Giants nearing John Harbaugh deal; Kentucky stuns LSU at buzzer beater

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Good morning and happy Thursday! It’s Austin Nivison greeting you as the weekend approaches. There’s a lot going on in the sports world right now as we wait for another round of the NFL playoffs. The MLB hot stove is still burning, college stars are making their NFL Draft decisions and college basketball is delivering jaw-dropping moments.

Let’s just get right to it, shall we?

💰 Five things you need to know Thursday

1. Giants working on finalizing a deal with John Harbaugh. New York used the full press to land Harbaugh, and it appears that aggressive strategy has paid off. Those are the giants finalizing a contract that will make Harbaugh their next coach. Since the firing of Tom Coughlin in January 2016, the last six coaches in New York have combined for a record of 55-109-1. Harbaugh, who went 180-113 in 18 seasons with the Ravens, should bring competence and stability to the sideline.
2. Ranger Suárez has signed a $130 million contract with the Red Sox. After missing Alex Bregman, the Red Sox needed to make a big impact, and they did just that on Wednesday. Boston Suárez signed a big contract worth $130 millionand he will strengthen an already deep starting rotation. Suárez is coming off a 2025 season with the Phillies in which he posted a 3.20 ERA and 151 strikeouts.
3. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore returns for the 2026 season. One of the most highly anticipated NFL Draft decisions was Moore’s, and it will continue to be remain in Eugene for another season after leading the Ducks to the College Football Playoff semifinals. In a rather shallow quarterback draft class, Moore could have been a top-five pick, but that possibility wasn’t enough to pull him away from Oregon. With 3,565 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, Moore will be one of the top returning players in the country next fall.
4. Kentucky stunned LSU, 75-74, with a buzzer-beater to complete an 18-point comeback. The Wildcats were in desperate need of a big win, and the got one in dramatic fashion on Wednesday. Trailing 38-22 at halftime in Baton Rouge, Kentucky trailed by as many as 18 points in the game. The Cats roared back in the second half, scoring 53 points, with the final two coming on a buzzer-beater from Malachi Moreno as the clock hit zero.
5. Real Madrid suffered a stunning 3-2 defeat to Albacete in the Copa del Rey. In a shocking result from the world of football, Albacete eliminated Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey with a 3-2 win. Albacete is currently playing in LaLiga 2 and the club is closer to another relegation than promotion to LaLiga. The The Alvaro Arbeloa era has only just begun for Real Madrid, and it couldn’t have been much worse.

🏈 Don’t Miss: Top 50 NFL Free Agents

There are still seven games left in the NFL season, but the offseason is already underway for 24 teams. Their focus is on improving in 2026 and beyond through free agency and the NFL Draft.

Our Garrett Podell has that highlighted the top 50 players in the 2026 free agent classand more than a few players made a lot of money this past season. The most high-profile of those players is Cowboys wide receiver George Pickenswho proved that he has what it takes to be a true number 1 option in this league.

• Podell: “George Pickens exceeded all expectations in his first season with the Dallas Cowboys. The Pittsburgh Steelers gave up on him due to his public displays of frustration and traded him to Dallas for a 2026 third-round pick and a late-round pick swap. Pickens then erupted with career highs in nearly every receiving metric for the first Pro Bowl selection of his four-year career, and was named to the 2025 All-Pro Second Team.”

Other major players include Bengal defensive end Trey Hendrickson, Foals wide receiver Alec Pierce And Jets run back Breece Hall.

One team that could be looking for a quarterback is the Jets. (Again.) With Oregon quarterback Dante Moore Returning to school, the Jets are still trying to find an answer to the most important position in sports.

⛳ 2026 PGA Tour Season Predictions, Picks

The 2026 PGA Tour season kicks off Thursday at the Sony Open, and our experts have done just that everything you need to prepare for another year of golf in one comprehensive preview.

I’ll give you all one guess who was the unanimous choice for Player of the Year – no spoilers here – but the discussion about which players can win a major championship was interesting. Patrick McDonald chooses the 45-year-old Justin Rosewho he thinks will dig deep for some more great magic.

• McDonald: “He’ll be 120 years old, and yet I’ll still have confidence in him winning a major. This would be really sad.” Scottie Scheffler; it could go Rory McIlroy. But these are free places at the moment and you are looking for something extra, so why not the 45-year-old Englishman? We know what he can do at the Masters. He won his only major championship in Philadelphia, where the PGA Championship is played. He is a former US Open winner and he can never be doubted at The Open either.”

As the players prepare for the tee in Hawaii, check out our Sony Open preview. Not only do we have odds for the favorites, but we also have winners for the people.

🏀 NBA Power Rankings: Embiid leads rising 76ers

The NBA season is full of ups and downs, and the 76ers a wave seems to be rising. They are now 6-3 in their last nine games and have reached fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Perhaps more importantly – for our purposes – they are number 7 on our list latest NBA Power Rankings.

The two players pulling Philadelphia up in the standings are Tyrese Maxey And Joel Embid. As Brad Botkin writes, the Sixers need Embiid to be at the top of his game if they want to do any real damage in the postseason.

• Botkin: “Tyrese Maxey or Joel Embiid have led the team in scoring over the last 13 games. That’s the way it has to be if the Sixers are really going to make noise, and it’s starting to look like they could do that in the East as well. Embiid is dominating again.”

Since it’s almost the weekend – and I’m in a good mood – here’s a taste of the top 10:

6. Sunbathing (-2)
7. 76ers (+7)
8. Tracks (-3)
9. Hair clippers (+1)
10. Knicks (+2)

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

📺What we’re watching on Thursday

⛳ Sony openedAfternoon is ESPN+
🏀 Grizzlies vs. Magic2pm on Prime Video
🏀 No. 9 Louisville at No. 23 Notre Dame (W)6pm on ACC Network
🏀 No. 5 Vanderbilt in Mississippi State (W)6:30 PM on ESPN
🏀 Villanova at No. 1 UConn (W)7pm on FS1
🏀 No. 4 Texas at No. 2 South Carolina (W)7pm on ESPN2
🏀 No. 24 Nebraska at No. 15 Michigan State (W)7pm on Big Ten Network
🏒 Flyers at Penguins7pm on ESPN
🏀 Thunder at rockets7:30 PM on Prime Video
🏀 Oregon at number 11 Iowa (W)9pm on FS1
🏀 No. 21 Alabama at Auburn (W)9pm on SEC Network
🏒 Maple Leafs at Golden Knights9:30 PM on ESPN
🏀 Knicks at Warriors10pm on Prime Video
🏀 No. 9 Gonzaga in Washington State (M)10pm on CBS Sports Network