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Good morning and happy Wednesday! Carter Bahns here on the heels of a momentous day in baseball, MMA and soccer. We’ll discuss all those big stories and more on this hump day, but before we go any further, here’s a name you’ll want to know today and throughout the rest of the week: Alysa Liu.
Liu opened the women’s singles competition with her short program yesterday and is poised to become one of Team USA’s biggest breakout stars. Jasmyn Wimbish wrote a terrific feature on the 20-year-old. I highly suggest you give it a read. And here’s where you can track today’s Olympics action.
With that, let’s go.
⚾ Five things to know Wednesday
- Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano are coming out of retirement. Two MMA legends will return to the cage for a five-round fight on May 16 under Most Valuable Promotions. Rousey, a UFC Hall of Famer and the first female fighter to sign with the promotion, will fight for the first time in nearly a decade while Carano is set to break a 17-year hiatus. The event, which features two of the biggest names in women’s combat sports history, is set to unfold at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
- MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark resigned. Clark reportedly stepped down after an internal investigation revealed an “inappropriate” relationship with his sister-in-law. The timing of his resignation could not come at a more pivotal moment for the MLBPA, which is in the midst of a federal investigation into financial impropriety and is about to engage in potentially tense negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement. The present CBA expires Dec. 1, and a realistic threat of a lockout looms. A change in leadership only complicates matters and is the latest reason why the start of the 2027 season is already in jeopardy.
- Team USA picked up two silver medals and opened the women’s figure skating competition. The Americans added to their third-place overall medal count tally with podium finishes in the men’s freeski big air and men’s speedskating team pursuit. Mac Forehand excelled in the former while Team USA finished behind only Italy in the latter. No medals were on the line quite yet in women’s figure skating, but the competition was the marquee event of the evening and saw two-thirds of the “Blade Angels” put on a show. Alysa Liu stands in third place heading into Thursday’s free skate while Isabeau Levito resides in eighth. Things, unfortunately, did not go according to plan for Amber Glenn as she slipped to 13th after backing out of one of her jumps. Here’s what to watch as Olympic action continues today, and here’s where you can follow all of the day’s action.
- Michigan notched the biggest win of the day in college basketball. It was another statement victory for the top-ranked Wolverines, who built a commanding early lead on No. 7 Purdue in a hostile road environment and rolled to a 91-80 triumph — their sixth straight double-digit win. Matt Norlander has more on the big game. Dusty May’s squad improved to 9-0 in Quad 1 opportunities ahead of Saturday’s non-conference battle with No. 3 Duke. Elsewhere, No. 16 North Carolina was all kinds of overwhelmed in an 82-52 rivalry loss at NC State, marking its largest loss in the series since 1962. Also, unranked Iowa defeated No. 9 Nebraska, 57-52.
- Real Madrid and PSG were victorious in UEFA Champions League playoff matches. Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Benfica in the knockout stage playoff was soured, however, by an alleged racial incident involving Vinicius Junior which led to a delay of nearly 12 minutes. In other action, Juventus fell on their face in a 5-2 loss to Galatasaray in the most lopsided first-leg match of the playoff round. Four more men’s matches are on the docket today, while the women’s knockout playoffs feature a pair of second-leg contests.
📈📉 Do not miss this: First NBA front office rankings of 2026
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With the NBA trade deadline in the rearview mirror, it’s time for Sam Quinn to deliver his biannual front office rankings. This analysis of organizations’ abilities to construct competitive rosters comes every February and July after the trade deadline and free agency, and once again, the Thunder stand atop the league with the best and brightest braintrust in basketball.
The Thunder and Celtics have been Nos. 1 and 2 in every edition of the front office rankings, and there is no reason to downgrade them as they remain two of the top championship contenders on the heels of prolific 2024-25 runs. So let’s look elsewhere.
- Biggest riser: Hornets (up eight spots)
- Biggest fallers: Clippers, Magic (down six spots)
Why is the needle pointing upward in Charlotte?
- Quinn: “The Hornets are on a heater. Their 2024 draft hasn’t given them much (though there have been recent signs of life from Tidjane Salaun!), but they went 3 for 3 in 2025. Sion James and Ryan Kalkbrenner both have obvious niches as long-term role players, but the real win was Kon Knueppel.“
🔠 MLB offseason grades: Dodgers pass with flying colors, Twins fail
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Full-squad workouts are underway at spring training sites across Major League Baseball, and with that, the offseason is effectively over. Which clubs aced it on the hot stove and which enter 2026 with more questions than answers? Our offseason report card puts a bow on a busy winter that saw the Dodgers and Mariners come out as the biggest winners.
Dayn Perry explained why the Dodgers’ “A” grade is a no-brainer.
- Perry: “The back-to-back champs remain the standard when it comes to investing in on-field success. Rather than rest on their substantial laurels this winter, the Dodgers went out and signed the best free agent available (Kyle Tucker) and landed an upgrade at closer (Edwin Díaz).”
All but two teams received passing grades. The Twins were one of those that flunked, as they received an “F” for failing to fully embrace a rebuild. And our panel of MLB experts is tepid on the Giants after their hiring of manager Tony Vitello and some underwhelming roster moves.
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
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- Mike Evans has at least another year in him. The legendary Buccaneers wide receiver reportedly plans to play in 2026 and will explore his options as an unrestricted free agent.
- Robert Woods, meanwhile, is calling it a career. After 13 years in the NFL and Super Bowl run in 2018, he signed a one-day contract to retire with the Rams.
- This week’s women’s bracketology projects Vanderbilt to remain a No. 2 seed despite its upset of Texas.
- The window to use the franchise tag is open. Don’t expect the Seahawks to use theirs on Kenneth Walker III, though. And the Bengals have a big decision to make with Trey Hendrickson.
- USWNT coach Emma Hayes named her 26-player roster for the SheBelieves Cup, which kicks off March 1.
- Could we see Tiger Woods at the 2026 Masters? He is not ruling out a return to Augusta National.
- Just one week after he fractured his hand, Caleb Wilson is already trending toward making his return for North Carolina “soon,” according to coach Hubert Davis.
- While the NBA is actively working to curb tanking, Mark Cuban explained why the league would be better served to embrace intentional losing. Speaking of tanking, these teams are doing a pretty good job of it.
- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called for Casey Wasserman — the head of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics organizing team — to resign after he was named in the Epstein files.
- Brandon Aubrey is set to become a restricted free agent this offseason, and these four teams could pry the star kicker away from the Cowboys.
- Tyreek Hill spoke for the first time since his release from the Dolphins and hinted that his career is not done yet.
- Eli Manning is at peace with his exclusion from the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
- James Harrison defended Ben Roethlisberger amid a “pure out attack” on his character by Joey Porter.
- Meet Jason Crowe Jr., the most prolific scorer in high school basketball who could change Missouri’s fortunes.
- Here are the top five NFL Draft prospects at every offensive position heading into the combine that will start next week.
📺 What we’re watching Wednesday
🏅 Women’s Curling: United States vs. Great Britain, 3:05 a.m. on Peacock
🏅 Women’s Alpine Skiing: Slalom run 1, 4 a.m. on USA Network
🏅 Women’s Cross-Country Skiing: Team sprint final, 5:45 a.m. on Peacock
🏅 Men’s Snowboarding: Slopestyle final, 6:30 a.m. on Peacock
🏅 Women’s Alpine Skiing: Slalom run 2, 7:30 a.m. on Peacock
🏅 Men’s Curling: United States vs. Great Britain, 8:05 a.m. on Peacock
⚽ UEFA Champions League, leg 1: Newcastle United at FK Qarabag, 12:45 p.m. on Paramount+
⚽ UEFA Women’s Champions League, leg 2: Paris FC at Real Madrid, 12:45 p.m. on Paramount+
⚽ UEFA Champions League, leg 1: Inter Milan at Bodo/Glimt, 3 p.m. on Paramount+
⚽ UEFA Champions League, leg 1: Atletico Madrid at Club Brugge, 3 p.m. on CBS Sports Network/Paramount+
⚽ UEFA Champions League, leg 1: Bayer Leverkusen at Olympiacos, 3 p.m. on Paramount+
⚽ UEFA Women’s Champions League, leg 2: OH Leuven at Arsenal, 3 p.m. on Paramount+
🏅 Men’s Hockey, quarterfinal: United States vs. Sweden, 3:10 p.m. on NBC
⚽ CONCACAF Champions Cup: Philadelphia Union at Defence Force FC, 6 p.m. on FS2
🏀 No. 20 Arkansas at No. 25 Alabama (M), 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Creighton at No. 5 UConn (M), 7 p.m. on TNT
🏀 No. 15 Baylor at No. 20 Texas Tech (W), 7 p.m. on ESPN+
🏀 No. 1 UConn at Villanova (W), 7 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 No. 10 Ohio State at No. 23 Minnesota (W), 8 p.m. on Big Ten Plus
⚽ CONCACAF Champions Cup: FC Cincinnati at O&M FC, 8 p.m. on FS2
🏀 No. 23 BYU at No. 4 Arizona (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 8 Kansas at Oklahoma State (M), 9 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 No. 10 Illinois at USC (M), 10 p.m. on Big Ten Network
⚽ CONCACAF Champions Cup: Vancouver Whitecaps FC at CS Cartagines, 10 p.m. on Tubi
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