BRADENTON, Fla. – As Paul Skenes’ lumbering stride crossed from Field 1 to Field 2 at the Pittsburgh Pirates’ spring training complex, a wave of humanity followed his every step.

Kids wearing LSU hats or donning fake mustaches in tribute to the reigning National League Rookie of the Year scampered around ropes in a wave of humanity, shouting his name in hopes of snagging an autograph. Parents followed suit, skin pale from the Pittsburgh winter and determined to bask in the brightest ray of sunshine to touch the Pirates organization this decade.

At 6-7 and 235 pounds, Skenes could not hide on a baseball diamond if he tried. Yet Saturday, when he faced live batters for the first time this spring, it only illuminated how much has changed in one year, when Skenes faced enormous expectations in his first full professional season and more than exceeded them.

Now, it is about refinement and efficiency and raising floors along with ceilings – a daunting task when you finish third in Cy Young Award voting just 23 starts into your career. Yet this is Skenes: So talented, almost equally focused and quietly setting the stage for a much-anticipated Year 2.

“Obviously, it’s a privilege. It’s not something I’m going to run away from,” says Skenes of his status as the most notorious Pirate, his profile cresting in the Steel City and almost equally across Major League Baseball. “It’s not something I noticed a ton. I noticed it today and that was pretty much the first time.

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“Things change. People talk to you differently and all that kind of stuff. But at the end of the day, it’s about executing.”

That Skenes did in 2024: He struck out 170 batters in 133 innings, pitched to a 1.96 ERA, posted a 0.95 WHIP and most important, the Pirates won 15 of his 23 starts. The dominance exceeded even the considerable hype that came with his No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 draft out of LSU.

And given the ease with which the ball rockets from his hand at an average 98.8 mph, and the hopeless waves at the ball as opposing batters struck out 33% of the time, it only felt like a beginning.

To that end: Skenes started just 23 games last year, but that number will, given good health, begin with a three this year. He has been tinkering with two new pitches – a cutter and a running- two-seam fastball – to pair with his fastball and devastating “splinker” that were more than enough to silence lineups last year.

“Man, anything that looks like a fastball and doesn’t end up being a fastball – we all know how special his fastballs are,” says pitching coach Oscar Marin. “That’s just something that’s going to open up the zone even more.”

Most notably, Skenes hopes to improve his pitch efficiency – no, not by pitching to contact, silly, but rather ramping up first-strike percentages and put batters away sooner in counts. Even as he adjusted to the big leagues, Skenes completed six innings in 15 of his 23 starts and pitched into the seventh in five more.

And then there is the Being Paul Skenes piece of it.

‘Welcome to second grade’

Far from a wide-eyed rookie a year ago, Skenes nonetheless had to shake a lot of hands and listen furtively to veteran voices. He’d reach the major leagues by May and never look back, while forming a 1-2 duo and kinship with fellow SoCal rookie Jared Jones.

Jones and Skenes and veteran Mitch Keller all want that Opening Day assignment, which would seem likely to go to the reigning Rookie of the Year. Yet it is the conversations and conservation of energy among that group that should both benefit the Pirates and change the dynamic for their marquee attraction.

“Last year, I was meeting everybody,” says Skenes. “(This year) It’s definitely less of that, ‘I’m the new kid in school. Moreso, ‘Welcome to second grade.’ All your first-grade friends are back (after) a long summer.

“Good to see everybody. And we have a unique opportunity to create a dynamic in the locker room this year.”

Skenes’ off-season was a little different than his teammates. He and girlfriend Livvy Dunne, the LSU gymnast and online force, are in demand from red carpets to the Super Bowl to all things Baton Rouge.

Skenes’ public persona is that of slow-pulsed, unperturbed dude, be it from borderline paparazzi situations to the standard demands of an elite athlete in a town like Pittsburgh.

“He did a remarkable job managing that and continued it into this offseason,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington tells USA TODAY Sports. “It comes along with the territory of who he is, but there’s a lot of interest in him around the world and a lot of interest in his time.

“In some ways, I joke about it that spring training is maybe an opportunity to be a baseball player again. Show up early with the guys, have breakfast, do your bullpen, take a breath. I’d be happy for him if he’s able to do that.”

Yes, there’s plenty of anticipation, baseball-wise, and not just on the days Skenes pitches.

Raise the floor, raise the roof

The Pirates have finished last or second-to-last in the NL Central for eight consecutive years. And after their three-year run of wild card success last decade, they’ve missed the playoffs in 29 of the past 32 seasons.

The club has once again brought back Andrew McCutchen, the 2013 NL MVP, and also reunited with infielder Adam Frazier, a Bucco from 2016 until a 2021 trade.

Frazier stepped into the box against Skenes in his live batting practice session and, although Skenes is nowhere near ramped up, called it “electric” and saw plenty of pitches no competent batter could do anything with.

He hopes the group can awaken the town from its hardball slumber.

“Pittsburgh cares about their baseball,” says Frazier. “They’re hungry for some winning. We want to be able to give them that. It’s cool to be appreciated by the city like that.

“They support their guys. They care deeply and it’s cool that they have our back.”

Says manager Derek Shelton: “I think Paul is laying the groundwork to be a big fixture in the Pittsburgh community. Not only with the things he does on the field, but off I think he embraces that.

“When you kind of hit the baseball world by storm like he did last year, fans are going to attach themselves. Not just in Pittsburgh but throughout the league we’ve seen that.”

Skenes’ Rookie of the Year conquest means he already has one full year of service time. A repeat of that season would likely stimulate the Pirates’ interest in attempting to lock down Skenes past the five more years he currently has under their control.

Yet that episode is likely another year away. For now, Skenes hopes the good vibes trickle down to Jones and Keller to Bailey Falter and Johan Oviedo, or anyone else that may crack the rotation.

“If we raise the floor on our staff, as well as raise the ceiling – that’s the goal, to get better as we go on,” says Skenes. “That’s the opportunity. Regardless of who’s the guy.”

It’s not hard to figure out who the guy is. Just follow the scampering, stumbling masses in hot pursuit of the Rookie of the Year.

Despite being ranked among the top-10 golfers in the world, Swedish sensation Ludvig Aberg only had one PGA Tour win under his belt heading into the 2025 Genesis Invitational, back in November 2023. However, thanks to a tremendous final round 66, one stroke off the the lowest score ever tallied by a champion at Torrey Pines, Aberg was able to comeback from a deficit to win the event by one stroke over second-place Maverick McNealy.

With the win, Aberg not only claims the biggest championship of his young career, but the biggest check as well, bringing home $4 million. While McNealy and world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler each had opportunities to take the trophy, piling up a myriad of birdies throughout the final round, nobody was able to keep pace with Aberg’s remarkable play.

The Swede shot a phenomenal 32 on the back-nine which included four birdies over his final six holes. Here are highlights and the leaderboard from the 2025 Genesis Invitational.

Ludvig Aberg highlights from 2025 Genesis Invitational

Final leaderboard from 2025 Genesis Invitational

1) Ludvig Aberg: -12

2) Maverick McNealy: -11

T-3) Patrick Rodgers: -9

T-3) Scottie Scheffler: -9

T-5) Tony Finau: -8

T-5) Denny McCarthy: -8

T-5) Tommy Fleetwood: -8

T-5) Patrick Cantlay: -8

T-9) Akshay Bhatia: -6

T-9) Justin Thomas: -6

T-9) Nick Taylor: -6

Golf fans were unsure whether or not Tiger Woods would make an appearance at Torrey Pines for the Genesis Invitational during the weekend. Woods’ mother, Kultida, passed away just three days prior to the tournament entry deadline, and although Woods had originally committed to playing, he eventually pulled out, claiming he was just ‘not ready.’

Despite grieving, Woods made it out to the course for the final day of the tournament, arriving in his traditional red polo. Many golfers participating in the tournament were seen wearing red as well, including red pins, in honor of Woods’ mother.

Woods wasn’t alone when he arrived though. Prior to heading to the range, Woods was seen in the parking lot with Donald Trump’s granddaughter, Kai Trump. Woods recently played a round of golf with the president, whose granddaughter recently committed to playing golf at the University of Miami.

WATCH: Woods arrives at Torrey Pines

What happened to Tiger Woods’ mother?

Woods’ mother, Kutilda, died at the age of 80 on Feb. 4, 2025. Her son announced her passing on social media.

Kutilda had been a stable figure during Woods’ career, constantly seen standing by her son. Most recently, she’d made appearances at a few TGL events, Woods’ latest golfing venture.

Tiger Woods’ history with the Genesis Invitational

Woods’ first career PGA Tour event came as a 16-year-old at the Los Angeles Open, now known as the Genesis Invitational. Despite playing in the tournament 16 times throughout his career though, Woods has never won the event. The Los Angeles Riviera Country Club has not been kind to Woods. That said, this year, due to the Palisades wildfires, the event had to be moved to Torrey Pines, where Woods has won eight times in his career, making 2025 the best opportunity for Woods to win the event. Woods, though, was obviously unable to participate.

Woods has only finished in the top five at the event three times (1998, 1999, 2003). He finished second or tied for second in 1998 and 1999, while finishing tied for fifth in 2003. The closest Woods came to victory was 1998, when he lost a playoff to Billy Mayfair. The event that year was also not held at the Los Angeles Riviera Country Club, but rather the Valencia Country Club due to the Riviera hosting the U.S. Senior Open around that same time.

(This story was updated to include new information.)

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The swaggering ballplayer and the once-proud baseball town consummated their relationship this weekend, an engagement that may only last one year, yet might prove too bountiful and beautiful for both sides to see it end.

Alex Bregman is a Boston Red Sox, and Sunday morning, the nagging details – What position will he play? Will he opt out of his $120 million, three-year deal after just one season? – could be back of mind. Certainly, there have been ideal fits between big-time free agent and a franchise willing to spend money.

Yet rarely has a player’s skill set – such as Bregman’s punishing statistics at Fenway Park – and peripheral contributions nestled so snugly together, like the Green Monster tucked above Lansdowne Street.

The Red Sox won four World Series championships since 2004 yet have missed the playoffs five of the past six years. Bregman has never missed out on them in eight full seasons with the Astros.

The twin flame has been lit.

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‘I’ve been fortunate to be in the playoffs the first eight years of my career,’ Bregman says Sunday morning at Fenway South, after a whirlwind 48 hours meeting teammates and staff, ‘and I plan on continuing to do that here.

‘I plan on winning here.’

A beacon for Boston

There is a certain glint Bregman gets in his eye, usually when he’s about to say something significant or do something otherworldly on the baseball field. He was a World Series champion in 2017 and 2022, but the sign-stealing scandal that dogged the ’17 champs – and ensnared Red Sox manager Alex Cora, then Houston’s bench coach – took much of that swagger away.

Audacity gave way to anodyne. Bregman and his teammates were mercilessly booed wherever they went, including Fenway Park, where the Astros eliminated Boston in 2017, 2019 and 2021, with Boston getting the upper hand on Houston on its way to the 2018 title.

But in Boston, the past seven years has seen a model franchise desiccated, now on its third general manager since then and with the growing sense that free agents did not seriously consider Boston a destination.

And why would they? Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Rōki Sasaki barely gave it a thought before they bolted to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Red Sox were in the Juan Soto sweepstakes long enough to perhaps qualify for a cake with ‘At Least You Tried’ written in frosting.

A wild card lottery ticket in ’21 was the only campaign to break up a string of third- and last-place finishes. The Fenway ticket was now a soft one.

And as Bregman festered on the market, letting a six-year, $156 million deal with Houston grow stale on the shelf, the Red Sox’s sense of desperation kicked in.

Club chairman Tom Werner – he’s also chair of Liverpool Football Club – called agent Scott Boras at 3:30 a.m. London time. General manager Craig Breslow called Boras 13 times, the agent recalls. And owner John Henry got involved, bemoaning what the Red Sox have become – which might come as news to a fan base that sensed Fenway Sports Group grew indifferent to years of mediocrity while having eyes for their other sports holdings.

‘There was a bit of a charge, a bit of an onus to really return back to winning,’ says Boras. ‘And a conversation I had with John where he expressed a sincerity and more of a passion of saying that we’re missing something here that should be here, that has been here.

‘Something that’s been lost. And we have a strong intention to return it.’

Bregman, Cora believes, is the perfect messenger.

Cora calls everyone ‘kid,’ give or take, but Bregman is now 30, with a 2-year-old son, Knox, that already has Boras Corporation officials salivating at his swing. Wife Reagan, says Bregman, will start an executive leadership program at Harvard Business School with the family in Boston.

And Cora saw firsthand in his one year in Houston just what Bregman brings to a clubhouse, to a dugout, and throughout an organization

‘One thing he’s going to do: He’s going to challenge everybody here,’ says Cora. ‘He’s going to ask about pitch usage and swing decisions and scouting reports, the nutrition side of it.

‘Not in a bad way. He wants to learn, wants to be involved. In 24 hours, his teammates, the front office, the coaching staff has already seen what I’ve been talking about him a long period of time. This kid gets it.

‘He commanded my attention in 2017 and throughout the years, he’s kept evolving, getting better. For him, it’s his family, baseball and winning.’

A good time, not a long time?

The baseball piece will be nice enough. Bregman is a two-time All-Star, a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner, owner of an .848 OPS and that Fenway track record – 375 average, .490 OBP and 1.240 OPS in 21 games – everyone’s swooning over.

Yet even still, he could be gone in a year.

Despite his track record, Bregman opted to accept what Boras calls a ‘bridge contract,’ much like the half-dozen players he’s guided that way the past two years. In most cases, it works out famously for the recipient – just look at Blake Snell’s $182 million deal this year – but can create the impression the upcoming season may just be a waystation for the player.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Carlos Correa opted out with the Minnesota Twins only to return. Matt Chapman signed a bridge deal with San Francisco and ultimately signed an extension. Cody Bellinger remained with the Chicago Cubs before a trade to the New York Yankees.

Bregman – who has a passion for racehorses he shares with now-teammate Walker Buehler – is more than ready to bet on himself.

‘I believe in my ability,’ he says, that familiar glint returning to his eye with a nine-figure guarantee and a chance to show out for a new and ravenous baseball market.

‘And I look forward to proving it.’

That fortitude enabled him to forgo the $171.5 million contract offer from the Detroit Tigers, where both winning and offensive production in Comerica Park might have been harder to come by. While his $120 million guarantee has significant deferrals, the $40 million annual value is in the 95th percentile for multiyear contracts.

Still, turning down more than $50 million more in guaranteed money isn’t for the faint of heart.

‘You adhere to what the player’s about. There’s some players you’d never do this with,’ says Boras. ‘But with a guy like Alex Bregman, he’s just built with an understanding of himself, a confidence, he trusts his preparation.’

Sunday, Bregman seemed both relaxed and edgy, playfully tossing a Red Sox cap on agent Boras’s head, looking nearly starry-eyed mentioning how his favorite player – Red Sox legend Dustin Pedroia – calling him several times to recruit him, along with current Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story.

These Red Sox can use him. Franchise player Rafael Devers, beginning the third year of a $313.5 million extension, may remain at third base while Bregman slides to second, but Breslow says discussions on defensive alignments will be ‘ongoing.’

A lineup hamstrung by unproductive DH Masataka Yoshida and defense-first players like WIlyer Abreu and Ceddane Rafaela suddenly grows longer.

And the very imposing kiddie corps on the way – most notably Kristian Campbell, who may be the second baseman of the future and a roster impact in the present – will benefit from Bregman’s tutelage.

‘There’s great players, veteran players, young players that are ready to get after it and compete,’ says Bregman. ‘From the beginning of this process, ownership has met with us and expressed how they want us to win.

‘They showed us how we have a track record of doing it before. I think everyone here is motivated to win it.’

Says Breslow: ‘It became clearer and clearer Alex was the perfect fit. In Alex, we’re getting an elite defensive infielder. An offensive profile that fits our park almost perfectly.

‘Perhaps most importantly, we’re getting a champion, a winner, a leader, someone who will serve as a mentor to our young, emerging group and will have a lasting impact on our organization.’

And now, it’s almost as if Bregman’s Astros era didn’t exist. Bregman acknowledged it was ‘difficult’ to leave Houston and the respect level he has for the organization and players. And he certainly heard the boos from Fenway fans after the sign-stealing scandal was revealed – a postseason in which Houston eliminated Boston.

‘Yeah. But it’s all good,’ he said, grin only slightly mischievous.

There’s that audacity again – a look that says, ‘Watch me play and 2017 will disappear.’ He needed a home and the Red Sox needed a beacon and suddenly, it’s game on for both of them.

‘You up your game in pressure-packed environments,’ he says. ‘Starting out at LSU was about as much pressure as you can get in college. Being able to play in the playoffs the last eight years in Boston and New York and Philly and Houston yourself – there’s a pressure you put on yourself.

‘It locks you in.’

For at least one year, and perhaps much longer.

Paige Bueckers remains one of the best players in the most significant moments in women’s college basketball for UConn.

Bueckers, who entered Sunday’s contest against No. 4 South Carolina averaging 18.8 points per game, did not have to do much in UConn’s dominant 87-58 blowout win against Dawn Staley and defending national champion South Carolina. Bueckers finished with 12 points and 10 assists.

Bueckers returned for her senior season with the Huskies for the 2024-25 season and has continued to be among the best players in the country. Her scoring average has dipped this season, but she makes an impact everywhere on the court as a veteran on Geno Auriemma’s national title-hopeful team.

Here’s a look at Bueckers’ full stat line from the Huskies’ 87-58 win to the Gamecocks on Sunday:

How many points did Paige Bueckers score tonight?

Bueckers finished with 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting but contributed 10 assists, six rebounds and a steal in 33 minutes. Bueckers constantly found Azzi Fudd, who finished with 28 points, including six 3-pointers for the game. The UConn senior finished 2-of-5 shooting from 3-point range.

Paige Bueckers stats

Here’s Bueckers’ full stats against South Carolina:

Points: 12
Rebounds: 7
Assists: 10
Shooting: 3-of-12
Steals: 1
Blocks: 0
Fouls: 1

Selection Sunday for the women’s basketball NCAA tournament is under 30 days away.

On Sunday, the NCAA released its first top 16 seedings to preview what the field could look like when the brackets are revealed on Sunday, March 16. If the season ended today, UCLA would be the No. 1 overall seed. Defending national champion South Carolina, Texas, and Notre Dame would join the Bruins as No. 1 seeds.

Despite USC upending rival UCLA earlier in the week, the Trojans, LSU, UConn, and NC State project as the No. 2 seeds. TCU, Duke, North Carolina, and Kansas State project as the No. 3 seeds, while Kentucky, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Tennessee are the four seeds.

The Gamecocks and Huskies played each other on Sunday following the first NCAA rankings reveal. That game could also significantly impact future rankings.

Regional assignments were also given along with the brackets. UCLA ― which has never won an NCAA championship ― leads the Spokane Regional 1, joined by UCLA, LSU, Duke and Tennessee. The Birmingham 2 Regional included South Carolina, NC State, TCU and Oklahoma, while the Birmingham 3 Texas, UConn, North Carolina and Ohio State. The Spokane Regional 4 had Notre Dame, USC, Kansas State and Kentucky.

“With 29 days to go before Selection Sunday, this first reveal provided some clarity on the top teams today and also pointed to the many important matchups that will be played over the next several weeks that will greatly impact the 2025 championship field,” said Derita Dawkins, Arkansas assistant vice chancellor and deputy director of athletics and chair of the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee.

The next top-16 reveal will occur on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. It will be the second of two rankings before the big reveal.

NCAA Tournament selection committee rankings

Here’s a full look at the top 16 teams and the regions in which they find themselves from Sunday’s NCAA tournament selection committee ranking unveiling:

Overall seed in parentheses

Spokane 1

1 seed: UCLA (1)
2 seed: LSU (6)
3 seed: Duke (10)
4 seed: Tennessee (16)

Birmingham 2

1 seed: South Carolina (2)
2 seed: NC State (8)
3 seed: TCU (9)
4 seed: Oklahoma (15)

Birmingham 3

1 seed: Texas (3)
2 seed: UConn (7)
3 seed: UNC (11)
4 seed: Ohio State (14)

Spokane 4

1 seed: Notre Dame (4)
2 seed: USC (5)
3 seed: Kansas State (12)
4 seed: Kentucky (13)

The Texas Longhorns rallied in the second half against the LSU Tigers to complete a comeback and win the top-five showdown at the Moody Center on Sunday.

Madison Booker produced a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Longhorns past the Tigers. Booker went just 3-for-17 from the field but took advantage of the free-throw line by making all 10 shots. Taylor Jones finished the game with 12 points and eight rebounds while Rori Harmon added 10 points, five assists and four rebounds.

Texas extended its win streak to 10 games after trailing LSU by 12 points during the game.

Before the game, the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee unveiled its first top-16 seeds for the 2025 NCAA women’s basketball tournament Sunday. Texas was seeded at the top of the Birmingham region of the bracket as the No. 1 seed. LSU was listed as a No. 2 seed, behind No. 1 overall seed UCLA, for the Spokane region of the bracket. The second top-16 reveal will take play on Feb. 27.

These are the highlights from Sunday’s LSU-Texas women’s basketball game.

Highlights: Texas rallies to beat LSU

Final: Texas 65, LSU 58

The Longhorns rallied in the second half to complete the comeback and knock off the Tigers at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

LSU’s trio of Mikaylah Williams, Aneesah Morrow and Flau’Jae Johnson were held to just nine points total in the fourth quarter as the Tigers had their five-game win streak snapped.

Texas takes the lead against LSU

Bryanna Preston made a layup to give Texas its first lead of the game at 50-49 with 5:53 left in the fourth quarter. It was the Longhorns’ first lead since leading 8-7 in the first quarter. Texas is starting to get hot after Jordan Lee scores a 3-pointer off an assist from Kyla Oldacre. LSU’s Mikaylah Williams and Texas’ Madison Booker changed successful jumpers. Williams made another jumper and was fouled by Jordan Lee. Williams made the free throw. Texas still leads 55-54 with 3:39 left in the fourth quarter.

Texas makes it a one-point game

The Longhorns have remained competitive against the Tigers to keep the game close. LSU coach Kim Mulkey called a timeout after Bryanna Preston collected a defensive rebound for Texas after a missed jumper from Flau’Jae Johnson. Jordan Lee scored a jumper of her own for Texas to cut into LSU’s lead at 49-48 with 6:50 left in the fourth quarter.

Texas has scored 29 points so far in the second half after being held to just 19 at halftime.

End of 3Q: LSU 49, Texas 44

The Tigers managed to hold on to the lead throughout the third quarter while fighting off a rally by the Longhorns.

The trio of Aneesah Morrow, Flau’Jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams continue to lead the way for LSU through the first three quarters. Morrow has produced a double-double with a game-high 15 points and 19 rebounds. Johnson scored 14 points and Williams had 11 points. Texas forward Madison Booker has continued to struggle from the field (1-for-14) but has scored all six of her free throws. Taylor Jones has 12 points and eight rebounds.

Texas begins to rally in third quarter

LSU has been limited to five points so far with 6:53 left in the period. Texas has managed to take advantage and close the gap to make it a four-point game. Madison Booker scored her first points from the field. She is currently shooting 1-for-13 from the field.

Hafltime: LSU 28, Texas 19

The Tigers pulled away from the Longhorns in the second quarter with a 9-0 scoring run. Flau’Jae Johnson scored a game-high nine points for LSU in the first half. Mikaylah Williams and Aneesah Morrow scored seven points each. Morrow also collected 13 of her 15 rebounds on defense in the first half. Taylor Jones had six points and five rebounds for Texas. Madison Booker struggled on the floor, going 0-for-11 from the field. Her only two points came from the free-throw line.

End of 1Q: LSU 10, Texas 10

Taylor Jones scored a game-high six points in the first quarter for Texas. She also had five rebounds and a steal. Flau’Jae Johnson led LSU with five points while Aneesah Morrow contributed with seven rebounds on defense.

Flau’jae Johnson active for LSU

LSU’s Flau’Jae Johnson scored a three-pointer off an assist from Aneesah Morrow with 2:55 remaining in the first quarter. Johnson was ruled as a game-time decision coming into the game. Johnson has averaged the third most points per game in a season over the last 20 seasons with 19.6 points, trailing only Angel Reese (23 points, 2022-23) and Simonn Augustus (22.7 points, 2005-06)

LSU builds early lead against Texas

Mikaylah Williams stole the ball from Texas’ Justice Carlton before taking the ball down the other end for a 3-pointer and the first points of the game with 8:46 remaining in the first quarter. Williams was also credited with an assist shortly after with a pass to Aneesah Moore, who scored on a jumper to take a 5-0 lead against Texas with 8:10 left in the first quarter.

LSU vs. Texas Injury Report

LSU

Flau’jae Johnson (game-time decision)

Izzy Besselman (out)

Texas

Laila Phelia (out)

Aaliyah Moore (out)

How to watch LSU vs. Texas women’s basketball

Date: Sunday, Feb. 16
Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
Stream: ESPN+
Location: Moody Center (Austin, Texas)

Watch women’s college basketball with ESPN+

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Paige Bueckers remains one of the best players in the most significant moments in women’s college basketball for UConn.

Bueckers, who entered Sunday’s contest against No. 4 South Carolina averaging 18.8 points per game, did not have to do much in UConn’s dominant 87-58 blowout win against Dawn Staley and defending national champion South Carolina. Bueckers finished with 12 points and 10 assists.

Bueckers returned for her senior season with the Huskies for the 2024-25 season and has continued to be among the best players in the country. Her scoring average has dipped this season, but she makes an impact everywhere on the court as a veteran on Geno Auriemma’s national title-hopeful team.

Here’s a look at Bueckers’ full stat line from the Huskies’ 87-58 win to the Gamecocks on Sunday:

How many points did Paige Bueckers score tonight?

Bueckers finished with 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting but contributed 10 assists, six rebounds and a steal in 33 minutes. Bueckers constantly found Azzi Fudd, who finished with 28 points, including six 3-pointers for the game. The UConn senior finished 2-of-5 shooting from 3-point range.

Paige Bueckers stats

Here’s Bueckers’ full stats against South Carolina:

Points: 12
Rebounds: 7
Assists: 10
Shooting: 3-of-12
Steals: 1
Blocks: 0
Fouls: 1

Texas A&M baseball star Jace LaViolette is proving why he is considered a top prospect in the 2025 MLB draft.

The 21-year-old star starred for the No. 1 Aggies during the opening weekend of college baseball with three home runs over three days to kickstart his likely final season in college. The Aggie’s centerfielder had two home runs on Saturday, and another Sunday as Texas A&M swept Elon at Blue Bell Park in Bryan-College Station, Texas.

LaViolette hit 29 home runs last season for Texas A&M, helping guide the program to a College World Series championship appearance against Tennessee despite an injury to Braden Montgomery. The Aggies star set the school freshman record with 21 homers in 2023 and has 50 through his first two seasons.

He enters the 2025 season regarded as one of the top prospects for the 2025 MLB draft. Here’s a look at LaViolette opening weekend stats and more:

Jace LaViolette opening weekend stats

LaViolette had just three hits over the weekend in 10 at-bats. However, all three of those hits turned out to be home runs. He also had seven RBIs and two stolen bases, and he scored four runs over the weekend while walking four times and only striking out three times.

He went hitless in three at-bats on opening day on Friday but did draw a walk. On Saturday, he hit a first-inning solo home run and then added a grand slam in the sixth inning to help the Aggies to a 16-6 run-rule victory in seven innings. On Sunday, LaViolette hit a two-run home run in the first inning.

Here’s a look at Laviolette’s home run on Sunday in the first inning vs. Elon:

Jace LaViolette scouting report

According to MLB.com, LaViolette is the No. 2 prospect in the 2025 MLB draft. He received a 60 overall grade; his most potent tool is his 65-power grade. LaViolette also provides good base running, as he had 18 stolen bases in 22 attempts in his freshman season.

Here’s what MLB.com says about LaViolette:

‘Few high schoolers in the 2022 class could match LaViolette’s combination of physicality and athleticism, but swing-and-miss concerns left teams hesitant to buy him out of his Texas A&M commitment. Three years later, he’s a candidate to become the first four-year college outfielder to go No. 1 overall since Darin Erstad in 1995 and should surpass Asa Lacy (No. 4 in 2020) as the highest-drafted Aggie ever. He set a school freshman record with 21 homers in 2023 before going deep 29 times and leading Texas A&M to the Men’s College World Series Finals last year.

‘Possessing as much raw power as anyone in the Draft, LaViolette is built to crush balls with a quick left-handed stroke, the strength and leverage in his impressive 6-foot-6 frame and a focus on launching pitches to his pull side. He also makes quality swing decisions and established an Aggies record with 64 walks in 68 games last spring. The lone flaw in his offensive game does scare some teams, however, because he frequently swings and misses within the strike zone, even on fastballs.

‘Remarkably athletic for his size, LaViolette posts solid run times out of the batter’s box and is even quicker once he gets going. He played the outfield corners as a freshman before moving to center field last spring, with most evaluators projecting him to spend the bulk of his big league career in right. His power and solid arm strength fit the right-field profile to a tee.’