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  • Drake Maye throws 3 TD passes, C.J. Stroud has 4 INTs as Patriots top Texans to advance to AFC title game

    Drake Maye throws 3 TD passes, C.J. Stroud has 4 INTs as Patriots top Texans to advance to AFC title game

    FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Mike Vrabel returned to New England on a mission to have the franchise playing again in meaningful games in January — as he did so often as a player.

    In his first year as the head coach, he wanted to do it by building a culture of players that wanted to perform for each another. Their most complete team effort of the season has the Patriots one win from a trip to the Super Bowl.

    Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes in the snow and rain, Marcus Jones returned one of C.J. Stroud’s four interceptions for a score and the Patriots defeated the Houston Texans 28-16 on Sunday to advance to the AFC championship game for the first time in seven years.

    The Patriots (16-3) will take on the Broncos (15-3) in Denver next Sunday, with the winner advancing to the NFL’s title game in three weeks.

    “Everybody’s stepping up. We’re using everybody. Everybody’s making plays. Everybody’s helping us win,” said Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls as a playmaking linebacker for the Patriots. “I’m excited for these guys, but also, they’re not satisfied, and I can tell that.”

    The Patriots — winners of 15 of their last 16 games — will make their 16th conference championship game appearance and first since their run to their sixth Super Bowl title under Bill Belichick in the 2018 season. New England has won its last nine divisional round games.

    Maye finished 16 of 27 for 179 yards, but had an interception and fumbled four times, losing two in cold conditions in which snow and rain fell throughout. One of Maye’s fumbles set up Houston’s first touchdown.

    “Just proud of the guys,” Maye said. “Battled the elements. This is New England. This is what we’re trying to embrace and we want to embrace all season long. Props to our defense, played a hell of a game. We’ve got to protect the football better, but we made enough plays to win it.”

    Carlton Davis III had two interceptions for New England. Craig Woodson added an interception and fumble recovery.

    New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (25) returns an interception for a touchdown against Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson (19) during the first half of an NFL divisional playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

    “They bring it every week,” Maye said of his defense. “It’s fun to watch. And we could help them out some more, but just proud of the guys. Enjoy this one, and we’re back on the road.”

    The eight combined turnovers — Woody Marks also lost a fumble for Houston — were the most in a playoff game since 2015 when the Cardinals and Panthers combined for eight in the NFC championship game.

    The Texans (13-6) have lost in the divisional round in three straight seasons under coach DeMeco Ryans. The franchise fell to 0-7 in this round.

    “It’s tough to win a game when you turn the ball over five times,” Ryans said.

    Stroud finished 20 of 47 with a TD pass. All of his interceptions came in the first half as he became the first player with five or more INTs and five or more fumbles in a single postseason. Will Anderson forced two fumbles for the Texans.

    New England Patriots linebacker K’lavon Chaisson, right, hits Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud during the first half of an NFL divisional playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

    “I feel like I let people down,” Stroud said. “I’m not happy with that. It hurts. I’m not used to it.”

    Leading 21-16 in the fourth quarter, the Patriots stretched their lead to 27-16 when Kayshon Boutte got behind Derek Stingley Jr. and pulled in a diving, one-hand catch in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.

    The Texans had the ball with 5:48 to play, but punted on fourth-and-18 at their own 21 with 4:18 remaining.

    New England’s next drive took the clock under two minutes. But the Texans turned it over on downs when Stroud’s fourth-down pass to Xavier Hutchinson was batted down by Robert Spillane.

    The Patriots now go back on the road, where they are 8-0 this season.

    “We feel like we deserve to be here,” Maye said. “I like our chances with those guys in the locker room.”

    Early action

    With the Patriots leading 7-3 early, a series of miscues produced the next two scores.

    Maye was strip-sacked by Danielle Hunter deep in Patriots territory, but left tackle Will Campbell fell on the ball and the Patriots punted.

    The Texans gave it right back when Stroud’s deep pass along the sideline was intercepted by Davis III.

    Maye fumbled again when he attempted to run on a busted play and had the ball stripped by Tommy Togiai and recovered by Azeez Al-Shaair. Six plays later, Stroud linked up with Christian Kirk on a 10-yard touchdown pass.

    But on Houston’s next drive, Stroud was rushed up the middle by K’Lavon Chaisson and he lofted a pass that was intercepted by Jones and returned for the score to put New England back in front.

    Later in the quarter, the Patriots’ lead increased to 21-10 when they capped a five-play, 56-yard drive with a 7-yard TD pass from Maye to Stefon Diggs.

    Mr. Pick-6

    Jones scored on an interception return for the second time this season. It was the first of his career in the playoffs and first for New England in the postseason since Asante Samuel had one vs. Indianapolis on Jan. 21, 2007, in the AFC championship game.

    Injuries

    Texans: TE Dalton Schultz (calf) left in the first quarter and didn’t return. … LG Tytus Howard limped off in the second quarter. … TE Cade Stover left in the fourth with a knee injury and didn’t return.

    Patriots: LB Robert Spillane left in the first quarter with a thumb injury, but returned. … RB TreVeyon Henderson was shaken up after a second quarter run before jogging off. … S Craig Woodson exited after his INT with a head injury, but returned. … RB Rhamondre Stevenson left in the second quarter with an eye issue. … Davis injured his head in the fourth quarter.

  • Jasmine Bascoe scores 22 as Villanova beats Butler

    Jasmine Bascoe scores 22 as Villanova beats Butler

    For sophomore guard Jasmine Bascoe, Villanova is “right where we want to be” after a 73-65 victory over Butler on Sunday at the Finneran Pavilion.

    Bascoe led the way with 22 points and added two rebounds and six assists as Villanova (15-4, 8-2 Big East) maintained its hold on second place in the conference.

    The Wildcats trailed by 33-31 at the half but used a productive third quarter to seal another Big East win. In their last outing, they were thumped, 99-50, at No. 1 UConn on Thursday.

    “We want to be trailing UConn in the Big East,” Bascoe said. “That’s a great spot for us going into the second half of the league [schedule], and then hopefully the Big East Tournament. … So it’s just continuing to push through.”

    Turning it around

    Heading into the game, Villanova coach Denise Dillon urged the team to come out stronger after halftime.

    Butler (8-11, 2-7) went on a 7-0 run in the final 1 minute, 13 seconds of the second quarter. The Bulldogs kept the game close in the first half with efficient shooting, going 60.9% from the field. Meanwhile, Villanova shot just 34.4% from the field and 16.7% from the three-point range in the half.

    Villanova’s Denae Carter in action against Xavier on Jan. 8.

    “[At halftime,] we just acknowledged that we weren’t playing like ourselves in the first half,” Bascoe said. “And to finish off the game right, we had to come out hard in the third quarter. So, you know, we drew up some plays, we intensified our defense, and then it kind of slowed down from there and we didn’t have to force any shots.”

    Carter has her moment

    Villanova opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run of its own. Bascoe sank a three-pointer and layup off a Butler turnover. Then, sophomore forward Dani Ceseretti assisted on a layup by junior forward Brynn McCurry.

    The Wildcats outscored the Bulldogs, 24-15, in the third quarter and led for the rest of the game.

    Graduate forward Denae Carter accounted for 11 of those points, shooting 5-for-7 from the field. She added six points in a scoring burst within the last 1:31 of the quarter.

    Villanova hits a ‘bump in the road’ after struggling with the physicality and experience of St. John’s

    “This is [Carter’s] final run, and when she realizes it, it just fuels her,” Dillon said. “There’s nothing better for this group. You can even see it in the huddle, when all of a sudden she’s like, ‘I’m ready to go.’ … Denae is one of our top defenders, and when she’s disruptive, good things happen for us.”

    With less than four minutes left to play, Carter had to leave the court after she was struck in the face and Butler was charged with a flagrant foul. She finished the game with 15 points and four rebounds.

    Next up

    Villanova visits St. John’s (15-5, 5-4) on Saturday (2 p.m., FS1).

  • St. Joe’s women can’t keep up with George Mason

    St. Joe’s women can’t keep up with George Mason

    St. Joseph’s fell behind in the first half and could not come up with enough offense Sunday in 66-59 women’s basketball loss to George Mason at Hagan Arena. The Hawks have lost two straight.

    St. Joe’s (12-6, 3-4 Atlantic 10) never led. The Hawks cut George Mason’s lead to five points in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, but the Patriots responded with five straight points and the Hawks never recovered.

    “I thought we responded in the second half and did a much better job containing [Kennedy] Harris,” St. Joe’s coach Cindy Griffin said. “I was pleased with the second half. The way we came out and continued to fight and if we make a couple plays here and there, the outcome may be different.”

    Guard Kennedy Harris led George Mason (12-6, 7-0) with 22 points. St. Joe’s had three players score in double figures, led by guard Rhian Stokes with 15 points.

    Can’t stop Harris

    St. Joe’s brought the second-ranked scoring defense in the A-10 into the game, but Harris had few problems cracking it. She poured in 12 points and went 5-for-5 from the field in the first quarter as the Patriots grabbed a 24-16 lead.

    Harris got free at the top of the key for a three-pointer as the halftime buzzer sounded, which sent the Hawks to the locker room down 38-26.

    “Kennedy Harris was really, really good,” Griffin said. “We had to make some adjustments and we did that much better in the second half.”

    The Patriots went the first five minutes of the third quarter without a point before Harris made consecutive jumpers to push their lead back to 43-32.

    Battle on the boards

    George Mason entered the game with a rebounding margin of -2.3, while St. Joe’s had the fourth-best rebounding margin in the conference at 4.3.

    However, the Patriots battled on the glass as each team finished with 33 rebounds. George Mason used the glass to stay ahead in the final quarter, outrebounding St. Joe’s by 9-4. Hawa Komara led the visitors with nine rebounds while Gabby Casey had 10 for the Hawks.

    St. Joe’s guard Kaylinn Bethea (22) fights for the ball with George Mason’s Zahirah Walton.

    The Hawks missed the presence of guard Jill Jekot, who averages 3.6 rebounds. The injured sophomore has not played since Jan. 3 but could be getting closer to coming back.

    “I would love to have had her today,” Griffin said. “Hopefully as the weeks go on she gets stronger because it’s really not about the next game, it’s about the longevity of the season.”

    Next up

    The Hawks visit Duquesne (7-11, 0-7) on Sunday (2 p.m., ESPN+).

  • Florida Atlantic hands Temple men their second straight defeat

    Florida Atlantic hands Temple men their second straight defeat

    First-place Florida Atlantic proved too much for Temple to handle on Sunday as the Owls dropped a 79-73 decision at the Liacouras Center, their second straight loss. FAU outscored Temple by 10 in the final 10 minutes of the game.

    “FAU is a fantastic team. They’re super talented,” said coach Adam Fisher, whose Owls lost at Memphis on Wednesday. “They’ve won their last two [against Wichita State and Memphis]. They’re playing really good basketball, a super-talented group of guards.”

    One of those guards, Josia Parker, led the visiting Owls with 22 points as FAU improved to 13-6, 5-1 in the American Conference. Aiden Tobiason finished with 23 points for Temple (11-7, 3-2), which shot just 36.8% from the field.

    Temple’s defense delivered, clamping down on FAU’s two leading scorers, guards Kanaan Carlyle (seven points) and guard Devin Vanterpool (12). The visitors took control as Parker scored 19 points after halftime.

    Turnovers were a problem for the Owls, who coughed up the ball a season-high 15 times. Guard Jordan Mason scored just five points and finished with one assist before fouling out.

    Forward Jamai Felt had a problem pulling in passes in the first half, but Temple had a 34-30 lead at the break. Felt mishandled a pass from Derrian Ford that could have bumped Temple’s lead to six.

    AJ Smith’s season over

    Fisher said after the game that guard AJ Smith would miss the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury that requires surgery. Smith transferred to Temple this season after playing last year at Charleston.

    The senior guard averaged 7.8 points for the Owls and was a key player off the bench. He has not played since Temple lost to Villanova on Dec. 1.

    “He’s had some past history of it, I think at a previous institution, and tried to play through it at the next institution,” Fisher said. “They looked at it, and we tell him, just like we do anybody, ‘Hey, these are family decisions.’”

    Temple coach Adam Fisher reacts as he watches a three-point shot in the second half against Florida Atlantic.

    Next up

    Temple will visit Rice (8-10, 2-3) on Wednesday (8 p.m., ESPN+).

  • Flyers place Rodrigo Ābols on injured reserve, recall Lane Pederson from Lehigh Valley

    Flyers place Rodrigo Ābols on injured reserve, recall Lane Pederson from Lehigh Valley

    LAS VEGAS — As the Flyers try to work their way out of a six-game losing streak, they’ll have to do it without Rodrigo Ābols.

    The fourth-line center and penalty killer was injured Saturday, 6 minutes, 10 seconds into a 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Ābols appeared to get his right toe stuck in the ice along the boards in the offensive zone, and his ankle buckled.

    One of the first players named to Latvia’s team for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, Ābols was unable to skate off the ice without help. Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said postgame, “It’s not good. I’m not going to get into it, but it’s not good.”

    On Sunday, the 30-year-old was placed on injured reserve. He had three goals and 10 points in 42 games while averaging 10 minutes, 43 seconds of ice time leading up to Saturday. Ābols doubled his point total from last year in 22 games, one of which was his NHL debut.

    Flyers lose their sixth straight to the lowly Rangers amid boos

    In a corresponding move, Lane Pederson was called up from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League. Although Pederson was not at practice on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena, as he made his way from Allentown after playing for the Phantoms on Saturday night, coach Rick Tocchet said he could get some time in the NHL with the center position now thin.

    “We need a centerman, a quick centerman, some speed through the middle,” the coach said. “Can he supply that for us? Yeah, maybe he can. He’s looking for consistency, and so hopefully we can help him.”

    Signed by the Flyers to a one-year, two-way deal worth $775,000 in the NHL on July 1, Pederson was centering the top line for the farm team — at one point between Denver Barkey and Alex Bump. Pederson has 13 goals and 28 points in 37 games, with three of his goals on the power play, one shorthanded, and two game-winners.

    A career minor leaguer, the 28-year-old has played 71 NHL games across four teams: the Arizona Coyotes, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks, and Columbus Blue Jackets.

    His tenure in Arizona crossed paths with Tocchet, the team with whom he made his NHL debut on April 2, 2021, during the COVID-19-shortened season. An undrafted forward, Pederson scored his first NHL goal in his debut.

    And they worked together briefly in Vancouver. Tocchet was hired on Jan. 22, 2023, and Pederson was picked up on waivers by Columbus six days later.

    “He’s a good skater,” Tocchet said. “The thing he’s been chasing is consistency. We had him for a couple of games, and then it’s a drop-off, right? So, he’s been around the block. Here’s a chance for him. We need him.”

    McDonald is no longer on the farm

    Hunter McDonald got a front-row seat to the Flyers’ recent woes on Saturday. The hulking 6-foot-4, 235-pound defenseman was pulled aside by assistant general manager Alyn McCauley after the Phantoms game on Friday and told to pack his bags. He watched the loss to New York from the press box before joining the Orange and Black on the flight to Nevada.

    “Obviously, excitement. Called my parents right away and stuff like that. So just sharing the good news and more work to be had,” said McDonald, the Flyers’ sixth-round pick in 2022.

    The recall became official Saturday night after Rasmus Ristolainen was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. Although a team source said the early findings were positive and that they may have avoided the worst-case scenario, the defenseman did not make the trip west. He was placed on IR to give the Flyers a seventh defenseman.

    Although his parents are on standby in Western New York, there are no guarantees McDonald gets into one of the three games on the road trip this week, beginning Monday against the Vegas Golden Knights (8 p.m., NBCSP). He skated with forward Nic Deslauriers, who was originally drafted as a defenseman, on the fourth pair at practice.

    “He’s played better,” Tocchet said when asked about the reports he received on McDonald. “I think he had a tough start, from what I’ve heard, but I think the last couple of weeks, I think he’s finding his game a little bit.”

    McDonald has five assists in 33 games and is plus-7 with the Phantoms. He has 61 penalty minutes but has been working at finding the line between being a physical defenseman and not getting sent to the penalty box. But don’t worry, the guy who was called a “throwback” to the Broad Street Bullies days by Jerry Keefe, his coach at Northeastern, is still there.

    “I think a bit. Kind of, hitting people,” McDonald said with a chuckle. “I know that’s kind of like what it is, but coming near our net, I want to get a stick on you, ending plays. I think that’s a super important part of the game. If I can end these plays in the D zone, be a pain to play against, and then we can go play offense.”

    Tocchet wasn’t one to shy away from the physical game during his days with the Flyers and called a player who can toe the line between physical and not taking penalties “the ultimate player.”

    “I think like for him is just being a good first-pass D, being really good in front of the net,” Tocchet said. “And he skates pretty well for a big guy. Big guys, you get a guy that can skate, so there’s something there.”

    From sixth-round pick to the NHL? Danny Brière likes Hunter McDonald’s chances.

    Breakaways

    Bobby Brink was a full participant at practice Sunday and skated alongside Matvei Michkov and Noah Cates, with whom he was on a line before suffering an upper-body injury. Brink has missed six games after a blindside hit by Jansen Harkins of the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 6. … Goalie Dan Vladař, who was injured against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday, made the trip but did not participate in practice. … It looked like Tocchet mixed up the defensive pairings with Travis Sanheim and Emil Andrae together, and Cam York skating with Noah Juulsen. Nick Seeler and Jamie Drysdale were reunited. … The Flyers will not face former teammate Carter Hart in Las Vegas. The goalie suffered a lower-body injury on Jan. 8 and went on IR on Jan. 15.

  • Penn women are ‘not where we wanted to be’ after starting 0-3 in Ivy League play

    Penn women are ‘not where we wanted to be’ after starting 0-3 in Ivy League play

    Entering this season, Penn was looking to break its yearly cycle of finishing fourth in Ivy League women’s basketball.

    Now, with the team off to an 0-3 start in league play for the first time since Mike McLaughlin’s first season as head coach in 2009-10, the Quakers look ahead to an uphill battle.

    On Saturday, Penn (10-6, 0-3 Ivy) got off to a 10-0 start against Harvard (9-7, 2-1), relying on high energy and pressing defense to control the pace. Once the game settled, Penn’s offense flatlined, with the Quakers scoring only four total field goals through the second and third quarters — leading to a 53-42 Harvard victory.

    “Great start,” McLaughlin said. “Really proud of the way we came out. Obviously, get out on that type of lead. We just struggled. Struggled to score the ball. Score in transition was probably our biggest challenge.”

    Next up, Penn will host Dartmouth on Monday (2 p.m., ESPN+).

    ‘Not where anyone wants to be’

    After finishing their nonconference games on a five-game winning streak, the Quakers then dropped three straight against Princeton, Brown, and Harvard to fall to the bottom of the Ivy League standings, alongside Yale and Dartmouth.

    “Playing against Princeton in the beginning,” McLaughlin said. “A tough road trip to Brown and a good Harvard team. You know, I don’t want to say it’s just the opponent. I don’t think we’ve played well enough the last two times on the offensive side to beat whoever in our league. Coming in after league play, I was expecting us to come out of the gate a little bit faster, to be honest with you. This makes a lot of pressure on Monday to have some success here, for sure.”

    Ethan Roberts’ impressive return from a ‘severe’ concussion was exactly what Penn needed

    Despite being three weeks into league play, Penn finds itself searching for a must win this week. A loss to the Big Green on Monday would cement Penn at the bottom of the Ivy League standings.

    “Oh-and-three in the league is not where we wanted to be,” McLaughlin said. “It’s not where anyone wants to be, but this team’s got a lot of basketball to go. Monday’s really vital for this program to get where we need to go, and we’ll respond.”

    Not enough help

    During its three-game skid, Penn has been overly reliant on junior guard Mataya Gayle, who led the team with 16 points against Harvard.

    McLaughlin is aware of his team’s top-heavy disposition on offense and hopes other guards will step up in the coming weeks to alleviate defensive attention from Gayle, who shot 39.2% from the field over this three-game stretch.

    Penn’s offense has relied heavily on Mataya Gayle this season.

    “Unfortunately, Mataya has taken some really difficult shots,” McLaughlin said. “I see it. You see it. Everyone sees it. But I think not having other kids that are able to make a play at times [and] pushes the ball back in her hands. That’s a tough hill to get over. With good players you’re playing against, they’re the type of shots you’re going to get, and I don’t like that for us to win.”

    ‘Playing to exhaustion’

    Meanwhile, the 2025 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Katie Collins, is carrying an even larger weight for the Quakers.

    Ranked ninth in scoring, averaging 13.1 points, second in rebounds per game (6.4), and second in blocks per game (1.8) in the Ivy League, Collins, a sophomore, has excelled in a larger role after the departure of frontcourt partner Stina Almqvist.

    “I do think Katie has definitely stepped up,” McLaughlin said. “I mean, this girl is, as you see her, she’s playing to exhaustion. She’s playing both ends of the floor at full pace. I think she’s taken that next step for sure.”

    Katie Collins, a sophomore, is ninth in the Ivy League in scoring.

    Collins also ranks third in total minutes (34.6 per game) in the Ivy League. Against Brown, Collins played 48 of 50 minutes in a double-overtime loss.

    Collins transitioned from center to power forward in the offseason to fill Almqvist’s role in the lineup, which has left a gap at center. Tina Njike and Gabriella Kelley have filled that role, but with a lack of offensive production, McLaughlin has experimented with moving Collins back to center, while subbing in players like Brooke Suttle to boost the lineup.

    “We need her,” McLaughlin said regarding Suttle. “She is going to be in the middle of the lane most of the possessions on both sides of the ball. But some opportunities around the rim, we need more out of her. She’s got to put the ball in the basket. She puts the ball in the basket there, things could change.”

  • The Sixers are still struggling with inconsistency at the NBA’s halfway mark. How will they address it?

    The Sixers are still struggling with inconsistency at the NBA’s halfway mark. How will they address it?

    Monday’s game against the Toronto Raptors showed who the 76ers could be.

    Wednesday and Friday’s matchups against the Cleveland Cavaliers revealed who they are currently.

    As much as their talent level has improved because of health and key offseason additions, these Sixers still don’t know which version of themselves will show up on any particular night, a reality they were reminded of in a 117-115 loss to the Cavs on Friday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

    With Cleveland playing without two-time All-Star Darius Garland (right big toe soreness) and key reserve Sam Merrill (sprained right hand), the Sixers should have been able to make up ground on the fourth-place Raptors (25-18). Instead, they’re seventh in the standings.

    Fortunately for the Sixers (22-18), there are 42 games remaining in the regular season.

    But if it concluded today, they would be bound for the play-in tournament for the second time in three seasons. Last year, the Sixers missed the postseason entirely. And with Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Jared McCain over last season’s injuries, the hope was that the squad would be a contender in the East.

    At times, they appear to be. But this season has been a roller coaster of inconsistency.

    The Sixers will resume play at home Monday against the Indiana Pacers in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day game (6 p.m., NBCSP). On paper, they should defeat the Pacers, who have the NBA’s second-worst record of 10-33.

    Entering this week’s games, it’s unclear if Joel Embiid (21) will play against the Pacers or the Suns.

    But there are several questions the Sixers will face.

    Will Embiid and George play against Indiana or on Tuesday versus the Phoenix Suns, given they haven’t been cleared to play on both nights of back-to-backs?

    Can they resemble the Sixers squad that rarely missed a shot while scoring 80 first-half points in Monday’s 115-102 victory over the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena?

    Or will they come out sluggish and fail to match their opponent’s intensity, as they did in Wednesday’s 133-107 loss to the Cavs (24-19)?

    And will they’ll fail to close out the game as they did in Friday’s loss and in several other winnable games?

    “I think seven or eight [games] this year, where we just had [it] in our hands and then slip away,” Tyrese Maxey said. “Two Detroit games up in the fourth quarter, let them slip away. Chicago [on Nov. 16], same thing. Two of those games, let them slip, and Toronto as well [on Sunday]. Both times, had them beat, kind of let the game slip away. It’s probably more. Just those are the ones that come on top of my head, but those hurt.”

    The Sixers’ success is dependent on Joel Embiid’s ability to make others better

    On Friday, the Sixers had an 11-point cushion with 8 minutes, 47 seconds remaining. After the teams traded baskets, the Sixers missed six straight shots, as Cleveland tied the score at 102.

    The Sixers responded by making four consecutive baskets to build a 111-104 cushion with 3:53 left. But they fell apart down the stretch, turning the ball over before missing five of their final six shots.

    Something to remember: The Sixers have only played with a full complement of key players in their last six games. Even that’s a bit misleading, with Dominick Barlow leaving early in the third quarter of Wednesday’s game with a bruised back. That ugly setback came after the Sixers briefly looked like they’d turned the corner.

    On Monday, the Sixers were on top of their game against the Raptors as the ball moved freely and they boasted balanced scoring. Maxey finished with a game-high 33 points on 10-for-16 shooting. Rookie VJ Edgecombe, his backcourt mate, added 15 points while making 5 of 6 three-pointers.

    But the standout duo, considered among the league’s best young backcourts, failed to have the same scoring impact against Cleveland. Edgecombe had nine points on 3-for-10 shooting on Wednesday — and missed five of six three-pointers. He finished with 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting on Friday. However, only two of his shot attempts came after intermission. The shooting guard didn’t attempt a shot while logging 7:19 in the third quarter, and shot 1-for-2 while playing the entire fourth quarter.

    Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) averaged 18 points on 35.9% shooting in the past two games.

    Meanwhile, Cleveland appears to be Maxey’s Kryptonite.

    The point guard, an All-Star in 2023-24, entered Saturday as the league’s third-leading scorer at 30.3 points per game. However, he averaged 18 points on 35.9% shooting — including making just 4 of 16 three-pointers — in the past two games.

    “They do a good job on all my ball screens, and they just put a lot of attention on me,” Maxey said of his struggles against the Cavs. “So it’s a lot of times, even when I’m coming off a ball screen with Joel, and Jarrett Allen’s guarding him … I’m throwing it back to Joel. So, I mean, that was that, and then I missed some good looks tonight.”

    Sixers mailbag: Will Joel Embiid make the All-Star Game? Will Jared McCain be here after the trade deadline?

    Maxey and the Sixers will attempt to regroup during this week’s games against the Pacers, Suns, Houston Rockets (Thursday), and New York Knicks (Saturday). They should have a great opportunity to climb up the standings with all four of those contests at home, but the Sixers are 10-11 at Xfinity and 12-7 on the road.

    But the big question is: Which team will show up?

  • Sixers utilize six-game homestand to connect with the community during MLK Day weekend

    Sixers utilize six-game homestand to connect with the community during MLK Day weekend

    Two games into their six-game homestand, the 76ers took time for a community event at their practice facility, where they brought in in 40 local kids from Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia.

    The Sixers often attend community charity events individually or in small groups. Saturday’s event, in honor of Martin Luther King day and Mentorship Month, was a rare full team event, something the players said helped them decompress after Friday’s loss.

    “It’s cool to see the entire team here, entire staff, that’s a really cool scenario,” Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey said. “I’ve never done this since I’ve been here.”

    The team split into small groups with the students and competed in a series of different games, including a basketball obstacle relay course, knockout, a math station, and a rock, paper, scissors challenge featuring a few hula hoops, which many of the Sixers chose to bypass.

    Through each of the four stations, the teams worked to earn points, which ultimately led to a win for star rookie VJ Edgecombe’s team.

    Sixers big man Dominick Barlow enjoyed the down time with the students and his teammates.

    “[I love] just being around the guys, I like these events,” Barlow said. “Obviously, when we’re around like the youth and the community, we get to show them that they mean a lot to us, and we try to give that back to them.”

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    Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia is a non-profit that helps put students from underserved parts of the Philadelphia area on the path for top high schools and colleges, and helps educate and inspire the next generation of teachers through a teacher-in-residence program.

    The organization was a Sixers Youth Foundation grantee and served 211 total students across grades five through 12 in 2024-25.

    “Seeing the smile on some of these kids faces, obviously, some guys on the team are their favorite players, like Tyrese, VJ,” Trendon Watford said. “It’s just good to see the smile on their faces, and take a little time out of our day to make their day.”

  • Bradley Carnell orchestrated the Union’s success in 2025. His second season in charge matters more.

    Bradley Carnell orchestrated the Union’s success in 2025. His second season in charge matters more.

    Nestled under all the success of last season for the Union is that their manager, Bradley Carnell, proved yet again that he’s one of Major League Soccer’s bona fide tacticians.

    In his first season at the helm, he came within one point of the club’s record, a statistic that originally took more than a decade to amass. He guided the Union to their second Supporters’ Shield, which is given to the club with MLS’s best regular-season record.

    With 30 teams vying for the shield, that’s no small thing.

    While aspirations of their second MLS Cup final appearance were dashed in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, success was already apparent, and Carnell, 48, was orchestrator, the proof in the form of the 2025 MLS Coach of the Year award.

    However, in the afterglow of a banner year for the Union, Carnell knows the limelight, particularly for him, is fleeting. He’ll never admit it, but his vision board, whether real or imaginary, surely includes the notion that success this season would right a lot of wrongs along his coaching path.

    He knows it. It’s why in a conversation with Union sideline reporter Sage Hurley, he said: “I take personal accolades and forget about them very quickly. In our business, it’s very fluid, very daily, and we focus on the present.”

    Bottom line: Judge this manager not by what he has done, but by what he does in 2026.

    Here’s why:

    Been here before

    It’s important to remind folks that what Carnell accomplished with the Union last season wasn’t new for him over his nine seasons in MLS. Replicating it or even eclipsing it in Year 2 would be.

    Why? Because he’s well aware of just how quickly a sophomore slump can turn into a crash-and-burn.

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    In his previous stint as a manager, Carnell’s St. Louis City SC became the first expansion team to win its conference in its inaugural season. St. Louis topped the Western Conference with a 17-12-5 record and reached the 2023 MLS playoffs.

    Like the Union this year, St. Louis crashed out of the playoffs early. It was swept in a best-of-three first-round series against Sporting Kansas City after entering the tournament with the fourth-highest point total (56) that season.

    Copy and paste.

    As coach of expansion team St. Louis City SC, Carnell led the team to the best regular-season record in MLS’s Western Conference.

    Carnell didn’t even finish the following season. He was replaced in July following a dismal start in which St. Louis was at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with just three wins.

    But in his final regular-season news conference of 2025, while answering questions about who will orchestrate player moves with sporting director Ernst Tanner on leave amid an investigation into his alleged misconduct, Carnell was asked what he learned from the season to ensure he doesn’t find himself in the same boat.

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    He seemed like he couldn’t wait for someone to bring it up.

    “This has been an amazing journey for me as a coach,” Carnell said. “I’ve grown up, and I’ve learned a lot more through the players and the engagement and just the people here at the front office. [I’ve learned that] when there’s support, alignment, [and] collaboration, a lot can be achieved. I think we’ve shown that over the course of the year that we are all pulling in the same direction.”

    One final question

    A big takeaway, Carnell said, too, is just how easily he assimilated into the culture of the club, its fans, and the city. Philly feels like home for the South Africa native, as he noted that the team and front office have made it easy for him and others who felt like outsiders to want to be here.

    “I think about [former Union defender] Kai Wagner, who has been here multiple years now. You would assume he’s from Philadelphia,” Carnell said. “There’s a certain edge and a drive and a determination and a quality about this group. That speaks volumes for the development of the club and the development of people, staff, and players.”

    It’s safe to say the pressure Carnell will feel entering Year 2 will eclipse his second year with St. Louis. The Union made massive changes in the offseason, as proven players (like Wagner) were brokered for top dollar and replaced by some complete unknowns.

    Bradley Carnell (right) was all smiles last season, celebrating the Union’s Supporters’ Shield title with midfielder Danley Jean Jaques.

    Also, Carnell wasn’t operating St. Louis City during a FIFA World Cup year in a city that will host six matches. Soccer eyes will be on MLS — and just how good the local MLS club is. Especially one that was the league’s best under his guidance a year before.

    Another thing he won’t admit: There is newfound pressure for the Union to come out strong — not just to further erase the pain of coming up short last season, but also because events like a World Cup tend to bring transformative change within an organization.

    The club won’t admit it, but there are questions in the background that perhaps only top Union management and ownership can answer. But no one expects those questions to arise until the afterglow of the World Cup.

    Union majority owner Jay Sugarman has figured out how to remain one of the league’s best clubs on a shoestring budget. Carnell is a big reason.

    There also are other reasons. The obvious is that, entering a seven-week World Cup break beginning in May, sitting near the top of the Eastern Conference standings bodes well once MLS play resumes.

    And while he’ll naturally mask that last factor by suggesting that the focus is “on the collective,” a familiar phrase from his first season in Philly, nothing would make people forget his sophomore slump in St. Louis more than not replicating something similar in 2026 with the Union.

    Follow the Inquirer’s complete coverage of Union soccer right here!

    “Around 11 months ago, we stepped in here in a world of our own,” Carnell said. “I hope 11 months later, through the team’s performance and collective effort, some of those questions have been answered.”

    Some have, sure. But on a personal level for this manager, heading into 2026, just one more needs closure.

    Players showered manager Bradley Carnell with a lot more than just praise after the team’s massive 2025 season.
  • Mohamed Toure once transformed Pleasantville’s football team. Now, he’ll play for a national title.

    Mohamed Toure once transformed Pleasantville’s football team. Now, he’ll play for a national title.

    Mohamed Toure may have the chance to lift a trophy in the final game of his seven-year college football career.

    Toure, a native of Pleasantville, Atlantic County, will take the field alongside his Miami teammates as the 10th-seeded Hurricanes seek their first national championship since 2001 against top-seeded Indiana on Monday in Miami (7:30 p.m., ESPN).

    In his first year at Miami, Toure has been the anchor of a defensive unit that has allowed 14 points per game, ranking fifth in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

    Toure transferred to Miami in May to use his final year of graduate eligibility after playing three seasons in six years at Rutgers. He redshirted, played through the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and suffered two ACL tears while with the Scarlet Knights, which makes Toure a seventh-year player.

    Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed is tackled by Miami linebacker Mohamed Toure on Dec. 20.

    But before Rutgers and Miami, Toure was a star running back and linebacker at Pleasantville High School.

    “To see him play at a high level, and for them to be playing where they’re at right now, it’s just surreal to watch,” said former Pleasantville teammate Elijah Glover, now the school’s head coach. “It’s something I couldn’t imagine when we were 10th graders.”

    Jersey journey

    Toure and Glover, who played college football at Villanova, were freshmen when Chris Sacco took over as head coach for the Greyhounds in 2015. Pleasantville had won just three games over the previous five seasons before Sacco took over, including winless campaigns in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014.

    The Greyhounds went winless again in Sacco’s first season but improved the following season to 4-6. In 2017, the program posted a 7-3 record behind a breakout season from Toure, playing both running back and linebacker. Glover recalls Toure’s 95-yard game-winning fumble return in overtime against Buena Regional High as one of the many moments when he realized his teammate had a future in football.

    “It didn’t happen by accident,” Glover said. “That was the first game of the season. Junior year, he went crazy. It was just like, ‘He’s for real.’”

    Mohamed Toure played running back and linebacker at Pleasantville High School.

    In his senior season, Toure led the Greyhounds to an 8-3 record, rushing for 981 yards and 11 touchdowns, while adding 69 tackles and five sacks on defense. He was named to the all-South Jersey first-team by The Inquirer in 2018.

    The personal accolades for Toure reflected an improbable turnaround for Pleasantville’s football program. Sacco, who is now the athletic director at Hammonton High School, said Toure’s leadership and commitment to Pleasantville was a crucial part of the program’s transformation.

    Mohamed Toure helps turn around Pleasantville football

    “It would have been easy for him, as the type of player that he was, and is, to leave and go to an established program,” Sacco said. “To stay and build something, I always said, ‘it’ll mean more to you, especially down the road. It’ll mean more to your friends and your community. It’ll mean more to the school and this program.’ And I think when you see what he did by staying and essentially helping transform a program, you don’t get much better leadership than that.”

    Road to Rutgers

    Toure’s teammates and coaches at Pleasantville knew that the linebacker would end up playing college football at a power conference school. Toure made explosive plays on the field, but he was also a force off it.

    “You definitely could see it, just in the weight room,” Glover said. “He was doing stuff that none of us could do.”

    Sacco said the recruitment process for Toure started slowly, something the former head coach attributed to the program’s losing reputation. But it picked up during Toure’s junior year, as he led the Greyhounds to a winning season for the first time in a decade.

    Toure was ranked as a three-star recruit and had 17 scholarship offers before he decided on Rutgers. He took a redshirt year in 2019, but in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Toure led the Scarlet Knights with 4½ sacks in their nine-game campaign.

    He built on that performance with another 4½-sack season in 2021.

    Mohamed Toure, a former Rutgers linebacker, recorded 93 tackles and 4 1/2 sacks in 13 games in 2023.

    Toure was set to be a key piece for new Rutgers linebackers coach Corey Hetherman in 2022, but his season was derailed by an ACL tear in the spring. He returned for the 2023 campaign, serving as a team captain. Toure recorded 93 tackles and 4½ sacks in 13 games that season.

    Toure planned to finish out his college career at Rutgers in 2024 while playing alongside his younger brother Famah, a junior wide receiver. But another preseason ACL tear led Toure to change his plans. He entered the transfer portal after the 2024 season, looking to use his final year of eligibility elsewhere.

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    “Both the situations were very unfortunate, but I also think that he utilized that,” Sacco said. “Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he just refocused that energy into, ‘This is what I need to do to get back and better.’”

    Toure reunited with Hetherman, his former coach at Rutgers, in Miami. Hetherman spent the 2024 season as the defensive coordinator in Minnesota before joining Mario Cristobal’s staff in the same role ahead of the 2025 season.

    Toure, who leads the Hurricanes with 73 tackles, has been a key piece of Hetherman’s defense.

    Pleasantville power

    Toure stepped into a bigger spotlight as Miami made its improbable run to the national championship game.

    The 10th-seeded Hurricanes became the first double-digit seed to win a game in the playoff with a 10-3 road defeat of No. 7 seed Texas A&M. Without Toure, it could have been the Aggies moving on.

    Toure recorded eight tackles and kept Texas A&M’s Rueben Owens from catching a potentially game-tying touchdown pass with 28 seconds remaining. Toure delivered a vicious hit on the goal line to break up the pass, and the Hurricanes secured the win two plays later.

    Miami then pulled off a 24-14 upset against No. 2 seed and defending national champion Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl quarterfinal. The Hurricanes beat No. 6 seed Ole Miss, 31-27, in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal, with Toure recording four tackles and a sack.

    Their path through the bracket has led the Hurricanes back to Miami, where they will have an opportunity to compete for a title on their home field. While the Hurricanes will likely have the advantage of a home crowd on Monday, Toure will also have a number of fans cheering for him in Atlantic County.

    “It means a lot to the community,” Sacco said. “I know it means a lot to the younger kids to be able to, look at the school and say there’s somebody playing on Monday night for the national championship that went here, and recently.”

    For Glover, Toure’s steps to the national spotlight are a chance to show the high schoolers on his team, including Toure’s youngest brother Sekou, that effort and dedication can take them anywhere, whether in football or in life.

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    “It’s definitely something I’m using just to let them know, like, ‘Yo, it’s possible if you just put the work in and stay down and let things end up how they’re going to be for you,’” Glover said. “Everybody won’t be a Division I recruit, that’s just impossible. But they can end up anywhere they want to be.

    “That’s really the message, besides it being Miami or football. It’s really like, ‘You could go on a big stage of anything you want in this life if you just follow these steps.’”