THURSDAY SPORTS, FEBRUARY 5, 2026
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Five Mitchell High School seniors were honored Wednesday during Signing Day for their plans to compete in college athletics. Track athletes Avrie London (Dakota State), Taylor DeJong (Dickinson State), and Hunter Patton (Mount Marty) signed their letter of intent. Tyler Christensen will play baseball and Adam Kampshoff will play soccer, both at Dakota Wesleyan.
— Mitchell Kernels Wrestling is at Pierre on Thursday with the girls dual starting at 6 pm, followed by the boys at 7 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels girls basketball will be at Sturgis on Friday at 7 pm CST. The Kernels have won nine games in a row after a 60-55 win on Tuesday night vs. SF Jefferson.
— Mitchell Kernels boys basketball will be at Sturgis on Friday at 8:45 pm CST. The Kernels have lost four games in a row and fell to 5-7 on the season after a 67-61 win at SF Jefferson on Tuesday night.
— Mitchell Kernels Gymnastics will compete in a last-chance state qualifier on Saturday in Watertown, then return home to host the Class AA State Gymnastics Meet on February 13th and 14th at Mitchell High School.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— No. 9 Dakota Wesleyan women’s basketball, 19-4 overall and 15-2 in the GPAC, will be at Doane on Sunday at Noon.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball, 12-11 overall and 7-8 in the GPAC, will be at Doane on Sunday at 1:45 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State men’s basketball lost 77-62 at home vs. St. Thomas on Wednesday night. Joe Sayler led the Jacks with 16 points, while Kalen Garry added 12 rebounds. SDSU shot just 5-of-27 from three, while St. Thomas was 13-of-35 from deep. The Jacks fall to 11-13 on the season and 4-5 in the Summit League. They host USD on Saturday at 5 pm.
— South Dakota State women’s basketball led wire-to-wire on Wednesday night in an 84-51 win at St. Thomas. Madison Mathiowetz had a game-high 21 points, while moving into a tied for 10th place all-time in school history for made three-pointers with 167. Brooklyn Meyer added 19 points and nine rebounds and 7-of-9 shooting. Emille Fox knocked down three three-pointers and matched career-highs with six assists and five rebounds. SDSU improves to 18-6 on the season and 8-2 in the Summit League. The Jacks host North Dakota on Thursday, February 12 at 7 pm.
— South Dakota State softball was picked to finish third in the Summit League preseason coaches’ poll, behind Omaha and St. Thomas. SDSU’s Akayla Barnard and Abby Gentry were named Players to Watch. Barnard, a versatile pitcher and outfielder, and Gentry, last year’s Summit League Player of the Year, both had standout seasons in 2025. Meanwhile, USD was picked fourth, with junior pitcher Peyton Paulsen and senior infielder Delaney White also recognized as Players to Watch.
— South Dakota State softball begins its season this week at the East Texas A&M Leadoff in Commerce, Texas. The Jacks will face Texas Southern on Friday at 9 am, followed by Stephen F. Austin at 1:30 pm. SDSU takes on Bucknell and East Texas A&M on Saturday, followed by a final game vs. Stephen F. Austin on Sunday.
— No. 15 South Dakota State wrestling will host No. 14 Northern Iowa on Sunday at 1 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD men’s basketball played it second straight over time on Wednesday night, this time an 82-75 win at Kansas City. The Coyotes outscored the Roos 18-11 in overtime. Cameron Fens had a game-high 23 points and 12 rebounds. USD improved to 13-12 on the season and 5-5 in the Summit League. The Coyotes will be at SDSU on Saturday at 5 pm.
— USD women’s basketball travels to Denver on Thursday at 7 pm CST.
— USD softball begins its season this week at the Bearkat Classic in Huntsville, Texas. The Coyotes face Central Arkansas on Friday at 11 am, followed by Sam Houston at 4 pm. USD will take on Central Arkansas and Sam Houston again on Saturday, followed by a single game vs. Creighton on Sunday at 10 am.
HIGH SCHOOL
— The South Dakota High School Activities Association’s basketball advisory committee has approved a proposal to raise the regular-season game limit from 20 to 22. The change would be optional for schools and aims to reduce long gaps between games. The proposal now heads to the athletic administrators’ spring conference and then to the SDHSAA Board for final approval this spring.
NBA
— The Washington Wizards are acquiring forward Anthony Davis in an eight-player trade with the Mavericks that includes two first round draft picks for Dallas. The move is a signal the Mavericks are moving on from the widely criticized trade that sent superstar Luka Doncic to the Lakers for a package headlined by Davis almost exactly one year ago.
— The Golden State Warriors have acquiring Kristaps Porzingis from Atlanta for forward Jonathan Kuminga and guard Buddy Hield. The 30-year-old Porzingis, now on his sixth team in 10 years, is averaging 17 points and five rebounds in just 17 games this season for the Hawks.
— Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be out of action until after the All-Star break due to an abdominal strain, the team announced Wednesday. The reigning MVP suffered the injury during Oklahoma City’s win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night. SGA will sit out the All-Star games on Feb. 15.
MLB
— Two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal is in a record-setting salary arbitration hearing. The left-hander is asking for $32 million, while the Detroit Tigers are offering $19 million. A two-time All-Star, the 29-year-old Skubal is 54-37 with a 3.08 ERA in six major league seasons. A decision is expected Thursday.
— Free agent pitcher Framber Valdez and the Detroit Tigers have agreed to a $115 million, three-year contract. Valdez became one of baseball’s most durable starters with the Houston Astros averaging 190 inning pitched the last four seasons. Valdez is a two-time All-Star and 2022 World Series champion. He was Houston’s ace last season with a 13-11 record and 3.66 ERA.
— Mickey Lolich, who threw three complete-game wins for the Detroit Tigers in the 1968 World Series, died Wednesday. He was 85. The Tigers said Lolich’s wife told them he died after a short stay in hospice care. An exact cause of death was not provided. Lolich was the Most Valuable Player of the World Series, with a 1.67 ERA and a Game 7 victory on the road over the St. Louis Cardinals.
COLLEGE
— The Mountain West Conference has unveiled a new multi-year media rights deal starting with the 2026-27 season. The six-year agreement includes CBS Sports, Fox Sports, along with a five-year deal with The CW Network. CBS will continue to broadcast top football and basketball games, including the men’s basketball championship, while Fox will air the Mountain West football championship and numerous regular-season games.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL – WEDNESDAY
No. 5 Illinois 84, Northwestern 44
Portland 87, No. 6 Gonzaga 80
No. 8 Houston 79, Central Florida 55
Minnesota 76, No. 10 Michigan State 73
Oklahoma State 99, No. 16 BYU 92
NBA
— Anthony Edwards scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter as the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame an 18-point deficit to beat the Toronto Raptors 128-126. Minnesota won in Toronto for the first time since Jan. 2004. Jaden McDaniels scored 19 points, while Naz Reid and Julius Randle each had 17. Minnesota has won five of their past six games to improve to 32-20 on the season. The Wolves host New Orleans on Friday at 7 pm.
— Keldon Johnson scored 25 points and Victor Wembanyama had 22 points and 14 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs never trailed in a 116-106 victory over the Oklahoma City, beating the reigning NBA champion Thunder for a fourth time this season. The Spurs closed to within five games of the Western Conference-leading Thunder.
— Jalen Brunson had 42 points, nine assists and eight rebounds as the New York Knicks outlasted the Denver Nuggets 134-127 in two overtimes for their eighth straight victory. Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 12 rebounds for New York. Jamal Murray scored 39 points for the Nuggets, while Nikoka Jokic had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.
— Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and had nine assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the Los Angeles Clippers 124-89. Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points for the Clippers.
— Derrick White made six 3-pointers and scored 28 points as the Boston Celtics cruised to a 114-93 win over the Houston Rockets.
— Ryan Rollins scored 27 points as the Milwaukee Bucks withstood a career-high 44 points from Trey Murphy III to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 141-137 in overtime. Murphy shot 12 of 19 from 3-point range. His 12 3-pointers matched the fifth-highest, single-game total in NBA history. The two teams shot a combined 45 of 93 from 3-point range, with New Orleans 24 of 46 and Milwaukee 21 of 47.
— Ty Jerome had 28 points as the Memphis Grizzlies beat Sacramento 129-125, sending the Kings to their season-worst 10th straight loss.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL – THURSDAY
Mt. Vernon/Plankinton vs. Hanson (DH) – Q107.3 at 6:15 pm
Sanborn Central/Woonsocket vs. Parkston (DH) – KORN Country 92.1 at 6:30 pm
Wagner vs. Andes Central/Dakota Christian (DH)
Tripp-Delmont/Armour vs. Wessington Springs (DH)
Scotland/Menno vs. Platte-Geddes (DH)
Freeman vs. Alcester-Hudson (DH)
Avon vs. Bon Homme (DH)
Mitchell Christian vs. Oldham-Ramona-Rutland (boys)
Centerville vs. Bridgewater-Emery (boys)
McCook Central/Montrose vs. Garretson (girls)
AA GIRLS BASKETBALL – THURSDAY
Watertown vs. No. 3 SF Washington
Yankton vs. SF Roosevelt
SF Lincoln vs. Brookings
AA BOYS BASKETBALL – THURSDAY
No. 2 SF Roosevelt vs. Yankton
TOP 25 MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL – SATURDAY
Rutgers vs. No. 9 Nebraska – 11 am on Big Ten Network
No. 12 Purdue vs. Oregon – Noon on CBS
No. 7 Iowa State vs. Baylor – 1 pm on ESPN
No. 11 Kansas vs. Utah – 1:30 pm on FOX
No. 1 Arizona (22-0) vs. Oklahoma State – 3 pm on ESPN
No. 14 North Carolina vs. No. 4 Duke – 5:30 pm on ESPN
No. 10 Michigan State vs. No. 5 Illinois – 7 pm on FOX
No. 16 BYU vs. No. 8 Houston – 9:30 pm on ESPN