John Carlson scored three goals for the first hat trick of his 17-year NHL career, and the Ducks ended their six-game losing streak with an emphatic 6-1 victory over the San José Sharks on Thursday night at Honda Center.
Leo Carlsson, Alex Killorn and Frank Vatrano also scored and Beckett Sennecke had two assists for the Ducks, who jumped to a 4-0 lead and dominated their Pacific Division rivals for their first win since March 26.
Carlson scored two power-play goals in the third period, connecting with 5:57 left to secure the first hat trick of his 1,156-game career. The veteran defenseman has been exactly what the Ducks needed when they acquired him at the trade deadline, scoring 12 points in 13 games while steadying the back end for one of the NHL’s worst defensive teams.
Lukas Dostal made 16 saves, but the Ducks fell 7:20 short of their first shutout in 160 games since last season’s opener on Oct. 12, 2024 — also against San José.
Shakir Mukhamadullin scored and Yaroslav Askarov stopped 27 shots for the Sharks, who had won five of seven to surge into playoff contention.
Carlsson put the Ducks ahead less than three minutes after the opening faceoff, driving the net and finishing for his 28th goal.
Carlson scored only his second goal in a Ducks uniform later in the first, blasting it home around Sennecke’s screen. San Jose didn’t get its first shot on goal until 13 minutes into the period.
Killorn tapped in a pass from Sennecke off a two-on-one rush for his 14th goal in the second.
Neither team was called for a penalty until San José’s Collin Graf was binned for hooking with 10:20 to play, and Carlson fired home his second goal on the ensuing power play.
Vatrano scored only his second goal since Dec. 7 in the waning minutes.
Up next for the Ducks: vs. Vancouver at Honda Center on Sunday.
With a 30-point lead by the end of the third quarter, much of the end of Sunday’s NCAA championship victory was a celebration of what UCLA had built en route to its 79-51 victory over South Carolina.
By the final buzzer, it was a full-blown party.
It was one of the largest margins of victory in Final Four history.
UCLA won an AIAW title in 1978 against Maryland before women’s basketball was an NCAA sport.
UCLA’s Kiki Rice, right, drives around South Carolina’s Raven Johnson during the first half of the NCAA national title game on Sunday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
Last season, UCLA’s 34-point loss to Connecticut in the semifinal became the worst loss in tournament history.
This season, there was no doubt UCLA was ready for the moment and it ensured it could reverse the history books.
It was perhaps the most UCLA performance the Bruins could have had. In their final collegiate games, Lauren Betts (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Gabriela Jaquez (21 points, 10 rebounds) earned double-doubles and all five starters scored in double digits. They dominated the boards (49-36), played stellar defense and most important, didn’t turn the ball over often.
After the Bruins held Texas to a season-low 44 points in Friday’s semifinal, they held the Gamecocks to 51, also their lowest total all season.
UCLA’s Lauren Betts shoots over South Carolina’s Maryam Dauda in the first half of the NCAA national championship game Sunday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
The Bruins jumped out early while South Carolina struggled with the Bruins’ size and went three for 18 from the floor. Kiki Rice (10 points, six rebounds, five assists) hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the opening quarter with the Bruins holding on to a 21-10 lead.
Near the end of the first, Betts came back to the bench coughing and sputtering, seemingly unable to clear her throat. At the start of the second quarter, she was at the end of the UCLA bench and used an inhaler before returning to the game.
UCLA’s suffocating defense held the Gamecocks to 25.7% shooting in the first half. Unlike Friday’s win over Texas, the Bruins’ offense recovered from a one-for-10 stretch far earlier.
South Carolina made a mid-second quarter adjustment into a zone defense and a half-court press that forced one 10-second violation and another turnover that led to a fast-break layup and and free throw from Ta’Niya Latson.
UCLA’s Gabriela Jaquez celebrates after scoring while being fouled during the first quarter Sunday against South Carolina.
(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
UCLA led 36-23 at the half.
One of the Gamecocks’ only interior presences, center Madina Okot, had three fouls early in the third quarter. With her off the floor, UCLA extended its lead to 18 off a three-pointer from Charlisse Leger-Walker.
Midway through the quarter, a sequence of a Betts layup over the South Carolina defense, a Betts block of a Latson shot and a Jaquez fast-break layup gave the Bruins a resounding 22-point lead.
The Bruins outscored the Gamecocks 25-9 during the third quarter to earn a 61-32 lead off a 13-0 run. It was the largest lead ever for a team going into the fourth quarter of an NCAA championship game.
South Carolina shot a season-worst 18 for 62 from the floor and two for 15 from three-point range.
UCLA players, including Kiki Rice, left, and Gabriela Jaquez celebrate after winning the NCAA women’s basketball national championship on Sunday.
(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)
The Bruins held Latson to four points and Raven Johnson to three on one-for-seven shooting.
South Carolina had taken down then-undefeated UConn in the semifinal on Friday.
UCLA will need to rebuild with few returners, but now that her players have won a national title, coach Cori Close should have her pick of the transfer portal.
Now, Close and the Bruins have championship pedigree.
Highlights from UCLA’s win over South Carolina in the NCAA women’s basketball national championship game.
The UCLA women’s gymnastics team enters the NCAA regionals on Friday in Corvallis, Ore., focused on three principles — calm, confidence and commitment to one another. The Bruins started leaning on the mantra to help them stay dialed in as they took home the Big Ten tournament title, Mika Webster-Longin said.
Now, they will use it as they to push to reach the NCAA championship.
“The Big Ten win really feels good and helps our confidence going [into NCAA regionals],” she said. “It felt great to put everything together because I feel like we really built off of one another and showed what we can do to not only the Big Ten competition, but to everyone.”
“It gives us just the right amount of confidence going into regionals and then seeing where it takes us,” Tiana Sumanasekera said.
UCLA gymnasts Nola Matthews, left, and Tiana Sumanasekera, right, cheer as Jordan Chiles lands a jump during her floor exercise routine at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 17.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
During the NCAA Corvallis Regional, San José State and Washington will face off for spots in the main pool. No. 4 seed UCLA then competes in one of two sessions on Friday at 7 p.m. against No. 13 seed Minnesota, Iowa and the winner of the Spartans versus Huskies early matchup.
If the Bruins place in the top two, they advance to the regional final on Sunday to face the top two teams in the other regional pool that includes No. 5 seed Alabama, No. 12 seed Utah, Denver and host Oregon State.
The top two teams in the regional final along with the top individual all-around performer and top event finishers not on a qualifying team advance to the NCAA championship.
Last year, UCLA finished in first place during its opening regional matchup and second during the finals, advancing to the championship meet.
The Bruins’ biggest takeaway from last season’s competition has been to be intentional, attack their gymnastics and be aggressive with their routines, UCLA coach Janelle McDonald said.
“The best teams that have the most success at these competitions are the ones that really leave no doubt out there,” she said.
At this point in the season, performing a familiar routine isn’t hard for UCLA. The Bruins’ main focus is on nailing details and to be present during every moment of their routines to score every possible point. With a two-day competition waiting for them in Corvallis, the Bruins also need to make sure they commit to recovery treatment so that they’re as sharp as possible for the second day of competition, McDonald said.
“That’s really been our mentality, be really efficient, very confident, very present and intentional about what we’re doing,” she said.
The stakes are higher, but the conference champions say they will treat this as business as usual. The Bruins want to lock in and highlight the areas that have helped them demonstrate competitive greatness throughout the season.
“Each and every weekend we’re building that mentality,” McDonald said. “We have so many experiences under our belt that we’ve learned from.”
Sumanasekera said hard work all season has helped prepare the team for the test it faces this weekend.
“We’re really excited, we have incredible depth on this team, so I think that really helped us in the long run,” she said.
UCLA teammates cheer as gymnast Jordan Chiles completes her floor routine during the Big Four competition at Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 27.
(Etienne Laurent / For The Times)
Webster-Longin experienced the postseason last year as a freshman. This year, she had a late start due to an illness that kept her out for three meets.
Since returning on Feb. 27, she has competed in all-around events during the last three meets and has improved her scores each week.
That was the moment Webster-Longin remembered just how competitively great she is, McDonald said.
“I’ve seen the details become more consistent, and I’ve just seen her just be excited to go out and help the team in any way they need,” McDonald said, “And boy, has she done just that.”
Webster-Longin was asked to fill in as an emergency injury replacement during her first meet of the season and has figured out how to be successful whenever she’s placed in the lineup.
“At least for me, trusting the work I put in this year and even the experience I’ve had last year helped me be able to step up for those pressure situations and important moments,” she said.
Alipio has turned the page
UCLA gymnast Ciena Alipio celebrates after competing on the uneven bars during the Big Four meet at Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 27.
(Katharine Lotze / Getty Images)
During the Big Ten championship, Ciena Alipio fell during her balance beam routine. It was a moment when she was looking forward to doing her best, McDonald said, but Alipio didn’t have the result she wanted. Instead, it was a great lesson for her to learn — mistakes happen.
“She’s just really been able to turn the page and get back into training,” she added. “She’s had a great week of training. She looked phenomenal and just really dialed in and it kind of put those kinds of mistakes behind you.”
Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua warms up before a playoff game against the Carolina Panthers in January.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
Last week, a woman filed a civil lawsuit against Nacua, alleging that on New Year’s Eve he made an antisemitic statement during a group dinner and later bit her shoulder. Nacua’s attorney told The Times before the lawsuit was filed that Nacua “denies these allegations in the strongest possible terms,” and that Nacua would “pursue all available legal remedies in response to these false and damaging statements.”
During a livestream in December, Nacua criticized NFL officials and made a gesture regarded as antisemitic. Nacua apologized, and the Rams and the NFL issued statements condemning antisemitism and discrimination. But after the Rams’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Nacua criticized officials in a social media post from the locker room. The NFL fined him $25,000.
“The play on the field is amazing, and then with what the play has dictated and determined there is a responsibility in terms of representing all things not exclusive to just that,” McVay said Monday when asked about Nacua. “He knows that, those are expectations and we are hopeful that … this will be an opportunity for him to learn and grow, and we are hopeful that he’s a Ram for a really long time.
“But he understands what the responsibility is, not exclusive to just the production on the field.”
Snead described Nacua as a “young man, becoming,” who is “continuing to evolve” as a person and player.
“You need to be on your Ps and Qs in both categories,” Snead said, “both variables, right, to earn that type of contract.”
Tony Pastoors, the Rams’ chief operating officer, said “everything gets weighed” in the process.
“It isn’t just, ‘OK, turn it on on Sundays and make decisions from there,’” Pastoors said. “We have to take in every data point we can.”
Clayton Kershaw’s 2025 teammates had already received their World Series rings in a pregame ceremony Friday at Dodger Stadium when the future Hall of Famer jogged out of the dugout wearing his No. 22 Dodgers jersey.
He took the ball from manager Dave Roberts on the mound and delivered the ceremonial first pitch. Then the team re-emerged to present Kershaw with his ring.
“For me it’s just a great ending to my career,” Kershaw said when asked what the new ring meant to him. “I couldn’t have scripted it any better.”
A detailed look at the inside of the Dodgers’ 2025 World Series championship ring.
(The Champions Collective)
Though his playing days are over, Kershaw’s time with the Dodgers will continue. He’s joining the front office as a special assistant, according to a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly.
The Dodgers’ ring ceremony was the second part of a two-day celebration of the team’s 2025 World Series title. On opening day, the Dodgers brought out their trophies from back-to-back World Series titles and raised their new championship banner.
“I’m excited,” Kershaw said a couple hours earlier, after watching the Dodgers take batting practice before facing the Arizona Diamondbacks. “It’s why we play, is to win some of these rings. I heard the ring is pretty over the top; I haven’t seen it yet.”
Over the top, indeed.
A detailed look at the inside of the Dodgers’ 2025 World Series championship ring.
(The Champions Collective)
The diamond- and sapphire-encrusted rings highlight the back-to-back nature of last year’s World Series victory. They include engravings of the 2024 and 2025 trophies on both the outside and inside of the ring.
The L.A. logo is made up of 17 custom-cut blue sapphires, one for every postseason game the Dodgers played last year.
On the underside side of the ring, the four playoff series are listed, along with “11.01.25,” the date of Game 7 of the World Series.
The ring top holds dirt collected from home plate during Game 7, visible through a glass window when the ring is opened. Inside the ring sits a bespoke band that’s also set with sapphires and a diamond.
Dodgers players (from left) Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Max Muncy show off their World Series rings before beating the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium on Friday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
In a nod to the fan base, the total attendance figure for the 2025 season (4,012,470) gleams in blue on the bottom of the ring. Each players’ ring is also personalized with his signature, last name and number.
“Anytime you get to celebrate one more time with your teammates, it’s pretty special,” Kershaw said. “I know they’ve got to move on to this season, but I don’t have to. So I’m just going to keep relishing it. It’ll be great.”
Kershaw was already in town for work. He appeared on NBC’s broadcast of the Dodgers’ 8-2 win Thursday against the Diamondbacks.
A detailed look at the side of the Dodgers’ 2025 World Series championship ring.
(The Champions Collective)
“It’s just talking baseball,” Kershaw said. “So if people want to hear me talk about baseball, I can do that all day. I love baseball.”
His new role with the Dodgers, first reported by the Athletic, is another form of talking baseball.
“Probably not physically here in L.A.,” Kershaw said. “But definitely, I’m sure I’ll watch games. I still want to be a part of the Dodgers, so if I can help in some small piece, I will.”
A detailed look at the side of the Dodgers’ 2025 World Series championship ring.
(The Champions Collective)
Because Kershaw joined Team USA for the World Baseball Classic and then jumped into part-time broadcasting, he hasn’t fully experienced retirement yet. He said he doesn’t miss playing, but he misses the people.
“There’s a freedom with retirement,” Kershaw said. “If you don’t want to work out, you don’t have to. If your back hurts, it doesn’t matter. If your arm hurts, it doesn’t matter. You get to see a lot more stuff, be around for everything. So there’s a lot of great parts. It doesn’t take away from how special playing this game is, but there’s a lot of really awesome parts about being home.”
The Astros had been a mainstay atop the AL West for eight years — claiming seven division titles during that time — but now the division appears to be under new management.
Last season, the upstart Mariners finally broke through after years of promise, winning 90 games and claiming their first division crown since 2001. This season, the club hopes to take the next step forward and reach the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Seattle locked up cleanup man Josh Naylor to a five-year, $92.5-million contract, solidifying their lineup. The M’s also traded for super utilityman Brendan Donovan, who, as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, was named an All-Star for the first time in his career last season.
The Astros, in their third year under manager Joe Espada, are hoping to return to the top of the division. They’ll have their work cut out for them, with just seven players remaining from the Astros’ 2022 World Series team.
Even after a pair of mediocre seasons, the Rangers remained aggressive this winter, making a pair of blockbuster trades, acquiring frontline starter MacKenzie Gore from the Nationals and outfielder Brandon Nimmo from the Mets. Ex-Marlins manager Skip Schumaker will take the reins from four-time World Series champion Bruce Bochy, who did not return as the club’s skipper.
Entering their second season playing in Sacramento, the Athletics grabbed veteran Jeff McNeil from the New York Mets in a trade, while locking up promising youngsters Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson to long-term extensions. The Angels installed rookie manager Kurt Suzuki, replacing Ron Washington.
1 | Seattle Mariners
2025 | 90-72, 1st in West
Last year in playoffs | 2025
After bidding farewell to Eugenio Suárez and Jorge Polanco, the Mariners are betting on young infielders Cole Young and Colt Emerson. Newcomer Brendan Donovan should provide a nice spark to the M’s lineup. 26-year-old Bryan Woo emerged as the club’s ace last season while George Kirby missed the first two months with shoulder inflammation and was never quite right. A healthy Kirby could make a huge difference this season for an already formidable M’s rotation.
2 | Houston Astros
2025 | 87-75, 2nd in West
Last year in playoffs | 2024
Even after an offseason in which the Astros lost stars Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman and Justin Verlander, the team still led the West for most of the season in 2025. One player to watch will be second-year outfielder Cam Smith, who the Astros acquired as the centerpiece of the Tucker trade. It was a tale of two seasons for Smith, who dazzled with a .297/.357/.443 slash line through his first 75 big league games, but hit a snag over his next 59 games, slashing just .153/.248/.232.
3 | Athletics
2025 | 76-86, 4th in West
Last year in playoffs | 2020
Two years after losing 112 games, the A’s showed encouraging progress in their first season in Sacramento. First baseman Nick Kurtz ran away with AL rookie of the year honors, winning the award unanimously, with shortstop Jacob Wilson placing second. Between Kurtz (36), catcher Shea Langeliers (31), designated hitter Brent Rooker (30), left fielder Tyler Soderstrom (25) and right fielder Lawrence Butler (21), the A’s had five players hit for 20 or more homers last season.
4 | Texas Rangers
2025 | 81-81, 3rd in West
Last year in playoffs | 2023
The Rangers have posted just one winning season over the last 10 years, and it came in 2023, the same year that the club won its first-ever World Series. In order for new manager Skip Schumaker to return the Rangers to form, he’s going to need his position players to bounce back in a big way. Freshly-acquired MacKenzie Gore should add length to the Rangers’ rotation, while former Vanderbilt teammates Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker will have an opportunity to establish themselves as formidable major league starters.
5 | Angels
2025 | 72-90, 5th in West
Last year in playoffs | 2014
The Angels upped their win total by nine games from 2024 to 2025, and the club could continue to progress in its first season under rookie manager Kurt Suzuki. General manager Perry Minasian enters the final year of his contract, after the Angels failed to post a winning record in each of his first six seasons.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — When you look at the USC Trojans, one might think they’re setting the table for next year.
Buying time until JuJu Watkins returns. Keeping the ship afloat until the talented recruiting class that includes Saniyah Hall makes its way to campus.
But the Trojans showed Saturday that’s not the case. They’re making a plate and eating now.
The No. 9 seed Trojans gutted out a 71-67 overtime win over No. 8 seed Clemson in what USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb described as “a culture win.”
That game featured many tests for a young team in March and the Trojans responded well to the challenges. They are advancing on the back of freshman Jazzy Davidson’s 31 points and senior Kara Dunn’s 22.
Davidson, who appeared to be on the verge of tears as the referees reviewed the final play of regulation to determine whether she had committed a foul that would have set Clemson up for game-winning free throws, said on Sunday there’s a standard that this year’s Trojans feel they are responsible for meeting.
“I think our expectations, you know nobody wanted to lose JuJu, we all love her, but we have to keep going as you said and just holding that same expectation that they had last season. Just the program standard,” Davidson said. “And just resiliency and making sure that we’re doing our best every game.”
Dunn said the deck has been stacked against the Trojans all season and it’s forced them to grow stronger as a unit.
USC guard Kara Dunn drives to the basket in front of Clemson guard Taylor Johnson-Matthews during the first round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday in Columbia, S.C.
(Nell Redmond / Associated Press)
“I think this year has just been about focusing on going against all odds,” Dunn said. “A lot of people didn’t expect much from this team and they might have turned away at certain times when we had lower moments this season and I think that it built our own culture for this season specifically. I feel like we had to come together, we had to support each other when it didn’t feel like we had much support and I think that that’s been really important.”
She added that moving through the season with just the support of each other and their die-hard fans works in their favor as they prepare to take on powerhouse South Carolina on the Gamecocks’ formidable home floor.
“We have everything to gain, nothing to lose going into this game, so I feel like this has really helped us,” Dunn said.
The NCAA tournament game against the No. 1 seed on the Trojans’ side of the bracket will be a rematch of the unofficial “Battle of the Real USC” in November. The Gamecocks claimed a 69-52 win during that meeting.
USC guard Jazzy Davidson drives under pressure from Clemson guard Rachael Rose Saturday in Columbia, S.C.
(Nell Redmond / Associated Press)
Gottlieb said Sunday she scheduled that game to prepare her team for moments like Monday’s tough matchup.
“Maybe if we hadn’t played Notre Dame, UConn and South Carolina, maybe our record would be a little better coming in, but it doesn’t make you a better program,” she said. “Our goals remain the same; which is to win a national championship. So if you’re skipping those people in nonconference hoping to manipulate it, it doesn’t work that way. You have to see the best. You have to elevate your program to be the best, then ultimately, you have to beat the best to get to where you want to be.”
South Carolina is trying to avenge last season’s championship loss to UConn and secure its fourth national championship in program history and the third in five years. USC, meanwhile, is trying to match the Cheryl Miller era when she led the Trojans to back-to-back national titles in 1983 and 1984.
Trojan culture will be tested more than ever, but Dunn feels good about where the team is heading.
“Obviously that was the beginning of the season, now it’s towards the end and we’re two very different teams,” she said of the previous loss to South Carolina. “We’ve grown in a lot of ways, but we’re using that scout just to see what we did well and what we could’ve done better. We just want to make sure that we control those things first and then adjust.”
Davidson will have the chance to play in another legacy defining game during her second NCAA tournament appearance.
“I feel like I have nerves a little bit before every game, [Monday] especially because it’s a big game,” she said. “My teammates are always just making sure I’m calm and in the moment. The confidence that they instill in me every day really helps.”
The WNBA will likely get an injection of UCLA talent. One of the players most equipped to make an impact right away, it turns out, might be Kiki Rice.
Some mock drafts have the senior guard as high as being picked No. 5 overall after concerns she might fall out of the first round entirely before this season.
After a career-best season, though, Rice is one of the top prospects in a loaded class. That wasn’t a given after taking a step back in all statistics other than shooting last season.
The No. 1 seed Bruins are hoping to ride that to a national title, with the next step coming Saturday against No. 16 seed California Baptist in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion.
UCLA guard Kiki Rice shoots over Ohio State guard Jaloni Cambridge during the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament on March 7 in Indianapolis.
(Michael Conroy / Associated Press)
WNBA scouts are hoping Rice proves she can be one of the best early first-round investments in the league.
“The work she did on her mentality, film study, with leadership, using her voice, working on her handles, I just think it’s her commitment to the details,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “I’m not surprised that she’s playing this way because of the intentional work that she puts in.”
A Big Ten All-Defensive Team and unanimous All-Big Ten First Team selection this season, Rice is averaging career highs in points (15.3), rebounds (6.0) and shooting percentage (50.4%). Her assist numbers have dropped since the addition of Charlisse Leger-Walker, but that’s allowed Rice to create her own offense.
“I think one of the things that Kiki’s been able to do is have different kinds of scoring catches this year because of Charlisse’s presence on our team,” Close said. “But I do think the biggest thing has probably been her passing, her facilitation, as well as her ability to shoot.”
WNBA scouts have taken notice, too. One evaluator said her ability to play with a “group of weapons” has set herself up to be taken seriously for a larger role even as a rookie. For a long time, among those scouting in the league, she was viewed as a potential backup point guard, but her shooting ability and defensive consistency has made her a more complete prospect.
Her 2.2 defensive win shares are third in the Big Ten and her 83.0 defensive rating is seventh.
“I worked a ton of [defense] in the offseason and really stepped up to the challenge of guarding the other team’s best perimeter player,” Rice said. “I think me being challenged in that way, it’s been a really great area of growth, and that’s probably the area that I’m most proud of.”
Rice’s improvement from the three-point line is a big one for WNBA scouts. She improved her deep shot from 21.7% to 38.1% across four seasons.
UCLA guard Kiki Rice steals the ball from Washington guard Chloe Briggs at Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 19.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
That, plus her defensive prowess and ability to play point guard and more of a loose guard role, have helped her WNBA stock rise tremendously.
“Defensively has been probably the most impactful growth thing that she’s had,” Close said. “But Kiki — people don’t realize she was out for six months. She had surgery on April 15th last year and was out for six months.”
Rice was injured at the start of last season and then underwent right shoulder surgery right after the Final Four. Despite the injury, she played in 34 games last season, averaging 12.8 points and 5.0 assists per game.
Rice won the Big Ten tournament’s most outstanding player award after UCLA thrashed Iowa by 51 points in the championship. She averaged 16.6 points and 5.3 assists during three Big Ten tournament games.
Her numbers might be even better if she were the team’s top offensive option, like Hannah Hidalgo with Notre Dame. Instead, she is sharing time with other top WNBA prospects such as Lauren Betts, Gianna Kneepkens and Leger-Walker.
“What I love most is she’s one of the most selfless people I’ve ever played with,” Betts said of Rice. “She really could [not] care less about all of the attention. She just wants to win games. She’s always there for her teammates. I’m so grateful I get to be her teammate and her friend. She’s amazing.”
In addition to her three-point shot improvement, around 60% of her points still come in the paint from driving to the basket, making her a threat all over the floor.
“There were lots of times in previous years where Kiki could get downhill, but we didn’t have the court spacing because we didn’t have the quality of shooting that allowed those driving lanes to take place,” Close said.
UCLA guard Kiki Rice shoots over USC guard Malia Samuels at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 3.
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
The biggest question with Rice is whether her three-point shooting can scale to a higher volume in the WNBA, where guards are more likely to shoot from deep than be relied on in the post. She has never taken more than 2.7 attempts per game.
Part of that is because there are so many options from three-point range that Rice doesn’t have to be the primary shooter. Kneepkens is making 44.2% of her three-pointers and Gabriela Jaquez has hit 41.1% while Leger-Walker is shooting 36.4% from range.
That hasn’t affected Rice’s efficiency, though.
“I think this year the way that we moved the ball and everyone gets touches is so important for everyone and allows me to be successful,” Rice said.
UCLA guard Kiki Rice celebrates with teammates as she’s handed the Big Ten tournament most outstanding player trophy on March 8 in Indianapolis.
(Michael Conroy / Associated Press)
With the way the draft order falls, Rice is likely to end up with either an expansion team or a team that struggled last season, such as Washington or Chicago. That might mean she’ll need to step in and produce in her first season as a pro.
That is why her stock has risen so much this season — she’s shown she has the versatility to do what is needed.
“Kiki has been playing the best basketball of her career,” Close said. “I think she has put in the work. She knows what she’s earned, and she’s sort of ‘that girl’ for us.”
Sure, it’s a quarterback’s league, but a major focus of the upcoming NFL draft will be about getting to the quarterback. This class is loaded with talented pass rushers, and teams figure to take advantage of that early and often. This mock draft has edge rushers off the board with the second, third and fourth selections.
How appropriate that the April 23-25 draft will be held for the first time in Pittsburgh, birthplace of the Steel Curtain.
The Steelers, incidentally, take a receiver in this mock — and there are lots of talented prospects at that spot, too. This contemplates the Rams selecting USC receiver Makai Lemon, although it’s entirely possible that the sure-handed Trojans star will already be gone by the time the 13th pick rolls around.
The Chargers, meanwhile, take an offensive lineman to address the need that haunted them all last season after they were ravaged by injuries up front.
One look at how the draft could unfold:
1. Las Vegas Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) — Tom Brady loves him. The Raiders are trying to build something, and this Heisman winner figures to be a cornerstone.
2. New York Jets: Edge Arvell Reese (Ohio State) — Jets had zero interceptions and four takeaways last season, both NFL records, and think Reese has some Micah Parsons qualities.
3. Arizona Cardinals: Edge David Bailey (Texas Tech) — As pass rushers go, the Cardinals have Josh Sweat, who isn’t particularly happy, and a bunch of young guys who have struggled to stay healthy.
4. Tennessee Titans: Edge Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami) — Although they have been collecting defensive linemen, the Titans still need help at the edge. Also could use a supporting cast for Cam Ward.
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love carries the ball against Pittsburgh in November.
(Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press)
5. New York Giants: RB Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame) — John Harbaugh doesn’t always draft for need, and he loves to pound defenses with a running game. Love is the best in this class.
6. Cleveland Browns: OT Monroe Freeling (Georgia) — The Browns are completely rebooting their offensive line and had hoped to sign Packers free agent tackle Rasheed Walker, instead nabbed by Carolina.
7. Washington Commanders: S Caleb Downs (Ohio State) — The Commanders could use help at virtually every position — everything but QB — and a game-changing defensive back would get a warm welcome.
8. New Orleans Saints: LB Sonny Styles (Ohio State) — Saints might go receiver here, but Saints need a defensive stalwart too. If Love and Downs are gone — as they are in this mock — Styles would be a fit.
9. Kansas City Chiefs: WR Carnell Tate (Ohio State) — The cupboard is bare at receiver with just Xavier Worthy and Jalen Royals, so the Chiefs are desperate for some help there. Not the first time.
10. Cincinnati Bengals: CB Mansoor Delane (Louisiana State) — The Bengals are bringing back virtually their entire offense and have spent the offseason coming up with ways to improve their historically bad defense.
11. Miami Dolphins: WR Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State) — The Dolphins are trading Jaylen Waddle to Denver for another pick, so they immediately address their need for another playmaking receiver.
12. Dallas Cowboys: CB Jermod McCoy (Tennessee) — The Cowboys traded for Rashan Gary, which addressed their need at edge. Here’s a chance to upgrade at corner.
Wide receiver Makai Lemon runs with the ball during USC’s pro day on March 12.
(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
13. Rams: WR Makai Lemon (USC) — Having raided Kansas City’s defensive backfield, the Rams can stay put and take a receiver, or maybe trade up for a long-term bookend to Puka Nacua.
14. Baltimore Ravens: G Olaivavega Ioane (Penn State) — The Ravens have an opening at both guard and center, so they turn their attention to the interior of their offensive line.
15. Tampa Bay: Edge Keldric Faulk (Auburn) — The Buccaneers are sorely lacking when it comes to generating pressure off the edge, and Haason Reddick hasn’t been the answer.
16. New York Jets: WR Omar Cooper Jr. (Indiana) — The Jets need a No. 2 receiver to line up opposite Garrett Wilson and command some attention on the outside.
17. Detroit Lions: Edge Akheem Mesidor (Miami) — The Lions need someone they can pair with Aidan Hutchinson to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and Mesidor has a lot of potential.
18. Minnesota Vikings: S Dillon Thieneman (Oregon) — Harrison Smith is 37 and the Vikings need to start planning for the future at that position; they need another defensive back.
19. Carolina Panthers: OL Spencer Fano (Utah) — Fano can play all five positions on the offensive line, and that’s awfully enticing for a franchise with an injured left tackle and in need of a center.
20. Dallas Cowboys: LB Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech) — Micah Parsons is gone, and the Cowboys allowed 6.1 yards per play last season, second worst in the league. They need help all over.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: CB Avieon Terrell (Clemson) — A receiver would be nice, but the Steelers can get one later. Terrell gives the Steelers depth and potentially a long-term bookend to Joey Porter Jr.
Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa prepares for a snap against Louisville in October.
(Doug Murray / Associated Press)
22. Chargers: OL Francis Mauigoa (Miami) — With all the problems the Chargers have had cobbling together an offensive line, they need to focus on protecting Justin Herbert.
23. Philadelphia Eagles: S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (Toledo) — Reed Blankenship, a fixture in Philadelphia’s defense and a QB in the secondary, signed with Houston as a free agent.
24. Cleveland Browns: CB Colton Hood (Tennessee) — The Browns addressed their offense with the sixth pick and now can focus on a defensive position of need. Corner is key.
25. Chicago Bears: CB Chris Johnson (San Diego State) — Tyrique Stevenson is the fourth-most-targeted corner in the league. The Bears need to upgrade at that spot opposite Jaylon Johnson.
26. Buffalo Bills OL Kadyn Proctor (Alabama) — Buffalo wants to run the ball, and Proctor is an outstanding downhill run blocker. He can also move inside and benefit a team that needs interior help.
27. San Francisco 49ers: OT Blake Miller (Clemson) — The 49ers have to plan for their future at both tackle spots. Miller is durable and a particularly adept pass blocker.
28. Houston Texans: OT Caleb Lomu (Utah) — Houston’s offensive line has been a problem for years and that’s not going away. Lomu is young but terrific in pass protection. Good news for C.J. Stroud.
29. Kansas City Chiefs: Edge Cashius Howell (Texas A&M) — Kansas City’s pass rush has declined two years in a row. The Chiefs need help in a lot of areas, but getting to passer is vital.
30. Miami Dolphins: Edge T.J. Parker (Clemson) — The Dolphins have an underwhelming cluster of pass rushers, led by Chop Robinson. They need help pressuring the quarterback so they will be looking for an edge rusher.
31. New England Patriots: TE Kenyon Sadiq (Oregon) — Mike Vrabel has already tipped his hand about his interest in this class of tight ends. Give Drake Maye another weapon at the position.
32. Seattle Seahawks: RB Jadarian Price (Notre Dame) — Two ball carriers from the same college backfield in the opening round? The defending Super Bowl champions need to start reconstructing a backfield.
PHOENIX — After a few days away, Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts returned to Camelback Ranch over the weekend, now a father of three after his wife, Brianna, gave birth.
The 33-year-old Betts said earlier in camp he was looking to ease into spring training ahead of his 13th major league season in an effort to turn the page from a career-worst statistical year in 2025. There have been encouraging signs as he’s hitting .316 in Cactus League play, which includes a home run in Sunday’s split-squad win over the Chicago Cubs.
“I just want to get better,” Betts said. “I’m not content with being where I’m at. I want to continue to get better in life and everything, and you know, be able to kind of teach my son how to be great. You know, I’ve got to go through it first. When you’re open-minded, there’s endless possibilities.”
Betts kept an open mind when he first learned of teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s unique workout routine, which includes javelin throwing, yoga, and working with personal trainer Osamu Yada. Betts credits his improved defense at shortstop to the new training methods that he’s adopted.
“I’m not fully in his whole routine,” Betts said of Yada, who is often referred to as Yada Sensei. “But I wake up every morning and do my stretch routine that Sensei showed me, throwing the javelins every day. I think throwing javelins is the reason why I can make a play in the hole like that and throw it in the air on a line. I’m really grateful for Yoshi and Sensei, because they have definitely changed my perspective, changed my life, changed my game.”
Betts graded as a below-average defender in his first season at the shortstop position in 2024, posting a minus-6 in Defensive Runs Saved and a minus-3 in Outs Above Average. Last season, he saw a sizable improvement, leading MLB shortstops in DRS (+17) and placing in the top-third in OAA (+6).
It wasn’t hard for Betts to look at Yamamoto and think that the Japanese superstar may have been onto something.
“So I mean, Yoshi came over and [got] $300 million, and he hadn’t even thrown a pitch over here,” Betts said. “So, I’m pretty sure he does something right.”
Betts has yet to see the workouts translate offensively, but expects that to come in due time.
“He said eventually I’ll feel where it helps me hitting, but I haven’t gotten to that point yet,” Betts said. “I think he should be back, so you’ll see us back working, and eventually I’ll get it, but he said it will take a little time.”
In the meantime, Betts believes he’s found an easy fix that should return him to the MVP-caliber player he had been for close to a decade. Betts says he lost 10 mph in bat speed last season.
“I think the most important part is now that I think I’m 178 [pounds] now, almost 180 [pounds], so I’m able to just have speed,” Betts said. “When I lost all the weight, I was down 10 mph in speed. You’ve got guys throwing 100 mph with a slow bat, it’s going to be hard to do. It’s not an excuse, but it’s a fact. So, now I’ve got my speed back, I don’t have to hurry up and make decisions so fast.”
Said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts: “I like where he’s at physically. He looks stronger.”
A stomach illness prompted Betts to lose 15 to 20 pounds . last spring, putting him behind the eight-ball, and he never quite caught up after that.
“[I was] down 10 mph in bat speed,” Betts said. “Do you know how hard it is for somebody that weighs 160 lbs. to gain bat speed, to gain strength and play a game all at the same time during the season? It’s tough to do. I tried it. I failed at it. But we’re in a new spot now, and we’ll try to stay here.”
When Julie Uhrman and a fledgling ownership group that would quickly grow to more than 100 announced plans to start a women’s soccer club in the summer of 2020, the goal was to build something unique and different.
And in that she was wildly successful: four years after its founding, Angel City became the most valuable team in the history of women’s professional sports while funneling millions of dollars to community programs throughout Southern California.
What the team hasn’t done is win. And that, Uhrman said, has to change.
“It’s time to win,” said Uhrman, who this month is stepping down as the team’s chief executive to take a new role as principal advisor. “We’re in L.A. We live in a city of champions and we want to be on the same mantle as them. It’s a process but we have the right team in place, on and off the pitch, to accomplish that.”
Angel City will kick off its fifth season Sunday at BMO Stadium against the Chicago Stars. Over its previous four seasons, Angel City lost 12 more games than it won, finished with a winning record only once and made just one playoff appearance. And it has used four coaches, three sporting directors and more than 70 players in its search for success.
“We needed to rip it up and start again,” Straus said.
As a result, more than half the players on the opening day roster weren’t with Angel City at the start of last season. And nine women who started at least a half-dozen games last season aren’t there this year.
“This is Angel City 2.0,” Parsons said. “We’ve gone through a huge amount of staff change. We’ve gone through a huge amount of roster change. And January 2026 has become Year 1.
“Year 5 is Year 1 of building what we believe is a sporting organization that can get to the top and stay at the top.”
That’s probably not what the team’s long-suffering fans wanted to hear. They wanted to hear that this is the year Angel City wins a trophy. But after watching his team finish 11th in the 14-team NWSL in 2025, Parsons said that’s not realistic.
“You don’t go from 11th to being a top-four team. I think you come from 11th and you become a playoff team ,” said Parsons who, as a manager, took a Portland Thorns team with a losing record to an NWSL Shield and a league title in his first two seasons. “Last year was a tough year. Now we’re in a better place. So we’re still on the journey.”
Angel City coach Alexander Straus watches over a practice session at the team’s training facility in Thousand Oaks in February.
(Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)
So is the league. With the addition of expansion franchises in Denver and Boston, the NWSL entered its 14th season Friday with a record 16 teams, meaning each club will play a record 30 games. The top eight finishers in the table will make the playoffs.
For Angel City, the makeover to 2.0 really launched about six months before Parsons arrived when Disney CEO Bob Iger and his wife, Willow Bay, dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, became controlling owners of the club and committed $50 million to improving it. Part of that investment paid for the purchase and renovation of a sprawling state-of-the-art training center at Cal Lutheran University and part of it allowed Parsons to come in and tear things up.
When he took over as sporting director last winter, Parsons quickly set about overhauling the roster, leaving Angel City with one of the youngest teams in the NWSL, averaging 25 years of age, this season. Two players are still in their teens and eight others have yet to turn 23.
A year ago, eight players on the roster were 32 or older.
Among the key offseason additions are defender Emily Sams, an Olympic champion with the U.S. national team, and midfielder Ary Borges, a Brazilian international. They will join a core that includes Japanese midfielder Hina Sugita and Zambian striker Prisca Chilufya, who joined the team at the end of last season.
Of the four, only Sugita, a two-time World Cup veteran, is older than 26.
“We’re getting closer to competing for trophies,” Parsons said. “But making [the] playoffs right now is a logical next step. This year is about showing that we’re going in the right direction. But we can’t jump from 11th to one. Those days are over.
“We have overachieved the last 12 months in building a sporting organization, staffing departments and [constructing a] roster. There’s going to be ups and downs this year, like there is every year.”
Goalkeeper Angelina Anderson, entering her fourth season with Angel City, making her one of the team’s longest-tenured players, believes in Parsons’ deliberate approach and is confident the team is about to turn the corner.
“Having that methodical approach is really smart and it gives us kind of an overview of like, we want to win the championship, we feel like we’re in a really good spot, but there are daily, monthly, season-long challenges that we’re going to have to overcome if that’s where we want to get to,” said Anderson, one of three team captains. “It’s actually a very smart way for all of us to manage our expectations.”
Uhrman agrees too but being realistic is hard. When she helped launch Angel City, it was with the vision of building a winning team and nearly six years later, she’s still waiting for that vision to be released.
“Our aspiration is to win the championship. Our goal is to make the playoffs,” she said. “And we feel very comfortable that we can do that. It is a process. We’re realistic about where we are in the process and what we need to do to develop and grow.
“Believing in the fact that it’s a process is comforting because we are being realistic about what we are. But that doesn’t change what we want to accomplish.”
PHOENIX — Wait, what? That’s me whenever I see a list of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball that doesn’t include the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the top three — or not until No. 7, like MLB Network’s did.
It’s hard to believe there are professional ball-watchers who want us to believe there are a handful of pitchers better than the Dodgers’ righty who’s steadily filling the fingers on his hand with championship rings.
Respectfully, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Zack Wheeler and Atlanta Braves’ Chris Sale are great. So are the Philadelphia Phillies’ Christopher Sánchez and Boston Red Sox’s Garrett Crochet.
But they’re not greater than Yamamoto.
I’m not saying criminally underrating someone like Yamamoto should be prosecutable, I’m just wondering why anyone would?
“It could have something to do with him not throwing 100 like some other guys,” Dodgers pitcher Ben Casparius said. “But just in terms of pure pitching and what he’s able to do and where he’s able to locate certain pitches and how he’s able to read the hitters?”
Elite.
“In our eyes, I would for sure say Yamamoto is very underrated,” catcher Dalton Rushing said. “I think what goes into your role as a player is your willingness to win, whatever you’ll do to win. I don’t have to go back to the World Series and bring anything up, everyone watched those games, everyone saw what he did.”
Maybe it was a power outage at some folks’ homes during the World Series? Or a subtle form of protest against the Dodgers, champions of capitalism? Maybe Yamamoto’s unassuming everyman act is just that good?
We’ve all marveled at Shohei Ohtani’s Superman quick change, how he’ll go from dynamite pitcher to fearsome hitter in a few bats of an eye. But the truly superheroic character on the Dodgers’ roster is their 5-foot-10, 176-pound ace, Yamamoto.
His Clark Kent-esque transformation, from unimposing nice guy — “the nicest guy in the entire world,” Casparius said — to smirking menace whenever the day needs saving is the stuff of comic book legends.
In last season’s World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays that went the distance and beyond, Yamamoto earned MVP and three of the Dodgers’ four wins.
He had a 1.02 ERA. Got the Dodgers squared away with nine innings of one-run baseball in Game 2. Staved off elimination in Game 6, giving up just one run in six innings. And closed the deal in Game 7 when he pitched 2 ⅔ innings of scoreless relief in the Dodgers’ 5-4, 11-inning victory.
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto is all smiles as he’s hugged by a teammate following the Game 7 win over the Blue Jays in the World Series.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Oh, and of course Yamamoto was warming in the bullpen when Freddie Freeman hit his walk-off home run to end the 18-inning Game 3 epic at Dodger Stadium.
Yamamoto also showed up for Japan in the World Baseball Classic. He tossed 2 ⅔ scoreless innings in one pool-play start and started again in a knockout game Saturday in Miami, striking out five in four innings and leaving with the lead before Venezuela roared back to win 8-5.
“Part of being a gamer and being a great competitor in big moments is the preparation,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And when you prepare the right way, that eliminates a lot of doubt and fear. And that, for me, that’s the core of who Yoshinobu is.”
Hyper-competitive and exceptionally nimble, Yamamoto is also super strong — in body and mind.
Bruce Wayne had Alfred Pennyworth; Yamamoto has Yada Sensei, personal trainer Osamu Yada, a 60-something Japanese judo therapist whose unique training regimen has helped turn his star pupil into a world-beater.
So while the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Paul Skenes and Detroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal are baseball’s kings of the hill, if you had to pick one arm to decide the fate of the universe, whose would it be?
Cue the Yoshinobu Yamamoto anthem.
“He’s probably the best pitcher I’ve ever seen live,” Casparius said. “He’s definitely the guy I’m taking in a must-win game.”
Said pitcher River Ryan: “Yoshi, he is just a natural freak athlete” with a “routine that’s incredible to watch.”
And it isn’t merely the pitcher’s willingness to go to bat for his team and country, all the metrics make his case, too.
Last season, Yamamoto had the fourth-best ERA in the big leagues (2.49) and gave up two or fewer runs in 20 of his 30 starts. He was also tied for first in barrel rate (5.7%), fifth in strikeout rate (29.4%) and seventh in FIP (2.94).
Pick a category, and it paints the picture almost as well as Yamamoto does corners.
I’m not asking people to put some respect on Yamamoto’s name, I’m asking them to put mad respect on it.
“I would say yes, I don’t think he’s fully appreciated for what he’s done,” third baseman Max Muncy said. “Not just yet. He will.”
Eventually even people around Clark Kent have to catch on: This guy might not walk around like he’s a superhero, but he is one.
