NCAA

The Allstate Sugar Bowl is underway in New Orleans ... but before Georgia and Notre Dame kicked off the College Football Playoff matchup, the Caesars Superdome held a moment of silence to remember those lost during the Bourbon Street terrorist attack.

As we previously reported, the contest was postponed a day in wake of the tragedy ... but local law enforcement stated on Thursday the city was confident in its measures to ensure everyone in attendance would be safe.

After the moment of silence in the stadium, it was followed by chants of "U-S-A" and an emotional rendition of the national anthem from NOLA native Samyra Miller.

Former college football standout Tiger Bech was killed in the New Orleans terrorist attack early Wednesday morning, his brother announced. He was just 27 years old.

Bech -- an all-conference kick returner for the Princeton Tigers -- was in New Orleans for the holiday when he was struck by the pickup truck that drove into a crowd on Bourbon Street around 3:15 AM local time.

He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was held on life support until his family arrived at the facility, according to local outlets.

The Sugar Bowl -- one of the most anticipated football games of the year -- has been postponed twenty-four hours after a horrific New Year's Day attack left scores dead in the city of New Orleans, the location of the big CFB quarterfinal tilt.

Jeff Hundley, CEO of the Sugar Bowl, announced Wednesday morning that the football game between 2-seeded University of Georgia and 7-seeded Notre Dame University would kick off Thursday night just before 8 PM local time, instead of Wednesday night as planned, after consulting with the teams, TV network, and others.

"All parties and all agree that it's in the best in the best interest of everybody and public safety that we postpone the game for 24 hours," Hundley said.

LeBron James' son, Bryce, is taking his talents to Tucson -- the 17-year-old high school star just announced he's committed to the Arizona Wildcats basketball program!!

Bryce shared the news on his social media pages just minutes ago ... saying he's all-in on his decision.

"100%committed," Bryce said alongside a few emojis to represent the school's "Bear Down" rally cry and an edited photo of himself in an Arizona uniform.

Former college basketball star Mike Babul has passed away, UMass announced on Tuesday. He was 47 years old.

The school broke the news just minutes ago ... saying in a heartfelt statement the Minutemen fanbase is grieving the loss of an iconic member of the community.

"Babul was a true Massachusetts basketball legend on the court, serving as a positive force in his community and on many sidelines as a coach," the school said.

A charter jet carrying the Gonzaga men's basketball team was just yards away from being wiped out by an outbound plane over the weekend ... and the near collision was all captured on video.

Check out footage from LAX at around 4:30 PM on Friday ... you can see as the Bulldogs' Embraer E135 aircraft was taxiing to its gate after landing in Los Angeles, a Delta flight was taking off on a nearby runway, and the two planes got so close to each other, an air traffic controller actually had to tell the Zags' pilot to stop.

Thankfully, the two avoided one another ... but the FAA still said in a statement to TMZ Sports on Monday it's investigating the situation.

The Pop-Tarts Bowl got off to a hot start Saturday ... with three giant Pop-Tart mascots stripping off their silver wrappings in the pregame festivities.

Here's the deal ... the bowl game -- which has become a fan-favorite since the popular snackfood brand took over the naming rights last year -- kicked off earlier Saturday in Orlando, Florida.

If you don't know, the MVP of the game's winning team gets to choose a flavor of giant Pop-Tart to toast -- and the team gets to dig into the bad boy postgame.

Nick Saban is being a good sport amid his silly beef with Shane Gillis ... saying he understands the comedian was doing his job when cracking a joke about paying players during his legendary tenure at Alabama -- while proving he's got a sense of humor himself.

The "Tires" star initially made the comments on "College GameDay" earlier this month ... claiming Notre Dame is able to compete now that all schools allow student-athletes to get compensated for their accomplishments -- and not just Bama and the SEC in previous years.

Gillis claimed he was just teasing Saban -- who he referred to as "Alabama Jones" due to his hat choice that day -- and admitted he didn't REALLY think there was shady business going on in the conference.

Former Central Michigan Chippewas quarterback Tommy Lazzaro has passed away, the school announced Thursday. He was just 27 years old.

Lazzaro -- a Monument, Colorado native -- was involved in a fatal hunting accident this past Sunday in Florida, according to multiple reports.

Lazzaro made 20 career appearances for the Chippewas ... and was part of the team that went 8-6 and made it to the MAC Championship Game against Miami (OH) in 2019. He led the team with two touchdowns in the contest.

Jayden Daniels sure seems confident Travis Hunter can continue dominating on both offense and defense even in the pros ... telling TMZ Sports the Colorado star is "a special player."

Hunter, of course, just won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday for the way he played both wide receiver and cornerback for the Buffs in 2024 ... but many in the NFL world have wondered if he can keep that two-way stardom going after he gets drafted in April.

Daniels -- who's currently tearing up the league in his rookie season with the Commanders -- certainly believes he can ... and, in fact, he's cheering for him to do so.

Forget the Polar Express, Livvy Dunne's opting for the Polar Plunge this Christmas Eve ... taking a freezing ocean dip in nothing but a tiny bikini!!

The LSU gymnast performed the impressive feat in 32-degree weather just before Santa Claus came to her town ... and fortunately for all of her followers, she filmed the whole thing.

Dunne -- wearing a red two-piece -- took to the water like a champ ... and dove head first into the icy aqua, before she raced out to grab a warm towel.

Pacman Jones is clearly sick and tired of hearing people give their thoughts on Travis Hunter's relationship ... because he just told Dez Bryant to "shut the f*** up" about the couple.

The former NFL cornerback went in on the ex-Cowboys superstar during a rant on his "Pacman Jones Show" this week ... saying straight up Dez needs to keep his thoughts on Hunter and his fiancée, Leanna Lenee, to himself.

The 41-year-old added that anyone else with hot takes on the issue should pipe down as well.

Three-time NBA champion Danny Green is fired up for his alma mater's football team ... telling TMZ Sports he really thinks Bill Belichick can turn UNC around.

The former New England Patriots head man stunned the sports world this month when he took the Tar Heels coaching job ... and while some are skeptical he can effectively make the turn from the pros to college, Green made it clear to us out at LAX he's not in that camp.

"I'm on board," said the 37-year-old -- who attended UNC from 2005 through 2009. "I'm all about it. I think it's great."

Travis Hunter can only blame himself for his relationship being a hot topic -- at least that's what Nate Burleson is saying ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports the Heisman winner could've avoided all the criticism if he just kept quiet about his private life.

The Colorado superstar and his fiancée, Leanna, have been forced to defend themselves from the haters recently ... following months of piling on from folks on the internet.

Burleson weighed in on the drama out in NYC this week ... and he politely pointed out the engaged couple brought it on themselves.

Bill Belichick is only 15 wins away from passing Don Shula for the most head coaching wins in NFL history ... but he claims that wasn't on his mind before he took his new gig with North Carolina -- 'cause what he really cares about is championships.

Days after his introductory press conference in Chapel Hill, Bill gave an update on his first few days on the job during his appearance on the "Pat McAfee Show" ... saying he's been busy recruiting high school players and working the transfer portal as he starts to build out his roster.

The 72-year-old was then asked about seemingly giving up on being the winningest coach in NFL history as a result of his move to the NCAA ... but he's making it clear there's something that holds much more weight in his eyes.