The NCAA women’s basketball tournament deserves its own TV deal, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said ahead of her team’s Sweet 16 game.

As it stands, the tournament is lumped in with 28 other sports’ NCAA tournaments as part of a deal with ESPN worth $34 million. Yet women’s March Madness is worth between $81 million and $112 million per year on its own, independent media expert Ed Desser has estimated.

The current media rights contract with ESPN expires in 2024. As the NCAA negotiates its next media rights package, women’s basketball could stand on its own, as men’s basketball and football do.

“It should happen,” Staley said. “We’re at that place where we’re in high demand. I do believe women’s basketball can stand on its own and be a huge revenue-producing sport that could do, to a certain extent, what men’s basketball has done for all those other sports, all those other Olympic sports and women’s basketball. I do believe we’re at that place now.

“I do believe we were probably at a place years ago, but until we’re able to have the decision makers give us that opportunity… It’s slowly building up to that because there’s proof in the numbers.”

The 2023 edition of the women’s tournament already is setting records. The second round saw a 30% increase in viewership, with an average of 615,000 viewers, and the first round saw a 28% increase, with an average of 391,000.

The second-round game between No. 2 seed Iowa and No. 10 seed Georgia attracted 1.5 million viewers on ABC, the high-water mark for the early-round games across ESPN networks and ABC.

South Carolina’s 64-49 win against UConn in the NCAA tournament final last April averaged 4.85 million viewers across broadcast and streaming platforms, including 4.45 million viewers on ESPN. That game was the most-watched college basketball game on ESPN since 2008.

“For people to tune in and want to watch us, it means that our game is growing,” Staley said. “There’s an opportunity for our game to grow. I’m a Black coach, and I’ve got a majority, predominantly Black team, and for the viewers to tune into that, it means that we’re opening doors that were closed for a program like us.”

In 2023, the national championship game will air on ABC at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, April 2, from the American Airlines Center in Dallas. ESPN will broadcast the Final Four contests, set for 7 and 9:30 p.m. on Friday, March 31.

With just one week before the regular season wraps up, Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball announced several roster changes ahead of Monday’s games.

In a blow to last-place Phantom BC, star Sabrina Ionescu's Unrivaled season is officially over. The Liberty standout left Miami due to commitments made before she agreed to join the offseason league.

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In her stead, a reassignment has sent Minnesota Lynx guard and Laces BC player Natisha Hiedeman to compete for the Phantom.

Ionescu’s NY Liberty teammate Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is also on her way out, with the Laces relief signee exiting due to an undisclosed injury.

In better news, while the Laces’ Kate Martin and Rose BC’s Kahleah Copper are currently sidelined with injuries, both are expected to return to the Unrivaled court before the league crowns its champion on March 17th.

To help address the roster omissions, the 3×3 league has again boosted its relief player pool. One week after former Washington Mystic-turned-new Chicago Sky signee Ariel Atkins made her Unrivaled debut with the Laces, the league inked Atlanta Dream forward Naz Hillmon to the relief player roster.

Hillmon's contract has her available to fill the league's needs across any of its six teams through the end of the inaugural season.

First-ever Unrivaled playoffs take shape

Despite mounting injuries, Rose BC clinched a spot in Unrivaled’s first-ever postseason on Monday, claiming the playoff position by taking down the Laces 58-53 behind yet another Chelsea Gray game-winner.

A win on Friday will secure the No. 2 seed for Rose — but they’ll have to defeat the league-leading No. 1 seed Lunar Owls to make it happen.

Each of the league's teams have just two games left to book a postseason spot. With two already claimed, the final two semifinalist bids will come down to the wire, as the Laces, Vinyl, and Mist all sit tied with a 5-7 record entering this weekend's final stretch.

Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun! presented by TurboTax.

In this week's Sports Are Fun!, soccer icon Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, retired NWSL star Merritt Mathias, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes all things women's sports.

In true Sports Are Fun! style, the crew dives right in. First up: WNBA legend Diana Taurasi's recent retirement announcement.

"I was introduced to Diana Taurasi at age 10 when she started her career at UConn," recalls Mathias. "At that time, I was very much like, 'I'm going to UNC, I'm going to play on the national team.' To see her at UConn — the UNC equivalent for women's basketball — and just the swag she had, the way she carried herself... For me, she transcended the sport."

"Thinking about her legacy — over 20 seasons, six gold medals, all-time leading scorer," says Diaz. "But a lot of people throughout her career, even now, don't know that she's Latina. I feel like that's a huge part of her legacy."

"To see a Latina dominate the sport as one of the greatest ever, if not the greatest, that's super special," she adds.

The co-hosts additionally tackle the SheBelieves Cup results, the SEC coin flip, the 2025 NWSL jerseys, and so much more.

Co-host Mathias urges new USWNT generation to carry the torch

After that, Sports Are Fun! weighs in on coach Emma Hayes's youthful USWNT. That's when Mathias asks if this generation will keep speaking out on cultural and political issues.

"I hope that this iteration of the USWNT starts to find their collective voice," the three-time NWSL champion asserts. "As they head into the 2027 World Cup, this is the first time this generation of players is being confronted with the weight and responsibility of [wearing] that crest."

"It's the truest reflection of America that we've seen from the USWNT, the most diverse," she continues. "It's also going to play under an administration [where] what makes everything great about this women's national team — diversity, equality, inclusion — is being attacked."

"I love that America looks like this because I love our women's national team," agrees O'Hara. "I think that is a great point."

"Will this generation look at the Megan Rapinoes, the Christen Presses, the Alex Morgans, the Becky Sauerbrunns, the Kelley O'Haras, and say, 'We, like you, will continue to push,'" Mathias asks, shouting out her Sports Are Fun! co-host.

"'We are going to uphold the narrative that marginalized groups matter. Because every single one of them is represented on our USWNT.'"

"That's powerful," O'Hara responds.

About 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara

'Sports Are Fun!' is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women's sports in the first place.

Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O'Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they're talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.

From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams "Sports Are Fun!"

Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.

The WNBA and NWSL welcomed some new high-profile owners on Monday, as Serena Williams and Sabrina Ionescu announced investments in the country’s leading pro women’s sports leagues.

Tennis icon Williams is purchasing a stake in the Toronto Tempo. There, the 23-time Grand Slam winner will subsequently weigh in on the 2026 WNBA expansion team's visual elements like jersey designs, merchandise deals, and more.

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"Serena is a champion," noted Tempo president Teresa Resch. "She’s set the bar for women in sport, business, and the world — and her commitment to using that success to create opportunities for other women is inspiring."

Meanwhile, 2024 WNBA champion and Bay Area product Ionescu also padded her portfolio. Ionescu bought into 2024 NWSL addition Bay FC, where she’ll serve as an official commercial advisor.

"Sabrina is the ultimate innovator and creates new pathways for aspiring and current professional athletes," said team CEO Brady Stewart. "Adding her passion and vision to what we are building at Bay FC will allow us to further disrupt the sports landscape."

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Athlete investors lead the way in growing women's sports

Both current and retired athletes are increasingly buying into the business side of women’s sports. The list includes USWNT alums Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, and Abby Wambach backing Angel City FC and WNBA legend Sue Bird buying into the Seattle Storm and Gotham FC.

Earlier this year, 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark threw her support behind Cincinnati’s recent NWSL expansion bid.

"This moment is not just about basketball," said Williams. "It is about showcasing the true value and potential of female athletes — I have always said that women’s sports are an incredible investment opportunity."

"I whole-heartedly understand how important investment really is and obviously you can talk about it and be about it, but you really have to want to be committed to it and invest to be able to see what you believe in come to light," echoed Ionescu.

Ownership doesn't only keep legends in the game. It also proves that women’s sports are a booming business.

"It hasn't happened overnight for us. It's been years and years for us of athletes kicking down the door, voice what it is that they want to see. It's taken investment, and now expansion," added Ionescu.

"To see it now in real-time — viewership, attendance, sponsorships — everything is at an all-time high."

With the 2024/25 NCAA basketball regular season officially wrapped, the AP dropped its final Top 25 rankings on Monday, with shifts mirroring last weekend’s rollercoaster finale.

While not enough to dethrone co-SEC champion No. 1 Texas, newly minted Big Ten title-winner USC's series sweep of crosstown rival UCLA earned the Trojans their highest ranking in 39 years, taking over the Bruins's No. 2 spot on Monday.

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"A goal was to come here and bring USC back to what it was at one point," USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb told AP after the rankings announcement.

In a full swap with USC, UCLA shifted an identical two spots down to No. 4, with Big East winner UConn jumping up to the No. 3 position.

Tough losses shake up AP Poll rankings

After a tough run that saw the struggling Irish lose two straight games — and their outright claim to the ACC regular-season title — Notre Dame slid three spots to No. 6, just below defending NCAA champs No. 5 South Carolina. ACC foe NC State, who beat the Irish to the conference tournament's No. 1 seed, is now chasing Notre Dame in the rankings at No. 7.

A recent flurry of high-profile unranked losses also impacted Monday's AP update, with LSU sinking two spots to No. 9 after falling to No. 19 Alabama and unranked Ole Miss, allowing first-time Big 12 champion TCU to rise to No. 8.

Similar to the Tigers, No. 14 North Carolina, No. 18 Tennessee, and No. 20 Kansas State all saw precipitous drops after giving up games down the stretch, falling at least six spots to their current positions.

The week’s greatest gain went to No. 11 Duke, who leapt five spots after closing out their regular season with a pair of ranked wins over UNC and No. 22 Florida State.

Snagging a photo finish was mid-major titan South Dakota State, who managed to break through into the No. 25 spot in the Power Four-heavy Poll after a third straight undefeated conference season. The Summit League champion Jackrabbits finished 2024/25 play with just three losses, falling only to No. 1 Texas, No. 11 Duke, and Georgia Tech — who spent 11 of the season's 18 weeks in the AP rankings.

Top-ranked teams will next jump into this week's conference tournament play, giving them one last chance to impress the NCAA tournament committee ahead of Selection Sunday on March 16th.

AP College Basketball Top 25: Week 18

1. Texas (29-2, SEC)
2. USC (26-2, Big Ten)
3. UConn (28-3, Big East)
4. UCLA (27-2, Big Ten)
5. South Carolina (27-3, SEC)
6. Notre Dame (25-4, ACC)
7. NC State (24-5, ACC)
8. TCU (28-3, Big 12)
9. LSU (27-4, SEC)
10. Oklahoma (23-6, SEC)
11. Duke (23-7, ACC)
12. Kentucky (22-6, SEC)
13. Ohio State (24-5, Big Ten)
14. North Carolina (25-6, ACC)
15. Maryland (23-6, Big Ten)
16. West Virginia (23-6, Big 12)
17. Baylor (25-6, Big 12)
18. Tennessee (21-8, SEC)
19. Alabama (23-7, SEC)
20. Kansas State (25-6, Big 12)
21. Oklahoma State (24-5, Big 12)
22. Florida State (23-7, ACC)
23. Creighton (24-5, Big East)
24. Michigan State (21-8, Big Ten)
25. South Dakota State (26-3, Summit League)