VOUX MAG

TheVanity FairOscar Partyis no stranger todaring fashioneach year, and this timeJeff Goldblum's three-decade-younger wife,Emilie Livingston, made sure all eyes were on her at the 2026 afterparty.

Stepping out alongside her actor husband, the 43-year-old stunned in abold pantsless lookthat quickly set social media buzzing, though not for the reasons she might have hoped.

Her daring outfit sparkedintense backlashandcontroversyonline, with many users harshly criticizing the Canadian dancer and even comparing her look to thecontroversial fashionchoices ofBianca Censori, the wife ofKanye West.

"I'mblaming Kanye and Bianca for this, istg," fumed one social media user. "I don't have the energy for this, Emilie."

Jeff Goldblum's wife, Emilie Livingston, drew significant attention at the 2026Vanity FairOscar Party with a daring pantsless look

Image credits:emiliegoldblum

On Sunday night, the 73-year-old actor arrived at the star-studded afterparty alongside Emilie Livingston at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

It marked the first time in the party's 31-year history that the event was hosted at LACMA, having moved from its previous venue at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.

The couple, who have attended the event several times since their marriage in 2014, spiced things up with their fashion choices this year.

Image credits:emiliegoldblum

Goldblum hit the gray carpet in a black tuxedo with wide-leg pants, paired with a dramatic black fur-trimmed trench coat draped over his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Livingston wore a glittery black ERL artisanal leotard paired with semi-sheer black tights, matching stiletto heels, and sunglasses.

To add even more drama to her all-black ensemble, she topped it off with a brown skunk-patterned fur scarf that perfectly matched her husband's tuxedo collar.

The 43-year-old was brutally dragged by netizens, with many saying her look was "giving Bianca Censori"

Image credits:Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images

Image credits:mog1717

While posing for cameras at the event, Emilie was photographed in several images with her back turned to the cameras, showing off her physique in the bold pantsless look alongside her husband.

However, the outfit failed to impress many social media users, with critics dubbing it a "cringe-inducing" fashion moment.

One person wrote, "Why are her booty cheeks all out?" while another replied, "I feel like more than her booty is out."

Image credits:Daniele Venturelli/WireImage

Another user commented, "I really hate to sound like I'm policing what us women wear, but I'm a bit burnt out on thesheer and bu** cheeks trends. I will say, I love that she doesn't let age dictate how she dresses. Yes, she's young, but we all know society expects us to dress frumpily once we hit our 30s."

Advertisement

A third netizen added, "I'm sick of it too. I think it's because it feels performative and male gaze like. You never see celebrity men dressed like this. If being semi n*de like this is part of self expression, why are men not doing it?"

Image credits:Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Vanity Fair

Image credits:KHURUM455

Others expressed similar confusion, with one writing, "Sometimes it feels forced to push s*xuality, like here. If she wore a normal dress, I don't think anyone would be like 'she needs to show more a**' lol. So it's possible that she just wanted to, but I still don't understand why."

"You can be comfortable with your s*xuality while wearing pretty much anything, it's just a bad outfit overall because it feels gimmicky. Congrats on the bu**, I guess?"

Many disapproving viewers even labeled Emilie's look as "giving Bianca Censori."

"Are they trying to slowly pull a Kanye West," questioned one user while expressing their disapproval of Livingston's look

Image credits:Emmanue07036811

"Ugh, the male gaze… Why is everything so stupid?"

The couple's outing also served as something of a victory lap for Jeff following a massive awards season for the 2025 filmWicked: For Good, in which he starred as the iconic Wizard.

While the sequel in theWickedfranchise was shut out of the 2026Academy Awardsnominations, and Goldblum did not attend the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre earlier that evening, for the actor, the night appeared to be more about celebrating the franchise's overall success than focusing on the sequel's awards tally.

Image credits:emiliegoldblum

Despite the lack of 2026 nominations,Wicked: For Goodproved to be a commercial triumph, grossing more than $530 million and reportedly becoming the second-highest-grossing Oz-related film ever.

Prior to their eyebrow-raising fashion moment at the afterparty, Jeff and Emilie attended the Chanel and Charles Finch Annual Pre-OscarDinner on Saturday, March 14.

Emilie attended the annual star-studded afterparty with her husband after the duo skipped the Academy Awards ceremony

Image credits:ismailbayirliog

The intimate gathering was held at the The Polo Lounge at The Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Livingston later shared a carousel of images on Instagram, including a photo of herself wearing a halter-neck, sleeveless asymmetrical gray gown, while Goldblum sported an embellished black cardigan paired with matching pants.

She captioned thepost, "17th annual Chanel and Finch pre-Oscar dinner. Always an honor to e*cort my handsome hubby and meet wonderful artists such as Lily Rose Depp and Nicole Kidman and many more! Thank you for having us. And lots of love to Amiri for dressing us up to look our best."

Emilie and Jeff have been together for 15 years and have attended theVanity FairOscar Party for more than a decade.

Their first appearance at theVanity FairOscar Party as amarried couplewas in 2015.

They have attended nearly every year since, including notable appearances in 2017, 2019, 2020, 2024, 2025, and most recently in 2026.

"I thought we had gone past this kind of cheap exposure; seriously!" wrote one social media user

Misty Copelandbroke out some major ballet moves at theOscars.

The ballerina joinedSinnerscast members Miles Caton, Jayme Lawson, andLi Jun Lionstage for a musical number at the 98th Academy Awards. Caton, who plays a young, gifted blues musician named Sammie Moore in the film, crooned the Oscar-nominated film's iconic tune "I Lied to You" while an all-star roundup of musicians and performers replicated its juke joint dance scene.Jack O'Connellalso made a cameo as his character Remmick, vampire teeth and all.

Just as it was inRyan Coogler's horror-thriller, the Oscars' musical number combined Delta Blues with rock-and-roll, hip-hop and more, creating a genre-blending, time-traveling celebration of Black music's history and ancestral ties. Joining theSinnerscast onstage for the number wereRaphael Saadiq, Shaboozey,Brittany Howard, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Bobby Rush, and Alice Smith.

Copeland's performance comes less than a week after calling out Best Actor nomineeTimothée Chalametfor hisdisparaging comments about both ballet and opera, which the actor said are two art forms "no one cares" for anymore.

The dancer said in a March 9TikTok videoshe found it "interesting" that Chalamet invited her to help promote his Oscar-nominated filmMarty Supreme"with respect to my art form."

Copeland, along with other celebrities such asTom Brady,Kid Cudi, andKendall Jenner, was photographed wearing a navy windbreaker featuring the film's title.

"But I think that it's important that we acknowledge that, yes, this is an art form that's not 'popular' and a part of pop culture as movies are," Copeland continued. "But that doesn't mean it doesn't have enduring relevance in culture."

The ballerina said that it is "often mistaken when something is popular that it's meaningful or more impactful"; however, Copeland added, "there's a reason that the opera and ballet have been around for over 400 years."

Advertisement

Copeland's final note to Chalamet was that theComplete Unknownstar wouldn't have the opportunities he's achieved thus far if not for "opera and ballet in their relevance in that medium."

"So all of these mediums have a space, and we shouldn't be comparing them," Copeland concluded.

Chalamet has drawn the ire of both the theater community and creative professionals overall since his comments during aVarietyand CNN Town Hallin February went viral on social media. During a conversation withMatthew McConaughey, theWonkaactor discussed the challenges the film industry faces in movie theaters.

"I admire people, and I've done it myself, who go on a talk show and go, 'Hey, we gotta keep movie theaters alive. You know, we gotta keep this genre alive,'" Chalamet said to McConaughey. "And another part of me feels like, if people want to see it, likeBarbie, likeOppenheimer, they're going to go see it and go out of their way to be loud and proud about it."

Chalamet then mentioned other performing arts, sharing, "And I don't want to be working in ballet or opera, or you know, things where it's like, 'Hey, keep this thing alive,' even though it's like, no one cares about this anymore."

"All respect to the ballet and opera people out there," Chalamet — whose grandmother, mother, and sister are professional dancers who have performed with the New York City Ballet — added.

Chalamet's comments have sparked strong responses from the ballet and opera communities, including the London Ballet andthe Metropolitan Opera, as well as celebrities such asSteven SpielbergandDoja Cat.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday demanding information about the Pentagon's reported decision to give Elon Musk's xAI access to classified networks.

Inthe letter, Warren raised concerns that xAI and its AI-powered chatbot, Grok, could present critical safety and reliability risks to America's military. Warren cited the possibility that Grok could leak classified information to adversaries, be manipulated based on biased or inaccurate data, or lack critical safety controls and put service members in danger.

"I am concerned that Grok's apparent lack of adequate guardrails could pose serious risks to the safety of U.S. military personnel and to the cybersecurity of classified systems," Warren wrote in the letter, seen by NBC News, "especially if Grok is given sensitive military information and access to operational systems."

"It is unclear what assurances or documentation xAI has provided to the Department of Defense about Grok's security safeguards, data-handling practices, or safety controls, and whether DoD has evaluated those assurances before reportedly allowing Grok access to classified systems," Warren wrote.

In late February, the Pentagon and xAI reached a deal that would pave the way for xAI's systems to be used on classified networks,according to Axios, citing an anonymous Defense Department official. The announcement came in the middle of the Pentagon's rupture with rival AI company Anthropic, which had insisted on stronger guarantees that the Pentagon would not use its AI systems for domestic surveillance or direct use in deadly weapons.

It is unclear whether xAI's reported deal with the Pentagon allows for a wider range of uses than Anthropic's proposed contract. In her letter, Warren requested a full copy of the agreement reportedly reached between the Defense Department and xAI.

In July, xAIreceived a contract worth up to $200 millionfrom the Pentagon to develop new AI applications for the Defense Department. In a statement, the military's Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office said the deal would "broaden DoD use of and experience in frontier AI capabilities and increase the ability of these companies to understand and address critical national security needs."

Advertisement

In recent months, xAI has comeunder intense scrutiny at several government agencies, according to The Wall Street Journal, due to concerns about the safety and reliability of its Grok services. The Journal reported that the Pentagon had previously raised concerns about Grok and "questioned whether it was aligned with government ethics and standards."

In late December and early January, xAIreceived widespread attentionfor Grok's ability to manipulate images of people, primarily women and children, to remove subjects' clothing. The phenomenonprompted California's Attorney General Rob Bontato launch an investigation into the company, while countriesincluding Indonesia and Malaysia banned Grokover the sexualized photos.

Grok has been framed by Musk as being more permissive and less "woke" than AI models from competitors like Anthropic, OpenAI and Google. These lower guardrails have led the chatbot to generate controversial or incendiary outputs at times, for examplechurning out antisemitic postsafter a technical update in July. Similar comments from Grok in Novemberprompted the French governmentto open an inquiry into xAI.

In February, theEuropean Union's data privacy office launched an investigationinto X, the social media platform closely associated with Grok and xAI, over concerns that X was spreading sexualized AI-generated images of women and children.

Muskcalled similar moves in February from the Paris prosecutor's office"a political attack."

Warren's letter asked Hegseth to share how the Defense Department plans to mitigate the risks of inaccurate responses and other safety shortcomings, along with all communications that led to the reported agreement.

Warren asked for an unclassified reply by March 27.

Major airlines and millions of travelers across the United States face a rare convergence of challenges this spring that together are making it both costlier and less convenient to fly.

The Department of Homeland Security's partial shutdown has created staffing shortages at domestic airport security checkpoints. Meanwhile, the Iran war has driven up jet fuel costs and forced many global carriers to reroute or suspend flights over the Middle East.

In America, the busiest spring break week of the year kicked off Sunday, just days after tens of thousands of Transportation Security Administration workers who conduct airport screenings missed their first full paychecks of the DHS shutdown — with no end in sight for the funding lapse.

Federal airport security workers are considered "essential employees" during government shutdowns, so they are required to report to work even if they're not being paid.

More than 300 TSA workers have quit since the partial government shutdown began Feb. 14, the agency announced. At the same time, the number of employees calling out sick has more than doubled at several major airports, a senior TSA official confirmed.

As a result,travelers are experiencing hourslong security linesat airports nationwide, and social media is flooded with videos of TSA screening lines that fill up entire terminals.

Meanwhile, the Iran war and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz off Iran are driving up the price of oil worldwide and causing a surge in the cost of jet fuel.

On Friday, the spot price of a gallon of jet fuel was $3.99, roughly double the price at this time last year, according to the Argus U.S. Jet Fuel Index. A Boeing 747 burns about 60 gallons of fuel per minute, or roughly 10,000 gallons for a three-hour flight,according to the aviation news site Simple Flying.

The fuel price spike is testing the ability of airlines around the world to absorb financial shock and respond quickly to rapidly evolving situations.

"Airlines can accept lower profits or raise their fares, and I expect that they would do a bit of both. So consumers will feel the Iran war's oil price hike not only at the gas pump, but also in the airfares they pay," said Jan Brueckner, economics professor emeritus at the University of California, Irvine.

To keep up with rising costs, some airlines are already increasing ticket prices and adding fuel surcharges. Air New Zealand was one of the first to announce that its ticket prices would go up. The airline also suspended its 2026 earnings guidance because of the volatility in jet fuel markets.

Cathay Pacific Airways has announced that it plans to double its fuel surcharge on all tickets starting Wednesday. Formany of the airline's routes, the carrier's current fuel surcharge of $72.90 will rise to $149.20 beginning later this week.

Advertisement

Other airlines making changes include Hong Kong Airlines, IAG, Qantas Airways, SAS, Thai Airways and Vietnam Airlines, according to Reuters.

Unlike European and Asian air carriers, most major U.S. airlines don't hedge their fuel costs or lock in prices using futures.

"For airlines, it's about their appetite for risk, their comfort level on hedging. And if they don't hedge, then obviously they have to find another way to recover their costs," said Louise Burke, Argus Media's renewables and aviation senior vice president.

The cost of jet fuel is the single largest expense for most major airlines, accounting for around 30% of total expenses, according to analysts at Deutsche Bank.

"Absent near-term relief, airlines around the world could be forced to ground thousands of aircraft while some of the industry's financially weakest carriers could halt operations," Deutsche Bank analyst Michael Linenberg wrote in a recent research note.

In a speech at Harvard University this month, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby also warned that surging jet fuel prices could push airline ticket prices higher.

The average ticket price for last-minute domestic flights on March 6 was higher for most U.S. airlines week-over-week, except at Spirit Airlines and American Airlines, according to Deutsche Bank. The increases ranged from 0.4% to 13.6%.

For tickets purchased in advance, the price to fly on March 27 increased week-over-week. Spirit's fare spiked the most, at 124.3%, while other airlines' fares rose anywhere from 14.8% to 56.7%, the Deutsche Bank analysts reported.

Delta Airlines declined to comment on fuel prices, and both American and Spirit didn't reply to NBC News' requests for comment. A Southwest Airlines spokesperson directed NBC News to the company's 2025 financial results.

On Tuesday, several U.S. airline CEOs are scheduled to update investors at the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference in Washington.

As for whether now is a good time to buy airfare and plan trips, experts say the future is still too uncertain to predict what will happen next.

"The issue becomes how long the conflict will continue and how long the dislocations of supply will continue," said Burke, of Argus. "Put on your seat belt, keep buckled and then we'll see how volatile this market will be."

Second-ranked Jannik Sinner closed the gap on the top ranking on Sunday by beating Daniil Medvedev, the man who just a day earlier knocked off the No. 1 player in the world, in the finals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif.

Italy's Sinner, seeded second in the event, captured his first career crown at Indian Wells and first title of 2026 with a 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) victory over the 11th-seeded Medvedev. The Russian, ranked No. 10 in the world, had ousted Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, who sits atop the ATP Rankings, in the semifinals on Saturday.

Sinner is 2,200 points behind Alcaraz thanks to the weekend's results. Alcaraz has wins at the Australian Open and in Doha this year but his unbeaten streak was snapped by the 30-year-old Medvedev, who presented a similar challenge on Sunday.

"It was a very, very tough match," said Sinner, 24. "It is great to see Daniil back playing this level. I am very happy. I came here from day one, training really hard and this result makes me very happy. Sharing this moment with the team and friends here is really special."

Sinner did not drop a set during the California tournament, the first man to win consecutive Masters 1000 titles without losing a set since the series began in 1990. Sinner also won in Paris last November.

But it got dicey for him on Sunday as Medvedev went out 4-0 in the second-set tiebreak before yielding seven straight points and losing the match.

"I kept believing and kept pushing," Sinner said of his tiebreak turnaround. "I went for my shots a little more. A third set, we would have started even, so I tried my best to close it out and I am very happy. It was an incredible ending."

Advertisement

Neither player lost their serve during the match. Sinner did not face a break point, while Medvedev saved on both occasions.

Sinner had the edge in aces (10-7) and winners (28-15), but had more unforced errors (31-24).

He won 91% of his first-serve points (43 of 47), to 77% (37 of 48) for Medvedev.

"I would like to congratulate Jannik, amazing tennis, tough to play against you," Medvedev said during the trophy ceremony. "I tried my best, but big congrats to you for everything you are doing. Whenever you play Carlos, I love to see it, but I was happy to not let Carlos play you again (here)."

Sinner is a career 9-7 against Medvedev in ATP matches, winning nine of their last 10 meetings.

The win on Sunday made Sinner the third man, with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, to complete the set of six ATP Masters 1000 hard-court titles. He has 100 Masters 1000 victories.

--Field Level Media

MIAMI — There were no majestic bat flip into the night.

There was no dancing on the basepaths or selfies in the dugout.

There was no blaring music in the clubhouse, just a simple speech byTeam USA captain Aaron Judgewho reminded his teammates that they haven't accomplished anything yet.

But you know what?

The Americans managed to have the time of their lives Sunday night, relying on their pitching to shut down perhaps the most powerful lineup ever assembled, in the most unique environment that Judge has ever experienced.

USA 2, Dominican Republic 1.

"Just a game we'll remember forever, right," USA manager Mark DeRosa said. "We understood this was going to be a talked-about game, probably one of the most watched games of all time. … Whether we won or didn't win, baseball won.'"

The crowd of 36,337 at loanDepot Park hung on every pitch, stood on their feet, passionately cheering throughout the night. When it was over, Team USA went back to the clubhouse re-living the scenes.

"It was bigger and better than the World Series," Judge said. "The passion that these fans have, representing their country, representing some of their favorite players, there's nothing like it.

"It gives me chills right now thinking about how special that was."

USA now moves onto the championship game Tuesday night where it will play the winner of Monday's Venezuela-Italy semifinal game on Monday night at loanDepot Park.

If USA wins that title game, you just may see a party that will make South Beach clubs look like a senior citizen bingo night.

The team that has been ridiculed for treating games like a business meeting, can't wait to unload all of its emotions with a WBC title, letting everyone know there are plenty of different ways to celebrate.

So, please, Team USA pleads: stop with the narrative.

They may not have espresso machines in the dugout and they're not donning customized jackets after hitting home runs.

But, don't kid yourselves, they're having a blast.

"I think we've carried ourselves this tournament the way we've wanted," USA center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said. "And that is feeling like we're the best team in this tournament, the best team in the world."

Best moments as Team USA takes on Dominican Republic in WBC semifinal

Team USA just finds the talk about its demeanor to be pretty silly.

"I'm having a blast out there, I think it's hilarious," Crow-Armstrong said. "I just think we pick our spots. Like, I think you guys would think it's silly if we all shuffled like [Juan] Soto, or did Vladdy's [Guerrero] little wiggle, but that's them. And if I had enough swag to do that, I'd probably do that too."

"We have fun in our own way, but we are definitely having fun out there."

Advertisement

So, why not try to do a 40-foot bat flip like Fernando Tatis Jr., prance around the bases, and come up with some gimmicks of their own?

"Maybe we should," Crow-Armstrong said, "I don't think that would be as authentic as it for them to be who they are. … Everybody expresses their passion in different ways, and that's the best part about this tournament."

USA first baseman Bryce Harper remembers when he first reached the big leagues as a 19-year-old wearing eye black, using different-colored bats, and wearing brightly-colored spikes. That quickly got shut down.

"I think every country has the way they play, right?" Harper said. "Obviously, Latin American countries, a lot of flair, lot of energy, and I love watching it because that's how I played when I was younger.

"I got in trouble for it. When I came up, I used gray bats. I used different cleats. Got my cleats cut. MLB told me I couldn't use gray bats. Couldn't use my eye-black, and all of that kind of stuff. I kind of got pounded for it. ...

"But we have the utmost respect for people in all walks of life with baseball. That's why our game is so cool and so much fun to watch … Baseball is the greatest game in the world because you bring so many different styles together, especially in this tournament."

See energy and national pride overflow at World Baseball Classic

The Dominican Republic came into the semifinal averaging 10 runs a game, with a record 14 homers. They managed to score just one run, on a second-inning home run by Junior Caminero, and were shut down the rest of the way by Paul Skenes and five different relievers.

And, oh, that USA defense. There was shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. all night long. Third baseman Gunnar Henderson, who homered to tie the game in the third, made some fabulous plays. And no play changed the game more than Aaron Judge's throw in the third inning.

The Dominican Republic threatened and when Ketel Marte hit a sharp two-out single to right field with Tatis on first base, and Soto coming to the plate, they had the sellout crowd of 36,337 roaring. Yet, instead of staying on second base, Tatis took off for third, and was easily thrown out by Judge on his hardest throw in three years.

Rally over. Inning over.

The Dominican Republic suddenly became passive on the bases, not scoring from second base in the seventh inning on a single to center, with Judge's throw still on their minds.

"I think that throw definitely changed it," Crow-Armstrong said. "I don't know if it was the base coaches or maybe it was the players, but it made a shift somewhere."

Said Judge: "You know, you love hitting the homers, but a moment like that was pretty cool."

When the night ended, Team USA sat around in the clubhouse, trying to comprehend how it was possible that it hit two home runs in a span of three at-bats in the fourth inning, produced only one hit the rest of the game and still won.

"I mean, for our bullpen to come in and do the job they did," DeRosa said. "Dominican Republic never stopped. It was like constant traffic, never relaxed. … I'm blessed to be able to manage these guys. I've had an absolute blast."

Skenes pitched a 1-2-3 first inning, but the Dominican Republic had runners on base in all but two innings afterwards. Four times they had at least two runners on base. They had the bases loaded. But they went only 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position, and one of the hits didn't leave the infield.

The game ended with closer Mason Miller, who had already thrown 21 pitches, striking out Geraldo Perdomo with Julio Rodriguez on third base. The pitch appeared low, and Perdomo screamed in frustration, but with no ABS challenge system in the WBC, the call stood, and the game was over.

"This is just an incredible experience,'' Judge said. "Man, that's baseball right here. You know, they have passion. They love the game. They respect the game. I think that's the coolest part about this thing is that we can go out there and fight all of the way to the end, and just seeing the respect and love and passion they have for this game, that's what you dream about as a kid.

"What a game."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:USA baseball WBC win leaves Aaron Judge in awe: 'Gives me chills'

Interest around collegiate women's basketball continues to rise.

The last three national championship games have averaged over 9 million viewers -- including 18.9 million for Iowa-South Carolina in 2024 -- and 20 regular-season games this season had more than 500,000 viewers, the most in history.

For those who may be turning more attention to this year's NCAA Tournament, which begins Wednesday with the First Four, here are 12 players to watch in this year's event.

Sarah Strong, UConn

The Huskies enter as the No. 1 overall seed and on a 50-game winning streak, looking to repeat as national champs. Strong is a big part of that, shooting 60.1% from the floor, 42.7% from 3 and in the top 50 nationally in steals and blocks per game.

Lauren Betts, UCLA

After leading the Bruins to their first Final Four last season, Betts is looking for more this season. They've won 25 straight games and beat Iowa by 51 points in the Big Ten championship game 16.4 points and 8.6 rebounds from Betts are a big reason behind the domination.

Joyce Edwards, South Carolina

Despite having won two of the last four national titles, South Carolina is a No. 1 seed that is a bit of an afterthought entering the tourney. Edwards (19.6 ppg, 58.7% shooting) leads five scorers averaging double figures for the still-very-dangerous Gamecocks.

Madison Booker, Texas

Booker led the Longhorns to their third No. 1 seed in as many seasons with the program, knocking off South Carolina in the Southeastern Conference title game. She averaged 20 points and 8.3 rebounds in the tournament and has Texas dreaming of its first national championship since 1986.

Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt

Blakes is the nation's leading scorer (27.0 points per game), helping the Commodores win their most regular-season games in program history and earn a No. 2 seed. If they make their first Final Four since 1992-93, she'll be why.

Aaliyah Chavez, Oklahoma

Advertisement

The only freshman to lead one of the top 16 seeded teams in scoring, Chavez has made an immediate impact in Norman. She averaged 18.0 points in SEC play and scored 26 in the upset of South Carolina on Jan. 22, adding to a roster which last season made its first Sweet 16 since 2013.

Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State

A three-level scorer who put up six 30-plus-point games this season (including a 41-pointer vs. Illinois), few teams rely on one scorer as much as the Buckeyes do Cambridge. Her sister Kennedy sets the tone defensively for Ohio State with a Big Ten-best 3.9 steals per game.

MiLaysia Fulwiley, LSU

A transfer from conference rival South Carolina, Fulwiley (14.6 ppg) is leading LSU's offense, which is best in the country in scoring (94.5 ppg). The second-seeded Tigers haven't been back to the Final Four since they won the 2023 national title.

Clara Strack, Kentucky

A double-double machine with 14 of them this season, Strack is also averaging 2.6 blocks per game. She'll need to rise to the occasion if No. 5 seed Kentucky is going to reach its first Sweet 16 since 2015-16.

Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame

An elite defender, Hidalgo averages 5.4 steals per game, over one more than anyone else in the country and had an NCAA-record 16-steal game this season. Oh, and she also ranks third in the country in scoring (25.2 ppg) for the No. 6 seed Fighting Irish.

Olivia Miles, TCU

A Notre Dame transfer who landed in Fort Worth, Miles has made a somewhat rare women's basketball occurrence (triple-doubles) commonplace. She has five this season -- three more than anyone else -- and 11 in her career, leading the Horned Frogs to a Big 12 regular-season title and a No. 3 seed.

Audi Crooks, Iowa State

The Cyclones battled injuries and had a nasty fall from top-10 team in December to No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. But they still have one of the nation's best post players in Crooks. She's second nationally in scoring (25.5 ppg) and shooting percentage (64.7).

--Field Level Media