In front of a capacity crowd at the Moody Center on Sunday, the No. 4 Texas Longhorns (21-2, 6-2) beat the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners (17-5, 5-4) in the 70th Red River Rivalry, 78-70, the 38th straight home victory for head coach Vic Schaefer and the Horns.

In the first quarter, the Longhorns jumped out behind sophomore forward Justice Carlton aiding Texas’ 47.1 shooting percentage in leading the offense with nine points and three rebounds. Texas’ defense held Oklahoma’s offense to a 31.3-percent shooting while forcing five turnovers as senior center Reagan Beers scored four points for OU in the opening period, but the Longhorn stood on top, 19-10.

True freshman guard Aaliyah Crump came off the bench in the second quarter to lead the Longhorns with 10 points while sophomore Bryanna Preston added three assists. OU out-shot Texas at 45.5 percent, but turned the ball over eight times in the quarter. The Texas offense closed out the first half shooting 45 percent from the field while the defense held OU’s offense to 37 percent to secure a 40-24 lead.

In the start of the second half, the No. 10 Sooners came out swinging with guard Payton Verhulst hitting eight points with two assists. OU went to shoot 52.9 percent from the field to outscore Texas 23-20 in the quarter. While in the third, the Texas offense shot 66.7 percent with only nine total shot attempts from the field as Carlton and junior wing Madison Booker and Carlton combined 10 points.

The rivals slugged it out in the fourth quarter with the Texas offense shooting 58.3 percent from the field and OU’s offense hitting half its shots. Sophomore guard Zya Vann led the Sooners in the fourth with 10 points. The Sooner defense was able to force 12 turnover points in the second half while Texas shot 62 percent from the field.

Overall, the Longhorns shot 51 percent from the field and were led by Booker and Carlton with 16 points apiece while sophomore guard Jordan Lee hit for 14 points. Texas’ defense scored 25 points of turnovers and out-rebounded the Sooners overall, 36-32, while the Longhorn bench contributed 20 points, including 12 from freshman guard Aaliyah Crump.

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Next up, Texas hosts host No. 6 LSU in another top-10 matchup on Thursday at 8 p.m. Central on ESPN.

In a season already defined by aggravation and adversity, UW-Milwaukee’s 90-88 loss to Cleveland State on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 1, most certainly took the cake.

The Panthers came roaring back from a 12-point deficit midway through the second half to tie the game on a desperation 3-pointer by Josh Dixon with 2.4 seconds remaining, only for all that momentum to fizzle away in the blink of an eye at UWM Panther Arena.

First, Chandler Jackson was called for a foul on the ensuing inbounds play, leading to the eventual game-clinching free throws for the Vikings. Then, Stevie Elam appeared to be fouled on the other end, keeping him from being able to get off a potential tying shot, only for no whistle to be blown.

More frustration. Another loss. And no choice but to accept it and move onto the next one.

“I’m pretty frustrated,” said coach Bart Lundy after the game in maybe the understatement of his four-year tenure at UWM, with myriad injuries undercutting what was supposed to be an NCAA Tournament-caliber squad. “Maybe because of the loss. But we gave up 90. They ran a few different things, but the same stuff all game, and it was mistake after mistake after mistake (defensively).

“And that’s frustrating. Every time we made a run or we got close we made some mistakes that you just can’t make. I think we’re playing hard, but we’re not playing with any consistency and we’re not playing very intelligently.

“And I don’t know what we have to do to have them (do that).”

Box score

It appeared as though Cleveland State (9-14, 5-7) was going to run away and hide from UWM (9-15, 5-8 Horizon League) after taking a 66-54 lead with 10 minutes 54 seconds left, only for the Panthers to rattle of 11 of the next 13 points to make it a one-possession game.

Neither team could string together stops defensively from there, with the Panthers scoring on seven straight possessions and the Vikings on six, with a 3-pointer from Josiah Harris with 2:09 remaining making it an 86-80 game.

An Elam three on the other end made it 86-83, then Dayan Nessah hit a pair of free throws to set the stage for the wild final few plays.

The craziness began when, after a long officials’ review, Harris was whistled for a flagrant foul for elbowing Dixon in the face following a miss by Jackson. Dixon hit both his free throws, then on the ensuing possession he let loose a sprawling 3-point attempt from the right wing that somehow found the net and make it 88-all.

At that point all the Panthers needed to do was make sure the Vikings didn’t somehow get the ball quickly past midcourt for a good look at the basket and reset for overtime.

But after the ball was inbounded to Jaidon Lipscomb some 60 feet away, Jackson committed a foul from behind that seemed to indicate he didn’t realize the score was tied at that point.

Replays showed Jackson grabbing his head in disbelief after the fact, and Lipscomb calmly hit both free throws with 1.3 seconds remaining.

“I was blocked. I couldn’t see if he fouled or didn’t foul,” Lundy said. “The staff said that he got beat off the bounce and put two hands on him, so I don’t know if it was enough to call a foul.

“Looking at the film I hope I see a lot, because in that situation where all the kid had was a heave it better be a pretty clear foul. Obviously, we wouldn’t want to foul in that situation.

“We explained it to them (during the review).”

UWM still had one last gasp and it came in the form of a baseball pass from Jackson on the baseline finding its way to Elam near the opposite free-throw line.

The freshman guard made a terrific leaping attempt to catch the ball with Nessah making contact as he defended, but no foul was called and time expired as the ball bounced out of bounds.

Elam had to be restrained by a teammate on the bench as he shot toward the official, angry about the no-call while the crowd of 2,017 vociferously voiced its collective displeasure at the same time.

“We tried to throw it through Aaron Franklin’s hands – kind of a trick play – and have Stevie get it,” said Lundy. “Stevie went up and I thought he did kind of get undercut. I’ll have to watch the replay to be able to tell.”

UWM, which never led, got superlative performances from several players, with Elam finishing with a team- and career-high 21 points keyed by 5-for-12 shooting from beyond the arc.

Dixon finished with 19 points, canning three of four 3-pointers, and Jackson had 14 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.

Franklin, meanwhile, came oh so close to posting the Panthers’ first triple-double since BJ Freeman in 2023 with 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in 39 minutes of action.

“That’s a guy who missed all of the summer with a serious foot problem, all fall, probably started the season more like our 11th or 12th man,” said Lundy. “He’s every day in practice. He’s given everything he’s got. Every play in the games, every scouting report, film session – he’s given everything he’s got.

“He is a guy that deserves some praise.”

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UW-Milwaukee comes up short against Cleveland State in a wild finish

Abington Heights earned the girls team and the combined team championships at the 24th Classic Gold Relay Invitational on Sunday at the University of Scranton.

Tunkhannock earned the boys team title, with Abington Heights finishing second.

Abington Heights girls won four races, set two meet records and totaled 55 team points. Scranton Prep finished second with 49.5 points, and Delaware Valley was third with 37 points.

Gianna Vachino, Ella Bannon, Katie Giermanski and Hadley Pallman combined to win the 400 free relay in 3 minutes, 52.40 seconds. That shattered the meet record of 3:54.21 set in 2023 by Scranton Prep. The Lady Comets defeated Scranton Prep, which finished second in 3:53.21 — which also beat the meet record.

Grace Moran, Giermanski, Pallman and Reese Azar won the 500 crescendo relay in 5:03.34. That beat the record time of 5:16.18 set last season by Abington Heights.

Abington Heights’ team of Audra Wimmer, Emma Adamsky, Elise Brown and Azar won the 200 backstroke relay in 2:17.26. The team of Vachino, Bannon, Kacey Johnson and Pallman won the 800 free relay in 9:04.63.

Tunkhannock set two meet records.

Logan Teeman, Braydon Christopher, Kyle Kozloski and Jaden Baltrusaitis won the 800 free relay in 7:39.87. That effort beat the old mark of 7:43.84 set in 2003 by Danville.

Chase Newhart, Kozloski, Christopher and Baltrusaitis set a record, winning the 500 crescendo relay in 4:19.46.

Tunkhannock boys won four other relays, including the 200 free, 200 backstroke, 200 butterfly and 200 medley.

Tunkhannock’s mixed team of Miranda Anderson, Kaitlyn Keown, Eliza Talcott, Madelyn Graves, Annie Bonnice, Baltrusaitis, Christopher, Kosloski, Aidan Mislevy and Chase Newhart set a meet record by winning the meet’s final race in 1:57.64.

Abington Heights’ team of Geoff Stanton, Derek Williams, Jason Casper and Charles Voytek won the 400 medley relay in 3:44.48, breaking the old mark of 3:55.53 set in 2014 by Scranton Prep.

Williams, Judah Donnelly, Stanton and Casper set a mark in the 400 free relay (3:25.46). That surpassed the record of 3:31.03 set last season by Tunkhannock.

Abington Heights also won the 200 breaststroke relay.

Girls results

Team standings: Abington Heights 55, Scranton Prep 49.5, Delaware Valley 37, Tunkhannock 28, Lake-Lehman 24.5.

200 Free Relay: Delaware Valley (Elizabeth Bailey, Kayleigh Jagger, Isabella Cady, Sasha Novikov) 1:53.07, Scranton Prep 1:53.96, Abington Heights 2:03.29, Tunkhannock 2:29.31, Lake-Lehman 2:35.41; 400 Medley Relay: Scranton Prep (Sophia Galko, Eva Kaszuba, Anna Millett, Rebecca Oakes) 4:18.64, Abington Heights 4:28.45, Tunkhannock 4:41.09, Lake-Lehman 4:49.28, Delaware Valley 5:29.94; 200 Backstroke Relay: Abington Heights (Audra Wimmer, Emma Adamsky, Elise Brown, Reese Azar) 2:17.26, Scranton Prep 2:17.74, Delaware Valley 2:49.13, Lake-Lehman 2:50.25, Tunkhannock 3:02.09; 800 Free Relay: Abington Heights (Gianna Vachino, Ella Bannon, Kacey Johnson, Hadley Pallman) 9:04.63, Delaware Valley 9:49.51, Scranton Prep 10:57.38; 200 Breaststroke Relay: Scranton Prep (Ella Schofield, Anna Millett, Myla Kopa, Eva Kaszuba) 2:16.26, Abington Heights 2:28.58, Lake-Lehman 2:30.83, Tunkhannock 2:37.22, Delaware Valley 2:40.12; 400 IM Relay: Scranton Prep (Rebecca Oakes, Myla Kopa, Sophia Galko, Eva Kaszuba) 4:35.98, Abington Heights 4:54.63, Lake-Lehman 4:59.68, Tunkhannock 5:00.99; 200 Butterfly Relay: Delaware Valley (Sasha Novikov, Sophia Perez, Megan O’Connell, Grace Holderith) 2:13.76, Abington Heights, Scranton Prep; 500 Crescendo Relay — Abington Heights (Grace Moran, Katie Giermanski, Hadley Pallman, Reese Azar) 5:03.34 (meet record; old mark, 5:16.18, Abington Heights, 2025): Lake-Lehman 5:27.76, Delaware Valley 5:36.01, Tunkhannock 6:09.79; 200 Medley Relay: Scranton Prep (Katherine Kolosovsky, Grace Shursky, Maizie Davolos, Bella Stefanelli) 2:22.39, Abington Heights 2:23.06, Delaware Valley 2:32.83, Tunkhannock 3:01.65; 400 Free Relay — Abington Heights (Gianna Vachino, Ella Bannon, Katie Giermanski, Hadley Pallman) 3:52.40 (meet record; old mark, 3:54.21, Scranton Prep, 2023): Scranton Prep 3:53.21, Tunkhannock 4:11.90, Delaware Valley 4:32.28, Lake-Lehman 5:01.89; Mixed Free Relay — Tunkhannock (Miranda Anderson, Kaitlyn Keown, Eliza Talcott, Madelyn Graves, Annie Bonnice, Jaden Baltrusaitis, Brayden Christopher, Kyle Kozloski, Aidan Mislevy, Chase Newhart) 1:57.64 (meet record; old mark, 1:58.15, Scranton Prep, 2024): Scranton Prep 1:58.88, Abington Heights 1:59.68, Lake-Lehman 2:01.61, Delaware Valley 2:02.49.

Boys results

Team standings: Tunkhannock 57, Abington Heights 46, Lake-Lehman 39.5, Delaware Valley 31, Scranton Prep 25.5.

200 Free Relay: Tunkhannock (Logan Teeman, Noah Salters, Callum Jerome, Chase Newhart) 1:36.27, Abington Heights, Lake-Lehman, Delaware Valley; 400 Medley Relay — Abington Heights (Geoff Stanton, Derek Williams, Jason Casper, Charles Voytek) 3:44.48 (meet record; old mark, 3:55.53, Scranton Prep, 2014): Tunkhannock 3:46.56, Lake-Lehman 3:56.64, Scranton Prep 4:06.20, Delaware Valley 4:14.85; 200 Backstroke Relay: Tunkhannock (Landon Harvatine, Noah Fry, Jayden Valvano, Mike Milz) 2:03.94, Abington Heights 2:04.53, Delaware Valley 2:07.35, Lake-Lehman 2:17.69; 800 Free Relay — Tunkhannock (Logan Teeman, Braydon Christopher, Kyle Kozloski, Jaden Baltrusaitis) 7:39.87 (meet record; old mark, 7:43.84, Danville, 2003): Lake-Lehman 7:48.25, Abington Heights 7:56.55, Scranton Prep 8:25.48, Delaware Valley 8:39.40; 200 Breaststroke Relay: Abington Heights (Adrian Azar, Kevin Farrelly, Alex Allspaugh, Derek Williams) 2:06.04, Scranton Prep 2:08.56, Tunkhannock 2:11.94, Lake-Lehman 2:15.47, Delaware Valley 2:21.21; 400 IM Relay: Lake-Lehman (Andrew Morris, Ryan McGurk, Josiah Frey, Jack Kashatus) 4:11.34, Delaware Valley 4:23.80, Tunkhannock 4:53.33; 200 Butterfly Relay: Tunkhannock (Mike Milz, Aidan Mislevy, Kyle Kozloski, Jaden Baltrusaitis) 1:43.84, Lake-Lehman 1:51.22, Abington Heights 1:55.34, Delaware Valley 2:03.00; 500 Crescendo Relay — Tunkhannock (Chase Newhart, Kyle Kozloski, Braydon Christopher, Jaden Baltrusaitis) 4:19.46 (meet record; old mark, 4:25.75, Tunkhannock, 2025): Scranton Prep 4:34.80, Delaware Valley 4:52.63, Abington Heights 4:55.12, Lake-Lehman 5:05.68; 200 Medley Relay: Tunkhannock (Logan Teeman, Noah Salters, Mike Milz, Callum Jerome) 1:49.28, Abington Heights 2:07.56, Scranton Prep 2:08.56, Delaware Valley 2:13.00, Lake-Lehman 2:15.41; 400 Free Relay — Abington Heights (Derek Williams, Judah Donnelly, Geoff Stanton, Jason Casper) 3:25.46 (meet record; old mark, 3:31.03, Tunkhannock, 2025): Tunkhannock 3:30.85, Lake-Lehman 3:33.01, Scranton Prep 4:18.44, Delaware Valley 4:56.47.

Combined team standings: Abington Heights 101, Tunkhannock 85, Scranton Prep 75, Delaware Valley 68, Lake-Lehman 64.

Feb. 1—The Plum girls basketball team did not lose a game in January, going 9-0 overall and 7-0 in Section 1-5A to take control at the top of the section standings.

The Mustangs clinched at least a tie for their first section title with a convincing 52-34 win over playoff-bound Penn Hills on Friday behind 18 points from senior Riley Stephans, 11 from junior Tamia West and nine off the bench from freshman Tori Glogowski.

Stephans’ performance came on the heels of a magical night two days earlier when she scored 31 points and surpassed 1,000 points for her career in helping lead Plum to a 54-52 win over Penn-Trafford in a nonsection battle of section leaders at Plum High School. The victory snapped the Warriors’ 12-game winning streak.

Stephans averaged 24.0 points in January.

Plum, 16-3 overall, can clinch the section outright Monday with a win over Gateway (2-15, 0-10).

The Mustangs close section play Friday at Fox Chapel (12-8, 7-3) in a rematch of a 65-49 Plum win Jan. 12.

The Foxes hope to keep pace and head into the finale against Plum with momentum. They travel to Shaler on Tuesday in hopes of completing a season sweep. Fox Chapel won the first meeting 49-31 on Jan. 9.

The Foxes went 7-2 in January and have won four in a row, taking down Franklin Regional, 54-35, on Thursday before topping Armstrong, 45-32, on Friday.

Senior Lyla Jablon, one of the area’s leading scorers, fronted the Fox Chapel attack against Franklin Regional with 23 points. Jablon and Emily McKee scored 12 and 11 points against Armstrong.

Riverview rallies around injured star

Senior Isabel Chaparro suffered a knee injury in a loss to St. Joseph on Jan. 20.

She was able to play two days later at Jeannette but injured her ankle midway through the game and didn’t return. But the rest of the Raiders rallied around Chaparro and each other to produce an important 55-50 win over the Jayhawks. Senior Lana Lynch and freshman Mia Murphy each scored 14, and junior Blake Huffman added 12.

Without Chaparro in the lineup, Riverview topped Frazier, 48-39, on Thursday behind eight points apiece from Murphy, freshman Gianna Brenza and junior Juliette Brun.

Riverview coach Andre Carter said Saturday that there is no indication of when Chaparro, who averaged 28 points heading into the Jeannette game, might return.

The Raiders (9-6, 5-2 in Section 4-2A) close section play Monday at Ellis, Tuesday at Apollo-Ridge (9-10, 3-4) and at home Thursday against Winchester Thurston (14-3, 7-0).

The Vikings hope to finish their push to the playoffs strong with three more section games. A-R saw its seven-game winning streak snapped with a loss to Winchester Thurston on Jan. 23 before Thursday’s five-point setback at Jeannette. Sophomore Madison Hughley scored 14 against the Jayhawks.

St. Joseph returns to action

The Spartans (11-6, 7-3 Section 1-A) last played Jan. 22 with a 61-24 home win over Eden Christian that helped clinch a spot in the WPIAL playoffs.

The heavy snowstorm last Sunday and the extreme cold that followed forced school officials to switch to remote learning all week. As a result, all after-school activities were canceled, including practices and games.

Coach Geoff Dutelle said the team was to return to practice Saturday to prepare for Monday’s game at Sewickley Academy (10-8, 7-4), a rematch of a six-point Panthers win Jan. 8.

St. Joseph, winner of five in a row, faces Union (9-2) on Tuesday, Springdale (2-8) on Thursday and Aquinas Academy (10-0) on Saturday.

Cavaliers help their cause

Kiski Area sits in fourth place in Section 2-5A at 4-5, ahead of McKeesport (3-8) and trailing third-place Latrobe (6-4) with three section games remaining this week.

The Cavaliers moved closer to the postseason Friday by claiming their second straight section win, 63-31 over West Mifflin. Kiski took control early, outscoring the Lady Titans, 21-4, in the first quarter. Senior Gianna DeVito and junior Jada Blanciak scored 15 points each to lead the way, with junior Olivia Strellec draining a trio of 3-pointers on the way to 11 points.

Kiski Area needs one more section win to secure its place in the playoffs. The Cavaliers conclude section play this week, starting Tuesday at Penn-Trafford (10-0). Kiski hosts McKeesport on Thursday and visits Latrobe on Friday.

Rivals go down to the wire

Freeport and Knoch finished the week tied for the fourth and final WPIAL playoff spot from Section 1-4A at 4-6.

The Yellowjackets (10-9 overall) battled Burrell on Thursday before falling to the Bucs, 55-39. The Knights (4-15) joined Freeport in the standings with Friday’s 46-18 win over Derry behind 19 points, including three 3-pointers, from senior leading scorer Neah Ewing. Knoch finished a season sweep of the Trojans.

Freeport will pick up a forfeit win Monday over Highlands to move to 5-6 and will clinch at least a tie for fourth in the section with a Knoch loss at home Monday to North Catholic (8-2).

Burrell (13-6, 7-3) clinched at least third place in the section with its win over Freeport

Deer Lakes clinches

The Lancers are back in the WPIAL playoffs for the second year in a row under coach Dana Petruska. They wrapped up a spot with a 50-42 win over Ligonier Valley on Saturday, which completed a Section 2-3A season sweep.

The victory also got Deer Lakes back in the win column after tough losses to section leaders Avonworth and Shady Side Academy.

Deer Lakes (10-8, 7-5) hosts Steel Valley in section Monday evening before wrapping up section play Thursday at Greensburg Central Catholic.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

The Brooklyn Nets have 52 jersey numbers worn by over 600 different players over the course of their history since the franchise was founded in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), when the team was known as the “New Jersey Americans”.

Since then, that league has been absorbed by the NBA with the team that would later become the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets before settling on the name by which they are known today, bringing their rich player and jersey history with them to the league of today.

To commemorate the players who played for the Nets over the decades wearing those 52 different jersey numbers, Nets Wire is covering the entire history of the franchise’s jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team.

And for today’s article, we will continue with the sixth of nine people to wear the No. 41 jersey, big man alum John Thomas. After ending his college career at Minnesota, Thomas was picked up with the 25th overall selection of the 1997 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks.

The Minneapolis, Minnesota native played the first 33 games of his pro career with Boston, however, after being dealt to the Celtics before the start of his rookie season.

He would also play for the Toronto Raptors, in other leagues, Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies, and Atlanta Hawks before he signed with the (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets for the final season of his NBA career in 2006. During his time suiting up for the Nets, Thomas wore only jersey No. 41 and put up 1.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets jersey history No. 41 – John Thomas (2006)

The Houston Rockets have had players donning a total of 52 different jersey numbers (and have one not part of any numerical series for Houston assistant coach and general manager Carroll Dawson) since their founding at the start of the 1967-68 season, worn by just under 500 players in the course of Rockets history.

To honor all of the players who wore those numbers over the decades, Rockets Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who wore them since the founding of the team all those years ago right up to the present day.

With seven of those jerseys now retired to honor some of the greatest Rockets of all time to wear those jerseys, there is a lot of history to cover.

And for today’s article, we will continue with the 10th of 15 players who wore the No. 6, guard alum Earl Boykins. After ending his college career at Eastern Michigan, Boykins went unselected in the 1998 NBA draft, playing in other leagues until he signed with the (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets in 1999.

The Cleveland, Ohio native played the first 5 games of his pro career with the Nets. He would also play for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Cavs again, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Hornets, in other leagues, Washington Wizards, and the Bucks again before he signed with Houston for the last season of his NBA career in 2012.

During his time suiting up for the Rockets, Boykins wore only jersey No. 6 and put up 4.9 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game.

All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.

This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets jersey history No. 6 – Earl Boykins (2012)

Football doesn’t start at kick-off. It starts when you leave the house. As the new season gets underway this month, let’s reflect on what has earned K league a permanent spot in our hearts.

The growing desire for more analytically based football commentary has seeped its way into Korea. This is partly due to the surge of young talent, and to established K League players, now attracting the gaze of European (and sometimes Asian and North American) scouting departments. Oxford United supporters will want more substance than“Jeon Jin-woo is a really good player” before welcoming him to the Kassam Stadium.

Always a special moment. The floodlights are on as they appear for the first time.

However, even I must draw the line somewhere. Covering Suwon Bluewings has been both fun and tragic – depending on the fortunes of the club – but delving deeper into the tactical approach of Byun Seung-hwan during his ill-fated spell in charge of the Bluewings doesn’t keep me awake at night. Nor does duels won, or any of the following in the alphabet soup; xG, xA, PPDA, OBV, and npxG.

What excites me far more is the smell of a K League stadium on matchday. Regular viewers will know Korean grounds come in all shapes and sizes: from giant 2002 World Cup venues, to rudimentary multi-purpose local grounds with basic amenities, to city-built concrete bowls with temporary seating added to improve the experience, to the small – but hopefully increasing – number of football-specific stadiums.

If you are looking for club names that represent all of those styles, I give you: FC Seoul (2002 World Cup), Busan IPark (basic structure), FC Anyang (temporary seating), and Daegu FC (football-specific). Korean geography experts will be aware that these clubs are situated from north to south, in different cities across different provinces. It is a hotchpotch of styles, sizes, and designs.

Big Bird: Defined by that roof covering those seats.

And let’s pay tribute to the grounds I haven’t mentioned yet. For World Cup memories, how about Suwon’s magnificent Big Bird, with its landmark roof covering the main stand? Or Jeju’s own version, accompanied by views of the ocean and an extinct volcano? How about the football-specific marvels in Pohang and Incheon – easily two of the country’s best venues? Like Anyang, Bucheon and Gangwon have sought to minimise the impact of the running track. But if you prefer big, brutalist concrete bowls, trot along to Gimcheon, Cheongju, or Paju.

One thing Korean stadiums have in common, though (with the occasional exception of Daegu and Incheon), is that getting a ticket to see the football is rarely a problem. Daegu’s small capacity of 12,419 means a sell-out is possible, but for almost every other stadium in Korea, access is guaranteed – even without buying a ticket in advance.

When the last of the winter snow finally melts away, Korea really comes alive. Nothing grows in winter. The trees are bare for several months. No flowers can pierce the icy ground. A country so vibrant with colour and vegetation becomes a post-apocalyptic wasteland during the short, bitter days of winter. There is an absence of green. Even the ground is brown and lifeless.

The end of that is the beginning of football.

Incheon’s South Stand is one-of-a-kind in Korea.

How tragic would it be if the K League decided – or was forced – to adopt a more global calendar, playing through the winter in what is rapidly becoming the September-May norm? The heat and humidity of July and August are genuine concerns, but is that worse than frozen pitches, the possibility of heavy snow causing cancellations, and temperatures in some parts of the country dipping to -14°C? I’ll let you decide.

That debate can be saved for another day. Like most football fans, the itch to return to a stadium is becoming unbearable. I miss football, but I don’t yearn for discussions about our main striker’s xG, the new formation the manager is trying in pre-season, how the foreign imports will adapt, or how good this teenage local lad might be.

As much as anywhere on the planet, Korean football is about the matchday experience.

It starts with an early-morning KTX trip from Gwangmyeong Station to Gimcheon. From there, a local bus to the city centre for lunch. By now, you’ve already caught your first glimpse of jerseys walking down the street. This is when the excitement and anticipation really begin to rise. Follow the crowd until you catch sight of a stadium wall, or a floodlight set against the backdrop of a magnificent mountain.

Over the years, I’ve accumulated some great K League memories simply from walking to a stadium. From Seogwipo, the walk to Jeju’s wonderful stadium is around five kilometres. It is long – and probably excessive – but the glorious coastline keeps you company along the way. The sparkle off the sea as the sun sets in the west is a joy to behold. You cannot escape the gaze of Hallasan to your right, nor the rich vegetation and palm trees spread out in all directions.

Compare that with modern-day Anyang. Leaving the city centre towards the Sports Complex, the scenery shifts from the quiet beauty of the Anyang River to the incomprehensible scale of heavy construction surrounding the stadium. I have photos of Anyang Stadium from 2020, with Gwanaksan and planes landing at Gimpo clearly visible. Those days are gone now, but it does highlight the immense potential of the club as they look to prolong their stay in K League 1.

As the skyline changes rapidly around Anyang Stadium, treasure moments like this. 

I don’t think any walk compares to a visit to Pohang Steel Yard. This is partly out of necessity – Pohang is a small city with no subway system. The stadium sits across the river from the city centre, buried deep within the POSCO complex. Buses and cars crawl along at a snail’s pace. But the walk itself is fascinating. Only then can you truly appreciate the size and scale of POSCO; the stadium is dwarfed in comparison. If you’re lucky, the stroll will be interrupted by a slow-moving cargo train.

Afterall, Korean stadiums are shaped by their surroundings. Like Pohang, the backdrop to Jeonnam Dragons’ home stadium isn’t defined by lush forests or imposing mountains. Smoke towers from another POSCO factory puncture the skyline. Busan’s Gudeok couldn’t be more distinct. The stadium has no remarkable features, but that is compensated by the backdrop of Gudeok Mountain.

Sadly, we mourn the loss of Gangwon FC’s former home. It is a massive shame Chuncheon is off the menu in 2026, although it will host K3 matches. Chuncheon has one of Korea’s best culinary experiences indakgalbi – stir-fried chicken marinated in a spicy gochujang-based sauce. The 45-minute walk to the stadium is irrelevant when you reach the banks of North Han River, with its breathtaking views of the river and mountains. You can even go canoeing or take a cable car before kickoff.

Korean football is a league of journeys. Some are short, whilst others require an airplane. None are long enough that can be considered burdensome. Seongnam’s Tacheon Stadium is next to the river by the same name. River paths and biking go hand-in-hand in Korea. Hwaseong Stadium is the only one that tests your sense of adventure. Good luck getting there if you don’t have a car.

To give the K League some credit, player names on jerseys are still written in hangeul. Outside the stadium, an hour before kick-off, as you sip a cold can of beer, watch the supporters shuffle past in their own unique colours, with hangeul characters on their backs. The green of Jeonbuk Hyundai to the orange of Gangwon FC. Jeonnam Dragons in yellow to Cheonan City in sky blue. Different names, colours, crest. Each adds something to the rich tapestry of K League football.

Once inside, it doesn’t get much better than a sunny Saturday afternoon in Suwon. The seating colour scheme, the razor sharp edges of the stands, the blue jerseys, flags, the second-half umbrella display, and the constant beat of La Banda de Uman. It is the best stadium in Korea to sit back and reflect on the meaning of it all, as 22 players and 14,000 fans put on a show for you.

There are more. Anyang under the lights is raucous. FC Seoul can attract Premier League-level crowds once or twice a season. Incheon United’s stadium oozes class, not least the single-tier terrace behind the goal. Then there is the aforementioned Pohang: a distinct two-tiered stadium with steep stands offering perfect sight-lines.

Pohang Steel Yard with its steep stands is very atmospheric.

This is not to say analytics are unimportant in football. There is clearly a market for them, as fans try to understand more about a new signing or a rumoured name arriving from overseas. But that conversation has never been what draws me back, week after week.

For me, football lives in the hours before kick-off. It lives on train platforms, on crowded buses, and on long walks through unfamiliar neighbourhoods. It lives in the first sight of a floodlight between apartment blocks, in the slow build of noise as more scarves and jerseys appear, and in the way a stadium reveals itself – suddenly or gradually – depending on where you are.

The K League is not something I analyse. It is something I travel through. It changes with the seasons, with the cities, and with the people who follow it. You can measure passes, pressing, and probability if you like – but you cannot evaluate the feeling of arriving.

That is the side of Korean football I want to share with you in 2026.

Eugenio Suárez and the Cincinnati Reds have agreed on a $15 million, one-year contract, two people familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Sunday night.

The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical and had not been announced.

Suárez was the top slugger left on the free agent market and the two-time All-Star returns to Cincinnati, where he played seven seasons. He hit 189 home runs for the Reds from 2015 through 2021, including 49 in 2019.

The move gives the Reds the proven power hitter they had been seeking throughout the offseason. A third baseman for most of his 12-year major league career, the 34-year-old Suárez is expected to be Cincinnati’s primary designated hitter and perhaps play some games at third base or first.

The team has Gold Glove winner Ke’Bryan Hayes at third, and touted prospect Sal Stewart is likely to play first.

The Reds were one of many teams interested in Suárez at the trade deadline last year, but they didn’t want to part with key prospects. He was traded from Arizona to Seattle on July 31 and finished fifth in the majors with 49 home runs and fourth with 118 RBIs. He batted .228 overall with an .824 OPS.

The Mariners fell one win shy of reaching their first World Series, losing to Toronto in the American League Championship Series. Suárez had two home runs in Game 5, including a grand slam in the eighth inning.

Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati has averaged 2.67 home runs per game since it opened in 2003. That is the second-highest homer rate in the majors among ballparks to host at least 1,200 games.

Suárez was traded by the Reds to Seattle during spring training in 2022. He spent two seasons with the Mariners before getting traded to the Diamondbacks.

Suárez broke into the majors with Detroit in 2014. He is a .246 career hitter with 325 homers, 949 RBIs and a .792 OPS.

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AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

At -125, Shohei Ohtani is breathing rarefied air at his current price.

Consider last year, when he was the overwhelming preseason favorite to win NL MVP, and he was still only +150 by the end of March, per Sports Odds History. That was already crazy, because the shortest number we’ve generally seen in recent years is +200 or +300. 

Below, we’ll look at the early MLB odds for the 2026 season, and AL & NL MVP, as the likes of Alex Bregman (Chicago Cubs) and Kyle Tucker (Los Angeles Dodgers) have found new homes since our previous look.

Odds to win 2026 AL MVP 

Previous NL MVP winners

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Popular MLB futures markets

• MLB World Series odds
• MLB Cy Young odds
• MLB Rookie of the Year odds
• MLB playoff odds
• MLB HR title odds

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MLB MVP odds explained

Most sportsbooks will display odds in the American format as listed above. When Goldschmidt ran away with the MVP award in 2022 his odds had a minus (-) sign ahead of the number for a large part of the season. 

• Paul Goldschmidt -6000

That means that a bettor in August had to wager $6,000 to win $100 by betting on Goldy to win MVP. Before the season starts, almost every player will have a plus (+) sign ahead of their odds.

• Shohei Ohtani +200

That means a bettor would have profited $200 for a $100 wager on Ohtani before the season started. 

If American odds aren’t your thing, simply use a tool like our odds converter to switch the odds to decimal or fractional format. Most online sportsbooks also give you the option to change the odds format that you see.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here