Yahoo Sports AM: Taurasi hangs 'em up

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🏀 Luka’s revenge game: Luka Dončić dropped his first triple-double as a Laker (19-15-12) in L.A.’s 107-99 win over the Mavericks on Tuesday. “Closure is going to take a while,” said Luka. “I’m glad the game is over.”

🐐 New year, same GOAT: Lionel Messi has played three official games against MLS foes in 2025; he has scored or created four goals, including a banger Tuesday night against Sporting Kansas City.

🏈 CFP in limbo: The format for this year’s College Football Playoff remains in limbo. Executives explored changes during a meeting in Dallas on Tuesday but came to no decision.

⚾️ Perfecto in Portland: Portland Pilots lefty Ryan Rembisz made history on Tuesday, throwing the 22nd nine-inning perfect game in NCAA Division I history. He struck out 12 and threw just 90 pitches.

🏈 Chiefs anticipate Kelce return: Travis Kelce is reportedly undecided on his playing future, but Kansas City believes he will return for a 13th season. “How we left it at the end of the season was he was fired up, has one more year under contract,” said GM Brett Veach.

(Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

Diana Taurasi concluded one of basketball’s most storied careers on Tuesday by officially announcing her retirement from the WNBA.

What she’s saying: “Mentally and physically, I’m just full,” said the three-time NCAA champion, three-time WNBA champion and six-time Olympic gold medalist in an interview with Time. “That’s probably the best way I can describe it. I’m full and I’m happy.”

From Yahoo Sports’ Cassandra Negley:

The fastest to 5,000 points, then 7,000 and finally a nice round 10,000. Three championships. Two Finals MVPs. A Most Valuable Player award as a guard in a frontcourt-dominant league.

Diana Taurasi’s Hall of Fame-worthy accomplishments in the WNBA would require a list so long it would unfurl to the floor like an ancient scroll. And even that might not be enough for a 20-year career of consistent greatness.

Before the Caitlin Clark effect, there was Taurasi. Women athletes rarely made it into newspapers during her collegiate era and there wasn’t widespread use of social media (Facebook was founded in 2004).

But three consecutive championships at Connecticut will thrust any team and star player into the national spotlight. She took over games with a swagger and confidence some might even call cocky, and she became women’s basketball’s most recognizable star.

The attention didn’t change her. Forget demure. Taurasi was unabashedly herself, a stone-cold competitor on the court who talked trash and gained whatever advantage she could to win. And she did a lot of it.

The WNBA, which hadn’t yet turned 10 when the Phoenix Mercury drafted Taurasi at No. 1 overall, was happy to embrace her. Casual sports fans probably couldn’t name every WNBA team of that era, nor many of its best players. But they knew Taurasi.

Through the years, she became the league’s ambassador without necessarily being its outspoken face. It was her play, commitment and refusal to accept “less than” that continuously set new standards from her first season to her last.

The last word: “I don’t think anyone who knows Diana even a little bit is surprised with the way she retired — on a quiet Tuesday in February,” said fellow UConn legend Rebecca Lobo. “It’s always been about winning and the game of basketball. It was never about self promotion.”

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

It’s NFL combine week, so we’re back with another mock draft, courtesy of Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice and Charles McDonald.

Top 10:

Titans: Cam Ward, QB (Miami)
Browns: Abdul Carter, Edge (Penn State)
Giants: Travis Hunter, CB/WR (Colorado)
Raiders: Shedeur Sanders, QB (Colorado)
Jaguars: Mason Graham, DL (Michigan)
Patriots: Tetairoa McMillan, WR (Arizona)
Jets: Will Campbell, OT (LSU)
Panthers: Mykel Williams, DL (Georgia)
Saints: Will Johnson, CB (Michigan)
Bears: Armand Membou, OT (Missouri)

Keep reading: Picks 11-32

🎙️ Fresh podcast: NFL combine preview, Jim Harbaugh interview (Football 301)

The field before the Division I championship in December. (Grant Halverson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

The decades-long push to make men’s college soccer a year-round sport is gaining steam.

The latest: U.S. Soccer began discussions last summer with the Big Ten and ACC about launching a 32-team pilot program to test the efficacy of spreading the college soccer calendar across the entire school year.

That idea — which would include the entire ACC (15 teams) and Big Ten (11), plus six additional teams — was brought to a broader group at last month’s United Soccer Coaches Convention.
This is the just the latest in an ongoing effort dating back to at least 2000 to alter the men’s college soccer schedule. But crucially, it’s the first time the sport’s national governing body has gotten seriously involved.

What they’re saying: “The federation is finally doing what the federation should be doing, which is worrying about the landscape of soccer in the United States and not just the national team,” Rusty Oglesby, head women’s soccer coach at Hardin-Simmons University and former president of United Soccer Coaches, told Sportico.

Why change the calendar? The goal would be to bring the college game more in line with the professional calendar, while also spreading matches out more evenly. “No other major professional or high-end developmental league plays such a compressed schedule,” writes Matt Brown in his newsletter, Extra Points.

Unlike other college sports, which tend to play at roughly the same cadence as their professional counterparts, D-I soccer programs play matches every three or four days, compared to every seven in most top-tier pro leagues.
Spreading the season across both semesters would improve training and limit injuries, which are six times more likely when playing twice per week rather than once, according to a 2010 study.

The other side: Those against the change cite scheduling conflicts (namely with December’s MLS draft), the strain on support staff (i.e. trainers who already work on other spring sports) and the impact on the college experience (“It’s very healthy to have friends outside of soccer,” said one player).

In related news… MLS is also exploring a calendar overhaul that would flip its start date from February to August to match Europe’s “Big Five” leagues.

(Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports)

Where do all 30 NBA teams stand entering the regular season’s stretch run? We present the world’s most accurate power rankings, courtesy of Yahoo Sports’ Ben Rohrbach.

(Carl de Souza/AFP via Getty Images)

Acapulco, Mexico — The Mexican Open got underway this week and features many of the world’s best men’s players.

(Federico Modica/NordicFocus/Getty Images)

Falun, Sweden — Men’s cross-country skiers during a recent 20 kilometer (~12.4 mile) World Cup race.

(Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Leicestershire, England — The beautiful game, indeed.

(Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

The USWNT and Japan face off tonight (10:30pm ET, TBS) in San Diego for the SheBelieves Cup title.

What’s at stake: The Americans have won five straight editions of the invitational tournament (and seven of nine total), while the Japanese are seeking their first title in their fifth appearance.

More to watch:

🏀 NBA: 76ers at Knicks (7pm, ESPN); Spurs at Rockets (9:30pm, ESPN) … Philadelphia has lost eight straight games and currently sits 12th in the East.
🏀 NCAAM: No. 8 Michigan State at No. 16 Maryland (6:30pm, BTN); Ole Miss at No. 1 Auburn (7pm, ESPN2) … Maryland’s starting five (The “Crab Five”) has the Terps on a roll.
🏒 NHL: Canucks at Kings (10pm, TNT) … Los Angeles (69 points) would make the playoffs if the season ended today, while Vancouver (63) would be the first team out.
⚽️ Premier League: Nottingham Forest vs. Arsenal (2:30pm, Peacock); Liverpool vs. Newcastle (3:15pm, USA) … Four of the top six teams square off.
⛳️ LPGA: HSBC Women’s World Championship (9:30pm, Golf) … Nine of the world’s top 10 players* tee off in Singapore.

*In the field: No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul (Thailand), No. 3 Lydia Ko (New Zealand), No. 4 Ruoning Yin (China), No. 5 Lilia Vu (USA), No. 6 Hannah Green (Australia), No. 7 Haeran Ryu (South Korea), No. 8 Jim Young Ko (South Korea), No. 9 Charley Hull (England), No. 10 Celine Boutier (France).

(Giphy)

Seven schools are currently ranked in both the men’s and women’s AP college basketball polls. How many can you name?

Hint: Three SEC, two Big Ten, two ACC.

Answer at the bottom.

(Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports)

🏀 Cassandra Negley: The top 4 contenders for National Player of the Year

There is a case to be made for and against USC’s JuJu Watkins, UCLA’s Lauren Betts, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo and UConn’s Paige Bueckers.

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

🏈 Frank Schwab: The Top 25 NFL free agents

Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, Chiefs guard Trey Smith and Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold headline the list as we approach the beginning of the “tampering” period on March 10.

(Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports)

⚾️ Russell Dorsey: 6 positions changes to watch this spring

Some players are returning to familiar defensive homes. Others will play somewhere for the very first time this season.

Trivia answer: Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan State, Maryland, Duke, Louisville

We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.

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Yahoo Sports AM: Taurasi hangs ’em up

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