The No. 2 Florida Gators (23-3, 10-3 SEC) head to Baton Rouge on Saturday, looking to extend their five-game winning streak against a rejuvenated LSU team (14-12, 3-10 SEC). Since a 64-44 loss to then-No. 8 Tennessee on Feb. 1, Florida has dominated its competition, with each of its five wins coming by at least nine points. The Gators’ most impressive victory came on Feb. 10, when they took down No. 1 Auburn 81-70 on the road. “We didn’t lose any confidence after that game [vs. Tennessee],” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “It allowed us to recalibrate, focus on defending, rebounding, and taking care of the ball—things that equate to winning.” One key factor in the Gators’ success has been

The Los Angeles Lakers (31-26) will try to shake off a 100-97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers (23-33) on Thursday night. Despite leading by 13 points in the second half, the Lakers collapsed late, with LeBron James missing two game-tying threes in the final five seconds. It was a stunning loss against a Hornets team that entered the game 26 games below .500. James finished with 26 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds while playing through lingering soreness in his left foot, which also kept him out of the All-Star Game. “It’s going to be something we’re going to have to manage through the regular season and through the postseason,” James said. “I

Southern California heads to College Park, Md., on Thursday to visit No. 20 Maryland, one of the hottest offensive teams in the nation. The Maryland Terrapins (20-6, 10-5 Big Ten) have won three straight and seven of their last eight, most recently a 101-75 rout of visiting Iowa on Sunday. The blowout, which included a 54-24 second-half scoring advantage, reflected the balance that has made Maryland one of the nation’s most effective offensive teams all season. Five Terps scored at least 16 points against the Hawkeyes, led by Ja’Kobi Gillespie’s 26 on 11-of-14 shooting. At 14.7 points per game, Gillespie is one of five Maryland players averaging at least 12 points per game. Rodney Rice (13.4 ppg) recorded 18 against

The Los Angeles Lakers and visiting Charlotte Hornets will return from the All-Star break earlier than previously planned when the teams meet for a make-up game Wednesday. Originally scheduled for Jan. 9, the game was postponed due to the ongoing wildfires in the Los Angeles area. Now, the rescheduled matchup presents a different challenge for Charlotte, as they will face a Lakers squad featuring Luka Doncic, who was acquired by Los Angeles on Feb. 2. Doncic has played two games with his new team, both against the Utah Jazz. He scored 14 points in a home victory over the Jazz on Feb. 10 and 16 points in a road loss last Wednesday. Both games came after he missed a month