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Mike Mancini injury update for Vanderbilt baseball after Eastern Mich… — and more

Mike Mancini injury update for Vanderbilt baseball after Eastern Michigan win

Vanderbilt baseball was without Mike Mancini in its first four games due to a quadriceps injury, coach Tim Corbin said after a 13-2 win over Eastern Michigan on Feb. 17.

The injury isn't likely to keep Mancini out much longer.

"He's close," Corbin said. "Kind of disrupted his quad right before we left for Texas. So he wants to play. We're just doing our best to hold him back because he wants to go right now, but it's a long season."

Mancini did not play during the Shriner's Children's College Showdown tournament in Texas last week, though he was on deck to pinch-hit in the ninth inning of the first game.

In 2025, his first season after transferring from James Madison, Mancini hit .269 with four home runs in a season that started late due to a fractured hamate bone.

Mancini could fit in second base or left field when he returns. So far, Carter Johnstone has been playing second base and Rustan Rigdon playing left field.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter, @aria_gerson.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Mike Mancini injury update for Vanderbilt baseball

Texas vs. LSU gamethread

Feb 7, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns center Matas Vokietaitis (8) reacts to a foul against the Mississippi Rebels during the first half at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns look to extend their winning streak to five games as the LSU Tigers travel to Austin for a Tuesday matchup at the Moody Center.

Tip is at 8 p.m. Central on SEC Network and this is your gamethread.

Borussia lead 2-0 ahead of second leg in Bergamo

Borussia lead 2-0 ahead of second leg in Bergamo
Borussia lead 2-0 ahead of second leg in Bergamo

Personnel matters:Emre Can, Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklas Süle and Filippo Mane were unavailable due to injury or illness, leaving head coach Niko Kovac without four centre-backs. He put his faith in youngster Luca Reggiani, 18 years of age, who started for the first time after a brief appearance in Wolfsburg and then 45 minutes against Mainz. Reggiani replacing Süle was the only change to the starting line-up from the weekend

The match:The match kicked off 15 minutes late because the BVB bus was stuck in traffic. The team started brightly. Nmecha, who was very active on the left wing and picked up the ball there, was sent through with a through ball, his first cross was blocked, but the second landed on the right with Ryerson, who picked up where he left off on Friday: the Norwegian crossed precisely into the box, where Guirassy rose high and headed the ball into the far corner (3).

Borussia set the pace for the first quarter of an hour, then Atalanta found their way into the game and had two dangerous chances. In the 21st minute, Svensson made a crucial tackle on Pasalic, who was bearing down on goal. But it was the home team who dominated the final stages of the first half. Nmecha played a long ball to Guirassy, who took the ball down and drove into the penalty area from the left before squaring it to Beier, who slotted home to make it 2-0 (42).

Borussia approached the second half in a measured and focused manner, sprinkling in the occasional attacking move, such as the one shortly after the restart when Brandt played in Guirassy, who fell to the ground in a duel with Kossounou. However, the referee felt this was not enough to award a penalty.

Brandt shot just over the bar after a corner was cleared (67) – at a stage when the opposition were pushing forward. But Dortmund's defence stood firm. Reggiani's composed performance was particularly noteworthy. Despite winning the ball back numerous times, the Black & Yellows were unable to create any dangerous counter-attacking opportunities.

Outlook:The second leg will take place on Wednesday next week. Before that, BVB will be away to Leipzig (Saturday, 18:30 CET).

BORUSSIA DORTMUND 2–0 (2-0) ATALANTA

Playoffs for the knockout stage, first leg

Bor. Dortmund: Kobel – Reggiani, Anton, Bensebaini – Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmecha (82, Sabitzer), Svensson – Brandt (70, Chukwuemeka) – Beier (70, Adeyemi), Guirassy (82, Fabio Silva)Substitutes: Meyer, Ostrzinski; Özcan, Kabar, Inacio, Couto, Krevsun, Benkara

Rich Bisaccia steps down as Packers special teams coordinator

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Rich Bisaccia has stepped down as the Green Bay Packers special teams coordinator after four seasons.

Bisaccia said Tuesday in a statement released by the team that he had made the decision “after taking some time to reflect over the last few weeks.”

The Packers’ season ended Jan. 10 with a 31-27 loss to the Chicago Bears in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs.

Bisaccia, 65, joined Packers coach Matt LaFleur’s staff after going 7-6 as Las Vegas’ interim head coach in 2021 and helping the Raiders reach the playoffs that season. Bisaccia added the title of assistant head coach in March 2023.

Bisaccia was the Packers third special teams coordinator in as many years when he got to Green Bay.

The Packers were hoping Bisaccia could fix Green Bay’s history of special teams issues, a trend that began well before LaFleur’s tenure started in 2019.

He had mixed results in that regard.

Keisean Nixon followed Bisaccia to Green Bay from Las Vegas and earned All-Pro honors as a kick returner in 2022 and 2023. This season, Daniel Whelen became the first Packer to lead the NFL in gross punting average since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

Yet Green Bay also had some notable special teams breakdowns the past few years, making Bisaccia a major target for criticism among Packers fans.

With the NFC North lead at stake, the Packers fell 22-16 in overtime at Chicago on Dec. 20 after the Bears recovered an onside kick to set up the tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter. In Green Bay’s playoff loss at Chicago, Brandon McManus went 0 for 2 on field-goal attempts and missed an extra point.

Before coming to Green Bay, Bisaccia had worked as a special teams coordinator with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002-10), San Diego Chargers (2011-12), Dallas Cowboys (2013-17) and Raiders (2018-21).

“While we are disappointed to lose a person and coach as valuable as Rich, we respect his decision to step down from the Packers,” LaFleur said in a statement.

“Rich was a tremendous resource to me and our entire coaching staff who had a profound impact on our players and our culture throughout the building. We can’t thank him enough for his contributions to our team over the last four years. We wish Rich, his wife, Jeanne, and the rest of their family all the best moving forward.”

Bisaccia’s decision means the Packers will have a new special teams coordinator as well as a defensive coordinator for the 2026 season. The Packers hired former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon as their defensive coordinator to take over for Jeff Hafley, who left after two seasons to become the Miami Dolphins head coach.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Lakers' Luka Doncic makes eight-word admission that will make Mavericks fans shed a tear

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic

Lakers' Luka Doncic makes eight-word admission that will make Mavericks fans shed a tear originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It’s safe to say Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has adjusted well to life out west. 

After the Dallas Mavericks shockingly traded the six-time All-Star to the Lakers last February, it was unclear how he would operate in a different system/environment. Fast forward to the midway point of the 2025-26 season, and it’s clear that Doncic has quickly found his footing in Los Angeles.

The 6-foot-8 MVP candidate is averaging 32.8 points, 8.6 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game with the Lakers during his first full campaign with the organization, shooting 47.3% from the field and 34.5% from beyond the arc.

During All-Star weekend, Doncic made an eight-word admission that will make Mavericks fans shed a tear.

“I think there is abetter organization here (Lakers),” Doncic said Sunday. 

It’ll be difficult for Mavericks fans to keep their emotions in check after Doncic’s straightforward statement. Dallas had something special brewing following a 2024 NBA Finals appearance, and threw it all away to acquire a 6-foot-10 forward who’s no longer on their roster (Anthony Davis). Simply put, Doncic’s diss toward the Mavericks was well-deserved. 

While the Lakers aren’t perfect, they’re a far more competent franchise than the Mavericks. From having a productive 2025 offseason centered on catering to Doncic’s needs (signing Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton) to ensuring that Doncic is aware he's the future of their franchise, Los Angeles has started the Doncic era on a positive note.

Moving forward, the Lakers’ plan should be to continue to capitalize on the Mavericks’ massive mistake and build a team capable of winning multiple championships.

More NBA: Warriors sign 6-foot-5 former Lakers guard to assist Stephen Curry

In brief

Norway curling team bring party pants back to Winter Olympics for ‘one-game’ tribute Curlers wear diamond-printed trousers to honour ‘Team Ulsrud’Norwegian Olympic Curling Team’s Pants page has 360,000 followersNorway’s men’s curling team delighted supporters at the Olympics on Tuesday by reviving the famous red, white and blue-patterned trousers that became a sensation 16 years ago when they were wor…

No. 1 Michigan steamrolls No. 7 Purdue to improve to 25-1, strengthen case for No. 1 NCAA tournament seed The nation's No. 1 team faced one of its toughest tests of the season on the road. It passed with no issue.

Robert McCray V scores 27 and Florida State rallies in the 2nd half to beat Boston College 80-72 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Robert McCray V scored 18 of his 27 points in the second half, Alex Steen had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Florida State rallied in the second half to beat Boston College 80-72 on Tuesday night.Florida State trailed by 14 points, 59-45, with 11 minutes