Yahoo Sports AM: Favorites fight on to the women’s Final Four

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🚨 Headlines

⚾️ Sactown smackdown: The first MLB game in Sacramento did not go well for the home team, as the Cubs demolished the A’s, 18-3, in their Sutter Health Park debut. Chicago catcher Carson Kelly led the way, hitting for the Cubs’ first cycle since 1993.

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🎄 More football on Christmas: The NFL is planning a Christmas Day tripleheader this year (a Thursday) after the success of last year’s two-game slate. The first two games will be on Netflix and the third will be on Prime Video.

⚾️ PED suspension: Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar has been suspended 80 games for violating MLB’s PED policy. The 2024 All-Star tested positive for a banned substance called chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).

🏈 Rodgers to Pittsburgh? If Aaron Rodgers is going to play in 2025, the Steelers appear to be his most likely destination. The free agent QB met with the Pittsburgh coaching staff over the weekend and had a throwing session with new Steelers wideout DK Metcalf.

🏀 Miles passes on WNBA: Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles was widely projected to be the No. 2 pick in this year’s WNBA draft. Instead, she will forgo the draft and enter the transfer portal.

🏀 Favorites fight on

The women’s Final Four isn’t quite as chalky as the men’s, but look past the seeds and you’ll find a foursome of favorites heading to Tampa.

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The Final Four: No. 1 seeds UCLA, South Carolina and Texas are joined by No. 2 seed UConn — the most decorated program in women’s college basketball history and the No. 1 team in the nation entering the tournament, according to the NCAA’s NET rankings.

1. UCLA (34-2): This is the first-ever Final Four for the Bruins, who have a chance to become the sixth school to win both the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments, joining UConn, Baylor, Stanford, Maryland and UNC.

2. South Carolina (34-3): Over the past five seasons, Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks have won 169 of their 180 games, reached five Final Fours and claimed two national championships. Will they make it a third on Sunday?

3. Texas (35-3): The Longhorns beat the Horned Frogs in Monday’s Lone Star State Showdown to reach their first Final Four since 2003, finally breaking through after four Elite Eight appearances in the past five years.

4. UConn (35-3): It’s unfathomable what the Huskies have done under Geno Auriemma, but one number is pretty easy to follow: This is their 24th Final Four in the past 34 tournaments. No other team has reached more than 14 in that time (Stanford).

Stat of the day: South Carolina has gone 72-3 over the past two seasons. Their only three losses? UCLA, Texas and UConn. You could not have hand-picked a more appropriate Final Four.

Notes:

• Title odds: UConn (-130 at BetMGM) is the betting favorite, followed by South Carolina (+250), Texas (+600) and UCLA (+750).

• Like brother, like sister: Four years ago, Jaime Jaquez Jr. (now with the Heat) led the UCLA men to the Final Four. On Sunday, his younger sister Gabriela nailed a career-high four threes, including a late dagger, to help lead the UCLA women there.

• Rare feat: Texas’ Vic Schaefer is the fifth head coach to take multiple schools to the women’s Final Four (Mississippi State), joining Gary Blair (Arkansas, Texas A&M), Kim Mulkey (Baylor, LSU), Marianne Stanley (ODU, Stanford) and C. Vivian Stringer (Cheyney, Iowa, Rutgers).

Matchups: South Carolina vs. Texas marks the first SEC matchup in the Final Four or later since the 2017 title game, when the Gamecocks beat… Schaefer’s Mississippi State squad; UCLA vs. UConn features two unanimous AP All-Americans in Paige Bueckers and Lauren Betts.

⚾️ The “torpedo bat” is spreading fast

“Torpedo bats” entered the American consciousness over the weekend thanks to the Yankees’ home run barrage. But this story extends far beyond the Bronx.

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Confirmed users: In addition to the five Yankees (Anthony Volpe, Jazz Chisholm, Cody Bellinger, Austin Wells, Paul Goldschmidt) who are wielding the oddly-shaped lumber, there are nine other known users around the league — and the list is expected to grow.

• Cubs: Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner

• Reds: Elly De La Cruz, Jose Trevino

• Mets: Francisco Lindor

• Orioles: Adley Rutschman

• Rays: Junior Caminero

• Blue Jays: Davis Schneider

• Twins: Ryan Jeffers

What they’re saying: De La Cruz used the “torpedo bat” for the first time on Monday night and went 4-for-5 with two HRs and seven RBIs in Cincinnati’s 14-3 win over Texas. “It feels good,” said the star shortstop. “It feels really good.”

What to watch: Some teams have begun ordering shipments of “torpedo bats,” and numerous players have said they’re intrigued. Marlins field coordinator Aaron Leanhardt, who invented the bat while working for the Yankees, says his team will begin using them soon. “We’re getting ramped up right now with it. You’ll see them on the field here in a couple weeks or so.”

Of note: While “torpedo bats” are a new phenomenon, they’ve been around longer than you might think. Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton was apparently using one last postseason when he hit seven homers in 14 games. I guess nobody really noticed because it wasn’t a story yet.

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Want to buy your own? Bat manufacturers Marucci and Victus are already selling made-to-order “torpedo bats” online. They cost roughly $200 and ship within a week.

🏀 NBA Big Board: Duke trio leads the way

Our 2025 NBA Draft Big Board features the top 60 prospects in this year’s class. 11 of them will take the floor this weekend at the Final Four — and six will be playing for Duke.

Top prospects in San Antonio:

• Duke: Cooper Flagg (1), Khaman Maluach (5), Kon Knueppel (7), Tyrese Proctor (30), Isaiah Evans (37), Sion James (46)

• Auburn: Tahaad Pettiford (14), Johni Broome (52)

• Houston: Milos Uzan (38), Joseph Tugler (47)

• Florida: Walter Clayton Jr. (55)

Blue Devils trio eyes history (again)… In 2019, Duke produced three top-10 picks in Zion Williamson (No. 1), R.J. Barrett (No. 3) and Cam Reddish (No. 10). Six years later, a new Blue Devils trio — Flagg, Maluach and Knueppel — could achieve the same rare feat.

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Quick links: Draft Order | Mock Draft

🌭 Free food for all!

Coastal Carolina will offer free concessions this fall at Brooks Stadium, where football fans will be able to get four items per concession stand visit (hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, fountain drinks), with no limit on the number of in-game visits.

Alright, what’s the catch? It’s not exactly a “catch,” but patrons will be required to scan each trip using the Coastal Carolina Athletics App. Perhaps that’s how they’re justifying this: Free food and drink in exchange for app downloads and fan data.

Flashback… Coastal Carolina is no stranger to unique promos: Back in October, the school announced that all basketball season ticket holders would get a full refund if their teams won a combined 35 regular season games. The “We Win, You Win” Guarantee nearly hit, but they came up two wins short (23 for the women, 10 for the men).

📚 Good reads

🏀 Jeff Eisenberg: Jon Scheyer filled the biggest shoes of all, and he appears to be a perfect fit

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Scheyer isn’t just handling the pressure of coaching in the considerable shadow of Mike Krzyzewski. He is authoring one of college basketball’s smoothest and most successful transitions from coaching icon to hand-picked successor.

🥇 Jay Busbee: Could the U.S. host 2026 Winter Olympic events?

The 2026 Winter Games will begin in just over 10 months in the Milan-Cortina region of northern Italy. But it’s possible a few events might take place a whole lot closer to Americans’ home — in Lake Placid, New York.

🏀 Vincent Goodwill: Detroit vs. Everybody, just like it used to be

The Pistons franchise seems to be buoyed by instances that firmly plant Detroit on one side and everyone else on the other. Call it Detroit vs. Everybody.

📺 Watchlist: Yanks look to stay hot

The Yankees host the Diamondbacks tonight (7:05pm ET, TBS) as the Bombers look to continue their torpedo bat-fueled 3-0 start.

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Historic start: Reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge picked up where he left off, becoming the first Yankee ever to hit four home runs in the first three games of the season. Only Adrian González has ever hit more home runs in his team’s first three games (five, in 2015 with the Dodgers).

More to watch:

• 🏀 NIT: North Texas vs. UC Irvine (7pm, ESPN); Chattanooga vs. Loyola Chicago (9:30pm, ESPN2) … Semifinals in Indianapolis.

• 🏀 CBC: DePaul vs. Cincinnati (3pm, FS1); UCF vs. Oregon State (5:30pm, FS1); Villanova vs. Colorado (8:30pm, FS1); Tulane vs. USC (11pm, FS1) … First round in Las Vegas.

• 🏒 NHL: Oilers at Golden Knights (10pm, ESPN+) … Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl (104 points) and Vegas’ Jack Eichel (93) rank third and fourth in scoring.

• ⚽️ EPL: Arsenal vs. Fulham (2:45pm, Peacock); Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester United (3pm, Peacock) … Arsenal (58 points) and Forest (54) trail only Liverpool (70).

• 🏀 McDonald’s All-American Games: Girls (6:30pm, ESPN2); Boys* (9pm, ESPN) … At Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

*Wanna feel old? Cameron and Cayden Boozer (sons of Carlos) and Alijah Arenas (son of Gilbert) will be on the floor in tonight’s McDonald’s All-American Boys Game.

🇦🇪 Geography trivia

In its continuing effort to expand its global footprint, the NFL is considering playing future games in the United Arab Emirates, the league announced Monday.

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Question: What is the capital city of the UAE?

Hint: Dubai is the biggest city, but it’s not the capital.

Answer at the bottom.

📸 Photo finish

What a shot.

Trivia answer: Abu Dhabi

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