The Big Ten and Southeastern Conference both have arguments to be considered the top league in women’s basketball.

Each has seven teams ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 poll released Monday, including four apiece in the first 10. Both leagues have been bolstered this season by conference realignment, with No. 1 UCLA and No. 4 USC joining the Big Ten while No. 5 Texas and No. 10 Oklahoma are new to the SEC.

UCLA was once again the top choice after receiving 30 of 32 first-place votes from a national media panel. The Bruins have been the solid No. 1 team since knocking off former top team South Carolina in late November. The Gamecocks remained No. 2.

Notre Dame is still third, garnering the other two first place votes.

Texas is No. 5, followed by LSU and UConn. Undefeated Maryland was eighth with Ohio State moving up one spot to ninth.

Tennessee tightened its grip on No. 1 in the AP Top 25 following a pair of lopsided wins, including one over SEC rival Arkansas, that left the Volunteers (14-0) as the only undefeated team in men’s Division I college basketball.

The Vols had 45 of 60 first-place votes to remain atop the poll for the fifth straight week. Auburn earned the other 15 first-place nods and stayed at No. 2, while Iowa State, Duke and Alabama rounded out a top five that was unchanged.

Kentucky rode its win over Florida up four spots to No. 6, followed by Marquette, the Gators, UConn and Texas A&M.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Cam Miller ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more in his 54th consecutive start as North Dakota State’s quarterback, and the Bison won their record 10th Football Championship Subdivision title, beating top-seeded and previously undefeated Montana State 35-32 on Monday night in Frisco, Texas.

North Dakota State (14-2) made the trip from Fargo to Frisco for the 11th time in 14 seasons. Its previous title there was three years ago, in a game that also had Miller and Montana State’s Tommy Mellott as the starting QBs.

Miller completed 19 of 22 passes for 199 yards and ran 18 times for 121 yards to win his 45th game (out of 56 starts) and his second national title.

Montana native Mellott had a 44-yard touchdown run that got the Bobcats (15-1) within 28-25 early in the fourth quarter.

Mellott ran for 135 yards on 14 carries and was 13 of 24 passing for 195 yards and two touchdowns. He threw a 19-yarder to Taco Dowler with 1:09 left before an unsuccessful onside kick attempt.

Wes Goodwin has been fired as Clemson’s defensive coordinator after three seasons, Tigers coach Dabo Swinney announced.

The Tigers, traditionally one of the top run-stopping teams in the country, rank 85th in rushing defense after allowing more than 200 yards in five games. They gave up 292 yards on the ground in their College Football Playoff loss to Texas.

The 40-year-old Goodwin was named defensive coordinator and linebackers coach after the Tigers’ 2021 Cheez-It Bowl victory over Iowa State.

MLB

Pitcher Michael Lorenzen and the Kansas City Royals agreed to a $7 million, one-year deal that includes a mutual option for 2026.

The 33-year-old Lorenzen was acquired by Kansas City in a trade with Texas just before the deadline last July and became a dependable part of the pitching staff down the stretch. The right-hander appeared in seven games with six starts and went 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA to help the Royals clinch a wild card.

Lorenzen, out of Fullerton High and Cal State Fullerton, spent his first seven seasons in Cincinnati, then spent a year with the Angels, before splitting the 2023 season between the Tigers and Phillies, getting selected to his only All-Star Game. In his first home start with the Phillies, he pitched a no-hitter against the Nationals. In 18 starts with the Angels in 2022, he was 8–6 with a 4.24 ERA.

He has a career record of 47-44 with a 3.99 ERA and 15 saves in 368 games, including 93 starts.

Veteran reliever Chris Martin signed a one-year contract with his hometown Texas Rangers, returning to a team he pitched for in 2018 and 2019.

Martin went 3-1 with a 3.45 ERA in 45 relief appearances for Boston last season, when he struck out 50 batters in 44 1/3 innings and his three walks were the fewest by qualified major league relievers. The right-hander had a 2.16 ERA in 100 games for the Red Sox the past two years.

Martin, 38, has a 16-18 career record with a 3.38 ERA and 14 saves in 369 games — all in relief. His career began with Colorado in 2014, and he pitched for the New York Yankees in 2015 before going to Japan in advance of his first stint with the Rangers.

Texas traded Martin in 2019 to Atlanta. He was with the Chicago Cubs and Dodgers in 2022 before going to the Red Sox in free agency.

MOTORSPORTS

Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves will attempt to make his NASCAR debut in next month’s Daytona 500 with Trackhouse Racing.

Castroneves, one of the most popular drivers in IndyCar history, has been trying for two years to get a Daytona 500 seat and finally landed one as part of Trackhouse’s “Project 91” designed to give renowned racers from outside of NASCAR a shot in a stock car.

He will attempt to qualify for the “Great American Race” in the No. 91 Chevrolet with sponsorship from Wendy’s. Darian Grubb will be his crew chief.

Castroneves is at the end of his driving career. One of only four drivers to win the Indy 500 four times, the Brazilian moved into an ownership role with Meyer Shank Racing last season and only ran three races.

GOLF

Scottie Scheffler withdrew from The American Express, saying his right hand has not fully recovered from minor surgery to repair a glass puncture.

Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player, injured his hand preparing Christmas dinner, forcing him to miss the start of the PGA Tour season at The Sentry in Hawaii.

The American Express in Palm Desert is scheduled for Jan. 16-19.

He remained hopeful of starting his year at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, a signature event that starts Jan. 30.