The 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament is currently underway, and the No. 2 seed TCU Horned Frogs have advanced to the Sweet 16 after a convincing 85-70 victory over the No. 7 seed Louisville. Following the win, Hailey Van Lith openly discussed her struggles with mental health, which she has dealt with since a young age.

Van Lith shared her experience with media and social media exposure at a young age, revealing that it significantly impacted her mental health. ‘When I was younger and in college, I struggled with suicidal thoughts and was heavily medicated,’ she said. ‘I felt trapped, and you would never have guessed it because I was thriving on the court. But internally, in my life overall, I was ready to give up.’

Van Lith won the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year awards after transferring to TCU for her fifth and final year of college. She transferred from LSU after spending three seasons at Louisville, where she made appearances in both the Elite Eight and the Final Four. With the Horned Frogs, Van Lith has averaged 17.7 points and 5.5 assists per game.

‘Coming from that place to where I am now is incredible. I’ve been praying all year, believing that God wants me to share my testimony and light with the world. He has taken me from despair to a place where I truly love life. Even if I lost basketball today, I would still cherish these people,’ Van Lith said.

When does TCU play next?

The No. 2 TCU Horned Frogs will compete against the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Sweet 16 round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Date: Saturday, March 29
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: ABC, ESPN
Stream: Fubo
Location: Legacy Arena at BJCC (Birmingham, AL)

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

The NCAA men’s tournament is down to 16 teams with the field only consisting of schools from power conferences and just one seed higher than No. 6. It’s also the first time since 2007 the Sweet 16 has lacked a seed higher than No. 10. There are no Cinderellas left to cheer for in the regionals.

On the bright side, this means we will get matchups featuring the best teams from the presumably best conferences. Will that mean bigger ratings and better games? We’ll see. There still should be plenty of drama and uncertain about the winners on Thursday and Friday night and the four teams that will advance to San Antonio, Texas for the national semifinals.

So who how does it all shake out? Our experts are here to answer that question with their predictions for the Sweet 16 matchups, the Final Four participants and beyond.

Jordan Mendoza

Thursday’s games

Florida defeats Maryland

Arkansas defeats Texas Tech

Brigham Young defeats Alabama

Friday’s games

Auburn defeats Michigan

Michigan State defeats Mississippi

Houston defeats Purdue

Tennessee defeats Kentucky

Final Four teams: Florida, Duke, Michigan State, Houston

National champion: Houston defeats Florida

Paul Myerberg

Thursday’s games

Maryland defeats Florida

Texas Tech defeats Arkansas

Duke defeats Arizona

Alabama defeats Brigham Young

Friday’s games

Auburn defeats Michigan

Mississippi defeats Michigan State

Houston defeats Purdue

Kentucky defeats Tennessee

Final Four teams: Maryland, Duke, Auburn, Houston

National champion: Duke defeats Houston

Erick Smith

Thursday’s games

Florida defeats Maryland

Texas Tech defeats Arkansas

Duke defats Arizona

Brigham Young defeats Alabama

Friday’s games

Auburn defeats Michigan

Michigan State defeats Mississippi

Houston defeats Purdue

Tennessee defeats Kentucky

Final Four teams: Florida, Duke, Michigan State, Tennessee

National champion: Duke defeats Florida

Eddie Timanus

Thursday’s games

Florida defeats Maryland

Texas Tech defeats Arkansas

Duke defats Arizona

Alabama defeats Brigham Young

Friday’s games

Auburn defeats Michigan

Michigan State defeats Mississippi

Houston defeats Purdue

Tennessee defeats Kentucky

Final Four teams: Florida, Duke, Auburn, Houston

National champion: Florida defeats Duke

Blake Toppmeyer

Thursday’s games

Florida defeats Maryland

Texas Tech defeats Arkansas

Duke defeats Arizona

Brigham Young defeats Alabama

Friday’s games

Auburn defeats Michigan

Michigan State defeats Mississippi

Houston defeats Purdue

Kentucky defeats Tennessee

Final Four teams: Florida, Duke, Auburn, Houston

National champion: Houston defeats Florida

Rafael Devers’ desire to remain at third base eventually gave way to pragmatic acceptance. And Wednesday, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora made it official: Devers will start the season at designated hitter, paving the way for marquee free agent Alex Bregman to take over at the hot corner.

“We’re in the winning business,” Cora told the Red Sox’s flagship radio station a day before the club opens its 2025 season at the Texas Rangers.

That officially ends a roughly six-week saga that began when the Red Sox signed Bregman to a three-year, $120 million deal that enables him to opt out of the deal after each of the first two seasons.

Bregman, a two-time All-Star and World Series champion with the Houston Astros, deferred to Devers upon reporting to the club, saying he’d be willing to move to second base.

But Cora signaled almost immediately that the preference would be for Bregman to take over at third. That leaves the door open for top prospect Kristian Campbell to inherit second base.

Devers stated his desire to maintain the position at which Boston signed him to a $313.5 million contract extension, saying upon reporting to camp, “Third base is my position. I don’t know what their plans are. I made it clear on what my desires were. Whatever happens from here, I don’t know.”

He struck a more accepting tone three weeks later, telling reporters he was “good to do whatever” after conversations with Cora and other Red Sox officials. Devers was slightly limited this spring as he recovered from injuries to both his shoulders.

The alignment gives Boston a star-studded top of the lineup, led by 2024 All-Star MVP Jarren Duran, followed by Devers and Bregman. Devers has averaged 32 home runs, 96 RBIs and an .873 OPS the past four seasons.  

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

PETERSBURG, Virginia – It was striking to hear Bruce Smith maintain how anxious he felt to deliver a speech last week at the groundbreaking for an ambitious hotel and casino project that looms as another type of game-changing play for the NFL’s all-time sack king.

“I haven’t slept this whole week,” Smith told USA TODAY Sports, as several politicians and business leaders mingled in the shadows of heavy construction equipment.

Smith, 61, has given more than a few speeches at milestone events. Like for his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Or when they retired his No. 78 jersey – both times, with the Buffalo Bills and at Virginia Tech. And you’d think that a man who played in four Super Bowls is rather comfortable with the spotlight.  

“This is different,” Smith insisted, “because of the impact we’re going to have on a community that has been so overlooked.”

Sure, Smith made his name chasing quarterbacks like Dan Marino and John Elway. Now the charismatic football legend with 200 sacks on his NFL resume is fashioning another legacy as a commercial real estate developer. And 30 years since his first venture – a strip mall in Boynton Beach, Fla. — this is his biggest deal yet. His company, Bruce Smith Enterprise, is co-developer with The Cordish Companies for another iteration of the Live! brand that he envisions will spur significant economic growth in a city about 20 miles south of Richmond that has long needed a boost.

Talk about a big vision. Smith rattled off expectations that include 7,500 jobs and annual projections of more than $200 million in economic impact and maybe $25 million in tax revenues for the city.

It’s no wonder that Sam Parham, a native in his fifth term as mayor, trumpets it as “the biggest deal in the history of Petersburg.”  The master plan for the mixed-use project, scheduled to be developed in phases, comes with a $1.4 billion price tag and pending market forces, might even include residential properties. The permanent hotel and casino near I-95 is slated to open in 2027.

“Instead of people driving past Petersburg, they will be driving to Petersburg,” Smith declared. “We feel like we’re going to create a market. This will solve a lot of problems.”

Smith bubbled as he emphasized the domino effect. Higher salaries for teachers and first responders. More retail options. Higher home values.

If it sounds like he’s running for office, well, almost. Smith campaigned door-to-door last year, urging residents to pass a referendum that allowed the project to move forward.

Said Parham: “You should have seen the excitement. ‘Is this a Jehovah’s Witness knocking at the door? No, Bruce Smith is at my door!’ It’s not every day that a Hall of Famer will show up at your door.”

The measure passed in November, with a whopping 82% of the vote.

“The real campaigning was going back and forth to Richmond,” Smith said, alluding to sessions with lawmakers at the state capitol. “Advocating for the people of Petersburg to give them the opportunity to vote on whether they wanted this project.”

Voters in Richmond twice rejected referendums for similar casino projects, when Smith had a lessor role as an investor. In trying again, Smith became the face of the deal – as his image displayed on signage at and near the construction site suggests – with his stake raised to the level of co-developer.  It follows his previous efforts to build a casino-themed project in Virginia Beach, where he has lived for decades.

In other words, the Petersburg project begged for the type of cache that Smith, a Norfolk native, possesses in his home state.

“We restructured how we were going to approach Petersburg, because Bruce brings an unbelievable credibility with the developments he’s already done in Virginia, with his name recognition, with the fact that he’s a local leader of the community,” Rob Norton, president of the Cordish Gaming Group, told USA TODAY Sports. “We felt like he added weight beyond measure for us to be able to be successful.”

Smith, whose portfolio includes a hotel and apartment complex near his alma mater, called Smith’s Landing, is especially proud that he has assembled a group of African American investors to join the newest project. Never mind the attacks on DEI that are being institutionalized from the White House, influencing rollbacks in corporate America. Smith is unapologetic in expressing a purpose of empowerment for Black investors that could uplift a city that has the highest per-capita Black populous (76.7%) in the state.

“We’re making history,” Smith said. “There are very few of us who have this opportunity.”

Maybe that’s why Smith was a bit nervous about his message at the groundbreaking event. Ask Carmen Smith, Bruce’s wife of 34 years. They have shared a lifetime of milestones and emotions since meeting when they lived in the same dorm at Virginia Tech.

Anxious?

“I think he was just trying to come with the right words to express how he felt about the project,” Carmen told USA TODAY Sports. “He put a lot of hard work in it from the ground up. To raise the amount of money to get more of us to invest in it, he just felt like it was a lot of weight on his shoulders.”

Of course, this big deal is the culmination of a determined plan. Smith began crafting his post-football path long before he retired from the NFL in 2004 after 19 seasons. His former agent, Leigh Steinberg, considers Smith as the model for parlaying enormous athletic success into impact as an entrepreneur, praising his ability to establish a network of relationships that went far beyond the football universe.

Tick…tick…tick: The NFL world is still waiting on quarterback Aaron Rodgers

“He showed that you can be the owner rather than the Joe Louis greeter,” Steinberg said. “Football was great background for business.”

“Actually, it’s not too different,” Smith compares of his football and business careers. “All the lessons I was taught by my parents, and by Marv Levy and other coaches along the way, are coming into play right now.”

Asked to elaborate on the impact of Levy, his Hall of Fame coach with the Bills, Smith said it involved connecting on a human level.

“It’s not about brick and mortar,” he said. “It’s about people. It’s about changing people’s lives. And that’s what I have an opportunity to do.”

In other words, Smith is still seeking a level of all-pro impact.

Follow Jarrett Bell on social media: @JarrettBell

It’s time for the New York Yankees to join the 21st century.

With Opening Day upon us, that means more than adjusting the club’s facial-hair policy, as the Yankees have done this season by allowing “well-groomed beards.’’

That also means putting the names of its players on the backs of the jerseys and ending their status as the only Major League Baseball team refusing to do so.

Ultimately, it means paying homage to Bill Veeck.

Veeck is the one-time owner of the Chicago White Sox, a Hall-of-Fame inductee and late baseball visionary who died 39 years ago. On Aug. 9, the White Sox will give away a Bill Veeck bobblehead that should be accompanied by a history lesson.

You may know some of Veeck’s promotional stunts, which when he owned the St. Louis Browns included sending 3-foot-7 Eddie Gaedel to the plate in 1951. (Gaedel walked on four pitches.) Or Disco Demolition Night, which in 1979 led to the destruction of countless disco records and chaos at Chicago’s Comiskey Park.

But in honoring Veeck, the Sox have wisely focused on 1960.

That season, Veeck introduced the “exploding scoreboard.’’ Pinwheels spun and fireworks exploded every time a White Sox player hit a home run.

And thanks to Veeck, the Sox that season became the first major league team to put players’ names on the backs of jerseys.

Other teams followed suit.

With the exception of the heretofore beardless Yankees, that is.

Why Bill Veeck, and why now?

This year the White Sox are celebrating the club’s 125th anniversary. That includes three World Series titles, the Black Sox Scandal of the 1919 World Series and Veeck, who owned the team from 1959 to 1961 and 1975 to 1980.

“Bill Veeck’s whole thesis was make the ballpark experience fun,’’ said Brooks Boyer, the White Sox’s Senior Vice President of Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer.

Comiskey Park wasn’t exactly rollicking fun last season, when the White Sox finished 41-121 and set the modern-day MLB record for most losses in a season. On Elvis Night, a respectable crowd of 24,012 watched the White Sox lose 5-2. Elvis impersonators were in the building and, like Elvis in his later years, did not go hungry.

“Our food items garner a lot of attention,’’ Boyer said. “So the White Sox experience is way more than just a baseball game, and that all started with Bill Veeck back in the ‘60s.’’

Alas, “Weather Day,’’ which featured meteorological education, drew just 12,216 spectators for the White Sox’s 10-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins.

Well-worn theme nights include Bark in the Park and Kids Run the Bases

Veeck enjoyed beer. It’s easy to imagine him enjoying a few upon learning fireworks are still exploding at the ballparks and players’ names are on the backs of jerseys. (You know, with the exception of that one team.)

He probably would have approved of this: On April 18, the Boston Red Sox will simultaneously host the Grateful Dead 60th Anniversary and Pharmacist Appreciation.

(“Promotional nights are selected at random based on dates that field assets are available – it is very common to have multiple promotions on the same date,’’ Kate Reilly, Director of Corporate Communications for the Red Sox, told USA TODAY Sports. “No intended humor at play!’’ Sure, we believe you, Kate.)

Veeck probably could not have imagined this: The Miami Marlins were sued last year by a woman who says she slipped on dog urine during the team’s Bark at the Park event at loanDepot Park.

Bark in the Park, Kids Run the Bases and well-worn theme nights (Star Wars, Pokemon, Grateful Dead, Minecraft) fill up MLB promotional schedules in what could be described as …

“Homogenized?’’ offered Nate Kurant, who from 2015 to 2021 worked for Bill Veeck’s son, Mike, as Director of Promotions for the Charleston RiverDogs minor league team.

Kurant’s legacy in Charleston includes 3,000 bouncy balls dropping into the stadium from a helicopter. And the world’s largest silly string fight. And ‘Nobody Night,’ during which the team refused to allow fans into the park for the first five innings and claimed an all-time low for attendance – officially, zero.

How awful is ‘Awful Nite?’

The minor leagues remain the major leagues of promotional creativity. On Sept. 1, for example, the Lake Elsinore Storm will hold “Awful Nite,’’ when, according to MiLB.com, “Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong … Be prepared for the best, worst time of your life.’

Yet with an increasing number of minor league teams affiliated with MLB clubs, the promotional calendars in the minors have grown more bland, according to Kurant, now an in-game host for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Bill Veeck’s son, Mike, now owns the Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League. He did not respond to USA TODAY Sports’ requests for comment left by phone and email. But the Slammers’ promotional calendar speaks for him.

There will be no Disco Demolition night, conceived by Mike Veeck. But May 23 will feature Disco Night.

“Dust off your bell bottoms, put on your grooviest shades, and get ready to liven up the stands with flashing lights, funky beats, and a whole lot of boogieing,’’ reads the description on the team’s website. “It’s a night of home runs and hustle – so let’s shake our groove thang under the stadium lights!’’

Surely Bill Veeck will be dancing in his grave.

An annual study of estimated franchise values for Major League Baseball franchises neatly foreshadows the looming upheaval in broadcasting and how the league plans to best leverage its local television rights in the streaming era.

For the 28th consecutive year, the New York Yankees lead Forbes’ annual survey of MLB franchise values, becoming the first baseball team to crack the $8 billion mark. At $8.2 billion, they still have a comfortable advantage over the No. 2 Los Angeles Dodgers, who at $6.8 billion saw a 25% increase in value during a year in which they defeated the Yankees in the World Series and leveraged the first season of global two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani into a revenue bonanza.

And the top seven clubs – from the Yankees and Dodgers followed by the Boston Red Sox ($4.8 billion), Chicago Cubs ($4.6 billion), San Francisco Giants ($4 billion), New York Mets ($3.2 billion) and Philadelphia Phillies ($3.1 billion) all share a commonality:

They either operate their own regional sports networks or, like the Dodgers (Time Warner), Giants and Phillies (NBC Sports), are securely locked into multi-billion dollar commitments.

Every less-valued club faces some level of uncertainty with their television future, a once-existential crisis that became unavoidable in March 2023, when Diamond Sports Group, which held the rights to 14 MLB teams, declared bankruptcy.

And that line of demarcation will at least partially frame the tone of labor talks after the current agreement expires in December 2026, along with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s efforts to market local TV rights as a collective package.

Turn this TV off

The splintering of Diamond – now reorganized as Main Street Sports Group’s FanDuel Sports Network – and the massive loss of revenue when other networks were moved to higher-priced cable tiers has exacerbated gaps between the very upper class and the rest of the league.

The Dodgers, for instance, are locked into an $8.35 billion deal with Time Warner that runs through 2038; the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs and Mets either own, operate or have an equity stake in their own networks.

All that is great for the industry’s total revenue but could prove thorny for Manfred’s vision of marketing local rights in a bundle.

After all, an Amazon or Apple TV would likely want the game’s marquee franchises in such a deal, which would prove far less lucrative without them. At the same time, the bluest bloods still have a pretty good deal going and would be loathe to get lumped in with the two dozen franchises in less lucrative circumstances – especially since they already buoy the bottom half through revenue sharing.

Meanwhile, those left behind are attacking the local TV problem in myriad ways.

MLB will produce local broadcasts for six franchises this year, adding the Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers and Minnesota Twins to an in-house portfolio that already included the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.

Like five of those clubs, the Texas Rangers were Diamond Sports refugees but opted to form the Rangers Sports Network (with the somewhat ironic RSN acronym), which will produce and distribute all Rangers telecasts beginning this week.

A positive in all this broadcast chaos is the acceleration of direct-to-consumer options for the viewer. Twenty-six of 30 teams – all but the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles (Mid-Atlantic Sports Network), Houston Astros (Space City Home Network) and Seattle Mariners (Root Sports) will offer streaming subscriptions, many of them unbundled from a cable subscription.

Live, work, play

The Forbes valuations do not consider the value of team-owned networks nor teams’ equity stakes in them, nor the value of other sports assets or mixed-use real estate. Still, clubs that have gotten into the real estate game seemed to outkick their tax bracket.

The Atlanta Braves are the highest-valued club that’s still broadcast by the ghost of Diamond Sports Group, with a $3 billion valuation that places them eighth. And the Giants, who have begun construction on a 28-acre Mission Rock development near Oracle Park, rank fifth, ahead of larger-market clubs like the Mets and Phillies.

Spend less, make more?

Fans upset at teams’ lack of activity in the free agent market probably won’t like some of Forbes’ profit estimates.

While they are just estimates – only the Atlanta Braves, owned by a publicly-traded corporation, have some of their books in the public domain – the valuations, and, by extension, losses and profits have traditionally erred on the traditional side once teams are actually sold.

Unsurprisingly, the Red Sox are projected to have turned the largest profit, with $120 million in operating income. That dovetails with a period of relative austerity until this winter, when the club made a short-term investment in free agent third baseman Alex Bregman.

Coming in at No. 2: The Chicago Cubs at $81 million. Since 2020, when owner Tom Ricketts claimed “biblical” losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cubs have failed to flex their revenue strength over their NL Central rivals, and haven’t reached the playoffs since 2020.

Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles ($65 million) and Pittsburgh Pirates ($47 million) are lower-revenue clubs who were projected to turn a significant profit. Baltimore drew 2.28 million to Camden Yards, most since 2015, and reached the playoffs a second consecutive season with a young, cost-controlled roster.

As for the Pirates? They haven’t reached the playoffs since 2015, remain on the outside of all major free agent pursuits and have finished last or second-to-last seven consecutive years. Yet they enjoyed an attendance bump – buoyed a bit by star rookie pitcher Paul Skenes – to 1.7 million, most since 2017.

That enabled owner Bob Nutting to realize a nice profit, per Forbes.

Right behind the Pirates were the Seattle Mariners ($43 million), whose stellar pitching staff was undercut by an underperforming lineup in 2024; the club did little to improve it this past offseason.

Yet it doesn’t hurt to invest the roster, either. The San Diego Padres realized $32 million in operating income last season, even as late owner Peter Seidler’s nine-figure investments dot the roster. Though the Padres fall in the MLB-produced TV bucket, they drew a franchise record 3.3 million to Petco Park in 2024.

And being last doesn’t mean being poor. The Marlins rank 30th in franchise value at $1.05 billion, lost 100 games and drew just 1.08 million fans. They’re estimated to rake in $38 million in operating income.

Who’s for sale?

New Orioles owner David Rubenstein seemed to hit the right note when he spent $1.725 billion for Baltimore’s franchise, a deal that closed almost exactly a year ago. The club is valued at $1.9 billion, at least ensuring he’s not underwater on his new club.

The same can’t be said for Marlins owner Bruce Sherman, who purchased the club in 2017 for $1.2 billion; it’s now estimated to be worth $1.05 billion.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins are reportedly seeking $1.7 billion in their sale. Forbes pegs their value at $1.5 billion.

Hey, anything can happen in an auction.

MLB team values 2025, per Forbes

New York Yankees: $8.2 billion
Los Angeles Dodgers: $6.8 billion
Boston Red Sox: $4.8 billion
Chicago Cubs: $4.6 billion
San Francisco Giants: $4 billion
New York Mets: $3.2 billion
Philadelphia Phillies: $3.1 billion
Atlanta Braves: $3 billion
Houston Astros: $2.8 billion
Los Angeles Angels: $2.75 billion
St. Louis Cardinals: $2.55 billion
Texas Rangers: $2.45 billion
Seattle Mariners: $2.2 billion
Toronto Blue Jays: $2.15 billion
Washington Nationals: $2.1 billion
Chicago White Sox: $2 billion
San Diego Padres: $1.95 billion
Baltimore Orioles: $1.9 billion
Athletics: $1.8 billion
Milwaukee Brewers: $1.7 billion
Arizona Diamondbacks: $1.6 billion
Detroit Tigers: $1.55 billion
Minnesota Twins: $1.5 billion
Colorado Rockies: $1.475 billion
Cleveland Guardians: $1.4 billion
Pittsburgh Pirates: $1.35 billion
Cincinnati Reds: $1.325 billion
Kansas City Royals: $1.3 billion
Tampa Bay Rays: $1.25 billion
Miami Marlins: $1.05 billion

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

BOSTON — The 2025 world figure skating championships are underway at TD Garden in Boston − and already off to a somewhat surprising start.

American Alysa Liu, who retired after the Beijing Olympics at the age of 16, is sitting atop the standings after the first half of the women’s singles competition, followed by Mone Chiba of Japan and another American, Isabeau Levito. That trio ensured that two of the favorites were left off the podium for the short program. Three-time defending world champion Kaori Sakamoto is sitting in fifth place, while reigning two-time U.S. champ Amber Glenn is ninth.

The last American woman to win a world championship was Kimmie Meissner in 2006. When asked about possibly ending the drought, Liu demurred.

‘We’ll just have to see Friday, if any of us win or not,’ she said with a laugh. ‘I didn’t know that. That’s a fun fact.’

As the last major international competition before the 2026 Winter Olympics, these world championships will not only help determine Olympic quota spots but also set the stage for Milan-Cortina. It’s a chance for athletes to see how they stack up, and it will largely determine which skaters will enter the Olympics as the favorites to land on the podium.

The pairs short program is scheduled for later tonight, following an in-arena tribute to the members of the figure skating community who died during the mid-air collision over the Potomac River earlier this year.

Here’s the latest from Day 1:

Team USA’s Alysa Liu cartwheels, then dazzles in short program

Alysa Liu made a dramatic entrance when her name was announced at TD Garden, cartwheeling in her skates before stepping onto the ice. And her short program was no less impressive.

Liu, who represented Team USA at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, was nearly flawless in her debut performance at worlds, landing all of her jumps cleanly and rocketing into first place with a score of 74.58. Liu’s score was a full 10 points better than the previous leader, Sofia Samodelkina.

‘I felt pretty good about my skate. (Though) I haven’t watched it back yet, so that answer might change,’ Liu said. ‘It felt very nice, kind of start to end − especially in my footwork.’

Much of the figure skating community was shocked when Liu retired following the 2022 world championships. She was just 16 years old, and thought to be entering the prime of her career. But she’s since said her time away from figure skating altered her perspective on the sport in a crucial way.

When Liu returned to competition last year, it was only because she wanted to. Nothing more, nothing less.

‘I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t decide to retire for a little bit,’ Liu said. ‘I just am glad that I listen to myself and just do whatever, because it just works out in the end.’

Isabeau Levito in podium contention after injury return

Isabeau Levito, the reigning world silver medalist, is not just back at the world championships but also back from injury. A bone injury in her foot kept her sidelined for roughly three months.

One wouldn’t know it, though, by watching her short program. She looked completely at ease en route to a score of 73.33, which was good for third. Along the way, she personified her simple pre-skate message to the crowd: ‘Smile!’

‘I think how I skated today was the best I could have today, with everything I went through this year,’ Levito said afterwards, still grinning. ‘So I’m very happy to have kept it together.’

Levito returned to competition for an Olympic test event last month but missed nationals. U.S. Figure Skating essentially gave her a bye to compete at worlds, based on past performance and pending her physical readiness.

“Yeah, it was frustrating to just sit at home and do nothing,” Levito said Tuesday. “But it gave me a new perspective, and I take all of this for granted less. I feel much more grateful for what I do have and being able to skate every day and being able to jump.”

Amber Glenn sitting in eighth after fall on triple axel

Amber Glenn has blossomed over the past year into one of the brightest stars in American figure skating. But she will have a bit of an uphill climb to win a world title in Boston after her short program performance Wednesday.

Glenn is sitting in ninth place after registering a score of 67.65 in her short program, hindered in part by a tough fall on her first jumping pass: The famed triple axel. While Glenn has struggled with the jump at times this year, she is one of the few American women to have landed it clean in international competition.

Since finishing 10th at last year’s world championships in Montreal, Glenn has won all five of the competitions in which she’s been entered − including U.S. nationals and the Grand Prix final late last year. She will need to put up a massive score in the long program Friday to keep her winning streak going.

Sofia Samodelkina impresses with short program

Before each skater takes the ice at TD Garden, the jumbotron flashes a message from that skater to the crowd. Sofia Samodelkina’s message? The show must go on.

For Samodelkina, a Russian-born skater who is now representing Kazakhstan, it was a fitting message. The 18-year-old is one of at least six Russian skaters at these world championships who switched nationalities following the country’s 2022 ban for invading Ukraine. And it preceded a brilliant program that temporarily moved Samodelkina, one of the few female skaters who has landed a quadruple jump in competition, into the lead with a score of 63.58.

When do the American figure skaters compete tonight?

Here’s a rundown of when the American pairs skaters will be on the ice tonight.

7:37 p.m. ET: Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, pairs short program

9:31 p.m. ET: Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, pairs short program

Who are the favorites in women’s singles?

This figures to be one of the more interesting competitions at this week’s world championships. In the absence of Russia, which usually dominates this discipline, there are a handful of skaters who could end up atop the podium.

As the three-time defending world champion, Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto had to be considered the favorite. But American Amber Glenn is right there, too, having beat Sakamoto head-to-head in multiple competitions − including the Grand Prix final late last year. Isabeau Levito, who is returning from injury, also could be in the mix here. Ditto for Chaeyeon Kim of South Korea and Mone Chiba of Japan, among a host of others.

What channel is the world figure skating championships on?

USA Network will televise part of the women’s short program this afternoon, beginning at 3 p.m. ET. The entirety of all sessions will be available on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock.

World figure skating championships schedule

Here is the complete schedule for the 2025 world figure skating championships, with channel and television coverage start times in parentheses.

Wednesday, 6:45 p.m. to 10:21 p.m. ET: Pairs short program

Thursday, 11:05 a.m. to 4:44 p.m. ET: Men’s short program (USA Network, 3 p.m.)

Thursday, 6:15 p.m. to 9:55 p.m. ET: Pairs free skate (USA Network, 8 p.m.)

Friday, 11:15 a.m. to 4:54 p.m. ET: Rhythm dance (USA Network, 3 p.m.)

Friday, 6 p.m. to 9:52 p.m. ET: Women’s free skate (NBC, 8 p.m.)

Saturday, 1:30 p.m. to 4:50 p.m. ET: Free dance (USA Network, 3 p.m.)

Saturday, 6 p.m. to 9:52 p.m. ET: Men’s free skate (NBC, 8 p.m.)

Watch the World Championships with Fubo free trial

World championships to pay tribute to crash victims

The first night of the 2025 world championships will also feature a poignant tribute to the members of the figure skating community who died in the mid-air collision near Washington National Airport on Jan. 25. 

All told, 28 skaters, coaches and parents died in the collision − including six from the Skating Club of Boston, which is helping host the world championships at nearby TD Garden.

The tribute is scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. ET and precede the start of the pairs competition thereafter.

When does Ilia Malinin compete at the 2025 world figure skating championships?

Ilia Malinin, the 20-year-old defending world champion from Reston, Virginia, will take the ice for the first time at the 2025 world championships on Thursday afternoon. He is expected to perform his short program in the latter part of the competition window, likely after 4 p.m. ET. That portion of the session will be televised on USA Network.