The Philadelphia 76ers will partner with Comcast Spectacor, their current landlord, to build a new arena in South Philadelphia and abandon a deal with the city to move downtown.

The stunning reversal comes as a relief to critics of the plan to put a $1.3 billion arena near City Hall at the edge of Chinatown. Mayor Cherelle Parker, on Monday, called the proposal "a win, win, win, win for Philadelphia."

"Philly, this is a lot. This is a curveball that none of us saw coming, but nevertheless, we are here," Parker said at a midday news conference.

But some critics and City Council members felt betrayed after two years of fraught negotiations over the downtown plan. City Council member Jim Harrity told a news station he felt "completely bamboozled."

Parker was joined Monday by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who appeared remotely, and team and Comcast leaders who promised the new plan would bring vibrancy and a new vision to both locations. The parties also pledged to work with the city to try to bring a WNBA team to Philadelphia.

"Though plans have changed, the one thing that has not changed is our commitment to do something good for the Sixers, our fans and most importantly, our city," said David Adelman, a partner in the 76ers ownership group, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment.

The City Council had voted only weeks ago to approve the team's plan to open its proposed 76 Place downtown by 2031, despite opposition from residents of the city's nearby Chinatown and others. The team, which shares space with the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL in an arena owned by Comcast, had said it wanted to own its own facility when its lease expired.

But the rival sides started talking two weeks ago before looping in city leaders in the high-stakes talks over the past three days.

The team, whose ownership group is led by investor Josh Harris, said it had formed a 50-50 joint venture with Comcast to replace its arena in the South Philadelphia stadium district by 2031. Comcast will also take a minority stake in the team and work together on the WNBA bid, the parties said in a joint statement Monday.

And they pledged to invest in the abandoned site, Market East, a once-bustling downtown retail corridor that has struggled for many years despite repeated attempts to revive it.

The partners, who also own the NHL's New Jersey Devils and have a controlling interest in the NFL's Washington Commanders, had vowed not to seek any city subsidies for the downtown project, which they said would reap $2 billion in economic growth for Center City. They did not immediately disclose financial terms of the new project.

Chinatown activist Vivian Chang said the community was cautiously optimistic but troubled that "our city was held captive by the developers" and lost time it could have spent on other pressing issues.

"We have been saying all along that they were playing people," Chang told The Associated Press. "These billionaire developers didn't have anyone's interests in mind, in terms of the community. They just had their profits in mind."

Economist Victor Matheson, a Holy Cross professor who studies stadium financing issues, said it's not unusual for team owners to change course as they hunt for the best deal. Last year, in Washington, the NBA's Wizards and the NHL's Capitals decided to stay in the city after a deal to move to the northern Virginia suburbs, with $515 million in public financing, imploded.

"This happens all the time," Matheson said, noting that the 76ers "played New Jersey against Philadelphia" in the hunt for public subsidies.

He says he believes the team planned to "pick up some subsidies along the way, and then when that didn't happen, they ended up of course back where they started."

Supporters of the downtown plan had hoped a glitzy, 18,500-seat arena would be the catalyst to revive Market East, which runs for eight blocks from City Hall to the Liberty Bell. "The way they reached this decision reflects a profound lack of respect for city leaders, stakeholders, and residents," council members Jamie Gauthier and Rue Landau said in a statement. "It was shameful for 76DevCo to pit working-class Philadelphians against one another and pressure city council to consider a half-baked proposal on an artificially rushed timeline."

Inter Miami on Monday completed the second training session of the 2025 campaign with Lionel Messi present and under new head coach Javier Mascherano on Monday in Ft. Lauderdale, giving players a taste of what's to come under the new leadership.

Players underwent the medical examinations on Jan. 11 before officially reporting for training on Jan. 13.

"We started on Saturday with the tests and from yesterday we started training with the squad. The feelings are very good," he said. "We are happy with how they have returned from the holidays. We know that it is not easy to be so long standing, beyond that everyone can do their specific work. When you reincorporate and do the group work, they have returned very well from the holidays and that has allowed us to demand a little more from the first day. So we are very happy."

Mascherano and his coaching staff will work towards getting the roster in shape for the preseason tour across North, South and Central America.

"I'm very quiet. Obviously, I like to work with intensity in the training sessions," said Mascherano. "I like my teams to play with intensity and courage but we know what we are starting now and we need to be calm so we are happy with the guys. They are working a lot and they are working really well so we keep going forward."

Though the team has only been together a few days, Yannick Bright admits the roster can already begin to feel the impact of Mascherano's leadership.

"He's an experienced coach and obviously was an experienced player, he knows what he's doing, he played in the best spotlights and best games possible. He definitely knows football, I am excited to start working and learning," Bright said. "I did see flashes of intensity here and there during training, but I love it. It's what I am about, I want to embrace it and learn."

Inter Miami will not be complete for the first preseason friendly against Club América on Jan. 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada, as goalkeeper Drake Callender and midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi join the United States men's national team for the January camp.

The USMNT is currently training at Inter Miami's facilities in Ft. Lauderdale, offering Argentina countrymen Messi, Mascherano and USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino the chance to meet.

Minnesota is off to its best start in 17 games and earned its first ranking since 2019 on Monday, entering the Associated Press women's basketball poll at No. 24.

The Golden Gophers have won 16 of their first 17 contests, with the loss coming against Nebraska last month. They are ranked for the first time since Dec. 30, 2019. Next up is a matchup at No. 8 Maryland on Tuesday.

UCLA, South Carolina, Notre Dame and the USC Trojans kept rolling, holding the top four spots again in the AP Top 25. The Bruins received 29 of the 31 first-place votes from a national media panel. The Fighting Irish, who were missing All-America guard Hannah Hidalgo in their most recent game because of a foot injury, got the other two top votes.

Undefeated LSU moved up one spot to fifth. The Tigers, along with the Bruins and No. 9 Ohio State, are the only three unbeaten teams left in Division I women's basketball.

UConn was sixth, with Texas falling two places to seventh after a 67-50 loss at South Carolina on Sunday.

TCU moved up one spot to 10th.

Dropping out

Iowa and Michigan fell out of the poll this week. The two Big Ten schools suffered losses last week. The Wolverines had a difficult stretch over the past few weeks, with games against No. 1 UCLA, No. 4 USC and No. 9 Ohio State that were all losses. Michigan did beat Purdue on Saturday. Iowa lost to Illinois and Indiana last week.

Ranked Cowgirls

No. 24 Oklahoma State entered the poll for the first time since 2018 after knocking off then-No. 17 West Virginia on Saturday. The Cowgirls have gone 14-2 this season and are on the road at Houston and UCF this week before hosting the No. 10 TCU Horned Frogs on Jan. 22.

Rising Bears

California moved up six spots to No. 18 after beating No. 21 NC State and Florida State last week. The Bears have their highest ranking since they were 18th on Dec. 31, 2018.

Conference breakdown

The SEC has seven teams ranked this week, with the Big Ten and ACC right behind with six each. The Big 12 has five and the Big East one.

Games of the week

No. 23 Utah at No. 10 TCU, Friday. The Utes stumbled in their first game this season as a ranked team, getting routed by then-No. 12 Kansas State. Now Utah will face another tall task, this one against Sedona Prince and the Horned Frogs.

No. 13 Oklahoma at No. 2 South Carolina, Sunday. The Gamecocks continue their stretch of facing five ranked opponents in a row with a game at No. 19 Alabama on Thursday before hosting the Sooners this weekend.

Penn State junior standout running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton both announced Monday that they will be returning to the Nittany Lions for the 2025 season.

"We still have goals we want to reach as a team, and I want to be alongside my teammates as we reach those goals," Singleton wrote in his announcement.

Allen, meanwhile, said that "it's clear that we still have a lot more to accomplish."

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. had ranked Allen and Singleton as the Nos. 5 and 6 running backs available in the upcoming NFL draft.

This past season, the two teamed up to give Penn State one of college football's top rushing duos -- Allen rushed for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 5.0 yards per carry; Singleton rushed for 1,099 yards with 12 touchdowns and ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 6.4 yards per carry.

Singleton also led Big Ten running backs with 375 receiving yards on 41 receptions.

Singleton ran for three touchdowns in Penn State's 27-24 loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals Thursday. Allen rushed for 134 yards in the Nittany Lions' quarterfinal victory over Boise State on Dec. 31.

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar previously announced he was coming back. With Allen and Singleton joining him, the Nittany Lions will enter next season with one of the country's most prolific and experienced backfields.

Auburn has climbed to No. 1 in The Associated Press men's basketball poll for its second stint at the top in program history, while fellow Southeastern Conference program Georgia is in the rankings for the first time in 14 years.

Bruce Pearl's Tigers (15-1) claimed 60 of 62 first-place votes to rise one spot Monday after previous No. 1 Tennessee suffered its first loss of the season, falling at Florida, to end a five-week reign at the top. Auburn has been No. 1 only once before in the AP Top 25, during a three-week stint in January and February of 2022, and is the third team to sit atop the poll this season.

Auburn's only loss came at Duke in early December and the Tigers have won eight straight games, though there is no word on when star forward Johni Broome might be ready to play after suffering an ankle injury in Saturday's win over South Carolina.

The Tigers' rise made them the headliner in another SEC-heavy poll, with the league having nine teams in the AP Top 25 -- including three of the top five and five of the top 10.

Iowa State rose one spot to No. 2, reaching its highest ranking in program history, followed by Duke, Alabama and Florida. The Blue Devils and Gators each claimed a first-place vote.

The top tier

The Volunteers (15-1) had been No. 1 since Dec. 9 and stood as Division I's last unbeaten team before a 30-point loss to Florida. They recovered by beating Texas but still tumbled five spots to No. 6.

Marquette was next at No. 7 as the only team to stay at the same spot from last week, followed by Kentucky, preseason No. 1 Kansas and Houston to round out the top 10.

Rising

No. 12 Michigan State and No. 20 Michigan had the week's biggest jumps, both rising four spots. Florida and No. 17 Purdue were next by climbing three positions.

In all, 15 teams that were ranked last week moved up in the latest poll.

Falling

While Tennessee's tumble was notable, No. 19 Illinois had the week's biggest slide by falling six spots after a weekend home loss to USC.

Two-time reigning national champion UConn matched the Volunteers' five-spot decline, checking in at No. 14 after last week's loss at Villanova.

Six teams that were ranked last week moved down in Monday's poll.

Welcome

No. 23 Georgia Bulldogs, No. 24 Wisconsin and No. 25 Baylor were the week's additions. And for Georgia, it has been a while.

Mike White's Bulldogs (14-2) have their first AP Top 25 ranking since spending a week at No. 24 in January 2011. That lone appearance had stood as the program's only time being ranked since the 2002-03 season, but the Bulldogs are coming off a week that featured wins against then-No. 6 Kentucky and then-No. 17 Oklahoma for the program's first back-to-back victories against ranked opponents since the 2006-07 season.

Both the Badgers and Bears have spent multiple weeks in the poll this season.

Farewell (for now)

West Virginia (No. 21) and UCLA (No. 22) joined the Sooners in falling out of this week's poll.

Conference watch

The SEC -- which had 10 ranked teams Dec. 23 and Dec. 30 -- had nine ranked teams for the fifth time this season, including No. 11 Texas A&M, No. 15 Mississippi State and No. 21 Mississippi.

The Big Ten was next with six, followed by the Big 12 with four. The Big East had two, followed by the Atlantic Coast, West Coast, American Athletic and Mountain West conferences with one each.

LiAngelo Ball has signed a deal with Def Jam and Universal Music Group, a representative from his label Born2Ball Music Group says.

Sources told ESPN the deal is worth as much as $13 million, with $8 million guaranteed, and gives Ball full ownership of music and his own record label. Ball has a second song to follow the debut of "Tweaker" in the near future as well.

Ball, the middle brother of Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball and Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, went unselected in the 2018 NBA draft. He signed training camp deals in 2020 (Detroit Pistons), 2021 (Hornets) and 2022 (Hornets) but never made a regular-season roster. He averaged 4.4 points, 1.1 rebounds and 13.1 minutes in 31 NBA G League games for the Greensboro Swarm from 2021-23.

But he has since refocused his career path to being an artist and musician. The song is described as having an early 2000s rap and modern hip-hop feel and was released Jan. 3 on the WorldstarHipHop YouTube page and has earned nearly 8 million views as of Jan. 13.

The Ball family isn't new to rap. Lonzo has already released a few songs, including "Zo2," which was used to promote his Big Baller Brand signature shoe. LiAngelo's track, though, is getting a lot more attention, with Lonzo already proclaiming 2025 the "year of G[elo]."

Cleared of wrongdoing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), Sinner's case will be heard at Cas following an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), which is seeking a ban of up to two years.

Sinner successfully argued that he was inadvertently contaminated by his physiotherapist after he twice tested positive for the steroid clostebol.

Since the doping test was made public, Sinner has gone on to win the US Open and season-ending ATP Finals in a stellar 2024 season.

However, some players have criticised the handling of Sinner's case - and that of former world number one Iga Swiatek - with Australia's Nick Kyrgios describing them as "disgusting" for tennis.

Sinner's first-round opponent in Melbourne, Jarry, was banned for 11 months after testing positive for anabolic agents in 2020.

The Chilean said he wished he had received the same support from the tennis authorities as Sinner has following his own failed tests.

"What I can say is that I would have liked the same treatment as the things that I went through," said world number 36 Jarry.

"I don't think it was the same, so that's all. What I can say is that it's tough for me to play against him."

Casual tennis observers might still be wondering where Fearnley has appeared from.

Little more than a year ago, the Briton was unranked in the professional game and still playing in the "brutal" United States college tennis system where he developed his aggressive game.

Finishing his kinesiology degree at Texas Christian University in April was the point when he decided it was time to move into the professional ranks.

Then came the stunning rise played out at warp speed.

Winning five ATP Challenger events last year propelled him into the top 100 and enabled him to qualify directly for the Australian Open main draw.

Landing Kyrgios was the reward, but it remained to be seen how Fearnley would cope with what was expected to be a partisan atmosphere.

Despite admitting he felt "anxious", he hoped his experiences of college tennis - all noise, trash-talking and team bonding - would stand him in good stead.

Fearnley looked calm from the start and clear in his thinking.

"I knew that I couldn't really show any emotion because I felt that the crowd was just going to eat that alive," he said.

Kyrgios was unable to regularly unleash his huge serve and Fearnley was regularly able to get into the receiving points.

That allowed him to take control of the first-set tie-break, race away with the second set and move a break up in the third.

Fearnley's serve was also rock solid. He dropped just five points on serve in the opening two sets before Kyrgios broke for the only time to take the third into another tie-break which Fearnley dominated.

Murray, often found berating his own coaching box and shouting at himself on court as a player, cut a composed figure in Djokovic's box on Rod Laver.

All eyes were on the coaching pod - a new innovation at the Australian Open which allows players to have coaching staff courtside - where Murray sat with three other members of Djokovic's team, offering gentle encouragement as the 24-time Grand Slam champion navigated losing the first set and applauding points won in key moments.

"He gave me some great advice during the match," said Djokovic. "It's really nice to be able to exchange some feedback. It's been a really nice experience, hopefully we don't stop here."

Djokovic, seeded seventh in Melbourne, struggled to find his rhythm in the first set against Basavareddy, making uncharacteristic errors in crucial moments.

The last time Djokovic lost in the first round of a Grand Slam was against Paul Goldstein at the 2006 Australian Open, just a few months after Basavareddy was born.

In a curious full-circle moment, Goldstein went on to become Basavareddy's head coach at Stanford University.

The teenager idolises Djokovic and was impressive as he showed no signs of nervousness as he battled his way to a break of serve and took the opening set.

But as the second set wore on Basavareddy started to cramp and fatigue set in as Djokovic reduced the error count and romped to the second and third sets.

Djokovic and Murray had a lengthy chat before the start of the fourth with the latter appearing to offer advice on Djokovic's backhand and he cruised through the fourth set to take victory.