At JWS Next, we are dedicated to providing the most comprehensive coverage of high school sports possible. That starts with our weekly rankings, which debut today. We took a microscope to the national basketball scene and carefully mapped out a top-25 we believe reflects the balance of power.

Healthy dialogue is not just expected, but encouraged. We want to hear from you — coaches, players, athletic directors, fans and more. If you think your team isn’t ranked fairly, reach out and state your case. Our goal here is put together the best rankings possible, and in order to do so, we encourage your feedback.

That being said, find our first rankings below:

1. Sidwell Friends (D.C.), 16-0

Anchored by the three-headed monster of senior point guard Kiki Rice (UCLA commit), junior forward Jadyn Donovan and sophomore guard Kendall Dudley, the Quakers are in a class of their own.

2. Hopkins (Minn.), 15-1 

Forward Maya Nnaji, an Arizona commit, has the Royals rolling. Hopkins, the alma mater of 2020 No. 1 recruit and UConn star Paige Bueckers, picked up its lone loss of the season against Sidwell Friends on Jan. 21.

3. DeSoto (Texas), (23-2)

The Eagles reached a season-high in points in an 80-23 win over Mansfield on Jan. 28.

4. Etiwanda (Calif.), 22-0

The undefeated Eagles have beaten their last four opponents by an average of 52 points.

5. St. John Vianney (N.J.), 15-0

The Lancers, also undefeated, routed Colts Neck 79-19 on Jan. 27. Their highly anticipated showdown against Sidwell Friends last weekend was snowed out.

6. La Jolla Country Day (Calif.), 19-2

The Torreys have won 11 games in a row since an upset loss to Grandview on Dec. 18.

7. Classen SAS (Okla.), 16-1

A 53-51 defeat to Etiwanda on Dec. 22 is the lone blemish on the Comets’ otherwise perfect season record.

8. DME Academy (Fla.), 20-2

After a 10-point defeat to IMG Academy on Jan. 27, DME Academy will look for revenge on Saturday when the teams meet again.

9. Sierra Canyon (Calif.), 22-1

The Trailblazers have beaten each of their last four opponents by at least 25 points.

🎥: @BeachCityHoops pic.twitter.com/Co5SEUt5GO

— Sierra Canyon Girls Basketball (@sierracanyongbb) February 3, 2022

10. New Hope (Md.), 20-2

The Tigers are cruising heading into the final four games of their regular season slate.

11. Montverde (Fla.), 18-3

A big 59-51 win over Lake Highland Prep on Jan. 27 wrapped up the Eagles’ regular season slate.

12. Conway (Ark.), 21-1

The Wampus Cats face a stiff test Friday against rival North Little Rock on the road.

13. Cedar Park (Texas), 28-0

The Timberwolves ended the regular season unbeaten, and now turn their attention toward the Texas 5A playoffs.

14. Incarnate Word (Mo.), 17-0

The Red Knights will put their undefeated record on the line Friday against high-powered Cardinal Ritter.

15. Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), 18-4

Despite concluding the regular season with a loss to Montverde, the Highlanders feel confident entering the postseason. They’re led by star forward and Louisville commit Nyla Harris.

16. Rock Bridge (Mo.), 17-0

The Bruins shellacked Co Jesu Academy, 50-19, on Tuesday.

17. Fremont (Utah), 16-2

Led by forward Timea Gardiner, a five-star recruit (per ESPN) committed to Oregon State, the Silverwolves have won 10 in a row since a Dec. 21 loss to La Jolla.

18. Hazel Green (Ala.), 27-0

The unbeaten Trojans kick off the 6A postseason next Monday against local rival Huntsville.

19. Good Counsel (Md.), 13-1

The Falcons bolstered their resume with a definitive 60-50 win over Paul IV (Va.) on Jan. 25.

I knew @angieharrisss was locked in last night when she looked at us with fire in her eyes when we took her out for a rest. We have not coached a more competitive player. She embodies the GC way: Be coached hard and Play hard! Our lunch box winner from last night! Leader!! pic.twitter.com/JjEVhWRzK3

— Good Counsel Women's Basketball (@falcongirlbball) January 26, 2022

20. Edison (Mich.), 12-1

Five-star guard Ruby Whitehorn, a Clemson commit, has the Pioneers riding a 10-game winning streak.

21. Johnston (Iowa), 15-0

The undefeated Dragons are four victories away from a perfect regular season.

22. Woodward Academy (Ga.), 20-2

After a 72-34 thrashing of local foe Banneker on Tuesday, the War Eagles head into their final two regular season contests.

23. Homestead (Ind.), 21-1

Wing Ayanna Patterson, a five-star recruit committed to UConn, and the Spartans kick off the 4A playoffs Friday against Columbia City.

24. Bishop McNamara (Md.), 10-4

The Panthers squeezed into the rankings this week, but need to beat Paul VI on Saturday to stay relevant in the national conversation.

25. IMG (Fla.), 11-4

Behind a 40-point performance from Arizona commit Kailyn Gilbert last week, the Ascenders beat DME to pick up a statement win late in the season.

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

Football Manager is expanding its virtual horizons, with the popular soccer video game's latest release — FM26 — featuring women's teams for the first time in history.

The FM26 lineup spans some 40,000 players across 14 leagues, including the NWSL, the UK's WSL and WSL2, Germany's Frauen-Bundesliga, Italy's Serie A, and Japan's WE League as well as the UEFA Women's Champions League.

Football Manager's new women's soccer offering follows similar moves from other video game entities, with EA Sports also expanding its integration of women's teams and players across its NHL, FC, and NBA2K games in recent years.

Launched in 2004 by British developer Sports Interactive and gaming giant Sega, Football Manager puts users in the driver's seat of their favorite teams, navigating club finances, player transfers, tactics, and even training plans in the hunt for success.

To mimic the manager role most realistically, FM amasses extensive data on players and clubs — with that information bank now so deep on the men's side that clubs have employed it for scouting purposes for over 10 years.

The road to launching a similarly real-world women's game required similar stat-gathering, a project which began in 2021.

"An army of people from the women's game helped us, who wanted us to ensure that women's football was properly represented," said Sports Interactive studio director Miles Jacobson.

Football Manager also recreated their motion capture models using former WSL and WSL2 professional players, twins Mollie and Rosie Kmita, to accurately portray women's movement and body structure in FM26.

"Growing up, I would never have imagined playing Football Manager because it wasn't a space for us," Mollie told BBC Sport. "I think we're about to engage a whole new audience and I'm excited to see how this community continues to grow."

How to play Football Manager 26

FM26 is currently available for download across multiple gaming platforms.

With the 2026 Winter Olympics only a few months away, hockey giants Canada and the USA are hitting the ice, tuning up for February's global showdown with the pair's annual Rivalry Series.

The four-game slate kicks off in Cleveland, Ohio, on Thursday before the titans clash again in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday, with the 2025 Rivalry Series finishing up with two games in Edmonton, Alberta, next month.

This sixth edition of the series will serve as both teams' final international face-offs before heading to Milan, Italy, where five-time Olympic champions Canada will aim to repeat their 2022 gold-medal run while the two-time winning US will hunt a return to the top of the podium.

No other nation has ever won Olympic gold in the seven editions of the women's hockey competition.

The last time the pair met was in April's IIHF World Championship final, in which the US topped Canada 4-3 to lift the 2025 trophy — though Canada holds the all-time head-to-head advantage with a 106-82 record.

Four-time Olympian Hilary Knight and three-time Olympian Kendall Coyne Schofield headline Team USA's Rivalry Series squad, backed by 11 additional US Olympians.

Longtime Canada captain Marie-Philip Poulin leads her side, alongside 20 of her fellow 2025 IIHF Worlds silver medalists.

How to watch the 2025 Canada vs. USA Rivalry Series

The puck drops on the four-game docket in Cleveland at 7 PM ET on Thursday before the teams take the ice in Buffalo at 6 PM ET on Saturday.

Both games will air live on the NHL Network.

After crashing out of their first-ever Final Four last season, No. 3 UCLA enters their 2025/26 campaign with heightened promise and added depth as the new-look Bruins take aim at another deep NCAA basketball tournament run.

"This is probably the most complete team I've ever coached, and I think if we can stay healthy and stay focused, we're going to have big things ahead," head coach Cori Close told JWS ahead of this week's season tip-off.

"We have an abundance of opportunities to invest in each other," she continued. "We have an abundance of ways in which we can improve week by week, and we're going to stay focused on those."

The Bruins' success could hinge on next year's projected No. 1 WNBA draft pick Lauren Betts, though Close indicated that teamwork would be key to unlocking the senior center's full potential.

"We both agreed she needs to have less minutes than in the past, and honestly, maybe even less shots, but more efficiency," said Close. "Everybody wins that way, including Lauren."

Recent transfers like former Utah forward Gianna Kneepkins and ex-Washington State guard Charlisse Leger-Walker should balance the 2025/26 UCLA basketball lineup alongside top freshman recruit — and Betts's little sister — Sienna.

How to watch UCLA basketball this week

While forward Sienna's NCAA debut has been postponed due to a lower leg injury, UCLA fans can catch the elder Betts and the rest of the No. 3 Bruins in action against unranked UC Santa Barbara at 2:30 PM ET on Thursday, streaming live on B1G+.

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball is gearing up for its 2026 return to the court, dropping all six-player team rosters plus a six-athlete development pool ahead of its expanded eight-squad second season on Wednesday.

Reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers was the distribution draft's first pick, with the Dallas Wings star joining expansion side Breeze BC under recently dismissed Seattle Storm head coach Noelle Quinn.

Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell went second, set to lead fellow expansion team Hive BC under head coach Rena Wakama.

Not every Unrivaled lineup saw significant changes, however, with reigning champion Rose BC returning four of their six original players while all inaugural teams opted to protect at least one top performer.

Napheesa Collier and Skylar Diggins are back on the Lunar Owls, Kahleah Copper and Chelsea Gray remained with Rose BC, and Alyssa Thomas and Jackie Young will encore for the Laces while the Vinyl protected Dearica Hamby and Rhyne Howard.

Even non-playoff teams held onto key talent, with Satou Sabally returning to the Phantom and Breanna Stewart staying with the Mist.

A trio of 2025 WNBA rookies also headline Unrivaled's new development group, with Chicago Sky guard Hailey Van Lith, Indiana Fever forward Makayla Timpson, and Dallas Wings guard Aziaha James part of the six-player group that will fill in across the league to offset any injuries during the season.

How to buy 2026 Unrivaled player jerseys

While Bueckers's Breeze BC replica jersey sold out just minutes after Wednesday's roster reveal and subsequent merchandise drop, fans can gear up for the 2026 Unrivaled season by snagging other player's jerseys from the Unrivaled shop.

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The 2026 Unrivaled team rosters