of local US manufacturers and materials providers to create the looks.

“And they’re warm,” snowboarder Red Gerad previously told USA TODAY Sports. ‘A lot of times people forget that even though it’s the opening ceremony, it’s the Winter Olympics. Really cold.’

Susan Sokolowski, professor of product design at the University of Oregon, described the style of the uniforms as Americana with a classic twist.

“We are really respecting the home country and city of Milan through this beautiful fashion, stealth white execution,” she said.

Sokolowski also pointed out the toggle button, which has its roots with maritime and military designers tasked with creating a “functional garment that can open and closed with gloves.”

 “If we can make them look great in Italy, we’ve scored,” Ralph Lauren chief branding and innovation officer David Lauren told USA TODAY Sports in December when the uniforms were revealed.

So what makes wool work so well, especially in a world of new material and synthetics?

‘It regulates temperature naturally, which is really interesting,” Sokolowski said. “Not many other fibers can do this.”

But that’s not all: Wool doesn’t pick up odors and it’s elastic and breathable. It’s even fire-resistant.

For those reasons and more, it’s been the go-to for centuries, with athletes in the Ancient Olympic Games awarded a taenia — a red woolen ribbon that would be tied around the winners’ heads. Back then, the athletes went all natural, competing completely naked.

But in the modern-day Olympics, wool has been a common denominator in clothing, remaining this way through the World War II era, when invention resulted in material that was even lighter and had more stretch.

But modern-day athletic apparel ‘leach microplastics and they’re not great for the environment,’ Sokolowski said. ‘So, moving to wool or cotton — or other sort of plant-based and animal-based fibers — I think we’re going to see more of that.

 ‘It’s really around sustainability, but also, how can we harness the greatness of these fibers?”

That’s what Carver’s work is all about.

‘We’re bringing a direct connection to us, to the people on the land who are still doing the work of ranching,’ Carver said.

Still, each Olympics are an opportunity for innovation, whether in athletic style or build. And that’s one of the things that she looks forward to with each Games.

‘As a designer and someone who works in product innovation, I love how the Olympics, the summer or winter really, is a milestone for inventors that work in the space to really move and show new ways of fashion that we’ll see in opening ceremonies,” she said.

For Carver, she loves seeing athletes decorated in her wool. She’s even hosting an Olympics watch party for the first time, where guests can try on the uniforms in her personal collection.

‘We’ll never be on an Olympic stage,’ Carver said, of herself not her wool. ‘But we will certainly be cheering them on.’

Now the International Ski and Snowboard Federation has dismissed it all as a ‘wild rumor.’

The discussion first surfaced in the Bild, a German newspaper, that reported ski jumpers allegedly get penile-enlarging injections of hyaluronic acid to increase the size of their suit and, as a result, the distance of their jumps.

The matter escalated when the World Anti-Doping Agency said it would investigate if there were evidence to support the claims. But the International Ski and Snowboard Federation largely rejected that possibility in an email sent from the federation’s communications director, Bruno Sassi.

“As for the hyaluronic acid claims: this wild rumor started off a few weeks ago from pure hearsay,’ Sassi wrote in an email to USA TODAY Sports. ‘There has never been any indication, let alone evidence, that any competitor has ever made use of a hyaluronic acid injection to attempt to gain a competitive advantage.”

The sport still is reeling from a verifiable scandal. The head coach and assistant coach of the Norway men’s team were suspended for 18 months for their role in manipulating jumpers’ suits at the Nordic World Ski Championships in March. Two ski jumpers implicated in the matter each accepted a three-month suspension.

The manipulation of the suits involved the seams of the crotch area, according to the Associated Press.

Sassi said 3D scans have been introduced as a step to combat ‘the intentional lowering of the crotch measurement to gain advantage over opponents.’

‘That is because in Ski Jumping, the main benefit that can be obtained through equipment manipulation is to enhance aerodynamics,’ he wrote of increasing the surface of the jumping suit that is in contact with the air midflight. ‘Even a few millimeters can make a substantial difference in the length of a jump. For that purpose, one of the most critical parts of the Ski Jumping suit is the crotch area ― it is the area of which scrutiny from teams, athletes, and equipment controllers is the highest.’

The athletes’ body measurements are taken by the federation once a year, and the data gives officials the ability to ensure the proper-sized suits are being worn rather than larger-sized suits that in violation of the rules could increase jumping distance.

The aerodynamics of ski jumping

Christopher Roy, a professor and aerodynamics expert at Virginia Tech, told USA TODAY Sports he thinks penile injections could lead to increased jumping distance.

Based purely on aerodynamics, he stressed.

‘In ski jumping, basically the main goal is maximize your lift while minimizing your drag,’ Roy said. ‘And if you can do that, that just equates to going farther. In terms of the ski jump, from what I understand for this question about the penile injections thing, it’s very much akin to the recent scandal from the Norwegians about modifying the suits.’

Comparing Norwegian suit modification to the alleged use of penile-enlargement injections, Roy cited both as attempts to increase the surface area of the suit.

And of the alleged injections, he said, ‘It probably wouldn’t take much surface area to equate to another meter or two in terms of the distance of the jump.’

However, Roy noted a significant caveat with the injections.

‘I don’t know how to put this delicately,’ he said. ‘If it’s creating a bulge in the crotch area, that would actually have a very detrimental effect. But if it somehow increases the surface area while maintaining a smooth aerodynamic shape on the body, then that could have an (advantageous) effect.’

An Olympian weighs in

Casey Larson, a two-time Olympic ski jumper, sounded equal parts frustrated and intrigued by rumors of the penile injections.

Frustrated because he thinks it’ll cost the sport young jumpers whose parents might worry about the rumors.

‘It’s super addicting, flying through the air like a squirrel,’ said Larson, who competed in the 2018 Olympics and 2022 Olympics before becoming a coach in Park City, Utah. ‘And I don’t want that to get lost on some dumb scandal that, really at the end of the day, I don’t even know if it’s real.’

At the same time, Larson compared ski jumping to Formula One racing and the constant fine tuning of equipment, which includes the suit. In some cases, he said, resources separate the best jumpers from the rest as they all hunt for ways to increase their jump distance.

But going to the lengths to penile injections? For someone who would have done anything to have a gold medal hanging around his neck, Larson said, he couldn’t rule out sticking ‘a needle down there’ had he known about the procedure before he retired.

‘It’ll make you a better skier,’ he said. ‘It will allow you to fly farther. Big suits help you fly and make you feel like a flying squirrel.’

MILAN — The Mona Lisa. People dressed as coffee makers. Mariah Carey. Fun cheers. Heavy boos.

It’s a fact the Olympic opening ceremony is a made-for-TV extravaganza, meant to wow a global audience from start to finish. 

But it’s just as spectacular in person, and even better, allows you to catch things you likely didn’t see on the broadcast. Luckily, USA TODAY Sports caught it all from the site of the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, capturing the live action art displayed throughout the night.

Even though the opening ceremony began at 2 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 6, the festivities started 30 minutes before inside Milano San Siro Olympic Stadium with a preshow DJ and hosts teaching the crowd dances for the show. The crowd did its own thing, giving off a classic European soccer vibe in a stadium known for it.

It may have looked packed during the show, people braving the cold outdoor conditions, but it wasn’t entirely full, with noticeable empty seats in the upper northeast and east side of the stadium.

The colorful early sequence certainly brightened the show from the jump, but a closer look at who made the rainbow palette and you’d realize they were all figures that define Italy. There were people dressed like Ancient Romans, bakers, the Mona Lisa and, in a tribute to Italian design, the coffee maker.

That made way for Mariah Carey’s highly anticipated performance. You didn’t notice the snail’s pace she was moving at coming out of the corner of the stadium, knowing Carey was making her way to the center of the stage. Her Italian singing was impressive, and it sure helped she had a screen to help enunciate the words. 

Then came the hilarious ending, where a crew sprinted to the center of the stage, while Carey just stood there, waiting. Just as it began, it was a slow walk off for the artist.

When the Olympic protocol for Milano Cortina began, the crowd made it known how much it respects Italy President ​​Sergio Mattarella. His showing in the introduction video drew a loud cheer that happened any time he was shown, with legendary Italian racer Valentino Rossi getting the same reception.

The lead-up to the parade of athletes was as dazzling as it was on TV, with the fireworks of the Olympic rings brightening the entire stadium. The Olympian introductions was different, with athletes spread out in the region, but regardless of how many athletes were and weren’t present, the nations drew a wide array of reactions.

To no surprise, the home crowd gave a rousing ovation to Italy at the conclusion, but several neighboring countries got a little extra love prior. Nations like Spain, Germany and France drew noticeable reactions, but they didn’t compare to the cheers Ukraine got at its announcement. It was by far the longest sustained cheering for another European country.

But there were boos. They mostly came during the introduction of Israel, a sustained jeer coming down amid the country’s highly criticized actions in the Gaza Strip.

The other negative reaction wasn’t toward a nation, but for someone in the audience. The United States actually was positively received by the crowd, but that ended when Vice President JD Vance was shown on the stadium screens, turning the cheers into boos. There have been protests in Milan over the Trump Administration’s use of ICE in the U.S. and presence for the Olympics.

While the event went on in Milan, crowds began to dwindle in Livigno and Cortina as spectators braved the frigid temperatures for a segment that lasted more than an hour. 

Athletes got to see the second half of the opening ceremony, but that didn’t mean they stayed seated. Some Olympians got up and mingled with each other, sometimes going off into other sections or wandering around.

However, they all were tuned in for the ending sequence of the Olympic cauldron being lit, which brightened up the stadium as the fire burned in Milano and Cortina. 

The festivities didn’t end with that, either. As the stadium started to empty, athletes stayed on the stage, taking team photos and photos with other nations. Olympic staff got to snag pictures and meet the athletes.

A wholesome ending, perfectly embodying the Olympic spirit to officially kick off the Games.  

NEW YORK — To no one’s surprise, Round One between UConn and St. John’s men’s basketball lived up to all the expectations on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

The Red Storm did so by doing something the Huskies excelled at heading into the game, something that makes them a national championship contender once again: by getting defensive stops down the stretch.

It was an entertaining contest that showed St. John’s can go a full 40 minutes and grind out a win against a top-tier team like UConn. It also showed the Huskies are legit contenders once again, seeking a third national title in four years — even if their offense is still a work in progress.

‘As hard a game as we’ve had to play all year,’ UConn coach Dan Hurley said.

For St. John’s, it’s the highest-ranked win since 2021 against Villanova, and the highest-ranked win at The Garden for the Red Storm since they took down No. 3 Duke on Jan. 30, 2011. It’s also the first three-game winning streak against UConn since the 1999-2000 season, when St. John’s swept the regular season series and won the Big East championship game.

The Red Storm’s statement win, which puts them within a half-game of first place in the Big East standings, ended an 18-game win streak for the Huskies. It’s the first loss for UConn since it fell 71-67 to then-No. 4 Arizona on Nov. 19, and it’s just the second overall loss of the year for the Huskies.

‘We work too hard to play like that and just lose,’ UConn forward Alex Karaban said. ‘We invested too much time to lose, and it’s a hard feeling. It’s not an easy feeling to sit with right now.’

The Red Storm had to fight for their fourth Quad 1 win of the season after an even first half.

That fight began with a 16-6 run to begin the second half to claim a 10-point lead after Bryce Hopkins drilled a 3-pointer at the 13:03 mark. The Huskies allowed the Red Storm to stay in the game — and then grow a double-digit lead — with self-inflicted wounds (like four turnovers in more than six minutes) and by falling into foul trouble.

St. John’s turned 15 UConn turnovers, nine of which came from Huskies point guard Silas Demary Jr., into 20 points. The nine turnovers were a season high for Demary, who has otherwise been a home run find out of the transfer portal for the Huskies this season.

‘You’ve got to be in great shape to do what they do,’ Hurley said of the St. John’s defense and the disruption it created for the Huskies’ offense. ‘It disrupts your ability to get into what you want to do offensively.

‘I don’t think that we turned it over because of their pressure. We turned it over because we lost our (expletive) mind a little bit and they have great defense. That’s a top 20 defense, easy. They’re hard to beat.’

That fight then continued with the St. John’s response to UConn’s 16-9 run midway through the second half, where it saw its 11-point lead sliced to a single point after Demary hit a 3-pointer from the corner of the Huskies’ bench.

A second-chance, tipped-in jumper from Dillon Mitchell off a missed 3-pointer and a 3-pointer from Dylan Darling turned the energy in The Garden back the Johnnies’ way, and they closed on a 12-7 run. St. John’s physicality around the rim led to 16 second-chance points on nine offensive rebounds.

‘We made a lot of big plays tonight, a lot of big plays,’ Pitino said. ‘I’m proud of our guys for not panicking one bit at any point in the game.’

Zuby Ejiofer was also a difference maker for St. John’s across his 34 minutes of action, as he stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting, 10 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals.

‘You know you’re going to make me retire because I’m not living life without you,’ Pitino said of the preseason Big East Player of the Year.

It’s the fourth game this season in which Ejiofor finished with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. His 21 points were a key driver of the 50 points the Red Storm received from their frontcourt, (Mitchell had 15 points and Hopkins 14).

‘They’re grown-ass men,’ Hurley said of the St. John’s frontcourt. ‘… They are built for Big East games.’

St. John’s physicality also helped it earn its first top-25 win of the season. The Red Storm outscored the Huskies 42-22 inside the paint, and got to the line 31 times compared to UConn’s 12 free-throw attempts.

Those reasons, and growing guard play, could make Pitino’s squad a real tough out in the NCAA Tournament. The Red Storm entered the night on the 5-seed line in projections, but after Friday’s win, they should see a bump to a 4-seed.

For UConn, the Huskies miss out on adding a second Quad 1 win in Big East play on the season. Hurley’s squad shouldn’t see a drop in their projections, as a combined 13-3 Quad 1 and Quad 2 record, which features a win over Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse, is a fine resume to keep them at the 1-seed line.

But for now, St. John’s shifts its focus to Xavier at The Garden on Monday night with Round Two against the Huskies not that far in the distance on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Connecticut. It will likely be a fight for the No. 1 seed in next month’s Big East tournament back at The Garden.

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HARTFORD, CT — The No. 1-ranked UConn women’s basketball team will look to keep its 60-game winning streak in Big East Conference play alive on Saturday at PeoplesBank Arena.

UConn (24-0, 13-0 Big East) is the lone remaining undefeated team in Division I. Sophomore sensation Sarah Strong is leading UConn with 19.2 points, 8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.4 steals a game. Senior Azzi Fudd is averaging 17.5 points a game.

The Huskies haven’t lost a conference game in nearly three years. The Big East has not been competitive this season and could be left out of at-large bids in the NCAA Tournament.

Butler (9-14, 3-10 Big East) lost to the Huskies, 94-47, in late December and has not beaten UConn in 40 tries. Saniya Jackson (9.7 points per game) and Mallory Miller (9.6 ppg) are the Bulldogs’ leading scorers.

What time is UConn vs. Butler?

The UConn Huskies play host to the Butler Bulldogs at Noon ET on Saturday, Feb. 7 at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Connecticut.

UConn vs. Butler: TV, streaming

Date: Saturday, Feb. 7
Time: Noon ET (9 a.m. PT)
Location: PeoplesBank Arena (Hartford, Connecticut)
TV: FS1
Stream: Fubo

WATCH: UConn vs. Butler women’s basketball

The New England Patriots will wear their white jerseys for Super Bowl 60 against the Seattle Seahawks.
New England is undefeated in their white jerseys this season, while Seattle’s only Super Bowl win was in white.
Players from both teams expressed a desire to wear their popular throwback uniforms, which is not permitted by the NFL.

SANTA CLARA, CA – “Look good, feel good. Feel good, play good. Play good, they pay good.”

It’s a pithy pearl of wisdom issued from Deion Sanders years ago, when he was a dual-sport star in professional football and baseball. Now? It might be time for the NFL to heed the advice of “Prime Time.”

Super Bowl 60 will be staged Sunday between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. And while it will doubtless be a slick, high-definition, good-looking product from nearly every angle, could it look … better than good?

Despite being the designated home team, the Patriots opted to wear their white jerseys – maybe not a surprise given New England is the first team in league history to go 9-0 on the road in a single season (playoffs included). The Pats are also 6-0 in the white jerseys during the 2025 season, including their win at Denver for the AFC championship game.

“We had to pick blue or white, and we went with white. I guess the blue would have been a good idea. As long as we’ve got a uniform on. … I try not to get too involved with it. We’re the home team. We get to choose. Guys like the white uniforms,” said Vrabel, who said the team’s leadership group settled on white.

Told the team was undefeated in that look this season, Vrabel cracked: “There we go. I hope the tooth fairy comes tonight, too. We’ll be real excited.”

Seahawks fans might be less excited to see their team in the blue jerseys they’ve worn since 2012. Seattle is 1-2 to date in the Super Bowl, its only win coming in white during its Super Bowl 48 blowout of Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos. The following year, the ‘Hawks were in blue and the Tom Brady-led Patriots in white – though a different style of jersey than the more understated one New England wears now – during Seattle’s infamous Super Bowl 49 loss.

(Fun fact: This will be the first Super Bowl in which both teams wear monochromatic uniforms.)

Sadly, the teams didn’t have the option of wearing their highly popular throwback jerseys, though players almost universally agreed they would have leaped at the alternative.

“I mean, if that was an option, I would love to wear the throwbacks. I love throwbacks. I’m a vintage dude when it comes to clothing. I like old, vintage things. The all white is clean – that’s like a step out, going to the club and everything,” Patriots receiver DeMario ‘Pop’ Douglas told USA TODAY Sports.

“The throwback is just clean and classy.”

He’s referring to the team’s red jersey and white helmet with the “Pat Patriot” logo, the cartoonish-looking minuteman poised to snap the ball, whom the franchise first adopted in 1961, its second year of existence. New England did feature that look in Super Bowl 20 … when the Patriots got whacked 46-10 by the ’85 Bears.

“I definitely love the throwbacks,” Pats outside linebacker Harold Landry III said. “You should be able to pick whatever jersey you want.”

Similarly, Seattle players would have loved to wear their retro blue jerseys and silver helmets, which the team brought back in 2023 after the league relaxed its rules and allowed clubs to utilize multiple helmet shells.

“Throwbacks, all day long – they’re unbeatable,” Seahawks Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon told USA TODAY Sports.

Seattle has never worn the jerseys it sported for most of the 1980s and ‘90s in the Super Bowl. The Seahawks made their Super Sunday debut 20 years ago, when they wore (ugly) precursors to their current threads in a 21-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl 40.

Said Seattle linebacker Patrick O’Connell: “I think it’d be really cool – either the throwbacks or the ‘Rivalries’ since we (the Seahawks and Patriots) were both part of that this year. … I think it would be good for the NFL. Fans love it, they would buy all the jerseys.”

And you’d think an organization that prints money like the NFL does would be happy to mint more. Yet the league has been reluctant to permit throwbacks in its showcase event. The Los Angeles Rams received an exception to use their classic alternates seven years ago when they were in the midst of a wonky transition from their St. Louis-era uniforms but before they unveiled the current ones in conjunction with their move into SoFi Stadium in 2020.

Maybe it’s just as well that the teams’ glorious duds won’t be sullied. The Seahawks and Patriots will already resemble European football clubs, obligated to wear the Super Bowl LX logo and a patch commemorating America’s 250th year of existence. Seattle will also continue wearing a shoulder emblem celebrating the franchise’s 50th season.

It should also be noted that quite a few Patriots are happy in the slimming whites. Other players are completely unmoved by football fashion.

“I don’t really care what we’re wearing – we could wear leather helmets out there,” Seahawks Pro Bowl D-lineman Leonard Williams told USA TODAY Sports.

But they were generally in the minority of those I polled.

“I would like to wear the throwbacks,” Patriots guard Michael Onwenu told USA TODAY Sports.

“I think when we get an opportunity to wear new threads, new jerseys – or a different set of jerseys – it allows us to feel ourselves. You look good, you play good.”

Sanders couldn’t have said it better.