
I Dig Sports
Pitt freshman CB Alexander dies in car accident

Pitt freshman football player Mason Alexander was killed Saturday night in a car accident in his hometown of Fishers, Indiana.
Alexander, 18, was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, he was a passenger in a 2016 BMW driving south on Florida Road. The driver of the car tried to pass a 2015 Toyota before a hillcrest and swerved to avoid a head-on collision with another car traveling in the northbound lane. The BMW traveled off the road and eventually hit a tree, catching on fire.
Alexander starred at cornerback for Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, near Indianapolis, and was an ESPN 300 recruit in the 2025 class. He signed with Pitt in December, enrolled early and was set to join the team for the start of spring practice this month.
"I received a call this morning that no parent, teacher or coach ever wants to get -- the news of the sudden loss of a young and promising life," Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said in a statement. "Our entire program is shocked and deeply saddened to learn of Mason Alexander's passing.
"Mason had just enrolled at Pitt in January following his early graduation from Indiana's Hamilton Southeastern High School. Even during that short time, he made a great impression on all of us. Mason was proud and excited to be a Panther, and we felt the same way about having him in our Pitt family. He will always be a Panther to us. The Alexander family and Mason's many loved ones and friends will be in our prayers."
Peyton Daniels, a high school teammate of Alexander's who plays at Butler, posted about his friend on X, writing, "Mason lit up every room he was in. Brought joy and playfulness to everything and everyone. He could change the entire direction of your day with one interaction. Mason is the embodiment of exceptional. Rest Easy 15. Love forever."
It's hard to find the words to say right now. Mason lit up every room he was in. Brought joy and playfulness to everything and everyone. He could change the entire direction of your day with one interaction. Mason is the embodiment of exceptional. Rest Easy 15. Love forever. pic.twitter.com/FptDR74MSN
Peyton Daniels (@daniels_peyton) March 2, 2025
Mulkey: LSU's Johnson (shin) to miss SEC tourney

LSU guard Flau'jae Johnson will miss the SEC tournament, Tigers coach Kim Mulkey told the team's radio station Sunday.
Johnson has been battling shin inflammation since the Tigers' Feb. 16 loss to Texas, Mulkey said. Johnson missed LSU's regular-season finale against Ole Miss on Sunday, and now the hope is that she will be healthy enough to rejoin the team by the start of the NCAA tournament.
"I know she's trying to mask the pain she's in," Mulkey said on the pregame radio show. "It's not a stress fracture or anything like that. It's just rest. We'll get that inflammation down, and we'll see the Flau'jae that we need to see when we start playoffs."
The game Johnson missed on Sunday was only the second contest she's missed in her career.
This season, the junior is leading LSU in scoring with 18.9 points per game -- good enough for the sixth-best scoring average in the SEC -- on 46.5 percent shooting.
In her last game, though, Johnson scored a season-low six points, promoting Mulkey and her staff to look to get her some recovery time.
"I don't think Flau'jae's best basketball has happened in the last couple of weeks," Mulkey said, "so let's rest her. Why put her through that? Because it's just not worth it."
The SEC tournament tips off on Wednesday in Greenville, South Carolina.
S. Carolina tops Kentucky for share of SEC title

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Tessa Johnson scored 16 points, and the No. 6 South Carolina women's basketball team claimed a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship with a 78-66 victory over No. 15 Kentucky on Sunday.
No. 1 Texas defeated Florida 72-46 on Sunday, so the Longhorns and Gamecocks both finished 15-1 in conference play. Because the teams split the season series, a coin flip Sunday determined that South Carolina would have the No. 1 seed for this week's SEC tournament in Greenville, South Carolina.
Te-Hina Paopao added 13 points and Chloe Kitts had 12 points and 10 rebounds for South Carolina (27-3), which has won at least a share of the regular-season title for the past four seasons.
Clara Strack scored 23 points and Georgia Amoore had 16 points for Kentucky (22-6, 11-5), which failed to build on the momentum of its 82-58 home win over No. 11 Tennessee on Thursday night. Kentucky struggled from deep, converting just 6 of 23 shots from beyond the arc.
South Carolina led 41-33 at halftime, but Kentucky closed to 63-62 with seven minutes left on a driving layup by Amoore. The Wildcats had a chance to take the lead on their next possession, but MiLaysia Fulwiley blocked Teonni Key's shot under the basket and drove the length of the floor for a layup, igniting a 12-2 run.
The Gamecocks outscored the Wildcats 13-2 in the final six minutes.
Both teams will compete this week in the SEC tournament. Kentucky was locked in as the No. 4 seed whether it won or lost on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Sources: Cowboys to tag Odighizuwa if no deal

The Dallas Cowboys plan to use the franchise tag on defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa if a long-term deal is not reached by Tuesday's deadline, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano on Sunday.
The franchise tag for defensive tackles is projected at $25.1 million.
If the Cowboys tag Odighizuwa, it would be the seventh time in the last eight years they opted for the franchise tag. The last two players tagged, running back Tony Pollard (2023) and tight end Dalton Schultz (2022), did not sign long-term extensions and left the next year via free agency. The Cowboys were able to sign Dak Prescott (2020-21) and DeMarcus Lawrence (2018-19) to long term deals after they used the tag a second time.
Teams have until Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET to place the tag on their pending free agents.
A third-round pick by the Cowboys in 2021 out of UCLA, Odighizuwa, 26, has not missed a game in his career (67 straight with 63 starts).
He had his best season in 2024 with a career-high 4.5 sacks, 47 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble and 1 pass deflection. He was credited with 54 pressures, second on the Cowboys to Micah Parsons.
At 6-foot-2, 280 pounds, Odighizuwa relies more on leverage and quickness than brute strength, but he can hold up well enough in the run game. He played a career-high 860 snaps (77.9%) in 2024.
He has 172 tackles and 13.5 sacks in his four NFL seasons.
ESPN's Todd Archer contributed to this report.

Oklahoma City Thunder center/forward Chet Holmgren has been ruled out of Sunday's game against the host San Antonio Spurs due to a sprained left ankle.
Holmgren scored seven points and played only 15 minutes in Oklahoma City's 135-119 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.
The 7-foot-1 Holmgren is averaging 15.2 points and 8.4 rebounds in 17 games (all starts) this season. He missed nearly three months of the season due to a pelvic fracture suffered in a hard fall in a game against the Golden State Warriors.
Holmgren, 22, is averaging 16.3 points and 8.0 boards in 99 career games (all starts) since being selected by the Thunder with the second overall pick of the 2022 NBA draft.

Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu will undergo surgery on his left shoulder and be out for the remainder of the season, the team announced Sunday morning.
Dosunmu had been dealing with left shoulder instability, which kept him out of three games before returning on Friday night against the Toronto Raptors. He scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds in 23 minutes while wearing a left shoulder sleeve in the game.
But after further evaluation by the Bulls' medical professionals, Dosunmu will shut it down this season to have surgery and address the issue.
Dosunmu, 25, averaged 12.3 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds -- all career highs -- in 46 games this season. The fourth-year guard has one more year remaining on a three-year, $21 million contract.
The Bulls (24-36) enter Sunday in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games ahead of the 11th-place Philadelphia 76ers. Chicago visits the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night.
Magic's Suggs to stay sidelined for knee surgery

Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs will undergo surgery to remove a cartilage fragment in his left knee and is out indefinitely, the team announced Sunday.
Suggs' return will be based on his rehab and he is expected to make a full recovery.
The Magic on Friday announced Suggs would be out indefinitely with a trochlea injury in the knee before discovering the cartilage fragment in the joint.
Suggs left a Jan. 3 game with back spasms and since then has made only one appearance, in a Jan. 25 win over the Detroit Pistons. During his recent ramp-up to return to play, he experienced discomfort in his knee and had further testing.
Known for his defense, Suggs is averaging career highs of 16.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in his fourth season.
After finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference standings last year and making the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season, the Magic have taken a step back. The team enters play Sunday with a 29-32 record and sits in eighth place.
Orlando's struggles can largely be attributed to injuries knocking out the team's top players. Both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner missed multiple weeks with torn oblique injuries. Suggs, Banchero and Wagner have played just six games together this season and 97 total minutes.
The Magic have lost three of their past four games and have three games remaining on a seven-game homestand that continues Sunday against the Toronto Raptors.
ESPN's Shams Charania contributed to this report.
Dubs' Butler faces suit over unpaid rent, damages

Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler has been sued for allegedly failing to pay $260,000 in rent and leaving behind more than $127,000 in damages related to a luxury home he leased in Miami Beach, Florida.
Butler was dealt from the Miami Heat to the Warriors last month after requesting a trade.
Five Star Marketing and Promotions, Inc., sued Butler in the 11th Circuit Court in Florida last week, outlining its allegations against Butler.
In the suit, the plaintiff contends Butler failed to pay two months of rent at $130,000 per month for the property. Realtor.com says the contemporary-style, 5,398-square-foot home built in 2016 has five bedrooms and six bathrooms. The home was built on a canal and also has a pool. The website pegs its value at about $10 million.
The lawsuit also alleges that Butler changed the locks and would not give a key to the property owner, keeping maintenance workers from entering the home. Butler also is alleged to have failed to maintain the swimming pool and air conditioning, the latter leading to extensive mold that required the replacement of ceilings and floors on the property.
The plaintiff is seeking payment of $257,282 and the right to keep Butler's $130,000 security deposit.
Butler has not commented on the case.

Thomas hopes the sense that people can "fall back in love with Welsh rugby" will continue when they resume their Six Nations campaign against Scotland in Edinburgh next Saturday.
Sherratt's immediate impact saw him turn Wales around from a team humbled by Italy to one that gave Six Nations title favourites Ireland one of their biggest challenges of this season's tournament.
Although Wales lost 27-18 for a record 15th successive Test match defeat, the performance, and what Thomas calls the "licence to play" Sherratt has issued, highlighted a transformation that augers well for remaining Six Nations appointments with Scotland and England.
"We wanted to bring some positivity back," Thomas said.
"Ultimately, there is a lot that is out of your control in terms of getting results, so we had a big focus on playing a game of rugby and a brand of rugby that would get people excited, to almost fall back in love with Welsh rugby.
"And I suppose it doesn't change next week. The process has to be the same. We will put our best game out on the field and hopefully the result goes our way.
"I wasn't surprised with how he [Sherratt] took to it because he has got a brilliant rugby brain. That is clear for everyone to see by the way he coaches Cardiff.
"The challenge would have been trying to get things across in such a small period of time but the way he delivers messages is pretty clear and the boys were able to pick things up quite well."
Wales will arrive at Murrayfield on Saturday with an impressive recent record, having won six of the last eight Six Nations games against Scotland in Edinburgh.
"The mood has been pretty positive," said Thomas.
"It is an exciting way to play rugby to go out there and just try and throw as many punches as possible.
"We probably came off the pitch after the first two matches [against France and Italy] feeling we hadn't fired any shots at the opposition.
"To come off against Ireland, knowing that we had been in the game for the most part - and were able to put our game on the pitch, as opposed to just absorbing what was being thrown at us - was pretty pleasing for us."

Former Ireland captain Peter O'Mahony says he wanted to retire before falling out of the national selection reckoning.
The Munster back row has started two of Ireland's three games in this year's Six Nations but, along with fellow long-serving players Cian Healy and Conor Murray, confirmed on Thursday that he would step away from the side at the end of this championship.
The 35-year-old was named Ireland skipper last year but was succeeded in the role by Caelan Doris in November. There had been speculation that the 2024 Six Nations would be O'Mahony's swansong but ultimately, he decided to play on for another year.
While some critics last season suggested his status as captain was contributing to his continued selection, he has remained a key figure in recent weeks despite others officially leading the team.
"Whether I'm picked or not over the next number of weeks, I've trained really well in this campaign. I've competed, I've pushed guys, guys have pushed me, I haven't been out of place in our training," he said.
"That was the test for me - are you going to be good enough next year to compete with these guys? If that was the last one last week, it was the right call.
"I don't want to get to the point where I'm maybe not selected or not picked for a squad. I didn't want that to happen."