The second-annual virtual WNBA Draft is here. The event, airing Thursday on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET, will start the clock toward the 32-game regular season, which begins May 14 with four primetime matchups.

This draft class isn’t as deep as last year’s – when eventual Rookie of the Year Crystal Dangerfield went to Minnesota in the second round – but the first round should see many big names from the college game go off the board.

As expected, the Dallas Wings traded one of their four first-round picks before draft night, sending the No. 7 pick and a 2022 second-round pick to Los Angeles for the Sparks’ 2022 first-rounder on Wednesday. The Wings had the cap space to sign all four of their first-round picks ($268,389, the most in the league according to Her Hoops Stats), but not enough roster space to keep them without making cuts. They also have the youngest roster in the WNBA and could stand to add a veteran before the season starts.

1. Dallas Wings: Charli Collier, F/C, Texas

Collier going No. 1 overall was presumed even before the Liberty dealt the top pick in a series of trades in February. The 6-foot-5 Texas product wasn’t as dominant in the NCAA Tournament as some would expect for a projected top pick, but she has all the physical tools for a WNBA team to mold into an elite frontcourt talent.

2. Dallas Wings: Awak Kuier, PF, Finland

Speaking of ceiling, Kuier might have the highest among all of this year’s draft prospects. The rangy 6-5 forward has starred on Finland’s senior national team since she was 16 years old and has made dunking look easy (as evidenced below). The potential of Dallas’ frontcourt would soar with Kuier and Collier joining 2020 first-round draft picks Satou Sabally and Bella Alarie.

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3. Atlanta Dream: Aari McDonald, PG, Arizona

Atlanta gave up 87.6 points per game last season, the second-worst in the WNBA. Aari McDonald’s draft stock has shot up since she led the Wildcats to the national championship game and averaged 24.8 points over six games in the NCAA Tournament. Her offensive abilities are well-known, but she’s also an underrated defender. The Dream would benefit from the full package.

4. Indiana Fever: Rennia Davis, SF, Tennessee

The only team worse defensively than the Dream last season was Indiana, who allowed nearly 90 points per game. Davis is just the type of two-way player who would give the Fever’s defense an immediate boost and be an off-the-ball scoring asset for point guard Julie Allemand, one of the WNBA’s top distributors.

5. Dallas Wings: Dana Evans, PG, Louisville

If McDonald is already off the board, the Wings would be hard-pressed to pass on Evans, the 2021 first-team All-American and engine behind Louisville’s Elite Eight run. With Evans running the point, Dallas could move WNBA-leading scorer Arike Ogunbowale to her more natural position of shooting guard and pick apart defenses.

6. New York Liberty: Arella Guirantes, SG, Rutgers

Guirantes is a proven scorer at the NCAA level who would fit right in on her hometown team. The Long Island native improved her 3-point shooting in her past two seasons at Rutgers to go along with her efficiency in the paint. She would give the Liberty another immediate scoring weapon in the backcourt next to Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney.

7. Los Angeles Sparks: Jasmine Walker, PF, Alabama (acquired from Dallas)

A player with Walker’s upside at the power forward position makes a lot of sense for any team with the seventh pick. Walker can beat defenses by doing a little bit of everything, including hitting her shots from 3-point range (she connected on 39.8 percent of them as a senior).

8. Chicago Sky: Chelsea Dungee, SG, Arkansas

Chicago would have good reason for selecting a point guard with this pick — veteran starter Courtney Vandersloot is an unrestricted free agent after this season. But if the Sky are intent on winning now, especially after adding Candace Parker in free agency, Dungee (who averaged 22.3 points per game this past season), would provide an immediate scoring punch.

9. Minnesota Lynx: Kiana Williams, PG, Stanford

A team that could use a point guard now to back up second-year player Crystal Dangerfield is Minnesota, and Williams is the type of player to whom Cheryl Reeve would likely feel comfortable handing the keys. Williams led the Cardinal in scoring, at 14.0 points per game, and was the de facto leader of the national champions.

10. Los Angeles Sparks: Michaela Onyenwere, SF, UCLA

If the Sparks hadn’t signed center Amanda Zahui B. in free agency, I could have seen them taking Natasha Mack with this pick. But if Derek Fisher is looking for a multi-tool player to develop and fit into his system, Onyenwere makes a lot of sense. The 6-foot forward has the ability to create her own shot and do damage on the defensive end.

11. Seattle Storm: Natasha Mack, PF, Oklahoma State

If Mack falls to No. 11, the reigning WNBA champions will have struck gold with the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. She led the NCAA in blocked shots, with 4.0 per game, and averaged a double-double of 19.8 points and 12.4 rebounds as a senior. Having Mack back up Breanna Stewart? That’s a scary possibility for WNBA opponents.

12. Las Vegas Aces: DiJonai Carrington, SG, Baylor

Any additions to the Aces’ already stacked roster are a bonus. Carrington is the type of WNBA-ready guard who could be an asset off the bench for the reigning WNBA finalists, helping to keep Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Angel McCoughtry fresh. The 5-11 Baylor transfer averaged 14.1 points per game and proved her value with a 22-point performance against UConn in the Elite Eight.

Notre Dame standout Olivia Miles will forgo the 2025 WNBA Draft, instead opting to stay in the NCAA for her final year of college eligibility. But she reportedly will not for the Fighting Irish.

Miles is set to enter the transfer portal, posted ESPN’s Shams Chariana on Monday, moving on from Notre Dame after back-to-back Sweet 16 exits.

"Notre Dame's Olivia Miles — the projected No. 2 pick in the WNBA draft this month — will forgo the draft and enter NCAA's transfer portal, sources tell ESPN," the journalist posted on X. "The 22-year-old top prospect makes unprecedented decision to use her one year remaining of college instead of the draft."

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Miles shakes up the 2025 WNBA draft

Miles will certainly have her choice of top-ranked NCAA programs. But the projected No. 2 draft pick’s decision also has major implications on both the 2025 WNBA Draft and the 2026 draft lottery.

The junior started all 34 games this season for Notre Dame. She averaged a career-high 15.4 points per game while maintaining 48.3% effectiveness from the field.

"I love college. I think I've outgrown it a little bit, though, so that makes my decision tougher to stay. It's comfortable, a place where you have security," the star guard told ESPN after Saturday's loss.

With UConn’s Paige Bueckers sitting comfortably at No. 1, expected Top 5 pro recruits USC’s Kiki Iriafen, South Carolina’s Te-Hina Paopao, and fellow Irish Sonia Citron could all see a rankings boost.

As South Carolina women's basketball returns to the Final Four, the 2024 NCAA champions’ March Madness journey hasn’t exactly mirrored last year’s dominance. But their resilience has kept them very much in contention.

The Gamecocks bounced back from third-quarter deficits in their last two tournament games, relying on tight defense and smart positional rotations to wear opponents down.

“It is that type of year, that for us, there’s not any blowouts,” head coach Dawn Staley said after her team’s Elite Eight win over Duke. “We have to grind for every single win that we can get.”

South Carolina taps into depth after WNBA departures

After losing center Kamilla Cardoso to the 2024 WNBA Draft, the Gamecocks harnessed their depth, relying on strict minute restrictions to disrupt game flow and launch second-half runs.

Sophomore standout MiLaysia Fulwiley has popped off the bench, complementing leading scorer Joyce Edwards and inside show-runner Chloe Kitts.

One of the team’s key veteran leaders, senior Te-Hina PaoPao has been a grounding force as the only player averaging 25+ minutes per game.

Defense is key to Gamecocks victory

For the Gamecocks to become back-to-back champs, they’ll have to lean hard on their time-honored calling card: defense.

"Look, I mean, at this point it's not going to look pretty. Okay? It's not," Staley said after South Carolina narrowly escaped Sweet 16 opponent Duke. "There are stretches in each game that is not going to look pretty… Some of it's not going to look as smoothly as us coaches and players envision or how you practice, but you certainly have to get down and play the kind of game that's presented in front of you, and we'll do that."

“If we’re not scoring a whole lot of points, then we gotta up our defense,” she continued. “If we’re scoring a lot of points, we gotta up our defense.”

The USWNT announced their final match of the summer’s three-game international window yesterday, with the team set to take on northern neighbors Canada in Washington, DC on July 2nd.

The friendly rounds out a bill that also includes two previously announced clashes with the Republic of Ireland scheduled for June 26th (Commerce City, Colorado) and 29th (Cincinnati, Ohio).

Canada coach Casey Stoney has an edge on the US

With much of Europe focused on the 2025 Euros, July’s bout with Canada will mark the North American nations’ 67th meet-up — but the first under Canada’s new boss.

Coach Casey Stoney arrived in Canada after parting ways with the San Diego Wave last June, her two years of NWSL experience providing extra familiarity with many USWNT stars.

Stoney previously led WSL side Manchester United for four seasons, giving her further insight into current USWNT manager — and ex-Chelsea head coach — Emma Hayes’s style.

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USWNT faces Brazil without injured defender Tierna Davidson

Yesterday, the US posted a major roster change ahead of this month’s friendlies against Brazil, with Gotham center-back Tierna Davidson officially sidelined due to a knee injury suffered last weekend.

Davidson will be replaced by 19-year-old Angel City defender Gisele Thompson, who earned her first two senior caps during February’s SheBelieves Cup.

While Hayes’s USWNT is all about fierce competition and roster experimentation, mounting injuries could force the team into thinner lineups than expected — and up the competition across the board.

No. 1 seed Texas and No. 2 seed UConn punched their tickets to Tampa last night, joining No. 1 seeds UCLA and South Carolina in the Final Four after two tight matchups closed out the NCAA tournament’s fourth round.

Texas got the best of in-state foe TCU 58-47, behind a game-high 18-point performance from SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker.

UConn then handled USC 78-64, holding off the JuJu Watkins-less Trojans as superstar guard Paige Bueckers followed up her career-high 40-point Sweet 16 performance by dropping 31 points on the night.

"We're just so grateful, but we know like the journey isn't done," Bueckers said after the game. "We want our story to continue as long as possible, and we have business to finish."

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Texas books first Final Four appearance since 2003

After four Elite Eight appearances in five years, the Longhorns finally punched their ticket to the Final Four — their first time back since 2003 — behind a tenacious defense that forced 21 TCU turnovers.

“Anybody that watched that game today, when they turned the TV off, they had to go, ‘Wow, that freaking team plays their ass off,’” Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said after the game.

"I'm having fun with it now," Booker told reporters. "March Madness — you’re supposed to have fun."

"I’m so proud of myself and proud of my team to get to this moment," Harmon said after registering 13 points against TCU.

"Rori Harmon is still that girl," echoed Booker.

Bueckers leads UConn to the NCAA Final Four

The Huskies are headed to their fourth Final Four in the last five years. They advanced on a balanced scoring strategy that saw three different players put double-digit points on the board.

In addition to Bueckers’s 30-piece, freshman phenom Sarah Strong ran the frontcourt. Strong paired 22 points with 17 rebounds and four assists for her fifth postseason double-double. Additionally, Princeton transfer Kaitlyn Chen bolstered the backcourt with 15 points of her own.

"There's Disneyland, there's Disney World and then there's UConn World," Auriemma said. "These are fantasy numbers that make no sense. You couldn't predict this and you couldn't script this at all."

All four remaining teams have the potential to win a national championship. Now it’s a matter of who can deliver when the going gets tough.