Aneesah Morrow tallied 23 points and 15 rebounds while two other Tigers topped 20 points as No. 5 LSU defeated Vanderbilt 83-77 on Monday in Baton Rouge, La., to remain unbeaten. LSU (19-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference), which is off to its second-best start in program history (23-0 in 2022-23), also got big nights from Flau'Jae Johnson, who scored 25 points, and Mikayleah Williams, who put up 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting. The Commodores (14-4, 1-3) pushed LSU, going bucket for bucket with the Tigers for a half and entering the fourth quarter down just 58-57. Vanderbilt trailed by three after Iyana Moore hit a pair of free throws with 1:26 to play. Williams and Johnson missed shots on the ensuing possession, but Morrow gathered another offensive rebound, her fourth of the game, and converted with a bucket to push the lead back to five. Khamil Pierre led the Commodores in scoring (28) and rebounding (eight). Moore chipped in 23 points, while Mikayla Blakes had 12. --Field Level Media

Tae Davis scored 26 points to help Notre Dame snap a four-game losing streak with a 78-60 victory over Boston College on Monday in South Bend, Ind. Davis, who shot 9-for-14 from the field, had a chance to record a career high point total, but he dished to Kebba Njie (11 points, nine rebounds) for a successful 3-pointer in the final seconds. The Fighting Irish (8-9 Atlantic Coast Conference, 2-4) went 14-for-28 from the floor in the second half while outscoring the Eagles 42-27. Notre Dame's Markus Burton finished with 20 point, going 9-for-10 from the free-throw line to overcome a 5-of-15 shooting game. Notre Dame went 3-for-15 from 3-point range but was 23-for-27 at the line and outscored Boston College 40-18 in the paint. Donald Hand Jr. had 17 points for the Eagles (9-8, 1-5), who went to the line just six times and committed 18 turnovers while losing their third straight contest. Boston College trailed 36-33 at halftime but made its first four field-goal attempts out the break to lead 44-40. However, after the game was tied 48-48, the Irish went on what a decisive run of eight consecutive points. Boston College, meanwhile, made just five of its final 17 shots. Davis kicked off the Irish's surge with two free throws, and then he and Matt Allocco posted back-to-back three-point plays to put Notre Dame ahead 56-48. A Burton basket followed by Davis' thunderous dunk pushed the Irish's lead to 14 with 3:23 remaining. Chad Venning's basket gave Boston College a 30-27 lead with 2:05 to go in the first half, but Venning was immediately slapped with a technical foul, apparently for taunting. Notre Dame scored the next nine points, including four straight from Davis, to lead 36-30. Hand's 3-pointer just before the buzzer made it a three-point game to conclude a first half where there were nine lead changes and each team committed nine turnovers. Boston College went 10-for-19 from 3-point range on the night but dropped to 0-3 in true road games this season. --Field Level Media

Rutgers weathered a late run to send visiting UCLA to its fourth consecutive loss in a 75-68 decision on Monday in Piscataway, New Jersey. After trailing the entire first half, the Scarlet Knights (9-8, 2-4 Big Ten Conference) came out of intermission on fire with a quick, 8-0 run. The surge gave Rutgers a lead that, with the exception of a brief 41-41 tie, it held throughout the second half. But when Lathan Sommerville committed a turnover on a possession when it had an opportunity to pull ahead by a double-digit-point margin, UCLA (11-6, 2-4) capitalized with an 8-0 run. Kobe Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 2:07 remaining in regulation that pulled the Bruins to within 63-62. That was UCLA's last gasp, as Rutgers quickly responded when Ace Bailey connected on a 3-pointer the very next possession. Bailey posted game-highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds and shot 5-of-5 from the free-throw line on a night that the Scarlet Knights went 21-of-31 from the charity stripe. Their ability to draw fouls played a key role in the win. Bailey's fellow freshman standout Dylan Harper added 18 points and helped spark the run coming out of halftime when he hit two 3-pointers. Rutgers shot just 2-of-11 from deep in the first half, but with Harper knocking down two and Tyson Acuff adding another, the Scarlet Knights hit their first three attempts from beyond the arc after the break. Jeremiah Williams added 11 points off the bench, with no two bigger than his double-clutch layup with 51 seconds remaining. He drove to the basket and used the rim to shield his attempt, swooping from one side to the other to finish the show and put the game away. Eric Dailey Jr. and Sebastian Mack led UCLA with 16 points each. Mack came off the bench and gave the Bruins a boost on both offense and defense, particularly with season-long leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau struggling. Bilodeau scored six points but shot 0-for-7 from the floor. Johnson finished with 13 points, but had seven in the game's opening minutes before getting into foul trouble. He was limited until the closing stretch. --Field Level Media

Derik Queen scored 27 points on 10-for-15 shooting and Maryland held on for a 77-71 win over Minnesota in a Big Ten Conference matchup on Monday evening in College Park, Md. Rodney Rice added 21 points on 5-for-10 shooting for Maryland (13-4, 3-3 Big Ten). Ja'Kobi Gillespie finished with 15 points to go along with a team-high seven assists. Dawson Garcia scored 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds for Minnesota (8-9, 0-6). Lu'Cye Patterson and Isaac Asuma finished with 15 points apiece. Maryland shot 47.3 percent (26 of 55) overall and 31.6 percent (6 of 19) from 3-point range. Minnesota shot 41.5 percent (22 of 53) from the field and 47.1 percent (8 of 17) from beyond the arc. The Terrapins finished with a 17-4 advantage in fastbreak points. Minnesota led by as many as eight points in the first half. A layup by Femi Odukale gave the Golden Gophers a 31-25 lead with 4:07 remaining before the break, and Patterson added a pair of free throws to increase the advantage to 33-25 with 3:34 remaining. Maryland finished the first half on a 7-2 run to close the deficit to 35-32. Queen scored the Terrapins' final seven points of the half thanks to a three-point play, a jump shot and a dunk off a feed from Gillespie. The Terrapins took control in the second half. They built their lead as high as 11 after Queen erupted for six straight points on back-to-back layups and a dunk. Queen's final basket of the 6-0 run increased Maryland's lead to 68-57 with 4:19 to play. Minnesota tried to stage a late comeback. Patterson made a 3-pointer to pull the Golden Gophers within 74-69 with 12 seconds left. Rice made 1 of 2 free-throw attempts moments later to give Maryland a 75-69 edge. Garcia made a layup on the opposite end to cut the Minnesota deficit to 75-71 with five seconds to go. That proved to be Minnesota's final basket. Rice finished the scoring with a pair of free throws, and Patterson missed a 3-point attempt before time expired. --Field Level Media

Against the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round, sloppy was good enough. But the Houston Texans know a cleaner effort will be needed against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans overcame three turnovers and eight penalties in defeating Los Angeles on Saturday. Despite those issues, Houston outgained the Chargers 429-261 and pulled away in the second half. Following up the 32-12 victory with a sharper focus and better execution would seem to give Houston a great chance against anyone. But the Texans and coach DeMeco Ryans also know what kind of behemoth is waiting for them in the divisional round this weekend in Kansas City. The Chiefs have won the past two Super Bowls and three of the past five, and the team's earliest exits from the playoffs over the past six seasons have been in the AFC Championship -- and in overtime, no less. "We understand what's in front of us," Ryans said. "KC has done a great job for the past few years of really dominating the league, being there at the end. ... "It's a tough, tough team to beat. It's going to take everything that we have. It's going to take all four quarters." The Chiefs, who went 15-2 in the regular season in earning the AFC's top seed, defeated Houston 27-19 in Week 16. In that game, the Texans finished 1-for-3 in the red zone and trailed just 24-19 midway through the fourth quarter before Kansas City closed out the win. But Ryans doesn't expect that Dec. 21 loss to be much of an indicator of how this Saturday will go. "Fresh start, new game," Ryans said. "We will attack it just like it's our first time playing these guys. ... We'll go in with a fresh set of eyes and see the things we need to do to be better, the things we need to do that close out the game." Still, that's easier said than done when two-time league MVP Patrick Mahomes is lining up under center for your opponent. Mahomes, who has thrown for 3,928 yards and 26 touchdowns this season, is not expected to be in the running for his third MVP award this year. But he can still stress a defense better than almost any other player in the league. "It just presents different challenges," Ryans said of facing Mahomes. "Guys are wide open a lot on their film because of the threat he poses, and he just requires so much attention." --Field Level Media

Minnesota Vikings backup running back Cam Akers is active for Monday night's NFC wild-card game against the Los Angeles Rams in Glendale, Ariz. Akers has been battling an illness and missed practice on Saturday. The Vikings listed him as questionable for the game. Akers has rushed for 297 yards and one touchdown in 12 games for Minnesota this season. He began the season with the Houston Texans before being dealt to the Vikings in mid-October. Akers played for the Rams from 2020-23. Daniel Jones was designated as Minnesota's third quarterback. The club's inactives are Jones, defensive lineman Levi Drake Rodriguez, center Dan Feeney, offensive tackle Walter Rouse and outside linebacker Pat Jones II. The Los Angeles inactives include signal-caller Stetson Bennett (third quarterback), receiver Tyler Johnson, cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr., outside linebacker Brennan Jackson and offensive linemen Justin Dedich and Joe Noteboom. --Field Level Media

The Louisville Cardinals venture on the road again in Atlantic Coast Conference play Tuesday when they face the Syracuse Orange, with both teams ready to defend winning streaks. The Cardinals (12-5, 5-1) have won six in a row, the program's best streak since a 10-game run five years ago. Five players have led or tied to lead the team in scoring over the streak, with Reyne Smith scoring 25 on Saturday in Louisville's come-from-behind 82-78 victory against the Pitt Panthers. A native of Australia, Smith leads the conference and ranks third nationally with 61 3-pointers, making seven of his 11 shots from beyond the arc in the win. The current streak is helping return the program to national prominence after three consecutive losing seasons, and Louisville is doing that with a roster that includes just one returning player, a walk-on from last season's 8-24 squad. Speaking during the weekly ACC coaches' call Monday, first-year coach Pat Kelsey said landing players from winning programs was a key factor as his staff overhauled the roster. "it's just a big thing for us in this new age, in the transfer portal era, because it's very important to be able to mesh your team quickly and build chemistry quickly and build camaraderie and those types of things," Kelsey said. It's been an uneven season for Syracuse (8-8, 2-3). The Orange have won two straight, the last being a 79-71 win Saturday at Boston College. Coach Adrian Autry's team started 3-0 but has had four two-game skids sandwiched between the two winning streaks. Injuries have played a factor. JJ Starling, the Orange's top scorer, is averaging 19.8 points per game but suffered a broken hand that caused him to miss seven games. "Clearly, before he got hurt, I thought he was playing great basketball," Autry said after Starling scored 26 points in the win at Boston College. "He's picked that right back up. He's everything for this team. He's our leader, and the team knows it." A game after Starling's return, freshman Donnie Freeman (13.4 ppg, 7.9 rebounds per game) may still be out after having missed the last two games with a foot injury. Autry said on the Monday conference call, per Syracuse.com, that he could have an update on his second-leading scorer's status later in the day. --Field Level Media

St. John's coach Rick Pitino only saw glimpses of RJ Luis Jr.'s capabilities last year because of a shin injury that cost him 10 games and persisted through the season. This season, Luis is among the major reasons for St. John's getting off to a hot start in Big East play. The swingman attempts to produce another strong showing Tuesday night when the Red Storm put their unbeaten home record on the line against improving Georgetown in New York. Luis was named Big East Player of the Week after averaging 24 points in the Red Storm's 10-point win at Xavier and an 80-68 home victory over Villanova on Saturday. He is scoring 17.4 points per game after getting 30 in his third straight double-double on Saturday and is tied with Xavier's Zach Freemantle as the fourth-best scorer in the Big East. Luis' big performance helped the Red Storm (14-3, 5-1) improve to 11-0 at home and continued their best start to conference play since the 2000-01 team also started 5-1. "He's physically stronger than what he was," Pitino said after Luis scored 23 points in the second half. "He has -- and this is a good thing, it's not a selfish thing -- he has an incredible desire to score." Luis produced his big game after Deivon Smith injured his right shoulder in the first half and was unable to finish the game after trying to briefly play through it in the second. He is day-to-day with a sprained right shoulder and could play Tuesday. Georgetown (12-4, 3-2) is significantly improved after losing a combined 73 games in the previous three seasons thanks to the presence of Thomas Sorber, who is the league's top rebounder (8.5) and is second in blocked shots (2.4). The Hoyas are coming off consecutive eight-point losses to No. 7 Marquette and No. 14 UConn. Sorber struggled to get into the offense, scoring 11 points against Marquette and nine in Saturday's 68-60 loss to UConn, when the Hoyas allowed a 17-2 run to start the second half and trailed by as many as 23 before making a late charge. Georgetown was held below 70 points for the third straight time, fourth time in league play and eighth time overall. The Hoyas were able to stay in both of their previous games thanks to a defense that held the Huskies to 41.4 percent after halftime following five straight games of holding foes below 40 percent from the field. "We just have to take them head on and work on playing more physically," Georgetown's Malik Mack said. "They had moments where they were bringing it to us and we were trying to complain our way through it instead of just playing." --Field Level Media

Broncos QB Bo Nix played part of season with broken back

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix played through a broken bone in his back in the latter part of his stellar rookie season. Nix sustained a transverse process fracture in his back during the first half of a game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 24. He finished the game and played the following week through pain against the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 2, a Monday night affair. Nix told reporters on Monday that he had three fractures. "That week, got treatment, made it through that week. Monday Night Football was a stretch where we were all kind of banged up," Nix said. "And I wasn't going to miss the first Monday night game (of my career). I got treatment on it and then we were fortunate to have a (bye) week the next week and it kind of went away after that. "That moment was annoying, but we all play with something." Despite the injury, Nix passed for 294 yards, including a 93-yard scoring pass to Marvin Mims Jr. during a 41-32 home victory. Nix guided the Broncos to the postseason for the first time since the 2015 season. Denver's season ended with a 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC wild-card round on Sunday. "This has been a good run. We started where we were, and to be where we are now, play an extra week of football, an opportunity to play in the playoffs, it's exciting and it's an exciting time to be in Denver right now," Nix said. "I love this team and will always appreciate what they did for me as a rookie coming in and learning the NFL. It was an honor to play with those guys each week." Nix was chosen No. 12 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, the sixth quarterback chosen in the first round, and beat out Jarrett Stidham for the starting job during training camp. He passed for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns against 12 interceptions. He also rushed for 430 yards and four scores. Nix also earned points with the veterans by displaying leadership beyond his years. "I've said it over and over again, I've been impressed every single week," said right guard Quinn Meinerz, who earned first-team All-Pro honors this season. "He continued to show improvement, and I think that's the only thing you can really ask for from a young player. Players at any position are trying to improve. I'm excited for him. "That rookie year is kind of tough. You have your college season, you have the pre-draft stuff, you have combine training and then you go through an NFL season. I'm excited for him to get some time off. That's what he needs right now is to get some time off to reset a little bit because the next season will be here quickly." --Field Level Media

Two teams still trying to find their footing in Big East play meet Tuesday night when Villanova visits Xavier in Cincinnati. Villanova (11-6, 4-2 Big East) is coming off an 80-68 loss to St. John's on Saturday night in New York. That took some wind out of the Wildcats' sails after defeating then-No. 9 UConn at home last Wednesday and winning three straight games in Big East play. While Eric Dixon has rightfully garnered most of the headlines for Villanova with his Division I-leading 25.3 points per game, point guard Wooga Poplar has started to take command of the offense as he has settled into his role, averaging 14.5 points and a team-leading 6.6 rebounds per contest. Poplar is averaging 18.8 points over his last five games, including his 1,000th career point Saturday night. "Every game is a chance to get better," Dixon said after the loss. "We'll go back and look at the film, see what we could have done better. (We'll) take some lessons from this game, learn, and try to move forward and build on it." Xavier (10-7, 2-4) recorded its first road win of the season and just its fourth since the start of last season with a 77-63 triumph over DePaul on Saturday in Chicago. Desperate to rebound from a disheartening effort in an 82-72 home loss to St. John's, head coach Sean Miller took leading scorer Zach Freemantle out of the starting lineup and brought him off the bench in Saturday's win. Freemantle responded with a double-double, scoring a team-high 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The big man leads Xavier in scoring and is fourth in the Big East at 17.4 points per game. "It was a big game for us," Miller said of the win at DePaul. "Especially how the last game felt, I thought we were overwhelmed in that game. You can really lose your confidence. There's nobody that's gonna give you confidence. You have to find a way to collectively work together to reestablish it." Ryan Conwell, who had 19 points at DePaul, is second on the team and eighth in Big East scoring at 16.1 ppg. The junior transfer from Indiana State has at least one 3-pointer in all 17 games, and at least two in 15 games. --Field Level Media

Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers is pushing to return to the field for the AFC divisional playoff game at Buffalo this Sunday. "That's in we'll see mode. He's working hard to get back," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said on Monday. "We'll see toward the end of the week if he's practicing. He can play without practicing for sure, if he feels healthy enough and it's safe for him." Flowers didn't practice last week and was ruled out of the wild-card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. The team leader with 74 receptions for 1,059 yards in the regular season, Flowers sustained a knee injury during Baltimore's 35-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns in the regular-season finale. Reserve running back Justice Hill led the Ravens with four receptions against the Steelers, a 28-14 win that pushed the team to the divisional round visit to the Bills. Baltimore ran the ball 50 times for 299 yards compared to 16 pass plays. It was the first time Flowers missed a game in his two NFL seasons. Rashod Bateman is the most likely candidate to serve as Lamar Jackson's lead wide receiver if Flowers is unable to return this week. Flowers and Bateman had one reception apiece in the Ravens' Week 4 win over the Bills, 35-10. Derrick Henry rushed for 199 yards and scored two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) and tight end Mark Andrews was held without a catch. --Field Level Media

Mike McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys are headed in different directions. Owner Jerry Jones confirmed the split with McCarthy as head coach after three playoff appearances in five seasons. Jones, the team's owner and general manager, said the Cowboys have begun searching for the ninth coach since he purchased the team in 1989. "Throughout Mike McCarthy's tenure here, including the last several weeks, I have been very complimentary of the job he has done. That has applied to our record over that time period, our team unity and culture, Mike's qualifications and track record of success, and on a personal level as a tremendous human being," Jones said in a statement Monday. "I have great respect for Mike, and he has led the team through some very unique and challenging times during his tenure." Jones said the Cowboys and McCarthy held talks about the future of the team over several days but Monday all parties began to sense it was best to move on. "Over the past week, Mike and I had the opportunity to conduct a joint review of all aspects of the past season, our players and staff, and also spent considerable time discussing the road forward for the team. These discussions were thorough and received an appropriate amount of time and depth to cover. Prior to reaching the point of contract negotiations, though, it became mutually clear that it would be better for each of us to head in a different direction," Jones said. "I thank Mike and wish him, his wife Jessica and their family the best. They have been a wonderful part of our community here. "We will commence a search process immediately to hire the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys." McCarthy led the Cowboys to three 12-5 campaigns with losing seasons in his first (2020) and final seasons with the franchise. The Cowboys last week denied a request from the Chicago Bears to interview McCarthy, and owner Jerry Jones said in December he expected other teams to show interest because of the coach's resume and history developing quarterbacks. The Bears drafted Caleb Williams No. 1 overall in the 2024 draft. ESPN reported the New Orleans Saints also have interest in interviewing McCarthy, where he previously served as offensive coordinator (2000-04). McCarthy, 61, said after the regular-season finale that he wanted to return as Jones showed some indecision in public comments that lacked a clear commitment to keeping him. "I don't know that I am considering making a change is really what I'm trying to say," Jones said at the end of the regular season. "Mike's one of the best coaches that I think there is. He was made the coach here because I thought that, and he's done absolutely nothing to diminish my opinion of him as a coach." This would be the seventh coaching change in the NFL with only one of the vacant spots filled. New England fired Jerod Mayo one season after hiring him to replace Bill Belichick and moved quickly to make former Titans coach and Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel their head coach in 2025. Reports indicated the Cowboys are interested in discussing the opening with former tight end Jason Witten and current Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Access to Moore is limited during the playoffs until the Eagles are eliminated, much like coveted Detroit Lions assistants Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson. Dallas won four of its final seven games despite a significant run of injuries to key personnel, including a season-ending injury to quarterback Dak Prescott and a month without top pass rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. --Field Level Media

Ravens in 'we'll see' mode with WR Zay Flowers (knee)

Jerry Jones thanks Mike McCarthy, Cowboys launch search for new coach