INDIANAPOLIS — JuJu Watkins’ glitzy offensive stats are enough to earn her national player of the year honors.

It’s her defense that’s going to make USC so dangerous heading into the NCAA tournament.

Watkins dropped 31 points on Indiana during an 84-79 win in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals Friday, the seventh time this season she’s had 30 or more points. But without Watkins’ repeated disruptions at the other end, Southern California doesn’t win this game.

There was her block of Yarden Garzon’s gimme layup with the game tied early in the third. There was her defensive rebound that led to a fast-break layup when the Trojans were down 1 point later that quarter. There was her steal early in the fourth, with USC clinging to a 4-point lead, to go along with steals in the first and second quarters. There were her 10 rebounds, tied with Kiki Iriafen for the game high.  

‘How she has developed into the two-way player that she is is really remarkable,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said after the Trojans’ escaped with an 84-79 win that was even tighter than the scoreline indicates.

‘The ways that she makes game-changing plays and makes something out of nothing for us and takes away something that looks easy for the other team is really tremendous,” Gottlieb added. “Look, you guys probably know how I feel about it. I think she’s the Player of the Year nationally for a number of different reasons. But I am glad that her game-changing ability on the defensive end is being talked about a little bit more because you see it.”

USC, the Big Ten’s regular-season champ, plays Michigan on Saturday afternoon.

It’s hard not to be dazzled by what Watkins does offensively. The nation’s second-leading scorer can hit from anywhere on the floor, no matter how many people are in her face. In the third quarter Friday, she had two Hoosiers in front of her and was falling forward when she put up a shot.

Swish. And she drew foul.

Her 3-pointer over Lexus Bargesser late in the fourth was reminiscent of another player who now calls Gainbridge Fieldhouse home. Watkins has a knack for getting to the foul line, too.

‘Where JuJu really puts pressure on you is how she kind of leans into that shot,” Indiana coach Teri Moren said. “I think one of the recipes in trying to beat a really good USC team is keeping her especially off the free-throw line.”

But the offensive load Watkins carries for USC makes what she does defensively that much more impressive.

‘Think about what she handles on the offensive end. We get her the ball as much as we can. There’s multiple bodies draped on her. She takes a lot of contact. She’s a physical player. Then we say, ‘Oh by the way, impact the game defensively, too,’” Gottlieb said. ‘She takes no breaks.”

Next time USC plays, watch where Watkins is when the Trojans are on defense. There are no breathers, no hanging back and waiting for an outlet pass. She’s mixing it up under the basket, defending players even if they have several inches on her.

(When USC beat UCLA last month, three of Watkins’ career-best eight blocks were on Lauren Betts, who at 6-foot-7 is 5 inches taller.)

‘I just go out there and play for the team, and whatever’s needed in me, I do,’ Watkins said.

If the Trojans are to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament, they’ll need big performances from Watkins. On both ends of the floor.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

In the immortal words of Semisonic, ‘every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.’ So it is that one phase of the men’s college basketball regular season comes to its conclusion this weekend with the final batch of on-campus games before tournament season.

While most men’s hoops squads know what they need to do from this point forward, there are still a lot of unknown factors that could alter the look of the NCAA Tournament bracket with Selection Sunday just one week away. In our final edition of the Starting Five breaking down the biggest games the biggest games of the weekend, we’ll focus our attention on teams still vying for top seeds with some others getting one last chance for a splashy win.

No. 8 Alabama at No. 1 Auburn

Time/TV: Saturday, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

When these fierce in-state rivals met last month they held the top two poll positions. Heading into the rematch, both are coming off losses, just business as usual in the ultra-competitive SEC this year. As it happens, the Crimson Tide have dropped two in a row thanks to a rough closing stretch that sent them to Tennessee just before hosting Florida on Wednesday. A third setback to the Tigers would likely end their bid for a No. 1 NCAA regional seed, but bear in mind they made the Final Four a year ago as a No. 4. As for Auburn, their place at the top of the bracket isn’t likely to change even after Tuesday night’s defeat at Texas A&M, though sweeping Alabama will be incentive enough. The Crimson Tide’s approach of just trying to outscore everyone works only as long as a high enough number of their three-point attempts are falling. Lately they haven’t been, and that is an issue against teams that pay more attention to defense – like Auburn. The Tigers will still have to make shots, but expect a more concerted effort from them on the boards after coach Bruce Pearl said his team was outtoughed by the Aggies.

No. 15 Michigan at No. 7 Michigan State

Time/TV: Sunday, noon ET, CBS

On the surface, the Spartans don’t have a lot on the line here. The Big Ten regular-season title is already secured, and a No. 2 NCAA seed seems a likely landing spot whatever happens over the next week. Then again, this is also a rivalry game, so the Wolverines will certainly have their attention. Michigan for its part hopes to snap a two-game skid and avenge the loss to Michigan State just 16 days earlier on its own floor in the process. The good news for the Wolverines is they’ve won their share of tight contests, but three of their five conference losses have been by double digits including the prior encounter with the Spartans. To avoid a similar outcome they’ll need to guard the perimeter, easier said than done against Michigan State’s numerous options.

BRACKETOLOGY: New SEC takes over No. 1 seed in projected tournament field

No. 6 St. John’s at No. 20 Marquette

Time/TV: Saturday, noon ET, Fox

As is the case in most of the power conferences, the regular-season championship is already decided in the Big East. But the Red Storm would nevertheless like to close with another quality road result before playing the conference tourney on its usual home court. The Golden Eagles have a slim chance of improving to a No. 3 seed next week at Madison Square Garden, but they could use a win here regardless as they haven’t earned a victory against a top-tier conference squad since toppling Creighton way back on Jan. 3. Marquette likes a fast pace, but that can work to its disadvantage during cold spells given its lack of interior size. St. John’s made its mark this year by crashing the offensive glass, and the team’s steady shooting improvement has made the Red Storm even tougher to beat.

No. 2 Duke at North Carolina

Time/TV: Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Curiously, despite having dominated its league for most of the season, Duke is the one power conference leader that does not have its tournament’s top seed locked up heading into the final weekend. The Blue Devils can do so with a win, which would have the added benefit of pushing their archrivals closer to NCAA tournament oblivion. The Tar Heels to their credit have won their last six contests, though none of those results did much to enhance their postseason resume. A victory here obviously would, but to pull it off they’ll need to shoot the lights out and keep Ven-Allen Lubin and Jalen Washington out of foul trouble to have any chance on the boards. Duke comes in with an extra day of rest since posting its Monday’s blowout of Wake Forest Monday, and having veteran guard Tyrese Proctor back from a knee bruise only helps the young and extremely talented lineup.

No. 3 Houston at Baylor

Time/TV: Saturday, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN

Unlike North Carolina, Baylor is probably still on the right side of the NCAA tournament bubble. Even so, the Bears can feel much more secure about their position if they can pick off the Cougars, who have now claimed the Big 12 regular-season crown in each of their two years in the conference. Known for its stingy defense, Houston makes life even more difficult for opponents by connecting at a nearly 40% clip from three-point range, with L.J. Cryer and Emanuel Sharp doing the bulk of the damage. Baylor hasn’t been quite as effective from the perimeter this season, but veteran big man Norchad Omier can help provide second chances.

It’s conference tournament time in women’s college basketball, which means it’s the last chance to impress the selection committee.

The No. 1 seeds are still up for grabs. As many as eight teams can claim those coveted spots.

The Big Ten can become the biggest beneficiary and could see 12 teams in the NCAA Tournament, which would break an all-time record. Meanwhile, in the ACC, a No. 1 seed is virtually Notre Dame’s to lose if it can win the conference tournament.

After the trophies are hoisted, teams will have a week to rest before the Women’s NCAA Tournament Selection Show on March 16.

Here are five games to watch this weekend, each a rematch of a regular-season meeting:

No. 2 USC vs. Michigan, Big Ten semifinals

Time/TV: Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

JuJu Watkins, the front-runner for Player of the Year, continued her assault on the scoreboard, tallying 31 points and 10 rebounds as the Trojans held off Indiana in the conference quarterfinals. The Wolverines were impressive in their stomping of Maryland in their quarterfinal matchup.

Michigan is a different team than the one that lost by 20 to the Trojans in late December. To neutralize Watkins and keep the game close, Michigan must hit 3-point shots and get the Trojans in foul trouble.

No. 14 North Carolina vs. No. 8 North Carolina State, ACC semifinals

Time/TV: Saturday, Noon ET, ESPN2

The Wolfpack know what’s at stake. The tournament’s No. 1 seed also has a chance to break its way into a top seed in the NCAA Tournament if it can run the table this weekend.

North Carolina beat NC State 66-65 in Chapel Hill three weeks ago, handing State one of its two ACC losses. The Tar Heels’ balance on offense is enhanced with the return of Reniya Kelly and Alyssa Utsby, two of their four double-digit scorers, from injuries.

No. 5 South Carolina vs. No. 10 Oklahoma, SEC semifinals

Time/TV: Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

The last time these two teams played, in Columbia on Jan. 19, Oklahoma found itself down 19 after one quarter and ended up losing by 41. The things that get the Sooners beat showed up in that game as they turned the ball over 22 times, leading to 32 South Carolina points.

South Carolina, looking for its third straight SEC tournament title, got by Vanderbilt, nearly blowing a 25-point halftime lead. Chloe Kitts had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the balanced Gamecocks also got 15 points from MiLaysia Fulwiley and 13 from Sania Feagin.

No. 7 TCU vs. No. 16 West Virginia, Big 12 semifinals

Time/TV: Saturday, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN+

The Horned Frogs, the regular season conference champions, got a scare from Colorado in the quarterfinals, but Hailey Van Lith’s five 3-pointers and 24 points were enough to advance. Sedona Prince added 18 points.

TCU awaits the fourth-seeded Mountaineers, who dispatched Kansas State in their quarterfinal matchup.

In their first matchup, a 71-50 TCU victory, West Virginia couldn’t get anything going offensively and shot 31%. The Mountaineers were dominated in the paint and on the boards and their two leading scorers, JJ Quinerly and Jordan Harrison, combined to score only 24 points. They must put up big numbers this time to advance.

No. 1 Texas vs. No. 9 LSU, SEC semifinals

Time/TV: Saturday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

The Tigers had lost two of three coming into the tournament but got right with a dominant win over Florida, while Texas and SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker needed every one of her 19 points and seven rebounds to squeak by Ole Miss.

The Longhorns are riding a 14-game winning streak and have probably locked up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens. LSU is not out of the running for one of those slots but would need some help. The Tigers need to beat the nation’s top team first to get any consideration.

The Los Angeles Lakers are hot, the rolling Boston Celtics are trying to repeat as NBA champions, and new Lakers star Luka Doncic gets his first dose of the historic rivalry Saturday when the two teams meet in Boston (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

The Celtics are 45-18, in second place in the Eastern Conference and have won 12 of their past 15 games.

The Lakers have won eight consecutive games, are 20-4 since losing to San Antonio on Jan. 13 and are 9-2 with Doncic in the lineup following the blockbuster trade with Dallas.

Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s game, including historical context, how to watch, LeBron James’ stellar play with Doncic and the Celtics’ pursuit of another title:

How to watch the Lakers-Celtics game Saturday

Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson will call the game with Lisa Salter handling sideline reporting duties for the Lakers-Celtics:

Date: Saturday
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT
Location: TD Garden (Boston)
TV: ABC
Streaming:

ESPN+
Disney+
Fubo
DirecTV Stream
YouTube TV
Hulu with live TV

Why the Lakers are winning

The Lakers were starting to play better before the Doncic trade, and the five-time All-NBA selection has given them an additional boost – one that makes them contenders to win the Western Conference. The Lakers are scoring 117.9 points and allowing 104.5 points per 100 possessions with Doncic on the court. He’s averaging 23.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.9 steals in 10 games with the Lakers. Doncic has back-to-back 30-point games headed into the Celtics matchup, including 32 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds in Thursday’s overtime victory against New York.

Doncic’s presence has given James an offensive lift, too. In his past 11 games, James is averaging 27.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.1 steals and shooting 52.8% from the field and 39% on 3-pointers.

The Lakers have the offense, and they’re playing better defensively in the past month.

Why the Celtics are winning

The Celtics are headed for their fourth consecutive 50-win season and are trying to reach the Finals for the third time in four seasons. They have the talent, roster, coaching and experience to do that with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Payton Pritchard.

The Celtics are one of two teams (Oklahoma City is the other) in the top five in offensive and defensive rating, scoring 119.2 points and allowing 110.2 points per 100 possessions. Six players average at least 10 points led by Tatum’s 26.9 points per game and Brown’s 23.1 points per game.

The Celtics lead the league in made 3s per game (17.9) and are on pace to set a record for made 3s in a season, surpassing the 2022-23 Warriors (1,363).

Lakers-Celtics rivalry

The Celtics have won 18 NBA championships, and the Lakers have won 17. Boston broke the tie last season with a victory over Dallas – then led by Doncic – in five games.

The teams have met in the Finals 12 times with Boston winning nine times. The Lakers won the most recent Finals between the two, beating the Celtics in seven games in 2010.

They have the two best regular-season winning percentages all-time: the Celtics at .596 and the Lakers at .592.

Some of the best players all-time have played for the franchises. Among them: Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Bill Walton, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Jayson Tatum, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins spent his first six seasons in the NFL with Washington. He made a Pro Bowl in 2016 and went 26-30-1 as a starter.

He was back in the nation’s capital on Friday and took the time to meet with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

Margo Martin, a special assistant to the president and communications advisor, posted a photo to her account on X captioned ‘#18 #47′, referencing Cousins’ jersey number and Trump being the 47th president of the United States.

Cousins said Friday in a post on his Instagram page that he and his wife Julie were taking a trip to Washington, D.C.

Cousins is the latest NFL player to visit the White House this offseason. Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker met with President Trump last week.

Cousins is facing some uncertainty this offseason after the Falcons ended the 2024 season with rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. as the starter. Cousins will be 37 by the start of the 2025 season and nearly two years removed from surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon.

If you were owner of the Cleveland Browns (you, yes you) and the best player on your team, Pro Bowler Myles Garrett, who is actually one of the best players in the history of the NFL, wanted to meet with you. What would you do?

A) Meet with him. It’s Myles Freaking Garrett.

B) Meet with him. It’s Myles Freaking Garrett.

C) Meet with him. It’s. Myles. Freaking. Garrett.

D) All of the above.

If you (you, yes you) owned the Browns, the answer would be the last one. Because you’re not an idiot.

But Browns owner Jimmy Haslam apparently feels differently. In what is one of the most confounding stories of the week, month, year, decade, Garrett, as first reported by the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Friday, and confirmed by ESPN and others, reached out to meet with Haslam and, according to those reports, the owner declined.

There are a million reasons why Haslam could have declined and none of them are likely valid. This is Ownership 101. If your player wants to meet with you, especially one of Garrett’s caliber, you just do it. If you want to have agents or lawyers present well, okay, whatever, but what you don’t do is decline.

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported that Haslam told Garrett he should speak with Andrew Berry, the team’s general manager. That’s even worse. Haslam was slouching off Garrett onto the GM. If Haslam wanted to enforce some sort of chain of command, well, no. Just no. There’s no chain of command when it comes to Garrett if he wants to speak with the owner of the team.

The Browns and Garrett are dug in over the player’s trade request. He wants to leave. The Browns say they won’t trade him. Would a conversation have changed things? Probably not but it couldn’t hurt. But also, Garrett deserves that audience. He’s the team’s No. 1 overall pick from the 2017 draft. He has 102.5 career sacks.

Last year was his seventh straight double-digit sack season. He’s had four consecutive seasons with 14 or more sacks. He has earned five straight Pro Bowl bids, has received four career first-team All-Pro honors, and is a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He will skip into the Hall of Fame and he’s still relatively young at 29.

There are simply almost no players on Planet Earth like Garrett.

Most of all, Garrett commands respect not just in that locker room, but around the NFL. I promise you players on both the Browns and across the league heard about this news and didn’t understand why Haslam was taking that approach.

Haslam could have at least attempted to deescalate it by meeting with Garrett. Instead, Haslam made it worse.

When Garrett first requested a trade from the team, he issued a heartfelt statement: ‘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. 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.’

In other words, Garrett requested a trade because he doesn’t think the Browns can compete for a Super Bowl.

Moves like the one Haslam did shows Garrett might be right.

The Athletics shared updated renderings of their proposed $1.75 billion stadium on Thursday at the Las Vegas Stadium Authority meeting, offering the public an in-depth look at the stadium’s state-of-the-art features as the franchise inches closer to relocating to Nevada for the 2028 season. The massive 33,000-seat stadium will be built at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana hotel previously stood, and will feature a partially-retractable roof that gives onlookers an ‘outdoor feel with climate-controlled temperatures.’

The stadium will offer the ‘closest seats to home plate and the smallest foul territory of any MLB ballpark,’ the Athletics boast on their website. The latest renderings also show the home locker room and the home and visitors bullpens staggered next to each other in left field, in addition to various concourses and seating experiences for fans.

The Athletics are expected to break ground and start construction in June.

The Athletics temporarily have relocated to Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California, for the next three seasons after playing their last game at the Oakland Coliseum in September 2024. The Athletics are projected to make their Las Vegas debut in the 2028 MLB season.

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