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‘Sports Are Fun!’ Sounds Off on UCLA, the USWNT, and the NCAA Transfer Portal

Cover image for Sports Are Fun! podcast featuring UCLA center Lauren Betts.
Sports Are Fun! is back with even more March Madness coverage.

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

Every week on Sports Are Fun!, co-hosts soccer legend Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, Olympic diver Kassidy Cook, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes on the biggest women's sports headlines.

And in today's episode, the crew catches up on March Madness action as the NCAA tournament blows past the Elite Eight ahead of Friday's Final Four.

"The first team I want to review is South Carolina," O'Hara says, opening up the conversation. "They beat Maryland and Duke both by four points. Thoughts on South Carolina's Sweet 16 and Elite Eight showing?"

"As I said last week, they've made me incredibly nervous, to a point where I have doubts right now," answers Diaz, admitting she had the 2024 NCAA champs going the distance for a second straight year.

"Especially if they face a UCLA in the in the final, who is who's going to cover Lauren Betts?" she continues. "They don't have that that 6'7" Kamilla Cardoso that they had last year. And having that presence by the rim is super important, offensively and defensively. I just think that they're small."

"That's their biggest weakness," agrees O'Hara.

"And sometimes their bench shows up, sometimes they don't. And for me, that's a big problem. You need depth," Diaz says.

Later on, Sports Are Fun! dives into the upcoming USWNT friendlies, the NCAA transfer portal, Trinity Rodman and Ben Shelton, NWSL goals, and so much more!

'Sports Are Fun!' hosts debate the NCAA transfer portal

Next up, the crew sounds off on the NCAA transfer portal as more top players opt to leave their programs in search of a new home. They subsequently ask the question: What matters more, team loyalty or an NIL payday?

"The women's basketball transfer portal is very much so alive and heating up," starts O'Hara, switching gears. "And we've seen some big names, including Taniya Latson from FSU and Cotie McMahon from Ohio State enter the portal."

"Obviously none of us experienced the transfer portal, but I'm curious what everyone's group thoughts are," she asks.

"Every year it gets crazier and crazier, but there's money to be made now," says Diaz. "So listen, go where the money's at. And as a coach, who am I to say, 'They're offering you $500,000. I don't got it.' Go make the bread."

"It would stress me out," says Cook. "When you start making money, all you can think about is, what if I could be making more? But some of these people are still teenagers — 19, 20 years old — and they're making these big decisions."

"Back in the day, you also had an allegiance to your school — you were playing for your school and playing because you love the sport," she adds. "Now you're playing where you can get the most money."

"Audi Crooks at Iowa State, she said 'The grass is greener where you water it. So quit asking,'" says O'Hara. "Because people were asking, 'Are you going to enter the transfer portal?'"

"I love that because I feel like I would have done the same thing," the proud Stanford grad continues. "If I was operating in this day and age, and had the opportunity to go make a ton of money, I think that my heart would still win out over my head."

Sports Are Fun! graphic featuring soccer legend Kelley O'Hara.
'Sports Are Fun!' places Kelley O'Hara at the intersection of women's sports and fun. (Just Women's Sports)

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.

Team USA Outscores Canada to Open 2025 Rivalry Series

USA forward Taylor Heise takes the puck up the ice during a 2025 Rivalry Series game against Canada.
The USA outscored Canada 10-2 across their first two 2025 Rivalry Series games. (Rebecca Villagracia/Getty Images)

The USA women's hockey team came out on top over the weekend, kicking off the four-game 2025 Rivalry Series against Canada by dominating their northern neighbors, outscoring them by an impressive 10-2 margin across the pair's first two games.

US forward Abbey Murphy emerged as a series star, scoring a natural hat trick in the team's 4-1 win in Cleveland on Thursday — the first three-goal turn by a USA player against Canada since team captain Hilary Knight did so at the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship.

"I told [Murphy], 'You set the bar pretty high,'" said Knight, who added her own hat trick to the mix in Saturday's 6-1 victory in Buffalo.

"I love how we showed up," the 36-year-old continued. "We've been working like dogs since August and to get rewarded for our work, and see situations that we need to work on."

Notably, while the USA brought their entire 2025 world championship-winning roster to the first two Rivalry Series games, Canada chose to evaluate some fresh faces while resting a number of standout veterans, including their No. 1 goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens — a fact that should temper the sting of adding two big losses to their now four-game skid against the US.

With women's hockey taking over Milan at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February, the last two 2025 Rivalry Series matchups will more likely see both sides testing their final rosters for Italy.

How to watch the final games in the 2025 Rivalry Series

Canada will welcome the USA for the last two matchups in the 2025 Rivalry Series, with the puck dropping in Edmonton, Alberta, at 9 PM ET for both the December 10th and 13th clashes.

Both games will air live on the NHL Network.

WNBA Star Caitlin Clark Tees Off at The ANNIKA Pro-Am 2025

WNBA guard Caitlin Clark laughs with LPGA star Nelly Korda in the 2024 Pro-Am at The Annika tournament.
WNBA star Caitlin Clark will compete in The ANNIKA Pro-Am 2025 on Wednesday before world No. 2 golfer Nelly Korda begins her 2024 title defense at the tournament. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The LPGA is bringing star power to Florida this week, as a wealth of women's golf talent — and one basketball superstar — tee off at the 2025 edition of The ANNIKA.

Kicking off the event on Wednesday was the annual Pro-Am, with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark headlining the field for the second straight year.

World No. 2 golfer Nelly Korda once again joined Clark through her first nine holes, as Fever teammates Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull served as guest caddies.

The four-day professional tournament will then tee off on Thursday, though current world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul will not be in attendance for the second year in a row.

Korda, however, will lead the charge to both defend her 2024 title and secure her first win of the 2025 LPGA season — as well as add to her full trio of trophies collected at The ANNIKA.

Four other Top-10 players will look to upend Korda's back-to-back bid, including No. 3 Miyu Yamashita, No. 6 Charley Hull, No. 9 Mao Saigo, and No. 10 Lottie Woad.

With the 2025 CMA Group Tour Championship capping the LPGA season later this month, The ANNIKA will also see golfers on the bubble — like US stars Rose Zhang and 2023 champion Lilia Vu — try to snag enough points to make the end-of-year tournament's final 60-player cut.

How to watch The ANNIKA 2025 LPGA tournament

Coverage of the fifth edition of The ANNIKA continues through Sunday, airing live on the Golf Channel.

UCLA Takes Down Oklahoma in Top 10 2025/26 NCAA Basketball Action

Oklahoma sophomore Zya Vann guards UCLA senior Gabriela Jaquez during a 2025 NCAA basketball game.
No. 3 UCLA basketball overcame the first major test of their 2025/26 NCAA season on Monday. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

The No. 3 UCLA Bruins rose to the occasion on Monday, looking like 2025/26 NCAA basketball championship contenders as they took down the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners 73-59 in Sacramento.

Utah transfer Gianna Kneepkens made the difference for the Bruins, leading all scorers with 20 points while opposing defenses limited both UCLA center Lauren Betts and Oklahoma big Raegan Beers to single digits.

Bruins forward Angela Dugalić also put up a standout performance, coming off the bench to score 16 points and snag 15 rebounds on Monday.

"There are so many weapons that I feel like it's hard for the defense to choose what to take away," Kneepkens said ahead of Monday's matchup. "What makes this team special is that any night could be someone's night."

Monday's clash with UCLA also served as the national broadcast debut of Oklahoma freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez, with the No. 1 high school basketball recruit seeing her first Top 10 NCAA matchup as a Sooner.

Chavez had a slow start against the experienced Bruins, registering 11 points, three assists, and two rebounds across her 32 minutes on the court.

How to watch UCLA basketball this week

The heat continues for No. 3 UCLA on Thursday, when the Bruins will host the No. 11 North Carolina Tar Heels at 9 PM ET, airing live on ESPN.

WNBA Star Alyssa Thomas Signs with Overseas Offseason League Project B

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas defends as Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike drives to the basket during a 2025 WNBA game.
Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas is the second WNBA player to sign with new offseason league Project B, joining Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Newly formed offseason league Project B is stocking up, with Phoenix Mercury star forward Alyssa Thomas becoming the second big-name WNBA player to sign with the overseas venture ahead of its anticipated November 2026 debut.

Thomas follows Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike in joining Project B, a traveling tournament-style competition reportedly offering players significant pay raises into the seven- and even eight-figure echelon — as well as equity stakes in the league.

Thomas will still feature in the 2026 season of Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball this January, with the launch of Project B expected to conflict with Unrivaled's third season in 2027.

With salaries reportedly topping both Unrivaled and the WNBA, Project B's funding sources came into question after Ogwumike's announcement last week.

In February, The Financial Times named Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund as a league investor, though Project B co-founder Grady Burnett denied those claims to Front Office Sports last week.

However, the league is working with event partner Sela, a known subsidiary of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, though Burnett was quick to qualify that "Sela is one event partner that we pay money to. We do not have any dollars coming from them."

With the first season of Project B set to field 66 players, expect more high-profile signings to continue as the new venture adds to the increasingly crowded WNBA offseason space.