College basketball season is finally here. And after the first day of games, fans have plenty to talk about. From Angel Reese to Hailey Van Lith, here are five things that caught my eye on opening day:

Career-highs

Several players kicked off the 2021-22 season with career-highs, including Reese, who dropped 31 points against Bellarmine in her first game with LSU. She also grabbed 13 rebounds for a double-double.

The Maryland transfer fit right into the Tigers’ offense, and she didn’t need to dominate the ball to put up her huge numbers – a great sign for LSU – as she went 11-for-14 from the floor in the 125-50 win. Reese also was solid on the defensive end, where she had two blocks and a team-high four steals.

Meanwhile, for Virginia Tech, all eyes were on another Maryland transfer in Ashley Owusu, but Cayla King stole the show.

The senior guard set a program record with nine 3-pointers for a career-high 33 points. She went 9-for-16 from beyond the arc (56.3%), leading her team to a 101-45 win over Mount St. Mary’s.

King has been a strong shooter throughout her career with the Hokies, and she made 39.9% of her attempts last season. And while she probably won’t make nine 3s again this year, having her as an outside threat is a great tool alongside Elizabeth Kitley, who dominated in the paint with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks.

New additions

Aside from Reese, four more players who are new to their respective squads caught my eye Monday, starting with Abby Meyer at Maryland.

The guard led Princeton last season with 17.9 points per game, guiding the Ivy League Champions past Kentucky in an NCAA tournament first-round upset. She was a leader for the Tigers, and the same seems to be true at Maryland. When Diamond Miller exited the contest with a knee injury, Meyer stepped up and scored 19 points to lead the Terrapins to an 88-51 win over George Mason.

Oregon is coming off a rocky year in 2021-22, and the rough road continued with a season-ending injury to Sedona Prince to start the 2022-23 campaign.

Enter freshmen Grace VanSlooten and Chance Gray. The two started in Oregon’s 100-57 win over Northwestern, and each had a huge impact. VanSlooten led the Ducks with 20 points, going 10-for-16 from the field, and Gray finished with 14. Ducks fans have a lot to be excited for, this season and beyond.

Finally, Iowa State is a team with incredible guards – Ashley Joens, Lexi Donarski and Emily Ryan – but now they have a weapon on the inside to compliment the backcourt.

Stephanie Soares spent the last four years dominating the NAIA level at The Master’s University, where she was the two-time Player of the Year. Her transition to the NCAA Division I level started on a high note as she finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 steals and 3 assists in an 87-54 win over Cleveland State.

Creighton vs. South Dakota State

The best game of Day 1 was easily No. 21 Creighton vs. No. 23 South Dakota State. The Blue Jays came away with a 78-69 win, but both squads impressed.

For Creighton, Lauren Jensen built on her 2021-22 Tournament Darling status with a career-high 30-point performance, going 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and adding five assists. The Blue Jays also continued the 3-point shooting prowess they became known for last season, making 46.7% of their attempts as a team.

South Dakota State, last season’s NIT winner, held its own for most of the contest, behind 22 points from Myah Selland. The junior forward is expected to have a big season after leading the team with 14.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game last season.

The Jackrabbits also got a lift from freshman Brooklyn Meyers, who came off the bench to score 12 points in just 16 minutes of play. She proved herself to be a reliable option in the post.

South Carolina continues to shine

Aliyah Boston recorded yet another double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds as the Gamecocks won their opening contest against East Tennessee State by 70 points, 101-31.

South Carolina also showed off its depth, with six players in double-figures. Among those were sophomores Sania Feagin (15 points) and Raven Johnson (11 points). Johnson slid into the starting point guard role, taking over for Destanni Henderson, who is now in the WNBA with the Indiana Fever. Freshman Ashlyn Watkins also hit double-digits with 11 points of her own.

The Gamecocks proved themselves a well-rounded squad with plenty of weapons. Once again, they are the team to beat this season.

Top guards dominate

Three of the best guards in the country started their seasons off right. Van Lith of Louisville, Caitlin Clark of Iowa and Joens of Iowa State all led their squads to victories.

For Louisville, Van Lith built on a stellar sophomore season where her squad made a run to the Final Four, posting 28 points as her team defeated Cincinnati 87-68.

“I would say it’s impressive, but I think that’s just Hailey,” fifth-year senior guard Mykasa Robinson said. “That’s what Hailey does. So, she’s going to keep doing that day in and day out.”

Clark, who led the country in scoring last year as a sophomore, had 20 points and 9 rebounds as Iowa topped Southern 87-34. And Joens, a senior for the Cyclones, impressed in several categories – something she’s been known for throughout her career – finishing the day with 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

UEFA's 2025 Euro tournament is already knocking on the door of history, as the European Championship is on track to shatter the competition's overall attendance record — despite not kicking off until next week.

This year's Switzerland-hosted edition has sold more than 570,000 of the 673,000 tickets available as of Thursday.

Given that tally, England's 2022 Euro record of 574,875 is likely to fall in the coming days.

In addition to the tickets already on sale, stadiums will release another 32,000 to accommodate the knockout stages in the coming weeks.

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While Switzerland is poised to claim the Euro's total attendance title by the competition's July 27th finale, England's single-game record crowd of 87,192 — set at the 2022 championship match — will be safe, as no Swiss venue matches the capacity of London's iconic Wembley Stadium.

The 2025 Euro final will be a much more elite affair, as only 34,250 seats are available at Basel's St. Jakob-Park — the largest of the tournament's eight venues.

That said, this summer's European Championship will have more eyes on it than ever before, and not just from the stands.

The 2022 edition shattered viewership records worldwide, but the 2025 Euro has a chance to level up even more, as the tournament has seen its global broadcast footprint expand — particularly in the US.

UEFA inked a media deal with Fox Sports in late May, ensuring that audiences Stateside will have live access to at least 20 of the Euro's 31 matches next month.

While the overall tournament chases new attendance and viewership records, the 16 teams bound for Switzerland will be battling toward the 2025 Euro trophy when the competition kicks off next Wednesday.

The 2025 FIBA AmeriCup 5×5 basketball tournament tips off Saturday in Santiago, Chile, where a youthful Team USA will battle nine other countries from North and South America for both this summer's trophy and a ticket to the 2026 FIBA World Cup.

After falling to reigning champions Brazil in 2023, Team USA will aim to avenge the loss by winning a fifth all-time gold medal at the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup final on July 6th.

Led by Duke head coach Kara Lawson, this 12-player US squad follows the federation playbook by tapping top college talent, with the NCAA's finest looking to gain international experience and hone their skills against pros like Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso, who leads Brazil's AmeriCup roster.

Full of familiar faces, the USA AmeriCup lineups includes March Madness stars Olivia Miles (TCU), Flau'Jae Johnson (LSU), Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame), Madison Booker (Texas), Audi Crooks (Iowa State), Raegan Beers (Oklahoma), and Joyce Edwards (South Carolina).

Also taking the FIBA court for Team USA are NCAA standouts Mikayla Blakes (Vanderbilt), Gianna Kneepkens (UCLA), Kennedy Smith (USC), Hannah Stuelke (Iowa), and Grace Vanslooten (Michigan State).

"[W]e haven't seen the level of physicality and experience we're going to see down there," Lawson said this week. "So that remains to be seen if we're going to be able to impose that athletic, physical play. But there's no doubt we're going to try."

How to watch Team USA at the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup

The 2025 FIBA AmeriCup group stage runs from Saturday through Wednesday, with the knockouts tipping off on July 4th in a run-up to the July 6th championship game.

Team USA will open their AmeriCup campaign against hosts Chile at 8:25 PM ET on Saturday, then face Colombia at 8:10 PM ET on Sunday.

Arguably the toughest Group B contest for the US will be their Monday matchup against Puerto Rico at 8:10 PM ET, before the collegiate stars finish up the tournament's group play against Mexico at 2:10 PM ET on Wednesday.

All 2025 FIBA AmeriCup games will stream live on Courtside 1891.

Three-time 1,500-meter Olympic gold medalist Faith Kipyegon fell just short of making running history on Thursday, as the middle-distance star clocked a time of 4:06.42 in her attempt to become the first woman to break the four-minute mile.

"It was the first trial. I have proven that it's possible and it's only a matter of time. I think it will come to our way," said Kipyegon following Thursday's race. "If it's not me, it will be somebody else."

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Still the fastest mile-runner of any woman in history, the Kenyan icon did beat her own previous world record of 4:07.64 by 1.22 seconds, though the time won't count as a new record as the race came during Nike's unofficial Breaking4 event.

With full support from the sportswear giant — the 31-year-old's partner for 16 years — Kipyegon had the benefit of multiple pace-setters, as well as an aerodynamic suit, 3D-printed Nike FlyWeb sports bra, and spiked shoes made specifically for the much-hyped four-minute mile attempt at Paris's Stade Charléty.

"Faith didn't just make history, she proved the future of sport is faster, stronger, and more inclusive than ever," noted Nike president Amy Montagne after Kipyegon's race.

"It was tough, but I am so proud of what I've done, and I'm going to keep on trying, dreaming and pursing big goals," said Kipyegon. "I want to show the world, and especially women, that you have to dare to try."

The world No. 1 USWNT topped the No. 25 Republic of Ireland 4-0 on Thursday, dominating the first of two friendly matchups against the Girls in Green this week.

Veteran midfielder Rose Lavelle notched a goal and an assist in her first appearance for the US in 2025, with defender Avery Patterson, midfielder Sam Coffey, and forward Alyssa Thompson also finding the back of the net to round out the scoresheet.

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Despite relative inexperience, this USWNT lineup claimed control of the match from the very first whistle, holding 68% of possession while keeping Ireland from registering a single shot on goal.

The US also saw new faces step up, as defenders Lilly Reale and Jordyn Bugg as well as goalkeeper Claudia Dickey all earned their first caps without a hitch.

While USWNT boss Emma Hayes is still figuring out her player pool, her team has been busy racking up the results.

"Being able to trust my teammates around me, trusting Emma — she's helped me a lot," Thompson said after the game. "Just the coaching staff in general, I feel like I've learned so much."

"My natural instincts are to go into the attack more," Patterson told media after tallying her first-ever senior team goal. "I think it's a little bit of that, and also the backing of my coaches."

How to watch the USWNT vs. Ireland this weekend

The USWNT and Ireland will clash again in Cincinnati, Ohio, at 3 PM ET on Sunday.

Coverage of the friendly will air live on TNT.