I spend most of every Sunday sitting on the couch watching women’s college basketball, and this Sunday was no different. When I tuned in to watch South Carolina top Ole Miss, I thought to myself, “Aliyah Boston has to win National Player of the Year.” Then I changed the channel to watch Iowa defeat Michigan and thought, “Actually, Caitlin Clark has to win Player of the Year.”

That pretty much sums up my thought process on the POY race at this stage of the season. I watch one player and think she’s the clear favorite; I watch the other and change my mind.

But with the regular season nearly wrapped up, it’s time to officially choose between the two.

The case for Caitlin Clark

There’s only one way to watch Caitlin Clark play basketball: on the edge of your seat, mouth agape in absolute awe. To put it simply, she is the most exciting player in college basketball. Men’s or women’s, full stop.

There isn’t a shot Clark can’t make. Whether it’s a 3-pointer from the logo or an off-balance, through-contact finish in the lane, when Clark shoots, you’re surprised if she misses. If the POY race takes watchability into account, Clark’s case for the award is air tight.

Then there are her stats. The sophomore is leading the NCAA with 27.5 points per game and 8.3 assists per game. She also has the most triple-doubles of any player this season with five, and she hit 1,500 career points in just 56 games — the fastest a player has done that in men’s and women’s Division I history. Statistically speaking, it’s hard to argue against her.

madness. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ckNlkx2x0t

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) February 28, 2022

So, we’ve got watchability and we’ve got stats. The next component to a POY resume is what the player does for her team. Iowa has talented players around Clark — the best being Monika Czinano in the post — but the rest of the roster is made up strictly of role players. Clark makes everything happen for the Hawkeyes, and without her, this team likely wouldn’t be ranked and, instead of winning the Big 10, likely would have found itself near the bottom of the conference.

That brings me to the final point of consideration in the POY race: team success. Points, assists, logo 3s and acrobatic finishes mean nothing if your team isn’t winning. And after a difficult start to the season, Iowa is doing just that. With five straight wins over Minnesota, No. 15 Maryland, No. 5 Indiana, Indiana again (this time ranked 10th) and No. 6 Michigan, Iowa not only secured a share of the Big 10 title, but also jumped from 21st in the country to 12th.

Iowa is thriving, and it’s all because of Caitlin Clark.

The case for Aliyah Boston

Caitlin Clark is awe-inspiring because she’s doing things on the basketball court that no one else has, while Aliyah Boston is standing out for the opposite reasons. She’s doing exactly what players before her have done, what other players in the league are doing now and what plenty more will do in the future. The difference is she’s doing it better than anyone else.

It’s a hard feat to revamp rebounding and scoring in the paint, because it’s been a staple of basketball since the sport was invented. Yet, that’s exactly what Boston is proving this season.

The junior recently broke Sylvia Fowles’ SEC record for consecutive double-doubles, with 20, which also makes her one of just five women in DI history to reach that mark. Boston is setting records and playing at a consistently high level in every game, making her games must-see TV. In other words, Boston passes the watchability test.

Oh, you thought the double-team was going to stop @aa_boston
from finding the rim? That's a NOPE. pic.twitter.com/rAGjEZpaJl

— GamecockWBB (@GamecockWBB) February 27, 2022

Now, let’s chat stats. Boston is averaging 16.8 points per game and 11.9 rebounds while shooting 54.4 percent from the field. Her rebounding numbers are sixth best in the country, and while her 16.8 points a game don’t put her in the top 50, it’s certainly nothing to scoff at.

Boston is also playing with two other top players in the country, Destanni Henderson and Zia Cooke, who each average just under 12 points per game. Boston doesn’t have to score over 20 points a game because South Carolina has other weapons. She doesn’t hide on defense, either. The junior averages 2.7 blocks per game, and 8.2 of her rebounds per game come on the defensive end. So adding to Boston’s offensive impact is the fact she takes away tons of scoring chances for South Carolina’s opponents.

All of those points bring us to the final question: What would South Carolina look like without her? With two stars in Henderson and Cooke, and a slew of role players, the Gamecocks would probably be in the top 25, but they almost certainly wouldn’t be No. 1 nor the favorite to win the NCAA Tournament, as they are now. An unwritten rule when it comes to voting for awards like this is to pick the best player on the best team. In that category, Boston stands alone.

The verdict

Now that we’ve unpacked the analysis, it’s time to make a decision. I genuinely don’t think there is a wrong answer here. Both players are deserving, and both players have rock solid arguments for why they should take home the POY prize. It would be easy to say that I can’t choose between Clark and Boston and just leave it there, but that would be a cop-out.

In sports, the emphasis is always on winning, and South Carolina has done that more than any other team. The Gamecocks are 27-1 and have been ranked No. 1 in the country all season long. Neither of those things would have happened without Aliyah Boston, and that gives her the edge.

Poll talk

I like the AP Poll this week from Nos. 1-9. But when it comes to Michigan, Maryland and Iowa taking up Nos. 10-12, I think Iowa deserves to jump into the 10th spot. The Hawkeyes have already moved up nine spots, but they beat Michigan in their last meeting. Sure, the teams split their games on the season, but the most recent games lead me to believe that Iowa is the better team at the moment.

Then, I’m pulling BYU all the way up to 14th. The Cougars have been consistent all season, something teams above them can’t say. And sure, the WCC isn’t as strong of a conference, but going 15-1 in any conference is impressive.

Finally, it’s time to get Princeton into the rankings. The Tigers are another consistent team, now 12-0 in the Ivy League conference, and they haven’t lost since playing Texas on Dec. 22. Let’s give them a little credit.

JWS’ Top 25 in Week 17

1. South Carolina (27-1)
2. Stanford (25-3)
3. NC State (26-3)
4. Louisville (25-3)
5. Baylor (24-5)
6. LSU (25-4)
7. UConn (22-5)
8. Iowa State (24-5)
9. Texas (21-6)
10. Iowa (20-7)
11. Michigan (22-5)
12. Maryland (21-7)
13. Ohio State (22-5)
14. BYU (25-2)
15. Arizona (20-6)
16. Indiana (19-7)
17. Tennessee (22-7)
18. North Carolina (23-5)
19. Oklahoma (22-6)
20. Florida Gulf Coast (26-2)
21. Notre Dame (21-7)
22. Virginia Tech (21-8)
23. Florida (20-9)
24. Georgia Tech (20-9)
25. Princeton (20-4)

Eden Laase is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports. She previously ran her own high school sports website in Michigan after covering college hockey and interning at Sports Illustrated. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

The grass court chaos of Wimbledon didn't disappoint this week, as the unpredictable surface claimed more than one surprise victim in the 2025 Grand Slam's first round.

A full 10 of the London tournament's 32 seeded players fell in the competition's first round, including four of the WTA's Top 10: World No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 6 Qinwen Zheng, and No. 9 Paula Badosa.

"I should just play no tournaments, get no wins, then roll into Wimbledon, and maybe I'll have better results," US star Pegula joked after her two-set Tuesday loss to Italy's No. 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretto, referencing her recent wins.

Gauff's short Wimbledon outing also represented a new challenge for the 21-year-old standout, as the top-ranked US tennis player struggled to bounce back after winning the 2025 French Open last month.

"I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards," Gauff told ESPN. "So I didn’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it."

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The upsets continued as Wimbledon entered its second round on Wednesday morning, claiming several more seeded players like world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini and No. 15 Diana Shnaider, though both No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and unseeded fan favorite Naomi Osaka cruised into the Slam's third round on two-set wins.

No. 8 Madison Keys now leads the US contingent, with fellow US contender No. 12 Amanda Anisimova joining the 2025 Australian Open champion in snagging their own two-set, second-round victories on Wednesday.

How to watch the 2025 Wimbledon Championships

Second-round play at the 2025 Wimbledon women's singles tournament continues on Thursday, as seven US players — including No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 28 Sofia Kenin — look to advance to the competition's third round.

Live continuous coverage of the London Grand Slam airs on ESPN.

The world No. 1 USWNT will close out their summer international break against a familiar foe on Wednesday night, facing North American rival No. 8 Canada for the first time this year.

"It's never friendly, you know? It's always like a final," US midfielder Sam Coffey told media earlier this week. "We all know each other super well."

"I'm really excited to be a part of it again for our younger, newer players," she continued. "I think it's going to be a huge learning opportunity on what representing this crest means."

The Northern neighbors are the USWNT's most frequent opponent, with the US entering the pair's 67th meeting with a 53-4-9 all-time record against Canada.

Wednesday's matchup will also mark Canada's first US clash under new head coach Casey Stoney, who joined the team in January following her abrupt June 2024 dismissal by the NWSL's San Diego Wave FC.

As for US boss Emma Hayes, she'll be looking for yet another refreshed set of starters on Wednesday after swapping out all 11 players between the team's two friendlies against Ireland last week.

"It's a testament to players and staff alike that we can rotate to different groups like we did last game, and everybody's understanding [the tactics] to varying degrees," Hayes said on Tuesday.

With months to go before the next USWNT camp in October, Wednesday's showdown serves as the last chance for bubble players to prove their worth, all while the team aims to cap the summer window with a big win over their longtime rivals.

How to watch the USWNT vs. Canada on Wednesday

The USWNT will cap their three-friendly summer break against Canada at 7:30 PM ET in Washington, DC.

Live coverage of the clash will air on TNT.

The Indiana Fever lifted their first trophy since 2012 on Tuesday night, winning the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup with a 74-59 upset victory over reigning Cup champs Minnesota — all while injured star guard Caitlin Clark watched from the sidelines.

To snag the win, Indiana leaned on balanced scoring, with forward Natasha Howard's 16-point, 12-rebound double-double leading the Fever's five double-digit shooters.

At the same time, the Fever employed a shutdown defense, limiting the Lynx to their lowest point total of the season.

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Beyond the $500,000 payout, Tuesday's win gives the 8-8 Fever a momentum boost as the team continues contending with both high-profile departures and the limited availability of their floor general.

"We have a resilient group, you know?" Indiana head coach Stephanie White said after the game. "They're tough, mentally and physically, they pull for one another. I'm just really proud."

"It felt good to get a win under gut-check circumstances," echoed guard Kelsey Mitchell. "To have so much going on and still stay consistently for each other, it was beautiful. It felt really amazing."

As for the league-leading Lynx, the Commissioner's Cup loss won't impact Minnesota's regular-season WNBA standings — and they’ll hope to build on the learnings from last night's ego blow.

Minnesota also has a bit of history one their side, as the last two Commissioner's Cup runners-up went on to win the WNBA Championship in the same year.

"We have to take this game to heart and learn from the mistakes we made, the way we showed up, the way we prepared, and make sure we don't do it again," said Lynx center Alanna Smith.

How to watch the Indiana Fever, Minnesota Lynx this week

Neither 2025 Commissioner's Cup contender will have much time to reflect on Tuesday's game, as both Indiana and Minnesota will dive back into regular-season WNBA play on Thursday.

The Fever will host the Las Vegas Aces at 7 PM ET, airing on Prime, before the Washington Mystics visit the Lynx at 8 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham turned heads on Tuesday, criticizing the latest WNBA expansion plans in light of ongoing WNBPA CBA negotiations.

Cunningham drew ire from some fans after expressing skepticism about the WNBA awarding expansion teams to Detroit and Cleveland over other possible cities, while also suggesting that the league might be growing too quickly.

"You want to listen to your players, too. Where do they want to play?" she told reporters ahead of Indiana's Commissioner's Cup win. "I'm not so sure what the thought process is there, but at the end of the day, you want to make sure that you're not expanding our league too fast."

"It's kind of a hard decision-making situation. But man, I don't know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or [Cleveland]."

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Elsewhere, Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally also voiced her expansion concerns on Tuesday, calling on the WNBA to keep player support at the forefront when adding expansion teams.

"We really have to put an emphasis on the players that are in our league right now," she told reporters. "Maybe focus on the teams that find excuses continuously to lack investment in their players before we focus on adding more to the grain of people that can't really be sustained."