Texas soars to the top | US dominates WTA Top 5 | Unrivaled heats up

GOAT ²

Texas claims No. 1

For the first time in 21 years, Texas women’s basketball is the No. 1 team in the nation, with the AP Poll promoting its fourth top-ranked NCAA team of the season on Monday.

• The Longhorns’ leap comes after then-No. 1 Notre Dame’s double-overtime loss to NC State on Sunday, with the Irish falling to No. 3 in the rankings.

• UCLA — a team that spent 12 weeks at No. 1 before now-No. 4 USC ended the Bruins’ school-record 23-game unbeaten streak earlier this month — also benefitted from Notre Dame’s slip-up, rising one spot to sit at No. 2.

• “I’m so happy for my kids, they’ve earned where they are today,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer told the AP on Monday ahead of his team’s resounding 57-26 win over Georgia. “There’s so much parity in the game right now.”

Big picture: While changes hit in the top three, the Poll’s remaining 22 teams mostly maintained their spots as this weekend’s final regular-season games loom.

• ACC standouts No. 24 Florida State and No. 25 Louisville re-entered the rankings this week, with now-unranked Georgia Tech and Illinois making their exit.

• No. 12 Ohio State and No. 16 Duke saw the biggest drops, after both teams suffered unranked losses last week.

• The regular-season title race will likely come down to the last games of the season, with a UCLA vs. USC rematch slated for Saturday before Notre Dame takes on No. 25 Louisville on Sunday.

Takeaway: With reigning NCAA champs No. 6 South Carolina opening the season at No. 1, this week marks just the sixth time the AP Poll has elevated four different programs to the top of the table in a single school year.

• Should a fifth team manage to elbow its way into the No. 1 spot after this weekend’s finale, that would be a first for the 49-year-old rankings — and an indication that DI women’s basketball has never been more competitive.

Keys breaks into WTA Top 5

2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys reached the highest WTA ranking of her career on Monday, rising to No. 5 despite withdrawing from last week’s Dubai Open with a leg injury.

• The first-time Grand Slam winner joins fellow US players No. 3 Coco Gauff and No. 4 Jessica Pegula in the ranking’s top five — the first time three US women have shared the honor since Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, and Jennifer Capriati in 2003.

• 17-year-old Dubai Open champion Mirra Andreeva also broke into the upper tiers, jumping five spots to claim No. 9 and become the youngest Top 10-ranked player since 2006.

Issuing corrections: Contrary to last week’s widespread reports, tennis legend Venus Williams — who rose to No. 1 in the WTA rankings for the first time 23 years ago today — said she will not be participating in the 2025 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

• “I love Indian Wells, I would love to be there,” the 44-year-old US icon told the crowd during a public appearance in Europe on Monday. “If I could have accepted it I would have loved to be there, but I already made commitments.”

• “We wish Venus all the best and hope to see her back in Indian Wells in the future,” said tournament director Tommy Haas in response, reversing the Open’s earlier social media announcement of Williams’ wild card berth.

Bottom line: With the WTA Tour returning Stateside next week, expect more rankings shakeups — and perhaps a few surprise entries — as players continue to prep for 2025’s three remaining Grand Slams.

Rose BC runs the Unrivaled table

Rose BC is tearing up the 3×3 court, surging to second place in the Unrivaled standings after a five-game winning streak.

• Rose forward Angel Reese has led the squad, registering the league’s first-ever 20+ point, 20+ rebound game in Friday’s 72-63 win over the Lunar Owls before putting up 23 points and 14 rebounds to top Phantom BC 71-59 on Monday.

• "She's finishing now, and she's also taking a lot of leadership with a Rose team that has done a really good job of getting themselves back,” said Phantom BC’s Natasha Cloud after Monday’s clash. “Angel set the tone for them — I felt it tonight.”

Big picture: With less than a month to go in the regular season, the next few weeks will determine which four teams make it to the league’s first-ever playoffs.

• The first-place Lunar Owls have already punched their postseason ticket, with Rose, Laces, and Vinyl BC currently sitting above the cut-off line.

• “We made everyone raise their level of play, and tonight we showed why we’re still number one,” said Lunar Owls guard Skylar Diggins-Smith on Saturday, after helping her team bounce back from Friday’s loss with a 88-60 victory over the Laces.

Bottom line: With a locked-in group spanning some of the most talented — and competitive — basketball players in the world, expect even more late-season fireworks in the race to become Unrivaled’s first-ever champion next month.

Canada’s soccer league sets the stage

Canada’s Northern Super League is preparing for its inaugural season, with the top-flight soccer league dropping a 75-match calendar and broadcast details last week ahead of its April 16th kick-off.

• Vancouver’s BC Place will host the NSL’s first-ever matchup, with co-owner Christine Sinclair’s Vancouver Rise FC taking on Calgary Wild FC.

• All six NSL clubs will play 25 regular-season matches, with the table’s top four teams battling it out in the semis ahead of November 15th’s championship.

• All games will air across Canada via broadcast partners including TSN and CBC.

Big picture: The NSL has been busy putting the finishing touches on its 2025 launch, with multiple Olympic medalists and ex-NWSL standouts like Quinn, Nikki Stanton, Jasmyne Spencer, Erin McLeod, Desiree Scott, and Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir signing onto the budding league as it flexes its potential on the international stage.

Mikaela Shiffrin makes history

US skiing legend Mikaela Shiffrin once again etched her name into the history books over the weekend, as the world’s winningest Alpine skier became the first to ever record 100 World Cup wins.

• Shiffrin suffered a punctured abdomen three months ago during a competition ski run, bouncing back from the traumatic injury to reclaim her dominance over the global winter sport.

• “Everybody's been so nice and so supportive, all of my teammates and competitors and coaches and the whole World Cup,” the 29-year-old said after Sunday’s race. “I'm so grateful. Thank you. And the fans, thank you.”

Quote of the day

Sports Are Fun! co-host Greydy Diaz
on UConn star Paige Bueckers pursing her first-ever NCAA championship.