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Deadspin | No. 15 Louisville holds CFP hopes ahead of matchup vs. Cal

Deadspin | No. 15 Louisville holds CFP hopes ahead of matchup vs. Cal

Nov 1, 2025; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Miller Moss (7) hands the ball off to Louisville Cardinals running back Keyjuan Brown (22) during the fourth quarter at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

No. 15 Louisville understands the stakes are getting higher as they enter the final month of the regular season, beginning Saturday night with a home game against Cal.

While Cardinals coach Jeff Brohm said his message about the stakes rising is more about the next game than about making the College Football Playoff, he told reporters on Monday that he thinks the team is “fully aware” of where they stand.

“We talk about that because we want to stress … however hard you worked last week, no matter whether things went great or not, you have to work even harder this week,” he said. “Everything matters, and if you want to continue to work your way up the hill, you’ve got to win the next football game.”

The Cardinals (7-1, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) will be without a key offensive player when they face the Bears (5-4, 2-3). Louisville’s Isaac Brown, who leads the nation with an average of 8.6 yards per carry, suffered a right leg injury late in Saturday’s 28-16 win at Virginia Tech. Brohm said Monday that he expects Brown to be out for a while.

Louisville’s running backs have battled injuries throughout the season. Brown, Duke Watson and Keyjuan Brown have been on availability reports before games.

Watson has been considered the second-string back but has played only four games, with 24 carries for 64 yards. Keyjuan Brown, no relation to Isaac, has stepped up when needed. He has 189 rushing yards on 22 carries in his last two games, with three touchdowns. He scored two in the second half against the Hokies to help Louisville rally from a 16-7 halftime hole.

Even with the health issues, Louisville still ranks sixth in the 17-team ACC, averaging 155.8 rushing yards per game.

“Whoever they’re handing the ball to is really good,” Cal coach Justin Wilcox said Tuesday.

The Bears have dropped their last two games and three of the last four. On Saturday, Cal gave up 456 yards and committed two turnovers in a 31-21 home loss to current No. 14 Virginia, which leads the ACC. Cal gave up 194 yards on the ground. In conference play, the Bears are next to last, giving up 205.4 yards per game in five contests.

Saturday’s game will feature a matchup between Miller Moss, Louisville’s veteran quarterback who transferred from Southern Cal in the offseason, vs. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.

Moss, a redshirt senior, has completed 65.3% of his passes for 1,929 yards and 11 touchdowns, with six interceptions.

Sagapolutele, a freshman, has thrown for at least 208 yards in each game this season. However, he has been intercepted nine times, and he’s been sacked seven times in the last two games. But he hasn’t gotten much help from his backfield. Cal averages just 78.6 yards per game on the ground, the second-lowest among 134 FBS teams.

Sagapolutele will face one of his toughest tests this weekend against a defense ranked 11th nationally, averaging 280.5 yards allowed per game. Louisville also has intercepted 12 passes this season, tied for seventh nationally.

If Cal can pull off the upset, the Bears would not only likely dash Louisville’s playoff hopes, they would become bowl eligible for a third straight season. That would be the school’s longest streak since making seven straight from 2003-09.

–Field Level Media

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#Deadspin #Louisville #holds #CFP #hopes #ahead #matchup #Cal

Deadspin | NBA roundup: Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo hurt in T-wolves’ win  Apr 25, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) position themselves for a rebound in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images   Ayo Dosunmu came off the bench to score a career-high 43 points on 13-for-17 shooting, and the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away for a 112-96 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of their Western Conference quarterfinals series on Saturday night in Minneapolis.  The victory, which gave Minnesota a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, came at a cost to the Timberwolves, who lost two starters due to injury.   Anthony Edwards, a four-time All-Star and the team’s top scorer, left in the second quarter and did not return because of a left knee injury. Earlier in the first half, Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo injured his right leg on a non-contact play. Early reports indicated he might have ruptured his Achilles tendon.  Naz Reid added 17 points off the bench for Minnesota. Julius Randle finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Rudy Gobert grabbed a game-high-tying 15 rebounds to go along with four points.  Jamal Murray scored 30 points on 10-for-25 shooting to lead Denver. Nikola Jokic finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. However, he shot 8-for-22 from the field and missed all three of his 3-point attempts.  Thunder 121, Suns 109  Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a playoff-career-high 42 points to lift Oklahoma City to a road win over Phoenix.  The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player finished 15 of 18 from the floor with eight assists to give the Thunder a commanding 3-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series. Oklahoma City has won 11 consecutive first-round games. Playing without Jalen Williams, who suffered a hamstring strain in Wednesday’s Game 2 victory, the Thunder leaned even more heavily on Gilgeous-Alexander.  Dillon Brooks led the Suns with 33 points while Jalen Green added 26 points. Devin Booker scored 16 points, but was held to 6-of-16 shooting from the floor.   Knicks 114, Hawks 98  Karl Anthony-Towns totaled 20 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his first career playoff triple-double as New York earned a victory over host Atlanta and evened their Eastern Conference first-round series at two games apiece.  Towns ensured Game 5 on Tuesday in New York will not be an elimination game for the Knicks and also ensured the series returns to Atlanta for Game 6 on Thursday. Towns posted his fifth career triple-double in any game. He also notched the seventh postseason triple-double in New York’s history. Anunoby led the Knicks with 22 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth career playoff double-double.  CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 17 points but was held to three points after halftime. Nickell Alexander-Walker added 15 and hit five 3s, but the Hawks were a dreadful 10 of 41 (24.4%) from behind the arc.  Magic 113, Pistons 105  Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane scored 25 points apiece as Orlando withstood a fourth-quarter rally to beat visiting Detroit in Game 3 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.  Banchero had 12 rebounds and nine assists for the eighth-seeded Magic, who improved to 7-1 in their last eight home postseason games, including play-in tournament games. Bane was 7-for-9 from 3-point range.  Cunningham scored 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter for the Pistons. Tobias Harris scored 23 points, Ausar Thompson had 17 and Duncan Robinson added 10.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #NBA #roundup #Anthony #Edwards #Donte #DiVincenzo #hurt #Twolves #winApr 25, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) position themselves for a rebound in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Ayo Dosunmu came off the bench to score a career-high 43 points on 13-for-17 shooting, and the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away for a 112-96 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of their Western Conference quarterfinals series on Saturday night in Minneapolis.

The victory, which gave Minnesota a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, came at a cost to the Timberwolves, who lost two starters due to injury.

Anthony Edwards, a four-time All-Star and the team’s top scorer, left in the second quarter and did not return because of a left knee injury. Earlier in the first half, Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo injured his right leg on a non-contact play. Early reports indicated he might have ruptured his Achilles tendon.

Naz Reid added 17 points off the bench for Minnesota. Julius Randle finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Rudy Gobert grabbed a game-high-tying 15 rebounds to go along with four points.

Jamal Murray scored 30 points on 10-for-25 shooting to lead Denver. Nikola Jokic finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. However, he shot 8-for-22 from the field and missed all three of his 3-point attempts.

Thunder 121, Suns 109

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a playoff-career-high 42 points to lift Oklahoma City to a road win over Phoenix.

The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player finished 15 of 18 from the floor with eight assists to give the Thunder a commanding 3-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series. Oklahoma City has won 11 consecutive first-round games. Playing without Jalen Williams, who suffered a hamstring strain in Wednesday’s Game 2 victory, the Thunder leaned even more heavily on Gilgeous-Alexander.


Dillon Brooks led the Suns with 33 points while Jalen Green added 26 points. Devin Booker scored 16 points, but was held to 6-of-16 shooting from the floor.

Knicks 114, Hawks 98

Karl Anthony-Towns totaled 20 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his first career playoff triple-double as New York earned a victory over host Atlanta and evened their Eastern Conference first-round series at two games apiece.

Towns ensured Game 5 on Tuesday in New York will not be an elimination game for the Knicks and also ensured the series returns to Atlanta for Game 6 on Thursday. Towns posted his fifth career triple-double in any game. He also notched the seventh postseason triple-double in New York’s history. Anunoby led the Knicks with 22 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth career playoff double-double.

CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 17 points but was held to three points after halftime. Nickell Alexander-Walker added 15 and hit five 3s, but the Hawks were a dreadful 10 of 41 (24.4%) from behind the arc.

Magic 113, Pistons 105

Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane scored 25 points apiece as Orlando withstood a fourth-quarter rally to beat visiting Detroit in Game 3 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

Banchero had 12 rebounds and nine assists for the eighth-seeded Magic, who improved to 7-1 in their last eight home postseason games, including play-in tournament games. Bane was 7-for-9 from 3-point range.

Cunningham scored 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter for the Pistons. Tobias Harris scored 23 points, Ausar Thompson had 17 and Duncan Robinson added 10.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #NBA #roundup #Anthony #Edwards #Donte #DiVincenzo #hurt #Twolves #win">Deadspin | NBA roundup: Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo hurt in T-wolves’ win  Apr 25, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) position themselves for a rebound in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images   Ayo Dosunmu came off the bench to score a career-high 43 points on 13-for-17 shooting, and the short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away for a 112-96 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of their Western Conference quarterfinals series on Saturday night in Minneapolis.  The victory, which gave Minnesota a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, came at a cost to the Timberwolves, who lost two starters due to injury.   Anthony Edwards, a four-time All-Star and the team’s top scorer, left in the second quarter and did not return because of a left knee injury. Earlier in the first half, Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo injured his right leg on a non-contact play. Early reports indicated he might have ruptured his Achilles tendon.  Naz Reid added 17 points off the bench for Minnesota. Julius Randle finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Rudy Gobert grabbed a game-high-tying 15 rebounds to go along with four points.  Jamal Murray scored 30 points on 10-for-25 shooting to lead Denver. Nikola Jokic finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. However, he shot 8-for-22 from the field and missed all three of his 3-point attempts.  Thunder 121, Suns 109  Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a playoff-career-high 42 points to lift Oklahoma City to a road win over Phoenix.  The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player finished 15 of 18 from the floor with eight assists to give the Thunder a commanding 3-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series. Oklahoma City has won 11 consecutive first-round games. Playing without Jalen Williams, who suffered a hamstring strain in Wednesday’s Game 2 victory, the Thunder leaned even more heavily on Gilgeous-Alexander.  Dillon Brooks led the Suns with 33 points while Jalen Green added 26 points. Devin Booker scored 16 points, but was held to 6-of-16 shooting from the floor.   Knicks 114, Hawks 98  Karl Anthony-Towns totaled 20 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his first career playoff triple-double as New York earned a victory over host Atlanta and evened their Eastern Conference first-round series at two games apiece.  Towns ensured Game 5 on Tuesday in New York will not be an elimination game for the Knicks and also ensured the series returns to Atlanta for Game 6 on Thursday. Towns posted his fifth career triple-double in any game. He also notched the seventh postseason triple-double in New York’s history. Anunoby led the Knicks with 22 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth career playoff double-double.  CJ McCollum led the Hawks with 17 points but was held to three points after halftime. Nickell Alexander-Walker added 15 and hit five 3s, but the Hawks were a dreadful 10 of 41 (24.4%) from behind the arc.  Magic 113, Pistons 105  Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane scored 25 points apiece as Orlando withstood a fourth-quarter rally to beat visiting Detroit in Game 3 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.  Banchero had 12 rebounds and nine assists for the eighth-seeded Magic, who improved to 7-1 in their last eight home postseason games, including play-in tournament games. Bane was 7-for-9 from 3-point range.  Cunningham scored 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter for the Pistons. Tobias Harris scored 23 points, Ausar Thompson had 17 and Duncan Robinson added 10.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #NBA #roundup #Anthony #Edwards #Donte #DiVincenzo #hurt #Twolves #win

Tottenham Hotspur will assess the fitness of Dominic Solanke ​and Xavi Simons after both were forced ‌off in Saturday’s 1-0 win ​at Wolverhampton Wanderers, a ⁠blow for manager Roberto De Zerbi as his side battle relegation.

Solanke was substituted in ‌the 40th minute with a muscular problem, while Simons was ‌replaced in the 63rd minute ‌after ⁠suffering a knee issue. ⁠Despite the setbacks, the 82nd-minute winner from Joao Palhinha secured Tottenham’s first league victory in ​16 matches at ‌Molineux. Spurs remained 18th in the standings with 34 points from 34 games, two points from safety.

“Solanke ‌has a muscular injury. I ​don’t know what level of injury, and for Xavi it’s ⁠a problem of the knee, and we’re going to see in the ‌next days, Monday or Tuesday,” De Zerbi told reporters.

ALSO READ | Injured Salah to miss rest of Liverpool season, says Egypt national team director

“For Solanke, it’s not a big problem. I don’t know how many games we lose him, but I would ‌like to know the real situation of ​Xavi, because the knee is always different than the muscular injury.”

Tottenham, which is facing the prospect of ⁠its first relegation from top-flight football since 1977, has four ‌games remaining and next travels to Aston Villa on Sunday.

Published on Apr 26, 2026

#Tottenhams #Zerbi #injury #update #Solanke #Simons">Tottenham’s De Zerbi gives injury update on Solanke, Simons  Tottenham Hotspur will assess the fitness of Dominic Solanke ​and Xavi Simons after both were forced ‌off in Saturday’s 1-0 win ​at Wolverhampton Wanderers, a ⁠blow for manager Roberto De Zerbi as his side battle relegation.Solanke was substituted in ‌the 40th minute with a muscular problem, while Simons was ‌replaced in the 63rd minute ‌after ⁠suffering a knee issue. ⁠Despite the setbacks, the 82nd-minute winner from Joao Palhinha secured Tottenham’s first league victory in ​16 matches at ‌Molineux. Spurs remained 18th in the standings with 34 points from 34 games, two points from safety.“Solanke ‌has a muscular injury. I ​don’t know what level of injury, and for Xavi it’s ⁠a problem of the knee, and we’re going to see in the ‌next days, Monday or Tuesday,” De Zerbi told reporters.ALSO READ | Injured Salah to miss rest of Liverpool season, says Egypt national team director“For Solanke, it’s not a big problem. I don’t know how many games we lose him, but I would ‌like to know the real situation of ​Xavi, because the knee is always different than the muscular injury.”Tottenham, which is facing the prospect of ⁠its first relegation from top-flight football since 1977, has four ‌games remaining and next travels to Aston Villa on Sunday.Published on Apr 26, 2026  #Tottenhams #Zerbi #injury #update #Solanke #Simons

Injured Salah to miss rest of Liverpool season, says Egypt national team director

“For Solanke, it’s not a big problem. I don’t know how many games we lose him, but I would ‌like to know the real situation of ​Xavi, because the knee is always different than the muscular injury.”

Tottenham, which is facing the prospect of ⁠its first relegation from top-flight football since 1977, has four ‌games remaining and next travels to Aston Villa on Sunday.

Published on Apr 26, 2026

#Tottenhams #Zerbi #injury #update #Solanke #Simons">Tottenham’s De Zerbi gives injury update on Solanke, Simons

Tottenham Hotspur will assess the fitness of Dominic Solanke ​and Xavi Simons after both were forced ‌off in Saturday’s 1-0 win ​at Wolverhampton Wanderers, a ⁠blow for manager Roberto De Zerbi as his side battle relegation.

Solanke was substituted in ‌the 40th minute with a muscular problem, while Simons was ‌replaced in the 63rd minute ‌after ⁠suffering a knee issue. ⁠Despite the setbacks, the 82nd-minute winner from Joao Palhinha secured Tottenham’s first league victory in ​16 matches at ‌Molineux. Spurs remained 18th in the standings with 34 points from 34 games, two points from safety.

“Solanke ‌has a muscular injury. I ​don’t know what level of injury, and for Xavi it’s ⁠a problem of the knee, and we’re going to see in the ‌next days, Monday or Tuesday,” De Zerbi told reporters.

ALSO READ | Injured Salah to miss rest of Liverpool season, says Egypt national team director

“For Solanke, it’s not a big problem. I don’t know how many games we lose him, but I would ‌like to know the real situation of ​Xavi, because the knee is always different than the muscular injury.”

Tottenham, which is facing the prospect of ⁠its first relegation from top-flight football since 1977, has four ‌games remaining and next travels to Aston Villa on Sunday.

Published on Apr 26, 2026

#Tottenhams #Zerbi #injury #update #Solanke #Simons

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