STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Freshman Ebuka Okorie scored 28 points, Benny Gealer made a crucial pair of free throws with 8.2 seconds left, and Stanford beat No. 16 Louisville 80-76 on Friday.
Okorie shot 9 of 18 and went 8 of 10 on free throws in 38 minutes to pace Stanford (12-3, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) to its first win over a ranked opponent since beating then-No. 4 Arizona on Dec. 31, 2023.
It was Stanford’s first victory in five meetings with Louisville, an ACC rival as of last season.
Chisom Okpara scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half for Stanford, and Ryan Agarwal added 12 points.
Ryan Conwell scored 18 points on 6-of-21 shooting for Louisville (11-3, 1-1), which fell short in coach Pat Kelsey’s first attempt at his 300th victory. Isaac McKneely added 17 points, Sananda Fru scored 15 and J’Vonne Hadley had 14.
Louisville's Khani Rooths made a 3-pointer with 4:49 left to tie the game at 65-all, but Agarwal responded with a 3 for Stanford and the Cardinal held on from there. Gealer's free throws made it a two-possession game after Louisville had moved within two.
Louisville didn’t look very sharp when it beat California on Tuesday, and things didn’t get much better when Kelsey’s team traveled across the San Francisco Bay.
Stanford took control early and benefited from Conwell’s slow start.
Louisville’s leading scorer at 27.8 points per game, Conwell missed his first nine shots, including eight from behind the arc. Conwell's first point came on a free throw and he didn’t make his first basket until late in the first half. He finished 2 of 14 on 3-pointers.
Louisville: Hosts No. 6 Duke on Tuesday.
Stanford: At Virginia Tech on Wednesday.
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Louisville guard Ryan Conwell (3) drives to the basket against Stanford forward Oskar Giltay (15) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Stanford, Calif., Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
MIAMI (AP) — Send the New York Rangers outdoors, and they become unbeatable.
Mika Zibanejad had a hat trick, Artemi Panarin scored twice and the Rangers beat the Florida Panthers 5-1 on Friday night in the Winter Classic — the first outdoor game played in the Sunshine State.
Alexis Lafrenière had three assists and Igor Shesterkin stopped 36 shots for the Rangers, who improved to 6-0-0 in outdoor games.
Sam Reinhart scored for Florida, which was playing outdoors for the first time and lost for the fourth time in its last six contests overall. The Panthers gave up goals to Zibanejad and Panarin 64 seconds apart late in the first period, giving New York a 2-0 lead, and the Rangers kept control the rest of the way.
Zibanejad's third goal was an empty-netter with 1:28 left. Rangers fans tried throwing hats to no avail; the seats were too far from the ice for any of them to get even close to the playing surface.
The roof was open, as were the huge window panels behind what typically is left field at loanDepot Park — home of Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins. There was some snow falling from the edges of the stadium, there were blasts of fire and after years of planning, there was hockey on a baseball field.
Did it work? Outdoor ice typically doesn't hold up with temperatures in the 60s, and there were some player complaints that the surface wasn't conducive to speedy play. But it worked well enough for the Rangers, who were 4-6-3 in their last 13 games coming into Friday.
The temperature of 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17 Celsius) at game time was the second-warmest of any of the NHL's 44 outdoor games that have counted in the standings. It was 2 degrees cooler than on Feb. 27, 2016, when Detroit beat Colorado at Denver's Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies.
The Rangers — with a snow effect around their walkway — were called to the ice at 8:13 p.m. The Panthers — as fire shot skyward along their path — came out about a minute later. And that's about when snowflakes began falling from the top of the stadium, as the roof continued opening.
There was another celebration before faceoff, when Rangers and Panthers players who will be part of the U.S. Olympic hockey team at the Milan Cortina Games next month were introduced. Panthers defenseman Seth Jones made the team earlier Friday, as did injured Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk.
Tkachuk placed an American flag over Jones' shoulders and the crowd roared.
It was a spectacle, as expected. The Rangers showed up in all-white outfits, as if it was a beach day. The Panthers came with a “Miami Vice” theme, wearing white suits, pastel shirts and even showing up in Ferraris instead of a bus.
“If you would have asked me 25 years ago ... this might be the last place that I thought it would take place,” Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said. “So, I just think it speaks volumes for technology and its advancements and the ability to put a sheet of ice down in this type of environment.”
Rangers: Host Utah on Monday.
Panthers: Host Colorado on Sunday.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Florida Panthers's Matthew Tkachuk, left, and Aleksander Barkov hold up the Stanley Cup at the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) celebrates after scoring against New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) during the third period of the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell (15) and New York Rangers right wing Taylor Raddysh (14) vie for the puck during the third period of the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Players arrive before the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Florida Panthers players walk to the ice before the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) blocks a shot attempt by the New York Rangers during the first period of the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) watches the puck during the first period of the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Fireworks explode over loanDepot Park before the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
New York Rangers and Florida Panthers players warm up before the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Players warm up before the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
