The 2024 NFL season is fully in the rear view after the Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl 59 over the Kansas City Chiefs. After their win, the final coaching vacancy for 2025 was filled and teams are now squarely looking forward to next season.

The new league year begins on Wednesday, March 12 at 4 p.m. ET. But in the 48 hours leading up to that deadline, teams can negotiate with pending free agent players.

There are multiple key signings in free agency every year. Philadelphia’s free agent acquisitions last offseason included Saquon Barkley and Zack Baun and both were first-team All-Pro players on the Eagles’ championship-winning campaign.

There are plenty of talented players in free agency once again this year. Here’s how we ranked the top 15 free agents on defense for 2025.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

2025 NFL free agent rankings: Top 15 defensive players

1. Edge Josh Sweat, Philadelphia Eagles

Sweat led the Eagles in sacks during the regular season (8.0) and backed that up with a standout playoff performance culminating in a 2.5-sack effort against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

Sweat has the ideal mix of size at 6-foot-5 and 265 lbs. and athleticism to be a force against the run and the pass. At 28 years old by the start of next season, he’ll be one of the highest-paid free agents in the class.

2. DT Milton Williams, Philadelphia Eagles

Jalen Carter, Sweat and Jordan Davis all get much of the attention on the Eagles’ defensive line. But Williams is an underrated, athletic force who went off in the Super Bowl after a career year in the regular season. Williams posted career-highs in sacks (5.0) and pressures (35). His pressure rate of 12.5% was second league-wide among defensive tackles, per Next Gen Stats.

Williams is an athletic interior defensive lineman with the resume to command top money at the position considering his age (26 by the start of next season).

3. S Jevon Holland, Miami Dolphins

Holland dealt with injuries in 2023 but played pretty well in 2024. He was a typically solid run defender and posted a career-best in stops (tackles that result in a successful play for the defense) per Next Gen Stats.

At 25 years old next season and a track record of success in 2021 and 2022, he’ll be in demand at an undervalued position this offseason.

4. CB D.J. Reed, New York Jets

Reed was targeted in coverage more than teammate Sauce Gardner in 2024 but allowed a lower quarterback rating (80.4 to 83.3) and yards after catch per reception (2.5 to 4.9), per Next Gen Stats.

Reed will turn 29 next season which may see him get a short-term deal but he’s a proven starter at outside cornerback and should be paid accordingly.

5. LB Zack Baun, Philadelphia Eagles

Baun started just 14 games over four years with the New Orleans Saints before coming to the Eagles in 2024 and completely turning things around. He was a first-team All-Pro linebacker under Vic Fangio’s tutelage as the Eagles’ defense powered a title.

Baun will turn 29 late next season and will be the top linebacker in free agency. That type of breakout year will be rewarded even if the market is down at the position.

6. CB Charvarius Ward, San Francisco 49ers

Ward had a league-high 23 passes defensed and five interceptions in 2023 and earned second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors for his efforts. Then 2024 happened. Ward missed one game with an ankle injury then took time away from the field after the death of his daughter.

Ward will be 29 next season and is hitting free agency for a second time. He’ll likely sign a shorter deal due to his age for the position but still get near-top money.

7. DT Osa Odighizuwa, Dallas Cowboys

Odighizuwa enjoyed a breakout 2024 season as a pass rusher. The 2021 third-round pick had career-highs in sacks (4.5) and pressures (33). He hasn’t missed a game since his rookie season.

He’ll be 27 by the start of next season. He’s slightly undersized for the position at 6-foot-2 and 280 lbs. but his pass-rushing production will make him the next-best interior defensive lineman after Williams.

8. S Tre’Von Moehrig, Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders weren’t contenders in 2024 but Moehrig still had a standout season. He set career-highs in passes defensed (10), fumble recoveries (two) and tackles (104). He also tied for ninth among qualified defensive backs in stops with 43, per Next Gen Stats.

At 26 years old to start next season, Moehrig’s shown up well against the run and pass and should be a target for teams looking for help in the secondary.

9. CB Byron Murphy Jr., Minnesota Vikings

Murphy was the Vikings’ top cornerback in 2024 with a career-high six interceptions. He set a career-best with a 75.6 quarterback rating when targeted, per Next Gen Stats.

He’ll be 27 this upcoming season and that could see him get a longer-term deal than what Reed or Ward receive.

10. CB Carlton Davis III, Detroit Lions

Davis III was traded to Detroit before the season and played very well before a fractured jaw ended his season early. Still, he’s a proven outside corner with experience in both man and zone schemes. He’ll be 28 entering next season and should be right with Murphy Jr. in dollar amount.

11. LB Dre Greenlaw, San Francisco 49ers

This is a bit of a gamble but it could pay off. Greenlaw missed most of 2024 after tearing his Achilles in Super Bowl 58 against the Chiefs. In the prior two years, he was one of the top linebackers in the league with the athleticism to cover and the demeanor to be a force in run defense. He’ll be 28 by the start of next season.

12. S Justin Reid, Kansas City Chiefs

Reid is hitting free agency once again after winning two Super Bowls with the Chiefs and should be in demand again for a team looking for experience on the back end. He’ll be 28 next season and pairs sure tackling with good coverage skills.

13. LB Nick Bolton, Kansas City Chiefs

Bolton shines against the run and notched 11 tackles for loss and a career-high three sacks in 2024. He’s not the best in coverage but offers enough not to be a liability in zone. On the plus side, he’ll be 25 by the start of next season.

14. S Camryn Bynum, Minnesota Vikings

Bynum offers an ideal mix of tackling against the run and coverage production (three interceptions, 10 passes defensed in 2024). He’ll be 27 by the start of next season, making him an ideal starter for most teams league-wide.

15. CB Paulson Adebo, New Orleans Saints

Adebo is recovering from a broken femur suffered in Week 7. If he checks out medically, he’ll be one of the top free agents at the position thanks to his skills in press coverage, ball production (10 interceptions in four seasons) and age (26 at the start of next season).

After following up a 19-game winning streak with two straight losses to ACC opponents, the Fighting Irish needed a bounce-back game Sunday.

It got that and then some against Louisville. After a down game from Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles against the Seminoles, the duo combined for a cool 35 points to claim a share of the ACC regular season title, led by Hidalgo’s 20.

It’s a huge win for a Notre Dame team that is looking to get back on the one-line for the NCAA Tournament. While it hardly clinches anything, it does give Notre Dame a fighting chance in the ACC Tournament.

The game looked like it might be a knock-em-down drag-em-out when Louisville limited Notre Dame to just 14 points in the quarter. However, 22 points in each of the middle frames gave Notre Dame a comfortable cushion heading into the fourth, where it completed its symmetrical board with another 14-point quarter to get a 72-56 win.

After Louisville’s initial onslaught, its physical game-plan saw guards Tajianna Roberts and Ja’Leah Williams get into first-half foul trouble. That was a hole it never dug itself out of, and now Louisville will prepare for the ACC Tournament on its back foot.

Look below to see a recap of Notre Dame’s win over Louisville, as covered by USA TODAY Sports.

Notre Dame women’s basketball vs Louisville score updates

This section will be updated at tip-off

Final: Notre Dame 72, Louisville 56

Fourth Quarter

Hannah Hidalgo hits a dagger

Hidalgo has a killer instinct. Already up 69-52, Hidalgo squares up on a mismatch and buries a triple to make it a 20-point lead. Advantage: Irish. Those are the shots Notre Dame looks for.

Notre Dame takes timeout

Notre Dame still holds a decisive lead and looks to have this well in hand, but Ivey is still displeased. With the Louisville press on, Ivey takes a timeout, then the Fighting Irish turn it over anyways.

They still hold a double-digit lead, but this is still that will have to be cleaned up ahead of March.

Third Quarter

Olivia Miles hits buzzer-beater

Notre Dame is going to the fourth quarter with an 18-point lead on the heels of a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Olivia Miles.

After a Louisville bucket, Miles jets up the floor , fading to her right, hits a triple to make it a 58-40 game heading into the final quarter. Notre Dame needed this game from its stars.

Notre Dame extends lead

With a pair of free throws made at the line by Olivia Miles, Notre Dame extends its lead to double digits for the first time on the afternoon at 45-35.

Notre Dame’s defense continues to cause struggles for Louisville’s offense, as the Cardinals have not hit a field goal in the last 3:28. The Irish have taken back all momentum in this one.

Kate Koval block

Notre Dame gets a big stop on defense with a block from forward Kate Koval, and there is a timeout on the floor for the under-five media timeout.

The Irish’s defense has been responded back nicely after Jayda Curry’s back-to-back 3-pointers, as Louisville has not scored over the last 2:07 of game time.

Louisville strikes back

The Cardinals take advantage of numbers with back-to-back triples from Jayda Curry in less than 16 seconds to cut their deficit to three.

A 6-0 run for Louisville has forced a timeout from Notre Dame, who now leads 37-34 with 7:05 remaining in the third quarter. Louisville has outscored Notre Dame 6-1 to open the third quarter.

Notre Dame on board

The Irish are the first to get on the board in the second half thanks to one of two free throws from Hannah Hidalgo.

Both teams have started the half 0-for-5 combined from the field.

Halftime

After a hard-fought first quarter, Notre Dame seems to be overwhelming Louisville both on defense and by attacking the rim.

With Roberts at three fouls, Williams at two, and Curry dealing with a shoulder injury (Curry did return), the Louisville backcourt is brutally thin coming into the second half.

While Hidalgo still doesn’t look like herself, Notre Dame is finding help elsewhere this time around. She does have 11 on 4 of 9 shooting and she looked much better in the second quarter than the first.

For Louisville, we’ll see how Curry’s shoulder impacts her here in the second half, but she leads her team at 11 points as well. While Notre Dame has shot itself up to 43.8% from the field, Louisville continues to struggle at 30.3% thanks to Notre Dame’s stifling defense.

Second Quarter

Roberts picks up third foul

Now things are getting tough for the Cardinals.

Roberts just picked up her third foul on a phantom call, and the Cardinals just can’ find any offensive rhythm as the Irish continue to thrive. With halftime approaching, Walz needs to be creative with both Williams and Roberts in foul trouble.

Notre Dame putting together a nice run

Notre Dame seems to have found some rhythm.

It has scored 20 points so far in the second quarter, while Louisville has just 13.

Louisville is also finding itself in a tough situation, with a shoulder injury to leading scorer Curry forcing Walz deep into his bench. Curry went straight back to the locker room with a towel over her head gripping her shoulder. 34-28 Irish.

Notre Dame retakes the lead

Notre Dame has claimed a 24-20 lead coming into the second quarter, as the Irish shoot their way through it and Louisville slumps.

Both teams are now below 35% shooting for the game, and Notre Dame holds the edge in free throws 6-2 so far (Notre Dame has made all six).

Louisville has made 3 of 7 3-point attempts. Notre Dame is 2 for 6.

First Quarter

Louisville leads after first

The Cardinals were not informed they’re huge dogs in this game.

While much of the discussion has centered around Notre Dame and its prospects of a 1-seed and championship aspirations, the Cardinals close the first quarter with a lead behind a physical game-plan.

While neither team is playing poorly, defense has won the day thus far. That pace is going to be hard to keep up, but with Olivia Miles already showing signs of frustration, Louisville may be able to exploit a flustered Fighting Irish offense.

Hidalgo gets on the board

After Louisville went up one on a free throw from Olivia Cochran, Hidalgo hits a triple to give Notre Dame the lead back and make it 12-10. This game has high shootout potential, and if that does happen, Notre Dame is going to need its shooters Hidalgo and Miles to put it over.

Notre Dame, Louisville tied at 9 for under-five

Both teams are playing fast, and there seems to be an emphasis on pace for both Ivey and Jeff Walz.

Hidalgo is yet to score here in the first quarter, and Roberts leads all scorers with five. Olivia Miles seems to be taking a lot of time on the ball for the Irish, as Notre Dame looks to break open the Louisville defense.

Louisville’s backcourt is spending a lot of time with the ball in the backcourt, with Williams and Roberts doing the lion’s share of ball handling.

Louisville opens the scoring

Roberts picks up where she left off with a triple to open the scoring in this one. Louisville will undoubtedly look for a big game out of its budding freshman.

Entire panel picks Notre Dame

Freeman was never in doubt, but Duncan, Carter, and Ogwumike all picked the Irish as well. Notre Dame is heavily favored. Can the Cardinals pull off an upset?

Marcus Freeman joins ‘College GameDay’

Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman has joined Duncan, Carter, and Ogwumke on the ‘College GameDay’ desk and immediately draws chants from the crowd. Freeman led Notre Dame to a national championship runner up finish last season.

‘College GameDay’ split on Notre Dame title chances

During an exercise on ‘College GameDay’ in which Elle Duncan pulled team names and Andraya Carter and Chiney Ogwumike said if they were a title team, Carter and Ogwumike were split on Notre Dame’s odds when its name was pulled. Carter was skeptical of Hannah Hidalgo’s shot selection, and Ogwumike was adamant the Irish could ultimately be a title team.

What channel is Notre Dame women’s basketball vs Louisville on today?

TV channel: ESPN
Streaming option: WatchESPN | Fubo (free trial)

ESPN will televise Sunday’s ACC women’s basketball game between Notre Dame and Louisville in South Bend, Indiana. Streaming options for the game include WatchESPN and Fubo, the latter of which carries ESPN and offers a free trial to new subscribers.

Notre Dame vs Louisville women’s basketball time today

Date: Sunday, March 2
Time: Noon ET
Location: Joyce Center (South Bend, Indiana)

Notre Dame and Louisville are scheduled to tip off at Noon ET on Sunday, March 2 from the Joyce Center in South Bend, Indiana.

Notre Dame women’s basketball vs Louisville history

Series record: Notre Dame leads 21-14
Notre Dame’s last win: 2024 (89-71)
Louisville’s last win: 2023 (73-66)

As noted by Louisville’s website, the Irish lead the all-time series 21-14 against the Cardinals and are 8-5 at home. The Irish enter this game on a three-game winning streak in the series.

Notre Dame vs Louisville women’s basketball betting odds

Game lines and odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Sunday, March 2

Spread: Notre Dame (-18.5)
Total: 148.5
Moneyline: N/A

Notre Dame women’s basketball schedule 2024-25

Here’s a look at Notre Dame’s last five results. To view the Irish’s full 2024-25 schedule, click here.

Thursday, Feb. 13: Notre Dame 88, Pitt 57
Monday, Feb. 17: Notre Dame 64, Duke 49
Thursday, Feb. 20: Notre Dame 82, Miami 42
Sunday, Feb. 23: NC State 104, Notre Dame 95
Thursday, Feb. 27: Florida State 86, Notre Dame 81

Louisville women’s basketball schedule 2024-25

Here’s a look at Louisville’s last five results. To view the Cardinals’ full 2024-25 schedule, click here.

Sunday, Feb. 9: Louisville 74, Stanford 65
Thursday, Feb. 13: Louisville 83, Florida State 69
Thursday, Feb. 20: Louisville 70, Duke 62
Sunday, Feb. 23: North Carolina 79, Louisville 75
Thursday, Feb. 27: Louisville 78, Clemson 52

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Alex Palou has won three IndyCar Series titles, and only one included winning the season opener.
IndyCar all-timers Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden complete the podium.

Alex Palou starts his quest for a third consecutive IndyCar Series Series championship with a win on the downtown street course in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Palou started 8th on the way to his first St. Pete win in six starts. He finished 2nd in 2022. Palou now has 12 IndyCar race wins.

IndyCar heavyweights Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden complete the podium, and pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin takes 4th.

Key moment of the race: Palou, the three-time series champ, pitted one lap ahead of Dixon — a six-time champ — on his last stop. Palou stormed to a lead of more than 5 seconds. Newgarden charged into Palou’s rear-view mirror before fading in the final couple of laps as his fuel ran dry, allowing Dixon to get by.

It’s Palou’s second season-opening win. He opened the 2021 season by winning at Barber on the way to his first championship.

Want more IndyCar Series coverage? Follow Nathan Brown all season, and sign up for IndyStar’s auto racing newsletter.

IndyCar race at St. Petersburg 2025 finish order: Race results, leaderboard standings

Alex Palou
Scott Dixon
Josef Newgarden
Scott McLaughlin
Kyle Kirkwood
Marcus Ericsson
Felix Rosenqvist
Christian Lundgaard
Rinus VeeKay
Alexander Rossi
Pato O’Ward
Graham Rahal
David Malukas
Santino Ferrucci
Christian Rasmussen
Colton Herta
Conor Daly
Kyffin Simpson
Callum Ilott
Robert Shwartzman
Sting Ray Robb
Devlin DeFrancesco
Jacob Abel
Marcus Armstrong
Nolan Siegel
Will Power
Louis Foster

IndyCar live updates at St. Petersburg

Lap 95: Alex Palou, Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon get around the lapped car of Sting Ray Robb.

Lap 90: Josef Newgarden has pulled within 1.5 seconds of Alex Palou, who is encountering lapped traffic. Scott Dixon is 3+ behind the leader.

Lap 73-74: Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Alex Palou and Scott McLaughlin take their final pit stops. Coming out of those stops, Palou leads by 5+ seconds, followed by Newgarden, Dixon and McLaughlin.

Current IndyCar leaderboard standings: Lap 70

Scott Dixon
Alex Palou
Scott McLaughlin
Josef Newgarden
Kyle Kirkwood
Felix Rosenqvist
Christian Lundgaard
Alexander Rossi
Santino Ferrucci
Colton Herta

Lap 69: Christian Lundgaard pits to take on the alternate tires. Scott Dixon assumes the lead.

Lap 63: Alexander Rossi pits to take on the alternate tires and falls to 11th place. He will likely have to pit once more to return to primaries.

Lap 60: Christian Lundgaard leads Alexander Rossi by 1+ seconds. Scott Dixon remains in 3rd.

Current IndyCar leaderboard standings: Lap 50

Christian Lundgaard and Alexander Rossi have yet to use the alternate ‘green’ tires, which provide more speed but less durability. Scott McLaughlin used hits set for just 12 laps. Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden are in strong positions for later in the race.

Christian Lundgaard
Alexander Rossi
Scott Dixon
Josef Newgarden
Alex Palou
Kyle Kirkwood
Scott McLaughlin
Callum Ilott
Pato O’Ward
Rinus VeeKay

Laps 44-45: Marcus Armstrong and Scott McLaughlin pit again under green to return to primary tires. Drivers are required to run on alternate ‘green’ tires for a few laps. Armstong may have hit a wall, affecting his rear suspension.

Current IndyCar leaderboard standings: Lap 40

All the leaders make a pit stop under green. Marcus Armstrong’s is a little slow, and Colton Herta’s crew has trouble changing the right rear tire, costing several seconds. Drivers to lead during the pits include Armstrong, Herta, Josef Newgarden and Scott Dixon. Dixon and Alex Palou pit at the end of Lap 40.

Scott McLaughlin
Scott Dixon
Alex Palou
Marcus Armstrong
Christian Lundgaard
Felix Rosenqvist
Alexander Rossi
David Malukas
Graham Rahal
Santino Ferrucci

Lap 25: The Fox team reports Pato O’Ward had a punctured tire, requiting a pit stop under green. He is in 24th place, last on track.

Current IndyCar leaderboard standings: Lap 20

The field remains steady, with Scott McLaughlin holding a 1-second lead.

Scott McLaughlin
Felix Rosenqvist
Marcus Armstrong
Christian Lundgaard
Alexander Rossi
David Malukas
Santino Ferrucci
Graham Rahal
Colton Herta
Callum Ilott

IndyCar live updates at St. Petersburg

Lap 8 restart: We get through the lap without incident. The top 8 remain the same. Colton Herta passes Callum Ilott for 9th.

Current IndyCar leaderboard standings: Lap 5, after pit stops

Fifteen drivers pit to change to harder tires, 9 remain on track.

Scott McLaughlin
Felix Rosenqvist
Marcus Armstrong
Christian Lundgaard
Alexander Rossi
Davis Malukas
Santino Ferrucci
Graham Rahal
Callum Ilott
Colton Herta

Lap 1: Louis Foster, Nolan Siegel and Will Power crash. Caution. Update: All the drivers are OK.

IndyCar starting grid at St. Petersburg

Row 1

1. Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske

2. Colton Herta, Andretti Global

Row 2

3. Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank

4. Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank

Row 3

5. Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren

6. Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi

Row 4

7. Marcus Ericsson, Andretti Global

8. Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi

Row 5

9. Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global

10. Josef Newgarden, Team Penske

Row 6

11. Nolan Siegel, Arrow McLaren

12. Rinus VeeKay, Dale Coyne

Row 7

13. Will Power, Team Penske

14. Devlin DeFrancesco, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

Row 8

15. Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi

16. Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

Row 9

17. David Malukas, A.J. Foyt

18. Robert Shwartzman, Prema

Row 10

19. Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt

20. Alexander Rossi, Ed Carpenter

Row 11

21. Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

22. Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger

Row 12

23. Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren

24. Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter

Row 13

25. Jacob Abel, Dale Coyne

26. Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger

Row 14

27. Callum Ilott, Prema

2024 IndyCar at St. Petersburg results

When the cars left Florida, Josef Newgarden was shown as the winner, followed by Pato O’Ward and Scott McLaughlin.

However, the Team Penske drivers (Newgarden and McLaughlin) were later disqualified for violating rules in their use of push-to-pass, while teammate Will Power was docked 10 points. O’Ward was declared the race winner, with Power second and Colton Herta third.

IndyCar at St. Petersburg expert picks, predictions

From Nathan Brown, IndyStar

Race winner: Scott McLaughlin won this race in 2022, crashed late while battling for the lead in ’23 and finished runner-up on-track in ’24 before being disqualified in the push-to-pass saga. After finishing 3rd in the championship the last two years, the Team Penske driver makes his presence felt early.

Something you might not expect: Callum Ilott took his first on-track test with Prema Racing in late January, but a top-15 finish would be an emphatic message that IndyCar’s newest team is a step or two ahead of other recent newcomers.

IndyCar schedule today at St. Petersburg

(All times ET; all IndyCar sessions are on IndyCar Live, IndyCar Radio and Sirius XM Channel 218)

Sunday, March 2

10:10-11:05 a.m.: Indy NXT race

12:29 p.m.: IndyCar race

What channel is IndyCar race today at St. Petersburg on?

TV: Coverage begins at noon ET, Sunday, March 2, 2025, on Fox. Will Buxton is the play-by-play voice, with analysts James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell.

How can I stream IndyCar race at St. Petersburg today?

FoxSports.com, Fox Sports app.

Watch free with a Fubo trial

How can I listen to IndyCar race today at St. Petersburg?

IndyCar Nation is on SiriusXM Channel 218, IndyCar Live and the IndyCar Radio Network (check affiliates for each race)

Who is favored to win IndyCar race at St. Petersburg today?

full odds via BetMGM

2025 IndyCar Series schedule

The 2025 IndyCar Series schedule includes 17 races, all televised on Fox. (Times are ET; %-downtown street course, &-road course, *-oval)

March 2, St. Petersburg, Florida %, noon

March 23, Thermal, California &, 3 p.m.

April 13, Long Beach, California %, 4:20 p.m.

May 4, Birmingham, Alabama &, 1:30 p.m.

May 10, Indianapolis &, 4:30 p.m.

May 25, Indianapolis 500 *, 12:45 p.m.

June 1, Detroit %, 12:30 p.m.

June 15, St. Louis *, 3 p.m.

June 22, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin &, 2:30 p.m.

July 6, Lexington, Ohio &, 2 p.m.

July 12, Newton, Iowa *, 5 p.m.

July 13, Newton, Iowa *, 2 p.m.

July 20, Toronto %, 2 p.m.

July 27, Monterey, California &, 3 p.m.

Aug. 10, Portland &, 3 p.m.

Aug. 24, Milwaukee *, 2 p.m.

Aug. 31, Nashville *, 2:30 p.m.

IndyCar drivers for 2025

(Team and drivers; *-Indianapolis 500 only)

A.J. Foyt: Santino Ferrucci, David Malukas
Andretti Global: Colton Herta, Kyle Kirkwood, Marcus Ericsson, Marco Andretti*
Arrow McLaren: Pato O’Ward, Nolan Siegel, Christian Lundgaard, Kyle Larson* (with Rick Hendrick)
Chip Ganassi: Kyffin Simpson, Scott Dixon, Alex Palou
Dale Coyne: Jacob Abel, Rinus VeeKay
Dreyer & Reinbold: Ryan Hunter-Reay*, Jack Harvey*
Ed Carpenter: Alexander Rossi, Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter*
Juncos Hollinger: Conor Daly, Sting Ray Robb
Meyer Shank: Felix Rosenqvist, Marcus Armstrong
Prema: Callum Ilott, Robert Shwartzman, Romain Grosjean (reserve)
Rahal Letterman Lanigan: Graham Rahal, Louis Foster, Devlin DeFrancesco
Team Penske: Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin, Will Power

There have been a number of outstanding NFL Scouting Combine performances over the years. This week South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori had another one. Arguably, the best one ever. That’s not hyperbole.

Johnson set the record for the 40 in 2008 at 4.24. The record stood for almost a decade but all these years later Johnson is still remembered for it. He’s remembered for that almost as much as his excellent career. In 2009 Johnson rushed for 2,006 yards.

The combine is a huge deal. It’s vital to how teams recharge themselves. But also, in many ways, it’s a weird event. Players are treated like meat. Poked and prodded like lab animals. But there are moments when the combine makes me appreciate elements of it. The superhuman-ness of some of the athletes. The knowledge of how hard these young men work to reach this point. The mental discipline it takes to be this powerful.

They know that so much of their future careers and lives depends on this moment. So they work hard to make sure the combine goes right.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

What Emmanwori did is far from a guarantee of NFL success. We’ve seen combine stars before who became NFL busts. But this seems different for reasons I’ll get into.

Emmanwori ran a 4.38 40, had a staggering 43-inch vertical jump and 11-foot-6 standing broad jump.

Those numbers alone are incredible. But add this fact: Emmanwori is 6-foot-3⅛ and 220 pounds. It cannot be overstated how unusual it is for someone that size (the height in particular) to run and jump that fast. It’s just not something many humans can do. Klingons, yes. Humans, not a lot.

ESPN had two pieces of data that show the uniqueness of the moment. Emmanwori is just one of four players 6-3 or taller who have surpassed 40 inches in the vertical jump and also to run a sub-4.4 time in the 40 since 2003. ESPN says Bryce Ford-Wheaton (2023), Tariq Woolen (2022) and DK Metcalf (2019) are the others.

ESPN also says Emmanwori is the sole safety at the combine since at least 2003 to have a sub-4.4 40, jump at least 40 inches in the vertical and jump at least 11 feet in the broad jump.

At the combine, when speaking to the media on Thursday, he was asked about what he looks for when preparing to cover players. I loved the specific nerdiness of this answer: ‘Speed, for sure, if he’s a faster dude, I think I can run with him. If he’s a slower dude, I can kind of sit on his routes, play underneath a little bit and trust my help inside. See how big his catch radius (is), and how he attacks the ball.’

Catch radius for the win.

When asked how he uses his height and bulk on the field, Emmanwori explained: ‘I’m 6-3, 223. I’m a bigger dude and I can run. I’m not scared to go make tackles. I’m not scared to go cover any slots or cover any tight end. I just use my size to my advantage.

‘I don’t think you’ve ever seen a safety like me. Well, there are a lot of dudes that came through this league, but a safety like me hasn’t come through this league for a long time. My size, my speed, my ability.’

Go ahead. Brag. Say what you want. Not mad at all.

Because it’s all true.

‘I think falling short in the World Series will stay with me until I die.’ – Aaron Judge

Those were some of the New York Yankees captain’s parting words to the media before he stepped into the dead of night late last October. Judge spoke of the ‘battle scars’ he’ll carry after one of the most excruciating losses any team, at any level, could imagine.

Three errors, a dropped fly ball, a major league pitcher failing to cover first base on a seemingly routine play. It was going to be a long, dark winter, right?

Judge’s spring debut Saturday was his first official moment on the field since he and his teammates unraveled before America in World Series Game 5 and were eliminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Watching them, going about the familiar rhythms and rituals of spring training, we realize it wasn’t all that bad.

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Late baseball commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti once wrote in an essay about the national pastime: ‘It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart.’

It’s also structured, like all sports if we play them for the right reasons, to keep us wanting to come back.

Have you ever thought deeper about why we play, or why we throw ourselves into our kids’ games, beyond the aesthetics of trying to win?

Maybe it’s for those first signs of the next season, or even just the next game, that offer us another opportunity to do a little better. Judge felt the pull of them early in the offseason.

‘You flip it pretty quick,’ he said at the outset of spring training. ‘Even during the regular season, bad games, bad moments, you’ve got to move on and go to the next one. So just like anything, you lose out on a World Series, you gotta learn from it, learn what you can and move on to the next thing.’

How we process losses, the ones that seem like they can’t get any worse, can define our sports experience. Whether we are a young athlete, a sports parent or Aaron Judge, we can always overcome them. Here are four perspectives that can help us do it:

Whether you win or lose, sports are about your relationships

When Judge was 2, his parents brought him to his brother’s Little League opening day in their hometown of Linden, California. In a split second, it seemed, he spotted some friends and disappeared into the crowd.

‘If it wasn’t for Little League parents like you, I would not have found Aaron,’ his mother, Patty Judge recalled last summer, via MLB.com.

We quickly realize when we first register them that we do it not to kick-start a major league career, but for the relationships we build. We spend quality time together, with kids but also with other parents who become some of our best friends. When we start to keep score, what is our first impulses after a loss?

We have a team meal – a family meal, really. A loss becomes an opportunity, not to realize what we all may have done wrong, but to celebrate what is right.

The Yankees, of course, lost Juan Soto to free agency. There is turnover everywhere in sports, even at the youth level, where everyone seems to be looking for the next best opportunity.

But do we undervalue the familiarity – and the healing power – of our teammates? Sometimes after a tough loss, all it takes is a call or text from one to get you out of your funk.

‘We were checking in all offseason on certain guys,’ Judge said. ‘ ‘How you doing? What’s going on?’ They were ready to go a couple weeks after the season was over with. They’re like, ‘Hey, I can’t wait to get back down there and get this thing rolling.’ ‘

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Learn from Bill Buckner: Like mistakes, losses last only as long we allow them to linger

During the top of the fifth inning of World Series Game 5, the Dodgers’ Tommy Edman hit a soft line drive to Judge in center field with nobody out and a runner on first. Perhaps taking his eyes away from it momentarily, he tried a one-handed catch. The ball hit off this glove and dropped to the outfield grass, opening the door for the Dodgers to score five runs in the inning.

When it was time to talk about missing the ball after the game, he pursed his lips, gave the slightest of smiles, and said: ‘Just didn’t make the play.’ That was it.

We made such a big deal about it because he is a major leaguer. But what would we have done if he was a kid?

When players make errors, especially ones that lead to losses, the late Bill Buckner once said, we tend to dwell on the ‘ugly part of sports.’ (As we know from youth sports, sometimes our age doesn’t seem to matter.)

Playing first base for Boston, Buckner missed a ground ball that gave the New York Mets a walk-off win in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. His Boston Red Sox went on to lose Game 7 two days later.

Buckner took responsibility and tried to move on from the incident. But constant reminders from fans and the media burned him for years before died in 2019. It got so bad, he moved his family from Boston to Idaho after he retired in 1990.

‘I don’t think that in society in general that’s the way we should operate,’ he said when he returned in 2008, and a two-minute standing ovation from fans at Fenway Park allowed him to finally extinguish the play. ‘What are you teaching kids? Not to try because if you don’t succeed then you’re going to buried, so don’t try?’

Sometimes, it’s a tougher play than we think. The ball is spinning away from your first baseman and you hear the steps of the fastest player on the field churning toward first base. You freeze.

It happened to Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole and first baseman Anthony Rizzo on Mookie Betts’ two-out ground ball them that prolonged the Yankees’ World Series nightmare fifth inning. Rizzo fielded it to his right behind first, started to move toward the bag and Cole wasn’t there. Betts beat both of them there.

‘It wasn’t for a lack of effort, I just misplayed the ball,’ Cole told NJ.com this spring. ‘I didn’t get off in a position to get over to first base. It was just a mistake.’

He got buried, too.

‘Kids who pitch one inning a week, bro, know how to get over (to first),’ Dodgers reliever Joe Kelly said on a Feb. 20 podcast, referring to his son’s travel team. ‘They’re nine. And not one of them forgets to get over.’

Focus on what we ‘do,’ not on what we ‘don’t’

When we win, we have a tendency to celebrate the result more than focus on how we got to it.

When we lose, we attach reasons that churn through our minds. Major leaguers know instantly what they did, and how they can reset.

Despite what Kelly says, kids don’t always know what to do, and we don’t always properly allow them to correct themselves.

‘I think there’s a lot of advice that’s given by coaches, well-intentioned coaches, and there’s no real instruction there. They’re just kind of narrating what’s going on,’ says RobertAnthony Cruz (aka Coach RAC), a Savannah Bananas player who connects with tens of thousands of younger players through instructional social media posts. ‘ ‘Hey, you just swung at that curveball in the dirt, that can’t happen.’ ‘

‘A lot of the content that I make is like, ‘OK, let’s talk about some of those changes you actually can make because every failure in the book in baseball, I’ve done it, and I have little ways that I’ve found that can correct these little things.’

Go to a youth baseball complex, and you’re likely get a constant echo of don’ts from parents and coaches: Don’t pull your head when you swing … don’t swing at balls in the dirt … don’t throw the ball to the cutoff man when there’s a runner on second base trying to score.

‘What I needed to hear when I was a kid was, ‘When I was your age (and) I was chasing everything in the dirt, I would set my eyes up and I’d search for something up in the zone, and I lot of times that would help me avoid swinging at that ball in the dirt,’ ‘ Cruz says.

We can also encourage them when they try to do it and they fail, especially in the heat of a championship game with their friends and families watching.

‘They thought I was a success before I even showed up,’ Cruz says of his own parents, Ron and Cynthia Cruz. ‘So there was no pressure on me to perform and earn anything. I didn’t have to earn anything. I wanted to win because I wanted to win.’

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We can always look forward to another season

In January, Judge, 32, and his wife, Samantha, welcomed a daughter, Nora.

‘It’s more motivation,’ he says. ‘I don’t want her to think her dad’s … I’m getting older, I don’t want to be the old man here in a couple years. So I gotta stay on top of my game. So she’s definitely gonna to motivate me, definitely keep me on my toes.’

He has kept tabs on the Yankees’ active offseason after moving on from Soto and on what Kelly and his teammates said.

‘They won,’ he says, widening his mouth into a smile. ‘They can say whatever they want. If you don’t like it, you got to play better.

‘Guys are ready to get back to work, get us back in that spot and rewrite the script.’

It’s one none of us completely controls when we play sports. Greg Olsen, a former Pro Bowl tight end who hosts parenting podcasts on Youth Inc., tells his kids the work they put into sports doesn’t guarantee a great tournament, a spot on the team or a winning season.

‘When you focus on the outcomes of it,’ he says, ‘now you’re only stuck with the result. The result went your way, awesome; the result was not your way, it was a failure.

‘It’s only a failure if you didn’t do everything in your power along the way to have success.’

What we can count on when we’re young, and when we’re Aaron Judge, is that familiar pull we get at the beginning of each season.

‘You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive,’ Giamatti, the late commissioner, continued in his essay about baseball, ‘and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.’

But no matter what happens at the end of the year, as much as it crushes you, the cycle always starts up again.

Steve Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high schoolers. His column is posted weekly. For his past columns, click here.

March has arrived, which means one thing: It’s time for madness in women’s college basketball.

Hours later, No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 7 LSU lost to No. 24 Florida State and No. 20 Alabama, respectively. Those two losses potentially shook up the brackets, with the Fighting Irish likely in a losing battle for a No. 1 seed and LSU potentially slipping from a No. 2 seed.

The biggest game of the weekend for the women’s side happened on Saturday, when No. 3 USC defeated No. 1 UCLA 80-67. The win likely cements the Trohans as the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. Both teams entered Saturday as No. 1 seeds in Thursday’s top-16 bracket reveal. The Trojans finished the season series sweep after defeating the Bruins 71-60 on Feb. 13.

With only two weeks remaining until the final brackets are revealed, here are the experts’ predictions on how the Big Dance will look this season:

Predictions for 2025 women’s March Madness

Predictions as of Saturday, March 1:

Charlie Creme, ESPN: Major shakeup following top 16-reveal

Creme writes, ‘Thursday was the second and final top-16 reveal from the NCAA tournament selection committee. Just like with the first reveal, this one’s relevance didn’t last long. Every seed line was impacted, and 12 hours later the top 16 looks quite different. The most noteworthy news from Thursday evening was South Carolina’s dip to a No. 2 seed. After Notre Dame’s shocking home loss to Florida State, the Gamecocks are back on the 1-line as the Irish fell to a No. 2.’

Mark Schindler, The Athletic: Should South Carolina be ahead of UConn?

In his latest bracketology, Schindler had UCLA, Texas, USC and South Carolina as the No. 1 seeds. The Gamecocks are ahead of UConn despite the Huskies earning the head-to-head win on Feb. 16. Notre Dame’s loss to Florida State on Thursday played a role in Schindler’s moving the Gamecocks to a No. 1 seed:

‘With Notre Dame’s loss to Florida State and South Carolina’s win over Ole Miss, I swapped Notre Dame and South Carolina. Based on how the committee has continued to reflect its values in its top 16 seedings, I presumed this is how they would handle it.’

When does the women’s March Madness tournament begin?

The brackets for the tournament are revealed on Sunday, March 16. Three days later, the tournament begins with the First Four on Wednesday, March 19 and Thursday March 20. The first round officially starts two days later, on Friday March 21 and Saturday March 22.

The Final Four is set to be played at the University of South Florida at Amalie Arena in Tampa, with the championship game scheduled for April 6.

No one likes to lose, but in the SEC it’s not that harmful to take a loss given how tough the conference is. But there are still a few games where a loss is not only bad, but catastrophic — especially when you’re living on the edge.

Arkansas proved how devastating it can be when you don’t take care of business.

The Razorbacks had really been picking up steam recently, with quality victories against teams like Kentucky and Missouri. It had gone from a team teetering in First Four territory to moving into a No. 10 seed in the latest edition of USA TODAY Sports’ Bracketology. But now, John Calipari’s squad looks headed back into ‘last four teams in’ territory thanks to an inexcusable loss to SEC-worst South Carolina.

Losing to the Gamecocks, who entered the day with only one conference win, wasn’t going to look good. But it’s how Arkansas lost that makes it even worse.

It was almost like there was a lid on the basket for Arkansas. It couldn’t score at all. It took more than 17 minutes to score 10 points and trailed 32-14 at halftime. By the time Arkansas scored 20 points, there was 12 minutes left and it was down by 27 points. It trailed by 35 points at one point. The Razorbacks were able to score 33 more points the rest of the way to make it seem like it wasn’t a total disaster, but it still was a 19-point loss to the Gamecocks.

Thanks to a day where it shot 28.8% from the field and 13.6% from 3-point land, Arkansas now makes a return to the bubble. Saturday was a big resume hit; the Razorbacks have a losing record in both Quad 1 and Quad 2 games − a 6-12 combined mark.

In a time where every game is under a magnifying glass, the ‘gimme’ games need to be handled. If they end in losses, it could be the reason why a team doesn’t hear its name called on Selection Sunday − something the Hogs didn’t expect with Calipari at the helm. Arkansas caps the penultimate week of the regular season in bad fashion and leads the winners and losers of teams on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

Winners

Georgia

In the bubble game of the week, the Bulldogs not only came out victorious — they looked good doing so. Georgia controlled the host Longhorns for nearly the entire contest thanks to a few runs in the first half that made the deficit too big for Texas to overcome. The second half the Bulldogs were practically on cruise control with a lead that ballooned to 27 points at one point.

The win capped off what was arguably the best week for any team in the country. Georgia was really fading in the tournament picture but turned it around with a wild victory over Florida on Tuesday for a much-needed Quad 1 victory. That win catapulted it from out of the projected field entirely to the ‘first four out.’ The Bulldogs then picked up a second Quad 1 win with the defeat of the Longhorns, continuing their move up the seed line. They made the most of their final two Quad 1 opportunities in the regular season and are winning the shoving match with their fellow SEC bubble teams.

North Carolina

While teams like Arkansas have clouds over their neighborhoods, the Tar Heels are enjoying their stroll around town with the skies shining Carolina blue. North Carolina didn’t have much trouble against ACC-worst Miami, beating the Hurricanes by 19 points for its fifth straight win.

Beating the Hurricanes is not impressive. In fact, none of the past five wins were against anybody good and none helped improve the lowly 1-10 Quad 1 record North Carolina owns. But the Tar Heels are doing the only thing they can do with an easy stretch of opponents: win and watch the chaos around them commence. Bubble teams are suffering some bad losses, but none are happening in Chapel Hill. That’s helping North Carolina inch closer toward the projected field. The game against Duke next week is one that can really determine North Carolina’s fate, but kudos to the Tar Heels for steadying the ship late in the season.

Xavier

When opportunity arises, it’s best to make the most of it. And, oh, did Xavier make a big-time statement on Saturday. The Cintas Center was rocking as the Musketeers pulled off a dominant run late in the second half against the Big East’s second-place team, Creighton, winning their first straight, 83-59. Playing against one of the most effective offenses in the country, it was Xavier that was really scoring at will.

Like North Carolina, Xavier has stayed in the tournament picture thanks to wins against inferior opponents. But Saturday was the first against a tournament contender since it first lost to the Bluejays more than a month ago. The Musketeers needed to prove they could beat quality team. Did they ever, scoring a 22-point victory. Unfortunately it wasn’t a Quad 1 game, something Xavier needs with just a 1-8 record in such instances, but it was certainly the most impressive outcome it could have hoped for. The selection committee won’t be able to ignore this win. Sean Miller’s team inches closer toward cracking the projected field.

Indiana

The climb of the Hoosiers continues. Indiana won its third straight game Saturday, beating Washington on the road with relative ease. An Oumar Ballo layup three minutes into the game gave Indiana a lead it never surrendered. It made nearly half of its shot attempts in the victory.

It’s been an impressive rise for Indiana, which didn’t look like a tournament team two weeks ago but has built the momentum off the win over in-state rival Purdue since then. The win over the Huskies was a Quad 2 victory and not all that impressive given they’re at the bottom of the Big Ten standings, but thanks to some blunders from teams in the projected field, Indiana is inching closer toward getting a spot in the First Four, something that sounded ludicrous weeks ago.

Losers

Oklahoma

Back and forth the Sooners go, as Oklahoma now likely finds itself out of the projected field once again after another defeat. In a very winnable game against Mississippi, the Sooners were down by nine points with eight minutes left when freshman guard Dayton Forsythe shot his team back into the game. With one minute left, Oklahoma had a two-point lead. But the defense couldn’t keep the lead, allowing Mississippi’s Sean Pedulla to make a go-ahead 3-pointer with 19 seconds left that wound up being the game-winning shot.

The win fell right through Oklahoma’s hands and not only is it a second straight loss, it’s now seven defeats in the last eight outings, effectively cancelling out the win over Mississippi State. The Sooners are now 4-12 in the SEC − third worst − and have a 5-10 Quad 1 record. They will likely be outside of the projected field next week. Wins in the last two regular-season games may be a necessity.

Texas

The SEC is proving to be a challenge for the newcomers. Texas saw its tournament chances fade with another loss. The Longhorns had home-court advantage against Georgia but didn’t show much fight in what turned out to be a crushing 16-point loss.

Texas’ slide down the bracket will continue with its third straight loss. It’s been a nightmare in Austin. Texas was headed into a very winnable stretch with South Carolina, Arkansas and Georgia in consecutive matchups. But it dropped all of the games and has six losses in the last seven contests. The Longhorns entered the stretch with a 3-1 Quad 2 record; they’re now 3-4 in those contests, which in no way helps with a 4-9 Quad 1 mark. Things need to start clicking fast if Texas wants to remain in the field.

Nebraska

The struggles in Lincoln continue with Nebraska suffering its third consecutive loss, another defeat at the hands of a team nowhere close to playing in the NCAA Tournament. Against a sneaky Minnesota team, the Cornhuskers trailed by as much as 19 points in the second half before storming back to make it a ballgame in the final minutes. They took a one-point lead with nine seconds left and looked like they’d avoid disaster. Until Minnesota’s Brennan Rigsby drilled a 3-point bucket with four seconds to go to stun the home crowd.

Minnesota isn’t a horrible team, but when a Quad 3 opponent comes into your building and you’re on the fringe of the NCAA Tournament, you better win. Nebraska ended up suffering its first Quad 3 loss that, from a resume standpoint, might be the worst loss a bubble team suffered on Saturday. Something like this can’t happen for a team with a NET ranking of No. 54. It’s been a free fall for a team that looked like it was trending toward being a single-digit seed in the bracket less than two weeks ago. One of those ‘first four out’ teams may be in place to take the Cornhuskers’ spot.