With the Final 4 on the line, South Carolina's Raven Johnson faces TCU's Olivia Miles

SACRAMENTO, CA – One matchup that is sure to turn heads when South Carolina and TCU meet in the Elite Eight on Monday is the offensive mastery of TCU's Olivia Miles against the relentless defense of South Carolina's Raven Johnson.

In the eyes of South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, it won't be as simple as a one-on-one.

"You do it by committee," Staley said.

A key committee member: freshman guard Agot Makeer. Johnson, a senior who is the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year, has mentored Makeer to become the next leader of South Carolina's "Seatbelt Gang."

"I feel like that title goes to elite defenders," Makeer said. "Obviously with Raven leaving, someone has to take that title and take that kind of pressure."

Johnson and former Gamecock Bree Hall started the "Seatbelt Gang" last season, adding players such as Te-Hina Paopao -- and now Makeer. Their defensive tenacity has "locked up" many players, and they need another signature performance on March 30 against TCU to reach the Gamecocks' sixth consecutive Final Four.

"The future of the seat belt gang, as of today," South Carolina assistant coach Wendale Farrow said, "is Agot Makeer strapped up with the seat belt."

Michigan State's Rashunda Jones (1) walks off the court following a second-round game in the NCAA women's basketball tournament between the Oklahoma Sooners and Michigan State Spartans at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Sunday March 22, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Kamy Peppler #1 of the Green Bay Phoenix reacts against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the third quarter during the First Round of the Women's NCAA Tournament at Williams Arena on March 20, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers defeated the Phoenix 75-58.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

March Sadness hits hard in the Women's NCAA basketball tournament

Michigan State's Rashunda Jones (1) walks off the court following a second-round game in theNCAA women's basketballtournament between the Oklahoma Sooners and Michigan State Spartans at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Sunday March 22, 2026.

When Johnson was a freshman, she dubbed upperclassmen such as Aliyah Boston the "Grandmas" because of how they mentored her with tough love. Similarly, Johnson has thrown Makeer in the fire.

"Usually Ray has the defensive assignment of the game," Makeer said. "She'll come up to me and she'll be like, 'Do you want to guard her?' I'll be like, 'OK, yeah, I got you.' Just her believing in me to guard her matchup has been really cool."

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Johnson, though, doesn't want the "Grandma" moniker.

"No, no, no," Johnson said. "Don't ever consider me that. I'm still young and turnt, I will always be young and turnt and forever be young and turnt."

Regardless of Johnson's characterization, she is among the most impactful leaders on this South Carolina team.

"Raven just pours into everybody," sophomore guard Maddy McDaniel said. "All the underclassmen, everybody under her, she is so excited for just seeing people flourish and grow."

Gamecocks players and coaches feel certain that Johnson-esque elite defensive seasons -- and the accolades that come with it -- are in Makeer's future.

"I think Gotti is the perfect person to carry that legacy," freshman guard Ayla McDowell said.

Perhaps Makeer also is the perfect defensive menace to help Johnson stop Miles and carry South Carolina past TCU, into another Final Four.

Dylan Clearfield is a student in the University of Georgia's Carmical Sports Media Institute.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:South Carolina's Raven Johnson faces TCU's Olivia Miles in women's Elite 8

byNeo

in

March 30, 2026

With the Final 4 on the line, South Carolina's Raven Johnson faces TCU's Olivia Miles

SACRAMENTO, CA – One matchup that is sure to turn heads when South Carolina and TCU meet in the Elite Eight on Monday is ...

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MLB winners and losers: Top prospects and Japanese sluggers shine opening weekend

Five days to play three games across a seemingly endless sea of streamers and networks isn't exactly the way baseball was meant to be staged.

But you made it. AndMajor League Baseball's lovable slog should get more recognizable after this seemingly eternal opening weekend.

And while the sample produced was still remarkably small, there were still a few cogent data points, many of them apparently giving signal rather than noise.

With that, USA TODAY Sports takes a look at the winners and losers of opening weekend, with another week's worth of oversized flags and home openers upon us already:

Winners

The youth brigade

And to think No. 1 prospect Konnor Griffin's ticket to the minor leagues might have dimmed thestart of the season for prospect heads.

Nope, the kids showed out beyond anyone's wildest dreams right from the first pitches on Thursday – such as the oneKevin McGonigle smoked for a doubleseconds into his major league career, part of a four-hit debut for the Detroit Tigers.

Kevvy Mac (someone has to come up with a nickname, right?) added another hit and two more RBIs in his second game, starting at both third base and shortstop. An incredibly valuable piece already for the pennant-chasing Tigers.

And while he might make the most impact on the pennant race and, maybe, the playoffs, he was arguably not the most spectacular performer at their beautillion ball.

The dynamic JJ Wetherholt homered in his debut and notched a two-run walk-off hit in his second game and got another knock in his third as the rebuilding Cardinals took a series from Tampa Bay. The Mets' Carson Benge homered on the first pitch he saw of his MLB debut.

And while Chase DeLauter technically got his feet wet with a wild card series cameo in 2025, he scorched four homers and broke up a no-hitter in his first four games for Cleveland. Same with Owen Caissie, who enjoyed a cortado-length stay with the Cubs last summer, got traded to the Marlins and hit a walk-off two-run homer to sweep the Rockies in his Miami debut.

Konnor's gonna have to play catch-up.

A Yankees-Blue Jays pennant race repeat

The death of the tiebreaker game can take some shine off a great divisional race. So it was last year when the Blue Jays and Yankees each won 94 games and Toronto won the division based on head-to-head record.

With the Blue Jays significantly altered yet also nursing a World Series hangover and the Yankees in apparent danger of run-it-back syndrome, it was unclear how the AL East beasts might break from the gate in 2026.

Turns out they missed nary a beat.

Both clubs registered convincing sweeps against decent but unproven opponents, as the Blue Jays got leadoff homers and walk-off hits and 21 combined punchouts from Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease to sweep the A's.

The Yankees, meanwhile, were in run-prevention mode in San Francisco, where the Giants are typically cooperative in such matters. Oh, Aaron Judge pounded a couple more home runs and Cam Schlittler looks very much like theplayoff beast he was last year. Yeah – they'll be fine 'til Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole step back on the scene.

The Pirates, trying to win

Sometimes, fans and media alike can get a little too caught up in off-season transactions. Yet for Pittsburgh Pirates fans, screaming at management to "Do Anything" winter after winter almost always fell on deaf ears.

Finally, the Pirates did something this winter. And lo and behold, the product appears healthier!

Offseason trade acquisition Brandon Lowe pounded a pair of home runs in their opening series against a very good Mets team. Free agent signee Ryan O'Hearn – no, not a Kyle Schwarber splash but a very good acquisition – had three hits and drove in the winning run in the 10thinning as they salvaged the final game of three.

Pittsburgh took New York to extra innings in Game 2, too, with Oneil Cruz's sun-splashed outfield debacle the only element making them non-competitive all weekend. Not to say they can stay with the Brewers and Cubs all summer.

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But trying really is a lot more fun.

Japanese sluggers

They were the highest-profile hitters coming from foreign lands this winter, yet Kazuma Okamoto and Munetaka Murakami's combined value of their contracts didn't even reach $100 million. Contact concerns, and the worry that power in Japan would transfer to the big leagues.

Well, guess who's trailing only DeLauter in major league home runs?

Murakami went deep thrice in Milwaukee, the bright spot in a Chicago White Sox sweep at the hands of the Brewers. Meanwhile, Okamoto had four hits in 12 at-bats, homered himself and posted a .429 OBP in his first three games for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Not a total endorsement just yet of the $60 million Toronto committed to Okamoto or the $34 million the White Sox are paying Murakami. Yet it's a nice bit of relief for a pair of teams who rolled the dice and enjoyed positive first looks.

(Salaries in present-day value calculated by MLB Labor Relations Department, impacted by deferrals and signing bonuses)

1. Juan Soto, Mets - $61,875,000

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 2. Cody Bellinger, Yankees - $42,500,000

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 3. Bo Bichette, Mets - $42 million

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 3. Zack Wheeler, Phillies – $42 million

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays - $40,214,286

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 6. Aaron Judge, Yankees – $40 million

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 7. Anthony Rendon, Angels - $38,571,429

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 8. Jacob deGrom, Rangers - $38 million

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 9. Mike Trout, Angels – $37,116,667

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 10. Gerrit Cole, Yankees – $36,000,000

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 11. Jose Altuve, Astros – $33 million

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 11. Kyle Tucker, Dodgers - $33 million

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 13. Tyler Glasnow, Dodgers - $32,500,000

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 14. Francisco Lindor, Mets - $32,477,277

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 15. Tarik Skubal, Tigers – $32 million

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 16. Carlos Correa, Astros – $31,500,000

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 16. Corey Seager, Rangers - $31,500,000

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 18. Sonny Gray, Red Sox – $31 million

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 19. Corbin Burnes, Diamondbacks – $30,790,069

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 20. Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees - $29 million

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 21. Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers – $28,536,643

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 22. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers – $28,206,684

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 23. Dansby Swanson, Cubs – $28 million

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 24. Carlos Rodon, Yankees – $27,833,333

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 25. Stephen Strasburg, Nationals (*retired) – $27,814,045

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 26. Bryce Harper, Phillies - $27,538,462

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 27. Trea Turner, Phillies – $27,272,727

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 28. Blake Snell, Dodgers - $27,152,056

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 29. Kris Bryant, Rockies - $27 million

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 30. Yordan Alvarez, Astros - $26,833,333

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

See the top 30 highest paid players in MLB baseball

(Salaries in present-day value calculated by MLB Labor Relations Department, impacted by deferrals and signing bonuses)1. Juan Soto, Mets- $61,875,000

Losers

Rookie managers

Hey, not all of them. Beltways bros Craig Albernaz of Baltimore andBlake Butera of Washingtoneach won their first two games, the Nationals startling the Cubs at windy Wrigley Field.

Yet it was two surprise hires – relative greenhorns – who had a rough go of it.

You've surely heard aboutTony Vitello making the jumpfrom collegiate ball to the majors. It's a big deal and at the same time potentially not the big deal folks have made of it, so long as Tony V wins the usual 81 games near China Basin and doesn't look too weird doing it.

Well, about that…

The Giants scored just one run in three games against the mighty Yankees, a series that featured a fiery pregame speech and then perhaps a little too much panic after their second shutout loss.

"We're all major league players," pitcher Robbie Ray said when asked whether Vitello got them too wound up. "We can handle the ups and downs."

Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Angels' latest see-if-this-sticks move was tossing Kurt Suzuki in the dugout after no on-field coaching experience. And giving him a one-year contract, perhaps the most cynical maneuver for an aimless franchise keeping one eye on a potential lockout.

Unlike Vitello, Suzuki's weekend went south as a direct result of strategic button-pushing.

The Angels blew a six-run lead March 28 and a 6-4 lead a day later, his handling of starters Reid Detmers and Jack Kochanowicz and then the bullpen certainly questionable.

The Angels did come out of Houston with a split of four games. Yet this will still be a trial by fire for a guy who simply does not yet have the dugout reps.

NL West teams north and south of Vin Scully Way

They're a combined 1-11.

The Arizona Diamondbacks suffered three particularly soul-crushing losses to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who wore their gold-lined championship togs all weekend and simply kept hitting balls over the fence, the last off Will Smith's bat to cap the sweep.

The Giants were flattened. San Diego could not hang with the Tigers. And yes, the Rockies are winless, and it will only get more difficult for a 119-loss team that couldn't ring in a new year with even one victory in Miami.

CB Bucknor

No, ABS was not meant to humiliate. It just works out that way sometimes.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:MLB winners and losers: Top prospects shine, rookie managers flop

byNeo

in

March 30, 2026

MLB winners and losers: Top prospects and Japanese sluggers shine opening weekend

Five days to play three games across a seemingly endless sea of streamers and networks isn't exactly the way baseball...

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Edin Dzeko is a familiar face for Italy's defenders in World Cup playoff at Bosnia

ROME (AP) — IfItalyis going to qualify for its first World Cup in 12 years, the Azzurri's defenders are going to have to contain a striker they respect and know well.

Wales Bosnia WCup Soccer

Bosnia and Herzegovina's 40-year-old forwardEdin Dzekohas been a club teammate of all three of Italy's starting defenders.

Dzeko played with Gianluca Mancini and Riccardo Calafiori while he was at Roma from 2015-21. Having then moved to Inter Milan, Dzeko teamed with Alessandro Bastoni on the squad that reached the 2023 Champions League final.

Italy and Inter winger Federico Dimarco contacted Dzeko to congratulate him after Bosnia beat Wales in a penalty shootout last week to set up Tuesday's playoff final against the four-time World Cup champion.

Dzeko's headed equalizer in the second half against Wales was his 73rd international goal. At 6-foot-4 (1.93 meters), Dzeko excels in the air — where Italy's defenders often struggle.

"Edin is a great player and a great person," Dimarco said. "I saw him on vacation over the summer and I've maintained a nice relationship with him."

Dimarco will have to momentarily set aside the relationship, though, with Italy desperate to avoid missing out on a third consecutive World Cup.

Italy was eliminated bySwedenandNorth Macedonia, respectively, in qualifying playoffs for the last two World Cups.

In last week's European playoff semifinals, Italy beat Northern Ireland 2-0.

Tuesdays' other playoff finals are: Sweden vs. Poland; Turkey vs. Kosovo; and Denmark vs. the Czech Republic.

Bosnia stadium

Bosnia has chosen to host the playoff in the 14,000-seat Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica, which is surrounded by apartment towers overlooking the field.

The stadium's capacity will be reduced by 20% following punishment from UEFA for discriminatory and racist abuse by fans during Bosnia's game against Romania in November.

Italy is concerned over the status of the stadium's pitch after a recent snowfall in Bosnia.

"We're expecting a difficult atmosphere," Dimarco said. "But if we're able to remain in the right frame of mind for 95 minutes, I think we can get the result."

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Italians caught cheering

Bosnia has seized upon video footage of Italy's players celebrating after seeing the victory over Wales — as if they considered Bosnia an easier opponent than Wales.

"It was an instinctive reaction," Dimarco said. "I certainly did not disrespect either Bosnia or Bosnians."

The referee for the match in Bosnia will be Clement Turpin of France, who was also in charge when Italy was beaten 1-0 at home by North Macedonia in the playoff semifinals four years ago.

Dimarco's production

Dimarco has been a consistent force on the left wing for Serie A leader Inter this season with six goals and 15 assists.

The only World Cup he's played in was the Under-20 version in 2017 when Italy finished third with Dimarco scoring in the quarterfinals.

"I've always said that goals and assists don't interest me unless they help the team achieve results," Dimarco said.

Esposito for Retegui?

Italy's attack got a boost in the second half against Northern Ireland when Pio Esposito replaced Mateo Retegui. Now the 20-year-old Esposito could start in Retegui's place alongside Moise Kean in Bosnia

Dimarco also plays with Esposito at Inter.

"He's a special kid," Dimarco said. "He's mature for his age and always gives 100% — both in matches and in training. … He just needs to be left alone and we shouldn't put too much pressure on him."

Italy's lost generation

The pressure is on Italy since an entire generation — basically anyone under 15 — has no memory of the last time the Azzurri played in the World Cup — an elimination loss to Uruguay in 2014 in Brazil mostly remembered for Luis Suarez's bite of Giorgio Chiellini's shoulder.

Just ask right winger Matteo Politano, who has won two Italian league titles at Napoli but at 32 has still never played in a World Cup.

"We all know what we're playing for," Politano said. "For me, and for a few of the other senior players, it's probably our last chance."

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

byNeo

in

March 30, 2026

Edin Dzeko is a familiar face for Italy's defenders in World Cup playoff at Bosnia

ROME (AP) — IfItalyis going to qualify for its first World Cup in 12 years, the Azzurri's defenders are going to have...

Read More