Noahkai Banks may be young and still looking for his first U.S. men’s national team cap, but that hasn’t stopped Landon Donovan from predicting the defender will start at the 2026 World Cup.

Banks has become a regular starter this season for Augsburg, despite only recently turning 19. The 6-foot-4 defender is considered one of the best American center-back prospects in many years and has earned one USMNT call-up.

But the defender did not see the field last fall during his only USMNT camp, making next month’s camp massive for his World Cup hopes.

If he is to make a late charge toward a World Cup spot, Banks will likely need to earn a call-up for friendlies against Belgium and Portugal – the team’s last two games before Mauricio Pochettino names his World Cup squad.

Donovan is feeling bullish on the young defender’s chances. On his ‘Unfiltered Soccer’ show, the USMNT legend explained why he believes Banks won’t just make Pochettino’s World Cup squad, but will start this summer.

‘Tim Ream is locked and going to play. Chris Richards is more than locked and going to play. I think Pochettino wants this team to have the ability to play in a back three,’ he said. ‘I think the team performs best in a back three.

‘So your options become (Mark) McKenzie, Miles Robinson and even Noahkai Banks. You can maybe move Joe Scally if he makes the team. Alex Freeman can play there, maybe Antonee Robinson can play on the (right).

‘But I think (Banks is) a kid who’s played on the right side of a (back) three earlier this season, played on the left side of a (back) three. So he’s clearly comfortable. He’s playing in the Bundesliga every week as an 18-year-old. And I just think when push comes to shove, Pochettino might go, ‘OK, yeah, he’s young. But what are the alternatives?”

The teenager insisted that his only focus for now is on Augsburg, which is currently battling to avoid relegation from the Bundesliga.

‘I think it’s not the right moment to think about the World Cup, because we have a lot of games left here, and we want to win those games because we have goals for the season,’ he said.

‘A lot of players say it, but I really mean it: I really just focus on the games we have here. And then let’s see what happens in the summer.’

All season, it seemed as if the narrative around the Texas Tech basketball team has been they’re just sort of there.

In a long season such as this, when the college basketball is as good as ever, there are more great teams than ever and so much attention is given to the star-studded freshman class, players like JT Toppin and teams like the Red Raiders can go under the radar.

That shouldn’t be the case after the team’s latest triumph over one of the presumed No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament. Beating Arizona 78-75 in overtime on the Wildcats’ home floor may be a shock to some, but it’s merely more of what can be expected of Grant McCasland’s team.

You just have to be paying attention long enough to understand that.

Granted, the Red Raiders have taken their lumps this season. There’s no erasing that 30-point drubbing at the hands of Purdue in November. Losing to UCF in Orlando also wasn’t great — Kansas did it too, but they didn’t have Darryn Peterson, so it can be forgiven, to some extent.

Winning against Duke in Madison Square Garden got some deserved attention, though that didn’t last long. Having that win come just before Christmas made some forget about Tech being the only team (until last week) to hand the Blue Devils an L.

Even when Texas Tech’s gotten the better of Houston (nobody beats Houston in Big 12 play) and BYU, the focus coming out of those games was that the Red Raiders are really tough at home and most of the attention went to Kingston Flemings doing well and AJ Dybantsa not doing so well.

Some of that will follow Texas Tech again after this victory. Arizona’s own star freshman Koa Peat left the game with an injury and did not return. That certainly changed how the Wildcats were able to operate. That, too, will be a big talking point that will detract from what was achieved by the Red Raiders.

Shame, since the Red Raiders didn’t get that same benefit of the doubt when Christian Anderson missed the Kansas game. Sure, that was mentioned (briefly) before it became the, ‘Did you see what Darryn Peterson did?’ news cycle.

All of these freshmen are terrific. No doubt about it. Surefire lottery picks in the 2026 NBA draft. The issue at hand, though, is college is not the pros, and what those freshmen are doing isn’t anywhere near what Toppin has done this season, and he showed once again why any conversation around the Big 12 player of the year and first team All-America honors can’t continue without Toppin being at or near the top.

Toppin went for 31 points on 13-of-22 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds, seven coming on the offensive glass against a much lengthier and physical Arizona frontline, with or without Peat. These are run-of-the-mill numbers for Toppin at this point, so commonplace they can be taken for granted.

It wasn’t just another manimal-like performance from Toppin, it was historic. He’s just the second player in the past 30 years to total 30 points and 10 rebounds in a road win against the No. 1 team in the country. It was just fourth similar stat line against nationally ranked teams this season, which is the most for any player of the past 20 years.

The two biggest plays of the night by Toppin didn’t involve him looking for a bucket. The first came with 2:05 left in overtime, when Toppin kicked it out to Donovan Atwell for what was a crucial 3-pointer.

And in the final seconds of the game, he collected an offensive rebound and got it to LeJuan Watts, who hit the free throw to make it a three-point game with four seconds left.

This Texas Tech team isn’t perfect, not by any stretch. But knocking off the Arizonas and Dukes and Houstons of the world is what this team is capable of on any given night. They probably won’t win every game the rest of the way (road trips to Iowa State and BYU await), but don’t forget the Red Raiders when filling out your March Madness bracket.

And in the meantime, remember the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year is also the player most deserving of the award again this season.

MILAN — Representing Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics carries a little more weight for Spencer Akira Howe. 

The pairs figure skater makes his Olympic debut in Milano Cortina, completing what has been a whirlwind past year for the California native. As he and partner Emily Chan fought for their spot on Team USA, it all came with Howe’s not typical job for a current athlete: a U.S. Army soldier.

It was always something Howe envisioned doing, but it seemed like it would have to go on the backburner.

‘From a very young age, had that thought in me, and I guess that drive to want to serve my country in that kind of capacity as a soldier,” Howe told USA TODAY Sports. “As I grew up and moved up in the ranks of skating, you could say that became less and less of a reality.”

That all changed in 2024.

Howe met a track and field runner who was in the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program (WCAP), which “allows top-ranked Soldier-athletes to perform at the international level while also serving their nation in the military,” according to the U.S. Army. Active duty, National Guard and reserve soldiers can join while competing in national and international events. 

“A spark lit up in me,” Howe said. ‘It was a win-win.”

The skater enlisted in the U.S. Army in October 2024 and four months later, basic training began, becoming the first figure skater to be part of WCAP. Based in Fort Carson, Colorado, Howe was getting to do something he always wanted, going through all of the rigors new soldiers endure.

However, his problems switched. After being the primary focus for so long, figure skating was now in the back seat. Not ideal when an Olympic season is on the horizon.

“I wasn’t able to skate for the four months that I was gone during those trainings. I think that was definitely one of the most difficult things, logistically,” he said. “Being off of the ice for that long, it’s definitely not ideal. There was no way around it.”

Howe didn’t skate for nearly five months, returning to the ice in late June. It took a month for him to get reacclimated with the sport. However, he feels like it was a blessing in disguise; he was refreshed and learned to approach things differently after going through basic training.

“I come with more of a soldier mindset, and I look at things as tasks that as a soldier I need to complete,” he said. “Everything was so different, but for good reason.”

The 2025-26 season showed potential. Howe and Chan won bronze at the 2025 Trialeti Trophy and were fourth at 2025 Skate America. It all led to the 2026 U.S. figure skating championships, where Olympic spots were on the line.

It was a rocky start. The pair struggled in their short program with several falls, standings in eighth place out of 10 teams. Chan called it her worst nightmare and began to spiral. Then Howe remembered despite it all, there still was a job to do – and they got it done.

The duo responded emphatically with a stellar free skate. It was the third best scored one of the group, and it pushed them to a fourth place finish, the second straight pewter medal in nationals.

With champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, as well as third-place finishers Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman, not eligible for the Olympics due to Efimova and Parkman not having U.S. citizenship, it paved the way for Howe and Chan to get the second pairs Olympic spot.

Uncertain if they’d be selected, Howe and Chan got the news: they’d be going to their first Winter Olympics.

“It was definitely just a crazy journey for us,” Howe said.

Howe and Chan will compete in the pairs portion on Feb. 15-16, and during his time in the Olympic village, the soldier continues to have remote check-ins with his platoon sergeant. He won’t be the only one with this experience, as he’s one of nine Team USA members who are also part of the WCAP.

When the Games are over, he’ll go back to his duties. A motor transport operator, Howe has the goal of becoming a military chaplain. He is currently going through his education requirements. 

But first, Howe will soak up the Olympic experience. It’s not often you get to serve and represent the U.S. in more ways than one, making for a thrilling time in Milano Cortina.

“It was a door of opportunity that I ended up taking,’Howe said, ‘and I have no regrets.’

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — When Italy’s Federica Brignone crossed the finish line for a second time Sunday, Feb. 15 in the women’s giant slalom, Swedish skier Sara Hector and Norwegian Thea Louise Stjernesund fell to their knees and bowed before the queen of Olimpia delle Tofane.

Brignone won her second gold medal of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, adding the top prize from today’s giant slalom to her super-G gold from Thursday, Feb. 12.

The golds come less than less than 10 months after the Italian star shattered her left leg in a crash, tearing her ACL and fracturing two bones.

Brignone finished with a two-run time of 2:13.50, a whopping 0.62 seconds ahead of the field. Hector and Stjernesund tied for silver at 2:14.12. They were part of a three-way tie for fourth after run No. 1.

Mikaela Shiffrin was the top American, finishing in 11th with a total time 2:14.42, followed by Paula Moltzan in 15th (2:14.77) and Nina O’Brien in 20th (2:15.31). O’Brien jumped nine spots between runs No. 1 and 2, after tying for the fastest run of the second round (1:09.50).

USA TODAY had full results from both round as well as highlights from the all the giant slalom action below.

Women’s giant slalom results

(Round 2 times followed by total time for the top 30 skiers. Four skiers did not finish second run):

1. Federica Brignone, Italy ….. (Round 2: 1:10.27) | 2:13.50
2. (Tie) Sara Hector, Sweden ….. (Round 2: 1:10.15) | 2:14.12
2. (Tie) Thea Louise Stjernesund, Norway ….. (Round 2: 1:10.15) | 2:14.12
4. Lara Della Mea, Italy ….. (Round 2: 1:09.75) | 2:14.17
5. Julia Scheib, Austria ….. (Round 2: 1:09.83) | 2:14.19
6. Mina Fuerst Holtmann, Norway ….. (Round 2: 1:09.96) | 2:14.24
7. Maryna, Gasienica-Daniel, Poland ….. (Round 2: 1:09.86) | 2:14.25
8. Alice Robinson, New Zealand ….. (Round 2: 1:09.98) | 2:14.30
9. Lena Duerr, Germany ….. (Round 2: 1:10.74) | 2:14.31
10. Sofia Goggia, Italy ….. (Round 2: 1:10.68) | 2:14.37
11. Mikaela Shiffrin, USA ….. (Round 2: 1:10.17) | 2:14.42
12. Camille Rast, Switzerland ….. (Round 2: 1:10.12) | 2:14.49
13. Valerie Grenier, Canada ….. (Round 2: 1:10.32) | 2:14.58
14. Asja Zenere, Italy ….. (Round 2: 1:09.50) | 2:14.63
15. Paula Moltzan, USA ….. (Round 2: 1:10.38) | 2:14.77
16. Lara Colturi, Albania ….. (Round 2: 1:10.85) | 2:14.82
17. Zrinka Ljutic, Croatia ….. (Round 2: 1:09.67) | 2:15.01
18. Nina Aster, Austria ….. (Round 2: 1:10.61) | 2:15.08
19. Emma Aicher, Germany ….. (Round 2: 1:10.65) | 2:15.13
20. Nina O’Brien, USA ….. (Round 2: 1:09.50) | 2:15.31
21. Hanna Aronsson Elfman, Sweden …. (Round 2: 1:09.85) | 2:15.35
22. Doriane Escane, France ….. (Round 2: 1:10.57) | 2:15.39
23. Vanessa Kasper, Switzerland …. (Round 2: 1:10.48) | 2:15.82
24. Sue Piller, Switzerland …. (Round 2: 1:10.29) | 2:15.85
25. Madeleine Sylvester-Davik ….. (Round 2: 1:10.43) | 2:15.92
26. Britt Richardson, Canada ….. (Round 2: 1:11.68) | 2:16.65
Kajsa Vickhoff Lie, Norway ….. DNF
Stephanie Brunner, Austria ….. DNF
Camille Cerutti, France ….. DNF
Ana Bucik Jogan, Slovenia …. DNF

Italy’s Brignone wins second gold

Oh my God, Federica Brignone has done it again! Less than 10 months after shattering her left leg in a crash, the Italian now has a second gold medal of these Olympics.

Just three days after winning gold in the super-G, Brignone posts the top times in both the first and second runs to win the giant slalom with ease. The Italian star posted a combined time of 2:13.50, 0.62 seconds ahead Sweden’s Sara Hector and Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund, who tied for silver.

When Brignone crossed the finish line, she put her hands on her helmet, which had the image of a tiger in it. Her fellow competitors heard her roar, indeed, falling to their knees and bowing down to the Italian star.

Italy’s Lara Della Mea, whom Brigone knocked off the podium, embraced her countrywoman, jumping up and down with Brigone in her arms to celebrate another gold for the host country. Della Mea finished fourth, 0.67 seconds behind the leader, but just 0.05 behind the co-silver medalists.

How the Americans fared in women’s giant slalom

Mikaela Shiffrin finished 11th in the giant slalom, while Paula Moltzan was 15th. Nina O’Brien jumped up to 20th, thanks to the fastest time in the second run, 1:09.50, tied with Italy’s Asja Zenere.

Tie for first place with just a few skiers to go

The ties keep coming! After a three-way tie for fourth in first run, Sweden’s Sara Hector and Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund are tied atop the leaderboard. The Scandinavian skiers posted the exact same time in both the first and second runs.

Shiffrin misses the giant slalom podium

Big cheer at bottom of the hill when American star Mikaela Shiffrin is introduced.

Shiffrin produced another solid effor, but it was not enough to crack the top 3. She started fast and didn’t appear to be backing off at all, even when she lost speed toward the bottom.

Great conditions for second run

American Nina O’Brien says conditions are still perfect.

“We call it hero snow. I mean, it can be tricky to be fast on it because it feels so smooth and good.”

Team USA’s Moltzan aggressive once again

That was a bit of a roller coaster from Paula Moltzan. Picked up speed at the top, which few others have managed to do, but then got slowed further down, where the course got turny. She’s in third with 12 still to go.

Podium changing quickly

Germany’s Emma Aicher, who has a pair of silvers already at these Games, with the third fastest two-run time of the day so far at 2:15.13, officially bumping American Nina O’Brien to fourth. One skier later, Nina Aster of Austria bumps Aicher off the podium.

Italy’s Asja Zenere leads after 14 skiers, followed by Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutic and Aster.

New leader after second run of giant slalom

Nina O’Brien’s time in the hot seat is done. Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutic has bumped her into second.

American Nina O’Brien lays down a good time

Nina O’Brien is the clubhouse leader! OK, she was the second skier in this run and the first skier did not finish.

Still, O’Brien can give Paula Moltzan and Mikaela Shiffrin valuable intel on the course and the snow conditions

Giant slalom second run begins

And we’re off again! Second run has started, but it’ll be a while before the medal contenders are up. The first skier, Camille Cerutti of France, could not finish her run.

Women’s giant slalom results — First run

Federica Brignone, Italy ….. 1:03.23
Lena Duerr, Germany ….. 1:03.57
Sofia Goggia, Italy ….. 1:03.69
Thea Louise Stjernesund, Norway ….. 1:03.97
Sara Hector, Sweden ….. 1:03.97
Lara Colturi, Albania ….. 1:03.97
Mikaela Shiffrin, USA ….. 1:04.25
Valerie Grenier, Canada ….. 1:04.26
Mina Fuerst Holtmann, Norway ….. 1:04.28
Alice Robinson, New Zealand ….. 1:04.32
Julia Scheib, Austria ….. 1:04.36
Camille Rast, Switzerland ….. 1:04.37
Paula Moltzan, USA ….. 1:04.39
Maryna, Gasienica-Daniel, Poland ….. 1:04.39
Lara Della Mea, Italy ….. 1:04.42
Nina Aster, Austria ….. 1:04.47
Emma Aicher, Germany ….. 1:04.48
Kajsa Vickhoff Lie, Norway ….. 1:04.65
Doriane Escane, France ….. 1:04.82
Britt Richardson, Canada ….. 1:04.97
Stephanie Brunner, Austria ….. 1:04.97
Asja Zenere, Italy ….. 1:05.13
Zrinka Ljutic, Croatia ….. 1:05.34
Vanessa Kasper, Switzerland …. 1:05.34
Ana Bucik Jogan, Slovenia …. 1:05.35
Madeleine Sylvester-Davik, Norway ….. 1:05.49
Hanna Aronsson Elfman, Sweden …. 1:05.50
Sue Piller, Switzerland …. 1:05.56
Nina O’Brien, USA ….. 1:05.81
Camille Cerutti, France …. 1:05.98
Estelle Alphand, Sweden ….. 1:06.02
Justine LaMontagne, Canada ….. 1:06.34
Lisa Hoerhager, Austria …. 1:06.47
Gwyneth Ten Raa, Luxembourg …. 1:06.60
Noa Szollos, Israel …. 1:06.73
Elvedina Muzaferija, Bosnia and Herzegovina ….. 1:06.83
Francesca Baruzzi Farriol, Argentina …. 1:06.83
Madeleine Beck, Liechtenstein ….. 1:07.08
Caterina Sinigoi, Slovenia …. 1:07.10
Phoebe Heaydon, Austria ….. 1:07.33
Nika Tomsic, Slovenia ….. 1:07.54
Piera Hudson, United Arab Emirates ….. 1:08.01
Zita Toth, Hungary ….. 1:08.69
Alexandra Skorokhodova, Kazakhstan ….. 1:08.82
Sara Schleper, Mexico ….. 1:08.95
Anastasiia Shepilenko, Ukraine …. 1:08.97
Alena Labastova, Czechia …. 1:09.05
Sohui Sim, South Korea ….. 1:09.59
Vanina Suerillot, Portugal ….. 1:10.07
Elin van Pelt, Iceland ….. 1:10.28
Emma Gatcliffe, Trinidad and Tobago ….. 1:10.48
Semire Dauti, Albania ….. 1:10.95
Lara Markthaler, South Africa ….. 1:12.17
Sonja Li Kristinsdottir, Iceland ….. 1:12.31
Mialitiana Clerc, Madagascar ….. 1:12.35
Nino Tsiklauri, Georgia ….. 1:12.39
Sofia Maria Moldovan, Romania ….. 1:12.46
Anabelle Zurbay, Ireland ….. 1:12.82
Esma Alic, Bosnia and Herzegovina ….. 1:14.48
Tallulah Proulix, Philippines ….. 1:17.15
Maria Eleni Tsiovolou, Greece ….. 1:17.44
Yuying Zhang, China ….. 1:22.49
Cassidy Gray, Canada …. DNF
A.J. Hurt, USA ….. DNF
Clara Direz, France ….. DNF
Rebeka Jancova, Slovakia …. DNF
Anina Zurbriggen, Bulgaria …. DNF
Nicole Begue, Argentina ….. DNF
Aruwin Salehhuddin, Malaysia ….. DNF
Seoyun Park, South Korea, DNF
Pia Vucinic, Croatia ….. DNF
Jana Atanasovska, North Macedonia ….. DNF
Elisa Maria Negri, Czechia ….. DNF
Neringa Stepanauskaite, Lithuania ….. DNF
Kiana Kryeziu, Kosovo ….. DNF
Wendy Holdener, Switzerland …. DNS

USA’s Hurt records first DNF of the day

A.J. hurt is out, missing a gate on the bottom of the third of the course. Waved as she came into the finish line, then gave a shrug as if to say, “What are you going to do.” 

Can Shiffrin overcome deficit in Run 2?

For those asking, Mikaela Shiffrin earlier this season erased a 0.54-second deficit to win the slalom World Cup in Semmering, Austria. It was the largest gap she’d overcome in more than a decade, at least on slalom.

Host country making a statement in first run

The Italians are having a great day. Sofia Goggia just skied into third place after a strong finish. Goggia looked shocked, putting her hands to her helmet before turning and waving to the cheering crowd.

This gives Italy two in the top three right now, with Federica Brignone still in first

Germany’s Duerr nearly matches leader

Germany’s Lena Duerr made a furious push at the bottom of the course and it paid off. She’s into second place, trailing Italy’s Federica Brignone by 0.34 seconds.

Olympic gold medalist jumps into lead

Federica Brignone is putting herself in position for a second gold medal, zooming past a three-way tie to claim first outright after 14 skiers. The Italian took a 0.74-second lead after her first run, a couple of days after dominating the super-G. Almost hard to believe Brignone shattered her left leg less than 10 months ago.

The home crowd cheered her on as she burst from the starting gate, getting louder with each negative split down the course. When she crossed the finish line, fans in the stands jumped to their feet.

American Nina O’Brien would like a do-over

Nina O’Brien cost herself some time by getting airborne on the last jump. She knew it, too, throwing her head back after she crossed the finish line in 1:05.81, the slowest time of the first run so far.

Colturi makes it a three-way tie for first

Albania’s Lara Colturi made it a three-way tie for first with Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund and Sweden’s Sara Hector. All three skiers turned in a time of 1:03.97.

Colturi, 19, had been on a hot streak earlier this season but couldn’t find the podium recently. Looks like he’s found her groove again

Shiffrin lays down clean run

Mikaela Shiffrin is keeping herself in the mix. Shiffrin skied a solid run, showing none of the tentativeness she did in the combined, and was 0.28 seconds behind clubhouse leader Sara Hector of Sweden. Lot of skiers to go, but this is a positive performance from Shiffrin.

Hector was the gold medalist in this event four years ago.

USA’s Paula Moltzan throws down aggressive run

Paula Moltzan was flirting with taking over the lead until getting a little chaotic at the end. The American, who won a bronze in the combined, had to make a spectacular save on the last turn, landing in one leg. She is 0.42 out of first place.

Moltzan had to make a wild save rounding the last turn, landing on one leg before crossing the finish line in 5th place at 1:04.39.

What time is the Olympic women’s giant slalom?

The first run of the women’s giant slalom is scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. ET (10 a.m. local), and the second run is scheduled to start at 7:30 a.m. ET (1:30 p.m. local).

What TV channel is the Olympic women’s giant slalom on?

USA Network will have live coverage of Round 1 of the women’s giant slalom at 4 a.m. ET, while NBC will broadcast Round 2 at 7:30 a.m. ET.

Stream the 2026 Winter Olympics on Peacock

Is there a live stream of the Olympic women’s giant slalom?

Both rounds of the Olympic women’s giant slaom can be streamed on Peacock or or on NBCOlympics.com (must sign on with your cable or satellite provider).

Where is the Olympic women’s giant slalom race?

The women’s giant slalom event at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics is being held at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

What is the start list for the women’s giant slalom?

Thea Louise Stjernesund
Sara Hector, Sweden
Mikaela Shiffrin, USA
Camille Rast, Switzerland
Paula Moltzan, USA
Alice Robinson, New Zealand
Julia Scheib, Austria
Zrinka Ljutic, Croatia
Valerie Grenier, Canada
Lara Colturi, Albania
Nina O’Brien, USA
Lara Della Mea, Italy
Maryna, Gasienica-Daniel, Poland
Federica Brignone, Italy
Britt Richardson, Canada
Lena Duerr, Germany
Sofia Goggia, Italy
Wendy Holdener, Switzerland
Emma Aicher, Germany
Kajsa Vickhoff Lie, Norway
Mina Fuerst Holtmann, Norway
Stephanie Brunner, Austria
AJ Hurt, USA
Estelle Alphand, Sweden
Asja Zenere, Italy
Nina Aster, Austria
Vanessa Kasper, Switzerland
Clara Direz, France
Sue Piller, Switzerland
Madeleine Sylvester-Davik, Norway
Sohui Sim, South Korea
Hanna Aronsson Elfman, Sweden
Francesca Baruzzi Farriol, Argentina
Cassidy Gray, Canada
Camille Cerutti, France
Lisa Hoerhager, Austria
Doriane Escane, France
Noa Szollos, Israel
Ana Bucik Jogan, Slovenia
Gwyneth Ten Raa, Luxembourg
Rebeka Jancova, Slovakia
Justine LaMontagne, Canada
Caterina Sinigoi, Slovenia
Nika Tomsic, Slovenia
Anina Zurbriggen, Bulgaria
Anastasiia Shepilenko, Ukraine
Madeleine Beck, Liechtenstein
Elvedina Muzaferija, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sara Schleper, Mexico
Piera Hudson, United Arab Emirates
Alexandra Skorokhodova, Kazakhstan
Phoebe Heaydon, Austria
Nicole Begue, Argentina
Aruwin Salehhuddin, Malaysia
Seoyun Park, South Korea
Lara Markthaler, South Africa
Semire Dauti, Albania
Pia Vucinic, Croatia
Alena Labastova, Czechia
Sofia Maria Moldovan, Romania
Jana Atanasovska, North Macedonia
Emma Gatcliffe, Trinidad and Tobago
Anabelle Zurbay, Ireland
Elisa Maria Negri, Czechia
Elin van Pelt, Iceland
Vanina Suerillot, Portugal
Zita Toth, Hungary
Yuying Zhang, China
Nino Tsiklauri, Georgia
Esma Alic, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Neringa Stepanauskaite, Lithuania
Kiana Kryeziu, Kosovo
Sonja Li Kristinsdottir, Iceland
Tallulah Proulix, Philippines
Maria Eleni Tsiovolou, Greece
Mialitiana Clerc, Madagascar

Who are the other top contenders?

In addition to the Americans, keep your eyes on Austria’s Julia Scheib, Switzerland’s Camille Rast, Sweden’s Sara Hector and New Zealand’s Alice Robinson.

Scheib leads the GS standings, having been on the podium in all but two of the eight World Cup races this year. She’s won four of them and was second in the other two. 

Rast is second in the overall standings, with one GS win and two other podium finishes. Hector won the last GS race, while Robinson won two of the first three GS races.

AMES, Iowa – In the attention economy, “What have you done lately?” has been largely replaced by, “What have you done right this second?” There’s no patience nor hardly any memory, but there certainly is an urgency bordering on frantic. 

That makes for a tough environment to appreciate what Iowa State basketball has done. The Cyclones (22-3, 9-3 Big 12) are ranked fourth nationally, so it’s not as though they’re being overlooked or undervalued, but they’ve mostly only been in the national college basketball consciousness for their failures since the calendar flipped to 2026.

Getting stomped at Kansas and then no-showing at Cincinnati that same week. Taking an upset just days ago at TCU. 

That 3-0 run through the Players Era Festival or that dismantling of Purdue on the road got their due at the time, but, heck, that was all the way back in 2025. That might as well be 1985 for the way we chew up and spit out takes on TikTok these days.  

Mowing down five-straight Big 12 teams after those back-to-back losses was nice, sure, but, like, whatever? You can only get so excited about blowouts against the unimpressive middle and bottom of the Big 12. 

Not only has it been two months since Iowa State beat the Boilermakers (and Iowa days after that), but it’s been two months since we’ve even seen the Cyclones play well against a high-level team. 

You can reset that clock to zero on that front, and put the Cyclones right at the front of the national college basketball conversation.

That happens after outplaying and overwhelming the country’s hottest team, No. 9 Kansas, 74-56, to snap the Jayhawks’ eight-game winning streak, get a measure of revenge for last month’s 21-point loss and reassert themselves as a Final Four contender. 

“I’d definitely say we made a statement,” Iowa State freshman Jamarion Batemon said. “This is a huge opportunity to bounce back and show that we’re one of the best teams, if not the best team, in the country.  

“It was a great opportunity, and I feel like we definitely made that impact.” 

How far the reverberations from that impact travel will no doubt be influenced by what the Cyclones do 48 hours later when No. 3 Houston comes to Hilton Coliseum for Big Monday. But for this weekend, at least, the Cyclones offered up a compelling case for just how damn good they are. 

Five days after Kansas became the first team to beat Arizona, the Jayhawks got bullied, beaten and, at times, embarrassed by the Cyclones. 

Iowa State’s ball pressure would have had Isaac Hayes singing falsetto.  

The Jayhawks were consistently on their heels, playing backward and even had a pair of backcourt violations as the Cyclones allowed them no quarter. Much of Iowa State’s issues in its trio of losses came from an inability to disrupt opponents, but their dialed-up intensity against the Jayhawks kept their visitors uncomfortable and unsuccessful all afternoon. 

“Our whole mindset was just to not let them be comfortable,” Tamin Lipsey said after a three-steal day. “We wanted to push them up the floor as much as we could.” 

Just as important as the harassment Iowa State doled out defensively was a whole-of-rotation effort that saw all eight Cyclones who played make real contributions to winning. 

Batemon, who by any measure is the last man in the rotation, set a tone with a level of aggression we haven’t seen from the freshman. His two 3-pointers and forceful drive and layup in the first half helped lift an offense that was struggling. Reserve center Dom Pleta’s offensive rebounding did much the same. Nate Heise had five boards and a steal in 26 minutes that also saw him provide a defensive presence on the perimeter. 

And those are just the reserves. 

It’s almost an afterthought that Joshua Jefferson had 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal, or that Lipsey had 11 points, three boards and four assists. Blake Buchanan? A cool 11 and six while going 5 of 6 from the floor. 

There was, though, no missing Milan Momcilovic. 

The country’s best 3-point shooter had 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-9 from deep. His fading-to-his-left, falling-to-the-floor, over-the-arm-of-6-10-Flory-Bidunga triple might be the best of his career and one of the more incredible makes Hilton Coliseum has seen in its half-century. 

“That was probably the craziest shot I’ve seen in person,” Lipsey said. 

It, simply, was a great game from a team whose greatness seemed to have been forgotten.

“I’m proud of our guys for how they worked this week,” said Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger, “and for the effort that they sustained for 40 minutes.  

“That’s not easy to do, and I felt like that was as complete of a 40 minutes as we’ve had this season.” 

If there was concern about the victory poisoning the Cyclones ahead of Monday’s huge matchup with Houston, well, they didn’t sound too impressed with themselves Saturday evening. 

“I feel like we could have beat (Kansas) by more,” Momcilovic said after the Cyclones toppled KU by the largest margin of victory ever at Hilton Coliseum in the series. “Our offense got a little stagnant in that little five-minute stretch in the second half. 

“I think it shows we’re still  really good, and we can beat anyone night in, night out.” 

If nothing else, the Cyclones have everyone’s attention. 

Despite an admission that he cheated on his now-former girlfriend before coming to the 2026 Winter Olympics, biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid continues to prosper at the Milano Cortina Games.

The Norwegian won his third medal of the competition on Sunday, Feb. 15, taking second place in the men’s 12.5km biathlon pursuit behind gold medalist Martin Ponsiluoma of Sweden.

Laegreid went viral after finishing third in the men’s 20km biathlon just five days earlier when he revealed his infidelity during a post-race interview with a Norwegian television station. He emotionally described how it had affected him ahead of the Olympics and expressed his desire to restore the relationship.

He remained in the spotlight when he claimed another bronze medal in the men’s 10km sprint later in the week. He has so far declined to name the person he was discussing during the interview, though he revealed that he told her of his infidelity before he began competing in Milan.

‘I have tried not to be affected by it,’ Laegreid said after Friday’s race, according to Norway’s TV 2 and translated into English via Google Translate. ‘I am satisfied with what I have achieved today despite the conditions.’

Lægreid, 28, previously won a gold medal as part of Norway’s biathlon relay team at the 2022 Winter Olympics and is a six-time world champion in the sport.

INGLEWOOD, CA. — NBA All-Star Saturday came in facing some internal and external criticism about the overall state of the weekend and its viability for the future.

Between Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard winning the 3-Point Contest amid his recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon and Keshad Johnson bringing infectious energy in the Slam Dunk Contest, there were certainly positive moments to be drawn from the night.

There were, however, plenty of points that deserve a more thorough examination.

But how did the All-Star Saturday fare on the whole?

Here are the winners and losers from Saturday of the 2026 NBA All-Star weekend.

WINNERS

Damian Lillard and his remarkable achievement

I don’t want this to be lost on the casual fan: Damian Lillard is nine-and-a-half months removed from a ruptured Achilles tendon. He’s 35. He had already won the 3-Point Contest two times, but his recovery and rehab had been so monotonous and removed him so far from basketball that he felt he needed to do it.

So he proceeded to score 56 points across both rounds, including 29 in the final round, tying Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only players in history to win the 3-Point Contest three times.

“I think this was necessary and was needed for the fans,” Lillard told reporters after the event. “… I wanted to be out there because that’s all I can do right now. It was an easy call.”

Keshad Johnson

He danced, he expressed joy and he delivered consistency in what was, frankly, an underwhelming event. But winning the Slam Dunk Contest is still a significant accomplishment, and it can act as a boost to a young player’s career.

Johnson has appeared in 21 games for the Heat and is averaging 3.1 points per game across 7.6 minutes per contest. Winning the event will not convince Erik Spoelstra and the Heat staff to play him more, nor should it. But it will raise Johnson’s profile. All to say: it presents an opportunity that he can seize if he continues to work on his game and improve his all-around skill set.

LOSERS

The Slam Dunk Contest

This is not meant to take away from the accomplishment of Johnson, who brought infectious energy and high-level difficulty dunks to his routine. And no disrespect intended to the field, overall, but fans have been deprived of the game’s biggest stars and most prolific dunkers from competing in this event.

Possibly, many tuning in across the country had never heard of most of the field, if not all four participants. The NBA, of course, cannot force players to compete in the Slam Dunk Contest, but it needs to increase the incentives so the league’s top dunkers are pushed to participate.

The last great Dunk Contest was already 10 years ago, in the battle between Aaron Gordon and eventual champion Zach LaVine.

Perhaps we simply have unrealistic expectations of Dunk Contests and we should be okay accepting that not every contest is going to be legendary. That might help some of the angst surrounding this event.

But, at a minimum, fans are entitled to creativity and should want to see things that push the expectations of what dunks can be. That shouldn’t be compromised.

Shooting Stars

It seems the NBA is trying to find a long-term replacement for the Skills Challenge, and this may be a case where less is more. The Slam Dunk Contest and 3-Point Contest are the marquee events of NBA All-Star Saturday, and that feels like it should be enough.

The Shooting Stars contest was actually pretty close and it did provide some mild excitement late, but, if we’re going to lean in on shooting challenges, I wonder if some form of H.O.R.S.E. might appeal more to the nostalgia fans have.

‘It is what it is at this point’

The messaging to come from some of the game’s brightest stars Saturday during NBA All-Star media day, frankly, was disappointing. And, yes, we acknowledge that All-Star exhibitions across all major North American sports are in peril of teetering toward irrelevance as athletes, understandably, tend to prefer time off and leisure during the middle of seasons that can be intense grinds.

But hearing Anthony Edwards, one of the most dynamic and exciting players in the world, essentially shrug his shoulders when asked about effort isn’t exactly the optics the NBA will want tied to the premier event of the weekend.

He wasn’t alone, and honesty in press conferences is very much appreciated. But it raises questions about whether there are better ways to honor All-Star players that keep and grow fan engagement.