The college basketball season has already delivered upsets, debates and star performances, but before we shift focus to the upcoming NCAA Tournament, a little reflection is due.

Women’s college basketball in 2022 was full of eye-popping moments that deserve a second-look before the New Year.

South Carolina rises to the top

With Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Aliyah Boston leading the way, South Carolina won its second title in program history in April, topping UConn in the national championship game. Destanni Henderson scored 26 points as the Gamecocks defeated the Huskies 64-49. The win also cemented South Carolina’s status as one of the top programs in college basketball, with the No. 1 team the favorite once again to win the 2023 title.

Coach Dawn Staley continues to recruit top talent — adding two more five-star players this season — and is a prominent voice when it comes to promoting the sport and supporting causes close to the community, such as the campaign to bring Brittney Griner home from Russia. This was certainly South Carolina’s year, but it won’t be the last time the Gamecocks dominate headlines.

Clark vs. Boston

South Carolina’s star eventually won out, but much of the year was devoted to the Player of the Year debate between Boston and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. The Gamecocks junior averaged 16.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, and her importance to the team on both ends of the floor helped solidify her case for the award. Meanwhile, the sophomore Clark led the country in assists and points, averaging 27 points, eight assists and eight rebounds per game. She wowed spectators with her scoring ability, particularly the logo 3-pointers that have become synonymous with Clark’s game. The POY debate has roared on into the 2022-23 season, with the upperclassmen leading the race once again.

Year of upsets

The 2022 NCAA Tournament ended with two giants battling for the title in South Carolina and UConn, but the postseason itself was packed with shocking results and new names. Perhaps the biggest upset of all came in the second round, when No. 10 Creighton defeated No. 2 Iowa in the waning minutes of the game. Lauren Jensen, an Iowa transfer, stunned the Hawkeyes when she hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 15 seconds left to help the Bluejays clinch a spot in the Sweet 16.

10-seed Creighton upsets 2-seed Iowa!

Iowa transfer Lauren Jensen nailed the game winner against her former squad. pic.twitter.com/vnHENmldNR

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 20, 2022

And that was far from the only upset. A few more highlights: No. 12 Belmont topped No. 5 Oregon in double overtime in the first round, No. 11 Princeton tipped No. 6 Kentucky, and No. 10 South Dakota defeated Baylor in the second round.

NIL takeover

The Name, Image and Likeness rule that permits college athletes to profit off of their personal brand took effect for the 2021-22 season, and it didn’t take long for plenty of college basketball stars to take advantage.

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UConn’s Paige Bueckers signed deals with Bose, Crocs and Gatorade, while Miami transfers Haley and Hanna Cavinder monetized their Instagram and TikTok accounts and Clark signed on with Nike. Other athletes were able to capitalize on the rule at the local level, allowing players across the league to market themselves and make money. Of all athletes in the men’s and women’s Sweet 16 in March, women made up the majority of those with the highest earning potential on social media, according to Opendorse.

Transfers

The transfer portal burst with activity in 2022, with several high-profile players leaving their programs after the 2022 season. Maryland stars Angel Reese and Ashley Owusu departed for LSU and Virginia Tech, respectively, while former top recruit Saniya Rivers parted ways with South Carolina for NC State, to name a few.

The NCAA’s new one-time transfer rule, which allows players to change programs without sitting out a year, led to a record number of athletes in the portal in 2021 and 2022.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

The first round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs ends on Friday night, when the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury and No. 5 New York Liberty return to Arizona for a winner-take-all Game 3 — with a trip to the semifinals on the line.

"The message is, 'Everybody keep our heads up. This is a series, and Phoenix is a tough team,'" Liberty star Breanna Stewart said ahead of Friday's matchup.

Still battling an MCL sprain in her left knee, Stewart hopes for more quality time on the court to help New York bounce back from the Mercury's Game 2 blowout win.

While neither team has successfully defended at home so far, Phoenix will look for a boost from the Mercury fans as they try to oust the defending WNBA champs.

"It's just nice for everyone to get a home game," said Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas. "[But] in order to win a series, you got to win on the road."

"You see how competitive, how balanced this is," said Stewart, commenting on the league's new home-away-home first-round format. "How important it is for these kind of series to be going back and forth."

How to watch the New York Liberty vs. Phoenix Mercury in Game 3

It's win-or-go-home for both the No. 5 New York Liberty and No. 4 Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs on Friday.

The high-stakes matchup will tip off at 9 PM ET, with live coverage on ESPN2.

The 2025 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year race ended in a tie on Thursday, as dominant seasons at both ends of the court saw Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson and Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith each receive 29 of the media panel's 72 total votes.

After finishing first this season in blocks per game (2.3), total rebounds (407), defensive rebounds (316), and combined steals and blocks (156), Wilson became just the fourth player in WNBA history named Defensive Player of the Year at least three times — adding this year's title to her previous 2022 and 2023 honors.

As for Smith, who picked up the award for the first time this year, the Lynx star ranked second overall in combined steals and blocks (135), third in both blocks per game (1.9) and total blocks (80), and tied for 10th in total steals (55) on the season.

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Also snagging votes were Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams, who came in second with nine votes, as well as Phoenix Mercury triple-double phenom Alyssa Thomas and fellow Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, who received three and two votes, respectively.

The win by both Wilson and Smith marks the first time in history that the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year honor has ended in a tie, reflecting both the top-notch level of talent on display across the league as well as the hyper-competitive nature of the 2025 end-of-year awards race on display across multiple categories.

Next up on the league's awards docket is Saturday's Sixth Player of the Year announcement, followed by the highly anticipated reveal of the 2025 WNBA MVP on Sunday.

The NWSL promises a tense mid-table battle this weekend, as the No. 4 Portland Thorns take on the No. 5 San Diego Wave with both teams looking to keep late-season lags at bay.

After strong starts, the Thorns and Wave each have just one win in their last five games, with San Diego aiming to snap a two-game losing streak after falling to Gotham last weekend.

Even more, both clubs currently sit in a four-way tie for points on the NWSL table, giving Saturday's match extra weight in potentially shifting the standings this weekend.

"It's a really important moment for us as a team," said San Diego head coach Jonas Eidevall. "Because adversity will happen to people or teams at various points, and everything about now is how we respond."

Portland will also look to regain ground, perhaps drawing inspiration from the past after announcing Wednesday that the club plans to retire legendary forward Christine Sinclair's jersey in an October 4th ceremony.

Sinclair established herself as the Portland Thorns' all-time leading scorer, retiring last year with 79 goals across all NWSL competitions — the second-most ever scored by an NWSL player.

How to watch the Portland Thorns vs. San Diego Wave

The No. 4 Portland Thorns will host the No. 5 San Diego Wave at 10 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage of the NWSL match airing on ION.

No. 2 Las Vegas narrowly avoided a 2025 first-round postseason series upset on Thursday night, defeating the No. 7 Seattle Storm 74-73 in a deciding Game 3 to advance to the Aces' seventh-straight WNBA semifinals.

Aces star A'ja Wilson put her team on her back with another dominant performance, posting 38 points — including 25 in the second half — to outscore the rest of the Las Vegas lineup entirely.

"I am so proud of my team, we were resilient, that's what we need to be in these playoffs and I love each and every last one of them," Wilson said postgame.

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Las Vegas got off to a slow start this year, but a late-season surge fueled by a renewed focus on depth saw the 2023 WNBA champs take the No. 2 playoff seed — and book yet another trip to the WNBA semifinals.

"I remember Chelsea [Gray] saying in a timeout, 'There's no time for my-bads anymore,'" said Wilson. "We have to play perfect basketball."

How to watch the Las Vegas Aces in the 2025 WNBA semifinals

Up next for No. 2 Las Vegas is a No. 6 Indiana side punching above their weight.

That said, the Fever did score a 2-1 record against the Aces in the 2025 regular season — and Las Vegas's lone win over Indiana came back in June.

"They haven't seen the real Aces yet," Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon said of the Fever. "They caught us when we were a bit in turmoil."

The Aces will take aim at Indiana in Sunday's 3 PM ET semifinals opener, airing live on ABC.