<p>Plus: The NFC's dark horse contender closes in on a playoff spot. And thefreshman sensation leading USC back to the top of women's college hoops.</p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>

A Contender Rises In The West

The Lead: Starting Five is a new daily sports show from the creators of the award-winning podcast, The Lead. Every weekday, our team of perennial all-star hosts breaks down five of the biggest sports stories of the day, in 10 minutes. Whether it’s Tom Brady un-retiring (seriously, how did we fall for that), LeBron James hinting at another return to Cleveland, or a minor league mascot getting named ‘Blob’ through a Twitter fan vote, you’ll hear about it on Starting Five. Get the sports news and analysis you need to start your day, with The Lead: Starting Five.Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of The Lead: Starting Five ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.