Deadspin | Cincinnati beats hapless Utah in first round of Big 12 tourney

Deadspin | Cincinnati beats hapless Utah in first round of Big 12 tourney

Cincinnati Bearcats forward Baba Miller (18) drives the ball in the first half of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Utah Utes, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO.

Jalen Celestine scored 19 points and Baba Miller added 11 points, 14 rebounds and six assists as ninth-seeded Cincinnati beat hapless, 16th-seeded Utah 73-66 on Tuesday afternoon in a Big 12 Conference tournament first-round game in Kansas City, Mo.

The Bearcats advance to face eighth-seeded UCF in the second round on Wednesday afternoon. The teams finished tied for eighth place after the Big 12’s regular-season gauntlet, with the Knights earning a first-round bye by holding a tiebreaker over Cincinnati.

Cincinnati (18-14) is still fighting for a spot in the NCAA Tournament and took a step toward that goal, with Tuesday’s win its seventh in its last nine games. The Bearcats will have a chance to bolster their resume when playing UCF, with whom they split their season series.

Cincinnati weathered a ragged first 14½ minutes before using a 15-2 run to take a nine-point lead at halftime. The Bearcats quickly expanded their advantage to 48-33 when Baba Miller hit a jumper and then a layup, the latter with 12:58 to play.

Utah fought back, closing to within 63-58 on Brown’s jumper with 4:35 remaining but never got closer than four points the rest of the way.

Moustapha Thiam scored 14 points and 10 rebounds for Cincinnati.

The Utes’ Terrence Brown led all scorers with 22 points. Keanu Dawes added 15 points and 12 rebounds and Seydou Traore hit for 12 points as Utah (10-22) finished its season with six straight losses. The Utes’ 10 wins are their fewest in a campaign since their 6-25 mark in 2011-12.

The Bearcats stumbled early on in Tuesday’s game against conference doormat Utah, falling behind 15-6 after free throws by the Utes’ Don McHenry with 11:41 left in the first half. Cincinnati made just two of its first 10 shots over the game’s first 8 1/2 minutes.

Cincinnati culled its deficit to a point over the ensuing six minutes, with a 3-pointer by Shon Abaev making it 18-17 with 5:23 left in the half. After layup by Utah’s Kendyl Sanders pushed the margin back to three points, the Bearcats found their stride in a big way, closing the half with a 12-0 run capped by a jumper by Thiam with 23 seconds left to surge to the front and carry a 29-20 lead to the break.

Celestine’s eight points led all scorers before halftime while Brown tallied seven points to pace the Utes. Utah shot just 19.4% from the floor in the first half and went the final 3:30 without a point while missing its final five shots.

–Field Level Media

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Jude Bellingham has acquired a 1.2% stake in Hundred franchise Birmingham Phoenix.

The Edgbaston-based side was among the eight teams put up for sale last year. Knighthead Capital Management, which owns Birmingham City, purchased a 49% stake for £40 million, while Warwickshire County Cricket Club retained 51%.

Bellingham has taken 0.6% from each party, leaving Warwickshire with majority control at 50.4%. The deal, valued at close to £1 million, is expected to be confirmed on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old, who plays for Real Madrid and England national football team, is a keen cricket follower and played junior cricket for Hagley Cricket Club.

In an interview last year, Bellingham said he would most like to swap careers with Ben Stokes.

Seven-time NFL champion Tom Brady is also part of the Knighthead group.

Published on Apr 22, 2026

#Jude #Bellingham #buys #stake #Birmingham #Phoenix #Real #Madrid #star #enters #cricket">Jude Bellingham buys stake in Birmingham Phoenix: Real Madrid star enters cricket  Jude Bellingham has acquired a 1.2% stake in Hundred franchise Birmingham Phoenix.The Edgbaston-based side was among the eight teams put up for sale last year. Knighthead Capital Management, which owns Birmingham City, purchased a 49% stake for £40 million, while Warwickshire County Cricket Club retained 51%.Bellingham has taken 0.6% from each party, leaving Warwickshire with majority control at 50.4%. The deal, valued at close to £1 million, is expected to be confirmed on Wednesday.The 22-year-old, who plays for Real Madrid and England national football team, is a keen cricket follower and played junior cricket for Hagley Cricket Club.In an interview last year, Bellingham said he would most like to swap careers with Ben Stokes.Seven-time NFL champion Tom Brady is also part of the Knighthead group.Published on Apr 22, 2026  #Jude #Bellingham #buys #stake #Birmingham #Phoenix #Real #Madrid #star #enters #cricket

Deadspin | Seeking elusive win, Austin FC tasked with slowing Quakes  Apr 19, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Jose Earthquakes forward Ousseni Bouda (7) runs with the ball against Los Angeles Football Club defender Eddie Segura (4) during the first period at BMO Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images   The San Jose Earthquakes are enjoying the best eight-match start in franchise history and coach Bruce Arena doesn’t want to hear any chatter about a letdown.  The destructive Earthquakes (7-1-0, 21 points) have outscored opponents 17-3 and look to inflict more damage when they host Austin FC on Wednesday night.  Austin FC (1-3-4, 7 points) is winless in their past six MLS matches (0-3-3).  “There are no trap games in this league,” Arena told reporters. “Any team can beat you on a given day in this league. We understand that. It’s going to be a difficult game on Wednesday. We played Austin last year and I think we split with them. … It’s going to be a difficult game.”  The teams split two regular-season matches last season while Austin also won a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal matchup. San Jose is 3-2-6 in 11 all-time MLS matches against Austin.  The Earthquakes are fresh off Sunday’s 4-1 pummeling of host Los Angeles FC. Ousseni Bouda posted a brace and has a team-best four goals.  Bouda is in his fifth season with San Jose. He sees a definitive change in this season’s squad after the Quakes missed the playoffs last season.  “I think it’s the culture we set for ourselves this year,” Bouda said. “I think everybody is all bought in. We’re taking it one game at a time. It’s only about eight games in right now, so there’s a lot of games left and we want to stay consistent and continue to get better throughout the season as well.”   Austin certainly would like to collect a much-needed victory. The club led late on Saturday before host Toronto FC tallied in the 88th minute to gain a 3-3 tie.  Austin coach Nico Estevez said one key is making sure his players aren’t intimidated by San Jose.  “You can’t be afraid,” Estevez said. “You have to go and be aggressive and you have to attack them. You have to find their weaknesses that every team has and minimize their strengths.”  Austin is winless in four road matches (0-2-2) but one of those was a 2-2 tie against Inter Miami and Lionel Messi on April 4.  That showing has Austin players feeling they can give the Earthquakes a battle.  “We’ve had good performances and shown we can play against top teams in the league,” forward CJ Fodrey said. “It’s about being confident throughout 90 (minutes) and turning those good performances into results.”  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Seeking #elusive #win #Austin #tasked #slowing #QuakesApr 19, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Jose Earthquakes forward Ousseni Bouda (7) runs with the ball against Los Angeles Football Club defender Eddie Segura (4) during the first period at BMO Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images

The San Jose Earthquakes are enjoying the best eight-match start in franchise history and coach Bruce Arena doesn’t want to hear any chatter about a letdown.

The destructive Earthquakes (7-1-0, 21 points) have outscored opponents 17-3 and look to inflict more damage when they host Austin FC on Wednesday night.

Austin FC (1-3-4, 7 points) is winless in their past six MLS matches (0-3-3).

“There are no trap games in this league,” Arena told reporters. “Any team can beat you on a given day in this league. We understand that. It’s going to be a difficult game on Wednesday. We played Austin last year and I think we split with them. … It’s going to be a difficult game.”

The teams split two regular-season matches last season while Austin also won a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal matchup. San Jose is 3-2-6 in 11 all-time MLS matches against Austin.

The Earthquakes are fresh off Sunday’s 4-1 pummeling of host Los Angeles FC. Ousseni Bouda posted a brace and has a team-best four goals.

Bouda is in his fifth season with San Jose. He sees a definitive change in this season’s squad after the Quakes missed the playoffs last season.


“I think it’s the culture we set for ourselves this year,” Bouda said. “I think everybody is all bought in. We’re taking it one game at a time. It’s only about eight games in right now, so there’s a lot of games left and we want to stay consistent and continue to get better throughout the season as well.”

Austin certainly would like to collect a much-needed victory. The club led late on Saturday before host Toronto FC tallied in the 88th minute to gain a 3-3 tie.

Austin coach Nico Estevez said one key is making sure his players aren’t intimidated by San Jose.

“You can’t be afraid,” Estevez said. “You have to go and be aggressive and you have to attack them. You have to find their weaknesses that every team has and minimize their strengths.”

Austin is winless in four road matches (0-2-2) but one of those was a 2-2 tie against Inter Miami and Lionel Messi on April 4.

That showing has Austin players feeling they can give the Earthquakes a battle.

“We’ve had good performances and shown we can play against top teams in the league,” forward CJ Fodrey said. “It’s about being confident throughout 90 (minutes) and turning those good performances into results.”

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Seeking #elusive #win #Austin #tasked #slowing #Quakes">Deadspin | Seeking elusive win, Austin FC tasked with slowing Quakes  Apr 19, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Jose Earthquakes forward Ousseni Bouda (7) runs with the ball against Los Angeles Football Club defender Eddie Segura (4) during the first period at BMO Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images   The San Jose Earthquakes are enjoying the best eight-match start in franchise history and coach Bruce Arena doesn’t want to hear any chatter about a letdown.  The destructive Earthquakes (7-1-0, 21 points) have outscored opponents 17-3 and look to inflict more damage when they host Austin FC on Wednesday night.  Austin FC (1-3-4, 7 points) is winless in their past six MLS matches (0-3-3).  “There are no trap games in this league,” Arena told reporters. “Any team can beat you on a given day in this league. We understand that. It’s going to be a difficult game on Wednesday. We played Austin last year and I think we split with them. … It’s going to be a difficult game.”  The teams split two regular-season matches last season while Austin also won a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal matchup. San Jose is 3-2-6 in 11 all-time MLS matches against Austin.  The Earthquakes are fresh off Sunday’s 4-1 pummeling of host Los Angeles FC. Ousseni Bouda posted a brace and has a team-best four goals.  Bouda is in his fifth season with San Jose. He sees a definitive change in this season’s squad after the Quakes missed the playoffs last season.  “I think it’s the culture we set for ourselves this year,” Bouda said. “I think everybody is all bought in. We’re taking it one game at a time. It’s only about eight games in right now, so there’s a lot of games left and we want to stay consistent and continue to get better throughout the season as well.”   Austin certainly would like to collect a much-needed victory. The club led late on Saturday before host Toronto FC tallied in the 88th minute to gain a 3-3 tie.  Austin coach Nico Estevez said one key is making sure his players aren’t intimidated by San Jose.  “You can’t be afraid,” Estevez said. “You have to go and be aggressive and you have to attack them. You have to find their weaknesses that every team has and minimize their strengths.”  Austin is winless in four road matches (0-2-2) but one of those was a 2-2 tie against Inter Miami and Lionel Messi on April 4.  That showing has Austin players feeling they can give the Earthquakes a battle.  “We’ve had good performances and shown we can play against top teams in the league,” forward CJ Fodrey said. “It’s about being confident throughout 90 (minutes) and turning those good performances into results.”  –Field Level Media   #Deadspin #Seeking #elusive #win #Austin #tasked #slowing #Quakes

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