The Milan Cortina Olympics delivered plenty of excitement for Team USA on Friday with a gold medal in men’s freeski halfpipe and another medal in women’s 1,500m short track speedskating.
Here are five of the top stories from Day 14 of the Milan Cortina Olympics:
U.S. men’s hockey rolls over Slovakia; Canada awaits in gold medal game
The U.S. men’s hockey team will leave Milan with a medal after defeating Slovakia 6-2 in Friday’s semifinal matchup. That would be the Americans’ first medal in ice hockey since the 2010 Vancouver Games.
But Team USA has eyes on gold — potentially its first since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team finished atop the podium — and its inevitable matchup with Canada is next in Sunday’s gold medal game. Team Canada had a tougher time advancing to the final, falling behind 2-0 to Finland before rallying for a 3-2 win.
Get up early on Sunday! The U.S. and Canada drop the puck at 8:10 a.m. ET.
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Women’s curling team loses in semifinal to Switzerland
Beating Switzerland in consecutive matches proved too difficult for Team USA on Friday. A day after defeating Switzerland to advance to the semifinals, Team USA lost 7-4 to the Swiss team Friday.
Switzerland played a strong defensive game, limiting Team USA to just one point in the ends in which it scored. Switzerland also controlled the hammer, forcing multiple scoreless ends to keep the final stone.
While the U.S. tried to make it tough in the 10th end, Switzerland executed on its hammer throw, picking up two points to seal the victory.
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With the loss, Team USA will play Canada for the bronze medal Saturday.
Alex Ferreira wins gold in men’s halfpipe
Competing in his third (and likely final) Winter Olympics, U.S. halfpipe skier Alex Ferreira earned an elusive gold medal in men’s halfpipe. His gold joins the silver he won in 2018 at PyeongChang and bronze at Beijing in 2022. Landing a 1620 spin in his final run (drawing a 93.75 score), Ferreira, 31, finished .75 points ahead of Estonia’s Henry Sildaru, just 19 years old. Canada’s Brendan Mackay took bronze.
Team USA nearly had two spots on the podium, but Nick Goepper took a hard fall on the edge of the halfpipe attempting his final trick. Had he medaled, Goepper would have been the first male freeskier to win in both halfpipe and slopestyle. Before switching to halfpipe, he won silver at Beijing and PyeongChang, and earned bronze at Sochi in slopestyle.
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Corinne Stoddard takes bronze in women’s 1,500m short track speedskating
Team USA added to its speedskating medal count with Corinne Stoddard earning bronze in the women’s short track 1,500 meters competition. Stoddard’s bronze is the first medal the U.S. has won in short track since 2018.
Competing in her second Winter Games, Stoddard improved upon her seventh-place finish at Beijing in the 1,500 meters with a 2:32.578 time in Milan. That beat out China’s Jingru Yang for bronze. South Korea took the top two spots on the podium with Kim Gilli (2:32.076) taking gold and Choi Minjeong (2:32.450) winning silver.
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Brittany Bowe finishes fourth in final Olympic race
Speedskater Brittany Bowe had one last opportunity to win a medal in Milan Cortina in what is likely her final Winter Olympics. Competing in the long track speedskating 1,500 meters event, Bowe, 37, got off to a strong start but could not maintain her pace and was eventually overtaken.
Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong of the Netherlands won gold, followed by Norway’s Ragne Wiklund taking silver and Canada’s Valerie Maltais earning bronze. Bowe finished fourth, missing the podium for the third time at the 2026 Games. Nevertheless, she had a memorable Olympics, getting engaged to U.S. women’s hockey captain Hilary Knight before Team USA won gold on Thursday.
Highlight of the day
Tage Thompson gave the U.S. men’s ice hockey team a 2-0 lead, firing in a shot from a tough angle. Standing nearly parallel to the net, Thompson took a pass out wide from Jack Eichel and found open space between Slovakia goalie Stanislav Skorvanek’s right pad and the post.
One more thing
Lindsey Vonn is now the 2026 real-life version of 1970s TV character Jamie Sommers.
On the 1970s TV series “The Bionic Woman,” Lindsay Wagner portrayed a professional tennis player who suffered critical injuries during a skydiving accident and receives bionic implants from a government agency. She then becomes a part-time operative who carries out missions with her enhanced abilities.
No word on whether or not Vonn will become a secret agent now that her competitive skiing days are likely over. But if that happened, would she tell us?
Injuries and losses continue to pile up for the Sacramento Kings. Kings forward De’Andre Hunter will undergo season-ending eye surgery, according to NBA insiders Chris Haynes and Marc Stein.
Hunter, 28, was acquired by the Kings earlier this month in a trade that sent Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was injured in his second game as a King against the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 6. This season, he averaged 13.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 41.5% from the field.
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Hunter is the third Kings player to undergo season-ending surgery this week. Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis will also miss the rest of the season with their respective injuries. LaVine and Sabonis are the Kings’ highest-paid players and both rank among the team’s top three leading scorers.
Sacramento will now rely on a mix of veterans and young players in the absence of its top stars. DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook are both over 35 years old, while the return of Keegan Murray from a left ankle sprain and contributions from rookie Maxime Raynaud could provide some bright spots.
The Kings’ shutdowns come amid the league’s efforts to combat tanking. The NBA has already fined the Indiana Pacers and the Utah Jazz for what commissioner Adam Silver described as “overt” tanking behavior.
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Now on a franchise-worst 15-game losing streak, the 12-45 Kings haven’t logged a win since Jan. 16 against the Washington Wizards. They hold the worst record in the NBA and are on pace to miss the playoffs for the third consecutive year. Before their playoff appearance in the 2022–23 season, the Kings endured a 16-season playoff drought.
LOS ANGELES — Scottie Scheffler’s run is still alive, barely.
Scheffler fought back all the way back from dead last on the leaderboard Friday morning to make the cut on the number at the midway point of the Genesis Invitational. After wrapping up his weather-delayed opening round in the morning, Scheffler posted a 3-under 68 in the second round to get to even par for the week.
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It took a 7-footer that Scheffler just narrowly snuck in for par on the final hole to keep him safe. Scheffler let out a fist pump after it fell, and then slowly walked to high-five his caddie in what was perhaps the most emotion he showed all day.
“I tried to make a mess of a pretty basic chip there on 18. Caught it a little thin and just dug in, so it was nice to be able to hole a putt and get another two cracks at the course,” he said. “I started the day not where I wanted to, but yeah, battled and it looks like I get another couple rounds to see what I can do.”
That final putt was enough to get him through to the weekend, giving him his 68th consecutive made cut. That’s the longest active streak on the PGA Tour, something Scheffler’s been building since late 2022. It’s by far the biggest active streak on tour, after Xander Schauffele’s 72-event cut streak was snapped last month. Harris English is the next closest with 22 straight made cuts.
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By comparison, Tiger Woods holds the all-time record with 142 consecutive cuts made from 1998-2005.
Scheffler’s last missed cut was at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in August 2022. Since then, Scheffler has won 16 times on Tour, including at three major championships, and recorded 45 top-five finishes. He entered this week having finished no worse than T4 in his three starts this season, and he’s built up a ridiculous lead in the Official World Golf Rankings. Scheffler, who has been No. 1 since mid-2023, is nearly 300 points ahead of world No. 2 Rory McIlroy.
While he’s been historically great in recent years, Scheffler has struggled so far this week at Riviera Country Club. He was 5-over for the day without a single birdie when play was suspended on Thursday night, which forced him to finish eight holes early on Friday morning. Scheffler got two back early to wrap his 3-over 74 Round 1, and then he made three straight birdies at the turn of his second round to get right into the mix after yet another rough start to his round.
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But finally, it was a birdie save at the short par-5 17th that did it. Scheffler went up-and-down from the bunker to get to even par for the first time all day.
“[I was] very aware,” Scheffler said of the cutline. “I mean, I pretty much knew I had to get to at least even par with the way the conditions were.”
Even though Scheffler has managed to finish inside the top four in each of his last two starts, he’s had to fight back after slow starts — something that continued again this week in Los Angeles. He started the WM Phoenix Open 2-over before finishing T3, and was at even par last week at Pebble Beach before his T4 finish.
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Scheffler will enter the weekend 12 shots back of Marco Penge and Jacob Bridgeman, who share the lead at the midway point. McIlroy is just a shot back of that duo, too. Scheffler has a long way to go to even get within striking distance of the lead.
But if anyone has figured out how to pull that feat off on Tour time and again, it’s Scheffler.
“This place and I have like a weird relationship,” Scheffler said. “I feel like I can play so well out here and I just haven’t yet.”
MILAN — There’s no need for any further debate over whether the U.S or Canada brought a stronger roster to Milan.
The North American hockey superpowers will finally settle it on the ice.
Hours after the Canadians rallied from a two-goal deficit against Finland to advance to Sunday’s Olympic gold-medal match, the Americans responded with a far less stressful semifinal victory. Jack Hughes netted a pair of goals and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck turned away all but two shots he faced as the Americans overwhelmed Slovakia 6-2 in the second of Friday night’s two semifinals.
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The U.S. is seeking its first Olympic gold in men’s hockey since the famed 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team engineered one of the most stunning upsets in sports history. The Americans have played in two gold-medal matches since then, suffering losses to nine-time Olympic champion Canada at the Vancouver Games in 2010 and the Salt Lake City Games in 2002.
While Canada has historically had the upper hand in the rivalry, the Americans arrived in Milan with the strongest roster they’ve ever brought to an Olympics and the belief that it is at last their time again. The U.S. can’t match Canada’s array of top-tier attacking talent, but the Americans have a three-time Vezina Trophy winner in goal and some of the NHL’s top defensemen.
“You want to go through the best and right now that’s them,” U.S. defender Quinn Hughes said. “If we played them in a best-of-seven, it would probably go seven. On Sunday, it’s just going to be whoever is better on that day.”
Team USA will face Canada for the gold medal after a 6-2 drubbing of Slovakia in Friday’s semifinal.
(Xavier Laine via Getty Images)
The rivalry between the U.S. and Canada went from a simmer to a full boil at this time last year when the North American neighbors met twice at the 4 Nations Face-Off. There were three fights in the opening nine seconds of a 3-1 U.S. win in round-robin play as Brady and Matthew Tkachuk and JT Miller sought to set a physical tone and send a message that the U.S. would not back down or be intimidated.
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Connor McDavid helped Canada secure revenge in the 4 Nations final. His overtime goal was the difference in a hard-fought 3-2 Canada win.
When asked what it will take to flip that result, American forward Dylan Larkin said, “It’s going to take that one performance, that one guy to step up, to have the game of his life.”
“It’s going to be a battle for the ages,” Larkin added.
Before they.could shift their focus to Canada, the Americans first had to handle their business against underdog Slovakia.
In many ways, Slovakia was a favorable semifinal draw for the U.S. The Slovaks have a total of seven NHL players on their Olympic roster. The Americans had the luxury of not dressing a forward who has been named to two of the last three NHL all-star games and a defenseman who is the highest-paid player in Anaheim Ducks history.
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And yet U.S. players were adamant before Friday’s game that Slovakia was not a team they could afford to overlook. Buoyed by a trio of young, hungry stars, a well-organized system and unmatched cohesiveness and chemistry, the Slovaks entered the semifinals as these Olympics’ most pleasant surprise.
It started in the prelims when Slovakia won a group that included Sweden and Finland to earn a bye to the quarterfinals. Then the Slovaks earned their place in the semifinals by skating circles around a German team with high expectations and more high-end talent.
Asked earlier this week if he was surprised Slovakia had advanced to the semifinals, American forward Brady Tkachuk said, “No, they’ve had a great tournament. They have great players. It’s going to be a really difficult game.”
Echoing that, Quinn Hughes said, “It’s going to be an extremely hard test. They’ve been rolling.”
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Turns out Slovakia wasn’t so threatening. The Americans seized control soon after the puck dropped.
The U.S. opened the scoring barely four minutes into the game by catching Slovakia making an ill-timed line change. Defenseman Zach Werenski fed a streaking Dylan Larkin as he charged through the neutral zone right down the middle of the ice. Larkin fired a blast from just inside the left faceoff circle, beating goaltender Samuel Hlavaj stickside.
The Americans doubled their lead just seconds into a power play late in the opening period. Tage Thompson’s screaming one-timer from the bottom of the left face-off circle glanced off the right shoulder of Hlavaj and caromed into the net.
It stayed 2-0 until more than halfway into the second period. Then Hughes and Jack Eichel struck within 19 seconds of one-another and Hughes added a second goal not long after that. After that, it was just a matter of the Americans getting through the rest of the game healthy so that they could begin looking ahead to Canada.
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After that, it became more difficult for the Americans to focus on Slovakia with Sunday’s showdown against Canada looming. Hellebuyck, who stopped every shot he faced in the opening two periods, allowed Slovakia to get a pair of third-period shots past him.
“Tonight I got a little bored in there and it cost me a goal,” Hellebuyck admitted.
Boredom won’t be an issue Sunday, not against the likes of Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Macklin Celebrini.
It’s U.S.-Canada for Olympic gold. The stakes could not be higher.
“This is the pinnacle of the sport,” Matthew Tkachuk said. “This is as good as it gets.”
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Here’s how USA vs. Slovakia unfolded in real time:
Live coverage is over35 updates
Chris Cwik
For the first time since 2010, Team USA is moving on to the gold-medal game. The Americans secured their spot in the final with a dominant 6-2 win over Slovakia in the semis.
With the win, Team USA will meet its rival Canada. The two met in the gold-medal game back in 2010, with Canada coming out on top. This time around, the U.S. will be looking for revenge.
Chris Cwik
With the U.S. up 6-2, things got chippy at the end of the third period. Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk and Erik Cernak got into it, with punches being thrown.
All three were assessed penalties that took them out for the rest of the game.
Chris Cwik
Brady Tkachuk put on a nasty move on a breakaway to put the U.S. up 6-1 in the semifinal.
Slovakia quickly got that one back, scoring to make it 6-2, but Tkachuk’s goal is worth replaying.
Chris Cwik
Slovakia is running out of time, but trying whatever it can to make this a game again. Pavol Regenda scored with under seven minutes to play, making it a 6-2 lead for Team USA.
Slovakia will need four more quick scores to tie things up, but it was a start. The U.S. just needs to hold out for six more minutes.
Chris Cwik
It’s officially a blowout in the semifinal. With under 10 minutes to go, the U.S. is up 6-1 after a score by Brady Tkachuk.
The score pushed Team USA’s lead back up to five goals, and killed any momentum Slovakia may have gained after their first score of the contest.
Team USA just needs to avoid a massive collapse here and they’ll move on to the gold-medal game.
Chris Cwik
Now this is the face of a man who is having a good time watching some hockey.
Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce is enjoying himself cheering on Team USA.
Chris Cwik
Slovakia won’t be shut out in the semifinal. After a misplay by Connor Hellebuyck behind the goal, Jurai Slafkovsky took advantage with a score.
Slovakia still has work to do following the goal. They trail 5-1 with 14 minutes to play in the third period.
Chris Cwik
Team USA won’t have Tage Thompson the rest of the way in the semifinal. Thompson was ruled out for the third period for “precautionary reasons.”
There’s not much information on a possible injury for Thompson. His status for a possible gold-medal game is unclear at the moment.
His status should be addressed following the semifinal.
Chris Cwik
Just 20 minutes separate Team USA from a spot in the gold-medal game.
The Americans lead 5-0 over Slovakia. The U.S. just needs to hold on a little longer in order to advance.
They’ve played well in the contest, leading the way 26-13 in shots on goal.
Chris Cwik
Team USA has five goals in the semifinal and two have come from Jack Hughes. With another score, Hughes would have a hat trick.
Here’s how his second goal of the second period looked:
Chris Cwik
This is getting ugly. Team USA picked up another score in the second period, going up 5-0 heading into the third period.
Slovakia will need one heck of a comeback in the third period to make this one interesting. After two goals in the first period, Team USA was even better in the second, picking up three more goals.
There’s an opportunity for even more in the third period, as Team USA will have a power play to begin the period.
Chris Cwik
Slovakia is falling apart against Team USA. After changing goalies, Slovakia committed a cross-checking penalty, giving the Americans another power play.
At 4-0, the game is quickly getting out of hand. Another goal could clinch a win for Team USA now. Time is quickly running out for a Slovakia comeback. There’s roughly two minutes left in the second period.
Chris Cwik
It took 19 seconds for Team USA to turn this game into a potential blowout.
After a goal by Jack Hughes put the Americans up 3-0, Jack Eichel followed up with a goal of his own 19 seconds later. That put the U.S. up 4-0 with 7:27 to play.
Slovakia decided to change its goalie with things looking grim.
Chris Cwik
The U.S. nearly went up 3-0 against Slovakia in the second period, but officials spotted the puck was kicked in by a skate.
Officials noticed the play immediately, and never signaled for a goal. A replay confirmed that call, keeping it 2-0 Team USA.
Chris Cwik
Team USA keeps committing penalties and then keeps killing Slovakia’s power plays. Slovakia is now 0-for-3 in power play chances after the U.S. made it through another penalty unscathed.
Now, the Americans will have a shot to play with an extra man. Martin Fehervary was called for a holding call, giving the U.S. two minutes to try and secure a third score.
Chris Cwik
Team USA and Slovakia fought through 4-on-4 play, with both teams failing to score. It was briefly back to 5-on-5 with roughly 14 minutes to go in the second period.
But then Charlie McAvoy was called for high sticking, giving Slovakia yet another power play. Team USA has killed every Slovakia power play thus far, but can’t keep playing a man down in the contest. It’s only a matter of time before Slovakia capitalizes. Team USA will need to clean things up moving forward.
Chris Cwik
A penalty by Auston Matthews will make it 4-on-4 hockey for the next minute or so. Matthews was called for hooking and will sit in the box for two minutes.
His penalty came shortly after Slovakia was called for a roughing penalty. Once that penalty expires, Slovakia will have a brief power play before Matthews is allowed to return to the ice.
Chris Cwik
More pushing and shoving from Team USA and Slovakia to start the second period. After a gathering near Slovakia’s goal, Brady Tkachuk again got involved in a shoving match.
This one resulted in a roughing call on Martin Fehervary, leaving to a power play for the Americans.
Team USA already leads 2-0 in the second period. A score here would go a long way toward putting the Americans in strong position to advance.
Chris Cwik
Tage Thompson elevated the puck for Team USA’s second goal of the game.
Here’s how it looked in real time:
Chris Cwik
Team USA picked up a power play and immediately capitalized. Shortly after Slovakia’s Milos Kelemen was called for tripping, Tage Thompson of Team USA scored.
The goal occurred with under a minute to play in the first period. Neither team scored the rest of the way, making it 2-0 after the first period.
Team USA played well, scoring twice in the first period for the first time in the 2026 Olympics. The Americans outshot Slovakia 11-8 in the first period as well.
Pablo López’s season is over before it even began.
The Minnesota Twins’ starting pitcher has “significant tearing” in his ulnar collateral ligament, general manager Jeremy Zoll said Tuesday via MLB.com’s Matthew Leach. At the time, Zoll said Tommy John surgery was “very much on the table.”
The 29-year-old right-hander cut short a Monday bullpen session after he felt soreness in his elbow. The two-inning workout was part of the pitcher’s preparation ahead of representing Venezuela at the World Baseball Classic. He will no longer participate in the tournament.
The Twins’ Opening Day starter each of the past three seasons, López made only 14 starts during an injury-hampered 2025. He landed on the injured list in early June due to a Grade 2 teres major strain in his right shoulder.
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Three months later, López returned to action but made only three more starts before his season came to an end due to a right forearm strain.
In three seasons since coming over in a trade with the Miami Marlins for Luis Arráez, López has made 78 starts for the Twins, throwing 455 innings, striking out 505 batters and recording a 1.16 WHIP. He was an All-Star in 2023.
The Twins went 70-92 last season and finished last in the AL Central. They have made the playoffs just four times since 2017 and have won only one playoff series — the 2023 AL wild card — since 2002.
The band might not be getting back together for the Kansas City Chiefs. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters on Friday that he has been talking to tight end Travis Kelce about returning but is unsure about wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s health status.
“There is communication,” Reid said about Kelce’s status. “That’s the main thing. I’ve said this before: As long as there’s communication, I’m good. That means people want to move forward. I think that’s where Travis is.”
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While Reid has talked to Kelce about returning for his 14th season, he said he has not talked to Hill about reuniting with the team.
“I don’t even know if Tyreek is healthy right now to do anything,” Reid said. “So I’m sure he’s working hard on that part of it and trying to get that all straightened out. Listen, we talk about everything. There’s nothing happening there, but we know that he’s out there and working hard, trying to get himself back to where he can play, period.”
Hill last played for the Chiefs in 2021 before being traded to the Miami Dolphins the following season. The 31-year-old wide receiver was released by the Dolphins on Monday after four seasons with the team. Hill is recovering from a dislocated knee and a torn ACL that ended his season in Week 4.
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In January, Hill reacted on Twitter after the Chiefs hired offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Hill had career years under Bieniemy, who previously coached in Kansas City. From 2018-21, Hill averaged 85.8 catches per year, with 1,213.5 receiving yards and 10.8 touchdowns.
Reid also told reporters that quarterback Patrick Mahomes is doing a great job in the rehab process. Mahomes is recovering from a season-ending torn ACL and LCL in his left knee that he suffered in Week 15.
The Winter Games are wrapping up in Italy. From the rink to the slopes, a new generation of stars has emerged to chase gold. We’ll keep you connected to all of the thrilling moments and top stories as we track the medal race each day of the Games.
The Milan Cortina Olympics have been flying by faster than Jordan Stolz. The American speedskating icon will be on display once more Saturday.
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He’s one of a handful of Americans who have a shot at earning some hardware to kick off the weekend.
Here are the top five things to watch on Saturday at the Winter Games:
1. Jordan Stolz has another chance for a third Olympic gold, this time in speedskating mass start
After gold-medal performances in the 500 meters and 1,000 meters, the 21-year-old Stolz had an opportunity to become the first athlete in 46 years to complete speedskating’s sprint treble at an Olympics. But the Wisconsinite took silver Thursday in the 1,500, an event he’s mostly dominated. China’s Ning Zhongyan set the Olympic record with a time of 1:41.98, and, despite beating Norway’s Peder Kongshaug, Stolz finished a sizable 0.77 seconds behind Zhongyan’s blistering mark.
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Stolz’s final event in this year’s Games is the mass start. Earlier in the Olympics, he said that winning that chaotic race would be just “a bonus.” The mass start made its Olympics debut in 2018. It’s the only long-track race where every skater starts together. The first three racers to cross the finish line of the 16-lap final win gold, silver and bronze. The full track is at the disposal of the skaters, who jockey for positioning strategically. The race typically goes down to the wire, often with unpredictable finishes. Belgium’s Bart Swings is once again a gold-medal contender. He won the event in Beijing four years ago, and he took silver in PyeongChang.
Jordan Stolz has won two gold medals and one silver at this year’s Games. (Photo by Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(NurPhoto via Getty Images)
2. U.S. women’s curling will go for bronze against Canada after falling short in semifinals against Switzerland
After making the Olympic playoffs for the first time since 2002, the U.S. women’s curling team fell short in semifinal action against Switzerland on Friday. Switzerland avenged its loss to the Americans in the round-robin finale, in large part thanks to Alina Pätz, who was practically perfect and fueled a 7-4 victory that was closer than the score suggests. Switzerland will face Sweden in the gold-medal game on Sunday. But, first, on Saturday, the U.S. will square off against Canada with the bronze medal on the line.
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The Americans have never medaled in women’s curling, which was added to the Olympics in 1998. In Salt Lake City 24 years ago, they lost to Canada in a bronze-medal game. The U.S. is hoping to flip the script this time around. In round-robin play, the American women notched their first-ever Olympic win over a Canadian team that previously had their number.
Eileen Gu has won five Olympic medals for China, including two silvers at this year’s Games. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
3. Eileen Gu, Team USA’s Svea Irving and Kate Gray to compete for spot on podium during women’s freeski halfpipe final
Eileen Gu’s latest controversial Olympic run will continue on Saturday when she takes part in the women’s freestyle skiing halfpipe final. It’s her third and final event of this year’s Games. The American-born Gu notably represents China, where her mother was born. At 22 years old, she’s already a five-time Olympic medalist. While she’s yet to win gold in these Games, she’s immensely proud of the silvers she earned in the big air and slopestyle events. She’s got one more shot to stand atop a podium in Italy, and that’s in the halfpipe, one of two events she won in Beijing four years ago.
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Gu will be up against 11 other freestyle skiers, including Team USA’s Svea Irving and Kate Gray, who placed eighth and 12th, respectively, in qualifying on Thursday. Irving, the granddaughter of illustrious American author John Irving, was fifth at the 2025 World Championships. Great Britain’s Zoe Atkin led all skiers in qualifying with a 91.50. She’s a reigning world and X Games champion.
4. After letting semifinal lead slip, Finland men’s hockey will look to bounce back in bronze-medal game against Slovakia
Now the Finnish will play Slovakia in Saturday’s bronze-medal game. Slovakia’s coming off a setback to the U.S., which is gearing up for Sunday’s gold-medal showdown with Canada.
5. Ilia Malinin will perform in figure skating’s exhibition gala after heartbreaking free skate cost him a medal in men’s singles
He’ll be back on the ice Saturday, not to compete but to perform during figure skating’s exhibition gala. Malinin, who did earn a gold medal in the team event, will have a chance to close out his first Games on a positive note. He’s part of a star-studded gala lineup that also features women’s singles champion Alysa Liu — the first American woman figure skater to medal in the Olympics individual event in 24 years — and Amber Glenn, who finished four spots behind Liu after a triumphant free skate on Thursday.
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Olympics schedule for Saturday, Feb. 21 (Day 15)
Biathlon
12.5 kilometer mass start
8:15 a.m.: Women’s final (USA Network)🏅
Bobsled
Four-man
4 a.m.: Heats 1, 2 (airs on USA Network at 11 a.m.)
Two-woman
1 p.m.: Heats 3, 4 (NBC) 🏅
Cross-Country Skiing
50 kilometer mass start
5 a.m.: Men’s final (USA Network coverage begins at 6:10 a.m.; airs on NBC at 11 a.m.)🏅
Curling
Women’s bronze-medal game
8:05 a.m.: Bronze-medal game (airs on USA Network at 10:20 a.m.)🏅
Men’s
1:05 p.m.: Gold-medal game (CNBC)🏅
Figure Skating
2 p.m.: Exhibition gala (NBC coverage begins at 2:55 p.m.)
Freestyle Skiing
Aerials
4:45 a.m.: Mixed team final (USA Network)🏅
Ski cross
5:55 a.m.: Men’s final (airs on USA Network at 11:45 a.m.) 🏅
Halfpipe
1:30 p.m.: Women’s final (NBC)🏅
Hockey
Men’s
2:40 p.m.: Bronze-medal game (USA Network)🏅
Ski Mountaineering
Relay
7:30 a.m.: Mixed final (USA Network)🏅
Speed Skating
Mass start
9 a.m.: Men’s and women’s finals (USA Network; airs at 10 a.m. on NBC)🏅
Maybe it’s the quarterback chaos or the landslide of head coaching changes. Or because it’s late February and many of the NFL’s personnel departments already seem satisfied that the No. 1 overall pick in the draft is in the barn. Or maybe it’s because the 2025 season produced a wildly unexpected Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, and an even more unexpected Super Bowl quarterback winner in Sam Darnold.
Whatever the driving force, it’s thrusting the usual sideshow of the NFL scouting combine — trade rumors, free-agency buzz and clandestine general manager meetings — into the middle of the main stage. And with that, the college players who are taking their next big step toward draft positioning have become a subplot.
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“It’s going to be a wild offseason and it’s going to start next week [at the combine],” one prominent NFL agent said this week. “There’s so much more than usual with different veteran stuff compared to how guys are going to work out — and we have a good class of guys [in the draft]. All the quarterback things to figure out, some of the [veteran] defensive players — some of the young players that could be traded with the staff changes — there’s going to be a lot going on. …
“I see you guys talking about storylines — when was the last time anyone checked in on what’s going on with Lamar Jackson [and the Baltimore Ravens]? It’s like that situation has gotten lost in all this noise. That’s how crazy next week is going to be, though.”
In fairness, Jackson’s potential extension deadline — spoken into existence by Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti in January — has been a prominent story over the past month. Indeed, it will crank up next week, with the quarterback and franchise having been in a contract talks window for several weeks by the time Ravens new head coach Jesse Minter and general manager Eric DeCosta meet with the media in Indianapolis. It’s expected there will be some kind of temperature gauge coming out of the combine, with the front office and ownership wanting to sign an extension with Jackson and lower his $74.5 million salary cap hit in 2026.
Of course, Jackson is only one of multiple pressing maneuvers — or non-maneuvers — heading into the combine that will certainly drain some of the daily news thunder from draft prospects’ workouts. Among the prominent:
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Who will be getting the franchise tag applied to them before free agency, with the biggest potential name being Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. As it stands, Dallas is expected to tag Pickens prior to the March 3 deadline and then either attempt to retain him or try to engage in a sign-and-trade scenario. With Pickens wanting to get to free agency and a likely $35 million average salary per season, there will likely be sparks in a tag scenario.
Potential veteran trades, including Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, Philadelphia Eagles wideout A.J. Brown, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and others. Throw in some young players who might get a call or two just to see if they are available on the trade market, including Buffalo Bills wideout Keon Coleman, Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Brian Thomas Jr., Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson and Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
The future of Aaron Rodgers will be a pressing question for the Pittsburgh Steelers — at least as it pertains to the organization’s other options and what kind of timeline there would be for a Rodgers decision. It’s possible we exit the combine under the presumption that the Steelers are going to move forward and try to find their future QB, which would shift the Rodgers conversation back to the Vikings, whom he was interested in before landing in Pittsburgh last offseason.
And finally, one very big nugget that has yet to be developed: How much interest there will be in Malik Willis in free agency and what the money could ultimately look like. The ballpark speculation in the agent community is some kind of two-year deal averaging $30 to $35 million a season with $40 to $45 million guaranteed. That would put Willis in position to go back to the table next offseason and negotiate a longer term deal that tacks on to the end of 2027 and extends his guaranteed money out into a three-year window through the 2028 season. There are varying opinions on the numbers and structure, not to mention the potential interest. Willis feels like the first big quarterback domino that has to fall in March to trigger a larger migration. If he were to land in Pittsburgh, that then puts Rodgers — if he still wants to play — onto the market for the Vikings or any other suitors. And once Willis is off the board, the teams that ultimately don’t have him as an option will then have to reassess.
There’s a sliding scale of a trade likelihood for all these players. Crosby’s situation with the Raiders, from what Yahoo Sports has been told by league sources familiar with their talks, is still at a standstill — but also not unrepairable. Part of the Raiders’ motivation is to see what Crosby’s trade market looks like and also where he is at with the franchise in a new phase of a rebuild. The market will likely be the driving force here. If there is a solid offer of draft picks on the table, a trade seems more likely than not.
The same goes for Brown and the Eagles, although it remains to be seen what general manager Howie Roseman could engineer to fill his No. 1 wide receiver spot if there is ultimately an attractive offer available for Brown. It’s highly unlikely the Eagles would move Brown and not have another player in the mix, so the combine’s wide receiver workouts and other available players at the position could factor.
The Murray and Tagovailoa process is going to depend on suitors and money. Right now there are zero indications of an appetite to take on either Tagovailoa or Murray’s remaining contract in a trade, let alone surrender any meaningful draft assets to make him a starter. That could change if the QB shuffling doesn’t break right for some teams and desperation enters the scenario. Lest anyone forget, there was a market (albeit diminishing) for Russell Wilson the past two offseasons. So there can certainly be a market for Tagovailoa or Murray if a situation gets bad enough.
As for the young players, Coleman seems likeliest to be traded, given the comments of Bills owner Terry Pegula that essentially branded him as not being the front office’s draft choice. Unfortunately for Buffalo, Coleman’s trade value will be nothing more than a late pick at this stage. Even with his youth.
Thomas, Richardson and McCarthy are not expected to be officially on the trade block, but all three could garner some interest and calls. Thomas seems less likely to be dealt with the Jaguars moving Travis Hunter primarily to cornerback. McCarthy won’t be dealt unless the Vikings are presented with a quarterback option that effectively renders any chance of him having a future as moot. And Richardson doesn’t have much of a market, and will have only one year left on his rookie deal once his fifth-year option is ultimately declined. That doesn’t leave much room to develop him for any interested franchise. But again, we don’t know how desperate the quarterback field gets.
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That’s a lot of veteran questions and potential developments that will hang over the primary reason teams are in Indianapolis next week: To begin laying down the foundations of their draft boards for April’s selection process in Pittsburgh. While the veteran news and ramp up to free agency will cast a long shadow in Indianapolis, it won’t eliminate a litany of prospect-related storylines that will get rolling once workouts begin.
Here’s a look at some of those that will be worthy of watching.
Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, pictured celebrating a touchdown against rival Michigan in November, is in the running to be WR1 in this NFL Draft. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
(Luke Hales via Getty Images)
The top of the wide receiver group
While it’s not expected to be as top-heavy as the 2024 wide receiver class — which saw seven first-round picks at the position — the wideouts are considered a spot that is going to have depth and offer needy teams quality options potentially into the third round. The general consensus at this point is that four to five receivers could go in the first round. Most of the intrigue will be how the top of the class sorts itself between the trio of Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson and USC’s Makai Lemon.
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“I think you could see some [changes in that trio] between interviews, measurements and whatever work gets done,” one NFC talent evaluator said. “The medicals, too — definitely the medical for Tyson. … And it depends how you want to use them in your scheme. Lemon, some teams might not like the size but others might love the versatility and how he catches it. How fast will Tyson run and some of the speed and agility things with Tate will be important. They’re all good players, but there’s definitely some of the [Travis] Hunter, [Tetairoa] McMillan, [Emeka] Egbuka [conversations from 2025] because they’re not all similar players.”
As it stands, Tate appears to stand out among talent evaluators as the most “clean” player from the threesome, in terms of the total package of consistency, health, size and production. But there’s definitely curiosity about what his pure speed and agility will look like, especially alongside Lemon and Tyson. Some of those questions will be answered — if all three actually do full workouts at the combine, which isn’t guaranteed. Beyond that trio, there will definitely be some gravity toward the next tier of WRs in Washington’s Denzel Boston, Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell II and Notre Dame’s Malachi Fields, who all bring prototypical “X” receiver size to the table. The Bills will be an interesting team to watch with that group.
Quarterbacks not named Fernando Mendoza
For only the second time in 13 years, we could end up seeing only one quarterback selected in the first round. With the Las Vegas Raiders expected to take Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick, Mendoza will reportedly skip the throwing portion of the combine, opening the floor for the rest of the class. That will be a solid opportunity for multiple players, including Alabama’s Ty Simpson, Penn State’s Drew Allar, Miami’s Carson Beck, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and others.
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It’s simply not a great class when it comes to star power (that will come in 2027), but there could be a bit of developmental depth with some strong showings.
Even with the thin class, there is still plenty of quarterback need across the league — and that will point plenty of eyes in the direction of Simpson. He was a prospect with some solid draft heat near the midpoint of the college season, but red flags began to get raised as he got knocked around and turned the ball over later in the schedule and then suffered a rib injury that knocked him out of the College Football Playoff. Right now he’s likely to land in the late first to mid-second round range, somewhat similar to how teams were looking at Bo Nix in 2024, and Jaxson Dart and Tyler Shough last year. If Simpson can wow teams in interviews and put up a good workout, he can build momentum to move up the board and get a QB-needy team to expend a first-round pick on him. Already, you hear his name connected a lot to the Los Angeles Rams, who have the 13th and 29th overall picks.
As for the rest of the pack, it’s unclear what Allar will be able to do at the combine due to an ankle injury that ended his 2025 season. He’s the player with the size and easy arm strength, so he’ll draw in someone believing they can home his considerable talent into consistent results. Same goes for Beck, who also has size and arm, but also some leadership and love-for-the-game questions that teams want to pick at in interviews. Not to mention some bad turnovers in important spots, going all the way back to his time at Georgia. Then there’s Nussmeier, who some evaluators once believed could develop into a first-round pick, maybe even a solidly high one, before injuries derailed much of his 2025 college season. He’ll be another player who draws plenty of eyeballs.
Defensive picks almost everywhere
It’s a loaded class with edge players, with an onslaught at that position expected to end up packing the first round. While there’s still a lot of work ahead, it wouldn’t be surprising to see as many as eight edge rushers come off the board in the first 32 picks. A lot of the attention will go to potential top-10 picks in Texas Tech’s David Bailey, Ohio State’s Arvell Reese and Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. But there will be a battle to figure out the stack after that trio, with players like Auburn’s Keldric Faulk, Missouri’s Zion Young and Miami’s Akheem Mesidor battling it out. Young is a player to keep an eye on. He had a great week of practice at the Senior Bowl and ended up as the game’s defensive MVP, giving him a lot of buzz coming into the combine. But top to bottom it’s going to be great draft for teams that need edge players and defensive line talent in general.
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“It might be one of the deepest [edge] classes ever, especially through the top 50, 60 guys [in the entire draft],” an AFC general manager concluded. “There’s all types of skill sets and body types that fit different needs, but the talent in general just very, very good. There’s really not a Myles Garrett or Nick Bosa, but there’s a half dozen guys who could become just good, core second-contract players for teams.”
Beyond the defensive line, there’s strength in the class of safeties and cornerbacks as well, with as many as a half dozen or more picks in the secondary likely to land in Round 1. And while safety isn’t traditionally a position that sees multiple first-round selections, this will almost certainly be one of those years, with Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman all having the profile to possibly land in the first half of the first round. That just doesn’t happen. Downs in particular will be very intriguing. His résumé is the kind that he’d be an easy top-five pick if he played at a more premium defensive position — and there were times that some evaluators believed he could even be worth that kind of juice in this draft. The overall strength of the defensive class at premium positions is likely to push him down the board, but it’s certainly not lost on front offices that so many of the NFL’s best defenses now feature a dynamic safety like Downs. That could cement Downs higher on teams boards by April.
Alvin Kamara comparison builds for Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price
The next running back after Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love is going to be an interesting development to watch. Overall, the class isn’t amazing and it’s going to be dinged a bit by the free-agent class being so strong. There’s no doubt that some teams want to see what Love’s backup for the Fighting Irish, Jadarian Price, does in the workouts. As much as game tape matters, Price could have transferred elsewhere for the 2025 college football season and doubled his touches while positioning himself to challenge Love as this year’s top running back. Now he comes into the draft with less wear and tear but also some curiosity about whether he can be a centerpiece starter and also catch the ball consistently out of the backfield. His workouts will matter, especially as it pertains to his receiving ability. If he can showcase that and put up the type of athletic numbers that some think he can, there will likely be more Alvin Kamara comparisons to follow. As of now, I’m not sure how that framing works without the receiving end of his game being more proven.
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TE Kenyon Sadiq a talent evaluating mystery
Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq is going to be interesting. Some evaluators like him as almost a hybrid running back/wide receiver if he fits into the right scheme. Others see him as a plus-level athlete whose “expected” 6-foot-2, 240-pound size is going to make him a bit of a tweener — and not in a good way — in the NFL. There’s curiosity about Sadiq’s true height and weight and what his workouts look like. There’s little doubt he has mismatch potential and maybe some considerable ceiling with the right coach and scheme, but some evaluators don’t see him as the kind of tight end who can fit in a lot of different places and be on the field at the rate of a multitude of TEs from last year’s draft. He can’t be compared realistically to the bigger bodied guys like Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren. And his overall consistency of college production wasn’t in the realm of Brock Bowers going into the 2024 draft. Who is the realistic comparable at the NFL level to Sadiq and what coach can draw that unique talent out of him?
No. 18 Saint Louis ended its 88-75 win over VCU on a power play Friday, thanks to a wild brawl shortly before time expired.
The fun began with Billikens guard Quentin Jones trying to dribble out the clock with his team up by 19 points. VCU’s Nyk Lewis apparently wasn’t happy about that, as he stole the ball, took a few steps and jacked up a half-court shot, which resulted in SLU star Robbie Avila — you might remember him from his time at Indiana State — bumping him out of bounds.
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Avila was called for a foul and also received a hard shove in the back from VCU forward Barry Evans, who then got shoved by Jones. Cue the benches the clearing, with 1.1 seconds left on the clock.
The courtside angle of the chaos:
After a lengthy delay, the officials ejected Evans and Jones with flagrant 2 fouls and also ejected all the players who left the bench once the dust-up started.
That left VCU with only four players. Lewis hit his three free throws, and the game ended.
“I think there’s certainly a healthy intensity, as there should be at the top of the league, right? We’ve got a lot of respect for them. I think they have some respect for us, I assume,” Martelli Jr. said. “It’s two tough teams, two very competitive teams, two physical teams. Stuff like that, you wish it didn’t happen but, yeah, it’s an intense game. It’s an emotional game.”
“Guy stole the ball, Rob didn’t take too kindly to it, fouled him, then that guy didn’t take too kindly to Rob fouling him, two-hand shove in the back. And then our guy shoved that guy back and everybody just milled around and did what the general basketball fighting does, which is everybody’s trying to get held back so they don’t have to do anything.”
The win keeps Saint Louis in the driver’s seat in the Atlantic 10. Friday’s game was between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the standings, and improved the Billikens’ conference record to 13-1 while VCU sits at 12-3.
The Los Angeles Lakers won Friday, and the Los Angeles Clippers are hoping that’s the only bad news.
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard left the game with five minutes left in the fourth quarter due to left ankle soreness, the team announced. The exit came at a critical juncture, with the Clippers down by three with five minutes left.
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That wound up being significant. The Clippers did an admirable job of hanging around, but took another blow when Bennedict Mathurin’s 26-point night ended with him fouling out. The Lakers pulled out a 125-122 win, behind 38 points and 11 assists from Luka Dončić.
It nearly ended in disaster for the Lakers, though. With a three-point deficit and 9.7 seconds left, the Clippers stole the inbounds pass and got the ball to an open Nicholas Batum for a would-be game-tying 3-pointer. The shot missed, and LeBron James brought down the game-sealing rebound.
It wasn’t the prettiest game for the Lakers, who opened the game by making 16-of-19 shots in the first quarter only to blow a 16-point lead, but it’s a victorious first step with James, Dončić and Austin Reaves all together. That trio has played only 11 games together all season.
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James finished with 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting and 11 assists, while Reaves had 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting in his first game without a minutes restriction since returning from a calf injury.
“When you’re foul baiting the whole game … it’s tough. These guys are already great players. … We did everything we could.”
The Clippers entered the game as quietly one of the hottest teams in the NBA, having won 21-of-28 games since hitting rock bottom on Dec. 19. Friday was a chance to reach .500 on the season, but they now sit at 27-29 and still in a battle for play-in tournament positioning.
