Month: February 2026

Michigan guard Elliot Cadeau directed traffic and stayed composed in the raucous Breslin Center, leading the third-ranked Wolverines to a victory over in-state rival No. 7 Michigan State on Friday night. Cadeau’s poise in the Wolverines’ 83-71 win caught the attention of FOX Sports play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson, and earned him a spot on Johnson’s weekly “GOT IT” team. “What a game, Elliott,” Johnson said. “You ended with 17 points, six assists. You hit three 3s. But it’s not the numbers. It’s the timely baskets when the game is on the line.” Cadeau pulled up for a right-wing 3 to give Michigan a 69-63 lead with 3:08 remaining. He hit two free throws to extend the lead to double digits with 44 seconds to play. He made three 3-pointers for the fourth time this season. His perimeter shot has been his greatest point of improvement in his junior year. Cadeau spent two seasons at North Carolina before transferring to Michigan. He shot 18.9% as a freshman with the Tar Heels and 33.7% last season. His efficiency has skyrocketed to 42% on 4.2 attempts per game. Not every player can increase their effectiveness at a greater volume, but Cadeau has. Having elite surrounding talent leading to more open shots doesn’t hurt. While Cadeau’s 3 has been a pleasant surprise for Michigan and Dusty May, the Wolverines’ head coach brought him to Ann Arbor because he could unleash that surrounding talent with his facilitation abilities. “Not only did you hit big shots,” Johnson said to Cadeau. “You got your teammates involved. You knew where to hit them on their sweet spots tonight.” “That just comes with practicing every day, building chemistry on and off the court,” Cadeau replied. Cadeau created an easy layup for Morez Johnson Jr. in the final moments. He ended Friday’s game with six assists. More importantly, he kept his team calm in a hostile environment, leading Michigan to its first win in the Breslin Center since Jan. 13, 2018.

Keaton Wagler scored 28 points and No. 9 Illinois won its 11th straight game, beating No. 5 Nebraska on Sunday, 78-69, in the first matchup of top-10 teams the Cornhuskers have hosted. The Fighting Illini (19-3, 10-1 Big Ten), who haven’t lost since falling 83-80 at home to Nebraska on Dec. 13, held the Huskers to four field goals in the first 13 minutes of the second half. Nebraska (20-2, 9-2) lost its second straight. The Huskers were beaten on the road Tuesday by another top-10 opponent, No. 3 Michigan, ending their 24-game win streak dating to last season. Jake Davis finished with 13 points for Illinois, Tomislav Ivisic scored 12 and David Mirkovic had 10. Braden Frager returned for Nebraska after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury and scored 20 points. Pryce Sandfort added 14 points, Sam Hoiberg had 13 and Jamarques Lawrence scored 10. Nebraska hit 11 of 20 3-pointers before halftime to lead 39-33 at the break. But the Huskers made only four 3s in the second half against a tightened Illinois defense. The Illini outscored Nebraska 18-8 to open the second half. A 3-pointer by Wagler with 13:05 left put Illinois ahead 49-47, a lead it did not relinquish. Wagler hit another 3 with 6:45 remaining to cap a 10-0 run that made it 63-52. The Huskers trailed by at least seven points the rest of the way. While Illinois made nine 3-pointers to 15 for Nebraska, the Illini dominated at the free-throw line, outscoring the Huskers 21-4. Illinois also had a 10-point edge in the paint and a 40-27 advantage in rebounds. Next, Illinois hosts Northwestern on Wednesday, and Nebraska visits Rutgers on Saturday. Reporting by The Associated Press.

In terms of preseason betting odds, the Seattle Seahawks-New England Patriots matchup in Super Bowl LX is the most unlikely Super Bowl matchup ever — and someone close to one of the teams was able to cash off that stat. Patriots fullback Jack Westover’s sister placed a $5 bet on her brother’s team to take on the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX back in training camp. Roughly six months later, she’s $18,000 richer as a result of the bet, Westover told KJR 93.3 FM in an interview. “She has her second baby on the way, so she’s happy about that,” Westover said. Westover’s comment implies that his sister wagered the Patriots and Seahawks to meet in Super Bowl LX at roughly +360000 odds, capitalizing on the longshot odds each team would be playing in Santa Clara on Feb. 8. Regardless of who wins Super Bowl LX, it will be the most unlikely Super Bowl champion in terms of preseason betting odds since 1999, when the Rams had +15000 odds to win the Super Bowl. The Patriots held +8000 odds to win the Super Bowl entering the year, while the Seahawks had +6000 preseason odds to win it all when the regular season began. Westover and his family grew up in Washington, so his sister’s wager might have been a bit of a homer bet. The second-year fullback actually began his NFL career with the Seahawks, joining them as an undrafted free agent in 2024 before getting cut at the end of training camp that year. He spent the majority of his childhood in Bellevue, Washington, and was a walk-on at Washington, starring as a tight end for the Huskies team that made the national championship game in 2023. Just over a month after Westover was released by the Seahawks, he joined the Patriots’ practice squad. He found a spot on the Patriots’ 53-man roster when he decided to switch his position from tight end to fullback over the offseason, carving himself a role in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ offense. Westover didn’t have a terribly productive year. He has two catches on three targets for eight yards between the regular season and playoffs. He also hasn’t recorded a carry, but he’s played in 24.2% of the Patriots’ offensive snaps this season and been a special teams contributor.

Sam Darnold has quarterbacked the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl after leaving the Minnesota Vikings in the offseason, and Justin Jefferson can’t help but think what could’ve been if the quarterback remained in the Twin Cities for another year. In fact, the Vikings’ star wide receiver admitted in an interview with USA Today that he thinks his team would’ve done better than the 9-8 record they posted in 2025 had they kept Darnold. “Everyone knows the difficulty of the quarterback position this year, how we were dealt it, but having a quarterback that already had a season under his belt with us, knew the plays, knew the playbook, knew the players, throwing to me, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, all these guys, I definitely feel like we would’ve done better,” Darnold said. “But it is what it is, it’s on to newer and better things. But I’m definitely happy and proud of him that he is able to reach it this year.” Of course, the Vikings opted to go with J.J. McCarthy, who the team selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, at quarterback this season, even after Darnold’s strong 2024 campaign. McCarthy struggled on the field and had multiple injury concerns during the 2025 season, completing 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 10 games. Darnold, meanwhile, threw for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions to help the Seahawks go 14-3 in the regular season. He’s also played well this postseason, throwing for 346 yards and three touchdowns in the Seahawks’ NFC Championship Game victory over the Los Angeles Rams last week. That’s a major step up from how Darnold played in the Vikings’ final two games last season, when they put up just 18 total points as they saw their season end in the wild-card round. Jefferson thinks that could’ve been the Vikings hoisting the NFC title if they kept Darnold. “Yeah, for sure, definitely,” Jefferson told USA Today when asked if he’s thought about the Vikings playing in the Super Bowl had Darnold stayed. Darnold was actually better with the Vikings last season than he was with the Seahawks this season. He threw for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions to go with a 102.5 passer rating. The Vikings won 14 games as a result of Darnold’s play, and the quarterback earned himself a three-year, $100.5 million payday from the Seahawks in the offseason. Jefferson’s numbers were certainly with Darnold last season than they were with McCarthy and the Vikings’ backup quarterbacks this season. Jefferson had 103 receptions for 1,533 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024 before recording 84 catches for 1,048 yards and two touchdowns in 2025. The Vikings seemed to get some improved play from McCarthy as the season went on, and Minnesota was able to win its last five games. Still, that isn’t much compared to the Super Bowl run that the Seahawks and Darnold are on, and Jefferson knows it. “It’s definitely tough. It’s tough to watch,” Jefferson said. “I love that he’s in the Super Bowl. I’m happy for him, I want nothing but the best for him, especially the way his journey was at first, people doubting him and people not giving him the respect. Now they’re giving him the respect. Now they’re seeing that he’s a top-tier quarterback in this league. “Of course, selfishly, I wish he had done that for us last year, but to see him blossom and bounce back right after last year and make it this year, I’m happy for him and I hope he wins. I’m rooting for Seattle and I think Seattle’s gonna win. I’ll be rooting for him.”

Angela Dugalic scored a season-high 22 points and had a career-high five steals as No. 2 UCLA extended its winning streak to 15 with an 88-65 victory over No. 8 Iowa on Sunday. Kiki Rice had 17 points and seven assists and Lauren Betts scored 16 points as the Bruins (21-1, 11-0 Big Ten) remained the only undefeated team in conference play while improving to 10-0 at home. UCLA has won both of its games against Iowa since moving to the Big Ten last season. The Bruins shot 57.8% from the floor and went 6 of 12 from 3-point range after they entered fifth in the nation from distance at 38.4%. Iowa shot 43.4% from the field. Ava Heiden scored 19 points and Hannah Stuelke added 13 for the Hawkeyes (18-3, 9-2), who went 0-2 on their trip to Los Angeles. They lost 81-69 to Southern California on Thursday. Taylor Stremlow scored 12 points for Iowa, which fell behind by double digits midway through the second quarter and never threatened the rest of the way. Iowa led 5-2 just over two minutes into the game before UCLA went on a 6-0 run and never trailed again. The Bruins led 17-13 after one quarter and were up 28-18 near the midway point of the second. UCLA led 39-28 at halftime, shooting 54.8% from the floor and getting 10 points from Dugalic. The Bruins pushed ahead 58-30 with an 11-0 run in the third quarter. Iowa got within 66-53 on a 3-pointer from Stremlow with 7:07 remaining before UCLA went on a 14-4 burst. Reporting by The Associated Press.