Sports
Toure (No. 35) commits to Arkansas, Coach Cal
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Jeff Borzello
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Paul Biancardi
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Paul Biancardi
Basketball Recruiting
- National Recruiting Director for ESPN.com
- 18 years of coaching experience at Division I level
- Former Horizon League coach of the year at Wright State
Top-35 senior Abdou Toure announced his commitment to Arkansas on Friday, giving coach John Calipari his second SC Next 100 recruit in the 2026 class.
Toure chose the Razorbacks over fellow finalists Providence and UConn. He took official visits to Arkansas and Providence and unofficial trips to the Huskies’ campus. Providence was perceived to be the favorite down the stretch, but Calipari and the Razorbacks were able to convince Toure.
“Coach Cal and his history was the main reason I chose Arkansas,” Toure told ESPN. “The way he treats his players and how he cares for all his players, along with his energy, was the difference. He is always there for his players. He is the type of coach I can have an open conversation with, and he prepares his players for the NBA. I watched the practices, and they were high intensity.”
Calipari’s track record with producing NBA draft picks and how highly ranked recruits develop under his tutelage was a factor for Toure.
“Coach Cal is a players’ coach. He really cares and loves his players,” he said. “He gave me real feedback on my shot. He said I need to have a higher release point on my 3-point shot.”
A 6-foot-6 wing from Notre Dame High School (Conn.), Toure is the highest-ranked player in the state. He is No. 31 overall in the SC Next 100.
One of the best athletes and finishers in the senior class, Toure plays with consistent intensity and impacts the game with his speed, quickness and ability to play above the rim. He fills the lane in transition with speed, and when he gets to the rim, his verticality kicks in. Toure is an effective straight-line driver with the ball in his hands, and he has a dependable midrange jumper. Toure is also a switchable defender who crashes the offensive glass.
Playing for BABC on the Adidas 3SSB circuit this year, Toure averaged 15.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, including a 28-point outing against Wildcat Select in July. He was named the Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year in Connecticut after averaging 25.1 points per game as a junior.
Toure is Calipari’s second commitment in the 2026 class, after five-star small forward JaShawn Andrews picked the Razorbacks in May. Arkansas still has several high-end targets left on the board, including Jordan Smith, Caleb Holt, Brandon McCoy and Arafan Diane — the last of whom Toure played with for Guinea at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup and is someone he is trying to recruit to Fayetteville.
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Josh Allen has finally won a road playoff game, and it took his Superman traits to get it done for his Buffalo Bills.
The Bills took down the Jacksonville Jaguars, 27-24, behind Allen’s two rushing scores, including the game-winner on Sunday afternoon.
The fourth quarter was electric for both teams, as each scored two touchdowns in the 15 minutes that ensued. But it was Allen’s second rushing score of the game that mattered most in the end.
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Josh Hines-Allen of the Jaguars sacks Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills during the AFC wild-card game at EverBank Stadium on Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Florida. (Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
Allen and the Bills’ offense faced a 24-20 deficit after Trevor Lawrence found Travis Etienne Jr. for a 14-yard touchdown catch, where he broke one tackle and flew into the end zone. The Duval County crowd went nuts, but the clock was still in Buffalo’s favor.
After all, we’ve seen Allen have some good playoff heroics in the past. But he was 0-4 in road playoff games for his career coming into this contest, and the pressure was certainly on as Jacksonville’s defense was making it hard for him all game.
Allen’s first clutch moment of the drive came when he threw the ball 36 yards off his back foot to Brandin Cooks to flip the field into Jaguars territory. Cooks stepped up with 58 yards on three receptions, including this key one down the stretch.
SUPER BOWL CHAMP CRITICIZES JAGUARS’ DECISION-MAKING IN CRUCIAL SPOT VS BILLS
Then, the Bills found themselves with a fourth-and-inches play, the game on the line from Jacksonville’s 11-yard line. It wasn’t hard to tell Buffalo was going to run their version of the tush push with Allen, but no one expected what happened next.
Not only did Allen get the push he needed for the first down, but his teammates continued to thrust him forward for 10 yards, almost finding the end zone.
On the very next play, after officials reversed their initial ruling of a touchdown, the Bills went back to the well as Allen was pushed into the end zone without much of a Jaguars threat. Jacksonville seemed to want them to score with just over a minute left to play and down three points.
Trevor Lawrence of the Jaguars throws a pass against the Buffalo Bills at EverBank Stadium on Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Florida. (Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
Given kicker Cam Little’s leg — he reset the NFL’s longest made field goal record earlier this season — Lawrence didn’t need to go too far to allow a chance to send the game to overtime.
But on the very first play of the drive, a pass intended to Jakobi Meyers was tipped by Tre’Davious White, who had a tremendous game, and intercepted by safety Cole Bishop. Bishop smartly fell to the turf and the game was over with the Jaguars not possessing any timeouts.
The Bills will now wait to see who their next opponent will be in the divisional round.
In the box score, Allen was 28-of-35 for 273 yards with a touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid in the fourth quarter. He also had 33 rush yards on 11 carries, while James Cook had trouble all day against the league’s top rushing defense, with only 46 yards on 15 touches in the backfield.
Khalil Shakir stepped up for Buffalo as well, hauling in all 12 of his targets for 82 yards.
For Jacksonville, Lawrence had three touchdown passes on his 30 attempts, but also two interceptions, the other by Shaq Thompson in the first half. He threw for 207 yards with 31 rushing yards on six attempts to close out his season.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen looks to pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC wild-card at EverBank Stadium on Jan. 11, 2026. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)
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The rush attack was good for the Jaguars, who saw Etienne pick up 67 and Bhayshul Tuten adding 51 on only four carries.
In the pass game, Parker Washington closed his season with yet another solid performance, hauling in seven catches for 107 yards to lead the game.
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