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.

Wimbledon is leveling up, as the annual London-based Grand Slam announced Thursday that it's increasing its purse by 7% across the board in 2025, pushing the total prize money to £53.5 million ($72.59 million) ahead of tennis tournament's June 30th kick-off.

Both the 2025 women's and men's singles champions will earn winner's checks in the amount of £3 million ($4.07 million) — an 11.1% increase over the amount won by 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková.

With increases across all Slam events, from singles and doubles to wheelchair competitions, even athletes who stumble early will see a raise over last year's competition.

For example, singles players ousted in this year's first round will take home 10% more than in 2024, earning deposits of £66,000 ($89,530).

The 2025 total purse now doubles the prize money offered by the tournament a decade ago, and makes Wimbledon the biggest potential payday across all four of the sport's Grand Slams.

"We're immensely proud of the fact that, if you look back 10 years, you can see the increase over that period and 7% this year," said All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club chair Deborah Jevans. "And we have listened to the players, we have engaged with the players."

Teen swimmer Summer McIntosh made a major splash at the 2025 Canadian Swimming Trials, shattering three world records in just five days of competition in Victoria, BC.

First on Saturday, the Toronto swimmer shaved 1.2 seconds off the Australian Ariarne Titmus's 400-meter freestyle mark to set a new world record time of 3:54.18.

Then on Monday, McIntosh took down a decade-old record in the 200-meter individual medley (IM), becoming the first woman swimmer to complete the race in less than 2:06.00.

Just two days later, the 18-year-old McIntosh broke her own 400-meter IM world record, besting her 2024 Canadian Olympic Trials time by 0.73 seconds with a 4:23.65 race Wednesday.

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With her unstoppable week-long performance, McIntosh became the first swimmer to set three new world records in different individual events at one meet since US legend Michael Phelps's historic run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"Going into tonight, I knew I could do something really special because this has probably been the best meet of my career," McIntosh told reporters after Wednesday's race.

That said, the young star is already eyeing new times — and new records.

"Overall, [I'm] happy with the time, but I know I can go faster," said McIntosh following her 400-meter IM performance. "The faster I swim, the happier I am."

The NWSL Championship is on its way back West, with the league announcing on Friday morning that the 2025 title match will kick off from PayPal Park in San Jose, California.

Hosted at the home pitch of 2024 expansion team Bay FC, the game will take place on Saturday, November 22nd.

In addition to the championship match, the 2025 NWSL season's final weekend will include a variety of supporting events like Fan Fest and the annual Skills Challenge competition.

"We're thrilled to bring the NWSL Championship back to the West Coast and to a region with as rich a history in women's soccer as the Bay Area," said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman in a league statement.

Citing a long list of former USWNT stars with local ties, including Julie Foudy, Kelley O'Hara, and Alex Morgan, Bay FC co-founder Brandi Chastain — a US legend herself — called the Bay Area "the place women's soccer calls home."

"Our community's fabric is woven with the greatest the game has to offer," explained Chastain.

"This community's passion for the game, combined with the excitement surrounding one of our newest teams in Bay FC, makes it the perfect setting to celebrate the league's top talent and crown our next champion," said Berman.

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How to attend and watch the 2025 NWSL Championship

Like last year, the 2025 NWSL Championship will air in primetime, with CBS set to broadcast the match live at 8 PM ET on November 22nd.

Tickets to the game will be available for purchase beginning in August, though interested fans can sign up for presale access online now.

The NWSL and WNBA Players Associations teamed up to release a joint statement on Thursday, with the unions expressing their solidarity with "all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity" after the recent ICE raids and ensuing protests in Los Angeles.

The move comes after Angel City published their own social media post addressing the ICE raids last Saturday, with the Los Angeles NWSL club noting "We know that our city is stronger because of its diversity and the people and families who shape it, love it, and call it home."

ACFC also directed immigrants in need of assistance in the wake of the ICE raids to two community organizations: the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights and the LA County Office of Immigrant Affairs.

Calling the WNBA Players Association "leaders in this space," NWSL Players Association executive director Meghann Burke told The Athletic that the basketball union initiated their joint statement.

"It's important to stand together as workers' unions," she noted.

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NWSL and WNBA unions speak to families impacted by ICE raids

"It's not lost on us that this country and the world are in turmoil right now," wrote the NWSLPA and WNBPA. "Across the country, families are facing fear, hardship, and uncertainty tied to immigration."

The athlete unions then crystallized their position, saying, "We stand with all people seeking safety, dignity, and opportunity, no matter where they come from or where they hope to go."

"Every person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect," they continued. "We know not every situation is simple. But offering compassion should never be up for debate."