Aneesah Morrow’s numbers are astounding.

The sophomore forward is averaging a double-double per game. She leads her team in points per game (26.1) and rebounds per game (12.1). She paces the team in steals (33) and blocks (12) so far this season.

Morrow has posted two 40-plus point games and one 35-point game. She has scored less than 22 points just twice in 11 contests.

Those numbers place her among the best in the country – her points average is fourth in the NCAA, while her rebound mark is sixth. On paper, Morrow is a clear player of the year candidate. In reality, she looks like one, too.

Also important: Aneesah Morrow is the #BIGEAST Player of the Week for the fourth time in her career!

Two big-time performances in a pair of wins last week#DePaulBall x #BlueGrit pic.twitter.com/rIKc9RjRsA

— DePaul Women's Basketball (@DePaulWBBHoops) December 12, 2022

But Morrow finds herself overshadowed by players like Aliyah Boston of South Carolina and Caitlin Clark of Iowa.

Last season, her numbers were similar, and she led the country in rebounds. But her problem then is her problem now. The Bostons, Clarks, Cameron Brinks and Azzi Fudds of the world – all of whom have a shot at the POY award – play for national powerhouses, or at least programs who are in the spotlight.

Morrow plays for DePaul. And that is why her name is rarely brought up as a legitimate contender for the ultimate college basketball award. Fair or not, that is the reality of the basketball landscape.

Just look at the last 10 Naismith winners. UConn appears four times, South Carolina twice, and Oregon, Baylor and Iowa once each. The only school that may come as a surprise is Washington, thanks to 2017 winner and Huskies great Kelsey Plum.

An incredible performance now etched in the record books#DePaulBall x @AneesahMorrow24 pic.twitter.com/KhYuCYcNA0

— DePaul Women's Basketball (@DePaulWBBHoops) December 11, 2022

Circumstances would have to align in a very specific way for Morrow to win the award, but there is a path. Morrow is good enough, but her circumstances may not be – at least not right now.

For starters, each winner since the trophy’s creation in 1983 has come from a ranked team – generally one in at least the top 10. The same is true of the Associated Press POY award, which was first handed out in 1995.

The path for Morrow to gain traction in the POY race starts in the team rankings. 

No matter how strong a player may be – even if they are 26.1 points and 12.1 rebounds per game good – if their team isn’t winning against top competition, then they will not secure major awards. And that’s fair. The objective of basketball, after all, is to win games.

DePaul is not in the AP Top 25, and the Blue Demons received just two votes in the most recent poll. The team did creep into the national conversation with a win over Maryland on Nov. 25, in which Morrow recorded 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead her team to victory.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BIG EAST Conference (@bigeast)

But the Blue Demons followed that game with a loss to Towson. And making matters worse for Morrow, the sophomore finished with just 16 points, fouling out and committing six turnovers, though she did still grab 16 rebounds for a double-double.

Luckily for DePaul, and for the Morrow for POY campaign, the Blue Demons have plenty of big-name opponents on their schedule. They play a struggling Louisville on Dec. 21, and though unranked, the Cardinals have name recognition, which DePaul needs. Then comes Big East play, where the Blue Demons will have cracks at No. 16 Creighton, Marquette, No. 9 UConn and No. 25 Villanova. 

For Morrow to have a real shot at the POY award, she will have to continue at her current pace – posting double-doubles game after game.

The Blue Demon star went down with an injury against Howard on Dec. 12, which could impact her chances. But if she returns quickly and has a few big games – one of those 40-pointers would do the trick – against some of those teams, and DePaul is able to secure upsets, then she would transform from a long shot to a true POY contender.

Gotham and Dove are teaming up, with the 2023 NWSL champs signing a record-setting multi-year kit partnership with the beauty brand on Thursday.

As Dove's first major investment in a women's sports team, the move also ranks as the highest-ever back-of-jersey sponsorship deal in NWSL history.

While Gotham did not provide specific numbers, the contract surpasses Bay FC's then-record $500,000 deal with private equity giant Sixth Street.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Dove joins Gotham in fight to keep girls in sports

The partnership is a part of Gotham's "Keep Her in the Game" initiative, a community effort launched last August to help adolescent girls stay in sports. Dove will serve as the program's presenting sponsor.

"Dove is the ultimate leader in female strength and empowerment, and we could not be prouder to partner with the brand in a number of impactful ways," Gotham FC chief business officer Ryan Dillon said in the team's release. "We are excited to team up with Dove to create key pathways for young female athletes to stay in sports, develop confidence, and become strong future leaders."

"The partnership is taking effect at a crucial time when supporting girls in sports has never been more important."

With girls twice as likely as boys to abandon sports by age 14, "Keep Her in the Game" aims to bolster young athletes' resilience and amplify the joy and connection that happens on and off the playing field.

After impacting 30 local New Jersey and New York youth clubs and more than 500 players in 2024, the initiative is aiming to double its reach in 2025. It will also pass the proverbial mic to the young athletes themselves by creating a Youth Leadership Council.

"The data is clear: Sports build confidence, leadership skills and resilience in young women, benefiting them for years to come," stated Laura DiMiceli, the head of personal care sports marketing for Dove's parent company, Unilever North America. "Dove is committed to supporting 'Keep Her in the Game' as part of our overall mission to help young girls pursue sports and keep playing the games they love."

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball will crown its first-ever 1v1 tournament champion on Friday night, when all four semifinalists take the court with a $200,000 grand prize on the line.

Vinyl guard Arike Ogunbowale will kick off the semis against Mist forward Aaliyah Edwards, before Unrivaled co-founder and Lunar Owls forward Napheesa Collier faces Rose forward Azurá Stevens. The victors will immediately advance to the night's best-of-three final series.

Notably, Friday's set puts alma mater pride on center court. A trio of UConn alums in Collier, Stevens, and Edwards will all clock in, while Ogunbowale reps Notre Dame — one of just three teams to beat the Huskies this NCAA season.

Along with those priceless bragging rights, the semifinalists are battling for a six-figure payday, though none will leave empty-handed. Each are guaranteed at least $25,000, with $50,000 on deck for the tournament's runner-up.

The players' Unrivaled teammates will also be watching with interest, as the winner's entire 3×3 team will snag $10,000 each.

Though 1v1 can feel like a schoolyard version of basketball, with this much money involved, expect the competition to rise miles above playground tussles.

Endurance could decide Unrivaled 1v1 tournament champion

Friday's format is in part a test of stamina, as players stare down a grueling schedule where the eventual winner must play either three or four 1v1 games in a single night.

To that end, Collier's elite conditioning could make her the favorite, if she can outlast Stevens in the pair's semifinal.

"Her motor is unmatched," Stevens said of Collier's endurance, a key factor in her success so far. "I try to conserve some energy in between possessions, especially when the games get really tiring."

Motors aside, Friday's title will boil down to fundamentals — and which athlete best leverages their personal skillset.

"I have to use my size and stick to my strengths," said Edwards. "It’s about imposing my will and getting the job done."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

How to watch the Unrivaled 1v1 tournament finals

The inaugural Unrivaled 1v1 tournament concludes on Friday. Live coverage begins at 7:30 PM ET on TNT.

The last perfect DI basketball season has officially fallen, as USC phenom JuJu Watkins put up a historic performance to lead the No. 6 Trojans to a 71-60 win over then-undefeated No. 1 UCLA on Thursday.

Watkins finished the night with 38 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and eight blocks, becoming the first DI player to register an overall stat-line so robust in 20 years.

"It took everything. It's been a rough couple weeks for me," Watkins said after the game, referencing uncharacteristic performances leading up to Thursday's rivalry matchup. "To be able to kind of snap back into it and get into my rhythm here at Galen versus UCLA, it's really all I could ask for."

"I'm really just like a kid out there and living out my dream."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Throughout the back-and-forth battle, Watkins's consistency made all the difference. She scored every one of USC's 14 second-quarter points, and helped lead a monster fourth quarter in which the Trojans slammed the door by outscoring the Bruins 24-8.

"I didn't teach JuJu any of that," commented USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb after the game. "[I] just try to put her in situations to be her best self, and she does most of that work. What I was so impressed with tonight, obviously, was just the mentality she came out with."

With the marquee win, USC now sits firmly atop the Big Ten. That said, UCLA will have a chance to avenge the loss in the pair's March 1st rematch, when that final regular-season game could decide the conference title.

Until then, the Trojans will be riding high on their Thursday night dominance.

"We'll never forget this night," Gottlieb said. "It's as good as anything I've ever seen."

How to watch Top 10 NCAA basketball this weekend

With no undefeated teams left in DI basketball, Watkins's performance has put the field on notice to not make any assumptions about who might end up on top.

While Sunday will see USC roll against unranked Washington and UCLA try to bounce back against No. 22 Michigan State, the NCAA slate will also serve up two huge Top 10 matchups.

First, No. 7 UConn will take their final major regular-season test when they visit No. 4 South Carolina at 1 PM ET, when Paige Bueckers and the Huskies will aim to pull off a similarly impressive USC-inspired upset.

Then at 3 PM ET, No. 5 LSU heads to No. 3 Texas, where the Tigers will hunt their first win over the Longhorns in more than 22 years.

Both elite meetings are set to air live on ABC.

The brand-new professional Women's Lacrosse League (WLL) made its official debut this week just outside of Washington, DC, where its first-ever game saw the New York Charging take down the Maryland Charm 14-13 in the WLL Championship Series.

After the inaugural Tuesday result, the action continued on Wednesday, when the California Palms opened their WLL account by getting the better of the Boston Guard in a tight 16-15 matchup.

Founded and run by the Premier Lacrosse League, the WLL fosters top-level competition as the sport gears up for its 2028 Olympic return.

The four-team WLL Championship Series follows an Olympic-style "sixes" format. Unlike traditional lacrosse, which uses a larger pitch and 10 athletes per team, sixes employs a condensed field with six players per side.

In the Championship Series, teams are first competing in three round-robin games to determine semifinal seedings. The tournament will culminate with the knockout semifinal and final rounds on Sunday and Monday, respectively.

WLL looks to level up lacrosse ahead of 2028 Olympics

Despite the competition's quick turnaround, the WLL represents a growing professionalization movement in women's lacrosse — with all involved betting big on the sport's Olympic success in LA.

When lacrosse steps back onto the Olympic stage in 2028, it will have been 80 years since its last 1948 outing — and even then, it was merely a demonstration event. The last time the sport earned medals was in 1908.

Furthermore, the sport's entire Olympic history rests in the men's game — 2028 will see women take the Olympic lacrosse pitch for the first time ever.

"We are honored to be a part of the WLL, and we couldn't be more excited to bring this game to the fans in new ways than ever before," said Boston Guard star Charlotte North in a league statement.

"We firmly believe that this is the beginning of what will be a monumental movement in the game of professional women's lacrosse, and for female athletes around the globe.... It's our time."

How to watch the WLL Championship Series

The tournament's round-robin play continues with the Maryland Charm facing off against the Boston guard at 9 PM ET on Thursday, before the California Palms contend with the New York Charging at 6 PM ET on Friday.

All WLL Championship Series games will stream live on ESPN+, with Sunday's and Monday's knockout rounds airing live on ESPN2.