Happy Friday, ya filthy animal

The GIST: Last night’s semifinals saw overall No. 1–seed Nebraska and defending champ No. 2 Texas dig out spots on Sunday’s championship court — all in front of a record-setting crowd.

No. 1 Nebraska Cornhuskers silence the No. 1 Pittsburgh Panthers: Turns out, third time’s not the charm for the Panthers, who fell in the NCAA semis for the third straight year. The Huskers’ brick-wall block party and back-court defense quieted Pitt’s typically stellar attack to log their first semifinal sweep since 2005. Must be the juice.

No. 2 Texas Longhorns hook the No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers: After splitting the first two sets, it was all bad news for the Badgers — Texas posted an 11-point run in the third set, ultimately outscoring Wisconsin a whopping 50–29 in the final two sets to win 3-1. Plus, the Longhorns’ star outside hitter Madi Skinner’s six aces set the NCAA Final Four single-game record.

Sunday’s ’ship, 3 p.m. ET (ABC): Neither Nebraska nor Texas are strangers to the spotlight — this marks the Huskers’ 11th and Longhorns’ ninth title game appearances. But while Texas owns the all-time head-to-head record, Nebraska scored the last dub, taking down the Longhorns in 2021’s Elite Eight.

• Whether the defending champs or the season’s best record-holders hoist hardware, expect an instant classic.

The GIST: It’s the most wonderful time of the year: the first weekend of Saturday and Sunday NFL games. That’s right, there’s plenty of good cheer to be had with possible playoff-clinching football on deck.

The current playoff picture: With just four regular-season weeks remaining, only the San Francisco 49ers have clinched one of the 14 playoff spots — seven from the American Football Conference (AFC) and seven from the National Football Conference (NFC).

• For context, four teams had booked postseason berths by this time last year, making this sprint to January 7th’s regular-season finale all the more intriguing.

Who can clinch: Three teams in the NFC — the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, and Philadelphia Eagles — can get ’er done this week, while the Baltimore Ravens are the lone AFC squad with a chance to clinch.

• Of the four, the Cowboys have the clearest path. If MVP favorite quarterback (QB) Dak Prescott can beat the also playoff-contending Buffalo Bills Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET, America’s Team will book their ticket. Simple as that.

• The other hopefuls will need some help, and the cascade effect starts with tomorrow’s 8:15 p.m. ET meeting between the Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions.

• A Lions win not only increases their probability to clinch, but also gives Baltimore a better chance to earn their spot when they face the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET. Here’s a live look at us trying to keep it all straight.

The GIST: The NWSL’s two-team expansion draft kicks off tonight at 7 p.m. ET, providing the league’s incoming squads — Bay FC and the Utah Royals — an opportunity to fill their rosters with current NWSL players ahead of their upcoming inaugural season.

How it works: As determined by random selection, Bay FC has the first pick and will alternate with the Royals from there, with both squads going back and forth through 12 rounds, until each team has up to 12 players.

• However, these expansion teams can’t just take any player they fancy. Ahead of the draft, seven NWSL clubs made trades with Bay FC and the Royals in exchange for full protection of the rest of their rosters.

• The league’s other five teams released their “protected” lists on Wednesday, which name the nine players who are not available for selection. And finally, all free agents (of which there are many) cannot be chosen.

• Even with these restrictions, there are still countless talented footballers for the new clubs to choose from. May the odds be ever in everyone’s favor.

Zooming out: There were just eight NWSL teams prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number that will swell to 14 when Bay FC and the Royals officially join the fray next year, plus, at least one more squad (Boston) is on its way in 2026.

• The league’s growth is beyond impressive, creating more and more opportunities for women to compete with each new season. Just the beginning.

With the NCAA women’s basketball season racing towards conference play, the term “neighbor” will soon refer to the fiercest of regional rivalries. But off the court, State Farm is the best neighbor you could ask for, serving up year-round support of the women’s game.

• They can’t protect against a heartbreaking loss to your conference foe, but they are ensuring equal coverage of the women’s game, so you’ll never miss another rivalry matchup. A good neighbor, indeed.