UCLA men’s basketball flat-out outplayed USC in Tuesday night’s 81-62 win. The archrivals met for the first of their two Big Ten clashes on Feb. 24 in what was a crucial game for two teams on the bubble in USA TODAY Sports’ latest Bracketology.

The two have been on opposite trajectories as of late, with the Bruins entering Tuesday fresh off Donovan Dent’s overtime buzzer-beater to beat No. 11 Illinois and secure a much-needed quad 1 win. The Trojans, meanwhile, entered the night in the midst of a three-game losing streak capped off by a stunning 71-70 home loss to Oregon in which they led by six points with 59 seconds to go.

Those trends played continued as UCLA’s physical defense and a 30-point gem from Donovan Dent derailed a Trojans team that couldn’t find much offense from anyone not named Chad Baker-Mazara (25 points, eight rebounds, two assists).

‘They’re a very athletic team, obviously Baker-Mazara is a potent offensive player that can turn your lights out. Proud of the guys that got the job done,’ Bruins head coach Mick Cronin said postgame. ‘This late in the year, guys are just trying to win and stay healthy. … Happy with the win, and nobody got injured. So, onward.’

Here are the winners and losers from the first leg of the USC-UCLA rivalry:

WINNERS

UCLA’s tournament hopes

The Bruins entered the day as one of the last four teams in, and they just got one step closer to March with a big quad 2 win – over their biggest rivals, nonetheless. After the Illinois game on Saturday, Feb. 21, players said they’re feeling like they’re at their highest point as a team right now.

Cronin sees it a little differently.

‘I’m glad they feel that way,’ he said. ‘I would say you’re only as good as your next game. When you win, your team’s going to have a better feeling about those things. Sometimes you can play well and lose, though. We could’ve lost that game, I still thought it was one of the best comebacks we had played. … But we got a little goal here for the end of the year. We got two down, three to go.’

Donovan Dent

Dent followed up his heroics from the Illinois game with another stellar performance. He led all scorers with 30 points, two rebounds and seven assists (which also led the game). He shot 62.5% from the floor and was five-for-six from deep.

‘I’m hoping this groove continues,’ he said. ‘This is the best time to get a groove, honestly. I was struggling early this season, so for me to get in a groove right now I feel like would be huge for our team and huge for myself.’

UCLA’s offensive attack

It wasn’t just Dent who shared the love on Tuesday. The team overall moved the ball especially well, finishing the game with 18 assists, seven more than USC. Trent Perry (four assists) and Skyy Clark (three) did their part in finding the open man.

‘When we share the ball we’re a very high level offense. When we share the ball,’ Cronin said. ‘That said, Donnie had a great game. Got Tyler (Bilodeau) some balls late. … Got some different contributions (too).’

LOSERS

USC still outside the bubble

With Tuesday’s loss, the Trojans have now dropped their fourth consecutive Big Ten game and second straight quad 1 game. All 10 of their losses this season have come in conference play. They took another step back, and now their tournament hopes are standing at the edge of a cliff.

‘We’re not in the tournament,’ USC head coach Eric Musselman said. ‘We’re outside looking in. We have to figure out a way to win a game before we even worry about anything of that magnitude. We have three opportunities left, and then we have the Big Ten tournament.

‘We’re a team that has been on the bubble with three games left and we haven’t played good basketball last four games, and obviously the Northwestern loss and the Oregon loss is going to hurt us for sure.’

Growing pains for Alijah Arenas

It wasn’t all bad. Arenas finished with 10 points to be the only Trojan besides Baker-Mazara to score in double figures. A lot wasn’t good either, though. He didn’t make his first field goal of the game until late in the second half as his opportunities to make an impact early in the game were limited by foul trouble. He also had five turnovers.

But these bumps on the road are to be expected for Arenas, who didn’t make his season debut until late January due to a torn right meniscus.

‘It’s a learning curve for him,’ Musselman said. ‘We’re trying to balance his minutes and teaching him on the fly and it’s super difficult because he missed all the summer, and he missed the first half of Big Ten, and he’s a reclassification.

‘He’s an incredible talent who’s got an awesome ceiling, and he’s got an incredible future. … But it’s a process when you don’t – he doesn’t have the whole summer. He doesn’t have non-conference play, and so we’re asking him to do a lot for sure.’

PHOENIX – It may have been a meaningless spring training game, but for Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia, it meant everything.

He slowly walked to the mound Monday, listening to the crowd at Camelback Ranch give him a rousing ovation, took a deep breath, and with his heart pounding, proceeded to do what he does best.

Vesia pitched a 1-2-3 inning against the Seattle Mariners, and he walked off the mound, the cheering grew louder and louder. He patted his chest and looked to the crowd in appreciation. He reached the dugout, and every single one of his teammates stood up to hug him, shake his hand, or pump fists.

“It’s been hard,’’ Vesia said. “I guess it’s hard in a good way because I want to interact with all of the fans and stuff like that, but I have a job to do.

“Even on the backfields, first day, I walk out the doors and cheers and lots of love. So, yeah, it means a lot, not only for myself, but for [wife] Kayla, too.’’

This was the first time Vesia pitched in a game since he and Kayla lost their newborn daughter, Sterling Sol, on Oct. 26, just before the start of the World Series. He left the team, but watched every pitch of every game on TV, and celebrated when they won the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

He stayed home with his wife during the World Series parade, still in mourning, and after months of working out fanatically in the gym, and undergoing counseling with his wife, is back with the Dodgers, with life ever so slowly feeling as normal as could be in the aftermath of heartache and tragedy.

“Being around the guys, it’s really been comforting, you know,’’ Vesia said. “We’ve had multiple conversations and guys are asking me questions and just trying to, you know, feel for me. That’s honestly been a blessing. I do like talking about it with the guys and whatnot. I don’t want them to feel like they can’t. These guys are my brothers, man. I truly do love them all.’’

“It was a little overwhelming,’’ said Vesia, who was immediately praised by Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior and assistant Connor McGuiness. “I was just trying to take it all in. Definitely, it was nice.’’

Vesia’s teammates certainly showed their love right back by standing in the dugout when he came off the mound, making sure he understood what he means to them, too.

Vesia, 29, a key left-hander in the Dodgers bullpen, says he had been working out nonstop since the tragedy. He spent hours and hours in the gym, perhaps too much he says, but it was his haven to keep his mind temporarily free from reliving the nightmare of losing a child.

Now, being around his teammates, and playing baseball once again, it’s the therapy Vesia savors.

“Obviously, what Alex and Kayla went through,’’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “you don’t wish that upon anyone. They’re getting to the other side of things. And to see him getting back out here in a baseball game, and to have a clean inning and be received by the fans, I know it meant a lot to him. Obviously, his teammates feel for him and want to support him.’’

And, now, ever so slowly, day by day, life is starting to become routine again being in spring training.

“I think the main thing is getting back to normalcy,’’ Roberts said. “That’s something I know that he wants and to kind of move forward and focus on 2026. We obviously know what went on, and what they’ve been through, but I think the main thing is getting back to doing what he loves to do, and that’s playing baseball.

“He’s in a good place.’’

Says Vesia: “It’s going to be a fun year. I’m really excited. I think we’re going to do some really cool things this year.’’

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We’ve already seen an upset in NCAA women’s college hockey, and some programs were still finishing the final week of the 2025-26 season.

The opening round of conference playoffs began for some teams, including Union College, which upset nationally ranked Clarkson. 

Rounding out the opening round of ECAC playoffs, Colgate ousted RPI, Brown eliminated Dartmouth, and Harvard edged St. Lawrence in overtime. In Atlantic Hockey America, Lindenwood eliminated Robert Morris to set up a playoff matchup against Mercyhurst, while Syracuse beat RIT in double overtime to advance to face Penn State.

Hockey East, NEWHA and WCHA finished their regular seasons this week and will now enter conference playoff competition.

The playoffs have arrived, Olympians have already started returning, and NCAA women’s hockey is now at the point of win-or-go-home for most teams.

Here’s a look at the top 10 NCAA women’s hockey programs this week:

Women’s college hockey power rankings

1. Wisconsin (WCHA)

A weekend sweep over St. Cloud State locked up the top spot in the WCHA for Wisconsin, guaranteeing it the top playoff seed. Lacey Eden had four goals and four assists in the two games. When the playoffs open, Wisconsin will have its full arsenal returning, including Olympic MVP, co-leading scorer, best defender, and all-star Caroline Harvey, fellow gold medallist and all-star Laila Edwards, and others.

2. Ohio State (WCHA)

Against Bemidji State, the Buckeyes’ offense went to work, scoring 13 goals in a series sweep. After missing much of the season, Kaia Malachino has been a catalyst since her return, scoring five goals this past weekend. Hailey MacLeod had an up-and-down weekend in net, which remains Ohio State’s biggest question mark. She allowed four goals on 36 shots across both games. 

3. Minnesota (WCHA)

Despite the return of Olympians Nelli Laitinen and Tereza Plosova, Minnesota stumbled hard, losing both games to Minnesota-Duluth. Both games were one-goal losses, with the Friday game needing overtime. Perhaps they underestimated the Bulldogs, which have been on a downward spiral for more than a month. Either way, the Gophers are lucky this happened now and not in the playoffs.

4. Quinnipiac (ECAC)

After an opening round bye, Quinnipiac prepares for Brown, which has proven to be a worthy competitor this season. Quinnipiac will lean on netminder Felicia Frank and Kahlen Lamarche, who is the second leading goal-scorer in the nation. Their formidable group also includes Zoe Uens, Makayla Watson, Laurence Frenette and Emerson Jarvis.

5. Northeastern (Hockey East)

The Huskies knocked off UConn, then beat Providence to close out their season. Stryker Zablocki has emerged as not only one of the top rookies in the nation but one of the top players, period. Alongside Lily Shannon, they’re a dynamic one-two punch. Northeastern has dealt with injuries, but overall, this program is building toward something bigger again after years of watching star after star turn pro.

6. Penn State (AHA)

Penn State will face Syracuse in the opening round of the AHA playoffs. They went 4-0 against Syracuse this season, outscoring their opponent 25-5. Those games got closer as the season went on, but the Nittany Lions are the overwhelming favorites, especially with the return of Olympic gold medallist and captain Tessa Janecke and Italianstandout Matilde Fantin. 

7. Yale (ECAC)

Yale did not play this past weekend after recording a shutout win over Princeton and an overtime loss to Quinnipiac the week before. They’ll face Union College in a best-of-three series starting this Friday. Yale is peaking at the right time, having won 14 of its last 15 games and not losing in regulation since Dec. 6. Their leading scorers, Carina DiAntonio and Jordan Ray, could be selected in the PWHL draft.

8. UConn (Hockey East)

After falling in overtime to Northeastern, UConn bounced back with a win over Merrimack to close its season. Connecticut got a massive spark from second-year forward Claire Murdoch, who has had a difficult sophomore season. Murdoch scored a goal and an assist against Northeastern, and she then notched a hat trick against Merrimack. She’s the kind of threat the Huskies have needed.

9. Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA)

Guess who’s back? After back-to-back overtime wins over No. 3 Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth showed why it was a top-five team for most of the season. Senior Tova Henderson was the hero, scoring the overtime-winner in both games. She’s headed into the PWHL draft this off-season, and it’s clear that Henderson and the Bulldogs want to extend their season by taking another shot at a national title.

10. Princeton (ECAC)

Princeton won’t have an easy first game in the ECAC playoffs, facing Harvard, which knocked off St. Lawrence in overtime to advance. The Crimson have proven worthy competitors and have solid goaltending with Ainsley Tuffy. Princeton’s high-powered offense will get a test, and first-year coach Courtney Kessel will have her chance to put a positive mark on the program.

It’s looking like NBC won gold with their coverage of this year’s Winter Olympics.

The network averaged 23.5 million viewers throughout the two-plus week competition across all platforms, it announced in a press release on Feb. 23. The final numbers are still coming in but if they hold, that would make Milano Cortina the most-viewed Winter Games since 2014 in Sochi, and a 96% increase in viewership from 2022.

NBCUniversal’s figures come from Nielsen Big Data + Panel reach metrics through Feb. 19 and preliminary Nielsen and Adobe Analytics over final three days of competition. Final data will be available later in the week.

‘The Milan Cortina Olympics proved once again that the American audience will gather in large numbers over 17 days to experience this unmatched global competition,’ NBC Olympics president Gary Zenkel said in a statement. ‘These Winter Games — superbly hosted across northern Italy, and produced and distributed by a team of 2,700 — reached blockbuster U.S. audiences of more than 50 million viewers each day, continuing the media dominance we experienced less than two years ago at the Paris Olympics.

According to the network, the opening ceremony on Feb. 2 itself was the most watched in 12 years. All 15 competition days reached over 20 million viewers, and the total audience delivery (TAD) — a metric used to measure a total number of viewers across all platforms — of both the live U.S. daytime broadcast, ‘Milan Prime’ and primetime broadcast, ‘Primetime in Milan’ posted 3.3 million total viewers across Peacock and NBCU Digital platforms.

Milwaukee was the market with the highest ratings share throughout the Olympics. Minneapolis, Fort Myers (Florida), Pittsburgh and Dayton (Ohio) rounded out the top five.

‘We can’t wait for the return of the Olympics to the United States with the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 and are ecstatic to be the U.S. media home of five Olympic Games over the next decade,” NBC wrote in its release.

The WNBA and WNBPA met Monday in a virtually, as the start to the 2026 season quickly approaches, two people with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak publicly about ongoing negotiations.

The virtual meeting was the first meeting between the league and the players’ union since it met for nearly three hours on Feb 2. On the call were more than 50 WNBA players, including the entire WNBPA executive committee, along with league staff, the labor relations committee and owners as CBA negotiations continue.

The WNBA shared said a term sheet for a new CBA must be completed by March 10, one source said, to avoid a delay in the start of the 2026 season. Opening day is scheduled for May 8.

It’s worth noting even if an agreement is reached by the March 10 deadline, it could take several weeks to ratify the deal. Additionally, the expansion drafts for the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo need to be held along with free agency and the 2026 WNBA Draft before the season can start.

Revenue sharing for 2025 season

The latest CBA negotiations development comes on the heels of the WNBPA revealing, for the first time in league history, in 2025, the WNBA reportedly generated enough revenue to share it with its players. The union says the WNBA’s 13 teams are set to receive $8 million total from the league to share with players.

Last season, the players’ portion of shared revenue reportedly equaled $16 million. From that sum, $8 million is set to be paid to players who were active in 2025. The 2020 CBA mandates that the other $8 million is allocated to league marketing agreements. Per the report, it’s not immediately clear what amount of revenue was generated by the league or the financial number required to trigger the sharing.

The WNBPA also recently revealed that $9.25 million generated since 2020 will go to players from jersey sales, trading cards, video games and other merchandise.

Latest WNBA proposal on housing

The WNBPA’s revelation also comes just days after, on Feb. 20, the WNBA sent a counterproposal to the players’ union after receiving the WNBPA’s latest offer for a new collective bargaining agreement on Feb. 17, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak publicly about ongoing negotiations.

In the Feb. 20 counter, the WNBA agreed to provide housing for all players in this first year of the agreement, this season. After 2026, players making the minimum salary and with zero years of service would get one-bedroom apartments in 2027 and 2028. Developmental players would be given studio apartments for the full six seasons of the deal, which would end in 2031.

WNBA teams have provided player housing since the first CBA in 1999. Teams could provide a one-bedroom apartment or stipend in the last CBA.

Revenue sharing and salary cap

While the two sides may be getting closer on the housing issue, salary cap and revenue sharing are still big issues. There have been ‘no movements’ from the league on either, the person with knowledge of the situation said. Additionally, there have also been ‘no movements’ on items such as the season start date, number of games, rookie scale contract length or salary protections.

On Feb. 17, the WNBPA requested 25% of gross revenue in the first year, increasing over the life of the agreement to an average of roughly 27.5%. The union also proposed a salary cap of less than $9.5 million. The WNBA is currently offering more than 70% of league and team net revenue and proposing a salary cap of $5.65 million per year, rising with league revenues.

The WNBA offer continues to include a maximum $1 million base salary, with a projected revenue-sharing component that raises players’ max total earnings to more than $1.3 million in 2026. The league’s maximum salary would grow to nearly $2 million over the life of the agreement, which would end in 2031. The minimum salary would be more than $250,000 and average salary more than $530,000.

A person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports there is a sense of urgency from the players’ union, but the WNBPA does not feel the WNBA is acting with urgency. According to the person, the latest proposal from the league felt ‘baffling,’ given comments from NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

‘What I would love to do is put pressure on everyone,’ Silver said during NBA All-Star Weekend.

‘I want to play whatever role would be most productive in getting a deal done. We need to now move toward the next level of sense of urgency and not lose momentum in terms of the amazing amount of progress we’ve seen in women’s basketball.’

Lindsey Vonn revealed she could have lost her leg as the result of her crash in the downhill at the Milano Cortina Olympics.

In an Instagram post Monday, Feb. 23, Vonn detailed injuries that were far more extensive than initially known. In addition to the complex tibial fracture in her left leg, Vonn said she had a tibial plateau fracture and fractured fibular head. She also broke her right ankle.

Vonn also had compartment syndrome, and said that was what posed the greatest threat.

‘Compartment syndrome is when you have so much trauma to one area of your body, that there’s too much blood, and it gets stuck, and it basically crushes everything in the compartment,’ Vonn said ‘All the muscle and nerves and tendons, it all kind of dies. And Dr. Tom Hackett saved my leg. He saved my leg from being amputated.’

Excessive pressure building up inside a muscle, either from bleeding or swelling, causes compartment syndrome. The pressure restricts blood flow and can lead to permanent injury if not treated quickly.

Vonn said Hackett, her longtime orthopedic surgeon, was in Cortina to watch her compete at her fifth Olympics. He conducted a fasciotomy to save her leg when she was hospitalized in Italy.

‘He filleted it open (and) let it breathe, and he saved me,’ she said.

Vonn also announced that she’s out of the hospital.

She was hospitalized in Italy for a little over a week before being transferred to a hospital in Colorado. She has had five surgeries since the Feb. 8 crash, including one last week after she returned to the United States that lasted more than six hours.

Vonn said she will focus on rehab and hopes to get on crutches in a few weeks. She said she will probably be on crutches for about two months, but it will take much longer before she is healed completely.

‘It will take around a year for all of the bones to heal,’ Vonn said, ‘and then I will decide if I want to take out all the metal or not, and then go back into surgery and finally fix my ACL.’

Vonn said all of the surgeries have caused an enormous amount of pain, and also required her to have a blood transfusion. She said Team USA’s performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics has helped bring her joy during this difficult time.

‘It’s been really hard … it was definitely not the way I wanted to end my Olympics,’ Vonn said. ‘But it’s been really inspiring to watch my teammates. Everyone’s just been incredible, and watching Team USA dominate has been really uplifting.

‘I always fight, I’ll keep going. No regrets. And, I just appreciate all the love and support. It’s been really amazing.’

What happened to Lindsey Vonn?

Vonn hooked the fourth gate with her right arm, which sent her spinning and hurtling into the hard, packed snow. She tumbled end over end several times before coming to a stop.

‘Things just happen so quick in this sport,’ U.S. teammate Bella Wright said after the race. ‘It looked like Lindsey had incredible speed out of that turn, and she hooked her arm and it’s just over just like that.’

The three-time Olympic medalist remained prone in the snow, and she could be heard wailing in pain. The gasps and groans from fans faded into shocked silence as medics worked on her. Vonn remained on the course for approximately 13 minutes before being loaded into a helicopter.

What is Lindsey Vonn’s injury?

In an Instagram post on Feb. 9, Vonn shared the devastating news that she suffered a complex tibia fracture that will require multiple surgeries. The 41-year-old updated fans Feb. 11 after a third surgery in Italy and included some gruesome photos of her progress. Upon returning to the United States on Feb. 17, Vonn shared that her injury was ‘a lot more severe than just a broken leg.’

‘I’m still wrapping my head around it, what it means and the road ahead,’ Vonn wrote. ‘But I’m going to give you more detail in the coming days.’

A tibia fracture is a break in the shin bone that is an emergency needing immediate treatment. ‘Your tibias are some of the strongest bones in your body. It usually takes a lot of force to break one,’ according to the Cleveland Clinic. ‘You probably won’t be able to stand, walk or put weight on your leg if you have a broken shin bone.’

A complex fracture involves multiple breaks in a bone and damaged soft tissue, according Yale Medicine. Symptoms include extreme pain, numbness and, sometimes, a bone that protrudes through the skin. Treatment involves stabilization and surgery.

Lindsey Vonn crash video

NBC broadcasts the Olympics and posted video of Vonn’s crash.

USA TODAY Sports’ Samantha Cardona-Norberg breaks down Linsdey Vonn’s crash just after it happened.

Fans went silent as soon as Vonn crash, reacting with shock, grief and later support as the helicopter lifted her into the sky. USA TODAY Sports talked to some fans after the crash.

Is Lindsey Vonn OK?

Vonn was in obvious pain after the crash, but she was moving her arms, head and neck.

About 18 minutes after the crash, the helicopter slowly began flying toward Cortina. ‘Let’s let Lindsey Vonn hear us!’ the American announcer said as the chopper flew away with her, and the crowd cheered and applauded.

Vonn’s sister Karin Kildow was at the course today for the downhill and spoke to NBC reporters during their live broadcast: ‘I mean that definitely was the last thing we wanted to see and it happened quick and when that happens, you’re just immediately hoping she’s OK. And it was scary because when you start to see the stretchers being put out, it’s not a good sign,’ Kildow said. ‘But she really … She just dared greatly and she put it all out there. So it’s really hard to see, but we just really hope she’s OK.

‘She does have all of her surgeons and her PT staff here and her doctors, so I’m sure they’ll give us a report and we’ll meet her at whatever hospital she’s at.’

Lindsey Vonn torn ACL

It was the second time in as many weeks Vonn left a mountaintop on a chopper. She fully ruptured her left ACL, sustaining meniscus damage and bone bruising, in a downhill crash on Jan. 30, in the final World Cup event prior to the start of the Olympics.

Vonn is also skiing with a partial replacement of her right knee. She had dominated the sport before the crash, making the podium in all five downhill races this season and winning two of them.

Despite the latest injury, Vonn was determined to race at her fifth and final Olympics. She said her knee felt stable and strong, and she had spent the last week doing intense rehab, pool workouts, weight lifting and plyometrics. She skied both training runs, posting the third-fastest time in the second run before it was canceled because of fog and snow.

Vonn is 41 and was skiing in her fifth Winter Olympics (2002, 2006, 2010, 2018, 2026). She has won three Olympic medals (1 gold, 2 bronze).