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The USWNT got a ‘kick up the backside.’ Can the Americans learn from it?
The U.S. squad was missing some stalwarts in a 2-1 defeat, but Coach Emma Hayes still had a talented lineup that looked out of sync.
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Michigan tops Illinois for 1st outright Big Ten regular-season title since ’14
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Morez Johnson Jr. had 19 points and 11 rebounds against his former team as No. 3 Michigan defeated No. 10 Illinois 84-70 on Friday night and clinched the Big Ten regular-season title.
Johnson, who played for the Illini last season after verbally committing three years earlier, was booed throughout the game by Illinois fans.
Aday Mara had 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting, and Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 16 points and seven rebounds for the Wolverines (27-2, 17-1), who are 10-0 on the road and have won 23 games by 10 or more points.
The Wolverines won their first outright conference regular-season title since 2014, when they also clinched with a win at Illinois.
Michigan’s 17 conference victories are the most in school history.
Keaton Wagler scored 23 points for the Fighting Illini (22-7, 13-5), who have lost four of six, including three in overtime. Wagler scored in double figures for the 21st straight game.
Kylan Boswell scored 15 points, and David Mirkovic had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Illini, who entered the game as the Big Ten’s top 3-point shooting team. Illinois was just 9-of-29 from distance against Michigan.
Michigan led 38-31 at halftime behind Johnson’s 13 points.
Down 16-11 after a four-point play by Wagler, the Wolverines responded with an 11-point run capped by a 3 by Johnson and never trailed again. They led by as many as 21 points in the second half.
Michigan’s win snapped a nine-game losing streak against Illinois that began in 2019. The Wolverines had dropped four in a row to the Illini at the State Farm Center.
Sports
Sources: Trump, college leaders to tackle issues at roundtable
The Power 4 conference commissioners are expected to join dozens of sports celebrities and dignitaries on March 6 at the White House in a roundtable discussion with President Donald Trump about the future of college athletics, multiple sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.
President Trump will chair the group, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and New York Yankees president Randy Levine are listed as vice chairs, according to a source who provided a list of 35 people who received invitations. The list also includes:
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Golfer Tiger Woods
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Former college football coaches Nick Saban, Mack Brown and Urban Meyer
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Former secretary of state and College Football Playoff selection committee member Condoleezza Rice
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New England Patriots president Jonathan Kraft
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NBA commissioner Adam Silver
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Fox Sports president Eric Shanks
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ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro
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Several athletic directors, including Notre Dame’s Pete Bevacqua
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Former college athletes, including Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Florida State basketball and football player Charlie Ward
The list also includes current university presidents and chancellors.
It’s unknown whether everyone invited will attend the event, which is called the “College Sports Roundtable.” Multiple sources planning to attend expressed skepticism about how much could be done on a Friday afternoon with so many people from different backgrounds involved.
“It’s people who could be involved in helping shape the future of college athletics and some of the solutions and strategies to structuring the athletic world going forward,” said one source who plans to attend. “It’s so preliminary, it’s hard to say anything with any sort of specificity because there hasn’t been anything provided to us in writing of that sort yet.”
Also expected to attend is billionaire businessman Cody Campbell, chairman of Texas Tech’s board of regents and a former college football player, who has been working on a “Saving College Sports” campaign and involved in discussions about a possible roundtable for more than a year.
Leaders throughout college athletics have also been meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill for years to rally support for legislation to help regulate NIL. Despite Trump’s outspoken support and multiple politicians taking stances on issues such as athlete employment, the NCAA has been unable to get a bill to the floor for a vote.
Yahoo Sports was first to report the meeting.
Sports
Kelly Inouye-Perez passes Hall of Famer Sue Enquist for most wins in UCLA history
Kelly Inouye-Perez became the winningest coach in UCLA softball history when the No. 9 Bruins beat No. 4 Florida 15-12 on Friday night in the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif., pushing her past mentor and Hall of Famer Sue Enquist for career victory No. 888.
It was Enquist, in fact, who crowned her.
Literally.
Enquist was part of the postgame celebration, stepping forward to present Inouye-Perez with a crown that had blue gemstones to match the UCLA uniforms players wore in the victory. Inouye-Perez grew emotional as she explained how much it meant to carry on a proud UCLA legacy.
Only three women have coached the winningest softball program in Division I history: Inouye-Perez played for the other two, Sharron Backus and Enquist, during her UCLA playing career. They each have 800-plus victories, and are responsible for all of UCLA’s 2,226 wins and 13 national championships.
In a phone call with ESPN after the victory, Inouye-Perez deflected praise and made sure to credit longtime assistant and best friend Lisa Fernandez as well. The two played at UCLA together and have been side by side since Inouye-Perez became head coach in 2007.
“When we talk about the Bruin family, it’s real, and that’s all I’m trying to do is sustain this tradition of excellence for all those that built this historic program,” Inouye-Perez said. “There is no other program that has sustained over six decades like UCLA softball and Lisa and I are doing our best to be able to do that.”
Inouye-Perez, in her 20th season as UCLA head coach, arrived in Westwood in 1989 as a catcher. She would ultimately win three national championships as a player. Her coaching career began as a UCLA assistant under Enquist immediately after her playing career ended.
This season marks her 38th straight year with UCLA softball. She remains the only person in Division I history to win a national championship as a player and coach.
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