USC jumped to No. 4 in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll on Monday after edging UConn.

The Trojans moved up three spots in the AP Top 25 after beating the then-No. 4 Huskies 72-70 on Saturday night in a rematch of last season’s Elite Eight game that UConn won.

“It feels great to get the dub always,” USC star JuJu Watkins said after the victory. “I think it hit a little different knowing the history of last year and how they sent us home.”

This was the Trojans’ first win ever over UConn.

“This is a really significant win, and it’s a really significant win because of the stature of UConn’s program and what Geno Auriemma has done for our sport,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “It doesn’t matter to me that they haven’t won a championship in a couple years. There’s still a way that they prepare, a way that they play, that makes you better, and it made us better.”

UCLA, South Carolina and Notre Dame remained the top three teams. The Bruins received 30 of the 32 first-place votes from a national media panel. The Gamecocks and the Fighting Irish each got one first-place vote.

UConn fell to seventh behind Texas and LSU.

Maryland, Oklahoma and Ohio State rounded out the top 10 teams.

Tennessee and Auburn remained Nos. 1-2 atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll. It’s a fitting spot for a pair of Southeastern Conference teams considering the league put 10 teams into Monday’s AP Top 25.

The Volunteers (12-0), who defeated Middle Tennessee 82-64 on Monday, and Tigers (11-1) spent a third straight week in the same position, and it marked a fourth consecutive week for Auburn sitting at No. 2. They were part of a top 10 that featured the same top-10 programs, though slightly reshuffled with Kentucky tumbling six spots to No. 10 after a loss to Ohio State.

The poll also featured four additions that previously had been ranked this season, including No. 19 Mississippi State and No. 23 Arkansas to add to the SEC’s season-long hauls.

This is the first time since at least the start of the 2012-13 season that one league had 10 ranked teams.

Iowa State was third, followed by Duke and Alabama to round out the top five. Florida, Kansas, Marquette and Oregon followed, with those teams all moving up one spot given the Wildcats’ fall to 10th.

UCLA slipped to No. 22.

BASEBALL

The Texas Rangers and free agent designated hitter Joc Pederson have agreed on a contract, a person with knowledge of the deal said Monday.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreement is pending a physical.

The Rangers will be the third team in three years for Pederson, who rebounded from a sub-par 2023 season with San Francisco to hit a career-best .275 with 23 homers and 64 RBIs last season with Arizona.

Pederson played his first seven seasons with the Dodgers and was on their 2020 World Series-winning team.

Texas added another reliever Monday with the free agent signing of Shawn Armstrong.

Andrew McCutchen can sense the end of his baseball career coming. It’s not quite here yet.

The five-time All-Star agreed to a $5 million, one-year deal on Monday to stay in Pittsburgh for the 2025 season, confident he can still be a difference-maker for a team trying to get back toward postseason contention.

“I think the biggest thing for me is knowing I can still compete and can still be able to produce,” the 38-year-old said. “I still feel like there’s a way that I can be better and I know that it’s still in there.”

McCutchen has made no secret of his desire to finish his career in Pittsburgh, which drafted him in 2005 and where he spent the first nine seasons of his career before returning in 2023.

McCutchen hit .232 with 20 home runs and 53 RBIs in 120 games last season.

Sean Manaea is set to return to the New York Mets on a $75 million, three-year contract, a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Monday because the deal was subject to a successful physical.

Manaea blossomed into New York’s top starting pitcher this year during his first season with the team, going 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA in 32 starts. The left-hander declined his player option for 2025, passing up the final $13.5 million of a $28 million, two-year deal he signed in January, to become a free agent for the third straight offseason.

The club also inked right-handed newcomers Frankie Montas ($34 million, two years), Clay Holmes ($38 million, three years) and Griffin Canning ($4.25 million, one year).

The Philadelphia Phillies and right-handed pitcher Joe Ross finalized a one-year contract on Monday.

The 31-year-old Ross made 10 starts and 25 total appearances for the Milwaukee Brewers last season. He went 3-6 with a 3.77 ERA.

SOCCER

Free agent Jeremy Ebobisse became the Los Angeles Football Club’s fifth Frenchman on Monday, as the roster takes shape early in the offseason. The deal runs through 2027, with a club option for 2028.

“Jeremy is a proven forward in our league who has scored goals and been a meaningful contributor to his teams throughout his career,” LAFC co-president and general manager John Thorrington said in a statement announcing the signing. “We are incredibly excited to welcome Jeremy to strengthen our attack as we continue in our ambitions to compete for multiple trophies in 2025. We know Jeremy will be a great addition to LAFC on and off the field.”

Last year at this time, LAFC had one French player on the roster, the prolific Denis Bouanga, who over the course of 2024 was joined by Hugo Lloris, Maxime Chanot and Olivier Giroud.

Meanwhile, Ebobisse spent the year suiting up for last-place San Jose, starting 25 of his 31 MLS appearances while scoring six times — a drop in production with the Silicon Valley side following consecutive seasons with double-digit goals (17 in 2022 and 10 in 2023).

— Josh Gross

WNBA

The Dallas Wings hired Chris Koclanes as the franchise’s new head coach, the team announced Monday.

Koclanes has more than a decade of experience as an assistant coach in the WNBA and Division I women’s basketball. He’s currently in his second season as an assistant on the USC women’s team.

“We are thrilled to welcome Chris Koclanes as the new head coach of the Dallas Wings,” said Curt Miller, executive vice president and general manager. “Throughout our extensive search and interview process, Chris continued to rise to the top and check the boxes of our important pillars. He is a servant leader who places a high value on connection, collaboration, and a positive and consistent communication style with all those he coaches.”

Koclanes worked with Miller in Connecticut on his staff from 2016-22 and helped the Sun reach the WNBA Finals in 2019 and 2022.

Koclanes will be introduced at a news conference on Jan. 9.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the Dallas Wings,” Koclanes said. “I would like to thank Chairman Bill Cameron, CEO and Managing Partner Greg Bibb and general manager Curt Miller for entrusting me with this incredible responsibility.”

The Washington Mystics hired Sydney Johnson as their new head coach later Monday, filling the final of the seven coaching vacancies.