They are well-decorated, yet many are still in their prime. A handful with extremely bright futures, but already a significant number of accomplishments on their dossier. A few more who might merely be hood ornaments on this ride, yet can add gravitas and depth, nonetheless.

It isn’t hard to argue that Team USA is sending its most talented group to the World Baseball Classic in the six iterations of this tournament.

Four players have won MVP awards, with four more claiming runner-up finishes, including two guys, Cal Raleigh and Bobby Witt Jr., who would have won top AL honors the past two seasons were it not for three-time winner Aaron Judge.

Oh yeah, he’s on the team, too.

Sure, you can’t overwhelm opponents merely with star power, nor can you field more than 10 guys at a time. Still, this squad is both well-accomplished but also largely in its prime.

Outside the bullpen, every guy save for youngsters Roman Anthony, Brice Turang and Nolan McLean, along with veteran Ernie Clement – who’s merely coming off a record-setting 30-hit postseason – has been an All-Star.

Here’s a breakdown of the roster and each guy’s role in the effort to win a second WBC crown:

Catchers

Cal Raleigh, C, Mariners

Age: 29

All-Star appearance: 2025

Honors: Platinum Glove

Last year: 7.4 WAR, 60 homers, 125 RBI, .948 OPS.

Likely role: Starting catcher. Big Dumper can take a load off after years of carrying Seattle’s offense at various times in recent years, and his switch-hitting power will give manager Mark DeRosa significant lineup flexibility.

Will Smith, C, Dodgers

Age: 30

All-Star appearances: Three

Last year: 4.5 WAR, 17 homers, .404 OBP, .901 OPS in 110 games

Likely role: Part-time catcher. Smith flirted with a batting title for a while last year and showed he’s the Dodgers’ off-Broadway MVP by catching every postseason inning and striking the go-ahead, 11th-inning home run in World Series Game 7. Yes, the man will not shrink from this global stage.

Infielders

Alex Bregman, 3B, Cubs

Age: 31

All-Star appearances: Three

Honors: Gold Glove

Last year: 3.5 WAR, .821 OPS, 18 homers in 114 games

Likely role: Primary third baseman. This will be Bregman’s first WBC since earning five plate appearances with the 2017 champions; his role should be much larger this time. Suddenly a veteran of three teams, Bregman’s Pied Piper leadership and ball knowledge will be a significant asset this time around.

Ernie Clement, 2B, Blue Jays

Age: 29

Last year: 4.3 WAR, 35 doubles, .711 OPS in 157 games

Likely role: Deluxe utility guy. Clement can play any position on the infield – and roam the outfield in a pinch – and is coming off a record 30-hit postseason that capped a stellar all-around season.

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Yankees

Age: 38

All-Star appearances: Seven

Honors: 2022 NL MVP, four-time Gold Glove winner

Last year: 1.2 WAR, 10 homers in 534 plate appearances

Likely role: Right-handed bat off the bench. Goldschmidt’s splits went extreme last year: .336/.411/.570 against left-handers, .247/.289/.329 against righties.

Bryce Harper, 1B, Phillies

Age: 33

All-Star appearances: Eight

Honors: 2015 NL MVP, 2021 NL MVP, 2012 Rookie of the Year

Last year: 3.1 WAR, 27 homers, .844 OPS in 132 games

Likely role: Primary first baseman. Harper’s first high-profile chance to reclaim the “elite” tag his club president questioned this winter. Harper’s 126 adjusted OPS was his lowest since 2019.

Gunnar Henderson, SS/3B, Orioles

Age: 24

All-Star appearance: 2024

Honors: 2023 AL Rookie of the Year

Last year: 5.3 WAR, 17 homers, .787 OPS in 154 games

Likely role: Part-time third baseman. Henderson will likely share time with Bregman at third, the start of a campaign he hopes looks much more like his 37-homer 2024 after playing through a shoulder impingement last season.

Brice Turang, 2B, Brewers

Age: 26

Honors: Platinum Glove

Last year: 5.6 WAR, 18 homers, 97 runs, .794 OPS

Likely role: Primary second baseman. Turang is a fantastic all-around player whose presence will only help in the always-tricky area of team adhesion in a brief sample size.

Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals

Age: 25

All-Star appearances: 2024, 2025

Honors: Two-time Gold Glove winner

Last year: 7.1 WAR, 23 homers, 38 stolen bases, .852 OPS

Likely role: Primary shortstop. Witt was a bit player as Trea Turner starred in 2023. Little reason to think he won’t be that guy this time around.

Outfielders

Roman Anthony, LF, Red Sox

Age: 21

Last year: 3.1 WAR, eight homers, .859 OPS in 71 games

Likely role: Part-time left fielder. As you likely know well, Anthony’s sparse resume belies his status as one of the game’s most imposing hitters. Will be a weapon in the top or middle of the lineup or as a bat off the bench.

Byron Buxton, CF, Twins

Age: 32

All-Star appearances: 2022, 2025

Honors: Platinum Glove

Last year: 4.9 WAR, 35 homers, 97 runs, .878 OPS

Likely role: Center field platoon. Buxton’s power and defense – he put up those 35 homers in 126 games a year ago – will be a significant asset, especially against lefty starters.

Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF, Cubs

Age: 23

All-Star appearance: 2025

Honors: Gold Glove

Last year: 6.0 WAR, 31 homers, 35 stolen bases, .768 OPS

Likely role: Center field platoon. Team USA isn’t expecting First Half PCA – when he hit 25 homers with an .847 OPS, compared to six and .634 after the break – but will settle for elite defense and the ability to ambush at the bottom of the order.

Aaron Judge, RF, Yankees

Age: 33

All-Star appearances: Seven

Honors: 2022, 2024-25 AL MVP, 2017 Rookie of the Year

Last year: 9.7 WAR, 53 homers, .331 average, 1.144 OPS

Likely role: Starting right fielder. After leading the majors in all the slash categories and WAR, Judge enters this WBC on a career high. And will have unparalleled lineup protection in this sprint to the finals.

Designated hitter

Kyle Schwarber, DH, Phillies

Age: 32

All-Star appearances: Three

Last year: 4.7 WAR, 56 homers, .928 OPS

Likely role: Starting DH. Schwarber is immediate danger wherever DeRosa pencils him in – perhaps tucked between Witt and Judge? – and seems destined to have at least one meet-the-moment sequence in this tourney.

Starting pitchers

Matthew Boyd, LHP, Cubs

Age: 35

All-Star appearance: 2025

Last year: 2.5 WAR, 14 wins, 1.09 WHIP in 179 2/3 innings

Likely role: Should get a start or two and perhaps be deployed out of the bullpen against a lefty-heavy pocket. Steady, deceptive and occasionally dominant despite a 92 mph fastball.

Clay Holmes, RHP, Mets

Age: 32

All-Star appearances: 2022, 2024

Last year: 1.9 WAR, 3.53 ERA over 165 2/3 innings

Likely role: He’s been an All-Star closer and successfully reverted to a starting role last year, especially in the first half. That makes him particularly valuable in this format, able to log multiple innings in any role behind his sinker- and sweeper-heavy arsenal.

Clayton Kershaw, LHP, retired

Age: 37

Last year: 1.6 WAR, 11 wins, 3.36 ERA over 112 2/3 innings

All-Star appearances: 11

Honors: NL Cy Young winner (2011, 2013, 2014), NL MVP (2014), Gold Glove

Likely role: Sure, it might be largely ceremonial and perhaps his biggest value will be as clubhouse sage and, as they say, showing the younger guys “how to go about your business.” But Kershaw was very good as a starter last season, got one huge out in Game 5 of the World Series and was on the verge of entering Game 7 in the 11th inning when the Dodgers won it. The man will get the ball. Question is, how big of a spot?

Nolan McLean, RHP, Mets

Age: 24

Last year: 1.8 WAR, 5-1, 2.06 ERA over eight major league starts

Likely role: A big wild card – McLean has a dominant fastball, a legitimate six-pitch mix and a nearly unsullied big league resume to this point. How much do you pour into a guy with just eight starts to his name? For now McLean is slated to start the fourth pool play game against a respectable Italy squad – and leave him on turn should Team USA reach the championship.

Joe Ryan, RHP, Twins

Age: 29

All-Star appearance: 2025

Last year: 4.5 WAR, 194 strikeouts in 171 innings.

Likely role: A back injury will keep Ryan out of pool play and might force his removal from the roster.

Paul Skenes, RHP, Pirates

Age: 23

All-Star appearances: 2024, 2025

Honors: 2023 Rookie of the Year, 2024 NL Cy Young Award

Last year: 7.7 WAR, 1.97 ERA, 216 strikeouts in 187 2/3 innings

Likely role: Ace. Simple enough? With AL Cy Young counterpart Tarik Skubal limited to one start, Skenes will start a pool play game – March 9 against Mexico – and likely get the semifinal nod should Team USA get there.

Tarik Skubal, LHP, Tigers

Age: 29

All-Star appearances: 2024, 2025

Honors: 2024, 2025 AL Cy Young Awards

Last year: 6.5 WAR, 241 strikeouts, 2.21 ERA, AL-best 2.45 FIP, major league-best 0.89 WHIP.

Likely role: One and done. Skubal, entering a season after which he’s expected to be the most coveted pitching free agent in history, has said he’ll start just one game and head back to Florida and resume training with the Tigers. He got his pitch count up to 44 – and hit 99 mph on his fastball – in his final exhibition start before the WBC and should top the 50-pitch mark in his March 7 start against against Great Britain.

Michael Wacha, RHP, Royals

Age: 34

All-Star appearance: 2015

Last year: 2.8 WAR, 3.86 ERA over 172 2/3 innings.

Likely role: Innings eater. Team USA has so much dominant swing-and-miss – a facet they’ve missed in many past WBCs – that Wacha can be looked to for coverage, particularly in pool play action.

Logan Webb, RHP, Giants

Age: 29

All-Star appearances: 2024, 2025

Honors: Gold Glove

Last year: 3.8 WAR, MLB-high 207 innings pitched, NL-high 224 strikeouts

Likely role: Frontline starter. While Skubal and Skenes stole the headlines, Webb’s commitment might be the most important on this squad, giving it pitching depth no previous USA group enjoyed. He’ll get the ball in the March 6 opener against Brazil and almost certainly a starting assignment in the knockout rounds.

Relievers

David Bednar, RHP, Yankees

Age: 31

All-Star appearances: 2022, 2023

Last year: 2.2 WAR, 27 saves, 86 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings

Likely role: Potential closer. Bednar flourished after a trade to the Yankees, seizing the ninth-inning role and saving 10 games. Reliable presence after the high-leverage heat enters earlier.

Garrett Cleavinger, LHP, Rays

Age: 31

Last year: 1.9 WAR, 2.35 ERA, 82 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings.

Likely role: Lefty-leaning specialist. Cleavinger’s splits were fairly neutral last season – really good against both right- (.183/.264/.338) and left-handed (.187/.274/.347) hitters. He’ll be joined by Gabe Speier and potentially Kershaw as lefties out of the bullpen.

Griffin Jax, RHP, Rays

Age: 31

Last year: 0.5 WAR, 4.23 ERA, 99 strikeouts in 66 innings

Likely role: Lower-leverage strikeout specialist. Jax got all but 11 of his punchouts on his sweeper and changeup last season, presenting a different look between Team USA’s starters and highest-leverage guys.

Brad Keller, RHP, Phillies

Age: 30

Last year: 1.4 WAR, 0.96 WHIP, 75 strikeouts in 69 2/3 innings.

Likely role: Seventh- or eighth-inning guy. Keller was a reliable piece for the Cubs last season, prompting the Phillies to sign him to work ahead of closer Jhoan Duran.

Mason Miller, RHP, Padres

Age: 27

All-Star appearance: 2024

Last year: 2.2 WAR, 15.2 strikeouts per nine innings, 0.91 WHIP

Likely role: Fireman. Miller’s 101 mph fastball and wipeout slider are an almost unparalleled combo in this tournament or on any given major league day. So think of him deploying in the hottest spots possible – say, to handle Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Junior Caminero and Manny Machado in the late innings against the Dominican – regardless of closer designation.

Gabe Speier, LHP, Mariners

Age: 30

Last year: 1.4 WAR, 0.87 WHIP, 82 strikeouts in 62 innings

Likely role: Left-on-left arm of death. Speier was great against all comers but, even moreso than Cleavinger, was merciless on lefties, holding them to a .179/.214/.302 line and 42 strikeouts to just two walks in 112 plate appearances.

Garrett Whitlock, RHP, Red Sox

Age: 29

Last year: 2.4 WAR, 1.08 WHIP, 91 strikeouts in 72 innings

Likely role: Set-up man. Whitlock owned the eighth inning in Boston, and gave up just two home runs, using his power sinker to induce whiffs, ground balls and chase.

Many of these contests have implications for conference tournament seeding and March Madness positioning.
Key matchups include North Carolina at Duke, Florida at Kentucky, and Michigan State at Michigan.
Several teams, including Duke and Florida, have already secured their conference’s regular-season titles.

The final weekend of the regular season in many collegiate sports usually means a rivalry game. That is indeed the case in many basketball hotbeds around the nation as the men’s campaign concludes.

While these contests always mean bragging rights, there’s a bit more on the line for some of the involved teams as they hope to improve their positions for upcoming conference tournaments and of course for March Madness. Our last edition of the Starting Five offers Saturday double dips in the ACC and SEC, and the weekend lineup concludes with a Sunday top-10 showdown in the Big Ten.

Here’s a look at our picks of games to watch.

No. 22 Vanderbilt at No. 25 Tennessee

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

A Tennessee win would complete a sweep of its in-state foe as well as lock in an SEC tourney double bye for the Volunteers. The 4 seed could also be in play for the Commodores if some tiebreakers go their way, but toppling the archrival Vols will be incentive enough. Their first encounter in Nashville was played at Tennessee’s preferred deliberate pace resulting in a 69-65 victory, so Vandy’s back-court duo of Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles will need some early makes to increase the tempo. Tennessee hopes to have top scorer Nate Ament back in the lineup after he sat out the win at South Carolina, but if he can’t go the interior defense will still be formidable thanks to J.P. Estrella and Felix Okpara.

Louisville at No. 23 Miami (Fla.)

Time/TV: Saturday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPNU.

The Hurricanes’ win at SMU this week effectively locked them into the No. 3 seed for the ACC tournament, but they’d still like to close the regular season on a high note on their home floor. The Cardinals have dropped their last three league road contests and could use a confidence boost entering the postseason. While a healthy Mikel Brown is capable of going nuclear, Ryan Conwell has been the steady hand in the Louisville lineup who will also demand attention from the Miami defense. The Hurricanes are led by the inside-out combo of Malik Reneau and Tre Donaldson.

No. 5 Florida at Kentucky

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

With the SEC regular-season title secured, the Gators now turn their attention to improving their path to a repeat NCAA crown with a top regional seed. They’ll look to take the next step toward that goal at the expense of the wildly inconsistent Wildcats, who have likely done enough to remain on the right side of the bubble but seem destined for a brief stay in the dance. The Gators’ nine-point triumph over Kentucky in Gainesville three weeks ago was part of the late-season scoring surge for Xaivian Lee, whose contributions from the perimeter have made Florida’s experienced front line even more dangerous. The Wildcats will have to count on Otega Oweh to take advantage of the friendly rims at Rupp Arena.

No. 18 North Carolina at No. 1 Duke

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

Like the SEC, the ACC race is already settled with the Blue Devils again ahead of the field. That will hardly affect the charged atmosphere at Cameron Indoor Stadium as Duke looks to avenge its lone league loss at the expense of its most despised rival. The Tar Heels will likely see Duke again in less than a week, but again, there will be no lack of intensity on either side. There might be good news for UNC if Caleb Wilson is able to return from a month-long absence due to a hand injury. The Heels have handled several opponents without him, but that likely won’t apply to Duke. Expect another big night from the Blue Devils’ Cameron Boozer as he plays for what will almost certainly be the final time in front of the Crazies.

No. 8 Michigan State at No. 3 Michigan

Time/TV: Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET, CBS.

The Big Ten race is – stop us if you’ve heard this one before – over. The Wolverines have the top seed in hand, and the Spartans also have a double bye clinched. But did we mention this is a rivalry game? This one is also a rematch, with the Wolverines taking the first meeting 83-71 in East Lansing on Jan. 30. The Spartans had no answer for Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg in that one, though they’re hardly alone in that regard. When Michigan State needs to make something happen, Jeremy Fears is usually involved.

The Washington Capitals traded longtime defenseman John Carlson to the Anaheim Ducks early Friday morning in one of the surprise moves of the NHL trade deadline. At least on the surface.

Carlson, 36, has been a career Capital, appearing in 1,143 games for the franchise over 17 seasons after he was selected with the 27th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Draft. He owns basically every major franchise record for a defenseman — games played, goals (166), assists (605) and points (771) — and was a key component of the franchise’s breakthrough Stanley Cup win in 2018. He finished in the top five in Norris Trophy voting three times, including a runner-up finish in 2019-20.

‘Since joining our organization 17 years ago, John Carlson has exemplified what it means to be a Washington Capital every day,” Capitals GM Chris Patrick said in a statement. “John’s determination, leadership, persistence and skill helped our franchise reach new heights and cemented him as a cornerstone and one of the greatest players in Capitals history. His contributions to our organization and the Washington, D.C., community both on and off the ice have been immeasurable.

‘We are incredibly grateful for everything John has given to our team and wish him and his family nothing but the best moving forward with Anaheim.”

So … who won the deal?

Capitals trade grade: A-

Sentimentality aside, getting a first-round pick — either this summer if the Ducks make the playoffs or next year — and third-round pick for a 36-year-old defenseman who will be a free agent this summer is a tidy bit of business. The Capitals are just four points out of the playoffs, but they are tied for the most games played in the conference. They made a shrewd decision to throw in the towel in what seems to be a seller’s market, earlier on Thursday trading another veteran in Nic Dowd.

The Capitals now have 22 picks in the next three NHL drafts and clearly have their eyes on the future … which could also see franchise icon Alex Ovechkin depart this summer with the 40-year-old’s contract set to expire. A trade of a franchise icon is never fun, but this move helps set the Capitals up for more winning down the road.

Ducks trade grade: B+

This trade feels very much like a win-win as the Ducks are adding a defenseman who can still get it done, particularly on the offensive end. Carlson has been quite productive again this season, scoring 10 goals and dishing 36 assists for 46 points in 55 games. He carries a plus-11 rating.

He also brings loads of playoff experience for a team that hasn’t played spring hockey in a while, having appeared in 137 postseason contests, winning the Stanley Cup in 2018. That’s the last year the Ducks made the playoffs. Maybe you’d like to keep your first-round pick, but getting a player like Carlson comes at a price; plus, Anaheim is already oozing with young talent thanks to its years in the wilderness.

On the fifth day of March, men’s college basketball got its first true moment of madness during the sport’s trademark month.

In the quarterfinals of the Patriot League tournament, Lehigh guard Nasir Whitlock sank a half-court heave as time expired to lift the Mountain Hawks to a 69-66 victory against Holy Cross on Wednesday, March 5.

The basket served as an exclamation mark on a night in which Whitlock had 29 points on 11-of-24 shooting, including a 4-of-6 effort from 3-point range.

Even before his buzzer-beater, Whitlock had been the star of the game’s final minutes. He made a driving layup to tie the score at 66 with 11 seconds remaining and forced a turnover on Holy Cross’ ensuing possession, giving Lehigh the ball back near the opposing basket with 2.1 seconds remaining.

After leading by five at halftime, the Mountain Hawks trailed 64-58 with 2:43 remaining before finishing the game on an 11-2 run, with all 11 points coming from Whitlock.

At a school that’s had its share of excellent guards — most notably, NBA standout CJ McCollum — Whitlock has been a revelation for Lehigh this season, averaging 20.8 points per game and shooting 43.1% from 3. The 6-foot-2 junior from Minnesota has nearly doubled the 10.8 points per game he averaged last season.

With the victory, Lehigh advances to the semifinals of the Patriot League tournament, where it will host Colgate on Sunday, March 8. The Mountain Hawks are the event’s No. 2 seed. Colgate, the No. 3 seed, has won the conference and earned its automatic berth to the NCAA tournament in five of the past seven seasons.

No. 1 seed Navy will host No. 4 seed Boston University in the other semifinal.

Australia managed to get the best of Czechia in Tokyo for its second win in as many days to start the World Baseball Classic.

Curtis Mead broke the game open with a home run that gave Australia a 3-1 lead in the third inning.

Australia added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the ninth, after Alex Hall and Jarryd Dale both scored.

Australia produced nine hits in the game, while Czechia produced four. Coen Wynne was tabbed as the winning pitcher.

Wynne allowed just one hit in two innings pitched. Starting pitcher Josh Hendrickson allowed two hits, an earned run and a walk. He struck out two during his three innings pitched.

Check out the top moments from the Australia-Czechia game:

Final: Australia 5, Czechia 1

Alex Hall added an insurance run with a solo home run in the top of the ninth to increase Australia’s lead to 4-1.

Robbie Perkins singled on a pop-up to right field, bringing in Jarryd Dale to score. Australia now leads the game 5-1.

Australia leads Czechia after seven innings

Australia still leads Czechia 3-1 after 6½ innings of play.

Czechia has leaned on Tomáš Ondra and Ondrej Satoria on the mound throughout the game. The duo has allowed four hits, three earned runs and two walks in seven combined innings pitched. They have struck out five total batters.

Ky Hampton entered the game to start the bottom of the seventh for Australia.

Australia has used three other pitchers during the game, including Josh Hendrickson. Hendrickson allowed two hits, an earned run and a walk. He struck out two during three innings pitched.

What do Czechia baseball players do for a living?

Czechia is well represented on one of the biggest stages in baseball, but most of its players spend the majority of the year working a ‘normal’ job. Here’s what they do.

Curtis Mead helps Australia jump ahead

Curtis Mead hits a home run to left center field to give Australia a 3-1 lead in the top of the third inning.

Martin Červenka provides Czechia with early lead

Martin Červenka scored the first run of the game, giving Czechia the 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Vojtech Mensik’s sacrifice fly to center field provided Červenka with the opportunity to score from third.

Czechia and Australia scoreless early

Australia and Czechia were scoreless through the first inning of play. Martin Červenka produced the first hit of the game for a double in the second inning against Josh Hendrickson.

Czechia’s starting lineup vs. Australia

DH – Milan Prokop

3B – Martin Červinka

SS – Terrin Vavra

C – Martin Červenka

CF – Marek Chlup

1B – Martin Mužík

2B – Vojtěch Menšík

LF – William Escala

RF – Max Prejda

Australia’s starting lineup vs. Czechia

2B – Travis Bazzana

3B – Curtis Mead

CF – Aaron Whitefield

DH – Alex Hall

SS – Jarryd Dale

1B – Rixon Wingrove

C – Robbie Perkins

LF – Chris Burke

RF – Tim Kennelly

Who is Australia’s WBC starting pitcher vs. Czechia?

Josh Henderickson will serve as the starting pitcher for the Australian team. He spent some time playing at the minor league level but never played in an MLB game. He was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 28th round of the 2019 MLB draft from the University of San Diego.

Who is Czechia’s WBC starting pitcher vs. Australia?

Tomas Ondra will serve as the starting pitcher for Czechia on Thursday against Australia.

How to watch Australia vs. Czechia: WBC TV channel, stream

Time: 10 p.m. ET
Location: Tokyo Dome
TV: FS1
Streaming: FOX One App

Stream the World Baseball Classic on Fubo

Australia WBC roster

Pitchers

Kieren Hall, Ky Hampton, Josh Hendrickson, Sam Holland, Jon Kennedy, Connor MacDonald, Cooper Morgan, Mitch Neunborn, Jack O’Loughlin, Warwick Saupold, Blake Townsend, Todd Van Steensel, Alex Wells, Lachlan Wells, Coen Wynne

Catchers

Mitchell Edwards, Alex Hall, Robbie Perkins

Infielders

Travis Bazzana, George Callil, Jarryd Dale, Robbie Glendinning, Curtis Mead, Logan Wade, Rixon Wingrove

Outfielders

Ulrich Bojarski, Chris Burke, Max Durrington, Tim Kennelly, Aaron Whitefield

Czechia WBC roster

Pitchers

Jeff Barto, Filip Čapka, Tomáš Duffek, Lukáš Ercoli, Lukáš Hlouch, Filip Kollmann, Michal Kovala, Marek Minařík, Jan Novák, Tomáš Ondra, Daniel Padyšák, Ondřej Satoria, Martin Schneider, Ondřej Vank, Boris Večerka

Catchers

Matouš Bubeník, Martin Červenka, Martin Zelenka

Infielders

Martin Červinka, Ryan Johnson, Vojtěch Menšík, Martin Mužík, Jan Pospíšil, Milan Prokop, Terrin Vavra

Outfielders

Marek Chlup, William Escala, Marek Krejčiřík, Max Prejda, Michal Šindelka

What WBC pool are Czechia and Australia in?

Czechia and Australia are two of the five teams playing in Pool C of the World Baseball Classic. The rest of the group includes Japan, Korea and Chinese Taipei.

WBC Pool C standings

South Korea: 1–0 (1.000) | +7 Run Diff
Australia: 1–0 (1.000) | +3 Run Diff
Japan: 0–0 (—) | 0 Run Diff
Chinese Taipei: 0–1 (.000) | -3 Run Diff
Czechia: 0–1 (.000) | -7 Run Diff

Another record-setting night for LeBron James featured a late injury scare, as he briefly received treatment on the bench in the fourth quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Denver Nuggets.

James drove and hit a layup with just over 4 minutes to go, but he came down hard and immediately grasped at his elbow. The Amazon Prime cameras captured James saying ‘elbow’ and using some NSFW language as he was checked on.

Jaxson Hayes subbed in for James after the ensuing timeout and James received treatment from trainers while sitting on the bench, working his elbow area.

James’ basket had cut the Lakers’ deficit to 110-106 late. He returned to the court about two minutes later, with 2:05 on the clock and the Lakers trailing 112-111. James was removed for good with 22.3 seconds left

The Nuggets held on to win, 120-113.

Earlier in the contest, James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA record for most made field goals.

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

March Madness is ramping up in the women’s college basketball conference tournaments.

The 2026 NCAA Tournament begins on March 18 and the conference tournaments will go a long way in figuring who is in and who is out. Conference tournament winners get an automatic an bid. Every other team will have to sweat it out on Selection Sunday on March 15 to see if they received at-large bid.

Thursday saw a boatload of upsets, but none bigger than Maryland’s loss to Oregon and Michigan State’s to Illinois. Both teams had been projected to be in the top 16 seeds and host first- and second-round games. Being upset in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament leaves to door ajar for Kentucky, WVU and UNC to host instead.

USA TODAY Sports is following along with the Power Four conference tournaments. Follow along for live updates, highlights and results here:

Final: Colorado 55, Kansas 48

Colorado was the only high seed to advance in the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday in Kansas City. The Buffs did it by defeating Kansas in a low-scoring affair.

Neither team shot the ball particularly well, with Kansas at 36% from the field and Colorado 39%. The difference came from behind the arc, where the Buffs were 6-of-14, compared to 2-of-11 for the Jayhawks.

Logyn Greer and Desiree Wooton scored 10 points each for Colorado, which advances to play Baylor in the quarterfinals at 9 p.m. ET Friday.

S’Mya Nichols had 14 points to lead the Jayhawks. −Heather Burns

Final: Oregon 73, Maryland 68

Oregon is the second double-digit seed to advance to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, following in No. 10 Illinois’ lead.

Oregon and Maryland traded the lead for much of the second half before Oregon got a six-point advantage with four minutes left. Maryland had multiple opportunities to take the game, including a transition layup off a steal with to tie the game with two minutes left, but a massive block from Ehis Etute kept the Ducks in the lead. 

Etute finished the game with a team-leading 20 points, along with 10 rebounds and three blocks.

Maryland was the No. 13 seed in the NCAA’s latest top-16 seed, slated to host the first rounds of the NCAA Tournament in College Park. This loss could affect the Terrapins’ standing as a host.

Oregon will now play No. 4 Michigan at 9 p.m. ET on Friday. The Ducks will be playing their third game in three days, while Michigan will be playing for the first time since Feb. 28. −Chloe Peterson

Halftime: Colorado 26, Kansas 18

Colorado held Kansas to 18 points in the first half and have an eight point lead at halftime.

The Jayhawks are shooting a dismal 25% from the field and 1-of-4 from the 3-point line. S’Mya Nichols has a team-high nine points, recording half of Kansas’ points in the first half. Libby Fandel added four points, while Sania Copeland has three.

Tabitha Betson and Anaelle Dutat each have five points for Colorado, who is shooting 41% from the field and 3-of-8 from the 3-point line. − Cydney Henderson

Final: Alabama 76, Tennessee 64

Jessica Timmons scored 23 points and Ta’Mia Scott had 20 as the Crimson Tide defeated the Lady Vols in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday night in Greenville, South Carolina.

No. 11 Alabama (23-9) moves onto the quarterfinals and will face No. 2 Texas on Friday night (8:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network).

It’s the seventh consecutive loss for No. 6 Tennessee (16-11) which looked disjointed throughout the game, committing 18 turnovers and shooting 38% from the floor. Kim Caldwell’s squad isn’t in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament — it’s still 21st in NET, 30th in WAB and has five Quad 1 wins — but this loss could give the selection committee a reason to demote them in seeding.

The win for Alabama is in Quad 1, making them 5-7 in such games this season. The Crimson Tide also got 10 points from Essence Cody in the win.

Janiah Barker led Tennessee in scoring with 20 points. Tennessee’s press generated four steals and defensive mistakes put Alabama on the free throw line 19 times where it sank 16 attempts.

The Crimson Tide never trailed and led by as much as 17 points. − Mitchell Northam

Halftime: Maryland 32, Oregon 31

It’s been back and forth between Maryland and Oregon in the first half; the lead has changed hands six times. Both teams have had issues taking care of the ball, too, with 18 combined turnovers.

Avary Cain is leading the Ducks with 10 points, while Oluchi Okananwa has 10 points for the Terrapins. − Chloe Peterson

Final: Virginia Tech 62, Georgia Tech 54

The Hokies only scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, but it was enough to advance to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, where they will take on North Carolina. Carleigh Wenzel’s late 3-pointer with two minutes left effectively sealed the Hokies’ 10-point lead, which became too much for Georgia Tech to overcome. Wenzel lead Virginia Tech with 15 points. Mackenzie Nelson added another 14 points, nine rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block.

The Yellow Jackets, who had a ‘super seven’ rotation, ran out of steam late. At one point, Georgia Tech didn’t score for more than five minutes. Having La’Nya Foster in foul trouble didn’t help, either. Talayah Walker’s 20 points, 12 of which came in the third quarter,  also weren’t enough. Making matters worse, Georgia Tech also had 17 turnovers, which gave Virginia Tech 24 points.

Georgia Tech says they would accept any opportunities to play in the WBIT or WNIT. “They deserve an opportunity to get a postseason experience. I hope they can,” Georgia Tech coach Karen Blair said. − Meghan L. Hall

No. 11 Kansas vs. No. 6 Colorado, 9:30 p.m. | ESPN+

Kansas starting lineup

Head coach: Brandon Schneider

12 S’Mya Nichols | G 6-0 – Junior
13 Libby Fandel | G 6-1 – Freshman
22 Sania Copeland | G 5-7 – Senior
25 Jaliya Davis | F 6-2 – Freshman
52 Lilly Meister | F 6-3 – Senior

Colorado starting lineup

Head coach: JR Payne

1 Zyanna Walker | G 5-11 – Junior
13 Maeve McErlane | G 5-11 – Junior
14 Jade Masogayo | F 6-3 – Senior
15 Anaelle Dutat | F 6-0 – Senior
17 Tabitha Betson | F 6-2 – Sophomore

Halftime: Alabama 39, Tennessee 29

Jessica Timmons has 12 points as the Crimson Tide lead the Lady Vols at halftime on Thursday night in the second round of the SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina.

Tennessee is staring at what would be its seventh straight loss at the break. Kim Caldwell’s squad isn’t in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament — it’s still 21st in NET, 30th in WAB and has five Quad 1 wins — but another loss would certainly give the selection committee a reason to slot the Lady Vols at a worse seed.

The Lady Vols have turned the ball over 12 times, which Alabama has flipped into 12 points. The Crimson Tide are also outscoring Tennessee in the paint, 24-10.

No. 3 Texas will face the winner of this game at 8:30 p.m. ET on Friday night. − Mitchell Northam

Georgia Tech still competing against Virginia Tech, closes gap

Georgia Tech won the third quarter 23-21, closing Virginia Tech’s once 11-point lead in the period to four points. The Yellow Jackets shot 44% from the field to close the game before the fourth quarter, led by 12 points from Talayah Walker. −Meghan L. Hall

Binghamton wins on buzzer-beater in America East Tournament

Binghamton survived an upset bid from Bryant in the America East Tournament on Thursday night thanks to Bella Pucci, who sank a floater at the buzzer to give the Bearcats a 45-44 victory.

Pucci caught an inbounds pass near the top of the key with 5.8 seconds remaining, drove left around one defender and then hard into a second, then created some space and lofted up a shot. The buzzer sounded as the ball fell through the net and the Bearcats dogpiled on the court as fans rushed the floor.

Binghamton is seeded third in the America East Tournament and Bryant was the No. 6 seed. Pucci — a 5-foot-9 junior guard from Rochester, New York — finished with nine points, five rebounds and four assists.

The Bearcats’ next opponent is to be determined, as the America East Tournament reseeds teams in the semifinal round. − Mitchell Northam

Final: Arizona State 77, Iowa State 68

Arizona State needed a win on Thursday to keep their March Madness hopes alive. The Sun Devils entered the Big 12 women’s basketball tournament on the bubble as one of the first four teams out, according to USA TODAY Sports’ latest bracketology.

A win is what they got. Arizona State staved off Iowa State’s comeback and defeated the Cyclones in a wire-to-wire victory on Thursday in Kansas City.

Arizona State led by as many as 16 points in the fourth quarter, but Iowa State cut its deficit to singe digits with 5:10 remaining in the game. A 3-pointer from Addy Brown brought Iowa State within six points with 1:41 remaining.

Gabby Elliot fouled out with 31 seconds remaining, but finished with a near triple-double for the Sun Devils. She had a game-high 22 points, shooting 7-of-17 from the field and 2-of-3 from the 3-point line, in addition to 10 rebounds and eight assists. Heloisa Carrera added 17 points, while McKinna Brackens recorded 16 points and six rebounds in the win.

Arizona State can credit its defense just as much as its offense for the win. They held Audi Crooks in check in the first half with only four points. She broke out and scored 17 of her 21 points in the second half, but couldn’t pull off the comeback. Brown added a double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds) and Kenzie Hare 12 points. − Cydney Henderson

No. 11 Oregon vs. No. 6 Maryland, 9 p.m. | Big Ten Network

Oregon starting lineup

Head coach: Kelly Graves

2 Katie Fiso | G 5-11 Sophomore
14 Ari Long | G  6-0 Junior
3 Sofia Bell | G 6-0 Junior
1 Mia Jacobs | F 6-2 Senior
35 Ehis Etute | F 6-0 Freshman

Maryland starting lineup

Head coach: Brenda Frese

3 Addi Mack | G 5-9 Freshman
6 Saylor Poffenbarger | G 6-2 Senior
7 Oluchi Okananwa | G 5-10 Junior
10 Mir McLean | G 5-11 Graduate student
12 Yarden Garzon | G 6-3 Senior

No. 11 Alabama vs. No. Tennessee, 8:30 p.m. ET | SEC Network

Alabama starting lineup

Head coach: Kristy Curry

21 Essence Cody | F 6-4 Junior
20 Diana Collins | G 5-9 Junior
15 Ta’Mia Scott | G 6-0 Senior
22 Karly Weathers | G 5-11 Senior
23 Jessica Timmons | G 5-8 Senior

Tennessee starting lineup

Head coach: Kim Caldwell

0 Janiah Barker | F 6-4 Senior
1 Nya Robertson G 5-7 Senior
11 Zee Spearman | F 6-4 Senior
33 Alyssa Latham | F 6-2 Junior
55 Talaysia Cooper | G 6-0 Junior

Final: Illinois 71, Michigan State 69

No. 10-seed Illinois has won two games in two days and is on its way to the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. 

Illinois beat Wisconsin on the opening day of the tournament Wednesday, then took down No. 7 Michigan State, a team projected to host the NCAA Tournament, Thursday.

Illinois led by seven points  at halftime and fended off multiple Michigan State runs throughout the second half. Michigan State had the ball, down two points with 9.5 seconds left and attempted to run a set play to tiee. An errant pass, however, gave Michigan State an unforced turnover at the worst time.

Illinois got the ball back with 1.6 seconds left and managed to avoid a foul for long enough to seal a two-point win. Kennedy Blair had 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting for the Illini.

Illinois will now play No. 2 Iowa in the quarterfinals at 6:30 p.m. on Friday − Chloe Peterson

Halftime: Virginia Tech 29, Georgia Tech 23

Virginia Tech scored 22 points in the second quarter to take a 29-23 lead at halftime. Over the course of nearly seven minutes, the Hokies went on a 17-2 run to erase Georgia Tech’s 10-point lead. The Yellow Jackets scored six points in the period, and let Virginia Tech score 15 points off nine turnovers.

Virginia Tech’s Carleigh Wenzel and Carys Baker lead all scorers with seven points each. −Meghan L. Hall

Addy Brown in foul trouble

Iowa State junior forward Addy Brown is headed to the bench with two seconds remaining in the third quarter after picking up her fourth foul. Brown was called for a foul as Arizona State’s Gabby Elliot drove to the basket. Elliot made the layup through contact and converted the and-one free throw to go up 60-46 over Iowa State. Brown has 10 points, while Elliott has 20 in the Big 12 Tournament matchup. − Cydney Henderson

Final: Ole Miss 73, Auburn 57

Christeen Iwuala scored 18 points to lead the Rebels over the Tigers on Thursday night in the second round of the SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina.

Iwuala also grabbed nine rebounds and shot a perfect 8-of-8 from the floor for the Rebels (22-10), who snapped a four-game losing streak. Cotie McMahon added 13 points and six assists for Ole Miss.

Ole Miss won comfortably despite 22 turnovers. The Rebels won the rebounding battle by 17, shot 7-of-13 from 3-point land and outscored Auburn 36-26 in the paint.

No. 2 Vanderbilt will face Ole Miss at 6 p.m. ET Friday on the SEC Network. − Mitchell Northam

Georgia Tech has 10 point lead after first quarter vs. Virginia Tech

The Yellow Jackets are 47% from the field and held the Hokies to 17% shooting. Georgia Tech already has 10 paint points and leads 17-7 after the first quarter quarter at the ACC Tournament. −Meghan L. Hall

Syracuse coach says Orange will play through injuries

During its win over Cal, the Orange suffered two injuries. Dominique Darius collided with Cal’s Mjracle Sheppard in the third quarter, and late in the fourth, Olivia Schmitt had to be helped off the court after she got caught under a flare screen. Syracuse Felisha Legette-Jack says the team will be prepared to play Louisville on Friday.

‘I told [Dominique Darius] she’s got two hands; play with the other one. She’s going to have to play, and she will play. [Olivia Schmitt] is going to have to play, and we’ll figure it all out,’ Syracuse coach Felisha Legette-Jack said.

‘It’s just next person up. My prayer is that they’re healthy enough to go again against an incredibly good team in Louisville. If not, we’re just going to have to give Louisville our best effort with the people that can go.’ −Meghan L. Hall

Gabby Elliott scores eight straight points

Arizona State senior guard Gabby Elliott is heating up. She scored eight points against Iowa State in less than a minute, including back-to-back 3-pointers. Elliot is up to 15 points and her shooting spree gave Arizona State a 41-20 advantage over Iowa State with 7:33 remaining in the third quarter. − Cydney Henderson

Halftime: Arizona State 33, Iowa State 25

Arizona State led by as many as 15 points in the first half after an explosive start, but Iowa State settled in and cut its deficit to eight by halftime.

Sophomore forward Heloisa Carrera was the hot hand early for Arizona State and recorded 12 points in the first quarter, but she was limited to seven minutes in the first half with two fouls.

Arizona State’s defense has smothered Iowa State center Audi Crooks, holding her to four points at the free throw line. Crooks (0-of-1) is looking for her first field goal of the day. Addy Brown has a team-high eight points and seven rebounds, but it hasn’t been pretty. Brown is shooting 2-of-9 from the field and 1-of-7 from the 3-point line.

Iowa State must take care of the ball if they want to get back into this game. Ten Cyclones turnovers have led to 14 points for the Sun Devils. Arizona State is 22-4 this season when leading at halftime. − Cydney Henderson

Halftime: No. 10 Illinois 36, No. 7 Michigan State 29

Cearah Parchment is leading the charge for Illinois, putting up 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the first half.

Michigan State was dismal beyond the arc in the first, going 0-for-7 from 3-point range. Kennedy Blair is keeping the Spartans in the game with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting. − Chloe Peterson

No. 11 Georgia Tech vs. No 6 Virginia Tech, 7:30 p.m. ET | ACCN

Virginia Tech Hokies starting lineup

Head coach: Megan Duffy

0 Kilah Freelon | F 6-1 – Senior
1 Carleigh Wenzel | G 6-0 – Junior
2 Leila Wells | G 5-9 – Sophomore
3 Mackie Nelson | G 5-8 – Sophomore
10 Carys Baker | F 6-2 – Junior

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets starting lineup

Head coach: Karen Blair

3 Erica Moon | G 5-6 – Sophomore
21 Talayah Walker | G 5-10 – Sophomore
23 La’Nya Foster | G 5-10 – Junior
0 Brianna Turnage | G 6-1- Senior
20 Ariadna Termis | C 6-6 – Senior

Final: Syracuse 70, Cal 59

Syracuse dominated the first half and Cal fought back in the third quarter and parts of the fourth, but they couldn’t pull out the win. After getting Syracuse’s once 21-point lead down to four, Uche Izoje delivered with huge baskets to push the lead back up to eight. Izoje finished with 23 points. The Orange survived to advance to the ACC Tournament quarterfinals against No. 2 Louisville on Friday.

Despite 21 turnovers, Syracuse finished with a 47% shooting percentage from the field and 40% from deep.

The win did yield some injuries. At the 6:43 of the third quarter, Dominique Darius collided with Cal’s Mjracle Sheppard and would not return to the game. Then, with 18 seconds remaining in regulation, Olivia Schmitt had to be helped off the court after she got caught under a flare screen. Schmitt was visibly crying and could not put any weight on her legs. She was carried off by Syracuse staff. As Schmitt was being helped, Syracuse fans in the crowd screamed ‘Do your job!’ toward the officiating crew.

Cal finished the matchup shooting 38% from the field with 21 turnovers. Sakima Walker led the Golden Bears with 19 points and five rebounds. Lulu Twidale added 14 points. Cal says they would accept WBIT/WNIT invitation. −Meghan L. Hall

Arizona State has 17-2 lead vs. Iowa State

Iowa State opened the Big 12 tournament with a second round matchup against Arizona State and the Cyclones appeared to have some early jitters. Iowa State started the game 1-of-7 from the field and gave up six early turnovers, which led to nine points for the Sun Devils. Iowa State quickly found themselves in a 17-2 hole with 3:14 remaining in the first quarter. Heloisa Carrera has 12 of Arizona State’s 17 points. − Cydney Henderson

Halftime: Ole Miss 48, Auburn 20

Behind 11 points from Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss was running away from Auburn at halftime of their second round SEC Tournament clash on Thursday evening in Greenville, South Carolina.

Ole Miss made 6-of-9 3-pointers in the first half and was winning the rebounding margin 23-7. Christeen Iwuala also has 10 points for the Rebels, while no Tigers have reached double figures yet.

The winner of this game will face No. 2 Vanderbilt at 6 p.m. ET. on Friday. − Mitchell Northam

Raegan Beers reaches milestone in Oklahoma’s win over Florida

Oklahoma center Raegan Beers tallied 18 points and seven rebounds on Thursday afternoon in the Sooners’ 82-64 victory over Florida in the second round of the SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina. The senior reached two milestones with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career.

Beers is the third Oklahoma player to reach those marks, joining Courtney Paris and Molly McGuire, but she is the only active player in Division I women’s college basketball this season to own at least 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. The win over the Gators also marked the 100th start of Beers’ career.

She was quick to credit her teammates for helping her eclipse the historic scoring total.

“It’s really, really cool. It’s sometimes seen as an individual achievement. But I’m a post, so I don’t necessarily create a lot of my own shots. So all of my shots come from great passes from my guards,” Beers said. “I’m so thankful for the group that I got to achieve that with, and excited for our run that we’re going to keep going on.”

While Beers was answering that question in the postgame news conference, Oklahoma coach Jennie Baranczyk just smiled.

“Yeah, that’s Raegan,” Baranczyk said. “Sometimes you don’t get to see that with Raegan, right? Because you see her as this fierce player on the floor, and she’s posting up, and she’s strong. You don’t always get to see her heart, but her heart is a pretty amazing heart.”

Beers, who started her career at Oregon State before joining the Sooners via the transfer portal, is averaging 16.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game this season. She ranks seventh nationally in shooting with a 61.7% mark from the field.

No. 5 Oklahoma will face No. 4 LSU in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. − Mitchell Northam

No. 10 Arizona State vs. No. 7 Iowa State, 6:30 p.m. | ESPN+

Arizona State Sun Devils starting lineup

Head coach: Molly Miller

0 Gabby Elliott | G 5-10 – Senior
11 Marley Washenitz | G 5-7 – Senior
13 Last-Tear Poa |  G 5-11 – Senior
14 Heloisa Carrera | F 6-2 – Sophomore
21 McKinna Brackens | F 6-1 – Junior

Iowa State Cyclones starting lineup

Head coach: Bill Fennelly

2 Arianna Jackson | G 5-9 – Junior
8 Jada Williams | G 5-8 – Junior
12 Kenzie Hare |  G 5-9 – Junior
24 Addy Brown | F 6-2 – Junior
55 Audi Crooks | C 6-3 – Junior

Cal fights back against Syracuse

Syracuse’s lead was as high as 21 in the third quarter. But after the period finished, the Orange cut it to 10 points, thanks a barrage from Sakima Walker and Aliyahna ‘Puff’ Morris. Walker leads the Golden Bears with 13 points. −Meghan L. Hall

No. 10 Illinois vs. No. 7 Michigan State, 6:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network

Illinois starting lineup

Head coach: Shauna Green

1 Aaliyah Guyton | G 5-7 Sophomore
2 Destiny Jackson | G 5-6 Freshman
8 Jasmine Brown-Hagger | G 5-9 Junior
23 Berry Wallace | F 6-1 Junior
30 Cearah Parchment | F 6-3 Freshman

Michigan State starting lineup

Head coach: Robyn Fralick

1 Rashunda Jones | G 5-8 Junior
23 Jalyn Brown | G 6-1 Senior
35 Kennedy Blair | G 5-9 Sophomore
14 Grace VanSlooten | F 6-3 Senior
10 Ines Sotelo | C 6-3 Sophomore

Syracuse, Cal starters exit ACC matchup after on-court collision

At the 6:43 mark of the third quarter, Syracuse’s Sophie Burrows was advancing the ball up the court. Burrows tried to pass the ball to Dominique Darius, but it was intercepted by Cal’s Mjracle Sheppard. As Sheppard stole the ball, she collided with Darius in midair. The collision sent both players to the floor. Darius and Sheppard were both in clear pain as they lay on the floor, attended to by training staff.

It’s unclear what injuries may have occurred from the collision, but Darius said her finger and knee hurt. Both Darius and Sheppard exited the court moments later, after being helped to their feet by training staff.

Sheppard returned to the bench for Syracuse. Darius was ruled out for the rest of the game. −Meghan L. Hall

No. 15 Auburn vs No. 7 Texas A&M, 6 p.m. ET | SEC Network

Auburn Tigers starting lineup

Head coach: Larry Vickers

1 Mya Petticord | G 5-9 Senior
2 Ja’Mia Harris | G 5-11 Junior
3 Harissoum Coulibaly | G 5-10 Freshman
4 Kaitlyn Duhon | G 5-10 Junior
6 Khady Leye | F 6-2 Sophomore

Ole Miss Rebels starting lineup

Head coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin

21 Debreasha Powe | G 6-1 Senior
35 Tianna Thompson | G 5-10 Sophomore
4 Jayla Murray | F 6-1 Senior
12 Christeen Iwuala| F 6-3 Senior
32 Cotie McMahon | F 6-0 Senior

Halftime: Syracuse 37, Cal 16

The California Golden Bears might not want to remember the first half of their matchup against Syracuse. After eight turnovers alone in the first period, Cal did not hit 10 points until the 7:04 mark of the second quarter. By the time halftime arrived, the Bears were shooting 25% from the field and had 10 turnovers.

Syracuse’s defensive intensity was a problem for Cal from the opening tip, and its punishing shots on the other end made for a very long first half for the Golden Bears. At halftime, the Orange are shooting 53% from the field and already have two players in double figures. Uche Izoje leads all scorers with 12 points, five rebounds, three blocks and a steal. −Meghan L. Hall

Syracuse felt good ahead of ACC matchup with Cal

Syracuse was feeling light and jovial before its Thursday matchup against Cal. The team broke out a ‘Remember The Titans’ inspired stroll before arriving at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia. −Meghan L. Hall

Syracuse off to hot start vs. Cal

Syracuse started Thursday’s matchup against Cal with intensity and pace. The Orange went on a 9-0 run to open the game, and were up 13-4 before a timeout was called at the 4:39 mark in the first quarter. Syracuse’s run was powered by Sophie Burrows (five points) and ACC Rookie of the Year Uche Izoje (six points). −Meghan L. Hall

Final: BYU 70, Utah 52

It was a tale of two halves. The first half belonged to Utah, but the second half was all BYU on Thursday at the Big 12 Tournament.

Utah outscored BYU 36-27 in the first half and had a nine point lead at halftime, but the Cougars settled in and turned it on in the second half. BYU outscored Utah 43-16.

BYU’s Delaney Gibb scored 12 of her team-high 19 points in the second half. She rounded out her stat line with eight assists, five rebounds and four steals. Brinley Cannon and Lara Rohkohl each added 12 points.

Lani White was the only Utes player to reach double digits with 20 points. Maty Wilke added eight points in the loss. −Cydney Henderson

Final: No. 5 Ohio State 83, No. 13 Indiana 59

After a slow start, Ohio State methodically built up a commanding lead through the final three quarters against Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament.

Jaloni Cambridge finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, and six assists for the Buckeyes, while Chance Gray added 16 points.

The Hoosiers had to fight through foul trouble for most of the game, as Lenee Beaumont picked up four fouls in the first half. She still managed to finish with six points and seven rebounds, going the entire second half without a foul.Ohio State will move on to play No. 4 Minnesota at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. −Chloe Henderson

No. 10 Cal vs. No. 7 Syracuse – 5 p.m. ET | ACC Network

Syracuse Orange starting lineup

Head coach: Felisha Legette-Jack

20 Dominique Darius | G 5-10 – Senior
5 Laila Phelia | G 6-0 – Senior
14 Shy Hawkins | G 6-2 – Sophomore
2 Journey Thompson | F 6-3 – Senior
44 Uche Izoje | C 6-3 – Freshman

California Golden Bears starting lineup

Head coach: Charmin Smith

1 Mjracle Sheppard | G 5-10 – Junior
10 Lulu Twidale | G 5-10 – Junior
21 Gisella Maul | G 5-11 – Junior
22 Claudia Langarita | F 6-4 – Senior
35 Sakima Walker | C 6-5 – Senior

BYU goes on 15-0 run vs. Utah

Back and forth we go. BYU trailed by as many as 11 points in the third quarter, but the Cougars responded with a 15-0 run to retake the lead, 51-45. BYU’s run was capped off by a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Olivia Hamlin. BYU outscored Utah 24-7 in the third quarter and the Utes find themselves down eight points heading into the fourth quarter. −Cydney Henderson

Final: Oklahoma 82, Florida 64

Oklahoma’s Reagan Beers and Aaliyah Chavez combined for 35 points in the Sooners’ 82-64 win over Florida on Thursday at the SEC Tournament. Zya Vann (14) and Brooklyn Stewart (12) also reached double-digits for the Sooners.

Oklahoma shot a dismal 4-of-19 from the 3-point line, but they didn’t need the long ball for the win over Florida. Instead, the Sooners dominated the paint, where they outscored the Gators 48-32. Oklahoma also took advantage 24 Florida turnovers, which the Sooners converted to 23 points.

Florida’s Liv McGill had a game-high 28 points in the losing effort. Me’Arah O’Neal added 10 points and three rebounds. − Cydney Henderson

Halftime: Utah 36 , BYU 27

Utah closed the first half on a 17-2 run to take a nine-point lead over BYU into halftime, the largest by either team so far.

Lani White has led the charge for Utah. She’s up to 16 points, shooting 5-of-10 from the field and 2-of-5 from the 3-point line. Maty Wilke added six points and Chyra Evans seven rebounds. Utah outscored BYU 19-5 in the second quarter.

Brinley Cannon has a team-high nine points for BYU, while Kambree Barber and Delaney Gibb each have seven points.  − Cydney Henderson 

Final: Notre Dame, 69 Miami 54

Notre Dame and Miami both shot 46% on Thursday, but Miami’s 18 turnovers were the difference. The Fighting Irish capitalized on the giveaways by the Hurricanes, scoring 23 points. Defense and a 28-point outing from Hannah Hidalgo helped Notre Dame move on to the quarterfinals on Friday against No. 4 NC State.

For Miami, early foul trouble from leading scorer Ra Shaya Kyle didn’t help the Hurricanes’ woes. Kyle scored her standard double-double, which she averages of 11 points and 15 rebounds, but it was not enough to get past Notre Dame. Teammate Gal Raviv tried her hardest to help, too, but her 15 points fell short as well. −Meghan L. Hall

Halftime: Ohio State 36, Indiana 24

Ohio State recovered from a slow start for an explosive second quarter to open a double-digit lead over Indiana at halftime. 

The Buckeyes have 11 offensive rebounds that they’ve turned into 14 second-chance points, and they’re outrebounding the Hoosiers 25-18. Chance Gray has 11 points for Ohio State, and second-team All-American Jaloni Cambridge has 10.

Indiana, which is running a right six-player rotation, is trying to work through significant foul trouble. Lenee Beaumont already has four fouls, which she picked up in 15 minutes, and Nevaeh Caffey has three fouls in 16 minutes.

Shay Ciezki is leading the Hoosiers with 10 points on 5-of-12 shooting.

USC hopeful Jazzy Davidson will ‘be OK with some rest’

Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jazzy Davidson went down with an apparent arm injury early in USC’s Big Ten Tournament loss to Washington on Thursday afternoon.

Five minutes into the game, Davidson was hit in front of the USC bench while running up the backcourt in transition. She was immediately surrounded by USC coaches and medical staff as she grabbed her shoulder, looking to be in pain.

She then went to the locker room, holding her right arm, as officials reviewed the play and deemed it incidental. Davidson returned to the bench just one minute of game time later, talking quickly with coach Lindsay Gottlieb before going to check back into the game.

“She took a pretty significant hit,” Gottlieb said. “She’s a really tough kid. She wants to play through it. But I was just checking with her to make sure there wasn’t anything that was getting worse, and also at times trying to settle her down. She plays so hard and wants to win.”

Davidson played through most of the game, but she was shaking out her right arm multiple times after shots. She shot 2-of-13 from the floor for eight points.

Eventually, the medical staff made the decision in the fourth quarter to sit her for the rest of the game; Davidson subbed out for the final time with seven minutes left.

“I trust our medical staff when they said she was okay to go back in,” Gottlieb said. “But then I thought it was bothering her and nagging her, and when someone can’t be at their best, you’re not mentally as present. And I was told, collective decision, down the stretch there, let’s shut her down for the rest of the game. But the hope is that she will be okay with some rest.’

Gottlieb is hopeful that Davidson will be good to go by the start of the NCAA Tournament, which will come in just over two weeks. USC is projected to be a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and Gottlieb doesn’t expect the Trojans’ positioning to change after their early exit from the Big Ten Tournament.

“There were eight teams that finished above us in our league. Seven of them in the last reveal are hosting, and the other one here is obviously a tournament team that now we’ve split with,” Gottlieb said. “Yeah, I don’t think it’s in question. It becomes about matchups in the tournament. Send us wherever. You usually get what you earn. We earned our way into the 8-9 game here, and we’ll do the same with the NCAA Tournament.” − Chloe Peterson

Hannah Hidalgo breaks ACC single-season steals record

Back-to-back ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Hannah Hidalgo now has another record on her resume: single-season steals in the conference. On Thursday, during her matchup against Miami, Hidalgo’s four steals for 166 total to help her surpass Donna Holt (164) for the most steals in a single season. Lamar University’s Chastadie Barrs has the single season national steals record with 192 steals, set in 2018-19. −Meghan L. Hall

No. 9 BYU vs. No. 8 Utah | 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

BYU Cougars starting lineup

Head coach: Lee Cummard

2 Sydney Benally | G 5-9 – Freshman
11 Delaney Gibb | G 5-10 – Sophomore
13 Lara Rohkohl | F 6-3 – Senior
14 Kambree Barber | G 6-0 – Sophomore
24 Brinley Cannon | G/F 6-1 -Sophomore

Utah Utes starting lineup

Head coach: Gavin Petersen

0 Lani White | G 6-0 – Senior
2 LA Sneed | G 5-6 – Freshman
12 Chyra Evans | F 6-3 – Junior
20 Reese Ross | F 6-1 – Junior
23 Maty Wilke | G 5-10 -Senior

Halftime: Oklahoma 40, Florida 38

Liv McGill has already piled up 19 points for the Gators as their NCAA Tournament hopes are on the line in this second-round matchup in the SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina.

Aaliyah Chavez has 13 points for the Sooners.

Florida has stayed in the game by going 11-of-13 from the foul line in the first half.

The winner will face No. 4 LSU on Friday on ESPN.

Halftime: Notre Dame 37, Miami 23

Miami is playing with a ton of pace, but Notre Dame is matching it and causing a lot of problems defensively. Notre Dame has 12 points off 11 Miami turnovers. The Fighting Irish have switched between zone and man-to-man looks, and both have been successful. At the half, the Hurricanes are shooting 38% overall, after they shot just 18% in the second.

Notre Dame, which is shooting 50% from the field, is led by Hannah Hidalgo’s non-stop energy. The junior guard leads all scorers with 14 points, five rebounds and three steals. Cassandre Prosper is right behind Hildago with nine points and one block.

No. 13 Indiana vs. No. 5 Ohio State | 2:30 p.m. Big Ten Network

Indiana starting lineup

Head coach: Teri Moren

Shay Ciezki | G 5-7 Senior
Nevaeh Caffey G 5-10 Freshman
Lenee Beaumont | G 6-1 Sophomore
Maya Makalusky | F 6-3 Freshman
Edessa Noyan | F 6-3 Junior

Ohio State starting lineup

Head coach: Kevin McGuff

Jaloni Cambridge | G 5-7 Sophomore
Ava Watson | G 5-8 Sophomore
Chance Gray | G 5-9 Senior
Kennedy Cambridge | G 5-8 Junior
Elsa Lemmila | C 6-6 Sophomore

Final: Kansas State 58, Texas Tech 51

Texas Tech led by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter, but Kansas State went on a 21-0 run to not only take their first lead of the game with 2:39 remaining, but defeat the Red Raiders 58-51 in the second round.

The Lady Raiders’ nearly eight-minute scoring drought and the Wildcats’ subsequent run was fueled by Texas Tech turnovers. Texas Tech finished with 16 turnovers, with three coming in the fourth quarter. Texas Tech was held to four points in the fourth quarter and finished the game shooting 29% from the field and 6-of-23 from the 3-point line.

Junior forward Nastja Claessens led the way for Kansas State with 14 points. Tess Heal scored eight of her 10 points in the second half, including a pair of clutch free throws to ice the game.

It marked Kansas States fifth straight victory over Texas Tech.

Texas Tech’s Snudda Collins finished with 14 points in the loss. She was the only Red Raider to reach double digits. Gemma Nuñez had nine points and Bailey Maupin had eight points.

Final: Washington 76, USC 64

Elle Ladine scored a game-high 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting to lead Washington over USC in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Washington controlled the entire game, shooting 50% from the field as a team and finishing with four players in double figures.

USC shot 31% from the field (18-of-58).

Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jazzy Davidson scored eight points on 2-of-13 shooting for USC, but she was seemingly hampered by a right arm injury. She briefly went to the locker room holding her shoulder early in the first quarter and returned to the court, but she was shaking out her right arm after shots for the rest of the game.

‘I did not get a good look at the replay, and I trust our medical staff when they said she was OK to go back in. But then I thought it was bothering her and nagging her, and when someone can’t be at their best, you’re not mentally as present,’ USC coach Lindsey Gottleib said. ‘And I was told, collective decision, down the stretch there, let’s shut her down for the rest of the game. But the hope is that she will be OK with some rest.’

Washington will advance to play top-seeded UCLA on Friday at noon.

Hannah Hidalgo is cashing in early against Miami

Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo is the first player in the game to score in double figures. At the 4:46 mark of the second quarter, she has 11 points on 50% shooting, four rebounds and two steals.

ACC teams make NCAA Tournament cases

Following Clemson’s 63-50 win over Virginia, both head coaches made cases for their teams to make the NCAA Tournament.

‘Super, super proud of this group. I thought that was a gritty, hard-fought, tough win. In my opinion, that’s an NCAA Tournament game with two NCAA Tournament teams,’ Clemson coach Shawn Poppie said.

‘We kind of took this as our season is on the line. We felt like a win today would get us in the NCAA Tournament no matter what happens the rest of the way out. That’s how they focused and fought and competed. But ultimately that’s just basketball. How you start and how you finish quarters.’

Before Thursday’s win, Clemson was on the bubble, but still needed help to get in the Big Dance. Now, the victory over Virginia all but guarantees the Tigers will go dancing.

For Virginia, the loss to Clemson makes their NCAA Tournament bid a bit more unclear. The Cavaliers will likely be nervous come Selection Sunday, now all but assuredly on the bubble. Virginia head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton also made a case for the NCAA tournament.

‘We’ve got to take ownership of our part today. We didn’t compete. We weren’t urgent for 40 minutes. We didn’t stick to the gameplan. We didn’t do the things we could do to control the outcome of that game,’ Agugua-Hamilton said.

‘But if you’re talking about the course of the season, there’s been a lot of ups and downs due to some adversity. I do think that we’ll be ready to go, come NCAA Tournament. We’ve got a little bit of a break where we can get better and get more connected and be on the same page.’

Agugua-Hamilton also added she wasn’t ready to throw in the towel on the season, given all that Virginia has accomplished, including 11 wins in the ACC regular season for the first time in 26 years.

‘There’s so many highlights of the season, but to me, it can’t be done yet,’ Agugua-Hamilton said. −Meghan L. Hall

Kansas State goes on 11-0 run vs. Texas Tech

Not so fast. After trailing by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter, Kansas State went on a 11-0 run to cut their deficit to three points with 5:22 remaining. Texas Tech has not scored in over two minutes.

Texas Tech takes double-digit lead vs. Kansas State

Texas Tech women’s basketball took a commanding 14-point lead over Kansas State with 7:42 remaining in the game after Snudda Collins made a wide-open layup. Collins leads all scorers with 14 points off the bench. Can Kansas State muster a comeback? The Wildcats have struggled to find any offensive rhythm and are shooting 31% from the field and 5-of-24 from the 3-point line, one day removed from setting a Big 12 Tournament record with 17 made 3-pointers in their win over Cincinnati on Wednesday.

No. 12 Florida vs. No. 5 Oklahoma, 1:30 p.m. ET | SEC Network

Florida Gators starting lineup

Head coach: Kelly Rae Finley

13 Laila Reynolds | G 6-1 – Junior
23 Liv McGill | G 5-9 – Sophomore
8 Me’Arah O’Neal | F 6-4 – Sophomore
9 Alexa Dizeko | F 5-111- Senior
14 Caterina Piatti | F 6-4 – Freshman

Oklahoma Sooners starting lineup

Head coach: Jennie Baranczyk

2 Aaliyah Chavez | G 5-10 – Freshman
3 Zya Vann | G 5-9 – Sophomore
6 Sahara Williams | F 5-11 – Junior
12 Payton Verhulst | G 6-1 –  Senior
15 Raegan Beers | C 6-4 – Senior

Halftime: Washington 32, USC 20

USC survived an injury scare when Big Ten Freshman Jazzy Davidson briefly went back to the locker room with an apparent shoulder injury, but returned to the court just a minute of game time later.

The Trojans still have some work to do if they want to extend their stay in Indianapolis.

USC shot just 25% (6-of-24) from the field and 20% (2-of-10) from 3-point range in the first half.

Washington is dominating the boards, pulling down 24 compared to USC’s nine. The Huskies have 10 offensive rebounds alone, with six second-chance points. 

Elle Ladine is leading Washington with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while Avery Howell has 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Davidson and Kennedy Smith are leading the Trojans with five points each.

Miami vs. No. 5 Notre Dame, 1:30 p.m. | ACC Network

Notre Dame Fighting Irish starting lineup

Head coach: Niele Ivey

3 Hannah Hidalgo | G 5-6 – Junior
2 Vanessa De Jesus | G 5-8 – Senior
23 Iyana Moore | G 5-8 – Senior
8 Cassandre Prosper | G 6-3 – Senior
5 Malaya Cowles | F 6-3- Senior

Miami Hurricanes starting lineup

Head coach: Tricia Cullop

0 Ra Shaya Kyle | C 6-5 – Senior
33 Amarachi Kimpson | G 5-8 – Junior
12 Natalie Wetzel | F 6-3 – Freshman
5 Ahnay Adams | G 5-6 – Sophomore
14 Gal Raviv | G 5-9 – Sophomore

Final: Kentucky 76, Georgia 61

Clara Strack scored a career-high-tying 33 points to power the Wildcats to a second straight victory at the SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina, on Thursday afternoon.

Strack, a 6-foot-5 junior, made a career-best five 3-pointers in the victory for Kentucky (23-9) and collected eight rebounds, three blocks and two assists. The Wildcats also got 14 points and 12 boards from Teonni Key, and 14 points and seven assists from Tonie Morgan.

Morgan’s final assist came on a 3-pointer to Amelia Hassett, which highlighted a 14-2 fourth quarter run for the Wildcats.

Dani Carnegie led Georgia (22-9) with 18 points in the loss.

Kentucky will face top-seeded South Carolina on Friday at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Wildcats and Gamecocks met in the regular season finale for both teams last Sunday, with South Carolina winning by four points. −Mitchell Northam

Final: Clemson 63, Virginia 50

After a grind-it-out matchup, the Clemson Tigers move on to the third round of the ACC Tournament. Clemson will play No. 1 seed Duke on Friday. Tigers guard Mia Moore had a game-high 20 points on 87.5% shooting in 22 minutes of play. Unsurprisingly, the Tigers also finished the matchup shooting 50% from deep with 10 triples.Paris Clark led the Cavaliers with 15 points, while Kymora Johnson added 12. Clemson’s defense overwhelmed Virginia down the stretch, holding the Cavaliers to 33% shooting as the game wound down. Additionally, Virginia finished with 11 bench points to Clemson’s 25. −Meghan L. Hall

Halftime: Texas Tech 34, Kansas State 29

Texas Tech scored 11 points off eight Kansas State turnovers in the first half of a defensive battle. The Red Raiders are also leading the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Wildcats, 14-11.

Snudda Collins is leading Texas Tech with 10 points off the bench. Gemma Nuñez has nine points and five rebounds.

Clemson extends lead over Virginia

In the third quarter, Virginia scored 10 straight points to bring a bit closer to the Tigers, but since the 2:15 mark of the third, it’s been all Clemson. The Tigers built their lead to as high as 12 with 3:38 to go in the fourth. With the lead at 12, the Clemson faithful cheered even louder.

Jazzy Davidson leaves game briefly with apparent shoulder injury

Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jazzy Davidson briefly went back to the locker room holding her right shoulder in the first quarter of No. 9 USC’s game against No. 8 Washington, but quickly checked back in after one minute of game time and two reviews.

Davidson was running up the court on offense when she was hit in the backcourt. The play was reviewed for a potential upgrade, but officials deemed the contact incidental.

Davidson, who looked to be in pain, was surrounded by coaches and medical staff on the USC bench. She briefly went back to the locker room with a trainer, but returned to the bench then checked back in after a quick chat with USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb.

Officials reviewed a separate play off of a USC challenge while Davidson was in the locker room. USC lost that challenge. −Chloe Peterson

No. 12 Kansas State vs. No. 5 Texas Tech, 12 p.m. | ESPN+

Kansas State starting lineup

Head coach: Krista Gerlich

4 Nastja Claessens | G 5-8 Sophomore
6 Gina Garcia | G 5-10 Freshman
3 Brandie Harrod | G 6-1 Freshman
11 Taryn Sides | G 5-7 Junior
34 Tess Heal | G 5-10 Senior

Texas Tech starting lineup

Head coach: Jeff Mittie

11 Sarengbe Sanogo | F 6-3 Senior
1 Jalynn Bristow | G 6-2 Junior
2 Gemma Nuñez | G 5-7 Senior
20 Bailey Maupin | G 5-10 Senior
5 Denae Fritz | G 5-11 Senior

Clemson hot from the 3-point line vs. Virginia

The Clemson Tigers are red hot from beyond the arc. As a team, the Tigers are shooting 44% from deep and have seven triples.

Halftime: Georgia 36, Kentucky 35

Trinity Turner has 12 points and Dani Carnegie has scored 10 as the Bulldogs lead Wildcats at the break in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday in Greenville, South Carolina.

Clara Strack is powering Kentucky with 18 points, but Georgia is winning the rebounding margin by three and has made one more free throw.

The two teams are even in many statistical categories at halftime, which could make for a closely contested second half and an exciting finish. There have been six lead changes so far. The winner will face top-seeded South Carolina on Friday morning. − Mitchell Northam

Halftime: Clemson 28, Virginia 26

Thursday’s matchup between the Tigers and Cavaliers is a defensive battle at halftime. Clemson has three steals, but Virginia has three blocks in a virtual tug-of-war that left both teams shooting under 30% in the first quarter. During the second quarter, Clemson found itself in a slump, shooting as low as 16%, but its defense helped the Tigers stay in it, and scoring from seven players has them out in front.

On Virginia’s side, the Cavaliers are shooting 33% and have given up the ball eight times. Still, their shooting keeps them within an arm’s length of Clemson. The Cavaliers have 10 points in the paint and scoring from seven players.Virginia’s Paris Clark leads all scorers with seven points.  Rusne Augustinaite leads Clemson with six points. −Meghan L. Hall

No. 8 Washington vs. No. 9 USC, 12 p.m. ET | BTN

Washington Huskies starting lineup

Head coach: Tina Langley

0 Sayvia Sellers | G 5-7 Junior
1 Hannah Stines | G 5-11 Senior
2 Avery Howell | G 6-0 Sophomore
24 Elle Ladine | G 5-11 Senior
21 Brynn McGaughy | 6-3 F Freshman

USC Trojans starting lineup

Head coach: Lindsay Gottlieb

6 Laura Williams | F 6-1 Freshamn
9 Jazzy Davidson | G 6-1 Freshman
11 Kennedy Smith | G 6-1 Sophomore
25 Kara Dunn | G 5-11 Senior
3 Londynn Jones | G 5-4 Senior

Wake Forest expected to retain head coach Megan Gebbia

Wake Forest’s regular season came to an end on Wednesday in Duluth, Georgia, when it lost 75-52 to Cal in the opening round of the ACC Tournament.

Despite this being the third consecutive losing season for the Demon Deacons under coach Megan Gebbia, multiple sources told USA Today Sports that Wake is expected to retain its head coach for at least one more season. Gebbia is 47-79 in four seasons in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Formerly the coach at American where she won five Patriot League titles and went to three NCAA Tournaments, Gebbia was hired in May 2022 after athletic director John Currie fired longtime head coach — and Wake alum — Jennifer Hoover at the ACC’s spring meetings. Wake has only been to the NCAA Tournament twice, and Hoover was a player on one of those teams and head coach for the other. Hoover is now an assistant coach at Virginia Tech.

Wake had an up-and-down season, opening it with a nine-game win streak, but also suffering eight straight losses in ACC play between January and February. Because Wake Forest is a private school, it’s unclear what Gebbia’s contract length is. She signed an extension after a 17-17 season in 2023. − Mitchell Northam

Clemon’s leading scorer in foul trouble

Clemson’s leading scorer, Mia Moore, already has two fouls at the 5:49 mark of the first quarter. Moore has played just four minutes. Head coach Shawn Poppie was not happy over the second foul and gave a nearby official an earful. −Meghan L. Hall

UConn sweeps Big East awards

UConn sophomore forward Sarah Strong was named the 2025-26 Big East Player and Defensive Player of the Year. Strong leads the top-ranked Huskies in points, rebounds, blocks and steals this season. She ranks seventh nationally in steals (97), 15th in assist-turnover ratio (2.37) and 15th in field goal percentage (59.5). Strong is averaging 18.6 points per game on a .595/.407/.881 shooting split.

Forward Blanca Quiñonez was named the conference’s Freshman and Sixth Woman of the Year. Strong and graduate student guard Azzi Fudd were unanimously selected first-team All-Big East. Junior guard KK Arnold joined thema on the first team. 

Head coach Geno Auriemma was selected as the Big East Coach of the Year. −Heather Burns

No. 9 Kentucky vs No. 8 Georgia, 11 a.m. ET | SEC Network

Kentucky Wildcats starting lineup

Head coach: Kenny Brooks

5 Tonie Morgan | G 5-9 Senior
8 Asia Boone | G 5-8 Junior
7 Teonni Key | F 6-5 Senior
32 Amelia Hassett | F 6-4 Senior
13 Clara Strack | F 6-5 Junior

Georgia Bulldogs starting lineup

Head coach: Katie Abrahamson-Henderson

0 Trinity Turner | G 5-6 Sophomore
2 Savannah Henderson | G 6-3 Junior
3 Dani Carnegie | G 5-9 Sophomore
14 Rylie Theuerkauf | G 5-9 Junior
33 Mia Woolfolk | F 6-3 Sophomore

Texas A&M has NCAA Tournament hopes, but would play in WBIT

Despite losing to Auburn in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday night, Texas A&M still believes it is a team worthy of inclusion in the NCAA Tournament. Before losing to the Tigers, the Aggies had won five games in a row.

“I think we have done everything that we can do to put ourselves in this position to be a NCAA Tournament team, considering the conference that we’re playing in,” Texas A&M coach Joni Taylor said. “There should be 12 teams in the NCAA Tournament from the SEC.”

The Aggies are 33rd in WAB, a perfect 5-0 in Quad 2 games and have the fourth-best strength-of-schedule in the country, based on the average NET ranking of their opponents. But Texas A&M is also just 2-9 in Quad 1 games and has a NET ranking of 61. The reality is that getting into the field of 68 this year is a longshot for Taylor’s team.

However, should Texas A&M be excluded from the NCAA Tournament field, Taylor says they would still entertain an invitation from a lower-tier tournament, like the WBIT.

“Absolutely, we’re going to play postseason basketball,” Taylor said. “This team deserves that. They’ve earned the right to do that.” − Mitchell Northam

No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 Virginia, 11:00 a.m. | ACC Network

Clemson Tigers starting lineup

Head coach: Shawn Poppie

12 Mia Moore | G 5-6 – Senior
11 Rusne Augustinaite | G 6-0 – Junior
14 Rachel Rose | G 5-7 – Senior
25 Demeara Hinds | F 6-2- Senior
32 Raven Thompson | F 5-10 – Senior

Virginia Cavaliers starting lineup

Head coach: Amaka Agugua-Hamilton

21 Kymora Johnson | G 5-7 – Junior
1 Paris Clark | G 5-8 – Senior
23 Romi Levy | G 6-3 – Senior
12 Caitlin Weimar | F 6-4- Senior
7 Tabitha Amanze | F 6-4 – Senior

SEC Tournament schedule, bracket, scores

Wednesday, March 4 – First round

#9 Kentucky 94, #16 Arkansas 64
#12 Florida 86, #13 Mississippi State 68
#15 Auburn 50, #10 Texas A&M 49
#11 Alabama 65, #14 Missouri 48

Thursday, March 5 – Second round

Game 5 | #9 Kentucky vs. #8 Georgia | 11 a.m. ET | SEC Network
Game 6 | #12 Florida vs. #5 Oklahoma | 1:30 p.m. ET | SEC Network
Game 7 | #15 Auburn vs. #7 Ole Miss | 6 p.m. ET | SEC Network
Game 8 | #11 Alabama vs. #6 Tennessee | 8:30 p.m. ET | SEC Network

Friday, March 6 – Quarterfinals

Game 9 | G5 winner vs. #1 South Carolina | 12 p.m. ET | ESPN
Game 10 | G6 winner vs. #4 LSU | 2:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
Game 11 | G7 winner vs. #2 Vanderbilt| 6 p.m. ET | SEC Network
Game 12 | G8 winner vs. #3 Texas | 8:30 p.m. ET | SEC Network

Saturday, March 7 – Semifinals

Game 13 | G9 winner vs. G10 winner | 4:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Game 14 | G11 winner vs. G12 winner | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN2

Sunday, March 8 – Championship

Game 15 | G13 winner vs. G14 winner | 3 p.m. ET | ESPN

ACC Tournament schedule, bracket, scores

March 4

First round

Game 1: No. 12 Miami 83 vs. No. 13 Stanford 76
Game 2: No. 10 Cal 75 vs. No. 15 Wake Forest 52
Game 3: No. 11 Georgia Tech 72 vs. No. 14 Florida State 60

March 5

Second round

Game 4 No. 9 Clemson vs. No. 8 Virginia (11:00 a.m.; ACCN)
Game 5: Miami vs. No. 5 Notre Dame (1:30 p.m.; ACCN)
Game 6: Cal vs. No. 7 Syracuse (5:00 p.m.; ACCN)
Game 7: Georgia Tech vs. No. 6 Virginia Tech (7:30 p.m.; ACCN)

March 6

Quarterfinals

Game 8: Winner Game 4 vs. No. 1 Duke (11:00 a.m.; ESPN2)
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. No. 4 NC State (1:30 p.m.; ACCN)
Game 10: Winner Game 6 vs. No. 2 Louisville (5:00 p.m.; ESPN2)
Game 11: Winner Game 7 vs. No. 3 UNC (7:30 p.m.; ACCN)

March 7

Semifinals

Game 12: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 8 (Noon ET; ESPN2)
Game 13: Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 10 (2:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2)

March 8

Championship: Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 13 (1:00 p.m. ET; ESPN)

Big Ten Tournament schedule, bracket, scores

The 2026 Big Ten women’s basketball tournament unfolds over five days during March, with all games played in Indianapolis.

Here’s the daily schedule:

Wednesday, March 4 – First round

#13 Indiana 72, #12 Nebraska 69
#10 Illinois 82, #15 Wisconsin 70
#11 Oregon 71, #14 Purdue 65

Thursday, March 5 – Second round

Game 4 | #8 Washington vs. #9 USC | 12 p.m. ET | BTN
Game 5 | #5 Ohio State vs. #13 Indiana | 25 minutes following Game 4 | BTN
Game 6 | #7 Michigan State vs. #10 Illinois | 6:30 p.m. ET | BTN
Game 7 | #6 Maryland vs. #11 Oregon | 25 minutes following Game 6 | BTN

Friday, March 6 – Quarterfinals

Game 8 | #1 UCLA vs. G4 winner | 12 p.m. ET | BTN
Game 9 | #4 Minnesota vs. G5 winner | 25 minutes following Game 8 | BTN
Game 10 | #2 Iowa vs. G6 winner | 6:30 p.m. ET | BTN
Game 11 | #3 Michigan vs. G7 winner | 25 minutes following Game 10 | BTN

Saturday, March 7 – Semifinals

Game 12 | G8 winner vs. G9 winner | 2 p.m. ET | BTN
Game 13 | G10 winner vs. G11 winner | 4:30 p.m. ET | BTN

Sunday, March 8 – Championship

Game 14 | G12 winner vs. G13 winner | 2:15 p.m. ET | CBS

Big 12 Tournament schedule, bracket, scores

All times Eastern

March 4

First Round

Game 1: No. 12 Kansas State 91, No. 13 Cincinnati 66
Game 2:No. 9 BYU 76, No. 16 Houston 66
Game 3: No. 10 Arizona State 54, No. 15 Arizona 51
Game 4: No. 11 Kansas 56, No. 14 UCF 35

March 5

Second Round

Game 5: No. 12 Kansas State vs. No. 5 Texas Tech | noon (ESPN+)
Game 6: No. 9 BYU vs. No. 8 Utah | 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 7: No. 10 Arizona State vs. No. 7 Iowa State | 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 8: No. 11 Kansas vs. No. 6 Colorado | 9 p.m. (ESPN+)

March 6

Quarterfinals

Game 9: Winner of Game 5 vs. No. 4 Oklahoma State | noon (ESPNU)
Game 10: Winner of Game 6 vs. No. 1 TCU | 2:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Game 11: Winner of Game 7 vs. No. 2 West Virginia | 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 12: Winner of Game 8 vs. No. 3 Baylor | 9 p.m. (ESPN+)

March 7

Semifinals

Game 13: Winner of Game 9 vs. Winner of Game 10 | 4:00 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 14: Winner of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 12 | 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

March 8

Championship: Winner of Game 13 vs. Winner of Game 14 | 5:00 p.m. (ESPN+)