Girls is players too

The GIST: After finishing as runners-up in 2022 and 2023, No. 2 Northwestern field hockey claimed the top prize with an impressive 5–0 finals win over No. 4 Saint Joseph’s yesterday, securing the program’s second title in the last four seasons. The Cats are in their bag.

Northwestern’s record-setting championship victory: The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, scoring all five of their goals in the first half — setting an NCAA record for most goals in a half in the process.

• Plus, they managed to shutout a St. Joseph’s squad fresh off a massive semis upset of two-time defending champs and No. 1 seed UNC. Dominance.

Zooming out: Despite not making it to the championship game, North Carolina helped bring new eyes to field hockey, largely thanks to player-turned-coach Erin Matson, aka the Michael Jordan of field hockey.

• Northwestern and UNC have now combined to win the last seven titles and will be hungry to keep it that way, but dark horses, like unranked final four contender UMass, are proving they can shake things up. Will the dynasties continue, or is parity just around the corner?

The GIST: The College Football Playoff (CFP) Selection Show is less than two weeks away and after this weekend’s topsy-turvy results, there are some serious questions about who’s in and who’s out of the 12-team postseason. Let’s break it down.

Will one loss stop Indiana from making the playoffs?: Maybe. The previously undefeated, then-No. 5 Hoosiers were routed 38–15 by No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday, managing just 151 yards of offense. Plus, they’ve only defeated one team with a winning record this season. Yikes.

What will happen to three-loss Alabama and Ole Miss?: Things aren’t looking good for either SEC squad: The tide is not rolling after Bama lost 24–3 to unranked Oklahoma on Saturday, falling to sixth in the SEC. Meanwhile, the Rebels previously controlled their own destiny, but were chomped by Florida, falling 24–17. Ruh roh.

Who’s the favorite to win it all? In a season chock-full of upsets, only a few teams have bucked that trend. Undefeated No. 1 Oregon has remained on top since Week 9, while No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Penn State, and No. 5 Notre Dame all boast just one loss and appear to be in cruise control. Stay tuned.

The GIST: Down goes No. 1 and No. 3! UCLA and Notre Dame women’s basketball teams ruled the weekend with big upsets over South Carolina and USC, respectively — here’s what you need to know about the giant slayers, plus some men’s hoops updates ahead of today’s rankings drop.

No. 5 UCLA women dominate defending champs South Carolina: Every streak ends eventually. South Carolina entered Sunday riding a 43-game win streak, including last season’s National Championship run, but UCLA brought it to a halt with a team effort 77–62 win over the Gamecocks. How ’bout them Bruins?

No. 6 Notre Dame women top No. 3 USC: The Fighting Irish relied on their dynamic point guard duo to take down JuJu Watkins and USC. Hannah Hidalgo finished with 24 points and eight assists, while Olivia Miles added 20 points and seven assists. The aforementioned Watkins dropped 24 points for the Trojans, but the team made just one three-pointer. Not a recipe for success.

No. 12 Duke men notch crucial ranked win: Freshman phenom Cooper Flagg looked like a vet once again, scoring 24 points in Duke’s 69–55 Friday win over No. 17 Arizona. After falling to Kentucky in a top-25 matchup last week, this was a much-needed dub for the young squad.

• Speaking of top teams battling, No. 4 Auburn meets No. 5 Iowa State tonight at 9 p.m. ET. Both teams have veteran experience and undefeated records, setting up a heavyweight showdown in Maui.