When South Carolina sophomore Aliyah Boston’s last second put-back took an unfriendly bounce off the back rim, giving Stanford the Final Four win and a ticket to the championship game last April, the immediate outpouring of devastation on Boston’s face was both endearing and heartbreaking.

Aliyah Boston’s putback was inches away from going in. An absolute heartbreaker for South Carolina. 💔

(🎥: @espn) pic.twitter.com/p6haNSyLBq

— theScore (@theScore) April 3, 2021

Even though her first two seasons at South Carolina, as the centerpiece of 2019’s top recruiting class, were significantly thwarted by Covid-19, Boston’s production on the court has been a steadying force. Now entering her junior year, the 6’5” forward is averaging 13.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game through her college career, having led the nation in rebounds last season, when she was named the best center in the country for the second year in a row. 

Head Coach Dawn Staley, coming off a gold medal summer with USA Basketball, is no doubt looking forward to seeing what Boston can do as a junior. But she also has ten other reasons to feel optimistic about the 2021-22 season. All of Boston’s ten teammates from last season’s Final Four, including starters Destanni Henderson, Zia Cooke, Brea Beal, and Victaria Saxton, are back on campus, now with invaluable Final Four experience under their belts.

As if a sequel with the entire starring cast isn’t enough, Staley has once again demonstrated her keen ability to connect with the elite youngsters of the game and will be adding the top 2021 recruiting class to her squad this season. 

Incoming freshmen Raven Johnson, Saniya Rivers, and Sania Feagin are ranked two, three, and four in the nation for their class, and will be joined by the fourteenth overall prospect Bree Hall. Whether senior point guard Henderson will have a season to take newbie Johnson under her wing, or the freshman works her way past Henderson into the starting role, the Gamecocks are in strong hands with those two options at the helm. Don’t be surprised if Rivers, 2021’s Gatorade National Player of the Year, also earns a starting spot by year’s end.

Dawn Staley said she asked each player to give her a "selfish" goal they had for the season.

She says one of the freshmen told her -- "I just wanna win a national championship. I don't even know about those other awards they're talking about."

— Augusta Stone (@augustalstone) October 27, 2021

The four freshmen aren’t the only newcomers coming to campus in Columbia this fall. While some see the transfer portal as a fickle two-headed monster, the portal gods shined on Staley this off-season when things fell apart at Syracuse and she signed Kamilla Cardoso, a 6’7” transfer who earned ACC Freshman of the year and ACC co-Defensive Player of the Year last season while playing for the Orange.

Clearly, things look exceptionally good on paper for Staley and her team. But a loaded roster in October is miles and mountains away from a National Championship in April. Being ranked No. 1 in the AP’s preseason poll is nice, but it won’t mean anything if the season ends in heartbreak once again. 

Luckily for South Carolina, Staley isn’t the type of coach to put her cart before the horse, as she endeavors to bring a second national title home for the Gamecocks.

South Carolina begins their season with an exhibition game against Benedict, Monday, Nov. 1st. The Gamecocks’ first regular season game is against No. 5 NC State on Tuesday, Nov. 9th.

Chelsea FC is once again looking across the pond to bolster their roster, with the six-time reigning WSL champions reportedly aiming to make a deal with NWSL side Angel City to acquire ACFC and USWNT forward Alyssa Thompson, per The Guardian this week.

Though the two clubs have yet to reach terms, Chelsea would need to have the deal signed before the WSL transfer window closes next Thursday.

Any agreement for Chelsea to snag Thompson from Angel City will likely feature yet another historic transfer fee, with cost projections topping former Tigres UANL star Lizbeth Ovalle's record $1.5 million transfer to the Orlando Pride earlier this month.

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The 20-year-old phenom is currently under contract with ACFC through the 2028 season after inking a three-year extension this past January.

With six goals and two assists in her 16 regular-season appearances in 2025 so far, the 2023 NWSL Draft No. 1 pick is trailing only rookie Riley Tiernan's seven goals on this year's Angel City scoresheet.

Should the transfer go through, Thompson would be the third ACFC player in a week to be moving to the UK, with the NWSL club transferring defender Alanna Kennedy and midfielder Katie Zelem to the newly WSL-promoted London City Lionesses on Wednesday.

As for Chelsea, the Blues have been a major player in recruiting US players over the last few seasons, with Thompson potentially joining her USWNT teammates Catarina Macario and Naomi Girma in suiting up for the WSL side's upcoming 2025/26 season.

Two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka is looking like her old self this week, as the world No. 24 advanced to the 2025 New York Grand Slam's third round for the first time since 2021 with a straight-set win over the US's No. 47 Hailey Baptiste on Thursday.

"I don't make it my business to know anymore, I kind of just leave it up in the air," said the fan favorite following questions about a possible fifth Grand Slam title run. "I've trained really hard. I practiced really hard. If it happens, it happens."

After taking her lumps on the WTA Tour since returning from pregnancy in 2024, the 2025 US Open marks Osaka's first seeded entry into a major tournament since 2022 — and she appears to be embracing her competitive boost in style, complete with eye-catching outfits and a matching Labubu.

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The 27-year-old Japanese national next faces No. 18 Daria Kasatkina in the pair's third career meeting, with Osaka getting the best of the Australian in both previous matchups — most recently at the 2024 Italian Open.

Should Osaka advance to Sunday's Round of 16, she could be on a collision course toward a date with No. 3 Coco Gauff, after the US star advanced past her own emotionally challenging second-round battle on Thursday.

How to watch Naomi Osaka at the 2025 US Open

With times still to be announced, Osaka will next battle Kasatkina during the second day of 2025 US Open third-round play on Saturday.

Live coverage of the New York Grand Slam airs across ESPN platforms.

The No. 1 Kansas City Current have been unstoppable this season, riding a 10-match unbeaten streak into Saturday's game against the No. 9 North Carolina Courage and inching closer to claiming a franchise-first NWSL Shield.

The Current's dominant 12-point advantage over the No. 2 Washington Spirit marks the league's largest top-table margin since the Courage finished 15 points ahead in 2018.

Even more, Kansas City tops the NWSL in goals scored (34) while also registering the fewest goals allowed (10), entering the league's 18th weekend of play with a record-tying five consecutive shutouts.

After coming in fourth in 2024, the Current's defense has continued to improve under manager Vlatko Andonovski, while another MVP-level year from star forward Temwa Chawinga has bolstered Kansas City's offense.

Chawinga currently leads the 2025 NWSL Golden Boot race with 11 goals through 17 games, while sitting in the league's Top 3 for both shots and shots on goal.

"I think because we have such a powerful offense, the defensive things, maybe people don't notice as much," Kansas City forward Michelle Cooper said earlier this week. "I think something absolutely important to us is our entire back line and the commitment to get little touches in, to take [advantage] of angles, and block shots."

How to watch the Kansas City Current this weekend

No. 1 Kansas City will host No. 9 North Carolina — one of just two teams to defeat the Current all season — at 7:30 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on ION.

The No. 5 New York Liberty are creeping back up the ladder, as the defending WNBA champions continued reversing their recent skid with Thursday's 89-63 win over the No. 10 Washington Mystics — all while the race to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs reaches its boiling point.

While Washington rookie Sonia Citron's 18 points led the game, New York pulled together a true team effort to secure Thursday's victory, with five Liberty players scoring double-digits — including a season-high 16 points off the bench from forward Isabelle Harrison in her return from concussion protocol.

"We're not looking at the other teams at this point," Liberty forward Emma Meesseman said after the game. "We're just looking at ourselves, to maybe send a message to ourselves."

Despite that focus, New York is still contending with injury woes that have overshadowed much of the Liberty's season, taking Thursday's court without starters Sabrina Ionescu (toe), Jonquel Jones (illness), and Natasha Cloud (nose), while leaning on recently returned forward Breanna Stewart.

"We need to win the rest of our games," acknowledged Stewart, with the team gearing up for visits to the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury, No. 8 Golden State Valkyries, and No. 7 Seattle Storm over the next week. "We need to go and be road warriors."

The Liberty will have their hands full against the Mercury this weekend, with Phoenix coming in hot off a three-game winning streak with postseason-clinching top-of-mind.

"It's like a playoff matchup," Stewart added. "It's a big game, big implications, and [we're] not shying away from that."

How to watch the New York Liberty this weekend

No. 4 Phoenix will host No. 5 New York at 10 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on NBA TV.