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INDIANAPOLIS — JuJu Watkins has Caitlin Clark beat.

For now.

With 29 points in the Big Ten tournament title game Sunday, Watkins has already scored 1,684 points. That surpasses the 1,662 points Clark scored in her first two seasons at Iowa.

That Watkins is ahead of Clark right now isn’t a surprise. Watkins set the NCAA freshman scoring record last year, with 920 points, and has already played 65 games compared with the 62 Clark played as a freshman and sophomore.

Clark’s scoring rate didn’t really take off until her third season, either. She scored 1,055 points as a junior and 1,234 points as a senior, when she became the all-time scoring leader in major college basketball. Iowa also reached the national title game in each of Clark’s last two years, giving her additional opportunities to add to her points total.

Still, that Watkins is scoring at this fast a clip is impressive. Even Clark has been impressed, singling Watkins out after USC played at Iowa last month in the game where Clark’s jersey was retired.

‘JuJu, you’re awesome,” Clark said then. “It was fun to be here and watch you play.”

Watkins said then she doesn’t give much thought to scoring records. Keep piling up the points as she has, however, and she won’t have a choice. The entire country was fixated on Clark’s pursuit of Pete Maravich’s record, and there’ll be a similar spotlight if Watkins gets close to Clark.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James could miss as many as two weeks with a strained left groin, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak until the team made an announcement.

‘I’ve been there before, and I know what type of injury you’re dealing with,’ James told reporters.

In 2018, James tore his groin and missed about a month – 17 games total. ‘No, it’s not as bad as that,’ James said.

The Lakers are 40-22 and in third place in the Western Conference, a ½ game behind the second-place Denver Nuggets (41-22), 1½ games ahead of the fourth-place Memphis Grizzlies and two games ahead of the fifth-place Houston Rockets.

What does LeBron James’ injury mean for Lakers?

This is a tough injury for James and the Lakers at this point in the season – the Lakers have 20 games remaining and are battling for the No. 2 seed. They have played well the past two months, going 20-5 and moving up from seventh place since Jan. 14.

The injury also interrupts the Lakers’ attempt to develop more chemistry with Luka Doncic, who the Lakers acquired from the Dallas Mavericks just before the trade deadline. James and Doncic (34 points, eight rebounds against Boston) have played well together. Doncic has played well for the Lakers but there is room for him to play better, especially with his shot. The Lakers will rely even more on Doncic with James sidelined.

Who will get more playing time with LeBron James out?

The Lakers were also without Rui Hachimura (left knee injury) and Jaxson Hayes (bruised right knee) against the Celtics. Rookie Dalton Knecht and Gabe Vincent will get more minutes, and the Lakers will try to get more scoring from Dorian Finney-Smith. Hachimura is out at least another week, and he had played well alongside Doncic.

What is rest of Lakers schedule?

The Lakers have the sixth-toughest remaining schedule, according to tankathon.com. They play Oklahoma City twice, Denver twice, Milwaukee twice, Houston twice and Memphis and Golden State once each.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Health and Human Services Department (HHS) employees have been offered up to $25,000 to part ways with the agency in order to help it downsize under President Donald Trump’s plans to shrink the federal workforce.

In the email sent on Friday, the HHS, which is led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., said it has received authorization from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to offer Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments.

The OPM ‘allows agencies that are downsizing or restructuring to offer employees lump-sum payments up to $25,000 as an incentive to voluntarily separate,’ according to the email. This incentive is aimed at those who are in surplus positions or have skills that are no longer needed within their department.

 

The payment is available to most employees within the HHS, which includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Employees also have the option to take the payment if they are eligible for optional or early retirement, according to the OPM’s website.

 

‘By allowing employees to volunteer to leave the Government, agencies can minimize or avoid involuntary separations through the use of costly and disruptive reductions in force,’ the website stated.

There are around 80,000 people currently working for the HHS in some capacity, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The offer becomes available on Monday and forms must be submitted to local HR offices by Friday at 5 p.m.

The HHS is the second-costliest federal agency and accounts for 20.6% of America’s budget for Fiscal Year 2025 with $2.4 trillion in budgetary resources, according to USASpending.gov. Most of that money is spent by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services.

The only agency with more spending power is the Department of the Treasury.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Health and Human Services Department (HHS) employees have been offered up to $25,000 to part ways with the agency in order to help it downsize under President Donald Trump’s plans to shrink the federal workforce.

In the email sent on Friday, the HHS, which is led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., said it has received authorization from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to offer Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments.

The OPM ‘allows agencies that are downsizing or restructuring to offer employees lump-sum payments up to $25,000 as an incentive to voluntarily separate,’ according to the email. This incentive is aimed at those who are in surplus positions or have skills that are no longer needed within their department.

 

The payment is available to most employees within the HHS, which includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Employees also have the option to take the payment if they are eligible for optional or early retirement, according to the OPM’s website.

 

‘By allowing employees to volunteer to leave the Government, agencies can minimize or avoid involuntary separations through the use of costly and disruptive reductions in force,’ the website stated.

There are around 80,000 people currently working for the HHS in some capacity, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The offer becomes available on Monday and forms must be submitted to local HR offices by Friday at 5 p.m.

The HHS is the second-costliest federal agency and accounts for 20.6% of America’s budget for Fiscal Year 2025 with $2.4 trillion in budgetary resources, according to USASpending.gov. Most of that money is spent by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services.

The only agency with more spending power is the Department of the Treasury.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

AEW returned to Los Angeles with another full slate of matches for its Revolution event on Sunday. The match card featured Cope and Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship. 

Moxley’s fourth reign as champion continues after defeating Cope. It’s the most of any other wrestler in the organization’s six-year history. 

Swerve Strickland got the best of Ricochet to earn the claim as the No. 1 contender for the world championship.

Strickland and Prince Nana confronted Moxley after the main event.

The card also featured matches involving ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm and Will Ospreay. Both competitors won their matches that resulted in blood after foreign objects were used.

It was the company’s first event in the Crypto.com Arena. The company previously held events at The Forum in Inglewood, California, and the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California.

Jon Moxley retains title

Moxley took advantage early and was working on Cope’s neck. Cope was out of action for nine years due to a neck injury before finally getting back in the ring in 2020.

Wheeler Yuta managed to get involved in the match and assist Moxley before Jay White made his way out to even the odds.

Christian also made an appearance and inserted himself into the match, eventually passing out while placed in a submission by Moxley.

Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher

Fletcher and Ospreay battle in a steel cage and there was a fair share of blood as well. The match left the mat covered in blood and thumbtacks. Ospreay managed to drive Fletcher stomach first into a pile of tact’s before earning the victory.

Kenny Omega wins title

Omega is a champion once again in AEW after winning the AEW International Championship. The match followed up the previous one and had its use of weapons. Konosuke Takeshita drove Omega through the side of a table to wear down his opponent.

Toni Storm vs. Mariah May

Toni Storm retains the AEW Women’s World Title against May after a bloody battle. The match featured the use of several weapons and call backs from throughout the feud.

Lashley and Benjamin retain tag titles

Shelton Benjamin hits a rising knee on Turbo before Bobby Lashley connects on a spear and secures the victory by pinfall.

Kazuchika Okada def. Brody King

Okada successfully defended the AEW Continental Championship against King. It was a great showing by King, who is likely to remain in the title picture for some time.

Swerve Strickland def. Ricochet

Strickland got the best of Ricochet to become the No. 1 contender for the AEW championship.

Strickland got the best of Ricochet with a pinfall in the center of the ring before regaining possession of Prince Nana’s robe. He presented the robe back to Nana after the match as the two embraced.

Mercedes Mone def. Momo Watanabe

Mone enters the match undefeated in AEW at 15-0. Watanabe remained competitive in a back-and-forth contest with Mone, even exchanging multiple suplexes. Watanabe turned up the heat when she hung Mone up in the corner of the turnbuckle and landed a pair of kicks to Mone’s chest.

Mone set up for the frog splash off the top turnbuckle, but Watanabe quickly got back to her feet and slammed Mone from off the turnbuckle and down to the mat. Watanabe went for a pinfall attempt, but Mone refused to give in. Watanabe‘s assault quickly continued with a pair of kicks to Mone’s head.

Mone would manage to recover and capitalized on a mistake by Watanabe, who also tried to come off the top rope. Mone retained the TBS Championship after putting her opponent in a submission hold and forcing Watanabe to tap out.

“Hangman’ Adam Page def. MJF

The main card begins with the match between two former AEW World Champions going at it. The history between the two competitors dates back to the early days of AEW. Page was aggressive early with a flurry of strikes to MJF, who was backed into the turnbuckle.

MJF continued to put an emphasis on wearing down Page’s arm, preventing him from potentially landing his signature buckshot lariat. MJF continued to do further damage executing a tombstone piledriver on Page on a steel folding chair. Page somehow to get back to his feet and avoid a 10 count that would have ended the match.

With MJF growing frustrated, Page capitalized on a mistake and hit the buckshot lariat to put away MJF by pinfall victory.

When is AEW Revolution 2025?

AEW Revolution is on Sunday, March 9.

What time does AEW Revolution 2025 start?

The AEW Revolution starts at 8 p.m. ET. The Zero Hour preshow for the event begins at 6:30 p.m. ET.

How to watch AEW Revolution 2025

AEW Revolution 2025 is available on PPV across Prime Video PPV, TrillerTV PPV, PPV.com, and YouTube PPV.

Where is AEW Revolution 2025?

AEW Revolution 2025 will take place at Crypto.com Arena from Los Angeles.

How to watch AEW Revolution preshow

AEW Revolution kicks off with a Zero Hour preshow starting at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. ET. It’s available across X, YouTube and Facebook.

AEW Revolution PPV price

This massive AEW Revolution 2025 card is available on PPV across Prime Video PPV, TrillerTV PPV, PPV.com, and YouTube PPV. Each option is available for $49.99.

AEW Revolution preshow match

The action kicks off with a preshow Zero Hour at 6:30 p.m. ET

Trios Match: ‘Big Boom!’ A.J. and The Conglomeration (Orange Cassidy and Mark Briscoe) vs. Johnny TV and MxM Collection (Masnoor and Mason Madden)

AEW Revolution 2025 match card

AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Cope
AEW International Championship: Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Kenny Omega
AEW Women’s World Championship: ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm (c) vs. Mariah May
Swerve Strickland vs. Ricochet
TBS Championship: Mercedes Mone (c) vs. Momo Watanabe
AEW World Tag Team Championships: The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley vs. Shelton Benjamin) vs. The Outrunners (Turbo Floyd and Truth Magnum)
MJF vs. ‘Hangman’ Adam Page
AEW Continental Championship: Kazuchika Okada (C) vs. Brody King
Steel cage match: Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher

Upcoming AEW PPV events

AEW Dynasty: April 6
AEW Double or Nothing: May 25
AEW All In: July 12
AEW Forbidden Door: August 24

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin is on pace to pass Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goal record before season’s end.

Ovechkin, 39, entered this season needing 42 goals to break Gretzky’s record of 894 career goals, which has stood since 1999. The Washington captain has 33 goals this season and needs nine more with 18 games left to become the NHL’s all-time leader.

Ovechkin scored 15 times in his first 18 games before suffering a fractured left fibula during a Nov. 18 game against the Utah Hockey Club. He has scored 18 times since he returned on Dec. 28.

This season, he moved into second place with 20 consecutive 20-goal seasons and set a record for number of goalies scored against in his career. He tied records for game-winning goals and most franchises against which he has a hat trick. And he became the first player to score 200 goals in three different decades.

If he doesn’t reach Gretzky’s goal record this season, he has one more season left on his contract.

Here’s where Ovechkin stands in his chase of Gretzky’s goal record (stats through March 9):

OVECHKIN VS. GRETZKY: Comparing the two greats

How many goals does Alex Ovechkin have?

Ovechkin has 886 career goals.

How many goals does Alex Ovechkin need to pass Wayne Gretzky?

Ovechkin needs nine goals to break Gretzky’s record.

Can Alex Ovechkin break Wayne Gretzky’s record this season?

Ovechkin has 33 goals and 17 assists in 48 games. Factoring in the 16 games he missed, that is a 45-goal pace, giving him a chance to reach the 42 goals he needs to break the record this season. As of Sunday, Ovechkin has played in 13 fewer career games than Gretzky.

What did Alex Ovechkin do in his last game?

Ovechkin had one goal on six shots in a 4-2 win against the Seattle Kraken. He scored an empty-netter on a long backhander to give him 1,600 career points.

When is Alex Ovechkin’s next game?

The Capitals play Tuesday, March 11 at Anaheim. Ovechkin has 12 goals in 26 career regular-season games vs. the Ducks.

Alex Ovechkin goals in 2024-25

Oct. 19: 1 vs. New Jersey
Oct. 23: 1 vs. Philadelphia
Oct. 29: 2 vs. N.Y. Rangers
Oct. 31: 1 vs. Montreal
Nov. 2: 1 vs. Columbus
Nov. 3: 1 vs. Carolina
Nov. 6: 1 vs. Nashville
Nov. 9: 2 vs. St. Louis
Nov. 17: 3 vs. Vegas
Nov. 18: 2 vs. Utah
Dec. 28: 1 vs. Toronto
Dec. 29: 1 vs. Detroit
Jan. 2: 1 vs. Minnesota
Jan. 4: 1 vs. N.Y. Rangers
Jan. 11: 1 vs. Nashville
Jan. 16: 1 vs. Ottawa
Jan. 23: 1 vs. Seattle
Jan. 30: 1 vs. Ottawa
Feb 1: 1 vs. Winnipeg
Feb. 4: 1 vs. Florida
Feb. 6: 1 vs. Philadelphia
Feb. 23: 3 vs. Edmonton
Feb. 25: 1 vs. Calgary
March 1: 1 vs. Tampa Bay
March 5: 1 vs. N.Y. Rangers
March 9: 1 vs. Seattle

Alex Ovechkin career goals breakdown

Even strength: 560, third overall

Power play: 321, a record

Short-handed: 5

Empty net: 65, a record

Game winners: 135, tied for first with Jaromir Jagr

Overtime goals: 27, a record

Multi-goal games: 178, second overall

Goalies scored against: 181, a record

Hat tricks: 32, tied for fifth overall. Ovechkin has hat tricks against 20 franchises, tying Brett Hull’s record.

20-goal seasons: 20, tied for second

30-goal seasons: 19, a record

40-goal seasons: 13, a record

Alex Ovechkin empty-net goals

Ovechkin has a record 65 empty-net goals, but Gretzky is up there, too, with 56. Ovechkin passed Gretzky in that category last season.

Alex Ovechkin goals per season

Season: Goals, career total

2005-06: 52, 52
2006-07: 46, 98
2007-08: 65*, 163
2008-09: 56*, 219
2009-10: 50, 269
2010-11: 32, 301
2011-12: 38, 339
2012-13: 32*, 371
2013-14: 51*, 422
2014-15: 53*, 475
2015-16: 50*, 525
2016-17: 33, 558
2017-18: 49*, 607
2018-19: 51*, 658
2019-20: 48*, 706
2020-21: 24, 730
2021-22: 50, 780
2022-23: 42, 822
2023-24: 31, 853
2024-25: 33, 886

*-led league in goals that season

NHL all time goal leaders

The top 21 NHL all-time goal scorers all have 600 or more goals. All of the players are in the Hockey Hall of Fame, except Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Jagr, who are still playing.

1. Wayne Gretzky, 894 goals in 1,487 games

2. Alex Ovechkin, 886 goals in 1,474 games

3. Gordie Howe, 801 goals in 1,767 games

4. Jaromir Jagr, 766 goals in 1,733 games

5. Brett Hull, 741 goals in 1,269 games

6. Marcel Dionne, 731 in 1,348 games

7. Phil Esposito, 717 goals in 1,282 games

8. Mike Gartner, 708 goals in 1,432 games

9. Mark Messier, 694 goals in 1,756 games

10. Steve Yzerman, 692 goals in 1,514 games

11. Mario Lemieux, 690 goals in 915 games

12. Teemu Selanne, 684 goals in 1,451 games

13. Luc Robitaille, 668 goals in 1,431 games

14. Brendan Shanahan, 656 goals in 1,524 games

15. Dave Andreychuk, 640 goals in 1,639 games

16. Jarome Iginla, 625 goals in 1,554 games

17. Joe Sakic, 625 goals in 1,378 games

18. Sidney Crosby, 613 goals in 1,336 games

19. Bobby Hull, 610 goals in 1,063 games

20. Dino Ciccarelli, 608 goals in 1,232 games

21. Jari Kurri, 601 goals in 1,251 games

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Romania’s central election authority has banned Calin Georgescu, a populist candidate and frontrunner, from running in May’s presidential election re-run.

‘Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!’ Georgescu said in a post on X, following the decision. ‘I have one message left! If democracy in Romania falls, the entire democratic world will fall!’

Trump’s administration has taken an interest in Romania’s presidential election since it was canceled in May because of Russian collusion allegations in Georgescu’s favor. 

SpaceX CEO and DOGE leader Elon Musk chimed in and shared his reaction to the decision.

‘This is crazy,’ Musk wrote on X.

Kari Lake, Trump administration senior advisor for the US agency for global media, also reacted and compared what is happening in Romania to what ‘they tried with Trump here in America.’

‘Do you love your country & want to put it first?’ Lake posted on X. ‘Then, the Globalists want you removed from the ballot & silenced. They tried it with Trump here in America. They did it to Bolsanaro in Brazil. Now, they’re doing it to Georgescu in Romania. The people should dictate their country’s future. Not the international order & their captured court.’

Georgescu, who won the first round of Romania’s canceled presidential election last year, was taken into custody for questioning by the country’s top prosecutors back in February.

Romania’s Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the election two days ahead of the Dec. 8 runoff after Georgescu’s first-round win. He had polled in single digits and declared zero campaign spending, according to The Associated Press. Allegations of Russian interference and electoral violations quickly emerged. After the election cancelation, prosecutors launched an investigation into alleged campaign funding fraud, as well as alleged antisemitism and hate speech. 

The Trump administration has criticized Romania for canceling last year’s presidential election, with Vice President JD Vance alleging that the court’s ruling was based on ‘flimsy suspicions’ and ‘enormous pressure’ from Romania’s neighbors.

Vance said in December, ‘Romania straight up canceled the results of a presidential election based on the flimsy suspicions of an intelligence agency and enormous pressure from its continental neighbors.’ 

He also warned European leaders that they cannot win a ‘democratic mandate’ by ‘censoring your opponents or putting them in jail,’ nor by ‘disregarding your basic electorate on questions like who gets to be a part of our shared society.’ 

‘To many of us on the other side of the Atlantic, it looks more and more like old, entrenched interests hiding behind ugly Soviet-era words like misinformation and disinformation, who simply don’t like the idea that somebody with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion or, God forbid, vote a different way, or even worse, win an election,’ Vance said. 

Georgescu, a staunch critic of NATO and Western support for Ukraine, has sparked controversy in the past for describing Romanian fascist and nationalist leaders from the 1930s and 1940s as national heroes, according to The AP. 

He has also praised Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past as ‘a man who loves his country,’ and has called Ukraine ‘an invented state.’

Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Christopher Bell has slammed his foot on the gas to open 2025, and Sunday at Phoenix Raceway he claimed his third consecutive victory of the young NASCAR Cup Series season.

Bell edged Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin and Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson at the finish line to win the Shriners Children’s 500, the second year in a row Bell has triumphed in the March race at the Avondale, Arizona track.

Bell, who won two weeks ago at Atlanta and last weekend at Circuit of the Americas, became the first driver since 2021 to win three consecutive races. Larson accomplished the feat twice that season en route to the NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Bell also became the first driver since Kevin Harvick in 2018 to win three of the first four races and the first driver to win three straight in the Next Gen car, which debuted in 2022

Bell’s lone blemish of the season came in the season-opening Daytona 500, when he finished 31st after getting caught up in a late crash.

The 30-year-old Bell had the dominant car of the day Sunday at Phoenix, despite starting 11th. He raced into the top four by the end of the opening stage and then won Stage 2. It appeared Bell would cruise to victory until his JGR teammate brought out the caution flag with eight laps remaining in the race when Hamlin hit the wall after blowing out a tire. That forced Bell to maintain the lead on one more restart, but Hamlin and Larson made him work in the final few laps.

‘Oh, my gosh, man,’ Bell said after climbing out of his No. 20 Toyota. ‘It was all about who could get clear on the restart. Neither of us could. We were racing really, really hard there coming to the line. JGR ran 1-2, how about that?’

Hamlin nearly stole the victory from his younger teammate in one of the closest finishes in the history of Phoenix Raceway, but Bell was able to hold him off by 0.049 seconds.

‘The 5 (Larson’s Chevrolet) really gave me a great push on the frontstretch on the (final) restart, down the backstretch,’ Hamlin said. ‘I had kind of position on the 20. I knew he was going to ship it in there. Obviously we just kind of ran out of racetrack there.

‘Great finish. Great job by the whole Joe Gibbs team to give us some fast cars.’

The win was the 12th of Bell’s NASCAR Cup Series career, and he’s already matched his most wins in a season, with three in both 2022 and 2024.

Josh Berry, Chris Buescher and William Byron, who won the Daytona 500, rounded out the top six. Byron also won the opening stage at Phoenix and led the Cup Series standings entering Sunday’s race.

NASCAR at Phoenix – Top 10 finishers

(Car number in parentheses)

(20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
(11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
(5) Kyle Larson, Cheverolet
(21) Josh Berry, Ford
(17) Chris Buescher, Ford
(24) William Byron, Chevrolet
(48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
(8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
(38) Zane Smith, Ford
(9) Chase Elliott, , Chevrolet

SHRINERS CHILDREN’S 500: Click here for full results of Sunday’s race

NASCAR at Phoenix – Stage 2

Joey Logano rebounded from a penalty in the opening segment to climb all the way back to the lead, but ultimately it was defending race winner Christopher Bell who won the stage. Bell had taken the lead following pit stops to begin Stage 2, but Logano roared through the field on the option tire to overtake him. But, in the waning laps of the segment, Logano’s softer tire finally began to wear out, and Bell was able to retake the lead and win the stage.

The segment was marred by a huge multicar crash following a restart on Lap 99. As drivers were battling mid-pack through Turn 2, a four-wide scrum became way too tight went Ty Gibbs began drifting up the track, triggering multiple collisions. The eventual melee mangled several cars and caused early exits for Riley Herbts, Carson Hocever, Chase Briscoe, Justin Haley, Brad Keselowski, Cole Custer and Shane Van Gisbergen. A handful of other drivers went multiple laps down after making repairs, including Michael McDowell and Noah Gragson.

Here are the top 10 finishers of Stage 2:

Christopher Bell, Toyota
Joey Logano, Ford
William Byron, Chevrolet
Ryan Blaney, Ford
Tyler Reddick, Toyota
Austin Cindric, Ford
Denny Hamlin, Toyota
Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
Kyle Larson, Cheverolet
Josh Berry, Ford

NASCAR at Phoenix – Stage 1

Pole sitter William Byron dominated the opening stage of the Shriners Children’s 500, leading all but the five led by Logano. But Logano was penalized for going under the yellow line on a restart and was forced to serve a pass-through penalty, which sent him to the back of the field. Meanwhile, Ryan Preece made up 30 positions as the only driver using the option tire in the opening stage. Every driver will make use of the option tires at least one during the 312-lap race.

Here are the top 10 finishers of Stage 1:

William Byron, Chevrolet
Tyler Reddick, Toyota
Ryan Preece, Ford
Christopher Bell, Toyota
Ryan Blaney, Ford
Josh Berry, Ford
Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
Denny Hamlin, Toyota
Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
Kyle Larson, Chevrolet

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We need to stop everything. Stop free agency. Stop traffic. Stop gravity. Stop the presses. Stop the Earth from rotating on its axis. Just…stop. Because something remarkable happened on Sunday.

You ready?

Here it is.

The Cleveland Browns got something right. They got it so right. So, so right. Like, right times a billion.

They are keeping Pro Bowl star defensive lineman Myles Garrett. ESPN first reported and USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon was able to confirm that Garrett received a record contract extension that averages $40 million per year. The contract includes $123.5 million in guaranteed money. It makes Garrett the highest-paid, non-quarterback in NFL history. The Browns announced the four-year extension, which runs through the 2030 season, but didn’t release any financial terms.

The Browns have maybe the most loyal and terrific fan base in all of sports, but the franchise has historically, and at times embarrassingly, failed those fans. It’s not just the losing records. It’s been the personnel decisions. The bad drafts.

Deshaun Watson.

Garrett represents a historic moment in the history of the Browns. It’s finally something really good for fans that deserve it.

But it’s also smart. Garrett is simply a player you just do not let go. He’s too good. He’s a future Hall of Famer. Garrett is also a leader in that locker room and in the sport overall. Losing players like Garrett is always an indication of a team that doesn’t know what it’s doing.

Garrett last season became the first player since sacks became an official stat in 1982 to record 100 career sacks before his 29th birthday, according to ESPN. In 2023 he was the AP Defensive Player of the Year. Last season he had 14 sacks, which was second in the league.

We don’t know if the Browns can do the other vital things. Namely, can they put pieces around Garrett? Something they’ve failed to do so far. This is particularly true at the quarterback position.

It didn’t seem like the Browns would get this one right. Garrett had demanded a trade and it was reported this week that he attempted to meet with owner Jimmy Haslam but Haslam declined. That wasn’t a smart move by Haslam but it apparently didn’t negatively impact the negotiations.

‘As a kid dreaming of the NFL, all I focused on was the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl − and that goal fuels me today more than ever,’ Garrett wrote. ‘My love for the community of Northeast Ohio and the incredible fanbase of the Cleveland Browns has made this one of the toughest decisions of my life. These past eight years have shaped me into the man that I am today.

‘While I’ve loved calling this city my home, my desire to win and compete on the biggest stages won’t allow me to be complacent. The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl.’

It turns out Garrett wanted the cash just like everyone else in society.

‘(Browns GM) Andrew Berry and I spent the last 36 hours getting the deal done, basically,” Garrett’s agent, Nicole Lynn, said to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “Myles had a change of heart and he’s excited to go from Cleveland to Canton and chase a championship in Ohio.’

Let’s put all of that aside for now. The deal got done. Even if Garrett doesn’t look all that sincere in doing so.

Browns fans have always been some of my favorite to interact with. I’ve been to countless Browns games and training camps and they are always among the smartest and most knowledgeable of all fan bases. They will tell you when they think your writing is trash and praise you when they like it. They are deeply connected to this team in ways other fan bases are not.

They are the realest of the real and they have stuck with a franchise that since 2000 has had four winning seasons and in 2016 had just one win, followed by 0-16 the following season. The quarterback situation in that time has been among the worst in league history. The team did make the playoffs in 2023 but that was an anomaly for this franchise.

The team has been historically so bad that Garrett wanted to leave.

Now, he’s staying.

Finally, yes, good news for the Browns. Stop everything.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Conference championship season is here for women’s college basketball.

Saturday marked the first championship games for conference tournaments, and Sunday saw Duke become the first Power Four school to win a conference title. As is the case every year, some bids will be stolen for the women’s NCAA Tournament by teams not currently on the radar, potentially stealing a conference championship to secure a bid.

Selection Sunday for the tournament is one week away. That’s when some teams will learn their postseason fate. Conference championships could play a large role in putting teams on the bubble in the tournament — or out of it entirely.

Entering play on Sunday, ESPN’s Charlie Creme had Iowa State, Washington, Princeton and Harvard as the last four in the tournament. Princeton and Harvard would need some help with some projected automatic qualifiers not making it, as they are in a less competitive league than others.

Virginia Tech, Saint Joseph’s, Minnesota and Arizona are the four teams in the next four out.

Follow along for an updated list of automatic qualifiers to the Women’s NCAA Tournament in 2025 as conference championships tip off:

Women’s March Madness automatic bids 2025

This section will be updated as conference champions are crowned.

American East:
American Athletic:
Atlantic 10: George Mason
ACC: Duke
ASUN:
Big 12: TCU
Big East:
Big Sky:
Big South: High Point
Big Ten: UCLA
Big West:
CAA:
Conference USA:
Horizon League:
Ivy League:
MAAC:
MAC:
MEAC:
Missouri Valley:
Mountain West:
Northeast:
Ohio Valley: Tennessee Tech
Pac-12:
Patriot League:
SEC: South Carolina
SoCon: UNC Greensboro
Southland:
SWAC:
Summit League: South Dakota State
Sun Belt:
West Coast:
WAC:

NCAA conference championship schedule

All times Eastern.

Here’s the full schedule of women’s conference championship games in 2025:

Ohio Valley: Saturday, March 8 (9 p.m.)
SoCon: Sunday, March 9 (Noon)
ACC: Sunday, March 9 (1 p.m.)
Atlantic 10: Sunday, March 9 (3 p.m.)
SEC: Sunday, March 9 (3 p.m.)
Summit: Sunday, March 9 (4 p.m.)
Big 12: Sunday, March 9 (4 p.m.)
Big Ten: Sunday, March 9 (4:30 p.m.)
Big South: Sunday, March 9 (6 p.m.)
Sun Belt: Monday, March 10 (1 p.m.)
West Coast: Monday, March 10 (4 p.m.)
Big East: Monday, March 10 (6 p.m.)
Horizon: Tuesday, March 11 (Noon)
American Athletic: Wednesday, March 12 (7 p.m.)
Big Sky: Wednesday, March 12 (7 p.m.)
Mountain West: Wednesday, March 12 (10:30 p.m.)
Southland: Thursday, March 13 (5 p.m.)
American East: Friday, March 14 (5 p.m.)
ASUN: Saturday, March 15
MAC: Saturday, March 15 (11 a.m.)
MAAC: Saturday, March 15 (1:30 p.m.)
WAC: Saturday, March 15 (3:30 p.m.)
MEAC: Saturday, March 15 (4 p.m.)
Ivy League: Saturday, March 15 (5 p.m.)
Conference USA: Saturday, March 15 (5:30 p.m.)
SWAC: Saturday, March 15 (5 p.m.)
Big West: Saturday, March 15 (6 p.m.)
Northeast: Sunday, March 16
Patriot League: Sunday, March 16
Coastal Athletic Association: Sunday, March 16 (2 p.m.)
Missouri Valley: Sunday, March 16 (2 p.m.)

This post appeared first on USA TODAY