If Southern California wants to win its first national championship in 41 years, the Trojans will have to find a way to get it done without star guard JuJu Watkins.

They notched their 30th win for the first time since 1986 by walloping ninth-seeded Mississippi State 96-59 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday night. But they lost Watkins to a season-ending right knee injury in the first quarter.

She was streaking down the court on a fast break with two Bulldogs defenders nearby when her knee bent awkwardly as she planted her right foot. She immediately crumpled to the court. Watkins had to be carried off, unable to put any weight on her leg. She will have surgery and then rehabilitate, USC said, without specifying her injury.

Next up is the Sweet 16 in Spokane, Washington, where the Trojans (30-3) play fifth-seeded Kansas State (28-7) on Friday.

Top-rated women’s hoops recruit commits to Oklahoma >> Aaliyah Chavez, the top-rated women’s basketball recruit in the county, committed to Oklahoma.

She made her announcement the day after the Sooners advanced to the women’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013.

Chavez, a 5-foot-11 point guard who recently led Lubbock Monterey High School to a Texas state championship, picked the Sooners over power programs South Carolina, Texas, LSU and her hometown university Texas Tech. She averaged 34.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.7 steals as a senior. She scored nearly 4,800 points in her high school career.

NFL

QB Wilson is heading to the New York Giants >> Russell Wilson has agreed on a one-year contract with the New York Giants, a person with knowledge of the deal told the Associated Press.

The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the signing hasn’t been finalized, said Wilson’s deal is worth up to $21 million with $10.5 million guaranteed.

The Giants signed veteran Jameis Winston to a two-year contract last week and have the third pick in next month’s NFL draft.

The 36-year-old Wilson, a 10-time Pro Bowl selection, joins his fourth team in five years.

Patriots sign WR Diggs >> The New England Patriots have signed free agent wide receiver Stefon Diggs, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press, giving quarterback Drake Maye a prime target as he heads into his second season.

ESPN reported that the deal is for three years and $69 million, with $26 million guaranteed.

Diggs is coming off an ACL injury that limited him to eight games last year in Houston.

NBA

Bucks Lillard out with deep vein thrombosis >> Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard will likely be sidelined indefinitely, with the team announcing that he has deep vein thrombosis in his right calf and is taking blood-thinning medication.

The Bucks provided the update on the seven-time all-NBA guard’s status without offering a target date for his potential return.

Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel.

The Bucks said Lillard’s medication has stabilized the thrombosis and that he will continue with regular testing.

NBA tells teams it projects 10% increase in salary cap next season >> The NBA told its teams that it continues to expect a 10% increase in the salary cap next season, meaning it would rise to a record $154.647 million for the 2025-26 campaign.

That’s an increase of just over $14 million from this season and is the maximum percentage jump allowed by the current collective bargaining agreement.

The figures sent to teams Tuesday, in a memo obtained by the Associated Press and other outlets, are in line with what the projections have been since at least last summer.

MLB

Catcher Raleigh and Mariners agree to $105M, 6-year deal >> Catcher Cal Raleigh and the Seattle Mariners have agreed to a $105 million, six-year contract, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press.

Raleigh’s deal supersedes a $5.6 million, one-year agreement on Jan. 9 that avoided salary arbitration.

Raleigh set career highs last year with 34 homers and 100 RBIs while hitting .220. He has a .218 career average with 93 homers and 251 RBIs in four seasons with the Mariners.

Montgomery to have Tommy John surgery for second time >> Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Jordan Montgomery will have Tommy John surgery for the second time and will miss the 2025 season.

Montgomery told reporters he will be undergoing the elbow procedure. Montgomery said he felt sore after his last Cactus League appearance and had imaging.

Montgomery had a 15.00 ERA over three innings in two spring training appearances, allowing five hits and three walks.

Norby to open season on injured list >> Miami Marlins infielder Connor Norby will open the season on the injured list due to an oblique strain.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough told reporters Norby likely will miss about four weeks.

Norby, 24, batted .236 with a .294 on-base percentage, nine homers, 20 RBIs and three steals in 45 games for the Marlins and Baltimore Orioles last season.

Track

World Athletics to require chromosome testing of athletes >> World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said that track and field’s governing body has approved the introduction of cheek swabs and dry blood-spot tests for female athletes in order to maintain “the integrity of competition.”

The planned changes include reinstating a version of chromosome testing that was discontinued in the 1990s, requiring athletes who compete in the female category to submit to a cheek swab or dry blood-spot test for the presence of a gene that indicates whether the athlete has a “Y” chromosome present in males.

Coe told a news conference that athletes will have to take the test just once during their career.

Soccer

Defending champion Argentina qualifies for the 2026 World Cup >> Defending champion Argentina qualified for the 2026 World Cup when Bolivia failed to beat Uruguay.

Argentina leads South American qualifying and hosted archrival Brazil on Tuesday.

South America has six direct berths in the next World Cup, a 48-team tournament to be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Blatter, Platini acquitted again at second trial of financial wrongdoing >> Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini won again in court and now lead 2-0 in trial verdicts against Swiss federal prosecutors.

Once soccer’s most powerful men, former FIFA president Blatter and former UEFA president Platini were acquitted for a second time in a case now in its 10th year on charges of fraud, forgery, mismanagement and misappropriation of more than $2 million of FIFA money in 2011.