THURSDAY SPORTS, JANUARY 29, 2026
MITCHELL KERNELS
— Mitchell Kernels basketball hosts Sioux Falls Lincoln for a doubleheader on Friday night at the High School Gym. Girls game starts at 6 pm, followed by the boys at 7:30 pm. The Kernels girls improved to 8-3 on the season with their seventh win in a row on Tuesday night, 56-37 over Huron at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls. Meanwhile, the Kernels boys dropped to 5-5 on the season after a 51-36 loss to Huron. The KORN Pregame Show starts on 5:45 pm.
— Mitchell Kernels boys wrestling face Brookings and SF Jefferson in a triangular in Sioux Falls on Thursday, while the girls take on Brookings in a dual, also at SF Jefferson on Thursday night.
— Mitchell Marlins boys hockey, 5-7-1 on the season, host Sioux Falls West on Saturday and Watertown on Sunday.
— Mitchell Marlins girls hockey, 5-10 on the season, hosts Oahe on Friday and Aberdeen on Saturday.
— Mitchell Kernels gymnastics are back in action on Saturday at the ESD Conference meet in Aberdeen.
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— No. 9 Dakota Wesleyan women’s basketball extended its winning streak to 12 straight after a 70-61 win vs. No. 19 Briar Cliff on Wednesday night at the Corn Palace. Rylee Rosenquist had a team-high 17 points, while Avery Broughton added 15 points and seven rebounds. The Tigers held Briar Cliff to just 33% shooting from the field. DWU, 18-4 on the season and 14-2 in the GPAC, hosts Hastings on Saturday at 2 pm.
— Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball lost 92-75 to Briar Cliff on Wednesday night at the Corn Palace. Anthony Riggans had 18 points and seven rebounds for the Tigers, while Randy Rosenquist Jr. added 16 points and six rebounds. All five starters for Briar Cliff scored double figures. DWU, 11-11 on the season and 6-8 in the GPAC, hosts Hastings on Saturday at 3:45 pm.
— Dakota Wesleyan wrestling takes on Waldorf on Thursday at 6:30 pm. The Tigers are coming off a 28-15 dual win vs. No. 25 Morningside on Tuesday night.
— Olivia Smith of Dakota Wesleyan has been named the GPAC Women’s Wrestler of the Week, the first-ever wrestler from DWU’s women’s program to earn the honor. Smith earned the award after two victories last week, including an 11-0 tech fall over Buena Vista and a pin against Morningside.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State women’s basketball held Omaha to single digit scoring to two of the four quarters on Wednesday night on its way to an 85-41 win over the Mavericks. The Jacks outscored Omaha 21-8 in the second quarter and 28-6 in the fourth. Brooklyn Meyer finished with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field, along with seven rebounds. Meyer ended the game with 1,800 career points and is the sixth Jackrabbit in school history to reach the milestone. SDSU will be at USD on Saturday afternoon at 1 pm.
— South Dakota State men’s basketball lost 80-71 at Omaha on Wednesday. Damon Wilkinson finished with a game-high 24 points on 10-of-11 shooting, while Kalen Garry added 22 points. SDSU falls to 10-12 on the season and 3-4 in the Summit League. The Jackrabbits hosts Oral Roberts on Saturday at 2 pm in Brookings.
— No. 15 South Dakota State wrestling returns home on Friday to take on Air Force at 7 pm.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD women’s basketball used a big second quarter to defeated St. Thomas 67-55 on Wednesday. The Coyotes outscored the Tommies 22-6 in the second quarter to take a 21-point halftime lead. Angelina Robles had a game-high 20 points, while Elise Turrubiates finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds. USD improves to 16-6 on the season and 6-2 in the Summit League. They host South Dakota State on Saturday at 1 pm in Vermillion.
— USD men’s basketball host Oral Roberts on Thursday at 7 pm. The Coyotes lost to St. Thomas 90-78 on Saturday.
NFL
— The Cleveland Browns have hired Todd Monken as the franchise’s 19th full-time head coach, wrapping up a three-week search. He replaces Kevin Stefanski, who was fired on Jan. 5, a day after Cleveland finished a 5-12 season. This is Monken’s first NFL head coaching job after 11 years in the league as an assistant. He spent the previous three seasons as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator. Monken previously served as the Browns’ offensive coordinator in 2019.
— New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has voiced his support for head coach Bill Belichick, saying he unequivocally deserves to be a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer. This comes after reports that Belichick did not receive enough votes for induction in his first year of eligibility. Kraft praised Belichick’s record, calling him the greatest coach of all time and highlighting his six Super Bowl wins and sustained success over two decades. Former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady also criticized the snub, calling it “ridiculous” and saying Belichick’s first-ballot status should be unquestioned. Belichick retired after the 2023 season, ending a legendary coaching career that ranks second in all-time wins behind Don Shula. The Hall of Fame will announce its 2026 class on February 5th in San Francisco.
GOLF
— Patrick Reed is leaving LIV Golf with an eye on returning to the PGA Tour. Reed is the second major champion to leave LIV. He posted his intentions Wednesday on social media. His decision comes the same week that Brooks Koepka returns to the PGA Tour at Torrey Pines. Reed is eligible to return to the PGA Tour in September. It will be one year since he last played on LIV in August 2025.
NBA
— Caitlin Clark is joining NBC’s pregame coverage for “Sunday Night Basketball.” NBC announced this week that the Indiana Fever star will be part of its team when the Lakers play the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. She’ll return on March 29 for another pregame role.
— Julius Randle scored 31 points and Naz Reid added 23 as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Dallas Mavericks 118-105. The Mavericks were without rookie No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, who sat for left ankle injury management on the first night of a back-to-back. Anthony Edwards scored 20 points for the Timberwolves. Minnesota hosts Oklahoma City tonight at 8:30 pm on Amazon Prime Video.
— Donovan Mitchell scored 25 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers used a big third quarter to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 129-99. LeBron James had only 11 points, the first time in 13 trips to Cleveland as an opposing player he has not had at least 20.
— Victor Wembanyama had 28 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks to help the San Antonio Spurs rally for a 111-99 victory over the Houston Rockets. The Spurs trailed by 16 and didn’t have a lead until late in the third quarter.
— Mikal Bridges scored 19 of his 30 points in the third quarter, while Karl-Anthony Towns had a season-high 22 rebounds as the New York Knicks defeated the Toronto Raptors 119-92. Towns had 14 rebounds in the second quarter alone.
— Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 21 points, while Jalen Johnson had 19 points and 14 rebounds as the Atlanta Hawks beat the Boston Celtics 117-106.
— Steph Curry scored 27 points as the Golden State Warriors beat the Utah Jazz 140-124 Golden State used a 20-2 run in the fourth quarter to go up 17 points.
— Brandon Miller scored 26 points as the Charlotte Hornets topped their victory total from all of last season, beating the Memphis Grizzlies 112-97. Charlotte has won four straight to improve to 20-28 after finishing 19-62 last season.
— Paolo Banchero had 31 points and 12 rebounds, while Anthony Black scored 26 points as the Orlando Magic beat the Miami Heat 133-124.
— Aaron Nesmith made a go-ahead reverse layup with 13 seconds left and blocked Coby White’s attempt from close range with 2 seconds remaining as the Indiana Pacers rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Chicago Bulls 113-110.
HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL
— The Mitchell Kernel volleyball program has its next head coach. Amy Tyler has been named just the second head coach in program history, succeeding longtime coach Deb Thill, who retired after 35 seasons. Tyler returns to the Mitchell bench after serving as an assistant with the Kernels from 2020 to 2022. She previously spent 16 years as head coach at Wagner, where she won Class A state championships in 2008 and 2009 and compiled a career record of 433 wins. Tyler takes over a Kernel team that went 16–11 last season and reached the Class AA state tournament for the first time since 2018.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL – THURSDAY
Wagner vs. Scotland/Menno (DH)
Platte-Geddes vs. Hanson (DH)
Bon Homme vs. Andes Central/Dakota Christian (DH)
Sanborn Central/Woonsocket vs. Wessington Springs (girls)
Canton vs. McCook Central/Montrose (girls)
Chester vs. Bridgewater-Emery (girls)
Canistota vs. Freeman (girls)
Kimball/White Lake vs. Faulkton Area (girls)
Avon vs. Gregory (boys)
GIRLS CLASS AA BASKETBALL – THURSDAY
No. 3 SF Washington vs. No. 4 Aberdeen Central
Huron vs. Yankton
Tea Area vs. SF Roosevelt
BOYS CLASS AA BASKETBALL – THURSDAY
Aberdeen Central vs. SF Washington