Off the court but still dunking on ‘em.

Late-season upsets rock NCAA

Three Top 10 teams suffered major upsets on Thursday, as late-season momentum shifts to the underdog ahead of next week’s conference tournaments.

• No. 3 Notre Dame fell to No. 24 Florida State 86-81, marking their second straight loss since reaching No. 1 in the AP Poll on February 17th.

• No. 7 LSU and No. 8 UNC also saw tough results, with the Tigers falling to No. 20 Alabama 88-85 in overtime while the Tar Heels lost to in-state rival No. 16 Duke 68-53.

• Even No. 1 Texas faced some adversity, with the Longhorns eking out a near-miss win over unranked Mississippi State 68-64.

Big picture: Regular-season titles in the ACC, SEC, and Big Ten will now come down to this weekend’s final slate, as top teams attempt to manage fatigue while preparing for deep postseason runs.

• Notre Dame is in danger of giving up the ACC tournament’s highest seed to No. 9 NC State — who holds a head-to-head advantage over the Irish — which could see the former No. 1 team lose top-seeded entry into the 2025 NCAA tournament.

• “Just really frustrated with our performance defensively tonight,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey after last night’s game. “I didn’t think that we were locked in for four quarters.”

One game left: Taking care of business will be the mantra of choice this weekend, with Saturday’s battle between Big Ten frontrunners No. 4 USC and No. 2 UCLA stealing the spotlight.

• After USC brought down then-unbeaten UCLA in their first clash, the crosstown rivals’ rematch will hand the winning team the regular-season conference title.

Bottom line: As the hyper-competitive season ends, the country’s top-ranked teams are firmly on upset notice amid building exhaustion, waning focus, and managed minutes.

Tune in: It all starts tomorrow, with UCLA hosting USC at 9 PM ET on Fox Sports before Notre Dame takes on No. 25 Louisville to kick off ESPN’s Sunday coverage at 12 PM ET.

Unrivaled seals the deal

Unrivaled returns tonight, with the weekend’s 3×3 action bolstered by a business breakthrough off the court.

• The offseason league has officially secured a licensing deal with the WNBA Players Association, allowing them to sell merchandise showcasing player names, images, and likenesses.

Big picture: Without a licensing deal, Unrivaled faced limitations in capitalizing on its near-instant popularity outside of non-player-specific branding.

• “This is a sign of the Players Association’s responsibility to its players, to its members, to monetize the rights fully,” the WNBPA’s Terri Jackson told Front Office Sports. “Their group rights don’t need to be limited to WNBA-only associated products.”

• While nothing’s available yet, fans can expect customized jerseys, t-shirts, and even game-used memorabilia to hit the shelves soon — especially as the league’s March 10th regular-season finale nears.

Bottom line: Sports are a business, and in a brand-new pro women’s basketball venture like Unrivaled, every deal makes a difference.

• The WNBPA’s willingness to help Unrivaled push the envelope — despite the lengthy negotiation — sets an important precedence for increased monetization opportunities across women’s sports.

LPGA tees off in Singapore

After the second day of competition, Korean golfer A Lin Kim holds a one-stroke lead in Singapore’s HSBC Women’s World Championship — with New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim, and the UK’s Charley Hull hot on her heels.

• Hull kept pace in second after the first day of play, but Olympic gold medalist Ko pulled ahead to sit one stroke behind A Lin Kim after the second round, while Hyo Joo Kim managed to pull level after a solid day-two performance.

Missing persons: The field features nine of the world’s Top 10 alongside 13 of the Top 15, with US stars No. 1 Nelly Korda and No. 15 Rose Zhang the only top-ranked players not attending.

• Korda is sitting out the LPGA’s Asia tour for the second year in a row, also missing events in Thailand and China before making her return to Arizona’s Ford Championship in late March.

Upping the stakes: Korda’s absence hasn’t lightened the competition, as the tournament’s $1.8 million purse remains in close contention.

• “The scores haven’t really been that low these past couple days,” Ko told reporters yesterday. “I’m just trying to focus on me and hopefully just keep climbing up the leaderboard.”

Don’t miss it: The third round of the Women’s World Championship tees off tonight at 8:30 PM ET, live on the Golf Channel.

BHM Spotlight: Althea Gibson

Every Friday in February, JWS celebrates Black History Month by spotlighting a prominent Black figure in women's sports history.

A titan of women’s tennis, Althea Gibson became the first African-American woman to win a Grand Slam at the 1956 French Open, kicking off a career that included winning two US Opens (1957, 1958) and two Wimbledons (1957, 1958), alongside five doubles Grand Slams.

• A bronze statue of Gibson has watched over the US Open’s Flushing Meadows since 2019, just the second statue ever erected in honor of a US Open champion.

• 43 years after Gibson lifted her first US Open trophy, 17-year-old tennis phenom Serena Williams became the second-ever African-American woman to win the tournament in 1999 — shortly after reportedly faxing a list of questions over to Gibson.

A dual threat: In addition to her legendary tennis career, Gibson later became the first African-American woman to join the LPGA Tour in 1964.

• “She came along during a difficult time in golf, gained the support of a lot of people, and quietly made a difference,” said retired LPGA star Judy Rankin.

Clarendon enters LGBTQ Sports HOF

Retired WNBA star Layshia Clarendon was inducted into the LGBTQ Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday, with the former LA Spark recognized for contributions both on and off the court.

• After coming out publicly in a 2015 Players Tribune article, Clarendon made history as the leagues first openly trans and nonbinary player.

• The 2017 All-Star went on to serve as an advocate for justice and inclusivity across all sectors, helping to negotiate the game-changing 2020 WNBA CBA among other accomplishments.

• “Lay was a true professional, showing up each day with a desire to help our teams compete and improve,” said ex-Sparks coach Curt Miller. “Off the court, Lay is a trailblazer and impacted so many with their bravery to be authentic and unapologetic while consistently fighting for the marginalized.”

Big picture: First established in 2013, the LGBTQ Sports HOF lay dormant for a decade before the Sports Equality Foundation resurrected it this year, with Clarendon joining past inductees Billie Jean King, Megan Rapinoe, Brittney Griner, and golf legend Patty Sheehan, among others.

Number of the day 

45

Hosted by Caitlin Clark’s alma mater Iowa, the Indiana Fever’s upcoming preseason game against Brazil sold out in just 45 minutes this week.