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WNBA betting guide: Take advantage of the Chicago Sky’s hot streak

While Las Vegas is still the championship betting favorite, Chicago’s stock is soaring. (Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)

The WNBA All-Star Game is just days away, which means soon we’ll have betting lines for one of the most unique and exciting women’s basketball events to place your money on. (Who can forget the monumental mistake sportsbooks made for last year’s event?)

For now, we can recap the last several weeks of WNBA regular season action from a betting perspective.

Team trends

Aces stumbling

If the last few weeks have reminded us of anything, it’s that even the best are always vulnerable in sports. The juggernaut Aces, once the clear and undisputed top team in the league, have come back down to earth as of late. They are still the favorites to win the championship, but they’ve generally faded in the betting landscape.

Las Vegas is just 2-9 against the spread since the start of June, and in one of those wins, they covered by a mere 1.5 points. The All-Star break couldn’t come at a better time for this squad. While it won’t be as restful for the Aces as it will be for most other teams, considering much of their starting lineup will be in the All-Star Game in Chicago, it still should give them a chance to regroup and reset.

Sky surging

Meanwhile, Las Vegas’ Commissioner Cup opponent has been trending in the opposite direction. Chicago has won 11 of its last 13, with the only two losses coming by two points each. In the process, the Sky have cashed their spread bet eight times after beginning the season 2-6 against the spread.

Your next chance to bet on the Sky will come on Wednesday against one of the other hottest teams in the league: Minnesota. These two teams played a fantastic game just over a week ago, in which Courtney Vandersloot won it at the buzzer after the Sky blew a double-digit lead. In spite of the hot streak, letting teams claw their way back in games has been a theme for the Sky, so if they take a big lead early, it could be a good opportunity to bet on the other side.

Dream riding Tiffany Hayes

Tiffany Hayes made her season debut with a bang last week against the Liberty, knocking down four of her six triples and finishing with 21 points. The Dream won outright as 5.5-point underdogs in the process, and followed that up with a blowout upset of Seattle three days later also as 5.5-point underdogs.

After an excellent May and a tough June, the returns of Hayes and Erica Wheeler could mean Atlanta is in store for a big July. Their last game before the break comes against the Mystics, who will have Elena Delle Donne and will almost certainly be favored. Don’t be surprised if Atlanta cashes another underdog moneyline, or at the very least covers for a third straight time since Hayes has returned.

League trends

Checking on trends we’ve been monitoring

While second-quarter unders have faltered, coming down to 51.2 percent on the season (although still 55.9 percent when following a first-quarter over), fourth-quarter unders may be back. The under hit in over 62 percent of fourth quarters last season, but it started out practically 50/50 through 100 games this season: 51-49.

Since then, they have gone 20-7 with one push. That trend is even stronger, albeit in a smaller sample, when looking at the second legs of back-to-backs. Sportsbooks seem to have adjusted for the overall effect of back-to-backs being lower scoring, but they haven’t necessarily adjusted far enough when it comes to the fourth quarters of those games, when players are the most tired. Those unders are 8-2 on the season.

Some totals too low?

A new trend that’s emerging this season is the tendency for low totals to hit the over. Games for which the closing line has been 161 or lower have surpassed that total 36 times and gone under just 18, good for a 67 percent hit rate.

These totals are obviously coming largely from teams that play some combination of great defense, bad offense and slow-paced basketball — teams like the Mystics, the Storm or the Dream — so it makes sense that the lines are low. But if sportsbooks are overvaluing just how slow or defensive these teams are, it gives us a chance to make some money on those overs in the 150s.

Futures update

Here are FanDuel’s biggest movers of the last three weeks.

Stock up: Sky (+440 previous to +300 current)

Chicago’s hot streak hasn’t gone unnoticed by sportsbooks, as their odds have continued to shorten and have passed up the Connecticut Sun. A win over the team the Sky are chasing in the odds — the Aces — certainly didn’t hurt, nor did taking over first place in the standings.

The Storm are a very close second here, mostly thanks to adding Tina Charles during that time frame. Charles has never won a championship, but if she can continue to buy into this “bench alpha” role rather than demanding starter-level minutes and shots that would take away volume from Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd, Seattle may be in a good position.

Stock down: Sparks (+6500 previous to +15000 current)

This one is interesting, as Los Angeles has actually been playing fairly well recently. They’ve covered in five straight games, winning four of them outright despite only being favored in one.

However, it also became more and more clear in June that there is a gap between the WNBA’s top five and the rest, and the Sparks are not in that top group. They also fired head coach Derek Fisher in June, so +6500 was probably too short to begin with.

Best bets tonight

Seattle/Indiana over 158.5

Remember when the Fever started the season playing the fastest of any team in league history? Yes, they’ve played at a more reasonable pace since then, but this is still a very low line for any game involving Indiana.

And of course, this falls into the category we talked about above: Lines 161 or below that have gone over two-thirds of the time. Expect this one to be played in the 160s.

Connecticut/Dallas under 163.5

On the other side, you have a line that may have made more sense a few weeks ago, but the Sun offense hasn’t been too impressive over this recent stretch. In fact, Connecticut’s offensive rating of 91.3 over its last five games ranks dead-last in the WNBA over that time.

The first meeting between these two teams finished under this total, and the second one eclipsed it by just a few points thanks to the Sun’s 25-for-27 night at the free throw line. It will probably take something of that magnitude to hit this high of a total again.

Calvin Wetzel is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports, covering basketball and betting. He also contributes to Her Hoop Stats, CBS SportsLine and FiveThirtyEight. Follow him on Twitter at @cwetzel31.

Defending NCAA Champions UNC Lose Top College Soccer Ranking After Upsets

The UNC Tar Heels huddle during the 2024 NCAA championship match.
Reigning champs UNC suffered two upset losses to start the 2025 NCAA soccer season. (Grant Halverson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

The UNC Tar Heels are having a rough start to the 2025 NCAA soccer season, logging two upset losses in the first two weeks of competition to plummet from their No. 1 spot in the preseason rankings.

North Carolina stumbled right out of the gate, becoming the first reigning national champs to drop their season opener in 23 years with their 2-0 fall to Tennessee, before the Tar Heels added a second 2-0 loss to Georgia last Thursday.

As a result, a precipitous poll drop have the once top-ranked Tar Heels now sitting at No. 22 in the nation, with Stanford rising behind four straight wins to take the UNC-vacated No. 1 spot.

Meanwhile, North Carolina's SEC conquerers earned big boosts: Georgia made their season rankings debut at No. 13 this week, and a four-match opening winning streak saw Tennessee skyrocket to No. 2.

Tennessee's early-season success also includes a second massive win, as the preseason-unranked Vols defeated 2022 champion and then-No. 4 UCLA 1-0 last Wednesday to prove that their shocking opening upset was far from a fluke.

Redshirt junior forward Shae O'Rourke is leading Tennessee's charge, netting five goals across their four games — including scoring all three against the two recent NCAA champs.

As for UNC, the Tar Heels have time to right the ship under newly permanent head coach Damon Nahas, with the team looking to log some wins over lopsided opponents before their next ranked matchup against fellow ACC foe No. 24 Virginia Tech on September 11th.

W7F Moves $5 Million Women’s Soccer Tournament to Florida

Bayern Munich midfielder Linda Dallmann lifts the first-ever W7F trophy in May 2025.
The second seven-a-side W7F tournament will take place in Fort Lauderdale this December. (Gualter Fatia/World Sevens Football via Getty Images)

Global seven-a-side soccer venture World Sevens Football (W7F) is on its way Stateside, announcing Tuesday that the second-ever W7F tournament will kick off in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, later this year.

After a successful debut in Portugal last May, the eight-team competition will put another $5 million purse on the line when it takes over Beyond Bancard Field, the home of the USL Super League's Fort Lauderdale United FC from December 5th through the 7th.

While European clubs — including eventual champions Bayern Munich — dominated the inaugural W7F field, the tournament is now looking to platform teams based in North and South America for its US edition.

Like the first iteration, W7F will again team up with media partner DAZN for live match coverage from Florida.

W7F boasts a Player Advisory Council that includes the USWNT's two-time World Cup champions Tobin Heath and Kelley O'Hara, plus a trio of former international stars — England defender Anita Asante, longtime Sweden captain and midfielder Caroline Seger, and France defender Laura Georges — all of whom are also shareholders in the upstart.

"We saw undeniable proof of concept [in Portugal]. Now, we're building on that momentum," W7F head of football Adrian Jacob said in Tuesday's press release. "This isn't just a tournament — it's a movement, this time in America, where women's soccer has unprecedented momentum."

New Hires Dominate Packed WNBA Coach of the Year Race

Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts watches on the sideline during a 2025 WNBA game.
Nate Tibbetts has coached the Phoenix Mercury to a 23-14 record in 2025. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

As the 2025 WNBA regular season nears its end, fresh faces and league mainstays alike have risen to the top of a still-too-close-to-call Coach of the Year race.

Reigning WNBA Coach of the Year Cheryl Reeve is making the case for back-to-back honors after leading the Minnesota Lynx to the top of the WNBA standings on a 30-7 record.

That said, more than one squad has turned things around under new management following an offseason coaching carousel that reshaped the league's tactical landscape.

First-year coaches Natalie Nakase (No. 7 Golden State Valkyries) and Karl Smesko (No. 2 Atlanta Dream) as well as second-year boss Nate Tibbetts (No. 4 Phoenix Mercury) are also making their mark, with all three teams firmly on track to punch their tickets to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs.

Nakase is on the brink of history as the Valkyries strive to become the first-ever expansion side to make the playoffs in their debut year, while Smesko's revamped roster has already earned the Dream nine more wins than last year.

Tibbetts has also struck gold, improving Phoenix's win record by over four games while reshaping their identity around star forward Alyssa Thomas.

As the WNBA booms in popularity and parity, the players aren't the only individuals becoming more competitive, the coaches are, too — though there might be no competing with experience when it comes to successfully making a championship run.

Despite Injuries, Indiana Fever Downs Seattle Storm as WNBA Playoff Race Heats Up

Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell lays up a shot during a 2025 WNBA game.
The Indiana Fever have remained above the 2025 postseason cutoff line despite numerous injuries. (A.J. Mast/NBAE via Getty Images)

The No. 6 Indiana Fever are still in control of their playoff destiny, taking down the No. 8 Seattle Storm 95-75 behind star center Aliyah Boston's dominant 27-point performance on Tuesday night.

Also helping to offset Indiana's slate of high-profile injuries were guards Kelsey Mitchell and midseason hardship signee Odyssey Sims, who combined for 43 points in Tuesday's win.

"Every game at this point in the season is huge, and this one was a big one for us," said Fever head coach Stephanie White afterwards. "We knew that we had to come out and show some urgency."

"Going into this game, we talked about how this is a big game for us and an important game for us considering the standings," echoed Boston. "This is a great win for us before we head on the road."

After losing multiple guards to season-ending injuries this month, Indiana entered Tuesday's matchup having lost six of their last eight games as they await the return of sidelined superstar Caitlin Clark.

"[Boston] has been the one that's been most affected by all of our injuries, all of the point guards who can get her the ball," White continued. "She set the tone for us on both ends."

As for Seattle, Tuesday's loss dropped the Storm to eighth in the WNBA standings, sitting just above the postseason cutoff line with the No. 9 LA Sparks hot on their heels.

"There's no excuse for what happened today other than not matching the energy of the other team," said Seattle forward Nneka Ogwumike, who led her squad's scoring with 17 points on Tuesday.

How to watch the Indiana Fever, Seattle Storm this week

No. 6 Indiana hits the road this weekend, taking on No. 9 LA at 10 PM ET on Friday on ION before facing the No. 7 Golden State Valkyries at 8:30 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage airing on NBA TV.

An uphill battle is on deck for No. 8 Seattle as the Storm gear up for an 8 PM ET clash against the league-leading Minnesota Lynx on Thursday, airing live on WNBA League Pass.

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