We’re officially closer to the start of the upcoming NCAA basketball season than the end of the last one, and teams are beginning to announce their non-conference matchups for 2022-23.

Just Women’s Sports highlights a few that stand out as the new season inches closer.

Nov. 20: Stanford vs. South Carolina

Get your popcorn ready.

The 2021 and 2022 National Champions will face off on November 20, 2022 at Maples Pavilion. pic.twitter.com/a6bgDR8heG

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) July 13, 2022

The battle between the two most recent national champions has the potential to be the matchup of the fall.

While both teams have lost some key players, each is still stacked with talent.

Stanford’s Haley Jones will be in her senior season and looking to continue her upward trajectory. Last year, Jones averaged 13.2 points per game. The team also features Cameron Brink.

The Gamecocks’ Aliyah Boston, meanwhile, is still just a junior and already could be considered one of the greatest college basketball players of all time. She averaged 16.8 points per game last season and was fourth in the nation in rebounds per game with 12.5 on average.

This game seems destined to be a top-10 matchup, and it could pit No. 1 vs. No. 2. Just Women’s Sports’ way-too-early Top 25 placed South Carolina first in the country and Stanford second looking ahead to the new season.

Dec. 1: Iowa vs. NC State

A potential top-10 matchup in Carver-Hawkeye Arena? 𝙎𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙪𝙨 𝙪𝙥! 🔥

We'll host @PackWomensBball on Thursday, Dec. 1 as part of the B1G/ACC Challenge. #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/WuGGOaTPg2

— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) July 11, 2022

Will Iowa live up to sky-high expectations? With Caitlin Clark entering her junior season and Monika Czinano returning for a fifth year, signs point to yes.

On the other side, NC State may have lost Elissa Cunane to professional basketball, but Diamond Johnson and Jakia Brown-Turner should be able to step in and fill the void.

That makes this a possible top-10 matchup, as long as both teams enter December having played to their potential.

Also on Dec. 1: Maryland vs. Notre Dame, North Carolina vs. Indiana

Also, this schedule came out yesterday.... Dec. 1 is a national holidaypic.twitter.com/1AHZbhW6s3

— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) July 12, 2022

Nov. 25 & 27: Phil Knight Legacy Tournament

This year’s tournament features Duke, Iowa, Oregon State and UConn. A possible matchup between Iowa and UConn would offer a rematch of the 2021 NCAA tournament Sweet 16, a 92-72 win for the Huskies. But both teams look very different than they did then.

UConn is without stars Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Christyn Williams but should have both Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers back and healthy. Iowa, meanwhile, will have both Czinano and Clark — both notably more seasoned than they were in 2021. While UConn did a good job of shutting down Clark last time, it might not be as easy the second time around.

There’s also Duke to consider. The Blue Devils could be a sneaky contender in Kara Lawson’s third season as coach.

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.