JuJu Watkins, the sensational sophomore who led USC to its best season in nearly 40 years, was honored Thursday as The Associated Press women’s college basketball player of the year.

Watkins, whose Trojans won the Big Ten regular-season title for its first conference crown in 31 years, received 29 votes from the 31-member national media panel that votes on the AP Top 25 each week. Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo got the other two. Both were first-team AP All-Americans.

“I think what’s so significant about this award is that this was a year that didn’t have an absence of talent and stars, and JuJu found a way to elevate herself and her team,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.

Watkins became just the fourth player to win the award in her sophomore year, joining Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris (2007) and UConn stars Maya Moore (2009) and Breanna Stewart (2014). The AP first started giving out the award in 1995 and Watkins is the first Trojans player to win it.

Cori Close, who led UCLA to its first women’s Final Four during one of the best seasons in school history, was named The AP coach of the year.

The Bruins earned the No. 1 ranking in The AP Top 25 women’s poll for the first time, holding the spot for 14 weeks as they piled up win after win on their way to grabbing the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

She received 16 votes from the 31-member national media panel that votes on the AP Top 25 each week. Mark Campbell of TCU finished second with five votes.

Freshman Avery Howell is leaving USC and entering the transfer portal, along with two other Trojans guards.Howell announced her decision on Instagram.

The 6-foot guard from Boise, Idaho, averaged 7.5 points and shot 43% from the field, including a team-high 40% from 3-point range, and 83% from the free-throw line.

Howell averaged nearly 21 minutes off the bench. She started USC’s last two games in the NCAA Tournament after star guard JuJu Watkins went down with an ACL tear in the second round. Howell, an alternate on Canada’s 2024 Olympic team, had been expected to play more next season while Watkins recovers.

Howell was joined in the portal by redshirt sophomore Aaliyah Gayles and redshirt junior Dominique Darius.

NFL

Star tight end Trey McBride agreed to a four-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals as the franchise locked up one of the NFL’s best young players through the 2029 season. Multiple reports say the deal is worth $76 million over the four seasons, including $43 million guaranteed, which would make him the league’s highest-paid tight end.

The 25-year-old was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2024 after catching 111 passes for 1,146 yards, finishing second in the league for a tight end in both categories.

McBride’s 221 career catches are the most for a tight end in his first three seasons in league history.

Quarterback Geno Smith, who was traded to Las Vegas nearly a month ago, agreed to two-year, $75 million extension with the Raiders, ESPN reported.

The New England Patriots agreed to trade quarterback Joe Milton III to the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas will get Milton, along with a seventh-round pick in exchange for a fifth-round pick. The acquisition of the 25-year-old Milton, whom the Patriots drafted in the sixth round in 2024, gives the Cowboys a young backup behind quarterback Dak Prescott after Cooper Rush signed with Baltimore in free agency.

COLLEGE gymnastics

UCLA took care of one meet in Salt Lake City, capturing the NCAA Regional semifinal and advancing to Saturday’s final.

The fifth-seeded Bruins recorded a 197.750 for their third-highest score of the season to easily outpoint No. 12 seed Minnesota (197.200), Southern Utah (196.475) and Boise State (195.175).

UCLA junior Jordan Chiles posted the top all-around total with 39.600, thanks to three scores of 9.950 or higher — a 9.975 on floor, a season-high-tying 9.950 on vault and a season-best 9.950 on balance beam.

SKIING

It was meant to be a celebratory final week of competition in the best season of her career.

The celebrations ended abruptly for freshly crowned overall World Cup champion Federica Brignone when she broke multiple bones in her left leg during a giant slalom crash at the Italian championships — 10 months before a home Olympics.

Brignone was set to undergo surgery and will be out for “months,” Italian Winter Sports Federation medical chief Andrea Panzeri said.

SOCCER

The United States and the United Kingdom looked set to be picked by FIFA next year as hosts of Women’s World Cups expanded to 48 teams from 32.

Their respective intentions to bid for the 2031 and 2035 editions are alone in the contests after a first deadline to enter the race passed. The formal bid documents must be signed by the end of April.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino told European soccer officials the governing body received one expression of interest to host the 2031 event — from the U.S. with the possibility of other countries in the CONCACAF region joining the project. That long-promised bid would likely include Mexico.

Golf

Sam Ryder wasn’t sure his neck would feel good enough for him to play in the Valero Texas Open in SanAntonio. He found a swing and hardly missed a putt on his way to a 9-under 63 and a one-shot lead over Keith Mitchell in the final PGA Tour event before the Masters.