It’s been an electric, unpredictable year in college basketball, and the best is still to come. With roughly a month’s worth of conference games and tournament contests remaining before the NCAA tournament, it’s time to take a step back and review the year so far.

 

MOST SURPRISING TEAM: GONZAGA 

Even coming off a Saturday night loss at St. Mary’s, Gonzaga has still been the surprise of the year, easily surpassing pre-season expectations. Last season ended with a second-round loss to Oregon State, and this year the polls predicted a similar trajectory, with the Bulldogs slotted 23rd in the initial Coaches Poll. Respectable, but not exactly scaring anyone.

After losing three starters from last season to graduation (Zykera Rice, Chandler Smith and Laura Stockton), it seemed fair to expect a rebuilding year. Instead, until last weekend’s loss in Moraga, the Bulldogs’ only blemish had come in an overtime duel at sixth-ranked Stanford. In between the two losses, Gonzaga strung together an 18-game win streak during which they held a third of their opponents to 45 points or fewer. Their fans have jumped on the hype train, and now the McCarthey Athletic Center is regularly sold out for home games.

The Bulldogs are led by Jill Townsend, who dropped a career-high 28 points against Loyola Marymount. Townsend will need to take on even more of the scoring load now that senior guard Katie Campbell has been lost for the season to a knee injury. The Bulldogs average shooting 40.8% from deep, a number that ranks second in the country. Combine that outside threat with the nation’s fifth-ranked scoring defense, and it’s obvious why Gonzaga should still be competitive in every one of its upcoming games.

The Bulldogs also have the unique distinction of having two sets of identical twins on their roster. Juniors Jenn and LeaAnne Wirth hosted Kayleigh and Kaylynne Truong during their recruiting visit and now all four have average double-digit minutes. The Wirth twins, specifically, are third and fourth on the team in scoring as regular starters.

 

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: NOTRE DAME

It’s no secret that Notre Dame has not lived up to the lofty expectations it has set for itself under Muffet McGraw. Their record (9-14, 4-7 in ACC play) says it all. There is a good chance that the Fighting Irish will become just the third team in Division I history to plummet from national runner-up one year to missing the tournament come mid-March. If so, a 24-year streak will be snapped.

Not only have the losses come to perennial powerhouses like Tennessee and UConn, but also to Clemson, which has just six other wins on the season and is one of just two teams below Notre Dame in the conference standings.

In a sign of the times, Notre Dame’s current two-game win streak matches its longest of the season. Preseason, hurting from the loss of all five starters and two key bench contributors, Notre Dame was ranked outside of the top 10 for the first time since Jan. 17, 2011. Soon after, the third-longest active run in the AP poll ended altogether after 234 consecutive weeks.

These are odd times around Purcell Pavilion, to say the least.

“I just … I gotta do better,” McGraw said recently. “I feel like I can fix it, but I didn’t. I’m going to find an answer. I’m gonna fix it.”

 

MVP: SABRINA IONESCU

And this one isn’t particularly close. The reigning player of the year, Sabrina Ionescu leads the top scoring offense in scoring. Ionescu also has the most assists and the fifth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country despite how often she’s asked to make a play. Her six triple-doubles are the most in the country, and she is now up to 24 total in her already-historic college career.

Incredibly, with two other teammates in the top 100, Ionescu’s 17.2 points per game rank 64th in the sport. The future first pick in the WNBA draft has once again made her case as the best college player in the game. Oh, and she can do this:

Sabrina Ionescu at the buzzer ... ridiculous ???? #SCtop10

(via @OregonWBB)pic.twitter.com/MHOMncwvzR

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 8, 2020

BEST MOMENT: UCONN SALUTES GIANNA BRYANT

The entire basketball world has been grieving the loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who notoriously desired to play for Geno Auriemma’s Huskies. During their exhibition with Team USA, UConn left a space for Gianna’s jersey on their bench. Rest in peace, Mambacita.

.@UConnWBB is honoring Gianna Bryant ahead of their game vs. Team USA tonight. pic.twitter.com/tzK0IVrfjm

— ESPN (@espn) January 27, 2020

LOOKING AHEAD:

Each team, even those at the top, has questions to answer. For No. 1 South Carolina, it will be whether it can keep up when its opponents get hot from behind the arc. The Gamecocks have struggled in this category when facing top competition. Against Maryland and Kentucky, South Carolina went 1-of-9 and 1-of-6 from 3-point range and eventually abandoned the shot entirely. In their lone loss of the season, to Indiana, South Carolina remained enamored with the 3-ball and suffered the consequence, to the tune of 3-for-19 from beyond the arc.

No. 2 Baylor only has one game remaining against a team receiving votes in the AP poll, against TCU on Wednesday. The Lady Bears will likely need to win out to prove they deserve a top seed in the tournament. No. 3 Oregon still has to visit No. 10 UCLA and No. 6 Stanford, but if the first contest against the Cardinal is any indication, neither Pac 12 opponent will provide much of a test.

No. 4 NC State will have to make up ground in the conference tournament after losing to No. 9 Louisville on Wednesday. If the Wolfpack can run the tables and enact revenge, they could be in line for a top seed in the tournament.

No. 5 UConn will need to prove it can win when Megan Walker and Christyn Williams are neutralized. The Huskies’ top four scorers account for almost 77% of the team’s points. For comparison, South Carolina’s top four register account for just 60% of the Gamecocks’ offense. When Walker and Williams faced Oregon, they combined to shoot 5-for-25, and their struggles led to a decisive home loss.

Marta — the Brazilian footballing legend and eight-year Orlando Pride veteran — has played in big games before. An icon of the sport for decades, she's taken the field in front of massive crowds, appeared in multiple World Cups, stood on Olympic podiums, and won numerous individual and team awards for both club and country.

But Saturday's NWSL Championship game against the Washington Spirit feels different, she told reporters ahead of the event. And at 38, it's one of the most significant moments in her career.

"Number one," she replied immediately when asked where winning an NWSL title would rank in her mind should Orlando pull off the difficult task of winning both the Shield and the Championship in the same year. 

"It's like the answer that I'm trying to have," she said, shooting a finger into the air to emphasize her point. "Many, many, many years here — [that's] why I'm still here."

Marta has been on superteams before, dominating Sweden's top league for years with Tyreso after winning WPS Championships in 2010 and 2011 with FC Gold Pride and the Western New York Flash. She's also seen incredible success at the international level with Brazil, putting the USWNT and the entire world on notice during the 2007 World Cup before a second-place finish.

Having announced her retirement from international play last spring, the three-time Olympic silver medalist's days of putting on the Brazil jersey for a major tournament are likely over. But picking up a trophy with Orlando would serve as the ultimate reward after a long journey with a club that for many years did not look even close to competing at a championship level.

"To look back and then see how many [things] we need to work for, to build this team, be strong," she continued. "And then how many things we go through [to] have a season without losing any games at home, break their many records. It's special."

Starting from the bottom

Marta joined the NWSL in 2017, signing with the Pride and going on to lead Orlando to its last NWSL Playoffs appearance that same year. In the years that followed, the Pride became synonymous with competitive futility, evolving into a place of transition for superstars like Alex Morgan, Ashlyn Harris, and Ali Krieger who left after failing to lift the team out of the bottom of the league standings.

And yet Marta remained. And with the permanent addition of head coach Seb Hines in 2022 alongside astute signings by general manager Haley Carter, the Pride's perception of themselves and their ability to climb the table began to shift.

In 2023, Orlando had one singular goal: Make the playoffs. It was a milestone they didn't achieve after a chaotic regular-season decision day saw the Pride fall just short of the postseason contention. 

Then in 2024, Hines took a new approach. And Orlando has seen the dividends of keeping things simple pay off in droves.

"We started this season with a really different mentality," said Marta. "We need to have goals, not only one, but step by step, and we're looking for something big. Of course, our first goal was being in the playoffs. Then after that, win the Shield, and then being in this Final, and then win the Championship." 

The Pride rattled off 22 consecutive games to start the 2024 regular season without a loss, culminating in their first-ever NWSL Shield earned in a 2-0 win over eventual Championship opponent Washington. 

"It's unbelievable," Marta said after that pivotal match. "Something that I, wow, I dreamed about, but to be honest, never believed that it was going to happen the way that it did."

A cherished presence on the field and off

Orlando has one more game left in 2024, and Marta is keenly aware that the team has to maintain their step-by-step mentality and keep the emotions at bay for just 90 more minutes. She also hasn't shied away from this possibly being her last opportunity to win the league's greatest honor.

Playing alongside powerhouse attackers like Zambian striker Barbra Banda and elite midfielders like fellow Brazil national Adriana has rejuvenated Marta's style, with the seasoned veteran looking like her vintage self week in and week out this season. But the legend is much closer to the end of her career than the beginning, and she carries the hard-earned perspective of a player that has lived many lives in pursuit of her dreams.

"It's something that I appreciate and I cherish," Banda — an MVP candidate in her own right — said on Thursday. "Because it's someone I've been looking up to far away, but now she's closer to me. I'm able to get encouragement from her, I'm able to get the ideas that I want. So, yeah, it is an achievement."

The Pride's easy-going locker room culture has translated into joy on the pitch — both a product of captain Marta, who held court with the media on Thursday in Kansas City. Surrounded by a near-constant scrum of reporters, the football icon regaled reporters with stories about everything from post-game dust-ups to her bold lipstick choices.

When asked what advice she'd give teammates facing the biggest game of their careers, Marta focused on the bigger picture. "Enjoy the opportunity, you know, enjoy the moment," she said. "Because we don't know what is gonna happen next step, next year. We don't know if every single player who we have in the roster here will be in the next year."

"The moment don't come back," she added. "So you need to just enjoy, and then do your best to go as far we can."

For Marta, the moment has arrived

This evening's moment is expected to culminate in an incredible clashing of styles, as a young counter-attacking Washington Spirit side looks to upset the dominant, methodical Pride, therein denying one of the game's all-time greats her full-circle moment. Marta's teammates have been open about their desire to finish strong on her behalf, a sentiment she waves off in favor of fighting for her whole team. And it will take every single one of her teammates to unlock the happy ending so many didn't expect they'd reach so soon.

After years of showing up for the Pride, the team has answered Marta's efforts back in full. And whether or not they return to Orlando with a trophy in hand, the NWSL Championship will serve as a punctuation to an iconic career. The memory of Marta dancing through defenders before slotting the ball in the back of the net in this year's semifinal match has no expiration date — an image she intends to hold onto far beyond this weekend.

"When I celebrate a goal with Brazil, and celebrate the last goal that I did with the Pride, it was the same," Marta said. "I saw the picture and say, 'Yeah, nothing changed.' I have passion for this game, and that's why I still play." 

After securing spots on the Best XI First Team on Monday, Kansas City's Temwa Chawinga, Washington's Croix Bethune, and Orlando's Emily Sams picked up even more 2024 NWSL awards this week.

On Friday, KC striker Chawinga added 2024 MVP to her stacked resume, one day after Bethune and Sams snagged their respective position awards.

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A striking first NWSL season for KC's Chawinga

It's almost impossible to believe that 2024 was Chawinga's first NWSL season, but the newly minted MVP only joined Kansas City in January.

The Malawi international blasted into the league's history books with 20 goals this year, ousting former NWSL star Sam Kerr from atop the single-season scoring record.

That effort earned the Current star the 2024 Golden Boot. She additionally notched league first along the way, becoming the only player to ever score against all teams in a single season.

Proving herself 2024's leader in capitalizing on opportunities, the 26-year-old took the second-most shots in the league but put the most on target. A menace in the box, her subsequent speed and agility helped Chawinga lead the NWSL with 18 of her 20 goals netted from inside the 18.

"We are so proud of Temwa for earning this award," said KC head coach Vlatko Andonovski on Friday. "Temwa has come so far this season in a short amount of time and is so important to our team, she is the clear MVP of both our team and the league."

Bethune's unmatched NWSL rookie debut

Speaking of history-making first-year NWSL players, Washington standout Bethune became a bonafide league star in her professional debut, one that earned her three end-of-season awards. Along with her Best XI First Team nod, Bethune became the 2024 Rookie of the Year on Tuesday, then capped her individual hardware haul by being named the NWSL's first-ever Midfielder of the Year on Thursday.

As the No. 3 overall pick in the last-ever NWSL Draft, the Georgia alum made her presence on the professional pitch immediately known, snagging Rookie of the Month honors for every month she was eligible. She also became the first rookie to ever notch three assists in a single match.

Bethune, who also won Olympic gold with the USWNT in August, notched five goals and an NWSL record-tying 10 assists in her 2024 campaign. Even more impressively, the Spirit star did so in just 17 games, missing the last nine matches after a late-August injury ended her season.

"I'm so grateful," Bethune told JWS at NWSL Championship Media Day in Kansas City after winning Midfielder of the Year. "Being out a lot of the season with injury [and] being able to achieve goals that I set for myself — thank you to the league and everyone who supports me."

Sams named top NWSL defender

After helping Orlando lead the NWSL with 13 shutouts, fewest goals conceded, and most consecutive minutes without giving up a goal, center back Sams was named 2024 Defender of the Year (DOTY) on Thursday, becoming the first Pride player to earn the honor.

Sams now joins an elite club of seven defenders to ever win the award, including four-time DOTY Becky Sauerbrunn and last year's back-to-back winner Naomi Girma.

Shield-winners Orlando led the NWSL this season, but Sams topped the Pride's backline, leading the club in clearances, blocks, and possessions in the defensive third. Plus, the 25-year-old notched the second-most recoveries on the NWSL's stat sheet with 163, and she'll look to continue shutting down opponents when Orlando faces Washington in Saturday's 2024 NWSL Championship.

Individual numbers aside, Sams was quick to share credit with her teammates on Thursday, saying, "this is literally impossible without all of you guys. Shout out to Anna, Kylie, Bells, Corey and everyone else who played on the backline this year — I can't do what I do without you guys. Lets go win the championship."

2024 NWSL end-of-season awards

• Golden Boot: Temwa Chawinga, KC Current
• MVP: Temwa Chawinga, KC Current
• Rookie of the Year: Croix Bethune, Washington Spirit
• Midfielder of the Year: Croix Bethune, Washington Spirit
• Defender of the Year: Emily Sams, Orlando Pride
• Goalkeeper of the Year: Ann-Katrin Berger, Gotham FC
• Coach of the Year: Seb Hines, Orlando Pride

The 2025 SheBelieves Cup field is officially set, as the world No. 1 USWNT's path to a sixth-straight victory in the annual tournament will feature matchups with 2024 Olympians No. 7 Japan, No. 15 Australia, and No. 21 Colombia.

After the Paris Olympic Games forced an abbreviated four-match, two-day format in 2024, this 10th edition will return to the tournament's original setup of three double-headers in February. Round-robin play will again determine the Cup champion via accumulated points, with goal differential serving as tiebreaker.

The 2025 tournament will kick off at Houston's Shell Energy Stadium on February 20th. The quartet will then battle at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on the 23rd before wrapping up the Cup at San Diego's Snapdragon Stadium on the 26th.

A history of USWNT SheBelieves dominance

While Australia and Colombia will make their SheBelieves Cup debuts, the 2025 competition will be Japan's third straight trip and fifth overall appearance in the US-hosted tournament.

Other than France's 2017 victory and England's 2019 title, the USWNT has won all other iterations for a total of seven trophies.

That streak, plus their astounding 71-2-15 combined all-time record against the three visitors — marred only by single 1-0 losses to Japan in 2012 and Australia in 2018 — make the US heavily favored to win an eighth SheBelieves Cup.

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World-class contenders square off for SheBelieves

That said, it won't be easy, as every 2025 contender poses a challenge. Each has already played the USA this year, starting when Colombia fell 3-0 to the States in their Concacaf W Gold Cup quarterfinal in March.

Las Cafeteras didn't have to face the eventual gold medalists during the 2024 Olympics, unlike Australia and Japan. The USWNT knocked the Matildas out of the Paris tournament with a 2-1 win in group play, then narrowly escaped a tough Nadeshiko side in a 1-0 overtime quarterfinal thriller.

All three visiting teams will be gunning for a redemption win over the US come February. That high-stakes competition is something US head coach Emma Hayes welcomes.

"This will be my first SheBelieves Cup, but I’ve followed the tournament, and it always produces close games between top teams," the US boss said in Wednesday’s announcement.

"All four of these teams were in the last World Cup and Olympics, and all are in the building process to qualify for the next World Cup, so to get three games against talented teams and players in a format that replicates group play at a world championship is valuable in our process. All the games will be great tests for the teams and fun for all the fans."

The full 2025 SheBelieves Cup schedule for the USWNT

• Thursday, February 20th (Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, Texas)
  • Japan vs. Australia, 5 PM ET
  • USWNT vs. Colombia, 8 PM ET
• Sunday, February 23rd (State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona)
  • Colombia vs. Japan, 2 PM ET
  • USWNT vs. Australia, 5 PM ET
• Wednesday, February 26th (Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, California)
  • Australia vs. Colombia, 7:30 PM ET
  • USWNT vs. Japan, 10:30 PM ET

How to watch the USWNT at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup

Tickets for all 2025 SheBelieves Cup dates and locations are currently available online.

For those unable to make the trip, all USWNT matches will air live on TBS, with the three non-US games will be available to stream on Max.

At least two of the nation's best NCAA basketball teams will see their undefeated 2024/25 campaigns end this weekend, when a pair of cutthroat college clashes tests the limits of four championship contenders.

First, No. 6 Notre Dame will visit No. 3 USC on Saturday, before No. 1 South Carolina takes on the Trojans’ crosstown rival No. 5 UCLA on Sunday.

Saturday's NCAA showdown features superstar sophomores

All eyes will be on preseason All-American sophomore guards JuJu Watkins and Hannah Hidalgo when the Irish contend with their season's first ranked opponent on Saturday.

Already a phenom, Watkins became the fastest Trojan to 1,000 career points last Friday — and she did it by a mile. The previous record-holder, legend Cheryl Miller, needed 48 games to hit the same mark.

As for Hidalgo, she's already hit the century mark across Notre Dame’s four matchups to average 25 points per game — the fifth-best offensive rate in the country.

The Irish's other secret weapon, guard Olivia Miles, is also back, returning from her February 2023 ACL tear with a vengeance in the Irish's season opener. Already averaging 18.3 points per game, Miles has also banked 27 assists over Notre Dame's four games — more than twice that of any of her teammates.

Between Hildago and Miles, plus ND's admittedly lopsided matchups so far, the South Bend squad has blasted their opponents by a 42.5-point average scoring margin this season.

It's a similar story for USC, who have been on a tear since their narrow 68-66 season-opening win over then-No. 20 Ole Miss. The Trojans thrashed their next three opponents by outscoring them by a gobsmacking average of 57 points.

The Trojans will need all that offense, plus the stylings of Watkins and All-American forward Kiki Iriafen, to handle the Irish on Saturday. Notre Dame holds the 8-2 all-time series advantage between the two teams, though they haven't squared off since 2011. Should USC emerge victorious, it will be their first win over the Irish since 2006.

Sunday puts powerhouses in the paint

The subsequent Sunday battle between UCLA and South Carolina — who set a program-record 43-game win streak on Wednesday — will likely be decided in the paint, where both team's superstars thrive.

The Gamecocks' depth keeps their stat sheet fairly balanced, making junior forward Chloe Kitts’s team-leading rates in scoring and rebounding that much more impressive.

That said, her UCLA counterpart, junior center Lauren Betts, has been dominant. By averaging a double-double across the Bruins' four tilts with 21.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, Betts is already sparking National Player of the Year commentary.

Both squads began their 2024/25 campaigns with tight wins, but while UCLA's came over then-No. 17 Louisville, South Carolina was nearly shocked by unranked Michigan. On the other hand, the Gamecocks are the only team to have handled a Top-10 opponent so far this season, confidently downing then-No. 9 NC State just six days after their near-disaster with the Wolverines.

Sunday's showdown kicks off a gauntlet of four ranked matchups in five games for South Carolina. Even though UCLA haven't defeated the Gamecocks this century, the Bruins are the biggest challenge to the reigning champions' undefeated streak on their 2024 docket.

Depending on which version of South Carolina shows up, a combination of the bigs and each team's overall consistency will likely determine Sunday's victor.

How to watch this weekend's Top-6 NCAA basketball games

Notre Dame and USC will tip off the weekend's matchups at 4 PM ET on Saturday, airing live on NBC.

On Sunday, FS1 will broadcast South Carolina vs. UCLA at 4 PM ET on Sunday.