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Meeting in unfamiliar territory, UCLA and Arizona may feel like perfect strangers

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Meeting in unfamiliar territory, UCLA and Arizona may feel like perfect strangers

Long each other’s biggest basketball rival in the Pac-12, UCLA and Arizona will meet again Saturday at the Footprint Center in Phoenix as newly estranged.

It will be a nonconference game. On a neutral court. In an NBA arena that as of midweek was not sold out.

“The whole thing’s weird,” Bruins coach Mick Cronin said Wednesday of a game that always drew one of the biggest home crowds of the season for each team but is now being staged elsewhere as a name, image and likeness fundraiser. The teams are scheduled to meet again next season at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and in 2027 in Los Angeles at a site to be determined.

Adding to the bizarre-ness is Arizona’s early season stature. The Wildcats (4-4), now members of the Big 12 Conference, fell out of the national rankings last week for the first time since November 2021 and briefly had a losing record for the first time since early in the 2009-10 season.

Basically, they’re feeling the same sort of pain UCLA did a year ago amid massive roster churn. Guard Caleb Love is the only returning starter on an Arizona roster heavy on transfers that will be seeking its first quality win when it faces the No. 24 Bruins (8-1).

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“They’ve had a lot of change in their personnel,” said Cronin, whose latest roster makeover has been an early success. “But they’re still the same, nothing really different as far as what they run offensively and the things that they do and how they play.”

Cronin said Arizona’s struggles are largely a function of a brutal schedule that has included Wisconsin, Duke, Oklahoma and West Virginia, not to mention a lengthy trip to the Bahamas for the latter two games.

Some metrics support Cronin’s assertion that the Wildcats remain a top-25 team despite their record. According to basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy, Arizona’s offensive efficiency is No. 24 nationally and its defensive efficiency is No. 37. (By comparison, UCLA’s offensive ranking is No. 48 and its defensive ranking is No. 4.) Pomeroy projects the Wildcats to win the game, 75-74.

UCLA is agonizingly familiar with Love. A transfer from North Carolina, his late barrage of three-pointers lifted the Tar Heels to a come-from-behind victory over the Bruins in the 2022 NCAA tournament after a quiet first half. He continues to be an erratic shooter in his second season at Arizona, making 18 of 61 three-pointers (29.5%).

But there are other signs that the Wildcats are trending in the right direction. Forward Trey Townsend, a transfer from Oakland University, has averaged 14.5 points over his last four games after a slow start. Center Motiejus Krivas appears to be rounding into form following a preseason foot injury. And guard Anthony Dell’Orso, a transfer from Campbell, has provided a reliable weapon off the bench by making 50% of his three-pointers.

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The crowd inside the Footprint Center likely will skew heavily in the Wildcats’ favor but probably won’t resemble what the Bruins are used to facing inside the McKale Center.

“The old days, that just didn’t happen, right?” Cronin said of playing a familiar opponent in unfamiliar territory. “You played home-and-homes. But the old days, that’s why they’re called the old days.”

Etc.

Cronin on forward Eric Dailey Jr. making 47.4% of his three-pointers: “He’s as dedicated a player as I’ve ever coached, so [it’s] a product of … his work ethic.” … Cronin said a breakdown in fundamentals by guard Sebastian Mack contributed to the failed box-out on a free throw late in the Oregon game that led to a Ducks offensive rebound and three-pointer. “He didn’t pinch,” Cronin said of Mack. “Little things, which are not little things, they’re big things.”

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Olympic medalist suffers serious injuries after ‘death-defying’ skateboarding stunt

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Olympic medalist suffers serious injuries after ‘death-defying’ skateboarding stunt

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An Olympic medalist and 13-time X Games winner suffered serious head injuries after a stunt went wrong.

Nyjah Huston, who won bronze in Paris in 2024, said he suffered a fractured skull and eye socket.

“A harsh reminder how death-defying skating massive rails can be…” Huston wrote in an Instagram post which included a photo of himself in a hospital bed. “Taking it one day at a time. I hope yall had a better new years then me. We live to fight another day.”

 

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Nyjah Huston of the United States competes in the men’s street prelims during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at La Concorde 3.  (Jack Gruber/USA TODAY Sports)

The post also featured Huston being treated by first responders and friends, along with another photo showing a large black-and-blue mark on Huston’s eye.

Numerous skating legends showed their support for Huston, who is considered one of the best skateboarders in the United States today.

Nyjah Huston of Team USA reacts at the Skateboarding Men’s Street Prelims on day two of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Ariake Urban Sports Park on July 25, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

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“Been watching @nyjah grow up into one of the best skaters to ever do it and it amazes me the amount of grit this kid has,” Shaun White shared on his Instagram story, via Pro Football Network. “You got this brother. Heal quick!”

Even Tony Hawk shared well-wishes on Huston’s Instagram post.

“Heavy. Stay strong; we know you’ll be back,” the skateboarding legend wrote.

“Man.. prayers for healing brother!” added Ryan Sheckler.

It is unknown whether Huston was wearing a helmet at the time of the incident.

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Nyjah Huston, of the United States, celebrates during the men’s skateboard street final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Monday, July 29, 2024, in Paris, France.  (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Huston has seven gold medals and five silvers in world championships. He has not competed since the 2024 Olympics, but the California native has his eyes set on the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

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Prep talk: JuJu Watkins returns to Sierra Canyon on Friday

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Prep talk: JuJu Watkins returns to Sierra Canyon on Friday

JuJu Watkins is returning to Sierra Canyon High on Friday, the place where she was a high school basketball All-American.

The school will hold a ceremony retiring her jersey at halftime of the boys’ basketball game between Sierra Canyon and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

She will be presented with a framed jersey.

Watkins is sitting out this season at USC while recovering from a knee injury.

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Sierra Canyon girls’ basketball coach Alicia Komaki said, “She raised our standards, which was hard to do because we had won four state championships. She was an incredibly talented player.”

Watkins was also making a huge impact in the college game until her injury last season during the NCAA playoffs.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

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Miami beats Ole Miss behind Carson Beck’s game-winning touchdown to reach CFP National Championship Game

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Miami beats Ole Miss behind Carson Beck’s game-winning touchdown to reach CFP National Championship Game

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The Miami Hurricanes are heading to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, coming away with a narrow victory over Ole Miss, 31-27, in an all-time postseason contest. 

The Hurricanes will now await the winner of the other semifinal between the Indiana Hoosiers and Oregon Ducks to see who they will play on Jan. 19. But Miami will do so on their home turf, with the National Championship Game being played at Hard Rock Stadium – the site of their home games. 

The game began slowly for both teams, with only Miami getting on the scoreboard in the first quarter with a field goal on their 13-play opening drive. But the fireworks came out from there for the Rebels thanks to the speed of running back Kewan Lacy.

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Charmar Brown of the Miami (FL) Hurricanes celebrates a run in the first quarter of the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Steve Limentani/ISI Photos)

On just the second play of the second quarter, Lacy was off to the race, finding a seam and busting out a 73-yard touchdown run to go up 7-3 after the extra point.

But this game was back and forth for quite some time, including the ensuing Hurricanes drive as quarterback Carson Beck led the way on a 15-play touchdown series with a CharMar Brown rushing score from four yards out.

The game was deadlocked at 10 apiece when Beck decided to air it out to Keelan Marion, and it was worth the risk. Marion made the grab for a 52-yard touchdown to help Miami go up 17-13 at halftime.

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The third quarter was an odd one for both squads, as their opening drives resulted in a missed field goal apiece. Then, after Beck threw an interception, the Rebels were able to cut the lead to 17-16 in favor of the Hurricanes heading into the fourth quarter for the ages.

There was no absence of electric plays when it mattered most in the final 15 minutes, as Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss got his team downfield enough to take a 19-17 lead with a field goal.

But the speed of Malachi Toney changed the scoreboard for Miami in the best way possible, as he took a screen 36 yards to the house, capping a four-play, 75-yard answer drive for the Hurricanes right after Ole Miss took the lead.

Trinidad Chambliss of the Ole Miss Rebels celebrates a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the second quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

With a 24-19 lead and five minutes left to play in the game, Chambliss and the Rebels’ offense had quite enough time to retake the lead. He did just that, finding trusty tight end Dae’Quan Wright for 24 yards to send the Rebels faithful ballistic.

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Ole Miss wanted to go for two in hopes of making it a three-point lead, and Chambliss came through again, finding a wide open Caleb Odom for the key score.

It was up to Beck and the Miami offense to keep the game alive with at least tying the game at 27 apiece. On a crucial third-and-10 just inside field goal range, Beck was confident with his pass to Marion to get well within range. Another pass to Marion made it first-and-goal, and it was clear Miami wasn’t trying to force overtime. They wanted to win it all.

How fitting was it that Beck, scanning the field, found a seam to his left and just sprinted for the colored paint to score the game-winner with 18 seconds left.

But things got fascinating at the end, with Ole Miss going 40 yards in just a few seconds to set up a Hail Mary for the win. Chambliss had the space to loft a pass to the end zone, and though it hit off the hand of a teammate, it landed incomplete for the Miami victory. 

Carson Beck of the Miami Hurricanes passes the ball against the Ole Miss Rebels in the first quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona.   (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

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In the box score, Beck was 23-of-37 for 268 yards with his two passing touchdowns and an interception. Marion was a key player in the victory with seven catches for 114 yards, while Mark Fletcher Jr. set the tone in the ground game with 133 yards rushing on 22 carries. Toney also tallied 81 receiving yards for Miami.

For Ole Miss, Chambliss also went 23-of-37 for 277 yards with his touchdown to Wright, who finished with 64 yards on three grabs. De’Zhaun Stribling was five for 77 through the air, while Lacy rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries.

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