The Hopkins girls’ basketball team is more than a one-woman show.

Maya Nnaji, the 6-foot-4 forward bound for Arizona, is no doubt the Royals’ crown jewel. But in Hopkins’ 66-43 win over Lakeville North on Wednesday in the Minnesota Class AAAA quarterfinals, Nnaji received plenty of help.

Sophomore guard Liv McGill took over for a stretch late in the first half. Junior forward Taylor Woodson was a menace on the offensive glass. And junior guard Kelly Boyle knocked down a pair of clutch 3-pointers off the bench.

It was a team effort, and the Royals — the alma mater of UConn star Paige Bueckers — will look to bring that same energy into Thursday’s semifinal matchup against either White Bear Lake or Rosemount. Hopkins has sat behind No. 1 Sidwell Friends at No. 2 in our top 25 all season long, including in last week’s rankings.

1. Sidwell Friends (D.C.), 27-0

After winning the D.C. State Athletic Association (DCSAA) championship, the Quakers accepted a bid to the inaugural State Champions Invitational.

2. Hopkins (Minn.), 23-1

The Royals will play either White Bear Lake or Rosemount in the AAAA state semifinal.

3. DeSoto (Texas), 33-2

The Eagles completed their “legacy tour” with a 40-23 win over South Grand Prairie and a second consecutive 6A state championship.

4. Classen SAS (Okla.), 23-1

The Comets won the school’s first ever state championship in any sport with a 55-22 win over Tuttle in the 4A state finals.

This is still crazy to me but way to end it with the best team I can ever ask for🤍! pic.twitter.com/IRkxQVj52E

— Micah Gray (@MicahGray2022) March 14, 2022

5. St. John Vianney (N.J.), 30-1

The Lancers defeated Immaculate Heart 74-36 to claim the Non-Public A state championship.

6. Sierra Canyon (Calif.), 29-2

The Trailblazers rolled Archbishop Mitty, 85-61, to claim their second straight CIF Open Division state crown.

7. New Hope (Md.), 27-2

The Tigers earned the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye at GEICO Nationals.

8. Cedar Park (Texas), 36-0

Gisella Maul scored 27 points as the Timberwolves earned their second straight 5A state championship with a 45-40 win over Memorial.

9. Incarnate Word (Mo.), 27-0

The undefeated Red Knights play St. Joseph’s on Thursday in the Class 6 state semifinals.

10. Etiwanda (Calif.), 28-1

Despite their loss to Sierra Canyon in the state semifinal, the Eagles put together a season worth remembering.

11. Montverde (Fla.), 18-3

The Tigers earned the No. 3 seed in the GEICO Nationals tournament and will play No. 2 seed DME in the semifinals.

12. Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), 23-4

The Highlanders were one of four teams selected to the State Champions Invitational.

13. La Jolla Country Day (Calif.), 24-3

The Torreys’ season came to a heartbreaking end last weekend in the form a 63-62 defeat to Sierra Canyon in the CIF open division region semifinal.

14. Hazel Green (Ala.), 33-0

The Trojans defeated Oxford 55-38 in the 6A championship game for their fifth straight state title.

15. Johnston (Iowa), 26-0

The Dragons beat Waterloo West 51-31 to claim the 5A state title one year after losing in the championship game.

16. Woodward Academy (Ga.), 28-2

After routing Forest Park, 72-44, in the AAAAA state final, the War Eagles move on to the State Champions Invitational.

17. Lone Peak (Utah), 23-0

The Knights beat Fremont in the 6A state championship to cap a perfect season.

18. DME (Fla.), 21-3

DME was awarded the No. 2 seed at GEICO Nationals.

19. IMG (Fla.), 11-4

After a long hiatus, the No. 4 seed Ascenders will play Bishop McNamara in the GEICO Nationals semifinals.

20. Noblesville (Ind.), 25-4

The Millers beat Franklin Community 76-52 to claim the 4A state title, the program’s second state crown and first since 1987.

21. South Bend Washington (Ind.), 27-3

The Panthers annihilated Silver Creek 93-35 in the 3A state championship game last weekend.

22. Bishop McNamara (Md.), 20-5

Despite falling to St. John’s in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) finals, the Mustangs earned a GEICO Nationals bid.

23. Centennial (Nev.), 17-3

The Bulldogs were named to the State Champions Invitational.

Row row row your 🚤 • Our bench really stays LIT pic.twitter.com/XXsx9kH5S8

— Centennial HS GBB (@centennialgbb) February 28, 2022

24. Fremont (Utah), 24-3

The Timberwolves fell to Lone Peak in the 6A state final.

25. Duncanville (Texas), 34-7

The Pantherettes’ season came to an end Feb. 26 with a loss to DeSoto in the 6A Region II final.

 Josh Needelman is the High School Sports Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @JoshNeedelman.

 

Despite a few shocking upsets in the early rounds of the 2025 NCAA soccer tournament, the ACC has retained its status as the conference to beat, with the powerhouse sending three teams to this season's College Cup semifinals on Friday.

With two tickets to Monday's national championship match on the line, four-time title-winners and No. 3-seed Florida State will take on College Cup debutants TCU in Friday's first semi, with the No. 2 Horned Frogs booking their semifinals spot by ousting fellow SEC standout No. 1 Vanderbilt 2-1 last Saturday.

The nightcap, on the other hand, will be an all-ACC affair, as No. 2 Duke continues their hunt for a first-ever national title against the tournament's overall No. 1 seed, Stanford.

The three-time NCAA champ Cardinal has been unstoppable, outscoring their opponents 21-5 across the tournament's first four rounds to set up a season-first matchup with the Blue Devils.

The 2025 College Cup will take place for the first time at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, home of the NWSL's Kansas City Current.

How to watch the 2025 College Cup semifinals

Friday's 2025 College Cup semifinals will begin with No. 2 TCU vs. No. 3 Florida State at 6 PM ET, with No. 1 Stanford's clash against No. 2 Duke kicking off at 8:45 PM ET.

Both semifinals — plus Monday's 7PM ET championship match — will air live on ESPNU.

Playa Society is honoring the 25th anniversary of the classic sports film "Love & Basketball" this week, with the popular women's basketball outfitter dropping a capsule collection entitled "First Quarter: Ball Better Than You" — an homage to one of the film's iconic quotes.

"This is a love story, about our love for 'Love & Basketball,'" notes Playa Society about the collection. "Our love for [lead character] Monica, who served as the first representation of an unapologetic female athlete in film. Our love for [writer and director] Gina Prince-Bythewood for her persistence in delivering culture and truth. And our love for the energy of it all that inspired Playa Society to fill in the gaps for women in sports."

"I am so humbled by the enduring impact of the film on both ballers and non-athletes, who are inspired by characters who believe in themselves enough to fight for an impossible dream," Prince-Bythewood said of the project.

With New York Liberty teammates and girlfriends Natasha Cloud and Izzy Harrison serving as models, the "First Quarter" collection includes T-shirts, hoodies, and more.

This week's drop is just the first in the works between Prince-Bythewood and Playa Society founder Esther Wallace, with the LA Sentinel describing their collaboration as "blending nostalgia, culture, and women's sports in a way that honors the film while pushing the narrative forward."

How to purchase from Playa Society's "Love & Basketball" collection

All items from the "First Quarter" collection are now available in limited quantities at PlayaSociety.com.

The inaugural North American iteration of World Sevens Football (W7F) kicks off in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, when eight standout clubs will battle for three days for the the largest share of the 7v7 competition's $5 million prize pool.

All eight clubs boast championship backgrounds, including the reigning NWSL Shield-winning Kansas City Current, 2023 NWSL Shield-winners San Diego Wave, Liga MX Femenil Apertura winner Tigres UANL, current Northern Super League Shield-winner AFC Toronto, and more.

This weekend's edition is the second-ever W7F tournament, after the new venture launched with a Europe-centric competition in Portugal last May, crowning Bayern Munich as its debut champions.

In W7F, the 11v11 clubs instead field seven players per side on a pitch half the size of a regulation field, with matches comprised of two 15-minute halves along with smaller goals, no offside rule, and rolling substitutions throughout the games.

All eight clubs will compete in the group stage on Friday and Saturday, with the top four teams advancing to Sunday's knockout rounds.

How to watch this weekend's W7F tournament

The North American debut of W7F kicks off when the NWSL's Kansas City Current faces Brazilian powerhouse Clube de Regatas do Flamengo at 5 PM ET on Friday.

All games, including Sunday's 4:30 PM ET championship match, will air live on HBO Max as well we either TNT or truTV.

The SEC displayed its basketball dominance on Thursday's courts, as the conference won all four of the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge Day 2 matchups to feature at least one Top-25 team.

No. 2 Texas handled No. 11 North Carolina 79-64 while No. 3 South Carolina and No. 13 Ole Miss survived nail-biters against No. 22 Louisville and No. 18 Notre Dame, respectively.

"I thought [our players] got out and made big plays for themselves in the fourth and building the five-point lead," said South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley. "It was a turning point for us, whether we were going to succumb to losing the game or fight to get back in it."

No one had a better night than No. 5 LSU, however, as the Tigers faced their season's first Power Four opponent to a 93-77 result over unranked Duke, erasing a 14-point deficit behind six double-digit LSU scorers — led by 18 points from star guard Flau'jae Johnson.

"We scored 93 tonight, and look how poor we played in the first quarter. We were behind. Scoring the ball is not going to be a problem," said Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey. "Our problem is we have to just continue to get better on the defensive end and take care of the ball."

Across the 16 total 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge games, the SEC took 13 victories, with only unranked Syracuse, Virginia Tech, and SMU earning ACC wins — over Auburn, Florida, and Arkansas, respectively — this week.

How to watch Top-25 NCAA basketball this weekend

This weekend's NCAA docket sees the nonconference schedule cool down, with No. 16 USC hosting No. 21 Washington in the only ranked battle.

The Trojans and Huskies will tip off in LA at 8 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage airing on the Big Ten Network.