With the power conference tournaments in the books, the Top 25 teams in the USA TODAY Sports women’s college basketball poll will have a few days to wait before learning their NCAA Tournament matchups. As such, these rankings aren’t likely to change before the field is announced.

Big Ten tournament champ UCLA will enter the Big Dance as the No. 1 team, returning to the lofty perch it held for much of the campaign. The Bruins received 20 of 31 first-place votes after avenging a couple of regular-season defeats at the hands of crosstown rival Southern California in the Big Ten tournament championship game.

South Carolina is back up to No. 2 after claiming the SEC tourney title and knocking Texas from the No. 1 spot. The Gamecocks picked up eight No. 1 votes. The last three top nods went to Big East champ Connecticut, which will head into the NCAA tournament ranked third overall. USC and Texas round out the top five, followed by Big 12 champ TCU and ACC winner Duke. Notre Dame, North Carolina State and LSU complete the top 10.

With most of the conference tournaments holding to form, there was little change at the bottom of the rankings. Mississippi enters at No. 25 after Michigan State falls out of the poll.

DeAndre Hopkins has agreed to terms on a one-year, $6 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens, a person with knowledge of the deal told USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal is not yet official.

Fresh off his first Super Bowl appearance, the 32-year-old Hopkins got a taste of free agency for just the second time in his career.

Hopkins finally experienced some real NFL success from a team standpoint in 2024, playing in 10 games for the Kansas City Chiefs. The receiver was on the winning side in nine of those games before advancing to the postseason, where they won two of three.

He was acquired via trade from the Tennessee Titans after Week 7, but played sparingly. Hopkins was in on just 50.5% of snaps during the regular season after the trade and that number dropped to 28.3% in the playoffs. He did battle a knee injury in 2024, which cost him most of training camp with the Titans.

Hopkins is set to enter his 13th season in 2025. Most of his success in the league has come on the individual side since his teams have made the playoffs just five times in the previous 12 years.

He’ll look to bounce back from an individual standpoint in 2025.

USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon contributed to this report.

NEW YORK — His three-quarters court heave was launched so high that it grazed the bottom of the scoreboard and — by the time it had bounced harmlessly short — Luka Dončić had already tumbled again onto the floor after crashing into yet another Brooklyn Nets player.

It was a portrait of the most frustrating night of Dončić’s 12-game tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Los Angeles fell Monday night to a Nets team that entered the night on a seven-game losing streak, raising questions about the team’s ability to overcome a spate of injuries to three starters and one key reserve. Most notable is a left groin strain that could sideline LeBron James for up to two weeks. Worse yet for the Lakers: the Nets may have deployed a blueprint for the rest of Los Angeles’ opponents to copy as James nurses the injury.

Brooklyn blitzed Dončić with double-teams. They often bumped him before he even crossed halfcourt, preventing him from getting to his spots with ease. When he did slash into the paint, they body checked him and swarmed with help defense, altering the timing and trajectory of his shots.

The Nets also occasionally sent two defenders to harass guard Austin Reaves, used active hands on deflections and outworked Los Angeles on the glass, doubling up the Lakers on offensive rebounds, 16-8.

After the game, an exasperated JJ Reddick laced into his team’s effort and decision making, saying the Lakers “just wanted to take shortcuts” and that they “ball-watched” the entire game.

“You want to be a good team, you want to win in the NBA, you need to do the hard stuff,” Reddick said. “We couldn’t even pass to each other. We couldn’t enter our offense, running ball screens at literally half court. Yeah, that’s going to end up in a turnover. I don’t know what we were doing.”

Granted, the Lakers were particularly banged up. Center Jaxson Hayes and forward Rui Hachimura, a pair of starters out with knee injuries, joined James and key contributor Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) in street clothes.

Reddick dismissed that as an excuse, saying “it was a very low-level communication game.”

Dončić, for his part, took ownership. He finished with a 22-point, 12-rebound, 12-assist triple-double, but he shot just 8-of-26 (30.8%) from the floor, including 3-of-10 from 3. His five turnovers, many of which came out of double teams, were nearly as many as Brooklyn (seven) had overall.

“What JJ said about communication today, that was important,” Dončić said after the game. “That’s my fault and we should have done better at that.”

Throughout the game, after he drew contact on his attacks, Dončić continuously appealed to officials and eventually drew his fourth technical foul since joining the Lakers.

The Lakers shot only two free throws in the first half. Dončić, who averages 7.1 free throw attempts per game — ninth-most in the NBA — made his first trip to the line with 3:36 left to play in the third quarter.

The Nets shot 30 free throws Monday against Los Angeles’ 19.

“Yeah, it was just a lot,” Dončić said. “It wasn’t fair, but we just got to keep playing the game. But it was a lot, I ain’t going to lie.”

This all leaves Los Angeles in a potentially precarious spot. With the loss — and a Denver Nuggets victory Monday over the Thunder — the Lakers (40-23) slipped out of the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference. But the schedule is only intensifying.

According to tankathon.com, Los Angeles has the fourth-toughest remaining schedule in the NBA, with two games left against the Oklahoma City Thunder (53-12), Nuggets (42-23), Milwaukee Bucks (36-27) and Houston Rockets (40-25).

James, who has remained with the team during its current road trip, sat in his familiar spot at the end of the bench and did not appear to favor his injured groin. Reddick said before tipoff that he has not gotten any clarity on the severity of the injury and that James is “still being evaluated to some degree.”

But, starting with a showdown against the Bucks on Thursday, Los Angeles will play six games over a span of eight days; two of those will be against Milwaukee and two will be against the Nuggets. James could potentially miss all of those.

If Los Angeles is to reclaim the second seed, or, at least, prevent a deeper slide, the answer lies in communication and execution.

“There’s a million different things that we should’ve done better to win that game,” Reaves said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t do any of them.”

His NFL career hangs in the balance, with no certain path forward for the 41-year-old quarterback closer to retirement than his prime in what is a tale as old as time.

Father Time eventually comes for all.

Rodgers is racing the clock, looking to win a battle that no one has ever won before. It was just two years ago that the quarterback emerged from his famous darkness retreat, ironically looking to save a New York Jets franchise that has been in the dark for over half a century.

The experiment failed miserably in record time as Rodgers tore his Achilles just four plays into the first regular season game for the green-and-white. The comeback in his second year didn’t go much better.

Now the Jets are hitting the reset button, again, while Rodgers ponders whether it’s worth lacing up the cleats or not in 2025.

Aaron Rodgers landing spots

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steel City might just be the most likely landing spot for Rodgers, given their ability to win in 2025. They just traded for DK Metcalf, adding to an offense that was in desperate need of some upgrades. Already armed with a defense that dragged them to the postseason last year, the Steelers need a game-changer at quarterback.

It feels unlikely that Rodgers will suddenly regain his form next season, but he might just have the best ceiling out of all the options available to them. Russell Wilson clearly isn’t the man for the job and no rookie, in this draft class, is going to lead Pittsburgh to a Lombardi in February. Another year removed from the Achilles injury, the Steelers can bet on Rodgers, while potentially drafting a quarterback that can take over when he retires.

Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, this is not the year to need a quarterback.

New York Giants

This is probably a two-horse race between the Steelers and Giants for Rodgers’ services next season. While Pittsburgh offers a chance to potentially compete, New York wins with familiarity. As MetLife Stadium’s other tenant, the Giants offer Rodgers a chance to continue living the life he began building in the tri-state area two years ago.

The Giants aren’t in win-now mode in terms of winning a Super Bowl, but actually to save Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen from getting fired. That has left the head coach and general manager duo with a Herculean task ahead of them this offseason and they are spending like it. The Giants have dished out plenty of money so far in free agency, the third-most of any team with $192.2 million at the time of publishing, according to OverTheCap. Adding Rodgers brings some credibility to an organization still on the hunt for a quarterback after Eli Manning’s departure.

It also somewhat satisfies an increasingly impatient owner and fanbase. Whether the potential move translates to wins is anyone’s guess, but Giants fans could at least celebrate the idea of Mr. Rodgers moving into Malik Nabers’ neighborhood for a season.

Minnesota Vikings

It’s a long shot, but anything is possible. Rodgers electing to follow in the footsteps of Brett Favre would be fascinating, while also representing his best chance to win. The difference is, the 2009 Vikings didn’t have a highly-drafted quarterback waiting in the wings.

With Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones and others off the list of quarterback options for Minnesota, signing Rodgers can’t be ruled out. Just don’t consider the move to be likely. NFL fans that enjoyed watching Rodgers would probably jump at the idea of him joining a team loaded with talent on offense, especially given the chance to ride off into the sunset.

However, this is J.J. McCarthy’s team and the Vikings have given no indication of them thinking otherwise. Until Rodgers signs on the dotted line somewhere, it’s hard to rule out Minnesota getting involved.

Which team will ride with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson in 2025?

It certainly won’t be ‘Broncos Country,’ but there are a few intriguing landing spots for Wilson as he enters his 14th season in the NFL.

If Wilson doesn’t return to Pittsburgh, he’ll be joining his fourth career team. The 36-year-old spent his first 10 seasons in the NFL with the Seahawks, where he appeared in two Super Bowls and won one, before spending two years with the Broncos and one with the Steelers.

Wilson had a late start to the 2024 season when a calf injury kept him out of Pittsburgh’s early games. After taking over as the Steelers’ starter in Week 7, he led the team to a 6-5 record with 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions to go with a 63.7% completion rate.

The pending free agent was also named to the Pro Bowl for a 10th time as an alternate for the AFC team after last season.

Russell Wilson landing spots

After the first wave of free agency and before the new league year starts, the following teams are some of the best landing spots for Wilson:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Staying in Pittsburgh could be the best option for Wilson. He’d get a chance at a second season in the same system – head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith are still around – while (in theory) remaining healthy and with (also in theory) a better offense around him. The Steelers have already traded for wide receiver DK Metcalf and have the rest of the offseason to build up the offensive line and other areas of need in free agency and the draft.

At the time of writing, Wilson’s only competition for the starting quarterback job in Pittsburgh would be Skylar Thompson, whom the team signed to a reserve/future contract in January. His former competition, Justin Fields, has agreed to terms on a two-year, $40 million deal with the Jets. In addition, the Steelers don’t have many other quarterback options left on the free agent market at this early stage of free agency, which makes them a clear fit for Wilson.

New York Giants

Like the Steelers, the Giants don’t currently have much competition in-house for the starting quarterback job. New York cut starter Daniel Jones last year just one and a half years into a disastrous four-year, $160 million extension, and backup Drew Lock is also a pending free agent. The team did bring back Tommy DeVito on a one-year, minimum value deal, but there’s clear positional need at the most important position in sports.

Where the Giants differ from the Steelers is in their draft position. Big Blue is in a clear position to draft their quarterback of the future – if they so choose – with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Would Wilson be fine knowing that he’s being brought in as a ‘bridge’ option that may not start the whole year? How does he feel about mentoring a guy like Miami (FL)’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders? These are questions he and the Giants would have to talk through, but it’s not hard to envision the two sides coming to a deal as things currently stand.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans have a young quarterback already, but Will Levis’ performance in his second professional season left much to be desired. Tennessee currently holds the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, so if it wants to take another shot at drafting a quarterback of the future, it can.

Regardless of whether the Titans plan to draft a quarterback or go another route – like, say, trading the top pick for future draft capital or taking a non-quarterback – they’re in a spot to bring in a veteran quarterback like Wilson. Either he’d provide more legit competition for Levis to earn the starting job, or he’d serve as a mentor to Levis and/or an even younger quarterback taken in this year’s draft. Tennessee may not be in the market for a veteran quarterback given its draft position, but the landing spot is clear if the team goes that route.

Cleveland Browns

Cleveland is in a very similar spot to Tennessee as things stand. The team’s gamble on paying quarterback Deshaun Watson what is still the biggest fully guaranteed contract in league history has been a disaster. The Browns have gone 9-10 in the 19 games Watson has started in three years, and the quarterback may miss the entire 2025 season after re-tearing his Achilles.

The Browns, like the Titans, hold one of the top picks in the 2025 NFL draft: No. 2 overall. They’ve already traded for a new backup quarterback in Kenny Pickett, but the starting job appears to remain up for grabs. Wilson could fit in as the mentor figure or bridge option for a Cleveland team that may decide to draft its next young quarterback come April. He has experience playing in the division and can take advantage of a solid offense around him, including receivers Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman as well as running back Jerome Ford.

You can follow the latest free agency news from USA TODAY here.

NFL teams didn’t wait until the start of free agency to make dramatic moves, especially for big-name wide receivers. The Pittsburgh Steelers shipped a second-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for two-time Pro Bowl wideout DK Metcalf and signed him to a new contract. The Los Angeles Rams handed out a two-year, $44 million contract to three-time All-Pro Davante Adams on the eve of free agency.

On day one of free agency, longtime Buccaneers wideout Chris Godwin agreed to a contract to return to Tampa Bay, taking yet another big name off the market.

One of the biggest names left on the market is longtime Rams wideout Cooper Kupp. Los Angeles was looking to trade him but are instead planning to release the Super Bowl 56 MVP at the start of the new league year.

Kupp will be 32 this upcoming season and missed 18 games over the last three seasons due to injury. But his mix of experience and production when on the field could make him a valuable piece for a contending team.

Here are five landing spots for the former All-Pro:

Cooper Kupp landing spots

Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh made the move to trade for Metcalf and gave him a big contract. There’s still uncertainty at quarterback but the franchise is making a push to contend in 2025. There are just four wide receivers on the active roster at time of publishing: Metcalf, George Pickens, Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson. Metcalf and Pickens can stay on the outside and let Kupp work from the slot. Combined with a rising offensive line, that trio could make for a solid landing spot for a veteran or rookie quarterback.

Seattle Seahawks

Seattle moving on from Metcalf and longtime wideout Tyler Lockett signals a major change on offense. This team is likely pivoting offensive philosophy under new coordinator Klint Kubiak and new quarterback Sam Darnold in 2025.

At time of publishing, the Seahawks have Jake Bobo, Dareke Young and 2023 first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba as their starting wide receivers. This is a team that went 10-7 in 2024 and missed the playoffs based on strength of schedule. Armed with five top 100 picks in the 2025 NFL draft, the Seahawks could bring Kupp in to shore up that position in a weaker wide receiver class. And it wouldn’t hurt to bring someone in with deep knowledge of division rival.

Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers entered free agency among the league leaders in cap space but haven’t done much with it at time of publishing. The team’s biggest moves were to bring in running back Najee Harris and cornerback Donte Jackson.

There may be some positional crossover with second-year standout Ladd McConkey but the Chargers offense needs a boost at wide receiver. The Chargers have a lot of picks in the 2025 NFL draft but have prioritized other positions before and this year’s wide receiver class is down compared to years past. Bringing Kupp in wouldn’t break the bank and could give a veteran presence to the pass-catching group.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens haven’t made any major moves in free agency besides retaining left tackle Ronnie Stanley. That deal took up most of the cap space they had left and they’re likely shopping on low-cost veteran deals at this point.

Baltimore had one of the best offenses in the NFL last year but another proven piece in the passing game could only help the team get over the hump against the likes of Buffalo and Kansas City. Kupp could operate in the slot alongside Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman to give quarterback Lamar Jackson another option in the passing game. The Ravens made a similar move by signing former Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. ahead of the 2023 NFL season so this would not be an unprecedented move.

New York Giants

The Giants are in win-now mode given coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen are on the hot seat following a 3-14 performance in 2024. They handed out a three-year, $36 million contract to bring wide receiver Darius Slayton back but Kupp could be good insurance in case he doesn’t work out this season. The passing game flows through Malik Nabers and adding Kupp could provide another complimentary piece for a team under pressure to win more in 2025.

Of course, Josh Allen is worth every nickel of his massive, six-year, $330 million contract extension in so many ways.

It begins with the premise that if they can back up the Brinks truck and pay it, the Buffalo Bills quarterback is certainly as deserving as anyone of a raise as the NFL opens a new league year with another record salary cap.

And boy, did he get that bump. The deal averages $55 million per year and has the biggest guarantee in NFL history at $250 million. That’s like the next-best thing to having an equity stake in the franchise.

Allen, 28, has earned it, too, given the first NFL MVP award he won a few weeks ago provided another sterling marker of his continued, multi-faceted progress. He has cut down on the turnovers that once dogged him, throwing just six picks in a season that saw him produce 40 TDs (28 passing, 12 rushes). Allen also took the Bills to another AFC title game, which fuels hope that he might eventually take them to the franchise’s first Super Bowl since their glorious 1990s. And you know how hope can sell in the NFL.

Yet on top of all that, the contract that Allen struck with the Bills on Sunday night represented a tentpole for stability.  As the new deal reflects, the Bills have some serious alignment with their franchise player, whose connection with the Bills Mafia and Western New York community is palatable.

No, Allen wasn’t going anywhere. The Bills weren’t going to let him get away. He had four years remaining on his previous contract. Four years! And the Bills tore it up for a new one.

That’s smart business from Buffalo’s brain trust, with GM Brandon Beane pushing the buttons. This marks the second big contract extension the Bills have struck with Allen that was done so early that it never even came close to any type of crisis stage.

The last time, in 2021, the Bills took care of Allen two years before his rookie deal expired, with a pact that guaranteed $150 million. Now there’s this one, which locks Allen up through the 2030 campaign, when he’ll be 34.

There are more than a few proven, marquee NFL stars – including quarterbacks – who might wish they had such low-stress contract negotiations.

Let’s take the cases of Lamar Jackson and Dak Prescott.

Jackson, the Baltimore Ravens star who earned first-team All-Pro honors and was runner-up to Allen in the MVP balloting, had an elongated contract saga that consumed much energy. Jackson didn’t get his extension (5 years, $260 million) until the team used a franchise tag on him in 2023. And last year, a cloud hung over the Dallas Cowboys during the entire offseason and preseason due to Dak Prescott’s uncertain contract status. Prescott ultimately signed a 4-year, $240 million deal that tops the NFL with a $60 million average, but it wasn’t finalized until the start of the regular season.

Buffalo has undoubtedly been strategic in keeping the peace with Allen. With the biggest piece in the franchise’s puzzle secured and settled, the Bills can manage the remainder of their cap moves with the most significant player locked in.

Within the past week, the Bills re-signed several key cogs. Greg Rousseau, the top edge rusher, got a 4-year, $80 million extension. Linebacker Terrell Bernard re-upped at 4 years, $50 million. And receiver Khalil Shakir is secured for 4 years, at $60.2 million.

Now, as the market officially opens on Wednesday, the Bills can proceed with the knowledge that their star quarterback didn’t need to top Prescott’s APY to agree to his new deal. In other words, Allen left something else on the table to build pieces around him – which just might include another quality receiver.

Allen’s deal, though, might really feel like a bargain in the coming years. The Bills, like every NFL team, will see the cap continue to rise in the coming years because, well, the cap – which has gone up over $50 million the past two years to $279.2 million per team – always goes up when there’s no pandemic. And with the prospects rather bullish that the NFL will strike a new media rights deal before the end of the decade, the Bills seem perfectly situated in not having to worry about the contract status of their best player until, maybe, after the media rights deal and other business matters are recalibrated.

In the meantime, the Bills are a couple of years away from opening their new stadium, which will provide another type of windfall for team owners Terry and Kim Pegula – all while the franchise’s most valuable commodity is locked up until 2030.

Unless, of course, they wind up tearing up Allen’s new deal before then.

After all, Allen just got his new deal without winning a championship. Now imagine the leverage he will have if he can finally take the Bills to the Super Bowl.

Follow Jarrett Bell on social media: @JarrettBell

The Philadelphia Eagles have formally accepted an invitation from President Donald Trump to celebrate their recent Super Bowl victory at the White House.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing Tuesday that Trump will welcome the team to Washington on April 28. The Eagles trounced the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22, to win Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans last month.

‘We sent an invitation. They enthusiastically accepted. And you will see them here on April 28,’ Leavitt said.

The invitation − and the Eagles’ decision to accept it − had been expected over the past few weeks, as both sides had publicly indicated their willingness to move forward with the ceremonial White House visit. The team signaled on Feb. 24 that it would accept an invitation from Trump, if it received one. And Trump said the next day that ‘absolutely they’ll be extended that invitation.’

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The Eagles’ ceremonial White House visit, which has long been a tradition for championship sports teams, had become a source of intrigue in large part because of the snafu between Trump and the Eagles after their previous Super Bowl win in 2018.

In the early part of his first term, Trump abruptly disinvited the Eagles on the eve of their planned visit following an NFL Network report that Philadelphia had planned to send a smaller contingent, of fewer than 10 players, to the ceremony. Then-White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders ripped the team at the time for what she said was an attempt to pull ‘a political stunt.’ The White House instead hosted a brief, awkward event the next day that it described as a celebration of America.

Trump has at times had a frosty relationship with the NFL and its players. During his first term, he repeatedly criticized players, sometimes in explicit terms, who kneeled during the national anthem to protest racial inequality. ‘Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners … say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out. He’s fired,’ he said at a 2017 rally.

Only one of the four teams that won a Super Bowl during Trump’s first term in office made a trip to the White House: The New England Patriots in 2017. NBA teams, whose players are also predominantly Black, either were not invited to visit the White House or declined to attend. And, in a departure from precedent, several championship teams in women’s sports did not receive invitations during Trump’s first term.

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @tomschad.bsky.social.