ATHENS, Ga. -- Tahaad Pettiford hit 5 of 7 shots from 3-point range, scoring 24 off the bench to help No. 1 Auburn escape No. 23 Georgia with a 70-68 win Saturday.

Auburn (17-1, 5-0 SEC) has won 10 in a row and a second straight game without star Johni Broome, who injured his ankle in a Jan. 11 win over South Carolina.

Georgia (14-4, 2-3) struggled with free throws, making 9 of 20 from the line.

The Bulldogs suffered their first home loss of the season (11-1), snapping a 13-game winning streak at Stegeman Coliseum -- the fourth-longest home winning streak in program history.

Down 70-67 with nine seconds to play in regulation, Georgia had a chance to tie the game at 70 after a Miles Kelly turnover led to Dakota Leffew getting a look from 3 with seven seconds to go. His shot was too strong. Asa Newell had a chance to tie it at the buzzer, but missed.

The win improves Auburn to 6-1 against AP Top 25 opponents this season, the best record of any team. It ties its most wins against AP ranked opponents in a single season in the AP Poll era (since 1948-49), according to ESPN Research.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

The Bears recently called the Steelers to see whether they would be allowed to talk to and potentially try to trade for longtime head coach Mike Tomlin, only to have Pittsburgh rebuff their inquiry, league sources told ESPN.

Discussions never made it to Tomlin, nor is it likely they would they have been successful even if they did. When asked earlier this week about the idea that a team could inquire about his availability -- when in fact at least one team already had -- Tomlin responded: "Save your time."

At least one other team besides the Bears checked into the idea that it could somehow could try to trade for Tomlin, only to be informed that the Steelers coach has a no-trade clause in his contract, according to a league source. The inquiring team quickly halted its efforts and moved on, according to sources.

Though other teams have been interested in Tomlin, the Steelers have no interest in moving on from him, despite Pittsburgh's fifth consecutive one-and-done trip to the playoffs.

Tomlin signed a three-year contract extension last offseason that makes him one of the league's highest-paid head coaches. After 18 seasons in Pittsburgh, his time there shows no signs of letting up, despite any frustrations from the fan base.

"I understand the nature of what it is that we do, the attention and criticism that comes with it," Tomlin said Tuesday in his season-ending news conference. "As a matter of fact, I embrace it, to be quite honest with you. I enjoy the urgency that comes with what I do and what we do.

"I don't make excuses for failure. I own it, but I also feel like I'm capable and so as long as I'm afforded an opportunity to do that, I will continue. But I certainly understand their frustrations, and probably more important than that, I share it because that's how I'm wired."

But in the eyes of some sources, Chicago deserves credit for at least making the call. The Bears recognized the type of leader and coach Tomlin is, and in an effort to exhaust all possibilities, they reached out to the Steelers.

Even without Tomlin in the mix, the Bears have cast a wide net in their head coaching search.

The Bears already have completed head coaching interviews with interim head coach Thomas Brown, former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, former Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, former Commanders head coach Ron Rivera, former Stanford head coach David Shaw, former Titans and current Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, and Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.

The Bears also have requested interviews with Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich.

The Steelers have had only three head coaches since 1969: Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Tomlin, who turns 53 in March. Tomlin has never had a losing season in Pittsburgh and is the second-winningest coach in franchise history, behind only Noll, with a career record of 183-107-2.

More than a week after its season ended in the College Football Playoff, Texas has agreed to a new contract with coach Steve Sarkisian, a source told ESPN's Pete Thamel on Saturday, confirming a report. The sides came to an agreement Friday night in a deal that includes an extension.

A source told ESPN that it's a seven-year contract for Sarkisian, 50, that adds a year to his deal and makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football.

News of the agreement was first reported by The Action Network, which noted that the deal came after Sarkisian declined interviews with two NFL franchises for coaching positions.

The Longhorns, in their first season in the SEC, advanced to the title game and won two CFP playoff games against Clemson and Arizona State before being eliminated by Ohio State on Jan. 10 in the Cotton Bowl.

Texas played Ohio State tight before a late fumble return stretched the Buckeyes' lead to 14 points. Sarkisian said being the last remaining SEC team in the playoff in their first year in the league is something the Longhorns take pride in.

"I really believe this is a premier football conference in America because of the week-in, week-out task that it requires physically and mentally," Sarkisian said. "I know unfortunately for Georgia, they lost their starting quarterback in the SEC championship game, and I'm sure other teams in our conference had to endure things that can take their toll on your team, and that's no excuse. At the end of the day, we have to find a way to navigate our ways through it, but to be here on this stage to be back in the final four wearing that SEC patch on our jersey, we're going to do our best to represent it because this is a heck of a conference."

Sarkisian arrived at Texas in 2021 after serving as Nick Saban's offensive coordinator at Alabama in his previous stop. As head coach previously at Washington and USC, combined with his run at Texas, he is 84-52 overall. With the Longhorns, he is 38-17 and won the Big 12 title last season.

Texas will open next season with a rematch against Ohio State on Aug. 30 in Columbus, Ohio. In that game vs. the Buckeyes, the likely starter under center for Sarkisian will be Arch Manning, who backed up Quinn Ewers for two seasons and will soon get his chance to headline what will be one of the most anticipated quarterback situations in recent memory. The nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning and grandson of Archie Manning came to Texas as ESPN's No. 5 recruit in the 2023 class.

Arch Manning saw more playing time this season as Ewers dealt with injury, and he completed 61 of 90 passes for 939 yards and nine touchdowns. He also showcased big-play ability as a runner, breaking off a 67-yard scamper against UTSA and averaging 4.2 yards per carry.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Jake Burger will wear No. 21 with the Texas Rangers, a number that has special significance for the first baseman's family after his daughter was born with Down syndrome.

The clinical name for Down syndrome is trisomy 21, a condition in which a person is born with an extra chromosome, causing mild to moderate cognitive disability, developmental delays and physical challenges.

"This is the first time I can pick a number that's not just close to my heart, but close to a lot of people's hearts," Burger said. "For me, it's trying to spread awareness and try and get the word out about Down syndrome and how people can get support. I'm just really proud of this number, and really excited to wear this and represent my daughter, but also so many people out there."

Infant daughter Penelope, who was born Oct. 25, was being held by her mother, Ashlyn, while Burger spoke to reporters before the Rangers' annual awards dinner Friday night. It was the 28-year-old slugger's first public appearance with the team since being acquired in a trade from Miami on Dec. 11. Jake Burger's parents and his 2-year-old son, Brooks, also were there.

Burger credits his wife with the idea of wearing No. 21, and was working to change his number from No. 36 with the Marlins before being traded. The couple got their daughter's diagnosis in April.

He said a foundation is being established to help other families impacted by Down syndrome.

"We're really, really excited to push that forward and help as many families as we can," Burger said. "For us, we call it the lucky few. That's families with Down syndrome, with a kid affected with Down syndrome. And that's how my wife, Ashlyn, and I feel. That's how Brooks feels as her brother."

In an Instagram post soon after Penelope was born, the couple said Burger was the only active MLB player with a child with Down syndrome, and that they knew God was giving them "some really special work to do."

Burger said Friday that his daughter is "doing great" but has something wrong with her heart that will require surgery at some point during spring training. He plans to leave Arizona then to be with his family during the procedure in Nashville.

"She's the strongest little person I know, and I know that she's going to get through that with a breeze," Burger said. "I'm just praying for her every day."

The Rangers also this offseason signed free agent designated hitter Joc Pederson, whose older brother, Champ, has Down syndrome. Burger hoped to catch up with his new teammate while in Texas over the weekend.

"Seemed like fate a little bit with him signing here," Burger said. "I love the way he plays the game and how much fun he brings to the game. But not only that, we're obviously connected way more deeply than that. So I'm really excited to meet Champ. And, you know, he's another person in our circle that's going to be there to support us."

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom already has thrown off the mound this offseason and said everything felt normal after missing most of his first two seasons with the Texas Rangers because of elbow surgery.

The three starts deGrom got to make in September were significant for him.

"That way I could treat it like a normal offseason and not feel like I was in rehab mode the whole time," he said Saturday during the team's annual Fan Fest. "So that's what this offseason has been, you know, normal throwing. Been off the mound already and everything feels good."

The right-hander said he would usually wait until Feb. 1 before throwing, but he started earlier this week so he could ramp up a bit slower going into spring training.

DeGrom, 36, has started only nine games for the Rangers since signing a $185 million, five-year contract in free agency two winters ago. They won all six starts he made before the end of April during his 2023 debut with the team before the surgery. After rehabbing most of last year, he was 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 10 innings in those three September starts.

"One of the things I'm most excited about is a healthy season from Jacob, and for our fans to see what that looks like, and how good he is," Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said. "It's just electric, and coming to the ballpark every day that he's pitching, knowing that we've got a great chance to win the game, it's an exciting feeling. Our fans truly haven't experienced that over the course of a season. We're excited and hopeful that this is the year they get to see that."

Since his back-to-back Cy Young Awards with the New York Mets in 2018 and 2019, deGrom hasn't made more than 15 starts in a season. He started 12 times during the COVID-19-shortened 60-game season in 2020.

DeGrom had a career-low 1.08 ERA over 92 innings in 2021 before missing the final three months with right forearm tightness and a sprained elbow, then was shut down late during spring training in 2022 because of a stress reaction in his right scapula. He went 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA in 11 starts over the last two months of that season before becoming a free agent.

His fastball touched 98 mph in the last of his three starts last season, when he pitched four innings of one-run ball against the Los Angeles Angels.

"In those games, you know, it's still a thought in the back of your mind, you just came back from a major surgery and you probably don't get another one at my age," he said. "So it was, hey, is everything good? And then like I said, was able to check those boxes off in this offseason, treat it normal."

Now deGrom feels like he can start pitching again without worrying about being injured.

"Just throw the ball to the target and not think about anything," he said. "So, yeah, I think I can get back to where I was."

Elena Rybakina says she will need some "magic" if she is to go deep at the Australian Open after struggling with a back problem in her third-round win.

Sixth seed Rybakina, runner-up at Melbourne Park two years ago, beat Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska 6-3 6-4 but needed a medical timeout after just three games.

The 25-year-old Kazakh was visibly struggling to move and needed seven match points to close out victory.

Asked afterwards if her back was OK, Rybakina replied: "Not really. I will see my physio and hopefully he does some magic.

"It's not so good since it's [my] lower back. Hopefully we can do everything possible.

"But for now it doesn't seem too good, to be honest."

Former Wimbledon champion Rybakina had a number of injury problems in 2024, struggling at various points with fatigue, illness and a back issue.

Against Yastremska, Rybakina tried to shorten the rallies and hit winners in an attempt to speed up the match - helped in part by 37 unforced errors from her opponent.

"I needed to stay there and try to hold my serve," Rybakina said.

"I knew that it would be very difficult for me to stay long in the rally so I was trying sometimes risk a little bit more."

Rybakina will face either Danielle Collins or Madison Keys, who play later on Saturday, in the fourth round on Monday.

Gael Monfils rolled back the years with a fabulous performance to oust fourth seed Taylor Fritz and reach the Australian Open fourth round.

The 38-year-old Frenchman, known as a showman on the court, thrilled the crowd in a 3-6 7-5 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 win over his 27-year-old opponent.

After serving an ace to see out victory - his 24th of the match - Monfils danced in celebration before pumping his chest and roaring to each stand inside the Margaret Court Arena.

It continues a rich vein of form for Monfils, who became the oldest winner of an ATP Tour singles title with victory at the ASB Classic in Auckland earlier this month.

Victory over US Open runner-up Fritz means Monfils is the second oldest man since 1988 to reach the Australian Open fourth round.

Roger Federer is the oldest, having reached the semi-finals at Melbourne Park in 2020 aged 38 years and five months.

"I have a strong belief I can still do some damage," Monfils said.

"He started strong but I felt I could move great today."

Monfils' victory came before his wife Elina Svitolina's third-round tie against Jasmine Paolini on the same court.

"I think I warmed up the court for her," Monfils joked to the crowd.

"She plays the world number four so it will be tough for her but I hope she will smash this one."

Monfils will play either American 21st seed Ben Shelton or Italian 16th seed Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round on Monday.

While Raducanu and Swiatek both won Grand Slam titles as teenagers, their careers have followed very different paths since.

Raducanu famously won the 2021 US Open title as an 18-year-old qualifier but struggled with the spotlight on her afterwards.

The rigours of playing full-time on the WTA Tour also took its toll.

A series of injuries culminated in wrist and ankle surgeries in 2023, with Raducanu still finding her way back after dropping out of the world's top 300.

Swiatek, however, continued to thrive after winning the 2020 French Open.

She has become dominant at Roland Garros, having won the title there for the past three years, and also claimed the US Open trophy in 2022.

Swiatek has won all four of her meetings with Raducanu - and the gulf between the pair is stark.

Raducanu was unable to cope with Swiatek's top spin-heavy groundstrokes and athleticism, making a host of errors from the baseline as the pressure told on her backhand in particular.

Losing serve early was a fatal blow against a superb front-runner like Swiatek, who went on to secure the 78th 'bagel' of her tour-level career.

"The scoreline was obviously quite harsh," said Raducanu.

"I'm very clear on what happened out there. If I'm not necessarily able to hold my service games or dictate, I feel like it seeps into the rest of my game.

"On my second serves, how the point is structured from then on, and in the return games, you feel a lot more pressure.

"That was probably a big aspect today."