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Duke takes ACC lead with Louisville upset

The ACC title race is heating up, as No. 17 Duke upset No. 6 Louisville 59-58 last night to take a one-game conference lead with six regular-season games to go.

• Defense got it done, as Duke forward Toby Fournier led all scorers with 15 points and 10 rebounds — while Louisville guard Imari Berry’s missed free throw sealed the deal in the final seconds.

• “They were physical and we shied away a little bit from it instead of just going into them and drawing fouls,” Cardinal forward Laura Ziegler said postgame. (Watch full highlights)

Devils rising: After a slow start, Duke has blazed through the ACC, riding a 14-game winning streak to an undefeated conference record.

• Thursday’s loss broke Louisville’s own 14-game run, after the Cardinals reached their highest AP Poll ranking in four years this week.

• “Our goal has always been to be the team that grows the most during the season,” said Duke head coach Kara Lawson. “And if each individual buys into that and the team buys into that, we will like where we are at the end of the year.”

Up next: Duke’s next ACC matchup is a Carolina showdown, as the Blue Devils gear up to host UNC on February 15th at 1 PM ET, live on ESPN.

Michigan aims to upset Big Ten titans UCLA

The Big Ten regular-season title could boil down to Sunday, as No. 2 UCLA visits No. 8 Michigan with a one-game advantage over the Wolverines.

• UCLA has dropped just one game this season — November’s non-conference battle with No. 4 Texas — while No. 24 Washington handed Michigan their lone Big Ten loss last month.

• “We’re at the point where we want better and we want more,” said guard Syla Swords after leading the Wolverines to a program-best conference start. “There’s multiple areas which we need to be better if we want to reach the heights that we plan to.”

Big picture: Coming off last year’s Final Four run, the Bruins land in Ann Arbor with big-game pedigree, while scrappy Michigan pushes for a first-ever Big Ten title.

• “They’re different than everyone else because of their size,” Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico said of UCLA. “The other thing about them is their experience. Their guard play is so experienced.”

Tune in: Michigan hosts UCLA on Sunday at 3 PM ET, live on FOX.

USA Hockey routes Czechia to open Olympic run

USA Hockey is off to a hot start, taking down Czechia 5-1 on Thursday to open their 2026 Winter Olympic campaign in style.

• Hayley Scamurra scored a brace, Alex Carpenter notched both a goal and an assist, Joy Dunne found the back of the net, and captain Hilary Knight scored her 13th-career Olympic goal, while Barbora Jurickova registered Czechia’s lone tally.

• “It was incredible,” Scamurra said postgame. “Whenever I go out there, I just try to bring all the energy that I can to the team. To be able to produce is the cherry on top.” (Watch full highlights)

Next up: The US now turns to Saturday’s showdown with Finland, with the Finns recovering from a norovirus outbreak that postponed their opener against Canada.

• The IOC rescheduled yesterday’s matchup to February 12th, while the weekend game remains on the official Olympic hockey schedule.

• “I think we’re planning on playing Finland, until somebody tells me differently,” US coach John Wroblewski said. “But, I hope that they’re okay. That’s the most important part.”

Tune in: The US takes on Finland on Saturday at 10:40 AM ET, live on USA.

Olympic figure skating hits the ice

Figure skating took center stage this morning, as the marquee Winter Olympics event kicks off this year’s three-day team competition.

• Reigning world champion Alysa Liu led Team USA’s women’s short program, scoring a 74.90 to finish second after Japanese favorite Sakamoto Kaori.

• Coupled with dance duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates’s season-high 91.06, Liu secured Team USA’s day-one lead with 25 points, with Japan (23) and Italy (22) close behind. (Watch full highlights)

How it works: The team event showcases 10 nations competing across women’s and men’s singles, pairs, and dance, with total scores tallied after the final round.

• The US enters 2026 as defending team event champions, after the IOC disqualified the 2022 gold medal-winning Russian Olympic Committee due to Kamila Valieva’s doping scandal.

Tune in: Liu returns for Sunday’s free skate, with Day 3 coverage starting at 1:30 PM ET on USA.

Injured Lindsey Vonn is a go for Sunday’s downhill

Opening her Olympic campaign with a torn ACL, Team USA skiing icon Lindsey Vonn will race in Sunday’s women’s downhill — using it as a test case before committing to additional events.

• Vonn is also hoping to compete in Tuesday’s team combined event — possibly alongside fellow US star Mikaela Shiffrin — but her recent knee injury could derail her fifth Winter Olympics.

• “It will be objective performance that will define what our teams look like,” US head coach Paul Kristofic said. “In the end, my job is to put the best pairings together so we can perform and get a medal and potentially win.”

Stiff competition: With Vonn’s status unclear, Italy is eyeing a big home win, as 2018 gold medalist Sofia Goggia teams up with Federica Brignone on Tuesday.

Tune in: The women’s downhill starts Sunday at 5:30 AM ET, live on USA.

Number of the day 

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Taking the ice in Thursday’s win over Czechia, Laila Edwards officially became the first Black woman to represent Team USA at an Olympic hockey tournament.