preview Page 6 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Ailing Liberty take aim at streaking Mercury
The defending champion New York Liberty are on the outside looking in for home-court advantage in the first round of the WNBA playoffs, adding an additional layer to their game at the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday.,The Mercury and Atlanta Dream are both 24-14, tied for third place, and the Liberty (24...

Skylar Diggins, Storm go for season sweep of reeling Sky
After ending a five-game road swing with a big win over league-leading Minnesota, the Seattle Storm aim to keep rolling when they host the Chicago Sky on Saturday night.,The Storm (21-19) rallied from a 21-point deficit to claim a 93-79 win Thursday night behind 23 points from Skylar Diggins.,Diggin...

Valkyries, Mystics clash amid tight battle for last playoff berths
What could be the most critical homestand in the brief existence of the Golden State Valkyries begins on Saturday when they welcome the Washington Mystics to San Francisco.,Golden State (19-18) plays five home games in eight days beginning with Saturday's contest. The Valkyries embark on this stretc...

Lynx, striving to clinch top playoff seed, visit improving Sun
As they close in on clinching the top seed in the WNBA postseason, the Minnesota Lynx are slumping for the first time this season and doing so even with the return of Napheesa Collier from an ankle injury.,The Lynx attempt to avoid consecutive losses for the second time this season as Collier plays ...

No. 12 Illinois attempts to put winning on repeat in 2025
No. 12 Illinois has claimed a spot in the preseason Top 25 poll for the first time since 2008. ,That's a long time ago, but it pales in comparison to the last time Illinois pulled off back-to-back excellent seasons. That hasn't happened since John Mackovic was in charge, when the Jeff George-led 198...

Differing stakes for Dream, Wings in late-season matchup
The Atlanta Dream welcome the Dallas Wings to College Park, Ga. in a matchup between two teams who sit on opposite ends of the standings on Friday night.,But both teams are competing for different things at the end of the WNBA regular season.,The Dream (24-14) can clinch a guaranteed spot in the pla...

Padres hope Luis Arraez will find his swing in series at Twins
San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt has faith that Luis Arraez will work his way out of a month-long slump at the plate.,Arraez, after all, is a three-time batting champion.,After keeping Arraez out of the starting lineup on Wednesday, Shildt is expected to pencil him back into his traditional No. ...

Rays, Nationals turn to struggling pitchers in series opener
Time is running out for the Tampa Bay Rays.,As August winds down, the Rays are lingering on the fringe of the American League wild-card race with three teams between them and the Seattle Mariners, who hold the final spot.,A ray of hope has been provided by the schedule makers. On Friday night, Tampa...

Aiming for wild-card catch-up, Guardians enter key series vs. M's
It's now or never for the Cleveland Guardians, who host the Seattle Mariners in a three-game series beginning Friday.,Seattle has taken control of the final American League wild-card position, owning a three-game lead over the Kansas City Royals, a 4 1/2-game advantage over the Texas Rangers and a f...

New quarterbacks take stage as Coastal Carolina visits Virginia
Virginia coach Tony Elliott isn't afraid to tout the positives associated with his team entering the season.,He hopes many of those attributes are on display against Coastal Carolina on Saturday night in Charlottesville, Va.,"I think you're going to like what you see," Elliott said. "The expectation...

No. 13 South Carolina carries CFP ambitions into Virginia Tech opener
South Carolina came within one win of its first College Football Playoff appearance last season.,The Gamecocks closed the 2024 regular season strongly, but they wound up 15th in the final CFP poll -- a few spots removed from what would have been a historic program accomplishment. South Carolina had ...

QBs step into primetime spotlight for No. 10 Miami, No. 6 Notre Dame
Notre Dame played in the national championship game in January while Miami missed the College Football Playoff field.,Getting to that game is the goal to start this season when the No. 6 Fighting Irish face the No. 10 Hurricanes on Sunday night at Miami Gardens, Fla.,Miami lost No. 1 overall pick Ca...

Mississippi State renews rivalry with Southern Miss to start season
Expectations are low for both teams as Mississippi State visits Southern Miss in the season opener at Hattiesburgh, Miss., on Saturday.,The Bulldogs (2-10, 0-8) finished at the bottom of the SEC last season during head coach Jeff Lebby's first year, and they're projected to finish last again.,The Go...

No. 14 Michigan kicks off Bryce Underwood era under the lights vs. Lobos
The Bryce Underwood era of Michigan football begins Saturday night in Ann Arbor when the Wolverines begin their season against New Mexico.,Considered by many recruiting services as the top player in the current freshman class, Underwood originally committed to LSU. When Michigan offered a better NIL...

'It's about time': No. 1 Texas, No. 3 Ohio State set for opening clash
Coaches like to pontificate that what happened last season has no bearing on the upcoming campaign because a new season brings different players and storylines. ,While it is hard not to view the massive season-opening matchup in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday afternoon between No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Ohi...

Kansas, already 1-0 via a rout, faces Wagner
Kansas enters the official Week 1 of the 2025 college football season in an unusual position. The Jayhawks already are 1-0 and preparing to play their second home game in their almost-new stadium in Lawrence, Kan.,The Jayhawks opened with a 31-7 victory over Fresno State last week. Kansas will host ...

Wake Forest, Kennesaw State bid to bounce back in 2025
With new coaches and teams looking for bounce-back seasons, Kennesaw State and Wake Forest have plenty in common going into their opener Friday night in Winston-Salem, N.C.,Jake Dickert has taken charge at Wake Forest, moving across the country from Washington State. Jerry Mack is the new coach at K...

Sun, Wings playing for pride and aiming for improvement
Two of the WNBA's three worst teams play each other Wednesday night when the Dallas Wings host the Connecticut Sun in Arlington, Texas.,Connecticut (9-28) and Dallas (9-29) are eliminated from playoff contention but are looking to finish strong and build momentum for what they hope is a better 2026....

Streaking Aces, rising Dream to battle for second place in WNBA
The Las Vegas Aces are the hottest team in the WNBA, and the Atlanta Dream have set a franchise record for wins in a season.,The Aces will visit the Dream on Wednesday night in a game that will affect the top half of the playoff picture.,The Aces (25-14) won their 11th consecutive game when they bea...

Nebraska, Cincinnati to square off in key opening matchup
Nebraska and Cincinnati will meet Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., in the only Power Four matchup of the day.,Coming off a season in which they played in a bowl game for the first time since 2016, the Cornhuskers enter their third season under head coach Matt Rhule -- who has...