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Good morning and happy Friday! It’s Carter Bahns at the keyboard today as we enter the first weekend without football since August. I know — it’s hard to move on from one season to the next, but at least we have a plethora of fun events over the next few days to ease the process. The Winter Olympics are in full swing, NBA All-Star Weekend is upon us and the Daytona 500 is here. Sounds like a pretty entertaining weekend to me.

Let’s dive in.

🇺🇸 Five things to know Friday

  1. Team USA crushed Latvia in men’s hockey, but the Americans had a tough day on the slopes. The 5-1 win on the ice, fueled by a pair of goals from Brock Nelson, headlined Day 6 at the Winter Olympics for the United States. The men’s hockey squad bounced back after having two goals overturned to cruise to victory in its first game of the tournament. Up next is another preliminary round game against Denmark on Saturday. Not everything went Team USA’s way in the Milan Cortina Games yesterday, though. Chloe Kim saw her reign over the women’s snowboard halfpipe world come to an end with a silver-medal finish, and Breezy Johnson crashed out of the Super-G. But all was not lost for Johnson. She got engaged moments after her run.
  2. Trinidad Chambliss received a preliminary injunction against the NCAA. Ole Miss got its quarterback back. A Mississippi judge ruled in Chambliss’ favor in one of the highest profile court cases in college football history, paving the way for the breakout star to return to the Rebels for 2026 despite having exhausted his eligibility. The injunction blocks the NCAA from enforcing its eligibility rules against Chambliss until after a later hearing, which may not come until after next season.
  3. Jaren Jackson Jr. will undergo knee surgery. Days after they acquired Jackson at the NBA trade deadline, the Utah Jazz are gearing up to be without their two-time All-Star potentially through the end of the season. Jackson is reportedly expected to make a full recovery from the procedure, which will remove a pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) growth from his left knee. The Jazz discovered the disease in a post-trade physical.
  4. Caleb Wilson is out indefinitely with a broken hand. The timing of this injury could not be worse for North Carolina, which will be without its best player for the foreseeable future as the NCAA Tournament quickly approaches. While X-rays taken during Tuesday’s loss at Miami came back negative, further imaging upon UNC’s return to Chapel Hill revealed a fracture in Wilson’s left hand. The star freshman who is averaging 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game is a projected top-five NBA Draft pick.
  5. The Nick Castellanos era in Philadelphia is over. The Phillies released Castellanos after they failed to find a trade partner for their 33-year-old outfielder. The team will owe Castellanos his $20 million salary for the 2026 season minus the prorated portion of the $780,000 league minimum if and when he signs with another club. Coming off the worst year of his career, the two-time All-Star does not have an obvious landing spot because of his shaky defense but could latch on as a designated hitter or sign with an outfield-needy squad.

⭐ Do not miss this: NBA All-Star Weekend tips off tonight in Los Angeles

2026 NBA All-Star Game Hosted by LA Clippers at Intuit Dome

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The NBA finalized on Thursday the rosters for its new All-Star Game format, announcing De’Aaron Fox as a replacement for the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo. Fox became the 28th player selected to the All-Star Game, which features a USA vs. World format and includes three teams (USA Stars, USA Stripes, Team World) competing for cash. Players on the winning team earn $125,000 each while second-place finishers win $50,000 and the third-place squad secures $25,000 apiece.

All-Star Weekend opens tonight with the All-Star Celebrity Game (7 p.m.) and Rising Stars (9 p.m.). All-Star Saturday (5 p.m.) features the 3-Point Contest, Shooting Stars and Slam Dunk Contest. And the main event, the All-Star Game, tips off at 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Here are the betting favorites for each event:

  • NBA Rising Stars: Team Melo (+155)
  • Shooting Stars: Team Knicks (+150)
  • 3-Point Contest: Kon Knueppel (+380)
  • Slam Dunk Contest: Carter Bryant (+180)
  • All-Star Game: USA Stripes (+150)
  • All-Star Game MVP: Victor Wembanyama (+450)

🏁 Kyle Busch takes pole position in Daytona 500

NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 - Duel 2 at Daytona

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The “Great American Race” is set for Sunday, and Kyle Busch will open in pole position after he finished first in Daytona 500 qualifying earlier this week. Last year’s pole-sitter, Chase Briscoe, stands second in the lineup. The Duels on Thursday determined positions Nos. 3-40 for the famed 500-mile NASCAR Cup Series race. Corey LaJoie, Chandler Smith, BJ McLeod and JJ Yeley failed to qualify.

The countdown to the green flag begins at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. William Byron (starting 39th) has won the last two, and he’s attempting to be the first driver to three-peat at the Daytona 500. Here’s where to watch.

Weather may not cooperate with the NASCAR season-opener, though. Rain showers are in the forecast and could force interruptions, as they did last year when precipitation caused a nearly three-hour delay.

Here are the first 10 drivers in the Daytona 500 starting lineup:

  1. Kyle Busch
  2. Chase Briscoe
  3. Joey Logano
  4. Chase Elliott
  5. Ryan Blaney
  6. Carson Hocevar
  7. Austin Dillon
  8. Kyle Larson
  9. Brad Keselowski
  10. Michael McDowell

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

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  • The NBA issued six-figure fines to the Jazz and Pacers over roster management, alleging overt tanking behavior.
  • Maxx Crosby reportedly feels betrayed by the Raiders’ front office, all the way to the top. We cooked up a few mock trades as his time in Las Vegas could be nearing the end.
  • The Knicks reportedly plan to sign Jeremy Sochan after the Spurs released the former No. 9 overall pick.
  • Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was banned from Winter Olympics competition for wearing a helmet that honors war victims.
  • Ryo Hisatsune (-10) leads through one round at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
  • Rangers shortstop prospect Sebastian Walcott — the No. 4 prospect in baseball, per our rankings — will undergo surgery to repair a torn UCL in his elbow.
  • Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang shredded his team over an “embarrassing” 10th loss in Big 12 play.
  • College baseball starts today! Here are five teams stacked with MLB Draft-relevant stars.
  • Welcome Minnesota to our women’s basketball Power Rankings, as the Golden Gophers appear to be peaking at the right time.
  • Nate Diaz teased a return to the UFC with the goal of claiming the BMF title.
  • Don’t expect the NCAA Tournament selection committee to punish Alabama for playing Charles Bediako, David Cobb writes in our newest bracketology.
  • MLB owners reportedly approved a new rule intended to cut down on pitch-tipping.
  • The UEFA Women’s Champions League knockout phase playoffs are halfway done. Here are our takeaways from the first-leg matches.
  • Atletico Madrid blew out Barcelona, 4-0, in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal.

📺 What we’re watching this weekend

Friday

🏅 Men’s Curling, round robin: United States vs. Canada, 3:05 a.m. on USA Network
🏅 Women’s Curling, round robin: United States vs. Canada, 8:05 a.m. on Peacock
🏅 Men’s Figure Skating: Single free skate, 1 p.m. on USA Network
⚽ FA Cup, fourth round: Chelsea at Hull City, 2:45 p.m. on ESPN2
⛳ Pebble Beach Pro-Am, second round, 3 p.m. on Golf Channel
🏅 Women’s Hockey, quarterfinal: United States vs. Italy, 3:10 p.m. on USA Network
🏀 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 10 Michigan State at Wisconsin (M), 8 p.m. on Fox
🏀 NBA Rising Stars Challenge, 9 p.m. on NBC Sports Network

Saturday

⚽ FA Cup, fourth round: West Ham United at Burton Albion, 7:15 a.m. on ESPN+
🏅 Men’s Curling, round robin: United States vs. Germany, 8:05 a.m. on Peacock
⚽ FA Cup, fourth round: Salford City at Manchester City, 10 a.m. on ESPN+
🏅 Men’s Speed Skating: 500 meters, 11 a.m. on NBC
🏀 No. 20 Clemson at No. 4 Duke (M), Noon on ESPN
⚽ FA Cup, fourth round: Newcastle United at Aston Villa, 12:45 p.m. on ESPN+
🏀 No. 9 Kansas at No. 5 Iowa State (M), 1 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Northwestern at No. 7 Nebraska (M), 1 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏀 UCLA at No. 2 Michigan (M), 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 No. 1 UConn at Marquette (W), 1 p.m. on FS1
🏅 Women’s Curling, round robin: United States vs. Japan, 1:05 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 No. 25 Kentucky at No. 14 Florida (M), 3 p.m. on ABC
⛳ Pebble Beach Pro-Am, third round, 3 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚽ FA Cup, fourth round: Brighton & Hove Albion at Liverpool, 3 p.m. on ESPN+
🏅 Men’s Hockey, preliminary round: United States vs. Denmark, 3:10 p.m. on USA Network
🏀 NBA All-Star Saturday Night, 5 p.m. on NBC
🏀 No. 16 Texas Tech at No. 1 Arizona (M), 6:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Georgetown at No. 6 UConn (M), 8 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 No. 3 South Carolina at No. 6 LSU (W), 8:40 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Kansas State at No. 3 Houston (M), 9 p.m. on Peacock

Sunday

🏅 Men’s Curling, round robin: United States vs. Sweden, 3:05 a.m. on Peacock
🏅 Women’s Alpine Skiing: Giant slalom, Run 1, 4 a.m. on USA Network
🏅 Women’s Bobsled: Monobob, 4 a.m. on Peacock
⚽ FA Cup, fourth round: Leeds United at Birmingham City, 7 a.m. on ESPN2
🏅 Women’s Alpine Skiing: Giant slalom, Run 2, 7:30 a.m. on NBC
🏅 Women’s Curling, round robin: United States vs. China, 8:05 a.m. on Peacock
⚽ FA Cup, fourth round: Fulham at Stoke City, 9 a.m. on ESPN+
⚽ FA Cup, fourth round: Wigan Athletic at Arsenal, 11:30 a.m. on ESPN+
🏀 No. 5 Vanderbilt at Georgia (W), Noon on SEC Network
🏀 Indiana at No. 8 Illinois (M), 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 No. 21 North Carolina at No. 11 Duke (W), 1 p.m. on ABC
🏅 Men’s Curling, round robin: United States vs. Norway, 1:05 p.m. on Peacock
🏅 Pairs’ Figure Skating: Short program, 1:45 p.m. on USA Network
🏀 No. 20 Maryland at No. 8 Ohio State (W), 2 p.m. on FS1
🏀 No. 14 Ole Miss at No. 18 Kentucky (W), 2 p.m. on SEC Network
🏁 Daytona 500, 2:30 p.m. on Fox
⚽ Roma at Napoli, 2:45 p.m. on CBS Sports Golazo Network/Paramount+
🏀 Indiana at No. 2 UCLA (W), 3 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 No. 4 Texas at No. 22 Tennessee (W), 3 p.m. on ABC
⛳ Pebble Beach Pro-Am, final round, 3 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏅 Men’s Hockey, preliminary round: United States vs. Germany, 3:10 p.m. on USA Network
🏀 No. 13 Michigan State at No. 7 Michigan (W), 4 p.m. on FS1
🏀 No. 10 Oklahoma at No. 23 Alabama (W), 4 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 NBA All-Star Game, 5 p.m. on NBC
🏀 Florida State at No. 9 Louisville (W), 6 p.m. on ACC Network
🏀 No. 19 West Virginia at No. 17 TCU (W), 8 p.m. on FS1